How to Enable Registry Editor

To enable registry editor that was disabled by some malware please do the following to regain access and perform maintenance:

Enable Registry Editor using Group Policy Editor
1. Click on the Start > Run and type ”gpedit.msc” on the field (without “).
2. Navigate to:
- User Configuration
- Administrative Templates-
- System.

3. On the option: Prevent access to registry editing tools
4. Click Disabled and click on the OK button to save settings.
5. Reboot your computer.

Enable Registry Editor Using Free Tool
RRT or Remove Restrictions Tool is a free tool to enable access to different Windows process disbaled by virus infections.

This tool is used to enable access to:
- Registry Tools (regedit

)
- Ctrl+Alt+Del
- Folder Options
- Show Hidden Files

Download RRT: click here to donwload

Enable Registry Editor Using Registry Keys
If the above procedure does not work. You may also use a tool to reset registry keys here. Make sure to backup your registry before making any changes.

Posted in: Computer Related Problems

How To Enable Folder Options in Windows Explorer

Malware often drops itself as a hidden file and then disables the Folder Options menu in Windows Explorer so you can't change the settings to view Hidden Files and Folders. If you are unable to access the Tools | Folder Options in Windows Explorer, here's how to modify the registry to regain access to the Folder Options menu.

1. Click Start
2. Click Run
3. Type REGEDIT
4. Click OK
   The Registry Editor will now open
5. Browse to the following key:
   HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer
   Note: HKCU stands for HKEY_CURRENT_USER
6. In the right pane, look for the value: NoFolderOptions
7. Right click NoFolderOptions and select Delete. (When prompted with "Are you sure you want to delete this value", select Yes.
8. Now browse to the following key:
   HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer
   Note: HKLM stands for HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE
9. In the right pane, look for the value: NoFolderOptions
10. Right click NoFolderOptions and select Delete. (When prompted with "Are you sure you want to delete this value", select Yes.
11. Close the Registry by choosing File | Exit
12. You should now be able to access the Folder Options menu. If not, reboot into Safe Mode and repeat the steps outlined above.

Posted in: Computer Related Problems

When Windows Won't Shut Down

How to automatically kill hung processes when you try to shut down Windows.

Sometimes Windows gets itself in a huff and won't shut down properly for some reason. You try to shutdown your system and nothing happens for a while, and then a dialog appears telling you that a task won't shut down and you can press End Now if you want to end it now, or you can wait for Windows to try and end it itself. Well you can avoid that hassle by making a simple registry tweak (but remember to backup your registry before editing it!). Here's how:

1. Open Regedit and navigate to HKU\.Default\Control Panel\Desktop

2. Double-click on AutoEndTasks

3. Change the value from 0 to 1

4. Reboot your machine

Now hung processes will end automatically when you try to shutdown or reboot your machine. One caveat: a hung process means something is wrong, and anytime you kill a hung process (whether manually or automatically) you risk possible data loss.

Posted in: Computer Related Problems

Repairing an Application

Five ways to try and repair corrupt applications without reinstalling from scratch.

If the registry settings for an application become corrupt, there are several methods you can use to try and repair them. Here are some of these methods, in order of escalation. I'm assuming that the application was well-designed and comes with a Windows Installer package for installing the application on your system.

• Open the application, select Help from the menu, and click Detect and Repair.

• Open Control Panel, open Add Or Remove Programs, select the application, click Change, and follow the instructions presented to repair the application.

• Click Start, then Run, type msiexec /fu package or msiexec /fm package to repair either the per-user or per-computer settings as desired. Here package is the .msi file used to install the application. This method is great for administrators since you can repair apps remotely using this approach.

• regedit.exe and navigate to HKCU\Software\Company\Program\Version\

or

• HKLM\Software\Company\Program\Version\

and delete either the per-user or per-computer settings for the application (but back up the registry first!) and then restart the application. This is the method of next to last resort.

• Copy the registry keys for your application from another computer with similar configuration to your machine and on which the same version of the same application is installed. This is definitely the method of last resort, but it can work—sometimes!

Posted in: Computer Related Problems

Disable New Hardware Wizard

How to disable all new hardware prompts.

Sometimes you may want to completely disable the Found New Hardware Wizard on a machine, for example when you have hardware with a device that a driver is no longer available for and you don't want to keep getting reminded, or when you want to be able to plug/unplug devices without getting a prompt. On Windows XP you can do this as follows:

under the registry key HKLM\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\PlugPlay\Parameters you'll find (or may need to create) a REG_DWORD value named SuppressUI and assign it the value of 0x1.

Note that modifying the registry can be hazardous, and this registry value is undocumented and therefore is likely unsupported by Microsoft, so be sure to test this carefully before implementing it in production. And if you don't want to hack to registry to disable this wizard, you follow another approach and install the Null driver for the problem devices by writing an inf file for them as described in http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms791321.aspx.

Posted in: Computer Related Problems

Finding your product key

How to determine your product key for a Windows or Office installation.

If you need to determine the product key of your machine, there's a useful utility you can use to do this. Magical Jelly Bean Keyfinder can retrieve product keys for all versions of Microsoft Windows and Microsoft Office. This can be a lifesaver if you need to rebuild a machine you're having problems with and you can't locate your product key. You can get Magical Jelly Bean Keyfinder from http://www.magicaljellybean.com/keyfinder.shtml.

Posted in: Computer Techniques

How to run your own application when Windows Starts?

This article explains a registry entry which you can use to run your application instead of Windows default Shell (Explorer.exe).

By default, the Windows default Shell (Explorer.exe) is initiated to show the user desktop. You can change this behavior by replacing the Explorer.exe with your own application name at the registry.

Key: HKEY_Local_Machine\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon

Entry Name: Shell

Value: Explorer.exe

Replace Explorer.exe with your application name. Please make sure you enter the exact path of the application. You need to ask your users to log off and log on for the changes to take affect.

Posted in: Computer Techniques

How To Delete System Blocked Files

You will get the following error messages when you try to delete a file/folder which is being blocked by the System or Application Processes running in the Task manager:

• Access Is Denied
• Sharing Violation Error
• File/Folder is being used by applications. Please close the application and then try again.

Solution:

You need to kill the handle. To kill the handle, use Process Explorer from Sysinternals (at URL: http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/bb896653.aspx)

How to delete the handle:

• Run Process Explorer
• Go to Find menu > Enter File/Folder name and then click on Search. You will see a list of processes blocking the file/folder.
• Right click on the process and then click on Close Handle > Click Ok for confirmation.

Now you can successfully delete the file.

Posted in: Computer Related Problems

"Access Is Denied" Error Message When You Try To Delete A File/Folder

This article explains how you can use Process Explorer, a tool from Sysinternals (now subsidiary of Microsoft), to kill the lock on files and folders.

You will get "Access Is Denied" error message when you try to delete a file or folder. This happens when file or folder is being used by processes running in the system and you do not know which process it is!

Windows doesn't ship with any tool that can be used to find out which process is locking up the file or folder. You need to use Process Explorer tool to find the lock on the file and then kill the lock so that you can delete the file and folder.

Steps:

• Download Process Explorer at here (http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/bb896653.aspx)
• Note the file name or folder you're trying to delete
• Run Process Explorer > Find > Find Handle > Enter the file or folder name in "Handle or DLL Substring" Dialogue box
• Click on Search
• Right Click on the handle and then click "Close Handle" > Press Yes when promoted.

Now you can successfully delete the file or folder you are trying to delete.

Posted in: Computer Related Problems

How to Enable/Disable Task Manager

There is a registry hack to Enable or disable Windows NT TaskManager. The same registry hack applies to Windows 2000 and Windows XP.

Hive: HKEY_CURRENT_USER
Key: Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System
Name: DisableTaskMgr
Type: REG_DWORD
Value: 1=Enablethis key, that is DISABLE TaskManager
Value: 0=Disablethis key, that is Don't Disable, Enable TaskManager

As part of the enhanced management available in Windows 2000 and Windows XP, rather than risking a registry change, as an administrator you can enable or disable Windows 2000 Pro or Windows XP Pro's TaskManager using Group Policy Editor. This can be applied to the local policy. Note: if you are trying to override your organizations group policy, you can't. As soon as you re-authenticate to the domain, the domain or OU Group Policy will rewrite the registry setting. But if the TaskManager was accidently disabled or you need to control this item for a set of standalone boxes this is for you:

• Click Start
• Click Run
• Enter gpedit.msc in the Open box and click OK
• In the Group Policy settings window
  • Select User Configuration
  • Select Administrative Templates
  • Select System
  • Select Ctrl+Alt+Delete options
  • Select Remove Task Manager
  • Double-click the Remove Task Manager option

And as I mentioned above, since the policy is Remove Task Manager, by disabling the policy, you are enabling the Task Manager.

Posted in: Computer Related Problems

How to Remove Virus and Spyware

This is an easy to follow 10 steps on how to removing virus and spyware from your computer using free software

If your computer keeps on rebooting do the following first

* Continuously press f8 during boot up then select safe mode
* Once your in safe mode goto start > run > type msconfig > click on start up > unchecked everything click apply then reboot.

Tools we're going to use, you need to download the following:

- Sysclean from Trendmicro Sysclean is a standalone virus scanner.
- Latest Definition file for Sysclean its the updated virus pattern/definition file from Trendmicro.
- Adaware -a free spyware/malware scanner. get it at www.lavasoftusa.com

If you can't find the free Adaware or it doesn't work for you, Spybot search and destroy is a good alternative you can get it at www.safer-networking.org

- Avast - a good free antivirus software, get it at WWW.avast.com

Now that you have downloaded everything, lets proceed to step 1

Step 1 - Extract the latest Trendmicro Pattern file on the same folder were sysclean.com is located

Step 2 - Install Adaware and run update

Step 3 - Restart/Reboot your computer, then continously press F8 then select safe mode

Step 4 - Once in safe mode, run Sysclean.com then click on scan to do a full virus scan, you should see it extracting in a dos window

Step 5 - Start up Adaware then click scan select "Smart scan"

Step 6 - Wait for both to finish, delete whatever Adaware find, Sysclean will almost always delete the stuff(virus, malware) it find.

Step 7 - Restart your PC once your virus adware spyware scanning is done

Step 8 - Install, register and update Avast antivirus for home user its free, to prevent future infection

Step 9 - Do a full virus scan using Avast antivirus

Step 10 - Once done scanning with Avast antivirus reboot/restart for the last time, then your done.

Posted in: Computer Related Problems