When dealing with a computer issue, you will often hear your tech have you restart in “Safe Mode“. You may be wondering what “Safe Mode” is, and what it does. Safe Mode is the troubleshooting option for your Operation System (OS) which starts your computer with the most basic drivers, and services.
Anti Virus software, print drivers, and other 3rd party process’ are disabled, so you can get into the system on a clean slate, fix the issues, and reboot into normal mode.
Safe Mode may be required for Malware removal at times, since it allows the computer to boot, and prevent the virus from loading in the background.
You may be getting the “blue screen of death” (BSOD) when booting into Windows 7, and are wondering if it is an issue with your Windows installation, or is it a problem with a piece of software, or device you are using. If the problem does not appear when you start in safe mode, you can cancel out the default settings, and basic device drivers as possible causes of the issue.
If you are still unsure about the cause of the issue, you can use the process of elimination to narrow down the possiblities:
In Safe Mode- start your commonly used programs, one by one, and see if you can replicate the error. Often times, corrupt software can halt the entire system. If you recently made a change to your system before it went down, such as installed a new webcam, Safe Mode will allow you to log in and uninstall the cam, and reboot to see if it solved the problem.
How to boot into Safe Mode:
Windows - Power on the PC and hold F8 as it begins booting up. Choose the “Safe Mode” option when prompted.
Mac - Power on the Mac, immediately after you hear the startup tone, hold the Shift key. The Shift key should be held as soon as possible after the startup tone but not before.
Linux (most distros) - Power on your system, when at the GRUB boot menu, choose the version of the Kernel that has the Safe Mode option in the name.
Is your Add and Remove Programs applet empty? That does not mean you lost your programs, nope– it may have something to do with Internet Explorer. IE is so tightly integrated into Windows (unfortunatly), that if it was ever to become corrupted, it could lead to other issues all around Windows.
To correct the problems with Internet Explorer, use IEFix. Follow these steps to correct the issue:
3) Click Apply to fix any Internet Explorer errors
4) After running IEFix, reboot your computer.
It always works for me– in case it doesn’t, try these:
1) To rule out an infection, you should run a thorough scan of your system using your favorite anti-virus and spyware programs.
2) Try running a check for corrupted Windows files by clicking on Start > Run > and typing sfc /scannow and pressing Enter.
The system will scan Windows for any problematic system files and reinstall them using your Windows CD.
3) You may want to try to register the control panel file by clicking on Start > Run > and typing REGSVR32 APPWIZ.CPL and pressing Enter. This will re-register the program with Windows.
Please post your results in the comments section below.
A lot of times, when a computer has been attacked by malware, the malware creators like to disable the task manager, to make the repair hard and tedious.
Below you will find the many ways to re-enable Task Manager:
These are the ways the task manager is opened
• Press CTRL-ALT-DEL on the keyboard
• Press CTRL-SHIFT-ESC on the keyboard
• Right-click on a blank area on the start bar and choose Task Manager
• Click on Start, Run and type TASKMGR in the run box and press Enter
First we’ll begin with the various registry modification methods for
correcting this problem.
Method 1 – Using the Group Policy Editor in Windows XP Professional
1. Click Start, Run, type gpedit.msc and click OK.
2. Under User Configuration, Click on the plus (+) next to
Administrative Templates
3. Click on the plus (+) next tSystem, then click on Ctrl+Alt+Delete Options
4. Find Remove Task Manager in the right-hand pane and double click on it
5. Choose the option “Not Configured” and click Ok.
6. Close the Group Policy Window
Method 2: Change the Task Manager Option through the Run line
1. Click on Start, Run and type the following command exactly and press Enter
Method 3: Change Task Manager through a Registry REG file
1. Click on Start, Run, and type Notepad and press Enter
2. Copy and paste the information between the dotted lines into
Notepad and save it to your desktop as taskmanager.reg
————————————
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
After removing a nasty malware infection (virus) using security software (my guide here), you need to clean the traces of the infection that your anti-virus failed to remove. This is essential in preventing another spread of the attack. This is where iClean comes into play.
iClean is a portable application that can be run from anywhere, including a Flash drive. iClean will display information about the computer system in six tabs.
Processes: Displays all running processes with the option to check processes and kill them or kill and delete them.
Services: A list of all running services with the option to delete multiple services at once.
Registry: Several security sensitive Registry settings are displayed here including programs that bypass firewall rules, toolbars and browser helperobjects with the option to repair, backup and restore settings.
Startup Folders: Displays a list of startup items that are loaded during system start with the option to enable, disable or clear them.
Hosts: The Windows hosts file that is used by malware to redirect internet traffic.
When you use multiple anti virus software on the same computer- you are asking for trouble. Anti virus software creates registry entries, and firewall setting that remain in the computer- even after you uninstall it. But with the solutions below, you can assure yourself that the given anti virus program will be removed for good.
Because using the default Windows uninstaller just isn’t enough.
8 removal tools to completely remove your
Anti-virus software like Kaspersky, AVG,
McAfee, Panda, Avast, Avira Antivir and Nod32.
KAVRemover
KAvRemover is free utility that helps you to completely remove all Kaspersky Labs products safely. The Kaspersky products include Kaspersky Anti-Virus 6.0\7.0\2009 , Kaspersky Internet Security 6.0\7.0\2009, Kaspersky Anti-Virus 6.0 for Windows Workstations and Kaspersky Anti-Virus 6.0 for Windows Servers.
AVG Remover utility removes all parts of AVG installation on your computer, including registry items, installation and user files on your disk, etc. AVG Remover is a lifesaver in case the AVG has refused to be removed or the repair installation process has failed repeatedly.
Norton Removal Tool 2009 is a handy tool to remove several Norton security products including Norton Anti Virus, Norton Internet Security, Norton AntiSpam and more, from your Windows. This app was a must on our flash drives during my Geek Squad years. Norton is a stubborn one.
McAfee Consumer Product Removal tool (MCPR.exe) removes all 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, and 2009 versions of
McAfee consumer products. The removal tool deletes all traces of the following products in Windows 2000, XP, and Vista.
This option should only be used after you remove your
anti-virus software from your Windows, simply double click on the NOD32 Removal Tool, select ‘Yes’, and wait for a confirmation before it finishes its job.
Sometimes it´s not possible to uninstall avast! anti-virus the standard way – using the add/remove programs in control panel. In this case, you can use Avast! uninstallation utility aswClear.
The highly awaited free anti-virus software from Microsoft is now in public beta. Codenamed Morro- Microsoft Security Essentials (MSE) is set to replace Live OneCare, and supersede Windows Defender. There are a limited number of download slots- it is capped at 75,000 downloads. Get this fast before time is up.
Give it a try here – and let us know what you think in the comments section below.
It’s pretty scary when you think your computer may be connecting to web servers without your knowledge. A compromised computer can be used to send Spam emails, report your personal information and keystrokes, infect other computers on your network, and more.
These threats can go completely undetected to an unsuspecting user- luckily there is a command you can use to check every ping your computer has made in a given time.
Here’s how to check what your network connection has been up to:
Go to the Start Menu >Type cmd in your Windows Run box (Search box for Vista).
Type “netstat -b 5 > activity.txt” (without quotes) and press enter.
After about 2 minutes, press Ctrl+C.
Type “activity.txt” on the command line to open the log file in notepad (or your default text editor)
This .txt file will have a record of everything that has made an Internet connection in the last couple of minutes; you can then check your task manager to find out where it is and take care of it.
A lot of people ask me why Macs don’t get viruses. Some people I come across also think that it’s not possible for a Mac to catch a virus (oh brother).
That couldn’t be farther from the truth- it is possible for any OS to get a virus, including OS X- but there are a lot of reasons why OS X hasn’t had a big threat for a while now- while Windows machines have become toolbar infested, pop-up happy, identity stealing lag-boxes over night.
Here’s what you should know:
1. OS X is built on UNIX. UNIX is on a multi user system and its security architecture was built into it from the beginning. WINDOWS came from single user architecture with security and multi user capability implemented later.
2. UNIX had networking built into it since its start, for Windows this was included later.
3. Windows developed Internet Explorer deep into the OS, and allowed code execution within the browser. In OS X the browser is a completely separate program, it’s not a major part of the OS. This is a HUGE screw-up Microsoft made, as they opened up so many doors into the OS.
4. In earlier Windows, everything ran as the system user, so the capability to compromise an entire system was easier (see reason 1)- UNIX requires you to sign in as Root to make changes (which Mac uses).
5. OS X has no registry. Another HUGE flaw Microsoft made.
6. OS X asks for your password before allowing you to run new software or install something. Not fool proof, but it helps.
I want to pull my hair out when I hear people saying “Macs don’t have viruses because their market share is so low, so programmers don’t want to waste time developing the threats”. Are you serious?!? Don’t you think that a virus writer would love to be one of the first to write a virus on OS X!? It would’ve been done.
Viruses are possible on any computer system, it CAN be done. But, Mac’s architecture works in its favor.
When dealing with a computer issue, you will often hear your tech have you restart in “Safe Mode“. You may be wondering what “Safe Mode” is, and what it does. Safe Mode is the troubleshooting option for your Operation System (OS) which starts your computer with the most basic drivers, and services.
After removing a nasty malware infection (virus) using security software (
The highly awaited free anti-virus software from Microsoft is now in public beta. Codenamed Morro- Microsoft Security Essentials (MSE) is set to replace Live OneCare, and supersede Windows Defender. There are a limited number of download slots- it is capped at 75,000 downloads. Get this fast before time is up.
A lot of people ask me why Macs don’t get viruses. Some people I come across also think that it’s not possible for a Mac to catch a virus (oh brother).
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