Bag of Beans

xpy is a useful utility that helps close some security holes in Windows XP by tweaking certain registry settings for you.

Small tool which disables the default threats of a Windows XP installation. Besides disabling Windows and some of its components to communicate with Microsoft servers, xpy improves privacy settings and your system’s security.

Make sure you know what you are disabling or you may break some applications on your system.

Another way to run Linux under Windows.

Cooperative Linux is the first working free and open source method for optimally running Linux on Microsoft Windows natively. More generally, Cooperative Linux (short-named coLinux) is a port of the Linux kernel that allows it to run cooperatively alongside another operating system on a single machine.

It is currently geared towards KNOPPIX Japanese Edition. You may need to make some modifications to your distribution of choice to get everything working. See their wiki for more details. Also see The Slackware on coLinux HOWTO which contains some information that is useful for other distributions as well. Gentoo users should check out this thread.

Nice tutorial on using Qemu to create an instance of linux you can carry on your USB thumbdrive.

Here’s a new Firefox extension to help you keep your bookmarks synchronized between multiple computers. It will synchronize your bookmarks through Foxcloud’s server, or you can use your own FTP or WebDAV server. An additional benefit of using Foxcloud’s server is you can view your bookmarks directly on their site after logging in to your account.

Here’s a way to create a custom Windows OS Installation CD, allowing you to completely prevent the installation of components you don’t want.

nLite is a tool for permanent Windows component removal and pre-installation Windows setup. After removal there is an option to make bootable image ready for burning on cd or testing in virtual machines. With nLite you will be able to have Windows installation which on install doesn’t include, or even contain on cd, unwanted components.

Latest version of Portable Firefox available, now at their new home on PortableApps.com. Lots of other cool applications there to check out.

Portable Firefox 1.5 has been released. New in this version is:

• An update to Firefox 1.5 Final (with all the new features)
• Compatibility with nearly all extensions when switching computers
• Enhanced detection of multiple browser instances
• Automatic repair of some common profile issues
• A splash screen for instant feedback