Tarun

http://download.windowsvista.com/preview/rc2/en/download.htm Official URL.

Batch files to automate the process

Confirmed. I reported three today alone. Right when I thought they had stopped.

Ad-Aware recently changed their entire webpage and even some of the locations. The have a few new URL's so that takes time to update in the DNS Cache. You can go to Start > Run > cmd and type in ipconfig /flushdns. Def files page Download Ad-Aware defs.

I Hate This Key - I Hate This Key can customize any system-wide keys on any keyboard. This means deactivating a key completely (a very popular option for Caps Lock), customizing them (for example, activating Caps Lock only when pressed twice or held down), F-Lock inversion option for the functional keys (F1 through F12), forbidding deactivating of Num Lock or any other key, and allowing game users to block infamous Windows Logo key along with system-wide key combinations (like Win+D) while playing games.

Jeremy, you can do that; but some of these files such as the former ewido defs and Spybot defs were a couple MB in size. If you work on a dial-up machine that takes a lot of time to download. Think of the ease-of-use getting these loaded on a flash drive and being able to resolve the issue faster.

XXXXX-640-XXXXXXX-XXXXX devils0wn probably. 640 through 648, 652 : Volume License (usually generated via 270 CID in setupp.ini) As of 2005/10/22, Microsoft states that the following are invalid PIDs: XXXXX-640-0000356-23XXX XXXXX-640-2001765-23XXX The above two product IDs are known as "Devil's Own", and usually have a product key starting with "FCKGW". I have a list of more invalid PIDs too.

Unsure on SpywareBlaster. AdAware: http://download.lavasoft.com/updates/defs.zip Spybot: http://www.spybotupdates.com/updates/files...sd_includes.exe

Always have a page file and set it to System Managed.

Popular to emo kids who like to slit their wrists.

Sysinfo.org is a nice resource for research. IESpyAd, SpywareBlaster, Spybot's Immunization are great for stopping a lot of malware.

PerfectDisk has never caused any issues on any machine I've used it on. You most likely had those errors that chkdsk found before you defragged. This is why you scan your disk before you defrag.

Thanks LLXX.

Hey that's awesome! If About:Buster is in the pack, remove it. It has a bad bug where it can delete the entire System32 folder. Symantec/Norton products are absolutely terrible. They slow down systems more than they help. Old article or the Updated article and see how bad Norton is. Avast is the top product I recommend to people for anti-virus. It's very fast, lightweight on resources and easy to use. I always use the latest Norton Removal Tool (Formerly SymNRT). I've seen it where Norton/Symantec will break BITS, SSL and more.

Trash SAV. +Ad-Aware, Spybot +Norton removal tool

As of this time I'm focusing on infecting with as much spyware and adware possible. Already the computer will randomly automatically reboot due to the load of malware on it, and it's not that bad yet.

I've taken my recently networked secondary computer and infected it with the following: WinFixer WHEN.U Save NOW WinAntiVirus Recipes MsgPlus IMGiant SmileyCentral Anything else I can get infected with? I basically aim to slam the pc with all kinds of infections and then practice removing the faster and identifying how they work.

His point is that it's laughable and would never hold up in court. Making it open source is pretty much the same deal. EULA's don't really hold up in court at all (Source). So it's pretty much pointless to even mess with any agreements.

That's a load of unnecessary mess (such as running more than one firewall), KingArthur. The NetVeda firewall has a lot of issues, and isn't as stable or reliable as Comodo Free Firewall.

Yeah Firefox works fine. Works even better with DownThemAll.

If you're behind a router the Windows Firewall may be sufficient. I use Outpost Pro and it works great, no slowdowns at all. You may want to do a clean install of it. v4 of Outpost even recommends your completely remove your previous versions and then install. I'd even stop un-needed plugins (such as for me, Active Content, Ads, Anti-Spyware, Attachment Quarantine) to see if that helps. Outpost Pro had an issue with wl_hook causing explorer Windows to lag upon opening. That was during RC3 however. As far as anti-virus, I've found that avast has been more than enough for any user. It works well and is very lightweight.

Don't disable any XP services, you'll do more harm than good.

You'd be best to go with Windows XP. The NT based kernel is far better than the one from Windows ME. Windows ME used a "hybrid" 9x/2000 based kernel. Memory management in Windows 9x/ME is terrible as well. You can barely do things without having to reboot numerous times each day. Thus the issues with memory management also reduces stability. I upgraded to Windows XP SP2 with my newest machine and it has been an excellent OS. The only time I see a BSoD is when the screensaver I use comes on. Also, all the major (and minor) products, games, and much more are designed with XP (and now Vista) in mind; so that opens a whole world of opportunity to you.

Well LLXX, shielah has explained it to the best of his ability from what they have observed. shielah, does this issue occur with just one type of software? Or does it occur with many kinds? What I mean is, does it occur with Nero only, or does it happen with Nero, Sonic, and the XP burner software? You can purchase a CD/DVD cleaner to clean the lens to rule out that issue. Alternatively, you may wish to power down and unplug the computer from the wall outlet. Then open the case and check the connections for the CD/DVD drive, making sure everything is properly plugged in. If all else fails, you may be able to find a local tech shop to help you fix the issue. nakira has pretty much covered all the possible issues though.

Screenshot of the health screen: Post yours. Btw, this isn't a screenshot of my hard drive; it's one from the HDTune website.