Data Recovery Techniques: computer repair

Showing posts with label computer repair. Show all posts

AVZ Antiviral Security Toolkit

AVZ utility is really one of the best freeware portable tools to fight multiple security threats on your computer. It offers the most efficient package for the computer treatment, and it might replace many individual programs, by offering all-in-one solution. Note that some modules require certain degree of expertise. So, while it can be useful for all operators on all levels of computer literacy, advanced users will benefit the most from this utility.

It is designed to detect and remove the following:

SpyWare and AdWare – these modules represent the most useful component of the utility.
Dialer (Trojan.Dialer) Dialer (Trojan.Dialer).
Троянских программ Trojans.
BackDoor модулей BackDoor modules.
Network and mail worms.
TrojanSpy, TrojanDownloader, TrojanDropper.

The utility can be considered as replacement or addition to the well-known programs as TrojanHunter, LavaSoft Ad-aware, or Spybot.

Main features of AVZ (besides the signature scanner model) are:

.Heuristic security system check. Security modules check for known SpyWare and viruses on circumstantial evidence - based on the analysis of the registry, files on hard disk, and memory records.
.Updated database of safe files. It includes signatures for tens of thousands of Operating System drivers and other files system requires for proper functioning. The listing of your files and processes is compared with the AVZ database of the safe files, and works on the principle of "recognized / unrecognized" – the safe files are not sent to the quarantine, their removal and replacement is blocked, and the database is also used by anti-rootkit modules, files searches, and other safety analyzers.
.Built-in Rootkit Detection System. Rootkit detection is achieved without signatures verification, but based on the research of their functions. Therefore, AVZ may not only detect Rootkit, but also block it properly on UserMode RootKit for particular process and on KernelMode RootKit at the system level.
.Keylogger and Trojan DLL Detector. Search for Keyloggers or Trojan DLL is not performed with standard signatures databases comparison, but through check of the suspicious functional performance, allowing detecting previously unknown Trojan DLL and Keylogger with high degree of confidence.
Нейроанализатор . Neuro-analyzer. AVZ also contains neuro-emulator, which allows exploring the suspicious files using the neural network, which is used in the keyloggers detection process.
.Built-in Winsock SPI / LSP settings analyzer. AVZ allows you to analyze the Winsock SPI / LSP settings, diagnose possible configuration errors, and perform automatic repair.
.Built-in processes, services, and drivers manager. The module is designed to investigate the running processes, loaded libraries, and active services and drivers.
.Built-in files search. The module allows you to search for a file using multiple criteria, offering the functionality far beyond the standard search capabilities of the system. Search results are available in a text protocol and as a table where you can select a file or group of files for later removal or quarantine.
. Built-in registry search. The module allows you to search for suspicious registry entries using multiple criteria, offering the functionality far beyond the standard search capabilities of the registry editor. Search results are available in a text protocol and as a table where you can select a file or group of files for later removal. .
Open ports TCP / UDP analyzer. The analyzer checks all open ports on your computer and verifies them against updated database of the known issues with ports utilized with Trojan and Backdoor programs, and other potentially dangerous processes. If any suspicious port is detected, you get warning, pointing out which Trojan program tends to use this particular port.
Built-in common resources analyzer.
Built-in Downloaded Program Files (DPF) analyzer.
.System recovery. AVZ allows restoring system settings for Internet Explorer and other system default settings, which were damaged by malware. Process of recovery is manual, so you can specify the particular settings and parameters you would like to restore.
Archives’ security check. AVZ supports for checking of multiple files types and archives. As of today, the following formats are supported: ZIP, RAR, CAB, GZIP, TAR; emails and MHT files; CHM files.
AVZ Guard. This is a special block, designed to combat hard-to-deal malware programs by prevention of the contamination. It can protect the AVZ itself from being disabled or modified, and other anti-spyware and antivirus programs as well.
Direct access to blocked files. AVZ allows the scanner to analyze the blocked files in the Operation System, and place them in quarantine as needed.

Software is portable and does not require installation on the hard drive. This feature makes it indispensable for the USB computer recovery kit, you can carry with you to treat affected systems.

Website: http://www.z-oleg.com/secur/avz/

Note that Website is in Russian, and there is no an English version so far. However, I have translated for you the most prominent features above, and the software itself has English interface, and works properly in all English-based Operating systems WinNT / Win2K / WinXP / Vista / Win7.

Direct Download (latest release 4.37): http://z-oleg.com/avz4.zip

The tool is highly recommended!!! It actually recovered highly impaired customer computers in multiple occasions.

NirLauncher - 145 Free Portable Computer Monitoring and Maintenance Utilities in One Package

Whenever possible, as you may noticed, I am trying to use portable software utilities. Stored on the portable USB thumb disk, they can be shared among multiple computers, and serve as mobile computer monitoring, troubleshooting, and repair toolkit, which is always with you.

In this post, I would like to present All-In-One package NirLauncher, consisting of more than 100 small, but useful utilities, compiled by Nir Sofer (Israel), one of the most respected young programmers in the World of the portable freeware design. All the programs in the package were developed for NirSoft Web site during the last few years, and have been updated in the last 1000 days.

NirLauncher Features

NirLauncher can be used from USB flash drive without need of any installation.
NirLauncher and all the utilities in the package are completely freeware, without any Spyware/Adware/Malware.
NirLauncher package includes variety of tools that you may need for your daily computer use, including utilities to recover lost passwords, to monitor your network, to view and extract cookies, cache, and other information stored by your Web browser, to search files in your system, and more...
For every utility in the package, you can easily run it, view the help file, or jump to the Web page of the utility.
When using it from USB flash drive, the configuration of every utility is saved into .cfg file on the flash drive.
On x64 systems, NirLauncher automatically run the x64 version of the utility, when there is a separated x64 version.
NirLauncher also allows adding more software packages in additional to the main NirSoft package.

System Requirements

NirLauncher works on any version of Windows, starting from Windows 2000 and up to Windows 7. NirLauncher also works on x64 systems. Some the NirSoft utilities have a separated version for x64, and NirLauncher automatically run them when you're in x64 system.

Using NirLauncher

In order to start using NirLauncher, simply extract all files in the package into your flash drive, or any other disk you want. You must extract the package with full folder names, so all NirSoft utilities will be add into NirSoft Subfolder. After you extracted the package, simply run the executable file - NirLauncher.exe

Note

Due to the character of some utilities in the package, you may experience certain False Positive issues – your Antivirus program may display false alerts, saying that the utilities are infected with Trojan/Virus/Malware. Based on my personal experience, and the experts reviews, there is no danger in any of the parts of the software, and you can simply disregard warnings if appear.

List of Utilities with brief description

The following utilities are included in NirLauncher package. This list is automatically updated when a new NirLauncher package is released.

1. AlternateStreamView - Find all hidden alternate streams stored in the file system.

2. AltStreamDump - Dumps the list of NTFS alternate streams.

3. AppCrashView - Displays the details of all application crashes occurred in your system.

4. Asterisk Logger - Reveals the passwords stored behind the asterisks ('***') boxes.

5. AdapterWatch - Displays useful information about your network adapters.

6. ActiveXHelper - View essential information about ActiveX components installed on your computer.

7. BatteryInfoView - Displays battery information on laptops and netbooks.

8. BlueScreenView - Show information about blue screen crashes occurred in your system.

9. BluetoothCL - Show bluetooth devices list.

10. BluetoothView - Monitors the activity of Bluetooth devices around you.

11. BulkFileChanger - Change date/time/attributes of multiple files.

12. BulletsPassView - Reveals the passwords stored behind the bullets.

13. ChromeCacheView - Chrome Browser Cache Viewer.

14. ChromeCookiesView - Alternative to the standard internal cookies viewer of Google Chrome.

15. ChromeHistoryView - View the browsing history of Chrome Web browser.

16. ChromePass - Password recovery tool for Google Chrome Web browser.

17. CleanAfterMe - Clean files and Registry values in your system.

18. Clipboardic - Small and simple clipboard manager.

19. CurrPorts - Displays the list of all currently opened TCP/UDP ports on your computer.

20. CurrProcess - Displays the list of all processes currently running on your system.

21. CSVFileView - CSV/Tab-delimited file viewer and converter.

22. CustomizeIE - Add/delete toolbar buttons and menu items in Internet Explorer.

23. CustomExplorerToolbar - Add Copy/Cut/Paste buttons to the Explorer toolbar of Windows 7.

24. DeviceIOView - Watch the data transfer between a software or service and a device driver.

25. DevManView - Alternative to the standard Device Manager of Windows.

26. Dialupass - Recovers Dial-Up passwords in all versions of Windows.

27. DiskCountersView - Show disk drive read/write counters.

28. DiskSmartView - Retrieves S.M.A.R.T information from IDE/SATA disks.

29. DLL Export Viewer - Lists DLL exported functions and their memory addresses - for debugging.

30. DNSDataView - Retrieve the DNS records (MX, NS, A, SOA) of the specified domains.

31. DomainHostingView - Displays extensive information about a domain.

32. DotNetResourcesExtract - Extract embedded resources from .NET applications.

33. DownTester - Test your Internet download speed.

34. DriveLetterView - View and change drive letter assignments.

35. DriverView - Displays the list of all device drivers currently loaded on your system.

36. FastResolver - Resolves multiple host names into IP addresses/MAC Addresses and vice versa.

37. FavoritesView - Displays the list of all your Favorites/bookmarks in a single page.

38. FileTypesMan - Alternative to the 'File Types' manager of Windows.

39. FirefoxDownloadsView - Displayed the list of downloaded files in Firefox.

40. FlashCookiesView - View Flash cookies stored in your computer.

41. GDIView - Displays the list of GDI handles opened by every process.

42. HashMyFiles - Calculate the MD5/SHA1 hashes of your files.

43. HeapMemView - View the content of all memory blocks allocated in the heap.

44. HTMLAsText - Converts HTML documents to simple text files.

45. HtmlDocEdit - Simple HTML designer/editor.

46. IconsExtract - Extract icons and cursors from executbale files (EXE, DLL, OCX, CPL, etc.)

47. IECacheView - List all files currently stored in the cache of Internet Explorer.

48. IECookiesView - Displays the cookies that Internet Explorer stores on your computer.

49. IEHistoryView - Displays the list of Web sites that you visited with IE Web browser.

50. IE PassView - Recover passwords stored by Internet Explorer (Versions 4.0 - 8.0).

51. InsideClipboard - Displays the content of all formats stored in the clipboard.

52. InstalledCodec - List Codec drivers and DirectShow filters installed on your system.

53. IPInfoOffline - View country information about IP addresses.

54. IPNetInfo - Easily find all available information about IP address.

55. LiveContactsView - View the details of all contacts in your Windows Live Messenger.

56. LSASecretsDump - Dump the LSA secrets from the Registry.

57. LSASecretsView - Displays the list of all LSA secrets stored in the Registry on your computer.

58. MACAddressView - MAC address lookup tool.

59. Mail PassView - Recovers email passwords.

60. MonitorInfoView - Displays essential information about your monitor.

61. MozillaCacheView - List all files currently stored in the cache of Firefox/Mozilla browser.

62. MozillaHistoryView - Displays the list of visited Web sites in Firefox/Mozilla/Netscape Web browsers.

63. MessenPass - Recovers the passwords of instant messenger programs.

64. MUICacheView - Edit/delete MUICache items in your system.

65. MetarWeather - Decode METAR weather reports, and display them in a weather report table.

66. MyEventViewer - MyEventViewer is an alternative to the standard event viewer of Windows.

67. MyLastSearch - View your latest searches with Google, Yahoo, and MSN.

68. MyUninstaller - Alternative utility to the standard Add/Remove applet of Windows.

69. MozillaCookiesView - Alternative to the 'Cookie Manager' provided by Netscape and Mozilla.

70. Network Password Recovery - Recover network passwords on Windows XP/2003/Vista.

71. NetResView - Displays the list of all network resources on your LAN.

72. NetRouteView - GUI alternative to the standard route utility of Windows.

73. NetworkTrafficView - Displays network traffic statistics on your network adapter.

74. NirCmd - Do many useful tasks from command-line.

75. NK2Edit - Full NK2 (AutoComplete) editor for Microsoft Outlook.

76. NTFSLinksView - View the list of NTFS symbolic links/junctions in selected folder.

77. OfficeIns - Displays the details of all installed Microsoft Office add-ins on your computer.

78. OpenedFilesView - Displays the list of all opened files on your system.

79. OpenWithView - Disable/enable items in the 'Open With' dialog-box of Windows.

80. OperaCacheView - Cache viewer for Opera Web browser.

81. OperaPassView - Password recovery tool for Opera Web browser.

82. OutlookAttachView - Extract multiple attachments from Outlook.

83. OutlookStatView - Display a general statistics of your Outlook emails.

84. PasswordFox - View passwords stored in Firefox Web browser.

85. PCAnywhere PassView - View passwords for PCAnywhere.

86. PingInfoView - Ping multiple host names and IP addresses.

87. ProcessActivityView - Show the file activity for selected process.

88. ProcessThreadsView - Displays information about all threads of the process that you choose.

89. ProduKey - Displays the CD-Keys of MS-Office/Windows installed on your computer.

90. PstPassword - Recover lost password of Outlook PST file.

91. Remote Desktop PassView - Reveals the password stored by Microsoft Remote Desktop utility.

92. RecentFilesView - Display the list of recently opened files.

93. RegDllView - RegDllView is a small utility that displays the list of all registered files.

94. RegFileExport - Export offline Registry file to .reg file.

95. RegFromApp - Creates .reg file according to Registry changes made by application.

96. RegScanner - Scan and find values in the Registry.

97. ResourcesExtract - Extract resources from dll/ocx/exe files.

98. RouterPassView - Recover passwords from router config file.

99. RunAsDate - Run a program with the specified date.

100. RunFromProcess - Run a program from another process that you choose.

101. SearchFilterView - View the search filters installed on your system.

102. SearchMyFiles - Alternative to the "Search For Files And Folders" module of Windows.

103. SeqDownload - Download sequence of images from the Web, and create animation.

104. ServiWin - Displays the list of installed drivers and services on your system.

105. ShellBagsView - Displays the list of all folder settings saved by Windows.

106. ShellMenuNew - Disable/Enable items in the New submenu of Explorer.

107. ShellExView - Displays the details of shell extensions installed on your computer.

108. ShortcutsMan - Lists all shortcuts on your desktop/start menu.

109. ShellMenuView - Disable/enable static menu items in context menu of Explorer.

110. SiteShoter - Save a screenshot of any Web page into a file.

111. SkypeLogView - View log files created by Skype.

112. SmartSniff - Captures TCP/IP packets, view the captured data as sequence of conversations.

113. SniffPass - Capture the passwords that pass through your network adapter.

114. SocketSniff - Watch the Windows Sockets (WinSock) activity of the selected process.

115. SpecialFoldersView - Easily jump to special folders in your system.

116. SysExporter - Grab the data stored in list-views, tree-views, list boxes, and combo boxes.

117. TableTextCompare - Compare tab-delimited or comma-delimited (csv) files.

118. URLProtocolView - View/disable/enable the URL protocols installed on your system.

119. URLStringGrabber - Grab URL strings of Web sites from Internet Explorer.

120. USBDeview - Lists all installed USB devices that you previously used.

121. UserAssistView - This utility decrypts and displays the list of all UserAssist entries.

122. UserProfilesView - View user profiles information on your system.

123. VideoCacheView - Extract Web site video files from the cache of your Web browser.

124. VNCPassView - Recover the passwords stored by the VNC tool.

125. Volumouse - Adjust the volume of your speaker with the wheel of your mouse.

126. WakeMeOnLan -Turn on computers remotely by sending Wake-on-LAN (WOL) packet.

127. WebBrowserPassView - Recover lost passwords from your Web browser.

128. WebCookiesSniffer - Captures Web site cookies and displays them in a simple table

129. WebSiteSniffer - Capture Web site files and save them on your hard drive.

130. WebVideoCap - Capture Flash Video files and RTSP streams, watching them in a Web browser.

131. WhatInStartup - Disable/enable/delete programs that are loaded at Windows startup.

132. WhatIsHang - Get information about Windows software that hangs.

133. WhoisCL - Get WHOIS information about a registered domain from command-line.

134. WhoisThisDomain - Get information about a registered domain from WHOIS server.

135. WhosIP - Find all available information about an IP address from command-line.

136. WinCrashReport - Displays a report about crashed Windows application.

137. WinFontsView - Display sample of all fonts installed on your system.

138. WinLister - This utility displays the list of opened windows on your system.

139. WinPrefetchView - View the Prefetch files (.pf) stored in your system.

140. WirelessKeyDump - Dumps the list of all wireless keys stored by Windows.

141. WirelessKeyView - Recovers lost wireless network keys (WEP/WPA) stored in your computer.

142. WirelessNetConsole - View wireless networks information (console application).

143. WirelessNetView - Monitor the activity of wireless networks around you.

144. Wireless Network Watcher - Shows who is connected to your wireless network.

145. WinUpdatesList - Displays the list of all Windows updates (Service Packs and Hotfixes).

Developer’s website: http://launcher.nirsoft.net/

Compressed package is only 11 MB!!! Highly recommended for advanced users and simply recommended for all others!

TweakNow PowerPack 2011 - fully-integrated suite of computer maintenance utilities

Keeping your PC in peak condition normally requires installing a whole library of utilities, learning their individual quirks and hoping that they'll somehow all work together. Proper installation does not guarantee the computer performance for long, so you will have to be able to perform routine maintenance and optimization of your settings and fight potential software conflicts between utilities.

TweakNow PowerPack 2011 gives you a descent alternative, offering the PC management and tweaking tools through one straightforward and user friendly interface, so there's no wasted time, no software conflicts - you just get to work immediately with the utility you need. TweakNow PowerPack is a fully-integrated suite of utilities that let you fine-tune every aspect of your computer's operating system and Web browser, which is going to improve overall health and performance of your system.

You can use TweakNow PowerPack 2011 in both commercial and non-commercial environment for free. The program has been certified 100% clean, and it does not contain any form of malware, including but not limited to: spyware, viruses, Trojans and backdoors.

The Registry Cleaner module provides you with a safe and simple way to clean Windows Registry. To keep your computer always at top performance, it is recommended cleaning your registry at least once a month.

If hard drive space becomes an issue, then the Disk Usage Explorer will reveal the most bloated folders, helping you to quickly address the problem. Or you could just set the Disk Cleaner to work, finding and deleting any redundant files that are cluttering your hard drive.

For Windows tweaking lovers, the suite provides more than 100 hidden Windows settings in the Windows Secret section. Using modules included in this section, you can easily customize your Windows like geeks do.

If you're more worried about performance then turn to the Startup Manager, which helps you control exactly which programs launch when Windows boots. Your Registry is kept in order with a Cleaner and Defragmenter, while a RAM Optimizer frees up memory when you need it.

Anyone concerned about privacy will appreciate the Track Cleaner, which removes the application history for browsers (IE, Firefox, Chrome), Explorer, Windows Media Player, Microsoft Office, and more.

The Virtual Desktop module lets you run as many as four custom-designed desktop configurations simultaneously, allowing you to tailor your computer screen to your mood and your work requirements.

The package also gives you a complete picture of all aspects of your computer's hardware, including detailed information about your motherboard, processor, video card, memory, hard disk and network.

Last but not least, TweakNow PowerPack 2010 comes with an intuitive backup system. When you have problem, go to the Restore Backup section and restore the latest created backup. That way, you can feel absolutely safe. If the changes you made in your computer configuration, do not suit your needs, you can always go back with no worry, that you forget, what you have actually changed.

Latest Version: 3.0.1

Release: February 24, 2011

OS: Windows 7/Vista/XP

Website: http://www.tweaknow.com/powerPack.php

Freeware Compu-Rx Computer Maintenance Package

In the process of the normal computer operation, the computer operation speed gradually decreases. It happens due to the multiple factors, including operation system clogging, registry mess-up, and malware, secretly residing inside. There are many tools on the market, which mat help to improve the computer performance, clean the trash files and unneeded orphans, and optimize your registry. However, most of these utilities are commercial or require certain degree of computer knowledge to be efficiently applied. There are multiple options, switches and buttons to press, so it can become very confusing and difficult to choose for many users. The presented free Compu-RX Computer Maintenance Package is designed to allow everyone, with no particular knowledge on the computer configuration and options, to enjoy the fast and easy to use optimization process.

With all-in-one Compu-RX package you will be able to keep your PC fine-tuned and secure: you can clean up your hard drive, remove malicious spyware, backup your email, address book, Internet bookmark favorites, desktop settings, files, folders, speed up your programs, and much more.

This package is so automated that you don't have to be technical at all to know how to operate it. It contains only the absolute necessary functions you need to keep your PC in tip top shape. Don't get fooled into buying software you don't need. You will not believe how easy it is to keep your PC in proper working order if you have the right tools. Some functions are already on your computer and you may not even know where they are or what to do with them. This package brings those functions together for you.

Advantages

Automated with a click of a button.
Protect your privacy and strengthen Internet protection.
Delete and empty all temporary Windows files, cookies and temporary Internet files that fill up your computer that are no longer needed.
Remove malicious spyware and other harmful internet tracking files using the most popular spyware removal tool out there today.
Clean your registry of obsolete entries to speed up your computer.
Backup your Internet favorites/bookmarks, emails, address book, desktop settings and desktop files.
Speed up access to your most frequently used files and programs.

Website: http://www.compu-rx.com/computer-maintenance-package.htm

Mz Registry Optimizer from MzTweak Ultimate Tools

Over time registry data becomes scattered within the registry file and when information is deleted from the registry holes are left which fragment the data within the registry.

Mz Registry Optimizer application was designed to optimize your registry by removing gaps and wasted space. This procedure will reduce applications response time and registry access time. The utility is very user-friendly. With a simple process, you can scan your registry for potential problems and instantly fix all the issues. The simple navigation and user-friendly interface are designed specifically for the novice user.

More information and downloading links from the author’s website: http://www.mztweak.com/MzReg.html

Trojan Hunting in Svchost.exe with Svchost Process Analyzer

"Svchost.exe" (Generic Host Process for Win32 Services) is an integral part of Windows OS. It cannot be stopped or restarted manually. This process manages 32-bit DLLs and other services. At startup, Svchost.exe checks the services portion of the registry and constructs a list of services that it needs to load.

Under normal conditions, multiple instances of Svchost.exe will be running simultaneously. Each Svchost.exe session can contain a grouping of services, so that many services can be run depending on how and where Svchost.exe is started. This allows for better control and debugging.

Svchost.exe groups are identified in the following registry key:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\WindowsNT\CurrentVersion\Svchost

Each value under this key represents a separate Svchost group and appears as a separate instance when you are viewing active processes. Each value is a REG_MULTI_SZ value and contains the services that run under that Svchost group. Each Svchost group can contain one or more service names that are extracted from the following registry key, whose Parameters key contains a ServiceDLL value:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\Service

To view the list of services those are running in Svchost:

Click Start on the Windows taskbar, and then click Run.
In the Open box, type CMD, and then press ENTER.
Type Tasklist /SVC, and then press ENTER.

Tasklist displays a list of active processes. The /SVC switch shows the list of active services in each process. For more information about a process, type the following command, and then press ENTER:

Tasklist /FI "PID eq processID" (with the quotation marks)

The svchost.exe file is physically located in the folder C:\Windows\System32. However, one of the most important services organizers can also be used as a driving vehicle and a hiding mechanism for viruses, spyware, Trojans, or worms.

The possible symptoms of the infections are:

Your system becomes sluggish and you find that something called svchost or dllhost is taking nearly 100% of your CPU.
Your system reports that svchost has performed an illegal operation and will be terminated. After that, various things fail to work properly, if at all.
After you log in, your system automatically reboots in one minute.

Note that you should not be confused from the small difference in the svchost.exe and scvhost.exe (which is called svchost virus). So, the svchost virus is actually a process named scvhost.exe (notice on the “c” and “v” are switched) which is designed to confuse people with the harmless svchost. Scvhost.exe will go into your system and completely shut it down. The virus is actually a Trojan Horse, named W30/Agobot-S virus. This virus will also allow hackers to access your computer and steal passwords and personal data.

The approach of hiding dangerous content in svchost is understandable, since you need to have pretty advanced computer skills for its troubleshooting. The free Svchost Process Analyzer free utility is letting anybody analyze and troubleshoot the system in terms of the presence of the dangerous files and processes. The software lists all svchost instances and checks the services they contain. This makes it easy to uncover Svchost worms like the infamous Conficker worm.

While Svchost Process Analyzer does not provide the details that popular process managers like Process Explorer provide, it does list the information in a comprehensible manner. The process analyzer will scan all svchost processes that are running on the Windows operating system upon startup. A click on details will open the main application window, that lists every svchost process in the top window and details about the selected process in the window at the bottom.

Each entry in the lower window is displayed by name, service name and file. Svchost Process Analyzer is compatible with 32-bit and 64-bit editions of Microsoft Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 2000, Windows 2003 and Windows 2008.

Main Features:

100% freeware.
Doesn't require runtimes.
Doesn't require installation (absolutely portable).
Doesn't write to the registry.
Doesn't modify files outside of its own directories.
Does not contain adware / malware / spyware.
Small, single executable file, does not require significant computer resources.

Developer: Neuber Software.

Website and Downloading Link: http://www.neuber.com/free/svchost-analyzer/index.html

Common PC Hardware BIOS entry key commands

There are multiple reasons, why you need to enter the computer BIOS mode. In most cases, it is related to the computer troubleshooting. For example, your Hard Drive boot sector is corrupted, and your computer is just hanging up trying to access the primary master disk. You need to boot-up from DVD or USB, so the boot sequence should be altered in BIOS. Or you added a new slave Hard Drive, and is not recognized by the computer, unless you enable it in the computer configuration.

Usually, when you turn on your PC, there is a very short period, when the BIOS entrance command appears on the screen, but if you miss the moment, you will have to start all over again. If you know, what the keys combination you should use is, you need to execute it immediately upon computer reboot, and sometimes it requires multiple repetitive clicks to activate it.

The BIOS keys are different as per computer manufacturer and even as per computer model. Per you convenience, I am listing the BIOS start up keys combinations for the most popular computer models.

Acer - Aspire, Power, Veriton, Extensa, Ferrari, TravelMate, Altos

Press Del or F2 immediately after powering on.
The BIOS on the Acer Altos 600 server uses the Ctrl+Alt+Esc key and the F1 key for advanced options.
Older Acer computers may use also use the F1 or Ctrl+Alt+Esc keys to access BIOS.

AST – Different models might use the following combinations: Ctrl+Alt+Esc or Ctrl+Alt+Del.

Cannon – F1.

Castex – Del.

Compaq - Presario, Prolinea, Deskpro, Systempro, Portable

Press F10 while the cursor in the top right corner of the screen is blinking.
Older Compaq computers may use the F1, F2, F10, or Del key to give access to BIOS.

CompUSA – Del.

Cybermax – Esc.

Dell - XPS, Dimension, Inspiron, Latitude. OptiPlex, Precision, Vostro

Press F2 when the Dell logo appears. Press every few seconds until the message Entering Setup appears.
Dell 400 - F1
Dell Dimension - F2 or Del
Dell Inspiron - F2
Dell Latitude - Fn+F1 (while booted)
Dell Latitude - F2 (on boot)
Dell Optiplex – F2 or Del
Dell Precision - F2
Older Dell desktops and laptops may instead use Ctrl+Alt+Enter or Del to enter BIOS.
Older Dell laptops may use Fn+Esc or Fn+F1.

Digital – F2

eMachines - eMonster, eTower, eOne, S-Series, T-Series

Press Tab or Del while the eMachine logo displays on screen.
Other eMachine computers may use F2 to enter BIOS.

Enpower - Ctrl+Alt+S

Fujitsu - LifeBook, Esprimo, Amilo, Tablet, DeskPower. Press F2 once the Fujitsu logo appears.

Gateway - DX, FX, One, GM, GT, GX, Profile, Astro

Press the F1 key repeatedly after restarting the computer.
Some older Gateway computers use F2 to access the BIOS Setup utility.

Hewlett-Packard (HP) - Pavilion, TouchSmart, Vectra, OmniBook, Tablet

Press the F1 key after restarting the computer.
HP Tablet PCs may use F10 or F12.
Other HP computers may allow access to BIOS using the F2 or Esc keys.

IBM - PC, XT, AT

Press F1 immediately after powering on the computer.
Older IBM computers (including some laptops) may utilize the F2 key for BIOS entry.
IBM PS/2 - Ctrl+Alt+Ins after Ctrl+Alt+Del.

Lenovo (formerly IBM) - ThinkPad, IdeaPad, 3000 Series, ThinkCentre, ThinkStation

Press F1 or F2 after powering on the computer.
Older Lenovo products allow access to BIOS using Ctrl+Alt+F3, Ctrl+Alt+Ins, or Fn+F1.

Leading Edge - Ctrl+Alt+S.

Micron (MPC Computers) - ClientPro, TransPort

Press F1, F2 or Del immediately after powering on the PC.

NEC - PowerMate, Versa, W-Series

Press F2 or F1 to enter the BIOS Setup.

Packard Bell - 8900 Series, 9000 Series, Pulsar, Platinum, EasyNote, imedia, iextreme

Press F1, F2, or Del to enter BIOS.

Quantex – Del.

Sharp - Notebook Laptops, Actius UltraLite

Press F2 after the computer starts.
Some very old Sharp PCs require a Setup Diagnostics Disk to access BIOS.

Shuttle - Glamor G-Series, D'vo, Prima P2-Series, Workstation, X Mini XPC, Surveillance

Press F2 or Del on startup.

Sony - VAIO, PCG-Series, VGN-Series

Press F1, F2 or F3 after turning on the computer.
Sony VAIO - (After Sony start up screen) F2 then hit F1

Tandon - Press the Ctrl+Shift+Esc keys.

Tiger – Del.

Toshiba - Portégé, Satellite, Tecra

Press F1 or Esc after powering on to access BIOS.
Toshiba Portable PC (Phoenix) - Press the F2 key while the system processes its Power
On Self Test (POST).

If all else fails, hold down the space bar during startup. This should halt the machine and allow the customer to enter the startup key. The computer will display the BIOS key option.

Drivers Analysis, Backup, and Restoration with Double Driver

About Double Driver

One of the main reasons why you would want to collect installed drivers is if you don’t have the Driver CD that came with the computer or they are unavailable online. This comes in quite handy if you purchase a computer and want to backup the initial set of drivers. It can be quite difficulty for example to find drivers for hardware installed in a notebook if the operating system has to be setup again. Luckily Double Driver can now lend you a hand with that and save you a lot of time.

Double Driver is a very simple and useful tool which not only allows you to view all the drivers installed on your system but also allows you to backup, restore, save and print all chosen drivers simply and reliably.

Double Driver analyzes your system and lists the most important driver details such as version, date, provider, etc and offers you the chance to update to the latest version. All drivers that are found can easily be backed up the application and easily restored at a later point in one go.

What can you do with Double Driver?

With Double Driver you can:

View all installed drivers;
Backup all installed drivers (as uncompressed folders, compressed .ZIP, or compressed self-extractor);
Restore drivers from backups;
Save details on all installed drivers in a TXT file;
Print details on all installed drivers.

How to use Double Driver?

Double Driver works in a simple way: you hit "Scan" and all the drivers installed on your system are displayed (it takes literally less than one second to scan your computer and find all installed drivers).

Scroll up and down to view all your installed drivers and scroll left and right to view details on each driver, such as what type of driver it is (i.e. a video driver or a modem driver). Check the checkbox next to the drivers you want to backup - by default all "non-Microsoft" drivers are checked. "Microsoft drivers" are the drivers that are installed when you install Windows so you don't need to backup those ones.

Once you have selected all the drivers you want to backup hit "Backup". You will be asked to specify where to save the backup, what type of backup, and a few other details.

There are two things to note:

The different types of backups you can make ("Output");
The ability to create a portable Double Driver to put with each backup.

The advantage of including a portable version of Double Driver with each backup is that you can restore your backups without ever having to install Double Driver - even if you don't choose the self-extractor option.

Restoring is just as easy as backing up. When you want to restore, if you did a folder or .ZIP backup, you will need to restore via Double Driver. If you included a portable version of Double Driver with your backup you can just run Double Driver from there. When you have Double Driver running (portable version or otherwise) hit "Restore" and do your restore. If you did a self-extractor, than just run the self-extractor .EXE and do your restore.

Take note that you can pick and choose which drivers you want to restore.

Website: http://www.boozet.org/dd.htm