Emergency Shutdown
If for some reason you need to turn off your computer but if wont turn off using the normal procedure try holding the power button in and count 4 seconds and it should then turn off.

My icons have gone all big and colours changed
Your screens resolution and colours may have been changed. To fix this right click on the desktop (the background screen of your computer), not on an icon but a blank spot on the desktop, then click properties in the menu that appears. You should now have a window called Display Properties. In this window there will be a number of tabs, click on the end tab that says "settings ". Change the screen resolution (15" monitor use 800 x 600 or 17" monitor use 800 x 600 or 1024 x 768) to match your monitor and comfort level for your eyes. Then change the Color quality setting to 16 bit 24 bit or 32 bit (NOT 16 colors). Then click ok and let windows restart if it needs to.

My eyes start to ache after using the computer for a short period
Your monitor is probably running at 60hz (refreshing the picture 60 times per second) which is far to slow for comfortable viewing. If you have a relatively new monitor and video card you can increase this safely to 75hz (if you have an older monitor check your manual for info on what it will run at, it is your responsibility to ensure your monitor will run safely). Open the display settings by right right clicking on the desktop (the background screen of your computer), not on an icon but a blank spot on the desktop, then click properties in the menu that appears. You should now have a window called Display Properties. In this window there will be a number of tabs, click on the end tab that says "settings", then the button that says "advanced". There should be another box with tabs, click on the "adaptor" section and select the button that says "all modes" to change your refresh rate. (Note this applies to specifically to WinXP, the details may vary with other OS's like Windows 98 and Windows ME).

Internet Connection firewall
Internet Connection Firewall (ICF) is firewall software that is used to set restrictions on what information is communicated from your home or small office network to and from the Internet to your network. This is available in Windows XP.

To enable or disable Internet Connection Firewall

1. OpenControl Panel
2. Open Network Connections
3. Click the Dial-up, LAN or High-Speed Internet connection that you want to protect, and then, under Network Tasks, click Change settings of this connection.
4. On the Advanced tab, under Internet Connection Firewall, select one of the following:
   • To enable Internet Connection Firewall (ICF), select the Protect my computer and network by limiting or preventing access to this computer from the Internet check box.
   • To disable Internet Connection Firewall, clear the Protect my computer and network by limiting or preventing access to this computer from the Internet check box.

Emergency shutdown of unresponsive software (Task Manager)
If a program become unusable in Windows XP you can press Ctrl-Alt-Del buttons all at once and the Windows Security Window appears.
Then click Task Manager and under the Applications TAB you can select the offending program and then click end task. Window will try
to end the program this can sometimes take 30 seconds or more. If this does not work you may need to reboot the computer press Ctrl-Alt-Del buttons all at once again then click shutdown.

Turing off programs that activate on startup (MS Configuration Manager)
These days every program and his dog wants to run everytime you start your computer. This can lead to a sluggish start or worse an all round slow computer. There is often programs that get installed on your computer that you don't need to start until you want to use them and others you probably did not know existed. There is a handy program in Windows 98 and up that can help identify these and select which ones you want to start.
Click Start and then Run then type msconfig then click the startup Tab at the top. From here you can uncheck the programs you decide are unnecessary, if you change your mind you can go back and check it again.

How to use select/cut/copy/paste
Cut copy and paste are three very handy things to remember how to do. But first what do they do. Lets say you have document that you produced a while back and you are writing another that has a lot of the same writing in it and you don't want to retype it all. You could use cut, copy and paste to maneuver text around very quickly to create another document similar to the old one.

Here's how to do it:

Select: To select what it is you want to copy click and hold the left mouse button then move the mouse while holding the button down to the last word or line that you want to select and then let the button go. You should see all that you have selected now has a dark block around it.

Cut:To cut the object that you have just selected you can do one of to things. 1: Press [Ctrl] key and [X] key at the same time and the object that you selected will be moved into an area in memory called the clipboard ready for you to paste it back to where you want it. 2: Most programs have the edit menu next to the file menu at the top of the window. Click edit and then click cut and the object that you selected will be moved into an area in memory called the clipboard ready for you to paste it back to where you want it.

Copy:To copy the object without altering the original again there is 2 methods. 1: Press [Ctrl] key and [C] key at the same time and the object that you selected will be copied into an area in memory called the clipboard ready for you to paste it to where you want it. 2: Most programs have the edit menu next to the file menu at the top of the window. Click edit and then click copy and the object that you selected will be copied into an area in memory called the clipboard ready for you to paste it to where you want it.

Paste:To complete most cut and copy operations you need to finish by using paste. Again there a to methods 1: Move you mouse pointer to where you want your object to be put (pasted) and press the right mouse button and then let it go this by doing this you tell windows where the next action will take place. Press [Ctrl] key and [V] key at the same time and the object that you cut or copied will be pasted to the spot you chose. 2: Move you mouse pointer to where you want your object to be put (pasted) and press the right mouse button and then let it go this by doing this you tell windows where the next action will take place Most programs have the edit menu next to the file menu at the top of the window. Click edit and then click paste and the object that you cut or copied will be pasted to the spot you chose.

My sound won't work
A common cause of your sound not working is that it may be muted. To fix this go to the control panel then sound and audio devices and uncheck the mute box.

Keyboard Shortcuts

Windows Key Windows Key + E Windows Key + D Windows Key + D Windows Key + F Windows Key + L Windows Key + M Windows Key + Shift + M Windows Key + Pause/Break Windows Key + R Windows Key + U F1 F2 F3 F5 F11 Alt + F4 Alt + Enter Alt + tab Alt + Escape Ctrl + A Ctrl + C Ctrl + Escape Ctrl + V Ctrl + X Ctrl + F5 Ctrl + Alt + Del Tab Shift + Tab Spacebar Ctrl + Tab Ctrl + Shift +Tab Context Key Enter Up / Down Arrows Space bar Page Up Page Down

Opens [Start Menu] Opens [Windows Explorer] Show desktop (Not NT) Restores all open Windows (Not NT) Opens [Search], [Find] Lock computer (XP Only) Minimize all Windows Restore all Windows Opens [System Properties] Opens [Run] command Opens Utility Manager (XP ONLY) Opens [Help] Rename Opens [Search] Refreshes page / View Maximizes Window Closes the active window or program Displays properties for selected item Switch between open items Switch between open items (in the order opened) Select all Copies selected text or image to clipboard Opens [Start] menu Pastes clipboard Cuts selected text or image to clipboard Refreshes page, downloads latest page from server Opens task manager Move forward through options Move backwards through options Tick / Untick active box Move forwards through menu tabs Move backwards through menu tabs Equivalent to right click Executes the selected icon Moves up and down in menu's Scrolls page down Scrolls page up Scrolls page down

Updating AVG anti-virus software

To update AVG Anti-virus connect to the internet and then right click the mouse on the AVG icon near the clock a menu will appear then left click on "Check for Updates. AVG will now download the latest Anti-virus Updates and then install them.

The Reset Button - and when not to use it!

The reset button should be used as a last resort not a fix to every minor glitch your computer has. If your computer is not responding you should give it at least 40 seconds to finish what it was doing. If it still does not respond you can use the ALT CTRL and DEL keys all at once to bring up the Windows Task Manager.
In the Windows Task Manager on the Applications Tab it should display the list of applications that are running and under the status column look for the application that is "Not Responding" You can select this application and click "end task" to allow windows to shut it down this can take upto 30 seconds.
If you computer does not respond to the ALT CTRL DEL key combo then it may be hard locked and the Reset button may have to be used but if using the reset button try to make sure there is no Hard Disk activity. You can usually tell if there is Hard drive Activity by checking the Red or sometimes Orange LED Light on the front of your computer. If it is flashing wait until it stops before you reset.

" spyware changed my display" , "virus giving 2 tabs in display properties", "appearance tab gone in desktop display spyware"
"display properties virus", "repair display properties", "Tabs missing from display properties"

Warning: Be careful when using regedit.

Use this Registry setting to unhide the Background tab under Control Panel >Display.  To do this , click start run then type regedit and go to:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion \Policies\System

Edit the value "NoDispBackgroundPage" (DWORD value) and set the value to "0" (without quotes) to unhide the Background tab.  The setting will take effect immediately and does not require a reboot.

Use this setting to unhide the Screen Saver tab under Control Panel > Display.    To do this go to:

HKey_Current_User\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System

and edit the value "NoDispScrSavPage"  and set the value to "0" (without quotes) to unhide the Screen Saver tab.

Use this setting to unhide the Appearance tab under Control Panel > Display.    To do this go to:

HKey_Current_User\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System

and edit the value " NoDispAppearancePage "  and set the value to "0" (without quotes) to unhide the Appearance tab.

Available for: 95, 98, NT, 2000

MZS.spoolserver32 removal

Spybot Search & Destroy could not remove a registry key called MZS.spoolserver32. To remove it run Regedit and navigate to          HKEY_USERS\S-1-5-18\Software\MZS                     and delete the MZS Registry folder.

Logon failure:The user has not been granted the requested logon type at this computer when trying to connect to a Windows XP Computer over the network.

Go to control panel then administrative tools then local security policy.  Expand local policy then click user rights assignment. In the right side panel double click "access this computer from the network" and check that the users and groups that should be able to access this computer from the network are there and if not add them ie: users,everyone....

My Broadband Internet has stopped working, Internet wont work.

OK now there is hundreds of things that can cause your computers broadband Internet connection to fail but before you go calling tech support try 2 easy things.
1: Turn off or unplug the power to your Broadband modem for 15 seconds then turn it back on or plug it in.
2: Turn off your computer for 15 seconds and then turn it back on again.
You may save your self a few support calls.

When I play movies, the video quality is too bright and a little bit pixelated. Windows Media Player videos too brighton my nvidia video card..

To fix the problem go to color correction in the
NVIDIA driver software go to Apply color changes to and select "All" and
then click Apply.

Fix dead pixels fix bright pixels fix stuck pixels.

I did not believe this business about the fixing of pixels but we came across a brand new Viewsonic 17" LCD with a green pixel stuck on. This monitor VA702 was not covered by warranty for this pixel anomaly so I figured I had nothing to loose by running this so called pixel fixer video and rubbing the area with my finger. I had been running the video with quicktime for about 3 hours and rubbing the area with my finger several times and was starting to give up hope. I started to notice that for an instant while rubbing the pixel it would be gone but when I took the pressure off it would come back. Obviously something was happening so tried a different method of rubbing. I rolled the flat of my finger nail over it a couple of times and the stuck pixel was gone. I could not believe it had worked but it does. It wont work in all situations but its worth a try.

When you try to view Search Companion or any one of the following dialog boxes, the dialog box may appear blank / empty or partly empty:
Search Companion is blank, User Accounts is blank, Windows Update is blank, Help and Support is blank, System Restore is blank.
When you try to start Microsoft Windows Media Player, you may receive an "An internal application error has occurred" (or a similar) error message. Internet Explorer may not be able to print. When you click File, and then click Print, the Print dialog box does not appear. The print preview is blank. After you login to the Westpac online banking site you get a blank page that says "Done" at the bottom of the page. In Internet Explorer you click Help then about internet explorer and the version information is missing/blank.
The cause of this issue may be if one or more of the Jscript registry key settings are incorrect. This behavior may also occur if the Jscript.dll file is missing or damaged.

Method to repair: Reregister Jscript.dll and Vbscript.dll
1. Click Start and then click Run.
2. Type regsvr32 jscript.dll, and then click OK.
3. Click OK.
4. Click Start, and then click Run.
5. Type regsvr32 vbscript.dll, and then click OK.
6. Click OK.
If either of the files do not register as expected, or if you receive an error message, the system file may be missing or damaged. To extract the missing file in Microsoft Windows XP, follow these steps:
1. Click Start, and then click Run.
2. Type msconfig, and then click OK.
3. Click Expand File.

LOP Removal Tool, Remove Blue Tool bar,Delete Lop.com, LOP Software Removal.

There are many people frustrated with this annoying LOP Spyware on thier computer, a Blue bar accross the top of the taskbar. It shows its self when you start Internet Explorer. Of course you can close it but that has very little effect as it constantly pumps out pop up advertising.
There are other methods on the internet that are safer than this method. Use this method at your own risk ! There are a lot of things that can go wrong but there are a lot of people desperate to get rid of LOP so I put this up for you.

The company that write this LOP software supply a removal tool to get rid of it. It actually works too if you can get over all the hurdles to make it run. If you go to lop.com then click on Help at the bottom of the webpage the click "How do I uninstall one of your software products?" you will find the link to the removal tool there is also a link to it further down the page. But don't rush to download it yet as you need to prep your computer first. They don't want you to remove it so they have made it as difficult as they can.

Firstly if you are running AVG Antivirus the removal tool is detected as the swissor virus. I have not tried using other antivirus but I am assumming that they will be the same. I don't really think that the removal tool contains the virus at all, they have just put a common virus signature into the removal tool so that when you download it your trusty antivirus software deletes it adding to the hoops you have to jump through to get rid of LOP. So if you want to use the removal tool uninstall your virus scanner first. Then you may also have to adjust your browsers security settings to download it. To do this start IE click tools - Internet Options - Security Tab, in the section "security level for this zone click custom level then reset custom settings to low. Then you can download the removal tool called "new_uninstall.exe"

Close all browser windows including popups and then run the removal tool. It will ask you to enter a set of characters displayed on screen before it will continue. Once complete the Lop will be gone. You will need to set your browser security settings back to default and reinstall your antivirus software.The antivirus will delete your removal tool when it finds it so if you want to keep it in case you need it again the put it on a floppy before you reinstall the anti virus.

Connect using a dial-up modem option in the New Connection Wizard is unavailable, Can not create dialup account in WinXP, Connect using a dial-up modem grayed out, Connect using a broadband connection that requires a user name and password grayed out.

To correct this follow the steps below:(at your own risk)

1. Click on Start and then on Run.
2. In the open box type in regedit and then click the OK button.
3. Click on the plus (+) next to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE.
4. Click on the plus (+) next to SYSTEM.
5. Click on the plus (+) next to CurrentControlSet.
6. Click on the plus (+) next to Services.
7. Click on the plus (+) next to RasMan.
8. Click on the plus (+) next to PPP.
9. Click on the plus (+) next to EAP.
10. Click on the folder that has the number 25.
11. Press the DEL key on the keyboard. Click Yes to confirm key deletion.
12. Click on the folder under EAP that has the number 26.
13. Press the DEL key on the keyboard. Click Yes to confirm key deletion.
14. Close the registry editor and reboot the computer normally.
15. You should now be able to create your dial-up or broadband connection.

Spysheriff removal, SpywareNo removal,Instructions for removing Spysheriff.

SpySheriff (also known as SpywareNo) Removal

If you have been infected with this malware try the steps below.

1) Make sure you have run all the Steps this Sticky thread READ & RUN ME FIRST Before Asking for Support

2) Open Control Panel and select Add/Remove programs. Look for SpySheriff and uninstall if found.

3) Download HijackThis 1.99.1

- Unzip the hijackthis.exe file to a folder you create named C:\Program Files\HJT

- Do NOT run Hijack This from the Desktop, a temp folder, or a sub-folder of C:\Documents and Settings, or choose to run it directly from the downloaded ZIP file.

- Before running HijackThis: You must close each of the following:your web browser, e-mail client, instant messenger, and programs like notepad, wordpad, MS Word etc. And any other unnecessary running programs.

If you have problems understanding how to install and run HijackThis, a more detailed procedure is given here: Downloading, Installing, and Running HijackThis

4) Now Run HijackThis and select Do a system scan only. Look for the below lines (you may not always find both of them) and select them but DO NOT CLICK FIX until you exit all browser sessions including the one you are reading in right now:

O4 - HKCU\..\Run: [Windows installer] C:\winstall.exe
O4 - HKCU\..\Run: [SNInstall] C:\winstall.exe
O4 - HKCU\..\Run: [SpySheriff] C:\Program Files\SpySheriff\SpySheriff.exe

After clicking Fix, exit HJT.

5) Boot into safe mode and use Windows Explorer to delete (if found):
C:\winstall.exe
C:\WINDOWS\Web\wallpaper.html
C:\WINDOWS\Web\desktop.html
C:\Windows\Desktop.html
C:\wp.exe
C:\wp.bmp
C:\Program Files\SpySheriff <--- the whole folder
C:\Documents and Settings\username\Start Menu\Programs\SpySheriff <-whole folder
C:\Documents and Settings\username\Application Data\Install.dat

Note: replace username with the actual user name for the account your are cleaning. Like C:\Documents and Settings\username\Start Menu\Programs\SpySheriff

6) Now run Ccleaner (installed while running the READ ME FIRST). Now if running Win XP goto c:\windows\Prefetch and delete all files in this folder.

7) Now reboot in normal mode and continue with the below.

8) Copy the contents of the below Quote Box to Notepad. Then click File and then Save As. Change the Save as Type to All Files. Name the file fixadt.reg and then click save. (make sure you save it somewhere you can find it. Saving it to your Desktop may make that easy.) Then double-click on the fixadt.reg file on your desktop (or locate it with Windows Explorer and double click on it if not saved to the Desktop) and when it prompts to Add in to the registry, say yes.

REGEDIT4

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop]
"Wallpaper"=-
"WallpaperStyle"=-

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Colors]
"Background"="0 78 152"

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\ActiveDesktop]
"NoChangingWallPaper"=-
"NoComponents"=-
"NoAddingComponents"=-
"NoDeletingComponents"=-
"NoEditingComponents"=-
"NoHTMLWallpaper"=-

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer]
"NoViewContextMenu"=-
"NoActiveDesktop"=-
"NoActiveDesktopChanges"=-
"ForceActiveDesktopOn"=-
"NoSaveSettings"=dword:00000000
"ClassicShell"=dword:00000000
"NoThemesTab"=dword:00000000

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System]
"NoDispAppearancePage"=-
"Wallpaper"=-
"WallpaperStyle"=-
"NoDispBackgroundPage"=-

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\ThemeManager]
"ThemeActive"="1"
"DllName"=hex(2):25,00,53,00,79,00,73,00,74,00,65,00,6d,00,52,00,6f,00,6f,00,\
74,00,25,00,5c,00,72,00,65,00,73,00,6f,00,75,00,72,00,63,00,65,00,73,00,5c,\
00,54,00,68,00,65,00,6d,00,65,00,73,00,5c,00,6c,00,75,00,6e,00,61,00,5c,00,\
6c,00,75,00,6e,00,61,00,2e,00,6d,00,73,00,73,00,74,00,79,00,6c,00,65,00,73,\
00,00,00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Desktop\General]
"WallpaperFileTime"=-
"WallpaperLocalFileTime"=-

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer]
"NoViewContextMenu"=-

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer\Run]
"notepad.exe"=-
"notepad2.exe"=-
"winlogon.exe"=-
"paint.exe"=-

[-HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Currentversion\Explorer\Browser Helper Objects\{FFFFFFFF-FFFF-FFFF-FFFF-FFFFFFFFFFFF}]
[-HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Currentversion\Explorer\Browser Helper Objects\{FFFFFFFF-FFFF-FFFF-FFFF-FFFFFFFFFFFA}]
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Search]
"SearchAssistant"="http://ie.search.msn.com/{SUB_RFC1766}/srchasst/srchasst.htm"
"CustomizeSearch"="http://ie.search.msn.com/{SUB_RFC1766}/srchasst/srchcust.htm"
"Default_Search_URL"="http://www.microsoft.com/isapi/redir.dll?prd=ie&ar=iesearch"
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main]
"Default_Search_URL"="http://www.microsoft.com/isapi/redir.dll?prd=ie&ar=iesearch"
"Search Page"="http://www.microsoft.com/isapi/redir.dll?prd=ie&ar=iesearch"
[HKEY_USERS\.DEFAULT\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main]
"Search Page"="http://www.microsoft.com/isapi/redir.dll?prd=ie&ar=iesearch"
"Search Bar"="Search Bar"="http://search.msn.com/intl/searchpane/en-au/prov2.htm"
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\SearchUrl]
""="http://home.microsoft.com/access/autosearch.asp?p=%s"
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\main]
"Search Page"="http://www.microsoft.com/isapi/redir.dll?prd=ie&ar=iesearch"
"Search Bar"="http://search.msn.com/spbasic.htm"
"Use Custom Search URL"= dword:00000000
"Use Search Asst"=-
[-HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Ext\Stats\{FFFFFFFF-FFFF-FFFF-FFFF-FFFFFFFFFFFF}]
[-HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Ext\Stats\{FFFFFFFF-FFFF-FFFF-FFFF-FFFFFFFFFFFA}]
[-HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{FFFFFFFF-FFFF-FFFF-FFFF-FFFFFFFFFFFF}]
[-HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{FFFFFFFF-FFFF-FFFF-FFFF-FFFFFFFFFFFA}]
[-HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{357A87ED-3E5D-437d-B334-DEB7EB4982A3}]
[-HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\VMHomepage]
[-HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\VMHomepage.1]
[-HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Interface\{1E1B2878-88FF-11D2-8D96-D7ACAC95951F}]
[-HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\TypeLib\{1E1B286C-88FF-11D2-8D96-D7ACAC95951F}]
[-HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\VMHomepage]
[-HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\VMHomepage.1]
[-HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Browser Helper Objecta]
[-HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet003\Services\HTTP\Parameters\S]
[-HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet003\Services\HTTP\Parameters\S]
[-HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet003\Services\SharedAccess\Parameters\r]
[-HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Desktop\Components\1]
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run]
"Intel system tool"=-
"WindowsFZ"=-

How to take ownership of a file or folder in Windows XP

If you are using Windows XP Professional, you must disable Simple File Sharing. By default, Windows XP Professional uses Simple File sharing when it is not joined to a domain.

To take ownership of a folder, follow these steps:
1. Right-click the folder that you want to take ownership of, and then click Properties.
2. Click the Security tab, and then click OK on the Security message (if one appears).
3. Click Advanced, and then click the Owner tab.
4. In the Name list, click your user name, or click Administrator if you are logged in as Administrator, or click the Administrators group. If you want to take ownership of the contents of that folder, select the Replace owner on subcontainers and objects check box.
5. Click OK, and then click Yes when you receive the following message:
You do not have permission to read the contents of directory folder name. Do you want to replace the directory permissions with permissions granting you Full Control?

All permissions will be replaced if you press Yes.
Note folder name is the name of the folder that you want to take ownership of.
6. Click OK, and then reapply the permissions and security settings that you want for the folder and its contents.
Back to the top Back to the top
How to take ownership of a file
Note You must be logged on to the computer with an account that has administrative credentials.

To take ownership of a file, follow these steps:
1. Right-click the file that you want to take ownership of, and then click Properties.
2. Click the Security tab, and then click OK on the Security message (if one appears).
3. Click Advanced, and then click the Owner tab.
4. In the Name list, click Administrator, or click the Administrators group, and then click OK.

The administrator or the Administrators group now owns the file. To change the permissions on the files and folders under this folder, go to step 5.
5. Click Add.
6. In the Enter the object names to select (examples) list, type the user or group account that you want to give access to the file. For example, type Administrator.
7. Click OK.
8. In the Group or user names list, click the account that you want, and then select the check boxes of the permissions that you want to assign that user.
9. When you are finished assigning permissions, click OK.

Word takes ages to start,Word requesting virus scan AVG. Excel takes ages to start,Excel requesting virus scan AVG. MS Office slow to start requesting virus scan AVG.

For some reason MS Office sometimes has a problem when requesting a virus scan for Word and Excel etc. This causes a long delay when opening documents. If this happens to you, you can deactivate this plugin, you don´t have to uninstall it. You can deactivate it running these commands from Command Prompt in accessories.

cd "\program files\grisoft\avg free"

regsvr32.exe /u avgoff2k.dll

You can re-activate the plugin again using this command:

regsvr32.exe avgoff2k.dll

If the AVGOFF2K.DLL file is not in the AVG7 folder, you have to install it into the AVG.

When I uninstall Spyfalcon it reinstall a few minutes later,Flashing icon in the System tray near clock. Spyfalcon removal.SpyFalcon manual removal:

Help: how to kill malicious processes
Delete registry values:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run\SpyFalcon
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\SharedTaskScheduler\{D1A2E7CD-F5C1-21A8-CA2C-13D0AC72D19D}
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Classes\CLSID\{D1A2E7CD-F5C1-21A8-CA2C-13D0AC72D19D}
Help: how to remove registry entries

Delete files:
spyfalcon.exe, dxmpp.dll, sf.ini
You may need to boot to the recovery console using your Windows XP CD to delete dxmpp.dll.

Delete directories:
C:\Program Files\SpyFalcon
C:\Documents and Settings\[Current User]\Start Menu\Programs\SpyFalcon

Misc:
Exact file location:
spyfalcon.exe, sf.ini - C:\Program Files\SpyFalcon
dxmpp.dll - C:\Windows\System, C:\Windows\System32 or C:\Winnt\System32

DHCP problem in Windows XP, Cant get server assigned IP address but manual IP works ok. Could not start the DHCP Client Service on local computer, Error 1068: The dependency service or group failed to start.

The DHCP Client Service in Windows XP, depends on these three components:

AFD
NetBios over Tcpip
TCP/IP Protocol Driver

To verify theses 3 dependencies type CMD /K SC QC DHCP in Start, Run

You should get somthing like this

SERVICE_NAME: DHCP
TYPE : 20 WIN32_SHARE_PROCESS
START_TYPE : 2 AUTO_START
ERROR_CONTROL : 1 NORMAL
BINARY_PATH_NAME : C:\WINDOWS\system32\svchost.exe -k netsvcs
LOAD_ORDER_GROUP : TDI
TAG : 0
DISPLAY_NAME : DHCP Client
DEPENDENCIES : Tcpip
: Afd
: NetBT
: SYMTDI
SERVICE_START_NAME : LocalSystem

Normally there are 3 dependencies (I've mark in red) but there may be more and this may be the problem.

When I came across this problem there was an extra one call SYMTDI that belonged to a copy of Norton Antivirus/Firewall Software that had long since being uninstalled.

1. Click Start, and then click Run.
2. In the Open box, type regedit, and then click OK.
3. Locate the following Registry key:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\DHCP DependOnService
Note The variable lists SYMTDI.
4. Edit the value to remove SYMTDI from the dependency list.
5. Restart the computer.