Return to the Past with Windows Restore

A common problem we hear from frustrated PC users is "my computer started acting strangely this week. What should I do?"

So before you throw your PC down the stairs, stay calm a try a few simple things to get your CC back up and running.

Usually we recommend a good anti-virus and spyware check. But if that's not possible or turns up nothing, then the next best thing is to use the built-in Windows Restore function.

And we always recommend that users have backups of their most precious data before anything bad happens and certainly before trying anything like a system restore.

We're using the standard advice from Microsoft knowledgebase here for the help. And they differ a bit on whether your PC's Window program will even start-up.

If Windows XP starts

1. Log on to Windows as Administrator.
2. Click Start, point to All Programs, point to Accessories, point to System Tools, and then click System Restore. System Restore starts.
3. On the Welcome to System Restore page, click Restore my computer to an earlier time (if it is not already selected), and then click Next.
4. On the Select a Restore Point page, click the most recent system checkpoint in the On this list, click a restore point list, and then click Next. A System Restore message may appear that lists configuration changes that System Restore will make. Click OK.
5. On the Confirm Restore Point Selection page, click Next. System Restore restores the previous Windows XP configuration, and then restarts the computer.
6. Log on to the computer as Administrator. The System Restore Restoration Complete page appears.
7. Click OK.

If Windows will not start, do this to restore:

1. Restart your computer, and then press F8 during the initial startup to start your computer in Safe Mode with a command prompt.
   For additional information about the Safe mode with a command prompt, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: 315222 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/315222/) A description of the Safe mode boot options in Windows XP
2. Log on to your computer with an administrator account or with an account that has administrator credentials.
   
3. Type the following command at a command prompt, and then press ENTER: %systemroot%\system32\restore\rstrui.exe
4. Follow the instructions that appear on the screen to restore your computer to an earlier state.

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• Don't Let Your PC Catch a Virus

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Don't Let Your PC Catch a Virus

Most PC problems stem from viruses and malware. But both can be easily prevented by safe computing practices and up-to-date software.

Many new PCs come with free trial versions from McAfee or Norton. And there's nothing wrong with using either of those solutions.

However, many users forget to renew their subscriptions or think that bad things will never happen to them online.

Wrong.

But there are other options out there that can cost less. For anti-virus protection, users should check out the free version of AVG, (http://free.grisoft.com/) This is a free version with basic protection and no technical support. But it's good and the price is right. AVG also offers free and paid versions of Anti-Spy software.

For spyware/malware, PC users should check out the free Windows Defender software from Microsoft.

Windows Defender is a free program that helps protect your computer against pop-ups, slow performance, and security threats caused by spyware and other unwanted software. It features Real-Time Protection, a monitoring system that recommends actions against spyware when it's detected and minimizes interruptions and helps you stay productive.

It's very nice of Microsoft, after developing operating systems that are exploitable, to offer free software to try to fix the problem.

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• OpenOffice Offers Software Suite for Free!
• FireFox is Foxy and Free
  

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Rumor Has It

Forwarded emails are the bane of the internet.

Anybody who has an email account has received at least one or maybe even 100 or 1,000 of them from family and friends.

Dire emails warning of an impending disaster. Or the latest urban legend that will affect your life if you don't heed the warning in the email. Whatever the case, these emails can be a real menace.

But before you forward that email on to your contact list, spend a moment over at Snopes.com.

Your family and friends will certainly thank you if you do.

The site is the most complete source of urban legends on the net. Check out the hottest and latest legends circulating the net and find out if they are true or now. Or use the search feature to discover an older rumor.


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Firefox is Foxy and Free

Back in the olden days of the web browsing. There was only one real choice for web browsing and that was Netscape Navigator.

But Microsoft's bundled and free Internet Explorer all but killed the Netscape empire.

But like the mythical phoenix, Netscape Navigator legacy continues as Firefox.

Firefox is an open-source application that offers improved performance, functionality and security compared to the normal Internet Explorer usually preloaded on new PCs.

With features like Improved Tab Browsing; Spell Checking; Search Suggestions; Session Restore and Integrated Search, Firefox is a robust up-to-date application for surfing the web.

To get Firefox for your PC, visit: http://www.getfirefox.com

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• Thunderbird to the Rescue
  
• OpenOffice Offers Software Suite for Free!

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Thunderbird to the Rescue

Looking for an alternative to Microsoft Outlook or Outlook Express as a mail client for your PC?

An open-source project, Thunderbird, may be your best answer. And the best part is that it's Free!

Thunderbird is a full-feature email client that can be download and used for free. Latest features include "Advanced Folder Views"; "Message Tagging"; and "Improved Search".

Even if you use a web-based email like Gmail, Thunderbird can be very useful. Its text editor offers more features than the basic Google Mail. And by using the newer IMAP mail protocol, you can configure Thunderbird to access your online account without endlessly duplicating mail.

To download Thunderbird, visit http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/thunderbird/

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• Fly with Google
• OpenOffice Offers Software Suite for Free!
• Sync with Google Calendar
  

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OpenOffice Offers Software Suite for Free

Can an office productivity suite that competes with Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint really be free?

Yes, when it's open-source. That means that many people around the world work on the software and license it to for the public to use.

OpenOffice.org 2 is the leading open-source office software suite for word processing, spreadsheets, presentations, graphics, databases and more. It is available in many languages and works on all common computers. It stores all your data in an international open standard format and can also read and write files from other common office software packages.

It can be downloaded and used completely free of charge for any purpose. This means you may use it for any purpose - domestic, commercial, educational, public administration. You may install it on as many computers as you like. You may make copies and give them away to family, friends, students, employees - anyone you like.

What could be cooler than that?

To download OpenOffice and install on your PC, visit http://www.openoffice.org.

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Let's Go Way Back!

Have you ever re-visited a site only to get a "Error 404" because the page is no longer available?

Normally, you'd be out of luck. But a cool site called the Internet Archive WayBack Machine can often help to let you view the page you were looking for.

Just visit the site, http://www.archive.org/, and enter the URL of the site or page you were looking to review. You'll see that most pages are indexed at various times throughout the year. So pick your month and year and you'll see what was on the apge at that time.

The WayBack Machine has captured and indexed billions of webpages since it was started over 10 years ago.

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