Internet Explorer

TO REPAIR INTERNET EXPLORER 6 (IE6):

For those of you who are having problems with IE6 and do not wish to upgrade it to IE7 or IE8 , firstly
make sure that you have at least Windows XP Service Pack 2 installed in your computer. Better still
download and install Windows XP service pack 3. You can do that from the Microsoft Download
Center . Having done that, if you are still having problems with your Internet Explorer 6, run the System
File Checker utility in your computer.

To do that, just click on the Start Button -> Run-> and type in sfc /scannow and hit the Enter key on
your keyboard. Now, all you have to do is to follow the on-screen instructions and wait for it to finish its
job. You might have to keep your Windows XP CD handy. Running the System File Checker utility may
also help to resolve issues with Outlook Express 6 (OE6).

You can also reinstall Internet Explorer 6 by using the ie.inf file (if you are using Windows XP with
Service Pack 2). This is how we can do this:

• Click on the Start Button and then click Run

• In the Run dialog box, type in %systemroot% \inf and then hit the Enter key
on your keyboard (%systemroot% is nothing but C:\Windows, so you can also type in
C:\windows\inf)
• Now, Right-Click on the ie.inf and then select Install

Once the process is completed, restart your computer and start using Internet Explorer.

RE-REGISTER INTERNET EXPLORER DLL FILES:

This is one of the easiest methods to repair Internet Explorer. You can do this to fix a variety of issues with
IE, including when it throws up a blank page when you try to open any link or url. and also, when you are
not able to access secure websites. (the ones that begin with https:// instead of http://)

To Repair Internet Explorer, re-register the following DLL files:

 urlmon.dll
 actxprxy.dll
 shdocvw.dll
 mshtml.dll
 browseui.dll
 jscript.dll
 vbscript.dll
 oleaut32.dll

To do that, click on Start - > Run and type in regsvr32 <DLL file name> and click OK. Wait for the
message: DllRegisterServer in <DLL file name> succeeded and then repeat the same sequence for
the rest of the DLL files, one by one.

(For example, if you wanted to re-register mshtml.dll, you should type regsvr32 mshtml.dll and
click OK. Once you see the message: DllRegisterServer in mshtml.dll succeeded, you can repeat
the same step for the rest of the DLL files, one by one.)

When you are Not Able to Access Secure Websites (these are websites that begin with https:// instead of
just http://), re-register the following DLL files:
  softpub.dll
 wintrust.dll
 initpki.dll
 dssenh.dll
 rsaenh.dll
 gpkcsp.dll
 sccbase.dll
 slbcsp.dll
 cryptdlg.dll

NOTE: Remember this, when you have Full Network Connectivity in a computer but still if you are
Unable to Access the Internet and Browse Websites, it is an indication of Corruption of
Winsock. This issue will be resolved if you Reset Winsock.

WINSOCK & MSCONFIG:

WHAT IS WINSOCK?

Winsock is an Interface which allows Windows Based Applications to access Network Protocols
like FTP, TCP/IP, Appletalk, NetBIOS etc... If the Winsock Installation in your Computer gets
corrupted, you will be able to connect to the internet, but there will be no Data Transfer, and hence, you
will get errors like Page Cannot Be Displayed.

Command to reset Winsock: netsh winsock reset catalog in the Run Dialogue Box

If you want to Output the Results of the winsock reset command, then modify that command to
something like this: netsh winsock show catalog >c:\123.txt

WHAT IS MSCONFIG?

MSConfig is a Microsoft Windows Diagnostic and System Configuration utility which is used to
Troubleshoot the Windows XP Startup Process. It is not available in Windows 2000 (it has to be
downloaded seperately for Windows 2000) - Using this Utility, we can Enable or Disable startup files and
also Edit some of the Windows Configuration files. You need to have Administrator Rights to access this
Utility

What is Phishing?

Phishing (pronounced fish'ing) is the act of fraudently accquiring another person's personal information
such a bank account's username and password or his credit card or social security information, by falsely
claiming to be a legitimate entity. For example, you might suddenly see an email in your inbox which
appears to be from a reputed bank asking you to 'update your personal information" within, say 24
or 48 hours, failing which your account would get suspended. It would convey a sense of urgency which
would make many people go ahead and put in their details right away.

These emails might appear to be from someone you know or from one of your banks or it might tell you
that you that you have just won a lottery for an unbelievable amount ! These scams generally rely on
placing such a phishing link in an email which seems to be from a legitimate entity.

How to recognize phishing scams?

Firstly, remember that your bank or for that matter, any legitimate bank will never ask you to "update"
your personal information by sending you a link. If you see any such email which seems to be from one of
your banks, you better call your bank immediately and check with them before you put in any of your
details on any such link.

If you get any urgent sounding emails like:

• Dear Valued Cusomer.....Phishing emails usually do not contain your

name because they are sent out in bulk
• Please update your Account information: You might receive emails
like these which appear to come from your bank.
• If you do not update your information in 48 hours, your
account will be deleted....again, this could appear to come from your bank.

If you see any such kind of email do NOT put in your personal information. You can detect a masked link
if you just hover your mouse pointer over that link and the actual URL will be visible to you.

How to prevent a Phishing attack?

1. Update your computer software.

2. Use Internet Explorer 7 or later because they come with a 'Phishing filter'
3. Do NOT click on any links on messages which appear to be phishing emails.
4. Never enter your personal or banking information on popup windows.
5. Check the site's security certificate before you enter personal or financial information in a website

In case you feel you might have entered your information on any such links, call up your bank or credit
card company and let them know right away.

HOW TO ACCESS RESTRICTED WEBSITES:

What is legitimate for some may be illegitimate for some others. I only look at the can-do or cannot-do
part of it - strictly technical.

You can access restricted websites using the following methods:

1. Chat: Sometimes, you may not be able to download and install chat clients like Yahoo Messenger,
Gtalk, MSN Messenger etc. In that case, you can try this - go to http://www.meebo.com or
https://www.meebo.com and chat with as many ids as you please.

2. In case you are not able to go to any particular website because it is blocked by some other application
(for example, the blocking software at your workplace..) type in the IP address of the website you
wish to visit into the address bar of your browser and you should be able to access it. But sometimes, this
also might not be possible. But, before I tell you how to go on to the next step, let me tell you how to find
the IP address of a website: Click on the Start Button - Go to Run - In the Run Dialogue Box, type in CMD
and click on OK - in the Command Window/Dos Window, type in "Ping www.abc.com" (replace
www.abc.com with the URL of the website you wish to get the IP address for.)

3. Here's the third option: Type in the URL of the website you wish to visit in Google Search - and when it
shows up in the results, click on "Cached or Text Only"

4. Another option would be to go to websites like www.tinyurl.com or www.snipurl.com (which offer URL
redirection services) and type in the URL of the website you with to visit and create a brand-new
shortened URL for the website that you wish to go to.
5. You can also Browse Anonymously using Proxy Websites. I am not going to recommend any
such specific website in particular but you can find many of these websites. Open a google search page and
search for "Anonymous Browsing" and select any of the sites from the search results.

6. Another method to gain access to restricted websites would be to Convert the IP address of the
Website you wish to visit into a Decimal Number. In order to do this, just open a Google Search
page and type in "Convert IP to Decimal" - you will be presented with many options. Choose from one
of these and convet the IP address of the website you wish to visit into a decimal number and type it into
the address bar in your browser - like: http://<decimal number>

7. You can also access blocked / restricted websites by using Google's Translate Tools or Yahoo's
Babelfish as a Proxy Server. Only remember this, when you are translating the webpage, translate it
from English to English.

8. Sometimes, if you cannot access a website using the http:// link (for example, http://www.xyz.com)
try using the https:// link. (for example (https://www.xyz.com)

Is my PC running the 32-bit or 64-bit version of Windows?

The terms 32-bit and 64-bit refer to the way a computer's processor (also called a CPU), handles
information. The 64-bit version of Windows handles large amounts of random access memory (RAM)
more effectively than the 32-bit version. Follow the steps in the sections below to find out if your PC is
running the 32-bit or 64-bit version of Windows and what edition of Windows is on your PC.

Computers running Windows XP

• Click Start, right-click My Computer, and then click Properties.

• If "x64 Edition" is listed under System, you’re running the 64-bit version of
Windows XP.

• If you don’t see "x64 Edition" listed under System, you’re running the 32-bit version of
Windows XP.

The edition of Windows XP you're running is displayed under System near the top of the window.

Computers running Windows Vista or Windows 7

• Click the Start button , right-click Computer, and then click Properties.

• If "64-bit Operating System" is listed next to System type, you’re running the 64-bit
version of Windows Vista or Windows 7.

• If "32-bit Operating System" is listed next to System type, you’re running the 32-bit
version of Windows Vista or Windows 7.

The edition of Windows Vista or Windows 7 you're running is displayed under Windows edition
near the top of the window.

Is my computer running the 32 bit or 64 bit Windows OS?

For Windows XP:

Right-click on My Computer and select Properties (or type sysdm.cpl in the Run dialogue box)
and hit <<enter>>.

In the General Tab, the Operating System will be displayed as Windows XP Professional Version
followed by the year for the 32 bit version.

If it is a 64 bit version, the OS (Operating System) will be displayed as "Windows XP Professional

x64 Edition Version <Year>.

COMMON COMPUTER TERMS:

CPU: This is an acronym that stands for Central Processing Unit. This microprocessor chip is that
part of the computer that does most of the data processing. It's the Engine of your computer and
measures about 2" x 2". No, it's not the big box sitting next to your monitor - it's what's INSIDE it! The
CPU is the important part of a computer.

Monitor: It's a device that displays information from the computer to you. A few years ago, these
monitors looked like small television sets sitting on top of your desk - they were called CRT monitors.
(CRT stands for Cathode Ray Tube). Nowadays, you have the sleeker looking LCD monitors. (LCD stands
for Liquid Crystal Display.)

CD ROM Drive: Simply put, it's the device that lets you use a CD or CD-ROM in your computer. These
devices can only Read information from the CD, like, play a movie that is in a CD. But it cannot write
anything to it from your computer. A typical CD generally has a capacity of about 640MB to 700MB and
costs about Rs.10/- each.

CD Burner: This is just an extension of the CD ROM. This device lets you copy stuff from your computer
and write it to a CD. Writing something to a CD is also called Burning (No, it doesn't actually burn!)
Usually, you can burn data to a CD only once. But if you buy a Rewritable CD, you can use it multiple
times - just like a floppy disk!

DVD ROM Drive: This is the device that lets you use a DVD ROM in your computer. A DVD ROM
usually has a capacity of slightly over 4GB. It's slightly more expensive than a CD and costs about Rs.15/-
to Rs.18/- each.
DVD Burner: This device lets you copy or burn data to your DVD.

Video Card: It's that piece of hardware in your computer that connects your monitor to your computers
motherboard. This device is the interface which facilitates data to be shown on your monitor from your
computer. Modern mother boards of today have it built into them but it had to be purchased as a separate
component before.( VGA stands for Video Graphics Array)

AGP Card: We can say, this is an advance version of the Video or display card. It's a newer and faster
graphics (display) output standard. It also gives you a higher display resolution. You will normally find a
separate AGP slot in your motherboard and to use it you will need an AGP card. In some newer
motherboards, it comes built into them.

NIC: This stands for Network Interface Cards, also known as Ethernet adapters or just Network Cards. It
provides an interface between your computer and your network. Most NICs work at 100Mbps while the
newer and more expensive Network Cards work at 1000Mbps, and are also known as Gigabit Ethernet
Cards or Gigabit NICs.
PCI: This acronym stands for Peripheral Component Interconnect. This was originally developed
by Intel and it refers to a cross platform local bus technology integrated into modern day motherboards.
You would normally find 2 or 3 PCI slots on any motherboard to which you can add PCI devices like PCI
display cards, PCI sound cards, PCI internal modems etc. There are two different versions of PCI - one is a
32 bit version which works at 33Mhz and the other, also called PCI V2.0 which works at 66Mhz.

PCI Express: This is the Open-standards based successor to the 32bit and 64bit PCI versions. Unlike the
PCI versions which use 32bit and 64bit parallel busses, PCI Express uses a high speed Serial Link
Technology like those found in the Gigabit Ethernet cards, SATA HDDs. The PCI Express technology
shows the replacement of the old Shared Parallel Bus Technology with the more modern, high-speed,
Serial Point-to-Point serial buses.

RAM: We've heard it many times - RAM stands for Random Access Memory or just, the plain memory in
our computers. To make it easier to understand the concept, I can say, whatever you see on your monitor
is what is in the RAM of your computer. Everything in your RAM goes away as soon as you switch off your
computer. Remember, the more RAM you have in your computer, the more efficient you help it to
perform! There are many types of RAM - like EDO, Non-EDO, SDRAM, DDR etc. The ones we are using
today would most probably be DDR2 RAMs. The newer version is called DDR3. RAM is also known as
Volatile Memory because whatever you store in it, is lost when the computer is shut down.

ROM: stands for Read Only Memory. Whatever you store in the ROM does not get lost when the
computer is shut down. That's why it's called Non-Volatile Memory. A good example of ROM is the BIOS
of your computer where information about the configuration of your computer is stored permanently.

RAID: This stands for "Redundant Array of Independent Disks". This is a technology which increases the
amount of Hard disk space by combining multiple Hard-disks in an array and also provides fault-
tolerance and increased efficiency in data-transfer. There are different types of RAID. This configuration
is generally used in business critical locations and applications.

Sound Card: These are those devices which are built-in into your computer's motherboard which
produce sound. You also have PCI Sound Cards which are fixed into one of the PCI slots in the
motherboard. You normally connect your External Speakers to the Output sockets of your computers
sound card.

SCSI: Stands for Small Computer System Interface. This is a standard which allows you to connect
different devices to your computer - like Hard-disks, CD-Rom drives, Floppy Drives etc. This is much
faster than the regular IDE devices and therefore, more expensive too.

USB: Who hasn't heard about this term! It stands for Universal Serial Bus. It allows you to connect any
device with a USB connector, to your computer without having to turn it off. This technology has made life
that much easier for the computer users, who, today, cannot imagine life without a USB Pen drive or USB
cameras! The current version of USB is called USB 2.0 which allows data transfers of up to 480Mbps.
(Oh! By the way, Mbps stands for "Mega Bits per second")

Firewire: This is another technology which allows you to transfer data between two devices. It's faster
than the USB standard and is known as the IEEE1394 standard. This is also 'Plug and Play" - which
means you can connect it to your computer without having to turn it off first and allows high speed
transfer of data. You can connect your digital camera, Hard disk drives etc to your computer using this
technology.

Bluetooth: It is a technology which allows digital devices to transfer data between them wirelessly. You
can transfer files, songs etc from your Mobile phone to your computer or vice versa or to any other
Bluetooth enabled device. To transfer data to your computer from a Bluetooth device, you need to have a
Bluetooth adapter. This is a very inexpensive gadget but comes in very handy at times.
SMPS: It stands for Switch Mode Power Supply - Look at the back of your computer's 'Tower" or
"box" - do you see where the power cord is connected to? That's the SMPS which supplies power to your
computer.
Motherboard: The motherboard is the main circuit board of the computer. It's also known as the Main
board. It contains slots for the CPU, Memory, PCI and AGP slots. The newer ones come with built in
sound, display and Ethernet (network) ports. Each and every component in your computer is connected to
the motherboard in one way or the other. Before you buy a motherboard, make sure that it is capable to
support the Processor (CPU) you wish to use.

Hard Disk Drive: This is the device where all the information you have in your computer is stored - the
Operating System (OS), applications, files, pictures, songs, movies etc. There was a time when computers
had no hard disk drives at all! Then the smallest capacity Hard disk drive (HDD) I remember was about
640MB in size, which was a huge amount of space at that time for computers running MS DOS 6.0! Then,
when the 1.2GB hard disks hit the market, people were simply amazed and did not know what to do with
that much space! Of course, now, I have a 1TB (Terabyte) HDD and I am already concerned that I might
run soon run out of space on my Hard disk. There are internal and external Hard disk drives.

Floppy Disk Drive: These are the dinosaurs of the computer world! Before the CD-ROM drives and
DVD-ROM drives came into existence, man relied hugely on these devices to transfer data from one
computer to another! In the times of MS DOS, Windows 3.1, WordStar Release 4, Lotus 1-2-3 and Dbase
III Plus, these devices called Floppy Disks actually thrived! There were two versions of them - the larger
5¼ Inch Floppy Disks which could store 1.2MB of data in it and the 'trendier" and more compact 3½ Inch
floppy disks which could store up to 1.44Mb of data in each of them!

Serial Port: It is a communication port which allows your computer to connect to various other devices -
for example the External Modem. It allows for sequential transmission of data , i.e. 1 bit at a time.

Parallel Port: This is also a communication port which allows your computer to connect to other
external devices like your printer, scanner etc. It transmits data at 8 bits at a time. These ports use the
D25 standard or the 25 pin connectors.

Modem: This term stands for "Modulator - De Modulator". This device allows your computer to connect
to the internet. You can get different types of Modems, such as, External modems, Internal Modems and
nowadays, you also get wireless modems, which connect to your computer through the USB ports.

Router: This is a device that connects two networks together. For more on Routers, read our Networking
section.

Desktop: Well, this is a term used to denote the first screen you get to see after your computer finishes its
booting process, and before you open any other application. Remember that picture on your computer
with the beautiful green hillside?

Virus: No. It does not cause Swine Flu! Instead, it is a small application or program that runs in your
computer without your knowledge. Viruses are made to cause maximum damage to your computer. They
normally attach themselves to executable files in your computer and corrupt them. Some viruses are
designed to carry out some specific task on a particular date. Viruses can be spread through emails in the
form of attachments. You must have a good anti-virus program to protect your computer.

Hardware: It's all those parts of your computer which you can touch and feel.

A few Run commands to Control Panel Applets:

Display Properties desk.cpl
Add/Remove Programs appwiz.cpl
 Add New Hardware Wizard hdwwiz.cpl
Accessibility Options access.cpl
Date and Time Properties timedate.cpl
FindFast findfast.cpl
Internet Properties inetcpl.cpl
Joystick Properties joy.cpl
Keyboard Properties main.cpl keyboard
Mouse Properties main.cpl
Password Properties password.cpl
Phone and Modem options telephon.cpl
Power Management powercfg.cpl
Regional settings intl.cpl
Scanners and Cameras sticpl.cpl
Sound Properties mmsys.cpl sounds
Sounds and Audio Device
mmsys.cpl
Properties
System Properties sysdm.cpl
TweakUI tweakui.cpl
User settings nusrmgr.cpl

How to get the latest Service Pack for my Windows?

Before you look for the latest Service Pack for your Windows installation, check which version of
Windows XP you are running on your computer. In order to do that, type the command winver in the
Run dialogue box (Start -> Run) and click OK or hit <<Enter>>. Windows XP Service Pack 3
(SP3) is the latest Service Pack for Windows XP, but before you install it in your computer, you
should have SP1a or SP2.

The easiest way to get hold of the latest Service Pack for your Windows installation is to turn on
Automatic Updates and let your computer take care of everything else. Of course; you need to be
connected to the internet for this to happen.

1. To turn on Automatic Updates, right-click on the 'My Computer" icon on your desktop and select
Properties (or just go to Start -> Run and type in sysdm.cpl and click OK or hit <<Enter>>). Click
on the Automatic Updates Tab and select the Automatic (Recommended) option. You can also
choose when you want the Automatic Updates to happen under Automatically download recommended
updates for my computer and install them and then click OK.

2. You can also visit the Microsoft Updates website at http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com and
select the Express (Recommended) option and select install.

3. You can also download Windows XP SP3 directly to your computer and install it, if you are sure that
the minimum requirements are met for this to happen. You can get Windows XP SP3 from this location.

HOW DO I CONNECT TO THE INTERNET?

There are many ways you can connect to the internet. I'll list some of the common ways:
1. Dialup connection: This is the good old way of connecting to the internet using your (wired)
telephone connection. You will have to sign up with a service provider (ISP = Internet Service
Provider) and install a dialer software provided by them in your computer. Then you will also need a
modem (either Internal or External), and connect it to your computer. In order to connect to the internet
using this connection, you will only have to run the dialer application, validate yourself by typing in your
user name and password and you will be connected. This type of connection is usually very slow - about
56kbps.(kilobits/second)

2. Broadband: Many people prefer to have a broadband internet connection these days because it offers
really high speeds of connection - and any connection which is at least 256kbks or faster is called a
Broadband connection. How a broadband connection works, is beyond the scope of this article. These
days, we have Internet Service Providers who offer Wireless Broadband Services - of course it would be
that much more expensive. You can get speeds up to 2 Mbps.

3. Wireless Internet Connection: Many of the Internet Service Providers also offer Wireless Internet
Connections. In order to get one of these connections, you will have to sign up for an account with the ISP
and buy a wireless modem, which contains a SIM card. You can connect this device into any of the USB
ports in your computer or laptop and connect to the internet by using the dialer application provided with
the device. You can get speeds up to 200kbps.

With the advent of Cell phones, many telephone operators who are ISPs themselves also provide you the
option of connecting to the internet using your Cell phone. In order to do this, your cell phone should be
able to support this option. But connection speeds are pretty slow or sometimes equal to a dialup
connection.

There are many ISPs in India. Here are some of the important ones:

1. BSNL
2. Airtel
3. Tata Indicom
4. You Telecom
5. Hathway Cable

CAN I LEAVE MY COMPUTER SWITCHED ON FOR A LONG TIME:

Technically, yes. You can. But again, it's up to you. And I read somewhere that your computer will
consume the same amount of power as a 40Watt bulb. But you have to keep in mind that leaving your
computer on all the time will mean a fatter electricity bill. But a good way to handle this would be to put
the computer to "Standby mode" if you are not going to be using for a period of 30 - 60 minutes. If you are
going to be away for a longer period of time, then it makes more sense to turn off your computer.

Having said that, I would suggest you spend some time going through the "Power Management Options"
in your computer.

You can access this option from Start Button -> Control Panel -> Power Options. If you double
click on Power options, you will get a screen that looks like this:
If you click on the pull down menu under "Power Schemes", you can select a power scheme suitable for
your computer. You can also specify if you are using a laptop or desktop pc. If you want your computer to
always stay powered on, you can select that option also here.

In the lower half of the dial box you can make more specific choices for power saving. Staying on the same
dialogue box, you can enable Hibernation from the "Hibernate" tab.

So what is the difference between the "Standby" and Hibernate options?

In the standby mode, (which is also known as "Sleep" mode), the computer shuts off power to all the non-
essential and non-critical components. The contents of the RAM (Memory) are left there. Then the
computer keeps itself running on minimum power.

However, in Hibernate mode, the contents of the RAM (Memory) are copied to the Harddisk drive and
saved in a file called Hiberfil.sys. The size of the hiberfil.sys file will be just about the size of the physical
memory in your computer. Having done that, your computer goes into Hibernate mode - this mode is
more efficient when it comes to saving power. And unlike the case of Standby mode, no data is lost even if
there is a power-failure.

Windows Vista has an option which will automatically move a laptop to Hibernate Mode when it goes
low on battery. If you are one of those people who is more comfortable with the Hibernate option,
remember to defrag your computer more often.

What are Batch Files?

A Batch file is a list of commands "batched" together in one file. They are not programs. When a Batch
file is run, a shell program such as command.com or cmd.exe reads the file and executes its instructions.
They have the extension .bat, .sys, .cfg, .inf - these are just different kinds of batch files. One of the most
important batch files in Dos and Windows is Autoexec.bat

You will see a number of these files in the c:\WINDOWS or C:\WINNT folder. Batch files do not have
to be compiled and do not contain any compiled codes, so these files can be opened and edited. Batch files
form a major portion of the Windows Operating system. Batch files are used by System Admins to
automate many important day-to-day tasks.
How to create a Batch file?

Open Notepad and type in this text (or just copy and paste it in there)

@ECHO OFF
REM: I am creating a batch file
ECHO I have a good computer!
ECHO
PAUSE
ECHO Today's date is: &Date
PAUSE
CLS
EXIT

If you do not wish to use Notepad, you can create a Batch file directly from your computers console by
typing in the following commands:

COPY CON ABC.BAT

@ ECHO OFF
ECHO Welcome to my world !
ECHO
PAUSE
CLS
^Z

If you are using this method, the most important thing is to start writing your batch file with the "Copy
Con" command (which basically means "copy from Console". The last line should contain ^Z (Control+Z),
which saves your batch file.

Also, remember, when you are creating a batchfile using a text editor, you can only use Notepad. Do not
use Word or Wordpad. Then, if you want to run your batch file, just double click on it.

Here's another batch file that will clear all the cookies from your computer:

@ ECHO OFF
REM This is a batch file to clear all the cookies from your computer
ECHO
DELTREE /y c:\windows\cookies\*.*
DELTREE /y c:\windows\tempor~1\*.*
CLS
ECHO All cookies have been removed from your computer!
PAUSE
CLS
EXIT

Any valid DOS command can be used in a batch file.

Types of Batch files:

INI, *.ini : These are Initalization file. These set the default variables for the system and programs.

CFG, *.cfg : These are configuration files.

 SYS, *.sys : These are system files and can sometimes be edited. They mostly contain compiled machine
code in new versions.

COM, *.com : They are Command files. These are the executable files for all the DOS commands. In early
versions there was a separate file for each command. Now, most are inside COMMAND.COM.

NT, *.nt : These are Batch files used by the NT operating systems.

CDM, *.cmd : Batch files used in NT operating systems.

What is DOS?

The aim of this article is to give a quick perspective on the evolution of the Operating Systems - and the
importance of DOS. DOS - stands for Disk Operating System. The first version of DOS was called PC
DOS which was developed by Bill Gates for IBM Computers through his new Microsoft Corporation. The
subsequent version was called MS DOS (which stands for Microsoft Disk Operating System) which
was later on marketed by Microsoft.

PC DOS and MS DOS are almost identical and both of them were commonly referred to as DOS. DOS is a
non-graphical, command line oriented program. It had a simple interface but that was not really user
friendly. All commands had to be entered at the C:> (called the C prompt). For most part, a user had to
remember the different commands. DOS actually dominated the market between the early '80s to the mid
'90s.

The first Microsoft Windows Operating system (Windows 3.1) actually ran on DOS - which means, if you
wanted to run that version of Windows, your computer should have DOS already installed. Many of the
subsequent versions of Windows also actually sat on DOS for example, Windows 95, Windows 98, and
Windows ME etc.

But the later versions of Windows which are Windows NT based operating systems like Windows 2000,
Windows XP, Windows Vista etc do not make use of MS DOS as a core component of their system. These
Operating systems are capable of using the FAT file systems which were used by MS DOS and earlier
versions of Windows but by default, they use the NTFS file system.

Given below are some common DOS commands:

Help Displays list of available commands

xcopy /? Displays help related to the xcopy command and the correct syntaxes.
prompt $p$g Make the DOS prompt display the current directory.
time Displays/Change current system time.
date Displays/Change current date
cls Clears the screen
chkdsk Check disk and memory usage of the current disk.
chkdsk /f Fix errors reported by chkdsk.
chkdsk file.ext Check a particular file. eg. file.ext
chkdsk a: Check a particular drive (in this case, a floppy in the a: drive).
mem Check memory usage.
ver Check the version of DOS.
md Make a directory (folder)
cd Change a directory
rd Remove directory
del Delete
backup c:\ a: /s Back up the entire c: drive to drive a: .
restore a: c:\ /s Restore backed-up files and subdirectories from drive a: to c:\
xcopy Copy all files and sub-directories (you must mention the correct path)
diskcopy a: b: Duplicate a disk using two floppy drives
diskcopy a: a: Duplicate a disk using the same floppy drive.
format a: /s Format disk in a drive and make it bootable

How to Backup and Restore data?

Backing up your data is the single most important thing you can do as a computer user. Often, we
don't realize the importance of backing up regularly - until the computer has crashed and you suddenly
find yourself without access to vital files in your computer. No matter who you are - a home computer user
or a professional, BACKUP!

Windows has a Backup tool just for the purpose - you can access it from

Start - All Programs - Accessories - System Tools - Backup

When you click on the Backup utility, you will get a screen that looks like this:

Note that you have the option to start up either of the two wizards - if you wish to backup your data, let's
choose the simplest option - the Backup wizard - Once you start the wizard and click on Next - you will get
a screen that looks like the image given below:
Choose from the list of options here - and remember, you can but you always don't have to select the
option which says "All information on this computer" - instead consider carefully what are the files
important to you - ideally backing up the My Documents and settings should be a good option for general
users. If other people in the family also use the computer you can select Everyone's Documents and
Settings. You also have the option of manually choosing what to backup. Select the options depending on
the importance of the data and the amount of backup space you have available.

The Next step in the wizard is to give a name to your backup file and choose where to backup your data:

All backup files will have the extension .bkf by default - but you can use any other extension, if you wish.

Under Choose a place to save your backup - it would not be a good idea to save it in a floppy drive -
because it just would not have enough space to accommodate it. The best place would be a different
partition on your computer's Hard disk drive or an external Hard disk drive. Once you have selected the
location to save the backup to, give a name to your backup file - an ideal name would be one that would
indicate that date the backup was taken. Having done that, click on the Next button and let your computer
take care of the rest.

Restoring data from a backup taken this way is just as simple as starting up the Backup utility and
selecting Restore Files and Settings and just follow the on-screen instructions. You will have to first
browse to the location of the backup file you have created, select it and then click on the Start Restore
button. It would be best if you would just let it restore to the original location.

Apart from backing up your data, it would not be a bad idea to backup your system files as well. But of
course, you can work around this if you have your Windows XP installation disk.

How do I change the Display Resolution on my computer?

Sometimes you might find that everything looks really 'big' on your computer's desktop - big icons, big
letters etc and at other times, you might have probably found it really too small to read comfortably. You
can adjust the size of what you see on your screen by adjusting the "Display Resolution" of your
computer.

In order to do that, follow the steps given below:

1. Right-click on any blank area of your computer's desktop and select properties.
2. Click on the "settings" tab
3. Make sure "Color Quality" is set to "High" and then, under "Screen Resolution" set it to 800x600
or 1024x768,according to your preference.

Remember, a higher display resolution will mean smaller items on the screen and a lesser resolution will
mean bigger! You should at least have a screen resolution of 800 x 600 - but most applications these days
recommend a screen resolution of 1024 x 768.
WHAT IS WINDOWS ACTIVATION?

WHY SHOULD YOU ACTIVATE YOUR COPY OF WINDOWS?

Activation is the process of making sure that you have a Legally Valid License, from Microsoft
Corporation, for the copy of the Windows Operating system you are using, for example, Windows XP,
Windows Vista, Windows 7 etc.

Generally, when you buy a new computer or when you buy a copy of Windows XP or Vista or Windows 7,
you will have 30 days to 'Activate" it. If you do not activate it within 30 days, you will not be able to use all
the features of the software - until you activate it.

You should activate it so that you will be able to use all the features of Windows as well as receive all the
updates from Microsoft for the product from time to time. This will keep your computer safe from
Viruses, Spyware and other problems.

How to turn on or turn off Windows XP firewall?

A Firewall is just a protective boundary that monitors and restricts information that travels between
your computer and a network or the internet. Windows firewall was previously known as ICF (Internet
Connection Firewall). This acts as a line of defense against someone who could try to access your
computer without your permission. Windows firewall comes activated in Windows XP with SP2
(Service Pack 2) by default.
It's up to you to decide which firewall you wish to run on your computer. But it is suggested that if you
decide to use a third-party firewall, then you should turn off Windows firewall.

To turn on Windows Firewall:

• Click on the Start Button and then click on Control Panel

• In the Control Panel, click on Windows Security Center
• Now click on Windows Firewall
• In the next screen, make sure that the ON radio button (which is the recommended option) is
selected. This option is located in the General Tab of the Windows Firewall window.
• You can also check the box which says "Don't allow exceptions", if you are connected to a
public network or a less secure network.

If you wish to turn your Windows firewall OFF (which is NOT recommended) you only have to unselect
the On radio button in the General Tab of the Windows firewall window.

Let's take a quick look at how exactly a Windows Firewall works: When somebody tries to connect to your
computer from a network or the internet without your permission, that attempt is known as an
"unsolicited request".

So, when your computer receives an unsolicited request, the firewall blocks it. But if you are running a
program or a network game which requires information to be received from the network or the internet,
Windows firewall asks you if you wish to block or allow that connection.
Refer to the image below:
If you choose to allow or unblock that incoming connection, Windows firewall creates an exception so
that you will not be asked about it again when that program needs to receive information from outside in
the future.

Remember the following:

1. Windows firewall blocks computer viruses and worms from entering your computer - but it cannot act
against viruses or worms which are already inside your computer. It is for this reason that you should
have a good anti-virus and anti-spyware program.

2. Windows firewall asks you for permission to block or allow incoming requests but it cannot stop you
from opening emails with malicious attachments. That's why you should not open emails or attachments
from unknown sources.

3. Windows firewall can create a record or a security log of any such attempts to connect to your computer
(unsolicited attempts) but it cannot block unwanted emails (spam) from entering your inbox

WINDOWS XP SYSTEM RESTORE

System Restore is a tool that takes your computer back to a previously working state. This option is
available in Windows ME, Windows XP and Windows Vista. Windows takes snapshots of critical system
files, program files and registry settings and stores them as "Restore Points". If ever you should have
any problem with your computer, you can "restore" your computer to one of these Restore Points, when
your computer was working fine.

Please remember - System restore does NOT have any effect on your personal files such as emails,
documents or photographs.

HOW TO USE SYSTEM RESTORE TO RESTORE WINDOWS XP TO A PREVIOUSLY

WORKING STATE

In order to perform a System Restore, you must have administrative rights in your computer. If this is
your own personal computer, then chances are that you will be having administrative rights in it, however
if you are on a network computer, say for example in a computer at your workplace, then you will have to
request your Network Administrator to help you.

In order to restore Windows to a previously working "Restore Point" follow the steps given below:

1. Log on to Windows with administrative rights.

2. Click Start, go to All Programs, go to Accessories, go to System Tools, and then click System
Restore. System Restore starts.
3. On the Welcome to System Restore page, click Restore my computer to an earlier time (if it
is not already selected), and then click Next.
4. On the Select a Restore Point page, click the most recent system restore point and then click Next.

Note: A System Restore message may appear that lists configuration changes that System Restore will
make. Click OK.

5. On the Confirm Restore Point Selection page, click Next. System Restore restores the previous
Windows XP configuration, and then restarts the computer.
6. Log on back to your computer. The System Restore Restoration Complete page is displayed.
7. Click OK.
If you have successfully restored your computer to a previous state, and the computer is performing as it
should be, you can stop here.

But if the restore process completed successfully and the computer is still not performing as you want, you
can either restore your computer to a different restore point or just undo the current System
Restore. In order to undo a System Restore, please continue reading.

HOW TO RUN SYSTEM RESTORE FROM THE COMMAND PROMPT?

Many times, you may not be able to run System Restore because your computer will not start up normally.
But you can still run System Restore from the command prompt.

• Click on Start -> Run -> and type in %systemroot%\system32\restore\rstrui.exe and

click OK

OR

1. Start up the computer in Safe Mode or Safe Mode with Command Prompt
2. At the Command Prompt type %systemroot%\system32\restore\rstrui.exe
3. You can replace %systemroot% with C:\Windows, if you like
4. You might have to select the Operating System in your computer
5. You might also have to enter your username and password
6. You should have Administrator Rights in your computer to do this.

HOW TO UNDO A SYSTEM RESTORE:

You may have unintentionally restored Windows XP to a previous configuration that you do not want. To
undo the restoration, follow these steps:

1. Log on to Windows with administrative rights.

2. Click Start, go to All Programs, go to Accessories, go to System Tools, and then click System
Restore. System Restore starts.
3. On the Welcome to System Restore page, click Undo my last restoration, and then click Next.
Note A System Restore message may appear that lists configuration changes that System Restore will
make. Click OK.
4. On the Confirm Restoration Undo page, click Next. System Restore restores the original Windows XP
configuration, and then restarts the computer.
5. Logon to the computer as Administrator. The System Restore Undo Complete page appears.
6. Click OK.

You can now run System Restore again from a Different Restore Point.

How to start my computer in Safe Mode?

Pretty simple, really ! When your computer does not start up normally, the next thing you can do is to
check if it starts up in Safe Mode. This is a special mode in which your computer starts up with just a
minimum set of drivers. Once your computer boots up in Safe Mode you can go to the Device Manager
to check if anything in there is causing a problem or just go to the System Tools and do a System
Restore. (System Restore is discussed in a separate topic.)

So then, this is what we should to start up a computer in Safe Mode:

 1. As soon as you push the Power button in your computer to start it up, keep tapping on the F8
key on your keyboard.
2. This will take you to the Windows Advance Menu Options
3. Use the arrow keys on your keyboard and select Safe Mode or Safe Mode with
networking (according to what you want) and then hit the <Enter> key. Wait for the computer
to boot up in Safe Mode. (Don't be alarmed if you see a lot of "junk" scrolling across your screen.
Just wait for the Safe Mode Desktop to appear !)
4. Once, in Safe Mode, do what you have to and when you are done, just restart the computer from
the Start Button and let it start up normally.

HOW TO PROTECT YOUR COMPUTER?

When a computer is connected to the internet, it is exposed to a large number of online threats - they can
be in any form, for example: Spyware, Malware, Trojans, Dialers, and Viruses etc. The only way to protect
your computer from these online threats is to - well, firstly make sure your Operating system (Windows
XP/Vista etc) are properly updated.

Then get yourself a valid anti-virus and anti-spyware program. You will have to pay for some of them but
many of them are also available for free. So go for the free ones if you do not wish to pay but you need to
make sure that you have a proper anti-virus and anti-spyware/malware program in your computer and
just as you need to keep your Windows installation in your computer properly updated, you would have to
keep updating these applications.

To give you an idea what we are talking about, let me define each of these terms very briefly:

Spyware: It is a piece of software that obtains information about you from your computer without your
permission. These programs are capable of collecting many types of information like your browsing
habits, personal information about yourself and whatever else it is programmed to and it sends this
information to different people.

Malware: Anything other than Viruses can be called Malware - these are Malicious software which are
designed to operate in your computer without your knowledge/permission.

Trojans (Trojan Horses):- These are software programs that appear to do something legitimate but in
fact carry out a different and most often Malicious function.

Dialers: These are programs that dial out to premium numbers, using your dialup or ISDN connection,
without your permission (or knowledge).

Viruses: We've heard this many times before - a computer virus is a program that is designed to replicate
itself (make copies of itself) in your computer without your knowledge. After it replicates itself it carries
out harmful activities in your computer which could result in damage to applications in your computer or
even the Operating system itself. It also 'infects' other computers if you share removable media like floppy
disks, Pen drives etc.

Also remember to Turn On the Firewall in your Computer.

So, let's get back to the original question - How do you protect yourself from all these Viruses/Spyware
and Malware?

To answer that question, let me give you some links from where you can get some free applications that
would help protect your computer:
1. How to protect your computer (from Microsoft)

2. Free AVG anti virus / antispyware

3. Free Avast! anti-virus

4. Free antispyware - Spybot (Search and Destroy)

5. Malwarebytes

6. Superantispyware

I would say a combination of AVG antivirus / Free Avast! Antivirus and Spybot (S& D) would work just
fine. (it still works for me!). That apart there are hundreds or probably thousands of such applications
available on the internet. Explore them. Better still, if you have the inclination to pay - go for some of the
paid applications from companies like McAfee, Norton etc. And whichever program you choose to
use, remember to update them regularly and as often as possible.

WHAT TO DO IF YOU HAVE A VIRUS IN YOUR COMPUTER?

When you think your computer is infected by a virus, follow the steps given below to clean your computer:

• If your computer is on a network (LAN), take it off it.

• Turn off System Restore
• Update the virus definitions of your anti-virus application.
• Run a full system scan of your computer and delete all the infected files.
• If you are unable to delete any of these files, you can just quarantine them.
• Once your computer is completely clean, you can restart system restore.

Maintenance Tips for your Computer:

It's like the good old saying "A stitch in time, saves nine!" Small things you do at regular intervals, go a
long way in keeping your computer running smoothly, so that your computer does not crash when you
need it most. I would suggest you do the following, at least once every week (weekends are ideal for this
kind of activity) :

• Update your Windows Operating System regularly - that is, if you do not have Windows
Auto Update enabled. For more on updating your Windows, click here
• Update your anti-virus and anti-spyware programs.
• Run the Disk Cleanup utility which you can find in your computer. Go to Start Button => All
Programs => Accessories => System Tools => Disk Cleanup. It would look something as
shown in the images below. Cleaning up your hard-disk drive will also free up more space for you.
• After you have run the disk-cleanup utility, check if your hard-disk drive needs to be
defragmented. We have already discussed more of this here
Basic Troubleshooting Steps for your Windows XP Computer:

Computers can be very intimidating - especially when they start to throw a tantrum! Follow the easy-to-
understand, Basic Computer Troubleshooting steps mentioned here and fix your computer all by yourself.

The Windows XP operating system comes to you with a set of built-in tools which are designed especially
for troubleshooting. Now, lets list out the things we need to do when you notice something is 'just not
right ' in your computer.
Try out the steps given below,one by one, till the issue is resolved:

Click on this line for a quick summary

1. If you notice your computer has "frozen up" or just "stopped responding" - first give it some time
to recover itself - and that could be say something like 3 - 5 minutes.
2. If after, say 5 minutes your computer still does not respond, check the Task Manager and see
which program shows up as "Not Responding" in it's status. To get to the TaskManager, right-
click anywhere in the taskbar, which is the blue bar that stretches itself to the other end of your
monitor from the Start-Button. You can also get to the Task Manager by hitting the following key
combination on your keyboard : <Control>+<Alt>+<Del> and then selecting Task Manager.
The Task Manager, would look like this:

Now look at the image above, and note there are two programs that have a status of "Not Responding" -
this is probably what has caused your computer to stop responding. Click on each of them and then click
on the End Task button seen at the lower portion of that dialog box. Then, in the next window, click OK
to confirm your decision to terminate the application.Remember, doing this will result in loss of any
unsaved data.

But once you have terminated the erring application, you can restart the application again and carry on
with your work.

3. In case you were not able to terminate the frozen application, go ahead and restart your computer
by clicking on the Start Button (if that responds,but chances are that it will not) or by using the power
button in your computer. (You will still lose any unsaved information, sorry about that!)

4. Many times, your issues will get resolved after a simple restart of your computer. But what if the
problem still persists? You still have a wide range of options. First - get to a screen called "Windows
Advanced Boot Menu Options" - the easiest way to get there is to restart your computer, count 02
seconds and start tapping on the <F8> key on your keyboard. The Windows Advanced Menu Options
screen would look something like this:
As you see in the image above, there are a wide range of options. What we are primarily interested in is
the option called "Last Known Good Configuration". Use the arrow keys and navigate to that option
and hit the <Enter> key on your keyboard.

Having done that, let's wait for your computer to restart itself to the most recent configuration when it
was working fine! Generally that should have resolved your problem.

But what if even that has not resolved your problem? Are you having a digital nightmare? Perhaps not.
Not just yet! There is one more option and that is called "System Restore"

5. In order to get to the System Restore option - Click on the Start Button -> All Programs ->
Accessories -> System Tools ->System Restore. You will then see the "Welcome to System
Restore" screen with the default option already selected "Restore my computer to an earlier time".
Click on the Next button to continue - you will get a screen that looks like the image given below:

Note the image below - you see a calendar with some dates which are highlighted. These are called
restore points which were automatically created by Windows. You can select any of these restore points
and click on the Next button to continue with the system restore wizard. Once you come out of the
wizard, your computer should restart and come back to the good working condition it was on the date that
you have selected. If one restore point did not work, you can always select a different one. (It is also a good
idea to create a restore point when your computer was working fine, though Windows XP creates them
automatically.)
Sometimes, you may not be able to run System Restore because the computer cannot start up in the
normal way. But you can still start up your computer up in Safe Mode / Safe Mode with Command
Prompt and run System Restore from the Command Prompt by typing:

%systemroot%\system32\restore\rstrui.exe (at the Command Prompt.)

(%systemroot% is the same as C:\Windows - it is the folder where the Windows files are installed.)

While you are doing this, you may be prompted to select the Operating system in your computer
(select Windows XP here) )and also to enter your username and password. You should have
Administrator rights in your computer to do this.

FREE COMPUTER REPAIR, Continued...

If you get to the point when you have tried multiple system restores and it still does not fix your problem,
you can still go and repair the windows installation in your computer. In order to do that please follow
the steps given below:
i. Boot from the Windows XP installation CD
ii. Choose press enter to set up Windows XP now
iii. Press F8 to skip through the End User License Agreement (EULA)
iv. Now press R to begin a repair installation

Please note: There are Two things you can do here: First. When you first get the option which says
"Press R to Repair a Windows XP installation..." it will take you to the Recovery Console where you have
many options to Repair Windows in your Computer. Do NOT select this option, unless you want to land
up at the Recovery Console and try to repair Windows from there. For more on Recovery Console and
how you can install it in your Computer: Please click here.

Instead, try the Second Option which is available to Repair Windows: You will get this option after
you Accept the License Agreement (By pressing the F8 key) - then, wait for Windows to locate the
Current Windows Installations in your Computer - Once Windows has identified the existing installations,
you will be able to select that installation and Repair it by pressing R! (Isn't this simple?)

Though, it will go through the full Windows XP reinstallation process, it will not result in loss of data as
this procedure will only repair the Windows Operating Systems System Files in your computer.

WINDOWS RECOVERY CONSOLE:

The Recovery Console is an Advanced Diagnostic Mode used to Troubleshoot major Windows
issues. The Recovery console is Command Line based.

The Recovery console can be accessed from the Windows XP Installation Disk. Boot your computer
using the Windows Disk and when you see the Welcome to setup Screen you will also find the option
"Press R to Repair windows using the Recovery Console..."

It can also be accessed from the Boot Menu if it has been installed in your computer. You can install
the Recovery console in your computer by using the following command: d:\i386\winnt32.exe
/cmdcons (where d: is the drive letter for your cd-rom/dvd-rom drive)

The Recovery Console is not available in Windows Vista & Windows 7 (It is available in Windows XP and
Windows Server 2003)

Some important Recovery Console Commands:

1.Attrib:Used to change the atribute of a file or folder. eg. attrib <filename> +h +r or -h -r etc

2.Bootcfg:used to modify the boot.ini file.

3.Chkdsk: used to check the hard-disk drive for errors.

4.Chdir: Same as CD

5.Cls: Clears the Screen

6.Copy: Copies files from one location to another.(Removable media not allowed)

7.Del:Deletes a file

8.Dir: Lists the contents of a Directory (FOlder)

9.Diskpart: is used to add or delete partitions in the Hard-disk drive using the /add or /delete option.

10.Enable:is used to enable a windows service or a Device Driver

11.Disable:is used to disable a Windows Service or Device Driver

12.Expand: used to expand a compressed file.

13.Fixboot: is used to write a new startup sector

14.Fixmbr: is used to repair the Master Boot Record

15.Format: is used to format a hard-disk or drive

16.Help: activates the help for the different commands.

17.ListSvc: displays the services and drivers in the computer

18.Logon: is used to logon to the windows installation in the hard-disk.

19.Type: displays the contents of a file.

20.Ren: Used to rename a file.

WINDOWS XP BOOT PROCESS:

Files Needed: NTLDR, NTDETECT.COM, BOOT.INI, NTOSKRNL.EXE, BOOTSECT.DOS,

NTB00TDD.SYS, HAL.DLL, WINLOGON.EXE, LSASS.EXE

BOOT.INI: Provides information about the location of the Operating System. If more than one Operatig
system is installed in the computer, it is displayed during the boot process.

NTLDR: Is the Windows Boot- Strap Loader (Which means it is a special application that is responsible
to start up other files or programs which are needed to boot up Windows.)

NTDETECT.COM: transfers information about the computers Hardware to NTLDR.

BOOTSECT.DOS is required during Dual Boot situations only.

NTBOOTDD.SYS is required when SCSI or ATA devices like Hard-disk Drives need to be accessed.

HAL.DLL is the Hardware Abstraction Layer DLL file. The Windows XP disk contains many DLL
files. Windows copies all the Dll files required for your computer and names them as HAL.DLL

The first step in the Windows XP Boot Process is the POST (Power On Self Test) - All the important
Hardware Components are checked during this process. (Do you remember seeing the Memory getting
checked at startup?) At this stage, if any of your add-on cards have a seperate BIOS (example: your Video
Card), that will also be checked.

Once the POST is done, your computer will look for the Bootable device as specified in the BIOS and
will load the MBR into Memory.
The BIOS then looks for and transfers control to a code in the MBR (Master Boot Record) - Windows
XP takes over from here. This code starts up NTLDR

NTLDR then activates NTDETECT.COM which then reads the BOOT.INI file. Boot.ini contains
information about the location of the Operating System.

The next file to be loaded is HAL.DLL, which passes control to the Windows XP Kernel by starting
NTOSKRNL.EXE

NTOSKRNL.EXE is responsible to identify, load and activate all the device drivers in the computer. All
device drives and Windows services will be available after this point. NTOSKRNL then activates
WINLOGON.EXE. This file (Winlogon.Exe) starts LSASS.EXE which shows up the Windows Logon
Screen.

When you enter your Username and Password, your settings get loaded.

WINDOWS XP BLUE SCREEN ERROR:

Click on this line for a quick summary.

A Blue Screen of Death (BSOD) is something that is dreaded by all computer uses. It means that your
computer has encountered a serious error and has to stop. It also goes by other names like BSOD error,
Windows XP Blue Screen Error etc.

Firstly let us see what it looks like - A BSOD looks like the picture below. And it contains a number of
lines of text and numbers.

FIX BLUE SCREEN ERROR, continued...

But what we are going to be concerned about most are just two things - we are going to look for a file
name in the BSOD - for example SPCMDCON.SYS as in the above picture, and a number which starts
with 0x000000050 - the 0(zero) followed by X , more zeros and a number.

With this information in hand, it is possible to search the internet for specific troubleshooting steps for
each Windows XP Blue Screen error message.
Let us take a look at a set of GENERAL things we can do to FIX BLUE SCREEN ERROR:

Remember, a blue screen error is most often caused by faulty hardware or a faulty piece of
software, like a device driver.

1. Often, a BSOD Crash Error goes away with a simple system restart. But we cannot expect to be
lucky all the time and it probably just will not go away no matter how many times you restart your
computer.

2. The next thing to do is to go to the Windows Advanced Menu Options - (by hitting the <F8> key
during startup) - use the arrow keys on the keyboard and navigate to the option which says "Last
Known Good Configuration " (LKGC) and then hit the <Enter> key on the keyboard. Your
computer will restart and go to the most recent restore point created by it. But remember, if you have
installed any applications after that, it will be gone, as will be all unsaved data.

3. If that does not work, restart the computer in Safe Mode, following the same steps as mentioned in
the previous point, and try to do a system restore to an earlier restore point.

4. Hopefully, that should have worked. If it didn't, then think of any new software or hardware
you have installed in your computer. If there is any, remove it. (If it is a software, you can remove it even
in Safe Mode.)

5. If that does not fix the problem, Repair the current Windows XP installation. Please click here to
get more information on how to Repair a Windows XP Installation. Though, it will go through the full
Windows reinstallation process, it will not result in loss of data as this procedure will only repair the
Windows Operating Systems System Files.

The Repair installation of Windows is generally done as the last step in troubleshooting a BSOD
Crash error. If you still cannot fix the problem, then you will have to just do a clean install of
Windows XP.

HOW DO YOU RESTORE A DEVICE DRIVER TO IT'S PREVIOUS VERSION?

You should have Administrator Rights on the computer to perform these steps:

You might want to restore the driver for a device to a previous version if you encounter problems with
your computer or device after upgrading the driver.

1. Open Device Manager by clicking the Start Button - > Control Panel ->System - > Hardware
Tab.

If you are prompted for an Administrator Password or Confirmation, type the Password or provide
confirmation.

2. Double-click the category containing your Device Driver, and then Double-click the name of the
device you want to restore to a previous driver version.

3. Click the Driver tab, and then click Roll Back Driver.

Device Manager Is blank

Users face this issue if the Plug and Play Service is not enabled in their Computer.

The Fix for this issue is very simple:

Go to the Start Button - Open the Run Dialogue Box - Type in Services.msc in it - Right Click or
Double Click on Plug and Play - Select Start - and then Click Apply / OK

Remember, the Startup Type for this Service must be Automatic.

Close the Services.msc window and restart your computer for the changes to take effect.

HOW TO RESTORE THE SHOW-DESKTOP ICON IN THE QUICKLAUNCH TOOLBAR:

If you have accidentally deleted the Show Desktop Icon from the Quicklaunch Toolbar and wish to
Restore it - this is what you need to do:

Start up the Notepad application by typing Notepad in the Run Dialog Box.

Type in the following text into a new Notepad text document:

[Shell]
Command=2
IconFile=explorer.exe,3
[Taskbar]
Command=ToggleDesktop

Now Click on the File Menu and select Save As - now save the file to your desktop as
Showdesktop.scf

You will now notice that the Show Desktop icon is created on your desktop.

All you have to do now is to click on it and drag and drop it into the Quicklaunch Toolbar.

How can I check my Hard Disk Drive for errors?

Note: Close all open applications and files before you run this procedure.

Click on the Start Button and select My Computer.

Right-click on the hard-disk you wish to check for errors and select Properties.
On the Tools Tab, under Error Checking, click on Check Now. You will now get another dialogue box
with more options as shown in the picture below:
Use one of the following procedures:

• To scan your hard-disk in read-only mode, click on Start.

• To repair the errors without scanning the hard-disk drive for bad-sectors, select the option
automatically fix file system errors and then click on Start.
• To repair the errors in your hard-disk drive (if any), identify bad sectors, and recover
readable information, select the option Scan for and attempt recovery of bad sectors,
and then click on Start.

HOW TO RESTORE THE RECYCLE BIN ICON ON THE DESKTOP:

This article applies to Windows XP only.

Note: Editing the registry might cause your system to become unstable and/or crash. Do NOT try this if
you are not an experienced user.

Type Regedit in the Run dialogue box and click OK

That will open the Windows Registry.

Go to the following registry key:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Desktop\Name
Space

Right-Click on the NameSpace registry key and select New and then select Key

Now, type in {645FF040-5081-101B-9F08-00AA002F954E} and hit the <Enter> key

Now, click on {645FF040-5081-101B-9F08-00AA002F954E} (the key you just created)

Double-click on the Default entry in the right-hand pane

Now, in the Edit String dialog box, type Recycle Bin in the Value Data Box and then click OK

Exit the Registry Editor.

The Recycle Bin will now be visible on your desktop.

How to make my computer run faster?

Click on this line for a quick summary

Computers work faster when they are brand new. However, as you keep using it, it "slows down"
progressively. Does this mean you have a 'bad' computer in your hands? No. This is just one of those
things you got to live up with when you buy a computer.

So, WHY does this happen? This happens because in course of time, your computer accumulates a lot of
unwanted files - these are temporary operating system files, temporary internet files, Temporary program
files, Downloaded files, Files left over in the Recycle Bin etc. Though the individual files themselves may
be very small, the sheer numbers of these files occupies a lot of Hard Disk space and cause your computer
to slow down. That's why we need to get rid of these files.

How do we do it? Windows XP has a tool just for this purpose called Disk Cleanup. You can access it from
the Start Button -> Programs -> Accessories -> System Tools -> Disk Cleanup. Close all other
applications before you run this program.

After you start the Disk Cleanup tool, you will have to specify which drive you wish to clean up. That
screen will look like this:
Once that is done, the tool will show you what you can delete and how much space you will regain by
deleting those files. If you do not wish to delete any of these files, you also have the option of keeping
them. Refer to the image below:

After you have selected the files you want to cleanup, just click on the OK button and your computer will
take care of the rest.

Another thing you can do to make your computer work better would be to uninstall old and unwanted
software. You may not realize it, but you might have programs you probably wouldn't have used more
than just a couple of times. You may think these programs are harmless because they just sit there in a
corner of your computer - but you are wrong.
These programs also bloat up the registry , apart from occupying Hard Disk space. So, better go ahead and
uninstall them. You can do that by going to the Control Panel (from the Start Button) -> Add/Remove
Programs and then select the program you wish to uninstall and click the "Remove" button. After that,
restart your computer and then start using it.

The third thing you can do is to Defragment it. You can 'Defrag' your Hard Disk drive by starting up the
tool from the Start Button -> Programs -> Accessories -> System Tools -> Disk Defragmenter.

Here you can select the drive which you would like to 'defrag' - but before you do that 'analyze' the drive.
Windows XP might tell you that you do not have to defrag the drive. But if you have not defragmented the
drive in the last 30 days or so, you better do it anyways.

The fourth thing you can do to keep your computer working well is to install a good anti-spyware
program like Spybot (Search & Destroy) or Ad-Aware from Lavasoft . Make sure you update these
programs regularly and scan your computer at regular intervals.

The Fifth thing you can do is to add more RAM (Memory) in your computer. I would say, add as much
RAM as your computer can carry (and as much as you can afford to!)

Having done all this, is there anything else you can still do to speed up your computer? I would say yes.
You can configure your computer to work for best performance.

In order to do this, go to the Control panel (from the Start Button), then select 'System" icon then click
on "Advanced" Tab. Now, Click on the "Settings" button under Performance. You will now get the
"Performance Options" dialogue box which will look like this:
In the Performance Options dialogue box, click on the radio button which says "Adjust for Best
Performance". Your computer will take a few seconds to readjust itself - and then you will see that it
looks a bit 'different". But it will definitely start working much faster than before.

Another thing you can do would be to disable unwanted startup programs. Its pretty simple to do -
Click on the Start Button and select Run. Then in the Run dialogue box, type 'msconfig' and click on
OK.

That will start up the system configuration utility (see image below). Here, click on the "Startup" tab
and uncheck the programs you think you will not need at startup. You will then have to restart your
computer.
Have a regular system maintenance schedule so that your computer works at its peak efficiency all the
time (or at least most of the time!)

HOW TO ENABLE DISABLED USB PORTS IN A WINDOWS NETWORK COMPUTER:

Open Registry ' Expand HKLM ' Expand System ' Expand CurrentControlSet ' Expand Services.

Scroll down to find "USBSTOR"

Right Click on "USBSTOR" and click on Permissions

Click on Advanced

Check box "Inherit from parent the permission entries that apply to child objects. Include
these with entries explicitly defined here"

Click on Apply

Click on OK

Select USBSTOR and on the Right side double click on start and set the value data to 3
Value data: 3 to enable and 4 to disable (USB Mass storage device)

Once changed the setting in registry please go to the windows folder (C:\Windows) and then enter into
the hidden INF folder and modify the file name

Enable (USB Mass storage device) file names - usbport.inf & usbport.PNF

Disable (USB Mass storage device) file names - usbport.inf.disabled & usbport.PNF.disabled

(Just rename usbport.INF.disabled and usbport.PNF.disabled to usbport.INF & usbport.PNF

respectively.)
Restart the system for changes to get affect.

Go to computer management window and uninstall if any USB mass storage is showing with an
exclamatory mark and then scan for hardware changes connecting the USB thumb / storage device to
complete the USB storage drivers installation.

WINDOWS XP PARALLEL (DIRTY) INSTALLATION:

Just remember this: A Parallel Installation of Windows XP is nothing but installing Windows XP in a
different folder, other than the default one, which is C:\Windows. This is generally done for
troubleshooting purposes and in situations where a user needs to access his drives/data and copy them
onto an external storage device like a CD/DVD or even a USB Pen drive. Once you have copied all the data
you need using Parallel installation, you can then do a Clean installation of Windows and then put back all
the data.

This is how you would go about it:

1. Start Windows XP Setup in the normal way and continue till you accept the End User License
Agreement (by hitting <F8> key)
2. Windows XP Setup will detect the existing installation of Win XP on your computer and will also
give you the option to Repair the existing installation
3. Now, since you do not want to repair the existing installation, but instead want to have a parallel
instalaltion, select the existing installation of Windows XP and hit ESC to "Continue installating a
Fresh copy of WIndows XP"....
4. Then select the same partition it is currently installed and hit <Enter> just once
5. In the next screen press C to continue installing in the same partition
6.Next, choose the option "Leave the current file system intact" so that all your existing files etc
are not lost.
7.In the next screen, this is where you will be alerted by Windows that a Windows Folder
already exists containing a copy of the Operating system. This is also where you will be given the
option to install Windows XP in the same folder (by overwriting existing system files) by hitting the L key
or to choose a different folder (for the parallel installation) by hitting the ESC key.

So hit the ESC key now and give a different name to the folder where you want your parallel installation
to happen (by using the backspace key and put in a different folder name) and just follow the
on-screen instructions from there on.

For example, your existing windows installation will be in a folder called C:\Windows. So, choose a
different folder name now for the parallel installation - like C:\Windows1 (or any other name you wish)
- and continue with the rest of the installation as usual....

Why is this called a Dirty Installation? Thats because you are putting in a copy of Windows without
cleaning out the old installation which could possibly be infected with virus or contain corrupted system
files.

Simple!

HOW TO BACKUP WINDOWS XP REGISTRY?

What is Windows Registry?

The Windows Registry is a Hierarchical Database of all Users, Applications and Hardware
Devices in the PC. A corrupt registry can seriously damage the Windows installation in your computer
and leave you with the options to reinstall or if possible, restore a Backup Copy of the Registry. Whenever
you plan to make any major changes to a system, make a fresh copy of the Registry and keep it in a safe
place - just in case you have problems later.

You can backup the Entire Registry, or if you're experienced enough you can backup only the Subtree
in which you'll be making changes. Backing up the entire database is fast, so making a full backup is
generally recommended.

Method 1:

You can Backup the Windows Registry by by going to Start, then Run and type regedit. Next go to
File, then Export. This will take you to the Export Registry Window (as shown in the below image),
where you can choose where to Export your Registry to. You can choose Any Location in your
Computer or even an External location to backup your Registry to. The backed up file will be saved
with a .reg extension.

In the image above, look at the Red Arrow - in that location, you have an option called Export Range. If
you select All, you can Backup the Entire Registry. However, if you only select Selected Branch,
then you will only be backing up the Particular Registry Branch. (It is best to leave this option to the
more advanced users!)

Method 2:

You can also backup the Entire Registry using the Windows XP Backup Utility.. Go to Start, All
Programs, Accessories, System Tools, then Backup. Run the Backup Wizard and select Only
Backup The System State Data. This will backup the registry, the COM+ class registration database,
files under Windows File Protection, and boot files. Save these to an appropriate location.

Method 3:

Another simple way to Backup the Wndows XP Registry is to just create a System Restore Point.

HOW TO FIX - NO ICONS ON DESKTOP - BLANK DESKTOP - MISSING DESKTOP ICONS

If you start up your computer and notice that all your Desktop Icons are Missing and you can only see
the Wallpaper - do not panic.

This is how you can fix this problem:

NO ICONS ON DESKTOP, BUT START BUTTON AND TASKBAR ARE VISIBLE:

• Right Click anywhere on the Desktop - Select Arrange Icons by and make sure the option
Show Desktop Icons is Checked.
• Right Click anywhere on the Desktop - Select Properties - Select the Desktop Tab - Click on
Customize Desktop - Click on the Web Tab and make sure that the option Lock Desktop
Items is not checked.

NO ICONS ON DESKTOP. NO START BUTTON AND NO TASKBAR:

This is due to the corruption of Explorer.exe

TO FIX THIS PROBLEM:

Hit Control+Alt+Del and start up the Windows XP Task Manager.

Click on File and select New Task (Run) and type in Explorer and hit <<Enter>> or Click on OK

If that does not work, try this:

Hit Control+Alt+Del on your keyboard and start up the Windows Task Manager

Click on File and Select New Task and click on the Browse button

Browse over to C:\WINDOWS folder and

Right-Click on the file explorer.exe and rename it to explorer1.exe

Check if that fixes your problem. If it still doesn't then continue with the steps listed below:

Now Click on the Cancel button and get back to the Task Manager

In the Task Manager, click on File -> New Task (Run) and type in regedit and click on OK or hit
<<Enter>>

This will open the Windows Registry

Here, locate the following key:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows
NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon

Select Winlogon and in the right pane, you will see a value called SHELL

Double-click on Shell
In the Value databox, you should see Explorer.exe

Rename it to Explorer1.exe

Click OK

Exit out of the Registry

Restart your computer

This problem could be due to a number of reasons, but it usually happens due to virus activity in your
computer. That's why, once your computer restarts, make sure you scan your computer with a good anti-
virus program. There are many freewares available on the web. Malwarebytes, Spybot-Search &
Destroy, Superantispyware are a few of them.

If this does not fix the problem or if you think your computer is not working as it was before it happened,
the next option would be to Repair the Windows installation in your computer.

Having done that, it goes without saying that it is vital that you have a valid anti-virus/anti-spyware
application running in your computer.

If nothing works, you do not have much of an option except doing a Clean Installation of Windows
XP.

FIX FOR RIGHT CLICK IS VERY SLOW:

Have you ever right-clicked on a file or a folder and had to wait for ages and ages before the Windows
Context Menu opened up? You might also get the following error : " Windows has encountered a problem
and needs to close…sorry for the inconvenience…" There might be no response when you right-click on a
folder and try to get to its properties. If you are facing / have faced this problem, then it is due to bad
Context Menu Handlers in your computer. It could be just one bad Context Menu Handler or many of
them. You can see examples of Context Menu Handlers in the image given below marked by the arrows:
Let's try to figure out how to fix this problem:

You can fix this problem manually by editing the registry but that would be a lot more difficult (unless you
are an experienced user). Lets look at the really easy way out - We need to download and install a small
application called SHellExView from Nir Sofer - you can get it from their website or just download a
copy from here: .

Once you install this application in your computer and run it, it will display all the details of the installed
shell extensions like description, company, filename, location, version etc… You can manually enable or
disable any of these shell extensions. This feature is especially useful when you are dealing with Shell
Extensions which are no longer used. These could have been created and left behind by programs which
no longer exist on your computer. The ShellExView is a standalone executable and does not require any
installation process or additional DLLs. Just copy it to any folder you want, and run it. After you run it,
wait a few seconds until ShellExView loads all shell extensions items.

When you run SHellEXView, it scans your computers registry for all the existing shell extensions. Make
sure you sort the results under the heading "Type" so that all the Context Menu Handlers can be viewed
together. Now you will have to disable the non-Microsoft context menu handlers one by one and check
if the issue has been resolved. Keep doing it until you identify the faulty Context Menu Handler. You could
also disable multiple (non-Microsoft) context menu handlers at one go and check if that resolves the
problem. At least you will be able to narrow down your search to a small group of Context Menu Handlers
and it could save you that much time.

My USB Drive is not detected by my computer

Normally when you insert a Pen-drive or a USB drive in your computer, you will notice that your
computer detects it automatically and opens the drive to reveal it's contents. But sometimes, it does not
do that. Even when you open up My Computer, the USB drive will not be listed there! So what do we
do?

The fix for this is pretty simple, although I must confess, the first time I encountered this issue, I struggled
for over three hours!

Click on the Start Button - select Control Panel - and then click on Administrative tools. Here,
click on Computer Management. In the Computer Management window, expand Storage (click on
the + sign next to it) and click on Disk Management. This will open up the Disk Management
(local) snap in window.
Now, on the lower half of the right-side of the same screen, you will see that your USB / Pen-drive is listed
as a removable drive. (In case you are not able to see it there, click on the + sign next to "Removable
storage" and expand it. You should typically see it listed as a removable disk and called Disk 1 or Disk 2.
All you have to do is to right-click on it and select the "Change drive letter and paths" option and
select a different drive letter for your pen drive. For example, if it is called Drive F, you can choose any
other drive letter, let's say, Drive G. After you have done that, open My Computer again and you should
be able to see your pen-drive there:

You need to keep in mind that if your pen-drive is not being listed due to a hardware problem then you
will have to gift yourself a new drive.

LAPTOP KEYPAD TYPES DIFFERENT CHARACTERS!

If you suddenly find that your laptop is displaying something completely different from what you are
actually typing on the keypad, don't panic - just hold down the <Fn> Key on the keypad and hit the
<Num Lock> key - that will fix the problem! This works on HP laptops and generally happens when you
connect an external keyboard and then remove it.

If that does not work, try with the <Shift> key and <Numlock> key combination. This is for those with
IBM or Lenovo laptops.

HOW TO UNDELETE FILES YOU HAVE ACCIDENTALLY DELETED FROM YOUR

COMPUTER & ALSO EMPTIED THE RECYCLE BIN:

If you have accidentally deleted an important file and, to add to the damage, emptied your Recycle Bin as
well - what do you do? Here's help for you. I found this small utility written by Brian Kato. It works on
Windows NT, Windows 2000 and Windows XP This Freeware also works on NTFS and the older
Windows 9X versions as well.

I don't really want to write a lot about this utility because it's pretty simple to run and has a neat interface.
Only remember this, if there's something important you have deleted from your computer and you need
to recover it - Don't use that computer for any thing else until that file is restored. I've used it and found it
to be pretty cool. It might work for you too. But as always, Freewares are Freewares - you will be using this
at your own risk!

You can download a copy of this utility - it's called Restoration - from here.

My CD / DVD drive is not detected by Windows:

This problem can be caused by corrupted Windows registry entries. In order to fix the problem, you might
have to use the Windows Registry Editor to delete the corrupted entries. To do this, you must have
administrative rights to your computer.

Step 1: Check if the drive shows up in Device Manager:

If the drive is listed in device manager, try to play or access a CD or DVD.

If you can play, then, its fine. If not, continue to the next step.

Step 2: Reinstall the drivers for the CD/DVD Rom drive and check if it fixes the problem:

1. Click on the Start Button and then select Control Panel.

2. Double-click on the System applet.
3. On the Hardware Tab, click on Device Manager. (You might be prompted for your administrator
password.)
4. In the Device Manager, expand DVD/CD-ROM drives, right-click the CD and DVD devices,
and then click Uninstall.
5. Click OK when you are prompted to confirm if you want to remove the device.
6. Restart the computer.

After the computer restarts, the drivers will be automatically installed

Step 3: Edit the Windows XP Registry:

1. Click on the Start Button, and then select Run.

2. In the Run Dialogue box, type regedit, and then click OK or hit the <<Enter>> key.
3. Locate and then click the following registry sub key:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Class\{4D36E965-E325-
11CE-BFC1-08002BE10318}
4. In the right pane, click UpperFilters.
If you see an UpperFilters.bak registry entry, you do not have to remove that entry. Just click on
UpperFilters only. If you do not see the UpperFilters registry entry, you still might have to remove the
LowerFilters registry entry. (Go to step 7)
5. On the Edit menu, click Delete.
6. When you are prompted to confirm the deletion, click Yes.
7. In the right pane, click LowerFilters.
If you do not see the LowerFilters registry entry, this content cannot help you any further.
8. On the Edit menu, select Delete.
9. Click on Yes when you are prompted to confirm the deletion..
10. Exit the registry editor and restart your computer.

Now, check if your drive is detected by Windows. If it is still not detected by Windows XP,
contact your hardware vendor and have your CDROM/DVD ROM drive replaced because it
could be a hardware problem.
 Did You Know?
• %systemroot% & %windir% just means C:\Windows (that is, the directory in which the Windows
OS is installed.)
• If your keyboard suddenly stops working, go to Start -> Run -> and type in OSK and click OK.
This will start up the Windows on-screen keyboard.
• The keyboard shortcut for right-click is Shift+F10.
• To start MS Outlook in Safe Mode, for troubleshooting, go to Start -> Run -> and type outlook
/safe.
• The temporary internet files are located in: C:\Documents and Settings\%user%\Local Settings\
Temporary Internet Files. When you click on Tools->Internet Options->Delete Files and
delete All Offline Content in Internet Explorer, all files from here get deleted.
• When you clear the temp files by typing %temp% in the Run box, all files at the location:
C:\Documents and Settings\%user%\Local Settings\Temp get deleted.