Fortunately most people were using Office 2003 or 2007 so a saved copy was there, however a couple of clients still use Office 2000 and that was a little more difficult.

Today let’s go over how to prevent Windows XP Home, Vista Home and Window 7 Home versions from rebooting automatically after a Windows Automatic Update.

We will need to make the necessary changes to the Windows Registry, as described below. However, before we continue I need to remind you about the dangers ahead.

Dangerous path ahead! Even though the Caretaker brought Voyager into the Delta quadrant unharmed, if you go there without a proper registry backup and without following this star chart exactly you will end up too close to the black hole in galaxy RXJ1242-11, and trust me that wouldn’t be a pretty sight!

Please read my very short article on how to backup the registry if you don’t know how to. On with the show, or article in this case.

Use Task Manager to stop all instances of Windows Update Auto Update Client (wuauclt.exe) by selecting the <Ctrl> <Alt> and <Delete> keys on your keyboard at the same time, and then choose “Start Task Manager” or the equivalent.

When the “Task Manager” window appears select the “Processes” tab across the top.

I would suggest you select the words “Image Name” for the column; this will put the list alphabetically. By clicking on it a 2nd time, it will be reverse order and thus putting wuault.exe towards the top of the list. Do not be surprised if you have two listings for wuault.exe.

Click on wuault.exe thus highlighting it and then click on the “End Process” button in the lower right of the window.

A warning will appear, don’t fret, select the “Yes” button to terminate the process.

Repeat if necessary.

Close the Windows Task Manager window.

Open the Registry Editor by going to the “Start” button and then clicking on the “Run” button in XP and typing “regedit” in the text box.
If you have Vista or Window 7 just skip the “Run” button part and type in “regedit” in the text box and select “OK” to open the registry.

You will need to Navigate to the following registry key “HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \ Microsoft\ Windows \ CurrentVersion \  WindowsUpdate \ Auto Update” by clicking on the plus keys along the left side of the window.

In the right hand window, right-click on a blank area and select “New” and then “DWORD” or “DWORD (32-bit) value” depending on what is available.

A new entry appears, change the name to “NoAutoRebootWithLoggedOnUsers” sans quotes and then click on a blank spot.

Double-click on the name NoAutoRebootWithLoggedOnUsers and in the new window, set the value data to “1”.

Click on “OK” to finish and then exit the Registry.

Now, you should not receive any of those annoying reminders to reboot your machine nor will Windows Update automatically reboot your machine.

Until we meet again, have a virus free week!

Before you make the following changes to the registry, be sure to first back it up, otherwise expect meteors from the heavens to destroy your computer! So back it up just like you have learned in other articles here.

To edit the registry, click on the “Start” button and then click on the “Run” button and type in “Regedit” in the box provided.

Now you will need to navigate the left side by clicking on the “+” symbols to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop.

On the right hand window pane double click on MenuShowDelay (the list is in alphabetical order).

The current value should be 400, I believe this is milliseconds but I could be wrong. Change the number to a lower number down to and including 0 (Zero). I choose 10, just in case.

Restart your computer and see the change.

Until we meet again, have a virus free week.

For a PDF with images of this article, download it here!

To back up the registry go to Start | Run and type in regedit in the Run box, then press the Enter key.

When the registry opens go to the top left corner and click on File | Export.

Now choose the location to backup to (I strongly suggest the root folder which is just C:, that way if there is an issue it is easier to access).

Select Open, which is located n the lower right of the windows to go into the folder.

Make sure that under Export Range the All button is selected.

Select “OK”, that is all there is to it!

Until we meet again have a virus free week!

These systems will allow users to address more memory (RAM), to do more with and / or speedup video editing, Computer Aided Drafting (CAD) and Computer Aided Manufacturing (CAM).

About 4 years ago when Windows release Windows XP 64 bit I was eager to jump on the 64 bit bus (pun intended), since then I have learned a few things I want you to consider before hopping on that bus.

First of all, let’s take a look at the difference between 32 and 64 bit systems. In the most basic terms we are talking about how much information the computer can process each cycle of its clock. 64 bits of architecture is not just double that of 32 bit, so saying that a 64 bit system could be twice as fast, move twice the data just really is not correct, it is closer to exponentially faster. This occurs because more data is moved at the same speed. Think of a 32 bit system as using cars to move people around town (the motherboard). A 64 bit system would be using the same number of busses as there were cars, to move the same data. This allows fewer drivers (header packets), more data to be moved per packet and less congestion on the roads, or motherboard in this case.

In order to keep things simple, we will only discuss memory here. A 32 bit system can handle up to 3.2GB of RAM. So basically that is all the RAM or memory a 32 bit system will see. You would normally install 4GB of RAM and only see the 3.2 give or take depending on the hardware (motherboard and CPU) and your video configuration (on board or an add-on card).

A 64 bit system could hold a lot more RAM, so much in fact we could not comprehend it (about 16.2 thousand terabytes). To solve the mathematical problems of RAM, each manufacturer has made some different concessions on the maximum amount of RAM their hardware can hold or use in a 64 bit environment. Processors from AMD and Intel can support this full amount but the chipset on the motherboard is what limits the system. Right now Intel documents say it is set at 1 terabyte of RAM for its maximum; however I have only seen test using 192GB of RAM, still, that is a lot more than 4GB. Another issue is the availability and cost of larger denomination RAM sticks. As of this writing one stick of 4 GB of RAM is 15 to 20% higher than two sticks of 2GB at crucial and even though they show 8GB sticks on their web site, you cannot actually get to a page with pricing or availability. This creates quite an issue with anyone installing 192GB on their system at this time.

Now that we have the basics out of the way, let’s dig a little deeper. While you might have a 64 bit hardware system, remember that it can only hold as much memory as the operating system that is installed and versa visa. Thus if you have a current PC that uses a 32 bit CPU and motherboard, installing a 64 bit operating system (O/S) will do nothing for you and for the gamers who bought a 64 bit hardware system and want to upgrade from XP or Vista 64 bit, installing Windows 7 32 bit will not help you in any way. In either case you will be back to limiting yourself to 4 GB of RAM.

Alright so you have purchased 64 bit hardware and Windows 7 64 bit, now what? Well, the vast majority of software is still 32 bit, Microsoft Office (and all office suites that I know of) is still 32 bit, the internet does not care about 8, 16, 32 or 64 bit architecture so that does not make a difference. Even though there are a few (very few) 64 bit drivers for printers and scanners, a lot of investigation turned up that they are still printing and scanning at the same speeds. This means that unless you have specific software that uses 64 bit there is no need to have it. Office will still only see and use a maximum of 4 GB of memory and it will not run any faster, as a matter of fact, in my test it actually ran slower. I will get into that in a moment. If you do have a video editing program or use a CAD or CAM program (yes, I am sure there are others, these are just what I run into) then those programs may have a 64 bit version that can take advantage of the 64 bit architecture.

So are you off and running to the local PC shop to get a new 64 bit system yet? Not just yet I hope there is a little more you need to know. 64 bit operating systems require more code and thus require more memory (just like the bus in our earlier example needs more space on the road than a car), so does a 64 bit system. The 64 bit versions of your anti-virus, Internet Explorer, printer drivers and of course the main program that you purchased 64 bit for all need more memory than their 32 bit counterparts. What this means up front is that you will need more base memory with a 64 bit system than a 32 bit system. So exactly how much memory do you need? To be honest I have not figured it out mathematically by comparing exact brand products on 32 and 64 bit systems; however the consensus seems to be 4 GB on a 32 bit system is the same as 6 GB of memory on a 64 bit system. I think that is quite high, the operating system and anti-virus might be using 500MB more but I am not buying that it needs a full extra 2GB.

So, have I talked you out of a 64 bit computer yet? I hope not! There are major advantages if you have the programs that can take advantage of the enhancements that 64 bit systems offer. An example from my personal life is a home video I compiled took 8 hours and two tries to complete (8 hours the 2nd try). The first try failed because I started it before bed one night and Microsoft Updates ran and in their infinite wisdom Microsoft forced a reboot that completely crashed and killed the compile process. When fussing about this to an acquaintance who is a “video guy”, he suggested we try it on his 64 bit system. His system was slightly slower (2 GHz compared to my 2.26) and we had the same amount of RAM. On his system it only took 2 hours.

It is my conclusion that the individual who makes home movies 2 or 3 times in a year and then not for another year or two should not stress about purchasing a new 64 bit system, however for the business that makes money and relies on videography or CAD/CAM systems, the benefits of increased turn around on jobs, bigger and more reliable processes and of course less employee cost, the saving could be huge in the first month, let alone over the course of the life of a good computer.

Well, that is enough jabbering for now, until we meet again, have a virus free week!

Symantec published a report in October of 2009 reporting 40 million infected users worldwide. http://eval.symantec.com/mktginfo/enterprise/white_papers/b-symc_report_on_rogue_security_software_WP_20100385.en-us.pdf

As Scareware continues to proliferate via Facebook, with the deaths or misfortunes of celebrities, due to web site injections and drive-by downloads and the profitability of this scam, expect it to rise dramatically in 2010.

So what is a person and business to do?
I have discussed the details of these infections over the last 13 months more than I would like. Today I want to help you clean up your computer from an infection and give you a suggestion or two on preventing the fake anti-virus and fake infection warnings.

Let’s start with prevention.
The bulk of these infections come from “scripts” (which are part of the code that allows web sites to be seen on your browser) running on a web site or in a web based activity such as a game or download. The “warnings” are scareware and are usually only pop-ups disguised as real programs. When you click on the fake security program your computer is hijacked with ads and more crapware, this is more commonly being referred to as click jacking.

Internet Explorer 6 and 7 had various downloads that would allow an end user or computer administrator to block or allow more features, one of them being scripts. Unfortunately these were buggy for IE 6 and not easily understood or configured for IE 7. A Google search for IE8 script blockers or add-ons that blocks scripts delivers no useable results.

What is a person to do?
Unfortunately my best answer is “switch to Firefox, install ‘no-scripts’ (by Giorgio Maone) and Ad Blocker (by Dragos Ogean) you are partially there.

Install a real router; yes it is time to buy a SonicWall for your home, especially if you have more than one computer connecting to the internet. Businesses can be greatly helped with the blocking of sites and subjects that could get them sued as well as prevent employees from goofing off during work hours. Parents and home owners can benefit by blocking rouge scripts, web sites that they consider objectionable and allowing various security implementations based on wants and needs. You must also configure these to work properly. If you cannot or don’t have the time, call a professional and have it done right (IFix Computers at 417-337-7184 can do this for you).

Yes, these routers cost real money, no $39.99 routers here and they have annual fees to keep up the blocking. Yours truly, The Weekly Geek switched to one about a year ago for my home and I have not looked back since.

Oh, yeah, also, keep the latest Windows Critical updates installed, an up-to-date QUALITY anti-virus. Yes the anti-virus does cost money to, get ESET or from Kaspersky and configure them properly, again if you don’t have the time to configure them, contact IFix Computers at 417-337-7184, they can do most if not all the work remotely.

Repairing / Removing Scareware and Crapware from your computer

Ok, so my parents don’t understand why I drink. Well even though I don’t drink in public, sometimes I read the technology reports, blogs,  news et al and just say to myself “how do we beat or even win major battles in this war against ‘the bad guys’”. You see, I don’t get paid for these articles, I don’t sell anything. The links may have an affiliate code but to date, in the last 10 years I have not made enough to be sent “the check” from any company simply because I don’t push software. What does this have to do with the color of cheese? Well, the scareware and crapware people made $150 million from US “customers” last year and I made, well, I had the privilege of helping in the “war against crapware”. Anyway, I have been in the technology business one way or another since about 1982 or 1984 depending on your point of view (as Obi-Wan Kenobi told Luke about his father) and I have been fighting with malware (or writing malware / pointing out vulnerabilities) since 1991 and I am still broke!
Ok, enough with that tangent, on with the show!

To remove most of the current crapware / scareware, I contacted Mike Rosmis at IFix Computers for his remedy. Mike had been great at not only removing such “issues” but also making sure that they have not left junk in the registry or that pops up later.

First run Combo-Fix from http://www.combofix.org/download.php

Next if you have Windows XP, run Dial-a-fix, it can be downloaded from here http://www.softpedia.com/progDownload/Dial-a-fix-Download-27328.html

Next install, update and run Malware bytes. To be sure you get a good copy download it from here http://www.malwarebytes.org/

Then install, update and run Spybot Search and Destroy by running “Immunize” then under “Mode /Advanced” and selecting “Tools” from the left hand bar click on “Active X” and remove any non needed items, and repeating with “BHOs”, going to “Host File” and selecting “Add Spybot-S&D hosts list”, finally going back to “Spybot S&D on the left column and running “Check for problems”. http://www.safer-networking.org/en/download/index.html

Finally updating your anti-virus, running it in a thorough mode and rebooting.

That should take care of any nasty scareware you have.

Until we meet again, have a virus and scareware free week!