Repairing a Malware-Damaged PC

Introduction:

The process of malware removal is a seemingly candid one; it is only a matter of two to three clicks and all the defected material goes out of the window in just few minutes, courtesy of a decent antivirus tool. However, it must be noted that even if these few security packages, targeting malware-damage that your PC might have been going through, make your PC seem a bit ‘well-off’, in actuality they might be doing the opposite. Yes you heard that right, these security packages can actually cause some programs to work slower or; in fact, not function at all (Talk about adding insult to..malware-damaged).

Now then, question is what is the way out? We shall come to that in a bit but before that first we need to redeem the PC to a virus-free condition via restoration of a pre-infection full complement backup or re-installation of Windows. Yes it is time-consuming and even a bigger hassle for some of you, but better be safe than sorry, correct?

Antivirus

Second, although a more cumbersome, method is to manually sort and scold all those areas that the malware may well have damaged in the PC. Personally, the former is more preferable and most probably the one you shall choose as you may just be spending loads of time on trying to sort malware-damaged areas of the PC and finally find yourself reinstalling Windows anyway. As evident in the aforementioned paragraphs, repairing a malware-damaged PC can be a nuisance more often than not. However, this post shall guide you on how you may safely resist the temptation of dumping your good ol’ PC pal and help your PC get rid of any malware that decides to stick to it.

Getting Started

There are often times when, upon completion of a brief system scan, the antivirus installed on your PC indicates that there is no malware detected; however, the PC continues to function, unusually strange. No, we will not call it forgery on part of the PC; there are chances of malware stuck in there, afterall. Just to be on the safe side and to make sure that there is no active malware, run a full system scan on the PC with all detection options checked. Of course, it is always advisable to try other solid security packages, like G Data’s antivirus (trial). Otherwise, if you are looking for an efficient giveaway product, Malwarebytes Anti-Malware may well be a good option to try.

Malware Bytes

Do bear in mind that having more than one security packages installed on your PC might as well contribute towards the misbehaviour of your PC. Therefore, you would want to make sure that in an attempt of repairing malware, you do not end up slowing down your PC (Conflict between two antivirus packages tends to do that). You should also have Windows check itself for missing or damaged files within the system: it is easy. If you have Windows XP installed on your PC, click  Start > All Programs > Accessories > Command Prompt. On the contrary, in case of Windows 7 Start > All Programs > Accessories. Now, right click a Command Prompt couple and then, Run As Administrator. Following this, a new window will open up, whereby you will be required to type SFC/ SCANNOW and press ENTER.

Restoring Default Settings

How often do we get fooled in our lifetime-aplenty. Well, a malware damage might just be another entry into the records. Why I say that is because what seems like a malware damage could be a corollary of some unapproved tweaks to some key settings in the PC. In such a case, restoration of system default settings easily resolves the issue. It is important to note here that all the customizations applied shall be lost on doing this, so you would want to make sure that these tweaks are applied only to areas that are genuinely causing problems.

Explorer is rather vulnerable to malware, so do not be ruffled if the settigns on your PC’s explorer get messed up as a result of malware or otherwise. The solution is simple: Click Tools > Folder Options > General/View/Search tab > Restore Defaults.

Malware Issues

If a desired program seizes to load while you are, say, trying to send an email, click Start > Default Programs. Choose ”Set program access and computer defaults”  and it will allow you to chose your default web browser, email program, media player and much more. On the contrary, the latter would allow you to make an application a default selection for all file types and protocols, so you won’t have to repeat the process everytime.

In case, Internet Explorer seems to be a cause of concern amidst all the malware-damaged PC speculation, click Start > Control Panel > Network > Internet. If you have the slightest of ideas about what might have gone wrong , try your hand at restoring the settings pertinent to the issue.

If you are sick and tired of going through the motions and would like to go the wham, bam and thank you ma’am way click, Internet Options > Advanced > Reset. This will fully restore all Internet Explorer defaults and clear everything that was previously saved in the IE settings.

Recovery Tools

We understand that you are only just human (No, no puppy faces please) and going through such long PC recovery procedures might just be an exercise too much for your liking. Good news is that there are even more substitutes, free recovery tools. Yes, we treat as somewhat our final resort but trust me they work like a charm if they are really required that is. However, worth-noting here is the fact that these are to be tried only if a full system back up is available with you. If you think you are good to go, Complete Internet Repair is quite a bit of a starter (Yeah, very much like the one that you get for breakfast). Not only will this repair networking issue but repairing Internet Explorer is also a plus involved.

SMART Recovery

 

Moreover, SMART is as smart a tool as the name suggests. It helps reset the Windows services to defaults and allow safe repairs. Moving on, the Windows Repair Tool may be the last but definitely not the least of all Recovery tools that makes repairing  an easy task. Whether it is about solving Registry and file system problems or repairing icons and making changes to proxy settings, it is one utility that surely worth a try.

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How to take Ownership (Full Control) of Files or Folders in Windows

Taking ownership or permissions for a file or folder is necessary when it comes to changing the system files. Most of the time it is the themes, skins, other customization or just patching a host file. Even if you are an administrator, you won’t have permissions to edit or even rename the system files. In this article, we’ll show you how to take the ownership of these files or folders, in case you want to modify or replace them.

Take Ownership of a file or folder automatically:

This is a very simple method to take ownership of a file or folder. Just download this file to your computer, extract it and merge the Add Take Ownership Option.reg file in your registry by double clicking it.  Click Yes, when asked for permission. As soon as you’re done with this, you’ll see an option added to the right-click context menu. Right Click on a file and folder and from there you can take the ownership of it.

Ownership Context Menu

 

Manual way to take the ownership of a file or folder:

If you are getting problems with the automatic way, follow these instructions to get this ownership and full permissions to files or folders manually.

Keep in mind the following method works for almost every version of Windows. Administrator accounts in Windows 8 already have full permissions to the files.

  • Go to the folder which contains the file or folder on which you want to take ownership. In this case it was C:\Windows\System32 , Right-click on the file and select Properties.
  • In the Properties dialog, go to Security tab, select your username from the given list. Notice that you don’t have Full Control of this file.

Taking Permissions

  • Click on “Advanced” button and go to “Owner” tab. You’ll see that the owner would be set to “TrustedInstaller“.

TrustedInstaller

  • Click on “Edit” button, select your username given in “Change owner to” section and click on “Apply” button. It’ll ask for confirmation, click on OK button.

CurrentOwner

Windows Security

  • Exit from both Ownership dialog boxes and come to the first Properties window again. Now select your username again and click on “Edit” button.

Editing Permissions

  • Select your username and click on “Allow” checkbox given for “Full control” option. Click on “Apply” button and then OK. It’ll ask for confirmation, click on Yes button.

Get Permissions

Windows Security2

  • Now you’ll have full permission on the file or folder.

Full Permissions

That’s it, now you can modify, replace or delete a system file without a problem, just make sure to take a backup of that file before modifying it.

Top Five XBox 360 Tips and Tricks

Introduction:

The Microsoft XBox 360 has been around for quite a while now. If you are the adventurer sort, we suspect you must have dug well into your XBox 360 and unearthed all the features it possesses. However, no matter how effective your endeavours of digging deep into your XBox 360 console is, eight out of ten times you are highly likely to have missed out on a few vital tips and tricks. This is precisely what the theme of today’s post is-unveil the top five XBox 360 tips and tricks. We realize that there would be a minority of people who already have some idea of a few tips and tricks that we are about to highlight but that is really beyond the purpose of this post. Our prime purpose is to enlighten our viewers and as always, we stick to those basics and bring you the best from the world of technology. Now then, let us quickly move to the top five XBox 360 tips and tricks that you XBox 360 fans may very well want to know about.

Tips and Tricks


1. Connect the XBox 360 to dual screens

Oh yes, this one has got to be the best one of the lot. Now you can enjoy all the XBox 360 entertainment off two television screens, instead of merely one! First thing’s first, if you are to try this you would require the composite (yellow-coloured) and component (red, green and blue), dual video cables that are not at all tough to find (Since they come with your XBox 360 console in the box-duh!). As for the trick involved, it’s not a very tough one to exercise really but certainly one that is a tempting prospect. Simply, flick the switch of the cable to the Standard Definition. Now this is where the magic lies, connect the composite to one television and the component cables to the other. Voila! Try it for yourself and admire.

XBox 360 on multiple screens

2. Connect the XBox 360 to wireless without the use of an adaptor

So you’re tired of having to loosen the grip off your pockets for the extra goodies that, one feels, should have been in the box on time of purchase of the XBox 360? Not to mention, the official Microsoft wireless adaptor is one of those priced amenities. Now the good thing about this trick that we are about to showcase here is that the cruelly-priced official wireless adaptor is not a necessity for wireless internet connectivity with the XBox 360. Fortunately or unfortunately, a laptop with Wi-Fi is all that you require for this. Simply open Control Panel on the laptop -> Network Connections (with Windows XP)/Network Sharing -> Manage Network Connections (with Windows Vista). Upon seection of Local Area Conection and Wireless Network Connection, bridge connections after right-clicking.

XBox 360 Wireless Adaptor

3. Hook up an HDMI cable; however, get Digital Surround Sound

The new XBox 360 units, despite having HDMI output for the sole purpose of optimal video quality, have been designed in such a way that with the standard ports do not allow for connection of the standard component/composite video cable while an HDMI has been connected to the XBox 360. Yet again, do get things done the way you want, or even close to your wishes to say the least, Microsoft demands loosening the grips off your pockets (For  the official HDMI cable with audio adapter this time around). Naah, nevermind we would suggest. You must have noticed the large plastic box at the end of the standard video cable. Even if you haven’t, insert some tool (preferably a knife) in the joint and pull it off. Consequences are a tad messy, yet rewarding. Well, atleast you get your wish.

HDMI

4. Play All Formats of Media Files on the XBox 360

If you are not one of the vast majority of those who only uses its beloved XBox 360 for gaming purposes, but also to listen to songs, watch videos and tinker with other forms of media, you would know of the meaningless limitations that Microsoft imposes on you so as to restrict you from playing video/audio formats of your choice. Tversity comes across as an avid free application which is brilliant solution to all such issues. This one also requires a PC alright, but once again the rewards that one reaps are really well worth it. Be it a simple RM. file or online video URLs from Youtube, this peach of an application will can and convert all your media and ofcourse, allow you easy access to all of it from the comfort of your XBox 360 remote controller.

Tversity

5. Reset the Video Settings on the XBox 360

We can safely regard this as a tip more than a confidential report. Well, tere would be plenty of you who are in a habit of carrying your XLove (XBox 360) with you to friends’ places and obviously, that would require connecting your XBox 360 to different displays altogether. In such cases, it is often observed that a defected signal is output resulting in no display on the screen or a mere flickering screen. No, don’t cry (Your XBox 360 ain’t dead yet). The only simple thing to try here is to shut down the XBox 360 and turn it back on with the XBox 360 controller. While the XBox 360 console is still in the process of booting, press and hold the ‘Y’ button followed by the right trigger (RT). The video settings have now been reset..Tada!

System Settings

 Closing Comments:

So that’s all we have for you in our Top Five XBox 360 Tips and Tricks. We do hope that each one of these would seem like a pleasant surprise to most of you and more importantly, you get the execution of each one of them right. Our honest advice would be to follow all the instructions carefully because surely, you wouldn’t want to cause any damage to your pretty XBox 360. All in all, you’re all set to umm.. rediscover your XBox 360. Go on, try it for yourself. Peace!

If you have any tips or tricks for the Xbox360, do share them with us in the comments below. If you have questions, add them too.

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Open .rar Files On Your iOS for Mac

Overview:

There is no denying the fact that zipped files come in handy more often than not; although, they may very well become a pain in the backside (Yes, that!) if you have no access to unzipping them. WinRAR has come across as a ridiculously useful tool in this regard; only for Windows though. Being lightweight, flexible, and convenient-to-use, WinRAR is able to unpack as well as compress most archive formats for Windows. Question is, what becomes of the Mac users in that case? A very valid question, to be honest. Now then, if you are one of those many experienced Mac users who are already having trouble opening zipped files on your Mac devices, if you are a Mac newbie it is doubly beneficial in that case, you may feel at home and get ready to break the shackles as we provide you the solution to your file extension issues on the Mac.

Now open .rar files on your mac with… UnRarX.

Enter the UnRarX:

Oh yes, before you start rolling on the floor in sheer excitement and joy let us brief you on the application itself before we get to the typical how-tos. So, what exactly is UnRarX and how it has come about, that is the question. To put it simply, UnRarX is the new WinRAR, for Mac of course. UnRarX comes across as a highly useful utility for the Mac OS that is, by far, the best in the business really. Yes, it is true indeed. Equipped with a fluid and simple interface, UnRarX has become a very popular choice among users (Those who are already familiar with the utility that is) courtesy of its reliability and ease of operation. The basic amenities that have been made part of the simple; yet, crude interface include: single log window with options to test, browse, extract, enter a password for protected archive and drag and drop functionalities. As far as its ranking in the OS market is concerned, the UnRarX enjoys an exalted standard (the high success rate of the extension speaks for it) as it is considered to be one of the best and most robust file extension utility available for Mac to date. What’s more, its free of cost!

UnRarX Download Page

Procedure/s on operation of the UnRarX:

First thing’s first, you need to download the UnRarX from the official UnRarX website (the link to which has been provided at the end of this very paragraph). Upon visiting the UnRarX webpage, simply click on the download button for UnRarX. For those of you having trouble spotting too large buttons, an arrow key on the page indicates the location of the download button we are talking about (Shouldn’t be that tough though). Anyway, upon successful download of the utility you may drag it to the dock (Yes, the one that usually sits at the bottom of the screen). You are all set from there on in, simply download an application (A theme for instance) and if you are lucky enough (Only if you have UnRarX) the file might well appear as a .rar file upon download. So, what do you do now? Not a problem at all. Simply, open up the UnRarX utility that you have downloaded to your Mac and drag the downloaded application into the UnRarX window. In case there is a password set for the file, simply type it in so as to gain access. Plus, test the file with ease and browse the content in the file. All of these buttons are provided in the UnRarX window that provide a drop-down menu; thereby, paving way for easy access to the contents of the file.

Download your UnRarX from here.

UnRarX You Should Download:

Well, there have been plenty of versions already released for the file extension utility; however, the latest one is the most noticeable of the lot, and rightly so. Version 2.2 is the Universal Binary version of UnRarX. Being the latest one of the lot, UnRarX version 2.2 includes: current universal binary versions of unrar, par2 command line applications and automatic update functionality, courtesy of Sparkle Framework.

It is highly important to note, though, that there are manual means of downloading the binaries of the file extension utility, especially for those of you who are unable to gain access to the latest up-to-date version of UnRarX for one reason or another. However, since we have already provided the link to UnRarX in this post we seriously believe that manual update of the binaries is really not a necessity here.

UnRarX Interface

Final Word:

To sum it up, feel free to open .rar files on your Mac with UnRarX without any hassle. Be it a case of splitting a .rar file into multiple RAR files or extracting a password protected file, allow UnRarX to do the favours and make life easy for you, and all of this at zero cost! Try it and we are sure you will admit that UnRarX is the best.

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Microsoft Applications to be Ported to Symbian Phones

Overview:

We have certainly heard of video games being ported to next-gen gaming consoles but the news of some free Microsoft applications making a mark on Nokia’s Symbian phones has caught us with surprise for sure.Nokia hopes to give these applications home following a release of a flurry of updates (three in total to be exact) in the fourth quarter of the year. It is important to note; however, that these updates will be made available for only those who own Symbian phones that run Symbian Belle (the newest version of the Symbian OS).

The First Wave of Applications/Updates:

The very first round of mobile applications and updates to roll is has been scheduled for this year. Yes, that’s all. Let us simply move on to the first round of updates whose release is expected in year 2011.

Microsoft OneNote

This one is an avid application that brings allows taking notes on the go and synchronization of notes is also made possible with the SkyDrive online storage service.

Microsoft Lync 2010 Mobile

This cream of an application promises to offer easy-to-use instant messaging services along with web-based meetings.

Microsoft Document Connection

This one will make your day if you are office-going and have to view various e-mail attachments  and documents stored on mobile devices and on SharePoint 2010 sites.

Microsoft Powerpoint Broadcast

This application brings your Powerpoint presentations from PC directly to your mobile devices.

The Second and Third Wave of Applications/Updates

Both, the second and third rounds of applications and updates has been scheduled for the next year. While the second wave of applications and updates is slated for early 2012, the release date of the third round of the package has not been mentioned yet. However, Microsoft and Microsoft Excel will surely be added as native applications in the upcoming second wave, come the first quarter of year 2012.

Quote/Unquote:

It is worth mentioning here that Stephen Elop, the CEO of Nokia announced that Nokia will continue to invest in Symbian OS until 2016, despite the company making inroads into the Windows Phone OS.

Nokia’s official web blog also confirmed that, ”These updates are yet another confirmation that Nokia has not done making investments and introducing innovation into the Symbian platform.”

It further adds, ”There will be more updates in 2012 and more devices to come…Symbian is hugely important to our future ambitions and this latest announcement is just another example of the role that Symbian will play.”

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Top Five Upcoming Phones for this Fall

Overview:

So you’re looking to buy a new cellular phone for yourself (maybe even your girlfriend or boyfriend), eh? Well, what if we told you to hold your horses for some more time and resist the temptation of letting loose the weight on your pockets (not too hard a task unless you are a spoilt brat). Nevertheless, with 4G made use of by a number of carriers and manufacturers, a wide variety of some of the most promising phones has been announced. To be honest, there is quite a LOT lined up ranging from Ice Cream Sandwiches (Android 4.0) to Mangoes (Microsoft Windows 7 Phone) [life certainly seemed to be a lot simpler when Apples, Mangoes and Ice Creams were only just eatables]. We, therefore, bring you this special edition on the five upcoming phones releasing later this year, hence we invite you to read on.

1. Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc S

Quite similar to how Samsung has been playing its cards immaculately well, Sony Ericsson has not done too bad at all this year; infact, it turns out that almost all Sony Ericsson Xperia phones released in the recent past enjoyed a great response from all and sundry. Following Sony’s relatively older announcement that was based around the idea of updating all the latest Sony Ericsson Xperia phones to Android 2.3.4 that brought with itself a world of goodies. Now comes the genuinely awesome part: earlier today, Sony decided to go an extra mile and confirmed that all the Xperia phones will be updated to Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. With all these latest developments, Sony’s recently announced Android OS v2.3 (Gingerbread) phone, Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc S, seems to be stepping in the limelight at a steady pace. Expected in the final quarter of 2011, Xperia Arc S is an 8 Megapixels auto focus snapper with LED flash that is expected to come equipped with a 4.2 inches LED-backlit scratch resistant  LCD. The 1.4 GHz Scorpion processor, Sony Mobile BRAVIA Engine and more importantly and the new Honeycomb OS version (Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich) will certainly beef up this peach of a device (if all goes well and Sony doesn’t try anything ‘cocky’ that is).

P.S: The newly announced OS (Ice Cream Sandwich) is said to include various NFC options, Xbox Kinect-like feature called Virtual Camera Operator, USB hub support, and so on.

Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc S

 

2. Nokia N9

The Nokia N8 had its fair share of praise and criticism following its release. The Nokia N9 starts off from where the Nokia N8 left and dons a premium-quality hard plastic finish (something that most people would not mind too much, we suspect). The magnificent 3.9 inches AMOLED display will be the main attraction for Nokia N9, besides the foremost significant factor of bringing the all-new MeeGo OS, v1.2 Harmattan to this very device for the very first time. The new user interface looks and performs well and we can safely assume that a leap of faith from Maemo to a new OS possibly could not have been bigger. User-friendly and fluid within itself, the new MeeGo OS promises to offer good support to the Nokia N9 device. It is a little too early to comment on applications and certain other goodies for the phone until its release but there are a few noticeable ones that are worth mentioning here. The gorgeous AMOLED display coupled with 1GHz Cortex A8 CPU will allow for some fluid web browsing experience for sure. Some great names like Angry Birds Magic (NFC), Galaxy on Fire 2 and Real Golf 2011 have already been announced for MeeGo OS; hence, it would be interesting to see how all of this unfolds as the release date of Nokia N9 draws nearer and nearer.

Nokia N9

 

3. Samsung Galaxy Note

Whatever Samsung does these days, it seems to do pretty well. Like an Osain Bolt in a 200-metre marathon race, Samsung is playing the part of a pace-setter, magnificently well. With some handsome inductions like 4G and Super AMOLED Plus screen technology, the latest Samsung handsets never really failed to impress. Following the success of the recently released Galaxy S series, Samsung Galaxy Note is right around the corner. As expected, the phone promises high quality presentation and performance as this beauty is said to don a 5.3 inches Super AMOLED capacitive touchscreen, an 8 Megapixels autofocus camera with LED flash and 2Megapixels secondary camera, Android OS v2.3 (Gingerbread), Dual-core 1.4GHz ARM Cortex-A9 processor and various other amenities that really make for a great all-round performer.

Samsung Galaxy Note

 

4. HTC Titan

As you would most probably acknowledge, HTC is renowned for infusing extra bit of style and design in its cellular phones than most manufacturers out there. Announced in August this year, the HTC Titan will come with a reasonably big (4.7 inches) S-LCD capacitive touchscreen and a powerful 1.5 GHz Scorpion processor, both of which will make viewing videos and browsing the web a boon. Like most new touchscreen phones, the phone will come with an 8 Megapixels autofocus camera with LED flash but the most significant bit about the phone is that it will be one of the first to home the all new Windows Phone 7 Mango OS. We are seriously hoping that HTC will not let us down and will not at all turn out to be a be a bad port for the new OS (afterall, all things in life require a grand beginning).

HTC Titan

 

5. Motorola Pro

We genuinely believe there has been too much centre-stage offered to giant touchscreen hunks, which is why we decided to include a qwerty smartphone. Oh yes you got that right, Motorola Pro is the name of the game (not literally). Announced for late 2011, this 3.1 inch smartphone looks very promising with a nice and slick design and some ouch sensitive controls. The 5 Megapixels camera with dual LED flash and 1 GHz ARM Cortex-A8 processor certainly make the phone sound like a mini powerhouse. Designed for Android OS v2.2 (Froyo), Motorola Pro really does seem to be shaping up as a powerful competitor for its predecessors and other related phones of its stature.

Motorola Pro

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Use Digital Signatures to Sign, Secure and Verify Your Documents

In the real, non-web, off-line, tangible world we use hand sketched signatures, official stamps or thumb marks (for old schoolers) to verify our documents. These types of signatures verify that the certain document has been written, approved or forwarded by the person who signed or stamped it. The problem with the ever increasing usage of online sources of communication caused the issue of verification on the web. Almost all the large, medium and small sized business use emails as their primary source of communication. If this is the case then surely there must be some ways to verify and sign your important papers online.

Use digital signatures to secure and verify your document while on the web. Digital signatures not only verify and secure the document but also assure the receiver that the document received is not forged in between. Let’s have a look at one of the most amazing application that makes it easy to digitally sign and verify documents: XolidoSign!

XolidoSign supports digital signature formats including advanced CadES-C, CadES-T, CadES-XL and PKCS7/CMS. Xolidosign doesn’t restrict you for file size so you can sign document of any size. With Xolidosign you can also stamp documents with time stamps. The verification is performed using the Smart Verification utility.

For authenticating a document, go to Verify tab, select the document and click Start Process. There are two ways of verifying the documents: Smart Verification utility and manual. With SVU, an automatic process starts to check associations between files, e-signatures and time stamps. It then returns you validity status for the signature, files and time stamps. With the latter format, file will be checked against a specified signature.

XolidoSign

To digitally sign any document, go to Sign tab, select the document to be signed, certificate (you can import certificate from your Windows Certificate Store, including those on your SmartCards) and the output folder. Click Start Process after selecting any required options like enabling time stamps.

If you want to view a detailed report, click View Report to get the details of a verified document. This report includes details like: status of the signature integrity, validity period, signer trust, revocation status, and certificate authority.

Now there is no need of printing the soft copies, signing them manually and scanning them for resending. Just use digital signatures to secure and verify your documents!

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