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	New Computer "Must Do's"
	10 Things For Your New Computer!
	10 Tweaks For Your PC
	Tips & Tricks For Word
	Sending A Remote Assistance Request
	Preview Pages Before You Print
	Computer Memory?
	Questions From Customers
	??????
	Windows Tips & Tricks
	Using Your Cleaning Tools!
	How To Perform A Backup On Your System!
	How to correct "disable Autorun registry key" enforcement in Windows

New Computer.....

New Computer "Must Do's" Part One

Chances are, your new computer came loaded with software. And, chances are you don't need most of it. You might have a free six-month subscription to AOL (poor you) or NetZero. You might have image editors, MP3 players/organizers, and a bunch of other software you may never use or never need. Now is the time to clean it out while the cleaning's good. After a few months, you'll probably download and install many programs and your computer's Control Panel - Add or Remove Software list will look like the menu from Chez Francois. You won't remember what you've downloaded and what you've installed and what actually came pre-installed with your computer.

Click Start/Control Panel/Add or Remove Software and do some weeding. Clean out programs you don't think you'll ever use. And if the program seems offended you want to remove it, that gives you even more incentive to get rid of it.

And, it's quite likely your brand new computer came with Norton or McAfee installed. Remember that these programs are installed by the computer manufacturer for a reason; and the reason, unfortunately, is not your security or your computer's safety. The reason is ye olde kickbacks. In other words: Mula, cash, money, dinero, and that sort of thing. And, eventually, after your six-month trial runs out, you're going to have to cough up some money to keep McAfee or Norton working to protect your computer. No pay, no play. So be prepared. One of the worst things that happen on the Internet is this: Someone gets a new computer. Norton or McAfee is installed. For six months they're protected. Six months comes and goes and they're not protected. They have to cough up some cash. They don't want to, don't have a credit card, don't have the money, so they ignore the pleas to pay or else. Months go by and they continue to surf the Web unprotected. McAfee or Norton has totally given up trying to extract money from them, they don't even remind them anymore. Eventually, most of these people will become infected and they'll spread the virus, Trojan, or worm to other unprotected people and it snowballs. Next thing you'll know, CNN will have a hot story about how Windows is being affected by yet another worm. See? It works just like that. Really. So, if you don't feel like paying ransom to McAfee or Norton for the rest of your natural life, see next tip "The Best Things In Life Are Free".

And don't forget a great free online resource gives you a "second opinion" and keeps your anti-virus honest. Give your computer a weekly checkup (regardless of your anti-virus program) by visiting Housecall Online Anti-Virus Scanner. You can double-check your anti-virus program and be doubly certain your computer is not infected by making this site a weekly habit.

 

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Sending A Remote Assistance Request

Sending a remote assistance request

Windows XP's Remote Assistance feature enables users to call for help. The application proves particularly helpful when clients in remote locations require support.

Click this tag search to find other How do I… articles and downloads.

Also check your SP2 Firewall to see if "Remote Assistance" is enabled! "Control Panel" and the "Firewall" icon. Select the "Exceptions" Tab.

                                                      

 

 

 

Before an administrator can render assistance, the end user must send a Remote Assistance request to the administrator. Clients should follow these steps to send a Remote Assistance request:

1. Click Start.
2. Click Help and Support. (Figure A)

Figure A

Access Remote Assistance from within the Help And Support Center.

3. Select the Invite A Friend To Connect To Your Computer With Remote Assistance link (found beneath the Ask For Assistance heading). The Remote Assistance menu appears.
4. Click the Invite Someone To Help You link. Two options appear; users seeking help can either send an invitation through Windows Messenger or Microsoft Outlook. (Figure B)

Figure B

Users can request assistance using Windows Messenger or Microsoft Outlook. Remote clients can also create a Remote Assistance e-mail attachment (Save Invitation As A File (Advanced)) they forward a support technician using another e-mail client.

5. To use Microsoft Outlook, the user needs to enter the administrator’s e-mail address in the provided box; for convenience, an Address Book shortcut icon also appears (users can click the icon and select the appropriate e-mail recipient from the resulting menu). The Remote Assistance – E-mail An Invitation menu appears.
6. Users can enter their name in the resulting From box and provide a message describing the assistance they require; when done users should click the Continue button. The next screen will appear enabling users to specify security settings. (Figure C)

Figure C

The remote user must can his or her name and a message for the support technician.

7. Instruct users to set remote assistance invitations to expire in an hour (or less). Also require users to set a strong password. Users should check the Require The Recipient To Use A Password checkbox and enter a complex (mixed alphanumeric and special characters) password. Once a password is entered and confirmed, clients can click the Send Invitation button to forward the Remote Assistance request to an administrator or support representative. (Figure D)

Figure D

Remote users should set reasonable expiration periods for their Remote Assistance requests and use strong passwords.

8. Upon sending the invitation, users will often subsequently receive a Microsoft Office Outlook message stating that a program is trying to access e-mail addresses stored in Outlook. Instruct users to check the Allow Access For box (enabling access for one minute) and click the Yes button.
9. The dialog box will then state a program is trying to automatically send e-mail on the user’s behalf; instruct clients to click Yes (only when sending Remote Assistance requests). A confirmation message will appear stating that the request has been sent successfully. While awaiting a response, clients may click the View Invitation Status link (from within the Help And Support Center) and review the invitation’s status and details. Users can also expire, resend or delete an invitation.

The administrator will then receive an e-mail message. Within the e-mail message will be an attachment (RcBuddy.MsRcIncident).

Creating a remote assistance e-mail attachment

Note that clients can also save a remote assistance invitation as a file (that can subsequently be forwarded using another e-mail application). To save an invitation as a file:

1. The end user should click Save Invitation As A File (Advanced) from the Remote Assistance menu instead of entering a Microsoft Outlook e-mail address or using Windows Messenger.
2. Next the client should enter his or her name and set the invitation’s expiration period and click Continue.
3. The client should specify a strong password and click Save Invitation. The Save As window will appear.
4. The client requiring assistance should specify a location for the remote assistance file and click Save.
5. Windows will save the remote connection file (named RAInvitation.msrcincident by default) to the location the end user species; the client will then have to forward it to the administrator or support technician.

Accepting the remote assistance invitation

Once the remote assistance invitation is received, administrators can follow these steps to render assistance:

1. To accept the Remote Assistance invitation, the administrator should double-click the attachment. Before doing so, it’s a good idea for the administrator to confirm the user, in fact, sent the request. When doing so, the administrator can learn the password the client entered for the remote assistance request.
2. Upon double-clicking the attachment, the administrator will have to supply the password and click OK. (Figure E)

Figure E

The staff member who responds to the end user’s remote assistance request must enter the password, then click Yes, after double-clicking the e-mail attachment.

3. The client will receive a dialog box stating that the administrator wishes to connect to the user’s desktop. The client must click Yes to enable the connection. (Figure F)

Figure F

Once the support tech responds to the remote assistance invitation, the remote user will receive a dialog box; the end user must click Yes to enable the remote connection.

4. If the administrator wishes to take control of the user’s system, the administrator can click the Take Control icon that appears at the top of the Remote Assistance window. (Figure G)

Figure G

The Take Control icon appears at the top right of the remote assistance screen.

5. Once the administrator or support technician has clicked Take Control, the end user will see a dialog box stating that the user providing the assistance would like to share control of the computer to help solve the problem. The user must click Yes to permit the support tech with access. When the remote user clicks Yes, the staff member providing support will receive a confirmation message stating the helper is now in control of the user’s desktop. To surrender desktop control, the administrator need only press the Esc key; the end user can terminate the administrator’s control at any time by pressing the Esc key (or disconnecting the session using the Disconnect button from the Remote Assistance menu).

Having the ability to view or actually control a remote user’s desktop drastically simplifies troubleshooting and repair operations. All the end user must do is send the Remote Assistance request to an administrator. The administrator or support tech needs only to connect to the remote system and perform diagnostic actions and repairs. The user and support tech can exchange chat messages with one another using the provided window.

Confirming proper firewall configuration

Occasionally Remote Assistance connections fail to connect. A typical culprit, ironically, is Windows’ own firewall. Note that the Windows Firewall (installed by default with Windows XP Service Pack 2) must be properly configured to enable connectivity.

Follow these steps to confirm Windows Firewall isn’t blocking Remote Assistance connections:

1. Click Start.
2. Click Control Panel.
3. Click Windows Firewall.
4. Select the Exceptions tab.
5. Ensure the Remote Assistance box is checked. (Figure H)

Figure H

Unless Remote Assistance is enabled on Windows XP Service Pack 2 systems, the Windows Firewall may block the requests.

 

 

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Preview Pages ....

Internet Explorer Tip
(Internet Explorer 6 - Windows 98/ME/NT/2000/XP)

Preview Web Pages Before You Print

Print Preview lets you see the page you're about to print at a glance or zoom in for a closer look.

1. On the File menu, click Print Preview.

2. Click Close to return to the Web page.

Tip: You can quickly switch to Print Preview using the keyboard: simply press Alt+F+V. You can press these keys again to return to the Web page.

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Computer Memory?

 

 

What do they mean when they talk about computer "memory"?

Memory (also RAM) is the amount of temporary storage of data that you can use at one time. Memory storage closes down when you turn off the computer. This reason you need to save your work before turning off or rebooting your computer. When you save your work you transfer data from RAM to your hard disk. Memory is most often measured in megabytes (MBs). The more memory (RAM) your computer has the more programs you can open at one time and the more more complicated processes, such as 3D graphics and animation your computer can process. When your shut down your computer your RAM is flushed. This is one of the reasons why your computer will normally run better after a restart especially if you're experiencing program or operating system freezes or crashes.

 

For Windows98/ME/2000/XP

When changes to your system make a window to move outside the visible desktop area you can bring it back using your keyboard. Click Alt + Spacebar bring the window's menu, which usually will appear in the upper-left-hand corner (but if your renegade window is hiding off-screen the menu will appear as close as possible to the off-screen window. Press M for Move and use the Arrow keys to bring the "missing" window back into your desktop view.

For Windows XP

Want to learn more about your computer? Click Start -->Run and type DXDIAG and hit enter. This is a utility normally used to diagnose problems with Direct X but it shows tons of useful system information you may need someday to fix a computer problem (especially with video or sound problems) or give a technician useful information to enable him or her to troubleshoot your problem more efficiently.

 

 

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Are Your Children Safe from Spyware?

If you have kids, then the computer they use -- which may also be the computer you use -- is vulnerable to infestation by spyware. Spyware preys on the behavior of children, and teens in particular, by parking itself in the programs they download and on the sites they visit. Peer-to-peer music-swapping software, free online games, screen savers, song-lyrics sites are prime destinations for kids and many of them can carry an unwanted payload that can melt down a machine. But by teaching your kids appropriate behaviors and habits, and using some protective software, you can go a long way toward preventing spyware from gaining a foothold on your system.

Just how serious a threat does spyware pose? It can hijack your Web browser, barrage you with endless pop-up ads, slow your PC to a crawl, or crash it entirely. An adware-infested PC can become so slow and unstable that it turns into little more than an expensive desk ornament. In its worst forms, spyware known as dialers and keyloggers can force a modem to dial expensive toll calls or can capture every keystroke you make, putting confidential information from passwords to credit-card numbers at risk. Keyloggers are far more dangerous than adware and browser hijackers but, fortunately, much less common. Broadly speaking, spyware is software that infiltrates your computer without your informed consent and almost a with some negative consequence.

Internet Explorer storms of endless popup windows are a common symptom of spyware infestations.

What's more, a lot of spyware clutters up your system when it installs, won't let you control its behavior, and actively resists removal. In short, spyware is not something you want to let onto a PC in the first place unless everyone who uses the computer, dads, moms and kids, is prepared to accept the consequences.

One potential privacy threat that's sometimes lumped in the same category as spyware is tracking cookies. Unlike most spyware, though, cookies aren't programs that run on your computer; they're simply small data files that sites can ask your browser to save so that they can identify a returning user. Because some networks of sites do share cookies and use them for purposes like targeting ads in Web pages, cookies from some sources can be classified as a privacy threat. Most cookies, though, are innocuous, and cookies never present the same active dangers and inconveniences as spyware and adware programs.

Is Anywhere Safe?

First the good news - and there isn't much. We've found that high-profile sites aimed at young pre-schoolers and kindergarten-age kids, like Nick Jr. and pbskids.org, provide safe and spyware-free environments. Your children are safe here and spyware vendors seem to stay well away from these kinds of sites. Under the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act of 1998 (COPPA), children under 13 are legally treated differently than older children -- companies can't ask them to disclose any personal information. We surmise that possible legal action, highly protective parents that would fight back hard to protect their young children, and the potential for high profile public relations disasters keep spyware vendors from playing here.

Spyware Targets Older Children and Teenagers

However, older kids and teenagers seem fair game. The sites they frequent are often free on the surface but with a heavy spyware price to pay. More viral services such as peer-to-peer file sharing sites are "good" carriers because teens are densely interconnected and spread discoveries rapidly around their peer network. Free goodies are also appealing when you don't have a lot of disposable income and are influenced by peer pressure for conformity. Entertainment- and celebrity-oriented sites that teens might be inclined to visit can be particularly sketchy.

In fact, downloading any software from an unknown source is potentially unsafe. We've seen spyware bundled along with downloadable games, screen savers, emoticon packs, utilities, Flash animations -- you name it. In fact, some companies even sell software that claims to help control spyware but in fact installs spyware.

In general, companies that have a strong, established brand to protect, and a clear mechanism for generating revenue, seem to stay away from spyware. Sites outside of the mainstream and software that has no obvious way of supporting itself, by contrast, should raise more concerns -- as should sites that bombard you with pop-up ads, especially ones that employ scare tactics urging you to scan your computer.

Let's look at a few examples:

Free Peer-to-Peer

Are you prepared to cope with the consequences when your kids install peer-to-peer file-sharing software?

Free peer-to-peer file-sharing software like Grokster and Kazaa are hugely popular among older children and typically include adware, a fact that's disclosed in the long and wordy licensing agreements they display during the installation process. We doubt most people bother to read all the small print, instead clicking Yes to move through the screens as quickly as possible and get the software installed so they can begin using it. This is precisely one of the dangerous behaviors that you need to train your kids to avoid. Parents should consider paid versions of services like this but read carefully to make sure the paid product is indeed free of adware.

GAIN Carriers

Claria, the company behind GAIN adware, bundles its payload within ScreenScenes, a "free" screen saver, DashBar, a "free" search engine toolbar, WeatherScope, a "free" weather forecaster, and many other "expensive" free programs. By downloading these packages, available across the Internet, you become prey to numerous ads that in our experience start out annoying and can become crippling. We'd rather find ourselves in need of a jacket on a cold day than succumb to these electronic annoyances. Incidentally, GAIN is also bundled with many of the free peer-to-peer file sharing packages.

ZANGO Games

Another adware vendor, 180solutions, through its Zango division, creates games like "David vs. Goliath" and "Secret Chamber" that come with adware. Although the Zango sight mentions the targeted ads you will be receiving, most users will never visit the Zango site as the games are available from many free download sites like download.com and tucows where you may or may not see any warning at all.

Lyrics Sites

Music-lyric sites may trick your kids into downloading spyware.

Spyware is often delivered via an ActiveX control that you load in your browser. Music-lyrics sites seem to use this technique particularly frequently -- if you want to view the lyrics to a song, they'll insist that you download their ActiveX control first. It turns out this control has nothing to do with viewing lyrics, but is a deception that the site uses to convince you to download ad-serving software.

Everywhere Else

Finally, spyware doesn't always reach your child's PC through Web browsing: It can also arrive via any channel that can send files or Web pages, and many popular communication channels used by children including e-mail and instant-messaging file transfers. An attachment that promises to be a free screensaver or other interesting content could easily contain spyware.

These are just some of the spyware of the thousands of spyware traps that lurk on the Internet. In fact, it's safe to say that anywhere you find free entertainment, spyware is usually not more than a click away waiting for you to make a mistake.

No Free Downloads

Many computers get infected with spyware because users ask for it - although your kids probably didn't realize what they were getting themselves into. The urge to get something for nothing can be a huge temptation, and "free" software designed to entice kids often contains adware components that the publishers use to generate revenue.

Unfortunately, it's not always easy to spot spyware until it's already installed -- and by then it can be too late. (With some spyware, you may not even know after it's installed, except indirectly when it affects performance and stability or you start observing unexpected behavior.)

But with some awareness of the patterns that characterize spyware, you can begin to see ways to make more informed decisions and to teach your children when caution is warranted. We believe that the more parents and their children know about adware, the more they'll see that these allegedly free downloads can be costly mistakes. Just as you protect your children in the real world by instructing youngsters never to get into a car with strangers, and teaching older children how to make decisions despite peer pressure, you can help protect your machine from spyware by instructing kids of all ages in safe surfing and downloading habits.

You can try to pin blame for the spyware scourge on spyware authors, a lack of government oversight, or plenty of other factors -- but ultimately, regardless of who's responsible, you have to step up as a parent and teach your kids how to behave responsibly when they're online.

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Questions From Customers

Question:

I have installed a new program in XP and now it won't run correctly. What can I do to fix this?

Submitted by L.W.

Answer:

This happens when programs are not compatible with XP Home or Pro even though the manufacturer of the program says it is!

To resolve the issue;

Right click the Desktop Icon of the program or in the Start Menu find the program, and select Properties, Compatibility Tab, and in the dropdown box, try Windows 98. Most programs were originally designed to run in Win98 and their new drivers are not necessarily compatible with XP. Click Apply and Ok. Restart your computer and try the game / program again to determine if this resolves the issue.

Good luck!

                    DJ

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Question: (from family member)

My kids and I have three computers at home, running Windows
98, Me, and XP. Granted, the XP system runs the smoothest
since it is the newest one, but I would like to get some
recommendations from people on some regular maintenance
routines, hardware, or software that I should use to ensure
their best performance.

Answer:

I am sure there are many ways to keep the hardware of your three computers running smoothly, although I am of the opinion that if it isn’t broke, don’t fix it. Meaning, if your computers' hardware components appear to run smoothly, I wouldn't do too much tinkering to rock the boat. However, there are little things you can do:

1. Keep dust away from the computers and everywhere around them.
2. Keep wires and leads tidy and out of harm's way as much as possible.
3. Make sure each computer case has plenty of ventilation around it, and that it is standing on a firm base.
4. Don't let your computer workspaces get cluttered up.
5. Don't eat or drink anywhere near the computer, printers, scanners, or keyboards. (Difficult I know, and I am the worst offender, but any crumbs in the keyboard or spilt drinks on the case or keyboard can do a lot of damage.)
6. Don't move the computers around when they are switched on. If you have to move them, shut them down first.
There may be other similar steps you can take, but the essence is, keep the computer area clean and clutter-free.

As to software and the operating systems themselves, there is much more you can do. Although you have three computers with different operating systems, (OS's), housekeeping is the same for each. In particular, upkeep Windows 98 and Me is very much the same, but the methods you use are the same for them as for XP. It seems to me that there are five main issues, but other people may have better guidance:

1. Keep the computers virus free and protected by firewalls.
2. Keep the computer OS's up to date.
3. Get rid of any unwanted or temporary files.
4. Keep the files you intend to retain on your computers tidy and easier to
access by the OS.
5. Make sure you and your children understand the "best practices" for
Internet surfing, downloading and sharing files, viewing emails, and
installing applications.



1. Keep the computers virus free and protected by firewalls

If you only do one thing, this is the one you must do. It is regrettable that the Internet is now swamped by idiots and malicious users whose only purpose in life seems to be to make our lives miserable with virus infections and attempted hacking into our personal property. Your computers are your own personal property and you must protect them. You need:

a. A firewall on each computer that is connected to the Internet, either by itself, or through a local network, (i.e., through one of the other computers you have). There are many firewalls around, and they all help prevent hackers from gaining access to your computers and stealing personal data when you are connected to the Internet.

b. Anti virus (AV) protection on each computer. Whether or not any of your computers are connected to the Internet, you need anti virus protection on each. Viruses can infect computers through email messages, chat rooms, web sites, downloaded programs and other files, and through infected floppy disks or CD's that your friends or children's friends may pass around. Again, there are plenty of free Anti virus products on the Internet. I use Avast from www.avast.com, but there are other good ones around like AVG from www.grisoft.com .  An AV should be installed on each computer. It's virus definition database needs to be kept up to date regularly, (at least twice a week, although many people will say do it daily), and you should use the AV to scan each computer regularly, e.g. once a week. This is, singularly, the best way to keep computers virus free. But AV's don't catch all malicious "malware". You also need anti ad-ware protection.

c. Anti Adware protection. Adware can be spread by the same methods. Adware places annoying "pop-ups" on your computer advertising, whatever they are meant to advertise. They also place programs on your computer that record your surfing habits, so they can target the ads you get when you visit web sites. The best anti adware program around is Ad-Aware by www.lavasoftusa.com . Again it is free. Again it needs its definitions updated regularly, and the computers scanned, but perhaps not so often, say once a month.

d. You also need spyware protection. Spyware also spies on your surfing habits, but can steal details from you. I use two anti spyware products, both free, and they compliment each other. They are Spybot Search & Destroy from www.spybot.info/en/index.html . Download an install, check for updates and scan regularly, and Spyware Blaster, from www.javacoolsoftware.com/  again, download and install, and update it. You don't perform scans with this program. It immunizes your computer in a different way, but it needs updating regularly.

e. I also have a start-up monitor installed. This warns me if anything on my computer that is installed, (either with or without my knowledge), attempts to set itself to start whenever I start up the computer. I obtained mine from http://www.mlin.net/StartupMonitor.shtml and it is a very useful little program.

2. Keep your OS's up to date.

Just to let you know that certain Windows Operating Systems are no longer being supported by Microsoft, I just found out myself that Microsoft recently extend their support to the public for Windows 98, 98SE, and Me. You can read it here: http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?pr=LifeAn1 and I just wanted to bring this to your attention in case you panic.

It is important to keep Windows up to date because it is an operating system that seems easy to exploit, and flaws and security issues are often found. It may not be such a problem for older versions of Windows as virus/spyware programmers tend to target the newer versions. But hackers don't care what version of Windows a person uses if they can gain access for their own uses. That being the case, I would seriously consider limiting access to the Internet to the Windows XP only computer as I have done. If you have, or can, set up a local network with the three computers, then make sure the Internet access is through the XP computer to the other two. That way, the XP computer hides the other two from all but the serious hacker.
With firewalls, AV's and other anti spyware programs installed on each, you should have pretty good protection.

Windows XP must be updated regularly. It is the favorite OS for malware. You can set the XP system to update automatically (which I do not recommend). I do recommend that you  visit Microsoft's update page manually by going to the Start menu, and clicking the Windows update link. There are many critical updates that need to be installed, and if you haven't done this before, be prepared to spend some time downloading the updates. (I mean a "long" time). Each of your computers should have the same Windows Update link, so it would be worth your while to try updating each, in case my information about the availability of updates for 98 and ME is incorrect. Microsoft will only say NO if updates are not available.

I don't mean to be alarmist in all this. But it is a sad fact that many thousands or even millions of computers around the world are not adequately protected, and this just allows malware to propagate and spread.

3. Get rid off any unwanted or temporary files.

Windows is a hoarder. It's worse than a magpie. It stores files all over it's system, and many of these can be temporary files that the OS and other programs only use once and are then meant to be deleted, but are not.

Each Windows OS has a utility called "Disk Cleanup", in Start Menu > Programs > Accessories > System Tools. Using this will empty the main Windows/Temp folders, and you can also use it to delete your Recycle Bin, and your "Temporary Internet Folder", which stores all of the objects that make up the websites you have visited. You don't need these and they can be deleted.

Alternatively, If you do not know how to use Windows Explorer, (note that I do not mean Internet Explorer), then do a Search, (Start Menu/Search), and search for folders called "Temp", or "temp" or "Temporary files", or "temp*", (notice the star), and see what is contained in these folders. If you are satisfied they are old, or not wanted, delete them.

Or in Internet Explorer, click the Tools Menu then click Internet Options, (or go to Start Menu > Settings > Control Panel > Internet Options), and under the General tab you can delete cookies, files, (temporary Internet files), and Internet history, (which keeps a record of the web sites you have visited recently). You could also look at all the programs that are installed on the three computers.

On each, go to Start Menu > Settings > Control Panel, and double click the Add/Remove Programs Icon. In this utility you can see a list of all the programs installed on each computer. If there are any programs that you know you no longer use or need, then highlight the program, and click the Add/Remove button, then follow any other instructions that may appear. If you are not sure whether you still use the programs, I would leave this alone until you can be sure. Beware though that very often only the major parts of the programs are removed, and some leftovers will remain in that program's folder which you will have to manually delete. You may have to reboot, (re-start), your computer after each removal, but the utility should let you know about this.

4. Keep the files you intend to retain on your computers tidy and easier to access by the OS.

One of the major things you can do to improve performance on each computer, (which means it does not have to work so hard, and will run more smoothly), is to "scan" each hard disk for errors, and "de-fragment" each disk at regular intervals. Scandisk scans the hard disk, (where all files/folders are stored), for errors, and will attempt to fix them all for you. Errors can be bad sectors that have become corrupt and need repairing, or marking as "not for use in future", or program/file fragments that no longer belong to anything, and Scandisk can help you keep your hard disks in good working order. Disk fragmentation is an occupational hazard with hard disks. The programs and files or data stored on the disk become fragmented over time, and the OS has to work harder to load the files when needed. The Disk Defragmenter recombines all these fragments into a more compact area, which makes retrieval easier.

Both Scan Disk and Disk Defragmenter are available by double clicking "My Computer" on the desktop, then highlighting the hard disk, (usually called the "C" disk), and right clicking that disk and choosing Properties, then Tools. If you have never run Scan Disk or Disk Defragmenter on any of the computers before, you should beware that these processes may take a long time to complete.
Before running either, turn off any Screen Savers, disconnect from the Internet, (unplug the Internet cable or wire), and disable your firewall and AV programs, then reboot after each process is done.

5. Make sure you and your children understand the "best practices" for Internet surfing, downloading and sharing files, viewing emails, and installing applications.

Best practices helps you and your children prevent coming across viruses and spyware in the first place.

a. One of the most important is to carry out a virus scan on "EVERYTHING" that you download from the Internet and intend to install, or intend to install from a CD or floppy disk, or open any attachments from an email. I mean EVERYTHING. Even if you know where the file or groups of files have come from, check it first for viruses. This is easy enough to do. If you have a CD or floppy disk, before copying anything over to your hard disk or before installing anything from them, open up My Computer, highlight the CD or floppy disk drive, and right click, and choose "Scan with Avast" (or AVG), or whatever your AV is. If your AV does not install a right click option, open up the AV program, select Scan, and navigate to the drive to be scanned. Similarly with files received from download or from email attachments. First of all save them to a temporary folder. The desktop is a good place, but only for temporary storage. Highlight the file, and right click to select scan with your AV.

b. If you or your children are using a file sharing program, (one called Kazaa seems to be the most popular), to share files with other people, you must be aware that the program itself may have come bundled with spyware and adware, and that any files you or the children download may not be what you or they expect, but may be infected themselves. You need to research the programs they are using, (e.g. in Google type in Kazaa, and stand well back when the thousands of Kazaa related articles appear), and find out what experts think of them. Do not trust a program just because the web site it came from looks good, or the program itself looks "cool". Personally, I recommend and use the "Google Toolbar" on my browser at www.google.com .

c. A lot of web sites attempt to install files and programs onto your computer when you visit them. Use common sense when deciding which web sites to visit, and consider increasing your browsers security beforehand, (Internet Explorer/Tools/Internet Options/Security).

d. Beware of chat rooms. There is the obvious, (sadly), risk of young children being targeted by adults in chat rooms, but there is also the less obvious risk, especially in IRC chat rooms, or with Instant Messengers, of viruses "getting in" through the back door.

And finally...

Understand what you are doing, and keep up the housekeeping regularly. These information briefs I supply are a great source of information if you have any problems or difficulties.

DJ

 

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What is ... ?

Question:

I run Windows XP Pro and am experiencing a couple of problems with my computer. I use Windows Update regularly. After doing an update, I usually defrag the hard drive. However, I now receive a message saying that the hard drive cannot be defragged. What is the cause of this, and how can I solve the problem?

Submitted by: Jim H.


Answer:

Defrag issues:

The defrag problem can have numerous possible causes. Also, there's more than one issue going on here (and a lot of the answer depends on how your system was built to begin with). So, we’ll tackle these problems one at a time. A couple of scenarios could cause you to be unable to defrag your hard drive, and each of them is very specific.

1. The main key here is that you said this happened after you did an update. The best way to see if it was that particular Windows XP Hotfix is to uninstall the actual Hotfix that caused the issue. To achieve this, go to Start > Setting > Control Panel > Add/Remove Programs and scroll down to find the Hotfix that is under suspicion and uninstall it, then reboot the computer and try to run defrag again.

If you aren’t sure which one it was, you will have to do this process multiple times until the computer is back to normal. You can always go back to Windows Update and download them again if you inadvertently removed one that was not causing the issue.

NOTE: It is a BEST PRACTICE to download updates one at a time to avoid this issue in the future. Be sure to read the known issues with Windows Service Pack 2, before you update to that. Windows provides a lot of information at this webpage: WINDOWS SERVICE PACK 2:
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=fh;EN-US;windowsxpsp2 

Issues with SP2 have been resolved!  Install SP3 next. It seems to work correctly!

2. Another common issue that causes you not to be able to defrag a hard drive is if you have " bad sectors" on your hard drive. Bad Sectors are areas on the actual hard disk that is either physically failing or has bad data written to it. It used to be detected & fixed by Scandisk on previous versions of Windows, but has been replaced by "Checkdisk" on Windows XP.


CHECKDISK: Goto My Computer, Right-Click the hard drive you want to check, select Properties > Tools then under Error Checking click the "Check Now" button. A dialogue box opens, select Fix File System Errors and click Start. This can take a while, so be patient.

NOTE: If the drive that you want to fix is the system drive, there will be open files on the drive. You will see a dialog box announcing that the utility needs exclusive access to operate and can't gain that access unless you re-start your computer. Click Yes.
XP will re-start in character mode, meaning that you can't do anything other than run the utility. Unless you strike any key within ten seconds of seeing the restricted boot message, Check Disk will run. After Check Disk has finished, you will either see Disk Check Complete (no errors) or a list of errors and repairs.
IF for some reason you are unable to perform this task, boot into SAFE MODE (Reboot > Press F8 repeatedly, immediately after restarting until a screen opens giving the option to boot to safe mode).

3. If you have upgraded your computer from a previous version of Windows (ie: ME or Win98) and did not choose to convert your filing system to a NTFS, then you are limited by the space that Windows needs to complete the job. If your hard drive has less than 15% space remaining then you would run into this issue.
If you would like to convert your system to NTFS, Microsoft provides a utility in Windows XP and a detailed explication on the procedure here:
Microsoft KB Article: 314097 http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;314097

 A lot of this are the 1st steps in diagnosing an issue and may require further steps to COMPLETELY fix your system. I hope this helps with your situation.

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