Fun tip: Change the search dog to something else, I got merlin the wizard =D
Skybuck Flying
Then right click on the dog and choose a different animated character.
Hihihihihihihi =D
Bye,
Skybuck.
Uncle Grumpy
Just.some.guy
"Uncle Grumpy" <uncle...@ameritech.net> wrote in message
news:6iol23lbl3eogafo8...@4ax.com...
It works, so what is *your* problem? Not everyone is a computer expert, and
some people may not have known that...I know I didn't.
Shenan Stanley
<snip>
> Bye,
> Skybuck.
Uncle Grumpy wrote:
> Bye, indeed!
>
> <plonk>
Just.some.guy wrote:
> It works, so what is *your* problem? Not everyone is a computer
> expert, and some people may not have known that...I know I didn't.
The problem with your comment is that you are doing the same as Uncle
Grumpy.
Uncle Grumpy responded like Uncle Grumpy wanted to.
You responded to Uncle Grumpy like you wanted to.
One could ask you the same question about your response as you did to Uncle
Grumpy's response.
Neither contained a true query/issue nor any assistive advice.
If the original post contained information you did not know - here's a few
dozen more things you might not have known...
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/athome/security/
Outfitting a new computer for the Net
http://www.microsoft.com/athome/security/update/newcomputer.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 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 go through 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 taking
out your garbage, collecting and sorting your postal mail, paying
your bills on time, etc.
I'll mainly work around Windows XP, as that is what the bulk of this
document is about; however, here is some places for you poor souls
still stuck in Windows 98/ME where you can get information on
maintaining your system:
Windows 98 and 'Maintaining Your Computer':
http://www.microsoft.com/windows98/usingwindows/maintaining/
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
Also - now is a good 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 (mostly):
Tip (1):
Locate all of the software you have installed on your computer.
(the installation media - CDs, downloaded files, etc)
Collect these CDs 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
http://www.protectedsoft.com/products.php
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 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 sluggish and/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 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/downloads/powertoys/xppowertoys.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 Advisorโข 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 new job in November 2006'
I could come up with this password from that:
'Gr8n3wj0bNOV2006'
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/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 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:
BlackICE PC Protection (~$39.95 and up)
http://blackice.iss.net/
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
Symantec's Norton Personal Firewall (~$49.95 and up)
http://www.symantec.com/sabu/nis/npf/
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
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/products/trueimage/
BootItโข 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 'Check for Updates' and/or 'Downloads' for more)
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/
ca Anti-Virus (~$49.99 and up)
http://snipurl.com/13e0u
eset NOD32 (~$39.00 and up)
http://www.eset.com/products/
Kaspersky Anti-Virus (~$39.95 and up)
http://www.kaspersky.com/kav6
McAfee VirusScan (~$39.99 and up)
http://www.mcafee.com/
Panda Antivirus Titanium (~$39.95 and up)
http://www.pandasoftware.com/products/antivirus2007.htm
(Free Online Scanner: http://www.pandasoftware.com/activescan/)
Symantec (Norton) AntiVirus (~$39.99 and up)
http://snipurl.com/13e12
Trend Micro (~$44.95 and up)
http://www.trendmicro.com/en/products/desktop/tav/
(Free Online Scanner:
http://housecall.trendmicro.com/housecall/start_corp.asp)
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 the first five 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!)
Lavasoft AdAware (Free and up)
http://www.lavasoft.de/products/ad-aware_se_personal.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 )
IE-SPYAD2 (Free!)
http://www.spywarewarrior.com/uiuc/resource.htm#IESPYAD
(How-to: http://snipurl.com/ate7 )
SuperAntiSpyware (Free and up)
http://www.superantispyware.com/
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 )
ToolbarCop (Free!)
http://windowsxp.mvps.org/toolbarcop.htm
Ccleaner (Free!)
http://www.ccleaner.com/
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/
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 as well! 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/
As I said, those are not your only options, but are reliable ones I have
seen function for hundreds+ people.
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/Tasklist_pages/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
Just.some.guy
you NOT understand what a question is? I am waiting for him to *answer* the
question that I asked. It's in my post...the *QUESTION* that is:-) So you
are wrong. I didn't *just* make a comment. Reading and comprehension...it's
so important.
Malvern
less... Lighten up folks. Life's too short.
Malv
P.S. Malv is bracing himself for the "flames" to follow...
Just.some.guy
"Malvern" <thisis@fak> wrote in message
news:462b7b13$0$3154$ae4e...@news.nationwide.net...
> Why we gettin' "hot under the collar" over this ? Two of our MVP's no
> less... Lighten up folks. Life's too short.
Yeah, but why did *he* have to comment? If you want to be real about it...he
did the *same* thing he wrongly accused me of. He commented! I merely
*asked* Uncle Grumpy why he felt the way he did. I honestly wanted to know,
because I saw NOTHING in the original post that warranted that kind of
reply. Then this other person *invites* himself into the mix...and for what?
Just because he is an MVP doesn't mean that I'm going cowtow to him. Hit me
and I'm hitting back:-)
Wesley Vogel
you, ever. He is never going to see another one of your posts. He plonked
you. Read his post again and look at the last word.
"Plonk is a Usenet jargon term for adding a particular poster to one's kill
file such that the poster's future postings are completely ignored."
from...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plonk
Ignored isn't quite the correct word. ...poster's future postings are
never, ever seen again.
--
Hope this helps. Let us know.
Wes
MS-MVP Windows Shell/User
In news:BqKWh.1121$1M1.420@trnddc01,
Just.some.guy <return...@address.not.valid> hunted and pecked:
Just.some.guy
"Wesley Vogel" <123WVo...@comcast.net> wrote in message
news:eJUriyPh...@TK2MSFTNGP05.phx.gbl...
> You will be waiting an awful long time. Uncle Grumpy is not going to
> answer you, ever.
Read the posts again Wesley. Uncle Grumpy plonked *Skybuck Flying*. That was
why I asked him what I did. He may have plonked me *too*, but his initial
plonk was to someone else. But how would *you* know who he plonks? Are you
omniscient? If you re-read my post, carefully this time, you'll see I simply
asked what his problem was. And by the way...I know what *plonk* means:-)
He is never going to see another one of your posts.
That is not true either. I *could* simply use dial-up instead of my
broadband....change my name, and voila....I'm no longer on his *list*. I
would not do that, it is really not important to me, but simply pointing out
that you are wrong about that.
He plonked
> you. Read his post again and look at the last word.
No...*you* look at his last word:-) Then figure out who he was saying that
to.
Wesley Vogel
--
Hope this helps. Let us know.
Wes
MS-MVP Windows Shell/User
In news:nGMWh.3787$no.1449@trnddc02,
Just.some.guy
> It is obvious that I cannot read English, so why the long post? ;-
Hoping you'd understand a few words...enough to get the *gist* of what I was
saying:-)
Shenan Stanley
<snip>
> Bye,
> Skybuck.
Uncle Grumpy wrote:
> Bye, indeed!
>
> <plonk>
Just.some.guy wrote:
> It works, so what is *your* problem? Not everyone is a computer
> expert, and some people may not have known that...I know I didn't.
Shenan Stanley wrote:
> The problem with your comment is that you are doing the same as
> Uncle Grumpy.
>
> Uncle Grumpy responded like Uncle Grumpy wanted to.
> You responded to Uncle Grumpy like you wanted to.
> One could ask you the same question about your response as you did
> to Uncle Grumpy's response.
> Neither contained a true query/issue nor any assistive advice.
>
> If the original post contained information you did not know -
> here's a few dozen more things you might not have known...
>
<snip a whole BUNCH of advice on computer care>
<see the following for the thread in its entirity>
<in that way the integrity/reason for the thread/newsgroup is maintained>
Malvern wrote:
> Why we gettin' "hot under the collar" over this ? Two of our MVP's
> no less... Lighten up folks. Life's too short.
>
> P.S. Malv is bracing himself for the "flames" to follow...
Just.some.guy wrote:
> Yeah, but why did *he* have to comment? If you want to be real
> about it...he did the *same* thing he wrongly accused me of. He
> commented! I merely *asked* Uncle Grumpy why he felt the way he
> did. I honestly wanted to know, because I saw NOTHING in the
> original post that warranted that kind of reply. Then this other
> person *invites* himself into the mix...and for what? Just because
> he is an MVP doesn't mean that I'm going cowtow to him. Hit me and
> I'm hitting back:-)
Wesley Vogel wrote:
> You will be waiting an awful long time. Uncle Grumpy is not going
> to answer you, ever. He is never going to see another one of your
> posts. He plonked you. Read his post again and look at the last
> word.
> "Plonk is a Usenet jargon term for adding a particular poster to
> one's kill file such that the poster's future postings are
> completely ignored." from...
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plonk
>
> Ignored isn't quite the correct word. ...poster's future postings
> are never, ever seen again.
I read your post - you asked Uncle Grumpy a question...:
1) That had nothing to do with this newsgroup or even its purpose (Help with
Windows XP in General).
2) That had nothing to do with the purpose of the original post (to help
people in general.)
3) Just to be a smart-a$$.
You ask in another spwan of this thread 'why did *he* have to comment'?
Assuming that means me - as well as all the MVP comments...
First - me being an MVP means absolutely nothing except that I was
recognized by Microsoft as someone willing to share their knowledge of
something technical freely in the newsgroups. That's it. I am an
individual and you 'cowtow'ing to me was not the purpose. I responded for a
couple of reasons:
You were doing nothing to help the situation. You were merely trying to
start a fight. After all this time on the newsgroups, one thing I have seen
too many times is threads (like this one) turn into nothing but flame wars
because someone just had to start a fight. If you don't like 'Uncle Grumpy'
(and many do not) - do what he did to the original poster. I was pointing
out that was all you were doing - nothing more. You did not add any helpful
advice of your own - you just decided that it was good to throw stones.
Although I did not agree with the original post's existence - I agreed with
its purpose - to freely share knowledge with the general public. The reason
I did not agree with the original post's existence was that the chances of
it being seen by anyone who needed it is slim to none. It's getting
better - as people learn to utilize search engines and such - but in
general - most who will come across these newsgroups will never search them
and just post.
I replied to you because I was hopeful you might understand that your
response was out of anger/frustration and included no helpful material. In
order to continue the true purpose (original intent) of this thread - I
included a dozen plus useful tips. I was hopeful you would put aside your
anger/need to flame/start something with people you did not know and perhaps
share something you knew in return and a part of me hoped you might get
something you did not know out of the tips I left.
However - you took the same road again and decided to flame/start something
again without any consideration for the original intent of this thread. I'm
sorry you took my post as a 'personal attack' - as you seemed to take Uncle
Grumpy's post. Uncle Grumpy does what Uncle Grumpy does to either just 'say
what Uncle Grumpy wants' or in hopes of getting responses just like what you
gave. Bait and hook.
Malvern must've made the same mistake you did in assuming I responded to be
part of a flamewar. I responded in hopes you would see that responding to
Uncle Grumpy (do a Google Search - Google Groups search even) was doing very
little for whatever cause you thought you were fighting for. Uncle Grumpy
is not one to 'stand and fight' - but to 'make snide comments and run' in
general. Not to say Uncle Grumpy has not helped out in the past - quite the
contrary. Uncle Grumpy also does not consider what he does to be what I
described it as - it is just his way of expressing exactly what he
sees/feels at any given time - more power to Uncle Grumpy - doesn't mean it
should be acknowledged by anyone though. ;-)
And yes - Wesley may have mistaken you for the original poster - but he too
gave useful information (in the intend of the original post) with a
definition of 'plonk' - or the 'smart-a$$ thing originally done (and what
spawned this particular part fo the thread) by Uncle Grumpy'. I do not know
Wesley's intent - but I do know that even if he mistakenly took you for the
original poster, at this point if Uncle Grumpy even comes back, the chances
that you won't be 'plonked' by Uncle Grumpy is slim. That's just the way
some people handle things n the newsgroups. Cover eyes and move on... And
sometimes - with certain people on the newsgroups and the reactions they
have to others - it is the easiest and actually - sometimes the best thing
to do. Responding to them only encourages them to make more angry comments
and continue along in a non-helpful manner.
In short:
I responded in hopes you would see that responding to Uncle Grumpy in kind
did little for the cause you thought you were fighting for (Uncle Grumpy
doesn't care what you think anymore than Uncle Grumpy cares what the
original poster intended) and I hoped to continue the original intent of
this thread along in the process with more useful tips for those who just
*might* search in the future....
And although it may be useless now (I know I wouldn't bother reading what
obviously has become a fight between people instead of useful
information/tips) - I will continue to try and keep the original intend of
this going by telling people how to clear up space on their hard disk
drive - find out what is taking up all of their valuable space and clean it
up to allow them to store/utilize in ways they want...
If you are comfortable with the stability of your system, you can delete the
uninstall files for the patches that Windows XP has installed...
http://www3.telus.net/dandemar/spack.htm
Used Disk Cleanup?
Is hibernate turned on and do you use that feature?
Uninstalled unnecessary applications lately?
You can run Disk Cleanup - built into Windows XP - to erase all but your
latest restore point and cleanup even more "loose files"..
How to use Disk Cleanup
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/310312
You can turn off hibernation if it is on and you don't use it..
When you hibernate your computer, Windows saves the contents of the system's
memory to the hiberfil.sys file. As a result, the size of the hiberfil.sys
file will always equal the amount of physical memory in your system. If you
don't use the hibernate feature and want to recapture the space that Windows
uses for the hiberfil.sys file, perform the following steps:
- Start the Control Panel Power Options applet (go to Start, Settings,
Control Panel, and click Power Options).
- Select the Hibernate tab, clear the "Enable hibernation" check box, then
click OK; although you might think otherwise, selecting Never under the
"System hibernates" option on the Power Schemes tab doesn't delete the
hiberfil.sys file.
- Windows will remove the "System hibernates" option from the Power Schemes
tab and delete the hiberfil.sys file.
You can control how much space your System Restore can use...
1. Click Start, right-click My Computer, and then click Properties.
2. Click the System Restore tab.
3. Highlight one of your drives (or C: if you only have one) and click on
the "Settings" button.
4. Change the percentage of disk space you wish to allow.. I suggest 5% or
higher.
5. Click OK.. Then Click OK again.
You can control how much space your Temporary Internet Files can utilize...
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.
You can use an application that scans your system for log files and
temporary files and use that to get rid of those:
Ccleaner (Free!)
http://www.ccleaner.com/
Other ways to free up space..
SequoiaView
http://www.win.tue.nl/sequoiaview/
DX Hog Hunt
http://www.dvxp.com/en/Downloads.aspx
JDiskReport
http://www.jgoodies.com/freeware/jdiskreport/index.html
Those can help you visually discover where all the space is being used.
UncleGrumpyWesleyShenan
Plonking the other name doesn't help here...does it? Ok....enough playing
around....you got computer issues to deal with, and your answers to those
problems is how I learn:-)
Just.some.guy
your permission to do so. That's what I do when I want to know something...I
*ask*. I don't care what the purpose of this newsgroup is. If it bothers
you, tough...get over it. And I did NOT ask it out of anger or frustration,
I was simply curious. People that don't think they already *know*
everything, do things like that. Let it go Shenan...don't get your panties
in a bunch:-) You seem rather *wound up*.
Shenan Stanley
No - I just like to help.
Not argue with people who do nothing but start fights (you.)
Shenan Stanley
> Shenan Stanley, you're awfully longwinded. I asked a question and
> DON'T need your permission to do so. That's what I do when I want
> to know something...I *ask*. I don't care what the purpose of this
> newsgroup is. If it bothers you, tough...get over it. And I did NOT
> ask it out of anger or frustration, I was simply curious. People
> that don't think they already *know* everything, do things like
> that. Let it go Shenan...don't get your panties in a bunch:-) You
> seem rather *wound up*.
Shenan Stanley wrote:
> No - I just like to help.
> Not argue with people who do nothing but start fights (you.)
More help...
Need to do a clean install - tried all the cleaning tips and it just didn't
help?
Or did you just obtain a used computer and you want to be diligent and make
sure you *know* everything that is on there is yours?
** You may want to print this **
1) Download and install Belarc Advisor onto the current Windows XP
machine. Use it to get a list of hardware from the
machine as well as the CD Key used to install it. Print it if you like.
http://www.belarc.com/
You may be able to obtain other product keys from here as well.
You will see everything that is installed listed here - so you have
a record of what you will be putting back - if you have the
installation media. Now is the time to find the installation media!
2) Using the list of hardware you obtained - visit the hardware
manufacturer(s) web page(s) and download the software drivers
for each of the components.
If it is a "vendor" computer (Dell, HP, IBM, Gateway, etc..) - simply
visit the vendor's page and go to the support/downloads for the
particular model and download all hardware drivers. Write those
to external (to that computer) media. CD/DVD/USB/Network.
If it is a piece-meal computer, take the Belarc list and visit each
manufacturer's web page. Be sure - at a minimum - to obtain the
motherboard chipset drivers, the hard drive controller card drivers,
the video card drivers, the modem drivers, the network card
drivers and the sound card drivers. Technically - if you have the
drivers for the hardware that will allow you to access the Internet,
everything else can be gotten later. However - there is something
to be said about going in prepared.
3) Now that you have the software and hardware drivers covered -
you can get to the business of obtaining Service Pack 2 and most
of the post-sp2 updates you will need. I have a list with links
below this - if you grabbed everything on this list - installed them
(after installing Windows XP) in numerical (by KB Article #) order
- rebooting when asked to - before ever connecting to the Internet
- you might (at this time) have 5-10 more to grab from the update
web page.
Essentially - visit each of these pages, download the update for
Windows XP (32bit) w/SP2 and save them to an external location.
CD/DVD/USB/Network. Consider yourself an "IT Professional" in
order to get to the page with the actual file download link for each
update.
You could get away with (pretty much) installing them in the order
given.
Direct Download of Service Pack 2 (SP2) for Windows XP
http://snipurl.com/8bqy
Critical Updates
----------------------
Released: -- [ Web Page Address ] -- Description:
9/14/2004 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/885626 ]
-- Critical Update for Windows XP
11/22/2004 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/887742 ]
-- Update for Windows XP
12/13/2004 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/885835 ]
-- Security Update for Windows XP
12/13/2004 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/885836 ]
-- Security Update for Windows XP
12/13/2004 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/886185 ]
-- Critical Update for Windows XP
12/13/2004 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/873339 ]
-- Security Update for Windows XP
2/7/2005 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/891781 ]
-- Security Update for Windows XP
2/7/2005 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/888302 ]
-- Security Update for Windows XP
2/7/2005 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/887472 ]
-- Security Update for Windows Messenger
4/11/2005 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/890859 ]
-- Security Update for Windows XP
5/18/2005 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/894391 ]
-- Update for Windows XP
5/24/2005 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/896344 ]
-- Update for Windows XP
6/13/2005 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/896358 ]
-- Security Update for Microsoft Windows XP
6/13/2005 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/896428 ]
-- Security Update for Windows XP
6/24/2005 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/900930 ]
-- Update for Windows XP
6/27/2005 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/898461 ]
-- Update for Windows XP
7/11/2005 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/901214 ]
-- Security Update for Windows XP
8/8/2005 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/896423 ]
-- Security Update for Windows XP
8/8/2005 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/899587 ]
-- Security Update for Windows XP
8/8/2005 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/899591 ]
-- Security Update for Windows XP
8/8/2005 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/893756 ]
-- Security Update for Windows XP
10/10/2005 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/901017 ]
-- Security Update for Windows XP
10/10/2005 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/902400 ]
-- Security Update for Windows XP
10/10/2005 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/905749 ]
-- Security Update for Windows XP
10/10/2005 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/905414 ]
-- Security Update for Windows XP
10/10/2005 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/900725 ]
-- Security Update for Windows XP
11/7/2005 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/896424 ]
-- Security Update for Windows XP
12/12/2005 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/910437 ]
-- Update for Windows XP
12/13/2005 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/904706 ]
-- Security Update for Windows XP
1/5/2006 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/912919 ]
-- Security Update for Windows XP
1/9/2006 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/908519 ]
-- Security Update for Windows XP
2/13/2006 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/911927 ]
-- Security Update for Windows XP
4/10/2006 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/911562 ]
-- Security Update for Windows XP
4/18/2006 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/904942 ]
-- Update for Windows XP
4/25/2006 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/900485 ]
-- Update for Windows XP
4/25/2006 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/908531 ]
-- Security Update for Windows XP
5/9/2006 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/913580 ]
-- Security Update for Windows XP
6/6/2006 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/916595 ]
-- Update for Windows XP
6/8/2006 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/918439 ]
-- Vulnerability in ART Image Rendering Could Allow Remote Code
Execution in Internet Explorer for Windows XP SP2
6/12/2006 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/914389 ]
-- Security Update for Windows XP
6/12/2006 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/917953 ]
-- Security Update for Windows XP
6/13/2006 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/917344 ]
-- JScript 5.6 Security Update for Windows XP SP1 and SP2
6/27/2006 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/911280 ]
-- Security Update for Windows XP
7/10/2006 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/917159 ]
-- Security Update for Windows XP
7/10/2006 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/914388 ]
-- Security Update for Windows XP
8/7/2006 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/917422 ]
-- Security Update for Windows XP
8/7/2006 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/920670 ]
-- Security Update for Windows XP
8/7/2006 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/922616 ]
-- Security Update for Windows XP
8/7/2006 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/920683 ]
-- Security Update for Windows XP
8/7/2006 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/921398 ]
-- Security Update for Windows XP
8/17/2006 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/920872 ]
-- Update for Windows XP
9/11/2006 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/920685 ]
-- Security Update for Windows XP
9/11/2006 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/922582 ]
-- Update for Windows XP
9/11/2006 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/919007 ]
-- Security Update for Windows XP
9/26/2006 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/925486 ]
-- Security Update for Windows XP SP2
10/9/2006 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/922819 ]
-- Security Update for Windows XP
10/9/2006 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/924496 ]
-- Security Update for Windows XP
10/9/2006 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/923414 ]
-- Security Update for Windows XP
10/9/2006 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/923191 ]
-- Security Update for Windows XP
11/14/2006 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/920213 ]
-- Vulnerability in Microsoft Agent could allow remote code
execution
11/14/2006 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/923789 ]
-- Vulnerabilities in Macromedia Flash Player from Adobe
could allow remote code execution
11/14/2006 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/924270 ]
-- Vulnerability in Workstation Service could allow
remote code execution
11/14/2006 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/928088 ]
-- Vulnerability in Microsoft XML Core Services could
allow remote code execution
11/14/2006 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/923980 ]
-- Vulnerability in the Client Service could allow remote code
execution
12/12/2006 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/926247 ]
-- Vulnerability in Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP)
could allow remote code execution
12/12/2006 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/926255 ]
-- Vulnerability in Windows could allow elevation of privilege
12/12/2006 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/923694 ]
-- Cumulative security update for Outlook Express
12/14/2006 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/925454 ]
-- Cumulative Update for Internet Explorer for
Windows XP Service Pack 2
Media Player:
-------------------
Released: -- [ Web Page Address: ] -- Description:
9/2/2004 -- [ http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=30984 ]
-- Windows Media Player 10
11/7/2005 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/902344 ]
-- Update for WMDRM-enabled Media Players
2/13/2006 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/911564 ]
-- Security Update for Windows Media Player Plug-in
4/11/2006 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/911565 ]
-- Security Update for Windows Media Player 10 for Windows XP
6/12/2006 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/917734 ]
-- Security Update for Windows Media Player 10 for Windows XP
12/12/2006 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/923689 ]
-- Vulnerability in Windows Media Format Could Allow Remote
Code Execution
.NET Framework:
------------------------
Released: -- [ Web Page Address: ] -- Description:
3/30/2004 -- [ http://snipurl.com/10bde ]
-- Microsoft .NET Framework Version 1.1 Redistributable Package
8/30/2004 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/885055 ]
-- Microsoft .NET Framework 1.1 Service Pack 1
2/8/2005 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/887219 ]
-- ASP.NET Security Update for Microsoft NET Framework 1.1
Service Pack 1
3/22/2006 -- [ http://snipurl.com/10bdv ]
-- Microsoft .NET Framework Version 2.0 Redistributable
Package (x86)
7/11/2006 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/917283 ]
-- NDP 2.0 ASP.Net Security Update
10/10/2006 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/922770 ]
-- NET Framework 2.0 SYSTEM.WEB.DLL Security Update
Other Updates:
---------------------
Released: -- [ Web Page Address: ] -- Description:
9/14/2004 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/873374 ]
-- Microsoft GDI+ Detection Tool
9/2/2005 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/893803 ]
-- Windows Installer 3.1 Redistributable (v2)
10/14/2005 -- [ http://snipurl.com/10bex ]
-- Windows Media Connect 2.0
11/29/2005 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/909520 ]
-- Microsoft Base Smart Card Cryptographic Service Provider
Package: x86
10/10/2006 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/890830 ]
-- Microsoftยฎ Windowsยฎ Malicious Software Removal Tool
- November 2006
Purely OPTIONAL:
----------------------
10/18/2006 -- [ http://www.microsoft.com/windows/ie/downloads/ ]
-- Internet Explorer 7.0
10/30/2006 -- [ http://snipurl.com/167ea ]
-- Media Player 11
12/8/2006 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/925876 ]
-- Remote Desktop Connection 6.0 client
4) Now that you have all the updates you will need to install Windows
XP, all the hardware drivers you will need to get the
operating system to communicate with your hardware, all your
installation media and product keys in a pile - you can install
Windows XP by simply changing the boot order in
the system BIOS to CD first, putting in your Windows XP
CD and following the prompts. When it asks where you
would like to install - delete the partitions shown and create a new
partition to install on. Format it NTFS. Continue following the
prompts.
Want something a little more pictographic?
http://www.michaelstevenstech.com/cleanxpinstall.html
5) Once the installation is done - break out whatever external media
you saved all the 2nd & 3rd list items to and connect/insert it into
the system and begin installing all the hardware drivers (1st) and
then all the patches and such. It'll take a while and probably 10+
reboots.
6) Install your favorite AntiVirus software (I am including a tips list that
has several free alternatives as tip (9)) and immunize your system
against most spyware (see tip (10) in the same list below) and connect
to the Internet. Visit http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com/ and scan
your system for more updates. Do not install hardware drivers from
here.
7) Install whatever other software you need this system to have. Plugins
like quicktime, flash, shockwave, real player (or real alternative),
acrobat reader and so on... Full applications like Microsoft Office,
WordPerfect, Photoshop, etc. Any special software for
cameras/scanners/printers. Anything and everything you want this
computer to have.
8) Create an additional administrative user. Log out and log in as that
user. Make sure it has a password that is good and that you can
remember. Log out and log back in as the original user. That new
user is your 'just in case' account.
Good luck to you!
CDBurnerXP Pro
http://www.cdburnerxp.se/
DeepBurner Free
http://www.deepburner.com/
Final Burner
http://www.protectedsoft.com/products.php
Ahead Nero
http://www.nero.com/
Tip (2):
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):
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/downloads/powertoys/xppowertoys.mspx
'Why?'
Cobian Backup
http://www.educ.umu.se/~cobian/cobianbackup.htm
Symantec/Norton Ghost
http://snipurl.com/13e00
BootItโข NG
http://terabyteunlimited.com/bootitng.html
Windows Update
http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com/
Belarc Advisor
http://belarc.com/free_download.html
ToolbarCop (Free!)
http://windowsxp.mvps.org/toolbarcop.htm
Ccleaner (Free!)
http://www.ccleaner.com/
Mozilla Firefox
http://www.mozilla.com/firefox/
How to use Disk Cleanup
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/310312
How to scan your disks for errors
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/315265
SpamBayes (Free!)
http://spambayes.sourceforge.net/
Spamihilator (Free!)
http://www.spamihilator.com/
MailWasher
http://www.mailwasher.net/
Configuring Services
http://smallvoid.com/tweak/winnt/services.html
Startups
http://www.pacs-portal.co.uk/startup_content.php
--
Just.some.guy
"Shenan Stanley" <newsh...@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:%23FvE%23kQhH...@TK2MSFTNGP02.phx.gbl...
> Just.some.guy wrote:
>> Shenan Stanley, you're awfully longwinded. I asked a question and
>> DON'T need your permission to do so. That's what I do when I want
>> to know something...I *ask*. I don't care what the purpose of this
>> newsgroup is. If it bothers you, tough...get over it. And I did NOT
>> ask it out of anger or frustration, I was simply curious. People
>> that don't think they already *know* everything, do things like
>> that. Let it go Shenan...don't get your panties in a bunch:-) You
>> seem rather *wound up*.
>
> No - I just like to help.
> Not argue with people who do nothing but start fights (you.)
No, *you* think you own this newsgroup, but you don't. I post what I want,
when I want, and how I want, and there's nothing you can do about it. I did
not start this fight. Reading ALL of the posts will confirm that. I simply
don't back down from people because they happen to be MVP's...because they
can be wrong too...as evidenced by our little exchange. Just stay out of
conversations that don't involve you, especially when you enter one and
you're LOUD and WRONG!!!! So quit arguing and accept that you were wrong:-)
Just.some.guy
NOT a MVP
But stands up for what's right:-)
Shenan Stanley
> No, *you* think you own this newsgroup, but you don't. I post what
> I want, when I want, and how I want, and there's nothing you can do
> about it. I did not start this fight. Reading ALL of the posts will
> confirm that. I simply don't back down from people because they
> happen to be MVP's...because they can be wrong too...as evidenced
> by our little exchange. Just stay out of conversations that don't
> involve you, especially when you enter one and you're LOUD and
> WRONG!!!! So quit arguing and accept that you were wrong:-)
See the entire thread here:
http://groups.google.com/group/microsoft.public.windowsxp.general/browse_thread/thread/6267a173b42dd569/437a2bc9aff929ca?lnk=st&q=&rnum=1#437a2bc9aff929ca
Wrong about what?
That you post to be an a$$?
Your only two responses (the one that you first did in this thread and one
you sent to Poprivet) in the newgroups under the alias 'Just.some.guy' prove
that. Your responses differ none from those you respond3ed to. I chose to
respond - as you put it - because I 'DON'T need your permission to do so'.
You did start this fight.
- Uncle Grumpy responded as Uncle Grumpy wanted to - because Uncle Grumpy
'DON'T need your permission to do so'.
- You responded to Uncle Grumpy. Not because you were 'curious'; for if
that was why you responded - the phrasing would not have been so 'angry'. I
have never seen anyone ask 'What is *your* problem?' in a
non-confrontational/kind and generous way.
- I responded to you in hopes to quell whatever anger you felt and get the
conversation back on track.
If you wanted to _not_ respond to Uncle Grumpy in an 'angry' fashion - you
could have just responded to the Original Poster thanking them for the kind
advice, telling them it helped you no matter what others (like Uncle Grumpy)
thought of the advice. Instead of that - you had to 'start something'.
You can post what you want - I can post what I want in response or
otherwise.
That's just the way this works.
I have no ill-will towards you...
Never have. Never will.
I called it like I saw it and I will continue to do so.
The title MVP means little to me. I posted here long before I got the title
awarded to me and I will post the same way after the title is gone. Picking
that out - wow - your grasping for straws to argue over.
No one 'owns' this newsgroup. I certainly do not. Another 'grasp at
strawss'... Where did I ever say I 'owned this newsgroup' when all I have
done is try to give you advice and give everyone advice in the spirit of the
original post - this seems to be something you made up. Post what you
want - I said it before and I will say it again now - post what you want.
How does your telling me not to respond to things that don't involve me
differ from what exactly you are doing... I had nothing to do with this
post originally - I chose to become a part of the conversation. I will
continue to do so as long as I want to.
You asked 'a question' originally (so you say as a 'curiousity' seeker) -
why cannot others do the same to you? Why cannot others respond to you in
kind? Or would you rather be like Uncle Grumpy and use snipe-methods to
post little smart-a$$ comments and then not have to chat about them again?
Speaking of 'conversations that don't involve you' --> just how did this
originally involve you...?
And yes - that last paragrpah is a series of actual questions directed
towards you.
Just.some.guy
> Just.some.guy wrote:
>> No, *you* think you own this newsgroup, but you don't. I post what
>> I want, when I want, and how I want, and there's nothing you can do
>> about it. I did not start this fight. Reading ALL of the posts will
>> confirm that. I simply don't back down from people because they
>> happen to be MVP's...because they can be wrong too...as evidenced
>> by our little exchange. Just stay out of conversations that don't
>> involve you, especially when you enter one and you're LOUD and
>> WRONG!!!! So quit arguing and accept that you were wrong:-)
>
> See the entire thread here:
> http://groups.google.com/group/microsoft.public.windowsxp.general/browse_thread/thread/6267a173b42dd569/437a2bc9aff929ca?lnk=st&q=&rnum=1#437a2bc9aff929ca
>
>
> Wrong about what?
> That you post to be an a$$?
>
> Your only two responses (the one that you first did in this thread and one
> you sent to Poprivet) in the newgroups under the alias 'Just.some.guy'
> prove that. Your responses differ none from those you respond3ed to. I
> chose to respond - as you put it - because I 'DON'T need your permission
> to do so'.
>
> You did start this fight.
Nope.
>
> - Uncle Grumpy responded as Uncle Grumpy wanted to - because Uncle Grumpy
> 'DON'T need your permission to do so'.
>
> - You responded to Uncle Grumpy. Not because you were 'curious'; for if
> that was why you responded - the phrasing would not have been so 'angry'.
I *asked* Grumpy and it was not angry. I don't care how *you* perceived it.
Who are you?
I
> have never seen anyone ask 'What is *your* problem?' in a
> non-confrontational/kind and generous way.
So you haven't seen it...and??? That means it doesn't exist, because *you*
haven't seen it? Idiot please!
>
> - I responded to you in hopes to quell whatever anger you felt and get the
> conversation back on track.
You're a busybody that just wanted to add his two cents. It was none of your
business.
> If you wanted to _not_ respond to Uncle Grumpy in an 'angry' fashion - you
> could have just responded to the Original Poster thanking them for the
> kind advice, telling them it helped you no matter what others (like Uncle
> Grumpy) thought of the advice.
I asked Grumpy...and don't need *you* to tell me how I should have done it.
You're sounding like a moron. You're really funny. No seriously though...are
you on some kind of medication?
Instead of that - you had to 'start something'.
>
> You can post what you want - I can post what I want in response or
> otherwise.
> That's just the way this works.
I know, didn't you read my post about posting how, when, and what I want?
Are you daft man?
> I have no ill-will towards you...
I don't know you so I couldn't care less about your ill will.
> Never have. Never will.
>
> I called it like I saw it and I will continue to do so.
And so will I.
> The title MVP means little to me.
Yes it does you liar. It defines you. But it does mean little to me. I
respect your knowledge about *COMPUTERS* but them only. It does not mean
that you're an expert or even knowledge about everything else.
I posted here long before I got the title
> awarded to me and I will post the same way after the title is gone.
> Picking that out - wow - your grasping for straws to argue over.
>
> No one 'owns' this newsgroup. I certainly do not.
I know you don't. I said that already...keep up Sparky.
(this other idiotic gibberish snipped)
You're embarrassing yourself...so just stop it! No more posting about this,
you got that?!? (tapping foot impatiently) Now just get on with your life
and help these people with their computer problems...ok Sparky?
Shenan Stanley
<snip garbage>
> You're embarrassing yourself...so just stop it! No more posting
> about this, you got that?!? (tapping foot impatiently) Now just get
> on with your life and help these people with their computer
> problems...ok Sparky?
You're not worth any further comment.
I hope you continue to have good health because if you don't - I doubt
anyone will help you. ;-)
Malvern
are dong the clock-cleaning here. Your points are well taken and, er, to
the point.
Malv
"Just.some.guy" <return...@address.not.valid> wrote in message
news:94LWh.1170$Wa.359@trnddc08...
Doug
<plonk>
<plonk>
<plonk>
<plonk>
<plonk>
<plonk>
<plink> (bad note)
-
There...you're all plonked.
--
Ahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha
>
Just.some.guy
The people I have a problem with know who they are....right Sparky??? (that
was just uncalled for wasn't it:-)
"Malvern" <thisis@fak> wrote in message
news:462bc7ee$0$3163$ae4e...@news.nationwide.net...
Just.some.guy
you? This was fun, you entertained me, and no doubt countless others, but
it's getting boring now. So post back, get the last word, and let's be done
with this. OK???
"Shenan Stanley" <newsh...@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:%235skA1R...@TK2MSFTNGP04.phx.gbl...
> Just.some.guy wrote:
> <snip garbage>
>> You're embarrassing yourself...so just stop it! No more posting
>> about this, you got that?!? (tapping foot impatiently) Now just get
>> on with your life and help these people with their computer
>> problems...ok Sparky?
>
> You're not worth any further comment.
> I hope you continue to have good health because if you don't - I doubt
> anyone will help you. ;-)
Lol...are you a betting man? You just never give up huh Sparky? Got to have
that last word don't you? This was fun, you entertained me, and no doubt
countless others, but it and you are getting boring now. So post back, get
the last word, and let's be done with this. OK???
ps...question for anyone. When you *plonk* someone, why do some people feel
the need to announce it? Why can't you just do it? Is telling the person
you're plonking them somehow suppose to hurt their feelings? Does it somehow
make you look *tougher* in the eyes of the other posters? "Oh no, he/she
might plonk me too, so I'd better not say how I feel". I've seen people
write *plonk* like Doug did a few posts down...but still don't understand
the need to broadcast it. Oh well:-)
Larry(LJL269)
<return...@address.not.valid> wrote:
>You just never give up huh Sparky
Yet u r last post in all 3 sublevels of this post!
Odds r u'll reply to this too. I wont.
Just my 2ยข worth. Larry
----------------------------------------------------------------------
A working unsecure OS is infinitely better than non-working secure OS.
Just spent 1 week cleaning up the mess WUpdate made preventing
hypothetical security problems. http://microscum.com/comsense/
Pipboy
Here's a better tip. Turn the stupid animated character off completely. WTF
were they smoking when they put that ridiculous thing in with the search
tool?
Bill Sharpe
turning off the animated character is the appropriate response. Better
yet use a more comprehensive search routine, such as Agent Ransack.
Bill
Just.some.guy
"Bill Sharpe" <wfsn...@adelphia.net> wrote in message
news:%23Xm5k9b...@TK2MSFTNGP03.phx.gbl...
You guys are gonna get yelled at.
Bob I
Just.some.guy wrote:
Nah, Bob went were he was supposed to, Clippy followed him and we can
only hope that the doggy dies too!
Shenan Stanley
> Click Start, Search, etc.
>
> Then right click on the dog and choose a different animated
> character.
Pipboy wrote:
> Here's a better tip. Turn the stupid animated character off
> completely. WTF were they smoking when they put that ridiculous
> thing in with the search tool?
I go with the classic search as well - and for older computers that is
definitely the way to go.
Less resources for something that should be relatively fast in my opinion.
The Office help wizards were similar at one time.
Shenan Stanley
> Click Start, Search, etc.
>
> Then right click on the dog and choose a different animated
> character.
Pipboy wrote:
> Here's a better tip. Turn the stupid animated character off
> completely. WTF were they smoking when they put that ridiculous
> thing in with the search tool?
Bill Sharpe wrote:
> They were thinking about Microsoft Bob when they did this. I agree
> that turning off the animated character is the appropriate
> response. Better yet use a more comprehensive search routine, such
> as Agent Ransack.
Hah. Microsoft Bob. I recall that thing.
Microsoft seems to go for more eye-candy than is necessary most of the time.
A proper search engine doesn't need a cartoon character to help it function
better.
I guess they were trying to get the person to relate to the machine better
(make it seem more friendly) with these characters and all the bubbly
colors/overdone shape and animations. In some ways - many people like
that - although it does pull down the performance of the machine a bit if it
is an older machine or doesn't have an updated video card or a lot of
memory.
I agree about Agent Ransack.
That is a great freebie.
http://www.mythicsoft.com/agentransack/
Pipboy
> I guess they were trying to get the person to relate to the machine better
> (make it seem more friendly) with these characters and all the bubbly
> colors/overdone shape and animations. In some ways - many people like
> that - although it does pull down the performance of the machine a bit if it
> is an older machine or doesn't have an updated video card or a lot of
> memory.
Yea, the Linux crowd likes to refer to XP as the TeleTubby look.