Computer, Gadgets and All Things Digital

If your Windows XP installation  is damaged  or corrupt and you do not have another operating system to boot your computer , you can perform  Repair Install which will restore your corrupted or missing files and fix hal dll and  ntoskrnl.exe files to its original state.

Make sure you have a valid  Windows XP key before proceeding to the next step. The entire process will take approximately thirty minutes or one hour , depending your computer hardware specifications.

How to do the  Repair Install?

1. Insert your Windows XP installation CD then boot from CD Drive
2. Choose the Repair mode by pressing  R button
3. Press the F8 key to proceed to the next step and check “I Agree at the Licensing Agreement”
4. Choose the destination folder where you will install the original System Files, it’s normally located on folder  C: \ Windows,  the Windows  Repair Install will then start copying files on the folder
5. Your computer will then automatically restart . Leave the Windows XP installation CD in the CD-ROM .
6. Next you will see a picture of progress bar  indicating the repair progress
7. When prompted to enter a key, input your valid Windows XP  key  after which your  computer will restart again.

A. Fix ntoskrnl exe error

If your computer fails to start and pops up the following error message :  “ntoskrnl not found” , do the following procedure:

1. Insert the Windows XP installation CD and boot from the CD.
2. Choose Repair option by pressing R key
3. Choose the location of the installation of Windows you want to repair by pressing  the corresponding number ( normally # 1)
4. Switch to  the CD drive.
5. Type the following command  : CD i38 and then type : expand ntkrnlmp.ex_ C: \Windows  System32\ntoskrnl.exe
6. Done

B. Fix damaged or missing   Windows System32 Config

You can perform the quick-fix bellow if you get an error with the following message :

“Windows Could not Start Because the Following is missing or corrupt files C:\ windows\ system32\ config\ system or  \ windows\ system32\ config\ software “

1. Insert Windows XP installation CD then boot from CD-ROM
2. Choose Repair option by pressing R key
3. Choose the location of the installation of Windows you want to repair by pressing  the corresponding number  ( normally # 1)
4. Enter the administrator password when prompted to to so.
5. Type the following command line : delete c:\windows\system32\config\system
6. Next type : copy c:\windows\repair\SYSTEM c:\windows\system32\config
7. Eject the CD then type: exit

C. Fix hal dll

If your computer fails to restart and you  get an error  message saying that hal.dll file missing or corrupt, it is most likely the boot.ini file is not configured according to its default installation. Just follow the bellow procedure:

1. Insert Windows XP installation CD then boot from CD Drive
2. Choose Repair option by pressing R key
3. Choose the location of the installation of Windows you want to repair by pressing  the corresponding number  ( normally # 1)
4. Type :  bootcfg / list ( This command line  is to show current configuration of the boot.ini file)
5. Type:  bootcfg / rebuild (This command is to fix  misconfiguration of the boot.ini file )

If you properly follow the above repair procedures you should easily be able to fix hal dll and  ntoskrnl exe error.

Windows  Automated System Recovery (ASR) is actually an expansion to the regular backup-and-restore. It allows for a platform for storing and restoring the Windows operating state, just in case you’re encountered with accidental system or hardware failure. Windows ASR recovers the target system in a two-stage process. The first step, named the boot recovery process, you need a fresh copy of Windows to be momentarily put in on the target machine using original distribution media. The second step, called the OS restore process, restores the data files of a previously saved Windows installation implementing a backup-and-restore application. I  will overwrite some of the files installed by the boot recovery process.

Windows xp automated system recovery

Windows XP Home edition users are deprived of this solution  because Windows XP Automated System isn’t provided by Microsoft on their system. Even though that feature are available in the backup utility of Windows XP Home, ASR is only functional in Windows XP Professional.The following steps can create an ASR floppy disk from an ASR backup operation:

1. In the first step you’re required to Format a 1.44 megabyte (MB) floppy disk and put the disk into the floppy disk drive .
2. In System Tools, launch the Backup program. Once the Backup and Restore Wizard is shown, click Next.
3. Click Restore Files and Settings, after which click Next.
4. In the What to Restore dialog box, choose the media that contains the ASR backup. Verify that the media is inserted.
5. Expand the Automated System Recovery Backup Set that corresponds to the ASR floppy disk you wish to create.
6. Expand the 2nd instance of the drive letter that contains the system files. Expand the Windows_folder/Repair folder.
7. Locate and click the following files from this repair folder: Asr.sif and Asrpnp.sif, and then click Next.
8. At the Completing Backup or Restore Wizard screen, click Advanced.
9. When the “Restore” screen shows up, configure the Restore Files to: dialog box to Single Folder, then set the Folder Name dialog box to the root of your floppy drive, for instance, “A:\”.
10. Click Next. Other options in this wizard are optional and do not impact the transfer of files to the floppy disk. When the wizard is completed, the files are copied to the location which you had earlier specified.

Windows 7 and Vista ASR

1. From the Start menu, select Control Panel.
2. Click Backup and Restore, and then on the left, choose Create a system repair disc.
3. Select a drive, and then click create disc

The ASR floppy disk is now ready to use just in case you need to run  Windows  Automated System Recovery restore operation.

The .MDF file extension is proprietary disk image file format used by Alcohol 120% software. Just like ISO data files, MDF files contain a precise copy a Compact disk or DVD. This file format is generally used to back up  discs as well as to share the backups over peer-to-peer networks.
There are few applications that can mount/ open .MDF files with the majority of if not of all of them being only available in commercial versions although they’re also available in free trial copies.

Best Applications to Mount/ Open MDF Files

Bellow are three best known application capable of opening an .MDF file :

1. IsoBuster. It  could open .mdf files.It is a commercial application but, has a free trial version without any time limitations.
2. Alcohol 120% can mount .mdf files in a virtual CD/DVD drive. Full-capability, free trial  with time limitations is available.|
3. MagicISO Magic ISO trial copy is restricted to opening 300Mb files, therefore I don’t recommend using this one.
4. Daemon Tools It is a also commercial application, however the its watered down Lite edition trial version doesn’t have any feature or time limits.

I myself use IsoBuster because I find it fairly handy and will not nag you continuously to upgrade to the Pro release. It can also turn a .mdf/.mds file into the ISO format which can be practical if you intend to use the disk image with other CD/DVD programs.

How Open a .MDF Document With IsoBuster

1. Download IsoBuster , follow the installation wizard to install it on your computer. When installing IsoBuster you may likely to uncheck the Include the IsoBuster toolbar option .
2. Start IsoBuster , the installer generally adds a deskto QuickLaunch icon so you can easily locate when using the program
3. Open the .MDF or .MDS file by clicking on File -> Open Image File. It does not really make a difference if you pick the .mdf or the .mds file in the Opendialog. IsoBuster will instantly load the appropriate disk image . Alternatively, you could open a MDF file by dragging it into the left panel of the application window (it’s the box that shows the following text “No media present” when you have just launched this program
4. Extract the files : To extract a file or a folder, right-click it and go to Extract file name from the pop-up menu. You also can drag files from the IsoBuster window and drop them into any folder on your computer to copy them there.

Convert .MDF to .ISO With ISO Buster

It’s not a extensively advertised feature, yet I’ve discovered that you could actually use IsoBuster to convert .MDF/.MDS files to ISO. First of all, open the .mdf file as explained previously. Next right-click on the “CD” or “DVD” entry on the left hand navigation panel and select Extract CD/DVD  Image -> RAW (*.bin, *.iso). Choose the folder where to save the converted file, make sure you save it as *.iso” file  and hit Save. After a fast conversion process you are going to get an .ISO document (+ a .CUE document) that you can use with any CD/DVD burning application such as Nero.

Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) is growing more ubiquitous and consequently, more networks are increasingly being connected to public networks, allowing organizations as well as organisations to reduce their conventional calls therefore bring down costs and greatly improve efficiency. Various expert project different expansion rates for the VoIP market yet all of them concur that VoIP implementations are thriving rapidly and are anticipated to increase further.

Presently there are reported more security bugs linked to VoIP this year alone than in whole years before 2004 combined. VoIP are liable to security attacks particularly those linked to denial-of-service (DoS) attacks and hacked VOIP gateways will lead to illegitimate free calls or call eavesdropping. Security measures are of paramount importance when creating VoIP system mainly because each component in the infrastructure is accessible on the network just like any computer and can be hacked or exploited as a launch pad for broader, inter-network or within the network attacks. A gateway that has been broken into could be exploited to make unauthorized free phone calls

VoIP System and securitybasic  solutions

VoIP Security experts encourage varied protocols since they have a number of advantages, yet when it comes to VOIP system, there are several circumstances which are common to most VoIP protocols. Utilising the most effective security system will eliminate further risk issues and attacks.

Each VoIP infrastructure system is accessible over the data network like any other computer. Each VoIP element consists a processor running software along with a TCP/IP stack that can be attacked. Intrusions on data communications usually takes place by means of IP voice infrastructure and vice versa. DoS attacks targeting weak VoIP elements can overwhelm the network with bogus voice traffic, taking down network performance or knock down both voice and data communications. Susceptible voice communications could be bugged and compromised or corrupted, PC-based soft phones, telephones that use software to convert a desktop PC into an IP-based phone, are susceptible to eavesdropping if the PC is infected with a Trojan that snoops into a Local Area Network.

Here are highly recommended VoIP Security measures to eliminate those above-mentioned threats:

1. Switch off unnecessary protocols that can be exploited by hackers or inside-the-organization intruders
2. Thoroughly pick the Voice over internet protocol equipment that best meet your requirement.
3. Update the software operating the VOIP system on a regular basis.
4. Use Network Address Translation (NAT) that acts to turn internal static IP addresses into a single IP address.
5. Separate VoIP and other IP-based using logical as well as physical separators
6. Allow only authorized personell to conduct VOIP supervision and upgrade

Privoxy is a free network utility software best known for its advanced filtering capabilities for enhancing privacy, modifying web page data and HTTP headers, controlling access, and removing ads and other Internet junk. This light weight  free software can also  be used to create a simple-yet-powerful proxy server in Windows to share internet connections over private , home or small   Local Area Network, a hidden  feature many are not familiar with. Furthermore, the best thing about sharing internet connection using Privoxy is that you can share internet connection with other  client computers running different operating systems such as Linux, Macintosh  etc.

Supposed you have a computer running Windows  and is connected to the internet and you want the rest computers  running different operating systems  within Local Area Network to share the internet connection.
In this posting it is assumed  the assigned IP address of computer you want to make as proxy server is 10.1.14.25 and you want client computers to connect to it through port 8080 . Also supposed that you have 5  client computers with the following IP  range  10.1.14.0- 10.1.14.024.  You can  find out your  actual IP  address settings by going to Network Settings.

In Windows Go To Start —>Settings—>Network Settings—>right click on Local Area Network—->Networking–>Internet Protocol (TCP/IP)

Here is a step-by step guide to share your connections with Privoxy

Step One : Enable Windows  IP forwarding

You need to first enable Windows IP forwarding feature on the Windows-run  computer that you want to make as proxy server by modifying or a creating registry key
Click  Start—>Run —>Regedit
Locate the following key: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \ SYSTEM \ CurrentControlSet \ Services \ Tcpip \
Create a registry key or a or modify its value if it’s already there (see picture bellow)
Value Name: IPEnableRouter
Value type: REG_DWORD
Value Data: 1

Step Two  : Download and install Privoxy

You may obtain Privoxy here

/download . Click on the installer and follow the wizard  to install it on the server

Step Three-, Edit  Privoxy configurations/settings

It’s recommended that you  back up the original Privoxy configuration just in case you need to restore it to its  default settings by saving it with another name.  Go to  Options Menu – Edit Main Configuration and delete its entire content and replace with the following command lines:

user-manual /Program Files/Privoxy/doc/user-manualadmin-address [fill in with your email  address]
confdir .
logdir .
debug 1
logfile privoxy.log # log file name
log-messages   1
listen-address  10.1.14.25:8080 #Server IP address and port
permit-access 10.1.14.0/5 # network ip range allowed to use the proxy
toggle  0
enable-remote-toggle  0
enable-remote-http-toggle  0
enable-edit-actions 0
enforce-blocks 1
buffer-limit 4096
forwarded-connect-retries  20
accept-intercepted-requests 1
allow-cgi-request-crunching 0
split-large-forms 0
keep-alive-timeout 300
socket-timeout 300
activity-animation   1
log-max-lines 2000
log-highlight-messages 1
log-font-name Comic Sans MS
log-font-size 10

Save and close the new configuration file then go to  Privoxy  Options Menu  and enable the newly-created configuration.

Step Four:  Configure internet browser on client computers

Configure internet browser to use the proxy server address and port (in this case we use the following proxy and port Proxy : 10.1.14.25 Port : 8080
Done ..

Suppose you set up two  home networks or  local area networks (LAN) at a small office and want also to connect one network to another. To do this you have to buy  a router or until after you can purchase one  you can get around this  by creating “free router” from the existing computer.

What is router?  a router is  a network device  that serves to connect  two or more computer networks and   channel data from one computer to another within a network. Routers are also used to connect smaller networks to larger one  and are also used to divide large networks into  smaller ones

Now let’s get to the point. You have a computer connected to DSL / broadband connection and  run two networks (let’s say Network 1 and Network 2)  at your office and you wish to connect all computers within  both networks to access the internet or simply share files or printers between the two networks.  You can make the computer that connect to the internet a simple  router and what you need is a computer installed with Windows XP  Professional, three Local Area Network cards (NIC) , a switch or hub (whichever is applicable).

Step One : Enable IP Forwarding on Windows Registry

Before you proceed make sure you first back-up you Windows registry just  in case you mess up with it.

The first thing you do is to enable IP  forwarding on the computer you want to make a router. Go to Start and click Run then type in regedit to run registry editor and locate the the following registry key.

• HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESYSTEM/CurrentControlSet/Services/TcpipParameters
• Right click IPEnableRouter registry object, and click Modify. Change IPEnableRouter window  registry value to 1 and then and click OK, close the registry editor and reboot your computer.

Step Two : Configure Router For  First LAN Card (Network I)

Go to Control Panel, select Network Connections, right click on the first  LAN Card and then select Properties.

On the General tab, select Internet Protocol (TCP / IP),   select  Properties and assign it with the following profile :
Network Card I (connect to network I):
IP: 10.10.10.1
Netmask: 255.255.255.0
Gateway : leave it blank

Step Three : Configure Router For Second  LAN Card  (Network 2)

This second step is similar to the first configuration except for the IP address configuration :
IP: 192.168.20.1
Netmask: 255.255.255.0
Gateway : leave it blank

Step Four : Configure all the client computers  with following profile.

Network 1
IP: 10.10.10.2-254
Netmask: 255.255.255.0
Gateway : 10.10.10.1

Network 2
IP: 192.168.20.2-254
Netmask: 255.255.255.0
Gateway: 192.168.20.1

To make sure you have successfully set up a working connection between the two networks run a ping command  from a workstation computer in network 1 and nerwork 2

WPS file is document created with Microsoft Works word processing software;  an application similar to a Microsoft Word (.DOC) document yet does not include advanced formatting options and macros. This posting explains how to convert wps to doc file

Use Microsoft  WPS Converter

Microsoft provides Works 6-9 Converter  on their website to download here . Download the converter, run installer and  follow the instructions, to open a wps file you can simply run the application.
You can use Word to open a Works document file (.wps), even if the file has not been converted to Word format (.doc), by using the Works 6-9 Converter.  Follow these instructions to open the Works document by using the Works 6-9 Converter:  Start  MS Word and access the wps file you wish to convert. In the Open dialog box,  follow these steps:

1. Change the Look in box to the location of your Works document.
2. In the Files of type box, click All Files (*.*).
3. Select the Works document (.wps) that you want to open, and then click Open.
4. Click File, click Save As, and then change the file type to a Microsoft Word document (.doc).
5. Save the document and you have converted the file to a Word document (doc file)

Convert WPS to Doc file with  Microsoft Works

If you have installed MS Works on your computer you can open a wps file using it and convert in to a doc file by  saving the file as a Word document. To do this, follow these steps:

1. Start MS In Works, open the wps document
2. Click File and then click Save As.
3. In the Save As dialog box, change the Save in box to the folder where you want to save the file.
4. In the File name box, type a new name for the Word version of your document.
5. In the Save as type box, select Word 97-2000 & 6.0/95 – RTF (*.doc), and then click Save.  If you are using Works 8.0, select Word 97-2003 (*.doc) in the Save as type box as shown in picture bellow, and then click Save.
6. Close the document
7. Start Microsoft Word and open the newly created document.

Using Online WPS  converter

If you don’t want to download WPS converter and do not install MS Works on your computer you can just convert WPS file using WPS online converter. There is a free online converter service that can convert a .wps file to a .doc file. Just go to Zamzar.com,  choose a WPS file from your computer, choose the file format to convert to, enter your email address and receive the converted doc file  by email.

Your Freedom is a true practical software for those accessing the  internet in such countries as Saudi Arabia, Iran, China, united Arab Emirates where internet censorship/ restrictions is in place or to access favorite social networking sites such as Facebook, Myspace, Hulu behind “school proxy” yet trapped behind a firewall or a filtering proxy.

The unblocking sites software Your Freedom utilizes proxy tunneling and allows any blocked software such as  Peer-to-Peer software, Torrents applications  to access the Internet  via your freedom servers scattered around the word. You can even make your PC accessible from the Internet if you like. Nearly all applications work with Your Freedom, and so far noone has managed to block your freedom service completely and permanently without blocking Internet access entirely.

The software is compatible with Windows, Linux and Mac OS and connects you to a network of about 24 servers across in the US, Switzerland, UK, Germany , Singapore, Hong Kong and France . Your Freedom also offers advanced services like OpenVPN and Socks, which makes it a relatively sophisticated tool to bypass Internet censorship

A rudimentary service is available for free with speed of up tp 64 kbps. It will provide a bit more bandwidth than a modem connection and up to six hours of usage per day (up to 18 hours per week), and will probably be enough for all casual users.  If you want a faster connection you may purchase your freedom voucher at not-too-expensive rates.

Here are steps by steps tutorial to use your freedom :

• Sign up for an account from Your Freedom websites : here and fill in the required field including your valid email

• Open your email with which you register  and click email confirmation link to activate your freedom account

• Download the Your-Freedom software here . Please note you need to have Java Runtime installed on your computer before being able to use your freedom. You can download Java Run Time here If you already have Java installed on your PC, you can just download the 1MB Windows installer version

• Click the your freedom  installer  and follow the instruction:

• Start Your-Freedom choose the language interface you would like to use, there currently 14 available languages

• Right after the first start you will see the configuration wizard. Click “next” .

• Fill in the proxy address and port provided if you’re behind a Office or School Local Area Network (LAN)  proxy server or leave it blank if you are not. Then click next

• You will be prompted with  Select Protocols  dialog , leave it unchange and proceed by clicking “next”

Your-Freedom configuration wizard will make several tests to find available your freedom  servers and check your suitable type of connection and filtering. This  may take several minutes.

• After the available freedom servers are found you should  see the “Found Freedom Servers” screen where you can choose one of the available servers. Pick the nearest server to  your location to make sure you get the maximum speed and click “next” again.

• Fill in the account and password you register with your freedom

Configure your browser and application to use your freedom servers automatically clicking  on the “Application” tab in the main Your-Freedom window, select which application you want to use and then click OK.  Or you can manually configure your browser and application by filling in “proxy settings”  with the following proxies : 127.0.0.0 port 8080 (http proxy) or 127.0.0.0 port 1080 if you would like to use SOCKS proxy.

Note:

Few applications (in fact not quite many)  may not work with SOCK Proxy or HTTP Proxy  and require additional “proxifying software” such as Proxifier or Proxycap. Click  the following link : Proxifier with Your Freedom and Tunnelier to find out more.

Are you living in a rouge state where government imposes an internet censorship and want to unblock sites yet you’re restricted by a network filter? This post is  an overview on how to access blocked web sites for those who stuck in countries such as Saudi Arabia, China, UEA, Iran and other countries where governments impose internet censorship using popular tunneling software and services . This posting is also for particularly useful for those who want to surf at any places without restrictions to access such sites as Facebook, Myspace, Orkut, Youtube and use applications  restricted by firewalls such as peer-to-peer applications, Yahoo Messenger, Google Talk, VOIP application such as Skype etc   . The complete guide on how to get around blocked ports or bypass internet filters using different tools/application  is presented in details  in separate posts.

For a variety of reasons, from political or moral grounds countries implement web filters or firewalls to restrict access to banned sites deemed inappropriate.  For example porn sites are completely banned in such countries as Saudi Arabia, United Emirates Arab and Iran,  sensitive web content  such as Falun Gong , Dalai Lama are also banned in China. Keep in mind that accessing banned sites in some countries may lead to prosecution.  Use methods discussed here to unblock sites at your own risk.

Different Methods to and Unblock Sites and Bypass Internet Censorship

Using web proxies or public proxies are perhaps the most popular methods to unblock sites and get around internet censorship and web filters. However one notable drawback of these methods are administrators and governments can easily block them and in many instances unscrupulous hackers intentionally set up public or web proxies for the sole purpose of extracting personal data. Web proxies are usually slow and ridden with ads. Use only well-known or reputed public proxies and web proxies to access blocked websites.
The best alternative to unblock sites and application is using tunneling software / services. Broadly speaking, based on their implementation on how restricted websites and applications can be unblocked, tunneling software are be divided into two broad categories : Those that need installation and portable applications or stand alone programs. Two of the most popular method to perform the job are virtual private network (VPN) and Secure Shell.

A. Unblock Sites Using VPN or Virtual Private Network

A virtual private network (VPN) is virtual connection made over  the Internet or other public networks, allowing remote offices or individual to establish  a secure link between the different locations with  their organization’s network this method is discussed in details here .

B. Using SSH Tunneling

Secure Shell or SSH is a network protocol that allows data to be exchanged employing a secure channel between two networked devices.  Check out the complete guide, designed mainly for newbies, on how to use SSH tunneling to unblock sites using Tunnelier and Proxifier here.

C. Using  Other Tunneling/ Unblocking  Services

There are heaps of tunneling services you can use to unblock sites behind restrictive firewalls. Essentially by using their services your internet connections are redirected to their servers with no restrictions.  Some are completely free to use,  some are  free with limited time usage and bandwidth cap. You can learn how o use them in details along with descriptive pictures in the Anonymous and Tunneling  category of this humble blog.  Bellow are some of the best  services and most popular services to get around restricted firewalls.

C.1 Your Freedom

Your Freedom utilizes sophisticated proxy tunneling to access internet  via your freedom servers scattered around the world without restrictions . Before being able to use its service you need to register in their website after which you will be able to use free their service with a bandwidth cap of 64 kpbs and around eight hours usage per week. If you need to get out the most of  it you need to buy vouchers to access with to time and speed limits which are not expensive . If you’re sitting in front of school or office computer, the best thing about your freedom is that no content filtering software can block you from accessing  its servers as long as   your local computer ports are not completely blocked. Check out the detailed guide on how to unblock sites with  your freedom here.

C.2  JAP/ JONDO

JAP / JonDo enabled its users to  stay anonymous on the internet by giving access to strong anonymization systems. It hides the users IP address from internet site operators, network administrators ,  intelligence agencies and even the operators of the accessed anonymization systems. It servers are mainly located in Europe. You can use their service without time restrictions yet with a limited speed which is enough to to do  basic internet activities such as chatting, browsing and download. See the complete guide on how to unblock sites with Jondo/ JAP here.

C.3. GTunnel

GTunnel is a  Windows-based  application to bypass internet filters and hide IP address and protect  internet privacy. Their free service is currently only intended to China’s users. Others can  however use Gtunnel by subscribing to the paid service . Check Out the complete guide on how to use it in this post here

C.4. Gpass

GPass is a highly sophisticated software that can encrypt while you’re online , hide your IP address, and bypass internet censorship  and webblocker and employing a number of secure channels to connect to the Internet and bypass  cencorship .  The software is free for individual use within designated countries where Internet censorship is in place. This application is developed by mostly Falun Gong followers, a banned spiritual sect in China to promote internet freedom for those restricted by government internet censorship. Click the following link to find out more How To Use Gpass

C.5. UltraSurf

UltraSurf is the tunneling software product from UltraReach Internet Corp. for .UltraSurf is claimed by its developers as a breakthrough that  has cope with  the deficiencies of previous generations of proxy techniques. Click here for details on how to use it How To Use UltraSurf

C.6 Freegate

FreeGate is an anti-censorship software to bypass firewall and bypass internet filters that was developed and maintained by Dynamic Internet Technology Inc. (DIT: www.dit-inc.us). Click on the following link to learn to use it :  How To Use Freegate

From my own experience and all of the above unblocking  services/ programs have their own shortcomings and advantages and for unknown reasons  that I still can not still figure out different environments need different methods in order to be able to connect to the internet and use applications  without restrictions . The best bet would be  if one of the above fails to unblock sites then you should try another.

Converting docx to doc files can be done with several ways.  Docx is the standard file extension  format for Microsoft Word 2007 and its equivalent are Microsoft (. xlsx) for Excel 2007 and (. pptx)  for PowerPoint 2007.
Microsoft might perhaps bet that  by making different file extension format previous users of older Microsoft Office 2003 will easily switch  to its predecessor. But until now many still prefer to to use MS Office in 2003 since many perceive it as more user friendly.

So,  how to open a docx file?

View and edit a docx file using Microsoft Office Compatibility Pack
By installing Microsoft Office Compatibility Pack users of older versions of Office  can view and edit Office 2007 file extensions such as docx, pptx and xlsx. Compatibility pack is a free  application and quite small and can be downloaded from Microsoft Download Center

Using OpenOffice 3
OpenOffice 3 can only be used to view docx files  and can not be used to to edit and save files in the same format. You can download OpenOffice 3 here

Opening docx files with OpenXML Document Viewer Firefox Plugin

This Firefox plugin can open docx files in Firefox as HTML file but  of course you can’t  edit or save them in the same extension. The plugin can be downloaded here . Extract the zip file onto your hard drive and activate it by opening it using Firefox, you will then be prompted to restart the browser

Coverting Docx to Doc Files Using Online Docx Converter

There several such sites offering docx files conversion, one of them is Zamzar, a free online service  offering docx, xlsx and pptx converter. The converted docx files will be delivered to your email inbox so  you’re required to provide email  before being able to use their docx file conversion service.