Microsoft Windows Malicious Software Removal Tool.

Here's the basic definition you've been looking for! The Microsoft Windows Malicious Software Removal Tool is a utility that scans your computer for any infections that revolve around malicious software. If anything is found, the Removal Tool then helps to get rid of it.
A few examples of the software it focuses on a bit more are Blaster, Sasser and Mydoom. Once the scan is finished and the malicious software is removed from your computer, the Tool gives you a report describing everything that was detected and removed.

A version of the Microsoft Windows Malicious Software Removal Tool is released each month with the Windows Updates. Other versions of the Tool are also released when needed to help out with new security issues. The version you install each month through the Windows Updates simply sits in the background on your computer and alerts you if an infection is found. You're able to run the Tool more than once a month if you wish, but in order to do that, you need to download a different copy from Microsoft's Web site. That's completely up to you!

It's possible that some of you neglect to install the Microsoft Windows Malicious Software Removal Tool each month. You may think your computer is just fine and you're convinced you don't need another utility running on your computer. Well, everyone's entitled to their own opinion, but I strongly recommend you run the Tool at least once a month. Even if your computer seems to be acting normal, you're still at risk of being infected. The Removal Tool is heavy duty and it makes a big difference when it comes to keeping your computer safe.

You should also make sure you keep all of your other antivirus, spyware, etc. software up to date.
Those programs can work along with the Tool to keep your computer as protected as possible. Also, just for your information, the Microsoft Windows Malicious Software Removal Tool works with the following operating systems: Windows 2000, XP, Vista and Server 2003. Stay safe!

Video Tutorial

Error Repair Professional 3.8.8

"95% of All PCs Have Hidden Errors on Them! Let Us Scan Your PC and Discover How Many Errors Are Lurking Inside It...""Eliminate Them Instantly and Have The Peace Of Mind Knowing Your PC is Automatically Kept Error Free, 24 Hours A Day!"Keep your PC operating smoothly by using Error Repair Professional to scan, identify, clean and repair errors in your PC with a single click. With a few easy steps, it will scan your entire registry for any invalid entries and provides a list of the registry errors found. You can then choose to selectively clean each item or automatically repair them all.
Error Repair Professional ia registry cleaner that uses high-performance error identification algorithms to quickly identify missing and invalid references in your Windows registry. It will safely clean and repair Windows registry problems with a few simple clicks and enable you to enjoy a cleaner and more efficient PC. Error Repair Professional will guarantee that you eliminate errors in the nerve center of your PC.
Windows Registry is the nerve center of your PC and problems with the Windows Registry are a common cause of Windows crashes and error messages. These problems can occur for many reasons including uninstalling software with poor un-installation routines, by missing or corrupt hardware drivers, improperly deleting files and orphaned startup programs. By using Error Repair Professional regularly to fix error in Windows registry, your system should not only be more stable but it will also help Windows boot faster.
The Windows registry is a database which stores settings and options for the operating system for Microsoft Windows 32-bit versions, 64-bit versions. It contains information and settings for all the hardware, software, users, and preferences of the PC. Whenever a user makes changes to "Control Panel" settings, or file associations, system policies, or installed software, the changes are reflected and stored in the registry.

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Smart Diary Suite 4.2.2

Smart Diary Suite is mainly a diary software that was designed to assist people in their everyday task of keeping personal information in one place.
The diary itself has full formatting abilities and voice recording. But the most interesting part are the fully customizable parameters that allow you to monitor anything you wish.
In the basic version you have 17 parameters and if you purchase an additional Fibormyalgia extension you'll receive 26 more specific parameters!
But Smart Diary Suite doesn't stop there, it gives you a handy reminder that can even play your favorite music to remind you of important events.
Smart Diary Suite has a planner that will allow you see things you need to do. There is also an address book that can send an e-mail or visit a person's home page.
To help those on a diet or those that just love to eat there's a nutrition section that contains a cookbook with nutritional information and you can add your own ingredients to it.
You can see what you ate in a day and how many calories it is. Just to be more helpful, there's a shopping list and a cooking units converter built-in as well.
Now the fun part of it all - all those parameters from the diary section are plotted on a professional graph and you can actually see your life before you! And don't forget about the interface - it is complete customizable and you can create your own skins easily!
There are many more features than can actually be described here, so it would be better if you downloaded Smart Diary Suite and saw for yourself!

Here are some key features of "Smart Diary Suite":
· Diary provides a unique outlook on your life by utilizing fully customizable parameters plotted on a graph. You control everything! ·

Schedule puts a fully featured calendar at your fingertips to make sure you never miss anything important in your life! ·

Tasks allow you to set goals and monitor their progress. ·

Notes provide a powerful way to organize any bits of information. ·

Nutrition helps you to understand and plan your dietary needs. ·

Contacts allow you to keep information about people in your life.

What's New in This Release:

Added a floating popup window to remind you when one of your scheduled items becomes due. · Added the ability to set a sound to prompt when a scheduled item becomes due.

download here

The BIG Keyboard shortcut list.

What exactly is the allure of keyboard shortcuts? Do they really save time? I mean,
why bother if your mouse is permanently attached to your hand, right?

Well, I like to use keyboard shortcuts quite a bit, especially if someone is watching me,
because they make me look like a pro! With just a few key strokes,
I can leave a mouse spinning his wheel. So, whatever your motivation,
here's a big list of keyboard shortcuts for you to try out. I hope you enjoy them!

General Shortcuts

ALT + F4 - Quit a program/Shut down.

ALT + TAB - Hold down the ALT key and hit the Tab key to cycle through open windows.

CTRL + ESCAPE - Display the Start menu.

SHIFT + TAB - Tab backward through a form.

CTRL + X - Cut

CTRL + C - Copy

CTRL + V - Paste

F1 - Help menu

CTRL + Z - Undo

SHIFT & Restart - To restart just Windows and not your whole computer,
hold down the Shift key when you click the OK button on the shutdown screen.
This will save you a lot of time.

CRTL + TAB - Navigate tabs on a tabbed screen.

File and Desktop Shortcuts

Hold SHIFT while inserting a CD - Prevents the CD from "autorunning."

If an item is selected:

CTRL while dragging a file copies the file.

CTRL + SHIFT while dragging a file creates a shortcut to the file.

SHIFT + DELETE - Deletes an item without sending it to the Recycle Bin.

ALT + ENTER - Display a file's properties.

F2 - Rename a file.

In Windows Explorer:

LEFT ARROW - Collapse the current selection if it's expanded.

NUM LOCK + MINUS SIGN ( - ) - Collapse the selected folder.

NUM LOCK + PLUS SIGN ( + ) - Expand the selected folder.

RIGHT ARROW - Expand the current selection if it is collapsed or select
the first subfolder.

NUM LOCK + * (asterisk sign) - Expand all folders below the current selection.

F6 - Switch between left and right panes.

In My Computer:

BACKSPACE - View the folder one level up.

ALT + RIGHT ARROW - Move forward to a previous view.

ALT + LEFT ARROW - Move backward to a previous view.

HJSplit 2.3

HJSplit 2.3

Description
File splitting program for Windows XP, Vista, 2000, NT, 95, 98, ME
HJSplit is able to split files of any type and any size.

Licence for use
Freeware, free for commercial and non commercial use

Licence for distribution
You can distribute this program, freely and without charge (on CD-Roms,
Websites, etc.) provided that you do not change the program or the zip
file in any way, that the program is clearly freeware or shareware,
that you do not ask any money for the program itself.

For example you have a situation where you have a 50mb file and
you want to send it over the Email. Here comes HJSplit as a handy tool.
Just insert the 50mb file and click the button split. Here you have the
option to choose the size of each splitted file. You can specify each
splitted
file as 5mb or 10mb. So once you specify the each splitted file as 5mb
all it does is that it creates 10 files each of 5mb. So the splitted files
are now ready to be sent over email.

All you have to do at the receiver end is use HJSplit to join the 10files and
you get the back the 50mb file. Simple its Genious and Amazing tool of software.
The software is a Dos based and is just over 100Kb in size. HJSplit is simple,
small and easy to use. It does not involve any installation of softwares, DLL's,
Spyware or any Advertisments.
So if you are have a 10Gb file and you want to burn them in CD's then just
use HJSplit and burn them .

download here

Firefox 3.0.

The browser provides virus, popup and spyware protection in a simple,
easy to use tabbed interface
The Firefox project (formerly Firebird, which was formerly Phoenix)
is a redesign of Mozilla's browser component, written using the
XUL user interface language and designed to be cross-platform.

Firefox is a small, fast and very easy to use browser that offers many
advantages over other web browsers, such as the ability to block pop-up
windows and the tabbed browsing.

Features of Mozilla Firefox:

· comprehensive
popup controls to keep unwanted advertising off your desktop;

· a tab browsing mode that lets you open several pages in a single window,
allowing you to load links in the background without leaving the page you're on;

· integrated search (powered by Google);

· industry leading accessibility with Find As You Type find links and page text by simply typing;

· simplified privacy controls that let you cover your tracks more effectively;

· a streamlined browser window that lets you see more of the page than any other browser while at the same time being more configurable;

· a large variety of free downloadable extensions and themes that add specific functionality and visual changes to the browser.


download here

Adobe Acrobat 9.0

Adobe Acrobat is a family of computer programs developed by Adobe Systems, designed to view, create, manipulate and manage files in Adobe's Portable Document Format (PDF). Some software in the family is commercial, and some is freeware. Adobe Reader (formerly Acrobat Reader) is available as a no-charge download from Adobe's web site, and allows the viewing and printing of PDF files. Acrobat and Reader are widely used as a way to present information a fixed layout similar to a paper publication.
Adobe Acrobat 9.0 was announced officially in June 2008 for availability in July 2008:
* Product Family includes: Acrobat Standard 9, Acrobat Pro 9, Acrobat Pro Extended 9 * Extended Version includes Adobe Presenter and Adobe LiveCycle Designer ES * Enable real-time collaboration of PDFs with synchronized document views and chat * Improved Web Capture for capturing entire web pages or just some parts into PDF * Integration with acrobat.com to enable storage and sharing of PDF files * Users can put flash into PDF * Personalize a PDF Portfolio with customizable templates for navigation and branding * Compare and highlight the differences between two versions of a PDF document * Insert FLV or H.264 video for direct playback in Adobe Acrobat® and Adobe Reader * Convert a variety of video formats to FLV for playback in PDF * Create PDF maps by importing geospatial files that retain metadata and coordinates * Adobe Reader 9 drops support for Adobe Reader Extensions 5 and 6 which permit Adobe Reader client software to save changes to filled-in forms in PDFs. Adobe Reader Extensions 6.1 and newer are still supported. Legacy PDFs will still be viewable, however they will open with the warning "This document enables Reader capabilities that are no longer enabled in this Reader version."

download here

Generic Host Process.

Generic Host Process for Win32 Services has encountered a problem and
needs to close.
We are sorry for the inconvenience.


Solution:
Follow these simple steps and your Windows will be fully cured of this menace,


1. Start Registry Editor (Regedit.exe) by clicking Start menu, and then click the
Run icon.2.
In the small box that Opens, type: regedit then click the OK button.
The Registry Editor will now have opened.3. Locate the following key in the registry:HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\NetBT\
ParametersIn
the right-hand side of the window find an option called TransportBindName.
Double click that value, and then delete the default value, thus giving it
a blank value.
Close Port 135:

1. Then you must now navigate to the following registry key:HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\OLE2. You will see there is a
String Value called: EnableDCOMSet the value to: N (it should currently be Y)3.
Close the Registry Editor.
Shutdown and Restart your computer.
Well thats all but if you want you can disable NETbios.

Adds TweakUI for Windows XP to the Control Panel.

By default, the new Windows XP Powertoys install shortcuts to themselves on the Start Menu, under Powertoys for Windows XP. The same applies for TweakUI. This small VB utility will add an entry in Control Panel for TweakUI, where it used to be.
To use: Download the xp_addtweakui.zip file and save it to your hard drive (you may want to right click and use Save Target As). Double-click the xp_addtweakui.exe file. TweakUI for Windows XP must be installed on your system. This utility does not install it, it only makes it available through Control Panel. You can download TweakUI for Windows XP HERE.

Dial-Up Modem or PPPoE is Unavailable.

To use the Regedit: Save the REG File to your hard disk. Double click it and answer yes to the import prompt. REG files can be viewed in Notepad by right clicking on the file and selecting Edit.

Manual Edit: Go to Start/Run/Regedit and navigate to this key:HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\RasMan\PPP\EAP Delete the sub-keys listed except 13 and 4.

Standard Checkpoints: Go to Start/Administrative Tools/Services. Set these three to "Automatic": Remote Access Connection Manager, Remote Access Auto Connection Manager and Telephony.

Internet Explorer Issues.

Tip:1
Clicking on a link opens in a new window and is empty: Start/Run/CMD.
Type this command: REGSVR32 URLMON.DLL. Ok/Reboot.
Then go to: IE/Tools/Internet Options/Programs/Reset Web Settings.


Tip: 2
Re-install Internet Explorer - Go to Start/Run, and type : "rundll32.exe setupapi,
InstallHinfSection DefaultInstall 132%windir%\inf\ie.inf"



Tip:3
No Home Page - Right Click Internet Explorer Shortcut/Properties/Shortcut Tab.
Place this In the target field:
"C:\Program Files\Internet Explorer\IEXPLORE.EXE" –nohome


Tip:4
Get MailTo Hyperlinks in IE to Open OE - Windows Explorer/Tools/Folder Options/
File Types. Highlight
URL:MailTo Protocol/Advanced/Edit. Under Application used to perform action
it should read: "C:\PROGRAM FILES\OUTLOOK EXPRESS\MSIMN.EXE" /mailurl:%1


Tip: 5
Speed up Internet Explorer - Find your IE icon and right click on it.
Select properties and then click on the Shortcut tab. In the Target line at the
very end, add -nohome to get a speed boost.


Tip:6
Speed up Browsing in Internet Explorer - Start/Run/RegeditHKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\
CurrentVersion\Explorer\RemoteComputer\NameSpaceIn the right pane
find: {D6277990-4C6A-11CF-8D87-00AA0060F5BF} Value and delete it.


Tip:7
Add Internet Explorer Toolbar Buttons -
1. Go to Start/Run,
2. Type in gpedit.msc,
3. Go to user configuration -Windows Settings - IE Maintenance - Browser UI.
Then click on browser toolbar customizations.


Tip: 8
To restore the IE logo: Start/Run/Regedit- HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\InternetExplorer\Toolbar. In the Toolbar key,
if you see the BrandBitmap and SmBrandBitmap values on the right, delete them. Tip:9
To restore Windows Update to Tools in IE6 - Start/Run/Regedit - HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer.
If you see the NoWindowsUpdate value on the right, make sure it has a DWORD value
of 0 (disabled) or just delete it. Reboot.

Spybot - Search & Destroy 1.6

Spybot - Search & Destroy can detect and remove a multitude of adware files and modules from your computer. Spybot also can clean program and Web-usage tracks from your system, which is especially useful if you share your computer. Modules chosen for removal can be sent directly to the included file shredder, ensuring complete elimination from your system. For advanced users, it allows you to fix Registry inconsistencies related to adware and to malicious program installations. The handy online-update feature ensures that Spybot always has the most current and complete listings of adware, dialers, and other uninvited system residents. Version 1.6 features improved speed for on-demand scans, support for a dozen different browsers, and easier on-access use.

download here

Smart Defrag 1.02

Disk fragmentation is generally main cause of slow and unstable computer performance. Smart Defrag helps defragment your hard drive most efficiently. Smart Defrag not only defragments computer deeply but optimizes disk performance. With 'install it and forget it' feature, Smart Defrag works automatically and quietly in the background on your PC, keeping your hard disk running at its speediest. Smart Defrag is complete free for home, organization, and business. Version 1.02 improves RAM usage and fixes several bugs.

download here

PC CMOS Cleaner 2.0 Free Download.

100% PC CMOS Cleaner is an easy-to-use tool to recover, delete,
decode and display the superior passwords stored in BIOS whatever the brand is.
Most types of BIOS are supported. It's an bootable CD that runs on x86 and x86_64 computers.
No need to pay expensive fees to experts. It's a useful tool
for users to get their lost BIOS password back, or
clean passwords from an old computer bought from others.

download here

Removing Autorun.inf based Virus Manually.

To Remove autorun.inf based virus, open command prompt (type cmd in Run found on Start Menu),type cd\ and hit enter, Now type ATTRIB -A -H -R -S autorun.inf and Hit enterthen type del autorun.inf and Hit enterthen type MD autorun.inf and Hit enterthats it, again that virus wont be able to create autorun.inf file. similarly do it for other drivesto go to D drive type d: in cmd prompt, and repeat previous procedure,To remove Autorun.inf totally you 've to even remove from registry, type regedit in run menugo to-->

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\
Policies\Explorer
Double click the NoDriveAutorun DWORD entry &
type the value HEX:FF

Now Reboot
If This Method Does Work , Same Procedure Has to be followed in Recovery Console,To Perform in RECOVERY CONSOLE, Insert Bootable Windows cd & boot into cd, After Initialization process you will be Asked to Press Enter for Setup Or R to Repair, Press R, You Will be Taken To Recovery Console Similar to Ms-Dos prompt, Then You have to follow
Procedure
Step2
1) Type 1 to select Your OS (Default C Drive) Step3
2) Then type admin password , if not set(default not set) Just hit enter
Then Follow Procedure Which Was Stated Above About Removing Virus from Command Prompt.

Error code.

1151
The specified program is not a Windows or MS-DOS program.
1152
Cannot start more than one instance of the specified program.
1153
The specified program was written for an earlier version of Windows.
1154
One of the library files needed to run this application is damaged.
1155
No application is associated with the specified file for this operation.
1156
An error occurred in sending the command to the application.
1157
One of the library files needed to run this application cannot be found.
1158
The current process has used all of its system allowance of handles for Window Manager objects.
1159
The message can be used only with synchronous operations.
1160
The indicated source element has no media.

Logon Banner.

POP A BANNER EACH TIME WINDOWS BOOTS :


TO POP A BANNER WHICH CAN CONTAIN ANY MESSAGE YOU WANT TO DISPLAY JUST BEFORE
A USER IS GOING TO LOG ON.


TO DO THAT, FOLLOW THE FOLLOWING STEPS:


[1] FIRST OF ALL, GO TO "START' - "RUN".

[2] TYPE "REGEDIT" IN THE BAR. CLICK ON THE "OK" BUTTON.

[3] A NEW WINDOW WILL OPEN NAMED "Registry Editor". IN THE LEFT PANAL OF THE "Registry Editor", GO TO THE KEY: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\WindowsNT
\CurrentVersion\WinLogon


[4]NOW RIGHT CLICK ON THE RIGHT PANAL, CHOOSE "New", SELECT "String Value". A NEW "String Value" WILL BE CREATED.

[5] RIGHT CLICK ON IT AND CHOOSE "Rename". TYPE "LegalNoticeCaption" TO "Rename" IT.

[6] RIGHT CLICK ON THAT "String Value" AND CHOOSE "Modify". ON THE "Value data:" AREA, TYPE THE TEXT OR VALUE THAT YOU WANT TO SEE IN THE MENU BAR OF THE BANNER.

[7] NOW CREATE YET ANOTHER NEW "String Value" IN THE RIGHT PANAL AND "Rename" IT BY "LegalNoticeText".

[8] RIGHT CLICK ON THAT "String Value" AND CHOOSE "Modify". ON THE "Value data:" PART, TYPE THE MESSAGE YOU WANT TO DISPLAY EACH TIME WINDOWS BOOTS.

[9] NOW, CLOSE THE "Registry Editor".



[10] "Restart" YOUR COMPUTER.

NOW, AFTER THE "BOOT SCREEN" AND JUST BEFORE THE "WELCOME SCREEN" A NEW BANNER
WILL BE OPENED WHICH CONTAINS YOUR MESSAGE AND AN "OK" BUTTON. THE USERS HAVE TO CLICK ON THE "OK" BUTTON TO PROCEED.

Avira AntiVir Personal.

Free Antivirus is a comprehensive, easy to use antivirus program, designed to offer reliable free of charge virus protection to home-users only. Avira offers: Extensive Malware Recognition of viruses, Trojans, backdoor programs, worms, etc. Automatic incremental updates of antivirus signatures, engine and entire software. Permanent virus protection, with Virus Guard real time monitoring. Install and configuration in just a couple of steps. Virus protection against known and unknown threats, using an advanced heuristic system. Scheduler where you can set the scanner to make automatic virus scans or updates on your system. Forum and phone support, Knowledge Base with virus descriptions available on Web site. Rootkit Detection and Removal. Version 8 adds an enhanced interface,
a modularized AV-search engine for improved scan performance, an integrated failsafe security system,
SMTP support for AntiVir MailGuard and a new Fast Activation Tool (FACT).

download here

Blue Screen of Death.

Has your computer ever been caught by the dreaded blue screen? It's probably happened to all of us at one time or another. In fact, it has probably happened to you one too many times, am I right? I know I've run into the blue screen problem and it can be the most annoying thing to get rid of.
So, what is the blue screen I am referring to? Well, the blue screen is the common name for the error screen that sometimes occurs through Windows. It is also called the stop error. It is basically what comes up on your computer screen when your PC cannot recover or is in danger of not being able to recover from a system error. This error screen has been present in all versions of Windows dating all the way back to Windows 3.1.
Whenever your system encounters an illegal operation and it can't do anything else to recover, the blue screen will pop up. The only safe way to get out of the blue screen is to restart your computer. Unfortunately, some data can be lost in this process, because you are not given a chance to save your work. Here is a sample blue screen.





The screen is a little different in wording for each version of Windows and it references to different utilities in different programs, but it basically means the same thing all the way around. Some common causes of the error could be a new hardware problem, new software, virus or malware or even old or broken hardware. The causes can be endless, depending on the type of computer you have and the applications you have on it. The blue screen of death is an unfortunate encounter, but at least you can get out of it with a quick reboot.

Restoration 2.5.14

Restore files which are deleted from the Recycle Bin or deleted while holding down the Shift key by mistake. Conversely, this program has another function that makes it almost impossible to restore all deleted files. You can use it after deleting confidential documents, embarrassing files, and so on. You don't have to install it, so it doesn't leave any garbage in the PC. (You also can run it from a floppy disk.) Even if a file seems to be restored, there is no guarantee the contents are correct. After you run the program, please check the files. You can probably restore it correctly if the drive has enough free space and if it's just after deletion. If you restore a folder, there is no guarantee that all files or folders that used to belong to the folder will be in it. If you can't find them in it, please search and restore them one by one. If you still can't find them, it's impossible to restore them. It will be almost impossible to restore any deleted files if you run the complete deletion function. To be exact, fragments of deleted files can be in last clusters of existing files or allocated and unwritten files. (Note that this function is not suitable for top secret information.) Even if you find completely deleted files, their contents must be erased. If you want to erase the information too, please run the function again.

download here

Trend Micro HijackThis 2.0.2

HijackThis™ is a free utility which quickly scans your Windows computer to find settings that may have been changed by spyware, malware or other unwanted programs. HijackThis creates a report, or log file, with the results of the scan.

IMPORTANT: HijackThis does not determine what is good or bad. Do not make any changes to your computer settings unless you are an expert computer user.

Advanced users can use HijackThis to remove unwanted settings or files.

Not an expert? Just save the HijackThis report and let a friend with more troubleshooting experience take a look. A large community of users participates in online forums, where experts help interpret HijackThis scan results to clean up infected computers.

*Trend Micro provides HijackThis as a free utility, without technical support.

download here

Ad-Aware 2008 from lavasoft.

With the ability to scan your RAM, Registry, hard drives, and external storage devices for known data-mining, advertising, and tracking components, Ad-Aware 2008 can clean your system easily, allowing you to maintain a higher degree of privacy while you surf the Web.

Ad-Aware 2008 includes an improved threat detection, enhanced rootkit removal system, faster updates, Lavasoft ThreatWork to submit suspicious files for analysis, and is now compatible with 32-bit and 64-bit Windows Vista.

download here

Protect Your Computer From Viruses.

The first way to protect your computer from viruses is to get a high quality virus protection software program.

-Norton AntiVirus 2001 7.0 - (Highly Recommended)

-Dr. Solomon's Virex 6.0 (Apple Macintosh Version)

-McAfee VirusScan 5.0

-PC-Cillin 2000 Virus Protection

The next step in protecting your computer from viruses is to be sure that you update your virus scan software's virus files every month. You can usually find information on how to update your virus scan files by reading your virus scanner's manual. Why should you take the time to update your virus scanning program? More than 200 viruses are found each month! Without updating your virus scanning software, your virus scan program will not know about these viruses, and will not be able to diagnose them.

Most viruses are transmitted through the Internet. It is, therefore, important to be careful about what you download from the Internet. Only download files from sites that you can trust.

Another common way viruses are spread is through E-mail. If you don't know who an E-mail message is from, or if there is an attachment you have questions about, don't even try to open it. If you have virus scanning software on your computer, there is usually a way to send suspicious files to the company that created the virus scanning program. If you don't know how to do this, or you don't want to take a chance of even moving this file around your computer, just delete the message immediately.

Viruses are very dangerous for your computer, but with proper maintenance, you can keep your computer safe, and free from viruses.

A great way to make a computer run faster.

1. Free Up Disk Space

A great way to make a computer run faster is to free up some disk space. Windows comes with a disk cleanup tool that helps you free up space on your hard disk.

The utility identifies files that you can safely delete without messing anything up, and then enables you to choose whether you want to delete some or all of the identified files.

How to use disk cleanup tool.

* Click Start, point to All Programs, point to Accessories, point to System Tools, and then click Disk Cleanup. If several drives are available, you might be prompted to specify which drive you want to clean.

* In the Disk Cleanup for dialog box, scroll through the content of the Files to delete list. (If you have multiple hard drives you will have to select which one to scan.)

* Clear the check boxes for files that you don't want to delete, and then click OK.

* When prompted to confirm that you want to delete the specified files, click OK.

2. Use Defrag Tool

When you add a file or a new program to a new computer, the hard drive is relatively empty so new data is saved to the hard drive in one whole block. When you need to use that information, the computer can quickly access it because it is all in one place. Defragging your system is definitely a way to make a computer run faster.

How to use defrag tool.

* From the start menu point to "all programs"
* Point to "Accessories"
* Point to "System Tools"
* Click on "Disk Defragmenter"
* The disk defragmenter will display the hard drives on your computer. Just select and click Defragment.

3. Get rid of spyware

Definition

Spyware is software with malicious intent - by design; it does something bad to your computer. Usually, it gets installed without your knowledge. It sometimes takes advantage of the fact that most people click "I Agree" to software licenses without reading them.

The only way to get rid of spyware is to have some kind of scanner, sort of like an anti-virus. In order to make a computer run faster and keep it safer your going to need an anti-spyware program. This is tricky, a lot of the spyware programs out there are malicious and will actually add viruses and spyware to your computer by using the "spyware scanner and blocker". So please remember to be very careful when choosing your anti-spyware program.

4. Find and repair disk errors

Detect and Repair Disk Errors

In addition to running Disk Cleanup and Disk Defragmenter to optimize the performance of your computer, you can check the integrity of the files stored on your hard disk by running the Error Checking utility.

How to run the error checking utility.

* Click Start, and then click My Computer.
* In the My Computer window, right-click the hard disk you want to search for bad sectors, and then click Properties.
* In the Properties dialog box, click the Tools tab.
* Click the Check Now button.
* In the Check Disk dialog box, select the Scan for and attempt recovery of bad sectors check box, and then click Start.
* If bad sectors are found, choose to fix them.
Tip: Only select the Automatically fix file system errors check box if you think that your disk contains bad sectors.

5. Get an external hard drive

Adding an External Hard Drive to your computer will allow you to clear out a lot of the things you don't need to be storing on your normal hard drive.

A great example would be your music or pictures. All those songs and pictures are sitting on your computer making it go slower. You will see a decline in your computers performance as soon as you use over half of your hard drive space.

Moving all your songs or pictures to your external hard drive will free up a lot of space on your main hard drive. You can even move applications such as photoshop or games.

An external hard drive is also handy because it is portable. You can unplug it from your computer and take it to a friends house and plug it in there, sharing photos and pictures very easily.

This is truly a great way to make a computer run faster.

System Restore/Help and Support are Blank.

Batch file attached: RegScript
Description: OS: Windows XP; This file is used to register the DLL's used by
the Windows scripting engines.



System Restore/Help and Support are Blank. Applications that are using the
Internet Explorer libraries for display like McAfee are causing script errors.
Here is a possible solution:

Run the following commands:

regsvr32 jscript.dll
regsvr32 vbscript.dll

"Why not get paid to leave a comment?"
http://youthsays.com/invited_by/4094023

How to get to the Internet to download the batch file?

Open the services console: click Start, choose Run and execute services.msc .

Look for Plug and play. Double click on it, make sure the startup type is Automatic .
If you are getting a message that the Configuration manager is not running properly ignore it.

If the service is disabled change it to automatic, apply the settings and then
click Start on the properties window.

Now that we made sure that Plug and play is started we have to do the same for 2
more other services: DHCP Client and DNS Client. If all these services were started
successfully you can now go on the Internet.

C++ Runtime error when launching Internet Explorer

This issue is related to a Internet Explorer plugin that is malfunctioning.
In some cases the Google Toolbar was responsible for the issue.

Uninstall the Google toolbar and if that fixed the issue reinstall it back and
usually after reinstall the toolbar is functioning properly.

If the Google toolbar is not installed or uninstaling it still didn't fix the error,
disable all the Internet Explorer plugins:



1. Right click on the Internet Explorer icon and choose Properties.
2. Click on the Advanced Tab on the top.
3. Uncheck the Enable 3rd party browser extensions option.
4. Apply the changes.

How to fix a corrupt system Windows XP O/S

Introduction

Windows XP has the ability to repair itself from 3rd party software overwriting important system files. To fix this we will use a utility called System File Checker or sfc for short

Parameters

/scannow : Scans all protected system files immediately.

/scanonce : Scans all protected system files once.

/scanboot : Scans all protected system files every time the computer is restarted.

/revert : Returns the scan to its default operation.

/purgecache : Purges the Windows File Protection file cache and scans all protected
system files immediately.

/cachesize=x : Sets the size, in MB, of the Windows File Protection file cache.

/? : Displays help at the command prompt.


Instructions
Difficulty: Moderate

Things You'll Need

Windows XP Home/Pro system depends on your Operation System (O/S)

Steps

1 Step One
Go to Start then run and then type sfc /scan now. It will Prompt you to insert a cd


2 Step Two
Insert the cd and let the SFC utility run

3 Step Three
Whats going on? the SFC will check your changes to the main system files.

Unable to change the wallpaper.

Batch file attached: clearPolicy
Description: This batch file removes all policy settings for the current
user and recreates the default ones. It also removes machine level folder
options and system restore restrictions.



Many spyware programs modify the group policy settings in the registry to
prevent the user from modifying an advertising wallpaper.

You can either run the attached batch file or follow the steps below:


Click Start, choose Run and execute regedit.

Navigate to: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\
CurrentVersion\Policies

Delete all the folders under this key related to Wallpaper or Active Desktop
or simply delete all the keys.

Toolbars missing in Internet Explorer

Batch file attached: IEToolbar
Description: This batch program deletes the settings for the Internet Explorer toolbar forcing IE to load default values. Platform XP/2K.



Symptoms
All Internet Explorer toolbars are missing or locked.

Cause
Corruption of the following registry key: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Toolbar

Solution
Run the attached batch file or do the following:

Click Start, choose Run and execute regedit.
Navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Toolbar
Right Click on Toolbar and choose Delete.
Restart your Internet Explorer.

Shut Down Faster

When you shut down Windows XP, the OS tries its best to make sure that all services

(they help run things like graphics, printers etc) are shut down. But there are times

when they don't close, thus Windows XP tries to give it the chance to shut down itself.

This amount of time that windows waits for the service to close is stored in the system

registry. If you modify this setting, then windows will shut down the service earlier.

To modify the setting, follow the directions below:


1.Start Regedit.
2.Navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/SYSTEM/CurrentControlSet/Control.
3.Click on the "Control" Folder.
4.Select "WaitToKillServiceTimeout"
5.Right click on it and select Modify.
6.Set it to a value lower than 2000, say 1000 as a test.

PC Maintenance Schedule & Procedures.

Like cars, computers operate best and last the longest when they’re well-maintained. There are some simple
maintenance procedures you can do regularly to help keep your computer running at its peak performance.
This guide will outline a schedule and step-by-step procedures for maintaining your PC. Please note that this
guide is tailored more for a home PC than an office PC, which can have different maintenance requirements.



Weekly Procedures

• Scan for spyware.
• Check for important updates, and updates to your antivirus and anti-spyware programs.
• Backup any critical data (Such as financial or medical information).
• Defragment hard drives.


Bi-weekly Procedures

• Scan for viruses.
• Clear temporary files, cookies, and caches.
• Check startup list for new or unnecessary items.


Monthly Procedures

• Backup other important data. If you save email to your PC (as opposed to saving your email on the
server), this is a good time to back it up. Pictures, music, documents, etc… should be backed up
occasionally if they’re important to you.
Seasonal/Quarterly procedures
These steps should be performed every 3 months or so.
• Check for other updates, including your Web browser, firewall, router, email handler, etc…
• Use Add/Remove Programs to check for programs you don’t need or use anymore, and uninstall
them. Delete files and documents you don’t need anymore while you’re at it.
• Clean the dust out of your PC.


Yearly procedures

• Some experts recommend reformatting your PC once a year, but this is overkill for many home users.
If your computer is operating much slower than when it was new, you might want to consider
reformatting. Reformatting involves backing up all the important information on your machine’s hard
drive to an external media (CDs or DVDs, an external hard drive or USB drive, another computer,
etc…) and then wiping the computer’s hard drive completely blank. Then, re-install the operating
system and programs, and transfer files back to the hard drive from the backup media.
The procedure takes most of an afternoon, but returns your computer’s software to “factory
condition”. It’s a big task for a beginner to undertake, so if you’re not confident in your abilities,
consider enlisting the help of a computer-savvy friend or a professional.
• If you’re not going to reformat, some other suggested yearly maintenance procedures include:
Re-install any programs that are running slowly, make a complete backup of all your important data,
and update your drivers and firmware.

Fix Regedit Disabled.

START | RUN and in the run box type CMD and press Enter.

Type the following line (REG DELETE...) into the command window and press enter - you will be prompted as to whether you wish to delete it ...
do so.
If the value does not exists then you will get the error "The system was unable to find the specified registry key or value"


REG DELETE HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\
System /v DisableRegistryTools

If that was not there then try the following from the command prompt:

REG DELETE HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\
System /v DisableRegistryTools

Folder Options Missing.

Deletes policy restrictions for Folder Options.



Symptoms:
Folder options is not available in the Windows Explorer Tools menu.

Cause: This problem is caused by a group policy.

Solution: Run the attached batch file or do the following:

Click Start, choose Run and execute regedit.

Navigate to:


[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\
CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer]

Look for a value called NoFolderOptions on the right panel

Right click on the NoFolderOptions value and choose delete


Navigate to:

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\
CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer]

Right click on NoFolderOptions on the right pane and choose Delete