Thursday, 3 November 2011

Performance Monitor: What is this strange programme running on my pc?

You have installed the pretty good utility Advanced Systemcare. It cleans your registry, tidies up temp and dll files. But then you come across this strange new programme running on your computer. It has a weird green icon with the letter A, and a name you've never heard of before: FormMain_PMonitor. What is it? A virus?

Nope. It's part of the latter programme, Advanced Systemcare. It's a separate utility that monitors your computer performance. If it is upsetting you, head for the AS settings, and right at the bottom you will see Performance Monitor. Click down there and then deselect the enable button. You'll find the settings for AS up on the right where it says 'more', click on there and the top item is 'settings'.

Bye bye strange new programme until you feel your system is slowing down, then head back to the settings and enable the programme to see how your pc is performing.

Friday, 21 October 2011

Using your Kindle to read pdf and RSS feeds

Here's a useful article to help you convert pdf files and RSS feeds into Kindle's mobi format. The author suggests converting to HTML and using the free programme Calibre to do the rest. It's very simple and clear.

I tried online conversion sites, and the results were hopeless, whereas following the instructions above work very well, though you lose images, unfortunately...but that's the Kindle.

Friday, 7 October 2011

Microsoft Word and changing Lower or UPPER Case type

dID you EVER have a Problem with your keyboard? FIND YOU TYPED A WHOLE SENTENCE IN UPPER CASE, or yOU reversed the case you needed?

Here's a simple solution: select the text. Press SHIFT + f3 and you can toggle from lower case to initial capital letter to all upper case letters.

Try it and save your self the irritation of typing everything again!

Google Toolbar and Firefox: Signing in problems

Google don't want you to use your Google Toolbar. So it seems.

Can't sign in to your Google toolbar and Google bookmarks/account?

There are two solutions:

First, cancel your browser history, cookies, etc.. Reboot Firefox and sign in. This may work, if you are very lucky.

Secondly, Google have changed the domain name for these services. Close Firefox. You need to change the name in the Toolbar file toolbar.js

First you have to find the file, so write toolbar.js in the Start Menu search line and press enter. If you now see the file, open it with Word Pad.

If you can't find the file, you need to find the 'Roaming' folder. Here's a quick method of finding that folder. Write   %appdata%    in the start search box. You should see the Roaming folder as the only result. Open the folder and run a search for toolbar.js

Now you have the file, right click and open with Word pad  (look in Windows NT folder). Use the replace function and write:

Find:  www.google.com/accounts
Replace: accounts.google.com

Click on replace all. Save the document and close it. Open firefox and sign into your Google account. All should be working once more, at least until Google decide to test our ingenuity once more.

Google Toolbar Problems and Firefox

Google have stopped updating their toolbar for Firefox. You can still download it from CNET

You'll need the Firefox Add-on Compatibility Reporter

Reboot Firefox and the Google toolbar should appear.

Thursday, 6 October 2011

A Virus Cometh 3: System Restore Blocked

System restore is blocked. Anti-virus and other programmes can't solve the problem. You can search registries for infected files, but it isn't simple.

Reboot the computer in Safe Mode. Run your anti-virus and anti-malware programmes.

Virus defeated! Ok. Let's restore the system restore function: eliminate previous points by clicking the eliminate points button in Win 7 and by setting space for restore points to zero in previous Windows versions. Reboot the computer and create a new restore point, and restore the space setting.

Only do this after you have resolved all virus problems.

If all these possibilities fail, reinstall windows. This means you must also reinstall all your programmes and settings, but it will return your computer to health and stability. 
Most computers have a special drive which includes all the files necessary to return your computer to its original factory condition. Read your manual for instructions. These usually mean pressing a combination of keys immediately after switching on your computer.

A Virus Cometh 2: Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware

The Virus is installed on your computer, but the computer still runs.

Use Windows system restore to return your computer to a previous restore point. If successful, your problem is solved. Always try this first.
The virus may block system restore, don't panic.
Don't switch off the computer!
Run your anti-virus. Quarantine any resulting files.

Run Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware: this will pick up most trojans and dangerous malware, remove them and solve your problems.

Reboot your computer.

A Virus Cometh 1

First off...don't panic!

Your Antivirus warns you: read the suggestions!

Don't open any files. Don't switch off the computer. Read the suggestions carefully.

But careful! Is this warning really from your anti-virus?
If you are surfing the net, it may be a website simulating an anti-virus warning. Look carefully. Close your web browser.

Don't run virus scans from websites!
Why not? Because the scan installs files to your computer, often these files include viruses. Check out the provider of the scan, and check the url of the website belongs to the antivirus company.

Follow your anti-virus's suggestions. Send the virus to quarantine, delete the virus, or breath easy as the anti-virus has stopped infection automatically. Close the window or tab of the offending website. Close the browser. Delete the email that delivered the virus. Close whatever programme caused the anti-virus to signal a threat.
Finally run a deep scan with your anti-virus programme.

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  • you got a virus
  • google toolbar doesn't work anymore
  • windows refuses to do a system restore
  • change upper case to lower case typing with one quick fix
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