Since Apple’s newest upgrade, not even the iPhone dev team (the group who is famous for jailbreaking the iPhone) has been able to crack it…Until now.  Now you can crack the newest version of the iPhone OS 3.1.2 and you can jailbreak previous versions as well, allowing you to use the iPhone with Verizon, Sprint, T-mobile, or any network of your choice.  If all else fails, you can actually unlock the iPhone by hacking the hardware, but that’s quite a bit more complicated.

*Update* Correction: You can jailbreak it and not unlock it quite yet.

You may also enjoy:

• Build a Solar-powered iPhone Charger
• How to: iPhone as a Wireless Router for your Laptop
• How to View your Webcam on your iTouch or iPhone

Breaking into a computer is an illegal activity but it does help to know how to re-access your own equipment.  So, this post is for informational and ethical purposes only! This how-to covers three OS we use and the methods to crack the log-in passwords.

Windows

For Windows OS, Ophcrack is the tool of choice. It is a free Windows Password cracker based on Rainbow Tables. It has a GUI which makes it easier to run. The software can decipher passwords up to 14 characters in length in a quick 10 seconds.

To use Ophcrack one needs to download the Ophcrack ISO and burn it to a CD (or load it via a USB drive). Run the CD by loading it in the tray and restarting the computer with the power switch. Switch to the BIOS options and set the computer to boot from the CD Drive. The computer boots up and reads the Ophcrack CD which then proceeds to break the password. Use this password to log into the machine.

Ophcrack is a multi-platform software and so can be used for Mac and Linux too.

Mac OS X

Apart from Ophcrack, another simple method involves using the Mac OS X installation CD (for v10.4). Insert and reboot to display UTILITIES. Choose RESET PASSWORD to get a new one. Login using this password. To reset the password in Mac OS X 10.5, reboot the computer and press COMMAND + S.

At the prompt type in:

sck -fy
mount -uw /
launchctl load /System/Library/LaunchDaemons/com.apple.DirectoryServices.plist
dscl . -passwd /Users/UserName newpassword

Login with the new reset password.

Linux

Power on the computer, press the ESC key and on the boot loader (GRUB) screen select the ‘Recovery Mode’. Press the ‘B’ Key to enter the single user mode. At the default prompt, type in ‘passwd’ and key in your new password. For access to a single account on the system type ‘passwd username’ replacing ‘username’ with the login name for the account you would reset the password for.

A lesson in cracking is also a lesson in security. Joe Tech’s article advocates the use of encryption (Blowfish or AES-128) as a failsafe against password breach.

Is ethical hacking for you? Check out these HacknMod tutorials:

• Top 15 Vital Hacking Software and Tools
• How to Hack WEP using a Mac or Linux
• Encrypt your USB Drive

With a Hackintosh PC, it’s possible to have the better of two worlds. But with the recent launch of Snow Leopard, the new flavor Mac OS X operating system, how do you upgrade the Hackintosh with a quick and easy install? This installation guide details the building of a Hackintosh system with a Snow Leopard OS from the ground up.

This how-to guides you through a simple click and run installer for Snow Leopard.

Essentials:

1. USB thumb drive (minimum size 8GB)
2. A copy of the Snow Leopard Install DVD (Optionally use the use the $29 ‘Upgrade’ disc).
3. A Mac system to create the Snow Leopard DVD image on the thumb drive.
4. The EP45UD3P Snow Leopard installer package.

The installer package makes it relatively easy to setup Snow Leopard as you get to skip the Terminal in favor of a normal install.

The guide details the three steps (and two post-install tweaks) required with easy to follow instructions and videos. The brief steps are –

Step 1: Prepare the thumb drive

A process where you need to format the thumb drive and create the Snow Leopard DVD image on it. The steps are detailed in the earlier Lifehacker post.

Step 2: Configure the BIOS
Some BIOS settings are modified to boot-up the new OS. These screenshots illustrate.

Step 3: Install Snow Leopard

Format the hard drive partition which will hold the installed OS. Installation is dead simple with the thumb drive and the installer package.

Post-Install Tweaks
Follow the Snow Leopard setup with a simple change in preferences for the sound output. A second tweak involves an installation of a custom bootloader which makes the OS boot from the HD instead of the thumb drive.

The installer based setup of Snow Leopard on Hackintosh makes it easy for the beginner. It’s also a swifter streamlined approach. Quite apt for an OS named for a big cat.

If you love computer hacks in general and Mac’s in particular, check out our gallery of topics.

• Install OSX on any PC
• How to Hack Windows XP into a Mac Desktop
• Top 10 Mac OS X Hacks

If anything can go wrong, it will. This means although it can be a bit tedious, we always need to backup our computers. Data backup is not only good practice; it’s an essential one. It may be a spanking new computer or a jalopy for the digital world, data backup is as important as a virus scan or keeping a firewall.

Think of all the files accumulated over the years…one snafu and oops it’s gone. Good news is that data backup solutions can fill that gap for you. It’s out there…it’s easy and importantly, it’s free. One of the backup solutions is built right into your operating system, some of it is on the web and some can be provided by a kind friend.

The Basics:

The easiest and most accessible backup is obviously on another networked computer. Simple file sharing between two computers makes it a routine of copy and paste. Configuration is slightly different among the different systems (Windows XP, Windows Vista and Windows 7). Native Mac backups or with a PC are also pretty much covered.

Manual backups are like heavy duty lifting. Backup utilities like IdleBackup (Windows) and SilverKeeper (Mac OS X) automatically sync folders for you, relieving a lot of the work load.

1. Simple File Storage Sites

Cloud computing is upon us and so why not take a look at some online solutions. Of course, you can go for full system backups which are available at a premium. But we did mention ‘Free’ in the title. A lot of online file storage companies’ offer ample space for free though falling short of complete system backups. Backing up your stuff online thus calls for cherry-picking essential files and safekeeping them online.

Here are a few in the queue:

• Windows Live Skydrive: A total of 25GB for free with a per file size limit of 50MB.
• File Factory: 100GB of free storage with a 300MB file limit. Downer could be the slow speeds.
• Dropbox: For smaller needs – offers 2GB of free storage with neat file syncing features.
• Mozy: 2GB of free storage but with a handy Windows client that makes uploading a cinch.
• Orbit Files: 6GB but with limited choices.

2. Documents, Photos, Music and Videos

Yes, some of these websites do double over for file storage needs. You probably use them every day but never looked at them from this angle.

-  Docs: For your documents, why go any further than the trio of Google Docs, Office Live and Zoho.

- Pics: For your photos, make your online accounts with Flickr, Snapfish, Picasa, Photobucket or Facebook.

-  Tunes: For music, MP3Tunes, File Factory and Deezer sound really cool.

- Vids: For videos, you can give YouTube, Vimeo and Viddler a shot.

The Gizmodo referred choices are aplenty and free. Just remember to do a full or a selective backup. It could be a safety net for a crash.

Check out our other posts about backing up and recovering data:

• How to: Automatic Hard Drive Back Up
• Automatically back up your files
• How to recover a Laptop Hard Drive

• More details about this project
• Hide a hard drive in a power strip
• Recover dead hard drive data

If you have an old laptop sitting around, it’s time you turn it into something functional and decorative.  This guy, for example turned  it into a wall-mounted fully functional laptop that looks just like a portrait. Display pictures, videos or anything you can imagine on any wall at your house or office. You basically take an old (perhaps damaged) laptop, Mac or PC, build a custom frame for it, rearrange the internal components into the frame, add some elbow grease and you’ll end up with a WallPC or WallMac. If you need help disassembling your laptop, check out our tutorial. You can also turn an old laptop into a Pong Clock:

Learn how to build your own pong clock and check out our other case mod hacks:

• Xbox 360 Mod with Built in LCD Display
  Easy Laptop Mod allows Eye to Eye Video Chat
• Build your own DIY Laptop Project

Learn how to rapidly increase your internet speed by using the D-Link DIR-825 dual-band router.  The standard wifi spectrum is filled with dirty signals from Bluetooth and microwaves and that constant interference slows down file transfers and internet connection. “On the other hand, 5GHz 802.11n is clean and incredibly fast – it’s really easy to upgrade if you’ve got a simultaneous dual-band router like the D-Link DIR-825 (cheap on eBay).

How to set it up:

First setup your central router normally, assigning it an SSID and select the 5GHz method where the option is available.  Typically, you can find this under the settings menu but it’s different for various manufacturers.

• See also: Make a DIY Wifi Repeater/Range Extender
• Screw with People who Steal your Wifi

The next important step is to enable the wide channel option.  This allows your two 802.11n signals to be meshed into one, creating the “dual-band” and big increase in speed.  Sometimes menu’s with this option are hidden so you might have to click advanced options in the wireless menu.  See this tutorial for further information.

That’s basically all there is to it and you can now suck in all the download bandwidth your heart desires.  Files will transfer quickly, browsing will obviously be faster, and you can even steam high quality video.  Few all of our internet projects and subscribe for more great weekend projects.

A zoomed out shot of majority of this guy’s lair.  See more close up pics below.  Note, the blue LED lighting behind his workstations.  You can learn how to create that effect by reading Build your own PC Ambilight and this tutorial as well.

Above and below are close up pics of his other workstation setup – A complete audio recording and editing studio.  Just look at all that shiny equipment! Awesome! Check out more mac and audio hacks too.

Finally, another close up of the audio setup.  We featured another triple monitor Linux setup if you’d like to learn more about that.  Oh, and don’t forget to subscribe to Hack N Mod too. via

How it works:

• For every character:
• For every bit:
• Send a short pulse if the bit is 1.
• Send a long pulse if the bit is 0.
• Send a silence.
• Send a very long pulse (4 times as long as the shortest pulse).
• Send a silence.

The author says generating and transmitting sound out is the easy part while interpreting the sound via a microphone attached to another computer is quite difficult.  Check out the full documentation and how to.

Most email services don’t allow large attachments – Gmail’s limit is 20MB. Thankfully, this need has been filled by some online file delivery services that allow us to transfer massive files over the internet for free.

Though there are definitely more than ten online file delivery services, these are the top free file transfer services.

Top 10 Ranked by File Size Limits

YouSendIt Lite

YouSendIt lets you send files as large as 100MB with a 1GB monthly download limit. Sign-up is not required and it is supported by advertising that appears on the upload and download pages. The recipient gets an email message with a link showing where to get the file. Maximum number of downloads allowed per file is 100 and the recipient has up to 7 days to pick up the file. The Lite version is stripped down and lacks some of the more advanced features like security and tracking. For simple file transfers, this is a capable solution.

GigaSize

GigaSize offers two free ways to send your large files – Without a log-in (Free Center) lets you upload a max of 300MB with a 10 file cap. A registered Free Account on the other hand allows for 300 MB/file but unlimited uploads. Plus, your files are kept for 45 days. An account also gives you the flexibility to organize your files using a file organizer. You can also import your Yahoo, Hotmail, MSN and Gmail contact list and share your file with friends by sending those links to the file.

The free accounts are ad-supported, have waiting time for downloads and have slower speeds than a premium account but hey, it’s a free lunch.

Send Space Lite

Send 300MB files to any email address you want with this file transfer service. You can upload 5 files in one go though the daily bandwidth restriction is 1GB. There are no limits on the number of downloads. Inactive files get automatically deleted from the server after 7 days. Though you don’t need to register, a log-in name opens up additional file management features. Upload and downloads are eased by a SendSpace Wizard tool.

Spread It

Spread It is another in the line of simple, utilitarian file sending services which send your files without requiring a log-in. Spread-It will automatically email you a link to your file stored and another to delete it. A file can be up to 500MB and is kept online for 14 days, without downloads limit or waiting times.

zUpload

With zUpload you can send across a maximum of 500MB per file in a jiffy but you can upload as many files as you want. With each file you get a unique URL which you can mail across to others for unlimited downloads. Your file stays available for 30 days. The web service is supported by ad revenues and donations.

MegaUpload

MegaUpload has an ad-financed free online storage service and a premium service with additional features and light advertising. Free membership requires a log-in and gets you 200 GB online storage with a file manager. After an upload, you can share you link with others. You can download a maximum of 1GB per session.

Particularly useful is the support for resuming broken downloads and uploads and the use of download managers. There are no restrictions to the number of downloads. Also a frequent user can earn reward points from downloads and encash it for a premium service.

A few disappointing features take some sheen away from the free service – a waiting time before downloads begin, capped download speeds and download slot unavailability for some countries.

Transfer Big Files

Transfer Big Files (beta) is again one of those simple no frills services. It lets you send 1GB sized files in one go. Files are kept for 5 days prior to deletion. There is no storage limit so you can send as many files as you want. To send the files you do not need to register. For quick use, the designers have also created a Windows System Tray tool that allows users to drag-and-drop files to the site.

Filemail

Filemail helps you send up to 2GB files to others through your browser. Upload your bulk to FileMail, enter the recipient(s) email ID and send. The recipient receives an email from FileMail with the links for download. After a user specified number of days or downloads, the files are removed completely from the servers. FileMail is clean cut, secure and utilitarian – no registration is required and so far it is ad-free. FileMail is also available in 14 languages.

File Dropper

Elegant with an uncluttered Web2.0 interface is how I would describe it and with a 5GB upload limit it is weighty too. Sending a file is dead simple – upload and share your personal link. It does just one job and does it well.

MegaShares

An upload limit of 10GB per session is more than enough to send even the Harry Potter series through the mail. With MegaShares you can send a single file or multiple files. A Java based browser tool lets you drag and drop files for easy uploads. After it’s done, you will get a URL that you can email to your friends or keep for yourself. A selected option can send the link automatically to any provided recipient email.

Megashares also support most download managers. Uploads are completely anonymous and every uploaded document is encrypted unless the file is made public. Any file remains available as long as there is 1 unique download in 15 days and 10 unique downloads in 45 days through your unique link.

What do you think, did we miss any?  If you think we missed some of the best services, let us know in your comments!