I recently bought a Sandisk cruzer micro 4GB USB stick and of course it comes with that U3 crapola preloaded on it. Formatting the stick does not get rid of it entirely.  If you click (in Windows XP) Start then Run then type COMPMGMT.MSC, click OK, then click Disk  Management from the window that appears, you’ll notice there are two partitions on...

There are utilities like the freeware CCleaner software that can easily let you list and modify auto-run programs from the Windows XP system registry like this: Above: In CCleaner, click Tools (large icon on left) then Startup (white button in middle column) to see this list. However if you’re the type that would rather do this the "old fashioned...

MSFeedSync.exe is an executable file used by the Windows Internet Explorer 7 web browser to periodically update in-browser RSS feeds. It only appears in the Windows Task Manager if IE7 is running. In addition it only appears from time to time and isn’t in "always on" state. If you use the IE7 feature to read feeds in-browser, you need this...

Admittedly this information is old, however I had to reinstall XP on a laptop recently and after updating it with SP3 and whatever other patch/fix I needed to install, the Language Bar appeared in the taskbar. It’s a safe assumption to say the vast majority of Windows users have absolutely no use for this – myself included. So here’s how to get...

Street Views in Google Maps has caused controversy since the day it was introduced. In all honesty it freaks a lot of people out and rightly so. Do you want people looking up your driveway? Of course you don’t. But it’s here, been here and will probably stay here unless your town bans it (which has happened). The two "worst" states that...

Over at UbuntuGeek.com they’ve just released an article that instructs how to remove Compiz Fusion including all the config files. Ubuntu users who read this will most likely ask the following two questions.Why? Compiz is awesome! What advantage does removing the config files do in addition to removing it?In answer to 1: Yes, Compiz is awesome. It...

Now that you have been introduced to some of the spyware tools that are available, there is a general procedure of attack to rid your system of that pesky software. First, identify any odd-ball applications listed in Control Panel > Add/Remove programs. You will need to be online to remove certain spyware applications because they require you to go to their...

The two most common and most used spyware tools, Lavasoft’s Adaware and Spybot Search & Destroy have been cleaning infected systems for a few years now. Both still come highly recommended for your spyware combat arsenal. However, an interesting factor has cropped up recently where Lavasoft has removed a large well-known adware vendor called WhenU from...

Tightening up system security, keeping up to date with security patches, and engaging in safe Internet usage are the three main ways to prevent spyware from entering your computer system. Many of these techniques rely on each other to maintain overall good system security. Don’t rely on just one or two. Use most, if not all, of these techniques. You will...

Much of the time, spyware relies on persuading unaware or credulous users to download and install it by offering some kind of seemingly enticing bait, such as a prize, free money, a free service, or a free service that’s “better” and supposedly gives you a leg up on widely known legitimate software or services. 99% of the time, you can assume...

There is a large set of problems that are usually attributed to spyware, but that doesn’t mean the effects of spyware are limited to the items described below. If you are experiencing any one of these, it may be a good idea to run some spyware scans. [hidepost=1]When you start your computer, or when your computer has been idle for many minutes, your web...

The single, all-encompassing term “spyware” is more or less a misnomer, for there are a number of different kinds of software that engage in data harvesting and come under the broad, umbrella-like term “spyware”. Spyware can be loosely associated with viruses; Trojans and Worms being the closest relative to viruses, but there is a fine...

Taken down to its simplest form and to be quite general, spyware is a software technology that assists in information gathering. The kind of information being gathered depends on how the spyware was written and what it was made to target. Once installed on a system, it can collect password data, bank and credit data, information on web surfing habits, email...

Anti-virus software mostly works the same way. It scans your hard drive for particular signatures that indicate a known computer virus that is contained in the virus definitions supplied by the company. If it finds a sign of a virus, it will typically offer to quarantine or delete the infected file. Quarantining the file will place it in a tightly controlled...