Re: I THINK I HAVE A VIRUS MY ANTIVIRUS SCAN WONT EVEN RUN

Even a 12 year old should know how to spell and use correct grammar and
punctuation.

"12yearoldgeak" <12yearoldgeak@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:782DD201-2BCE-4740-A89F-632FAC4DB53F@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
| that hapend to me the viris just stops the program un install it then re
| install some thing ells like ez antivirus or antivier both ahve free
triles
| on the internet
| --
| (\__/)
| (=','=)
| (") (")
| post bunny on signiture to help him gane world domination
|
|
|
| "Shenan Stanley" wrote:
|
| > VAL wrote:
| > > MY LAPTOP IS EXTREMLY SLOW AND ALWAYS FREEZES UP WHEN EVER I TRY TO
GO TO
| > > HELP & SUPPORT OR RUN MY VIRUS SCAN OR DO ANYTHING SOMETIMES IT WILL
WORK
| > > BUT VERY SLOWLY MY NORTONS SCAN THAT STARTED TO RUN ONCE SAID IT
FOUND A
| > > TROGEN BUT THEN IT FROZE UP.IS THERE A SIMPLE FIX IM NOT TO GOOD
WITH
| > > COMPUTERS --
| >
| > Turn off CAPS LOCK!
| >
| > Microsoft has these suggestions for Protecting your computer from the
| > various "bad things" that could happen to you/it:
| >
| > Protect your PC
| > http://www.microsoft.com/security/protect/
| >
| >
| > Although those tips are fantastic, there are many things you should
| > know above and beyond what is there as well as other methods and
| > applications you can use to protect yourself. Below I have detailed
| > out many steps that can not only help you cleanup a problem PC but
| > keep it clean and secure as well as running at its top performance mark.
| >
| > I know this list can seem intimidating - it is quite long and a lot
| > to take in for a novice - but I assure you that one trip through this
| > list and you will understand your computer and the options available
| > to you for protecting your data much better and that the next time
| > you review these steps, the time it takes will be greatly reduced.
| >
| > Let's take the cleanup of your computer step-by-step. Yes, it will take
| > up some of your time - but consider what you use your computer
| > for and how much you would dislike it if all of your stuff on your
| > computer went away because you did not "feel like" performing some
| > simple maintenance tasks - think of it like changing the oil in your
car,
| > changing the air filter on your home A/C unit, paying your bills on
time,
| > etc.
| >
| > Let's go through some maintenance first that should only have to be done
| > once (mostly):
| >
| > Tip (1):
| > Locate all of the software (the installation media - CDs, etc) that you
| > have installed on your computer. Collect these CDs into a single pile
| > and locate the original installation media (CDs, disks) in a central and
| > safe place along with their CD keys and such. Make backups of these
| > installation media sets using your favorite copying method (CD Burner
and
| > application, Disk copier, etc.) You'll be glad to know that if you have
| > a CD burner, you may be able to use a free application to make a
| > duplicate copy of your CDs. One such application is ISORecorder:
| >
| > ISORecorder home page (with general instructions on use):
| > http://isorecorder.alexfeinman.com/isorecorder.htm
| >
| > Pre-SP2 version:
| > http://isorecorder.alexfeinman.com/IsoRecorder/download.asp
| >
| > Post-SP2 beta version:
| > http://isorecorder.alexfeinman.com/download/ISORecorderV2B2.zip
| >
| > More full function applications (free) for CD/DVD burning would be:
| >
| > DeepBurner Free
| > http://www.deepburner.com/
| >
| > CDBurnerXP Pro
| > http://www.cdburnerxp.se/
| >
| > Another Option would be to search the web with Pricewatch.com or
| > Dealsites.net and find deals like these:
| >
| > Roxio Easy CD 7.0 Basic-DVD Edition
| > http://www.softwareandstuff.com/SWW12310.html
| >
| > Nero Suite 6.3
| > http://snipurl.com/cwvc
| >
| >
| > Tip (2):
| > Empty your Internet Explorer Temporary Internet Files and make sure the
| > maximum size for this is small enough not to cause trouble in the
future.
| > Empty your Temporary Internet Files and shrink the size it stores to a
| > size between 128MB and 512MB..
| >
| > - Open ONE copy of Internet Explorer.
| > - Select TOOLS -> Internet Options.
| > - Under the General tab in the "Temporary Internet Files" section, do
the
| > following:
| > - Click on "Delete Cookies" (click OK)
| > - Click on "Settings" and change the "Amount of disk space to use:" to
| > something between 128MB and 512MB. (Betting it is MUCH larger right
| > now.)
| > - Click OK.
| > - Click on "Delete Files" and select to "Delete all offline contents"
| > (the checkbox) and click OK. (If you had a LOT, this could take 2-10
| > minutes or more.)
| > - Once it is done, click OK, close Internet Explorer, re-open Internet
| > Explorer.
| >
| >
| > Tip (3):
| > If things are running a bit slow or you have an older system
| > (1.5GHz or less and 256MB RAM or less) then you may want to look into
| > tweaking the performance a bit by turning off some of the memory
| > using Windows XP "prettifications". The fastest method is:
| >
| > Control Panel --> System --> Advanced tab --> Performance section,
| > Settings button. Then choose "adjust for best performance" and you
| > now have a Windows 2000/98 look which turned off many of the annoying
| > "prettifications" in one swift action. You can play with the last
| > three checkboxes to get more of an XP look without many of the
| > other annoyances. You could also grab and install/mess with one
| > (or more) of the Microsoft Powertoys - TweakUI in particular:
| >
| > http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/downloads/powertoys/xppowertoys.mspx
| >
| >
| > Tip (4):
| > Understanding what a good password might be is vital to your
| > personal and system security. You may not need to password your home
| > computer, as you may have it in a locked area (your home) where no
| > one else has access to it. Remember, however, that locked area is
| > unlocked when you access the Internet unless you are taking proper
| > precautions. Also, you aren't always "in that locked area" when using
| > your computer online - meaning you likely have usernames and passwords
| > associated with web sites and the likes that you would prefer other
| > people do not discover/use. This is why you should understand and
| > utilize good passwords.
| >
| > Good passwords are those that meet these general rules
| > (mileage may vary):
| >
| > Passwords should contain at least six characters, and the character
| > string should contain at least three of these four character types:
| > - uppercase letters
| > - lowercase letters
| > - numerals
| > - nonalphanumeric characters (e.g., *, %, &, !)
| >
| > Passwords should not contain your name/logon name. Passwords should
| > be unique to you and easy to remember. One method many people are
| > using today is to make up a phrase that describes a point in their
| > life and then turning that phrase into their password by using only
| > certain letters out of each word in that phrase. It's much better
| > than using your birthday month/year or your anniversary in a pure
| > sense. For example, let's say my phrase is:
| > "Moved to new home in 2004"
| > I could come up with this password from that:
| > "Mv2n3whmN04"
| >
| > The password tip is in the "one time" section, but I highly
| > recommend you periodically change your passwords. The suggested time
| > varies, but I will throw out a "once in every 3 to 6 months for
| > every account you have."
| >
| >
| > Tip (5):
| > This tip is also "questionable" in the "one time" section. However,
| > if properly setup, this one can be pretty well ignored for most people
| > after the initial "fiddle-with" time.
| >
| > Why you should use a computer firewall..
| > http://www.microsoft.com/athome/security/viruses/fwbenefits.mspx
| >
| > You should, in some way, use a firewall. Hardware (like a nice
| > Cable Modem/DSL router) or software is up to you. Many use both of
| > these. The simplest one to use is the hardware one, as most people
| > don't do anything they need to configure their NAT device for and
| > those who do certainly will not mind fiddling with the equipment to
| > make things work for them. Next in the line of "simplicity" would
| > have to be the built-in Windows Firewall of Windows XP. In SP2 it
| > is turned on by default. It is not difficult to turn on in any
| > case, however:
| >
| > Enable/Disable the Internet Connection Firewall (Pre-SP2):
| > http://support.microsoft.com/kb/283673
| >
| > More information on the Internet Connection Firewall (Pre-SP2):
| > http://support.microsoft.com/kb/320855
| >
| > Post-SP2 Windows Firewall Information/guidance:
| > http://snipurl.com/atal
| >
| > The trouble with the Windows Firewall is that it only keeps things
| > out. Truthfully, for most people who maintain their system in other
| > ways, this is MORE than sufficient. However, you may feel otherwise.
| > If you want to know when one of your applications is trying to obtain
| > access to the outside world so you can stop it, then you will have to
| > install a third-party application and configure/maintain it. I have
| > compiles a list with links of some of the better known/free firewalls
| > you can choose from:
| >
| > ZoneAlarm (Free and up)
| > http://snipurl.com/6ohg
| >
| > Kerio Personal Firewall (KPF) (Free and up)
| > http://www.kerio.com/kpf_download.html
| >
| > Outpost Firewall from Agnitum (Free and up)
| > http://www.agnitum.com/download/
| >
| > Sygate Personal Firewall (Free and up)
| > http://smb.sygate.com/buy/download_buy.htm
| >
| > Symantec's Norton Personal Firewall (~$25 and up)
| > http://www.symantec.com/sabu/nis/npf/
| >
| > BlackICE PC Protection ($39.95 and up)
| > http://blackice.iss.net/
| >
| > Perhaps you can find the right firewall for your situation in that
| > list and set it up/configure it. Every firewall MAY require some
| > maintenance. Essentially checking for patches or upgrades (this
| > goes for hardware and software solutions) is the extent of this
| > maintenance - but you may also have to configure your firewall to
| > allow some traffic depending on your needs. Also, don't stack these
| > things. Running more than one firewall will not make you safer
| > - it would likely (in fact) negate some protection you gleamed
| > from one or the other firewalls you run.
| >
| >
| >
| > Now that you have some of the more basic (one-time) things down..
| > Let's go through some of the steps you should take periodically to
| > maintain a healthy and stable windows computer. If you have not
| > done some of these things in the past, they may seem tedious at
| > first - however, they will become routine and some can even be
| > automatically scheduled.
| >
| >
| > Tip (6):
| > The system restore feature is a new one - first appearing in Windows
| > ME and then sticking around for Windows XP. It is a VERY useful
| > feature - if you keep it maintained and use it to your advantage.
| > However, remember that the system restore pretty much tells you in
| > the name what it protects - "system" files. Your documents, your
| > pictures, your stuff is NOT system files - so you should also look
| > into some backup solution.
| >
| > I'll mainly work around Windows XP, as that is what the bulk of this
| > document is about. I will, however, point out a single place for you
| > poor souls still stuck in Windows ME where you can get information on
| > maintaining your system right now:
| >
| > Windows ME Computer Health:
| > http://www.microsoft.com/windowsME/using/computerhealth/articles/
| >
| > Pay close attention to the sections:
| > (in order)
| > - Clean up your hard disk
| > - Check for errors by running ScanDisk
| > - Defragment your hard disk
| > - Roll back the clock with System Restore
| >
| > Now back to the point at hand - maintaining your system restore in
| > Windows XP SHOULD be automatic - but I have seen the automatic go wrong
| > too many times not to suggest the following.. Whenever you think about
| > it (after doing a once-over on your machine once a month or so would
| > be optimal) - clear out your System Restore and create a manual
| > restoration point. Why? Too many times have I seen the system restore
| > files go corrupt or get a virus in them, meaning you could not or
| > did not want to restore from them. By clearing it out periodically
| > you help prevent any corruption from happening and you make sure you
| > have at least one good "snapshot".
| > (This, of course, will erase any previous restore point you have.)
| >
| > - Turn off System Restore.
| > http://support.microsoft.com/kb/310405
| > - Reboot.
| > - Turn on System Restore.
| > http://support.microsoft.com/kb/310405
| > - Make a Manual Restoration Point.
| > http://snipurl.com/68nx
| >
| > That covers your system files, but doesn't do anything for the files
| > that you are REALLY worried about - yours! For that you need to look
| > into backups. You can either manually copy your important files,
folders,
| > documents, spreadsheets, emails, contacts, pictures, drawings and so on
| > to an external location (CD/DV - any disk of some sort, etc) or you can
| > use the backup tool that comes with Windows XP:
| >
| > How To Use Backup to Back Up Files and Folders on Your Computer
| > http://support.microsoft.com/kb/308422
| >
| > Yes - you still need some sort of external media to store the results
| > on, but you could schedule the backup to occur when you are not around,
| > then burn the resultant data onto CD or DVD or something when you are
| > (while you do other things!)
| >
| >
| > Tip (7):
| > You should sometimes look through the list of applications that are
| > installed on your computer. The list MIGHT surprise you. There are
more
| > than likely things in there you KNOW you never use - so why have them
| > there? There may even be things you KNOW you did not install and
| > certainly do not use (maybe don't WANT to use.)
| >
| > This web site should help you get started at looking through this list:
| >
| > How to Uninstall Programs
| > http://snipurl.com/8v6b
| >


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