Help from the pros...

[Guest rAgAv]

Hi,

 

My PC is getting really slow, showing a lot of errors, and stuff in

spite of being treated with registry mechanic several times. I've

erased the cache, cleaned viruses and spywares in safe mode, deleted

the unwanted files from the PC. What do you think I should do? I think

that I might have to reinstall XP. I have the CD with me...The problem

is I don't know the exact algorithm to do it.... I've heard that it is

kinda dangerous too if you mess up...Anyway, why do we always have to

reinstall from the blue screen during boot up? Why can't we put the CD

and press reinstall button in the autorun menu?

 

As you can see, I'm pretty confused....Please tell me what I'm

supposed to be doing to stop the deterioration of the performance...

 

Regards...

 

--

rAgAv

[Guest Shenan Stanley]

Re: Help from the pros...

 

rAgAv wrote:

> My PC is getting really slow, showing a lot of errors, and stuff in

> spite of being treated with registry mechanic several times. I've

> erased the cache, cleaned viruses and spywares in safe mode, deleted

> the unwanted files from the PC. What do you think I should do? I

> think that I might have to reinstall XP. I have the CD with

> me...The problem is I don't know the exact algorithm to do it....

> I've heard that it is kinda dangerous too if you mess up...Anyway,

> why do we always have to reinstall from the blue screen during boot

> up? Why can't we put the CD and press reinstall button in the

> autorun menu?

>

> As you can see, I'm pretty confused....Please tell me what I'm

> supposed to be doing to stop the deterioration of the performance...

 

** You may want to print this **

 

1) Download and install Belarc Advisor onto the current Windows XP

machine. Use it to get a list of hardware from the

machine as well as the CD Key used to install it. Print it if you like.

http://www.belarc.com/

 

You may be able to obtain other product keys from here as well.

You will see everything that is installed listed here - so you have

a record of what you will be putting back - if you have the

installation media. Now is the time to find the installation media!

 

2) Using the list of hardware you obtained - visit the hardware

manufacturer(s) web page(s) and download the software drivers

for each of the components.

 

If it is a "vendor" computer (Dell, HP, IBM, Gateway, etc..) - simply

visit the vendor's page and go to the support/downloads for the

particular model and download all hardware drivers. Write those

to external (to that computer) media. CD/DVD/USB/Network.

 

If it is a piece-meal computer, take the Belarc list and visit each

manufacturer's web page. Be sure - at a minimum - to obtain the

motherboard chipset drivers, the hard drive controller card drivers,

the video card drivers, the modem drivers, the network card

drivers and the sound card drivers. Technically - if you have the

drivers for the hardware that will allow you to access the Internet,

everything else can be gotten later. However - there is something

to be said about going in prepared.

 

3) Now that you have the software and hardware drivers covered -

you can get to the business of obtaining Service Pack 2 and most

of the post-sp2 updates you will need. I have a list with links

below this - if you grabbed everything on this list - installed them

(after installing Windows XP) in numerical (by KB Article #) order

- rebooting when asked to - before ever connecting to the Internet

- you might (at this time) have 5-10 more to grab from the update

web page.

 

Essentially - visit each of these pages, download the update for

Windows XP (32bit) w/SP2 and save them to an external location.

CD/DVD/USB/Network. Consider yourself an "IT Professional" in

order to get to the page with the actual file download link for each

update.

 

You could get away with (pretty much) installing them in the order

given.

 

Direct Download of Service Pack 2 (SP2) for Windows XP

http://snipurl.com/8bqy

 

Critical Updates

----------------------

Released: -- [ Web Page Address ] -- Description:

9/14/2004 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/885626 ]

-- Critical Update for Windows XP

11/22/2004 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/887742 ]

-- Update for Windows XP

12/13/2004 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/885835 ]

-- Security Update for Windows XP

12/13/2004 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/885836 ]

-- Security Update for Windows XP

12/13/2004 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/886185 ]

-- Critical Update for Windows XP

12/13/2004 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/873339 ]

-- Security Update for Windows XP

2/7/2005 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/891781 ]

-- Security Update for Windows XP

2/7/2005 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/888302 ]

-- Security Update for Windows XP

2/7/2005 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/887472 ]

-- Security Update for Windows Messenger

4/11/2005 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/890859 ]

-- Security Update for Windows XP

5/18/2005 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/894391 ]

-- Update for Windows XP

5/24/2005 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/896344 ]

-- Update for Windows XP

6/13/2005 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/896358 ]

-- Security Update for Microsoft Windows XP

6/13/2005 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/896428 ]

-- Security Update for Windows XP

6/24/2005 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/900930 ]

-- Update for Windows XP

6/27/2005 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/898461 ]

-- Update for Windows XP

7/11/2005 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/901214 ]

-- Security Update for Windows XP

8/8/2005 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/896423 ]

-- Security Update for Windows XP

8/8/2005 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/899587 ]

-- Security Update for Windows XP

8/8/2005 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/899591 ]

-- Security Update for Windows XP

8/8/2005 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/893756 ]

-- Security Update for Windows XP

10/10/2005 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/901017 ]

-- Security Update for Windows XP

10/10/2005 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/902400 ]

-- Security Update for Windows XP

10/10/2005 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/905749 ]

-- Security Update for Windows XP

10/10/2005 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/905414 ]

-- Security Update for Windows XP

10/10/2005 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/900725 ]

-- Security Update for Windows XP

12/12/2005 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/910437 ]

-- Update for Windows XP

12/13/2005 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/904706 ]

-- Security Update for Windows XP

1/9/2006 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/908519 ]

-- Security Update for Windows XP

2/13/2006 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/911927 ]

-- Security Update for Windows XP

4/10/2006 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/911562 ]

-- Security Update for Windows XP

4/18/2006 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/904942 ]

-- Update for Windows XP

4/25/2006 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/900485 ]

-- Update for Windows XP

4/25/2006 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/908531 ]

-- Security Update for Windows XP

5/9/2006 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/913580 ]

-- Security Update for Windows XP

6/6/2006 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/916595 ]

-- Update for Windows XP

6/8/2006 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/918439 ]

-- Vulnerability in ART Image Rendering Could Allow Remote Code

Execution in Internet Explorer for Windows XP SP2

6/12/2006 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/914389 ]

-- Security Update for Windows XP

6/12/2006 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/917953 ]

-- Security Update for Windows XP

6/13/2006 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/917344 ]

-- JScript 5.6 Security Update for Windows XP SP1 and SP2

6/27/2006 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/911280 ]

-- Security Update for Windows XP

7/10/2006 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/917159 ]

-- Security Update for Windows XP

7/10/2006 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/914388 ]

-- Security Update for Windows XP

8/7/2006 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/917422 ]

-- Security Update for Windows XP

8/7/2006 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/920670 ]

-- Security Update for Windows XP

8/7/2006 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/922616 ]

-- Security Update for Windows XP

8/7/2006 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/920683 ]

-- Security Update for Windows XP

8/17/2006 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/920872 ]

-- Update for Windows XP

9/11/2006 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/920685 ]

-- Security Update for Windows XP

9/11/2006 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/922582 ]

-- Update for Windows XP

9/11/2006 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/919007 ]

-- Security Update for Windows XP

10/9/2006 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/922819 ]

-- Security Update for Windows XP

10/9/2006 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/924496 ]

-- Security Update for Windows XP

10/9/2006 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/923414 ]

-- Security Update for Windows XP

10/9/2006 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/923191 ]

-- Security Update for Windows XP

11/14/2006 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/920213 ]

-- Vulnerability in Microsoft Agent could allow remote code

execution

11/14/2006 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/923789 ]

-- Vulnerabilities in Macromedia Flash Player from Adobe

could allow remote code execution

11/14/2006 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/924270 ]

-- Vulnerability in Workstation Service could allow

remote code execution

11/14/2006 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/928088 ]

-- Vulnerability in Microsoft XML Core Services could

allow remote code execution

11/14/2006 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/923980 ]

-- Vulnerability in the Client Service could allow remote code

execution

12/12/2006 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/926247 ]

-- Vulnerability in Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP)

could allow remote code execution

12/12/2006 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/926255 ]

-- Vulnerability in Windows could allow elevation of privilege

12/12/2006 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/923694 ]

-- Cumulative security update for Outlook Express

1/9/2007 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/929969 ]

-- Vulnerability in Vector Markup Language

Could Allow Remote Code Execution

* If you have installed IE7, also install the IE7 version

of this patch!

2/13/2007 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/928255 ]

-- Vulnerability in Windows Shell Could Allow Elevation

of Privilege

2/13/2007 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/927802 ]

-- Vulnerability in Windows Image Acquisition Service

Could Allow Elevation of Privilege

2/13/2007 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/928843 ]

-- Vulnerability in HTML Help ActiveX Control Could

Allow Remote Code Execution

2/13/2007 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/927779 ]

-- Vulnerability in Microsoft Data Access Components

Could Allow Remote Code Execution

2/13/2007 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/926436 ]

-- Vulnerability in Microsoft OLE Dialog Could Allow

Remote Code Execution

2/13/2007 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/924667 ]

-- Vulnerability in Microsoft MFC Could Allow Remote

Code Execution

2/13/2007 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/918118 ]

-- Vulnerability in Microsoft RichEdit Could Allow

Remote Code Execution

2/13/2007 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/928090 ]

-- Cumulative Security Update for Internet Explorer

* If you have IE7, obtain that version of this update.

4/3/2007 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/925902 ]

-- Vulnerabilities in GDI Could Allow Remote Code Execution

4/10/2007 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/931261 ]

-- Vulnerability in Universal Plug and Play Could

Allow Remote Code Execution

4/10/2007 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/932168 ]

-- Vulnerability in Microsoft Agent Could Allow Remote

Code Execution

4/10/2007 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/930178 ]

-- Vulnerabilities in CSRSS Could Allow Remote Code

Execution

4/10/2007 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/931784 ]

-- Vulnerability in Windows Kernel Could Allow

Elevation of Privilege

 

Media Player:

-------------------

Released: -- [ Web Page Address: ] -- Description:

9/2/2004 -- [ http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=30984 ]

-- Windows Media Player 10

11/7/2005 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/902344 ]

-- Update for WMDRM-enabled Media Players

2/13/2006 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/911564 ]

-- Security Update for Windows Media Player Plug-in

4/11/2006 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/911565 ]

-- Security Update for Windows Media Player 10 for Windows XP

6/12/2006 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/917734 ]

-- Security Update for Windows Media Player 10 for Windows XP

12/12/2006 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/923689 ]

-- Vulnerability in Windows Media Format Could Allow Remote

Code Execution

 

..NET Framework:

------------------------

Released: -- [ Web Page Address: ] -- Description:

3/30/2004 -- [ http://snipurl.com/10bde ]

-- Microsoft .NET Framework Version 1.1 Redistributable Package

8/30/2004 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/885055 ]

-- Microsoft .NET Framework 1.1 Service Pack 1

2/8/2005 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/887219 ]

-- ASP.NET Security Update for Microsoft NET Framework 1.1

Service Pack 1

3/22/2006 -- [ http://snipurl.com/10bdv ]

-- Microsoft .NET Framework Version 2.0 Redistributable

Package (x86)

7/11/2006 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/917283 ]

-- NDP 2.0 ASP.Net Security Update

10/10/2006 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/922770 ]

-- NET Framework 2.0 SYSTEM.WEB.DLL Security Update

 

Other Updates:

---------------------

Released: -- [ Web Page Address: ] -- Description:

9/14/2004 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/873374 ]

-- Microsoft GDI+ Detection Tool

9/2/2005 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/893803 ]

-- Windows Installer 3.1 Redistributable (v2)

10/14/2005 -- [ http://snipurl.com/10bex ]

-- Windows Media Connect 2.0

11/29/2005 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/909520 ]

-- Microsoft Base Smart Card Cryptographic Service Provider

Package: x86

10/10/2006 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/890830 ]

-- Microsoft® Windows® Malicious Software Removal Tool

- November 2006

 

Purely OPTIONAL:

----------------------

10/18/2006 -- [ http://www.microsoft.com/windows/ie/downloads/ ]

-- Internet Explorer 7.0

10/30/2006 -- [ http://snipurl.com/167ea ]

-- Media Player 11

12/8/2006 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/925876 ]

-- Remote Desktop Connection 6.0 client

 

 

4) Now that you have all the updates you will need to install Windows

XP, all the hardware drivers you will need to get the

operating system to communicate with your hardware, all your

installation media and product keys in a pile - you can install

Windows XP by simply changing the boot order in

the system BIOS to CD first, putting in your Windows XP

CD and following the prompts. When it asks where you

would like to install - delete the partitions shown and create a new

partition to install on. Format it NTFS. Continue following the

prompts.

 

Want something a little more pictographic?

http://www.michaelstevenstech.com/cleanxpinstall.html

 

5) Once the installation is done - break out whatever external media

you saved all the 2nd & 3rd list items to and connect/insert it into

the system and begin installing all the hardware drivers (1st) and

then all the patches and such. It'll take a while and probably 10+

reboots.

 

6) Install your favorite AntiVirus software (I am including a tips list that

has several free alternatives as tip (9)) and immunize your system

against most spyware (see tip (10) in the same list below) and connect

to the Internet. Visit http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com/ and scan

your system for more updates. Do not install hardware drivers from

here.

 

7) Install whatever other software you need this system to have. Plugins

like quicktime, flash, shockwave, real player (or real alternative),

acrobat reader and so on... Full applications like Microsoft Office,

WordPerfect, Photoshop, etc. Any special software for

cameras/scanners/printers. Anything and everything you want this

computer to have.

 

8) Create an additional administrative user. Log out and log in as that

user. Make sure it has a password that is good and that you can

remember. Log out and log back in as the original user. That new

user is your 'just in case' account.

 

 

Good luck to you!

 

Microsoft has these suggestions for Protecting your computer from the

various things that could happen to you/it:

 

Protect your PC

http://www.microsoft.com/athome/security/

 

Outfitting a new computer for the Net

http://www.microsoft.com/athome/security/update/newcomputer.mspx

 

Getting started with a new PC

http://www.microsoft.com/athome/moredone/yournewpc.mspx

 

Although those tips are fantastic, there are many things you should

know above and beyond that. Below I have detailed out many tips

that can not only help you clean-up a problem PC but keep it clean,

secure and running at its best.

 

I know this text can seem intimidating - it is quite long and a lot

to take in for a novice - however I can assure you that one trip

through this list and you will understand your computer and the

options available to you for protecting your data much better -

and that the next time you go through these steps, the time it

takes will be greatly reduced.

 

Let's take the cleanup of your computer step-by-step.

Yes, it will take up some of your time - but consider what you use

your computer for and how much you would dislike it if all of your

stuff on your computer went away because you did not "feel like"

performing some simple maintenance tasks - think of it like taking

out your garbage, collecting and sorting your postal mail, paying

your bills on time, etc.

 

I'll mainly work around Windows XP, as that is what the bulk of this

document is about; however, here is some places for you poor souls

still stuck in Windows 98/ME where you can get information on

maintaining your system:

 

Windows 98 and 'Maintaining Your Computer':

http://www.microsoft.com/windows98/usingwindows/maintaining/

 

Windows ME Computer Health:

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsME/using/computerhealth/articles/

 

Pay close attention to the sections:

(in order)

- Clean up your hard disk

- Check for errors by running ScanDisk

- Defragment your hard disk

- Roll back the clock with System Restore

 

 

Also - now is a good time to point you to one of the easiest ways to find

information on problems you may be having and solutions others have found:

 

Search using Google!

http://www.google.com/

(How-to: http://www.google.com/intl/en/help/basics.html )

 

 

Now, let's go through some maintenance first that should only have to be

done once (mostly):

 

Tip (1):

Locate all of the software you have installed on your computer.

(the installation media - CDs, downloaded files, etc)

Collect these CDs and files together in a central and safe

place along with their CD keys and such. Make backups of these

installation media sets using your favorite copying method (CD/DVD Burner

and application, Disk copier, etc.) You'll be glad to know that if you

have a CD/DVD burner, you may be able to use a free application to make a

duplicate copy of your CDs. One such application is ISORecorder:

 

ISORecorder page (with general instructions on use):

http://isorecorder.alexfeinman.com/isorecorder.htm

 

More full function applications (free) for CD/DVD burning would be:

 

CDBurnerXP Pro

http://www.cdburnerxp.se/

 

DeepBurner Free

http://www.deepburner.com/

 

ImgBurn (burn ISO images)

http://www.imgburn.com/

 

Final Burner

http://www.protectedsoft.com/products.php

 

Another Option would be to search the web with Pricewatch.com or

Dealsites.net and find deals on Products like Ahead Nero and/or Roxio.

 

Ahead Nero

http://www.nero.com/

 

Roxio Easy Media Creator

http://www.roxio.com/

 

Tip (2):

Empty your Temporary Internet Files and shrink the size it stores to a

size between 128MB and 512MB..

 

- Open ONE copy of Internet Explorer.

- Select TOOLS -> Internet Options.

- Under the General tab in the "Temporary Internet Files" section, do the

following:

- Click on "Delete Cookies" (click OK)

- Click on "Settings" and change the "Amount of disk space to use:" to

something between 128MB and 512MB. (Betting it is MUCH larger right

now.)

- Click OK.

- Click on "Delete Files" and select to "Delete all offline contents"

(the checkbox) and click OK. (If you had a LOT, this could take 2-10

minutes or more.)

- Once it is done, click OK, close Internet Explorer, re-open Internet

Explorer.

 

Tip (3):

If things are running a bit sluggish and/or you have an older system

(1.5GHz or less and 256MB RAM or less) then you may want to look into

tweaking the performance by turning off some of the 'resource hogging'

Windows XP "prettifications". The fastest method is:

 

Control Panel --> System --> Advanced tab --> Performance section,

Settings button. Then choose "adjust for best performance" and you

now have a Windows 2000/98 look which turned off most of the annoying

"prettifications" in one swift action. You can play with the last

three checkboxes to get more of an XP look without many of the

other annoyances. You could also grab and install/use one

(or more) of the Microsoft Powertoys - TweakUI in particular:

 

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/downloads/powertoys/xppowertoys.mspx

 

Another viable (decently inexpensive) option is to increase the amount

of memory (RAM) your computer has. You can get an idea of what you

need by visiting:

 

Crucial Memory AdvisorT Tool

http://www.crucial.com/

 

Then either buy direct from there or write down the specs you get and

visit: http://www.pricewatch.com/ and locate the best price on what you

need. 512MB up to 1GB total memory should be more than enough for

the normal home user.

 

Tip (4):

Understanding what a good password might be is vital to your

personal and system security. You may think you do not need to password

your home computer, as you may have it in a locked area (your home) where

no one else has access to it. Remember, however, you aren't always

"in that locked area" when using your computer online - meaning you likely

have usernames and passwords associated with web sites and the likes that

you would prefer other people do not discover/use. This is why you should

understand and utilize good passwords.

 

Good passwords are those that meet these general rules

(mileage may vary):

 

Passwords should contain at least six characters, and the character

string should contain at least three of these four character types:

- uppercase letters

- lowercase letters

- numerals

- nonalphanumeric characters (e.g., *, %, &, !, :)

 

Passwords should not contain your name/username.

Passwords should be unique to you and easy to remember.

 

One method many people are using today is to make up a phrase that

describes a point in their life and then turning that phrase into their

password by using only certain letters out of each word in that phrase.

It's much better than using your birthday month/year or your anniversary

in a pure sense. For example, let's say my phrase is:

'Great new job in November 2006'

I could come up with this password from that:

'Gr8n3wj0bNOV2006'

 

The password tip is in the one time section, but I highly

recommend you periodically change your passwords. The suggested time

varies, but I will throw out a 'once in every 3 to 6 months for

every account you have.'

 

Also - many people complain that they just cannot remember the passwords

for all the sites they have - so they choose one password and use it for

everything. Not a good idea. A much better method would be to use a

Password Management tool - so you only have to remember one password,

but it opens an application that stores your username/passwords for

everything else - plus other valuable information. One that I can

recommend:

 

KeePass Password Safe

http://keepass.sourceforge.net/

 

It can even generate passwords for you.

 

 

Tip (5):

This tip is also 'questionable' in the one time section; however -

if properly setup - this one can be pretty well ignored for most people

after the initial 'fiddle-with' time.

 

Why you should use a computer firewall..

http://www.microsoft.com/athome/security/viruses/fwbenefits.mspx

 

You should, in some way, use a firewall. Hardware (like a nice

Cable Modem/DSL router) or software is up to you. Many use both of

these. The simplest one to use is the hardware one, as most people

don't do anything that they will need to configure their NAT device

for and those who do certainly will not mind fiddling with the equipment

to make things work for them. Next in the line of simplicity would

have to be the built-in Windows Firewall of Windows XP. In SP2 it

is turned on by default. It is not difficult to turn on in any

case, however:

 

More information on the Internet Connection Firewall (Pre-SP2):

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/320855

 

Post-SP2 Windows Firewall Information/guidance:

http://snipurl.com/atal

 

The trouble with the Windows Firewall is that it only keeps things

out. For most people who maintain their system in other ways, this is

MORE than sufficient. You may feel otherwise. If you want to

know when one of your applications is trying to obtain access to the

outside world so you can stop it, then you will have to install a

third-party application and configure/maintain it. I have compiled a

list with links of some of the better known/free firewalls you can choose

from:

 

BlackICE PC Protection (~$39.95 and up)

http://blackice.iss.net/

 

Comodo Free Fireall (Free)

http://www.personalfirewall.comodo.com/

 

Jetico Personal Firewall (Free)

http://www.jetico.com/index.htm#/jpfirewall.htm

 

Outpost Firewall from Agnitum (Free and up)

http://www.agnitum.com/products/outpostfree/

 

Sunbelt Kerio Personal Firewall (KPF) (Free and up)

http://www.kerio.com/kpf_download.html

 

Symantec's Norton Personal Firewall (~$49.95 and up)

http://www.symantec.com/sabu/nis/npf/

 

ZoneAlarm (Free and up)

http://www.zonelabs.com/

 

You should find the right firewall for your situation in that

list and set it up if you feel the Windows XP firewall is

insufficient.

 

Every firewall WILL require some maintenance. Essentially checking for

patches or upgrades (this goes for hardware and software solutions) is

the extent of this maintenance - you may also have to configure your

firewall to allow some traffic depending on your needs.

 

** Don't stack the software firewalls! Running more than one software

firewall will not make you safer - it would possibly negate some

protection you gleamed from one or the other firewall you run. It is

fine (and in many ways better) to have the software firewall as well

as a NAT router.

 

 

Now that you have some of the more basic things down..

Let's go through some of the steps you should take periodically to

maintain a healthy and stable windows computer. If you have not

done some of these things in the past, they may seem tedious - however,

they will become routine and some can even be scheduled.

 

 

Tip (6):

The system restore feature is only a useful feature if you keep it

maintained and use it to your advantage. Remember that the system

restore pretty much tells you in the name what it protects which is

'system' files. Your documents, your pictures, your stuff is NOT

system files - so you should also look into some backup solution.

 

Whenever you think about it (after doing a once-over on your machine

once a month or so would be optimal) - clear out your System Restore

and create a manual restoration point.

 

'Why?'

 

Too many times have I seen the system restore files go corrupt or get

a virus in them, meaning you could not or did not want to restore from

them. By clearing it out periodically you help prevent any corruption

from happening and you make sure you have at least one good "snapshot".

(*This, of course, will erase any previous restore point you have.*)

 

- Turn off System Restore.

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/310405

- Reboot the Computer.

- Review the first bullet to turn on System Restore

- Make a Manual Restoration Point.

http://snipurl.com/68nx

 

That covers your system files, but doesn't do anything for the files

that you are REALLY worried about - yours! For that you need to look

into backups. You can either manually copy your important files, folders,

documents, spreadsheets, emails, contacts, pictures, drawings and so on

to an external location (CD/DVD - any disk of some sort, etc) or you can

use the backup tool that comes with Windows XP:

 

How To Use Backup to Back Up Files and Folders on Your Computer

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/308422

 

Yes - you still need some sort of external media to store the results

on, but you could schedule the backup to occur when you are not around,

then burn the resultant data onto CD or DVD or something when you are

(while you do other things!)

 

Another option that seems to still be going strong:

 

Cobian Backup

http://www.educ.umu.se/~cobian/cobianbackup.htm

 

A lot of people have wondered about how to completely backup their system

so that they would not have to go through the trouble of a reinstall..

I'm going to voice my opinion here and say that it would be worthless to

do for MOST people. Unless you plan on periodically updating the image

backup of your system (remaking it) - then by the time you use it

(something goes wrong) - it will be so outdated as to be more trouble than

performing a full install of the operating system and all applications.

 

Having said my part against it, you can clone/backup your hard drive

completely using many methods - by far the simplest are using disk cloning

applications:

 

Symantec/Norton Ghost

http://snipurl.com/13e00

 

Acronis True Image

http://www.acronis.com/homecomputing/products/trueimage/

 

BootItT NG

http://terabyteunlimited.com/bootitng.html

 

Tip (7):

You should sometimes look through the list of applications that are

installed on your computer. The list may surprise you. There are more

than likely things in there you know you never use - so why have them

there? There may even be things you know you did *not* install and

certainly do not use (maybe don't WANT to use.)

 

This web site should help you get started at looking through this list:

 

How to Uninstall Programs

http://snipurl.com/8v6b

 

How to change or remove a program in Windows XP

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/307895

 

A word of warning - Do NOT uninstall anything you think you MIGHT need

in the future unless you have completed Tip (1) and have the installation

media and proper keys for use backed up somewhere safe!

 

Tip (8):

Patches and Updates!

 

This one cannot be stressed enough. It is SO simple, yet so neglected

by many people. It is really simple for the critical Microsoft patches!

Microsoft put in an AUTOMATED feature for you to utilize so that you do

NOT have to worry yourself about the patching of the Operating System:

 

How to configure and use Automatic Updates in Windows XP

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/306525

 

However, not everyone wants to be a slave to automation, and that is

fine. Admittedly, I prefer this method on some of my more critical

systems.

 

Windows Update

http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com/

 

Go there and scan your machine for updates. Always get the critical ones

as you see them. Write down the KB###### or Q###### you see when

selecting the updates and if you have trouble over the next few days,

go into your control panel (Add/Remove Programs), insure that the

'Show Updates' checkbox is checked and match up the latest numbers you

downloaded recently (since you started noticing an issue) and uninstall

them. If there was more than one (usually is), uninstall them one by one

with a few hours of use in between, to see if the problem returns.

Yes - the process is not perfect (updating) and can cause trouble like I

mentioned - but as you can see, the solution isn't that bad - and is

MUCH better than the alternatives.

 

Windows is not the only product you likely have on your PC. The

manufacturers of the other products usually have updates. New versions

of almost everything come out all the time - some are free, some are pay

and some you can only download if you are registered - but it is best

to check. Just go to their web pages and look under their support and

download sections. For example, for Microsoft Office you should visit:

 

Microsoft Office Updates

http://office.microsoft.com/

(and select 'Check for Updates' and/or 'Downloads' for more)

 

You also have hardware on your machine that requires drivers to interface

with the operating system. You have a video card that allows you to see on

your screen, a sound card that allows you to hear your PCs sound output and

so on. Visit those manufacturer web sites for the latest downloadable

drivers for your hardware/operating system. Always get the manufacturers'

hardware driver over any Microsoft offers. On the Windows Update site I

mentioned earlier, I suggest NOT getting their hardware drivers - no matter

how tempting.

 

How do you know what hardware you have in your computer? Break out the

invoice or if it is up and working now - take inventory:

 

Belarc Advisor

http://belarc.com/free_download.html

 

Once you know what you have, what next? Go get the latest driver for your

hardware/OS from the manufacturer's web page. For example, let's say you

have an NVidia chipset video card or ATI video card, perhaps a Creative

Labs sound card or C-Media chipset sound card...

 

NVidia Video Card Drivers

http://www.nvidia.com/content/drivers/drivers.asp

 

ATI Video Card Drivers

http://ati.amd.com/support/driver.html

 

Creative Labs Sound Device

http://us.creative.com/support/downloads/

 

C-Media Sound Device

http://www.cmedia.com.tw/?q=en/driver

 

Then install these drivers. Updated drivers are usually more stable and

may provide extra benefits/features that you really wished you had before.

 

As for Service Pack 2 (SP2) for Windows XP, Microsoft has made this

particular patch available in a number of ways. First, there is the

Windows Update web page above. Then there is a direct download site.

 

Direct Download of Service Pack 2 (SP2) for Windows XP

http://snipurl.com/8bqy

 

Order Windows XP Service Pack 2 on CD

http://snipurl.com/d41v

 

If all else fails - grab the full download above and try to use that.

In this case - consider yourself a 'IT professional or developer'.

 

Tip (9):

What about the dreaded word in the computer world, VIRUS?

 

Well, there are many products to choose from that will help you prevent

infections from these horrid little applications. Many are FREE to the

home user and which you choose is a matter of taste, really. Many people

have emotional attachments or performance issues with one or another

AntiVirus software. Try some out, read reviews and decide for yourself

which you like more:

 

( Good Comparison Page for AV software: http://www.av-comparatives.org/ )

 

AntiVir (Free and up)

http://www.free-av.com/

 

avast! (Free and up)

http://www.avast.com/

 

AVG Anti-Virus System (Free and up)

http://free.grisoft.com/

 

ca Anti-Virus (~$49.99 and up)

http://snipurl.com/13e0u

 

eset NOD32 (~$39.00 and up)

http://www.eset.com/products/

 

Kaspersky Anti-Virus (~$39.95 and up)

http://www.kaspersky.com/kav6

 

McAfee VirusScan (~$39.99 and up)

http://www.mcafee.com/

 

Panda Antivirus Titanium (~$39.95 and up)

http://www.pandasoftware.com/products/antivirus2007.htm

(Free Online Scanner: http://www.pandasoftware.com/activescan/)

 

Symantec (Norton) AntiVirus (~$39.99 and up)

http://snipurl.com/13e12

 

Trend Micro (~$44.95 and up)

http://www.trendmicro.com/en/products/desktop/tav/

(Free Online Scanner:

http://housecall.trendmicro.com/housecall/start_corp.asp)

 

Most of them have automatic update capabilities. You will have to

look into the features of the one you choose. Whatever one you finally

settle with - be SURE to keep it updated (I recommend at least daily) and

perform a full scan periodically (yes, most protect you actively, but a

full scan once a month at 4AM probably won't bother you.)

 

Tip (10):

The most rampant infestation at the current time concerns SPYWARE/ADWARE.

You need to eliminate it from your machine.

 

There is no one software that cleans and immunizes you against

everything. Antivirus software - you only needed one. Firewall, you

only needed one. AntiSpyware - you will need several. I have a list and

I recommend you use at least the first five.

 

First - make sure you have NOT installed "Rogue AntiSpyware". There are

people out there who created AntiSpyware products that actually install

spyware of their own! You need to avoid these:

 

Rogue/Suspect Anti-Spyware Products & Web Sites

http://www.spywarewarrior.com/rogue_anti-spyware.htm

 

Also, you can always visit this site..

http://mvps.org/winhelp2002/unwanted.htm

For more updated information.

 

Install the first five of these: (Install, Run, Update, Scan with..)

(If you already have one or more - uninstall them and download the

LATEST version from the page given!)

 

Lavasoft AdAware (Free and up)

http://www.lavasoft.de/products/ad-aware_se_personal.php

(How-to: http://snipurl.com/atdn )

 

Spybot Search and Destroy (Free!)

http://www.safer-networking.net/en/download/

(How-to: http://snipurl.com/atdk )

 

SpywareBlaster (Free!)

http://www.javacoolsoftware.com/sbdownload.html

(How-to: http://snipurl.com/ate6 )

 

IE-SPYAD2 (Free!)

http://www.spywarewarrior.com/uiuc/resource.htm#IESPYAD

(How-to: http://snipurl.com/ate7 )

 

SuperAntiSpyware (Free and up)

http://www.superantispyware.com/

 

CWShredder Stand-Alone (Free!)

http://www.trendmicro.com/cwshredder/

 

Hijack This! (Free!)

http://www.spywareinfo.com/~merijn/downloads.html

(Log Analyzer: http://hjt.networktechs.com/ )

 

Bazooka Adware and Spyware Scanner (Free!)

http://www.kephyr.com/spywarescanner/

(How-to: http://snipurl.com/ate3 )

 

ToolbarCop (Free!)

http://windowsxp.mvps.org/toolbarcop.htm

 

Ccleaner (Free!)

http://www.ccleaner.com/

 

Browser Security Tests (Free Tester)

http://www.jasons-toolbox.com/BrowserSecurity/

 

Popup Tester (Free Tester)

http://www.popuptest.com/

 

The Cleaner (~$49.95 and up)

http://www.moosoft.com/

 

Sometimes you need to install the application and reboot into SAFE MODE in

order to thoroughly clean your computer. Many applications also have

(or are) immunization applications. Spybot Search and Destroy and

SpywareBlaster are two that currently do the best job at passively

protecting your system from malware. None of these programs (in these

editions) run in the background unless you TELL them to. The space they

take up and how easy they are to use greatly makes up for any inconvenience

you may be feeling.

 

Please notice that Windows XP SP2 does help stop popups as well.

 

Another option is to use an alternative Web browser. I suggest

'Mozilla Firefox', as it has some great features and is very easy to use:

 

Mozilla Firefox

http://www.mozilla.com/firefox/

 

 

So your machine is pretty clean and up to date now. If you use the sections

above as a guide, it should stay that way as well! There are still a few

more things you can do to keep your machine running in top shape.

 

Tip (11):

You should periodically check your hard drive(s) for errors and defragment

them. Only defragment after you have cleaned up your machine of

outside parasites and never defragment as a solution to a quirkiness in

your system. It may help speed up your system, but it should be clean

before you do this. Do these things IN ORDER...

 

How to use Disk Cleanup

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/310312

 

How to scan your disks for errors

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/315265

 

How to Defragment your hard drives

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/314848

 

I would personally perform the above steps at least once every three months.

For most people this should be sufficient, but if the difference you notice

afterwards is greater than you think it should be, lessen the time in

between its schedule.. If the difference you notice is negligible, you can

increase the time.

 

Tip (12):

SPAM! JUNK MAIL!

This one can get annoying, just like the rest. You get 50 emails in one

sitting and 2 of them you wanted. NICE! (Not.) What can you do? Well,

although there are services out there to help you, some email

servers/services that actually do lower your spam with features built into

their servers - I still like the methods that let you be the end-decision

maker on what is spam and what is not. I have a few products to suggest

to you, look at them and see if any of them suite your needs. Again, if

they don't, Google is free and available for your perusal.

 

SpamBayes (Free!)

http://spambayes.sourceforge.net/

 

Spamihilator (Free!)

http://www.spamihilator.com/

 

MailWasher

http://www.mailwasher.net/

 

As I said, those are not your only options, but are reliable ones I have

seen function for hundreds+ people.

 

Tip (13):

ADVANCED TIP! Only do this once you are comfortable under the hood of your

computer!

 

There are lots of services on your PC that are probably turned on by default

you don't use. Why have them on? Check out these web pages to see what all

of the services you might find on your computer are and set them according

to your personal needs. Be CAREFUL what you set to manual, and take heed

and write down as you change things! Also, don't expect a large performance

increase or anything - especially on today's 2+ GHz machines, however - I

look at each service you set to manual as one less service you have to worry

about someone exploiting.

 

Service Configuration Tips

http://www.tweakhound.com/xp/xptweaks/supertweaks6.htm

 

Configuring Services

http://smallvoid.com/tweak/winnt/services.html

 

Task List Programs

http://www.answersthatwork.com/Tasklist_pages/tasklist.htm

 

Processes in Windows NT/2000/XP

http://www.reger24.de/prozesse/

 

There are also applications that AREN'T services that startup when you start

up the computer/logon. One of the better description on how to handle these

I have found here:

 

Startups

http://www.pacs-portal.co.uk/startup_content.php

 

 

If you follow the advice laid out above (and do some of your own research as

well, so you understand what you are doing) - your computer will stay fairly

stable and secure and you will have a more trouble-free system.

 

--

Shenan Stanley

MS-MVP

--

How To Ask Questions The Smart Way

http://www.catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html

[Guest Ken Blake, MVP]

Re: Help from the pros...

 

On Thu, 05 Jul 2007 14:55:03 -0000, rAgAv <ragav.payne@googlemail.com>

wrote:

 

> My PC is getting really slow, showing a lot of errors, and stuff in

> spite of being treated with registry mechanic several times.

 

 

Registry mechanic, and other programs like it, are far more likely to

*cause* problems than to solve them.

 

> I've

> erased the cache, cleaned viruses and spywares in safe mode,

 

 

What anti-virus and anti-spyware programs did you use? What did they

find that you cleaned with them?

 

> deleted

> the unwanted files from the PC.

 

 

What unwanted files?

 

> What do you think I should do? I think

> that I might have to reinstall XP. I have the CD with me...The problem

> is I don't know the exact algorithm to do it.... I've heard that it is

> kinda dangerous too if you mess up...Anyway, why do we always have to

> reinstall from the blue screen during boot up? Why can't we put the CD

> and press reinstall button in the autorun menu?

 

 

 

I hardly ever recommend reinstalling in this situation, except as a

last resort. One of the reasons is that reinstalling will fix the

problems, but you'll never find out what caused them. If the problems

were as a result of something you've been doing wrong (which is

likely), you will probably quickly repeat that behavior and find

yourself back where you started.

 

But if you want to do this, backup whatever you need, then just boot

from the Windows XP CD (change the BIOS boot order if necessary to

accomplish this) and follow the prompts for a clean installation

(delete the existing partition by pressing "D" when prompted, then

create a new one).

 

You can find detailed instructions here:

http://michaelstevenstech.com/cleanxpinstall.html

 

or here

http://xphelpandsupport.mvps.org/how_do_i_install_windows_xp.htm

 

or here http://windowsxp.mvps.org/XPClean.htm

 

or here http://www.webtree.ca/windowsxp/clean_install.htm

 

--

Ken Blake, Microsoft MVP Windows - Shell/User

Please Reply to the Newsgroup

[Guest Pegasus \(MVP\)]

Re: Help from the pros...

 

 

"rAgAv" <ragav.payne@googlemail.com> wrote in message

news:1183647303.675045.197200@e16g2000pri.googlegroups.com...

> Hi,

>

> My PC is getting really slow, showing a lot of errors, and stuff in

> spite of being treated with registry mechanic several times. I've

> erased the cache, cleaned viruses and spywares in safe mode, deleted

> the unwanted files from the PC. What do you think I should do? I think

> that I might have to reinstall XP. I have the CD with me...The problem

> is I don't know the exact algorithm to do it.... I've heard that it is

> kinda dangerous too if you mess up...Anyway, why do we always have to

> reinstall from the blue screen during boot up? Why can't we put the CD

> and press reinstall button in the autorun menu?

>

> As you can see, I'm pretty confused....Please tell me what I'm

> supposed to be doing to stop the deterioration of the performance...

>

> Regards...

>

> --

> rAgAv

>

 

You write "in spite of being treated with registry mechanic". Perhaps

this is the problem: If you're lucky then registry cleaners don't do

anything useful. If you're unlucky then they cripple your machine.

 

Here is a recipe for reloading WinXP:

1. Back up all your important files, including your EMail files.

2. Don't just assume that your backup worked - test it!

3. Set your BIOS so that your machine uses the CD drive as

its primary boot device.

4. Boot the machine with your WinXP CD.

5. Allow the hard disk to be formatted.

6. Install Windows.

7. Install your various applications.

8. Restore your data from backup.

[Guest Plato]

Re: Help from the pros...

 

rAgAv wrote:

>

> My PC is getting really slow, showing a lot of errors, and stuff in

> spite of being treated with registry mechanic several times. I've

> erased the cache, cleaned viruses and spywares in safe mode, deleted

 

Often, even after you removed spyware and virures, the damage they have

done may often still exist. Even you remove the nasties, the additional

files they install may not be viruses/malware, but be special versions

to allow the malware to work.

 

Best bet in the future is NOT to even download, much less, install, any

viruses or malware.

 

--

http://www.bootdisk.com/

[Guest rAgAv]

Re: Help from the pros...

 

> If the problems were as a result of something you've been >doing wrong (which is likely), you will probably quickly repeat

>that behavior and find yourself back where you started.

 

Okay, I think you're right. I might as well tell you what's wrong...

 

one of the most bizzare errors that I see is, when I'm working on the

PC, it restarts automatically!!!!

 

I don't know why. I have speedfan working in my PC and the

temperatures always read something like this

 

CPU - 36C

Ambient - 38C

Remote - 65C( I wonder what "Remote" means...)

HDD - 39C

Temp - 40C

 

I don't think that is too hot. I'm sure the problem is in the software

not the hardware because my UPS takes care of the power supply.

 

After it restarts, it says that the system has just recovered from a

serious error and thats just not it..It usually takes 2 mins to boot

up and get to the point were I can use the pointer in the desktop. its

that slow!

 

I collected the files that were in the error report that was supposed

to be sent to the MS server.

 

If the files will be of any use for figuring out what the problem can

be, then please download it from here -

http://mail.google.com/mail/?ik=1b4801817d&view=att&th=1139a34bc5891cf9&attid=0.4

 

Thanks.

[Guest Ken Blake, MVP]

Re: Help from the pros...

 

On Fri, 06 Jul 2007 06:30:07 -0000, rAgAv <ragav.payne@googlemail.com>

wrote:

> > If the problems were as a result of something you've been >doing wrong (which is likely), you will probably quickly repeat

> >that behavior and find yourself back where you started.

>

> Okay, I think you're right. I might as well tell you what's wrong...

>

> one of the most bizzare errors that I see is, when I'm working on the

> PC, it restarts automatically!!!!

 

 

 

It's not bizarre at all; it's actually a fairly common problem.

 

You are presumably blue-screening, and you are set to the (very poor)

default of rebooting whenever that happens. Right-click My Computer,

and choose Properties. On the Advanced tab, click Settings under

Startup and Recovery. Under System failure, uncheck the box

"Automatically restart.

 

Now when the problem occurs again, instead of restarting, you will get

the blue screen with diagnostic information. Post back with those

details for more help.

 

And by the way, this problem is more likely to be hardware-related

than software-related, so reinstalling would probably not help at all.

The usual culprits are overheating (probably not your issue, from what

you say below), flaky power supply, or bad RAM.

 

 

> I don't know why. I have speedfan working in my PC and the

> temperatures always read something like this

>

> CPU - 36C

> Ambient - 38C

> Remote - 65C( I wonder what "Remote" means...)

> HDD - 39C

> Temp - 40C

>

> I don't think that is too hot. I'm sure the problem is in the software

> not the hardware because my UPS takes care of the power supply.

>

> After it restarts, it says that the system has just recovered from a

> serious error and thats just not it..It usually takes 2 mins to boot

> up and get to the point were I can use the pointer in the desktop. its

> that slow!

>

> I collected the files that were in the error report that was supposed

> to be sent to the MS server.

>

> If the files will be of any use for figuring out what the problem can

> be, then please download it from here -

> http://mail.google.com/mail/?ik=1b4801817d&view=att&th=1139a34bc5891cf9&attid=0.4

>

> Thanks.

>

>

 

--

Ken Blake, Microsoft MVP Windows - Shell/User

Please Reply to the Newsgroup

[Guest rAgAv]

Re: Help from the pros...

 

On Jul 6, 8:14 pm, "Ken Blake, MVP" <kbl...@this.is.am.invalid.domain>

wrote:

> On Fri, 06 Jul 2007 06:30:07 -0000, rAgAv <ragav.pa...@googlemail.com>

> wrote:

>

> > > If the problems were as a result of something you've been >doing wrong (which is likely), you will probably quickly repeat

> > >that behavior and find yourself back where you started.

>

> > Okay, I think you're right. I might as well tell you what's wrong...

>

> > one of the most bizzare errors that I see is, when I'm working on the

> > PC, it restarts automatically!!!!

>

> It's not bizarre at all; it's actually a fairly common problem.

>

> You are presumably blue-screening, and you are set to the (very poor)

> default of rebooting whenever that happens. Right-click My Computer,

> and choose Properties. On the Advanced tab, click Settings under

> Startup and Recovery. Under System failure, uncheck the box

> "Automatically restart.

>

> Now when the problem occurs again, instead of restarting, you will get

> the blue screen with diagnostic information. Post back with those

> details for more help.

>

> And by the way, this problem is more likely to be hardware-related

> than software-related, so reinstalling would probably not help at all.

> The usual culprits are overheating (probably not your issue, from what

> you say below), flaky power supply, or bad RAM.

>

>

>

> > I don't know why. I have speedfan working in my PC and the

> > temperatures always read something like this

>

> > CPU - 36C

> > Ambient - 38C

> > Remote - 65C( I wonder what "Remote" means...)

> > HDD - 39C

> > Temp - 40C

>

> > I don't think that is too hot. I'm sure the problem is in the software

> > not the hardware because my UPS takes care of the power supply.

>

> > After it restarts, it says that the system has just recovered from a

> > serious error and thats just not it..It usually takes 2 mins to boot

> > up and get to the point were I can use the pointer in the desktop. its

> > that slow!

>

> > I collected the files that were in the error report that was supposed

> > to be sent to the MS server.

>

> > If the files will be of any use for figuring out what the problem can

> > be, then please download it from here -

> >http://mail.google.com/mail/?ik=1b4801817d&view=att&th=1139a34bc5891c...

>

> > Thanks.

>

> --

> Ken Blake, Microsoft MVP Windows - Shell/User

> Please Reply to the Newsgroup

 

Oh! Thank you ken Blake, I think its gotta be bad RAM or something

because that explains why my comp is getting slower....

 

Anyway, Now I've unchecked automatic restart and I'll anticipate the

blue screen and post back the error info....

 

Thank you again.

[Guest Ken Blake, MVP]

Re: Help from the pros...

 

On Fri, 06 Jul 2007 15:55:36 -0000, rAgAv <ragav.payne@googlemail.com>

wrote:

> On Jul 6, 8:14 pm, "Ken Blake, MVP" <kbl...@this.is.am.invalid.domain>

> wrote:

> > On Fri, 06 Jul 2007 06:30:07 -0000, rAgAv <ragav.pa...@googlemail.com>

> > wrote:

> >

> > > > If the problems were as a result of something you've been >doing wrong (which is likely), you will probably quickly repeat

> > > >that behavior and find yourself back where you started.

> >

> > > Okay, I think you're right. I might as well tell you what's wrong...

> >

> > > one of the most bizzare errors that I see is, when I'm working on the

> > > PC, it restarts automatically!!!!

> >

> > It's not bizarre at all; it's actually a fairly common problem.

> >

> > You are presumably blue-screening, and you are set to the (very poor)

> > default of rebooting whenever that happens. Right-click My Computer,

> > and choose Properties. On the Advanced tab, click Settings under

> > Startup and Recovery. Under System failure, uncheck the box

> > "Automatically restart.

 

> Oh! Thank you ken Blake, I think its gotta be bad RAM or something

> because that explains why my comp is getting slower....

 

 

You're welcome. Glad to help.

 

But no, bad RAM would *not* explain why your computer is getting

slower. RAM either works or it doesn't work. If it doesn't work, the

computer crashes. When it does work, it works at the correct speed.

 

--

Ken Blake, Microsoft MVP Windows - Shell/User

Please Reply to the Newsgroup

[Guest rAgAv]

Re: Help from the pros...

 

Okay, I got the Blue screen error message.....

 

 

**************************************************************************************************

 

A problem has been detected and windows has been shut down to prevent

damage to your comuter.

 

BAD_POOL_CALLER

 

If this is the first time you have seen this stop error screen,

restart your computer. If this screen appears again, follow these

steps:-

 

Check to make sure if new hardware or software is properly installed.

If this is a new installation, ask your hardware of software

manufacturer for any windows update you might need. If problems

continue, disable or remove any newly installed hardware or software.

Disable BIOS memory, options such as caching or shadowing.

 

If you need to use safe mode to disable or remove components, restart

your computer, press F8 to select advanced start up options and then

select safe mode. Technical information:-

 

*** STOP : 0*000000C2 (0*00000007,0*00000CD4,0*02060002,0*82F999B0)

 

Beginning dump of system memory. Physical memory dump complete.

Contact system administrator or technical support group for further

assistance.

 

***********************************************************************************************

 

Can this information help you figure out what the problem might be?

 

I hope it does help..

[Guest Shenan Stanley]

Re: Help from the pros...

 

rAgAv wrote:

> Okay, I got the Blue screen error message.....

>

> A problem has been detected and windows has been shut down to

> prevent damage to your comuter.

>

> BAD_POOL_CALLER

>

> If this is the first time you have seen this stop error screen,

> restart your computer. If this screen appears again, follow these

> steps:-

>

> Check to make sure if new hardware or software is properly

> installed. If this is a new installation, ask your hardware of

> software manufacturer for any windows update you might need. If

> problems continue, disable or remove any newly installed hardware

> or software. Disable BIOS memory, options such as caching or

> shadowing.

>

> If you need to use safe mode to disable or remove components,

> restart your computer, press F8 to select advanced start up options

> and then select safe mode. Technical information:-

>

> *** STOP : 0*000000C2 (0*00000007,0*00000CD4,0*02060002,0*82F999B0)

>

> Beginning dump of system memory. Physical memory dump complete.

> Contact system administrator or technical support group for further

> assistance.

>

> Can this information help you figure out what the problem might be?

 

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/314492/

 

Download and install Belarc Advisor onto the current Windows XP

machine. Use it to get a list of hardware from the

machine as well as the CD Key used to install it. Print it if you like.

http://www.belarc.com/

 

Using the list of hardware you obtained - visit the hardware

manufacturer(s) web page(s) and download the software drivers

for each of the components.

 

If it is a "vendor" computer (Dell, HP, IBM, Gateway, etc..) - simply

visit the vendor's page and go to the support/downloads for the

particular model and download all hardware drivers.

 

If it is a piece-meal computer, take the Belarc list and visit each

manufacturer's web page.

 

Now - update your drivers one at a time - following each install by a

reboot.

- Motherboard Chipset

- Video Card

- Network Card

- Sound Card

 

--

Shenan Stanley

MS-MVP

--

How To Ask Questions The Smart Way

http://www.catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html