EPF declares 5.8% dividend

PETALING JAYA: The Employees Provident Fund (EPF) has declared a dividend of 5.8% for 2010, up from 5.65% declared the year before.

It will pay out a total of RM21.61bil to members, an increase from the 2009 dividend payout of RM19.37bil.

EPF declared that the rate, which was approved by the Finance Minister, was the “highest dividend payout amount ever”.

EPF’s total investment assets stood at RM440.52bil as at Dec 31 last year while its gross investment income was RM24.06bil.

“The dividend rate underscores an impressive year in which gross investment income reached a historical high of RM24.06bil, reflecting a 39.76% increase over the RM17.22bil recorded in 2009,” EPF chairman Tan Sri Samsudin Osman said in a statement yesterday.

Samsudin said last year’s investment income was especially driven by the per­formance of equity investments boosted by improved financial and economic conditions.

“The dividend amount paid out is derived after deducting net impairment allowance on financial assets, investment expenses, operating expenditure and statutory charges as well as dividend on withdrawals,” he said.

Equities, the statement said, was EPF’s largest investment income contributor at 45.45% or RM10.94bil, followed by loans and bonds, Malaysian Government Securities, money market instruments and property and miscellaneous income.

According to the statement, two-thirds of EPF’s total investment assets last year remained in low risk fixed-income instruments with stable streams of income.

“As a retirement fund, our primary objective is the preservation of capital while adding value to members’ retirement savings.

Members may check their EPF account statement for the crediting of the 2010 dividend via EPF Kiosks, counters or i-Akaun, from today.

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Top 20 Richest Man in Malaysia from 2006 ~ 2010 Ranked by Forbes Asia

Who are the top 20 richest men in Malaysia for the past 5 years? Sugar King Robert Kuok, Maxis Ananda Krishnan, IOI Boss, Public Bank tycoon Teh Hong Piow, YTL Yeoh Tiong Lay… hmm… who else?

Below is the compilation list of Malaysia’s richest man for 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, and 2010 ranked by Forbes Asia.
Comparison: List of the Richest People in Malaysia

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10 Mistakes That Start-Up Entrepreneurs Make

When it comes to starting a successful business, there's no surefire playbook that contains the winning game plan. On the other hand, there are about as many mistakes to be made as there are entrepreneurs to make them.

Here are the top 10 mistakes that entrepreneurs make when starting a company:

1. Going it alone. It's difficult to build a scalable business if you're the only person involved. True, a solo public relations, web design or consulting firm may require little capital to start, and the price of hiring even one administrative assistant, sales representative or entry-level employee can eat up a big chunk of your profits. The solution: Make sure there's enough margin in your pricing to enable you to bring in other people. Clients generally don't mind outsourcing as long as they can still get face time with you, the skilled professional who's managing the project.

2. Asking too many people for advice. It's always good to get input from experts, especially experienced entrepreneurs who've built and sold successful companies in your industry. But getting too many people's opinions can delay your decision so long that your company never gets out of the starting gate. The answer: Assemble a solid advisory board that you can tap on a regular basis but run the day-to-day yourself. Says Elyissia Wassung, chief executive of 2 Chicks With Chocolate Inc., a Matawan, N.J., chocolate company, "Pull in your [advisory] team for bi-weekly or, at the very least, monthly conference calls. You'll wish you did it sooner!"

3. Spending too much time on product development, not enough on sales. While it's hard to build a great company without a great product, entrepreneurs who spend too much time tinkering may lose customers to a competitor with a stronger sales organization. "I call [this misstep] the 'Field of Dreams' of entrepreneurship. If you build it, they will buy it," says Sanjyot Dunung, CEO of Atma Global, Inc., a New York software publisher, who has made this mistake in her own business. "If you don't keep one eye firmly focused on sales, you'll likely run out of money and energy before you can successfully get your product to market."

4. Targeting too small a market. It's tempting to try to corner a niche, but your company's growth will quickly hit a wall if the market you're targeting is too tiny. Think about all the high school basketball stars who dream of playing in the NBA. Because there are only 30 teams and each team employs only a handful of players, the chances that your son will become the next Michael Jordan are pretty slim. The solution: Pick a bigger market that gives you the chance to grab a slice of the pie even if your company remains a smaller player.

5. Entering a market with no distribution partner. It's easier to break into a market if there's already a network of agents, brokers, manufacturers' reps and other third-party resellers ready, willing and able to sell your product into existing distribution channels. Fashion, food, media and other major industries work this way; others are not so lucky. That's why service businesses like public relations firms, yoga studios and pet-grooming companies often struggle to survive, alternating between feast and famine. The solution: Make a list of potential referral sources before you start your business and ask them if they'd be willing to send business your way.

6. Overpaying for customers. Spending big on advertising may bring in lots of customers, but it's a money-losing strategy if your company can't turn those dollars into lifetime customer value. A magazine or website that spends $500 worth of advertising to acquire a customer who pays $20 a month and cancels his or her subscription at the end of the year is simply pouring money down the drain. The solution: Test, measure, then test again. Once you've done enough testing to figure out how to make more money selling products and services to your customers than you spend acquiring those customers in the first place, roll out a major marketing campaign.

7. Raising too little capital. Many start-ups assume that all they need is enough money to rent space, buy equipment, stock inventory and drive customers through the door. What they often forget is that they also need capital to pay for salaries, utilities, insurance and other overhead expenses until their company starts turning a profit. Unless you're running the kind of business where everybody's working for sweat equity and deferring compensation, you'll need to raise enough money to tide you over until your revenues can cover your expenses and generate positive cash flow. The solution: Calculate your start-up costs before you open your doors, not afterwards.

8. Raising too much capital. Believe it or not, raising too much money can be a problem, too. Over-funded companies tend to get big and bloated, hiring too many people too soon and wasting valuable resources on trade show booths, parties, image ads and other frills. When the money runs out and investors lose patience (which is what happened 10 years ago when the dot-com market melted down), start-ups that frittered away their cash will have to close their doors. No matter how much money you raise at the outset, remember to bank some for a rainy day.

9. Not having a business plan. While not every company needs a formal business plan, a start-up that requires significant capital to grow and more than a year to turn a profit should map out how much time and money it's going to take to get to its destination. This means thinking through the key metrics that make your business tick and building a model to spin off three years of sales, profits and cash-flow projections. "I wasted 10 years [fooling around] thinking like an artist and not a business person," says Louis Piscione, president of Avanti Media Group, a New Jersey company that produces videos for corporate and private events. "I learned that you have to put some of your creative genius toward a business plan that forecasts and sets goals for growth and success."

10. Over-thinking your business plan. While many entrepreneurs I've met engage in seat-of-the-pants decision-making and fail to do their homework, other entrepreneurs are afraid to pull the trigger until they're 100% certain that their plan will succeed. One lawyer I worked with several years ago was so skittish about leaving his six-figure job to launch his business that he never met with a single bank or investor who might have funded his company. The truth is that a business plan is not a crystal ball that can predict the future. At a certain point, you have to close your eyes and take the leap of faith.

Despite the many books and articles that have been written about entrepreneurship, it's just not possible to start a company without making a few mistakes along the way. Just try to avoid making any mistake so large that your company can't get back on its feet to fight another day.

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Chargeable Real Property Gain Tax (RPGT) – 5%

Property(s) that are disposed within/less than 5 (Five) years are subject to pay the RPGT of 5%. However, the chargeable amount can be calculated as follows:-

Example:

Cost of Purchase A property is RM150,000

Dispose of A property within 5 years time at price of RM200,000

Gain of profit of Property A is RM50,000

Minus Rebate RM10,000

Minus Legal Fees Assume is RM4,000

Minus Property Agent Commision RM6,000 (3%)

Minus Renovation RM7,000

Nett Profit will be RM50,000 – RM10,000 – RM4,000 – RM6,000 – RM7,000 is RM23,000

Therefore, the RPGT to government for Property A is RM23,000 x 5% = RM1,150

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How to make your car profitable

Cars are quite accomplished at spending your money for you, but they're not usually much good when it comes to generating cash. Buying the thing, road tax, insurance, an MOT and fuel aren't exactly kind to your bank account, but it's possible to recoup the costs and make a little extra on the side while you're at it.

We've scoured the web and found four novel ways of making your car rack up some notes for you. Some require more effort than others, but they're all worth a look if you could use a little extra at the end of the month.

Advertise
Seen those cars in town that are plastered with slogans? They're making money for their owners, so there's no reason you can't do the same. If you don't mind having your car covered with bright, self-adhesive stickers, then you could earn over £200 a month by turning your car into a moving billboard.

Autocarwraps.com will pay £200 a month if you agree to completely cover your car (aside from the windows, obviously) in advertising. Agree to have half of it covered and you'll get £150 a month. Comm-motion.com offers a similar service with up to £220 per month for covering the whole car.

If you're interested, it's worth checking with your insurance company to find out if your premiums are affected by this. Read the small print too, as you will be contracted to keep the adverts on the car for a certain amount of time.

Lease it
It's not particularly well known, but you can lease your car out to other drivers. Whipcar.com allows other motorists to rent your car while you're not using it. The site works by matching people with a car to those who need one for a certain amount of time. If you use your car in the week, but not at the weekend - or vice versa - then it's worth a look.

All drivers and cars are checked out by Whipcar before any transactions go ahead, so it's perfectly safe - you can even set your own rental price, but you'll need to be realistic if you want the business. The service is open to anyone with a car under eight years old with a valid MOT, road tax and insurance.

Car share
Strictly speaking, you won't make money by car sharing, but you can save a tidy sum. If you and one or more colleagues travel a similar route to work then you can effectively halve your fuel bills by splitting the cost.

If there's no-one in your neck of the woods that you can ask then check out Carshare.com. The site helps you to find budding journey pals in your area - its operators reckon that you could save up to £1,000 a year.

Be a courier
If you do big miles then it's worth dropping off packages for a profit while you're at it. That might sound a little dubious, but Stuff2send.com is a safe and legal site that allows you to register as a courier and start delivering for cash.

Membership is free and you can pick and choose what items you want to deliver and when via a bidding system not unlike eBay. If you win the bid, the job is yours.

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10 Ways Small Businesses Can Compete With the Big Boys

You may not be able to compete with the big boys head-on, but who says you can’t make big money? The key is to do things that they do not do. Here are some strategies your “little” business can survive and thrive against the big boys:

1. Provide exceptional customer service. Treat every customer as your best customer and you will be BETTER than the big guys. As a small business owner, you can concentrate on small details — every client is important, every suggestion is heard, every phone call is important. A larger company can afford to throw away clients if they complain. They may also not feel the pinch of losing three or four clients a week; since they figure that they will get them back next week — or so they think.

2. Pamper your existing customers. When the big boys and mass merchandisers come to town, now is the time to strengthen the loyalty of your existing customers. One way is to develop loyalty programs designed to increase overall satisfaction and customer loyalty. You can focus on rewarding customers who have repeat purchases, such as discounts for frequent purchases, special “loyal customer only” sales, or gifts to frequent buyers.

However, it is important to realize that not all freebies will work a free t-shirt may work for one business but customers of another business may not find it meaningful. You must choose a program that your clients would want and respond to positively.

3. Consider collaborating with similar businesses. Join with small rivals to form a ‘cluster’ that can act as one body to rival bigger competitors. Forming an alliance or partnership with other businesses, even your rivals, is one of the best way to level the playing field and compete with major players without being at a disadvantage because of their superior size. As an alliance, you can harness some of the buying power of mass merchandisers by teaming up with other businesses, even just for basic supplies. This will allow you to cut down your costs and get cheaper inventory. By teaming up with other small operators, you can compete with big rivals by sharing the cost of marketing, such as getting a stand in a major industry trade show something that you may not be able to afford on your own.

4. Use “loss leaders”. A “loss leader” is defined as a product on which you lose money-but through which you also generate sales of other products in your mix. The idea is to price selected items at cost (or even below) in order to entice customers to go to your store; and then hope that these customers will buy more once they are inside the store. Another approach would be to sell a product at a loss, bundled with another that is profitable, such as offering “two for the price of one.” The goal is to entice customers in with irresistible offers, that they will buy other things more profitable to your business.

5. Develop a niche and focus on it. Big Boys like Wal-Mart or Best Buy have a little of everything; while you can have a little of most things and everything of one or two types of products. This will establish your store as the place to go when buying those items. The way small businesses can compete is to carry extensive items in one or two product areas. Specialize or focus on a narrow, deep but profitable niche. You can win against the giants by looking for gaps in the market that are either neglected or poorly covered by big companies. For example, you can be the only florist in your area that has all the supplies necessary for elegant parties — and the staff that knows how to pull it together.

6. Take care of your employees. Pay attention to your employees and treat them right. Treating employees fairly is much more crucial for a small firm. Even with the rising unemployment, finding quality personnel is not fairly easy for a small business. If one decides to leave your business, there is no reserve or pool of talent. Even with a complete staff, you may find that numerous aspects of management or operations may fall into the lap of one person, which tends to make extreme time demands on that person.

7. Use technology to your advantage. Technology, now more advanced and affordable to small and large companies, provides the tools and power for small businesses to compete on an equal basis wit the big boys. It is the biggest improvement to level the field between the big and small boys. Voice mail, broadband Internet access and two-way radios, for examples, can increase efficiency by allowing small business owners to get more done in a timely and professional manner. Computers also allow for more efficient and professional customer invoicing, job pricing, and inventory tracking. If you are still not on the Web, better start now as a web site can provide you with an inexpensive, comprehensive, and professional advertising in front of your customers.

8. Present a very professional image. Small firms competing with big businesses will find that first impressions are vital. Image is crucial to winning the trust of potential customers and retaining the ones that you have. You must be professional, even if you are working from your kitchen table. Professionalism should be seen from every aspect of your business from the way you dress, answer the phone, or design your business cards. Plus, always give the impression that your business is thriving, well established and efficient. Many customers do not mind that they are dealing with small specialist firms; as long as the business has the credibility that they are looking for. Think big and chances are your customers will too.

9. Emphasize the uniqueness of your products. People are often attracted to the idea of getting something unique from a smaller, independently owned business, but are used to the larger selection a chain store can offer. In your marketing and advertising messages, highlight the originality of your stock as compared to the universal stock a chain store offers.

10. Give your store character. Most big retailers have the same look, often impersonal, in every city. Make your store stand out by giving it an inviting character. Make shopping in your place relaxing. Greet customers as they enter the door, and let them know that you and your staff are nearby if they need any help. Never let customers wander around the store not finding what they need and no one to help them.

When a big boy moves into town, don’t be afraid. You may not be able to fight big rivals on their own ground because you simply don’t have the resources; but you can often steal a march on them by being more agile, creative and committed.

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PIKOM PC Fair 2010 (II)

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How to Run Office 2007 In Safe Mode

Launching Office 2007 in Safe Mode comes in handy when troubleshooting problems with the application. If Office 2007 starts successfully in Safe Mode, it can indicate that third party applications are causing the issue.

Example: To run MSWord in Safe mode, use the /safe switch. You can accomplish this a couple of ways.

1. Press the Windows Key + R to bring up the Run dialog and type winword /safe in the box and click OK.

2. Create a shortcut that points to the location of the Word application.

* Right-click the desktop and select New > Shortcut.
* Click Browse and select the location where Microsoft Word is installed. On my computer it was “C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\winword.exe”.
* Click OK once you have selected where the winword.exe file is.
* The path should now be in the field for Type the location of the item:.
* At the end of this line, put a space and then type /safe. So it should read “C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\winword.exe” /safe
* Click Next and type in a name for the shortcut. Click Finish when you are done.

Your shortcut for running Word in Safe Mode should now be created on the desktop. Try it out. You can verify if Word is running in Safe Mode by the title bar, which should read Microsoft Word (Safe Mode).

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Contact Lenses That Change Color To Alert Diabetics of Glucose Levels

Jin Zhang, a professor at the University of Western Ontario, is developing contact lenses that change color with the user’s blood sugar level. This could allow diabetics to monitor themselves without frequent blood samples. The technology:

” …uses extremely small nanoparticles embedded into the hydrogel lenses. These engineered nanoparticles react with glucose molecules found in tears, causing a chemical reaction that changes their colour.”

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How to chat someone up in 5 minutes flat

Whether you’re flirting in a bar or meeting an online date for the first time, those first few minutes of chat are crucial. Get it right, and you’ll have them at “hello” – or at least within a few minutes of it.

But chatting someone up is a tricky skill. Some people have the gift of the gab; others wouldn’t chat to a stranger if they were stranded on an island together. Follow these tips and you can go from chat-phobic to flirting champ.


1. Picture the scene

Before you approach that gorgeous creature or meet your date, run through some chatty scenarios in your head. Think about things you might say and how they might reply. Picture yourself responding with calm wit and fluency.

You probably won’t stick to these mental rehearsals, but the exercise will boost your confidence. It’s like the “visualisation” tricks sports stars use to calm their nerves before a game or a race.

2. One beer good, six beers bad

A drink or two can ease your shyness and help you mingle, but booze is not a magic confidence bullet. Alcohol on an empty stomach can turn you into a one-woman stag or hen party, and that won’t do your romantic chances any good at all.

3. Be a lone shark

Girls and guys who hunt in packs* are terrifying. If you want to pull a potential keeper, strike out on your own. (Numerical note: “a pack” means two or more. We’re easily intimidated.)

4. Flirt with your eyes

Intense eye contact is one of the strongest bonding signals humans can send out. So if you meet someone’s eye and they seem willing to maintain that eye contact until your backbone tingles, you’ve already done five minutes’ worth of chat in a few seconds of silence.

5. Make your move

If you see someone you want to talk to, don’t procrastinate – especially if you’ve made eye contact with them. Approach them before the moment is gone. If this one doesn’t work, there will be 100 more opportunities in the future.

6. Start small

The best chat-ups aren’t chat-ups at all, they’re small talk. So strike up a conversation, and keep the opener brief and casual. Make a comment or ask a question related to your surroundings, because that’s what you already have in common. For example if you’re at a party, ask if he or she has seen the bottle opener, and follow up with a comment about the choice of booze.

7. Cheese can work – in small doses

Don’t dismiss cheesy chat-ups completely. If you’ve already spent half the evening making eyes at each other, all you need say is “do you come here often?” – and they’ll laugh, and you’ve pulled. Humour is one of the best seduction strategies around.

8. Make sure they’re available

You’re wasting your time if they’re taken. First, the no-brainer – if there’s a wedding or engagement ring on the third finger of their left hand, don’t even think about it.

It harder to find out whether they have a girlfriend or boyfriend. Light humour is your best tactic, especially when combined with a flirtatious look. “So, will your boyfriend/girlfriend kill me if I buy you a drink?” is all it takes.

9. Watch your body language

If you seem to be at ease around the person you’re chatting to, they will feel more relaxed as well – and that’ll help your connection along no end. So relax your facial muscles and shoulders, and keep that lip-twich under control. To reel in your catch, subtly mirror their posture and behaviour. For example, sip your drink just after they sip theirs, or giggle at the same thing. Don’t be too obvious, though, or they’ll think you’re making fun of them.

10. Listen

If you find them interesting, they’ll find you interesting. Listen to what they say, even if it’s small talk about the weather, and respond to it. Don’t bombard them with questions, though – this isn’t a job interview. Overdoing the questioning will make you seem inexperienced.

11. Don’t brag

Bragging makes you sound both arrogant and insecure. What really attracts people is being passionate about your interests, but even passion can be overstated if it means telling someone how much you love your car within a minute of meeting them.

12. Avoid heavy topics

Politics and religion are no topics for chat-ups. You’ll seem overly earnest, and you may even start an argument. Save it for a longer conversation.

13. Breathe

You're nervous. Of course you’re nervous. So focus on your breathing and try to slow it down. Rapid breathing makes you babble, and that will make you feel worse.

14. Don’t admit that you’re nervous

Apologising for your nervousness, or even making a joke about it, will make the other person feel uncomfortable. Keep the conversation going, and the flow of chatter will distract you from the thump-thump of your pulse.

15. Let them know you’re interested

Forget about playing hard to get. If the person you’re talking to didn’t find you attractive, they would have made their excuses quickly. Seal the deal by maintaining eye contact and touching them gently on the arm as you talk. They’ll get the message. Chances are they’ll respond by showing their interest, too.

16. Leave them wanting more

Don’t outstay your welcome. Make your break as soon as there’s a lull in conversation. Ask for their number and vanish alluringly into the night. If they don’t want to give you their number, cut your losses and move on.

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OLD NAMES OF ROADS IN KUALA LUMPUR

Ampang Road - Jalan Ampang
Ampang Street - Leboh Ampang
Batu Road - Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman
Birch Road - Jalan Maharajalela
Bluff Road - Jalan Bukit Aman
Brickfields Road - Jalan Sambanthan
Bulatan Edinburgh - Persimpangan Edinburgh
Campbell Road - Jalan Dang Wangi
Cecil Street - Jalan Hang Lekir
Church Street - Jalan Gereja
Circular Road - Jalan Pekeliling - Jalan Tun Razak
Clarke Street - Jalan Mahkamah Tinggi
Club Road - Jalan Parlimen
Cross Street - Jalan Silang
Dickson Street - Jalan Masjid India
Davidson Road - Jalan Hang Jebat
Foch Avenue - Jalan Cheng Lock
Hampshire Drive - Persiaran Hampshire
High Street - Jalan Bandar - Jalan Tun H S Lee
Holland Road - Jalan Mahkamah Persekutuan
Hospital Road - Jalan Chendersari
Java Street - Mountbatten Road - Jalan Tun Perak
Klyne Street - Jalan Hang Lekiu
Malacca Street - Jalan Melaka
Market Street - Leboh Pasar Besar
Old Market Square (Macao Street + Hokkien Street) - Medan Pasar
Parry Road - Jalan P Ramlee
Petaling Street - Jalan Petaling
Pudoh Street - Jalan Pudu
Rodger Street - Jalan Hang Kasturi
Shaw Road - Jalan Hang Tuah
Station Street - Jalan Balai Polis
Sultan Street - Jalan Sultan
Swettenham Road - Jalan Mahameru
Theatre Street - Jalan Panggong
Treacher Road - Jalan Sultan Ismail
Venning Road - Jalan Perdana
Victoria Avenue - Jalan Sultan Hishamuddin
Weld Road - Jalan Raja Chulan

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How to Customize the Windows 7 Shut Down Button

One of the things that annoyed me the most when I first used Windows Vista was the exclusion of the Shut Down button as the default action in the Start menu. Luckily Microsoft listened and they added an option for users to customize the default action available when the Start Menu is opened. The guide below will walk you through the simple process of finding this option so that you may customize it to your liking. If you have any questions or comments, feel free to post them below.

Note: I used Windows 7 RC1 for this tutorial



1. Right-click on the task bar and select Properties from the menu.


2. Click on the Start Menu tab and click on the Power button action: drop-down, select the default button action you wish to set. Click OK when you are done.

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The Top 10 Billionaires in the World

1) Carlos Slim Helu

Net Worth: $53.5 billion

Source: Telecom

Residence: Mexico

• Telecom tycoon who pounced on privatization of Mexico's national telephone company in the 1990s becomes world's richest person for first time after coming in third place last year. Net worth up $18.5 billion in a year.

• Recently received regulatory approval to merge his fixed-line assets into American Movil, Latin America's biggest mobile phone company.

• His construction conglomerate, Impulsora del Desarrollo y el Empleo, builds roads and energy infrastructure.

• Son of a Lebanese immigrant also owns stakes in financial group Inbursa, Bronco Drilling, Independent News & Media, Saks and New York Times Co.

• Newspaper outfit's stock popped in early March on talk he might buy a controlling stake; he denies the rumor.

• Donating $65 million to fund a research project in genomic medicine with American billionaire philanthropist Eli Broad.



2) Bill Gates

Net Worth: $53 billion

Source: Microsoft

Residence: U.S.

• Software visionary is now the world's second-richest man. Net worth still up $13 billion in a year as Microsoft shares rose 50% in 12 months, value of investment vehicle Cascade swelled.

• More than 60% of fortune held outside Microsoft; investments include Four Seasons hotels, Televisa, Auto Nation.

• Stepped down from day-to-day duties at Microsoft in 2008 to focus on philanthropy.

• Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation dedicated to fighting hunger, improving education in America's high schools, developing vaccines against malaria, tuberculosis and AIDS.



3) Warren Buffett

Net Worth: $47 billion

Source: Investments

Residence: U.S.

• America's favorite investor up $10 billion in past 12 months on surging Berkshire Hathaway shares; says U.S. has survived economic "Pearl Harbor," but warns recovery will be slow.

• Shrewdly invested $5 billion in Goldman Sachs and $3 billion in General Electric amid 2008 market collapse.

• Recently acquired railroad giant Burlington Northern Santa Fe for $26 billion.

• "We've put a lot of money to work during the chaos of the last two years. When it's raining gold, reach for a bucket, not a thimble."

• Berkshire Hathaway book value was up 19.8% to $21.8 billion in 2009.

• Son of Nebraska stockbroker met value investor Benjamin Graham while studying economics at Columbia.

• Took over textile firm Berkshire Hathaway in 1965, used company as a vehicle to invest in insurance (Geico), food (Dairy Queen), utilities (MidAmerican Energy) and recently green tech (electric-car maker BYD).



4) Mukesh Ambani

Net Worth: $29 billion

Source: Petrochemicals, oil and gas

Residence: India

• Global ambitions: His Reliance Industries, already India's most valuable company, recently bid $2 billion for 65% stake in troubled Canadian oil sands outfit Value Creations.

• Firm's $14.5 billion offer to buy bankrupt petrochemicals maker LyondellBasell was rejected.

• Since September company has sold Treasury shares worth $2 billion to be used for acquisitions.

• Late father, Dhirubhai, founded Reliance and built it into a massive conglomerate. After he died, Mukesh and his brother, Anil, ran the family business together for a brief time. But siblings feuded over control; mother eventually brokered split of assets, with Mukesh getting oil, gas and petrochemicals businesses.

• Still at odds with Anil over gas supply agreement; awaiting Supreme Court's final ruling.

• Owns cricket team Mumbai Indians.



5) Lakshmi Mittal

Net Worth: $28.7 billion

Source: Steel

Residence: India

• London's richest resident oversees ArcelorMittal, world's largest steel maker. Net profits fell 75% in 2009.

• Mittal took 12% pay cut amid slump but improved outlook pushed stock up one-third in past year.

• Looking to expand in his native India; wants to build steel mills in Jharkhad and Orissa but has not received government approval.

• Started in family steel business in India in 1970s; branched out on his own in 1994.

• Initially bought up steel mills on the cheap in Eastern Europe.

• Earned $1.1 billion for selling his interest in a Kazakh refinery in December.

• Sits on the boards of Goldman Sachs, EADS.

• Upped stake in struggling British soccer team QPR in February.

• Funding 400-foot sculpture to be built in London's Olympic Park in time for 2012 Olympics.

• Owns 12-bedroom mansion in London's posh Kensington neighborhood.

• Daughter-in-law Megha recently bought insolvent German fashion house Escada.



6) Lawrence Ellison

Net Worth: $28 billion

Source: Oracle

Residence: U.S.

• Oracle founder's fortune continues to soar; shares up 70% in past 12 months.

• Database giant has bought 57 companies in the past five years.

• Completed $7.4 billion buyout of Sun Microsystems in January; acquired BEA Systems for $8.5 billion in 2008.

• Studied physics at U. of Chicago; didn't graduate.

• Started Oracle 1977; took public a day before Microsoft in 1986.

• Owns 52% stake in business-software company NetSuite; shares worth $480 million.

• Racing junkie owns 453-foot yacht Rising Sun with pal David Geffen. Won America's Cup in February, besting longtime rival billionaire Ernesto Bertarelli.



7) Bernard Arnault

Net Worth: $27.5 billion

Source: Luxury goods

Residence: France

• Bling is back, helping fashion icon grab title of richest European as shares of his luxury goods outfit LVMH--maker of Louis Vuitton, Moet & Chandon--surge 57%.

• LVMH is developing upscale Shanghai commercial property, L'Avenue Shanghai, with Macau billionaire Stanley Ho.

• Renaissance man owns French tour operator Go Voyages, yacht builder Royal Van Lent; has a stake in French retailer Carrefour.

• Built Le Cheval Blanc in ski resort town of Courchevel, France, where he likes to spend New Year's Eve.

• Father, Jean, who died in January, made small fortune in construction; sale of that business later helped fund Arnault's move into real estate and eventually into luxury goods.

• Still a family affair: son Antoine, 32, and daughter Delphine, 34, sit on LVMH's board.

• Wife is a concert pianist; Arnault himself reported to be an excellent piano player.



8) Eike Batista

Net Worth: $27 billion

Source: Mining, oil

Residence: Brazil

• Vowing to become world's richest man--and he may be on his way. This year's biggest gainer added $19.5 billion to his personal balance sheet.

• Son of Brazil's revered former mining minister who presided over mining giant Companhia Vale do Rio Doce got his start in gold trading and mining. Insists Dad didn't help: "All my businesses started from zero. My father was a problem for me because he never let me near Vale."

• Made a pile in resources and other services, but two-thirds of his fortune comes from relatively new source, OGX Petróleo e Gas Participações, the oil-and-gas exploration company he founded in 2007 and took public a year later.

• Police raided his home in 2008, alleging Batista smuggled gold and unfairly influenced the acquisition of a railroad. He denied all wrongdoing, emerged unscathed.

• Onetime champion offshore powerboat racer.

• Formerly married to Playboy cover girl.

• Provided financing to Rio de Janeiro's Olympic committee, helping the city win its bid for 2016 Olympic Games.



9) Amancio Ortega

Net Worth: $25 billion

Source: Fashion retail

Residence: Spain

• Style maven lords over Inditex; fashion firm, which operates under several brand names including Zara, Massimo Dutti and Stradivarius, has 4,500 stores in 73 countries including new spots in Mexico and Syria.

• Set up joint venture with Tata Group subsidiary to enter India in 2010.

• Betting on Florida real estate: bought Coral Gables office tower that is currently home to Bacardi USA.

• Also owns a luxury apartment complex in Miami; properties in Madrid, Paris, London and Lisbon, a horse-jumping circuit, an interest in a soccer league; has investments in gas, tourism and banks.

• Railway worker's son started as a gofer in a shirt store.

• With then-wife Rosalia Mera, also a billionaire, started making dressing gowns and lingerie in living room.

• Shuns neckties and fanfare.

• Daughter Marta works for Inditex; speculation has it she's being groomed to eventually replace her father.



10) Karl Albrecht

Net Worth: $23.5 billion

Source: Supermarkets

Residence: Germany

• Owns discount supermarket giant Aldi Sud, one of Germany's (and Europe's) dominant grocers.

• Has 1,000 stores in U.S. across 29 states.

• Estimated sales: $37 billion.

• Plans to open New York City store this year.

• With younger brother, Theo, transformed mother's corner grocery store into Aldi after World War II. Brothers split ownership in 1961; Karl took the stores in southern Germany, plus the rights to the brand in the U.K., Australia and the U.S. Theo got northern Germany and the rest of Europe.

• Retired from daily operations.

• Fiercely private: little known about him other than that he apparently raises orchids and plays golf.

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EPF Declares 5.65% Dividend For 2009

Highest Total Dividend Paid Out of RM19.63 billion

The Employees Provident Fund (EPF) Board, with the approval of the Minister of Finance, has declared a dividend rate of 5.65 per cent for the financial year ended 31 December 2009. The dividend rate was declared on the back of the highest ever net income achieved of RM19.63 billion.

The net income represents an increase of 34.82 per cent compared to RM14.56 billion recorded in 2008 while the dividend rate for 2009 is a significant improvement of 115 basis points over the rate of 4.50 per cent paid out for 2008.

In a statement issued today, EPF Chairman Tan Sri Samsudin Osman said, “2009 was a significant year for the EPF as it rode out the impact of the global financial crisis. While the EPF continues to be challenged by the fragile economic environment, our investments nonetheless delivered a sound performance for the year.”

During the year under review, a total of 72.53 per cent of investments were devoted to Fixed Income Instruments in line with EPF’s prudent approach to investment, while 27.05 per cent was in Equities, and the remaining in Property.

As at 31 December 2009, EPF’s investment portfolio grew 8.55 per cent or RM29.25 billion to RM371.26 billion compared to RM342.01 billion in 2008.

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I love you but can't marry you..sorry!!

After seeing the title you all might surely think that this is about how people get cheated in love.

No it is not.. you all have misunderstood it completely..

So let me proceed with what it really is...

You must have seen in films that the hero and the heroine have to face so many obstacles to marry their love...but at last they do marry....do you think it happens in real life? No it doesn't ..it really doesn't.

As we all know that love just happens its kind of out of our consciousness...I know here I sound stupid...but isn't that the truth....

what I am trying to say is people fall in luv..many do..but does the society accept them if they aren't of the same culture and same religion and many other bloody similarities...It sounds a bit idiotic to me that when two people are in love then why the hell are they stopped to marry...

The beautiful feeling becomes a curse for all...ah! in that case we should all fall in love only after knowing the details of the person.....why don't people look for a nice human being rather than looking for the person of same culture or religion...

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'1Malaysia' Impresses French Ambassador

As France debates on a national identity, the '1Malaysia' concept has drawn the interest of its ambassador here, Dr Marc Barety.

"How you manage when you are a diverse country with many different communities and how everybody is working together towards the same goal is interesting," he told Bernama in an interview at the embassy in busy Jalan Ampang here.

Noting that France was also a diverse country, he said the French Government had launched a debate on national identity, calling on citizens to express their views about what being French means.

"So, the answers are, of course, very diverse...we are not at the end of the process.

"For us, to see that Malaysia is also thinking of 1Malaysia and what it means to be one country when you have various communities is, of course, very interesting," noted Dr Barety.

According to a media report, the French Government launched a website last November for the people to give input in the project carried out by its ministry of immigration and national identity.

In the interview on France-Malaysia relations, Dr Barety said the increasing number of reciprocal visits by ministers of both countries was a step forward in bilateral relations.

"We have had more French ministers visiting Malaysia in the past year than we had before," he said.

On the other hand, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, his deputy, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin and Defence Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi visited Paris for talks with French leaders and counterparts.

"Of course, the prime minister met with our president (Nicolas Sarkozy) but more important than that, they decided to engage in strategic partnership which is really an upgrade...it means a lot for the future," he said.

The ambassador, who met representatives of top French companies here last week, said Malaysia was a very attractive place for them.

"They told me they are happy here and they want to develop their business here...For me, this is very positive, when you compare this with what you read in some newspapers and talk to the people who know the business, it is very satisfying," added Dr Barety.

According to him, there are now 200 French companies in Malaysia while the number of French living in the country has grown to 2,300.

He said France was also keen to tap on Malaysia's expertise in Islamic finance and halal food.

"Malaysia is becoming (a) hub for (the) halal industry and we are trying to develop this.

"We have the French Muslim community who are already producing halal food," he said.

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PIKOM PC Fair 2010 (I)

2 - 4 APRIL 2010 (11:00am - 9:00pm) Persada Johor International Convention Centre, Johor Bahru, Johor Dewan 2010, Kangar, Perlis Village Mall, Sungai Petani, Kedah Batu Pahat Mall, Batu Pahat, Johor 8 - 10 APRIL 2010 (11:00am - 9:00pm) KB Mall, Kota Bharu, Kelantan Terengganu Trade Centre, Kuala Terengganu, Terengganu 9 - 11 APRIL 2010 (11:00am - 9:00pm) Penang International Sports Arena (PISA), Penang Melaka International Trade Centre (MITC), Melaka 16 - 18 APRIL 2010 (11:00am - 9:00pm) Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre, Kuala Lumpur Berjaya Megamall, Kuantan, Pahang Dewan Perbandaran Taiping, Taiping, Perak Dewan Tunku Ibrahim Ismail, Kluang, Johor 30 APRIL - 2 MAY 2010 (11:00am - 9:00pm) Stadium Indera Mulia, Ipoh, Perak Dewan Jubli Intan, Muar, Johor Permata Car Park, Kuching, Sarawak Sibu Trade & Exhibition Centre, Sibu, Sarawak Dewan Masyarakat, Sandakan, Sabah 7 – 9 MAY 2010 (11:00am - 9:00pm) Dewan Merdeka, Seri Manjung, Perak Dewan Suarah, Bintulu, Sarawak Miri Indoor Stadium, Miri, Sarawak 1 Borneo, LG Car Park Exhibition Hall, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah Dewan Masyarakat, Tawau, Sabah

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Meebo Bar for everyone

A few months back, I partnered with Meebo to implement the Meebo Bar, which allowed users to login to their IM accounts directly from my blog. It also allowed users to quickly share content on the site itself via social networks and other services such as Facebook, Twitter, Email, IM, and Yahoo Updates. I received a lot of questions about the Meebo Bar from users who typically wanted to know where to get it or how I implemented something like that on my site. Unfortunately, the only answer I could provide at the time was that it was done through a partnership with Meebo and that it was not available to the public.

However, as of today, that has changed. Meebo is opening up their Meebo Bar to the public. The public version of the Meebo Bar includes all of the same features as the one provided to Meebo Partners. It even includes in-depth analytics so you can track shares and other data. It is extremely easy to setup the Meebo Bar too. If you are unfamiliar with the technology, it’s just a JavaScript plug-in, which means essentially all you have to do is copy and paste a snippet of code into your site and you’re off.


Additionally, Meebo Bar users can easily customize and add buttons to their bar from the online control panel on the Meebo website. I would highly recommend any blog or content-driven site jump on this opportunity. The Meebo Bar is an extremely great tool (that’s so easy to use) for quickly sharing content to some of the web’s most popular services.

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Sporting rich list 2009

Eurosport takes a look at sport's top-20 earners in 2009, with a certain Tiger Woods comfortably topping the list ahead of his recent scandal.

It's impossible to say what Tiger Woods's serial womanising will do to his bank balance, but the world's number one golfer was the highest-earning sportsman in 2009 before his altercation with a fire hydrant.

Already one sponsor has parted company with Woods, and his agents will surely need to renegotiate with those sticking by their former cash cow after his decision to take a break from golf and lie low for the foreseeable future.

The following rich list was compiled before the Woods scandal broke, when he was clearly sport's biggest fat cat for the fifth year running, while David Beckham is the highest-earning non-American at number three on the top-20 list that includes six athletes from the NBA, and three each from the worlds of football, formula one and golf.

1. Tiger Woods - £59.3m

As mentioned, Woods's earnings will doubtless take a hit following his "transgressions", but probably not enough to stop him becoming the world's first billion dollar sportsman in the next couple of years. Already his career earnings are close to $800m and, assuming he returns to golf in the next few months, he is likely to pass the magic billion dollar mark before he breaks Jack's record of 18 Majors. Nike and Upper Deck have promised to stick by Woods, Gillette, AT&T, Pepsico and Tag Hauer are still assessing the situation, while Accenture have dropped him altogether.

2. Phil Mickelson - £31.6m

With Woods out of the way for the time being, Mickelson will hope to take advantage by increasing his on-course earnings, but Lefty still has some way to go before he can match his great rival's pulling power - despite the scandal. However, the likes of Rolex and Callaway must be delighted that they chose a man who has remained loyal to their values, and whose popularity is growing steadily.

3. David Beckham - £26.9

Golden Balls is the highest non-American athlete on the list and a sportsman whose earnings from endorsements and advertising far exceed his salary for playing football. That said, Beckham has the potential to earn £128m from his five-year deal with LA Galaxy in MLS, and if he achieves his aim of making the England squad for the 2010 World Cup then 'brand Beckham' will continue to bring him vast riches.

4. LeBron James - £25.3m

James is approaching the end of his contract with the Cleveland Cavaliers and, after finishing last season as the NBA's MVP and a five-times first-team All Star, he is in a powerful position to renegotiate his salary. Endorsement deals with the likes of Nike and State Farm Insurance are said to boost the 6'8" small forward's coffers by twice the amount of his salary.

5. Kimi Raikkonen - £23.9m

Ferrari were clearly hoping for a better return on their investment as Raikkonen finished a lowly sixth on the 2009 drivers' standings. They had, after all, made him the highest-paid driver in Formula One on the back of his 2007 world title and 18 grands prix victories. The Finn and Ferrari had issues with their relationship and he was replaced at the Italian marque by Spain's double world champion Fernando Alonso before announcing he was taking a break from F1 to compete in the World Rally Championship with Citroen next year.

6. Manny Pacquiao - £23.8m

The Filipino pugilist has defeated all before him of late and if the rumours of a showdown with Floyd Mayweather Jr are to be believed then his bank balance is set for an even bigger boost next year. Indeed, he would be higher up the list had his earnings from his latest victory over Miguel Cotto been included. Pacquiao is a true hero in the Philippines - so much so he has very real ambitions to go into politics - and is the perfect role model for the likes of sponsors San Miguel and Nike.

7. Lionel Messi - £23.7m

The best footballer on the planet: that's what most fans think and certainly what the powers at Barcelona thought when they offered him a massive contract at Camp Nou through to 2016. The Argentine is said to be paid £8.5m-a-year by the Spanish giants, who think so highly of their prized investment that they included a whopping £222m buy-out clause in his contract. Messi's earning potential could increase considerably now that Argentina have secured a World Cup stage on which he can display his remarkable talents.

8. Alex Rodriguez - £23.3m

The baseball star enjoyed a £19.7m salary in 2009 as part of a massive 10-year deal with the New York Yankees said to be worth $275m in total, the richest is baseball history. And while he picked up several more millions in endorsements, this income stream could be limited after he admitted this year that he had taken steroids earlier in his career.

9. Valentino Rossi, Fernando Alonzo and Shaquille O'Neill - £20.9m

All three have highly-lucrative deals with their respective teams, as well as healthy endorsement incomes. Shaq received an £11.9m salary, Rossi £9.5m and Alonso a reported £12.5m as part of a two-year contract with now former team Renault.

12. Kevin Garnett - £20.7m

13. Yao Ming - £19.7m

14. Lewis Hamilton - £19.6m

15. Kobe Bryant - £18.6m

16. Roger Federer - £17.6m

17. Allen Iverson - £17.3m

18. Vijay Singh - £17.1m

19. Derek Jeter - £16.9m

20. Ronaldinho - £16.3m

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ASB Dividend is 7.30 Sen Per Unit for Year 2009

Amanah Saham Nasional Bhd (ASNB) announced that for the financial year ending Dec 31, 2009, Amanah Saham Bumiputera (ASB) unit holders will receive
- Income distribution of 7.30 sen per unit and
- Bonus of 1.25 sen per unit
- Total is 8.55 sen per unit

Last year income distribution was
- Income distribution of 7.00 sen per unit and
- Bonus of 1.75 sen per unit
- Total is 8.75 sen per unit

The total dividend yield for this year is 0.20 sen lower than last year and there is 6.78 million unit holders who currently hold more than 70 billion ASB units.

Even tough the yield is lower than last year but the total payment for this year is RM5.48 billion compared to total payment of RM4.79 billion last year

According to PNB group chief executive and president Tan Sri Hamad Kama Piah Che Othman ASB is capable of paying more than 11 sen per unit but decided to paying 7.30 sen per unit and bringing forward the balance of 3.70 sen for 2010.

The quoted reason is to ensure that the money could be use to buy more shares and do more investment.

Financial Result of ASB
- Gross income for year 2009 - RM5.46 billion up to 10 December 2009 (year 2008 - RM5.28 billion)
- Dividend income - RM1.48 billion, or 27 per cent
- Profit from the sale of shares - RM3.67 billion, or 67 per cent
- Investments in short-term instruments and other investments - RM309 million or 6.0 per cent

From the data, it shows that more than 60% of the income was generated by share trading.

The income distribution and bonus will be automatically credited into the unit holders' accounts. All transactions for ASB will be suspended from Dec 21 until January 3 to enable the calculation of income distribution and bonus. Unit holders will be able to update their accounts from January 4.

ASB is a fixed price equity income fund, opened for Bumiputera aged 12 years and above.

Normally the ASW 2020 and ASM dividend is slightly lower than the ASB dividend. Since the ASB dividend is at the range of 7 percent excluding the bonus units.

Do wait and see whether next April and next September the ASM and ASW 2020 dividend is still maintain at 6 percent plus range (ASM and ASW 2020 Dividend Rate). Besides, on next October the AS 1Malaysia will declare the first maiden dividend.

The 6 to 8 percent per annual return rate from the ASNB fixed price unit trust product could be used as a return rate benchmark to beat if we want to invest on other investment tools.

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Are Facebook bosses trying to trick us?

If you've logged into Facebook in the last 24 hours you will have noticed that the social networking site has changed its privacy settings. The move, which could dramatically increase the amount of personal information people display online, has outraged digital rights groups and civil liberties campaigners.

The changes make more information, photos and videos visible to everybody on the web unless you specifically edit the settings yourself - status updates can now also be picked up by search engines.

The pop-up message that greets members asking them to change their privacy settings appears to be different depending on how engaged that person was with Facebook. We would urge all members to log on and double-check their privacy settings now, if they haven't already done so.

Facebook said the changes, which were introduced on 9th December, help members manage updates they want to share, not to trick them into revealing more information than they are comfortable with.

So why then are status updates now automatically made public unless specified otherwise by the user?

"These new 'privacy' changes are clearly intended to push Facebook users to publicly share even more information than before," said Kevin Bankston, a senior attorney with the Electronic Frontier Foundation. "Even worse, the changes will actually reduce the amount of control that users have over some of their personal data."

Facebook began testing the privacy changes during mid-2009 before introducing them site-wide. The changes let people decide who should see updates, whether all 350 million Facebook members should see them, and if they should be viewable across the web.

Barry Schnitt, a Facebook spokesman, said users could avoid revealing some information to non-friends by leaving gender and location fields blank. Any suggestion that we're trying to trick them into something would work against any goal that we have," said Mr Schnitt.

Facebook is encouraging users to share their updates because, he said, that was in line with "the way the world is moving". But the important differentiator is that these changes are more in line with how Facebook wants the world to move forward, not necessarily how its users want the world to move forward.

As blogger Marshall Kirkpatrick said, this is not what Facebook users signed up for. This issue isn't about privacy for Facebook, it's about increasing traffic and the visibility of activity on the site.

Many users have left comments on the official Facebook blog criticising the changes.

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Windows 7 Command Prompt Commands

Note: Windows 7 Command Prompt commands are fairly similar to classic MS-DOS commands. However, the Command Prompt is not actually MS-DOS even though the commands are similar.

Below is a complete list of commands available in the Command Prompt in Windows 7:

Append
The append command can be used by programs to open files in another directory as if they were located in the current directory.

Arp
The arp command is used to display or change entries in the ARP cache.

Assoc
The assoc command is used to display or change the file type associated with a particular file extension.

At
The at command is used to schedule commands and other programs to run at a specific date and time.

Attrib
The attrib command is used to change the attributes of a single file or a directory.

Auditpol
The auditpol command is used to display or change audit policies.

Bcdedit
The bcdedit command is used to view or make changes to Boot Configuration Data.

Bitsadmin
The bitsadmin command is used to create, manage, and monitor download and upload jobs.

Bootcfg
The bootcfg command is used to build, modify, or view the contents of the boot.ini file, a hidden file that is used to identify in what folder, on which partition, and on which hard drive Windows is located.

Break
The break command sets or clears extended CTRL+C checking on DOS systems.

Cacls
The cacls command is used to display or change access control lists of files.

Call
The call command is used to run a script or batch program from within another script or batch program.

Certreq
The certreq command is used to perform various certification authority (CA) certificate functions.

Certutil
The certutil command is used to dump and display certification authority (CA) configuration information in addition to other CA functions.

Change
The change command changes various terminal server settings like install modes, COM port mappings, and logons.

Chcp
The chcp command displays or configures the active code page number.

Chdir
The chdir command is used to display the drive letter and folder that you are currently in. Chdir can also be used to change the drive and/or directory that you want to work in.

Chglogon
The chglogon command enables, disables, or drains terminal server session logins.

Chgport
The chgport command can be used to display or change COM port mappings for DOS compatibility.

Chgusr
The chgusr command is used to change the install mode for the terminal server.

Chkdsk
The chkdsk command, often referred to as check disk, is used to identify and correct certain hard drive errors.

Chkntfs
The chkntfs command is used to configure or display the checking of the disk drive during the Windows boot process.

Choice
The choice command is used within a script or batch program to provide a list of choices and return of the value of that choice to the program.

Cipher
The cipher command shows or changes the encryption status of files and folders on NTFS partitions.

Clip
The clip command is used to redirect the output from any command to the clipboard in Windows.

Cls
The cls command clears the screen of all previously entered commands and other text.

Cmd
The cmd command starts a new instance of the command interpreter.

Cmdkey
The cmdkey command is used to show, create, and remove stored user names and passwords.

Cmstp
The cmstp command installs or uninstalls a Connection Manager service profile.

Color
The color command is used to change the colors of the text and background within the Command Prompt window.

Comp
The comp command is used to compare the contents of two files or sets of files.

Compact
The compact command is used to show or change the compression state of files and directories on NTFS partitions.

Convert
The convert command is used to convert FAT or FAT32 formatted volumes to the NTFS format.

Copy
The copy command does simply that - it copies one or more files from one location to another.

Date
The date command is used to show or change the current date.

Debug
The debug command starts Debug, a command line application used to test and edit programs.

Defrag
The defrag command is used to defragment a drive you specify. The defrag command is the command line version of Microsoft's Disk Defragmenter.

Del
The del command is used to delete one or more files. The del command is the same as the erase command.

Dir
The dir command is used to display a list of files and folders contained inside the folder that you are currently working in. The dir command also displays other important information like the hard drive's serial number, the total number of files listed, their combined size, the total amount of free space left on the drive, and more.

Diskcomp
The diskcomp command is used to compare the contents of two floppy disks.

Diskcopy
The diskcopy command is used to copy the entire contents of one floppy disk to another.

Diskpart
The diskpart command is used to create, manage, and delete hard drive partitions.

Diskraid
The diskraid command starts the DiskRAID tool which is used to manage and configure RAID arrays.

Dism
The dism command starts the Deployment Image Servicing and Management tool (DISM). The DISM tool is used to manage features in Windows images.

Dispdiag
The dispdiag command is used to output a log of information about the display system.

Doskey
The doskey command is used to edit command lines, create macros, and recall previously entered commands.

Driverquery
The driverquery command is used to show a list of all installed drivers.

Echo
The echo command is used to show messages, most commonly from within script or batch files. The echo command can also be used to turn the echoing feature on or off.

Edit
The edit command starts the MS-DOS Editor tool which is used to create and modify text files.

Edlin
The edlin command starts the Edlin tool which is used to create and modify text files from the command line.

Endlocal
The endlocal command is used to end the localization of environment changes inside a batch or script file.

Erase
The erase command is used to delete one or more files. The erase command is the same as the del command.

Eventcreate
The eventcreate command is used to create a custom event in an event log.

Exe2Bin
The exe2bin command is used to convert a file of the EXE file type (executable file) to a binary file.

Exit
The exit command is used to end the Command Prompt session that you're currently working in.

Expand
The expand command is used to extract a single file or a group of files from a compressed file.

Fastopen
The fastopen command is used to add a program's hard drive location to a special list stored in memory, potentially improving the program's launch time by removing the need for MS-DOS to locate the application on the drive.

Fc
The fc command is used to compare two individual or sets of files and then show the differences between them.

Find
The find command is used to search for a specified text string in one or more files.

Findstr
The findstr command is used to find text string patterns in one or more files.

Finger
The finger command is used to return information about one or more users on a remote computer that's running the Finger service.

For
The for command is used to run a specified command for each file in a set of files. The for command is most often used within a batch or script file.

Forfiles
The forfiles command selects one or more files to execute a specified command on. The forfiles command is most often used within a batch or script file.

Format
The format command is used to format a drive in the file system that you specify.

Fsutil
The fsutil command is used to perform various FAT and NTFS file system tasks like managing reparse points and sparse files, dismounting a volume, and extending a volume.

Ftp
The ftp command can used to transfer files to and from another computer. The remote computer must be operating as an FTP server.

Ftype
The ftype command is used to define a default program to open a specified file type.

Getmac
The getmac command is used to display the media access control (MAC) address of all the network controllers on a system.

Goto
The goto command is used in a batch or script file to direct the command process to a labeled line in the script.

Gpresult
The gpresult command is used to display Group Policy settings.

Gpupdate
The gpupdate command is used to update Group Policy settings.

Graftabl
The graftabl command is used to enable the ability of Windows to display an extended character set in graphics mode.

Graphics
The graphics command is used to load a program that can print graphics.

Help
The help command provides more detailed information on any of the other Command Prompt commands.

Hostname
The hostname command displays the name of the current host.

Icacls
The icacls command is used to display or change access control lists of files. The icacls command is an updated version of the cacls command.

If
The if command is used to perform conditional functions in a batch file.

Ipconfig
The ipconfig command is used to display detailed IP information for each network adapter utilizing TCP/IP. The ipconfig command can also be used to release and renew IP addresses on systems configured to receive them via a DHCP server.

Irftp
The irftp command is used to transmit files over an infrared link.

Iscsicli
The iscsicli command starts the Microsoft iSCSI Initiator, used to manage iSCSI.

Label
The label command is used to manage the volume label of a disk.

Loadfix
The loadfix command is used to load the specified program in the first 64K of memory and then runs the program.

Lodctr
The lodctr command is used to update registry values related to performance counters.

Logman
The logman command is used to create and manage Event Trace Session and Performance logs. The logman command also supports many functions of Performance Monitor.

Logoff
The logoff command is used to terminate a session.

Mem
The mem command shows information about used and free memory areas and programs that are currently loaded into memory in the MS-DOS subsystem.

Mkdir (Md)
The mkdir command is used to create a new folder.

Mklink
The mklink command is used to create a symbolic link.

Mmc
The mmc command can be used to open Microsoft Management Console in author mode or to a specific snap-in console, all from the Command Prompt.

Mode
The mode command is used to configure system devices, most often COM and LPT ports.

More
The more command is used to display the information contained in a text file. The more command can also be used to paginate the results of any other Command Prompt command.

Mountvol
The mountvol command is used to display, create, or remove volume mount points.

Move
The move command is used to move one or files from one folder to another. The move command is also used to rename directories.

Msg
The msg command is used to send a message to a user.

Msiexec
The msiexec command is used to start Windows Installer, a tool used to install and configure software.

Mstsc
The mstsc command starts the Remote Desktop Connection tool from the Command Prompt.

Muiunattend
The muiunattend command starts the Multilanguage User Interface unattended setup process.

Nbtstat
The nbtstat command is used to show TCP/IP information and other statistical information about a remote computer.

Net
The net command is used to display, configure, and correct a wide variety of network settings.

Netcfg
The netcfg command is used to install the Windows Preinstallation Environment (WinPE), a lightweight version of Windows used to deploy workstations.

Netstat
The netstat command is most commonly used to display all open network connections and listening ports.

Nlsfunc
The nlsfunc command is used to load information specific to a particular country or region.

Nltest
The nltest command is used to test secure channels between Windows computers in a domain and between domain controllers that are trusting other domains.

Nslookup
The nslookup is most commonly used to display the hostname of an entered IP address. The nslookup command queries your configured DNS server to discover the IP address.

Ocsetup
The ocsetup command starts the Windows Optional Component Setup tool, used to install additional Windows features.

Openfiles
The openfiles command is used to display and disconnect open files and folders on a system.

Path
The path command is used to display or set a specific path available to executable files.

Pathping
The pathping command functions much like the tracert command but will also report information about network latency and loss at each hop.

Pause
The pause command is used within a batch or script file to pause the processing of the file. When the pause command is used, a Press any key to continue... message displays in the command window.

Ping
The ping command sends an Internet Control Message Protocol (ICMP) Echo Request message to a specified remote computer to verify IP-level connectivity.

Pkgmgr
The pkgmgr command is used to start the Windows Package Manager from the Command Prompt. Package Manager installs, uninstalls, configures, and updates features and packages for Windows.

Pnpunattend
The pnpunattend command is used to automate the installation of hardware device drivers.

Pnputil
The pnputil command is used to start the Microsoft PnP Utility, a tool used to install a Plug and Play device from the command line.

Popd
The popd command is used to change the current directory to the one most recently stored by the pushd command. The popd command is most often utilized from within a batch or script file.

Print
The print command is used to print a specified text file to a specified printing device.

Prompt
The prompt command is used to customize the appearance of the prompt text in Command Prompt.

Pushd
The pushd command is used to store a directory for use, most commonly from within a batch or script program.

Qappsrv
The qappsrv command is used to display all Remote Desktop Session Host servers available on the network.

Qprocess
The qprocess command is used to display information about running processes.

Query
The query command is used to display the status of a specified service.

Quser
The quser command is used to display information about users currently logged on to the system.

Qwinsta
The qwinsta command is used to display information about open Remote Desktop Sessions.

Rasdial
The rasdial command is used to start or end a network connection for a Microsoft client.

Recover
The recover command is used to recover readable data from a bad or defective disk.

Reg
The reg command is used to manage the Windows Registry from the command line. The reg command can perform common registry functions like adding registry keys, exporting the registry, etc.

Regsvr32
The regsvr32 command is used to register a DLL file as a command component in the Windows Registry.

Relog
The relog command is used to create new performance logs from data in existing performance logs.

Rem
The rem command is used to record comments or remarks in a batch or script file.

Rename (Ren)
The rename command is used to change the name of the individual file that you specify.

Replace
The replace command is used to replace one or more files with one or more other files.

Reset Session (Rwinsta)
The reset session command is used to reset the session subsystem software and hardware to known initial values.

Rmdir (Rd)
The rmdir command is used to delete an existing and completely empty folder.

Robocopy
The robocopy command is used to copy files and directories from one location to another. The robocopy command is superior to the more simple copy command because robocopy supports many more options. This command is also called Robust File Copy.

Route
The route command is used to manipulate network routing tables.

Rpcping
The rpcping command is used to ping a server using RPC.

Runas
The runas command is used to execute a program using another user's credentials.

Sc
The sc command is used to configure information about services. The sc command communicates with the Service Control Manager.

Schtasks
The schtasks command is used to schedule specified programs or commands to run a certain times. The schtasks command can be used to create, delete, query, change, run, and end scheduled tasks.

Secedit
The secedit command is used to configure and analyze system security by comparing the current security configuration to a template.

Set
The set command is used to enable or disable certain options in Command Prompt.

Setlocal
The setlocal command is used to start the localization of environment changes inside a batch or script file.

Setver
The setver command is used to set the MS-DOS version number that MS-DOS reports to a program.

Setx
The setx command is used to create or change environment variables in the user environment or the system environment.

Sfc
The sfc command is used to verify and replace important Windows system files. The sfc command is also referred to as System File Checker and Windows Resource Checker.

Shadow
The shadow command Is used to monitor another Remote Desktop Services session.

Share
The share command is used to install file locking and file sharing functions in MS-DOS.

Shift
The shift command is used to change the position of replaceable parameters in a batch or script file.

Shutdown
The shutdown command can be used to shut down, restart, or log off the current system or a remote computer.

Sort
The sort command is used to read data from a specified input, sort that data, and return the results of that sort to the Command Prompt screen, a file, or another output device.

Start
The start command is used to open a new command line window to run a specified program or command. The start command can also be used to start an application without creating a new window.

Subst
The subst command is used to associate a local path with a drive letter. The subst command is a lot like the net use command except a local path is used instead of a shared network path.

Sxstrace
The sxstrace command is used to start the WinSxs Tracing Utility, a programming diagnostic tool.

Systeminfo
The systeminfo command is used to display basic Windows configuration information for the local or a remote computer.

Takeown
The takedown command is used to regain access to a file that that an administrator was denied access to when reassigning ownership of the file.

Taskkill
The taskkill command is used to terminate a running task. The taskkill command is the command line equivalent of ending a process in Task Manager in Windows.

Tasklist
"Displays a list of applications, services, and the Process ID (PID) currently running on either a local or a remote computer.

Tcmsetup
The tcmsetup command is used to setup or disable the Telephony Application Programming Interface (TAPI) client.

Time
The time command is used to show or change the current time.

Timeout
The timeout command is typically used in a batch or script file to provide a specified timeout value during a procedure. The timeout command can also be used to ignore keypresses.

Title
The title command is used to set the Command Prompt window title.

Tracerpt
The tracerpt command is used to process event trace logs or real-time data from instrumented event trace providers.

Tracert
The tracert command sends Internet Control Message Protocol (ICMP) Echo Request messages to a specified remote computer with increasing Time to Live (TTL) field values and displays the IP address and hostname, if available, of the router interfaces between the source and destination.

Tree
The tree command is used to graphically display the folder structure of a specified drive or path.

Tsdiscon
The tsdiscon command is used to disconnect a Remote Desktop session.

Tskill
The tskill command is used to end the specified process.

Type
The type command is used to display the information contained in a text file.

Typeperf
The typerperf command displays performance data in the Command Prompt window or writes the data to specified log file.

Tzutil
The tzutil command is used to display or configure the current system's time zone. The tzutil command can also be used to enable or disable automatic Daylight Saving Time adjustments.

Unlodctr
The unlodctr command removes Explain text and Performance counter names for a service or device driver from the Windows Registry.

Ver
The ver command is used to display the current Windows version.

Verify
The verify command is used to enable or disable the ability of Command Prompt to verify that files are written correctly to a disk.

Vol
The vol command shows the volume label and serial number of a specified disk, assuming this information exists.

Vssadmin
The vssadmin command starts the Volume Shadow Copy Service administrative command line tool which displays current volume shadow copy backups and all installed shadow copy writers and providers.

W32Tm
The w32tm command is used to diagnose issues with Windows Time.

Waitfor
The waitform command is used to send or wait for a signal on a system.

Wbadmin
The wbadmin command is used start and stop backup jobs, display details about a previous backup, list the items within a backup, and report on the status of a currently running backup.

Wevtutil
The wevtutil command starts the Windows Events Command Line Utility which is used to manage event logs and publishers.

Where
The where command is used to search for files that match a specified pattern.

Whoami
The whoami command is used to retrieve user name and group information on a network.

Winrm
The winrm command is used to start the command line version of Windows Remote Management, used to manage secure communications with local and remote computers using web services.

Winrs
The winrs command is used to open a secure command window with a remote host.

Winsat
The winsat command starts the Windows System Assessment Tool, a program that assesses various features, attributes, and capabilities of a computer running Windows.

Wmic
The wmic command starts the Windows Management Instrumentation Command line (WMIC), a scripting interface that simplifies the use of Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI) and systems managed via WMI.

Xcopy
The xcopy command can copy one or more files or directory trees from one location to another.

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