How To Remove and Add Right-Click Menu Items from Files and Folders

December 30, 2008

A lot of programs you install will add themselves to the right-click menu of your files and/or folders. And most times, you have no choice in the matter and, as a result, your right-click menu can get very long with added items you don’t even use. Fortunately, you can easily remove those unwanted menu items, if you know the registry values to edit. And it’s not at all difficult once you know the keys responsible for the additions.

For Files, the secret lies in the “context menu handlers” under the shellex subkey for “All Files” which, in the registry, is nothing but an asterisk – like a dos wildcard, which means the values entered apply to all files. It is at the very top of the Root key, right here:

HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\*\shellex\ContextMenuHandlers

Click the the + sign next to the ContextMenuHandlers key, to expand it.
Now you will see some of the programs that have added items to your right-click menu. Simply delete the program keys you don’t want.
Yup! It’s that simple. If deleting makes you uneasy, just export the key before deleting it. Or, instead of deleting the values, disable them. Simply double click the default value for the program on the right hand pane and rename the clsid value by placing a period or dash in front of it.
ie; – {b5eedee0-c06e-11cf-8c56-444553540000}
Then exit the registry, refresh, and right click a file to see if the item was removed from the menu.
Some programs – like WinZip or WinRar – will add several items to your right click menu but all of them will be removed by deleting or disabling their one context menu handler.

Note that the above key only applies to the right click menu of files.
To remove entries from the right click context menu of folders, you need to navigate to the Folder and Drive keys:

HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Folder\shellex\ContextMenuHandlers
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Drive\shellex\ContextMenuHandlers

All you have to do is follow the same procedure as for Files – either disable or delete items you wish to remove.
Adding Items
Adding Items to the right click menu of Files and Folders is also fairly simple using the Registry. It just involves the creation of a few new keys for each item you wish to add. You edit the same keys used for removing items. Let’s use Notepad as an example of an item you’d like to add to the right click menu of all your files or folders.

For folders, go to this key:
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Folder
Click the + sign next to Folder and expand it so that the Shell key is visible. Right click the Shell key and choose New>Key and name the key Notepad or whatever else you’d prefer (whatever the key is named is what will appear in the right-click menu). Now right click the new key you made and create another key named Command. Then, in the right hand pane, double click “Default” and enter Notepad.exe as the value.
Exit the registry, refresh, and right click any folder. Notepad should now be on the context menu.

For files, go here again:

HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\*
Expand the * key and see if a Shell key exists. If it does exist, follow the same procedure as for folders. If it does not exist, you’ll have to create a new Shell first. Just right click the * key and choose New>Key and name it Shell. Then right click the Shell key and continue on the same way you did for adding items to the right click menu of folders.
Once done, Notepad should appear as an option in the right click menu of all your files.



Cracking WindowsXP local user password with Backtrack 3

December 8, 2008

Cracking job become easy when Backtrack Linux distro come in place, and it get easier when you want crack password saved in WinXP.

Windows XP stored it username and password information in file named SAM at %SystemDrive%:\Windows\system32\config\. The SAM file is encrypted using LM hashes, which is vulnerable to rainbow table attack and bruteforce attack.

Insert the Backtrack3 CD/USB, make it a live boot up.

When you get into Backtrack 3 Desktop

On the console, type

df *to view the harddisk partition distribution on, you may find your Windows system stored at partition /mnt/hda1 (usually, as used for example here)
cd /mnt/hda1/WINDOWS/system32/config/
bkhive system key *bkhive manual
samdump2 SAM key > ~/Desktop/password.txt *~/Desktop/password.txt is the example location for storing dumped password harsh file
cat ~/Desktop/password.txt

You will see the usersname and the hash values of the SAM file.

There are multiple way to crack the hash (johntheripper, rainbow table, LCP). Over here, we use john the ripper as example.

john ~/Desktop/password.txt –users=Administrator (Administrator is the example user name)

The user Owner has the password “abc123” and the Administrator has no password.

Countermeasure for the attack:

  • Set boot-up password on BIOS to prevent unauthorized live boot up using CD/USB storage media.
  • Secure physical access to the machine. The cardinal rule that physical access equals total access exists for a reason.
  • Use strong passwords. Strong password means combination of alphanumeric(01245…vwxyz) and symbols (!@#$%^&*()_+), at least 8 characters in length, will take much longer time (sometimes may be impossible to crack, like password “%a^&b*&e^$5*45*&^%<%” for medium-size rainbow table) to do its job.

File formats

December 7, 2008

Most of the people really don’t know the expansion or the meaning of the file formats.These are added to the end of file name.here are some of the most commonly used file formats…

A

ABK Corel Draw AutoBackup
ACL Corel Draw 6 keyboard accelerator
ACM Used by Windows in the system directory
ACP Microsoft Office Assistant Preview file
ACT Microsoft Office Assistant Actor file
ACV OS/2 drivers that compress and decompress audio data
AD After Dark screensaver
ADB Appointment database used by HP 100LX organizer
ADD OS/2 adapter drivers used in the boot process
ADM After Dark MultiModule screensaver
ADP Used by FaxWorks to do setup for fax modem interaction
ADR After Dark Randomizer screensaver
AFM Adobe font metrics
AF2 ABC Flowchart file
AF3 ABC Flowchart file
AI Adobe Illustrator drawing
AIF Apple Mac AIFF sound
ALB JASC Image Commander album
ALL Arts & Letters Library
AMS Velvert Studio music module (MOD) file
ANC Canon Computer Pattern Maker file that is a selectable list of pattern colors
ANI Animated Cursor
ANS ANSI text
API Application Program Interface file; used by Adobe Acrobat
APR Lotus Approach 97 file
APS Microsoft Visual C++ file
ARC LH ARC (old version) compressed archive
ARJ Robert Jung ARJ compressed archive
ART Xara Studio drawing
ART Canon Crayola art file
ASA Microsoft Visual InterDev file
ASC ASCII text
ASD WinWord AutoSave
ASM Assembler language source file
ASP Active Server Page (an HTML file containing a Microsoft server-processed script)
ASP Procomm Plus setup and connection script
AST Claris Works “assistant” file
ATT AT&T Group 4 bitmap
AVI Microsoft Video for Windows movie
AWD FaxView document

B
BAK Backup file
BAS BASIC code
BAT Batch file
BFC Windows 95 Briefcase document
BG Backgammon for Windows game
BI Binary file
BIF GroupWise initialization file
BIN Binary file
BK Sometimes used to denote backup versions
BK$ Also sometimes used to denote backup versions
BKS An IBM BookManager Read bookshelf
BMK An A bookmark file
BMP Windows or OS/2 bitmap
BM1 Apogee BioMenace data file
BRX A file for browsing an index of multimedia options
BSP Quake map
BS1 Apogee Blake Stone data file
BTM Batch file used by Norton Utilities
B4 Helix Nuts and Bolts file

C
C C code
CAB Microsoft cabinet file (program files compressed for software distribution)
CAL CALS Compressed Bitmap
CAL Calendar schedule data
CAS Comma-delimited ASCII file
CAT IntelliCharge categorization file used by Quicken
CB Microsoft clean boot file
CCB Visual Basic Animated Button configuration
CCF Multimedia Viewer configuration file used in OS/2
CCH Corel Chart
CCM Lotus CC:Mail “box” (for example, INBOX.CCM)
CDA CD Audio Track
CDF Microsoft Channel Definition Format file
CDI Phillips Compact Disk Interactive format
CDR Core Draw drawing
CDT Corel Draw template
CDX Corel Draw compressed drawing
CEL CIMFast Event Language file
CFB Comptons Multimedia file
CFG Configuration file
CGI Common Gateway Interface script file
CGM Computer Graphics Metafile
CH OS/2 configuration file
CHK File fragments saved by Windows Disk Defragmenter or ScanDisk
CHP Ventura Publisher chapter
CIL Clip Gallery download package
CIM Sim City 200 file
CIN OS/2 change control file that tracks changes to an INI file
CK1 iD/Apogee Commander Keen 1 data file
CK2 iD/Apogee Commander Keen 2 data file
CK3 iD/Apogee Commander Keen 3 data file
CK4 iD/Apogee Commander Keen 4 data file
CK5 iD/Apogee Commander Keen 5 data file
CK6 iD/Apogee Commander Keen 6 data file
CLASS Java class
CLP Windows Clipboard file
CLS Visual Basic Class Module
CMD Command file for Windows NT (similar to a DOS .BAT file)
CMD DOS CP/M command file
CMD dBase-II program file
CMF Corel Metafile
CMP JPEG Bitmap
CMP Address document
CMV Corel Move animation
CMX Corel Presentation Exchange image
CNF Configuration file used by Telnet, Windows, and other applications
CNM Windows application menu options and setup file
CNQ Compuworks Design Shop file
CNT Windows (or other) system content files for the help index and other purposes
COB trueSpace2 object
COD Microsoft C compiler output as displayable assembler with original C as comments
COM Command file (program)
CPD Fax Cover document
CPE Fax Cover document
CPI Microsoft MS-DOS code page information file
CPL Control Panel extension
CPL Corel colour palette
CPP C++ code
CPR Corel Presents Presentation
CPT Corel Photo-Paint image
CPX Corel Presentation Exchange Compressed drawing
CRD Cardfile file
CRP Corel Presents Run-Time Presentation
CRT Certificate file
CSC Corel Script
CSP PC Emcee On-Screen image
CSV Comma-separated values file
CT Scitex CT Bitmap
CTL Used in general to mean a file containing control information.
CUE Microsoft Cue Cards data
CUR Windows Cursor
CUT Dr Halo bitmap
CV Corel Versions archive
CV Microsoft CodeView information screen
CWK Claris Works data file
CWS Claris Works template
CXX C++ source code file

D
DAT Data file
DAT WordPerfect Merge Data
DBF Aston-Tate dBASE database
DBX DataBeam image
DCR Shockwave file
DCS Desktop Color Separation file
DCX Fax image (based on PCX)
DDF BTRIEVE database
DEF SmartWare II data file
DEF C++ Definition
DER Certificate file
DIB Device-Independent Bitmap
DIC Dictionary
DIF Data Interchange Format spreadsheet
DIR Macromedia Director file
DIZ Description file
DLG C++ Dialogue Script
DLL Dynamic-Link Library
DMF X-Trakker music module (MOD) file
DOC FrameMaker or FrameBuilder document
DOC WordStar document
DOC WordPerfect document
DOC Microsoft Word document
DOT Microsoft Word document Template
DPR Borland Delphi project header file
DRV Driver
DRW Micrografx Designer/Draw
DSG DooM saved game
DSM Dynamic Studio music module (MOD) file
DSP Microsoft Developer Studio project
DSQ Corel QUERY file
DSW Microsoft Developer Studio workspace
DWG AutoCAD drawing eXchange format
DXF AutoDesk Drawing Interchange format

E
EMF Enhanced Windows Metafile
ENC Encore file
EPS Encapsulated PostScript image
ER1 ERWin file
ERX ERWin file
EVY Envoy document
EWL Microsoft Encarta document
EXE Executable file (program)

F
F FORTRAN file
F77 FORTRAN file
F90 FORTRAN file
FAR Farandole Composer music module (MOD) file
FAV Microsoft Outlook navigation bar
FAX FAX Type image
FH3 Aldus Freehand 3 drawing
FIF Fractal image file
FITS CCD camera image
FLC AutoDesk FLIC animation
FLI AutoDesk FLIC animation
FLT Corel filter
FLT StarTrekker music module (MOD) file
FMB Oracle binary source code for form, version 4.0 and later
FMT Oracle text format of form, version 4.0 and later
FMT Microsoft Schedule+ print file
FMX Oracle executable form, version 4.0 and later
FOG Fontographer font
FON System font
FOR FORTRAN file
FOT Font-related file
FP FileMaker Pro file
FP1 Flying Pigs for Windows data file
FP3 FileMaker Pro file
FPX FlashPix bitmap
FRM Form
FRM FrameMaker or FrameBuilder document
FRM Oracle executable form version 3.0 and earlier
FRM Visual Basic form
FRM WordPerfect Merge form
FRX Visual Basic form stash file

G
GAL Corel Multimedia Manager album
GCP Ground Control Point file used in image processing of remote sensing data .
GED Graphic Environment Document (drawing)
GEM GEM metafile
GEN Ventura-Generated text file
GFC Patton&Patton Flowcharting 4 flowchart file
GFI Genigraphics Graphics Link presentation
GFX Genigraphics Graphics Link presentation
GID Windows 95 global index file (containing help status)
GIF CompuServe bitmap
GIM Genigraphics Graphics Link presentation
GIX Genigraphics Graphics Link presentation
GNA Genigraphics Graphics Link presentation
GNX Genigraphics Graphics Link presentation
GRA Microsoft Graph
GRD Grid file, used in image processing of remote sensing data often to form map projections.
GRP Program Manager Group
GTK Graoumftracker (old) music module (MOD) file
GT2 Graoumftracker (new) music module (MOD) file
GWX Genigraphics Graphics Link presentation
GWZ Genigraphics Graphics Link presentation
GZ Unix Gzip compressed file

H
H C program header
HED HighEdit document
HEL Microsoft Hellbender saved game
HEX Macintosh BinHex 2.0 file
HGL HP Graphics Language drawing
HLP Help file
HOG Lucas Arts Dark Forces WAD file
HPJ Visual Basic Help Project
HPP C++ program header
HQX Macintosh BinHex 4.0 file
HST History file
HT HyperTerminal
HTM Hypertext document
HTML Hypertext document
HTX Extended HTML template

I
ICA Citrix file
ICB Targa bitmap
ICM Image Color Matching profile file
ICO Windows Icon
IDD MIDI Instrument Definition
IDQ Internet Data Query file
IFF Amiga ILBM
IGF Inset Systems metafile
IIF QuickBooks for Windows interchange file
IMA WinImage file
IMG GEM image
INC Assembler language or Active Server include file
INF Information file
INI Initialization file
INP Oracle source code for form, version 3.0 and earlier
INS InstallShield install script
INS X-Internet sign-up file
ISO Lists the files on a CD-ROM; based on the ISO 9660 CD-ROM file system standard
ISP X-Internet sign-up file
ISU InstallShield uninstall script
IT Impulse Tracker music module (MOD) file
IW Idlewild screensaver

J
JAR Java ARchive file (a compressed file for applets and related files)
JAVA Java source code
JBF Paint Shop Pro image browser file
JFF JPEG bitmap
JIF JPEG bitmap
JMP SAS JMPDiscovery chart-to-statistics file
JN1 Epic MegaGames Jill of the Jungle data file
JPEG JPEG bitmap
JPG JPEG bitmap
JS JavaScript source code
JTF JPEG bitmap

K
KDC Kodak Photo-Enhancer
KFX KoFax Group 4 image
KYE Kye game data

L
LBM Deluxe Paint bitmap
LDB Microsoft Access lock file
LEG Legacy document
LHA Alternate file suffix for LZH
LIB Library
LIS Output file produced by a Structured Query Reporting (SQR) program
LOG 1. Log file
LOG 2. Log file used by pokerstars for errors in their poker software
LPD Helix Nuts and Bolts file
LRC Intel Video Phone file
LST List file
LWO Lightwave Object file
LWP Lotus Wordpro 96/97 file
LZH LH ARC compressed archive
LZS Skyroads data file

M


M3D Corel Motion 3D animation
MAC MacPaint image
MAD Microsoft Access module
MAF Microsoft Access Form
MAK Visual Basic or MS Visual C++ Project
MAM Microsoft Access Macro
MAP Map file
MAP Duke Nukem 3D WAD game file
MAQ Microsoft Access Query
MAR Microsoft Access Report
MAS Lotus Freelance Graphics Smartmaster file
MAT Microsoft Access Table
MAX Paperport file
MAZ Hover maze data
MB1 Apogee Monster Bash data file
MCC Dialer10 calling card
MCS MathCAD image
MCW Microsoft Word for Macintosh document
MDA Microsoft Access add-in
MDB Microsoft Access database
MDE Microsoft Access MDE file
MDL Digital Tracker music module (MOD) file
MDL Quake model file
MDN Microsoft Access blank database template
MDW Microsoft Access Workgroup
MDZ Microsoft Access wizard template
MED Music Editor, OctaMED music module (MOD) file
MER Format for interchanging spreadsheet/database data; recognized by Filemaker, Excel, and others
MET Presentation Manager metafile
MI Miscellaneous
MIC Microsoft Image Composer file
MID MIDI music
MMF Microsoft Mail File
MMM Microsoft Multimedia Movie
MOD FastTracker, StarTrekker, Noise Tracker (etc.) music module file
MOD Microsoft Multiplan spreadsheet
MOV QuickTime for Windows movie
MPE MPEG animation
MPEG MPEG animation
MPG MPEG animation
MPP Microsoft Project file
MPP CAD drawing file format
MP3 MPEG Audio Layer 3 (AC3) file
MSG Microsoft Mail message
MSN Microsoft Network document
MSP Microsoft Paint bitmap
MTM MultiTracker music module (MOD) file
MUS Music
MVB Microsoft Multimedia Viewer file
MWP Lotus Wordpro 97 Smartmaster file

N
NAP NAP Metafile
NCB Microsoft Developer Studio file
NSF Lotus Notes database
NST Noise Tracker music module (MOD) file
NTF Lotus Notes database template

O
OBD Microsoft Office binder template
OBD Microsoft Office Binder
OBJ Object file
OBZ Microsoft Office Binder Wizard
OCX Microsoft Object Linking and Embedding custom control
OFN Microsoft Office FileNew file
OFT Microsoft Outlook template
OKT Oktalyzer music module (MOD) file
OLB OLE Object Library
OLE OLE object
OPT Microsoft Developer Studio file
ORG Lotus Organiser file
OR2 Lotus Organiser 2 file
OR3 Lotus Organiser 97 file

P
P10 Tektronix Plot 10 drawing
PAB Microsoft Personal Address Book
PAK Quake WAD file
PAL Windows colour palette
PAT Corel Draw pattern
PBK Microsoft Phonebook
PBM Portable Bitmap
PCD Kodak Photo-CD image
PCL HP Laserjet bitmap
PCS PICS animation
PCT Macintosh PICT drawing
PCX ZSoft PC Paintbrush bitmap
PDF Adobe Acrobat Portable Document Format or Netware Printer Definition File
PDF Package Definition File from Microsoft Systems Management Server
PDQ Patton&Patton Flowcharting PDQ Lite file
PFA Type 1 font (ASCII)
PFB Type 1 font (binary)
PFC PF Component
PFM Printer Font Metrics
PGL HP Plotter drawing
PGM Portable Graymap (bitmap)
PIC PC Paint bitmap
PIC Lotus picture
PIC Macintosh PICT drawing
PIF Program Information File
PIF IBM PIF drawing
PIG Lucas Arts Dark Forces WAD file
PIN Epic Pinball data file
PIN Epic Pinball data file
PIX Inset Systems bitmap
PJ MKS Source Integrity file
PKG Microsoft Developer Studio application extension (similar to a DLL file)
PL Perl program
PLT HPGL Plotter drawing
PLT AutoCAD Plot drawing
PM5 Pagemaker 5.0 file
PM6 Pagemaker 6.0 file
P65 Pagemaker 6.5 file
PNG Portable Network Graphics bitmap
PNG Paint Shop Pro Browser catalogue
PNT MacPaint graphic file
POT Microsoft PowerPoint Template
PP4 Picture Publisher 4 bitmap
PPA Microsoft PowerPoint Add-in
PPM Portable Pixelmap bitmap
PPS Microsoft PowerPoint slide show
PPT Microsoft PowerPoint presentation
PRE Lotus Freelance presentation
PRF Windows system file
PRN Print Table (space delimited text)
PRS Harvard Graphics for Windows presentation
PRZ Lotus Freelance Graphics 97 file
PS Postscript Interpreted drawing
PSD Adobe Photoshop bitmap
PST Microsoft Outlook Personal Folder File
PTM Polytracker music module (MOD) file
PUB Ventura Publisher publication
PUB Microsoft Publisher document
PWD Microsoft Pocket Word document
PWZ Microsoft PowerPoint Wizard
PXL Microsoft Pocket Excel spreadsheet

Q

Top
A B CD E F G H I J K LM N OP Q R S T U V W XY Z No#

QAD PF QuickArt Document
QBW QuickBooks for Windows file
QDT Quick Books data file from the Quicken UK Accountancy/Tax/Invoice program
QLB Quick Library
QRY Microsoft Query
QT QuickTime Movie
QTM QuickTime Movie
QXD Quark XPress file

R
R Pegasus Mail resource file
RA Real Audio sound
RAM Real Audio sound
RAS Sun Raster Images bitmap
RAW Raw File Format (bitmap)
RC Microsoft Visual C++ Resource Script
REC Recorder macro
REG Registration file
RES Microsoft Visual C++ Resource
RFT RFT-DCA
RLE Run-Length Encoded bitmap
RM Real Audio video file
RMI MIDI music
ROV Rescue Rover data file
RPT Microsoft Visual Basic Crystal Reports file
RTF Rich Text Format document
RTM Real Tracker music module (MOD) file

S
SAM Ami Professional document
SAV Saved game file
SCC Microsoft Source Safe file
SCD Matrix/Imapro SCODL slide image
SCD Microsoft Schedule+ 7
SCH Microsoft Schedule+ 1
SCN trueSpace2 scene
SCP Dial-Up Networking Script
SCR Windows screensaver
SCR Fax image
SCT Scitex CT bitmap
SC2 Microsoft Schedule+ 7
SDL SmartDraw library
SDR SmartDraw drawing
SDT SmartDraw template
SEA Self-expanding archive (used by Stuffit for Mac files and possibly by others)
SEP Tagged Image File Format (TIFF) bitmap
SHB Corel Show presentation
SHB Document shortcut file
SHG Hotspot bitmap
SHS Shell scrap file
SHW Corel Show presentation
SIT Stuffit archive of Mac files
SLK Symbolic Link (SYLK) spreadsheet
SND NeXT sound
SND Mac Sound Resource
SQC Structured Query Language (SQR) common code file
SQR Structured Query Language (SQR) program file
STM Scream Tracker music module (MOD) file
STY Ventura Publisher style sheet
SVX Amiga 8SVX sound
SYS System file
S3M Scream Tracker 3 music module (MOD) file

T
TAR Tape Archive
TAZ Unix Gzip/Tape Archive
TEX Texture file
TGA Targa bitmap
TGZ Unix Gzip/Tape Archive
THEME Windows 95 Desktop Theme
THN Graphics Workshop for Windows thumbnail
TIF Tag Image File Format (TIFF) bitmap
TIFF Tag Image File Format (TIFF) bitmap
TIG Tiger file, used by US government to distribute maps
TLB OLE Type Library
TMP Windows temporary file
TRM Terminal file
TRN MKS Source Integrity project usage log
TTF TrueType font
TWF TabWorks file
TWW Tagwrite Template
TX8 MS-DOS Text
TXT Text
T2T Sonata CAD modelling software file

U
UDF Windows NT Uniqueness Database File
ULT Ultratracker music module (MOD) file
URL Internet shortcut
USE MKS Source Integrity file

V
VBP Visual Basic Project
VBW Microsoft Visual Basic workspace
VBX Visual Basic custom control
VCF Vevi Configuration File; defines objects for use with Sense8’s WorldToolKit
VDA Targa bitmap
VI Virtual Instrument file from National Instruments LABView product
VLB Corel Ventura Library
VOC Creative Labs Sound Blaster sound
VP Ventura Publisher publication
VSD Visio drawing (flow chart or schematic)
VST Targa bitmap
VSW Visio Workspace file
VXD Microsoft Windows virtual device driver

W
WAD Large file for Doom game containing video, player level, and other information
WAV Windows Waveform sound
WB1 QuattroPro for Windows spreadsheet
WB2 QuattroPro for Windows spreadsheet
WBK Microsoft Word Backup
WBL Argo WebLoad II upload file
WCM WordPerfect Macro
WDB Microsoft Works database
WEB CorelXara Web document
WGP Wild Board Games data file
WID Ventura width table
WIL WinImage file
WIZ Microsoft Word Wizard
WK1 Lotus 123 versions 1 & 2 spreadsheet
WK3 Lotus 123 version 3 spreadsheet
WK4 Lotus 123 version 4 spreadsheet
WKS Lotus 123 Worksheet spreadsheet
WKS Microsoft Works document
WLF Argo WebLoad I upload file
WLL Microsoft Word Add-In
WMF Windows Metafile
WOW Grave Composer music module (MOD) file
WP WordPerfect document
WPW Novel PerfectWorks document
WP4 WordPerfect 4 document
WP5 WordPerfect 5 document
WP6 WordPerfect 6 document
WPD WordPerfect Demo
WPD WordPerfect Document
WPG WordPerfect Graphic
WPS Microsoft Works document
WPT WordPerfect Template
WQ1 QuattroPro/DOS spreadsheet
WQ2 QuattroPro/DOS version 5 spreadsheet
WRI Write document
WRL Virtual Reality model
WS1 WordStar for Windows 1 document
WS2 WordStar for Windows 2 document
WS3 WordStar for Windows 3 document
WS4 WordStar for Windows 4 document
WS5 WordStar for Windows 5 document
WS6 WordStar for Windows 6 document
WS7 WordStar for Windows 7 document
WSD WordStar 2000 document
WVL Wavelet Compressed Bitmap

X
XAR Corel Xara drawing
XLA Microsoft Excel add-in
XLB Microsoft Excel toolbar
XLC Microsoft Excel chart
XLD Microsoft Excel dialogue
XLK Microsoft Excel backup
XLM Microsoft Excel macro
XLS Microsoft Excel worksheet
XLT Microsoft Excel template
XLV Microsoft Excel VBA module
XLW Microsoft Excel workbook / workspace
XM FastTracker 2, Digital Tracker music module (MOD) file
XR1 Epic MegaGames Xargon data file
XTP XTree data file
XY3 XYWrite III document
XY4 XYWrite IV document
XYP XYWrite III Plus document
XYW XYWrite for Windows 4.0 document

Y
YAL Arts & Letters clipart library
YBK Microsoft Encarta Yearbook

Z
Z Unix Gzip
ZIP Zip file
ZOO An early compressed file format


N
umbers and symbols
000-999 Used to number old versions of files and number related data files
12M Lotus 123 97 Smartmaster file
123 Lotus 123 97 file
2GR and 3GR VGA Graphics driver/configuration files under Windows
386 A file for use in an 80386 or higher microprocessor
669 Composer 669, Unis Composer music mod file
#01 and higher A method of numbering picture files for a roll of film that has been scanned
$$$ Used by OS/2 to keep track of archived files
@@@ Screen files used in installation and instruction on use of applications

Video file formats,Tags,Sources:

October 19, 2008

Many people who were beginners of system may not know what is Dvd ,rip and all,they will be just in confuse which to download,which format will be of high Quality,here is a description of the movie formats and the tags used.

Original Sources
CAM -A cam is a theater rip usually done with a digital video camera. A mini tripod is sometimes used, but a lot of the time this wont be possible, so the camera make shake. Also seating placement isn’t always idle, and it might be filmed from an angle. If cropped properly, this is hard to tell unless there’s text on the screen, but a lot of times these are left with triangular borders on the top and bottom of the screen. Sound is taken from the onboard microphone of the camera, and especially in comedies, laughter can often be heard during the film. Due to these factors picture and sound quality are usually quite poor, but sometimes we’re lucky, and the theater will be fairly empty and a fairly clear signal will be heard.

TELESYNC (TS) – A telesync is the same spec as a CAM except it uses an external audio source (most likely an audio jack in the chair for hard of hearing people). A direct audio source does not ensure a good quality audio source, as a lot of background noise can interfere. A lot of the times a telesync is filmed in an empty cinema or from the projection booth with a professional camera, giving a better picture quality. Quality ranges drastically, check the sample before downloading the full release. A high percentage of Telesyncs are CAMs that have been mislabeled.

TELECINE (TC) -A telecine machine copies the film digitally from the reels. Sound and picture should be very good, but due to the equipment involved and cost telecines are fairly uncommon. Generally the film will be in correct aspect ratio, although 4:3 telecines have existed. A great example is the JURASSIC PARK 3 TC done last year. TC should not be confused with TimeCode , which is a visible counter on screen throughout the film.

SCREENER (SCR) -A pre VHS tape, sent to rental stores, and various other places for promotional use. A screener is supplied on a VHS tape, and is usually in a 4:3 (full screen) a/r, although letterboxed screeners are sometimes found. The main draw back is a “ticker” (a message that scrolls past at the bottom of the screen, with the copyright and anti-copy telephone number). Also, if the tape contains any serial numbers, or any other markings that could lead to the source of the tape, these will have to be blocked, usually with a black mark over the section. This is sometimes only for a few seconds, but unfortunately on some copies this will last for the entire film, and some can be quite big. Depending on the equipment used, screener quality can range from excellent if done from a MASTER copy, to very poor if done on an old VHS recorder thru poor capture equipment on a copied tape. Most screeners are transferred to VCD, but a few attempts at SVCD have occurred, some looking better than others.

DVD-SCREENER (DVDscr) -Same premise as a screener, but transferred off a DVD. Usually letterbox , but without the extras that a DVD retail would contain. The ticker is not usually in the black bars, and will disrupt the viewing. If the ripper has any skill, a DVDscr should be very good. Usually transferred to SVCD or DivX/XviD.

DVDRip – A copy of the final released DVD. If possible this is released PRE retail (for example, Star Wars episode 2) again, should be excellent quality. DVDrips are released in SVCD and DivX/XviD.

VHSRip -Transferred off a retail VHS, mainly skating/sports videos and XXX releases.

TVRip -TV episode that is either from Network (capped using digital cable/satellite boxes are preferable) or PRE-AIR from satellite feeds sending the program around to networks a few days earlier (do not contain “dogs” but sometimes have flickers etc) Some programs such as WWF Raw Is War contain extra parts, and the “dark matches” and camera/commentary tests are included on the rips. PDTV is capped from a digital TV PCI card, generally giving the best results, and groups tend to release in SVCD for these. VCD/SVCD/DivX/XviD rips are all supported by the TV scene.

WORKPRINT (WP) -A workprint is a copy of the film that has not been finished. It can be missing scenes, music, and quality can range from excellent to very poor. Some WPs are very different from the final print (Men In Black is missing all the aliens, and has actors in their places) and others can contain extra scenes (Jay and Silent Bob) . WPs can be nice additions to the collection once a good quality final has been obtained.

DivX Re-Enc -A DivX re-enc is a film that has been taken from its original VCD source, and re-encoded into a small DivX file. Most commonly found on file sharers, these are usually labeled something like Film.Name.Group(1of2) etc. Common groups are SMR and TND. These aren’t really worth downloading, unless you’re that unsure about a film u only want a 200mb copy of it. Generally avoid.

Watermarks -A lot of films come from Asian Silvers/PDVD (see below) and these are tagged by the people responsible. Usually with a letter/initials or a little logo, generally in one of the corners. Most famous are the “Z” “A” and “Globe” watermarks.

Asian Silvers / PDVD -These are films put out by eastern bootleggers, and these are usually bought by some groups to put out as their own. Silvers are very cheap and easily available in a lot of countries, and its easy to put out a release, which is why there are so many in the scene at the moment, mainly from smaller groups who don’t last more than a few releases. PDVDs are the same thing pressed onto a DVD. They have removable subtitles, and the quality is usually better than the silvers. These are ripped like a normal DVD, but usually released as VCD.

Formats

VCD -VCD is an mpeg1 based format, with a constant bitrate of 1150kbit at a resolution of 352×240 (NTCS). VCDs are generally used for lower quality transfers (CAM/TS/TC/Screener(VHS)/TVrip(analogue) in order to make smaller file sizes, and fit as much on a single disc as possible. Both VCDs and SVCDs are timed in minutes, rather than MB, so when looking at an mpeg, it may appear larger than the disc capacity, and in reality u can fit 74min on a CDR74.

SVCD -SVCD is an mpeg2 based (same as DVD) which allows variable bit-rates of up to 2500kbits at a resolution of 480×480 (NTSC) which is then decompressed into a 4:3 aspect ratio when played back. Due to the variable bit-rate, the length you can fit on a single CDR is not fixed, but generally between 35-60 Mins are the most common. To get a better SVCD encode using variable bit-rates, it is important to use multiple “passes”. this takes a lot longer, but the results are far clearer.

XVCD/XSVCD -These are basically VCD/SVCD that don’t obey the “rules”. They are both capable of much higher resolutions and bit-rates, but it all depends on the player to whether the disc can be played. X(S)VCD are total non-standards, and are usually for home-ripping by people who don’t intend to release them.

KVCD Thanks for lardo4life for the info
KVCD is a modification to the standard MPEG-1 and MPEG-2 GOP structure and Quantization Matrix. It enables you to create over 120 minutes of near DVD quality video, depending on your material, on a single 80 minute CD-R/CD-RW. We have published these specifications as KVCDx3, our official resolution, which produce 528×480 (NTSC) and 528×576 (PAL) MPEG-1 variable bit rate video, from 64Kbps to 3,000Kbps. Using a resolution of 352×240 (NTSC) or 352×288 (PAL), it’s possible to encode video up to ~360 minutes of near VCD quality on a single 80 minute CD-R. The mpeg files created will play back in most modern standalone DVD players. You must burn the KVCD MPEG files as non-standard VCD or non-standard SVCD (depends on your player) with Nero or VCDEasy.

DivX / XviD -DivX is a format designed for multimedia platforms. It uses two codecs, one low motion, one high motion. most older films were encoded in low motion only, and they have problems with high motion too. A method known as SBC (Smart Bit-rate Control) was developed which switches codecs at the encoding stage, making a much better print. The format is Ana orphic and the bit-rate/resolution are interchangeable. Due to the higher processing power required, and the different codecs for playback, its unlikely we’ll see a DVD player capable of play DivX for quite a while, if at all. There have been players in development which are supposedly capable, but nothing has ever arisen. The majority of PROPER DivX rips (not Re-Encs) are taken from DVDs, and generally up to 2hours in good quality is possible per disc. Various codecs exist, most popular being the original Divx3.11a and the new XviD codecs.

CVD -CVD is a combination of VCD and SVCD formats, and is generally supported by a majority of DVD players. It supports MPEG2 bit-rates of SVCD, but uses a resolution of 352×480(ntsc) as the horizontal resolution is generally less important. Currently no groups release in CVD.

DVD-R -Is the recordable DVD solution that seems to be the most popular (out of DVD-RAM, DVD-R and DVD+R). it holds 4.7gb of data per side, and double sided discs are available, so discs can hold nearly 10gb in some circumstances. SVCD mpeg2 images must be converted before they can be burnt to DVD-R and played successfully. DVD>DVDR copies are possible, but sometimes extras/languages have to be removed to stick within the available 4.7gb.

MiniDVD -MiniDVD/cDVD is the same format as DVD but on a standard CDR/CDRW. Because of the high resolution/bit-rates, its only possible to fit about 18-21 mins of footage per disc, and the format is only compatible with a few players.

Misc Info

Regional Coding -This was designed to stop people buying American DVDs and watching them earlier in other countries, or for older films where world distribution is handled by different companies. A lot of players can either be hacked with a chip, or via a remote to disable this.

RCE -RCE (Regional Coding Enhancement) was designed to overcome “Multiregion” players, but it had a lot of faults and was overcome. Very few titles are RCE encoded now, and it was very unpopular.

Macrovision -Macrovision is the copy protection employed on most commercial DVDs. Its a system that will display lines and darken the images of copies that are made by sending the VHS signals it can’t understand. Certain DVD players (for example the Dansai 852 from Tescos) have a secret menu where you can disable the macrovision, or a “video stabaliser” costs about 30UKP from Maplin (www.maplin.co.uk)

NTSC/PAL -NTSC and PAL are the two main standards used across the world. NTSC has a higher frame rate than pal (29fps compared to 25fps) but PAL has an increased resolution, and gives off a generally sharper picture. Playing NTSC discs on PAL systems seems a lot easier than vice-versa, which is good news for the Brits An RGB enabled scart lead will play an NTSC picture in full colour on most modern tv sets, but to record this to a VHS tape, you will need to convert it to PAL50 (not PAL60 as the majority of DVD players do.) This is either achieved by an expensive converter box (in the regions of £200+) an onboard converter (such as the Dansai 852 / certain Daewoos / Samsung 709 ) or using a World Standards VCR which can record in any format.

About Release Files

RARset -The movies are all supplied in RAR form, whether its v2 (rar>.rxx) or v3 (part01.rar > partxx.rar) form.

BIN/CUE -VCD and SVCD films will extract to give a BIN/CUE. Load the .CUE into notepad and make sure the first line contains only a filename, and no path information. Then load the cue into Nero/CDRWin etc and this will burn the VCD/SVCD correctly. TV rips are released as MPEG. DivX files are just the plain DivX – .AVI

NFO -An NFO file is supplied with each movie to promote the group, and give general iNFOrmation about the release, such as format, source, size, and any notes that may be of use. They are also used to recruit members and acquire hardware for the group.

SFV -Also supplied for each disc is an SFV file. These are mainly used on site level to check each file has been uploaded correctly, but are also handy for people downloading to check they have all the files, and the CRC is correct. A program such as pdSFV or hkSFV is required to use these files.

Usenet Information

Access -To get onto newsgroups, you will need a news server. Most ISPs supply one, but this is usually of poor retention (the amount of time the files are on server for) and poor completition (the amount of files that make it there). For the best service, a premium news server should be paid for, and these will often have bandwidth restrictions in place.

Software -You will need a newsreader to access the files in the binary newsgroups. There are many different readers, and its usually down to personal opinion which is best. Xnews / Forte Agent / BNR 1 / BNR 2 are amongst the popular choices. Outlook has the ability to read newsgroups, but its recommended to not use that.

Format -Usenet posts are often the same as those listed on VCDQUALiTY (i.e., untouched group releases) but you have to check the filenames and the description to make sure you get what you think you are getting. Generally releases should come down in .RAR sets. Posts will usually take more than one day to be uploaded, and can be spread out as far as a week.

PAR files -As well as the .rxx files, you will also see files listed as .pxx/.par . These are PARITY files. Parity files are common in usenet posts, as a lot of times, there will be at least one or two damaged files on some servers. A parity file can be used to replace ANY ONE file that is missing from the rar set. The more PAR files you have, the more files you can replace. You will need a program called SMARTPAR for this.

Scene Tags

PROPER -Due to scene rules, whoever releases the first Telesync has won that race (for example). But if the quality of that release is fairly poor, if another group has another telesync (or the same source in higher quality) then the tag PROPER is added to the folder to avoid being duped. PROPER is the most subjective tag in the scene, and a lot of people will generally argue whether the PROPER is better than the original release. A lot of groups release PROPERS just out of desperation due to losing the race. A reason for the PROPER should always be included in the NFO.

SUBBED -In the case of a VCD, if a release is subbed, it usually means it has hard encoded subtitles burnt throughout the movie. These are generally in malaysian/chinese/thai etc, and sometimes there are two different languages, which can take up quite a large amount of the screen. SVCD supports switch able subtitles, so some DVDRips are released with switch able subs. This will be mentioned in the NFO file if included.

UNSUBBED -When a film has had a subbed release in the past, an Unsubbed release may be released

LIMITED -A limited movie means it has had a limited theater run, generally opening in less than 250 theaters, generally smaller films (such as art house films) are released as limited.

INTERNAL -An internal release is done for several reasons. Classic DVD groups do a lot of .INTERNAL. releases, as they wont be dupe’d on it. Also lower quality theater rips are done INTERNAL so not to lower the reputation of the group, or due to the amount of rips done already. An INTERNAL release is available as normal on the groups affiliate sites, but they can’t be traded to other sites without request from the site ops. Some INTERNAL releases still trickle down to IRC/Newsgroups, it usually depends on the title and the popularity. Earlier in the year people referred to Centropy going “internal”. This meant the group were only releasing the movies to their members and site ops. This is in a different context to the usual definition.

STV -Straight To Video. Was never released in theaters, and therefore a lot of sites do not allow these.

OTHER TAGS -*WS* for widescreen (letterbox)
*FS* for Fullscreen.

RECODE -A recode is a previously released version, usually filtered through TMPGenc to remove subtitles, fix color etc. Whilst they can look better, its not looked upon highly as groups are expected to obtain their own sources.

REPACK -If a group releases a bad rip, they will release a Repack which will fix the problems.

NUKED -A film can be nuked for various reasons. Individual sites will nuke for breaking their rules (such as “No Telesyncs”) but if the film has something extremely wrong with it (no soundtrack for 20mins, CD2 is incorrect film/game etc) then a global nuke will occur, and people trading it across sites will lose their credits. Nuked films can still reach other sources such as p2p/usenet, but its a good idea to check why it was nuked first in case. If a group realise there is something wrong, they can request a nuke.

NUKE REASONS :: this is a list of common reasons a film can be nuked for (generally DVDRip)

** BAD A/R ** :: bad aspect ratio, ie people appear too fat/thin
** BAD IVTC ** :: bad inverse telecine. process of converting framerates was incorrect.
** INTERLACED ** :: black lines on movement as the field order is incorrect.

DUPE -Dupe is quite simply, if something exists already, then theres no reason for it to exist again without proper reason.