Hi again friends, seems this help yourself fix-it stuff never ends;
I have just recently reinstalled xindowsxp home for about the 8th time
because of spyware, or viruses etc on my toshiba laptop satelite m30,

I have become security nuts as a result of this and I delete browsing
history, temp files, cookies with a passion each time I log on, and each time
I log off, as a matter of fact I select delete all to get rid of browsing
history each time I log off but I find a very currrious thing that happens.
after my pc has been off, and I havent conected to the internet yet, I
delete browsing history once again and I see that it is once again deleting
files, and I havent been nowhere;

my question to anyone that may know why I have collected more files to
delete if I havent been anywhere, or conected to the internet is very
puzzling to me,

it almost makes me think there is spyware that is not deletable on my pc
once again, and I havent been to any xxx or questionable sites at all, just
pokerstars and messanger;
it would be very helpfull if some smart person could really tell me for sure
if this is normal or not;

thank you all so much Rich

Rich wrote:
> Hi again friends, seems this help yourself fix-it stuff never ends;
> I have just recently reinstalled xindowsxp home for about the 8th
> time because of spyware, or viruses etc on my toshiba laptop
> satelite m30,

Then you need to learn to properly maintain your computer/protect yourself
from such problems. Not running as a system administrator all the time is a
good start, having resident protection also helps - but overall - just using
good computing common sense is the best protection. More on that later.

> I have become security nuts as a result of this and I delete
> browsing history, temp files, cookies with a passion each time I
> log on, and each time I log off, as a matter of fact I select
> delete all to get rid of browsing history each time I log off but I
> find a very currrious thing that happens. after my pc has been off,
> and I havent conected to the internet yet, I delete browsing
> history once again and I see that it is once again deleting files,
> and I havent been nowhere;

Well - although deleting your TIF (Temporary Internet Files) and such when
you exit Internet Explorer and such is a good security practice - it has
little to do with preventing your infestations/infections you claimed to
have gotten in the past. Once they are in your cache/etc - you lost the
battle prior to that and are merely erasing the traces of its ever occurring
instead of preventing the battle from ever happening in the first place.

For a good cleanup of such files - I suggest "CCleaner"...

> my question to anyone that may know why I have collected more files
> to delete if I havent been anywhere, or conected to the internet is
> very puzzling to me,

If using the built in mechanisms to delete history/cookies/TIF/etc - you may
not get them all.

> it almost makes me think there is spyware that is not deletable on
> my pc once again, and I havent been to any xxx or questionable
> sites at all, just pokerstars and messanger;
> it would be very helpfull if some smart person could really tell me
> for sure if this is normal or not;

"messanger"? You mean using "Windows Live Messenger"?
Pokerstars sounds like it would push some advertising/crap down.

> thank you all so much Rich

I think you need to stop rebuilding your machine from scratch and learn a
little bit about protecting yourself. Clean up that machine - install some
decent protection, make yourself a non-admin user and utilize it for
everyday use, etc.

For the future - you and your friend may want to print and review this. It
may take some initial time to do - but if your friend had read and followed
it a year ago (or less) - they would likely not be in the situation they are
now. :-(

Microsoft has these suggestions for Protecting your computer from the
various things that could happen to you/it:

Protect your PC
http://www.microsoft.com/protect/

Outfitting an XP computer for the Net
http://www.microsoft.com/protect/com...nced/xppc.mspx

Getting started with a new PC
http://www.microsoft.com/athome/moredone/yournewpc.mspx

Although those tips are fantastic, there are many things you should
know above and beyond that. Below I have detailed out many tips
that can not only help you clean-up a problem PC but keep it clean,
secure and running at its best.

I know this text can seem intimidating - it is quite long and a lot
to take in for a novice - however I can assure you that one pass
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 go through these steps, the time it
takes will be greatly reduced - since many things can be setup
to automatically protect you.

Let's take the cleanup/securing 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 taking
out your garbage, collecting and sorting your postal mail, paying
your bills on time, etc.

Now is a great time to point you to one of the easiest ways to find
information on problems you may be having and solutions others have found:

Search using Google!
http://www.google.com/
(How-to: http://www.google.com/intl/en/help/basics.html )


Now, let's go through some maintenance first that should only have to be
done once (for the most part):

Tip (1):
Locate all of the software you have installed on your computer.
(the installation media - CDs, downloaded files, etc)
Collect these CD/DVDs and files together 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/DVD Burner
and application, Disk copier, etc.) You'll be glad to know that if you
have a CD/DVD burner, you may be able to use a free application to make a
duplicate copy of your CDs. One such application is ISORecorder:

ISORecorder page (with general instructions on use):
http://isorecorder.alexfeinman.com/isorecorder.htm

More full function applications (free) for CD/DVD burning would be:

CDBurnerXP Pro
http://www.cdburnerxp.se/

DeepBurner Free
http://www.deepburner.com/

ImgBurn (burn ISO images)
http://www.imgburn.com/

Final Burner Free
http://www.protectedsoft.com/descr_fb.php

BWGBurn
http://sourceforge.net/projects/bwgburn

BurnAware FREE Edition
http://www.glorylogic.com/

Another Option would be to search the web with Pricewatch.com or
Dealsites.net and find deals on Products like Ahead Nero and/or Roxio.

Ahead Nero
http://www.nero.com/

Roxio Easy Media Creator
http://www.roxio.com/

Tip (2):
Empty your Temporary Internet Files and shrink the size it stores to a
size between 128MB and 256MB..

- 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 256MB.
- 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 sluggish and/or you have an older system
(1.8GHz or less and less than 512MB RAM) then you may want to look into
tweaking the performance by turning off some of the 'resource hogging'
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 most 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/use one
(or more) of the Microsoft Powertoys - TweakUI in particular:

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/d...powertoys.mspx

Another viable (decently inexpensive) option is to increase the amount
of memory (RAM) your computer has. You can get an idea of what you
need by visiting:

Crucial Memory AdvisorT Tool
http://www.crucial.com/

Then either buy direct from there or write down the specs you get and
visit: http://www.pricewatch.com/ and locate the best price on what you
need. 512MB up to 1GB total memory should be more than enough for
the normal home user.

Tip (4):
Understanding what a good password might be is vital to your
personal and system security. You may think you do 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, 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/username.
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:
'Great Thanksgiving in 2007!'
I could come up with this password from that:
'Gr8Thanksgiving2007!'

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.'

Also - many people complain that they just cannot remember the passwords
for all the sites they have - so they choose one password and use it for
everything. Not a good idea. A much better method would be to use a
Password Management tool - so you only have to remember one password,
but it opens an application that stores your username/passwords for
everything else - plus other valuable information. One that I can
recommend:

KeePass Password Safe
http://keepass.sourceforge.net/

It can even generate passwords for you.


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/protect/com.../choosing.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 that they will 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:

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. For most people who maintain their system in other ways, this is
MORE than sufficient. 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 compiled a
list with links of some of the better known/free firewalls you can choose
from:

Comodo Free Fireall (Free)
http://www.personalfirewall.comodo.com/

Jetico Personal Firewall (Free)
http://www.jetico.com/index.htm#/jpfirewall.htm

Outpost Firewall from Agnitum (Free and up)
http://www.agnitum.com/products/outpostfree/

Sunbelt Kerio Personal Firewall (KPF) (Free and up)
http://www.kerio.com/kpf_download.html

ZoneAlarm (Free and up)
http://www.zonelabs.com/

You should find the right firewall for your situation in that
list and set it up if you feel the Windows XP firewall is
insufficient.

Every firewall WILL require some maintenance. Essentially checking for
patches or upgrades (this goes for hardware and software solutions) is
the extent of this maintenance - you may also have to configure your
firewall to allow some traffic depending on your needs.

** Don't stack the software firewalls! Running more than one software
firewall will not make you safer - it would possibly negate some
protection you gleamed from one or the other firewall you run. It is
fine (and in many ways better) to have the software firewall as well
as a NAT router.


Now that you have some of the more basic 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 - however,
they will become routine and some can even be scheduled.


Tip (6):
The system restore feature is only a useful feature if you keep it
maintained and use it to your advantage. Remember that the system
restore pretty much tells you in the name what it protects which is
'system' files. Your documents, your pictures, your stuff is NOT
system files - so you should also look into some backup solution.

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 the Computer.
- Review the first bullet to turn on System Restore
- Make a Manual Restoration Point.
http://snipurl.com/68nx

Don't want to remove ALL the system restore points? Don't. Simply
utilize "Disk Cleanup" (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/310312) to
remove all but the last system restore point.

Also - I suggest changing how much space System Restore can utilize.
When it was first released, Windows XP didn't have to deal with hard
disk drives of quite the bulk of today's drives. So, it may be a bit
ambitious in setting the System Restore sizing. I personally suggest
you set it to approximately 1GB, total.

See "Disk Space for System Restore" on how to change this:
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/u...w_03may19.mspx

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/DVD - 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!)

Another option that seems to still be going strong:

Cobian Backup
http://www.educ.umu.se/~cobian/cobianbackup.htm

A lot of people have wondered about how to completely backup their system
so that they would not have to go through the trouble of a reinstall..
I'm going to voice my opinion here and say that it would be worthless to
do for MOST people. Unless you plan on periodically updating the image
backup of your system (remaking it) - then by the time you use it
(something goes wrong) - it will be so outdated as to be more trouble than
performing a full install of the operating system and all applications.

Having said my part against it, you can clone/backup your hard drive
completely using many methods - by far the simplest are using disk cloning
applications:

Symantec/Norton Ghost
http://snipurl.com/13e00

Acronis True Image
http://www.acronis.com/homecomputing...cts/trueimage/

BootIt NG
http://terabyteunlimited.com/bootitng.html

Tip (7):
You should sometimes look through the list of applications that are
installed on your computer. The list may 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

How to change or remove a program in Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/307895

A word of warning - Do NOT uninstall anything you think you MIGHT need
in the future unless you have completed Tip (1) and have the installation
media and proper keys for use backed up somewhere safe!

Tip (8):
Patches and Updates!

This one cannot be stressed enough. It is SO simple, yet so neglected
by many people. It is really simple for the critical Microsoft patches!
Microsoft put in an AUTOMATED feature for you to utilize so that you do
NOT have to worry yourself about the patching of the Operating System:

How to configure and use Automatic Updates in Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/306525

However, not everyone wants to be a slave to automation, and that is
fine. Admittedly, I prefer this method on some of my more critical
systems.

Windows Update
http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com/

Go there and scan your machine for updates. Always get the critical ones
as you see them. Write down the KB###### or Q###### you see when
selecting the updates and if you have trouble over the next few days,
go into your control panel (Add/Remove Programs), insure that the
'Show Updates' checkbox is checked and match up the latest numbers you
downloaded recently (since you started noticing an issue) and uninstall
them. If there was more than one (usually is), uninstall them one by one
with a few hours of use in between, to see if the problem returns.
Yes - the process is not perfect (updating) and can cause trouble like I
mentioned - but as you can see, the solution isn't that bad - and is
MUCH better than the alternatives.

Windows is not the only product you likely have on your PC. The
manufacturers of the other products usually have updates. New versions
of almost everything come out all the time - some are free, some are pay
and some you can only download if you are registered - but it is best
to check. Just go to their web pages and look under their support and
download sections. For example, for Microsoft Office you should visit:

Microsoft Office Updates
http://office.microsoft.com/
(and select 'Downloads' for more - note that Microsoft Update does
handle MS Office products too.)

You also have hardware on your machine that requires drivers to interface
with the operating system. You have a video card that allows you to see on
your screen, a sound card that allows you to hear your PCs sound output and
so on. Visit those manufacturer web sites for the latest downloadable
drivers for your hardware/operating system. Always get the manufacturers'
hardware driver over any Microsoft offers. On the Windows Update site I
mentioned earlier, I suggest NOT getting their hardware drivers - no matter
how tempting.

How do you know what hardware you have in your computer? Break out the
invoice or if it is up and working now - take inventory:

Belarc Advisor
http://belarc.com/free_download.html

Once you know what you have, what next? Go get the latest driver for your
hardware/OS from the manufacturer's web page. For example, let's say you
have an NVidia chipset video card or ATI video card, perhaps a Creative
Labs sound card or C-Media chipset sound card...

NVidia Video Card Drivers
http://www.nvidia.com/content/drivers/drivers.asp

ATI Video Card Drivers
http://ati.amd.com/support/driver.html

Creative Labs Sound Device
http://us.creative.com/support/downloads/

C-Media Sound Device
http://www.cmedia.com.tw/?q=en/driver

Then install these drivers. Updated drivers are usually more stable and
may provide extra benefits/features that you really wished you had before.

As for Service Pack 2 (SP2) for Windows XP, Microsoft has made this
particular patch available in a number of ways. First, there is the
Windows Update web page above. Then there is a direct download site.

Direct Download of Service Pack 2 (SP2) for Windows XP
http://snipurl.com/8bqy

Order Windows XP Service Pack 2 on CD
http://snipurl.com/d41v

If all else fails - grab the full download above and try to use that.
In this case - consider yourself a 'IT professional or developer'.

Tip (9):
What about the dreaded word in the computer world, VIRUS?

Well, there are many products to choose from that will help you prevent
infections from these horrid little applications. Many are FREE to the
home user and which you choose is a matter of taste, really. Many people
have emotional attachments or performance issues with one or another
AntiVirus software. Try some out, read reviews and decide for yourself
which you like more:

( Good Comparison Page for AV software: http://www.av-comparatives.org/ )

AntiVir (Free and up)
http://www.free-av.com/

avast! (Free and up)
http://www.avast.com/

AVG Anti-Virus System (Free and up)
http://free.grisoft.com/

eset NOD32 (~$39.00 and up)
http://www.eset.com/products/

Kaspersky Anti-Virus (~$39.95 and up)
http://www.kaspersky.com/kaspersky_anti-virus

McAfee VirusScan (~$39.99 and up)
http://www.mcafee.com/

Panda Antivirus (~$39.95 and up)
http://www.pandasecurity.com/homeuse...ons/antivirus/
(Free Online Scanner:
http://www.pandasecurity.com/homeuse...ns/activescan/)

Symantec (Norton) AntiVirus (~$39.99 and up)
http://snipurl.com/13e12



Most of them have automatic update capabilities. You will have to
look into the features of the one you choose. Whatever one you finally
settle with - be SURE to keep it updated (I recommend at least daily) and
perform a full scan periodically (yes, most protect you actively, but a
full scan once a month at 4AM probably won't bother you.)

Tip (10):
The most rampant infestation at the current time concerns SPYWARE/ADWARE.
You need to eliminate it from your machine.

There is no one software that cleans and immunizes you against
everything. Antivirus software - you only needed one. Firewall, you
only needed one. AntiSpyware - you will need several. I have a list and
I recommend you use at least the first five.

First - make sure you have NOT installed "Rogue AntiSpyware". There are
people out there who created AntiSpyware products that actually install
spyware of their own! You need to avoid these:

Rogue/Suspect Anti-Spyware Products & Web Sites
http://www.spywarewarrior.com/rogue_anti-spyware.htm

Also, you can always visit this site..
http://mvps.org/winhelp2002/unwanted.htm
For more updated information.

Install several of these: (Install, Run, Update, Scan with..)
(If you already have one or more - uninstall them and download the
LATEST version from the page given!)

SuperAntiSpyware (Free and up)
http://www.superantispyware.com/

Lavasoft Ad-Aware 2007 Free (Free and up)
http://www.lavasoft.de/products/ad_aware_free.php
(How-to: http://snipurl.com/atdn )

Spybot Search and Destroy (Free!)
http://www.safer-networking.net/en/download/
(How-to: http://snipurl.com/atdk )

SpywareBlaster (Free!)
http://www.javacoolsoftware.com/sbdownload.html
(How-to: http://snipurl.com/ate6 )

CWShredder Stand-Alone (Free!)
http://www.trendmicro.com/cwshredder/

Hijack This! (Free!)
http://www.spywareinfo.com/~merijn/downloads.html
(Log Analyzer: http://hjt.networktechs.com/ )

Bazooka Adware and Spyware Scanner (Free!)
http://www.kephyr.com/spywarescanner/
(How-to: http://snipurl.com/ate3 )

Ccleaner (Free!)
http://www.ccleaner.com/
(I suggest the 'slim' version: http://www.ccleaner.com/download/builds )

Browser Security Tests (Free Tester)
http://www.jasons-toolbox.com/BrowserSecurity/

Popup Tester (Free Tester)
http://www.popuptest.com/

The Cleaner (~$49.95 and up)
http://www.moosoft.com/

Sometimes you need to install the application and reboot into SAFE MODE in
order to thoroughly clean your computer. Many applications also have
(or are) immunization applications. Spybot Search and Destroy and
SpywareBlaster are two that currently do the best job at passively
protecting your system from malware. None of these programs (in these
editions) run in the background unless you TELL them to. The space they
take up and how easy they are to use greatly makes up for any inconvenience
you may be feeling.

Please notice that Windows XP SP2 does help stop popups as well.

Another option is to use an alternative Web browser. I suggest
'Mozilla Firefox', as it has some great features and is very easy to use:

Mozilla Firefox
http://www.mozilla.com/firefox/

This does not replace the need for the above applications and an
occassional scan of your system - but it does help somewhat.

Also - Internet Explorer 7.x is much better with the security than
6.x was. If you have not gone to Internet Explorer 7.0 and you are having
trouble with spyware/adware - consider going now. Cleanup with the
tools above *first* however.


So your machine is pretty clean and up to date now. If you use the sections
above as a guide, it should stay that way! There are still a few
more things you can do to keep your machine running in top shape.

Tip (11):
You should periodically check your hard drive(s) for errors and defragment
them. Only defragment after you have cleaned up your machine of
outside parasites and never defragment as a solution to a quirkiness in
your system. It may help speed up your system, but it should be clean
before you do this. Do these things IN ORDER...

How to use Disk Cleanup
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/310312

How to scan your disks for errors
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/315265

How to Defragment your hard drives
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/314848

I would personally perform the above steps at least once every three months.
For most people this should be sufficient, but if the difference you notice
afterwards is greater than you think it should be, lessen the time in
between its schedule.. If the difference you notice is negligible, you can
increase the time.

Tip (12):
SPAM! JUNK MAIL!
This one can get annoying, just like the rest. You get 50 emails in one
sitting and 2 of them you wanted. NICE! (Not.) What can you do? Well,
although there are services out there to help you, some email
servers/services that actually do lower your spam with features built into
their servers - I still like the methods that let you be the end-decision
maker on what is spam and what is not. I have a few products to suggest
to you, look at them and see if any of them suite your needs. Again, if
they don't, Google is free and available for your perusal.

SpamBayes (Free!)
http://spambayes.sourceforge.net/

Spamihilator (Free!)
http://www.spamihilator.com/

MailWasher
http://www.mailwasher.net/

Another option - utilze some service that already does a FINE JOB on
eliminating the spam from your mailbox (plus a number of other benefits.)

Google Mail (gmail):
http://www.gmail.com/
(Set it up for your email client of choice - using POP:
http://mail.google.com/support/bin/a...y?answer=13273 )

Windows Live Hotmail (formerly just "Hotmail"):
http://get.live.com/mail/options

There are many others. Email from anywhere with a computer, lots of
space for your emails/attachments, free services and if you change ISPs -
your email doesn't change!

As I said, those are not your only options, but are reliable ones I have
seen function for hundreds+ people. Feel free to search for your own
solutions!

Tip (13):
ADVANCED TIP! Only do this once you are comfortable under the hood of your
computer!

There are lots of services on your PC that are probably turned on by default
you don't use. Why have them on? Check out these web pages to see what all
of the services you might find on your computer are and set them according
to your personal needs. Be CAREFUL what you set to manual, and take heed
and write down as you change things! Also, don't expect a large performance
increase or anything - especially on today's 2+ GHz machines, however - I
look at each service you set to manual as one less service you have to worry
about someone exploiting.

Service Configuration Tips
http://www.tweakhound.com/xp/xptweaks/supertweaks6.htm

Configuring Services
http://smallvoid.com/tweak/winnt/services.html

Task List Programs
http://www.answersthatwork.com/Taskl...s/tasklist.htm

Processes in Windows NT/2000/XP
http://www.reger24.de/prozesse/

There are also applications that AREN'T services that startup when you start
up the computer/logon. One of the better description on how to handle these
I have found here:

Startups
http://www.pacs-portal.co.uk/startup_content.php


If you follow the advice laid out above (and do some of your own research as
well, so you understand what you are doing) - your computer will stay fairly
stable and secure and you will have a more trouble-free system.

--
Shenan Stanley
MS-MVP
--
How To Ask Questions The Smart Way
http://www.catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html

Shenan, thank you so much for the answer;
and quite the answer it was, I am afraid though you have missunderstood such
a simple queery as to a possible system malfunction or the very remote
possibility of spyware on my pc;

what I failed to tell the viewers the last time was that symantec had just
done a remote spyware removal and a pc tune up for me and they never suceeded
in cleaning my pc at all, I was very disapointed with the service and told
them I could have done all that myself;
they did refund my money, then the only alternative I had was to reinstall
from a compeatly deleted OS;
Right from the word go even before I did any browsing to any questionable
site I always had to delete browsing history a few times to get rid of all
the files,

meanig that when I disconected form the service provider and explorer 7 I
deleted all browsing history, only to find that on restart everytime before I
attemped to brows I found that when deleting browsing history once again did
in fact show that it was once again deleting files;
I hope I have made it clear this time, and I do not think a brand new system
needs all the hints you have sugested
Thanks Rich



"Shenan Stanley" wrote:

> Rich wrote:
> > Hi again friends, seems this help yourself fix-it stuff never ends;
> > I have just recently reinstalled xindowsxp home for about the 8th
> > time because of spyware, or viruses etc on my toshiba laptop
> > satelite m30,
>
> Then you need to learn to properly maintain your computer/protect yourself
> from such problems. Not running as a system administrator all the time is a
> good start, having resident protection also helps - but overall - just using
> good computing common sense is the best protection. More on that later.
>
> > I have become security nuts as a result of this and I delete
> > browsing history, temp files, cookies with a passion each time I
> > log on, and each time I log off, as a matter of fact I select
> > delete all to get rid of browsing history each time I log off but I
> > find a very currrious thing that happens. after my pc has been off,
> > and I havent conected to the internet yet, I delete browsing
> > history once again and I see that it is once again deleting files,
> > and I havent been nowhere;
>
> Well - although deleting your TIF (Temporary Internet Files) and such when
> you exit Internet Explorer and such is a good security practice - it has
> little to do with preventing your infestations/infections you claimed to
> have gotten in the past. Once they are in your cache/etc - you lost the
> battle prior to that and are merely erasing the traces of its ever occurring
> instead of preventing the battle from ever happening in the first place.
>
> For a good cleanup of such files - I suggest "CCleaner"...
>
> > my question to anyone that may know why I have collected more files
> > to delete if I havent been anywhere, or conected to the internet is
> > very puzzling to me,
>
> If using the built in mechanisms to delete history/cookies/TIF/etc - you may
> not get them all.
>
> > it almost makes me think there is spyware that is not deletable on
> > my pc once again, and I havent been to any xxx or questionable
> > sites at all, just pokerstars and messanger;
> > it would be very helpfull if some smart person could really tell me
> > for sure if this is normal or not;
>
> "messanger"? You mean using "Windows Live Messenger"?
> Pokerstars sounds like it would push some advertising/crap down.
>
> > thank you all so much Rich
>
> I think you need to stop rebuilding your machine from scratch and learn a
> little bit about protecting yourself. Clean up that machine - install some
> decent protection, make yourself a non-admin user and utilize it for
> everyday use, etc.
>
> For the future - you and your friend may want to print and review this. It
> may take some initial time to do - but if your friend had read and followed
> it a year ago (or less) - they would likely not be in the situation they are
> now. :-(
>
> Microsoft has these suggestions for Protecting your computer from the
> various things that could happen to you/it:
>
> Protect your PC
> http://www.microsoft.com/protect/
>
> Outfitting an XP computer for the Net
> http://www.microsoft.com/protect/com...nced/xppc.mspx
>
> Getting started with a new PC
> http://www.microsoft.com/athome/moredone/yournewpc.mspx
>
> Although those tips are fantastic, there are many things you should
> know above and beyond that. Below I have detailed out many tips
> that can not only help you clean-up a problem PC but keep it clean,
> secure and running at its best.
>
> I know this text can seem intimidating - it is quite long and a lot
> to take in for a novice - however I can assure you that one pass
> 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 go through these steps, the time it
> takes will be greatly reduced - since many things can be setup
> to automatically protect you.
>
> Let's take the cleanup/securing 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 taking
> out your garbage, collecting and sorting your postal mail, paying
> your bills on time, etc.
>
> Now is a great time to point you to one of the easiest ways to find
> information on problems you may be having and solutions others have found:
>
> Search using Google!
> http://www.google.com/
> (How-to: http://www.google.com/intl/en/help/basics.html )
>
>
> Now, let's go through some maintenance first that should only have to be
> done once (for the most part):
>
> Tip (1):
> Locate all of the software you have installed on your computer.
> (the installation media - CDs, downloaded files, etc)
> Collect these CD/DVDs and files together 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/DVD Burner
> and application, Disk copier, etc.) You'll be glad to know that if you
> have a CD/DVD burner, you may be able to use a free application to make a
> duplicate copy of your CDs. One such application is ISORecorder:
>
> ISORecorder page (with general instructions on use):
> http://isorecorder.alexfeinman.com/isorecorder.htm
>
> More full function applications (free) for CD/DVD burning would be:
>
> CDBurnerXP Pro
> http://www.cdburnerxp.se/
>
> DeepBurner Free
> http://www.deepburner.com/
>
> ImgBurn (burn ISO images)
> http://www.imgburn.com/
>
> Final Burner Free
> http://www.protectedsoft.com/descr_fb.php
>
> BWGBurn
> http://sourceforge.net/projects/bwgburn
>
> BurnAware FREE Edition
> http://www.glorylogic.com/
>
> Another Option would be to search the web with Pricewatch.com or
> Dealsites.net and find deals on Products like Ahead Nero and/or Roxio.
>
> Ahead Nero
> http://www.nero.com/
>
> Roxio Easy Media Creator
> http://www.roxio.com/
>
> Tip (2):
> Empty your Temporary Internet Files and shrink the size it stores to a
> size between 128MB and 256MB..
>
> - 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 256MB.
> - 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 sluggish and/or you have an older system
> (1.8GHz or less and less than 512MB RAM) then you may want to look into
> tweaking the performance by turning off some of the 'resource hogging'
> 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 most 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/use one
> (or more) of the Microsoft Powertoys - TweakUI in particular:
>
> http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/d...powertoys.mspx
>
> Another viable (decently inexpensive) option is to increase the amount
> of memory (RAM) your computer has. You can get an idea of what you
> need by visiting:
>
> Crucial Memory AdvisorT Tool
> http://www.crucial.com/
>
> Then either buy direct from there or write down the specs you get and
> visit: http://www.pricewatch.com/ and locate the best price on what you
> need. 512MB up to 1GB total memory should be more than enough for
> the normal home user.
>
> Tip (4):
> Understanding what a good password might be is vital to your
> personal and system security. You may think you do 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, 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/username.
> 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:
> 'Great Thanksgiving in 2007!'
> I could come up with this password from that:
> 'Gr8Thanksgiving2007!'
>
> 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.'
>
> Also - many people complain that they just cannot remember the passwords
> for all the sites they have - so they choose one password and use it for
> everything. Not a good idea. A much better method would be to use a
> Password Management tool - so you only have to remember one password,
> but it opens an application that stores your username/passwords for
> everything else - plus other valuable information. One that I can
> recommend:
>
> KeePass Password Safe
> http://keepass.sourceforge.net/
>
> It can even generate passwords for you.
>
>
> 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/protect/com.../choosing.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 that they will 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:
>
> 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. For most people who maintain their system in other ways, this is
> MORE than sufficient. 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 compiled a
> list with links of some of the better known/free firewalls you can choose
> from:
>
> Comodo Free Fireall (Free)
> http://www.personalfirewall.comodo.com/
>
> Jetico Personal Firewall (Free)
> http://www.jetico.com/index.htm#/jpfirewall.htm
>
> Outpost Firewall from Agnitum (Free and up)
> http://www.agnitum.com/products/outpostfree/
>
> Sunbelt Kerio Personal Firewall (KPF) (Free and up)
> http://www.kerio.com/kpf_download.html
>
> ZoneAlarm (Free and up)
> http://www.zonelabs.com/
>
> You should find the right firewall for your situation in that
> list and set it up if you feel the Windows XP firewall is
> insufficient.
>
> Every firewall WILL require some maintenance. Essentially checking for
> patches or upgrades (this goes for hardware and software solutions) is
> the extent of this maintenance - you may also have to configure your
> firewall to allow some traffic depending on your needs.
>
> ** Don't stack the software firewalls! Running more than one software
> firewall will not make you safer - it would possibly negate some
> protection you gleamed from one or the other firewall you run. It is