Removing unused device drivers from Windows XP machines

Did you know that unless you uninstall a device driver on a Windows XP machine that it still may be sucking up valuable system resources? Here are step-by-step instructions on how you can view and remove these unnecessary devices.

When you install a device driver on a Windows XP machine, the operating system loads that driver each time the computer boots regardless of whether the device is present—unless you specifically uninstall the driver. This means that drivers from devices that you have long since removed from your system may be wasting valuable system resources.

Follow these steps to view and remove these unnecessary device drivers:

1. Press [Windows]+[Break] to bring up the System Properties dialog box.
2. Select the Advanced tab and click the Environment Variables button.
3. Click the New button below the System Variables panel.
4. In the New System Variable dialog box, type devmgr_show_nonpresent_devices in the Variable Name text box and 1 in the Variable Value text box.
5. Click OK to return to the System Properties dialog box and then click OK again.
6. Select the Hardware tab and click the Device Manager button.
7. In Device Manager, go to View Show Hidden Devices.
8. Expand the various branches in the device tree and look for the washed out icons, which indicate unused device drivers.
9. To remove an unused device driver, right-click the icon and select Uninstall.

How to Fix "Click to Run an ActiveX Control on this webpage" Prompt

Are you receiving a windows prompt asking you to "click to run an ActiveX control on this webpage"? If so, here why you are receiving it and how to fix it.
The change was included in a recent Windows update because of a patent infringement lawsuit between Eolas Technologies and the Regents of the University of California v. Microsoft. Because of this lawsuit, Microsoft is changing the way Internet Explorer handles ActiveX controls. These changes will be in Internet Explorer 7. However, to allow developers a chance to change their code. The change was included in the April Security update (KB912812).
This is why you are receiving the following prompt when visiting some ActiveX web pages.

How to Correct this Problem
1) Download the following Compatibility Patch to revert the IE Active X Control Behavior
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=B7D9801B-4FB5-492E-903E-3400ABF1D731&displaylang=en

2) Install it and reboot your computer

3) Try the webpage you were receiving the prompt on
This should fix the issue for the time being, however when IE 7 is released this prompt will appear on web pages that have not changed the way they handle ActiveX components.

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year

Wish you all Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.....and Happy Birthday for me too

sorry for not to update this blogs, coz recently I'd just lost my laptop.....and still in the process of looking for the new one.

Best Regards

NEWS Update - Opera 9.1 released, adds real-time phishing protection

Opera has just released the latest upgrade to their critically-acclaimed web browser, version 9.1. While a .1 upgrade is not normally an event worthy of a news post, the new version adds an interesting and important feature: real-time phishing protection for web sites.

Phishing is rapidly becoming the malware of choice for the Internet's motley gang of spamming scammers. As it relies on social engineering rather than any technical vulnerability to do its dirty work , no amount of downloading security updates or switching operating systems can protect against it.

The automatic site checking tool makes loading new sites slightly slower, as it runs the site through the database, and for this reason it is turned off by default. However, even with the feature turned off, a black question mark icon appears on the right hand side of the address bar for every site. When clicked, this question mark allows the user to check the site manually, as well as turn on automatic checking for all future sites. When a site is verified as being safe, the black question mark turns into a black lower-case "i" to indicate that the site has been identified.

Even if the user turns off the automatic fraud protection, sites that have been previously verified as being safe will still display as such. Sites flagged as unsafe get a red warning label and a popup dialog box to inform the user.

The fraud protection has also been redesigned to prevent reverse cross-site request scams, such as the ones that recently affected MySpace and caused problems for both Firefox 2 and Internet Explorer 7.

Opera 9.1 also contains some non-phishing updates, such as fixes to the Windows Media plugin player, as well as several memory leak and crash fixes. It remains the fastest web browser in many speed comparisons and has many handy features such as the ability to put browser tabs on any side of the screen.

The Windows XP Page File

Performance is always an issue when dealing with computers. We tend to think of major items such as processor speed, amount of installed RAM and the graphics card when talking about how fast a computer performs. It's true those components do play a large role in performance, but one item that can substantially impact overall performance that doesn't get nearly the amount of attention as the more well known components is the paging file. The paging file is very closely related to the physical RAM installed in the computer. Its purpose is to extend the amount of physical RAM and make it available to the system. Both services and installed applications can benefit from this 'extra' RAM, even though it is substantially different from the sticks that plug into the motherboard.

Not all that long ago 32 to 64 megabytes (MB) of RAM was considered a huge amount for a personal computer. Today, amounts of 128MB to 256MB are common with many machines sporting 512MB or even 1GB of RAM. It might seem that with such a huge jump in installed RAM that the paging file would be unnecessary. There must be some sort of law or correlation that I don't know about, but operating systems and applications keep finding ways to suck up all that memory so the page file remains with us. There have been a number of schemes for extending the installed amounts of RAM but basically they are all paging files. When the load imposed by applications and services running on the computer nears the amount of installed RAM it calls out for more. Since there isn't any additional RAM to be found, it looks for a substitute; in this case virtual memory which is also known as the page file.

We now have two types of memory; random access memory (RAM) and virtual memory, or the page file. The page file is created during the Windows XP installation and resides on the hard drive. Page files are measured in megabytes. The size of the page file is based on how much RAM is installed in the computer. By default, XP creates a page file which is 1.5 times the amount of installed RAM and places it on the hard drive where XP is installed. Other than plugging the RAM into the motherboard, there is little than can be done to alter its performance characteristics. The page file is a different story. Because it's located on a hard drive, it's subject to a number of factors that can hinder its performance.

How to Remove Windows Messenger on Windows XP

What is Windows Messenger?

Windows XP and Windows 2000 both have a software program called Windows Messenger installed and loaded by default. This software allows you to send and receive messages directly from one computer to another. Advertisers have now discovered how to abuse this option to send advertisements direct to a users screen.


How do I disable Windows Messenger?
In Windows XP:
(1) Select "Start"
(2) Choose "Control Panel"
(3) Choose "Administrative Tools"** note in Windows XP Home edition, Admistrative Tools is in Performance and Maintence
(4) Choose "Services"
(5) Right-click on "Messenger"
(6) Select "Stop"To permanently disable Messenger:
(7) Right click "Messenger"
(8) Select "Properties"
(9) Change "Startup Type" to "Disabled" and click "OK"

In Windows 2000:
(1) Select "Start"
(2) Choose "Settings"
(3) Choose "Control Panel"
(4) Choose "Administrative Tools"
(5) Choose "Services"
(6) Right-click "Messenger"
(7) Select "Properties"
(8) Click "Stop" To permanently disable Messenger:
(9) Change "Startup Type" to "Disabled" and click "OK"

In Windows NT:
(1) Select "Start"
(2) Choose "Control Panel"
(3) Choose "Services"
(4) Right-click "Messenger"
(5) Select "Properties"
(6) Click "Stop" To permanently disable Messenger:
(7) Click "Startup"
(8) Change "Startup Type" to "Disabled" and click "OK"

What about Windows 95 or Windows 98 IP Messaging?
Although the technology for this type of IP Messaging is available in Win95/98, it was in the form of a program called WinPopUp. It can be installed or uninstalled from Add/Remove Programs. In Windows 95, it is found in the Accessories section, while in Windows 98 it is installed through System Tools.

Although the version in Win95/98 and the version in Win2K/XP are not compatible with each other, they do offer an interesting way to communicate between computers (as long as its not abused). For more information on how to use WinPopUp or Windows Messenger to send and receive emails, you may want to visit the World of Windows Networking article on PopUp Messages.

How to Delete Undeleteable File

Many times when trying to remove an unwanted program, especially a piece of adware or spyware, you may run across a file that is undeletable by any normal method. When you try to remove it you'll receive the error message shown below telling you "access denied" and explaining the file may be in use. You may also receive one of the following messages.

Cannot delete file: Access is deniedThere has been a sharing violation.The source or destination file may be in use.The file is in use by another program or user.Make sure the disk is not full or write-protected and that the file is not currently in use.

So if the file is in use, how do you delete it?I'll show you several ways of removing these types of files and even some freeware programs that help you remove these pesky undeletable files.

Windows XP
In Windows XP, there are a couple ways to remove an undeleteable file, a manual way, and a couple automated ways using some freeware programs.

1. Click on Start, Search, All Files and Folders
2. Type the name of the undeletable file in the box shown
3. Make sure the Look In box shows the correct drive letter
4. Click Search and let the computer find the file
5. Once the file is located, right-click on it and choose properties, make a note of the file location. Usually this is something similar to

c:\windows\system32\undeleteablefilesname.exe

6. Close the search box
7. Click on Start, Run, and type CMD and Press Enter to open a Command Prompt window
8. Leave the Command Prompt window open, but proceed to close all other open programs
9. Click on Start, Run and type TASKMGR.EXE and press Enter to start Task Manager
10. Click on the Processes tab, click on the process named Explorer.exe and click on End Process.
11. Minimize Task Manager but leave it open
12. Go back to the Command Prompt window and change to the directory where the file is located. To do this, use the CD command. You can follow the example below.

Example: to change to the Windows\System32 directory you would enter the following command and Press Enter

cd \windows\system32

13. Now use the DEL command to delete the offending file. Type DEL where is the file you wish to delete. Example: del undeletable.exe
14. Use ALT-TAB to go back to Task Manager
15. In Task Manager, click File, New Task and enter EXPLORER.EXE to restart the Windows shell.
16. Close Task Manager

Listed below are the Programs to automatically delete a file that you may can use.

Remove on Reboot Shell Extension
This is a nice extension that loads into the right click menu. All you have to do is right-click on a file and choose "Remove on Next Reboot" and the file will be deleted the next time the computer restarts. Although it probably should only be used by more advanced computer users since it may be TOO easy to delete files using this program.

Pocket Killbox
A simple .exe file that you can use to delete undeleteable files, although the program will also delete temporary files, edit the HOSTS file, and more. A definite must have program when you are fighting an annoying spyware or adware program that won't remove.

Unlocker
Unlocker is another program that runs from the right click menu. Its simple and very effective. The website even has a side by side comparision of other programs that accomplish this task.
Using one of the three tools shown above, you should be able to remove those annoying undeleteable files once and for all.

Windows Update Problem?

Many users of Windows XP, Windows 2000 and Windows Server 2003 have had problems when trying to access the Windows Update site.
BTW, this error is not the only error message one might receive while trying to scan, download or install Hotfixes from the Windows Update site. Here is my current list of other Windows Update error codes and their respective solutions:

0x8007007E Error - Possible solutions
When you try to use Microsoft Internet Explorer to update Windows from the Microsoft Windows Update Web site you may receive the following error message:
Error 0x8007007e
To resolve this problem, follow these steps:

1. Click Start, click Run, type :
regsvr32 Inseng.dll

in the Open box, and then click OK. When you receive the RegSvr32 confirmation that the DllRegisterServer function succeeded, click OK.

2. Do the same with the following files:
regsvr32 Oleaut32.dll
regsvr32 Ole32.dll
regsvr32 Urlmon.dll
regsvr32 Mssip32.dll

3. Start Internet Explorer, and then update Windows from the Windows Update Web site (http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com).

If you still experience the problem, remove the Windows Update Setup Files folder.
1. To do so, locate the following folder:
2. Drive:\Windows Update Setup Files
3. Right-click the Windows Update Setup Files folder, click Delete, and then click Yes.
4. Install the latest version of Internet Explorer.

Windows Update Problems - Error 0x800A138F

Windows Update has encountered an error and cannot display the requested page.0x800A138F

The 0x800A138F error is actually a general error message, and many people get it when they visit Windows Update. But after the the MSBlast virus was unleashed a few months ago, Microsoft changed a few things at the main update website. This worm was expected to attack windowsupdate.com on the 16th of August 2003 by using a distributed denial of service attack (DDOS). To prevent this attack Microsoft made a few changes on the WU site. One of them was to use Akamai for additional bandwidth and this connectivity is exclusively using HTTPS (SSL) for the downloading of the update catalogue. It is since then that an escalation in the number of 0x800A138F error messages was reported.

As stated in the previous paragraph, the 0x800A138F error is in fact a general error message. To get a clearer picture of the real error message you'd need to go to the "Windows Update Log" and look for any "Errors". This gives a clearer indication as to the exact nature of the problem.

The windows update log is in the following places:
C:\Windows\Windows Update.log (XP/2003/Win98/Me)
or
C:\WINNT\Windows Update.log (Windows 2000)

Besides the changes in the WU site, many users of Windows 2000 reported similar problems in accessing the WU site. After installing to SP3, when trying to use Windows Update. Windows Update works fine scanning for updates, but when you choose to download and install them the page displays the 0x800A138F error message.

I've searched all over the Internet for solutions to these problems and came up with the following list of possible solutions. These solutions are not arranged by any specific order, although I do recommend trying each one from top to bottom till you reach the one that helped the most.

0x800A138F Error - Solution #1:
The number one reason for this error is related to your computer's date and/or time settings. If the date on your computer isn't correct, it may prevent you from connecting to secure sites. To fix the problem make sure your computer time and date are correct, and go to Windows Update and try again.
If you're on a network that has Active Directory configured you should try the following command:

w32tm /config /update /syncfromflags:DOMHIER

If will force your computer to update the time from the PDC Emulator in the domain.

Solution #2:
If that didn't work, the next solution might:
1. Delete c:\program files\windowsupdate
2. Delete the %systemroot%\system32\windowsupdate (this is a hidden directory)
3. Try windows update again.

Solution #3:
If the previous solutions didn't work for you, you might need to clear the problematic WU files from your computer. Some of these files are hidden files, please enable "Show Hidden Files and Folders" from your Folder options.

To delete Windows Update files:

1. Double click on My Computer, double click on C:\
2. Open the "WUTEMP" folder and delete the contents of the folder (If any files exist).
3. Double click the Program Files folder, then the 'Windows Update' folder. We will then need to delete all files & folders within this directory except the "V4" folder.
4. To do so, highlight the "V4" folder, then click Edit from the menu bar at top of the window and choose Invert Selection. If you cannot locate the "V4" folder, please skip this step, and then continue to delete the rest of the files by choosing Select All instead of Invert Selection.
5. Once all of the other files are highlighted, simply hit the Delete key on your keyboard to delete these files.
6. Next we need to delete all the files & folders within the V4 directory except the "iuhist.xml" file. To do so, perform the same steps as above by highlighting the "iuhist.xml" file, then clicking Edit from the menu bar at top of the window and choose Invert Selection.
7. Once these other files are highlighted, again hit the Delete key on your keyboard to delete the files.

Next delete all the contents of the WUTemp folder (if it exists, if not skip this step).

Next Unregister old control:

Go to Start > run
1.Type: regsvr32 /u C:\WINNT\System32\IUCTL.dll
2. You should get a unregistered successfully message.

Find your old site controls:
1. Go to Start > Search
2. Type "IUCTL.DLL" (Without Quotes)
3. Click on the Search button.
4. When the search result is displayed, delete delete any trace of the file IUCTL.DLL.
5. Next Search for the "IUEngine.dll" file.
6. Delete any trace of the file IUENGINE.DLL.
7. Reboot and try to access Windows Update again.

How To Launching remote desktop from the command line in Windows XP Pro

Remote desktop allows you to configure and connect to another computer running Windows XP Pro. Here's what you need to know about the remote desktop connection dialog box, including a few parameters you're most likely to encounter.

The Windows XP remote desktop connection dialog box provides you with everything that you need to configure and connect to another computer running Windows XP Pro. You can use the Save As button on the Connection Settings panel to save all your connection settings as an RDP file. Then, you can launch and connect to a remote computer simply by double-clicking the RDP file.

You can also script a remote desktop connection, as Windows XP's remote desktop connection has an executable file that can accept command line parameters and be run from a batch file. The remote desktop connection executable file is MSTSC.EXE, and the following are some of the most common parameters

• /v:--specifies the name of the computer to connect to.
• /f--starts the connection in a full screen.
• /w:<width>--specifies the width of the remote desktop screen.
• /h:<height>--specifies the height of the remote desktop screen.

For example, to remotely connect to a computer named Gampang in a 640 x 480 remote desktop screen, you would use the following command:

• mstsc /v: Gampang /w:640 /h:480

You can type this command line in the Run dialog box, as well as use it in a batch file.

Note: This tip applies only to Windows XP Professional.

10 hings you must know before you buy an 802.11n wireless device

If you've spent any time in your local tech shop, you are sure to have seen a rash of Pre-N and Draft-N wireless products. Before you get caught up in a rush of new product frenzy and plunk your money down, take a few minutes and look at exactly what you are buying.

1 - MIMO
One of the big advantages of 802.11n is MIMO. MIMO is short for Multiple Input / Multiple Output. MIMO breaks the data transmission down to multiple parts that are sent separately to the client, where they are reassembled. One of the requirements for this then is multiple antennas to send and receive the data. This system has the advantage of extending the range of wireless, along with increasing the capacity that can be carried by the signal. MIMO is implemented in almost all Draft N and Pre N specs. The use of MIMO in these devices has, for the most part, greatly extended the range of these devices. Unfortunately, there are still debates ongoing about the finalization of MIMO itself, as the 802.11n spec is not ratified yet.

2 - Standard not fully ratified
IEEE has not fully ratified the standards for 802.11n. This means that the technical details of 802.11n have not been decided upon. The original draft for 802.11n was voted on earlier this year and soundly rejected, receiving only 46 percent of the needed 75 percent of votes to be accepted. Draft 2.0 of the spec is scheduled be debated and approved in March of 2007. Items adhering to this spec can be labeled as Phase 1 Draft N. These items will be compatible with each other (unlike many current pre-n and draft n components). The final ratified standard will probably be ratified in early 2008. Of course, if no Draft 2.0 can be agreed upon in March 2007, this will push the schedule for all of this back.

3 - Equipment cannot guarantee N compatibility
As the final spec of 802.11n is not fully ratified, it is impossible to guarantee that any equipment sold as Pre-N or Draft-N will be compatible with the final spec. Many manufactures on banking on the assumption that compatibility can be achieved by firmware updates to their equipment. Currently the only vendor offering a full replacement warranty should there equipment not be compatible with the final spec is Asus. You can view information on their WL-500W router here, and you can view the details of their guarantee here.

4 - Huge speed increases over 802.11g
The final 802.11n will undoubtedly boast a great speed increase over 802.11g. This boost will almost assuredly make wireless faster than 100mb Ethernet. Currently most Pre-N and Draft-N equipment are already showing great speed increases. The speed they operate though varies based on manufacturer and equipment. The advertised speeds vary from 100mb to 200mb. If you truly need greater speed, be very careful in your shopping to make sure you are getting the fastest speed possible.

5 - Backward compatibility with previous wireless standards
While IEEE has announced that any final spec for 802.11n will include backward compatibility for 802.11b and 802.11g this specification is not finalized. With this being the case, there can be no guarantee of backward compatibility for current Pre-N and Draft-N gear. While most of the products currently on the market offer backward compatibility, how they implement it varies from vendor to vendor. Due to this, there can be (and have been reported) many instances where gear labeled as backward compatible, have not been fully backwardly compatible with equipment from other vendors.

6 - Draft-N and Pre-N gear may not be compatible with Draft-N and Pre-N gear from other vendors
Currently in the Draft 1.0 of the 802.11n spec, there is nothing to guarantee compatibility among equipment. If you choose to use Pre-N or Draft-N gear you will need to buy all of your equipment from a single vendor. While interoperability may be promised, there is no way to guarantee this. The Draft 2.0 spec of 802.11n will include interoperability standards for the release of Phase 1 Draft-N gear.

7 - Testing has shown MIMO systems not based on Draft-N standards can be significantly faster than systems based on Draft-N
Real world testing has shown that highest possible speeds using MIMO can be achieved by not sticking to the Draft-N specifications. What this means is that if you are truly searching for the fastest possible wireless connection, do not force your search to just N class products, but products that use MIMO.

8 - Draft-N gear is driven by marketing
It has been several years since any new development was made in consumer grade Wi-Fi. This has lead to a certain degree of stagnation within the market. The advent of Pre-N gear has given companies something to latch onto in an attempt to offer their customers something new. While there are undoubtedly benefits (in speed and range) to using this new gear, you are also putting yourself in line for potential problems. You really need to weigh your actual needs before jumping on the bandwagon of a "not ready for prime-time" technology.

9 - Potential to interfere with existing Wi-Fi
One of the issues with MIMO is that it uses a wide spectrum (40MHz) to send its data. Currently only three (1, 6, and 11) of the available channels in the current 2.4 GHz band are considered to be non-overlapping at this spectrum. However, under a powerful signal they can overlap. What this means to you is that if you have multiple wireless networks running, your Pre-N gear will need to be on one of these 3 channels, possibly necessitating a change in your current wireless networks. Also, you will want to plan for the overlap if possible, by moving your current networks to channels not sequential to 1, 6, and 11.

10 - Issues with media streaming devices
One issue that has been reported with Draft-N and Pre-N gear is that it appears it have some issues with various media streaming devices. This is an extremely perplexing issue, as of the goals of 802.11n was the ability to stream high definition media wirelessly. Whether this is due to issues in the Draft 1.0 specs, or if it's an issue with the current generation of media streaming devices remains to be seen, but at the moment a wired connection remains your best bet for streaming.

PHISHING EMAIL MESSAGE - Sample Picture!!!

How did my homepage get set to About:Blank?

The About:Blank homepage hijacker is a variation of a more advanced Cool Web Search hijacker. There are several variants of the About:Blank hijacker and all of them are difficult to remove manually. This hijacker is also referred to as the HomeOldSP hijacker because of the changes to the registry that can be seen using HijackThis such as

R1 - HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main,HomeOldSP = about:blank

This is very similar in characteristics to the random dll hijacker also known as HomeSearch Hijacker that came out around the same time. The key to the hijack is a hidden dll file that is connected to a BHO (Browser Hijack Object). This hidden dll file shows up in the following registry key:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Windows\\AppInit_DLLs

Unfortunately removing this About:Blank hijacker can be difficult. Its a very persistent problem that can return quickly if it is not removed carefully.

Look for the Key named AppInit_DLLs, the value in this key is the hidden dll file that is causing your problems. Write down the name of this file and think of it as the hidden.dll file

Secondly, use the Windows Recovery Console in Windows XP to rename the file.

• Restart the computer in Recovery Console mode using the Windows XP or Windows 2000 CD or by the option show below
• Type cd \windows\system32 and press Enter
• Type the following line to remove the read-only characteristic, replacing hidden.dll with the name of the dll file found with RegLite
  

ATTRIB -R hidden.dll

• Rename the hidden.dll file by typing the following command (replacing the word hidden.dll with the actual filename)

RENAME hidden.dll badfile.dll

• Type Exit and press Enter to Reboot Windows

What is Web 2.0

Just recently we've bombarded with the presence of web 2.0. And till this now, yet I still figured otu what it's all about, and this is what I can summarize based on my reading.

The bursting of the dot-com bubble in the fall of 2001 marked a turning point for the web. Many people concluded that the web was overhyped, when in fact bubbles and resulting shakeouts appear to be a common feature of all technological revolutions. Shakeouts typically mark the point at which an ascendant technology is ready to take its place at center stage. The pretenders are given the bum's rush, the real success stories show their strength, and there begins to be an understanding of what separates one from the other.

This article is an attempt to clarify just what we mean by Web 2.0.
In our initial brainstorming, we formulated our sense of Web 2.0 by example:

Web 1.0 -->>> Web 2.0
DoubleClick --> Google AdSense
Ofoto --> Flickr
Akamai --> BitTorrent
mp3.com --> Napster
Britannica Online --> Wikipedia
personal websites --> blogging
evite --> upcoming.org and EVDB
domain name speculation --> search engine optimization
page views --> cost per click
screen scraping --> web services
publishing --> participation
content management systems --> wikis
directories (taxonomy) --> tagging ("folksonomy")
stickiness --> syndication

The list went on and on. But what was it that made us identify one application or approach as "Web 1.0" and another as "Web 2.0"? (The question is particularly urgent because the Web 2.0 meme has become so widespread that companies are now pasting it on as a marketing buzzword, with no real understanding of just what it means.

The question is particularly difficult because many of those buzzword-addicted startups are definitely not Web 2.0, while some of the applications most of us can identified as Web 2.0, like Napster and BitTorrent, are not even properly web applications!).

Speed Up Your PC using MSConfig technique...partTHREE

Back to the previous discussin on the Speed Up your PC using MSCONFIG. If you still can remember, in a previous discussion, you asked to check the Hide All Microsoft Service. It's is to ensure that you can avoid any mistake to turn off some of the important service needed by OS. As Windows XP starts a lot of different services, as engine of the whole Windows system. However, some of them won't be of any use for you! By quitting those unused services, you can realize higher system performances. At the page MSCONFIG, I already mentioned the possibilities to turn off services on the tab Services, as shown below.

This is not the proper way to turn off services, especially not the Microsoft services: please use the Services Management Tool for this purpose. The Services Management Tool (Control Panel, Administrative Tools, Services or SERVICES.MSC if you would like to make a shortcut) shows all the available active and inactive services, including a information about what they are meant for:

As you can see, for each services there is a lot of information (this information is not always clear, but gives you an idea whether you probably need it or not...). Here you can change the services start-up type to automatic, manual or disabled. Some services depend on other services to work properly (that's the reason not to turn off services in MSConfig) and others are normally disabled. Right click on a service and pick Properties to make changes to the startup type (first check the tab Dependencies!). Switching a service from automatic to manual makes the service available when needed but disables it on startup by default. To monitor the effect of a service, stop the running service by right clicking on it and choose Stop.

Services which can be disabled safely

There are many Windows services. Most of them you will need for a good functioning Windows system, but some can be turned off safely. Here are services mentioned, which can be switched (almost) safely to manual or even disabled. Read the information carefully and make sure you understand what the service does and/or does not! Keep in mind that possible problems in the future start here (so you will have to fix them here as well). If you are not sure about a service, then don't make any change to the startup type! Don't change them all at a time, if you are not sure what they are for. Don't turn off services which are depended on by other services!

Alerter: Most times this service is not used. It takes care of administrative alerts over a network for administrative purposes.

Automatic Updates: Downloading and installing Windows updates. If you think you don't need this service, you can disable it. Remember that the Windows update website doesn't work anymore without this service, since the introduction of Windows XP SP2. I advise to keep it unchanged. To work properly, the Automatic Updates service also needs Background Intelligent Transfer Service, Event Log and the Cryptographics Services.

Background Intelligent Transfer Service (BITS): This service enables the possibility to continue downloads after a restart of Windows. Although this function seems not useful all the time, it's necessary for the Automatic Updates service, to update your Windows in the background

Computer Browser: This services lists all computers in a network and gives this information to other computers in the netwerk, when asked for. This makes browsing on the network faster. There is no need for this service, and especially not if you don't have a network situation. With this function disabled, you are still able to browse your network!

Distributed Link Tracking Client: This service is only applicable when you make use of the NTFS file system. If you don't use this file system, you can switch off this service. This services makes sure that linked files on different volumes (possibly somewhere on the network) stay connected. If a file has been moved to another location, the link will be updated by this service. There is probably no need at all to for this services on your computer, so disable it.

Error Reporting Service: Enables the option to report system errors to Microsoft. There is no need to do this, enough reason to disable this service.

Event Log: This services logs issues in the log files, which can be viewed with the Event Viewer (Control Panel, Administrative Tools, Event Viewer). Although you might think it's not useful, do not disable this service but keep it automatic.

Fast User Switching Compatibility: If you don't need the fast switching between user accounts, disable this function. Fast switching of user accounts makes it possible to leave your application open without saving your data. If not needed, don't use this function, it doesn't always work properly.

Help and Support: Without this service, the Windows Help and Support center will not be available. If you don't need this help, switch this service to manual

IMAPI CD-Burning COM Service: This function is used to able to burn CD-ROM's with the Windows Explorer (copy-paste files to your CD burner). If you don't have a CD-burner, you can disable this service (or switch to manual). It is possible that this service causes troubles in combination with other burning software

Indexing Service: With this indexing service, you are able to search faster on your computer. The faster searching comes at a cost: the indexing of the content, which slows down your computer. This services is not needed, I advise to disable it for better overall performance.

IPSEC-services: Manages IP security policy, possibly not needed for your system.

Messenger: The Messenger service makes it possible sending messages over the network (it has nothing to do with Live Messenger). This function works by the following command: NET SEND 127.0.0.1 Hello (Start, Run,..), a new message Window should appear if this service is enabled. This service is also available from the internet, which makes it possible to receive strange messages: reason enough to disable this service.

NetMeeting Remote Desktop Sharing: This service provides the possibility to invite others to access your computer as a remote desktop. There is no need for this service. For security issues, you better disable this option.

Performance Logs and Alerts: The making off performance logs will probably lower your systems performance: reason enough to disable it, especially if you never read the log files

Portable Media Serial Number Service: Needed to reed the serial number of any portable media player. If this function is disabled, there is a chance not to open (downloaded) protected content. You probably can disable this service without any noticeable consequences.

Print Spooler: Necessary for printing. If you don't want to have the option to print, you can disable it.

Protected Storage: This service provides the possibility to safe passwords (email, websites, dial up,..). Remember that passwords can be easily retrieved with freeware software (see the item Forgotten passwords). Although this issue, I prefer to keep this option on automatic.

QoS RSVP: QoS is probably not needed for your network traffic, so you can disable this service

Remote Access Auto Connection Manager: If you are getting troubles with your internet connection, leave this service on automatic. If you are using a router: disable this service.

Remote Desktop Help Session Manager: If you don't need remote assistance (the other person controls your computer by your invitation), disable this function.

Routing and Remote Access: If there is no need to dial in by others into your computer, disable this service

Security Center (SP2): Service Pack 2 provided Windows with the Security Center. The Security Center monitors the proper functioning of your system security (Windows updates, firewall and virus scan). If something is not working properly, you will be informed continuously. I can't imagine why you can't do it yourself, reason enough to disable it.

Server: For sharing local files and printers with other computers on your network. If there is no need to share, disable this service.

Shell Hardware Detection: Essential for automatic playing of connected devices (memory cards, CD/DVD).

Smart Card: No reason to run this service when you don't have a smart card.

System Event Notification: Almost never used. Leave the service on automatic if you have a network or a portable PC, else disable it

Task Scheduler: This service enables automatic scheduled tasks (like regularly downloading of virus definitions). Many applications need this service. If you prefer to do everything yourself, you can disable this service. I prefer automatic

Windows Firewall (ICF) / Internet Connection Sharing (ICS): This services provides your computer with a software firewall for your internet connection. You can disable the firewall service if you use a third party firewall (do NOT go online without a firewall!). Besides the firewall function, the service provides you with the possibility to share the internet connection with other computers, which is not needed when your network is provided with a router.

Windows Image Acquisition (WIA): This service is used for transferring images from your camera/web cam or scanner. Leave this service on manual if you have one of those devices, else disable the service.

WMI Performance Adapter: No need for performance information, only the performances? Disable this service.

Wireless Zero Configuration-service: Needed for automatic configuration of your wireless network connection. If you don't have any wireless network adapter, disable this service.

Tips to settled down Slow Startup / Shutdown Problem!

Possible other cause of a slow shutting down process of Windows is cleaning the pagefile (if turned on, by default this option is disabled). Disabling cleaning the pagefile is done in the registry: change the DWORD value ClearPageFileAtShutdown to 0.

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\ Control\Session Manager\Memory Management

how to backup outlook express

Lately people always asking me on how they can easily backup their personal data/mail account in Outlook Express. While this time, this article describes how to back up and restore your messages, Address Book, mail accounts, and news accounts in Outlook Express 5 and later.

If multiple Identities are in use for Outlook Express, these steps should be repeated for each
Identity and the backup data segregated accordingly. This will facilitate restoration of each Identity.

To backup Outlook Express data:
• Copy mail files to a backup folder
• Export the Address Book to a file
• Export the mail account to a file
• Export the news account to a file

To restore or import Outlook Express data:
• Import messages from the backup folder
• Import the Address Book file
• Import the mail account file
• Import the news account file


Copy Mail Files to a Backup Folder
To make a backup copy of your Outlook Express e-mail message files:

1. On the Tools menu, click Options.
2. On the Maintenance tab, click Store Folder.
3. Select the folder location, and then press CTRL+C to copy the location.
4. Click Cancel, and then click Cancel again to close the dialog box.
5. Click Start, and then click Run.
6. In the Open box, press CTRL+V, and then click OK.
7. On the Edit menu, click Select All.
8. On the Edit menu, click Copy, and then close the window.
9. Right-click any empty space on your desktop, click New, and then click Folder.
10. Type mail backup for the folder name, and then press ENTER.
11. Double-click the Mail Backup folder to open it.
12. On the Edit menu, click Paste.
13. Close the Mail Backup window.


Export the Address Book to a File

NOTE: This step is very important when multiple Identities are in use. A .WAB (Windows Address Book) file is used by Outlook Express 5.x and 6.0 versions, even if multiple Identities are used. The individual data for each Identity is stored in a folder, by user name, within the .WAB file in use.

Exporting this data, while logged in to a specific Identity, is the only means of segregating the Address Book data. If the .WAB file becomes dissociated from the user Identities, the data can only be exported in total - not folder by folder.Another reason to export the .WAB file to a .csv file is that if the .WAB file is shared with Microsoft Outlook, the addresses are stored in the *.pst file in Outlook.

When you export the file from the Outlook Express File menu to a *.csv file it exports the correct contacts. If the Address Book is shared with Microsoft Outlook, you are not able to export from within the Address Book on the File menu. This option is dimmed or not available.To export your Outlook Express address book:

1. On the File menu, click Export, and then click Address Book.
2. Click Text File (Comma Separated Values), and then click Export.
3. Click Browse.
4. Locate the Mail Backup folder that you created.
5. In the File Name box, type address book backup, and then click Save.
6. Click Next.
7. Click to select the check boxes for the fields that you want to export, and then click Finish.
8. Click OK and then click Close.

Export the Mail Account to a File
To make a backup copy of your Outlook Express mail account:

1. On the Tools menu, click Accounts.
2. On the Mail tab, click the mail account that you want to export, and then click Export.
3. In the Save In box, locate the Mail Backup folder on your desktop, and then click Save.
4. Repeat these steps for each mail account that you want to export.
5. Click Close

Export the Newsgroup Account to a File
To make a backup copy of your Outlook Express news accounts:

1. On the Tools menu, click Accounts.
2. On the News tab, click the news account that you want to export, and then click Export.
3. In the Save In box, use locate the Mail Backup folder on your desktop, and then click Save.
4. Repeat these steps for each news account that you want to export.
5. Click Close.


Importing Outlook Express data

To restore data, you may need to re-create the Identities for each user, prior to using the following steps. Repeat each step, as needed, for each Identity.

Import Messages from the Backup Folder
To import your Outlook Express e-mail messages from the Backup folder:

1. On the File menu, point to Import, and then click Messages.
2. In the Select an e-mail program to import from box, click Microsoft Outlook Express 5 or Microsoft Outlook Express 6, and then click Next.
3. Click Import mail from an OE5 store directory or Import mail from an OE6 store directory, and then click OK.
4. Click Browse, and then click on the Mail Backup folder on your desktop.
5. Click OK, and then click Next.
6. Click All folders, click Next, and then click Finish.

Import the Address Book File
To import your Outlook Express address book:

1. On the File menu, click Import, and then click Other Address Book.
2. Click Text File (Comma Separated Values), and then click Import.
3. Click Browse.
4. Locate the Mail Backup folder on your desktop, click the address book Backup.csv file, and then click Open.
5. Click Next, and then click Finish.
6. Click OK, and then click Close.

Import the Mail Account File
To import your Outlook Express mail account file:

1. On the Tools menu, click Accounts.
2. On the Mail tab, click Import.
3. In the Look In box, locate the Mail Backup folder on your desktop.
4. Click the mail account that you want to import, and then click Open.
5. Repeat these steps for each mail account that you want to import.
6. Click Close.

Import the Newsgroup Account File
To import your Outlook Express news account file:

1. On the Tools menu, click Accounts.
2. On the News tab, click Import.
3. In the Look In box, locate the Mail Backup folder on your desktop.
4. Click the news account that you want to import, and then click Open.
5. Repeat these steps for each news account that you want to import.
6. Click Close.

What are the Safe Mode options? When should I use them?

If you are unable to start your system by using Last Known Good Configuration, Windows XP Professional, Windows 2000 and Windows Server 2003 provides safe mode, a startup option that disables startup programs and nonessential services to create an environment useful for troubleshooting and diagnosing problems. In safe mode, Windows XP/2000/2003 starts a minimal set of drivers that the operating system needs to function. Support for devices such as audio devices, most USB devices, and IEEE 1394 devices is disabled to reduce the variables that you need to account for when diagnosing the cause of startup problems, Stop messages, or system instability.

Logging on to the computer in safe mode does not update Last Known Good Configuration information. Therefore, if you log on to your computer in safe mode and then decide you want to try Last Known Good Configuration, the option to do so is still available.

Essential drivers and system services enabled in safe mode include the following:

• Drivers for serial or PS/2 mouse devices, standard keyboards, hard disks, CD-ROM drives, and standard VGA devices. Your system firmware must support universal serial bus (USB) mouse and USB keyboard devices in order for you to use these input devices in safe mode.
  


• System services for the Event Log, Plug and Play, remote procedure calls (RPCs), and Logical Disk Manager.
  

Enabling only components needed for basic functionality allows the operating system to start in the following situations:

• The computer consistently stops responding: You can restart the operating system in safe mode and use the tools described in this appendix to diagnose and resolve problems.


• The computer starts with a blank or distorted video display: You can start your computer in safe mode and then use Control Panel to select video adapter settings that are compatible with your monitor. New settings take effect when you restart the computer.


• The computer does not start normally after you install new hardware or software: If recently installed hardware or software prevents you from starting Windows XP Professional in normal mode, you can use safe mode to uninstall software, or to remove or roll back device drivers.

Safe mode helps you diagnose problems. If a symptom does not reappear when you start in safe mode, you can eliminate the default settings and minimum device drivers as possible causes. If a newly added device or a changed driver is causing problems, you can use safe mode to remove the device or reverse the change.

There are circumstances where safe mode will not be able to help you, such as when Windows system files that are required to start the system are corrupted or damaged. In this case, the Recovery Console may help you.

Safe Mode also bypasses startup programs. Bypassing startup programs reduces system complexity and enables you to see whether a startup program is the source of the problem.

In safe mode, the operating system does not run network-based startup programs. To enable network logon scripts in safe mode, select Safe Mode with Networking on the Windows Advanced Options Menu.

To start your computer in safe mode:

1. Remove all floppy disks and CDs from your computer, and then restart your computer.
   


2. When prompted, press F8. If Windows XP Professional starts without displaying the Please select the operating system to start menu, restart your computer. Press F8 after the firmware POST process completes, but before Windows displays graphical output.
   


3. From the Windows Advanced Options Menu, select a safe mode option listed in the following list:

Safe Mode: Loads the minimum set of device drivers and system services required to start Windows XP/2000/2003. User specific startup programs do not run.

Safe Mode with Networking: Includes the services and drivers needed for network connectivity. Safe mode with networking enables logging on to the network, logon scripts, security, and Group Policy settings. Nonessential services and startup programs not related to networking do not run.

Safe Mode with Command Prompt: Starts the computer in safe mode, but displays the command prompt rather than the Windows GUI interface.

Enable Boot Logging: Creates a log file (Ntbtlog.txt) in the systemroot folder, which contains the file names and status of all drivers loaded into memory. Systemroot is an environment variable that can vary from one system running Windows XP/2000/2003 to another.

Enable VGA Mode: Starts the computer in standard VGA mode by using the current video driver. This option helps you recover from distorted video displays caused by using incorrect settings for the display adapter or monitor.

Last Known Good Configuration: Restores the registry and driver configuration in use the last time the computer started successfully.

Debugging Mode: Starts Windows XP/2000/2003 in kernel debugging mode, which allows you to use a kernel debugger for troubleshooting and system analysis.

Start Windows Normally: Starts Windows XP/2000/2003 in normal mode.

Reboot: Restart the computer.

Updating Windows: critical/optional updates

After you have installed Windows, the device drivers, a firewall and setup the internet connection, the first thing to do is updating the Windows software. Updating Windows is actually very easy, first you visit the Windows Update website: Start, All Programs, Windows Update (or visit the Windows Update website with the following link: windowsupdate.microsoft.com). By visiting the Windows Update website, you will have two options:

Install critical updates only (Express Install, High Priority updates)
Install both the critical and optional software updates (Custom Install, High Priority and Optional Updates).

High priority Windows updates

It is very important to install all the critical updates. Without these critical updates, you have some important security issues, which need to be fixed as soon as possible. Install the critical updates before you visit other websites! On the Windows Update website, use one of the above options and install all the High priority updates. After you installed the high priority critical updates, restart Windows and visit the Windows Update website again.

These updates can be massive, especially if service pack 2 is not installed yet. If you have SP2 on CD-ROM, you can install it without installing SP1 first. SP2 is provided with and auto update function for critical updates (the yellow shield in the system tray) and the Security Center (the red shield in the system tray) which is actually not needed at all. On the page how to optimize the Windows services, you can read how to disable the Security Center.

Optional software updates

If all critical updates are installed, check the optional updates to enhance your Windows system. You will find updates for the Media Player, Outlook Express, DirectX .NET Framework and more. After you installed the optional Windows updates, reboot and check the Windows Update website again until all needed optional and all critical Windows Updates are installed!
Optional hardware updates

You are also able to download updated drivers for the hardware. Although Windows has many build-in device drivers, I prefer to install or update the device drivers with the most recent drivers from the manufacturer.
I have frequently seen, things going wrong (blue screen) after updating device drivers from the Windows update website. That's why you better install one device driver update at a time. If the new driver is giving a BSOD (Bleu Screen Of Death), boot in safe mode (press F8 at reboot), Control Panel, System, tab Hardware, button Device Manager, right click the updated hardware, choose Properties, tab Driver, button Roll Back Driver.

Microsoft-Updates (like MS-Office)
Besides installing the Windows updates, you can choose to update all Microsoft products like MS-Office. Therefore, you go to the Windows Update page and choose for Microsoft-Updates in the menubar. The update procedure is similar to Windows Update.

Service Pack's
If you have just reinstalled Windows XP, it's wise to update directly with the latest available Service Pack. You can download (and install) the Service Pack files directly from the Windows Update site or download the Service Pack file first from the Microsoft downloadcentre (www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/sp2/default.mspx). You can directly install the latest service pack, there is no need to install the previous service pack's!

TIP: After the installation of SP2 there are still many updates to download and install. These updates are also available in one file from the site http://www.autopatcher.com/. AutoPatcher contains all essential and optional updates, which is handy if you have to update multiple Windows installations.

Deleting update files
If all updates are installed (or if you have troubles with the Windows Update website), you can safely delete the files in the following folders:C:\Windows\System32\Catroot2C:\WINDOWS\SoftwareDistribution\Download

I can't imagine you would like to roll back the installed high priority Windows updates. To delete the undo files, remove all the hidden folders starting with a "$" in the folder C:\WINDOWS (this can free a lot of hard disk space!) If you are still having Windows update problems, try to turn off and on the Windows update function (Control Panel, Automatic Updates).

NOTE: These files are hidden in the Windows Explorer! To unhide: Tools, Folder Options, tab View, enable Display the content of system folders, enable Show hidden files and folders, disable Hide extensions for known file types and disable Hide protected operating system files.
Saving update files (optional for a slow internet connection)

With the new Windows Update software, all updates are stored in the folder C:\WINDOWS\SoftwareDistribution\Download. By copying these files to a safe location, you have a backup for a new Windows installation. This can save a lot of download time, especially if you have a slow internet connection.

NOTE: The files don't have an extension and the name doesn't make you happy as well. Add the extension .exe or .msi to get them working (you can rename to recognize them if you wish). The folder C:\WINDOWS\Downloaded Installations also contains downloaded software updates!

What is the Sasser worm? and How To Fix it?

The Sasser worm infects machines via network connections. It can attack entire networks of computers or one single computer connected to the Internet. The worm exploits a known windows vulnerability that is easily patched, however few systems seem to have this patch installed. It attacks Windows 2000 and Windows XP machines along with Windows NT and Windows Server 2003.

The patch from Microsoft known as the MS04-011 Security Update fixes the following vulnerabilities:
LSASS Vulnerability
LDAP Vulnerability
PCT Vulnerability
Winlogon Vulnerability
Metafile Vulnerability
Help and Support Center Vulnerability
Utility Manager Vulnerability
Windows Management Vulnerability
Local Descriptor Table Vulnerability
H.323 Vulnerability
Virtual DOS Machine Vulnerability
Negotiate SSP Vulnerability
SSL Vulnerability
ASN.1 “Double-Free” Vulnerability


What are the Symptoms of the Sasser worm?
You'll see a screen similar to the one below when you are infected, this will countdown to zero and literally shut down the system completely. The warning will state "This shutdown was initiated by NT AUTHORITY\SYSTEM". The message will state that the system process lsass.exe terminated unexpectedly.

The message may be prefaced by another message:

You can disable this shutdown by following the steps below during the countdown

1. Click on Start, Run
2. Type in CMD and press ENTER
3. Type in the following command and press EnterSHUTDOWN -A
This will terminate the shutdown, however in most cases the system may be to unstable to try to recover and may need to be rebooted anyway.

How Does Sasser Infect My Computer?
When W32.Sasser.Worm runs, it does the following:

1) Attempts to create a mutex named Jobaka3l and exits if the attempt fails. This ensures that no more than one instance of the worm can run on the computer at any time.

2) Copies itself as to the %Windir% directory. This is usually the C:\WINDOWS or C:\WINNT directory.

3) Adds the value:"avserve.exe"="%Windir%\avserve.exe""avserve2.exe"="%Windir%\avserve2.exe""skynetave.exe"= "%Windows%\skynetave.exe"to the following registry key, so that the worm runs on Windows startup.HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run

4) Uses the AbortSystemShutdown API to hinder attempts to shut down or restart the computer.

5) Starts an FTP server on TCP port 5554. This server is used to spread the worm to other hosts.

6) Iterates through all the host IP addresses, looking for addresses without any of the following:
127.0.0.1
10.x.x.x
172.16.x.x - 172.31.x.x (inclusive)
192.168.x.x
169.254.x.x

7) Using one of these IP addresses, the worm then generates a random IP address. 52% of the time, the IP address is completely random. 23% of the time, the last three octets are changed to random numbers. 25% of the time, the last two octets are changed to random numbers.
Because the worm can create completely random addresses, any IP range can be infected. This process is made up of 128 threads, which demands a lot of CPU time. As a result, an infected computer may become so slow and barely usable.

8) Connects to the randomly generated IP address on TCP port 445 to determine if a remote computer is online.

9) If a connection is made to a remote computer, the worm will send shell code to it, which may cause it to open a remote shell on TCP port 9996.

10) Uses the shell on the remote computer to connect back to the infected computer's FTP server, running on TCP port 5554, and retrieve a copy of the worm. This copy will have a name consisting of four or five digits, followed by _up.exe. For example, 74354_up.exe.

11) The Lsass.exe process will crash after the worm exploits the Windows LSASS vulnerability. Windows will display the alert and shut down the system in 1 minute.

12) Creates a file at C:\win.log that contains the IP address of the computer that the worm most recently attempted to infect, as well as the number of infected computers.
How Can I Remove the Sasser worm?

Follow these steps in removing the Sasser worm.
1) Disconnect your computer from the local area network or Internet
2) Terminate the running program
Open the Windows Task Manager by either pressing CTRL+ALT+DEL, selecting the Processes tab or selecting Task Manager and then the process tab on WinNT/2000/XP machines.
Locate one of the following programs (depending on variation), click on it and End Task or End Process
avserve.exeavserve2.exeskynetave.exeany process running with the "_up.exe" suffix
Close Task Manager
3) Activate the Windows XP Firewall (if running Windows XP) or another firewall to prevent the worm from shutting your system down while downloading the patches.

To activate the Windows XP firewall, follow these steps.
1. Click on Start, Control Panel
2. Double-click on Networking and Internet Connections, then click on Network Connnections
3. Right-click on the connection you use to access the Internet and choose Properties
Click on the Advanced Tab and check the box"Protect my computer and network by limiting or preventing access to this computer from the Internet"
4. Click OK and close out of the Network and Control Panel

Remove the Registry entries

1. Click on Start, Run, Regedit
2. In the left panel go to
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE>Software>Microsoft>Windows>Current Version>Run
3. In the right panel, right-click and delete the following entry
"avserve.exe"="%Windir%\avserve.exe""avserve2.exe"="%Windir%\avserve2.exe""skynetave.exe"= "%Windows%\skynetave.exe"
Close the Registry Editor

4) Delete the infected files (for Windows ME and XP remember to turn off System Restore before searching for and deleting these files to remove infected backed up files as well)
5) Click Start, point to Find or Search, and then click Files or Folders.
Make sure that "Look in" is set to (C:\WINDOWS).
In the "Named" or "Search for..." box, type, or copy and paste, the file names:avserve.exeavserve2.exeskynetave.exeC:\win2.log
6) Click Find Now or Search Now.
7) Delete the displayed files & Empty the Recycle bin

Repair or Reinstall Internet Explorer6 and Outlook Express 6

According to Microsoft, if you are having trouble with either Internet Explorer 6 or Outlook Express 6 because of damaged files or missing registration information (XP registration trouble, not your name and address) you will need to either reinstall or repair the affected installation. I'm going to go over two ways that Microsoft suggests for dealing with IE6 and OE6 problems. Read over the entire article before making a decision about which method to use. At the end of Method II I've mentioned what I'd consider the best solution to this problem.

Method I
One likely cause of IE6 and OE6 not functioning properly is a corrupted file. Microsoft says this is the "most" likely cause, but I think that's wishful thinking. To run a check on the files and see if one or more is corrupted use the System File Checker that is included with Windows XP.

Click [Start] [Run] and type sfc /scannow in the [Open] box.(Note that there is a space between sfc and /scannow)

In all likelihood you will be prompted to insert the Windows XP CD ROM. If you don't have it available there is no point in continuing unless you have the files available on your hard drive and have changed the location of the XP installation files in the registry. If you do have the files copied to the hard drive, the default install location may be modified using the registry edit shown below.

[Start] [Run] [Regedit]

Registry Key: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\SetupModify/Create the Value Data Type(s) and Value Name(s) as detailed below.

Data Type: REG_SZ (String Value) // Value Name: SourcePath

Setting for Value Data: [Set using the path to the installation files, i.e. G:\WXPCCP_EN]Exit Registry and Reboot

Running System File Checker is not a fast process. The machine I use for the majority of my everyday work is only a P-III 866 with 784MB RAM and a 20GB/5400 RPM C drive and it took between 7-8 minutes running off the hard drive. Expect much longer times if you run from the CD. Once the System File Checker has finished, reboot and test to see if the problem has been resolved. If the problem still exists you have three choices.

- In-place upgrade of Windows XP
- Repair Windows XP
- Reinstall Windows XP

Since I'm 100% against upgrade installations of XP I won't recommend that option. A repair of Windows XP may solve the problem, but the fact the problem arose in the first place makes me suspect of the current installations overall integrity. I suggest a complete reinstall of XP after backing up all data files. However, before you select any of the above choices, look at Method II below.


Method II

The second method to try and correct the problem involves editing the registry and reinstalling Internet Explorer 6. The standard cautions apply whenever you are editing the registry

If you are having problems only with Internet Explorer 6, proceed as follows:

[Start] [Run] [Regedit]

Registry Key: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Active Setup\Installed Components\{89820200-ECBD-11cf-8B85-00AA005B4383}

Modify/Create the Value Data Type(s) and Value Name(s) as detailed below.

Data Type: DWORD // Value Name: IsInstalled

Setting for Value Data: [Change the Value from 1 to 0]

Exit Registry

If you are having problems only with Outlook Express 6, proceed as follows:

[Start] [Run] [Regedit]

Registry Key: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Active Setup\Installed Components\{44BBA840-CC51-11CF-AAFA-00AA00B6015C}Modify/

Create the Value Data Type(s) and Value Name(s) as detailed below.

Data Type: DWORD // Value Name: IsInstalled

Setting for Value Data: [Change the Value from 1 to 0]

Exit Registry

If you are having problems with both Internet Explorer 6 and Outlook Express 6, proceed as follows:

Change the values in both of the registry keys as outlined above.

Exit Registry

Once you have made the appropriate registry changes use the link below to download and install Internet Explorer 6. The Internet Explorer 6 download includes Outlook Express 6. Reboot and test for proper operation

How To Create a Bootable USB Flash Drive

Create Bootable USB Flash Drive
Requirements:

- A computer with a BIOS that allows for booting from a USB port.

- A Bootable floppy disk or CD.
I used a Windows 98 bootable CD. For those who have Dell systems, you can also use the bootable Windows XP CD that is used to reinstall your system with Windows XP.
- Utilities with the ability to create a master boot record, create partitions, set active partitions, and format and transfer boot files to the active partition
- Of course, the USB drive that you want to make bootable
I used a 256MB SanDisk Cruzer Mini USB Flash Drive.

Directions

1. Make the USB drive the first in the drive sequence.

Why?? fdisk does not allow for a partition to be set as ACTIVE (bootable) unless it is the first drive. It is most likely that your hard drive(s) is set as the first drive. This needs to be changed.

How?? Setting your USB drive to be the first in the drive sequence can be done by following ONE of the methods below. No matter which method you follow, the computer MUST be booted with the USB drive plugged in into the computer. Take a note of how the options that you are about to change were set before, as they will need to be changed back later.

Method # 1. BIOS drive sequence option.
Depending on your BIOS, there may be an option to change the drive sequence. On mine, there was an option labeled "Hard-Disk Drive Sequence". If your BIOS has this or a similar option, make sure you change the sequence so that the USB Drive is listed first.

Method # 2. Disabling other hard drives.
Again, this is done from the BIOS. Different BIOS's may have different options to disable the hard drive. On mine, the system had just one hard drive. I changed the option labeled "Primary Drive 0" to "OFF".

Method # 3. Unplugging the hard drives.
If your BIOS doesn't have an option to change the drive sequence or to turn off the hard drive, you can turn off your computer and unplug your hard drive(s). Make sure you know what you are doing here. Opening your computer case may result in voiding your computer warranty if you have one.

2. Boot the computer from the boot floppy/CD into the command prompt with the USB Drive plugged in.

3. Run fdisk

4. Use fdisk's "Set Active Partition" (option 2) to set the primary partition on the USB Drive to ACTIVE.
This step assumes that a primary partition already exists on the USB Drive. If this is not the case, use fdisk to create one. As noted in step # 1, fdisk will not allow for setting the the partition to ACTIVE unless the drive the partition is on is the FIRST in the drive sequence.

5. Exit fdisk.

6. Reboot the computer from boot floppy/CD into the command prompt with the USB Drive plugged in.

7. At the command prompt enter the following command: dir c:
This step is just to verify that the C: drive is actually the primary partition on the USB Drive. Regardless of the result that the command generates whether it be a listing of files or an error message, what is important here is to make sure that the size of the primary partition on the USB Drive is roughly equal to the sum of the empty space and the used space.

8. Format and copy the boot files to the primary partition.
At the command prompt, from the directory where FORMAT.COM is located, enter: format /s c:
9. Run fdisk /mbr
"fdisk /mbr" writes the master boot record, in this case to the USB drive, without altering the partition table information.

10. Restart the computer and choose booting from the USB Drive. If all goes well, you should see a C:> command prompt.

11. Change the computer settings back to what they were before step # 1.

I had a few people e-mail me with an error message "No fixed disks present..." which they encountered when they ran fdisk.. Personally, I did not run into this issue or know what is causing it on other people's machines.

Error Message When You Run ScanDisk or Fdisk: No Fixed Disks Present

SYMPTOMS

When you attempt to run the MS-DOS command-line utility fdisk.exe, or when you run ScanDisk from within Windows, you may receive an error message similar to the following:

No fixed disks present. NOTE: This error message may occur intermittently, and you may receive this error message even though your computer's hard disk is detected in the computer Power On Self Test (POST).

CAUSE: This behavior can occur because of any of the following hardware issues:

• The hard disk is defective or too hot.
• The jumper settings on the hard disk are incorrectly configured.
• The hard disk data cable is defective or too long.
• The hard disk controller is defective or incorrectly configured in the computer BIOS.

How to Easily Copy an Excel formula without changing its cell references

If you copy a formula from one place to another, Excel will want to readjust the references to reflect the change. However, if you want the formulas to stay the same, Mary Ann Richardson can help end the confusion.

When working with a spreadsheet, when you copy a formula to another location, Excel automatically adjusts the cell references in that formula to the new location. If you do not want to have Excel adjust the cell references, you would have to make them absolute before copying them. Or, you could copy the formula to the clipboard as text before pasting it to its new location.

Follow these steps:
1. Click on the cell containing the formula you want to copy.
2. Press [F2].
3 Click and drag to select the entire formula.
4. Click the Copy button in the Standard toolbar.
5. Press [Enter].
6. Select the cell into which you want to paste the formula.
7. Click the Paste button in the Standard toolbar.

When you copy an Excel formula in this manner, the formula copies as text and will not adjust its cell reference. You can also copy part of a formula this way. For example, you may want to include the formula as part of an If statement in another part of the worksheet.

SImple Method to Protect Yourself Against Viruses

Follow these simple steps to keep yourself and your computer virus free.

Purchase and/or Download an Anti-Virus program to spot virusesAnti-virus software is a must for any computer connected to the Internet or otherwise. Viruses travel by many means and the first thing you should do is install software to catch the viruses.
or download free antivirus program
Update your current Anti-Virus softwareProtection against viruses is only as good as your last update.

Scan for Viruses regularlyIts a good idea to scan your system on a regular basis to avoid infection. Most anti-virus software scans files as you open them, but its a good idea to run a full scan of your system on a weekly basis.

If you do not have an antivirus software product installed on your computer, try using one of the various online virus scanners to scan your system and remove any problems.
Watch out for Email AttachmentsViruses attached to email are currently the most common and widespread computer viruses. Although some viruses can attack just by opening email, most won't activate until you open the attachment.

Disable System Restore features in Windows ME or Windows XP, so that the viruses can be removed properly in.

Use a Firewall to Protect Your Computer from Intruders
The best defense against someone invading your computer is a personal firewall.

How to login as Administrator in Windows XP?

How many of us ever realized that the Administrator account is one of the best way to get back your computer in shape.This built-in Administrator account is hidden from Welcome Screen when a user account with Administrator privileges exists and enabled.
This Administrator account is mainly for the purpose to have a look on what is inside the computer. Normally, in a troubleshoting process it is very useful, for example in a case where you can't launch any kind of application if you are login with your account.

In Windows XP Home Edition, you can login as built-in Administrator in Safe Mode only. For XP Professional, press CTRL + ALT + DEL twice at the Welcome Screen and input your Administrator password in the classic logon window that appears.

Secret Recipe you can use to recover from Spyware ATTACK!!! - PartONE - Browser Hijack

At this moment I would like to highlight on topic of spyware, since the damaged that has been created by this kind of evil things has become more serious among us. Listed below are some of the devices that I've found it succesfully working proven;-

These are:
1. Trend Micro CWShredder ;- this tool is most likely focus on removing the CoolWebSearch symptom, or we called it as CWS. CWS will normally attack your browser and can causing you to redirect to any other malicious website. The many variants of "CoolWebSearch installs dozens of bookmarks mostly to porn Web sites on your desktop, changes your home page without asking, and continually changes it back if you attempt to correct it. Furthermore, it significantly slows down the performance of your PC, and introduces modifications which cause Microsoft Windows to freeze, crash or randomly reboot". They also normally escape most Anti-Spyware products. However, most known variants of CoolWebsearch can be detected and cleaned by CWShredder.

2. HijackThis is a tool, that lists all installed browser add-on, buttons, startup items and allows you to inspect, and optionally remove selected items. The program can create a backup of your original settings and also ignore selected items. Additional features include a simple list of all startup items, default start page, online updates and more. This prpogram however Intended for advanced users.

3. Spybot Search and Destroy can detect and remove spyware of different kinds from your computer. Spybot search and destroy can also clean usage tracks, an interesting function if you share your computer with other users and don't want them to see what you worked on. And for professional users, it allows to fix some registry inconsistencies and extended reports. This wonderful program has many features, and is great at keeping spyware out of the systems.

4. Ad-Aware SE is a multi-trackware detection and removal utility that will comprehensively scan your system's memory, registry, hard, removable and optical drives for known Malware. The most important, no matter what version of Windows you are using, it still can works!

Nice Tips for Microsoft Word 2003 Office - Part 2

Working with text and paragraphs cont.

Ctrl+Equal Sign Subscript the selected text
Ctrl+Shift+Plus Sign Superscript the selected text
Ctrl+Shift+Q Apply Symbol font to the selected text
Ctrl+Shift+F Change the selected text's font
Ctrl+Shift+P Change the selected text's font size
Ctrl+Shift+> Increase the selected text's font size by one point
Ctrl+Shift+< Decrease the selected text's font size by one point
Ctrl+] Increase the selected text's font size by one point
Ctrl+[ Decrease the selected text's font size by one point
Shift+Enter Insert a line break
Ctrl+Enter Insert a page break
Ctrl+Shift+Enter Insert a section break
Alt+Ctrl+Minus Sign Insert an em dash
Ctrl+Minus Sign Insert an en dash
Ctrl+Hyphen Insert an optional hyphen
Ctrl+Shift+Hyphen Insert a nonbreaking hyphen
Ctrl+Shift+spacebar Insert a nonbreaking space
Alt+Ctrl+C Insert the copyright symbol
Alt+Ctrl+R Insert the registered trademark symbol
Alt+Ctrl+Period Insert and ellipsis

What have to do if WinXP won’t boot?

When your computer hardware appears to power up okay, but the Windows XP operating system won't boot properly, you have to begin a troubleshooting expedition that includes getting into the operating system, determining the problem, and then fixing it. To help you get started on this expedition, here are few things you can do when Windows XP won't boot.

1. Bypassing Windows with the Recovery Console
When a Windows XP boot problem is severe, you'll need to use a more drastic approach. The Windows XP CD is bootable and will provide you with access to a tool called Recovery Console.
Solving Startup Problems with the Recovery Console

- Use a recovery console
- fix a corrupt boot.ini
- fix a corrupt master boot record
- disable auto restart
- restore from a backup

NOTE The Recovery Console can be a powerful tool for finding and fixing certain types of startup problems, but if you don’t know exactly what you’re doing, it can also allow you to create new problems that will complicate the ones that are already on your computer or even completely trash Windows’ ability to start. Therefore, it’s best to use the Recovery Console only when you have detailed instructions for performing a specific task from a reliable source such as the Microsoft Knowledge. The best way to load and use the Recovery Console is to run it directly from the Windows XP CD. To do so, follow these steps:

1. Place the Windows XP CD into the drive.
2. Restart the computer from the CD.
3. At the Welcome to Setup screen, press the R key. The Recovery Console starts and shows a list of Windows installations on your computer. In most cases, there will be just one item in the list.
4. Enter the number of the version you want to use, and press the ENTER key. The Recovery Console will ask for the administrator password.
5. Type the same password you would normally use to log into Windows as an administrator, and press ENTER. If there is no administrator password, just press the ENTER key. When the Recovery Console accepts the password, it will display a C:\WINDOWS> prompt. To close the Recovery Console, type Exit at the C:\ prompt.

2. Perform in Place Upgrade
If you can't repair a Windows XP system that won't boot and you don't have a recent backup, you can perform an in-place upgrade. Doing so reinstalls the operating system into the same folder, just as if you were upgrading from one version of Windows to another. An in-place upgrade will usually solve most, if not all, Windows boot problems.