ComputerHelp!: 2010

Fix for "ytimg" browser hang

Got a tip, thought I'd share it here. Add the following to your HOSTS file:

#fix for ytimg.exe browser hang problem

74.125.162.39 static.cache.l.google.com s.ytimg.com

Then from a command prompt, run:

ipconfig /flushdns

Crass commercialism

Get 5% on Acronis True Image Home 2011 and Plus Pack add-on with 5OFFATIH2011 coupon code

Man loses $20 million after taking laptop for repair | ITworld

We promise to never do anything even remotely similar to this!

Man loses $20 million after taking laptop for repair | ITworld.

Well, it's happened again, luckily for only the second time in my career. A customer called me to their house, only to not be home or pretend to not be home when I got there.

People, if you change your mind, just call and cancel! There is no cancellation fee! In this case, I had called her about an hour prior to the scheduled time to ask a question. She could have cancelled then!

Oh well. Not a big deal. Just weird. At least customers are still calling! :)

Possibly useful sites

For those old gadgets you'd just as soon get rid of:

http://www.gazelle.com

And for a quick online scan against malware:

http://www.emsisoft.com/en/kb/articles/news101004/

And here's another one, an online spellcheck of your website. It's useful for those areas of the website where there's text but no spellcheck functionality on the back-end:

http://orangoo.com/spellcheck/

Open dialog default sort order

Mine got messed up somehow, and it drove me nuts until I found this:

http://www.jevon.org/wiki/Changing_Open_Dialog_Default_Sort_Order_in_Windows

UPDATE: "Only" problem is ... the above didn't work! :) Not for browsing folders through My Computer or whatever, anyway.

The way you fix THAT is to set the view the way you want in the folder you're in, click Tools, Folder Options, View and click Apply to All Folders.

Ransomware

Beware of this scam. Don't bother trying to get them to help you unlock your pc:
http://rt.com/Sci_Tech/2010-08-31/hackers-gang-russian-bust.html. The fix is to download, UPDATE, and run Malwarebytes.

How to convert an MP3 to a ringtone

Now that I have finally joined the 21st century and gotten a Blackberry (free through Radio Shack and Sprint), I'll probably start posting tips like the following:

How to convert an MP3 to a ringtone

Watching the watchers

Keep an eye on who's keeping an eye on you, here:

http://www.ghostery.com/

Free remote control software

This looks really good:

http://www.teamviewer.com/index.aspx

Of course, I've already been using the one from Zoho, too, here:

http://meeting.zoho.com/agent/ZohoMeetingSetup.exe

A new search engine

Cuil.com (pronounced "cool"). And here's a good reason to use it (or StartPage) instead of Google: http://newstrust.net/stories/2685319/toolbar?ref=hp

Private surfing

by Don

I've mentioned startpage before, but I found out that if you go to https://startpage.com/ (note the s after http, which means it's a secure connection, like they use for credit card transactions) it hides your searches even from your internet service provider (ISP). And of course if you install the proxy toolbar, with every search you can click on Proxy with every search to have it bring up the page so that even the page you're looking at can't log your IP address.

Free online storage

This could come in VERY handy! I very reluctantly plug anything Microsoft does, but this is a great service. It's called SkyDrive. Free 25 gigabytes worth of storage. The only thing required is that you create an account. You don't even have to create a Hotmail or MSN account. I used my gmail account. It's not the same or as good as online backup, but, hey, 25 gig! And if this is all you have as a backup, you'll thank me if/when your hard drive crashes. The only question is, do you trust Microsoft with your personal documents?

Here's the link: http://windowslive.com/online/skydrive

Your outgoing mail server

Hopefully yours is listed here, anyway. :)

http://www.amailsender.com/support/smtpserver/

Video download sites

A couple of useful sites here for downloading videos for later viewing. I know I often want to watch a video later, not right then and there. Anyway, here are a couple of links:

http://www.splandoo.com/

http://www.videosnag.com/

There are probably a hundred others. :)

In a similar vein, here are a couple of online graphics editing sites:

http://friendsnews.com/wordpress/online-editing-sites

Software updater

CNET has created a fantastic new service called Tech Tracker that I wish I'd come up with. It tracks and keeps up to date all of the software on your computer! Mac or Windows! The only catch is that you have to create an account on their site and give them your email address. Hopefully it's worth it. Here's the link:

http://www.cnet.com/techtracker

One thing it got wrong, I just noticed, was that it thought I had Office 2007 installed. It must have found remnants of a trial installation that has long ago expired. Anyway, otherwise it looks very useful.

UPDATE: It doesn't really keep anything up to date, it simply tells you what's out of date, leaving you to do the update yourself. At least they give you the link.

Gmail's unsubscribe feature

I hate to promote Google since they already rule the online world, but they do some things very well, e.g., their "unsubscribe" feature in Gmail. In a message, click on Show Details and you should see the option to "Unsubscribe from this sender."

The advantage of this is that it will be Gmail's servers talking to the spammer, not your PC, thereby removing the possibility of your being infected from merely visiting the spammer's "unsubscribe" page.

Converting IP v4 to IP v6

This should be useful now that the world is converting to IP v6:

http://emailtalk.org/IPV4ToIPV6.aspx

Hack attack?

QUESTION: There was a couple parked on the curb on Wed from 8am to 12pm on Wed. The girl was like a look-out, it seemed. When I was going to work she gave me a suspicious look, so I drove around in a circle and drove by them getting their license plate. When I came back at around noon, they were still there but the girl looked at me then they quickly left, after having been there for 4 hours. Can you tell from this router log whether they got into the router? There's a lease renewal from a mac address I don't recognize. I only have wep encryption. My own computers were off-line for the time of this log.

ANSWER: Yeah, that lease renewal means that they DID successfully use your router, unless it was a wired computer of yours that you've forgotten about. With wireless, even if they can see your wireless SSID, it won’t give (“lease”) them an address until they authenticate. Hopefully, if they did piggyback off your wireless, they only used it to access the Internet and not your personal network. Of course, from there, they could have downloaded illegal movies or music and get YOU into trouble with the RIAA.

Try WPA or WPA2 encryption, make sure that works for you first, then tell the router (somewhere) to stop broadcasting its SSID. It will still work for you, it'll just be invisible to your neighbors and those driving by. Also, make sure your own PCs' WORKGROUP is something other than the default WORKGROUP or MSHOME.

CDs/DVDs not what they're cracked up to be

Probably ought to save things to other computers and/or external hard drives and/or sign up for an online storage account.

Here's the article: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/click_online/8711747.stm

CDs/DVDs not what they're cracked up to be

Used computer parts

Cables, computers, printers, drives, etc. Go to: http://nashvillecomputerhelp.com/shop, or call Bill at (615) 479-4981.

Check out this site for tips and tricks.

Used computer parts

Cables, computers, printers, drives, etc. Go to: http://nashvillecomputerhelp.com/shop, or call Bill at (615) 479-4981.

Pre-paid smartphones

I just thought this was interesting/cool:

http://news.cnet.com/8301-30686_3-20005349-266.html?tag=newsLeadStoriesArea.1

Pre-paid smartphones

I just thought this was interesting/cool:

http://news.cnet.com/8301-30686_3-20005349-266.html?tag=newsLeadStoriesArea.1

Don't visit these sites (unprotected, anyway)

Just visited these sites, and my antivirus popped-up saying it had blocked a Trojan Horse coming from there (or one of their links):

http://thefrist.org
http://fixit.in

I'll add to this list whenever it happens again.

Don't visit these sites (unprotected, anyway)

Just visited these sites, and my antivirus popped-up saying it had blocked a Trojan Horse coming from there (or one of their links):

http://thefrist.org

http://fixit.in

I'll add to this list whenever it happens again.

Recovering from a crashed computer

Several things to try, depending on what the computer allows and how far it gets you:
--------------------------

Boot the computer with the original Windows installation CD and do a "Repair" or "Reinstall."
- Do an online search for more detailed instructions. Here's an excellent one: http://pcsupport.about.com/od/operatingsystems/ss/instxprepair1.htm

Buy Acronis True Image which will create a hidden backup partition that is easily restored if Windows is bad but the drive itself is OK.

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

Boot from a bootable Linux CD. Several here (I've used all of these successfully):
http://puppylinux.com/download/
http://www.pclinuxos.com/
http://www.ubuntulinux.org/
http://slax.linux-live.org/
http://www.knopper.net/knoppix/
- Do an online search for more detailed instructions.
- Try to find one that includes an antivirus program. You might be able to kill any viruses on the Windows hard drive (through Linux) without attaching an external drive or taking the internal hard drive out.

External hard drive gone bad

PROBLEM:
   I haven't totally written it off as dead, but my back-up external drive that holds 500gigs won't power on now. I made a back-up of all the data maybe a month ago, but there are some things I must have missed. In case I can't power it on, is there a way to read it if I take it apart, or something? The brand is probably Western Digital, since it has WD on it.
  -- Doug

SOLUTION:
   If it's worth the expense, you might send it to http://www.gillware.com/, a company I've used successfully in the past.
   I don't know what those WD drives look like on the inside, but you might be able to use something that I use. It's a USB2.0 to IDE & SATA cable by Cables Unlimited. I just depends what sort of connections that drive has available once you pry the cover off.
   If/when you recover your most precious files, try this: Online backup system called Nordic Backup.

Website visibility tool

Thanks to GoDaddy phone support, I discovered this very useful site: megaproxy.com. One of my domain names was not resolving correctly from home. I went to the website above and checked it, and everything was resolving correctly from there. I had tested it from home with four different browsers, so cookies and cache were not the problem. This told me that the problem was with my service provider (ISP) not updating THEIR cache recently enough.

External hard drive gone bad

PROBLEM:
I haven't totally written it off as dead, but my back-up external drive that holds 500gigs won't power on now. I made a back-up of all the data maybe a month ago, but there are some things I must have missed. In case I can't power it on, is there a way to read it if I take it apart, or something? The brand is probably Western Digital, since it has WD on it.
-- Doug

SOLUTION:
If it's worth the expense, you might send it to http://www.gillware.com/, a company I've used successfully in the past.
I don't know what those WD drives look like on the inside, but you might be able to use something that I use. It's a USB2.0 to IDE & SATA cable by Cables Unlimited. I just depends what sort of connections that drive has available once you pry the cover off.
If/when you recover your most precious files, try this: Online backup system called Nordic Backup.

Website visibility tool

Removing Windows Desktop Search

Well, I thought I liked this version 4 better than version 3. I hated version 3. But, it turns out, version 4 is no better. It starts and finds things quicker (for me, anyway), but it ruins the computer’s performance the rest of the time!

Remove it from your Startup group (Start, All Programs, Startup)
Then run this from a Command prompt:

regsvr32 /u "%programfiles%\Windows Desktop Search\wdsShell.dll"

Removing Windows Desktop Search

Remove it from your Startup group (Start, All Programs, Startup)
Then run this from a Command prompt:

regsvr32 /u "%programfiles%Windows Desktop SearchwdsShell.dll"

Install multiple apps at once without toolbars or clicking Next

Fantastic online app here. It does what I've done before (not a working copy), but they do it better. I'm not jealous. I'm not a programmer, really, I'm an "implementer/integrator." Yeah, that's it. :) Oh yeah, here's the link: http://ninite.com/

Good search

Use them as your search engine, and they give to charity:

http://www.goodsearch.com/

Install multiple apps at once without toolbars or clicking Next

Good search

Use them as your search engine, and they give to charity:

http://www.goodsearch.com/

Google: Fake antivirus makes up 15 percent of all malware | Tech News on ZDNet

Microsoft Office 2010 Beta free download

FYI, you can download it free (for now, anyway):

http://www.microsoft.com/office/2010/en/default.aspx

Or click the link/picture below for a free upgrade 2010 if you buy 2007:

Buy Office 2007 Today, Get 2010 FREE at OfficeMax.com

Cool feature just discovered on Google Translate

I received an error in some foreign language I didn't even recognize, let alone understand, on the computer. I went to http://translate.google.com and typed in one of the words from the error and chose "Detect language" in the "Translate from.." box. It told me that the word was Danish.
Look here: http://translate.google.com/#sv|en|bogstaver.
Amazing! I thought so, anyway. :)

Online backup

I'm trying out this online backup system called Nordic Backup. So far, so good. Click here to try it yourself free for 30 days.

Cool feature just discovered on Google Translate

Online backup

I'm trying out this online backup system called Nordic Backup. So far, so good. Click here to try it yourself free for 30 days.

Recent problems and their solutions

PROBLEM (several customers):
PC runs way too slowly.
SOLUTION:
Set to Manual or Disabled unnecessary background services; cleaned up unnecessary temp files; uninstalled unnecessary programs; installed and ran MalwareBytes; and, most importantly, added more RAM.

PROBLEM (several customers):
Infected with fake "Windows Security" virus/malware alert.
SOLUTION:
From another computer, download the latest copy of MalwareBytes; boot infected computer in Safe Mode; End Task on any suspicious tasks; install MalwareBytes and run a scan.

PROBLEM:
One PC in the office can't print to the network printer, even though it can access the Internet.
SOLUTION:
That PC was on the wrong network. Connected it to the proper network, and everything was fine.

PROBLEM:
Nobody can print to the network printer. The printer itself is working fine otherwise and connected to the network correctly.
SOLUTION:
The printer's IP address had changed. Set the printer's address to be "static," updated the PCs' settings for that printer definition, and everyone was printing again.

Acronis True Image Home+Plus Pack+90-days AIS 120x240 banner

PROBLEM:
MBR Rootkit infection on HP netbook with no CD/DVD drive.
SOLUTION:
"Restore" to factory settings didn't help because that was infected, too. Had to download and create a new bootable restoration USB stick.

PROBLEM:
After setting an old domain's email address to auto-forward to the new domain's email address, the client could no longer send or receive email from Outlook. They were told how to reconfigure Outlook's settings, but they never did.
SOLUTION:
Reconfigured Outlook's email user/password settings, and email was flowing again.

PROBLEM:
After a power outage, the PC can no longer access the Internet, even though the Vonage system (which uses the Internet connection) is fine.
SOLUTION:
Reset the router, and they were online and receiving email again.

PROBLEM:
After customer "foolishly" sent PC to another, competing PC repair shop to "wipe" the hard drive and reinstall Windows, the PC's fan is now blowing constantly and loudly. Also, an error at every startup mentions a problem with the floppy drive.
SOLUTION:
Reset the BIOS/Setup to factory specs and told the stupid computer that it didn't HAVE a floppy drive, so stop looking for one. :)

PROBLEM:
Infected with virus that Norton detects but never kills, even after being fully updated.
SOLUTION:
Uninstall Norton; install, update and run scans with free versions of AVG and MalwareBytes. Even after all that, the main user's profile was messed up (icons wouldn't work, etc., but all other users were fine). Created new profile for main user and copied only necessary files from old profile. Everything was fine after that for all users.

If the above helped you in any way, please click the PayPal DONATE link here. It's safe. Thanks!

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

For in-home/on-site computer repair service in and around Nashville (remove viruses, connect to the Internet, setup new systems, fix a myriad of problems), call Bill at (615) 479-4981.

Recent problems and their solutions

If the above helped you in any way, please click the PayPal DONATE link here. It's safe. Thanks!

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

For in-home/on-site computer repair service in and around Nashville (remove viruses, connect to the Internet, setup new systems, fix a myriad of problems), call Bill at (615) 479-4981.

New German laptop

Very cool!

http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=7H0K1k54t6A

New German laptop

Very cool!

http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=7H0K1k54t6A

"Environmentally-responsible" ink

This looks promising, "environmentally-responsible" ink from Dell. I
have no idea if it's any good. Leave a comment below and let us know:

http://accessories.us.dell.com/sna/sna.aspx?c=us&cs=19&l=en&s=dhs&~topic=nextlife-ink

"Environmentally-responsible" ink

ComputerHelp store

The store is new, but the items are used. Tested and good, but used.

Let's hope this second attempt goes better than the first! I'm tempted to call the items "old junk," but there are some almost-new things, too. Not much of a salesman, am I? :) Anyway, one's man's junk is another man's treasure.

I've barely started with the inventory, but here's what I've got so far: nashvillecomputerhelp.com/shop

ComputerHelp store

How to improve security on your home router

This assumes you’re already connected to the Internet because, right out of the box, most routers give you that these days.

To find your router’s IP address (assuming you're using Windows 2000 or newer), do the following from your PC:

Click Start, Run, type (without quotes) "cmd", hit Enter

For Vista and Windows 7, skip the "Run" step.

At this Command/DOS Prompt, type (without quotes) "ipconfig", hit Enter

Look for the "Default Gateway" address. That’s your router’s address.

Open up your router’s configuration screen. Most home routers use a "web/http" interface, so that’s what we’ll focus on here.

On your browser’s Address line, type (without quotes, as an example) "http://10.11.12.13" (or whatever the "gateway" address was, above), hit Enter
It will then have you login
To set the ROUTER’S password, click Administration or something similar
See routerpasswords.com for typical usernames/passwords
Type in the new password (usually twice)

For wireless security, depending on your router, click Wireless and/or Wireless Security or something similar:

Choose WPA2 Personal as the encryption type, if possible. Second best is WPA. For older devices, choose WEP, which is better than nothing.
Next, create a WPA Shared Key between 8 and 63 characters.
You can then go so far as to make the router’s wireless ID (SSID) hidden by unchecking a box named "Broadcast this router’s ID?" or something similar, depending on your router:

I’d recommend connecting your wireless devices to the router first, so they "know" where the router is, then make the SSID invisible/hidden.

All routers have their own screens and menu systems. Just remember to look for where you might "Set the Administrator password" and "Wireless password."

If the above helped you in any way, please click the PayPal DONATE link here. It's safe. Thanks!

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

For in-home/on-site computer repair service in and around Nashville (remove viruses, connect to the Internet, setup new systems, fix a myriad of problems), call Bill at (615) 479-4981.

How to improve security on your home router

Click Start, Run, type (without quotes) "cmd", hit Enter

For Vista and Windows 7, skip the "Run" step.

At this Command/DOS Prompt, type (without quotes) "ipconfig", hit Enter

Look for the "Default Gateway" address. That’s your router’s address.

Open up your router’s configuration screen. Most home routers use a "web/http" interface, so that’s what we’ll focus on here.

On your browser’s Address line, type (without quotes, as an example) "http://10.11.12.13" (or whatever the "gateway" address was, above), hit Enter
It will then have you login
To set the ROUTER’S password, click Administration or something similar
See routerpasswords.com for typical usernames/passwords
Type in the new password (usually twice)

For wireless security, depending on your router, click Wireless and/or Wireless Security or something similar:

Choose WPA2 Personal as the encryption type, if possible. Second best is WPA. For older devices, choose WEP, which is better than nothing.
Next, create a WPA Shared Key between 8 and 63 characters.
You can then go so far as to make the router’s wireless ID (SSID) hidden by unchecking a box named "Broadcast this router’s ID?" or something similar, depending on your router:

I’d recommend connecting your wireless devices to the router first, so they "know" where the router is, then make the SSID invisible/hidden.

All routers have their own screens and menu systems. Just remember to look for where you might "Set the Administrator password" and "Wireless password."

If the above helped you in any way, please click the PayPal DONATE link here. It's safe. Thanks!

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

For in-home/on-site computer repair service in and around Nashville (remove viruses, connect to the Internet, setup new systems, fix a myriad of problems), call Bill at (615) 479-4981.

Automating MalwareBytes updates and scans

Create a batch file, naming it whatever you want, with the .BAT extension. I named mine “mbamupdate.bat”
To create the file, just use Notepad or any plain text editor (not a word processing program unless you know how to Save As plain text).
The contents of this file are simply one line consisting of the following:
"%ProgramFiles%\Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware\mbam.exe" /minimized /runupdate /quickscanterminate
That should all be on one line. And that’s it!

If the above helped you in any way, please click the PayPal DONATE link here. It's safe. Or visit one of our sponsors' ads. Thanks!

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

For in-home/on-site computer repair service in and around Nashville (remove viruses, connect to the Internet, setup new systems, fix a myriad of problems), call Bill at (615) 479-4981.

How to delete a Windows XP account

Click Start, Run, type (without quotes) “control userpasswords”, hit Enter
Click “Change an Account”
Choose/click the account you want to delete
Click “Delete the Account”
You can usually choose “Delete Files” (but you don’t have to if you’re not comfortable with that)
Click “Delete Account”

If the above helped you in any way, please click the PayPal DONATE link here. It's safe. Or visit one of our sponsors' ads. Thanks!

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

For in-home/on-site computer repair service in and around Nashville (remove viruses, connect to the Internet, setup new systems, fix a myriad of problems), call Bill at (615) 479-4981.

Automating MalwareBytes updates and scans

UPDATE: Since I wrote this article, Malwarebytes has blocked the ability to do this in their free version. And you don't need a batch file to accomplish this in the paid version. It really is worth upgrading to their paid version. It's still the best thing out there, from what I've seen.

-----

Create a batch file, naming it whatever you want, with the .BAT extension. I named mine “mbamupdate.bat”
To create the file, just use Notepad or any plain text editor (not a word processing program unless you know how to Save As plain text).
The contents of this file are simply one line consisting of the following:
"%ProgramFiles%\Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware\mbam.exe" /minimized /runupdate /quickscanterminate
That should all be on one line. And that’s it!

For in-home/on-site computer repair service in and around Nashville (remove viruses, connect to the Internet, setup new systems, fix a myriad of problems), call Bill at (615) 479-4981.

Latest online threat to worry about

Yet another thing to worry about online, here: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2010/02/18/adobe_download_peril/

The solution is to simply restart your computer IMMEDIATELY after updating Adobe Reader or Adobe Flash.

If the above helped you in any way, please click the PayPal DONATE link here. It's safe. Thanks!
-------------------------------
For in-home/on-site computer repair service in and around Nashville (remove viruses, connect to the Internet, setup new systems, fix a myriad of problems), call Bill at (615) 479-4981.

Latest online threat to worry about

My printer mouse is jammed

Caller:        Hi, our printer is not working.
Customer Service:    What is wrong with it?
Caller:        Mouse is jammed.
Customer Service:    Mouse? Printers don't have a mouse you fool!
Caller:        Mmmmm??.. Oh really?... I will send a picture.

My printer mouse is jammed

Latest (Feb. 9, 2010) Windows XP patch possible cause of "blue screen of death"

When clicking on that yellow shield at the bottom right signifying that there are Windows updates available, if you choose Custom, you can see the individual updates that it wants to apply. If there is no shield, there are no updates available. If there are updates, you should UNCHECK the particular update mentioned in this article, if it's on the list:

http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9155419/Windows_patch_cripples_XP_with_blue_screen_users_claim

Latest (Feb. 9, 2010) Windows XP patch possible cause of "blue screen of death"

Mysterious undeliverable email

If you ever receive a bunch of "undeliverable email" notices in your email box for messages that you never sent, your email address is probably being "spoofed." Those messages are not really coming from you; probably not even from your mail server. They're just "bouncing back" to you because that's the return address that's been faked on the original email. There's not much you can do, unfortunately, other than change your email address. That's pretty drastic, but if it keeps happening, it's an option. Here's a link I sent to someone just yesterday on some of the most popular free webmail systems: http://email.about.com/od/freeemailreviews/tp/free_email.htm

Mysterious undeliverable email

Another great anti-malware tool

You can (hopefully) download this one, PrevX, even if you’re already infected! Go here, http://info.prevx.com/downloadcsi.asp and click on their link to "Download a randomized filename."

And here's a great article that made me aware of that program:
http://social.answers.microsoft.com/Forums/en/vistasecurity/thread/0587ba31-0027-4642-b4df-50e0097043ae

While on the subject, I've often wondered why I almost never (maybe once every five years) get infected with these things, while others do. Sure, I work on PCs for a living, so I know my way around a computer, but I'm not really doing anything particularly clever. Here's how I've always been setup and what I've always done while browing the internet:

I've always had a router. Not just the cable/DSL router provided by the ISP, but another router, a wired/wireless router (Linksys, DLink, Netgear, whatever) because I've always had multiple computers at home. That alone helps with security because a router is, almost by definition, a hardware firewall, not allowing anything in other than whatever the program I'm running at the time might let in.
I've always had an anti-virus and one or two anti-malware/spyware programs. Here's another key: I make sure they're staying up to date so that they know how to combat the latest threats.
Speaking of staying up to date, I always keep an eye out for that little yellow shield (Vista's icon is light blue) in the bottom right, telling me that there are Windows Updates available. Of course, this latest thing going around pretends to be that shield, telling you that you are out of date and that you should click on it to get updated. It's easy to fall for.
That brings up another point, I might pay closer attention to the wording of such pop-ups than other people do. For instance, that recent false infection warning is very generic. It doesn't mention any brand of antivirus, it just says "your antivirus" is out of date. An authentic warning would almost surely mention the antivirus program maker's name.
Another point about wording: these hackers are almost always ESL (English as a second language) speakers who regularly use bad grammar and spelling.

I'll add more here as I think of it.

If the above helped you in any way, please click the PayPal DONATE link here. It's safe. Thanks!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

For in-home/on-site computer repair service in and around Nashville (remove viruses, connect to the Internet, setup new systems, fix a myriad of problems), call Bill at (615) 479-4981.

Another great anti-malware tool

I've always had a router. Not just the cable/DSL router provided by the ISP, but another router, a wired/wireless router (Linksys, DLink, Netgear, whatever) because I've always had multiple computers at home. That alone helps with security because a router is, almost by definition, a hardware firewall, not allowing anything in other than whatever the program I'm running at the time might let in.
I've always had an anti-virus and one or two anti-malware/spyware programs. Here's another key: I make sure they're staying up to date so that they know how to combat the latest threats.
Speaking of staying up to date, I always keep an eye out for that little yellow shield (Vista's icon is light blue) in the bottom right, telling me that there are Windows Updates available. Of course, this latest thing going around pretends to be that shield, telling you that you are out of date and that you should click on it to get updated. It's easy to fall for.
That brings up another point, I might pay closer attention to the wording of such pop-ups than other people do. For instance, that recent false infection warning is very generic. It doesn't mention any brand of antivirus, it just says "your antivirus" is out of date. An authentic warning would almost surely mention the antivirus program maker's name.
Another point about wording: these hackers are almost always ESL (English as a second language) speakers who regularly use bad grammar and spelling.

I'll add more here as I think of it.

If the above helped you in any way, please click the PayPal DONATE link here. It's safe. Thanks!
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For in-home/on-site computer repair service in and around Nashville (remove viruses, connect to the Internet, setup new systems, fix a myriad of problems), call Bill at (615) 479-4981.

How to automatically set a new System Restore Point

Copy and save the following as NewRestorePoint.vbs:

' begin code
CONST DEVICE_DRIVER_INSTALL = 10
CONST BEGIN_SYSTEM_CHANGE = 100
strComputer = "."
Set objWMIService = GetObject("winmgmts:\\" & strComputer & "\root\default")
Set objItem = objWMIService.Get("SystemRestore")
Set objShell = CreateObject("WScript.Shell")
set objEnv = objShell.Environment("PROCESS")
objEnv("SEE_MASK_NOZONECHECKS") = 1
errResults = objItem.CreateRestorePoint _
("hepya.com restore point", DEVICE_DRIVER_INSTALL, BEGIN_SYSTEM_CHANGE)
objEnv.Remove("SEE_MASK_NOZONECHECKS")
' end of code

Now edit your Startup group (right click Start, choose Open All Users, double click Programs then Startup)
Copy or move the NewRestorePoint.vbs file above into that Startup folder

Voila! From now on, every time your computer starts up, you'll have a new System Restore Point, which is VERY useful if your computer starts acting up at any point after that!

If the above helped you in any way, please click the PayPal DONATE link here. It's safe. Thanks!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
For in-home/on-site computer repair service in and around Nashville (remove viruses, connect to the Internet, setup new systems, fix a myriad of problems), call Bill at (615) 479-4981.

How to automatically set a new System Restore Point

Now edit your Startup group (right click Start, choose Open All Users, double click Programs then Startup)
Copy or move the NewRestorePoint.vbs file above into that Startup folder

Voila! From now on, every time your computer starts up, you'll have a new System Restore Point, which is VERY useful if your computer starts acting up at any point after that!

Keeping your PC safe

That bogus "your pc is infected" warning seems to be going around again. BEFORE you get it, do the following:

Download and run ATF-Cleaner (no installation required) to first clean out all the junk files sitting on your computer that will slow down the next programs listed.
Download and install other browsers besides Internet Explorer. We recommend Firefox, Chrome, Safari or Opera. I don't know if this will help with the above-mentioned problem, but it helps when something targets Internet Explorer specifically.
Install an antivirus or at least make sure it's up to date. We recommend: AVG, Kaspersky, Microsoft Security Essentials, ESET and, recently, Sunbelt Vipre. McAfee and Norton are better than nothing, but not much. :)
Install an anti-malware or at least make sure it's up to date. We recommend: MalwareBytes, SuperAntiSpyware, Microsoft Security Essentials and aSquared.

If it's too late and you already have this problem, get a friend to download Malwarebytes and put it on a flash drive for you, then install and run it on your computer. You might have to be in Safe Mode before you can run it.
Here's another good article on the same subject. And, finally, click here for a good explanation of "cookies."

If the above helped you in any way, please click the PayPal DONATE link here. It's safe. Thanks!
For in-home/on-site computer repair service in and around Nashville (remove viruses, connect to the Internet, setup new systems, fix a myriad of problems), call Bill at (615) 479-4981.

Keeping your PC safe

That bogus "your pc is infected" warning seems to be going around again. BEFORE you get it, do the following:

Download and run ATF-Cleaner (no installation required) to first clean out all the junk files sitting on your computer that will slow down the next programs listed.

Download and install other browsers besides Internet Explorer. We recommend Firefox, Chrome, Safari or Opera. I don't know if this will help with the above-mentioned problem, but it helps when something targets Internet Explorer specifically.

Install an antivirus or at least make sure it's up to date. We recommend: AVG, Kaspersky, Microsoft Security Essentials, ESET and, recently, Sunbelt Vipre. McAfee and Norton are better than nothing, but not much.

Install an anti-malware or at least make sure it's up to date. We recommend: MalwareBytes, SuperAntiSpyware, Microsoft Security Essentials and aSquared.

Keyboard shortcuts

Some fairly universal keyboard shortcuts that work in many programs that quite a few otherwise computer-savvy people might still be unaware of are as follows:

Ctrl A (holding down the Ctrl key at the bottom left or right of most keyboards, then tapping the letter A) = highlight all
Ctrl B = bold
Ctrl C = copy whatever text you might have highlighted
double-click on a word to highlight it (usually)
triple-click to highlight an entire paragraph
Ctrl F = find/search
Ctrl G = go to a specific line or cell
Ctrl H = search and replace
Ctrl I = italicize
Ctrl K = create hyperlink
Ctrl N = new document/message
Ctrl O = open document
Ctrl P = print
Ctrl Q = quit/exit (not as universal)
Ctrl S = save
Ctrl T = new tab (in tabbed browsers)
Ctrl V = paste (whatever's been copied)
Ctrl W = close window
Ctrl X = cut (as opposed to copy)
Ctrl Z = undo

More here and here.

Keyboard shortcuts

Some fairly universal keyboard shortcuts that work in many programs that quite a few otherwise computer-savvy people might still be unaware of are as follows:

Ctrl A (holding down the Ctrl key at the bottom left or right of most keyboards, then tapping the letter A) = highlight all

Ctrl B = bold

Ctrl C = copy whatever text you might have highlighted

double-click on a word to highlight it (usually)

triple-click to highlight an entire paragraph

Ctrl F = find/search

Ctrl G = go to a specific line or cell

Ctrl H = search and replace

Ctrl I = italicize

Ctrl K = create hyperlink

Ctrl N = new document/message

Ctrl O = open document

Ctrl P = print

Ctrl Q = quit/exit (not as universal)

Ctrl S = save

Ctrl T = new tab (in tabbed browsers)

Ctrl V = paste (whatever's been copied)

Ctrl W = close window

Ctrl X = cut (as opposed to copy)

Ctrl Z = undo

More here and here.

Saving Word documents

In Word 2003 (and possibly older versions), go to Tools, Options, Save and check (if not already) the following settings:

Always create backup copy
Allow background saves
Make local copy of files stored on network...
Save AutoRecover info ...
Save smart tags as XML

In Word 2007, go to Word Options (under that office icon at top left), Save, and check Save AutoRecover ...

If the above helped you in any way, please click the PayPal DONATE link here. It's safe. Thanks!
For in-home/on-site computer repair service in the greater Nashville area (remove viruses, connect to the Internet, fix a myriad of computer-related problems), call Bill at (615) 479-4981.

Saving Word documents

In Word 2003 (and possibly older versions), go to Tools, Options, Save and check (if not already) the following settings:

Always create backup copy
Allow background saves
Make local copy of files stored on network...
Save AutoRecover info ...
Save smart tags as XML

In Word 2007, go to Word Options (under that office icon at top left), Save, and check Save AutoRecover ...

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