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Remember: Take little steps. Deal with one thing at a time. Change something, reboot, test, and then move on to something else.
"What is it with Windows and all this junk that's installed on my PC? I have plenty of memory, why is my PC so slow? Where'd all this junk come from?"
Many programs install using a default setting to load when Windows starts. Eventually you can end up with too many programs loading (I call this 'piling on'), and you end up with a situation where even with copious amounts of memory, every other program slows down or becomes unstable or both!
I've have an entire page dedicated to dealing with this problem! To view that page, click here: Optimizing Windows Startup.
A very, very good explanation of how to tackle this problem is found at: http://www.pacs-portal.co.uk/startup_content.php. It includes some great screen shots and links to helpful software tools. [Just be sure and avoid the temptation to pile on programs to fix a problem caused by piling on programs in the first place.)
You can find further information on dealing with startup programs at these sites:
http://www.pacs-portal.co.uk/startup_pages/startup_full.php
http://www.rselby.com/Windows.html
http://www2.whidbey.com/djdenham/index.htm
http://www.windows-help.net/windows98/all-tips.shtmlGive your PC a checkup at PC Pit Stop:
http://www.pcpitstop.com/pcpitstopYou are not alone! There's an exhaustive list of PC problems and their solutions at:
http://www.pchell.com/No list of such things would be complete without the indispensable, Windows Annoyances site at: http://www.annoyances.org/
Remember: Take little steps. Deal with one thing at a time. Change something, reboot, test, and then move on to something else.
Beware of Spyware! [AKA: Adware, Malware, Viral Marketing]
If you see pop-up ads when visiting THIS page, you most likely have spyware or adware installed. I pay a small fee to Geocities so that visitors (YOU) see NO ads and NO pop-ups while viewing my web pages!
Want some quick tips and links to dealing with spyware? Click here for a compilation of comprehensive information about fighting spyware and adware - http://geocities.datacellar.net/mark_e_p/stuff/antispyware.htm.
You can do something about it and its not particularly hard; you just need a little knowledge and some helpful tools. Read on for further background information...
Google is "alarmed by what we believe is a growing disregard for your rights as computer users." Google provides some excellent information, and is soliciting feedback at the page titled, A proposal to help fight deceptive Internet software at: http://www.google.com/corporate/software_principles.html. If you want to understand the problem, be sure to read this page! I also want to make sure that no one misses the very valuable, very brief summary at the end of Google's proposal page:
Note: If you think you have a deceptive application on your computer, or just want to check to be certain, there are a number of programs that can help you. Spybot Search and Destroy, LavaSoft's AdAware, and CWShredder are commonly used. These programs can remove the most common malicious applications, though our users report that you may need to try more than one and having the latest versions is important.
"If Your PC is Infested w/ Spyware..." beware of false spyware cleaners! Click here NOW: Eric Howe's Spy Warrior Resources - http://www.spywarewarrior.com/rogue_anti-spyware.htm and read all about how fake spyware/adware cleaners prey upon people.
Read the Spywarrior Blog at http://www.netrn.net/spywareblog/ for the latest information, tips, and insights in the battle against spyware and other unethical web marketing.Other Spyware and Adware information sites:
Dealing with Unwanted Spyware and Parasites. A thorough, but understandable guide to this problem; part of the Windows XP Troubleshooting Guide site.
Protecting Your Privacy & Security. Eric Howes' complete privacy & security page at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
SpywareInfo at http://www.spywareinfo.com/ provides good information, but is itself a commercial site. Keep that in mind when considering its content.
For a quick test to detect the more common spyware/adwares:
http://www.doxdesk.com/parasite/
WinPatrol Most Un-Wanted List - a good test from a commercial spyware checker web site.
The two highest rated Spyware/Adware scan and removal programs are FREE and can be found at:
Spybot - Search and Destroy: Info at http://www.safer-networking.org/. This program does a LOT more than Ad-Aware and is a very powerful program. It scans for much more than the usual adwares and includes limited immunization tools. Please take care when using it!
ALWAYS work in this order: INSTALL and UPDATE BEFORE you SCAN your PC for spyware. (Scan from Windows Safe Mode for best results!)You can view very nice step-by-step instructions (with pictures!) on how to use Spybot - Search and Destroy courtesy of the UW-Madison's chemistry department at: http://www.chem.wisc.edu/~network/spybot/.
Ad-Aware: Look for the FREE version at http://www.lavasoftusa.com/. Install Ad-aware, run its update option, and then scan your PC to see what's really running on it! Again, use the removal tools very carefully and make sure you understand the consequences!
I suggest using both these programs with GREAT CARE! These are NOT memory resident, real-time tools - the free versions just scan and clean - and that is all you really need them to do!
After downloading and installing Ad-Aware and Spybot, and before scanning with them, read how they work and what they do. Make sure you shut down background programs and disable anti-virus programs before actually scanning your PC with them. REBOOT after using EACH programs and/or before scanning with another one.
Read some of the material about how these programs work before using them! Keep in mind that by removing adware and spyware insinuating itself on your PC you may 'break' the programs that are supported by it. Example: Kazaa is free because it comes bundled with third party adware. If you remove some or all of it, Kazaa may stop working. "It's not free for nothing!"
Did I mention that it's best to work in this order: INSTALL and UPDATE, and then SCAN your PC for spyware? (Scan from Windows Safe Mode for best results!)Immunize yourself!
Spybot has immunize features in it, but even Spybot's authors recommend the free SpywareBlaster program to truly innoculate your PC against future problems. You can find it at: Javacool Software. "SpywareBlaster doesn't scan and clean for spyware - it prevents it from ever being installed."
Watch your BHOs!
If neither Spybot nor Ad-Aware seems able to solve your problem, you may have a Browser Helper Object (BHO) installed that's not considered 'spyware' but is just as annoying. A BHO is a small program that runs automatically every time you use your Internet browser. While many BHOs are useful, even necessary (Acrobat, Google Toolbar, etc.), some BHOs are "adware" or "spyware" and track the sites you visit, and may be the source of pop-ups, pop-unders, and other advertising effects.
The easiest way to deal with BHOs is by using the BHODemon program at Definitive Solutions to view and disable the suspect BHOs.
Steve Gibson of Gibson Research describes 'spyware' as:
"Spyware is any software (that) employs a user's Internet connection in the background (the so-called 'backchannel') without their knowledge or explicit permission. Silent background use of an Internet 'backchannel' connection must be preceded by a complete and truthful disclosure of proposed backchannel usage, followed by the receipt of explicit, informed consent for such use. Any software communicating across the Internet absent of these elements is guilty of information theft and is properly and rightfully termed: Spyware."
Speaking of devious sites and software! If you're troubled with pop-ups in a window labeled as "Messenger Service" in the title bar, the simplest solution is to read what Steve Gibson has to say about it and download his simple, and completely free, Shoot the Messenger program. Use Steve's program to toggle this feature off and on. (And make it mostly off!)
Remember: Take little steps. Deal with one thing at a time. Change something, reboot, test, and then move on to something else.
About memory (RAM), removing programs, and getting Windows 95/98/ME to run better:
Three kinds of RAM - Real, physical memory ("256 meg RAM"); virtual memory (reserved swap space on hardrive), and resources (reserved memory for application management).
With these early versions of Windows, you can have all the RAM in the world, and a huge hardrive, but if running programs consume Windows system resources, that RAM and hardrive won't help at all.
With today's capacious hardrives space isn't really an issue. The key is Memory (physical RAM, now expandable to huge levels) and System Resources (finite and NOT expandable). RUNNING programs contribute to a loss of these two ingredients and also lead to PC instability and crashes.
Memory and Windows NT/2000/XP: Resources and memory are handled differently than the versions of Windows mentioned above. Similar principles and problems apply, but finite resources are no longer a specific issue and solution steps are quite different.
About Windows Disk Cleanup utility:
Experience has shown me that relying solely on Disk Cleanup for removal of temp files, etc. isn't enough. For some reason the Disk Cleanup applet (found under: My Computer - Drive - Properties OR Start - Programs -Accessories - System Tools) misses an awful lot Temp files. From what I can tell, it simply ignores many of them.
The best way to see this is to start from a fresh, clean, new boot or restart of your PC. Then run the Disk Cleanup applet.
After that's done, Right Click My Computer (or the Start button) and Click Explore. Go to Tools - Folder Options - View Tab and CHECK the Show Hidden Files. (While you're there, UNcheck the Hide Extensions box. After clicking OK, go to Explorer's View menu and click DETAILS, too! Everything is more informative this way.) Now... navigate through the left frame's tree diagram to your Windows/Temp folder and look. If you've never removed things manually, my guess is you'll find a bunch of left-over junk waiting for your delete key.About Internet Explorer's Cache/Temp files:
Another thing to consider is the SIZE of IE/Windows' Temporary Internet Files (AKA cache). For some reason, IE likes to default to something on the order of 150 Megs or more, depending on the size of your hardrive. Such voluminous sizes are completely unnecessary!!! Set it for something more reasonable like 10, 20 or 30 megabytes. Think about it! What point is there to maintaining hundreds of megabytes of CACHED files for sites that essentially change by the HOUR?!
Remember: Take little steps. Deal with one thing at a time. Change something, reboot, test, and then move on to something else.
What can I do about my dirty old mouse?
Plan A - Spend $19.98 or less and buy an Optical Mouse. It's the ONLY way to go these days.
Replacing a Serial Mouse can be problematic these days. When you can't use a USB Optical (Old PC with Win95 or no USB port open), try this procedure to clean your old mouse:
Plan B -
1) Use PLAIN WATER with a LINT FREE CLOTH (flour-sack or muslin cloth works well; so will an old cotton T-shirt) and wipe clean the ball. DO NOT USE A SOLVENT BASED CLEANER! (Solvents will react with and ruin some mouse balls!)
2) With your PC's POWER OFF: Remove mouse ball (should already be done in step one above). Take a Q-Tip and put some rubbing alchohol on it. Do NOT drench it, just get it wet. Use the Q-tip to clean the wheels inside the mouse. This is a MESSY process and be sure to get all the grime built-up around each wheel. The encoders rotate, so don't just clean one side... you gotta get all 360 degrees here!)
3) Blow out the debris your Q-Tip freed up and left behind with gentle spurts of air. (Canned Air - no PC user should be without it!)
4) Make sure any alchohol residue has evaporated and re-assemble the mouse.
5) Turn on your PC and the mouse should be good as new!
Viruses
Test your virus scanner and email client to make sure you're secure at: http://www.gfi.com/emailsecuritytest/.
Panda Software online virus scanner: http://www.pandasoftware.com/. (We carry the retail version of Panda Titanium at Staples that includes toll-free tech support.)
TrendMicro's Housecall at AntiVirus.Com is one of the best online virus scanners, and the site's virus and threat information is very well presented. For a free, online virus scan, visit: http://housecall.antivirus.com/.
To clean up the most common virus infections, try Stinger: McAfee AVERT Stinger. You can copy it to a write-protected floppy, and run it from Windows' Safe Mode to clean and/or remove the 40 most common viruses. (McAfee owners: An up-to-date Stinger version should already be on your HD!)Computer Associates and Microsoft have teamed up to offer a FREE one-year subscription to CA's eTrust EZ Antivirus software! This AV program has low overhead, good reliability, and is one of the few that will still run on a Windows95 OS! (You are on your own for support!) To learn more, click here: http://www.my-etrust.com/microsoft/.
Microsoft's Protect your PC page at http://www.microsoft.com/protect is always worth remembering so you can refer family and friends to it when needed. Right now, you'll find a link to a completely FREE Windows UPDATE CD! The CD contains critical (security) updates for Windows 98 and higher through February 2004 and includes a CD with CA's eTrust EZ Antivirus software. The order page for the free CD is: http://www.microsoft.com/security/protect/cd/order.asp.
The Safe Hex site is a 'collection of suggestions intended to help prevent problems with viruses, worms, trojans, malware and other questionable code.' Learn how to practice Safe Hex at: http://www.claymania.com/safe-hex.html.
Remember: Take little steps. Deal with one thing at a time. Change something, reboot, test, and then move on to something else.
Outlook Express
A story appeared in the BDN and struck a chord with me [Read story]. I think this story is worth a few comments.
>> The fundamental tip for people with computers, handheld >> devices, laptops and cell phones is, don't panic.This is the best advice in the story and it applies to more than just computer viruses!
>> 'People are somehow less suspicious of e-mail than they >> are of a package that comes to their home with odd handwriting,' >> said Steve Trilling, director of the Symantec Antivirus Research >> Center. 'It's amazing how easily people are bamboozled into >> opening e-mails.''Somehow' indeed! This remark is an insult to most computer users on the planet. It completely ignores a very important part of the problem -- a company named Microsoft®! What's really 'amazing' is that nearly every article about computer viruses simply 'forgets' to mention Microsoft's pivotal role in making them so virulent! (Integrating the web browser to the Operating System and then allowing active scripting in the whole resulting mess.)
By and large, I don't think people are being 'bamboozled' into opening infested, suspicious emails. The viruses come from FRIENDS and FAMILY - hardly suspicious sources! Often the viruses auto-execute because Microsoft® thinks we need scripting in our email!
But you say, 'Microsoft® has fixed most, if not all the scripting problems' with Outlook Express, its popular email client! To which I say, 'Great, wonderful... unfortunately many people haven't updated to safe versions.' Not surprisingly, just understanding the problem is beyond many people's abilities or interest; they just want their computers to WORK - period. Most people don't want, and shouldn't need, to learn this stuff!
For Outlook Express, here's what you can do:
In the Menu bar, click VIEW and then click the LAYOUT option. Now UN-check the box labeled Show preview pane. Once you've done that, you will NOT see messages previewed below the message list. You can safely click and delete any listed message with no chance for it to inadvertently launch a virus. To actually READ a message, you'll need to DOUBLE CLICK on the message in the list.To eliminate the scripting problem altogether, you must do the following:
In the Outlook Express menu, choose TOOLS, then OPTIONS, then SECURITY. Under 'Security Zones' click the spot next to 'Restricted Sites zone' and then click the APPLY button. Once you've got that done, click your Windows START button, select SETTINGS and click CONTROL PANEL. Find INTERNET OPTIONS (if it's not there, you can reach it through the TOOLS menu in Internet Explorer) and open it. Again, under SECURITY, click the RESTRICTED icon and then click the CUSTOM LEVEL button. You'll find a long list of protocols and features... most should be disabled already... DISABLE all those regarding ACTIVEX, JAVA and SCRIPTING. (Heck... disable all but Copy and Paste... none are really needed for email!) Click OK and confirm the changes. Now you're protected from viruses that propagate using scripts.
Sadly, after all this, you still need to maintain an up-to-date ANTI-VIRUS PROGRAM to check files and floppy disks before opening or using them.More Outlook Express reading material:
Miscellaneous Help Links
For you burners out there, see the CDR FAQ page for exhaustive information at: http://www.cdrfaq.org/.
For the video enthusiasts out there, a good resource site is DVDRhelp.com and VCDhelp.com at: http://www.dvdrhelp.com/.If you have Charter Cable, be sure to check out the TechTV channel; it's a wonderful source of tips and information. It's Cable channel 32 in Beloit. Especially if you're on Charter Cable, be sure to test your ports at a place like: http://scan.sygatetech.com/.
Bootdisk Mailing List Archive at http://www.bootdisk.com/bootlist.htm is a great resource. Featured in the newsletters are questions and answers to common and uncommon Windows problems, explained in a plain, informal, and easy to understand manner.
Doug's Windows Tweaks and Tips at http://www.dougknox.com/ offers a collection of free system tool applets to download to tweak Windows settings, as well as a collection of Windows tips to read, and links to patches and fixes from Microsoft.
Finally, since all work and no play is dull, be sure to visit the Universal Hint System at: http://www.uhs-hints.com/ to help you through those nagging tough spots in your favorite game.
For more fun, check out all the hidden things (Easter Eggs) you can find 'in computer software, movies, music, art, books, or even your watch' at: http://www.eeggs.com/.
And did I mention...? Take little steps. Deal with one thing at a time. Change something, reboot, test, and then move on to something else.
I hope you found this information helpful!
Mark
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