by sdmike
Norton 2003 "protects" the recycling bin (for some unknown reason). Here's how you turn it back to normal:
Return Recycle Bin back to normal after installing NAV2003
Instead of left clicking on the recycle bin right click on it and that will bring up the empty functions for both the recycle bin and the protected bin. You can also right click on the bin and select properties and that will allow you to configure the recycle bin.

by seadog on Jun-3-03 at 15:12
Correction for Internet Explorer Saves Images As Bitmaps http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;810978
[Delete the Temporary Internet Files from Tools> Internet Options]

by xyste
You can change the default file association with these simple steps. Single-click a file.
Hold the Shift key while right-clicking the file.
Select "Open With..."
Select a program.
Place a check mark next to "Always use this program to open this type of file" if you want to permanently change its file association. Otherwise, this will be a one-time solution.
Click OK.

by bay
See: http://members.aol.com/oldnelly77/page9.htm "13. I can only download to a .ART or .BMP file and then I can't use the image anywhere?
AOL and some other clients use a custom image format and have to be told to save files in their real format.
There is a setting in AOL that determines if you can save a file in anything other than AOL's native .ART file format.
From the "My AOL" menu, choose "Preferences" then the "Web Graphics" tab, then de-select "Use Compressed Graphics". Then saving should work correctly for you."

And here's a pretty version with lots of pics: http://www.maryhallmarshall.com/aol.html

by xystenever compress and then restart your computer.

by magieb on May-9-03 at 4:02
See lower half of page about convering AOL - Art files http://www.practiceboard.com/?74958

by xyste on May-9-03 at 5:18
I use ACDsee for this but I'm sure there are many graphics programs that can do this:
Open ACDsee
Highlight your main graphics
folder & be sure the box 'include all sub-folders' is checked.
Search *.bmp
Rt click and click Select All
Rt click and click Convert. Chose Jpg & chose Replace converted file. Repeat search on *.art and then convert.

Apply this if you have an accumulation of these files to deal with.

by parpat on Apr-21-03 at 19:21
Download this USR modem identifier ..... Modem IDer http://www.usr.com/download/v92/miu.exe

-------

I am attempting to find the updated drivers for the USRobotics 56K VoiceFaxModem Pro USB External.

by tride on Apr-22-03 at 8:35
Go to driverguide.com type in drivers and all for passwords and I'm sure they have it. They have everything else I ever looked for.

This is a list for forum users of some handy programs and where to get them. Most have been recommended on the site from time to time. There are, of course, others around but these I like. In listing them, I do not take personal responsibility for them working successfully. As with all "messing", if you don’t know what you are doing either don’t do it or do a system backup before you "mess" :-)

Adaware from www.lavasoft.com scans your system and removes spyware, often a cause of system problems.

Delindex.bat is a superb program written by Renaissance Man on this forum for deleting the hidden index files and other records which track your internet use, etc. ftp://ftp.burzurq.com/delindex/index.html

Sisoft Sandra from www.sisoftware.demon.co.uk/sandra analyses and troubleshoots your system, e.g. Bios, 3D rendering, OpenGL, Direct X, CPU, performance, overclocking etc. It offers advice on how to improve your settings. (Some people comment that it sometimes produces inaccurate readings, however.)

The Fresh suite of utilities consists of three programs. Fresh Diagnose analyses your hardware and software, Fresh Download claims to speed up your internet downloads, Fresh UI gives you options for optimising Windows. www.freshdevices.com/

TweakUi from Microsoft at http://www.microsoft.com/ntworkstation/downloads/powertoys/networking/nttweakui.asp enables you to customise the interface, icons, control panel items, change menu settings, repair icons, etc.

Bios from www.geocities.com/mbockelkamp will tell you all you need to know about your Bios, including beep codes, extensions, passwords, etc. This version is Dos based but there is also a Windows version Win Bios available.

Regcleaner is often recommended and for good reason. It displays details of left over mess from uninstalled programs and enables you to delete it from the registry (always backup first!). From www.vtoy.fi/jv16/index.shtml

WCPUID from www.h-oda.com reports details of your chipset, CPU and motherboard. Handy before installing new drivers.

Motherboard Monitor from http://mbm.livewiredev.com monitors system temperature, fan health and warns of failure. Handy if you overclock.

Xteq Systems X-Setup from www.xteq.com/downloads/index.html helps you to change hard to reach games and system settings.

Belarc Advisor from http://www.belarc.com/free_download.html analyses and reports on all details of your system and can identify with serial numbers most of your hardware components. Great if you’ve lost the details of your modem or video card etc.

hwinfo /ui which is built into Windows does a similar job and is accessed by going to start, run, type hwinfo /ui and press enter

www.pcpitstop.com/ offers a complete test analysis of your system and gives you statistics on how well your components are running, also makes suggestions for improvements. Beware of consistent reports that your hard drives are underperforming because if you have two installed on the same IDE channel (which you should if you have 2 drives) or if you have anti-virus software running then they will usually report underperformance.

Personal firewalls are a good idea to block unwanted access to your PC. Zone Alarm is available at www.zonelabs.com/products/za/index.html while Tiny Personal Firewall is available at www.tinysoftware.com

End it All is a program which will close down background programs prior to running scandisk or defragmenting your PC saves on the irritating interruption of a scan by a restart http://home.ptd.net/~don5408/toolbox/enditall/

System restore remover does just that http://defsoft.iwarp.com/

http://housecall.antivirus.com/pc_housecall/ gives you a free virus check

Cacheman claims to improve system performance by freeing up more memory and helping to reclaim memory not freed by badly written programs when they close. There are differing views on its efficacy which you can read by searching the forum. www.outertech.com

Pop-up stopper helps to control ad banners and pop-ups www.panicware.com

"Recently, Macromedia became aware of potential security issues with Macromedia Flash Player. A new version of Macromedia Flash Player fixes these issues to protect our users from any content that attempts to execute this type of malicious code. Macromedia categorizes this issue as a critical update and recommends users immediately update to the newest player."

by toycop.gif on Jan-12-03 at 17:58
Memory test http://www.simmtester.com/PAGE/products/doc/docinfo.asp (free)

by sdmike1 on Mar-06-03 at 13:24
pretty good article on memory:
Understanding PC2700 (DDR333) and PC3200 (DDR400) Memory [and more] http://www.upgradingandrepairingpcs.com/articles/upgrade12_02_02.asp

by seadog on Feb-25-03 at 13:25
810978 - Internet Explorer Saves Images As Bitmaps (.bmp Files) http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;810978

That fixed the problem. Thank you very much!!

"Ad-aware is an adware removal utility, that scans your memory, registry and hard drives for known datamining, aggressive advertising, and tracking components and lets you remove them safely."

See the Lavasoft Support Forum for recent clarification about AAW ver 6:
http://www.lavasoftsupport.com/index.php?act=ST&f=24&t=4160&s=82b0df352ff37564dcb2382c10fb70e4

by *bay* on Mar-12-03 at 19:37
Make sure you download the latest version of Adaware (build 162)......updating and running build 160 can leave you without an internet connection. If you have build 160 installed, it's recommended that you uninstall it and download build 162, then update it. Blindly letting Adaware delete certain spyware can also leave you without an internet connection and may create other problems. Read the Adaware forums for instructions on how to delete some (new.net, webhancer, etc) spyware. Most require you to stop the program from running in the task manager and then uninstall it from add/remove programs. Read up on how to back up what you're going to let Adaware delete and learn how to restore that backup incase there is a problem. There is a lost internet connection fix available on the forum but it doesn't always work.

I know of two instances where a user let Adaware delete everything it found and they ended up fdisking, formatting and reloading windows. The internet connection fix didn't work.

by toycop on Jan-17-03
Spybot Search and Destroy takes m$'s alexa out among many other new stuff; run the update and look at the settings to see that it marks certain areas you know are fine and dandy such as backwebs, nero, etc. http://security.kolla.de/

by sdmike1 on Jan-08-03 at 13:19
Best, or pretty good and reasonably priced? I would say that Cisco has the best reputation right now with their Aironet products, but you pay for the name and quality. I'm aware of several people who have used Linksys and are very happy, and the price is very reasonable too. You can get the wireless router AND a network card together for around $100 if you shop around. D-Link and Netgear are also pretty mainstream. I use a wired Netgear router and have 0 problems.

Symantec Hoax List http://www.symantec.com/avcenter/hoax.html

by *bay* on Dec-20-02 at 16:48
Be careful deleting duplicate files or you may end up with a program that doesn't work anymore.....maybe worse.....know what you're deleting.....a few duplicates added to the thousands of hidden files that you don't know about won't hurt.....lol

by sdmike1 on Dec-20-02 at 16:52
Cleansweep has a duplicate file finder, but I have chosen not to use it. A lot of DLL files are duplicated in a windows system, but deleting any of them is very risky. You never know which ones are shared by multiple programs, and in which location each program is looking for the file. However, looking for orphaned files or eliminating entries in the registry that refer to non-existing files can be a good thing.

by xyste on Dec-20-02 at 17:08
I run WinDoctor to keep an orderly registry.