Windows DLL errors mean that there is a conflict in the path of your operating system. Think of it as a block in the road. If you can't get through that obstruction, then you're not going to feel too great. You're not going to be able to get to where you are going. That is exactly what happens when there is some sort of conflict in the path. These problems are very common, but they are not easy to fix the right way. This is because they require updates to the system's registry, which many simply leave alone because of the high incidence of errors.
Why the errors occur:
As you go through the install and uninstall process on your computer, but each installation leaves a piece of the program behind. That information is most likely kept on the registry. This then bogs down the system and results in corruption within system file deletions.
The DLL files are very important because they are used by the Dynamic Link Library in order to allow for interaction between the files that computer programs share. If a DLL file is moved from its original location, the system is not able to access its files accurately and can cause operation issues. You may also see a DLL error when incompatible versions of a software application are installed.
And because DLL files have multiple file sets when installed, it is a good idea to try not to reinstall the file that is corrupted because this can cause other errors. This is a mistake that a lot of people make and this can result in a DLL error.
Repairing DLL errors:
Repairing DLL errors can be done when you have the right program or book guiding you through the process. You may also be able to find programs out there that will help you take care of some of the errors. It is important to realize that there are hundreds of DLL files on a single computer. When an error occurs, that error may be due to only one file.
But there is something to keep in mind. First of all, the computer just shows you the most critical DLL error. Once the critical DLL error is fixed, other DLL errors may arrive. This is because another error has suddenly become the most critical error and so on and so forth. If your operating system is Windows XP, you may find that this can be quite time consuming.
Fortunately, the average person has access to the same tools the experts use. These include guide books and software programs that can isolate the problem and make sure the corrupted DLL file is reinstalled correctly. Correct reinstall means not reinstalling the corrupted file so that more problems don't come about. It can be done and without spending hours doing it.
It is very important that you don't let DLL errors continue on your machine or you will find yourself having worse problems than you could possibly imagine which could be a fairly severe situation.
SPEED UP FIREFOX
Ever wondered if there is a way to super boost the speed of Mozilla Firefox, well here is one trick that allows you to do so. Go to the address bar and type "about:config" without the quotes and follow the instructions below
Search for --> Value to be set
"network.http.pipelining"---->true
"network.http.proxy.pipelining"--->true
"network.http.pipelining.maxrequests"-->8
"network.http.max-connections"---->48
"network.http.max-connections-per-server"--->16
"network.http.max-persistent-connections-per-proxy"--->16
"network.http.max-persistent-connections-per-server"--->8
"content.notify.backoffcount"--->5
"content.max.tokenizing.time"---->2250000
"content.notify.interval"--->750000
"content.switch.threshold"--->750000
"content.notify.ontimer"--->true
"content.interrupt.parsing"--->true
"nglayout.initialpaint.delay"--->0
"browser.cache.memory.capacity"--->65536
How To Speed Up Firefox (Helpful Vanity)
Search for --> Value to be set
"network.http.pipelining"---->true
"network.http.proxy.pipelining"--->true
"network.http.pipelining.maxrequests"-->8
"network.http.max-connections"---->48
"network.http.max-connections-per-server"--->16
"network.http.max-persistent-connections-per-proxy"--->16
"network.http.max-persistent-connections-per-server"--->8
"content.notify.backoffcount"--->5
"content.max.tokenizing.time"---->2250000
"content.notify.interval"--->750000
"content.switch.threshold"--->750000
"content.notify.ontimer"--->true
"content.interrupt.parsing"--->true
"nglayout.initialpaint.delay"--->0
"browser.cache.memory.capacity"--->65536
How To Speed Up Firefox (Helpful Vanity)
Here's something for broadband people that will really speed Firefox up:
1.Type "about:config" into the address bar and hit return. Scroll down and look for the following entries:
network.http.pipelining network.http.proxy.pipelining network.http.pipelining.maxrequests
Normally the browser will make one request to a web page at a time. When you enable pipelining it will make several at once, which really speeds up page loading.
2. Alter the entries as follows:
Set "network.http.pipelining" to "true"
Set "network.http.proxy.pipelining" to "true"
Set "network.http.pipelining.maxrequests" to some number like 30. This means it will make 30 requests at once.
3. Lastly right-click anywhere and select New-> Integer. Name it "nglayout.initialpaint.delay" and set its value to "0". This value is the amount of time the browser waits before it acts on information it recieves.
If you're using a broadband connection you'll load pages MUCH faster now!PEER GUARDIAN
What is Peer Guardian?
Peer Guardian is perhaps the most popular IP blocking software tool on the web. Peer Guardian is primarily used by the Peer2Peer sharing community to block the RIAA, MPAA and other organizations from tracking a sharer's IP address and online activity. In addition to blocking IP addresses , Peer Guardian also can block adware, spyware, government IP's and educational IP's. Peer Guardian is open source and originally developed by Phoenix Labs. The latest version is Peer Guardian 3, however since Peer Guardian 3 is only supported on MS Windows Vista , Peer Guardian 2 continues to be the most popular version.
How Does Peer Guardian Work
Peer Guardian works by blocking IP addresses. Peer Guardian keeps updated lists and uses these lists to halt access to specific IP addresses while you share files and conduct other web activities.
Peer Guardian is extremely easy to use, you first download the software which is less than 2 MB and install it. Once installed, Peer Guardian will update all IP lists and request that you set up your personal preferences. Some of the preferences available for the user are:
• The ability to block spyware, adware and ads
• The ability to block educational and government IP ranges
• The ability to block IP's specifically used by the RIAA, MPAA and other organizations to track you during P2P file sharing or other web activities
Once all lists have been selected, downloaded and updated, you can set Peer Guardian to launch either at startup or at your request. Peer Guardian works mainly in the background and most users won't even notice it.
Considerations
Peer Guardian 2 is able to block all ports and protocols when used with Windows XP; however earlier operating systems such as Windows ME and 98 will only block TCP. Peer Guardian 2 is extremely safe to use and for the most part doesn't require lots of memory or processing power to run. Unfortunately, the original version was considered by many to be a memory and power hog, however since Peer Guardian has gone open source, the new code is written in C and is much more efficient.
It is also important to note that Peer Guardian updates its lists quite often. You can choose to update your list at each launch, every couple of days or once a week. While Peer Guardian is an excellent tool to block others from tracking your IP address, it is not a foolproof tool, due to the fact that a new IP that is not on the list is not blocked by Peer Guardian and thus can be tracking you. However, for most users, Peer Guardian does substantially reduce the risk of being tracked. It is also important to note that while Peer Guardian does include the ability to block spyware and other forms of malware, it is not a substitution for a firewall. Finally, the downside to using Peer Guardian is that in some cases the software is known to interfere with Stream connectivity and Battlefield 2, causing disruptions.
Peer Guardian downloads are open source and available for free at its official website
at the following link: Phoenix Labs
An Intrusion Detection System (IDS) is a system for detecting misuse of network or computer resources.
An IDS will have a number of sensors it utilizes to detect intrusions. Example sensors may be:
• A sensor to monitor TCP connection requests.
• Log file monitors.
• File integrity checkers.
The IDS system is responsible for collecting data from it's sensors and analyzing this data to give the security administrator notice of malicious activity on the network.
IDS technologies are commonly divided into NIDS (Network Intrusion Detection Systems) and HIDS (Host Intrusion Detection Systems).
Newer NIDS also attempt to act as NIPS (Network Intrusion Prevention Systems).
Snort is an excellent open source Network Intrusion Detection System.
A port scanner is a program which attempts to connect to a list or range of TCP (Transmission Control Protocol) or UDP (User Datagram Protocol) ports on a list or range of IP addresses .
Port scanners are used for network mapping and for network security assessments.
The first decisions to make when running a port scanner is to determine the network range you want to scan. This could be a single IP address, a list of IP addresses, or a range of IP addresses.
The second decision to make when running a port scanner is to determine how heavily you want to scan. A light port scan might test TCP ports 22 (SSH), 23 (Telnet), 25 (SMTP), and 110 (POP). A heavy port scan might test both TCP and UDP ports 1-1024. A light port scan will return results much more quickly, a heavy port scan will return more detail.
Because UDP is an unreliable protocol, UDP ports require significantly more time to scan than TCP ports.
Some port scanners will simply test to see if a port responds, while others will gather information about the services running on a port or even attempt to automatically exploit security vulnerabilities remotely.
Peer Guardian is perhaps the most popular IP blocking software tool on the web. Peer Guardian is primarily used by the Peer2Peer sharing community to block the RIAA, MPAA and other organizations from tracking a sharer's IP address and online activity. In addition to blocking IP addresses , Peer Guardian also can block adware, spyware, government IP's and educational IP's. Peer Guardian is open source and originally developed by Phoenix Labs. The latest version is Peer Guardian 3, however since Peer Guardian 3 is only supported on MS Windows Vista , Peer Guardian 2 continues to be the most popular version.
How Does Peer Guardian Work
Peer Guardian works by blocking IP addresses. Peer Guardian keeps updated lists and uses these lists to halt access to specific IP addresses while you share files and conduct other web activities.
Peer Guardian is extremely easy to use, you first download the software which is less than 2 MB and install it. Once installed, Peer Guardian will update all IP lists and request that you set up your personal preferences. Some of the preferences available for the user are:
• The ability to block spyware, adware and ads
• The ability to block educational and government IP ranges
• The ability to block IP's specifically used by the RIAA, MPAA and other organizations to track you during P2P file sharing or other web activities
Once all lists have been selected, downloaded and updated, you can set Peer Guardian to launch either at startup or at your request. Peer Guardian works mainly in the background and most users won't even notice it.
Considerations
Peer Guardian 2 is able to block all ports and protocols when used with Windows XP; however earlier operating systems such as Windows ME and 98 will only block TCP. Peer Guardian 2 is extremely safe to use and for the most part doesn't require lots of memory or processing power to run. Unfortunately, the original version was considered by many to be a memory and power hog, however since Peer Guardian has gone open source, the new code is written in C and is much more efficient.
It is also important to note that Peer Guardian updates its lists quite often. You can choose to update your list at each launch, every couple of days or once a week. While Peer Guardian is an excellent tool to block others from tracking your IP address, it is not a foolproof tool, due to the fact that a new IP that is not on the list is not blocked by Peer Guardian and thus can be tracking you. However, for most users, Peer Guardian does substantially reduce the risk of being tracked. It is also important to note that while Peer Guardian does include the ability to block spyware and other forms of malware, it is not a substitution for a firewall. Finally, the downside to using Peer Guardian is that in some cases the software is known to interfere with Stream connectivity and Battlefield 2, causing disruptions.
Peer Guardian downloads are open source and available for free at its official website
at the following link: Phoenix Labs
An Intrusion Detection System (IDS) is a system for detecting misuse of network or computer resources.
An IDS will have a number of sensors it utilizes to detect intrusions. Example sensors may be:
• A sensor to monitor TCP connection requests.
• Log file monitors.
• File integrity checkers.
The IDS system is responsible for collecting data from it's sensors and analyzing this data to give the security administrator notice of malicious activity on the network.
IDS technologies are commonly divided into NIDS (Network Intrusion Detection Systems) and HIDS (Host Intrusion Detection Systems).
Newer NIDS also attempt to act as NIPS (Network Intrusion Prevention Systems).
Snort is an excellent open source Network Intrusion Detection System.
A port scanner is a program which attempts to connect to a list or range of TCP (Transmission Control Protocol) or UDP (User Datagram Protocol) ports on a list or range of IP addresses .
Port scanners are used for network mapping and for network security assessments.
The first decisions to make when running a port scanner is to determine the network range you want to scan. This could be a single IP address, a list of IP addresses, or a range of IP addresses.
The second decision to make when running a port scanner is to determine how heavily you want to scan. A light port scan might test TCP ports 22 (SSH), 23 (Telnet), 25 (SMTP), and 110 (POP). A heavy port scan might test both TCP and UDP ports 1-1024. A light port scan will return results much more quickly, a heavy port scan will return more detail.
Because UDP is an unreliable protocol, UDP ports require significantly more time to scan than TCP ports.
Some port scanners will simply test to see if a port responds, while others will gather information about the services running on a port or even attempt to automatically exploit security vulnerabilities remotely.
History
Development on PeerGuardian started in late 2002, led by programmer Tim Leonard. The first public version was released in 2003, at a time when the music industry started to sue individual file sharing users (a change from its previous stance that it would not target consumers with copyright infringement lawsuits).
Version 1
The original PeerGuardian (1.0) was programmed in Visual Basic and quickly became popular among P2P users despite blocking only the common TCP protocol and being known for high RAM and CPU usage when connected to P2P networks. By December 2003, it had been downloaded 1 million times. The original version was released for free and the source code was made available under an open source license.
Version 2
After 7 months of development, in February 2005 Version 2 of PeerGuardian was released as a beta. The development of version 2.0 was lead by Cory Nelson, and aimed to resolve many of the shortcomings of Version 1. Version 2 enabled support for more protocols (TCP, UDP, ICMP, etc.), multiple block lists, and automatic updates. The installation procedure was also simplified, no longer requiring a system restart and driver installation.
In order to resolve speed and resource issues, Version 2.0 was re-engineered and re-developed in C++. The new design caused the application to consume significantly less processing power and memory while running. As with most other desktop firewall software for Windows, Version 2.0 is installed as a kernel-level filter in Windows 2000 and later, giving the application greater access to the Windows networking stack and greatly improving overall performance.
Future releases
Support for both Windows Vista and IPv6 are in release candidate phase as of January 2009.
Blocklist
The blocklist is stored in a number of different formats:
Binary formats
The binary formats (known as P2B) were created at the release of the first beta version of PeerGuardian 2, in order to create the smallest possible blocklist.
- P2B Version 1 – This format was used only in the earliest releases of PeerGuardian 2. It was compressed using the gzip format. Lists are no longer produced in this format.
- P2B Version 2 – The most widely used format, this is supported among a number of applications, including eMule and the Linux version of PeerGuardian. It is equivalent to the first version of the P2B format, but instead uses UTF-8 to store names.
- P2B Version 3 – The newest version of the P2B format, this is currently supported only on the latest version of the Windows version of PeerGuardian 2. This format uses 7z compression for additional size reduction. The recent adoption of this format made it the least compatible one.
P2P plaintext format
The original format for PeerGuardian version 1.x was a simple plaintext format. Unfortunately this meant that lists became very large and cost a lot of bandwidth to distribute, heralding the construction of the smaller binary formats.
The format is as follows:
Range Name:FirstIP-LastIP
For example:
Localhost:127.0.0.1-127.0.0.1
This format is used in eMule, in the SafePeer Vuze plugin, and Protowall.
Blocklist Management Issues
Since at least 2006, the P2P blocklist used by PeerGuardian has been provided by "Bluetack Internet Security Solutions". ("Bluetack" was the name of the member of the original PeerGuardian team who owned its previous domain peerguardian.net and created the "Block List Manager" used to maintain the list.) The PeerGuardian developers state they have no control over Bluetack's list, and do not promote or link to alternative lists. They have been criticized for overly broad blocking based on unsubstantiated evidence.
PeerGuardian acknowledges that Battlefield 2, Blizzard, Steam, and ArenaNet connectivity is blocked, which creates problems for many online gaming users who are not aware that PeerGuardian will break game connectivity, and are thus directed to read the manual.
In 2007, Bluetack/PeerGuardian 2 were criticized for blocking denis.stalker.h3q.com, the second largest Bittorrent tracker as of December 2007, as an "Anti-P2P" address, and claiming that its maintainers (whose tracking software "Opentracker" is also used by The Pirate Bay) were conspiring with the MPAA and MediaDefender.[5] The maintainers are members of the Chaos Computer Club (CCC), a long-standing association of hackers and freedom of information activists, and had also briefly run their tracker from the CCC's own network. Bluetack also blocked CCC itself, accusing it of doing "anti-P2P work" and being a "threat" to file sharers, while others pointed to the fact that the CCC had been publicly defending P2P for years, and even called for boycotting the music industry to protest its file sharing lawsuits.
Although IP addresses of government and business entities are easily added to a list of IP addresses to be blocked, there is no means for PeerGuardian to block access by a government or business using an undocumented IP address to identify people engaged in software piracy or other illegal activity.
PeerGuardian Lite
PeerGuardian Lite is a derivative of PeerGuardian 2 made to consume as little CPU and RAM as possible. It has no UI or options and consists of a single tray icon. It is no longer developed, with the latest version released on April 22, 2005. It is also open source, allowing for future derivatives by any party.
Other criticism
Besides the original criticism of Version 1 being slow and buggy, most other criticism of PeerGuardian is around the actual technique used to block peers. Critics have pointed out that the blocklists are open to the public, and thus parties who may wish to circumvent PeerGuardian can actively check the list to see if their IP addresses have been blocked.
The blocklists are also managed by the public, but there is no fool-proof method on checking or reporting why an IP address or range are bad, nor on checking if the blocked IP addresses still remain bad. The list relies on the public to make submissions, and thus is vulnerable to attack itself .AUTOMATIC DEFRAGMENTATION
If it seems like your computer has gotten slower since you bought it, it probably has. One of the biggest factors that slows down your computer’s performance is fragmentation, a situation that occurs over time, in which files on your hard drive become divided into small pieces. Your computer must read a file to open, save, or close it. So when it reads each piece of a fragmented file separately, the effect is that the file can seem “slow” when you’re working with it.
Defragmenting your hard drive is the process of putting all the scattered pieces of files back together. Microsoft Windows XP includes a tool that will defragment your hard drive for you. To keep your system performing well, it’s a good idea to have Windows XP automatically defragment your hard drive every week.
To schedule a weekly defragmentation
1.
Click Start, and then click Control Panel.
2.
Click Performance and Maintenance.
3.
Under or pick a Control Panel icon, click Scheduled Tasks.
4.
In the Scheduled Tasks window, double-click Add Scheduled Task.
5.
In the Scheduled Task Wizard, click Next.
6.
Click Browse.
7.
In the File name box, type %systemroot%\system32\defrag.exe, and then click Open.
8.
Under Perform this task, click Weekly. Then, click Next.
9.
Set the time and day of the week you would like to defragment your hard drive. For best results, choose a time when your computer will be on but you will be away from it. Click Next.
10.
Type your password in both the Enter the password and Confirm password boxes. Then, click Next.
11.
Select the Open advanced properties for this task when I click Finish check box, and then click Finish.
12.
In the Run box, add C: to the existing command. Make sure you include a space before the “C:”. Then, click OK.
13.
In the Set Account Information dialog box, type your password in both the Password and Confirm password boxes. Then, click OK.
Windows XP will defragment your hard drive at the time you have scheduled. During defragmentation, a black window will open. If you happen to be working at your computer when the window opens, you can ignore it. The window will automatically disappear when defragmentation is complete. You can use other programs during defragmentation, but you may prefer to schedule defragmentation at a time when you won’t be using your computer.
Defragmentation works best when you have plenty of free space on your hard drive. For instructions on how to clear free space, read Maintenance tasks that improve performance.
Defragmenting your hard drive is the process of putting all the scattered pieces of files back together. Microsoft Windows XP includes a tool that will defragment your hard drive for you. To keep your system performing well, it’s a good idea to have Windows XP automatically defragment your hard drive every week.
To schedule a weekly defragmentation
1.
Click Start, and then click Control Panel.
2.
Click Performance and Maintenance.
3.
Under or pick a Control Panel icon, click Scheduled Tasks.
4.
In the Scheduled Tasks window, double-click Add Scheduled Task.
5.
In the Scheduled Task Wizard, click Next.
6.
Click Browse.
7.
In the File name box, type %systemroot%\system32\defrag.exe, and then click Open.
8.
Under Perform this task, click Weekly. Then, click Next.
9.
Set the time and day of the week you would like to defragment your hard drive. For best results, choose a time when your computer will be on but you will be away from it. Click Next.
10.
Type your password in both the Enter the password and Confirm password boxes. Then, click Next.
11.
Select the Open advanced properties for this task when I click Finish check box, and then click Finish.
12.
In the Run box, add C: to the existing command. Make sure you include a space before the “C:”. Then, click OK.
13.
In the Set Account Information dialog box, type your password in both the Password and Confirm password boxes. Then, click OK.
Windows XP will defragment your hard drive at the time you have scheduled. During defragmentation, a black window will open. If you happen to be working at your computer when the window opens, you can ignore it. The window will automatically disappear when defragmentation is complete. You can use other programs during defragmentation, but you may prefer to schedule defragmentation at a time when you won’t be using your computer.
Defragmentation works best when you have plenty of free space on your hard drive. For instructions on how to clear free space, read Maintenance tasks that improve performance.
TASK MANAGER
TASK MANAGER
The Windows XP Task Manager is a very handy system utility that lists the applications and processes that are running. It shows system resource usage, various performance statistics and network information. With it, you can close hung programs and manage CPU and memory hogs.
How to create a shortcut to Task manager
Note that Task manager is not normally available from the programs list in the Start menu although you can create a shortcut there if you wish. One way to create a shortcut is to use Windows Explorer to find the file
\Windows\system32\taskmgr.exe
Right-click on the file and choose "Send To- Desktop (Create Shortcut)". (Figure below)
If you like shortcuts on the Desktop, you can leave it there. Otherwise, move it to the folder of your choice in \Documents and Settings\{User Name}\Start Menu. If it is to be available to all users, move it to a folder in \Documents and Settings\All Users\Start Menu\ . Note that Administrator rights are required to use some functions of Program Manager.
Using Task Manager
When Task Manager is first opened the dialog box shown below appears. It has four tabs. (There is also a Users tab if you are using Fast User Switching but I prefer to turn this off.) The default tab "Applications" is a list of the applications that are running in the foreground. These are programs that you can see on the desktop or on the taskbar and that are not running hidden in the background.
All the tab windows have information at the bottom showing the number of processes that are running, how much the CPU is being used, and how much memory resources are committed. The Applications window also has a button "New Task" in the lower right corner that is discussed below
A common use for Task Manager is to end a program that has become frozen or hung. Select an application and click the button "End Task". Another way is to right-click on a program entry, which brings up the context menu shown below. It includes an entry "End Task". There is also an entry "Go to Process" that will take you to the actual process that is running a selected program. A new window will open listing all the processes.
The dialog box for processes will also open when the tab "Processes" is selected as is shown in the next figure. A much larger group appears that includes many background services. (More on services here) Here you can see how much memory and CPU time each process is taking. This information can be enlightening and can help you decide if something is causing your computer to slow down. Processes can be ended either by a right-click menu or the button "End Process" that is in the lower right corner of the dialog box.
CPU and memory usage can vary over a substantial range. The "Performance" tab allows graphs of usage to be seen. An example is shown in the next figure. This can be useful in tracking down resource hogs.
How to Unfreeze a Hung Computer
Task Manager has the very useful capability to open a new program. It is the equivalent of having Start-Run available and is obtained by clicking the button "New Task..." on the Applications tab window that is mentioned above. The resulting interface is shown in the figure below.This feature may seem redundant but it can come in very handy if a crash or badly written program freezes Windows Explorer, thus making the Desktop inoperable. Usually, Task Manager will still be functional and, even with no Desktop, programs can still be opened. In particular, the Desktop can be restored. First go to the "Processes" tab and find the entry for "Explorer.exe". Highlight the entry and click the "End Process" button. It may not respond immediately since there is usually a 20-second wait for hung processes to clean themselves up. Close any other hung processes. (They will show a status "Not responding".) Once Explorer.exe has been unloaded, the Desktop will disappear but, never fear, it is easily restored. Click the "Applications" tab and then the "New Task" button. As shown below, enter "explorer.exe" (no quotes) click "OK". The Desktop will reappear.
The Windows XP Task Manager is a very handy system utility that lists the applications and processes that are running. It shows system resource usage, various performance statistics and network information. With it, you can close hung programs and manage CPU and memory hogs.
How to create a shortcut to Task manager
Note that Task manager is not normally available from the programs list in the Start menu although you can create a shortcut there if you wish. One way to create a shortcut is to use Windows Explorer to find the file
\Windows\system32\taskmgr.exe
Right-click on the file and choose "Send To- Desktop (Create Shortcut)". (Figure below)
If you like shortcuts on the Desktop, you can leave it there. Otherwise, move it to the folder of your choice in \Documents and Settings\{User Name}\Start Menu. If it is to be available to all users, move it to a folder in \Documents and Settings\All Users\Start Menu\ . Note that Administrator rights are required to use some functions of Program Manager.
Using Task Manager
When Task Manager is first opened the dialog box shown below appears. It has four tabs. (There is also a Users tab if you are using Fast User Switching but I prefer to turn this off.) The default tab "Applications" is a list of the applications that are running in the foreground. These are programs that you can see on the desktop or on the taskbar and that are not running hidden in the background.
All the tab windows have information at the bottom showing the number of processes that are running, how much the CPU is being used, and how much memory resources are committed. The Applications window also has a button "New Task" in the lower right corner that is discussed below
A common use for Task Manager is to end a program that has become frozen or hung. Select an application and click the button "End Task". Another way is to right-click on a program entry, which brings up the context menu shown below. It includes an entry "End Task". There is also an entry "Go to Process" that will take you to the actual process that is running a selected program. A new window will open listing all the processes.
The dialog box for processes will also open when the tab "Processes" is selected as is shown in the next figure. A much larger group appears that includes many background services. (More on services here) Here you can see how much memory and CPU time each process is taking. This information can be enlightening and can help you decide if something is causing your computer to slow down. Processes can be ended either by a right-click menu or the button "End Process" that is in the lower right corner of the dialog box.
CPU and memory usage can vary over a substantial range. The "Performance" tab allows graphs of usage to be seen. An example is shown in the next figure. This can be useful in tracking down resource hogs.
How to Unfreeze a Hung Computer
Task Manager has the very useful capability to open a new program. It is the equivalent of having Start-Run available and is obtained by clicking the button "New Task..." on the Applications tab window that is mentioned above. The resulting interface is shown in the figure below.This feature may seem redundant but it can come in very handy if a crash or badly written program freezes Windows Explorer, thus making the Desktop inoperable. Usually, Task Manager will still be functional and, even with no Desktop, programs can still be opened. In particular, the Desktop can be restored. First go to the "Processes" tab and find the entry for "Explorer.exe". Highlight the entry and click the "End Process" button. It may not respond immediately since there is usually a 20-second wait for hung processes to clean themselves up. Close any other hung processes. (They will show a status "Not responding".) Once Explorer.exe has been unloaded, the Desktop will disappear but, never fear, it is easily restored. Click the "Applications" tab and then the "New Task" button. As shown below, enter "explorer.exe" (no quotes) click "OK". The Desktop will reappear.
KEYBOARD SHORTCUTS FOR WINDOWS
Keyboard shortcuts are key commands that allow you to accomplish various tasks.
Instead of using your mouse to go through menus and sub-menus, you can use
keyboard shortcuts to do common tasks like saving, copying, or pasting. Most people
find using key shortcuts to be a faster and easier way to type. Listed below are some of
the most common keyboard shortcuts in alphabetical order.
Close CTRL+W
Copy CTRL+C
Cut CTRL+X
Delete DEL
Exit ESC
Find CTRL+F3
Help F1
Minimize Window - Windows Key*+M
Move to Recycling CTRL+DEL
New Folder/Document CTRL+N
Open CTRL+O
Open Start Menu Windows Key*
Paste CTRL+V
Print CTRL+P
Print Screen ALT+Print Screen Key
Quit ALT+F4
Reboot/Restart CTRL+ALT+DEL
Save CTRL+S
Select All CTRL+A
Undo CTRL+Z
* Not all keyboards have the Windows key.
CTRL is the abbreviation for the Control key.
DEL is the abbreviation for the Delete key.
Instead of using your mouse to go through menus and sub-menus, you can use
keyboard shortcuts to do common tasks like saving, copying, or pasting. Most people
find using key shortcuts to be a faster and easier way to type. Listed below are some of
the most common keyboard shortcuts in alphabetical order.
Close CTRL+W
Copy CTRL+C
Cut CTRL+X
Delete DEL
Exit ESC
Find CTRL+F3
Help F1
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ESX SERVER
ESX Server has more components than a simple server running
a single operating system. Management and monitoring must
be performed at different levels on different components. These
correspond closely to the levels in the ESX Server architecture
itself:
Level 1. The operating system and the applications running
inside the virtual machines.
Level 2. The configuration and manipulation of the virtual
machines themselves.
Level 3. The logical view of resources on the physical server,
such as CPU utilization, memory utilization, disk bandwidth, and
network usage.
Level 4. The actual hardware on the physical server.
The first and fourth levels can be found commonly on any
server system, but the second and third levels are unique to ESX
Server; it therefore specifically provides management interfaces
for these. The next section describes the interfaces.
ESX Server Management Interfaces
VMware ESX Server has three types of management and monitoring
interfaces that can be leveraged to integrate ESX Server
with an enterprise’s systems management software:
• The VMware Management Interface, a Web-based graphical
interface to monitor and manage ESX Server and its virtual
machines directly. This is also the general purpose user interface
for ESX Server.
• Management APIs in Perl and COM to support scripting of
routine ESX Server management functions and to support integration
with proprietary management applications and agents.
• A detailed SNMP MIB (management information base) which
provides configuration and performance information for
standards-based integration with enterprise management
frameworks such as HP OpenView or IBM Director.
The VMware Management Interface
The VMware Management Interface is a browser-based interface
that provides functionality specific to ESX Server such as:
• Basic system setup and configuration
• Creation and provisioning of virtual machines
• Monitoring and control over virtual machines
• Configuration of resource management settings for virtual
machines
• A remote console for interactive control of each virtual
machine
The management interface offers a set of systems management
functions for monitoring and resource control and for management
of ESX Server and its virtual machines. It also offers unique
functions related to setup, configuration, control and provisioning
of server resources to virtual machines. In addition, the
remote console allows users to connect to virtual machines and
manage their state.
The management interface is an essential systems management
tool for functions specific to ESX Server such as setup,
configuration and basic systems management of ESX Server.
It provides user-friendly visualization of the current state and
resource usage of all virtual machines at a glance. Once ESX
Server is deployed in production, customers also have the
choice of using their own systems management systems, integrating
ESX Server with those systems using ESX Server SNMP
interface and Perl/COM APIs.
a single operating system. Management and monitoring must
be performed at different levels on different components. These
correspond closely to the levels in the ESX Server architecture
itself:
Level 1. The operating system and the applications running
inside the virtual machines.
Level 2. The configuration and manipulation of the virtual
machines themselves.
Level 3. The logical view of resources on the physical server,
such as CPU utilization, memory utilization, disk bandwidth, and
network usage.
Level 4. The actual hardware on the physical server.
The first and fourth levels can be found commonly on any
server system, but the second and third levels are unique to ESX
Server; it therefore specifically provides management interfaces
for these. The next section describes the interfaces.
ESX Server Management Interfaces
VMware ESX Server has three types of management and monitoring
interfaces that can be leveraged to integrate ESX Server
with an enterprise’s systems management software:
• The VMware Management Interface, a Web-based graphical
interface to monitor and manage ESX Server and its virtual
machines directly. This is also the general purpose user interface
for ESX Server.
• Management APIs in Perl and COM to support scripting of
routine ESX Server management functions and to support integration
with proprietary management applications and agents.
• A detailed SNMP MIB (management information base) which
provides configuration and performance information for
standards-based integration with enterprise management
frameworks such as HP OpenView or IBM Director.
The VMware Management Interface
The VMware Management Interface is a browser-based interface
that provides functionality specific to ESX Server such as:
• Basic system setup and configuration
• Creation and provisioning of virtual machines
• Monitoring and control over virtual machines
• Configuration of resource management settings for virtual
machines
• A remote console for interactive control of each virtual
machine
The management interface offers a set of systems management
functions for monitoring and resource control and for management
of ESX Server and its virtual machines. It also offers unique
functions related to setup, configuration, control and provisioning
of server resources to virtual machines. In addition, the
remote console allows users to connect to virtual machines and
manage their state.
The management interface is an essential systems management
tool for functions specific to ESX Server such as setup,
configuration and basic systems management of ESX Server.
It provides user-friendly visualization of the current state and
resource usage of all virtual machines at a glance. Once ESX
Server is deployed in production, customers also have the
choice of using their own systems management systems, integrating
ESX Server with those systems using ESX Server SNMP
interface and Perl/COM APIs.
REGEDIT
RegEdit is a program on Windows PCs that is used to edit the registry. The registry is set of files on your PC that is used to store information about the hardware and software configuration of your PC. The software configuration information includes programs that are part of Windows and programs that you have loaded onto the PC. Programs and services that the system will run as you boot up are in the registry as well as settings that program maintain during normal use. But the registry is also the place many viruses, adware, spyware, and malware programs attach and place information that deleteriously affects your PC.
A word of warning! If you use RegEdit to alter the registry you can corrupt the registry. This may render your system unusable. Your system may not even boot up. So if you're not comfortable reloading the operating system on your PC, or if you don't have the original installation media for your programs this is probably not for you. As always in these type of instructions, there is no warranty or guarantee express or implied and you edit the registry at your own risk!
But it's okay to look right! Yes, but RegEdit doesn't have an undo button or a restore option. There are ways to restore previous versions of the registry, but it is an advanced technique which is not covered here. In this example, we will just look and begin to understand how the registry works, and how to use RegEdit.
Proceed with caution Okay now that you are sufficiently warned, let's take a look at the registry with RegEdit.
- Click "Start" on your Windows menu (the orb for Windows Vista users)
- Then click "Run"
Don't have a "Run" option? If you know how to set the properties for your start bar you can enable the "Run" option there. If you don't know how to do that maybe you should reconsider whether you want to do this it all. But as an option, you can click "Programs", then "Accessories", then click "Command Prompt". - Type "RegEdit" (without the quotes) and click "OK" or press enter if you are using the "Command Prompt".
When RegEdit starts the window is divided into two panes. The left-hand pane shows a hierarchical display starting from the top with "My Computer" (you may have use the vertical scroll bar in the pane). The hierarchical view reflects the organization of the registry -- sort of like the directory on your PC's hard disk -- files and folders within folders. In the registry you have keys and data. And the keys are referenced by a hierarchical path like your file paths on the hard disk with backslashes separating them. The right-hand pane shows data items, types, and data.
There will be a plus ("+") or minus ("-") next to the folder icons. The plus ("+") opens the contents below the folder and the minus ("-") closes it. Close up all the folders by clicking the minus ("-") signs. Now you will see the standard five folders make up the registry that at are the top level and are call hives. If you are using a very old version of Windows there might not be five.
- Click the plus ("+") next to the folder titled "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE"
- Look for the folder underneath called "SOFTWARE".If it is not already open, click the plus ("+") next to it to open it.
- Look for the folder underneath called "Microsoft".If it is not already open, click the plus ("+") next to it to open it.
- Look for the folder underneath called "Windows".If it is not already open, click the plus ("+") next to it to open it.
- Look for the folder underneath called "CurrentVersion".If it is not already open, click the plus ("+") next to it to open it.
- Look for the folder underneath called "Run".If it is not already open, click the plus ("+") next to it to open it. But then click once right on the folder itself.
Notice on the bottom status line, the complete hierarchical path that we have navigated is displayed there. It should look like this: My Computer/HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/SOFTWARE/Microsoft/Windows/CurrentVersion/Run (forward slash should be replaced with backslash, EzineArticles doesn't seem to like backslashes) In the right-hand pane you will see a list with column headings of "Name", "Type", and "Data". This particular key is used when Windows starts up to run programs. The data often contains the path to the program referenced. It is also one place many viruses, adware, spyware malware programs, and just annoying programs place information so that they run every time your PC starts. But there may be items in here that your computer needs. Microsoft places items here. And your computer manufacture may also put items in here. So take care if you do decide to delete something (which you can do by right-clicking and selecting delete).
There are safer and more efficient ways to edit the registry -- especially if you are looking for intruders that have invaded your registry. Anti-virus, spyware/adware detection software, and registry cleaners offer alternatives to using RegEdit.
SOLARIS
- Solaris is the computer operating system that Sun Microsystems provides for its family of Scalable Processor Architecture-based processors as well as for Intel-based processors. Sun has historically dominated the large Unix workstation market. As the Internet grew in the early 1990s, Sun's SPARC/Solaris systems became the most widely installed servers for Web sites. Sun emphasizes the system's availability (meaning it seldom crashes), its large number of features, and its Internet-oriented design. Sun advertises that its latest version, the Solaris 8 Operating Environment, is "the leading UNIX environment" today.Sun emphasizes these features of Solaris:
- Its availability. Special features make it easy to add new capability or to fix problems without having to restart the system. Because it has evolved through a number of versions, it is "stable" - that is, like IBM's well-known mainframe operating system, MVS, Solaris has exercised and fixed almost any code path that might break. It can be upgraded, monitored, and controlled from a remote console.
- Its scalability. If you move to a larger processor, your applications should not only run, but run faster.
- It is built for network computing. As part of the first and most successful Web server system in history, the latest Solaris systems are built on the company's experience with early Web sites and network demands.
- It includes security features. These include support for IPsec, Kerberos, AMI, and smart cards.
- The Easy Access Server, which is designed to run in a network that also has Windows NT systems
- The Enterprise Server, which is aimed at the "business-critical" environment, and includes support for clustering
- The Internet Service Provider (ISP) Server
Since Sun originated the platform-independent Java programming language and runtime environment, Solaris systems come with a Java virtual machineand the Java Development Kit (JDK).
Solaris replaced SunOS, a system still in use on many Sun machines today.
FILE EXTENSIONS
Common file extensions that are good to know, organized by file format.
Text Files
| .doc | Microsoft Word Document |
| .docx | Microsoft Word Open XML Document |
| .log | Log File |
| .msg | Mail Message |
| .pages | Pages Document |
| .rtf | Rich Text Format File |
| .txt | Plain Text File |
| .wpd | WordPerfect Document |
| .wps | Microsoft Works Word Processor Document |
Data Files
| .123 | Lotus 1-2-3 Spreadsheet |
| .accdb | Access 2007 Database File |
| .csv | Comma Separated Values File |
| .dat | Data File |
| .db | Database File |
| .dll | Dynamic Link Library |
| .mdb | Microsoft Access Database |
| .pps | PowerPoint Slide Show |
| .ppt | PowerPoint Presentation |
| .pptx | Microsoft PowerPoint Open XML Document |
| .sdb | OpenOffice.org Base Database File |
| .sql | Structured Query Language Data |
| .vcf | vCard File |
| .wks | Microsoft Works Spreadsheet |
| .xls | Microsoft Excel Spreadsheet |
| .xlsx | Microsoft Excel Open XML Document |
| .xml | XML File |
Image Files
| .pct | Picture File |
Raster Image Files
| .bmp | Bitmap Image File |
| .gif | Graphical Interchange Format File |
| .jpg | JPEG Image File |
| .png | Portable Network Graphic |
| .psd | Photoshop Document |
| .psp | Paint Shop Pro Image File |
| .thm | Thumbnail Image File |
| .tif | Tagged Image File |
Vector Image Files
| .ai | Adobe Illustrator File |
| .drw | Drawing File |
| .dxf | Drawing Exchange Format File |
| .eps | Encapsulated PostScript File |
| .ps | PostScript File |
| .svg | Scalable Vector Graphics File |
3D Image Files
| .3dm | Rhino 3D Model |
| .dwg | AutoCAD Drawing Database File |
| .pln | ArchiCAD Project File |
Page Layout Files
| .indd | Adobe InDesign File |
| Portable Document Format File | |
| .qxd | QuarkXPress Document |
| .qxp | QuarkXPress Project File |
Audio Files
| .aac | Advanced Audio Coding File |
| .aif | Audio Interchange File Format |
| .iff | Interchange File Format |
| .m3u | Media Playlist File |
| .mid | MIDI File |
| .midi | MIDI File |
| .mp3 | MP3 Audio File |
| .mpa | MPEG-2 Audio File |
| .ra | Real Audio File |
| .wav | WAVE Audio File |
| .wma | Windows Media Audio File |
Video Files
| .3g2 | 3GPP2 Multimedia File |
| .3gp | 3GPP Multimedia File |
| .asf | Advanced Systems Format File |
| .asx | Microsoft ASF Redirector File |
| .avi | Audio Video Interleave File |
| .flv | Flash Video File |
| .mkv | Matroska Video File |
| .mov | Apple QuickTime Movie |
| .mp4 | MPEG-4 Video File |
| .mpg | MPEG Video File |
| .qt | Apple QuickTime Movie |
| .rm | Real Media File |
| .swf | Flash Movie |
| .vob | DVD Video Object File |
| .wmv | Windows Media Video File |
Web Files
| .asp | Active Server Page |
| .css | Cascading Style Sheet |
| .htm | Hypertext Markup Language File |
| .html | Hypertext Markup Language File |
| .js | JavaScript File |
| .jsp | Java Server Page |
| .php | Hypertext Preprocessor File |
| .rss | Rich Site Summary |
| .xhtml | Extensible Hypertext Markup Language File |
Font Files
| .fnt | Windows Font File |
| .fon | Generic Font File |
| .otf | OpenType Font |
| .ttf | TrueType Font |
Plugin Files
| .8bi | Photoshop Plug-in |
| .plugin | Mac OS X Plug-in |
| .xll | Excel Add-In File |
System Files
| .cab | Windows Cabinet File |
| .cpl | Windows Control Panel |
| .cur | Windows Cursor |
| .dmp | Windows Memory Dump |
| .drv | Device Driver |
| .key | Security Key |
| .lnk | File Shortcut |
| .sys | Windows System File |
Settings Files
| .cfg | Configuration File |
| .ini | Windows Initialization File |
| .prf | Outlook Profile File |
Executable Files
| .app | Mac OS X Application |
| .bat | DOS Batch File |
| .cgi | Common Gateway Interface Script |
| .com | DOS Command File |
| .exe | Windows Executable File |
| .pif | Program Information File |
| .vb | VBScript File |
| .ws | Windows Script |
Compressed Files
| .7z | 7-Zip Compressed File |
| .deb | Debian Software Package |
| .gz | Gnu Zipped File |
| .pkg | Mac OS X Installer Package |
| .rar | WinRAR Compressed Archive |
| .sit | Stuffit Archive |
| .sitx | Stuffit X Archive |
| .zip | Zipped File |
| .zipx | Extended Zip File |
Encoded Files
| .bin | Macbinary II Encoded File |
| .hqx | BinHex 4.0 Encoded File |
| .mim | Multi-Purpose Internet Mail Message |
| .uue | Uuencoded File |
Developer Files
| .c | C/C++ Source Code File |
| .cpp | C++ Source Code File |
| .java | Java Source Code File |
| .pl | Perl Script |
Backup Files
| .bak | Backup File |
| .bup | Backup File |
| .gho | Norton Ghost Backup File |
| .ori | Original File |
| .tmp | Temporary File |
Disk Files
| .dmg | Mac OS X Disk Image |
| .iso | Disc Image File |
| .toast | Toast Disc Image |
| .vcd | Virtual CD |
Game Files
| .gam | Saved Game File |
| .nes | Nintendo (NES) ROM File |
| .rom | N64 Game ROM File |
| .sav | Saved Game |
Misc Files
| .msi | Windows Installer Package |
| .part | Partially Downloaded File |
| .torrent | BitTorrent File |
| .yps | Yahoo! Messenger Data File |
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