"The Computer Guy"

Killed a hard drive without backing up? Deleted your babies first photo and already emptied the recycling bin? Not to worry, you can probably recover your data with the help of this guide from PCSTATS. - Version 1.3.0

• Make sure you're using a secure web connection when you go to the order portion of the site.
• Know who your seller is. Check them out with the Better Business Bureau if you don't know who they are.
• Print out your order page where it has the total charge and your shipping and billing information. Many sites allow this after you've ordered, but it's a good idea to print out the page where you enter your information, as well.
• Select a delivery that allows you tracking and delivery confirmation, like UPS, FedEx or others that will provide a tracking number that you can use online or on the phone to locate your purchase. This is especially important if you're going to have the item sent to someone other than yourself.
• Use a credit card that you specifically use only for online purchases. This allows you to verify the charges and watch for any unauthorized charges.
• Most order sites require an email address. Some will use this to email you an order confirmation and most will say they won't sell your information, but using an email address specifically set up for online orders gives you one central spot for your ordering information to be saved as well as allowing you to find out who's selling your email information so you can reduce spam and stop using the seller. Usually, your provider allows you a number of free email addresses, but you can always set up an email account at places like Hotmail, Google Mail or many others.
• Always print a receipt.

RealTechNes has a great article on keyboard shortcuts in Microsoft Windows that you may not know even exist! These can really speed up your work.

Click here for a very good page created by Pinewoood School Reference. This is a great list of ideas and links for upgrading, using, or donating your old computer and electronic equipment.

If your computer has been infected with a virus there are several things that need to be done to remove the entire infection. Sometimes http://sarc.com posts fixes you can download free of charge so be sure to check the Internet before following these steps. Before you do anything make sure your antivirus definitions are up-to-date to avoid further spread of the virus.

1. Click Start
2. Right-click My Computer > Click Properties
3. Click on the System Restore Tab
4. Uncheck the “Turn off System Restore” checkbox
5. Click OK
6. Click Yes on the next prompt

Windows ME

1. Click Start
2. Navigate to Settings > Click Control Panel
3. Click on the Performance Tab
4. Click the File System button on the Bottom of the window
5. Click on the Troubleshooting Tab
6. Check the “Disable System Restore” checkbox
7. Click OK
8. Click Yes on the next prompt

1. Connect to the internet
2. Click Start
3. Click Windows update
4. A window may pop up asking about installing the Windows Updater. If so, click Yes
5. Click “Scan for updates”
6. Click “Review and install updates”
7. To save time you may want to click remove on Internet Explorer or any other upgrades. The main thing that needs to be installed are the security updates
8. Click Install Now
9. Click Accept

1. Close all open programs
2. Click Start
3. Click Shutdown
4. Select Restart Computer and click OK
5. About 3 seconds before the Starting Windows screen comes up repeatedly press F8 (this may take a few tries if you’ve never done this before)
6. Select Safe Mode
7. When windows boots up start a virus scan on all local drives. Make sure you’re scanning all files instead of just executables.

1. Once you remove the virus files you may need to delete some remnant virus registry entries. http://www.sarc.com has a very good list of viri and solutions. Check to see if the following steps are necessary for the virus you’ve removed.
2. Click Start
3. Click Run
4. Type “Regedit” (without the quotes) and click OK
5. Select My Computer
6. Click Registry > Export Registry File
7. Type in a file name and click OK
8. Navigate to the necessary registry entry by clicking on the + signs to expand the trees. Entries discussed during the show were:

   W32.mimail.j
   HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run
   “SvcHost32”=”%Windir%\svchost32.exe”

   W32.welchia.worm
   HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services
   RpcPatch and RpcTftpd

   W32.blaster.worm
   HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services
   Windows auto update

9. Select the registry value on the right panel and press delete

If you're running Windows 2000 or Linux, you can employ the use of the hosts file on your system to block popup ads. This is a quick an easy way to handle these annoyances, but be aware of a couple of things:

• If you use Windows 95, 98 or XP, using this method may slow down your web browswing. Consider, instead, using the commerical product Webwasher, free for home use.
• Unlike a blocker "agent" like Webwasher, remember that you have to update your hosts file yourself, every time you find another popup ad so you can block that site in the future. You can be supplied with a starting hosts file, but you'll need to add to it, yourself.

Try Filerecovery Professional, a program that you can use to recover data from severely damaged disk drives. Note that this program is a commercial product starting at $100, but it may save you alot more time and money than replacing the drive and all the data.

There are plenty of programs that are started by Windows that you may not need and that are taking up your valuable CPU and Memory resources. If you check out this page you can find out how to identify and remove these programs. Caveat Emptor: Removing some programs may cause you to lose some functionality of your computer -- KNOW WHAT YOU'RE REMOVING!

This article from TechRepublic explains how to increase your system speed by disabling a "feature" set by default ion Windows98.

• Right-click on the My Computer icon to bring up the menu
• Click on Properties to bring up the Properties Window
• Click on the Hard Drive tab to bring up the Hard Drive Properties
• Under Settings, use the drop down menu under Typical use of this computer to select Network server, even if you're not on a network.

• Click on the Start button to get the Start Menu
• Click on Run to bring up the Run Program Menu
• Type regedit in the Run Program text bar to bring up the Registry Edit Window
• On the left side of the Registry Edit Window, click the + sign next to the HKEY_CURRENT_USER selection. This will open other selections below it.
• Under HKEY_CURRENT_USER on the left side of the Registry Edit Window, click the + sign next to the Control Panel selection. This will open other selections below it.
• Under HKEY_CURRENT_USER and Control Panel on the left side of the Registry Edit Window, click the Desktop selection. This will show the new values on the right side of the Registry Edit Window
• Right-click the right side of the Registry Edit Window to get the Registry Edit Menu
• Select Create New and then String to bring up the String Create Window
• Type the string HungAppTimeout (upper/lower case is important!) and press Enter to create the entry in the right side of the Registry Edit Window
• Double-click the HungAppTimeout string in the right side of teh Registry Edit Window to bring up the HungAppTimeout Properties
• Type the number 3000 and press Enter
• Right-click the right side of the Registry Edit Window to get the Registry Edit Menu
• Select Create New and then String to bring up the String Create Window
• Type the string WaitToKillAppTimeout (upper/lower case is important!) and press Enter to create the entry in the right side of the Registry Edit Window
• Double-click the WaitToKillAppTimeout string in the right side of teh Registry Edit Window to bring up the WaitToKillAppTimeout Properties
• Type the number 5000 and press Enter

• Click on the Start button to get the Start Menu
• Click on Run to bring up the Run Program Menu
• Type regedit in the Run Program text bar to bring up the Registry Edit Window
• On the left side of the Registry Edit Window, click the + sign next to the HKEY_CURRENT_USER selection. This will open other selections below it.
• Under HKEY_CURRENT_USER on the left side of the Registry Edit Window, click the + sign next to the Control Panel selection. This will open other selections below it.
• Under HKEY_CURRENT_USER and Control Panel on the left side of the Registry Edit Window, click the Desktop selection. This will show the new values on the right side of the Registry Edit Window
• Right-click the right side of the Registry Edit Window to get the Registry Edit Menu
• Select Create New and then String to bring up the String Create Window
• Type the string MenuShowDelay (upper/lower case is important!) and press Enter to create the entry in the right side of the Registry Edit Window
• Double-click the MenuShowDelay string in the right side of teh Registry Edit Window to bring up the MenuShowDelay Properties
• Type a number from 0 to 999 corresponding to the millisecond delay you want (e.g. 500 = 0.5 seconds) and press Enter

• Either:
  • Click on Start to bring up the Start Menu
  • Select Programs to bring up the Programs Menu
  • Select Accessories to bring up the Accessories Menu
  • Select System Tools to bring up the System Tools Menu
  • Click on Scheduled Tasks to bring up the Scheduled Tasks Window
  Or
  • From the System Tray in the lower right corner of the desktop, Click on the Task Scheduler icon
• Click on Add Scheduled Task to bring up the Scheduled Task Wizard Window
• Select the application to add by clicking on it, or click on the Browse button to browse your computer for the application to schedule
• Click the Next button to go to the next window
• Choose and type a name for the event or application
• Select the frequency of the event (daily, weekly, monthly, one time, at system start, at user logon)
• Select Open advanced properties for this task when I click finish by checkmarking the check box
• Click the Finish button, which will bring up the Task Properties Window
• Here, you may modify the schedule, or select things the program might require. For example, if you are setting up Scan Disk you need to tell it which disks to scan. This is under the Advanced button of the Task tab.

• Scan Disk
• Disk Defragment
• Anti Spyware Scanners (e.g. Ad-Aware)
• Virus Scanners and Virus Scanner Updates

• Click on Start to bring up the Start Menu
• Select Programs to bring up the Programs Menu
• Select Accessories to bring up the Accessories Menu
• Select System Tools to bring up the System Tools Menu
• Click on Net Watcher to bring up the Net Watcher Window and list who is using your computer resources. You can "kick" off people from this window, as well.

• Share them as Read Only with a Password Required
• Label the Share with a name that is not the same as the drive letter. For example, if you are sharing your D: drive, perhapes label the share as MyD$Drive

• Open Netscape
• On the File Bar, Click on Edit to bring up the Edit Menu
• In the Edit Menu, Click on Preferences to bring up the Netscape Preferences Window
• In the left side of the Netscape Preferences Window, Click on the arrow next to the word Advanced to open the Advanced Properties Menu
• Click on Cache under Advanced in the left side of the Netscape Preferences Window to bring up the Cache Properties in the right side of that window.
• From here you can:
  • Clear Disk Cache by clicking on the Clear Disk Cache button
  • Clear Memory Cache by clicking on the Clear Memory Cache button
  • Increase the size of your Memory Cache
  • Increase the size of your Disk Cache
  • Change the location of your Disk Cache File
  Increasing the size of your disk and memory cache may help to speed your surfing, but make sure you have the memory or disk space in order to do this!
• Click OK

• Click on Start
• Click on Programs
• Click on Accessories
• Click on System Tools
• Click on System Information
• In the Microsoft System Information Window, expand your Software Environment folder by clicking on the + sign next to it in the left hand window.
• Select Startup Programs by clicking once on it.
• Look through the list on the right-hand side of the Microsoft System Information Window. Get familiar with the list. If there are things there which don't make sense in relation to any programs you might run or automatically start, then ask someone -- your local computer guru, a friend or colleague, or even us -- to find out if this is "normal". Also, search for virus information on SecurityFocus.

• Click on Start
• Click on Settings
• Click on Control Panel
• In the Control Panel Window double-click on Add/Remove Program
• In the Add/Remove Programs Properties Window click on the Windows Setup tab.
• If the Accessories box is checked, click once on the word Accessories and click on the Details button.
• Find the Windows Scripting Host entry in the while scroll window of the Accessories window. If it is checked, click once on the checkbox to uncheck it.
• Click on OK
• Click on OK

Under Windows:

• Click on Start
• Click on Programs
• Click on the Windows Explorer to bring up the Windows Explorer window
• Place a floppy disk in your floppy drive. Make sure the write protection tab is closed.
• Right Click on the Floppy Icon in Windows Explorer.
• Select Format to open the Format Window
  • In the Format Window, select Full, Display Summary When Finished and Copy System Files
  • Click Start
  • Click Close to close the Summary Window
  • Click Close to close the Format Window
• In the Explorer Window, expand your primary hard drive C: folder by clicking on the + sign next to it in the left hand window.
• Under your C: Folder, expand your Windows Folder by clicking on the + sign next to it in the left hand window.
• Under your Windows Folder, open your COMMAND folder by clicking on it in the left hand window.
• Right click and hold on the FORMAT.COM file in the right hand window.
• Drag the FORMAT.COM file to the Floppy (A:) folder on the left hand window. A menu will appear.
• Select Copy here to copy that file to your floppy.
• Reboot your computer from the Start button or however you normally do, WITH the floppy you just created in the floppy drive.
• Once booted, at the A: prompt, type FORMAT C:
• When you are asked Are you sure?, respond by typing a Y

This is for Netscape Version 4.0 and later:

• Click on Edit, this brings up a new menu
• Click on Preferences, this brings up the Preferences Window
• Click on the + symbol next to Advanced in the preferences tree on the left side of the Preferences Window
• Click on Cache to bring up the Cache Tab on the right side of the Preferences Window. You can now select and set:
  • Memory Cache - You can set the size in Kilobytes. Be careful that you don't set this higher than the amount of memory you normally have free.
  • Clear Memory Cache - Gets rid of everything in your memory cache immediately so all new web operations will reread pages from the net.
  • Disk Cache - You can set the size in Kilobytes. Be careful that you don't set this higher than the amount of disk you normally have free where the Disk Cache Folder is located.
  • Clear Disk Cache - Gets rid of everything in your disk cache immediately so all new web operations will reread pages from the net.
  • Disk Cache Folder - You can set where on your system the disk cache will be located. Put this on a fast drive with alot of space.
  • Document in cache is compared to document on net - This allows you to select how often your cache will be preferred over re-downloading from the net. The selections are:
    • Once per session - This is preferable
    • Every time - You will never use your cache
    • Never - You will always use your cache
• Click on Accept and then OK to finish.

This is for Internet Explorer Version 3.0 and later:

• Click on View, this brings up a new menu
• Click on Internet Options, this brings up the Internet Options Window.
• Click on Temporary Internet Files
• Click on the Settings button. This brings up the Settings Window and allows you to set several cache parameters, like Netscape. These include:
  • Check for newer version of stored pages - This allows you to select how often your cache will be preferred over re-downloading from the net. The selections are:
    • Every visit to page - You will almost never use your cache
    • Every time you start Internet Explorer - This is preferable
    • Never - You will always use your cache
  • Temporary Internet Files Folder - You can set where on your system the disk cache will be located. Put this on a fast drive with alot of space. Do this by selecting the Move Folder button.
  • Amount of Disk Space to Use - You can set the size in Kilobytes. Be careful that you don't set this higher than the amount of disk you normally have free where the Temporary Internet Files Folder is located.

This is something Dale recommends you do at least once a month to optimize the speed of your Mac.

• While booting, hold down the Open Apple and Option keys together. This will bring up, during boot, a window that will ask you Do you want to rebuild your desktop?
• For each disk volume, you will be asked Do you want to rebuild your desktop?. Select Yes.
• This will take a little time, but will save you time while you're using your Mac later on.

Put your mouse pointer on the toolbar, and

• Right-Click - This brings up a menu.

• Left-Click on Properties - This brings up the Taskbar Properties window. The tab Taskbar Options should already by showing, but if not, just Left-Click on it to bring it up.

  From here you can select properties of your task bar, including:

  • Always on top - Which keeps the task bar visible.

  • Auto Hide - If this is checked, the task bar will "hide" when you're not using it. Just put your mouse near the edge of the screen where the task bar normally appears for it to reappear.

  • Show Clock - If this is checked, your taskbar will always show the current system time. Putting your mouse on the time (and NOT clicking) will momentarily also show you the current date.

• Left-Click on the Start Menu Programs tab - This tab allows you to add and remove programs from your Start Menu. Programs in this menu are automatically started when you boot and log in to your computer.

  - You can also clear out your Documents Menu by selecting the Clear button. Documents you've recently opened are listed in your Documents Menu, but this button will clear them all out.

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