Adguard ad blocker for non rooted android phones

So I got a new android phone, a xaiomi redmi note 9t, and I am currently unable to root it, so my standard plan of using AdAway (which requires root) was thwarted. I started to look around at what options I had as an unrooted adblocker. I have used DNS ad blockers in the past but I decided to try something new that I have never used before.

I stumbled my way onto Adguard and had heard good things about their windows app so I decided to give their trial a go on my Android.

So far i really like the fleshed out features of the program, I like that it has both private DNS filtering and vpn filtering. This along with it's system ad blocker seems to work great on my Android.

I now can use my Chrome browser and not be inundated with all the Google ads that they cram in every search. YouTube is also much more pleasant to watch now with out all these ads forcing their way into my eyeballs.

Many of my games that were filled with ads are now way more tolerable as well and that is all thanks to Adguard.

Their pricing plans seem pretty cheap, and I like that they offer lifetime subscriptions. Many other apps only offer a monthly charge with no way to pay for a lifetime subscription. This is were Adguard shines. I also noticed that they often have sales for Adguard, like during black Friday and such. Adguard also offers competitive and fair regional pricing so those that live in poorer countries like Russia or south America can afford a lifetime license as well.

I have 4 days left on my trial license and I really want to continue to use the app so I have found that Adguard offers ways to get a license without purchasing one. I am in the long wait-list for beta testing the android app and they hook it up to your github so you can help improve the program. They also have programs such as writing a review about Adguard and I decided to write a review as well.

If you are looking for a good ad blocker for Android and are unable to root your phone and use Root aps like AdAway, then I highly recommend trying out the free Adguard trial on your android. If you like the app and are unable to purchase it they offer free ways to get a license and i highly recommend that you take advantage of these offers.

Download the trial for Adguard here 

https://adguard.com/?aid=31922

AdGuard for Windows

https://download.adguard.com/d/31922/adguardInstaller.exe

AdGuard for Mac

https://download.adguard.com/d/31922/AdGuardInstaller.dmg

AdGuard for Android

https://download.adguard.com/d/31922/adguard.apk

Also you can earn money joining the Adguard affiliate program here 

https://aff.adguard.com/?ref=biebersoft

Latest MI Unlock can't detect device - MI Unlock Tool cannot detect phone - Mi unlock tool not detecting the device [FIXED]

Oh THANK GOD, I finally went past this step. Thank heavens jeez. So here's my short guide that tells what I did to resolve this problem.

Note: I have Mi Unlock tool version 2.3.803.10 (latest as of now). I'm on Windows 10 x64 build 15063.

1. Extract the zipped archive of MI Unlock tool to the root of your system drive, like C:\any_folder. I extracted it to C:\unlock, so the path of the tool's executable became "C:\unlock\miflash_unlock.exe"

2. Run MiUsbDriver.exe from the folder with as administrator and click "Install". Make sure it says "Driver installed" after that. If it already says that, hit install again just to make sure. Click "Retesting" to see if it remains the same. Close the program after.

3. Put your device into fastboot mode (make sure to turn on USB debugging and OEM unlocking in the developer options), and connect it through USB 2.0 port. (I don't know if 2.0/3.0 makes a difference but if you have 2.0 available, use it).

4. Go to device manager. Expand "Android Phone", right click "Android Bootloader Interface" and click properties. Click on "Driver" tab. See if the driver provider is "Xiaomi Technology, Inc.", driver date is "11/3/2016", and driver version is "16.0.0.0".

IF it's not, then close the properties window, right click android bootloader interface and click "Update driver". Click "Browse my computer for driver..." then "Let me pick from a list ...". Uncheck "Show compatible hardware", click "Xiaomi Technology, Inc." from the left side, then "Android Bootloader Interface" from the right and click next. After it's installed, check the properties to make sure it says what I mentioned above.

5. Go to unlock tool folder. Go to driver\win10 folder, right click android_winusb.inf and click install. You'll get operation completed successfully message.

6. Go back to unlock folder and run the tool as administrator. Now before clicking agree, click on the settings gear on the top right corner. Make sure MI Usb Driver says "Already installed". This is really important. Otherwise IT WON'T WORK. If it doesn't say that check previous steps and make sure your didn't miss any. Beyond that I have no idea.

7. Now you're good to go. Click agree, sign in and voila, your phone shall be connected, ready to unlock

via https://forum.xda-developers.com/t/resolved-mi-unlock-tool-cannot-detect-phone.3663139/

How to download high-quality music from Deezer - Getting your own ARL

If you don’t know what Deezer is, it is a french music streaming service just like Spotify and Tidal. It is free to use with ads and a lower sound quality. Because Deezer also offer a more expensice “Deezer HiFi” subscription they also store music in lossless FLAC files.

The good thing is that these files can be downloaded very easy and very fast in DRM free FLAC with just the free subscription. This can be done in many ways, but here I will explain maybe the easiest way.

Get token from cookie

Use Google Chrome and go to Deezer.com and log in to your Deezer account (Create a free account if you don’t have one already).

When logged in click F12 to open up Google Chrome’s developer settings.
Go to Application in the top-menu and expand Coockies in the left menu. Then click on https://www.doozer.com.
Find arl and copy it’s value. This can be done by marking it and right click, then Edit Value. Copy the value.

Example on token:
555c699f5fbd1caab8dfef52ffcfef107c75845afd7448967da2672492fb338a868fe27d9364fa9144f06988dbb54548c07004467b912ceb179eea85167d0fb54e3a6aa9efd51535b5d7619c790461c35210c16cdd2d09b29cf29bc0953086a4

Application (Windows)

go to https://deezloader.site/download/ and download the Windows version.
Install and run the program.
Go to Settings and paste your token in the userToken field and click UPDATE USERTOKEN.

The message You are logged in as … will show. Click SAVE.

If you now go back to Settings there is a lot of settings available to customize download location and formatting.
I recommend to change Preferred bitrate from MP3 320kbps to FLAC 1411kbps if you want the best possible sound quality.

Now you can search throughout the library and download whatever you want. Enjoy!

Getting your own ARL

Deezer keeps track of login session by using a cookie called ARL.
deemix uses that cookie to get the metadata that it needs to download the tracks from Deezer.
ARLs last for 3 months, after that Deezer asks you to log in again. The same method is used in deemix
Following one of the guides below you can get your own account ARL.

PC

Chrome (Easy way)

• Open Chrome
• Go to www.deezer.com and log into your account
• Click on the little “lock” icon next the URL
• Click on Cookies > deezer.com > cookies > arl
• Select the string next to Content, and Copy
• That’s your ARL, now you can use it in the app

Chrome

• Open Chrome
• Go to www.deezer.com and log into your account
• After logging in press F12 to open up Developer Tools
• Go under the Application tab (if you don’t see it click the double arrow)
• Open the cookie dropdown
• Select www.deezer.com
• Find the arl cookie (It should be 192 chars long)
• That’s your ARL, now you can use it in the app

Here’s a video guide

Firefox

• Open Firefox
• Go to www.deezer.com and log into your account
• Afer logging in press F12 to open up Developer Tools
• Go under the Storage tab (if you don’t see it click the double arrow)
• Open the cookie dropdown
• Select www.deezer.com
• Find the arl cookie (It should be 192 chars long)
• Make sure only copy the value and not the entire cookie
• That’s your ARL, now you can use it in the app

Android

Firefox

• Install firefox (if you don’t have it)
• If you have the android Deezer app, its better to uninstall it, so it doesn’t launch after login
• Get some extension to change your useragent (UserAgent Switcher)
• Get the extension “Cookie Manager”
• Change your useragent to some browser on pc (eg. Chrome on Windows 10)
• Login to deezer.com
• You need to see the home page of deezer. If you don’t see it you did something wrong.
• Go on cookie manager and search for “arl”
• Copy the value
• That’s your ARL, now you can use it in the app

IF AFTER LOGGING IN YOU CAN’T FIND THE ARL COOKIE OR YOU GET SENT TO THE PLAYSTORE THEN YOUR USERAGENT CHANGER DIDN’T WORK

Thanks to uh hey for the Android method

via https://flemmingss.com/how-to-download-high-quality-music-from-deezer/ and https://codeberg.org/RemixDev/deemix/wiki/Getting-your-own-ARL

Use CTRL+C CTRL+V CTRL+X For Copy Paste Cut in MAC OSX to be the same as the Windows Shortcuts

 

via https://apple.stackexchange.com/questions/32297/how-can-i-reassign-the-copy-paste-keyboard-shortcuts/96196

Fix Windows update errors - How to fix Windows update for Windows 7

We've heard a number of people report that Win7, when freshly installed, take a long time and a lot of memory to apply the first round of updates. The 'check for updates' part of the sequence taking more than 30 minutes ... in some cases several days!

This is due to a bug* in Windows Update (WU), which causes the processing ("checking" or "searching")  stage to take far too long, when there are a great many updates to process. The bug is resolved with the new WU client delivered in the KB3172605 update. However, the bug still applies while you are installing KB3172605, making it take a long time ... unless you use this procedure.

The procedure below is the result of a lot of experimentation. It is the speediest way we have yet found, for getting Windows fully updated.

A trick we have learned:

1. Download the appropriate (x64 or x86) versions of these three updates: KB3020369, KB3172605, and KB3125574.
1. Microsoft Update Catalog links: KB3125574, KB3172605, KB3020369
2. Disconnect from computer from the internet to stop the following steps from searching online for updates
3. Open an elevated PowerShell prompt and run the following commands, which will allow the next updates to install quickly:
   1. stop-service wuauserv
   2. remove-item c:\windows\softwaredistribution\WuRedir
4. Double-click and run the KB3020369 update (previously downloaded). Should take less than 2 minutes to run, and will not require a reboot.
5. Now double-click the KB3172605 update you previously downloaded. Follow the prompts. Reboot when it says to. (This step should take about 1 minute).
6. Double-click and run the KB3125574 update (previously downloaded). Should take about 12 minutes to run. It will require a reboot that takes 5 minutes to complete. 
7. Begin WU (Windows Update) after completing the above steps. A list of 60+ available updates should be returned within 5 minutes.
8. Finish updating normally ... rebooting when it says to. You will probably need to reboot and re-check for updates at least two more times.

In my own tests, using this method, I was able to take a Win7 SP1 Ultimate (64bit) system from fresh installed to fully updated in about 1.5 hours. The WuRedir directory (which I remove in step 2) will be rebuilt by Windows along the way, and the WU service will be restarted on its own.

For other WU issues, start with this omnibus troubleshooting article.

Fix Windows corruption errors by using the DISM or System Update Readiness tool

Some folks advocate using wsusoffline, which requires some preparation work. Of you may be interested in this PowerShell Windows Update Module. Or this other one called PSWU.

We hope to add more to this article. Please send suggestions to mota.

*Microsoft have not formally said much about this bug. I was tipped off when I heard Microsoft Premier Field Engineer Clint Huffman talk about it in this podcast.

A possible alternative

Microsoft released a convenience rollup (certainly not a service pack) See post for details.  Read all of it, the details, the pre-req's etc before starting.  We haven't tested this approach.

• Simplifying updates for Windows 7 and 8.1
• Article on applying it from howtogeek

via http://www.freenode-windows.org/resources/vista-7/windows-update

How to turn multiple PSX .BIN files into one using CDMAGE

 If you're like me and want to emulate some good old PSX games and happen to stumble upon some roms that have multiple .BIN tracks here is a guide to turn them into a single .BIN file that will load with retroarch.

Step 1: Unzip your Rom like so:

Step 2: Download CDMAGE

https://www.emuparadise.me/links-and-downloads/General_CD_Utils/CDmage_1.02.1_Beta_5/20

Step 3: Open Cue file in CDMAGE

Step 4: File->Save AS new .cue

Step 5: Use these settings

Step 6: Enjoy your single .BIN PSX ROM

Full Speed PSX finally here on New 3DS / New 2DS XL (Metal Gear Solid, Crash Bandicoot, Final Fantasy IX, Vagrant Story, Resident Evil 2, etc.) RetroArch – Convert PlayStation 1 BIN/CUE to CHD

There was a lot of attention in 2019 when the UNAI renderer was added to PCSX Rearmed, as it meaningfully improved the ability of 3DS owners to play PSX classics.

Unfortunately, as anyone who tried it out could attest, the performance was still extremely spotty. 2D games generally performed better but overall playability varied significantly from title to title.

Over the past six months, the situation has improved dramatically. Incredibly, there has been very little attention despite the huge improvements. The latest nightlies now run most PSX games at full speed, including demanding titles like Metal Gear Solid!

To get started, you will need to download a recent nightly of the PCSX Rearmed Retroarch core. Then you will need to enable the following settings.

• Compress your game to either CHD or PBP. CHD is the superior solution.

To do this conversion you need chdman.exe which can be found inside the MAME Official Windows Binary packages located here – mame0201b_64bit.exe was the latest release when I did the conversion.

Extract chdman.exe from mame0201b_64bit.exe into the same folder as your PSX BIN/CUE files. Then you can just run one command to convert everything to CHD:

1	for %i in (*.cue) do chdman createcd -i "%i" -o "%~ni.chd"

• Switch Audio Driver to DSP_Thread. This step is very important. Threaded audio was only added in the past few months and provides a meaningful performance boost. You will need to restart Retroarch to realize this setting change.
• Enable Audio Synchronization.
• Disable Video Synchronization (unless you are playing a 2D game). You will not notice a negative difference in 3D games.
• In Quick Menu -> Options, set CD Access Method to Async. You will need to restart Retroarch to realize this setting change.
• In Quick Menu -> Options, set Threaded Rendering to Async. This is extremely important. Threaded Rendering option was only added in the past few weeks.
• In Quick Menu -> Options, enable Advance GPU UNAI/PCSX4All Settings.
• In Quick Menu -> Options, Enable High-Res Downscaling. This option will only show up once you show Advanced GPU UNAI/PCSX4All Settings and then close and reopen the Quick Menu. M

For good measure you may want to Restart Retroarch after making the last changes.

via https://blog.thirdechelon.org/2018/10/retroarch-convert-playstation-1-bin-cue-to-chd/