A Tip A Day ~ {ERG}

[LoneRanger]

20 June 2008



Make Peer-to-Peer File Sharing Work

My peer-to-peer (P2P) file-sharing program stopped working when I
installed Service Pack 2. Is Microsoft trying to put an end to P2P, or can I fix this?

Most large companies would like to see P2P disappear, mostly because nobody has found a respectable way to make money off it. But the problem you're experiencing is almost certainly caused by the new Windows Firewall software built into SP2, which is blocking your file
sharing program from establishing a connection to its server.

Note: Microsoft frequently releases updates and bug fixes for its firewall. If you decide to use the Windows Firewall, make sure you download all available updates using the Windows Update feature .

A firewall is a layer of protection that permits or denies network communication based on a predefined set of rules. These rules restrict communication so that only certain applications are permitted to use your network connection. This effectively closes back doors to your computer that viruses, hackers, and other malicious parties or applications might otherwise exploit. The Windows Firewall replaces the nearly worthless Internet Connection Firewall (ICF) found in earlier versions of Windows XP. While it's better than its predecessor, it also acts more aggressively and closes more back doors by default.


Note: If you're using a router with a built-in firewall and you don't need to protect your PC from the other computers in your local network, you can safely turn off the Windows Firewall for good .

To see if the Windows Firewall is to blame, disable it temporarily. Open the Security Center control panel, click Windows Firewall, select the "Off (not recommended)" option, and click OK.

If your P2P software now works, the firewall software is clearly the culprit. (If it still doesn't work, the problem lies elsewhere; consult your P2P software documentation for details.) Go ahead and return to the Windows Firewall window, and select the "On (recommended)" option to re-enable it. Next, choose the Exceptions tab, click the Add Program button, and find your P2P application in the list (if you don't see it, click Browse to locate the .exe file on your hard disk). Highlight the program and click OK in both boxes. The Windows firewall should now let your P2P program do its thing without interference the change will take effect immediately. (If you're using a third-party firewall program, check the software's documentation for help creating exceptions.)

If creating this exception doesn't work, return to the Exceptions tab of the Windows Firewall window and create another exception. This time, instead of basing the exception on the program filename, configure the firewall to allow all communication over the port used by your software.
Click the Add Port button, type a name for the exception (for example, P2P ), and type the port number (e.g., 6699 ). If you don't know the port number used by your P2P software, consult the software documentation. Click OK in both boxes, and give it a whirl.

[LoneRanger]

21 June 2008:



Use MSN Messenger Behind a Firewall

I want to use MSN Messenger at work, but my company's firewall blocks
instant-messenger software. How can I get around this?

The last thing you should be forced to do when you're at work is your job. To that end, several web-based versions of popular IM programs have been designed that can sneak through firewalls quite easily. (Such programs operate over TCP port 80, and are thus indistinguishable from web sites in the eyes of the firewall.) In the case of MSN Messenger, just go to http://webmessenger.msn.com and click "Start MSN Web Messenger" to log in.

[LoneRanger]

22 June 2008:



Set Up a Wireless Network

I can't get my wireless network off the ground. I want to use the Internet, share files, and so on, but none of it seems to work. I thought this was going to be easy!

Wireless networking is easy! (Unless it's not.)

Wireless networking can be extremely convenient when it works but an absolute headache when it doesn't. The good news is that if you take the time to set up your router correctly, update your firmware, and install Service Pack 2, most wireless problems will disappear.

Note: If you don't have Service Pack 2 yet, use the Windows Update feature now to get it (open Internet Explorer and select Tools --> Windows Update).

A router lets you connect your PC (or all the PCs in your workgroup) to the Internet, as well as connect multiple PCs to each other. Routers also include built-in firewalls, offering much better protection than software-based firewalls such as the Windows Firewall built into Service Pack 2.

But most importantly, a wireless router acts as an access point, a central hub to which all wireless devices in your home or office can connect. To set up a wireless network, you'll need a wireless router (preferably one that supports the 802.11g standard), and at least one PC with a wireless
network adapter.

Connect your PC directly to your wireless router with a cable; that's right, a cable! You'll need to communicate with your router to set it up properly for wireless access something you won't be able to do wirelessly throughout the whole process. Connect one end of a category-5 patch cable to your PC's Ethernet port, and the other end to one of the numbered LAN ports on the back of the router. Then plug in the router's power cable.

Your router probably came with setup software on a CD; in most cases, you don't need this and can use the router's more flexible web-based setup instead. Open a web browser on your PC, and type the router's IP address (usually 192.168.1.1 , but check the router's manual) into the
address bar. The router's built-in web server should show you a setup page like the one in Figure.

If you can't connect to your router, your computer is probably not on the same subnet as the router. The first three numbers of your computer's IP address must match the first three numbers of your router's IP address, but the fourth number must be different. For instance, if your router's address is 192.168.0.1, you may not be able to connect to it until you manually change your PC's address to 192.168.0.xxx, where xxx is any number between 2 and 255. If all else fails, reset the router, following the instructions in the documentation, and try again.

On the setup page, choose your Internet connection type from the list. If your Internet connection requires a username and password, select PPPoE. If your ISP has provided an IP address for your connection, select Static IP. Otherwise, choose Automatic Configuration -DHCP. (Naturally, the options for your router may be slightly different.)

Click the Apply or Save Settings button at the bottom of the page when you're done. Within a few seconds, you should have Internet access; go ahead and test it by opening a second browser window (press Ctrl-N) and visiting any web site.

Note: If you select PPPoE, the router should prompt you for a login. Type the username and password for your broadband connection, not your login for Windows, your email account, or anything else. If you choose Static IP, enter the IP addresses of your ISP's DNS servers. Your ISP should provide this information to you .

Once your Internet connection is working, visit the router manufacturer's web site and download any available firmware updates. (You can usually find your router's current firmware version on the Status page in the router's web-based setup.) Firmware updates include essential bug fixes,
performance enhancements, security patches, and occasionally new features. Consult your router's documentation for firmware update instructions.

Next, go to your router's wireless setup page (see Figure): this is either a link in the main menu or a tab across the top of the page. Choose a new SSID (the name for your wireless network), and turn off the Wireless SSID Broadcast option to keep your wireless network private Click the Apply or Save Settings button at the bottom of the page when you're done.

Note: If you're using a Wireless-G router (a faster sibling of the 802.11b standard, capable of 54 Mbps), avoid the temptation to select the "G only" option on the wireless setup page. This feature prevents slower Wireless-B devices from joining your WiFi networka fact you'll likely have forgotten when a visiting relative tries to connect to your home network to check her email a few months from now .

You should also enable encryption for the best wireless security. This setting will be accessible either through a button on the current page, or on a separate tab entitled WEP, WPA, Encryption, or simply Wireless Security, like the one in Figure. WEP, the Wireless Encryption Protocol,
prevents anyone without your secret WEP key from connecting to or spying on your wireless network. Some routers also support WPA, or WiFi Protected Access, which provides a slightly higher level of security.

On your router's encryption page, enable WEP, and then choose the highest WEP encryption level supported by your router (in this example, 128-bit). Higher levels provide better protection, but also mean longer (and harder to type) WEP keys.

Some routers have you choose a passphrase , which is a word your router uses to generate the WEP keys. In the example shown in Figure, I typed the word "annoyances" and clicked the Generate button to create four 26-digit WEP keys (the first one, Key 1, is the only one that is used). Generally, all of the computers on your wireless network will have to use the same key.

The Evils of SSID Broadcast

Your SSID is the back door into your wireless network. If you broadcast your SSID, anyone with an SSID sniffer will be able to find it in a matter of seconds, connect to your network, and use your Internet connection (or even snoop around your shared folders).

The same danger exists if you continue to use your router's default SSID; probably a million people around the globe are using "link-sys," which makes it a good guess for anyone trying to gain access to your network. Choose an SSID like you'd choose a password, and your wireless network will stand a better chance of remaining private.

The only time you'll likely want to enable SSID broadcast, other than for testing purposes, is if you're setting up a public WiFi access point, say in a coffee shop or bed and breakfast, and you want to make it easy for your patrons to connect.

[LoneRanger]

23 June 2008:



Connect to a Wireless Network

I think I set up my wireless router correctly, but my PC doesn't see it.

You probably turned off your router's SSID broadcast feature. While this means that strangers using WiFi sniffers (described below) won't "discover" your network, it also means that your network won't show up when you scan for it, either.

To test this, open the Network Connections control panel and double-click your unconnected wireless connection to open the "Choose a wireless network" dialog box shown in Figure.

(You can also right-click the wireless connection icon in your System Tray or in the Network Connections window and select View Available Wireless Networks.) This window, Windows XP's built-in "sniffer," scans for WiFi access points within range and displays the results, typically in less than five seconds.

To connect to any visible network in the list, highlight it and click the Connect button. If your wireless network doesn't show up, simply click the "Set up a wireless network for a home or small office" link on the left to start the Wireless Network Setup Wizard (also accessible directly in the
My Network Places folder). Click the Next button on the first page. On the "Create a name for your wireless network" screen, type your wireless network's SSID in the "Network name (SSID)" field (see Figure). If you've enabled WEP or WPA encryption for your router, select the "Manually assign a network key" option. If you selected WPA encryption in your router's setup, place a checkmark by the "Use WPA encryption" option; otherwise, for WEP, leave it unchecked. Then click Next.

On the next page, turn off the "Hide characters as I type" option to make the text fields here easier to deal with. Now, if you've saved your WEP key from the router setup page, you can open the file, highlight the key, press Ctrl-C to copy the text, and then click in the " Network key" field and press Ctrl-V to paste in the text. Otherwise, you'll have
to type in the key from your router setup page manually. Unless you feel like typing this long key twice, just copy and paste it into the second field, and then click the Next button.

Finally, the wizard gives you the opportunity to save your settings to a USB flash drive, theoretically making subsequent setups easier (why no option exists to save settings to a CD writer, floppy drive, or simply a file on your desktop is a mystery). If you don't have a USB flash drive handy, or if you don't need to set up any more computers, choose the "Set up a network manually" option. Click Next and then Finish when you're done.

From now on, your wireless network will show up in the "Choose a wireless network" list on this PC (as long as it's in range), even if you've chosen not to broadcast your SSID. You probably won't see it right away, though; just wait a few seconds and then click the "Refresh network list" link on the left. Your network should appear at the top of the list, proudly signifying that it has established a connection. You can now open a web browser and test your new wireless connection.

If you don't see the network, you either mistyped the SSID, or your wireless router isn't properly set up. If the network shows up but Windows can't connect, you likely mistyped the encryption key. If, after repeated attempts, you can't connect, disable encryption in your router and try
again. You can usually fix such problems by updating the firmware in your router, as well as the firmware and drivers for the wireless card in your PC.

The Ethics of WiFi

Thanks to Windows XP's built-in WiFi sniffer, it's easy to detect and connect to any unsecured wireless network including the network of an unsuspecting neighbor, which raises the thorny issue of ethics.

There are countless personal wireless networks around the globe, and most of them, you'll find, are unsecured. This means that if you walk down the street in a populated area, you'll probably find a working wireless Internet connection before you reach the end of the block. Some will have been left open intentionally, but most will be unsecured merely because their owners don't have the benefit of the advice.

Now, just because you can connect to these networks, does it mean you should? Are you taking advantage of someone else's ignorance by breaking into their private network, or are you simply making use of a public resource that you'd be equally eager to share?

I'm not about to try to solve this dilemma in these short posts; I only wish to raise the question, and to suggest that if you do ever decide to utilize someone else's wireless network, you make sure to do no harm. Think about your impact, both on the bandwidth of the foreign network and the privacy of those who operate it. And then tread lightly.

[LoneRanger]

24 June 2008:



Surf Safely at the Coffee Shop

I like to sit at my local coffee shop with my wireless laptop, sip a double
decaf soy latte, and read my email. Is this safe?

Good question, and not one that occurs to a lot of people. Soy lattes can be risky if you don't take proper precautions.

Now, when you connect to the WiFi hotspot at the coffee shop (or on some random street corner downtown), you're connecting to a public, unsecured workgroup. This may not seem like a problem until you consider the other PCs that also may be connected, any of which may share a virus or two with you, or merely serve as a conduit for an intruder hacking into your system.

To improve your security, first turn off any and all shared folders. And if you haven't done so already, set up a password for your user account. This will go a long way toward protecting your data from casual intrusions, but you shouldn't stop there. To be on the safe side, enable the Windows Firewall or install more competent third-party firewall software, such as ZoneAlarm Pro. The best solutions allow you to easily switch between a relaxed state, permitting all your programs to work while you're safely behind your router's firewall at home, and a heightened state of security when you're on the road.

Of course, mind what you do on the Net while you're at that coffee shop, too. As long as you're using someone else's network, nothing you do should be considered private. Although secure SSL-protected web sites do provide better privacy than insecure sites, you're probably better off
visiting financial web sites only when you're at home.

[LoneRanger]

25 June 2008:



Increase Range and Improve Reception

My laptop connects to the Internet without any problem as long as I'm in
the same room as my wireless router. But once I change rooms or move too far away from my router, the connection drops in and out. What's the deal?

Interference is the name of the game. The tiny WiFi transceiver in your PC should be capable of picking up any wireless network within about 300 feet under ideal conditions namely, outdoors with a clear line of sight.

Indoors, the range can be quite a bit lower; typically, the signal won't go through more than two or three walls, and perhaps one floor or ceiling.

Drive-by Sniffing

Every WiFi-equipped PC is capable of WiFi sniffing: scanning the area immediately surrounding it and listing any hotspots (wireless network access points) it finds. Of course, only those networks that are broadcasting their SSIDs will show up, which is why you'll probably want to turn off SSID broadcast on your own router.

The "Choose a wireless network" dialog box is Windows XP's built-in WiFi sniffer, and it is particularly handy when you're trying to find an Internet connection away from home. Whether you're in a coffee shop, in a hotel, or just driving through some residential neighborhood, you can use the sniffer to list any available WiFi networks within range. The closest networks (or rather, the ones with the strongest signals) are listed first, followed by the weaker, more distant hotspots.

A yellow padlock icon indicates secure hotspots wireless networks requiring WEP or WPA security keys so highlight the unsecured network with the strongest signal, and click the Connect button.

With any luck, Windows should connect to the network in 10-15 seconds, and you should be able to start surfing normally soon thereafter.

Note: Like to stay mobile? Keep an eye on your wireless reception with the free Wireless Strength widget (http://www.widgetforge.com/?w=58 ), a graphical signal strength meter that sits on your desktop. (This tool requires the Kapsules scripting engine, freely available from http://www.kwidgets.com .)

The placement of your wireless router and the arrangement of nearby obstacles will have a significant effect on the strength and range of your WiFi signal. Of course, your router will need to be within spitting distance of your DSL or cable modem, but with a sufficiently long cable, you
should have some leeway with the router's placement. Use the signal strength indicator in the "Choose a wireless network" window (right-click the wireless connection icon in the System Tray or Network Connections window and choose View Available Wireless Networks) to test various
configurations.

Place your wireless router out in the open; don't put it under your desk, in a drawer, or behind a metal file cabinet. If you're
feeding several PCs, place your router in a central location. Consider cabling any stationary computers to optimize the placement of the router for your portable (wireless) ones .

Now, other technology in your home or office may also interfere with your wireless network, limiting its range, speed, and reliability. Both the popular 802.11b and newer 802.11g standards operate over the 2.4-GHz band, which is also inhabited by many cordless phones and all microwave ovens. (The black sheep of the family, 802.11a, solves this problem by using the 5-GHz band, but its short range and limited compatibility make it an unpopular choice.) This means that you'll get better results if you move the router away from any cordless phone base stations, televisions, radios, security systems, or TV dinners. (Better yet, replace your aging 2.4-GHz portable phone with a WiFi-friendly 5.8-GHz cordless phone.)

If, after adjusting the placement of your router, you still need more range, consider either a repeater (range extender) or an after market antenna (provided your router has an antenna port to accommodate one). If you need a lot more distance (possibly at the expense of some
versatility)and you fancy yourself a tinkerera Pringles "cantenna"
(http://www.oreillynet.com/pub/wlg/448 ) can extend your wireless range by a mile or more!

[LoneRanger]

26 june 2008:

Turn Off "Not Connected" Messages

Every time I turn on my PC, a little yellow balloon pops up in the lower-right corner of my screen and says that my network cable is unplugged. I'm not using a network cable at all, and my wireless connection works fine. Does this error mean anything?

Not really. It's kind of like the flight attendant who wakes you up during a long flight to ask if you want a pillow (no offense intended to flight attendants… or pillows).

Windows XP is designed to notify you whenever one of your network connections isn't connected, even when another connection is working fine. Common sense would tell you to open the Network Connections control panel, right-click the connection in question, choose Properties, and uncheck the "Notify me when this connection has limited or no connectivity" box. However, this seemingly apt option has no effect on this error.

Unfortunately, the only way to permanently do away with this useless message is to disable the offending connection entirely. Open the Network Connections control panel, right-click the connection, and select Disable. You'll notice that both the message and the icon in your Tray disappear, never to be seen again (unless you re-enable the connection).

[LoneRanger]

27 June 2008:



Connect PCs Wirelessly Without a Router

My sister and I both have wireless laptops, but we're traveling and nowhere near a wireless router. Can we connect to each other anyway?

Yes you can, using something called an ad-hoc wireless network, a little-known feature specifically designed to connect two PCs to one another wirelessly.

On one of the PCs, open the Network Connections control panel, right-click your wireless connection, and select Properties. Choose the Wireless Networks tab, and click the Add button to display the Wireless Network Properties dialog box as shown in Figure.

Type a name for your ad-hoc network in the "Network name (SSID)" field. From the Network Authentication drop-down list, choose Open, and from the Data encryption list, choose WEP.

Next, remove the checkmark next to the "The key is provided for me automatically" option, and then make up a key to type into both the "Network key" and "Confirm network key" fields. The key can be any combination of numbers and letters from AF; for the sake of simplicity, use a 10-character (64-bit) key.

Finally, place a checkmark next to the "This is a computer-to-computer (ad hoc) network; wireless access points are not used" option at the bottom of the window, and then click OK. The new network should show up in the "Preferred networks" list, along with the word "(Automatic)," signifying that Windows will connect to this network automatically when it is in range.

Now, repeat these steps on the other PC, and then open the "Choose a wireless network" dialog box on both PCs. With any luck, and a few clicks of the "Refresh network list" link, the two PCs should connect and form a private workgroup.

[LoneRanger]

28 June 2008:



Boot with the Windows CD

My PC got hit with a pretty nasty virus, and the damage was so severe that I had to wipe my hard disk clean. Now I'm trying to reinstall Windows, but my PC won't boot off the CD. How else can I install this thing?

Normally, you're supposed to install (or reinstall) Windows from within Windows. With
Windows running, pop the CD into your drive, and Setup should start automatically. This is the method of choice if you're upgrading to a newer version of Windows or simply reinstalling your existing version to fix some problems, since Setup is able to preserve your settings (desktop icons, colors, etc.), as well as installed applications and data.

Note: On some modern PCs, you can press F12 at startup to show a list of possible boot devices; from here, choose your CD drive to boot off the Windows CD for this session.

Of course, on a PC without any working copy of Windows, you'll have to do a "clean install," which typically requires that you boot your computer directly off the Windows CD. However, for this to work your PC must be configured to check your CD drive for bootable discs before booting off the hard disk, and most PCs aren't set up this way by default.

To change the default boot device for this and all subsequent boots, restart your computer. Immediately before the Power On Self Test (POST) "beep," press the key on your keyboard (usually Del, F1, F2, or Esc) used to enter your PC's BIOS setup screen. Refer to your computer's manual for details about your system's BIOS setup.
Once inside Setup, navigate to the "Boot" or "Startup" section (see Figure) with the cursor keys. Using the keys indicated on the screen (usually in a legend at the bottom), move your CD or DVD drive so that it is listed before your hard disk (a.k.a. HDD). Setup screens vary widely, so consult your manual for specific instructions.

When you're done, save your settings and reboot (usually by pressing Esc, F10, or the End key). When your PC reboots, it should poll your CD drive and check for a bootable CD. If the XP CD is in the drive, you'll be asked to "Press the spacebar to boot off CD." Press the spacebar, and in a few seconds you should see a series of unfriendly messages (white text on a black screen) that indicate that Windows Setup is loading.

If your PC won't boot off the XP CD, chances are that your CD or DVD drive is one of the astonishingly large percentage of drives that don't properly support bootable CDs. If you can't get yours to work, try a different drive. Another possibility is that your PC didn't come come with a real Windows CD, but rather something called a restore disc.

Note: When you've successfully installed the operating system, follow the above procedure to change your BIOS settings again, reinstating the hard disk as the default boot device.

[LoneRanger]

29 June 2008:



Reinstall Windows over SP2

After being battered by a virus and my meager attempts to eradicate it, my PC is essentially nonfunctional. I need to reinstall Windows XP without erasing my hard disk and all my data. But when I pop in my XP CD and try to run Windows Setup, I'm told that I can't install Windows over a newer version. It doesn't make sense: I'm installing XP over XP!

The problem is that you're not using Windows XP, you're using Windows XP Service
Pack 2 (or SP2), which Microsoft considers a newer version of the operating system. If you're like most of us, the service pack a bundle of patches and updates assembled by Microsoftwas installed automatically as part of the Windows Update service.

Does this mean your old XP CD is useless? Not necessarily. If you need to reinstall Windows, you have two options. First, you may be able to uninstall SP2 via the Add or Remove Programs control panel, and then reinstall XP. Alternatively, you can use your existing Windows CD to create a new Windows disc that includes SP2 and then use the new disc to reinstall Windows. This second process is called slipstreaming, and while somewhat arduous, it's worth the trouble, particularly if you want to be prepared for future PC emergencies (if your PC won't boot you won't be able to remove SP2, which means you won't be able to reinstall Windows, and your remaining option will involve crushing your PC with a large, blunt instrument).

To start, you'll need a real, original Windows XP CD; if you only have a restore disc or an XP CD with SP1 already installed, you can't use this fix. You'll also need a CD writer, a blank disc, and a full-blown CD burning application, such as Roxio Easy Media Creator or Nero Ultra Edition.

Windows Explorer's built-in CD burning feature won't cut it.

First, open Windows Explorer and create two new folders in the root folder of your hard disk: c:\xp and c:\sp2. Pop your original XP CD in your drive, highlight everything in the root folder of your CD (press Ctrl-A), and copy (drag) all the files on the CD into the c:\xp folder you just created.

Next, download the "Full Network Install" release of Service Pack 2. The filename is WindowsXP-KB835935-SP2-ENU.exe. Save this 270+ MB file to the c:\sp2 folder on your hard disk, and when it's finished downloading, rename the file to sp2.exe.

Open a Command Prompt window (go to Start --> Run and type cmd.exe), and type: c:\sp2\sp2.exe /integrate:c:\xp

If you get an error stating "This Service Pack cannot be integrated into a destination that also has integrated Software Updates," it means your CD is not a true, original Windows XP CD and thus can't be slipstreamed. If you get a "not a valid Win32 application" error, the patch you downloaded is corrupt; you'll need to delete it and download it again. If you get the cryptic "file too big for memory" error, you're short on disk spaceyou need at least 1 GB of free space after you've copied the setup files.
You'll need one more thing from your original Windows CD. Download IsoBuster from
http://www.isobuster.com, and run the program. In the main IsoBuster window, select your CD drive from the list and highlight the Bootable CD folder on the
left. On the right, you should see an .img file (e.g., Microsoft Corporation.img or possibly BootImage.img). Drag this file into the c:\sp2 folder on your hard disk.
Next, open your CD burning software, and start a new "Bootable Disc" project (in Roxio) or "CD-ROM (Boot)" project (in Nero). When prompted, specify these settings:
Bootable disc type: no emulation Boot image data/image file: specify the .img file you extracted with IsoBuster
File system: Joliet
Sector count (boot section): 4 sectors
Load segment: 0x7C0
Volume label: use the same CD volume label as your original XP CD
In most CD-burning programs, you'll be prompted for this information in a piecemeal fashion via a series of dialog boxes once you start the CD project. (Consult your application's documentation for additional settings necessary to create bootable CDs.)

When given the opportunity, add the entire contents of the c:\xp folder to your project, and then burn the CD. When the burn is complete, you should have a bootable Windows XP SP2 CD, which can be used just like your original XP CD. You can test the CD by using it to boot your system, as described in "Boot with the Windows CD." Once you're sure the CD works, you can delete both the c:\xp and
c:\sp2 folders.

To use the CD to reinstall Windows, you have two options: insert the new CD while Windows is running, or if you can't get into Windows boot off the CD. In either case, choose the option to upgrade Windows rather than performing a fresh install, so that Setup can retain your installed applications and all your settings. Then, just follow
the on screen prompts to complete installation.

Unless you choose to format your hard disk, all your data will remain intact.

[LoneRanger]

30 June 2008:



Wipe Your Hard Disk Clean

I had a pretty serious virus invasion recently, and rather than trying to recover my data none of which I care about I want to wipe my hard disk clean and start over. How do I do this?

You'll typically find it much easier to destroy data than to create it. Nonetheless, there's no direct way to wipe your hard disk clean from within Windows, and understandably so.

If you wipe your hard disk using either of the following methods, and you have no recent backup, you will lose all your personal data with no reliable means of retrieving it.

The easiest way to wipe your hard disk clean is to use the "restore disc" that came with your PC. Not only will it erase your hard disk, but it will reinstall Windows, all your drivers, and even much of the software that originally came with your PC. Just
insert the CD and follow the instructions.

Don't have a restore disc, or want more control? Just boot your system off an original Windows XP CD. Wait for a few minutes while Setup loads the drivers it needs and completes initiation, and then press Enter to "Set up Windows XP now." Press F8 to agree to the silly license, and moments later you'll see a list of drives and partitions on your system, like the one in Figure.

How you proceed at this point is up to you, but assuming there's no valuable data on your system, use the cursor keys to select partitions on your drive and then press the D key to delete them. (Deleting a partition instantly erases all data on it.) When there are no partitions left (all you see is "Unpartitioned space"), press the C key to create a new partition, type the maximum size for the partition (in MB), and press Enter. Then, highlight the new partition and press Enter to install Windows on it.

Complete the setup by following the instructions on screen.

[LoneRanger]

01 July 2008:



Create a Usable Restore Disc

I've read that only reinstalling Windows can resolve some problems, and I'm wondering whether or not I have a Windows CD. All I can find is something called a "restore disc." Is this the same thing?

Probably not. Due to licensing restrictions, and in order to save a few cents, many PC
manufacturers do not include original Windows CDs with their computers. The good news is that some manufacturers will send you a Windows CD if you ask; you did pay for it, after all. Some companies require a modest shipping fee; others, not so modest. But odds are that your PC vendor will refuse your request outright. In this case, eBay is a good source for inexpensive XP CDs, or, if you want to pay full price, you can go to any software retailer. Just make sure you get a valid, legal copy complete with an official certificate of authenticity and CD key whether it's used
or new.

In most cases, the recovery CD included with your PC is good for one thing: wiping your hard disk clean and filling it with all the software that was included with the machine when it was new.

Unless you're preparing to sell your computer, this isn't usually a practical choice.

Recovery CDs do typically have a few things your ordinary Windows XP CD lacks, though: namely, drivers for all the hardware that came with your PC, along with the crummy applications that came preinstalled on your system. You probably haven't given much thought to these drivers, since they were preinstalled on your computer, but unless you want to wipe your hard disk each time you need to solve a hardware problem you'd be wise to build yourself a separate driver CD, from which you can easily install individual drivers.

First, visit your PC manufacturer's web site, and download all the latest drivers for your PC. Make sure you get your video, network, wireless, sound, and chipset drivers, as well as drivers for any products you've added after purchasing the PC.
If any drivers are encapsulated in ZIP files, unzip them into separate folders; that way, you'll be able to install them directly from your CD later (without having to manually unzip them first).

When you have everything in hand, burn all the drivers to a CD, write "Drivers" and today's date on the disc with a Sharpie pen, and put it in a safe place. This disc and your original Windows XP CD (and regular backups of your precious data) are all you need to recover your PC from a serious crash.

Note: Having your network drivers on disc is particularly important, because without them you probably won't be able to connect to the Internet and download other drivers later on, when you really need them.

[LoneRanger]

02 July 2008:



Set Up a Dual-Boot System

I'm a holdout, still using good ol' Windows 98 on my everyday PC… but I'm finally getting tired of the crashing, and I'd like to try Windows XP without committing to it. Can I install Windows XP on my machine without losing Windows 98?

Absolutely just use the dual-boot feature built into Windows XP. With a dual-boot (or
multiboot) setup, you can install multiple operating systems side by side on the same computer and simply choose which one to use each time you boot.

Windows 98 doesn't explicitly support a dual-boot configuration, but it doesn't have to. The key is to install Windows XP last, so that its boot manager (installed automatically with Windows XP) can accommodate both your existing operating system and the new one.

Setting up a dual-boot system is easy, but it's not necessarily intuitive. First, you must install XP into a different folder or drive than the one your current version occupies. So, if Windows 98 is installed in c:\windows, you'll need to put Windows XP in something like c:\winxp or d:\windows.(If you're installing XP over another OS that has its own boot manager, such as Windows 2000 or Unix, you'll have to use a different drive for each operating system.)

Note: Already using Windows XP, and want to try out Windows Vista? When setting up any multiboot PC, always install earlier operating systems first, followed by more recent versions. Typically, the boot manager included with the last operating system
installed is the one that is used.

Note: don't install Windows XP from within your current version of Windows, or Setup will perform an upgrade, and you'll lose Windows 98. Instead, boot off your XP CD, and follow the instructions on screen to complete the installation. When Setup detects your existing Windows installation, it will give you the option of upgrading it or installing XP into a different folder or drive.

If, at the end of the installation, Windows XP is the only operating system on your computer, it will boot automatically without giving you a choice. Otherwise, you'll see a menu of installed operating systems each time you boot, from which you can choose the OS you wish to use for that session.

Note: If you don't want the hassle associated with a dual-boot sytem, or if you want to install many different versions of Windows, you can use a program like Microsoft VirtualPC. Instead of separate partitions, you create multiple hard disk images (resizable files on your hard disk), and then launch VirtualPC and install the operating sytems to those images from within your version of Windows. Although there's a performance hit, it's the only way to run multiple versions of Windows on the same PC simultaneously.

[LoneRanger]

03 July 2008:



Windows Won't Start

I turned on my computer this morning, and all I got was a black screen and the rather unhelpful message "Operating system not found" in little white letters. Is my PC trying to tell me that my hard disk has crashed?

When you turn on your PC, the first thing it does after completing its Power On Self
Test (POST) is to scan your hard disk for something called a master boot record (MBR), a pointer to a program on your hard disk that tells your PC which partition contains your operating system.

This error message means that your PC can't find Windows XP's boot information, because the MBR is corrupt, the entry for Windows in the MBR is absent or corrupt, or any of a half-dozen other reasons. But don't panic the solution is often a simple one.
First, eject any disks from your PC's floppy and CD drives, and then reboot. Some computers check these drives for boot information before moving on to your hard disk, and display the above error message if no boot records are detected.

If that doesn't help, determine whether your PC is detecting your hard disk at all. During the self-test, your PC displays a bunch of information about your system, including details about the processor, memory, and hard disks. (Many new PCs display a large logo while this is happening, but you can usually hide the logo and display this information by pressing the Esc key.) If the screen blows by too quickly, or you don't see any hard disk information, enter your system BIOS setup screen, and peruse the information there.

If your hard disk typically identified by manufacturer and model number is not listed, your PC is not detecting it. There are about 50 things that can cause this problem, but it's often nothing more than a bad data cable. Crack open your PC's case, and make sure the IDE, SATA, or SCSI cable connecting your hard disk to the motherboard is firmly attached at both ends. If the problem persists, replace the cable with a brand new one. You could also unplug every drive other than your hard disk (e.g., CD and DVD drives, Zip and tape drives, etc.) to see if one of them is causing the problem.

If your PC is detecting your hard disk but Windows still won't load, fire up the Windows Recovery Console (WRC) and attempt repairs there. To get into the WRC, insert your Windows XP CD in your CD drive and turn on your computer.

After Setup loads all of its drivers, press the R key to start the Windows Recovery Console. When the WRC starts, you'll see a screen titled "Windows NT™ Boot Console Command Interpreter." If you're asked "Which Windows installation would you like to logon to," type the number next to your Windows XP folder (usually 1…c:\Windows), and then type your administrator password. Once you've logged in, the WRC looks and feels a lot like the Windows Command Prompt (a.k.a. DOS), but it supports only a handful of DOS commands.

At the prompt, type dir and press Enter to display a listing of the files and folders in the root folder of your hard disk (usually c:\). If you see a bunch of garbage characters or you get a strange error, stop immediately and take your hard disk to a data recovery expert.

Otherwise, if the listing looks normal (i.e., you see the WINDOWS and Program Files folders), type fixmbr and press Enter. Then type fixboot and press Enter. When the two commands finish, press Ctrl-Alt-Del to restart your computer and see if Windows loads properly.

If Windows still won't boot, your hard disk needs more help than I can provide.

If your drive contains any valuable data, try a recovery utility such as SpinRite or, if you don't want to risk doing more damage, take it to a data recovery expert and hope for the best.

Warning: Checking your hard disk for signs of corruption is a crucial step. If you continue and attempt repairs on a corrupt drive, you may irreparably damage data that otherwise might be recoverable. Windows Setup actually provides another, easier- to-use feature (an alternative to the WRC) entitled "Repair an existing installation," but it's a poor choice because it doesn't let you check for corruption before effecting repairs.

[LoneRanger]

04 July 2008:



Desktop Never Appears

Windows just won't finish loading. I stare at the Windows logo for what seems like an eternity, and then the pulsating progress bar stops pulsating. That's it; Windows never loads. What's going on?

When Windows boots, it loads all of its drivers, initializes its network connections, and
loads its high-level components (Explorer, fonts, etc.) into memory. These things are loaded in order; if one task cannot complete because of a corrupted file or network error, for instance the next task cannot begin and the boot process stalls.

Note: If you're running off a battery, plug your laptop into its charger and wait for about 20 minutes for the battery to accumulate sufficient charge to start Windows.

If the problem started happening as soon as you added a new hardware device, check the device manufacturer's web site for a driver or BIOS update. Otherwise, first unplug your network cable and try again. If Windows loads, there's something wrong with your network connection, Internet connection, router, or whatever else is on the other end of that cable.

Still stuck? Unplug all the USB and FireWire devices connected to your PC. If Windows loads, reconnect them one by one, restarting Windows after each reconnection, until you find the culprit that hangs the system. Really stuck? Start disconnecting any non-USB peripherals (e.g., keyboard, mouse, parallel printer) attached to your PC and, if necessary/applicable, PCI or PCMCIA cards and any other nonessential devices inside your PC. If the above steps don't work, there may be a problem with your hard disk but if you're getting as far as the Windows logo, it's probably not too serious. To investigate, restart your computer, and just after the beep but before the Windows logo appears, press the F8 key. From the Windows Advanced Options Menu, use the arrow keys to highlight Safe Mode, and press Enter.

Safe Mode allows Windows to load without network support, hardware drivers, some services, and a handful of other components that can sometimes cause this problem. If Safe Mode works, open Windows Explorer, right-click your hard disk (e.g., drive c, select Properties, and choose the Tools tab. In the "Error-checking" section, click the Check Now button. Check the boxes next to both options in the "Check disk" section and click the Start button, and ScanDisk will open and check your drive for errors. When it's finished, restart Windows normally.