There are different methods through viruses may be transferred from one computer to another.

• Now- a-days, most of the viruses spread due to receiving unknown e-mail messages that contains viruses. When a user opens such an infected message, the virus is also loaded into the computer memory. In this way, many other program files loaded into the memory are infected. This virus is also transferred to other computers when e-mail messages are sent from the infected computer to them. Due to these viruses, some time an auto generated email message from your email ID sends to your friends from your side with different virus messages. Never open unknown and attractive subject line email messages, always scan first even if you know the sender of the message.

• Another way of spreading virus is by using Internet and other networks. For example, when you download infected executables files or data files from the Internet or from a shared disk on the network, viruses are transferred to your computer. It must be noted that many software are available on the Internet with free of cost. Most of that software contains viruses, for example free PHP or ASP scripts are the main source of virus, always get these scripts from reliable sources. In an LAN, if a computer contains a virus, then all the computers on the network may be infected with that virus.

• One important means of exchanging data is through the use of removable media like, CDs, MP3 player, ipod and flash devices. So, when you copy the data from one computer to another by using a removable media, the viruses are also transferred.

• The virus can also infect your computer by using pirated software. The software, which is installed into your computer without license is referred to as pirated software. Some companies may intentionally attach some virus programs into their software. This program will only activate when it does not find some special files like license files on your computer.

Safe Mode

Overview The Windows operating system has a handy and unique feature called “safe mode”. Safe mode is primarily used to troubleshoot problems with Windows by only running the bare essentials of the Windows operating systems and device drivers. The usefulness of safe mode is reflected in the fact that, once entering safe mode, the user can execute commands and load devices one at a time. For example, if your computer "hangs" while booting, you can boot into "safe mode" and load device drivers one at time to locate the problem. Additionally, a "system restore" can be performed in safe mode which allows the user to restore their system to previously recorded settings.

Safe Mode Defined A Web page at http://foldoc.org/ provides an uncomplicated definition of safe mode. The site HowStuffWorks offers a more detailed definition and description of what happens within your system as it boots into safe mode. Follow this link to view a concise definition of safe mode or this link for a definition and links to other troubleshooting terms.

How to Boot into Safe Mode www.computerhope.com/ provides basic step-by-step instructions about how to enter and exit safe mode. Entering safe mode with Windows 98-based computers by using alternative methods to the common f8 key method are described at this Microsoft support page. You can read about the safe mode boot options for Windows XP at http://support.microsoft.com/. Read about how to boot Mac OS X into safe mode at this Web page.

Troubleshooting Windows using Safe Mode Understanding safe mode and knowing how to boot into safe mode are of no use unless you know how to troubleshoot with safe mode's features. For basic information about how to troubleshoot your system using safe mode, visit this page. Here you will find outlined, a step by step method for basic troubleshooting in safe mode. Another useful article about basic troubleshooting in safe mode can be obtained at this smartcomputing.com page. This article describes safe mode's troubleshooting uses and the steps that must be taken to restore your system. Included are instructions about how to clean up your device manager in order to resolve hardware conflicts. A voice introduction to safe mode and the clean boot process can be obtained by going to this Microsoft Support WebCast. This WebCast is 30 minutes in length. There is also a link on this page to a Microsoft Power Point presentation which covers the same information.

Learning MS-DOS Basics - A Tutorial

This tutorial gives you an opportunity to try basic MS-DOS commands. By following the procedures in this section, you will learn to:

o View the contents of a directory
o Change from one directory to another
o Create and delete directories
o Change from one drive to another
o Copy files
o Rename files
o Delete files
o Format a floppy disk

The Command Prompt

When you first turn on your computer, you will see some cryptic information flash by. MS-DOS displays this information to let you know how it is configuring your computer. You can ignore it for now. When the information stops scrolling past, you'll see the following:

C:\>

This is called the command prompt or DOS prompt. The flashing underscore next to the command prompt is called the cursor. The cursor shows where the command you type will appear.

If your command prompt looks like the sample command prompt above, skip to the following section, "Typing a Command."

If your command prompt does not look like the example, type the following at the command prompt, and then press ENTER:

cd \

Note that the slash leans backward, not forward. You will learn more about the cd command later in the tutorial. If your command prompt still doesn't look like the example, type the following at the command prompt, and then press ENTER:

prompt $p$g

Your command prompt should now look like the example.

Typing a Command

This section explains how to type a command at the command prompt and demonstrates the "Bad command or file name" message.

* To type a command at the command prompt

1. Type the following at the command prompt (you can type the command in either uppercase or lowercase letters):

nul

If you make a typing mistake, press the BACKSPACE key to erase the mistake, and then try again.
2. Press
ENTER.

You must press ENTER after every command you type.

The following message appears:

Bad command or file name

The "Bad command or file name" message appears when you type something that MS-DOS does not recognize. Because nul is not a valid MS-DOS command, MS-DOS displays the "Bad command or file name" message.
3. Now, type the following command at the command prompt:

ver

The following message appears on your screen:

MS-DOS version 6.22

The ver command displays the version number of MS-DOS.

Continue to the next section, where you will use the dir command to view the contents of a directory.

Viewing the Contents of a Directory

In this section, you will view the contents of a directory by using the dir command. The dir command stands for "directory."

* To view the contents of a directory

1. Type the following at the command prompt:

dir

A list similar to the following appears:

Volume in drive C is MS-DOS_6.22 Volume Serial Number is lE49-15E2 Directory of C:\ WINDOWS 09-08-92 10:27p TEMP 05-15-92 12:09p CONFIG SYS 278 09-23-92 10:50a COMMAND COM 53014 09-18-92 6:00a WINA20 386 9349 11-11-91 5:00a DOS 09-02-92 4:23p AUTOEXEC BAT 290 09-23-92 10:54a 7 file(s) 62931 bytes 8732672 bytes free

This is called a directory list. A directory list is a list of all the files and subdirectories that a directory contains. In this case, you see all the files and directories in the main or root directory of your drive. All the files and directories on your drive are stored in the root directory.

Changing Directories

Look at the list on your screen. All the names that have beside them are directories. You can see a list of the files in another directory by changing to that directory, and then using the dir command again. In this case, you will change to the DOS directory.

Before you begin this section, make sure you have a directory named DOS by carrying out the following procedure.

o To make sure you have a directory named DOS

1. Look through the directory list on your screen for a line that looks similar to the following:

DOS 09-02-92 4:23p

2. If you see a line like this, you have a directory named DOS. Skip to the next procedure, "To change from the root directory to the DOS directory."

If you do not see a line in the directory list indicating that you have a directory named DOS, type the following at the command prompt:

dir /s memmaker.exe

You will see a message that includes a line such as the following:

Directory of C:\DIRNAME

If the name that appears in place of DIRNAME is DOS, you have a DOS directory. Skip to the next procedure.

If the name that appears in place of DIRNAME is not DOS, substitute the name that appears for DOS throughout this tutorial. For example, if the name that appears in place of DIRNAME is MSDOS, type msdos whenever you are instructed to type dos.

o To change from the root directory to the DOS directory

To change directories, you will use the cd command. The cd command stands for "change directory."

1. Type the following at the command prompt:

cd dos

The command prompt changes. It should now look like the following:

C:\DOS>

The command prompt shows which directory you are in. In this case, you know you successfully changed to the DOS directory because the command prompt displays the directory's name. Now the current directory is DOS.

Next, you will use the dir command to view a list of the files in the DOS directory.

o To view a list of the files in the DOS directory

1. Type the following at the command prompt:

dir

A list of the files in the DOS directory appears, but scrolls by too quickly to read. You can modify the dir command so that it displays only one screen of information at a time.

o To view the contents of a directory one screen at a time

1. Type the following at the command prompt:

dir /p

One screen of information appears. At the bottom of the screen, you will see the following message:

Press any key to continue . . .

2. To view the next screen of information, press any key on your keyboard. Repeat this step until the command prompt appears at the bottom of your screen.

When you typed the dir command this time, you included the /p switch after the command. A switch modifies the way MS-DOS carries out a command. Generally, a switch consists of a forward slash (/) that is followed by one or more letters or numbers. When you used the /p switch with the dir command, you specified that MS-DOS should pause after it displays each screen of directory list information. The p actually stands for "page"

Another helpful switch you can use with the dir command is the /w switch. The /w switch indicates that MS-DOS should show a wide version of the directory list.

o To view the contents of a directory in wide format

1. Type the following at the command prompt:

dir /w

The directory list appears, with the filenames listed in wide format. Note that only filenames are listed. No information about the files' size or date and time of creation appears.
2. If the directory contains more files than will fit on one screen, you can combine the /p and /w switches as follows:

dir /w /p

Changing Back to the Root Directory

Next, you will change from the DOS directory to the root directory. The root directory is the directory you were in before you changed to the DOS directory. Before you begin this section, make sure your command prompt looks like the following:

C:\DOS>

o To change to the root directory

1. Type the following at the command prompt:

cd \

Note that the slash you type in this command is a backslash (\), not a forward slash (/).

No matter which directory you are in, this command always returns you to the root directory of a drive. The root directory does not have a name. It is simply referred to by a backslash (\).

The command prompt should now look like the following:

C:\>

When your command prompt appears similar to this---that is, when it does not contain the name of a directory---you are in the root directory.

Creating a Directory

In this section, you will create two directories. Creating a directory is helpful if you want to organize related files into groups to make them easy to find. Before you begin this section, make sure the command prompt looks like the following:

C:\>

To create a directory, you will use the md command. The md command stands for "make directory."

o To create and change to a directory named FRUIT

1. Type the following at the command prompt:

md fruit

You have now created a directory named FRUIT. You won't see the new FRUIT directory until you carry out the dir command in the next step.

2. To confirm that you successfully created the FRUIT directory, type the following at the command prompt:

dir

or

dir /p

Look through the directory list. A new entry somewhere in the list should look similar to the following:

FRUIT 09-25-93 12:09p

3. To change to the new FRUIT directory, type the following at the command prompt:

cd fruit

The command prompt should now look like the following:

C:\FRUIT>

You will now create a directory within the FRUIT directory, named GRAPES.

o To create and work with a directory named GRAPES

1. Type the following at the command prompt:

md grapes

You will not see the new GRAPES directory until you carry out the dir command in the next step.
2. To confirm that you successfully created the GRAPES directory, type the following at the command prompt:

dir

A list similar to the following appears:

Volume in drive C is MS-DOS-6 Volume Serial Number is lE49-15E2 Directory of C:\FRUIT . 09-25-93 12:08p .. 09-25-93 12:08p GRAPES 09-25-93 12:10p 3 file(s) 0 bytes 11534336 bytes free

Note that there are three entries in the FRUIT directory. One is the GRAPES directory that you just created. There are two other entries---one looks like a single period (.) and the other looks like a double period (..). These directory entries are important to MS-DOS, but you can ignore them. They appear in every directory and contain information relation to the directory structure.

The GRAPES directory is a subdirectory of the FRUIT directory. A subdirectory is a directory within another directory. Subdirectories are useful if you want to further subdivide information.
3. To change to the GRAPES directory, type the following at the command prompt:

cd grapes

The command prompt should now look like the following:

C:\FRUIT\GRAPES>
4. To switch back to the FRUIT directory, type the following:

cd ..

The command prompt should now look like the following:

C:\FRUIT>

When the cd command is followed by two periods (..), MS-DOS moves up one level in the directory structure. In this case, you moved up one level from the GRAPES directory to the FRUIT directory.

Deleting a Directory

If you no longer use a particular directory, you may want to delete it to simplify your directory structure. Deleting a directory is also useful if you type the wrong name when you are creating a directory and you want to delete the incorrect directory before creating a new one.

In this section, you will delete the GRAPES directory. Before you begin this section, make sure the command prompt looks like the following:

C:\FRUIT>

To delete a directory, use the rd command. The rd command stands for "remove directory."

o To delete the GRAPES directory

1. Type the following at the command prompt:

rd grapes
2. To confirm that you successfully deleted the GRAPES directory, type the following at the command prompt:

dir

The GRAPES directory should no longer appear in the directory list.

Note You cannot delete a directory if you are in it. Before you can delete a directory, you must make the directory that is one level higher the current directory. To do this, type cd.. at the command prompt.

Changing Drives

This section describes how to change drives. Changing drives is useful if you want to work with files that are on a different drive.

So far, you have been working with drive C. You have other drives you can use to store information. For example, drive A is your first floppy disk drive. The files and directories on drive A are located on the floppy disk in the drive. (You might also have a drive B, which contains the files and directories stored on the floppy disk in that drive.)

Before you begin this section, make sure your command prompt looks like the following:

C:\FRUIT>

o To change to and view files on a different drive

1. Insert a 3.5" floppy disk in drive A label- side up. Make sure the disk clicks into the drive.

1. Type the following at the command prompt:

a:

Note that the command prompt changed to the following:

A:\>

This message may appear:

Not ready reading drive A

Abort, Retry, Fail?

If you see this message, the disk may not be inserted properly. Place the disk label-side up in the disk drive, and make sure the disk clicks into the disk drive. Then, type r for Retry. If this message appears again, press F for Fail, and then type b: at the command prompt. If you no longer see this message, type b: instead of a: throughout the rest of the tutorial.

There must be a floppy disk in the drive that you want to change to.
2. To view a list of the files on the floppy disk in drive A, type the following at the command prompt:

dir

A list of the files on the disk appears.
3. Change back to drive C by typing the following at the command prompt:

c:

Your command prompt should return to the following:

C:\FRUIT>

When you type a drive letter followed by a colon, you change to that drive. The drive letter that appears in the command prompt shows which drive is the current drive. Unless you specify otherwise, any commands you type are carried out on the current drive and in the current directory.

So far, all the commands you typed were carried out on the current drive and in the current directory. You can also carry out a command on a drive that isn't current. For example, you can view the files on a disk in drive A without switching to drive A by following this procedure.

o To view files on drive A when drive C is current

1. Type the following at the command prompt:

dir a:

A list of the files on the floppy disk in drive A appears, even though your command prompt indicates that drive C is current.

By specifying a: after the dir command, you are giving MS-DOS additional information. You are indicating that you want the dir command to show the list of files and directories on drive A instead of drive C. The a: you typed after the dir command is called a parameter. A parameter specifies what a command should act on. In the previous example, the parameter you used indicated which directory list you want to view.

The following procedure presents another example of using a parameter.

o To view the contents of the DOS directory on drive C

1. Type the following at the command prompt:

dir c:\dos

A list of the files in the DOS directory on drive C should scroll past on your screen.

The c:\dos parameter specifies that you want MS-DOS to display the contents of the DOS directory on drive C, even though your command prompt indicates that the FRUIT directory is current.

1. Tabbed Browsing - Makes surfing the web faster

Tabbed browsing changes the way you use the Internet by allowing you to open links on a page in background tabs and then read them when you're ready. Tabbed Browsing makes it much easier to keep track of several pages or sites at once by letting you view them within a single browser window. It's easy to navigate between tabs - just click on a tab to view the page. Tabs load in the background so you can browse the web faster - and stay organized. To use Tabbed Browsing, hold down Ctrl while clicking on a web link, or click with the middle mouse button.

Tabbed browsing makes the web faster and more efficient. You can concentrate on reading a page without the confusion of having to switch between windows. While you're reading a page, links you have opened in background tabs are loading so when you're ready to read them, they've already finished loading and you don't need to wait.

While it seems like a simple idea, Tabbed Browsing is a revolutionary enhancement to web browsing. Firefox brings you the simplest, most intuitive version of Tabbed Browsing you will find today.

2. Popup Blocking

Firefox stops annoying popup windows dead in their tracks. Experience the web as it was supposed to be - peaceful, convenient, accessible.

Some sites make legitimate use of popup windows. When Firefox blocks a popup window, it displays an icon in the status bar. Clicking this icon shows a breakdown of the popup(s) that Firefox stopped when loading the current page. You can then allow some or all of the popup windows to be shown.

3. Find Stuff Easier

Much of the time you spend using a web browser is spent looking for things. That's why Firefox has the best search functions of any browser. Ctrl+K takes you to the Google bar. Enter what you're searching for and hit Enter to search Google. Entering a search into the Location bar does an "I'm feeling lucky" Google search (that is, it automatically loads the first result returned by Google for that search).

Firefox's collection of Smart Keywords make it easy to look up words in the Dictionary, check on stock quotes, etc. Just type the keyword, then the word, stock symbol or other value in the Location Bar, and hit Enter. A full list of Firefox's supported Smart Keywords is available here, and if they aren't enough for you you can make your own!.

Firefox's "Find Stuff Faster" mantra is more than just skin deep. Other parts of the browser have been engineered with search in mind. Take Tab-Browsing - run a search in one tab, then open search results in background tabs, and flick between them to compare. Bookmarks and History have QuickFind bars that let you quickly locate a bookmark in a long list, or a place you visited several days ago. Firefox's handy browser context menus also let you instantly search for selected text.

4. Simplified Privacy / Annoyance Eliminator

Your privacy is important to us. Firefox makes it easy to keep track of information that the browser has stored while you've been surfing, such as things you've typed into forms, Cookies, files you've downloaded, pages you've visited (History), and so on. You can quickly clear any of these things from the Privacy panel of Tools, Options. If you're using a public or shared computer, you can also instantly clear all stored information with a single click.

Aside from preventing popup windows, Firefox will also stop a number of other actions that have been annoying web surfers for years, like status bar tricks (e.g. animating status bar tickers, and spoofing that prevents you from seeing where links really go). We've designed Firefox so that the standard settings offer the least annoyance. Controls for these settings can be found in the Web Features page under Options.

Firefox comes with the same sophisticated set of controls as Mozilla that allow you to control cookies, Javascript, and other settings to suit your tastes.

5. Better Bookmarks and History

Firefox makes it easier to organize your Bookmark collection with its handy Bookmarks manager (Bookmarks, Manage Bookmarks... menu item). Create folders to group similar items, and add annotations to remind yourself of why you bookmarked a particular item later. Sort on any of a number of properties including Name, Location, Date Last Visited, etc. Firefox also lets you associate a Keyword with any bookmark so you can open it by simply typing its keyword in the Location Bar of the browser.

Both Bookmarks and History are available as convenient Side Bar panels for quick access. Simply hit Ctrl+B for Bookmarks, and Ctrl+H for History. Links open with a click.

6. Accessible, Intelligent, Responsive

Best Accessiblity. Firefox offers the best set of keyboard shortcuts about. Ctrl+L quickly focuses the Location Bar. Ctrl+K the Google Bar. Ctrl+T opens a new tab and Ctrl+S does what it should do - save the current page. A full set of keyboard shortcuts is available here.

Both Bookmarks and History are available as convenient Side Bar panels for quick access. Simply hit Ctrl+B for Bookmarks, and Ctrl+H for History. Links open with a click.

Intelligent. Firefox remembers what you've filled in web forms, to make searching for things again, or filling out things like your name and address a simple process. Firefox also features a handy Password Manager that automatically fills out user-name/password fields on sites that require you to log in.

More Responsive. Firefox feels more responsive in day-to-day browsing than competitors like Internet Explorer. Pages appear on screen sooner, and there are fewer annoying lock ups. The effect is a browser that feels faster.

7. Customizable and Extendable

Customize Toolbars. Set up your toolbars the way you want them. Have just a thin strip with everything on one bar. Have a set of toolbars with every option available within reach. Firefox's toolbars are fully customizable so you can have it the way you like it. Choose View, Toolbars, Customize... and simply drag on the items you want. Firefox even lets you create new toolbars. Third party extensions often add Toolbar items to the Customize Palette as well.

Most Extensible. Firefox's user interface can be extended by developers using industry standards such as XML, CSS, JavaScript etc, as well as complex C++ add on modules. Examples of such extensions include everything from relatively simple utilities to advanced tools such as a JavaScript Debugger and Document Inspector. A full list of existing extensions is available at update.mozilla.org. Extensions are easily installed.

Themeable. Firefox's user interface is fully customizeable, using the same CSS, XML, etc, industry standards as the extension UI. The themes are endless. Firefox can look like the StarTrek Lcars computer or even resemble Microsoft Internet Explorer. A full list of existing themes is available here. Themes are easily installed.

8. Modern Download Manager

The built-in Download Manager is modern and user friendly. It shows all pending and completed downloads as a graphical list along with relevent text. A user has complete control over the active and inactive downloads. The user can cancel an active download, retry failed ones, remove the complete and failed ones, open completed downloads in system directory browser and also clean up the list if desired. Double-clicking the file can be used to launch it directly.

The Download Manager saves real-estate in the tasklist toolbar by having one window for all downloads and showing the average complete percentage in its tasklist menu along with the number of pending downloads. On completion of downloads the users get a "mail-biff" style notification: "Downloads Complete". Moreover, the download manager is intelligent enough to warn the user in case Firefox exits and there are pending downloads.

9. Built for standards

Firefox has world beating support for W3C standards like CSS, DOM, etc. Where browsers like Opera or IE may fail on a dynamic page, Firefox usually succeeds.

Firefox is also Open Source. This means that the browser is not just 'free' to use, but it's also open for development. Firefox is just one of many browsers and projects based on the Powerful Mozilla Gecko engine. Since its open source, the software is guaranteed to not have intended malicious code or spyware included.

10. KISS (Keep It Simple and Straight-Forward)

Simplified User Interface. We've put a lot of thought into making using Firefox easy and obvious. Browsers like Mozilla and Opera seem to be focused more on esoteric features, at the expense of all-round usability. That's why we have created a browser that works in the simplest and most straight-forward way out of the box. Defaults have been carefully chosen so you don't need to spend time setting up the browser. Menus and dialog boxes are kept clean and free of options that only a marginal number of people use. If there's a feature that Mozilla or Opera has that Firefox lacks, it's probably for good reason. But if you really do need a particular enhancement, a large number of quality extensions are available for free.

More Space for Pages.We place a great deal of importance on space for web pages in Firefox. That's why our browser has more space devoted to web pages than Internet Explorer, Opera, or Mozilla. Firefox offers 2% more space to web pages than Mozilla, 4% more than Internet Explorer, and a whopping 10% more than Opera. (Standard configurations tested, sidebars closed, window maximized at 1600x1200). You can get even more space by rearranging the content of the toolbars. Firefox also offers a Full Screen mode (Press F11 to enter/exit) that devotes even more of the screen to the web page. You can even gain more space by using some themes and by disabling the 'Bookmarks Toolbar'

Using Spybot - Search & Destroy - Anti-Spyware

I. Updating: Spybot - Search & Destroy is free for home use. To use the program effectively it must be updated and run at least once a week. Following is the update procedure: Left click start, find the program and Left click the "Spybot - Search & Destroy (default)" to launch it (Fig. 9). The Spybot opening screen will be displayed (Fig.10) Left click the box that says "Search for Updates" (Fig. 10).
Figure 9		Figure 10
If an update is available it will appear on the screen under "Update" (Fig. 11). Left click the down arrow beside "UniDo Europe", as shown, and select a USA site or an Australian site. The Europe sites should not be selected. Then Left click "Download Updates". The updates will then download and install automatically. (Please note in Fig. 11 there were no updates so none were shown in the Update column, and the "Download Updates" is ghosted.)
Figure 11
II. Immunize: Left click on the Red icon on the left that says "Immunize" (Fig. 10). A test will run and you will be advised if all bad products are already blocked, or if new products can be blocked. If new products can be blocked, you will Left click on the word "Immunize" in the toolbar (Fig. 12).
Figure 12
III. Deleting Spyware: Left click on the "Search & Destroy" icon in the upper left pane (Fig. 12). The "Search & Destroy" window will display (Fig 12a). Left click on "Check for Problems" and Spybot will begin to check your computer for spyware. Wait until the check is complete (Fig. 13). Left click "Fix selected problems" and Spybot will delete the problems from your computer (Fig. 14). Left click "OK", close Spybot, and you're done!
Figure 12a Figure 14

How to Protect Your Computer

The same advice parents might deliver to young drivers on their first solo journey applies to everyone who wants to navigate safely online. A special agent in our Cyber Division offered the following:

- "Don't drive in bad neighborhoods."
- "If you don't lock your car, it's vulnerable; if you don't secure your computer, it's vulnerable."
- "Reduce your vulnerability and you reduce the threat."

Below are some key steps to protecting your computer from intrusion:

- Keep Your Firewall Turned On: A firewall helps protect your computer from hackers who might try to gain access to crash it, delete information, or even steal passwords or other sensitive information. Software firewalls are widely recommended for single computers. The software is prepackaged on some operating systems or can be purchased for individual computers. For multiple networked computers, hardware routers typically provide firewall protection.

- Install or Update Your Antivirus Software: Antivirus software is designed to prevent malicious software programs from embedding on your computer. If it detects malicious code, like a virus or a worm, it works to disarm or remove it. Viruses can infect computers without users' knowledge. Most types of antivirus software can be set up to update automatically.

- Install or Update Your Antispyware Technology: Spyware is just what it sounds like—software that is surreptitiously installed on your computer to let others peer into your activities on the computer. Some spyware collects information about you without your consent or produces unwanted pop-up ads on your web browser. Some operating systems offer free spyware protection, and inexpensive software is readily available for download on the Internet or at your local computer store. Be wary of ads on the Internet offering downloadable antispyware—in some cases these products may be fake and may actually contain spyware or other malicious code. It's like buying groceries—shop where you trust.

- Keep Your Operating System Up to Date: Computer operating systems are periodically updated to stay in tune with technology requirements and to fix security holes. Be sure to install the updates to ensure your computer has the latest protection.

- Be Careful What You Download: Carelessly downloading e-mail attachments can circumvent even the most vigilant anti-virus software. Never open an e-mail attachment from someone you don't know, and be wary of forwarded attachments from people you do know. They may have unwittingly advanced malicious code.

- Turn Off Your Computer: With the growth of high-speed Internet connections, many opt to leave their computers on and ready for action. The downside is that being "always on" renders computers more susceptible. Beyond firewall protection, which is designed to fend off unwanted attacks, turning the computer off effectively severs an attacker's connection—be it spyware or a botnet that employs your computer's resources to reach out to other unwitting users.

Simply type msconfig in the Open field of the Run dialog box to launch the utility.

What The Heck Is Msconfig?

Short for Microsoft System Configuration Utility, msconfig is a tool that helps troubleshoot problems with your PC. Found in Windows 98/98SE/Me/XP, msconfig lets you keep track of and control which applications and applets start automatically each time you turn on your computer. Typically, these programs load and run in the background: You may not even be aware of them. You need to know that lots of software seems to think it should run at startup, so it just stashes a file in there. But having all of those applets and programs starting up and running at the same time significantly impacts your PC's performance; it can slow down to a crawl or even start crashing frequently.

Msconfig also lets you troubleshoot computer problems by resetting or changing your computer's configuration settings or letting you restart your PC in Safe Mode. The good news is that you don't need most of the programs that clog the startup process, and msconfig gives you a safe way to turn them on and off at will, without interfering with your system's key functions.

At The Beginning

In order to use msconfig, you first have to know where to find it. Go to Start and then select Run. Type msconfig in the box that pops up, click OK, and you gaze upon the System Configuration Utility. Now click the Startup tab. A list of all the programs that automatically load and run every time you turn on your PC shows up. A few of them are absolutely crucial, especially if you like your PC to work properly. The others just take up memory—worse, some of them may be associated with computer viruses. The only startup items you must have are ScanRegistry, TaskMonitor, SystemTray, LoadPowerProfile, and whatever antivirus programs you have installed. And actually, LoadPowerProfile isn't absolute. (It's kind of like what you learned about vowels in school: a, e, i, o, u, and sometimes LoadPower Profile.) You might find that you don't have LoadPower Profile, or you might have two. The lesson here is this: If you have any of the five aforementioned files, don't uncheck them.

Translation, Please

If you look at your list of startup items, you'll see that they are, for the most part, cryptically named. It's not very easy to tell what they do or what program they're affiliated with. For example, 3c1807pd is a file associated with a 3Com WinModem driver: Who knew? As a rule, the smart policy is: When in doubt, keep it. If you start disabling items without knowing what they do, you'll more than likely end up with a beige planter instead of a computer.

Fortunately, there's a great Web site (http://www.pacs-portal.co.uk/startup_content.php) run by an English fellow named Paul Collins (aka Pacman) that provides the most extensive, up-to-date list of startup items imaginable (4,591 at press time). The site tells you the name of the item and what it does, and it also provides a key to tell you whether it's a must-have, not required, neutral, definitely not required, or unknown file. It also provides a list of nasty bugs that can lodge themselves into your startup file, a useful tool to help you route them out of your PC. Download the list (it's available in a compressed file) so you can keep it handy, but whatever you do, don't print it out. It's more than 250 pages long. You'll find the Programs section listed about halfway down the page.

Now that you're armed with Pacman's list, you can go into msconfig to vanquish all of the unnecessary or harmful items in your startup file. Just uncheck the boxes next to the items you don't want. Remember, though, to only turn off items you can identify and don't need to have running all of the time. If you don't know what the item is, leave it alone. After you've made your changes, click the OK button. A pop-up message reminds you that you have to restart the computer in order for the changes to take effect. Getting rid of the unnecessary startup items will help your PC start more quickly, run more smoothly, and crash less often.

Troubleshooting With Msconfig

Msconfig comes in handy when you have to deal with startup problems, recurring error messages, and applications or hardware that won't work properly, to name a few examples. If your PC won't boot into Windows, much less let you access msconfig, don't panic. You can restart you PC in Safe Mode, a condition in which only the most basic WinMe drivers load and run, including the standard VGA (Video Graphics Array) display driver. Once in Start Mode, you can access msconfig just as you would normally. To start WinMe in Safe Mode, hold down the CTRL or F8 key while you restart your PC. When you see the WinMe Startup menu, select Safe Mode.

Frequently, some odd little program you don't even need running is causing the problem. Once in msconfig, go to the Startup tab and methodically disable the noncritical startup items. Do one at a time, restarting your PC between each item, using a process of elimination to isolate the file that's causing the problem. For example, if you get an error message every time you start your PC, follow the process of elimination and chances are quite good that you'll find that one of the startup items is the culprit.

Through the System Configuration Utility dialog box, you can control what programs you want to run at startup, among other tasks.

Call For Backup

Before you begin any kind of troubleshooting, make sure you familiarize yourself with the System Restore utility. System Restore automatically monitors all of your computer's vital Windows system files and the Registry. By creating restore points, System Restore lets you roll back your computer to the moment in time when it last worked correctly. The utility does not keep tabs on files that you create, such as files that end with .DOC, .XLS, or .TXT file extensions. It's meant to protect the files that allow your PC to run smoothly (or at all), files that end with .EXE, .VXD, .DLL, or .SYS file extensions. Even though System Restore creates automatic restore points, you need to manually create a restore point prior to making changes with msconfig.

To start and use System Restore, go to Start, Programs, Accessories, and System Tools and then click System Restore. The first time you set up System Restore, you'll see two options on the Welcome page: Restore My Computer To An Earlier Time and Create A Restore Point. Click Create A Restore Point and then click Next. Enter the description of your restore point and click Next. Click OK or Home.

If you make changes, and your computer becomes unstable as a result, you can go back in time and restore your system. To do so, go to Start, Programs, Accessories, and System Tools, and then click System Restore. Click Restore My Computer To An Earlier Time. Click Next, and a calendar will appear. Using the calendar, select the restore date you want to roll back to. Click Next. You'll be prompted to close down all applications before finishing the Restore process, and then the computer will restart. After your computer restarts, you'll see a confirmation screen. Click OK, and you're done.

Editor's Note: Past articles by members of the online community are archived for your use. The information may become outdated as technology changes. For the most current information, please search the Web site or post a question in the newsgroups.

The System Restore feature is built into Windows XP and is used to return your computer to an earlier state if you have a system failure or other major problem with your computer. The point of System Restore is to restore your system to a workable state without you having to reinstall the operating system and lose your data files in the process.

System Restore takes snapshots of your computer system and saves them as restore points. These restore points mark configuration places to return to, in the event of a problem with your computer that might occur after you install an unstable device driver or an older application. Because the snapshots are taken automatically and are restored through the System Restore Wizard, System Restore is both effective and user-friendly.

In this column, you'll learn how to use the System Restore Wizard to recover from a system failure. You'll also learn how to create restore points manually, how to use Scheduled Tasks, and how to troubleshoot System Restore if it doesn't work the way you expect it to.

How System Restore Works

System Restore automatically tracks changes to your computer and creates restore points before major changes are to occur. To create a restore point, System Restore takes a full snapshot of the registry and some dynamic system files. For a list of what file types are monitored and restored, see the MSDN article, Microsoft Windows XP System Restore.

For example, restore points are created before new device drivers, automatic updates, unsigned drivers, and some applications are installed. These healthy system checkpoints are created without prompting or intervention from the user the first time the computer is started after Windows XP is installed and, by default, on a daily basis after that. You can also manually create restore points.

When you use System Restore, you can revert to a saved state without losing personal data including Word documents, e-mail settings and messages, and your Internet favorites list. System Restore won't lose any data you have stored in the My Documents, My Pictures, or My Music folders either.

Disk Space for System Restore

To use System Restore, you'll need 200 MB of free hard disk space, which is used to store the data gathered for the restore points. If you don't have this much free space, System Restore will disable itself until the space becomes available. System Restore will create and save restore points until this space is full, and will then begin writing over itself beginning with the least recent data.

200 MB isn't a lot of room to store restore points. Allocating more space will result in better protection and performance. I'd suggest allocating the maximum amount available. To allocate more than the default 200 MB of disk space to System Restore:

1.	Click Start, click Control Panel, click Performance and Maintenance, and then click System.
2.	In the System Properties dialog box, on the System Restore tab, use the slider to increase the allocated disk space, and then click OK.

If you're using more than one drive on your system, follow these steps:

1.	Click Start, click Control Panel, click Performance and Maintenance, and then click System.
2.	Click the drive you want to monitor, and then click Settings.
3.	In the Settings dialog box, shown in Figure 1, use the slider to increase the disk space, and then click OK twice. Figure 1

Notice that the disk space allocated to System Restore cannot exceed 12%. If you need more space, you can run the Disk Cleanup utility to reclaim space. To open Disk Cleanup:

•	Click Start, point to All Programs, point to Accessories, point to System Tools, and then click Disk Cleanup.

Before You Try System Restore

System Restore should only be used after trying less comprehensive methods of troubleshooting. System Restore changes many files and registry entries, and in some cases might replace more files than you want restored. So when I first run into a computer problem, I reboot my computer. I'm still amazed at how often a problem is solved by using this simple technique. Or, if your computer won't start in normal mode, reboot your computer, press F8 during the boot process, use the arrow keys to highlight Last Known Good Configuration, and then press ENTER.

Other troubleshooting techniques that often work are listed below.

Run problem applications in Compatibility Mode if system instability occurs after installing a particular application. To run the Program Compatibility Wizard:

•	Click Start, point to All Programs, point to Accessories, and then click Program Compatibility Wizard.

Use Add or Remove Programs to uninstall a problem application if the system instability has occurred immediately after a new application has been installed and running the program in Compatibility Mode hasn't helped. Although System Restore will remove the application if you choose to apply it, it is better to remove the offending application from Control Panel. To open Add or Remove Programs:

1.	Click Start, click Control Panel, and then click Add or Remove Programs.
2.	Click the program you want to remove, and then click Change/Remove.

If the system's instability has occurred immediately after a new device driver is installed, use the Device Driver Rollback feature instead of System Restore. To roll back to an earlier driver:

1.	Right-click My Computer, and then click Properties.
2.	On the Hardware tab, click Device Manager.
3.	In the Device Manager dialog box, double-click the hardware that uses the driver in question.
4.	In the device Properties dialog box, on the Driver tab, click Roll Back Driver.

See Charlie Russel's columns, Device Driver Rollback Beats BSOD and Finding Compatible Device Drivers for Windows XP, and Paul McFedries' column, Troubleshoot Device Driver Problems, for more information about device drivers.

Work through the Windows XP troubleshooters in the Help and Support Center. To open a troubleshooter:

1.	Click Start, and then click Help and Support.
2.	Under Pick a Help topic, click Fixing a Problem.
3.	Under Troubleshooting problems in the right pane, click List of troubleshooters, and then start a troubleshooter by clicking the name in the left column of the table.

If, after trying these options the computer is still unstable, opt for System Restore. You'll want to save this option for last because the changes made to your computer are more comprehensive than if you simply uninstall a program or rollback a device driver.

Use System Restore

After you've decided to use System Restore to revert your system to a previous state, start the System Restore Wizard and follow the prompts. To use the System Restore Wizard, make sure you're logged on as an administrator, and then follow these steps:

1.	Click Start, point to All Programs, point to Accessories, point to System Tools, and then click System Restore.
2.	On the Welcome screen, click Restore my computer to an earlier time, and then click Next.
3.	On the Select a Restore Point page, select the date from the calendar that shows the point you'd like to restore to, as shown in Figure 2, and then click Next. Figure 2
4.	On the Confirm Restore Point Selection page, verify that the correct restore point is chosen, and then close any open programs.
5.	Click Next if you are ready to proceed or click Back to change the restore point.
6.	The computer will shut down automatically and reboot. On reboot, you'll see the Restoration Complete page, and then click OK.

After reviewing the stability of your system, you can choose another restore point or undo this restoration. Just open System Restore and make the appropriate choice. After you use System Restore, you'll have an additional task, Undo my last restoration, on the System Restore Welcome page. Remember that you'll have to reinstall any programs that were installed after the restore point.

If System Restore doesn't work in Normal Mode, it might work in Safe Mode. To use System Restore in Safe Mode, press the F8 key during reboot and choose Safe Mode. When your computer starts in either Safe Mode or Normal Mode, System Restore can be used to capture a working previous state. System Restore can't be opened unless the system is bootable into one of these modes.

Create Restore Points Manually

Only application installations that use a System Restore restorept.api-compliant installer will trigger the creation of a restore point. So it's a good idea to create a restore point manually before you install an application that you suspect won't have one a restorept.api-compliant installer. For example, before installing a screensaver you've downloaded from the Internet or a beta program from a software vendor, you should manually create a restore point. For more information, see the TechNet article, Windows XP System Restore.

To manually create a restore point:

1.	Click Start, point to All Programs, point to Accessories, point to System Tools, and then click System Restore.
2.	On the Welcome page, click Create a restore point.
3.	On the Create a Restore Point page, enter a descriptive name for your restore point, as shown in Figure 3, and then click Create. Figure 3

The Restore Point Created page confirms that the new restore point has been created. I think it's a good idea to manually create a restore point before you download and install any application from the Internet.

Use Scheduled Tasks

You can use Scheduled Tasks to create restore points at specified times. You might want to configure Scheduled Tasks to run System Restore at 6:00 P.M. daily, so that you always have a restore point available at the end of each working day.

To create a Scheduled Task, log on as an administrator, and then follow these steps:

1.	Click Start, click Control Panel, click Performance and Maintenance, click Scheduled Tasks, and then double-click Add Scheduled Task.
2.	Click Next on the first Scheduled Task Wizard page.
3.	On the second page, click System Restore in the list of applications, and then click Next.
4.	Continue through the wizard, specifying the days and times to run System Restore.
5.	When prompted, type in the user name and password for an administrator of the system, and then click Finish.

Scheduled Tasks starts each time you start Windows XP and runs in the background.

Troubleshoot System Restore

Some common problems that could cause System Restore not to work properly and their solutions include the following:

•	There is less than 200 MB of free space available on the computer—free up some space on the hard drive by deleting unused files or images.
•	After rebooting, the restoration is unsuccessful—choose an earlier restore point and try again.
•	Restoration was denied due to non-administrator status—log out and then back in as an administrator.
•	The System Restore Service is not running—Open Administrative Tools, click Computer Management, and then click Services and Applications. Click Services, and double-click System Restore Services from the list. Verify the service is started and running. If not, under Service status, click Start and change the startup type to Automatic.

Solutions to more complicated problems can be found in the Microsoft Knowledge Base by clicking Search the Knowledge Base and entering System Restore and a few keywords that describe the problem. For example, System Restore Does Not Restore Printer Drivers to Original State details what to do if System Restore fails to restore printer drivers although the rest of the restore process seems to go smoothly.

Do I Still Have to Use Backup?

System Restore is no substitute for regularly backing up your data. System Restore comes into play when your computer becomes unstable. System Restore can't be used if your hard drive fails or is melted down in a fire, because the information that System Restore uses is stored on the hard drive itself. To create regular backups of your data and computer system state, use the Backup utility in Windows XP.

To open Backup:

•	Click Start, point to All Programs, point to Accessories, point to System Tools, and then click Backup.

When you use Backup, save the backup information to a disk or an external drive for safekeeping. If there's a catastrophic failure, such as a hard drive crash, this backup can be used to restore the data after the hardware repair is complete. See Backup and Recover Your Information, Use Backup to Protect Information, and Backup Overview for more coverage on Backup.

Remember, regularly backup your data, make sure that System Restore has enough free space to run, and let Windows XP do the rest.

Article adapted from "Laptops and Tablet PCs with Microsoft Windows XP Step by Step: Keep in Touch and Stay Productive--At Work, At Home, and On the Go!" by Andrew Fuller and Ravipal Soin.

There are a few guidelines that you can follow to maintain your computer and keep it running smoothly.

This article discusses how to use the tools available in Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2) to more efficiently maintain your computer and safeguard your privacy when you're online.

On This Page

	Free Up Disk Space
	Speed Up Access to Data
	Detect and Repair Disk Errors
	Protect Your Computer Against Spyware

Free Up Disk Space

By freeing disk space, you can improve the performance of your computer. The Disk Cleanup tool helps you free up space on your hard disk. The utility identifies files that you can safely delete, and then enables you to choose whether you want to delete some or all of the identified files.

Use Disk Cleanup to:

•	Remove temporary Internet files.
•	Remove downloaded program files (such as Microsoft ActiveX controls and Java applets).
•	Empty the Recycle Bin.
•	Remove Windows temporary files.
•	Remove optional Windows components that you don't use.
•	Remove installed programs that you no longer use.

Tip: Typically, temporary Internet files take the most amount of space because the browser caches each page you visit for faster access later.

To use Disk Cleanup

1.	Click Start, point to All Programs, point to Accessories, point to System Tools, and then click Disk Cleanup. If several drives are available, you might be prompted to specify which drive you want to clean. Disk Cleanup calculates the amount of space you will be able to free.
2.	In the Disk Cleanup for dialog box, scroll through the content of the Files to delete list. Choose the files that you want to delete.
3.	Clear the check boxes for files that you don't want to delete, and then click OK.
4.	When prompted to confirm that you want to delete the specified files, click Yes.

After a few minutes, the process completes and the Disk Cleanup dialog box closes, leaving your computer cleaner and performing better.

Speed Up Access to Data

Disk fragmentation slows the overall performance of your system. When files are fragmented, the computer must search the hard disk when the file is opened to piece it back together. The response time can be significantly longer.

Disk Defragmenter is a Windows utility that consolidates fragmented files and folders on your computer's hard disk so that each occupies a single space on the disk. With your files stored neatly end-to-end, without fragmentation, reading and writing to the disk speeds up.

When to Run Disk Defragmenter

In addition to running Disk Defragmenter at regular intervals, optimally monthly, certain events warrant running the utility outside of the monthly rule of thumb.

You should run Disk Defragmenter under the following circumstances:

•	You add a large number of files.
•	Your free disk space nears 15 percent.
•	You install new programs or a new version of Windows.

To use Disk Defragmenter:

1.	Click Start, point to All Programs, point to Accessories, point to System Tools, and then click Disk Defragmenter. Click Analyze to start the Disk Defragmenter.
2.	In the Disk Defragmenter dialog box, click the drives that you want to defragment, and then click the Analyze button. After the disk is analyzed, a dialog box appears, letting you know whether you should defragment the analyzed drives. Tip: You should analyze a volume before defragmenting it to get an estimate of how long the defragmentation process will take.
3.	To defragment the selected drive or drives, click the Defragment button. After the defragmentation is complete, Disk Defragmenter displays the results.
4.	To display detailed information about the defragmented disk or partition, click View Report.
5.	To close the View Report dialog box, click Close.
6.	To close the Disk Defragmenter utility, click the Close button on the title bar of the window.

Detect and Repair Disk Errors

In addition to running Disk Cleanup and Disk Defragmenter to optimize the performance of your computer, you can check the integrity of the files stored on your hard disk by running the Error Checking utility.

As you use your hard drive, it can develop bad sectors. Bad sectors slow down hard disk performance and sometimes make data writing (such as file saving) difficult, or even impossible. The Error Checking utility scans the hard drive for bad sectors, and scans for file system errors to see whether certain files or folders are misplaced.

If you use your computer daily, you should try to run this utility weekly to help prevent data loss.

To run the Error Checking utility:

Important: Be sure to close all files before running the Error-Checking utility.

1.	Click Start, and then click My Computer.
2.	In the My Computer window, right-click the hard disk you want to search for bad sectors, and then click Properties.
3.	In the Properties dialog box, click the Tools tab.
4.	Click the Check Now button.
5.	In the Check Disk dialog box, select the Scan for and attempt recovery of bad sectors check box, and then click Start. In most circumstances, select Scan for and attempt recovery of bad sectors.
6.	If bad sectors are found, choose to fix them.

Tip: Only select the Automatically fix file system errors check box if you think that your disk contains bad sectors.

Protect Your Computer Against Spyware

Spyware collects personal information without letting you know and without asking for permission. The information that spyware collects ranges from a list of Web sites that you visit to usernames and passwords. In addition to privacy concerns, spyware can hamper your computer's performance. Learn more about spyware and how to help protect your computer.