1.] Right click on your desktop and create a NEW shortcut.

2.] Type this ‘source’ (location) and continue.

C:\Windows\System32\cmd.exe

Notes: change the drive’s letter if your “OS Partition” is located somewhere else!

3.] Give your NEW shortcut a name, for example: “elevated cmd” and hit Finish.

4.] Now, right click on your shortcut, select “Properties” and look for “Shortcut” tabs.
You should find this button pretty easily: “Advanced”.

5.] Select this box: “Run as administrator” and hit OK.

From now on, you can use “Elevated Command Prompt” with Administrative rights, instead of using Windows default CMD.

Copyrighted By Lair360

Even better, this site can provide ‘ISP Addresses’ and test your connections from around the world!

Link: speedtest.net

Virus Infection – the most common problems is viruses / rootkits invading your system and infect your USB devices without noticing it. Even worse, this infection will also hijack your devices and spread more problems through another computer. Therefore, I would advise you to double check your system / external devices with an anti-virus / anti-spyware program.

Device Driver – if you have a new external device and ‘Windows’ doesn’t recognize it, then you will need to install the actual driver. Nevertheless, the driver which you are looking for, it can be found on the net or from a disk which came with the product. However, if the company fail to supply you with a disk, then you may need to upgrade your system or plug them through another available – port.

Power Requirements – there will be other devices which require ‘2 x USB’ port (connectors) or separate power connector. So, please check your external devices, just to see if it has another pin / connector.

Defective Devices – older generation (USB Drive) may be defective, broken or faulty. They will sometime cause problems and may trigger “BSOD” when you plug them into newer system, such as Windows 7 Edition. Therefore, I would suggest you to take caution and buy another one for work.

Copyrighted By Lair360

On the other hand, I had also found some rootkits and backdoor Trojans. It was easy to deal with. However, I am not how to explain everything and I will only show you how to disable / remove ‘UACd.sys’ (infection) from your system. So pay attention and read this article carefully – little mistake will also cause problems!

What does this infection do?

This infection is very nasty and it will use rootkit and other techniques to hide / block any software from working. It will also block ‘security application’ and redirect you to ‘windowsclick’ website and other ‘non – related’ website.

Step 01 – Disable UACd.sys from your system.

1.] Right click on ‘My Computer’ and select ‘Properties’
2.] Select ‘Device Manager’.

Notes: if there is hidden drivers, please select: ‘View >> Show Hidden Devices’.

3.] Scroll down to this area: ‘Plug & Play Drivers’ and extend this list.
After that, you will need to find this driver: ‘UACd.sys’ and disable it from killing your system.

4.] Accept the changes, close all windows and reboot your computer.

5.] Navigate to your registry (Regedit) and look for this value. You will need to destroy it and use Avenger to remove this infection. I would also like everyone to copy – paste these sources and add them to the list for scanning / removal.

Registry: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\Controlset001\Enum\legacy_UACd.sys

Application - http://swandog46.geekstogo.com/avenger.zip

    Drivers to delete:
    UACd.sys

    Files to delete:
    C:\WINDOWS\system32\wJQs.exe

6.] Click ‘Execute’ and allow the current script to run. However, if it asks you to reboot your system, then let it perform its duty (by clicking: Yes).

Step 02 – Clean your system from other infection.

7.] After reboot, please download Malwarebytes (MBAM) and perform a full scan. But, don’t forget to update its database.
8.] When the scan is complete, just check everything for disinfection. After that, a log will open and you may be asked to reboot your computer.

9.] Finally, I would recommend everyone to clean their system cache. The best application for this job is CCleaner. The original website is located here and you may want to donate some kudos for this author’s hard work. It’s your choice…

Copyrighted By Lair360

Studying at home and working all day is part of my enthusiasm. However, I am bored to hell with my USB icon. The drive will always show the same icon every-time I use it for backup. Although, there is a way to keep your USB creative and fresh! Here is “HOW” to spice it up for everyday usage…

1.] Connect any USB drive and let your Computer synchronize it.

2.] Download Notepad Plus and create a new file. It should also have these:

[autorun]
Label=USB Backup Drive
Icon=MyPicture.ico

3.] Save your new file as “autorun.inf” and don’t forget to dump your new “icon”. After that, you must eject your removable drive and allow the changes to take effect.

4.] You are done!

For those who had encountered a suspicious virus that forces your computer to shutdown, then please create a shortcut – ‘scrambler’ and leave it on your desktop for future access.

1.] If you see any warnings / suspicious activity, then get yourself ready and create a shortcut.

2.] Type this command inside your ‘shortcut wizard’ and save it to your desktop for easy / faster access. This can be done by ‘right-clicking’ on your mouse and select ‘shortcut’ key.

Right-click >> New >> Shortcut

Command: shutdown –a

3.] Accept the changes and you are done!

Notes: you will only need to activate this command, if you have a virus that is trying to shutdown your computer. Don’t use it as a game; it may corrupt your system or workflow.

Shutdown your computer with a ‘count-down’ timer!

If you are busy or need the toilet for obvious reason, then why don’t you create a shortcut with count-down timer?

1.] Create a new ‘shortcut’ on your desktop.

Right-click >> New >> Shortcut

Command: shutdown -s -t 600

- Can’t be bother with the calculation? Take a look at my cheat sheet…

Cheat Sheet Calculation
———————————
420 sec = 7 min
600 sec = 10 min
1000 sec = 16.6 min
1100 sec = 18.3 min
1300 sec = 21.6 min
2400 sec = 40 min

Good Luck!

Copyrighted By Lair360

Safety tips for users on a public computer

When everyone is traveling and working, their laptop battery died and there is no slots on the wall, just to charge your battery. So, what is the alternative when it comes to working? You will have to use a public computer and get your job done! There are no excuses when it comes to reports, essays and deadlines. If you don’t get it done, there will be trouble and I know that from my own mistakes. However, there is something that you will need to be aware of and avoid it from spreading. Everybody called these as: “computer infection & computer viruses”.

1.] Working on a public computer is kind of dangerous. The previous user may install dangerous programs and logs your events and even your keyboard strokes! I know it’s crazy and obviously dumb. But, whoever did this is in for a big showcase and they act like a bunch of crying baby – like the others before him!

My biggest advice is to check these computer for any unusual activity. Some of the public computer will allow you to check the systems’ processes and these directories: “Program Folder, My Document Folder and anywhere else that looks accessible.” Nevertheless, if you spot something bad, you should report it to the person who is in-charge of this computer.

2.] Accessing your documents and file is a good thing. But, you will need a hard drive (external). That is right folks! Everybody around the world does carry an external device and slot them into a free slot (USB port). It can’t be ignored as it is a very important item for backup and storing files. However, there is a downside about these wonderful devices: they are not safe if you plugged them into a public computer.

First of all, did you check these programs carefully, if these Anti-Virus, Anti-Spyware and Firewall are active and responding? Just check the system and make sure it is active. In other terms, you don’t want these infected hooligans – bombarding your external hard drive, do ya? If you don’t want them to have a crush on your beautiful external devices, then you better do a ‘quick scan’ before inserting your devices to a free slot (USB port).

Secondly, the system should have good protection against viruses, trojans and other scams. I would recommend you to check the computer for these type of security software.

Avira AntiVirus – http://avira.com
Kaspersky Antivirus – http://kaspersky.com
BitDefender Antivirus – http://bitdefender.com
AVG Anti-Virus – http://free.avg.com

ComodoFirewall (Free) – http://comodo.com
ZoneAlarm Firewall (Free) – http://zonealarm.com

Third from all the ancestors, you better get a portable browser: “Firefox / Opera”. These little program will erase all of your private stuff when you close them. It doesn’t matter if you forget to logout or anything. The data will remain inside your USB drive. But, everytime you tried to remove your external devices, the data from your temporary folder (USB browser) will also be flushed down the toilet. No need to ask question there…

http://www.opera-usb.com/

http://portableapps.com/apps/internet/firefox_portable

Finally, if you ever encounter a public computer with these type of security software, you should be a bit more vigilant and careful. These Anti-Virus program was reported by individual users that their external devices was corrupted from a scan. Their data and information are also gone when they are plugged into a public computer with these lame security programs.

Norton Antivirus
Sycmantec Antivirus
Mcafe Antivirus

Notes: these security product was rated by individual users as: “poor detection, scans results causes side effects on removable devices, system file are corrupted, crashes and eats a lot of system resource.”

Losing your work is crazy and you are going to get grounded from your holidays and you are going to have a lot of trouble with your boss. Even worse, they are not going to believe your little tales. So, here is my advice: keep a backup of your files and documents in your second external devices and use the first one for testing. You should always do this on your computer before using a computer from the office or from a public computer.

3.] Surfing the WEB is really enjoyable and it’s not like old grannies surfing on the beach in stripped bikini. But, there is a downside: privacy issues, viruses and malicious attacks. Therefore, you should always wipe / erase the stuff that you downloaded and erase your tracks from prying eyes. The best way to remove these traces is to remove the ‘cookies’ from a public browser. So, how hard could it get into your thick skull? If you don’t know the terms of cookies, then please read a book about the world of internet. But, in my own terms, this word is NOT food that you use to crunch in your mouth!

Secondly, I hate to admit this. But, if you are really illiterate on computer, then look in the mirror and asks yourself this question: “how many years have I used the web?” If you do know it by hearth, then you should have the knowledge / ability to surf the web safely and check your emails properly. However, I don’t know why. But, my head is telling me to avoid Facebook, Bebo and other social networking sites. The only thing that I know about this site is serious hackers that tried to attack the users with DDoS attack. So, in my own opinion, you should avoid going into these website / domain. It doesn’t matter if you are using a proxy or not, the hackers can still find you and plot a scene on your little work. Yes, that is possible and I’ve heard of this weird method before. So, be careful and don’t ponder too much in a dangerous domain.

Finally, if you download a file that is very important and private, you should always remove it and dump them into the ‘trash can’. Don’t forget to check the bin and empty the trash before you leave the computer! You don’t want people to see your work or see you kissing your ex-girlfriend from an image file? Then do it for crying out loud! We don’t want you as a gossip either!!

4.] When the computer hits its old age where grannies walked with their sticks, you should know the rules: check the computer for viruses and look at the hard drive capacity. It is simple and I should leave that to you for now. But, if you don’t know how to do it, then let me tell you this: “when All Else Fails, Read the Instructions…” In other terms, just buy yourself a book and learn it in your own time. Other users in your office are too busy blabbing at each others head and they will not tell you how to do it. Simple as that…

Copyrighted By Lair360

Kill that autorun for good!

Getting infected from another computer is a big hassle and it will also hurt other user’s computer. So, what is the biggest problem about these infection? Well, the attacker creates a file that attach itself on your USB devices. This will only happen if your friend’s computer or your work computer is infected with an “Autorun” viruses. However, I can’t tell you which viruses were used to molest your mini – devices, because there are tons of them in the wild and they are like virtual ants!

First of all, if you want to stay away from these chaos, then please avoid sharing your USB devices with your friends or insert any USB devices to an un-protected computer.

Secondly, if you see anything suspicious in a public computer, you should stop and check the system for any anti-virus program. So, to make it clear, the computer should be protected and clean. The system’s “Start Menu, My document Folder and the Hard Drive,” they should be tidy, clean and protected. Also, if the machine is acting sluggish, I would advice you to step away from the computer and ask the administrator for assistance.

For now, if you already owned a computer / laptop, you should install some of the security program and update your “OS System” with the latest patch. I would also recommend you to ‘Disable Autorun’, just to give another layer of protection. This is useful if your friend needs to use your computer.

Notes: this tutorial is also for Vista users. Therefore, it is best to implement this settings.

1.] Install Notepad++ from here and copy this Registry script into a blank page.

REGEDIT4
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\IniFileMapping\Autorun.inf]
@="@SYS:DoesNotExist"

2.] Save the file as a registry file (name.reg) and and double-click the file to run it.

3.] Reboot your system and let the new settings take effect.

4.] You are done!

Copyrighted By Lair360

How to Clear DNS Cache for beginners

Everytime you surf the NET, your operating system will directly store all of your DNS information. This could also lead to problems, such as: “DNS unable to resolve, error loading pages and server timeout.” But, don’t just hold your breath and think its gone after reboot.

How to solve this?
As an IT geek, you may use this tutorial for cleaning / flushing your ‘DNS cache’. So, don’t get all excited if you are just a beginner. This tutorial was also analyzed and tested by idiot – proof – users.

1.] First of all, you must check your system ‘Services’ for this process: ‘DNS Client’. If this process is disabled or set to manual, then you will have to alter / reconfigure it to ‘Automatic’. Without this process, you cannot flush your ‘DNS Cache’.

Click Start >> Right Click: My Computer >> Manage >> Services and Applications >> Services >> Search for this process: DNS Client.

2.] At this stage, you will need to click ‘Start >> Run >> Type: CMD >> Type: ipconfig /flushdns’

Vista Operating Systems

1.] Click on your Vista ‘Start Logo’. Its right infront of your desktop!

2.] Click on ‘All Programs >> Accessories >> Right –click on Command Prompt (CMD) >> Select: “Run As Administrator…”

3.] In Command Windows, you will need to type in this script: ‘ipconfig / flushdns’.

4.] You are done!

Warning: this last guide is only for Windows XP Home / Pro & Vista only! If you want to use this option for Windows 7, please skip this paragraph and look for it somewhere else…

Alternative: if you really want to block Windows XP / Vista from negative entries and errors, you can alter these parameters. However, I would recommend you to create a backup before usage or touching your registry.

1.] Click ‘Start >> Run >> Type: Regedit’.

2.] Navigate yourself to the ‘Parameter’ directory.

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\Dnscache\Parameters

3.] Create a new ‘DWORD’ value and called it: ‘NegativeCacheTime’.

4.] Give your value a Zero and apply the changes.

Notes: for Windows Vista, there is a longer route. But, it will work if you carefully add these values.

a.] Right –click: ‘New >> DWORD (32-bit) Value.”
b.] Name your new value as: “CacheHashTableBucketSize” and give it a value of 1 (Enable).
c.] Repeat ‘Step 3 – NegativeCacheTime’ and give it a value of 0 (Zero).

NegativeCacheTime = 0

5.] Reboot your computer and do whatever you want. It’s your computer!

Copyrighted By Lair360