How can I change the volume licensing product key on a Windows XP SP1-Based Computer?

Because of changes in Windows XP Service Pack 1 (SP1), Windows XP-based computers that use a leaked product key that is known to be available to the general public may not be able to install SP1 or automatically obtain updates from the Windows Update Web site. For an easy and quick method of obtaining your own CD Key please read Quickly Retrieve Windows CD Key.

For example, you may experience the symptoms that are described in the following Microsoft Knowledge Base article when you install SP1:
326904 Error Message: The Product Key Used to Install Windows Is Invalid

There are two (legal) methods that you can use to change the product key with volume licensing media after installation. You can use either the Windows Activation Wizard graphical user interface (GUI) or a Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI) script.

The easier method to use is the Use the Activation Wizard method. Use this method when you only have a few computers on which to change the product key. The Use a Script method is best when you have a number of computers on which you have to change the product key.

Legal Note: Make sure you understand that this method is indeed legal. This is NO crack, NO hack, there is nothing illegal with this article. I will not, however, encourage any reader to use an illegally obtained CD Key. What you do in your own house/office is your own business, and I cannot and will not be held responsible for your actions.

Method #1: Use the Activation Wizard
If you have only a few volume licensing product keys to change, you can use the Activation Wizard.

Warning!
This document contains instructions for editing the registry. If you make any error while editing the registry, you can potentially cause Windows to fail or be unable to boot, requiring you to reinstall Windows. Edit the registry at your own risk. Always back up the registry before making any changes. If you do not feel comfortable editing the registry, do not attempt these instructions. Instead, seek the help of a trained computer specialist.

Note: Microsoft recommends that you run System Restore to create a new restore point before you complete the following steps:
Click Start, and then click Run.
In the Open box, type Regedit, and then click OK.
In the left pane, locate and then click the following registry key:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\WindowsNT\Current Version\WPAEvents


In the right pane, right-click OOBETimer, and then click Modify.
Change at least one digit of this value to deactivate Windows.
Click Start, and then click Run.
In the Open box, type the following command, and then click OK.
%systemroot%\system32\oobe\msoobe.exe /a

Click Yes, I want to telephone a customer service representative to activate Windows, and then click Next.
Click Change Product key.
Type the new product key in the New key boxes, and then click Update. If you are returned to the previous window, click Remind me later, and then restart the computer.
Repeat steps 6 and 7 to verify that Windows is activated. You receive the following message:
Windows is already activated. Click OK to exit.

Click OK.
Install SP1 for Windows XP.

If you cannot restart Windows after you install SP1, press F8 when you restart the computer, select Last Known Good Configuration, and then repeat this procedure.

Method #2: Use a Script
You can create a WMI script that changes the volume licensing product key, and then deploy this script in a startup script. The sample ChangeVLKey2600.vbs script and the sample ChangeVLKeySP1 script that are described in this section use the new volume licensing key that you want to enter, in its five-part alphanumeric form, as a single argument. Microsoft recommends that you use the ChangeVLKey2600.vbs script on Windows XP-based computers that are not running SP1 and that you use the ChangeVLKeySP1.vbs script on Windows XP-based computers that are running SP1. These scripts perform the following functions:
They remove the hyphen characters (-) from the five-part alphanumeric product key.

They create an instance of the win32_WindowsProductActivation class.They call the SetProductKey method with the new volume licensing product key.

You can create a batch file or a CMD file that uses either of the following sample scripts, together with the new product key as an argument, and either deploy it as part of a startup script or run it from the command line to change the product key on a single computer.

The following example describes how to use the ChangeVLKeySP1.vbs script from a command line:
Click Start, and then click Run.
In the Open box, type the following command, where AB123-123AB-AB123-123AB-AB123 is the new product key that you want to use, and then click OK:

c:\changevlkeysp1.vbs ab123-123ab-ab123-123ab-ab123

Recover Lost Product Keys (CD-Key) for Windows 2000/XP/2003

One of the biggest nags for an IT administrator facing the need to format and reinstall a Windows-based operating system is the need to recover that system's Product ID (or CD-Key). Normally you'd find the Product ID for the installed Windows OS either on the computer's sticker (found on the bottom of a laptop, or on the side or back panels of a desktop computer), or on the installation media itself (for older OSs).



Two cool and freeware tools come to mind when trying to recover the seemingly lost Product ID. The first is ProductKey by Nirsoft, and the other is Magical Jelly Bean Keyfinder. Both do not require any installation and will easily allow you to view local Product IDs and in many cases – Product IDs or remote computers.

ProduKey
ProduKey is a small utility written by Nir Sofer (who's wonderful freeware tools can be downloaded on his website at http://www.nirsoft.net), that displays the Product ID and the CD-Key of Microsoft Windows 2000/XP and 2003 operating systems, Microsoft Office products, Microsoft Exchange and SQL Servers. The nice thing about this (freeware) tool is that you can view this information for your current running operating system, or for another operating system/computer on your network by using command-line options.



In order to start using it, just run the executable file - produkey.exe. The main window of ProduKey displays the list of Windows, Office, and SQL Server products installed on your system. For each product, the "Product ID" and "Product Key" are displayed. If you want the view the product key information in another computer

Note:
If you bought your computer with pre-installed operating system (as most OEM vendors do), you may find that the product key that was retrieved by the ProduKey utility is different from the product key on your Windows CD. This problem is mostly reported with Dell computers.

Magical Jelly Bean Keyfinder
The Magical Jelly Bean Keyfinder is a freeware utility that retrieves your Product used to install Windows on the current machine or on network computers. It retrieves it from the computer's registry. It has the options to copy the key to clipboard, save it to a text file, or print it for safekeeping. It works on Windows 95, 98, ME, NT4, 2000, XP, Server 2003, Windows Vista, Office 97, Office XP, and Office 2003. This version is a quick bug fix to remedy the broken "Change Windows Key" in Windows XP.



Links:
ProduKey - Recover lost product key (CD-Key) of Windows/MS-Office/SQL Server: http://www.nirsoft.net/utils/product_cd_key_viewer.html

Magical Jelly Bean Software - Magical Jelly Bean Keyfinder v1.5: http://www.magicaljellybean.com/keyfinder.shtml

What makes a fast CPU fast?

Takeaway: AMD and Intel are constantly improving their CPU offerings. Things change so fast, it's hard to tell exactly what kind of CPU is inside of your system or what makes it go. In this article, Brien Posey looks at a couple of the factors that determine how a CPU performs -- the clock cycle and cache.

Years ago, it was possible to figure out how faster processor was going to be by just looking at its clock speed. Granted, there were a couple of other factors that determine the processor's speed, such as wait state. For the most part though, you could be reasonably sure that a PC with an 8 MHz processor was going to run faster than a comparable PC with a 4.77 MHz processor.

As time went on though, a processor's clock speed became a lot less important. It became possible for two processors to have the same clock speed, but to have entirely different Levels of performance. The earliest example I can think of was when the Pentium was first released. Prior to that point, the fastest PC available was the 486 DX4 100, which had a clock speed of 100 MHz. When the Pentium chip was introduced, it was first made available in 75 MHz and 90 MHz clock speeds. Eventually though, there was a 100 MHz version available. Although the Pentium and the 486 both ran at 100 MHz, the Pentium was a lot faster than the 486.
I know this is ancient history, but the same basic thing is going on today.

Both Intel and AMD offer several different types of processors. These processors may run at similar clock speeds, but often perform very differently. My goal in writing this article is to help you to understand what the differences are in such processors, and how those differences ultimately affect performance.

Clock Speed
As I explained earlier, for years clock speed was the single most important factor in determining a processor's performance. Although clock speed is not as important as a used to be, it is still relatively important. That being the case, I want to begin by explaining what clock speed is and how it affects a processor's performance.
Clock speed, as it relates to a microprocessor is a complicated matter -so complicated in fact, that I could probably write an entire book on the subject. Since I don't have that kind of space to work with, I will break down the concept is simply as I possibly can.

As I'm sure you know, computers work with binary code. Binary code is nothing more than a series of zeros and ones that represents the presence or absence of electricity at a given moment. The real key to a processor being able to work with binary code is that it has to be able to understand when one instruction ends and the next instruction begins. At first this probably doesn't seem like any big deal. However, what would happen if the CPU were to receive several identical instructions in a row?

In a situation like this, the CPU would not be able to use changes in the voltage state to determine where one instruction ends and the next one begins. If the CPU were to only look at state changes, then a series of identical instructions would appear as a single instruction. This is where the clock comes into play.
Have you ever seen one of those antique manual calculators with a crank? On those calculators, you could type in a series of numbers and a mathematical operator sign, but no calculation would be performed until you pull the crank. Pulling the crank was a way of telling the calculator that you're done entering numbers and are ready to enter the next number or to perform the calculation.

A clock inside a computer works in a similar way. Clock cycles are used to separate one instruction from another. To see how this works, let's take a look at a very oversimplified example. Imagine for a moment that you had an eight bit processor that you needed to send a series of instructions to. In our overly simplified example, this processor would have nine wires. Eight of those wires represent individual bits. Since binary code is really just representation of whether or not power is on or off, we can represent an eight bit binary instruction by applying or not applying power to eight of the nine wires.

So we've sent an instruction to our imaginary processor by applying electricity (or not) on eight of the processor's wires that represent eight bits of data. Now it's time to pull the crank, so to speak. To do so, the computer would apply power to the processor's ninth wire. This would let the computer know that the instruction is complete and that it can be acted on. The processor's ninth wire, would be connected to the computer clock. Every time the clock ticks, power would be applied to this wire. If the clock ticked once per second, then the processor would be able to process one instruction per second. It isn't that data can't be sent to the processor any faster, but the clock has to keep everything in sync. Without the clock, the processor has no way of knowing where one instruction ends and the next one begins.

As I said earlier though, this example is grossly oversimplified. Today's processors can handle 64-bit instruction sets, and clock speeds are measured in gigahertz. A gigahert is roughly equivalent to a billion clock cycles per second.

Earlier I mentioned that clock speeds are not as important today as they once were. Today, clock speeds represent the number of instruction sets that can be processed each second, just as has always been the case.

For many years Intel and AMD were in the constant race with each other to produce the CPUs with the highest clock speeds. The problem is that as clock speeds began to approach 4 GHz., heat dissipation became a serious issue. Generally speaking, the higher the clock speed, the more heat the processor is going to produce. Currently, the lack of a low-cost heat dissipation mechanism is preventing Intel and AMD from mass marketing CPUs with higher clock speeds. This seems to have put an end to the clock speed wars have gone on for so long.

Rather than focusing on higher clock speeds, both Intel and AMD have turned their focus toward doing more with existing clock cycles. The reason why clock speeds are less important than they once were is because newer processor designs can allow multiple instruction sets to be processed with each clock cycle. For example, a 2 GHz processor that processes two instruction sets per clock cycle could potentially be faster than a 3 GHz processor that processes one instruction set per clock cycle. I say could potentially be, because it really depends on the chip architecture and on the operating system and applications that are being run.
Processing multiple instruction sets per clock cycle almost always means running parallel threads.

Unless you are running multithreaded application on an operating system that is designed to simultaneously run multiple threads, you will see no real benefit processing multiple instruction sets in a single clock cycle. I will talk about multiple threads in a lot more detail later on in another article.

Caching
Another factor that greatly affects a processor's performance is the processor's cache. The processor's cache has absolutely nothing to do with the speed at which the processor runs (at least not in terms of clock speed). However, it greatly affects the system's overall performance.

The basic idea behind the CPU cache is that the cache consists of a small amount of very expensive, but very fast memory. This memory is integrated onto the CPU. It is much faster for the CPU to access frequently used data from the CPU cache than it is to retrieve the data from the system's RAM.

Probably the best analogy that I've heard to describe how a CPU cache works is to compare it to the way that a library works. As you know, in a library there are rows and rows of shelves filled with books. Let's pretend that the shelves represent system RAM, and that the books represent data. Another thing that libraries have is a librarian. For the purpose of this example, let's pretend that there is only one librarian in this library. This library and will represent the CPU (if there were multiple librarians, they could represent multiple CPUs).
Now, let's pretend that someone comes into the library and requests a specific book. The librarian has to get up and walk across the library to the shelves containing the books. From there, the librarian has to look through the shelves to locate the book that the person is asking for. Once the librarian finds the requested book, the librarian has to travel back to the front desk where the person is waiting for it.

This is similar to how a CPU without a cache works. When an application requests data, the CPU has to retrieve data from across the memory bus from the system's RAM. In computer terms, the memory bus is relatively slow. It therefore takes time for the CPU to retrieve the necessary data. Because the current instruction is dependent on the data that is being retrieved, the CPU is powerless to do anything but wait for the necessary data. Having to wait for data to be retrieved is not exactly conducive to fast processing.

Now let's see how the situation can be improved by using a CPU cache. Going back to our library example, let's pretend that the CPU cache is a small shelf right next to the librarian's chair. When the person comes in and requests a specific book, the librarian still has to get up and walk across the library to the shelves, hunt for the book, and bring it back to the front desk. This time though when the person is finally done with the book, the librarian places the book on the small shelf next to their desk, rather than returning the book to its place on the library shelves.

Now let's pretend that another person comes into the library and requests a certain book. If they happen to request a different book than what the first person requested, then the librarian will once again have to get up and go hunting for a book. Let's say though that the books that the first person requested was something really popular, and that the second person who came into a library requested the same book. Since the librarian placed the book are small shelf next to their desk, the librarian can just pick up the book and hand at the person who ask for it. There is no need for the librarian to go hunting through the shelves for the book.
This is basically how a cache works. The CPU works under the assumption that if data has been requested once, it will probably eventually be requested again. Therefore, after data has been initially retrieved, it is placed into the CPU's cache in case it is needed again.

Of course a cache isn't a perfect solution. Eventually the cache is going to fill up. As I said before, the cache is extremely small in comparison to the system RAM. If the cache does fill up though, then some of the data is going to have to be removed from the cache to make room for new data.

What I have just described is a single Level cache. Most modern CPUs actually use a two Level cache though. The Level 1 cache is the small, extremely fast, but extremely expensive memory that I just talked about. The Level 2 cache also exists on the CPU, but it's a little bit slower and less expensive than the memory used for the Level 1 cache. Because the memory used for the Level 2 cache is less expensive than the memory used for the Level 1 cache, the Level 2 cache tends to be a little bit larger in size than the Level 1 cache.

To see how this multiLevel cache works, let's go back to our library example. The first two people that I talked about walked into the library in both requested a very popular book. Let's pretend though that over the course of the day a fairly large number of people visited the library, and requested all varieties of books. Because the librarian is placing all of the books that have been requested on a small shelf next to the desk, the shelf fills up. This is the equivalent to the Level 1 cache filling up.

Just because the library has had a sudden spike in activity, does it make the book that the first two people requested any less popular? Of course not. That being the case, it probably doesn't make much sense for the librarian to return the book to the shelves. The librarian has to take the book off of the small shelf next to the desk to make room for other books that are being requested. Rather than return the popular book to its shelf though, the librarian places the book onto another small shelf that's just a little bit further from the desk. In computer terms, this secondary shelf would represent the Level 2 cache.

Now let's pretend that later in the afternoon someone walks into the library and requests the popular book. The librarian first checks the small shelf next to the desk. Since the book is not there, the library and checks the slightly larger shelf that's a little bit further from the desk, and finds the book. It took the librarian a little bit longer to find the book than it would have if the book had been on the small shelf next to the desk. Even so, the process of retrieving the book still took way less time than it would have if the librarian had to pull the book from its place in the stacks.

As you can see, the Level 2 cache is a temporary repository for data that has not been requested recently, but that could be requested in the near future. The Level 2 cache will eventually fill up, and when it does some data will have to be removed from the cache. Even so, having a Level 1 and Level 2 cache greatly improves a
CPU's efficiency.

A lot of factors go into speed
As you can see, two of the things that tend to have the most impact on a CPUs performance are its clock speed and the sizes of its Level 1 and Level 2 cache. In part two this article series, I will continue the discussion by explaining some other things to look for in a CPU.

Why My PC Is So Slow..Find Out Why!

Combating Spyware and Adware
Learn how to keep spyware and adware at bay. Antispyware software is essential, but a little extra effort on your part will make your computer even safer. you’ll learn:
The best defenses against spyware and adware
How to defeat hard-to-remove spyware
Where to find free security software and security sites that help keep your computer safe

Lesson 1: What Is Spyware and Adware?
In this lesson, we’ll provide a quick overview of spyware and adware, and explain how these online hazards differ from viruses and other security dangers.

Computer viruses date back to the 1980s, and by now most security-savvy users–including those who have learned the hard way–know better than to open unsolicited e-mail attachments that may carry data-destroying bugs. For anyone with an e-mail account or Internet access, particularly those running the ubiquitous and security-poor Microsoft Windows operating system, antivirus software has become essential.
But like everything else, digital threats keep evolving. More recent menaces, including spyware, adware, phishing, root kits, and spam, pose an even greater danger than your garden-variety virus. And unlike the virus writer, the stereotypical loner toiling in his mom’s basement, sophisticated cyber-criminals are often behind the latest threats.

Know your enemy
Before we explain the best ways to fight spyware and adware, let’s define the various online hazards:
Adware/Spyware: Any clandestine software that does various activities without your consent. Definitions vary, but we’ll describe adware as any program that is surreptitiously installed on your computer, and displays ads to your computer (often via annoying pop-ups), or collects marketing information about you. This information is often sold to advertisers. Spyware programs collect more sensitive personal information–perhaps a list of the Web sites you visit, or even credit card and Social Security numbers–and send it via the Internet to an unknown party. Some adware/spyware programs change your browser’s home page. Adware and spyware are often bundled with freeware and shareware programs.

Phishing: This is a scheme designed to trick someone into revealing sensitive information, such as a credit card or Social Security number. This is commonly done via a fraudulent e-mail that claims to be from a legitimate company. The unsuspecting victim clicks a link in the e-mail, is redirected to a rogue site, and is instructed to provide personal information, such as a bank account number or password. Of course, the e-mail and rogue Web site are carefully designed to look legitimate. Phishing attempts are sometimes done via instant message or fax as well.

Root kits: A stealthy set of software tools used by cybercriminals to gain control of the “root” or core of a remote computer. A root kit often goes undetected by security software, and can introduce a Trojan horse that opens an unused port on your computer that crackers can exploit.
Spam: Unsolicited junk e-mail, including those annoying come-ons for free plasma televisions, get-rich-quick schemes, and prescription drug offers.

Prevention is key
The best spyware sentries take a proactive approach by preventing known spyware programs from being downloaded to your computer. Some tools, however, detect spyware after it’s been downloaded and installed. Naturally, anti-spyware apps can’t catch everything, so you’ll need to play it smart online. (More on this in the following lessons.)

Tip: Windows XP includes a firewall, but it’s a wimpy one that monitors inbound traffic only, not outbound. It can block spyware from entering your computer, but it can’t stop a worm that’s already on your system from accessing the Internet. We recommend you disable the Windows XP firewall and install one that monitors both inbound and outbound traffic. To disable the Windows XP firewall, go to Start, Control Panel, Security Center. Click on Windows Firewall, and then the Off button. Good news: Windows Vista, XP’s successor slated for release in early 2007, is expected to have a two-way firewall.


you can install a new firewall program, you must turn off the Windows firewall.

Lesson 2: Block Spyware and Adware
In this lesson, we’ll discuss simple steps to prevent spyware/adware from overtaking your computer.
Since spyware can be tricky to remove manually, your first step is to run a virus scanner that also detects and deletes spyware. Most of the latest antivirus applications, including McAfee and Norton, do this. If your AV app ignores these pests, use a standalone antispyware tool.

But don’t rely solely on these watchdogs. Smart online behavior is the best way to keep spyware from reaching your system in the first place. Here are some important things to be aware of:
Internet Explorer can expose you to greater risk
When it comes to security, Internet Explorer has more holes than Swiss cheese. You’ll want to download the latest Internet Explorer security patches, particularly those labeled “critical” by Microsoft, as soon as they become available. Odds are good your computer is already configured to receive these updates automatically. How can you be sure? Click Start/Control Panel/Security Center/Automatic Updates. If you see a green dot besides “Automatic (recommended),” you’re good.


If you use Microsoft’s Internet Explorer browser, make sure your computer is configured to automatically receive the latest security updates.

To get security updates manually (not installed automatically on your computer), go to the Microsoft Windows Update site.

In order to avoid the risks associated with using Internet Explorer, many people use an alternative browser like Mozilla’s Firefox, which doesn’t support ActiveX controls and is therefore immune to ActiveX spyware threats that plague IE.

Tip: You already know not to open an e-mail attachment from an unknown sender. But did you know that chat rooms are often where new worms and other bugs spread? Don’t click unsolicited links in these rooms.

‘Drive by’ spyware/adware installations
Some unscrupulous Web sites are designed to infect your PC with adware automatically when you visit them. So when you use a search engine, the results you get may include such dangerous sites. How can you tell if a site has spyware or other threats? Run McAfee SiteAdvisor, a free utility that provides safety ratings for thousands of sites.


McAfee SiteAdvisor’s safety ratings for adware and spyware appear with the search results on major search engines.

Whether you’re using Google, MSN, or Yahoo, SiteAdvisor’s ratings appear next to the search results (shown above). Scandoo provides a similar service.
Before downloading freeware and shareware, read the user agreement carefully. It may reveal that adware is part of the package. We recommend that you not install any software download that has an adware component, since it may be difficult to remove the adware component later.

Lesson 3: Advanced Spyware Fighting
In this lesson, we’ll provide spyware-battling advice for advanced users.
Do other people use your computer? Are you the reluctant system administrator for your home network? Without proper security, family members or guests might inadvertently install malware, even if you’re running a suite of security programs. After all, no protection software is perfect.
Sadly, the average Windows XP owner doesn’t create user accounts, which are a great way to bolster system security. Instead, the XP administrator’s account is used by everyone on the network–the spouse, kids, grandparents, and so on.
Don’t do this. The XP administrator has omnipotent power to install all software and change system settings. As you might guess, this is a recipe for disaster.

Creating user accounts
By comparison, an individual user or “limited” account has far fewer rights, particularly when it comes to installing software. To create one or more user accounts:
Click Start/Control Panel/User Accounts/Create a new account.
Enter an account name (e.g., Bobby), and then click the button next to Limited.
That’s it. Now Bobby can create a password for his account, if he wants.


The network administrator can create an individual account for each user on the network.

Remember to create a password for the administrator account too. On the User Accounts screen (shown above), click Change an account. Then select your administrator account name and Create a password.
Warning: If you create a password for the administrator account, write it down or otherwise make sure you don’t forget it.
Because without that password, you will not be able to make important changes in Windows, such as installing new software. If you lose the password, there is no way to retrieve it, and the only way to regain your access is to completely reinstall Windows.

Creating a ’strong’ password
Malicious Internet users use password-cracking software to break into password-protected accounts all the time. That’s why it pays to make your password tricky. Try mixing letters and numbers in your password. Better yet, include uppercase and lowercase alpha characters as well.
Removing adware with Windows System Restore
If you install new software and suddenly your computer is overrun by popup ads, runs considerably slower, or your browser home page has changed, Windows System Restore can make things right again. (Note: System Restore is turned on by default in Windows XP.
So unless you’ve turned it off, the tip below should work.)
Go to Start/All Programs/Accessories/System Tools/System Restore (shown below).
Select Restore my computer to an earlier time, and click Next.
You’ll see a calendar with a list of restore points. Choose the most recent point that occurred before you installed the bad software.


Windows’ System Restore capability lets you erase unwanted software from your system by resetting your computer to an earlier time.

Lesson 4: Hard-to-remove Spyware
Some spyware/adware programs are especially difficult to remove, because they are capable of reinstalling themselves after they’ve been removed by antispyware software. This is accomplished by using nefarious techniques to hide parts of the program from antispyware scanners.
If you encounter a spyware program that keeps returning even after you remove it, it can be helpful to discuss the problem in online forums that are dedicated to advanced spyware removal. Large Web communities exist purely to share knowledge on how to remove these pests once and for all.

Getting help in a spyware forum
When posting a question in a spyware forum, make sure to describe the spyware as completely as you can. Here are some suggested items to report:
When you run an antispyware program, what are the names of the “bad” files it discovers? Most antispyware programs will provide a log file of these files, which you can copy and paste into your forum message.
Describe what problems the spyware is causing (i.e., pop-ups, slow boot-up time, etc).
If you are getting pop-ups, what is the content of the advertisements? Look closely at the top edge of the pop-ups: what text appears at the left end of the title bar, such as “Special Offer Network,” etc.?
If your browser keeps getting redirected to a Web site you didn’t intend to visit, what is that Web site? Get the exact address.

With this information, other forum members can help guide you through the process of removing a difficult spyware program. Sometimes you’ll be asked to post log files from software utilities such as Ewido or HijackThis–this is perfectly normal. It may end up taking several days to get your questions answered, depending on how quickly forum members respond. But it’s well worth it–these communities often have the most current information on how to remove the nastier spyware bugs

Lesson 5: Working with Online Communities
Not surprisingly, the Internet has terabytes of how-to advice for battling security threats. Some of the best tips and tricks come from your fellow users.
A good place to start is the CNET Viruses & Security Alerts Forum (shown below), where you can post queries, browse the latest topics, or search for help on a particularly vexing problem.




For instance, if you suspect that malware is lurking in your Windows Registry, type “Windows Registry spyware” in the Search box, select :within this forum in the adjacent window, and click Go. You’ll find hundreds of posts on this and related topics.

Similarly, there’s plenty of advice at the WUGNET Forums. WUGNET, the Windows User Group Network, has thousands of searchable posts, and the boards are usually active–a good sign that someone there can offer a fix.


Lesson 6: Free Security Software
Everybody loves free stuff, including security software. Here are some good choices:
Windows Defender is Microsoft’s free anti-spyware software. Like every good spyware detector, it provides real-time support–essential for stopping spyware from being installed in the first place.

Lavasoft Ad-Aware and Spybot Search & Destroy are popular choices, since they’re both free and very effective.

Spyware Blaster is a great free program that helps prevent adware and spyware from installing itself in the first place. It can’t remove adware/spyware from an infected PC, but it’s still a great addition to your anti-malware arsenal.

McAfee SiteAdvisor is a free utility that provides safety ratings for thousands of Web sites. If you try to connect to a site on McAfee’s banned list–such as a site known to contain spyware–a SiteAdvisor warning page appears instead and advises you to stay away.

AVG Free Anti-Virus for Windows, a gratis version of Grisoft’s antivirus package, is available for home users, but not for businesses or non-profits. You’ll get better support and configuration tools, though, if you buy the Professional version.

Zone Labs has a free firewall called ZoneAlarm that’s quite good, although it lacks some helpful tools, such as the ability to automatically provide Internet-access rules for popular programs. And Cloudmark has a free trial copy of its Anti-Fraud Toolbar, which guards against phishing attempts.

Even if you scan your computer for viruses weekly, a second opinion is always a good idea. We recommend that you run a monthly scan with a Web-based service like Trend Micro’s Housecall. It’s free, and it could catch bugs your primary security program missed.

Speed Up Boot and Shutdown Times

Shorten the time it takes for your desktop to appear when you turn on your PC, and make XP shut down faster as well.No matter how fast your PC boots, it's not fast enough. Here are severalhacks to get you right to your desktop as quickly as possible after startup.

Perform a Boot Defragment
There's a simple way to speed up XP startup: make your system do a bootdefragment, which will put all the boot files next to one another on yourhard disk. When boot files are in close proximity to one another, your sys-tem will start faster.On most systems, boot defragment should be enabled by default, but itmight not be on yours, or it might have been changed inadvertently. Tomake sure that boot defragment is enabled on your system, run the RegistryEditor and go to:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Dfrg\BootOptimizeFunction

Edit the Enable string value to Y if it is not already set to Y. Exit the Registryand reboot. The next time you reboot, you'll do a boot defragment.

I've found many web sites recommending a way of speeding up boot times that might in fact slow down the amount of time it takes to boot up and will probably slow down launching applications as well. The tip recommends going to your C:\WINDOWS\Prefetch directory and emptying it every week. Windows uses this directory to speed up launching applications. It analyzes the files you use during startup and the applications you launch, and it creates an index to where those files and applications are located on your hard disk. By using this index, XP can launch files and applications faster. So, by emptying the directory, you are most likely slowing down launching applications. In my tests, I've also found that after emptying the directory, it takes my PC a few seconds longer to get to my desktop after bootup.

Hack Your BIOS for Faster Startups
When you turn on your PC, it goes through a set of startup procedures in itsBIOS before it gets to starting XP. So, if you speed up those initial startupprocedures, you'll make your system start faster.You can speed up your startup procedures by changing the BIOS with thebuilt-in setup utility. How you run this utility varies from PC to PC, but you typically get to it by pressing the Delete, F1, or F10 keys during startup.You'll come to a menu with a variety of choices. Here are the choices to make for faster system startups:

Quick Power On Self Test (POST)
When you choose this option, your system runs an abbreviated POST rather than the normal, lengthy one.

Boot Up Floppy Seek
Disable this option. When it's enabled, your system spends a few extra seconds looking for your floppy drive--a relatively pointless procedure, especially considering how infrequently you use your floppy drive.

Boot Delay
Some systems let you delay booting after you turn on your PC so that your hard drive gets a chance to start spinning before bootup. Most likely, you don't need to have this boot delay, so turn it off. If you run into problems, however, you can turn it back on.

Fine-Tune Your Registry for Faster Startups
Over time, your Registry can become bloated with unused entries, slowing down your system startup because your system loads them every time you start up your PC. Get a Registry clean-up tool to delete unneeded Registry entries and speed up startup times. Registry First Aid, is an excellent Registry clean-up tool. It combs your Registry for outdated and useless entries and then lets you choose which entries to delete and which to keep. It also creates a full Registry backup so that you can restore the Registry if you run into a problem.
Registry First Aid is shareware and free to try, but it costs $21 if you decide to keep using it. Download it from http://www.rosecitysoftware.com/Reg1Aid/index.html. After you clean out your Registry, you might want to try compacting it to get rid of unused space. The Registry Compactor, available from http://www.rosecitysoftware.com/RegistryCompactor/index.html, will do the trick. Compacting your Registry reduces its size and decreases loading time. It's shareware and free to try, but it costs $19.95 if you decide to keep it.

Speed Up Shutdown Times
It's not only startup times that you'd like to speed up; you can also make sure that your system shuts down faster. If shutting down XP takes what seems to be an inordinate amount of time, here are a couple of steps you can take to speed up the shutdown process:

10 Dumb Things Users Do That Can Mess Up Their Computers

We all do dumb things now and then, and computer users are no exception. Inadvertently pressing the wrong keycombination or innocently clicking OK in the wrong dialog box can change important settings that alter acomputer's behavior or even crash the system.Nervous newbies are often fearful that one wrong move might break the computer forever. Luckily, short of takinga sledge hammer to the box, the consequences aren't usually quite that dire. Even so, users often do createproblems for their computers and for your network. Here's a description of common missteps you can share withyour users to help them steer clear of preventable problems.

1 Plug into the wall without surge protection
Here's one that actually can physically destroy your computer equipment, as well as the data it holds. You maythink your systems are in danger only during an electrical storm, but anything that interrupts the electrical circuitand then starts the current back again can fry your components. Something as simple as someone turning on anappliance that's plugged into the same circuit (especially a high voltage one such as a hair dryer, electric heater,or air conditioner) can cause a surge, or a surge may be caused by a tree limb touching a power line. If you havea power outage, you may experience a surge when the electricity comes back on.You can protect your systems against damage from power surges by always using a surge protector, but it'simportant to be aware that most cheap surge protectors will survive only a single surge and need to be replacedafterward. An Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) is better than a surge protector; it has a battery that keepspower flowing smoothly even when there's an outage, to give you time to gracefully shut down.


2 . Surf the Internet without a firewall
Many home users plug their computers right into their spiffy new cable or DSL modems and hop onto the Internetwithout realizing that they're putting themselves at risk from viruses and attackers. Every Internet-connectedcomputer should be protected by a firewall; this can be a firewall built into the broadband modem or router, aseparate firewall appliance that sits between the modem/router and the computer, a server at the network's edgerunning firewall software, or personal firewall software installed on the computer (such as ICF/Windows Firewallbuilt into Windows XP or a third-party firewall program like Kerio or ZoneAlarm).One advantage of personal firewalls on laptop computers is that they're still with you when you take the computeron the road and plug into a hotel's DSL or cable port or connect to a wireless hotspot. Just having a firewall isn'tenough, though. You must also be sure it's turned on and configured properly to protect you.



3 Neglect to run or update antivirus and anti-spyware programs
Let's face it: Antivirus programs can be a royal pain. They're always blocking some application you want to use,you often have to disable them to install new software, and they have to be updated on a regular basis to do anygood. Seems like the subscription is always expiring and prompting you to renew it--for a fee, in many cases. Butin today's environment, you can't afford to go without virus protection. The malicious programs that AV softwaredetects--viruses, Trojans, worms, etc.--can not only wreak havoc on your system but can spread via yourcomputer to the rest of the network. In extreme cases, they can bring down the whole network.Spyware is another growing threat; these are programs that install themselves on your computer (usually withoutyour knowledge) and collect information from your system that is then sent back to the spyware program's authoror vendor. Antivirus programs often don't address spyware so it's important to run a dedicated spyware detectionand removal program.

4 Install and uninstall lots of programs, especially betas
You like to be on the cutting edge, so you often install and try out new software. Beta programs are usually freeand give you a chance to sample neat new features before most people. There are also many freeware andshareware programs made available as Internet downloads by their authors. We know you'd never do it, but someusers even install pirated software or "warez."The more programs you install, the more likely you are to run across ones that either include malicious code orthat are poorly written and cause your system to behave improperly or crash. The risk is greater with piratedprograms.Even if you install only licensed, final-release commercial software, too many installations and uninstallations cangunk up the registry. Not all uninstall routines completely remove program remnants and at the least, this practicecan cause your system to slow down over time.You should install only the programs that you really need, stick with legitimate software, and try to minimize thenumber you install and uninstall.



5 Keep disks full and fragmented
One of the results of installing and uninstalling lots of programs (or adding and deleting data of any kind) is that itfragments your disk. Disk fragmentation occurs because of the way information is stored on the disk: On a new,clean disk, when you save a file it's stored in contiguous sections called clusters. If you delete a file that takes up,for example, five clusters, and then save a new file that takes eight clusters, the first five clusters' worth of datawill be saved in the empty space left by the deletion and the remaining three will be saved in the next emptyspaces. That makes the file fragmented, or divided. To access that file, then, the disk's read heads won't find allthe parts of the file together but must go to different locations on the disk to retrieve it all. That makes it slower toaccess. If the file is part of a program, the program will run more slowly. A badly fragmented disk will slow down toa crawl.You can use the disk defragmenter built into Windows (Programs Accessories System Tools) or a third-partydefrag program to rearrange these pieces of files so that they're placed contiguously on the disk.Another common cause of performance problems and application misbehavior is a disk that's too full. Manyprograms create temporary files and need extra free space on the disk to operate. You can use Windows XP'sDisk Cleanup Tool or a third-party program to find and delete rarely used files, or you can manually delete files toclear space on your disk.


6 Open all attachments
Some folks just can't help themselves: Getting an e-mail message with an attachment is like getting anunexpected gift. You just have to peek inside to see what it is. But just as that package left on your doorstep couldcontain a bomb, that file attached to your mail message could contain code that will delete your documents orsystem folder or send viruses to everyone in your address book.The most blatantly dangerous attachments are executable files--those that run code--with extensions like .exe,.cmd, and many others (see http://antivirus.about.com/od/securitytips/a/fileextview.htm for a list of file extensions fordifferent types of executables). Files that aren't themselves executables, such as Word .doc files and Excel .xlsfiles, can contain embedded macros. Scripts (Visual Basic, JavaScript, Flash, etc.) aren't directly executed by thecomputer but are run by other programs.It used to be that you could assume plain text (.txt) or graphics (.gif, .jpg, .bmp) files were safe, but not anymore.File extensions can be "spoofed"; attackers take advantage of the Windows default setting that doesn't displaycommon file extensions to name executables something like greatfile.jpg.exe. With the real extension hidden, itshows up as greatfile.jpg. So the recipient thinks it's a graphic, but it's actually a malicious program.

7 Click on everything
Opening attachments isn't the only type of mouse click that can get you in trouble. Clicking on hyperlinks in e-mailmessages or on Web pages can take you to Web sites that have embedded ActiveX controls or scripts that canperform all sorts of malicious activities, from wiping your hard disk to installing a backdoor program on yourcomputer that a hacker can use to get in and take control of it.Clicking the wrong link can also take you to inappropriate Web sites that feature pornography, pirated music orsoftware, or other content that can get you in trouble if you're using a computer on the job or even get you introuble with the law.Don't give in to "click mania." Think before you click a link. Links can also be disguised in "phishing" messages oron Web sites to appear to take you to a different site from the ones they really point to. For example, the linkmight say www.safesite.com, but it actually takes you to www.gotcha.com. You can often find out the real URL byhovering over the link without clicking it.

8 Share and share alike
Your mother taught you that it's nice to share, but when you're on a network, sharing can expose you to dangers.If you have file and printer sharing enabled, others can remotely connect to your computer and access your data.Even if you haven't created any shared folders, by default Windows systems have hidden "administrative" sharesfor the root of each drive. A savvy hacker may be able to use these shares to get in. One way to prevent that is toturn off file and printer sharing--if you don't need to make any of the files on your computer accessible across thenetwork. This is especially a good idea if you're connecting your laptop to a public wireless hotspot. You can findinstructions on how to do so at http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1895,1277222,00.asp.If you do need to make shared folders accessible, it's important that they be protected by both share-levelpermissions and file-level (NTFS) permissions. Also ensure that your account and the local administrative accounthave strong passwords.

9 Pick the wrong passwords
That brings us to another common mistake that can expose you to attacks: picking the wrong password. Even ifyou don't belong to a network where the administrator forces you to select strong passwords and change themregularly, you should do so. Don't pick passwords that are easy to guess, such as your birthdate, loved one'sname, social security number, etc. Longer passwords are harder to crack, so make your password at least eightcharacters long; 14 is even better. Popular password-cracking methods use "dictionary" attacks, so don't usewords that are in the dictionary. Passwords should contain a combination of alpha, numeric, and symbolcharacters for best security.A long string of nonsense characters may create a password that's tough to crack, but if you can't remember it,you'll defeat the purpose by writing it down (where an intruder may be able to find it). Instead, create a phrase youcan remember easily and use the first letters of each word, along with logical numbers and symbols. For example:"My cat ate a mouse on the 5th day of June" becomes "Mc8amot5doJ."

10. Ignore the need for a backup and recovery plan
Even if you follow all these suggestions, an attacker may crash your system or your data may be corrupted or getwiped out by a hardware problem. That's why it's essential that you always back up your important informationand have a plan for recovering from a system failure.Most computer users know they should back up, but many never get around to it. Or they make an initial backupbut don't update it regularly. Use the built-in Windows backup program (Ntbackup.exe in Windows NT, 2000, andXP) or a third-party backup program and schedule backups to occur automatically. Store backed up data on anetwork server or removable drive in a location away from the computer itself, in case of a natural disaster likeflood, fire, or tornado.Remember that the data is the most important thing on your computer. The operating system can be reinstalledand so can applications, but it may be difficult or impossible to recreate your original data. (See "10 ways to protectyour data" for additional suggestions.)Nonetheless, you can save time and frustration by backing up your system information too. You can create mirrorimages of your disks using popular "ghost" or "clone" programs. This will allow you to restore the system quicklyinstead of going through the tedious installation process.

By Debra Littlejohn Shinder, MCSE, MVP
Debra Littlejohn Shinder is a technology consultant, trainer and writer who has authored a number of books on computer operating systems, networking, and security. These include Scene of the Cybercrime: Computer Forensics Handbook, published by Syngress, and Computer Networking Essentials, published by Cisco Press. She is co-author, with her husband, Dr. Thomas Shinder, of Troubleshooting Windows 2000 TCP/IP, the best-selling Configuring ISA Server 2000, and ISA Server and Beyond.

More Power: Registry Hacks to Speed Up XP

Put your Registry-hacking knowledge to good use: hack your way to running Windows XP at top speed.
Creating and marketing tuning and customization utilities for the WindowsXP operating system is quickly becoming big business. A Google search willturn up hundreds of sites and programs dedicated to tweaking Windows XP.But no matter what type of interface is developed to make system tweakingeasier and safer for the average user, the end result is that the changes arereflected in XP by modifying the Registry.

For some people, commercialtweaking utilities might be the method of choice, but with a few precau-tions and safeguards it's possible to enhance system performance using onlythose tools supplied with Windows XP.As you learned in Chapter 7, you can use the Registry Editor [Hack #83] to editthe Registry. Make sure you take the precautions outlined in that chapterand back up your Registry [Hack #86], no matter how comfortable you are edit-ing the thing.No single tweak is going to take an ancient PC and turn it into a gamer'sdream machine. It's even unlikely that a number of tweaks will achieve sub-stantial performance gains, but every little bit does help. As long as you keepyour expectations realistic, you'll learn something about the Registry andhopefully see a performance increase in the process.

Menu Speed
When XP first appeared, there was a lot of conversation about the new inter-face, both good and bad. In spite of the initial complaints, most users stickwith the default settings rather than reverting to the Classic interface foundin previous Windows versions. But you might want to change the delay younotice when you click the Start menu. I see no reason for there to be anydelay when I click the Start menu. Effects are pretty, but I wouldn't click it ifI didn't have business inside, so let's get it open and get moving. The defaultspeed can be adjusted with a quick Registry hack.

Go to the Registry key HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop\MenuShowDelay.
The default value is 400. Set it to 0 to remove the delay completely, but if you do that it will be nearly impossible to move themouse fast enough not to activate All Programs if you mouse over it enroute to your final selection. Pick a number that suits your style, make thechange, and then test it until you find a good compromise between speedand usability.

Place Windows Kernel into RAM
It's a given that anything that runs in RAM will be faster than an item that has to access the hard drive and virtual memory. Rather than have the kernel that is the foundation of XP using the slower Paging Executive functions, use this hack to create and set the DisablePagingExecutive DWORD to a value of 1.

Perform this hack only if the system has 256MB or more of installed RAM!

Edit the Registry key HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\Memory Management\DisablePagingExecutive to 1 to disable paging and have the kernel run in RAM (set the value to 0 to undo this hack). Exit the Registry and reboot.

Alter Prefetch Parameters
Prefetching (the reading of system boot files into a cache for faster loading) is a commonly overlooked component that can have a significant impact on system boot time. This tweak allows you to select which components will make use of the prefetch parameters. To see which files are gathered using each setting, clear the prefetch cache located at
C:\Windows\Prefetch and then enable one of the settings listed in this hack. Clear the cache and repeat for each setting.

Set the Registry key HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\Memory Management\PrefetchParameters\EnablePrefetcher to 0 to disable prefetching, 1 to prefetch application launch files, 2 to prefetch boot files, or 3 to prefetch as many files as possible.


Disable 8.3 Name Creation in NTFS
Files that use the 8.3 naming convention can degrade NTFS drive performance. Unless you have a good reason for keeping the 8.3 naming convention intact (such as if you're using 16-bit programs), a performance gain can be achieved by disabling it. Set the Registry DWORD key HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\FileSystem\NtfsDisable8dot3NameCreation to 1. Exit the Registry and reboot.

10 Windows XP Tips And Tools To Simplify Your Work

Launch System Restore from a command prompt inWindows XP
It's not unusual to use System Restore to fix strange Windows XP system behavior--but depending on how damaged your system seems to be, you may need to call for more advanced measures. Here's how to launch System Restore from a command prompt.
Note: This tip applies to both Windows XP Home and Windows XP Professional.
If your Windows XP system begins acting strange, a typical fix is to use System Restore to remove anysystem changes made since the last time you created a Restore Point. However, what if the problem is sobad that you can't start Windows XP normally--or even start the system in Safe Mode?The good news is you can run System Restore from a command prompt. Here's how:
1. Restart your computer and press [F8] during the initial startup.
2. When you see the Windows Advanced Options Menu, select the Safe Mode With A Command Prompt option.
3. Select the Windows XP operating system.
4. Log on to your computer with an administrator account or with an account that has administrator credentials.
5. Type the following command at a command prompt:

C:\windows\system32\restore\rstrui.exe

When you see the System Restore window, the graphics may look odd, but you can still follow theonscreen instructions to restore your computer to an earlier state.

14 Web sites worth bookmarking on your Treo, PDA, or smartphone

During the times that I have been traveling this spring, I have had several extended periods when my Palm Treo 700p has been my only device connected to the Internet. As a result, I’ve been on the lookout for Web sites that are optimized for mobile phones.
Below is a list of 14 that I found that are worth sharing. I’ve included the URLs in raw form so that you can copy and paste them or simply type them straight into your mobile phone. Keep in mind that mobile URLs tend to change fairly frequently because there is not currently a standard naming convention for these URLs. I’ll try to keep the list updated, but remember that caveat.

1. Google (http://www.google.com/m/products)
2. Yahoo Messenger (http://mm.yahoo.com)
3. News.com (http://m.news.com)
4. CNET Mobile (http://m.cnet.com)
5. Weather.com (http://palm.xhtml.weather.com/xhtml/)
6. Digg (http://mobits.com/digg/)
7. Reuters (http://mobile.reuters.com/)
8. New York Times (http://mobile.nytimes.com/)
9. Business Week (http://pda.businessweek.com/index.html)
10.Dictionary.com (http://dictionary.com/wml/)
11.StreetIQ podcasts (http://m.streetiq.com/)
12.Amazon.com (http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/h.html)
13.Flickr (http://m.flickr.com/)
14.GameGeeks (http://www.geek.com/gaming/portable/)

Share Word 2003 Documents With Word 2002 And Word 97 Users

Each time you save a Word 2003 document for users still running older versions, you don't need to manually "save down" -- simply set Word to automatically save your documents to a more universal format.

Are you a Word 2003 user, but some of your colleagues are still using Word 2002 or even Word 97? You can share your documents with them as long as you save them in the standard Word document format. By having Word 2003 save your documents in this format, you can disable features not supported by the earlier versions and allow users to open your documents on their PCs.

If you don't want to do this every time you save a document, you can have Word automatically save your new documents in the correct format. Follow these steps:

1. Go to Tools Options.
2. Click the Save tab.
3. Under Default Format, click the drop-down arrow in the Save Word Files As box and select Word 97-2003 Document(*.doc).
4. Click OK.

When you save your Word 2003 document, you will get a dialog box warning that some of the features that you used may not be available in the earlier versions. Click Yes to save it in the standard format that you'll share with the other users.

How to Delete Undeletable Files in Windows

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

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

So if the file is in use, how do you delete it?

Manual Method
If you already know the path to the file, please skip to Step 7

1. Click on Start, Search, All Files and Folders
2. Type the name of the undeletable file in the box shown
3. Make sure the Look In box shows the correct drive letter
4. Click Search and let the computer find the file
5. Once the file is located, right-click on it and choose properties, make a note of the file location. Usually this is something similar to:
c:\windows\system32\undeleteablefilesname.exe
6. Close the search box
7. Click on Start, Run, and type CMD and Press Enter to open a Command Prompt window
8. Leave the Command Prompt window open, but proceed to close all other open programs
9. Click on Start, Run and type TASKMGR.EXE and press Enter to start Task Manager
10.Click on the Processes tab, click on the process named Explorer.exe and click on End Process.
11. Minimize Task Manager but leave it open
12. Go back to the Command Prompt window and change to the directory where the file is located. To do
this, use the CD command. You can follow the example below.

Example: to change to the Windows\System32 directory you would enter the following command and Press Enter
cd \windows\system32
13. Now use the DEL command to delete the offending file. Type DEL where is the file you wish to delete.
14. Use ALT-TAB to go back to Task Manager
15. In Task Manager, click File, New Task and enter EXPLORER.EXE to restart the Windows shell
16. Close Task Manager

OR you can download a program in order to delete it

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

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

3. Unlocker
Unlocker is another program that runs from the right click menu. Its simple and very effective. The website even has a side by side comparision of other programs that accomplish this task.

How to Record & Save Streaming Radio as MP3 Audio Files

The radio programme is available as streaming audio [in Real Media or Windows Media] via the BBC Radio Player but there're no direct URLs to download the entire radio show as an MP3 file.

If one i wants to save the BBC radio stream on his/her computer and is looking for some simple method to do this. [download rm file from BBC and then convert real audio to mp3]

So here's a simple trick that uses a free software called Audacity to download any streaming radio from the internet to your hard drive as a WAV or MP3 file.

[Disclaimer: Always read the copyright policies of the content provider, make sure you’re not breaching copyright by downloading their streaming audio streams.]

Step 3: Open the BBC Radio Player [or any streaming music website], choose the radio station you want to listen (or record) and hit the Play button.

Step 4. As the radio player starts to buffer audio content, switch to Audacity and hit the Record button (it's in red color). You'll see a moving waveform indicating that the recording is ON.

When the radio show is over or you want to stop the recording, just hit the Stop button inside Audacity. Save the recording as a WAV file or get the Lame MP3 encoder to save the streaming radio as an MP3 file which you can even carry in the iPod or burn it to a CD.

Update: If the streaming file URL uses rtsp:// instead of http://, you can even try using Flashget to download the audio / video file.

Step 1: Download Audacity here. [Free download, available for Windows, Mac and Linux]

Step 2: Start Audacity and choose View -> Float Mixer Toolbar. In the drop-down menu on Audacity's mixer toolbar, choose "Wave Out" or "Stereo Mix" as the input source.

Msg "Hacked By Pokemon"

Description
-This thread will infected every of your partition including removable drive.This is because the script was written to generate bha.vbs.dll and autorun.inf. This thread can spread via removable drive such as pendrive or other storage device because of its capability to generate dll file using vbs script.

This thread also will generate new registry value in your windows registry that is:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run\MS32DLL - winpath&"\Bha.dll.vbs
HKCR\vbsfile\DefaultIcon - shell32.dll

And also modify this registry value:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main\Window Title","Hacked by pokemon"

-All your partition cannot open normally if your PC infected because the authority was given to the 'autoplay' option not 'open' option if normal condition.To ensure this,just right click one of your drives and see the first bolt option,is it open or autoplay.

Did your pc infected by these thread?
-Just right click any of your hard disk partition drive or removable disk, if the AutoPlay is the main authority of your right click popup, you PC might be infected but not confirmed yet because these symptom cause by autorun.inf file.

In normal windows operation, the ‘Open’ option always on top not ‘AutoPlay’

-To confirmed that your PC infected by this thread, you will see these word on top of your Internet Explorer bar:


This thread caused by these two files: Autorun.Inf and bha.vbs.dll as seen on figure below.

-This file is a system file, you cannot see this file until you unhidden this file. So, how to unhidden this file?

Step to unhidden
Firstly, open My Computer, click tools and choose Folder Options…


-This Window will popup:


Uncheck Hide protected operating system files (Recommended) and Use simple file sharing(Recommended)
-Click Apply and Close the window.
-Then open any of your drive and you may see the file.Don’t delete it first because you may find an error that the file is in use.To stop the process, open windows task manager by press CTRL+ALT+DELETE.

-Select wscript.exe and click End Process. Continue the step by clicking OK. After that you may delete that file in every partition of your drive including removable drive.
WARNING: When you open your drive partition, MAKE SURE you open by right clicking it and choose Open, IF NOT,the thread will RUNNING again.
Is your PC free from this thread after you delete all that files?
Not yet,why?Because the generated script file still in the system volume!System volume is the placed that windows will save their system restore file.Every partition has its own system volume file.But you cannot access the folder because access to the are denied by windows security.To access this folder you must get permission from windows security.How?

Enable the access
Right click System Volume Information and choose Sharing and Security...

Cleaning the registry
-After clean and delete the file, now you must clean the windows registry because this thread generate new registry value after they were activated.
-Run registry editor:START--->Run (type regedit)
-Open this location:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run\MS32DLL
Delete registry named MS32DLL
-And open this location:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main

Speed up Windows XP application launching with the Run command

The Run command isn't just for file searches and application shortcuts in Windows Vista—you can also use it in Windows XP. Here's how to use the Run command to easily access and open the resource of your choice.

Windows Vista's Start menu contains an integrated search feature that, in addition to searching for files on the hard disk, can also search for application shortcuts nested within the Start menu. For example, the Windows Explorer shortcut is nested in the All Programs Accessories folder, but you can get to it very quickly by typing exp in the Start Search text box and pressing [Enter].
You can emulate the same type of timesaving search capability in Windows XP by using the Run command and taking advantage of its history listing. Here's how:

1. Press [Windows]R to open the Run dialog box.

2.Type the path and executable filename of an application in the Open text box and click OK to launch the application.

Once you do so, the Run command will remember the name and location of the executable file in its history. Now, the next time that you need to run that application, you can simply press [Windows]R and type in the first few characters of the executable filename in the Open text box. When you do, the full executable filename will appear in the Run command's history. You can then launch the application simply by pressing the down arrow followed by [Enter].

Note: This tip applies to both Windows XP Home and Windows XP Professional.

Launch Windows Explorer with administrative privileges on Windows XP Pro

Do you ever need to perform an on-the-fly administrative task, but you're not on your computer? If the computer runs Internet Explorer 6 or 7, here's how you can launch Windows Explorer with administrative privileges on a Windows XP Pro limited user machine.

When you're working on a user's computer and need to perform an administrative task from within her Windows XP Pro limited user account, you can use the Run As command to launch certain utilities with administrative account privileges.

However, if you try to use Run As to launch Windows Explorer with administrative privileges, nothing happens. This is because Explorer.exe is already running and only one instance of Explorer can run at a time. More specifically, when you launch Explorer.exe, the first thing it does is check to see if it is already running. When the second instance of Explorer.exe sees that the first instance of Explorer.exe is already running, the second instance of Explorer.exe closes without

Internet Explorer 6
Internet Explorer 6 will work with Run As and will allow you to tap into Windows Explorer. Here's how:
1. Right-click the Internet Explorer icon in the Quick Launch toolbar and choose Run As. (Keep in mind that you cannot access Run As from the Internet Explorer icon that appears on the desktop or on the Start menu.)

2. Fill in the appropriate administrative account credentials in the Run As dialog box.

3. When Internet Explorer launches, type C:\ in the Address bar.

After you follow these steps, Windows Explorer will appear in the same window, and it will be running with administrative privileges.

Internet Explorer 7
If you're using Internet Explorer 7, the steps for Internet Explorer 6 won't work because, as part of the new security features in version 7, Internet Explorer is no longer integrated with Windows Explorer. You must use the standard method for launching Windows Explorer with administrative privileges. Here's how:

1. Log on to the computer with the Administrator account.

2. Access the Control Panel and launch Folder Options.

3. When you see the Folder Options dialog box, select the View tab.

4. Scroll down the Advanced Settings list and select the Launch Folder Windows In A Separate Process check box, click OK, and then log off.

The next time you work on that user's computer and need to perform an administrative task from within her limited user account, you can use Run As to launch Windows Explorer with administrative privileges.

Note: This tip only applies to Windows XP Professional.

Import the results of Windows XP's Tree command into Word

Takeaway: Using the Tree command to research your folders on your Windows XP hard disk can give you results fast—too fast for your eye to catch. Here's how to use Word to create a Tree you can read in detail and at your own pace.

To find out how many folders there are on your Windows XP hard disk, you can open a Command Prompt and use the Tree command. You'll get a very nice looking graphical tree structure showing all the folders on your hard disk. The only problem is that the display will scroll by your screen so fast and exceed the buffer size, so you'll never be able to see it.

Instead, try using the old MS-DOS pipe to funnel the output of the Tree command to an RTF (Rich Text Format) file. You can then import that RTF file into a specially formatted Word document and have the same graphical tree structure showing all the folders on your hard disk in a document.

Here's how:
Open a Command Prompt window.
Use the CD \ command to access the root folder.
Type Tree > Tree.rtf
Close the Command Prompt window.
Launch Word and open a new document.
Go to File Page Setup.
In the Page Setup dialog box, choose the Landscape Orientation, and set the left and right margins to 0.
Click OK and click the Ignore button in the margins warning dialog box.
Go to Insert File.
In the Insert File dialog box, locate the Tree.rtf file and click the Insert button.
In the File Conversion dialog box, select the MS-DOS option and click OK.

You can save the document and then scroll through the graphical tree structure showing all the folders on your hard disk.

Note: This tip applies to both Windows XP Home and Windows XP Professional.

Forcing Windows XP's Disk Cleanup To Delete All Temporary Files

You may have found that Windows XP's Disk Cleanup utility misses a spot from time to time, retaining temporary files most recently accessed. Here's how to perform a clean sweep of your Windows XP files by forcing Disk Cleanup to get rid of all your temporary files.

If you've ever run the Windows XP's Disk Cleanup utility, you probably discovered that your temporary files occupy a significant amount of space. You might select the Temporary Files check box in order to allow the Disk Cleanup utility to delete the files in the Temp folder, but the Disk Cleanup utility will not remove all of the files.
The reason for this oddity is that the configuration for the Disk Cleanup utility does not allow deletion of files accessed in the last seven days.

By altering the LastAccess value in the registry, you can configure the Disk Cleanup utility to delete all the files in the Temp folder regardless of the last accessed date.
Here's how: Launch the Registry Editor (Regedit.exe).
Go to :
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion
\Explorer\VolumeCaches\Temporary Files.

Locate and double-click the LastAccess value.

When you see the Edit DWORD Value dialog box, change the Value Data setting from 7 to 0 and click OK.

To complete the operation, close the Registry Editor and restart Windows XP.

Changing the value to 0 will force the Disk Cleanup utility to delete all the files in the Temp folder every time that you select the Temporary Files check box.

Notes: Since editing the registry is risky, be sure you have a verified backup before saving any changes. This tip applies to both Windows XP Home and Windows XP Professional.

Use screen savers to keep track of multiple Windows XP Computers

Takeaway: If you use multiple Windows XP computers from a single monitor, here's how to work with the screen saver icon to avoid headaches and keep your systems straight.

If you regularly work with multiple Windows XP computers using a Keyboard Video Mouse (KVM) switch, you may get confused about which computer you currently have on the screen. But if you don't need all the features of the BGInfo utility, there is a simple method that you can implement using either the 3D Text or Marquee screen saver.

Launch Windows Explorer and locate either the sstext3d.scr file or the ssmarque.scr file in the C:\WINDOWS\system32 folder.

Right-click the file and select Send To Desktop (create shortcut).

On the Desktop, right-click the shortcut, select the Configure command, type the name of the computer in the Text box, and click OK.

Drag the shortcut to the Quick Launch toolbar.
Now to find out the name of the computer you just switched to, click the screen saver icon on the Quick Launch toolbar.

Note: This tip applies to both Windows XP Home and Windows XP Professional.

Viewing non-present devices in Windows XP's Device Manager

Takeaway: Find out how Windows XP's Device Manager can help you track down non-present devices, which may still cause problems even though they're not physically attached to your machine.

When troubleshooting driver problems in Windows XP, one of the first places you may look is Device Manager, which provides detailed information about every piece of installed system hardware. In light of devices such as removable USB drives becoming more and more common, you may need information about devices that are not currently connected; Device Manager recognizes these as non-present devices.

Here's how to get information about these devices:
Go to Start, right-click My Computer, and select Properties.
In the System Properties dialog box, select the Advanced tab and click the Environment Variables button.
In the Environment Variables dialog box, locate the System Variables panel and click New.
In the New System Variable dialog box, type DEVMGR_SHOW_NONPRESENT_DEVICES in the Variable Name text box and type 1 in the Variable Value text box.

Click OK twice.
To view the non-present devices, go to Start, right-click My Computer, and select Manage.
Click Device Manager, pull down the View menu, and select Show Hidden Devices.

Note: This tip applies to both Windows XP Home and Windows XP Professional.

Understanding USB topology in Windows XP

Ever wonder how many USB devices your Windows XP system can handle? The answer may surprise you. Here's how your machine organizes all its connections and how you can evaluate the Device Manager's total running capacity.

As long as you have enough power, attaching many USB devices to your Windows XP system can't cause degradation in performance -- even if you attach as many as 127 USB devices at one time.

While it's unlikely for that many devices to be connected at a time, that number is made possible by Windows XP's seven-tiered USB topology. The top, or tier number one, consists of the host controller or root hub, which is the USB hub built into the computer's motherboard. Tiers two through six are equipped to consist of a series of USB hubs (two or more at each tier) daisy chained together. Tier seven consists of any devices attached to the USB hub(s) at tier six.

While USB hubs can draw power from the root hub, the amount of power is limited to 100 milliamperes per port, and the hub can only have four ports. However, most USB hubs have their own external AC adapter and can provide up to 500 milliamperes of power per port on more than four ports.

Follow these steps to learn more about the root hub and the USB hubs attached to your system in Device Manager:
Go to Start, right-click My Computer, and select Manage.
Click Device Manager in the left pane.
Click Universal Serial Bus Controllers in Device Manager.
Double-click each root and USB hub and check the information on the tabs.

Note: This tip applies to both Windows XP Home and Windows XP Professional.