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It is interesting to know that Mozilla provides a mechanism for us to lock any preferences in the option menu. If you would like to play with it, follow these instructions:

1. Go to Tools > Options...
2. Change the setting of the preference you want to lock.
   e.g. lock General > Home Page Location to "about:blank".
3. Open "about:config" to find the key of the preference. Use the filter field to save your time from scrolling up and down.
   e.g. Type in "homepage" and you can find "browser.startup.homepage".
4. Open a notepad and write in the following lines:
   //
lockPref("browser.startup.homepage", "about:blank");
5. Save it as Mozilla.txt and do byte shift with an offset of 13. Use this byte shift service. You will receive a file "mozilla.cfg", which you must save it at the location of firefox.exe.
6. Add the following line to "C:\Program Files\Mozilla Firefox\greprefs\all.js" file:
   pref("general.config.filename", "mozilla.cfg");

You will find your homepage field in options uneditable after that.

Reference:
Locking Mozilla Firefox Settings

I was requested to backup a partition of a PC, which will be very troublesome, if were to be reinstalled. The first thing that came to my mind was Norton Ghost. Since I was required to get a license for it, I search for open source alternative and I found Partition Saving. Here's how I did the backup, which I hope it would act as a general guide for you (and also for me to refer in the future).

PC Configuration:

• Operating System: Microsoft Windows XP Pro
• Filesystem: NTFS
• Number of Partitions: 2 (1 for OS, 1 for Backup)
• Hard disk size: Approx. 80GB in each partition

Preparation:

1. Go to windows explorer and rename your hard disk partitions to clearly differentiate them. I renamed my C: to "OS" and D: to "BAK".
2. Download partition saving. Choose language, then find download link at side bar.
3. Create a boot disk using format function in Windows XP.
4. Unzip the downloaded savepart.zip.
5. Copy the savepart files into the boot disk, except the "doc" folder.

Create blank files (only for NTFS):

1. Run savepart.exe from your desktop (it would be slower to run from floppy disk).
2. Choose "Create some files on NTFS drive." and then "Ok".
3. Create as many files you want at your backup partition (e.g. backup01, backup02 ... backup15). The maximum file size for each backup file is 2GB. So, I created 15 blank files to backup 25GB of data in my OS partition. With 15 blank files, I can backup up to 30GB of data.

Save partition:

1. Boot your PC with the boot disk you created.
2. When the system show you "A:>", launch "savepart".
3. Choose "Save an element".
4. Select the partition you want to save, see the last column. I choose the partition labeled "OS".
5. Then, go for "Occupied sectors".
6. When you were requested to choose save file location, you must mount the drive first if you are using NTFS at backup partition.
7. After mounting, select the file in the drive, e.g. backup01 that you have created. Then "OK" to overwrite.
8. Select the maximum size. I go for the default, 2GB.
9. Compression ratio, go for 2, as recommended in the long user manual.
10. You will be prompted to choose file 2, 3... n until the backup ends.
11. In the end, the program will prompt you whether you want to save a config file to future ease save/restore. Choose "Yes" then select a file.

That's it. You have completed your backup. I wrote this with what I still have in my mind, without much verifications. If you found something is missing, please update me.

How about restoration? Not now!

After seeing "Quick-log your work day" in Lifehacker, I find it too troublesome to create vbscript just to perform simple file writing. So, I came up with my own quick-log tool using command prompt batch file.

Download it here: Simple Task Logging Tool

Instructions:

1. Unzip the file.
2. Put the log.bat file at your desktop.
3. Double click on the file when you have something to log.
4. Type in whatever you want, followed by 'Enter'.
5. A log.txt file will be generated.

It runs properly on my Microsoft Windows XP Pro. Hope it works for you too.

Mozilla recently patched 13 Firefox flaws, which 8 of them are tagged "critical".

TechWeb.com reported:

Danish vulnerability tracker Secunia tagged the overall update as "highly critical," the second-from-the-top threat ranking. "[These] multiple vulnerabilities can be exploited to conduct cross-site scripting attacks or compromise a user's system," Secunia's online research note read.

A majority of the bugs will allow an attacker to introduce his own code to a vulnerable system; several of them can be exploited by posting malicious code or content on Web sites and enticing users to visit those sites.

If you are running on 1.5.x version of Firefox, check for new version and download Firefox 1.5.0.5 by clicking on Help > Check for Updates... in the file menu.

I have heard a lot about game cheat, but have not heard anything about Firefox cheat. Leslie Franke has done a good job to compile all shortcuts for Firefox to fit into a single page. It fits nicely into a single piece of A4 paper when I printed it out just now.

I suggest you keep one on your desk for a few weeks. It will definitely improve your browsing experience with the fox. You wouldn't need it anymore after some time.

Mozilla Firefox Cheat Sheet

(via digg)