Secure Windows XP With Avast Antiviru

Avast Free Antiviurs

I have been using Avast Anti-virus for almost three years now. I am using the Free version of avast. Before installing anti-virus on my system it was constantly infected by virus. I used to format the Windows and reinstall it. Before Avast i tried other products. Symantec's nortan Anti-virus was heavy. It will eat away your system resources and the system will hang. AVG antivirus was not very effective.

Avast is good in many things. I won't allow a virus inside the system. It can be easily and automatically updated using internet. Just connect to the internet. Avast will update the virus definitions automatically. When a program update is available it will inform it. It is also free for life. You just have to register and get a registration key. Registration is free at avast website. Just put the registration key using the avast interface. The registration is valid for one year. After one year you have renew your registration.

One of the drawbacks is that the free version does not clean the infected files. It can quarantine the infected file or delete the file. I don't know whether the professional edition can clean the file. Another problem is with Autorun virus in removable disks. It will constantly show popup message for some kind of autorun viruses.
 Otherwise avast is good. I am running an internet cafe and i use avast free on all my systems. I am relieved from formatting hard drive when virus attacks.

Check out the new Avast Free Anti-virus

Not able to access Network

Why am i not able to access network?

Today i encountered a weird problem. One of my client have two computers running Windows XP Professional. He access internet using DATA CARD (BSNL EVDO). He wanted to use the same connection with another computer. So he asked me to network. What should i do? Internet connection sharing came to my rescue. I just opened the Network connection, selected the dial-up connection opened Advanced properties tab and tick the box for sharing.

It should automatically change the LAN IP to 192.168.0.1. but it did not happen. So i manually changed the IP address to 192.168.0.1. In the second computer i put the address 192.168.0.2. But still i can't access the first computer from second.

After several attempts and restarts i checked the services (Control panel->Administrative Tools->Services). If found that DHCP client and Server services were not running. I started them manually. Now the networking works smoothly. File sharing was working. Internet also works. But those two services did not start automatically.

Every time windows starts starting those services is not good. So i decided to create ms-dos batch file and put the net start command to start those services. The syntax is very simple NET START SerivceName

Service name can be found by right click -> Properties. For instance, the service name of DHCP client is 'dhcp'.

I created a batch file with those two service and put it in windows startup. Now the network works. I don't have to reformat the Windows. Reformatting is tedious with installation of device drivers, installing applications etc. My client wanted to avoid this. So this is the workaround.

The essential Windows services for networking are DHCP Client, DNS Client, Server. The functionality of these services are,

DHCP Client: Manages network configuration by registering and updating IP addresses and DNS names

DNS Client: Resolves and caches Domain Name System (DNS) names for your computer. If this service is stopped, your computer will not be able to resolve DNS names and locate Active Directory domain controllers. If this service is disabled, any services that explicitly depend on it will fail to start.

Server: Supports file, print, and named-pipe sharing over the network for your computer. If this service is stopped, these functions will be unavailable. If this service is disabled, any services that explicitly depend on it will fail to start.

Other services may be required for additional functionality, but the above mentioned services are essential bar-bones for basic networking with file sharing.

Error setting up Internet Connection Sharing

RPC server Not available

While setting up internet connection sharing in Windows XP you might get an error RPC server not available. The probable cause for this error is that your DHCP client service is not running.

The DHCP Client in windows Manages network configuration by registering and updating IP addresses and DNS names.

Open control panel -> Administrative Tools -> Services and check whether DHCP Client service is started and running. If not running start the service.

This might solve the error RPC server not available while trying to share an Internet connection.

Internet Connection Sharing

How to Setup Internet Connection Sharing?

Windows XP allows you to share internet connection in one computer with many computers on the network. Like File and Printer Sharing You can share Dial-up/ppp internet connection. To do this go to control panel->Network connection. Right click the Dialup-PPP connection you want to share. Make sure it is disconnected. Go to properties.

In the properties dialog box go to Advanced Tab. You will find Internet Connection Sharing option. Tick the box with "Allow other network users to connect through this computer's Internet connection".

If you want the connection to be established whenver other computers on the network tries to open a web page, tick, "Establish a dial-ip connection whenever a computer on my network attempts to access the Internet"

There is another tick box. "Allow other network users to control or disable the shared Internet connection.

If there are more than one ethernet adapter on your computer you will be asked to select a Local area connection. Here you will select which ethernet adapter to be used for Connection sharing.

When you click ok you will get a message stating, "You Lan adapter will be set to the IP address 192.168.0.1. You might not get this message some times for some reason.

Now your system will act as DHCP host and assign IP address automatically to other computers on the network.

If your LAN adapter is not set to the IP address 192.168.0.1 you should manually set this by opening properties dialog box of lan connection and slecting TCP/IP properties.

You can use IPCONFIG command in the command prompt to check your IP Address subnet mask etc.

OK. Now Part 1 is over by enabling ICS in the host computer. Now you have to configure other computers to access the shared internet connection. To do this open net work connection on other computer. Go to TCP/IP Properties.

Select Internet Protocol (TCP/IP). Click properties.

Select obtain an IP address automatically and select Obtain DNS server address automatically and click ok. Now your Host computer / gateway will automaically assign IP Addrss staring 192.168.0. If that does not happen something goes wrong. Try assigning IP Address manually. Click use the following IP Address and give 192.168.0.2. For third computer give 3 for fourth give 4 and so on. Subnet mask will be 255.255.255.0. Set Default gateway to 192.168.0.1 and click use the following DNS sever addresses and give preferred DNS server 192.168.0.1 and Alternate DNS server 192.168.0.1.


If automatic IP assignment is not working your host computer also is not assigned automatic IP. In the host computer set TCPIP address to 192.168.0.1

This is the basics of Internet connection Sharing in Windows XP Computer. There might be errors/warnings during these setups. We will discuss them later.

Add Applications to Startup

How run an application at startup?

WindowsXP offers a sophisticated way to run program at system start-up. In the old days of windows 98 we use Autoexec.BAT, a batch file with MS-DOS commands to run a program at startup. windows XP said good-bye to AUTOEXEC.BAT and offers registry entry for start-ups. You can use msconfig.exe utility to add a startup entry.

Goto Start -> Run -> Type msconfig and press enter.

In the system Configuration Utility Window there is a tab named 'Startup'. In this tab three columns named Startup Item, Command and location is available. The startup item is the name of the application that run on startup. Command is the file name and path of the application.

System Configuration Utility does not have an option to add start up item. Typically Setup programs for an application will create a registry entry to add a program in system startup. The entry can be per user or per computer. User specific entry will go into HKEY_CURRENT_USER of the Registry. System wide entry will go into HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE registry key.


Now, how to a start-up applicatino using system registry.

Goto Start -> Run -> type regedit and press enter.

The registry editor will open. If you want to add a startup program for the current user goto HKEY_CURRENT_USER -> Software -> Microsoft -> Windows -> CurrentVersion -> Run

On the right side panel there are three columns Name, Type and Data. Right click on empty space and Select New -> String Value. Change 'New Value #1' to test. Double click it. In value data type c:\WINDOWS\NOTEPAD.EXE. This will make Notepad application to run each time the current user logs into the system. You can specify any applicaion that you want to run at start-up. Click OK and close registry editor.

If you want to make a startup entry for all users on the computer you have to add the entry in HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE part of the registry.

go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE -> Software -> Microsoft -> Windows -> CurrentVersion

There are two folders Run and RunOnce.

If you want the startup program to run every time the users logsin create it under Run. Otherwise if you want the program to run only once when the windows starts add the entry under RunOnce. Thats it!

How to Create Disk Partition?

Disk management in XP

Windows XP provides a comprehensive disk management tool to create partitions in the Hard Disk Drive. You can create new partitions, delete existing partitions, change drive letters etc using the disk management tool.

In the old days of Windows 98 one would use FDISK, a DOS based Disk partition tool to create Partition both FAT and FAT32. FDISK does not support NTFS partitions. Before installing Windows 98 you have to partition and format the hard drive. Windows 98 setup does not have option to create partition and format the hard drive. You will typically use FDISK before installing Windows 98.

Windows XP changed all these by providing built-in partition tool. When setting up Windows XP you will asked to select a partition to install Windows. For new Disk with no partition you can create a partition from within the setup. You can enter the amount of disk space in MB and format the disk (both Normal / Quick format). If you did not create all the partition while installing (just C: is created) you can create other partitions once XP is installed and started.

To do this go to control panel -> Administrative Tools -> Computer Management

You can find Disk Management option.

Primary partition is shown in violet color
Extended partition is shown in Green Color
Logical drive is shown in blue color

You can right click and carry out the desired action. Creation of extended partition, Creation of Logical drives, Changing drive letters etc.

Hibernation - How to Hibernate

What is Hibernating in Windows XP?

Hibernation is a power management feature introduced in Windows XP. Windows 98 does not have hibernate option. Using hibernation you turn off your PC without closing programs and shutting down the computer. When you shutdown / turn off your computer, all open programs and data will be closed and while restarting, a fresh session will be opened. In contrast while using hibernation in windows XP all open programs / applications will be saved to hard disk and computer is turned off. While turning on the computer the system will resume all previous applications. In other words, while hibernating the data in the memory (RAM) will be saved in Hard Drive as files.

To support hibernation your system should be ACPI Compliant, nowadays almost all computers are ACPI compliant. Hibernation is not standby in which the is running but display and hard drive is turned off.

To manually put your computer into hibernation:

Open Power Options in Control Panel. Click the Hibernate tab, and then select the Enable hibernate support check box. If the Hibernate tab is not available, your computer does not support this feature. Click OK to close the Power Options dialog box. Click Start, and then click Shut Down. In the What do you want the computer to do drop-down list, click Hibernate.

When you put your computer into hibernation, everything in computer memory is saved on your hard disk. When you turn the computer back on, all programs and documents that were open when you turned the computer off are restored on the desktop.
To put your computer into hibernation, you must have a computer whose components and BIOS support this option.

To hibernate, when you press the power button on your computer, in the Advanced tab of Power Options, slect hibernate in the combobox for, When i press the power button on my computer. Now if you press the power button on your computer, the system will hibernate. Alternatively you can go to start menu -> Turn off Computer. Turn off computer Dialog box will appear. Three buttons Stand by, Turn off, Restart will appear. Now press the Shift button on the keyboard. Stand by will change to Hibernate.


Note: Disk space required for Hibernation change from system to system.

Control Panel

What is control panel, How to use it?

Control Panel in Windows XP is the place where you can find icons to configure your system and make changes. All properties, devices, sound, video, network, user management, Disk Management, Volume Control, Font Installation, Add/Remove programs, Modem installation, are done with Control Panel.

The standard installation of Windows XP Professional will have following Icons in Control panel.

Accessibility Options, Add Hardware, Add or Remove Programs, Administrative Tools, Automatic Updates, Date and Time, Display, Folder options, Fonts, Game Controllers, Internet Options, Keyboard, Mouse, Network Connections, Network Setup Wizard, Phone and Modem Options, Power Options, Printer and Faxes, Regional and Language options, Scanners and Cameras, Scheduled Tasks, Security Center, Sounds adn Audio Devices, Speech, System, Taskbar and Start Menu, user Accounts, Windows Firewall, Wireless Network Setup.

Further Administrative Tools contains,

Component Services, Computer Management, Data Sources (ODBC), Event Viewer, Local Security Policy, Microsoft .NET Framework 2.0, Performance, Services.

So you can control each and every aspect of Windows XP operating System through control panel applet. We will discuss each element in separate lessons.

The picture shows the control panel icons in classic view, in windows xp.

chkdsk utility

How to Run 'chkdsk' utility

Windows XP has chkdsk utility (check disk) to check the Hard Disc Drive for Error and problems. In computer systems Hard Drives are more susceptible to errors and problems. The reason is Hard Drives are the only major Mechanical device with moving parts. Hard Drives store data on Magnetic plates. Drives has read heads that is moved by motors to specific location on the magnetic plate. The plates rotates at the speed of thousands of revolutions per seconds. Disks are accessed whenever a program is opened, whenever some data is written. Even when we are not working and idle windows will do some background processing and disk drive is accessed constantly. Due to this constant usage the drive will wear out. Power failure is another reason that affects the Hard Disk Drive. The Windows XP Chkdsk utility comes to our rescue.

Previously in Windows 98, Scandisk was the utility that checks file system corruption and bad sectors on the disk. Widows XP was shipped with advanced version, chkdsk.

chkdsk will fix most common errors in file system.

How to open / use chkdsk utility?

You need not install or download chkdsk. In windows xp computer, open My Comuter, Right click the drive you want to check, Click properties, in the tools tab, Click 'Check Now'.

You will get a dialog box with two check boxes. 1. Automatically fix file system errors. 2. Scan for and attempt recovery of bad sectors.

Check the two options and click start. Chkdsk will now check your drive for errors and if any errors is found, it will attempt to fix it. It will also try to repair bad sectors.

If you run chkdsk on Driver "c:" with Windows installed on it, chkdsk will run in read only mode



In that case you will get the following message,

The disk check could not be performed because the disk check utility needs exclusive access to some Windows files on the disk. These files can be accessed only by restarting windows. Do you want to schedule this disk check to occur next time you restart the Computer?
Give YES if you want to schedule disk check while restarting computer. If you give yes, when you boot the computer next time, disk check will run automatically, it will make correction on the disk.

How to run dskchk in command line?

To run chkdsk in console mode open command window (start->run->type cmd and give ok) and type chkdsk and press enter.

the current drive will be checked for errors. If you want to check another drive specify it as a parameter, for example give chkdsk d: to check drive D.

Here is the usage of Chkdsk

CHKDSK [volume[[path]filename]]] [/F] [/V] [/R] [/X] [/I] [/C] [/L[:size]]


volume Specifies the drive letter (followed by a colon),
mount point, or volume name.
filename FAT/FAT32 only: Specifies the files to check for fragmentation
.
/F Fixes errors on the disk.
/V On FAT/FAT32: Displays the full path and name of every file
on the disk.
On NTFS: Displays cleanup messages if any.
/R Locates bad sectors and recovers readable information
(implies /F).
/L:size NTFS only: Changes the log file size to the specified number
of kilobytes. If size is not specified, displays current
size.
/X Forces the volume to dismount first if necessary.
All opened handles to the volume would then be invalid
(implies /F).

/I NTFS only: Performs a less vigorous check of index entries.

/C NTFS only: Skips checking of cycles within the folder
structure.

The /I or /C switch reduces the amount of time required to run Chkdsk by
skipping certain checks of the volume.

If chkdsk stops / hangs / freezes, retry with /F option. Restart the computer and try again.
At some times windows will not boot properly and you will get a blue screen error of some kind. Try using chkdsk utility. Some time this fill fix the problem and you can boot in to windows. Boot with Windows XP bootable CD. Select the Repair option (with R key). You will get into recovery console. Login with Administrator user name and password. At command prompt type 'chkdsk'. The drive C: will be checked. Type Exit to reboot.

How to Restart in safe mode

Restart / Reboot in Safemode

There are situation that require you to reboot your computer in safe mode. Safe mode in Windows is a special booting option that allows you log in to windows using minimum set of device drivers and limited functionality. If you have problems with hardware device drivers, virus problems, software problems, installation issues with some applications, registry errors you need to reboot computer in safe mode.

In safe mode you will get access to Administrator login and System Recovery. System Recovery is the option introduced in Windows XP, where you can rollback to previous state after installing a new device or application. Driver roll back is a different thing. In driver rollback, after installing / updating a new version of device driver, and system becomes unstable, you can rollback to previous version of the driver. In System Recovery, after installing /altering critical files / applications, after making registry changes, you can roll back to previous state with simple click of a mouse using system Recovery console.

In Windows XP, when using Safe mode option, the system will ask whether to use System Recovery option or start using computer in Safe Mode? If you click 'Yes' you can use your computer in safe mode. If you click No you will be taken to System Recovery where you get the option to Previous check point at specified date and time.

Ok. How to boot into safe mode? While restarting / booting your computer press F8 key repeatedly. You will get a boot menu with several options. Select 'Safe Mode' or 'Safe Mode with Networking'. Windows xp will start in safe mode.

In safe mode you can remove problematic device drivers using Device Manager. You can even remove display adapters. You can uninstall problematic software, anti-virus programs etc.

In Windows 98, safe mode will not give access to CD Drives, but in Windows XP you can use CD/DVD drives while working in Safe mode. Printers won't work in safe mode.

My First Installation attempt

How i managed to install it on, 10 GB Hard Disk?

I first installed windows XP after 3 months of its release. Previously i had Windows 98 pre-installed on my HCL Computer. The machine configuration is very mean comparing today's speed and capacity. The processor is Intel Pentium processor running at 700 MHz clock speed. It had only 64 MB of SDRAM at 100MHz / 133 MHz FSB (Front Side Bus). The Hard Disk Drive was a Seagate 40 GB running at 500 RPM (Revolutions per Minute). For output the system was connected to a 15 inch CRT (Cathode Ray Tube) Color Monitor.

With the new computer with Windows 98 i managed for 2 years. Once i got the Windows XP Professional CD, i was tempted to taste it. My friend who was studying Computer Engineering also recommend me to Install Windows XP. First i attempted installing XP by using the Upgrade option. After file copying and restarting i got blue screen giving some nasty errors. I repeated it many times and realized that there is option to format the the Hard Drive and install a fresh copy. I worked! After formatting the 10 GB hard disk with primary partition of 4 GB i installed it. Later i upgraded the RAM to 128 MB. It was good with 128MB. Later, as i became expert in windows installation, i tried multiboot with multiple operating systems. I combined Windows XP with Windows 98 and Redhat Linux.

Linux is not easy to install and maintain. Several times i attempted to install Linux. Succeeded in many times. But, in few days the system will crash / corrupt and won't load. I need to reformat it. So i gave up linux and satisfied with Windows XP.

Now, after 7-8 years of using it i know many aspects, features of this beautiful operating system. Installation of applications, hardware and drivers, printers and networking components, wireless networking and much more things possible with XP. This How to do blog will teach you all this in step-by-step manner.

Why, How to Windows Xp Blog

Why this blog, What it is all about?

I have been using computers and internet for more than ten years now. My first experience with a computer happened 10 years ago at my college library. I was studying under graduation at PSG college, Coimbatore. My college library had few computers accessible by students. They had black & white terminals with sturdy keyboards. Students use to search books. The library had huge volumes of books properly cataloged. I had no experience with computers before. A few of my class mates could work on them. I learned by watching them.

Things changed when i learned computer science and took it as my profession. Now i can program computers, assemble computers, repair computers, repair hardware and software etc. With the release of Windows XP, the no frills operating system by Microsoft, many people become computer experts because of its ease of use and less bugs. Its predecessor Windows 98, Desktop operating system too was a lovely product. Windows XP's GUI (Graphical User Interface) and reliability was greatly improved over Windows 98. The kernel / heart of the operating system was completely revamped. The Windows NT kernel was used in XP (code named longhorn). This improved the performance and reliability.

Even after the release of Windows Vista many users are still loyal to Windows XP. They still stick with Windows XP. I still see after purchasing new laptop / desktop computers with pre-installed Windows Vista many people format it and install Windows XP. I think the things will change after release of Windows 7, the much expected latest version of Windows. Microsoft released it last year and commercial versions are becoming available in India. Its success can not be predicted now.

This blog is for those still want more their Windows XP computer. I will offer tips, tweaks, how-to-dos and troubleshooting ideas. So keeping looking for new posts on this blog to get you updated on Windows XP.