How To: Windows Maintenance

Many people ask me to "fix" their computer, and I am always willing to do so. It is not that I can preform miracles, I have just learned and memorized the necessary steps. Well today, I am going to share these steps with you.

Many tasks brag about being doable in three steps and this one is no different:

1. Remove
2. Clean
3. Update

Remove

Begin by removing anything that is unnecessary. There three areas on which to focus:

1. Applications
2. Files
3. Start-on-boot entries

Uninstall any unused applications. They use disk space, increase your security risk (because they could contain an exploitable flaw), and will slow down the cleaning and updating phases.

Delete unused and unnecessary files. This especially includes temporary internet files. Where temporary internet files are stored varies with the version of Windows. However, (I believe) there is a universal way to delete them in "Internet Options" of the "Control Panel". Also, delete any unneeded/unused icons on your desktop. Having these on your desktop is akin to having a messy room. Similar to applications, unnecessary files use disk space, increase your security risk (because they could contain malware), and will slow down the cleaning and updating phases.

Many application want to start on boot, but the only non-operating system, non-hardware related application that I allow at boot are related to security or file synchronization (by which I mean Dropbox). There are two places in the registry that contain start-on-boot entries. To edit the registry, enter "regedit" at the run dialog, which can be accessed via the keyboard shortcut "Windows-R".

• HKEY_CURRENT_USER -> Software -> Microsoft -> Windows -> CurrentVersion -> Run*
• HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE -> Software -> Microsoft -> Windows -> CurrentVersion -> Run*

("Run*" means any folder beginning with "Run".) You should delete any registry key (which is what the contents of these registry folders are called) of a program that does not need to start on boot. Be especially on the look out for malware that is set to start on boot. How do you know what is malware, what does not need to start at boot, and what does need to start at boot? Google. That is basically how I figured out which keys are necessary, which are malicious, and which are benign. Some programs (most notably in my mind...QuickTime) really want to start on boot but have no reason to do so. If you delete its registry key, it will reappear there (eventually). I know of two solutions for this, but one of them will be discussed in the "clean" phase. The solution from this section is to leave the registry key, but disable it in the "Startup" tab of "msconfig" (which can be accessed via the run dialog). You also need to check the "'Windows/Start button' -> (All) Programs -> Startup" folder because, as its name suggests, also contains start-on-boot entries.

Clean

In this phase, we are cleaning and securing your computer of malware. I recommend the following security software:

1. Anti-virus: AVG
2. Anti-spyware: Spybot Search & Destroy
3. Anti-"rest": Malwarebytes

All of these programs have free versions. If you have another anti-virus program (especially one that you paid for), just keep using that one. Otherwise, install the programs that you do not have. Update them. Then, have each one, one at a time, run a full system scan. Remove any problems that they find.

Spybot Search & Destroy also has two other important features. It has an "immunize" feature by which it secures your browsers in many ways. You have to immunize after each update. The other feature monitors registry changes. This is the other way to prevent programs from recreating their start-on-boot entry in the registry. Spybot notifies you if a registry change is requested. If it is a program wanting to recreate its start-on-boot registry entry, then you check "Remember" and click "Deny".

Update

Now that your computer is quick and clean, we need to keep it that way. Update all the programs that can be updated. We updated the security software in the previous section, so they should already be at their newest versions.

The two most important programs to update are Windows and your browser. Internet Explorer updates are found with Windows updates. Firefox and Chrome have menu entries where you can trigger a update process.

Other common programs that can be updated are

1. Adobe PDF Reader,
2. Apple Software (such as iTunes and QuickTime), and
   
3. Java.

Conclusion

I am sure that you are happy that your computer is now malware free. Did you know that I am also happy? Sure, I am happy because you are happy, but I am also happy because there is one less computer ruining the internet. Computers with malware are responsible for all of the bad things that happen on the internet, including identity theft, spam email, and DDoS attacks. Thanks for taking the time to make the internet a better place.

Back to School

The University of Wisconsin-Madison finally started school on Thursday of this week (which was yesterday). I assume that almost everyone else has already started.

I am starting my second year as a Ph.D. student, which means that I am in 18th grade! lol

Problems Traveling

I have only been on three trips requiring plane flights and they all happened within the last 13 months. I have heard horror stories about flying (i.e. delayed/canceled flights or long security lines) and now I have such a story.

Yesterday I got back from my second trip this summer to Princeton University. My flight from Madison (MSN) to Newark International Airport (EWR) took me through Milwaukee (MKE).

My flight from MKE to EWR was delayed by an hour because there was too much air traffic at EWR. This did not actually slow me down any because I was going to have to wait an hour for the train from EWR to Princeton...although I made it to the train without a minute to spare!

My flight from MKE to MSN was canceled due to mechanical failure (better on the ground than in the air, huh?). Actually, it was probably not our plane with the mechanical problem. I am guessing that another flight took our plane because their designation was much further away. Since MKE is so close to MSN, we were bussed there. Because of this, my number of actual plane flights is odd. That is probably quite unique given that I have only ever purchased round-trip tickets.

God's Number is 20

About a month ago (in July 2010), four people collaborated with Goolge to determine the fewest number of moves to solve the Rubic's Cube. God, being omniscience, already knew this. Thus the number of moves that He needs to solve the Rubic's Cube is at most 20.

Personally, I find it rather odd that this number is called God's number and that the algorithm used is called God's algorithm. It is just another way of saying that this is the optimal solution. In computer science, we talk about optimal solutions all the time (at least up to constant factors), but we never use this term.

(All I am saying is that) this is just the only use of the phrase as far as I know. Oh well.

Reference:
God's Number is 20

A Parking Contradiction

I saw these signs in a parking lot on my way to school this week.

"A strange game this parking is. The only winning move is not to play."

Ode to TED (Day 7): Best of the Web

Today is my last "Ode to TED" day. I am sure that I will post more TED videos in the future because they are so good.

On this final day, we are going to watch a video from TED that is not by TED. TED has a "Best of the Web" section and today's video is certainly deserving of that title. It is about how all of life is becoming a game because of pervasive technology.

NOTE: This video has a few uses of strong language. I give it a PG-13 rating (to be safe).

DICE 2010: "Design Outside the Box" Presentation (DICE link)

Wii Games - E3 2011 - Guitar Hero 5

(Sorry that this video goes over my side menu bar.)

Ode to TED (Day 6): Siftables

Welcome to the penultimate "Ode to TED" day.

Siftables are an ingenious invention with amazing possibilities. My favorite part is the lack of need to explain the interface. Even though people have never seen them before, they will either know what to do from the beginning or have fun trying to figure it out. This is also one of Shannon's favorite TED videos.

TED2009: David Merrill demos Siftables (TED link)

(The length of this video is 7:12.)