How to Obtain Microsoft Windows Updates

Obtaining updates for your Windows OS at regular intervals from Microsoft is a must to keep your Windows computer up-to-date and running smoothly.

Microsoft updates for your Windows system in general includes updates for your operating system, software and hardware, third-party device drivers and also bug fixes to help protect your computer frommalicious software and denial-of-service (DoS) attacks.

There are two ways to obtain Microsoft Windows updates:

1. Directly from the Microsoft Download Center, where you can choose your desired updated versions from the list of new and popular downloads.

1. By using Automatic Update feature in Windows. This is the recommended option of the two because by turning ON the automatic updates feature, Windows automatically searches and delivers all the critical and security updates to your computer and you never need to visit update web site to scan for updates. All you have to do is keep a check on an icon that appears in the notification area at the far right of your taskbar every time new updates are available for your system.

Here is how to turn ON Automatic Updates and help protect your Windows PC

1. Click Start ► Run… then type control and click OK to open Control Panel.
   

1. If your are viewing Control Panel in Classic View, click System and head on to Automatic Updates tab under system Properties windows and change settings for automatic updates.
   

   » Instead, if you are under control panel category view, click Performance and Maintenance ► click System, and then click the Automatic Updates tab to choose the update option you want. Update option Automatic is recommended as it automatically downloads and installs updates at your chosen time.

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Tips on How to Speed Up Your Computer

Computers are the most used innovation that has come up so far. It connects the bridges on people and allows us to have communication with our loved ones that are far from us. However, using our computers often can cause problems and eventually slow them down when we don’t take action on fixing them.

Listed here are tips on how to speed up computer:

• Remember to free up your disk space using disk clean-up or disk defragmenters. Unnecessary files like temporary internet files can slow down your computer so get rid of them, empty your recycle bins frequently, and make sure that your important files are placed on the external hard drive.

• Scan for viruses and worms, spyware and adware. Always check for these nasty programs because they make your computer work slowly more than anything. You need to purchase PC fixer software that can remove these programs.

• Clean up your desktop. If your desktop is flooded with files your computer will eventually function slowly.

• Uninstall unused programs. Your computer might have lots of unused programs installed on it; uninstall them because once a program is installed, it makes a connection between the program and the operating system which also make your system run slower even if you do not use them.

• Do not start up programs automatically when turning on your computer. Make sure that you close programs you do not use that open when you start up your computer.

• Defragment your hard drive. Defragmenting your hard drive places all of your information for each file in one place which will result to a faster computer experience.

These tips on how to speed up my PC might be able to solve your problems on your slow running computers. Following these tips are a big help on your troublesome computer systems.

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How-to Remove System Tool 2011 Virus Easily

Aias: System Tool 2011
Damage Level: Medium
Systems Affected: Windows 9x, 2000, XP, Vista, Windows 7

Image Credit – Life StreamsYou may have tried for hours trying to remove this virus just like I did in vain but finally here I found a very simple method to remove this malicious software made to look like a legitimate anti-virus program.Screen Shot Image:

1. All you have to do is enter the serial key to register “System Tool” and follow the rest of the steps.
   The key is WNDS-S0DF5-GS5E0-FG14S-2DF8G

1. After inputting this key wait for little and you PC will restart automatically and all is okay again.

1. Then you can go ahead and delete icon from desktop and remove the software from program.

Share with all your friends. Its useful…!
Thank you.

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Windows Vista tweaks to speed up your system.

Default settings that Windows Vista comes with are more meant for hardware of future than hardware of today. If you are looking for your vista to run faster and perform better, it is essential that you optimize your Vista settings. Read on to find out 4 powerful Windows Vista tweaks to speed up your system.

• Tweak 1 ► Get Rid of Unnecessary Programs from System Start Up

One of the most powerful vista tweaks is to remove all unnecessary programs from the start up menu. Start up should only contain those bare minimum programs which are really necessary to be started up when your program boots. If there are some programs which are not that essential, but still need to be there in start-up, you can reschedule them to a lower priority & attach them to one of the multi-processes.

• Tweak 2 ► Turn off TCP Auto Tuning and Remote Differential Compression

Vista uses these to augment the gigabyte network. However, these end up being too much of an overhead for normal networking. The networking speed is enhanced by up to 30 percent when you disable these options.

• Tweak 3 ► Defrag Your Hard Disk

Over time, application and files become scattered in different places on your system’s hard disk, affecting the system’s performance greatly. When you defrag your disk, it brings all these scattered pieces together, thus, improving the Windows system’s speed. You can run the disk defragmenter from
Start ► Menu Programs ► Accessories ► System Tools ► Disk Defragmenter.

• Tweak 4 ► Disable the “System Restore” Feature

It was with Windows XP that this feature was first introduced. Windows Vista enhanced it further with introducing additional document versioning. Though it does sound very good and useful, it does have a great impact on the resources. If you think your system is already not running as it should be, you surely won’t want additional duplicates on your system further downgrading your system’s performance. Thus, another of effective vista tweaks would be to disable this feature.

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How to Fix Boot Problem in Windows 7

We have often faced such booting problem in windows 7.To fix this problem we make partition with xp and then install windows 7.There is a simple way to fix this problem and it will save your time too.We can fix this problem by repairing the Boot loader files in windows 7. Following steps will help you to understand in detail.

Step 1

Power on the PC press F2 or Del key to enter into BIOS setting,change the first boot device to CD_ROM and press F10 to save settings.

Step 2

Now restart your system and insert the windows 7 DVD, it will ask to Press any key to boot from cd or dvd.

Step 3

Just press any key ,then the repairing process will starts.

Step 4

 System will load files and the below screen appears

Step 5
Click on “Repair Your Computer” as shown.

Step 6

Again some windows component will load and then the below screen appears

 Step 7 
Click on “Command Prompt” and enter the following command to fix boot issue.

                                          bootsect /nt60 c:

Step 8
Now restart the system, it will boot correctly and windows will work fine.

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7 Steps to Securing your Home Wireless Network

The benefits of home wireless network are amazing. From the ability to be out in the backyard working while the kids are swimming in the pool, to not having to run cables all throughout the house for your network connectivity; the list of benefits are outstanding. I wouldn’t go back to a wired home network unless I absolutely had to.

However, what many people may not realize is that a wireless network can be an open door to others having full reign on your personal data.

A few simple steps can be taken to provide the best method of security on your home wireless network.

Use this as a guide for building a new home wireless network, or as a way to take inventory of where your existing home wireless network stands.

1) Router/WAP Password

As soon as you get your Router / WAP (Wireless Access Point) immediately change the password. Most of the common Router/WAP products today will have default passwords assigned that are well known and publicized. Choose a strong password for this device.

Here are a few tips on choosing a good password:

• It should be at least 6 characters long
• It should have a mixture of upper and lower case characters
• It should have a mixture of numbers, characters and/or punctuation marks
• Try to use uncommon words for your password

2) Protect your Wireless Network with Encryption

Always use WPA-TKIP encryption. Wifi Protected Access (WPA) is the new security standard adopted by the Wife Alliance consortium. The older “WEP” encryption has many weaknesses. Using WEP is like closing the door but not locking it.

You will need to be sure that both your router/WAP support WPA-TKIP as well as all of the wireless network interfaces on all of the devices attaching to your wireless network (Desktop, laptop, printer, etc). Some of the older network cards may only support WEP. Do yourself a favor and upgrade to better card.

3) SSID Best Practices

The SSID can be thought of simply as the network name. You should be sure to change this name from the default name that came with your router/WAP. Making the name something that is not common is a good practice.

You will likely also have the option of either broadcasting or not broadcasting your SSID. The most secure method for a home network would be to NOT broadcast the SSID. It just makes it that much more difficult for a hacker to gain entrance to your network.

If you do not broadcast your SSID you will just need to manually configure the SSID properties on your client computers.

4) MAC Address Filtering

Some router/wops have the ability to set it such that only specific network hardware addresses can have access to utilize your home wireless network. This is done by specifying the exact “physical hardware address” (or, “MAC address”) of the Wireless Network Interface card on the machines you want to give access to.

While this might not make sense if you have a lot of people randomly coming over and wanting to connect to your Wireless network, it certainly gives you an added step in a tightly secured wireless network.

5) Static IP Addresses vs. Dynamically assigned IP Addresses (DHCP)

DHCP (Dynamic Host Control Protocol) is a tool that allows your router/WAP to assign you an IP address automatically. This does come in handy when you have multiple people on a network that may be constantly coming and going.

However, on a typical home network things are pretty static and there generally isn’t much of a need for DHCP. Turning DHCP off will provide a more secure wireless network environment. With DHCP on there is the possibility for a hacker to allow your router to assign them an IP address and gain access to your network.

When you turn off DHCP you will need to manually assign a static IP (one that does not change) address to all of the computers that will need to use your Wireless Network.

6) Utilize the Firewall Features of your Router/WAP

Most Router/WAP devices today come with a Firewall feature that can either be enabled or disabled. Be sure the Firewall Feature is enabled. It surprises me how many people miss this very basic step.

7) Do not connect to any other open Wireless networks

I know it can be tempting at times to search for other available wireless network and connect to them for internet connectivity. The truth is, unless you have been given specific rights to do this, it is illegal practice. Not only that, but when you join your computer on another wireless network you become a target for others on that network to hack into your computer.

Following the above 7 steps will do you a lot of good in a world where hackers strive to find weaknesses to exploit.

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• 7 Steps to Securing your Home Wireless Network | DIGITAL LIFE – http://www.cubesquare.co.cc (techanytime.wordpress.com)

Tips: manage recent document lists in Windows 7

Documents that you’ve recently opened can be easily accessed.

In Windows 7, Microsoft has tweaked the Start menu so that recent documents are easier to access. Many of your applications will have a small arrow to the right – hover over the program name to see a list of files you have previously opened. You can click on any of these entries in order to open up the relevant document or picture.

Right-click on any of the items in the list to access further options – you can pin a certain file to the list if you want to ensure that it’s always available, or remove it from the list if you won’t be needing it any more. Once you get used to this new way of working, you should find that it makes life easier.

Quick Way to Switch to High-Contrast Themes in Windows 7

Do you ever use your laptop in bad lighting situations or where there is a lot of glare? The propensity of PC manufacturers for glossy screens can make reflections a real problem. Windows 7 comes with several themes that provide high contrast and make it easier to read screens in bad lighting. There are various ways to reach the settings but here is a quick keyboard shortcut. Simultaneously hold down the three keys:

left Shift + left Alt + PrtScn

The dialog box shown below will appear. This shortcut can be used as a toggle to turn a high-contrast theme on and off. Click “Yes” to change the theme to high contrast. Repeating the keyboard shortcut will return you to your original theme.

Another way to access high-contrast themes

The standard Windows 7 comes with four high-contrast themes. The shortcut given above only toggles one of these, a black and white theme. To access all of the high-contrast themes, do the following:

1. Right-click an empty spot on the desktop
2. Click “Personalize”
3. Scroll down in the window that is under “Change the visuals and sounds on your computer”
4. Four high-contrast themes are listed at the bottom
5. Click the one you want to try
6. Don’t forget which theme you are switching out of so you can return to it if you wish

How to Configure the Transparency of Window Borders in Windows 7

Microsoft may brag about how great the transparency effects of Windows 7 Aero are but I do not personally see that it adds much to my computing experience. In fact, the transparent borders on windows of Aero themes are a problem when I want to make screenshots for articles.

However, the transparency effects can be configured to suit individual preferences and here is the procedure:

1. Right-click on an empty spot on the desktop.
2. Select “Personalize” from the context menu.
3. At the bottom of the Personalize dialog window, click “Windows Color”.
4. A new window will open as illustrated in the graphic below. The section of interest is outlined in red.
5. To disable transparency effects, remove any check by “Enable transparency”.
6. The transparency effect can be also be kept but with the amount of transparency controlled with the slide bar marked “Color intensity”. Place the mouse pointer on the slide, hold down the left click and move the slide as desired.
7. Any changes you apply can be seen immediately.
8. Once you have configured the settings to your liking, click the button “Save changes”.

And there you are—make them solid or transparent, whichever way you like your windows borders.

Configure search indexing options for Windows Vista and 7

If you want to improve your searches, the best place to start is with the indexing feature itself. In Control Panel, open the Indexing Options window to show the folders in which Windows currently looks for files.

Here, you can choose each folder to include in the index; you can index an entire drive index only certain subfolders. By default, only your personal files are indexed. But if you plan on hacking up Vista as described elsewhere in this book, you may want to index your entire drive.

This will make it easier to find .exe files in the Windows folder, for instance, but doing so will increase the size of the index, which may slow down the rest of your searches. For privacy purposes, you may wish to exclude certain folders by removing them on this list. You can further speed up searches by also excluding folders
you don’t need to search.

Click OK when you’ve selected folders to index, but you’re not done yet. Next, click the Advanced button to open the Advanced Options window. Most of the options shown here are fairly self-explanatory, but what may not be obvious is that Windows won’t index many file types unless you select them by hand in the File Types tab:

Choose only the file types that you want to be indexed to speed up searches. Watch out for more Windows optimization tips!

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Change, Add and Remove Values for File Properties – Windows 7 | Digital Life – http://www.cubesquare.co.cc

When you select a file in Windows 7, properties (or details) about the selected file, such as the author of the file, the size of the file, any tags associated with the file, and the date of the file are displayed. The properties available for a file differ depending on the type of file. For example, the Rating property is available for image files and music files, but not for text files. File properties are displayed in a Details pane at the bottom of the Windows Explorer window.

File properties make it easier to find and organize files. You can search for a file by one of its properties. For example, you can find all image files from a specific author. Libraries allow you to arrange files by properties. If you are browsing the Documents library, you may want to see which files you have most recently changed. To do this, sort the files by the Date modified property by selecting Date modified from the Arrange by drop-down list.

The files are then grouped according to the date they were last modified.

If you don’t see the Details pane at the bottom of the Explorer window, click the Organize button and select Layout | Details pane from the drop-down menu.

NOTE: Any pane on that menu that has an icon to the left of the option name is not displayed on the Explorer window. A pane is visible when there is a check mark to the left of the option name instead of an icon.

The size of the window determines how many of a file’s properties are displayed. You will notice that when you make the Explorer window smaller, less properties are visible in the Details pane. You can adjust the size of the Details pane by moving your mouse over the top border of the pane until you see a double-sided arrow. Click and drag the border of the Details pane to make it bigger or smaller.

More properties display as you enlarge the Details pane.

You can also change the size of the Details pane using a popup menu. Right-click in any empty space on the Details pane (not on the image thumbnail) and select Size from the popup menu. The options Small, Medium, and Large are available on a submenu. The Small option resizes the Details pane to the default size.

NOTE: Selecting Remove properties displays the Remove Properties dialog box, which we discuss later in this post. This dialog box allows you to easily remove values for selected or all properties.

To change the values of a property, move your mouse over the values for the property and click in the edit box that displays. To add a value for the property, simply type the value. To remove a value, click on the value to select it. Press the Backspace key or the Delete key to remove the value. To remove all values for a property, select each value and delete it. To change a value, remove the value you want to change first, then add the new value to replace it.

Once you have changed, added, or removed all the desired values for the properties you want to modify, click Save to save your changes.

You can also change, add, and remove values for properties by right-clicking on the file for which you want to modify properties and selecting Properties from the popup menu.

The Properties dialog box displays. Click the Details tab. To change, add, or remove values for a property, move the cursor over the Value column for the Property you want to modify and click in the edit box.

NOTE: Some properties don’t have an edit box in which you can enter your changes. For example, to change the Rating property, simply click a star to indicate the rating level you want.

Change, add, and remove values for properties as desired and click OK when you have finished making changes.

The Details pane reflects the changes you made to properties on the Properties dialog box for the selected file.

You can also remove values from properties by clicking the Remove Properties and Personal Information link on the Properties dialog box (open the Properties dialog box as mentioned earlier in this post).

The Remove Properties dialog box displays. You can choose to remove all properties from a file or just selected properties. To create a copy of the selected file with all of the properties removed, select the Create a copy with all possible properties removed radio button. This is a safe way to remove all the values from all the properties for a file. The original file is preserved with the values of the properties intact.

To remove only selected properties, select the Remove the following properties from this file radio button. Select the check boxes next to the properties for which you want to clear the values.

Click OK once you have made your choices.

NOTE: The properties themselves are not actually removed. When you remove a property, the values for that property are cleared. The property is still available for the file, in case you want to add any values to it again in the future.

The values for the properties you chose to remove are cleared on the Properties dialog box. Click OK to close the dialog box.

There are some types of files for which you cannot change the file properties. For example, you cannot change the properties of .txt or .rtf files. Some file properties cannot be modified, such as the length of a music file, as is also the case for Windows 7 system files or program files. You must be the owner of a file to be able to modify the file properties of that file. See our post, Easily Take Ownership of Files and Folders in Windows 7, for an easy way to take ownership of files and folders.

by NYK

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Make your Windows-7 Superfast | Digital Life – http://www.cubesquare.co.cc

This is the 3rd tutorial of the “Master Tutorial” series. I have already posted 2 other tutorials for Windows XP

and Windows Vista in past and now its turn of Windows 7.

Although Windows 7 is already very fast and reliable but this tutorial will help you in getting the max performance out of your system.

So without wasting any time, here we start our tutorial:

 

1. Registry Tweaks:

Following topic contains a few registry tweaks to optimize your system performance and add a few useful extras:

Collection of Registry Tweaks for Windows 7

You just need to download the ZIP file, extract it and run the file. It’ll ask for confirmation, accept it. Restart your system to take affect.

2. Right-click on Computer icon on Desktop and select Properties (or press WIN + Pause/Break keys). Now click on Advanced system settings link in left side pane (You can open it directly by giving sysdm.cpl command in RUN or start menu search box). Now click on Settings button in Performance section:

It’ll open another window. Disable all unnecessary options in Visual Effects tab, you can leave following options enabled according to your requirements:

• Enable Aero Peek (If you want to use Aero Peek feature)
• Enable desktop composition (If you want to use Windows Aero theme)
• Enable transparent glass (If you want to use transparency in Windows)
• Show thumbnails instead of icons (If you want to show thumbnails in Explorer)
• Show window contents while dragging (If you want windows to show contents while moving them)
• Smooth edges of screen fonts (If you want to show smooth fonts)
• Use drop shadows for icon labels on the desktop (If you want to show shadows under desktop icon labels)
• Use visual styles on windows and buttons (If you want to use Windows Aero or Basic theme)

3. Open Windows Explorer and go to “Organize -> Folder and Search Options” and click on “View” tab.

Now disable following options:

• Display file size information in folder tips
• Hide extensions for known file types
• Show encrypted or compressed NTFS files in color
• Show pop-up description for folder and desktop items

4. Right-click on Computer icon on Desktop and select Manage (You can also open it directly by giving services.msc command in RUN or start menu search box).

Now go to Services & Applications -> Services. Here you can set a few unnecessary services to Manual, so that these services don’t start automatically with Windows and you can get a faster startup.

Visit following tutorial to know which services can be set to MANUAL to increase system performance:

Windows 7 Services that can be Safely set to MANUAL

5. Type msconfig in RUN or Startmenu search box and press Enter. Now go to Startup tab and disable unwanted startup entries. You can disable your graphics card’s driver utility, Sound Card utility, etc to speed up the system startup and to increase system performance.

6. Open Sound applet in Control Panel (or type mmsys.cpl in RUN or Startmenu search box and press Enter). Now go to Sounds tab and select No Sounds from Sound Scheme section. You can keep some of your favorite sounds enabled but make sure to set Exit Windows, Windows Log off, Windows Logon and Start Navigation to (None).

Also disable “Play Windows Startup sound” option to disable the sound clip which is played at login screen.

7. Also don’t forget to:

• Defrag the hard disk regularly
• Install only necessary software

• Use the latest device drivers
• Keep your Windows up-to-date

After following all the above mentioned points, you’ll definitely notice major improvements in your Windows 7 performance.

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