It basically outlines how to go about reloading your computer’s operating system and reinstalling the applications with a minimal amount of trouble. It’s still a bit of an undertaking, but this outline can alleviate some of the grief.

We’ve been recommending reloads a lot lately as a means of overcoming severe spyware and virus infestations and this is a fantastic resource.

To access this program just click Start and type MSCONFIG into the run dialogue box.

For more information on how to use MSCONFIG read more at about it at netsquirrel.com

You should also check out their anti-spyware tool which is also available for download from their site.

To run CHKDSK simply open a command prompt and type chkdsk /f and hit enter.
If you are using Windows Vista you will need to execute the command prompt as an administrator.

Once you run the command you will get a message saying something along the lines of not being able to get full access to the drive would you like to run the drive to be checked the next time you reboot. Answer “yes” and reboot the system and let it run.

CHKDSK will scan the drive for errors and by specifying the /f it will also repair any it finds.

CHKDSK can only do so much. If the drive is in the process of failing it may not work at all.

We recently had a call where the caller asked about laptop battery life. Here’s an article I found on Digg about ways to extend your battery life. Lots of good advice including, defrag regularly, dim your screen and adding more RAM.

Here’s to longer laptop battery life! Sláinte!

–groovehouse

Microsoft Security Bulletin MS07-017

Who Should Read this Document: Customers who use Microsoft Windows
Impact of Vulnerability: Remote Code Execution
Maximum Severity Rating: Critical
Recommendation: Customers should apply the update immediately

Apparently there are an increasing number of criminal groups targeting the vulnerabilities that this patch fixes and they are using it to silently install software when users visit a malicious Web site or open a certain types of e-mail.

It is strongly recommended that you apply the security patch immediately.

You can do this via the links listed at the security site linked above or by running Windows Update or by visiting windowsupdate.microsoft.com.

14 year old computer “geniuses” and the problems they cause

I have a 14 year old son who believes he is a computer whiz. He is constantly downloading programs from the Internet and tinkering around with system files and hardware. As a result, the computer he uses is always loaded down with viruses and malware. The other day I caught him swapping .dll files in the Windows system directory (he said the versions he needed weren’t there and he was replacing them with files that came from who knows where). Needless to say, his tinkering really messes up this system.

Unfortunately, my wife uses this computer too and she is pulling her hair out. I finally reformatted the hard drive and reinstalled Windows (I’m still using 2000), but within an hour, he was at it again, undoing all my work with downloaded junk. At this point, my wife was ready to go buy another computer for herself; kicking my son off the system is not an option, since there are times when he needs the computer for schoolwork.

I made it clear to all concerned that we weren’t buying another computer. After a bit of pondering, I came up with what looks to be a solution that will keep everyone happy. I pulled out the system disks and started
reformatting again. But this time, I created two equal partitions on the hard drive, then installed W2K on both. I knew you could set up a dual boot system with two different operating systems, but I wasn’t sure you could do
it with the same OS. Just like a dual OS installation, you get a choice of two OSs on bootup, but in this case, they are both Win 2K. I configured one for my wife and the other for my son. Now, he can mess up his partition to his heart’s content while my wife’s partition remains clean and green. I know other people with teenagers who have the same kinds of problems; maybe this is a simple alternative to a second or third computer.

Mark K. Davis

This is a solution that will also work with XP and Vista. And since the operating systems are not running simultaneously, I don’t believe you will need two license keys.

If your system clock keeps reverting to the incorrect time, here is what I have found will fix it.

First, go to windowsupdate.microsoft.com and make sure you are fully patched. You can use the custom option if you want to exclude Internet Explorer 7.

Install all the patches, reboot and go back until there are no more high priority updates to be installed.

Once you are patched double click the clock down in the system tray. Go to the Time Zone tab and select any time zone other than the one you are in. Click apply. Then set it back to your time zone and make sure the check box that says “Automatically adjust clock for daylight saving changes” is checked and click apply.

You should see your system clock has now changed to the correct time.

Jay Lee’s Patented Spyware Removal System
A comprehensive “how to” based on the experiences of Jay Lee, host of Technology Bytes Radio

Updated 10-14-2009

First of all, there is no “sure fire” way to explain in a document how to rid yourself of all spyware and browser hijacks. Depending on the level of infestation this process will either eliminate all or, at the very least, most of the problems you might be experiencing as a result of this epidemic. In some cases the infestation is so deep and so pervasive that a skilled technician is required to sit down at the troubled PC and duke it out using all the skills he has to literally rip the infection out and still maintain the functionality of the computer.

In this document I will outline the method I use to remove spyware from computers that I encounter.

The first thing you want are the tools. There are numerous companies offering programs that claim to remove spyware from your computer. Some are legitimate and others are not. Some are free and others are not. My experience has led me to several free and extremely effective software applications. The first step will be for you to download and install these program onto the computer you are working with.

Combofix. It’s not the most glamorous or slick looking anti-spyware tool around, and it is not the most intuitive. But it has fixed spyware issues that other programs don’t seem to be able to handle. If you can follow simple directions, you might give this one a whirl and see if it takes care of the problem.

Malwarebytes Anti-Malware. Probably the best tool I have found but BE CAREFUL!!! When you click on the link to the free trial download the page you go to may have ads on it for other programs.

DO NOT BE TRICKED INTO DOWNLOADING ANYTHING OTHER THAN MALWAREBYTES ANTI-MALWARE! Click here to see what I am talking about.

Adaware You can download the free version here. Adaware has come a long, long way and is very effective in detecting and removing spyware.

Spybot Search and Destroy. Written by Patrick Kolla, this program is one of the original tools for the removal of spyware. At this time the current version is 1.6 If you are using version 1.2, 1.3, 1.4 or 1.5 you must download the latest version to be up to date. The internal update feature of this application will not update the program version. Download the latest version from the Spybot home page.

The reason I mention all of these tools is that my experience has shown that while none of them remove it all, the three used together seem to get the majority of the infestation cleaned up.

Download these programs. If the infected computer cannot access these downloads then download them to another PC and burn them to CD or put them on a portable USB drive so that you can then bring them to the infested computer.

After installing the applications on the infested computer it is important to update the programs. Since spyware is changing daily the makers of these programs offer updated definition files much like anti-virus programs do.

Each program (with the exception of Combofix) has an update option . Locate the menu and run the update.

Once all the programs are installed and updated you will want to begin the scanning of your system. I recommend closing all applications and rebooting into Safe Mode prior to performing the scan.

In my experience it is safe to remove anything these scans find.

Another step I suggest is checking the Add/Remove Programs Control Panel. Sometimes certain adware and spyware program will have an uninstall option. They are not always obvious. If you don’t recognize the installed program try searching for it on Google.

One of the tricks that the makers of spyware and adware will employ is a complicated uninstall process. They might ask you if you are really sure, others make it where you have to type in a code and others use confusing wording that can lead to no uninstall at all if you are not paying attention.

This next section is more for advanced users.

Advanced Removal Tools

For more advanced spyware removal there is a tool called Hijack This. Be careful with this tool. It will show you all the things that load when you start your PC and allow you to remove them. This tools shows the good and the bad and makes NO distinction between the two.

One more advanced tool you might want to have on hand is LSPFIX. Some adware and spyware programs install a wedge between the system and the TCP/IP stack. TCP/IP is how your computer communicates with the Internet. I have had experiences where the removal of the spyware will actually cause the computer to no longer have the ability to access the Internet.

LSPFIX is a tool that will remove the wedge. This tool is NOT intuitive. It will make an effort to correct the TCP/IP problem and should ONLY be used in default mode and ONLY if your computer can no longer access the Internet at all after the removal of spyware.

For information on what spyware is I refer you to this article written by Dwight Silverman of the Houston Chronicle.