Stop Flash Player Install popup

[Guest gdusseau]

The popup asking if I want to install Flash Player is annoying.

How do I prevent it from appearing?

 

I never will install Flash Player--I don't need to see dancing babies!

Is this an XP or Internet Explorer issue?

 

XP SP1

IE 6.x

[Guest Shenan Stanley]

Re: Stop Flash Player Install popup

 

gdusseau wrote:

> The popup asking if I want to install Flash Player is annoying.

> How do I prevent it from appearing?

>

> I never will install Flash Player--I don't need to see dancing

> babies! Is this an XP or Internet Explorer issue?

>

> XP SP1

> IE 6.x

 

It's a 'web page you are visiting' issue.

 

The Internet is FULL of flash laden pages. If flash appears and the makers

of said page have a clue - they make it ask you if you wish to download

flash so you can fully experience their page. (Flash does not mean you will

see dancing babies. I think you are thinking of movies and perhaps -

shockwave.)

 

BTW - why are you still SP1?

 

SP3 will be released shortly, SP2 was released 3+ years ago - is there some

hardware or software issue keeping you from having a currenty version of the

OS you have chosen to run or is this some personal choice?

 

--

Shenan Stanley

MS-MVP

--

How To Ask Questions The Smart Way

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

[Guest Onsokumaru]

Re: Stop Flash Player Install popup

 

 

"gdusseau" <gdusseau@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message

news:1ED6BC16-61CB-4935-B9B8-A27A026E6BB9@microsoft.com...

> The popup asking if I want to install Flash Player is annoying.

> How do I prevent it from appearing?

>

> I never will install Flash Player--I don't need to see dancing babies!

> Is this an XP or Internet Explorer issue?

>

> XP SP1

> IE 6.x

 

A lot of sites use flash for menus and navigation, so you often do need it.

 

About the only advice I could offer would be to download Firefox and install

the Flashblock extention.

 

This way all of the flash files are automatically blocked, and when you do

find one where you need to run to navigate a page, you just click on a

symbol on the website and only that flash file will run.

 

Firefox also has a built in picture blocker, so you can block all images

from certain servers, ad servers for example.

 

Makes browsing much more enjoyable ;-)

[Guest gdusseau]

Re: Stop Flash Player Install popup

 

still sp1 because i do ***NOT*** want IE7.

 

If I could install SP2 ***without*** IE7 I would do it = "personal choice."

 

Thank you, Shenan Stanley MS-MVP

 

 

 

"Shenan Stanley" wrote:

> gdusseau wrote:

> > The popup asking if I want to install Flash Player is annoying.

> > How do I prevent it from appearing?

> >

> > I never will install Flash Player--I don't need to see dancing

> > babies! Is this an XP or Internet Explorer issue?

> >

> > XP SP1

> > IE 6.x

>

> It's a 'web page you are visiting' issue.

>

> The Internet is FULL of flash laden pages. If flash appears and the makers

> of said page have a clue - they make it ask you if you wish to download

> flash so you can fully experience their page. (Flash does not mean you will

> see dancing babies. I think you are thinking of movies and perhaps -

> shockwave.)

>

> BTW - why are you still SP1?

>

> SP3 will be released shortly, SP2 was released 3+ years ago - is there some

> hardware or software issue keeping you from having a currenty version of the

> OS you have chosen to run or is this some personal choice?

>

> --

> Shenan Stanley

> MS-MVP

> --

> How To Ask Questions The Smart Way

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

>

>

>

[Guest gdusseau]

Re: Stop Flash Player Install popup

 

Thank you, Onsokumaru-san.

I will try Firefox again.

gdusseau

 

"Onsokumaru" wrote:

>

> "gdusseau" <gdusseau@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message

> news:1ED6BC16-61CB-4935-B9B8-A27A026E6BB9@microsoft.com...

> > The popup asking if I want to install Flash Player is annoying.

> > How do I prevent it from appearing?

> >

> > I never will install Flash Player--I don't need to see dancing babies!

> > Is this an XP or Internet Explorer issue?

> >

> > XP SP1

> > IE 6.x

>

> A lot of sites use flash for menus and navigation, so you often do need it.

>

> About the only advice I could offer would be to download Firefox and install

> the Flashblock extention.

>

> This way all of the flash files are automatically blocked, and when you do

> find one where you need to run to navigate a page, you just click on a

> symbol on the website and only that flash file will run.

>

> Firefox also has a built in picture blocker, so you can block all images

> from certain servers, ad servers for example.

>

> Makes browsing much more enjoyable ;-)

>

>

>

[Guest Shenan Stanley]

Re: Stop Flash Player Install popup

 

gdusseau wrote:

> The popup asking if I want to install Flash Player is annoying.

> How do I prevent it from appearing?

>

> I never will install Flash Player--I don't need to see dancing

> babies! Is this an XP or Internet Explorer issue?

 

Shenan Stanley wrote:

> It's a 'web page you are visiting' issue.

>

> The Internet is FULL of flash laden pages. If flash appears and

> the makers of said page have a clue - they make it ask you if you

> wish to download flash so you can fully experience their page.

> (Flash does not mean you will see dancing babies. I think you are

> thinking of movies and perhaps - shockwave.)

>

> BTW - why are you still SP1?

>

> SP3 will be released shortly, SP2 was released 3+ years ago - is

> there some hardware or software issue keeping you from having a

> currenty version of the OS you have chosen to run or is this some

> personal choice?

 

gdusseau wrote:

> still sp1 because i do ***NOT*** want IE7.

>

> If I could install SP2 ***without*** IE7 I would do it = "personal

> choice."

>

> Thank you, Shenan Stanley MS-MVP

 

What deluded individual said that installing SP2 required you to install

Internet Explorer 7.0?

 

Never has - never will (SP2 for Windows XP can be installed quite happily

without ever installing Internet Explorer 7.0... In fact - the very idea

that you would have come up with that connection is ludicrous. Internet

Explorer was released 2+ Years after SP2 - there is no relationship other

than you *need* SP2 in order to install Internet Explorer 7.0 - not the

other way around.)

 

Your "personal choice" is based off misinformation and falsehood.

 

So - what I just said was: "You can install Windows XP SP2 without ever

installing IE7... Before or after."

 

Will you now be installing Windows XP SP2?

 

--

Shenan Stanley

MS-MVP

--

How To Ask Questions The Smart Way

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

[Guest gdusseau]

Re: Stop Flash Player Install popup

 

Mr. Stanley,

You stated, "In fact - the very idea that you would have come up with that

connection is ludicrous." I am so pleased that you have identified me as

being "lucicrous." I have not met a finer example of a gentleman than you,

sir.

 

The following sentence is one of several that have caused my concern for

installing XP-SP2, "Enterprises may, however, block the automatic downloads

of IE 7 until corporate IT staff has evaluated the new version." This

statement refers to the course of events that occur after installing xp-sp2.

Am I still "ludicrous" Mr. Stanley?

 

There are several other urls that cite additional challenges associated with

IE7--I choose to not be required to deal with them.

 

I am tempted to indicate that your replies were "Not Helpful," but I will

give you the benefit of the doubt and select nothing--perhaps you had a bad

day, or you were drunk.

 

Unless I find articles that specifically state that IE7 is not automatically

installed after or during xp-sp2 install, then I will not install xp-sp2.

 

My Firefox download has completed...please excuse me while I install a

superior browser.

 

R/S, gdusseau

 

 

 

"Shenan Stanley" wrote:

> gdusseau wrote:

> > The popup asking if I want to install Flash Player is annoying.

> > How do I prevent it from appearing?

> >

> > I never will install Flash Player--I don't need to see dancing

> > babies! Is this an XP or Internet Explorer issue?

>

> Shenan Stanley wrote:

> > It's a 'web page you are visiting' issue.

> >

> > The Internet is FULL of flash laden pages. If flash appears and

> > the makers of said page have a clue - they make it ask you if you

> > wish to download flash so you can fully experience their page.

> > (Flash does not mean you will see dancing babies. I think you are

> > thinking of movies and perhaps - shockwave.)

> >

> > BTW - why are you still SP1?

> >

> > SP3 will be released shortly, SP2 was released 3+ years ago - is

> > there some hardware or software issue keeping you from having a

> > currenty version of the OS you have chosen to run or is this some

> > personal choice?

>

> gdusseau wrote:

> > still sp1 because i do ***NOT*** want IE7.

> >

> > If I could install SP2 ***without*** IE7 I would do it = "personal

> > choice."

> >

> > Thank you, Shenan Stanley MS-MVP

>

> What deluded individual said that installing SP2 required you to install

> Internet Explorer 7.0?

>

> Never has - never will (SP2 for Windows XP can be installed quite happily

> without ever installing Internet Explorer 7.0... In fact - the very idea

> that you would have come up with that connection is ludicrous. Internet

> Explorer was released 2+ Years after SP2 - there is no relationship other

> than you *need* SP2 in order to install Internet Explorer 7.0 - not the

> other way around.)

>

> Your "personal choice" is based off misinformation and falsehood.

>

> So - what I just said was: "You can install Windows XP SP2 without ever

> installing IE7... Before or after."

>

> Will you now be installing Windows XP SP2?

>

> --

> Shenan Stanley

> MS-MVP

> --

> How To Ask Questions The Smart Way

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

>

>

>

[Guest Alias]

Re: Stop Flash Player Install popup

 

gdusseau wrote:

> Mr. Stanley,

> You stated, "In fact - the very idea that you would have come up with that

> connection is ludicrous." I am so pleased that you have identified me as

> being "lucicrous." I have not met a finer example of a gentleman than you,

> sir.

>

> The following sentence is one of several that have caused my concern for

> installing XP-SP2, "Enterprises may, however, block the automatic downloads

> of IE 7 until corporate IT staff has evaluated the new version." This

> statement refers to the course of events that occur after installing xp-sp2.

> Am I still "ludicrous" Mr. Stanley?

>

> There are several other urls that cite additional challenges associated with

> IE7--I choose to not be required to deal with them.

>

> I am tempted to indicate that your replies were "Not Helpful," but I will

> give you the benefit of the doubt and select nothing--perhaps you had a bad

> day, or you were drunk.

>

> Unless I find articles that specifically state that IE7 is not automatically

> installed after or during xp-sp2 install, then I will not install xp-sp2.

>

> My Firefox download has completed...please excuse me while I install a

> superior browser.

 

I have three computers running XP with SP2 and NONE of them have IE7

installed. Two of them I installed with an XP media that included SP2.

If want to do automatic updates, set it to notify but not download or

install and when it notifies you, choose custom and untick IE7 and tell

it to never offer it to you again, same for WGA.

 

I agree completely that Firefox is superior to Internet Exploder, 6 or 7.

 

Alias

[Guest Shenan Stanley]

Re: Stop Flash Player Install popup

 

<snipped>

Entire Thread:

http://groups.google.com/group/microsoft.public.windowsxp.general/browse_frm/thread/3efe3ed93d340adf/1aa673a86b48d872#1aa673a86b48d872

 

 

 

gdusseau wrote:

> You stated, "In fact - the very idea that you would have come up

> with that connection is ludicrous." I am so pleased that you have

> identified me as being "lucicrous." I have not met a finer example

> of a gentleman than you, sir.

 

Comprehend.

"The very idea that you would have come up with that connection is

ludicrous."

 

You are not ludicrous - the facts that you utilized to come to your

conclusion is ludicrous. I called the ideas leading up to your incorrect

conclusion ludicrous.

 

If you wish to interpret it any other way - I cannot control that. Many

people read what they want into words - it is known as interpretation. You

took mine as calling you ludicrous - and that is incorrect. If I wanted to

call you something - I would do it. I have no need to mince words - I do

not know you and likely will never come across you personally - what would

keep me from directly attacking you as opposed to what I actrually did -

attack the incorrect mis-information you had concluded to be fact?

> The following sentence is one of several that have caused my

> concern for installing XP-SP2, "Enterprises may, however, block the

> automatic downloads of IE 7 until corporate IT staff has evaluated

> the new version." This statement refers to the course of events

> that occur after installing xp-sp2. Am I still "ludicrous" Mr.

> Stanley?

 

Again - I never called you ludicrous - I called the idea ludicrous. See

above. Again - I can do nothing about your decision to make whatever

interpretation of my words you want... But jumping to conclusions *is*

jumping past certain things and assuming quite a bit.

 

There is no connection with installing SP2 and *having to install* IE7 -

ever. I have a hand in managing many computers - 75% of them are running

Windows XP SP2 and do not have Internet Explorer 7.0 installed on them nor

have they ever been fixed in such a way that it will not be offered to them.

 

My personal machine - the one I am on right now - has Internet Explorer 6.0

installed. I choose not to install the optional update "Internet Explorer

7.0" on it for testing purposes. I know many home users that still have

Internet Explorer 6.0 and I do test web page designs on occassion.

> There are several other urls that cite additional challenges

> associated with IE7--I choose to not be required to deal with them.

 

So don't. In order not to install IE7 on a computer - you merely have to

choose not to install IE7 on a computer. That's it. That's your effort.

SP2 and IE7's only connection is that in order to install IE7, you must have

SP2 for Windows XP installed. I cannot state it in a simpler manner.

> I am tempted to indicate that your replies were "Not Helpful," but

> I will give you the benefit of the doubt and select

> nothing--perhaps you had a bad day, or you were drunk.

 

Neither. Perhaps your interpretation was one of being personally attacked.

Perhaps you do not like when someone points out you may be wrong in your

interpretation (which may lead to more misinterpretation of words and could

make you respond to evben this response in a caustic manner.) Whatever it

was - I have stated the facts:

 

- Service Pack 2 for Windows XP does not include Internet Explorer 7.0.

- Installing Service Pack 2 for Windows XP does not mean you *ever* have to

install Internet Explorer 7.0.

> Unless I find articles that specifically state that IE7 is not

> automatically installed after or during xp-sp2 install, then I will

> not install xp-sp2.

 

What is included in Service Pack 2:

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/811113

 

No mention of Internet Explorer 7.0 - because it did not exist for over 2

years after SP2 was released. It does not include it nor do you have to

install IE7 - ever. No matter how you choose to update your Windows XP OS

(automatic updates (fully automatic or partially), via the

WindowsUpdate.microsoft.com websitte or manually) - you can always choose

*not* to install Internet Explorer 7.0.

 

You may remain stubborn if you like. I am only stating the truth. As with

you accusing me of calling you ludicrous (and not what I actually did -

calling the idea that lead to your conclusion ludicrous) - believing that

you will have to put forth some exceedingly tiring effort in order to not

install IE7 is incorrect.

> My Firefox download has completed...please excuse me while I

> install a superior browser.

 

I recommend Firefox very much. In fact - it is the best and the only other

browser I use daily. I use it more than I use Internet Explorer (6.0 on my

main machine, 7.0 on my secondary PC - both patches with SP2 since it came

out in 2004) in all cases.

 

It's one of the tips I give to people trying to secure their machine. As

you will see - as I am posting those tips here.

 

Otherwise - I wish you luck. If you have come to the incorrect conclusion

that someone is forcing you to install Internet Explorer 7 with Service Pack

2 (especially given the fact that SP2 was released 2 years before IE7 was) -

that is your OWN conclusion and I still state the ideas that lead you to

that conclusion are - in fact - ludicrous and incorrect. If you believe

that I am calling *you* ludicrous - perhaps you should get someone else to

read what I have written to you and interpret it.

 

I apologize for any misunderstanding your interpretation of my writings may

have lead to. You are not ludicrous - however the ideas that lead you to

the incorrect conclusion about SP2 are.

 

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/protect/

 

Outfitting an XP computer for the Net

http://www.microsoft.com/protect/computer/advanced/xppc.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 pass

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 - since many things can be setup

to automatically protect you.

 

Let's take the cleanup/securing 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.

 

Now is a great 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 (for the most part):

 

Tip (1):

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

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

Collect these CD/DVDs 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 Free

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

 

BWGBurn

http://sourceforge.net/projects/bwgburn

 

BurnAware FREE Edition

http://www.glorylogic.com/

 

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 256MB..

 

- 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 256MB.

- 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

(1.8GHz or less and less than 512MB RAM) 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 Thanksgiving in 2007!'

I could come up with this password from that:

'Gr8Thanksgiving2007!'

 

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/protect/computer/firewall/choosing.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:

 

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

 

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

 

Don't want to remove ALL the system restore points? Don't. Simply

utilize "Disk Cleanup" (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/310312) to

remove all but the last system restore point.

 

Also - I suggest changing how much space System Restore can utilize.

When it was first released, Windows XP didn't have to deal with hard

disk drives of quite the bulk of today's drives. So, it may be a bit

ambitious in setting the System Restore sizing. I personally suggest

you set it to approximately 1GB, total.

 

See "Disk Space for System Restore" on how to change this:

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/helpandsupport/getstarted/ballew_03may19.mspx

 

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/

 

BootIt 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 'Downloads' for more - note that Microsoft Update does

handle MS Office products too.)

 

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/

 

eset NOD32 (~$39.00 and up)

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

 

Kaspersky Anti-Virus (~$39.95 and up)

http://www.kaspersky.com/kaspersky_anti-virus

 

McAfee VirusScan (~$39.99 and up)

http://www.mcafee.com/

 

Panda Antivirus (~$39.95 and up)

http://www.pandasecurity.com/homeusers/solutions/antivirus/

(Free Online Scanner:

http://www.pandasecurity.com/homeusers/solutions/activescan/)

 

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

http://snipurl.com/13e12

 

 

 

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 several 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!)

 

SuperAntiSpyware (Free and up)

http://www.superantispyware.com/

 

Lavasoft Ad-Aware 2007 Free (Free and up)

http://www.lavasoft.de/products/ad_aware_free.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 )

 

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 )

 

Ccleaner (Free!)

http://www.ccleaner.com/

(I suggest the 'slim' version: http://www.ccleaner.com/download/builds )

 

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/

 

This does not replace the need for the above applications and an

occassional scan of your system - but it does help somewhat.

 

Also - Internet Explorer 7.x is much better with the security than

6.x was. If you have not gone to Internet Explorer 7.0 and you are having

trouble with spyware/adware - consider going now. Cleanup with the

tools above *first* however.

 

 

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! 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/

 

Another option - utilze some service that already does a FINE JOB on

eliminating the spam from your mailbox (plus a number of other benefits.)

 

Google Mail (gmail):

http://www.gmail.com/

(Set it up for your email client of choice - using POP:

http://mail.google.com/support/bin/answer.py?answer=13273 )

 

Windows Live Hotmail (formerly just "Hotmail"):

http://get.live.com/mail/options

 

There are many others. Email from anywhere with a computer, lots of

space for your emails/attachments, free services and if you change ISPs -

your email doesn't change!

 

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

seen function for hundreds+ people. Feel free to search for your own

solutions!

 

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 goodmogo@gmail.com]

Re: Stop Flash Player Install popup

 

On Feb 6, 9:54 am, gdusseau <gduss...@discussions.microsoft.com>

wrote:

> The popup asking if I want to install Flash Player is annoying.

> How do I prevent it from appearing?

>

> I never will install Flash Player--I don't need to see dancing babies!

> Is this an XP or Internet Explorer issue?

>

> XP SP1

> IE 6.x

 

In defense of all registered dancing babies, we take offense to your

discrimination, sir!!

 

Good day!

[Guest LEE]

Re: Stop Flash Player Install popup

 

goodmogo@gmail.com wrote:

> On Feb 6, 9:54 am, gdusseau <gduss...@discussions.microsoft.com>

> wrote:

>> The popup asking if I want to install Flash Player is annoying.

>> How do I prevent it from appearing?

>>

>> I never will install Flash Player--I don't need to see dancing babies!

>> Is this an XP or Internet Explorer issue?

>>

>> XP SP1

>> IE 6.x

>

> In defense of all registered dancing babies, we take offense to your

> discrimination, sir!!

>

> Good day!

 

Install FLASH then also install the Flashblock PLUGIN. Then if you ever

want to see a particular FLASH - just click on it.

[Guest jason.mangiafico@verizon.net]

Re: Stop Flash Player Install popup

 

quoting:

> The popup asking if I want to installFlashPlayer is annoying.

> How do I prevent it from appearing?

>

> I never will installFlashPlayer--I don't need to see dancing babies!

> Is this an XP or Internet Explorer issue?

>

> XP SP1

> IE 6.x

 

 

In the past I've used a reg patch to set a compatibility option in the

flash clsid thus supressing the [yes] [no] boxes to install flash.

I have also tried putting the macromedia/adobe download site into my

hosts file so that the cab file download is blocked and thus supresses

the [yes] [no] box. But right now I discovered that IE just looks at

the version number written in the flash ocx file, so I altered the

version number in my flash ocx file to read version 99. So now IE

sees I already I have a late version of flash, and never ever prompts

me again to download and install and just runs the flash content

anyway. I just got sick and tired of being forced to upgrade every

3-6 months every time a new flash version comes out. Problem solved

now.