Best Antivirus Software Review

Today, an unprotected computer isn’t just vulnerable, it’s probably already infected. New viruses, spyware, trojans, worms, and other malware are created every day. New threats are disguised to bypass other security measures, and specifically designed to catch you and your PC off guard.

The virus landscape has also changed; viruses that used to be annoying pranks have evolved into pernicious threats capable of not only destroying your computer, but stealing your information and identity.

The benefits of installing a basic security solution on your PC are obvious, but the cost in system slowdown used to make it tough to bear. Luckily, modern antivirus software haven’t just improved their level of protection, they’ve significantly improved resource efficiency and overall speed. You can have ultimate protection without giving up your resources. With advanced technologies and straightforward usability, antivirus software is more effective than ever, and doesn’t require constant maintenance from you. Say goodbye to annoying security warnings and noticeable slowdown; current antivirus programs deliver constant protection and can actually speed up your computer.

The last generation of antivirus software brought advanced heuristic detection into the mix. Continuing to improve, the 2011 lineup of antivirus products often incorporate further developed proactive protection with better behavior checking and even file reputation analysis. Several of the software incorporate ‘in the cloud’ security and other advanced technologies to increase safety and convenience. From gamer modes, to battery saving settings, to integrated web link scanners; antivirus applications are more versatile and have upped the ante for features and functionality.

Antivirus Software: What to Look For

All security software is not created equal. Like all consumer products, antivirus software has the good, the bad, and the mediocre. The choices for antivirus protection are many and varied. Although we haven’t reviewed each and every product available, we feature the absolute best antivirus software available today from a number of providers (including big-hitters, lesser-knowns, and new-comers), and compare them so you can match your needs with the right software.
Remember when it really comes down to it, effectiveness and usability can either make or break antivirus software. Security programs are only as good as their level of protection, and if you can’t figure out how to use it, you won’t. Our top-ranked antivirus software combine optimal security with user-friendly features and tools.
Below are the criteria TopTenREVIEWS uses to evaluate and compare antivirus software:
Scope of ProtectionWhile most security solutions tout “multi-layered” protection, “360 degree” defense and/or even “100%” security, some are certainly more thorough than others. The best antivirus solutions will include traditional protection from viruses, worms, Trojans and spyware, but should also include defense from keyloggers, phishing scams, email-borne threats and rootkits. While antivirus programs are by no means full-blown internet security suites, they should protect from as many threats on as many fronts as they can.
EffectivenessAntivirus is specifically designed to protect your computer, so if it doesn’t do that well, what good is it? All the features, bells and whistles, or sleek interface can’t make up for poor performance. We look at results from the industry-standard security software testers and professional security organizations to find the most effective software available and evaluate overall effectiveness. In general, our highest ranked programs are also the most effective.
Ease of Installation and Setup
Security software shouldn’t be a chore to install, and should have you protected as soon as possible. From download to install, to the first scan; implementing antivirus software should be quick and easy.
Ease of Use
Antivirus software is complex stuff, but shouldn’t require a degree in computer security. The best security programs have all the features security experts want, but are just as easily used by a beginner. Everyday computer users want a security solution that they can install and forget about; software that doesn’t require constant maintenance or have annoying interruptions. The best antivirus software is flexible enough to do exactly what you want to (even if that means running by itself).
Features
A well-rounded feature set takes a security solution from good to great. More than bells and whistles, added features provide security, usability and performance benefits.
Updates

Security software is only as good as its latest update. Viruses are being identified and added to signature databases all the time, so it’s important that your virus definition list updates accordingly. Modern antivirus software are equipped with automatic updates that perform regularly enough that you get faster updates that don’t slow down your system. The best security providers even “push” updates to you as soon as they’re available.
Help & Support
The best software doesn’t require reading an in-depth manual to use, but still has one available. For specific questions, troubleshooting, and additional help, the best antivirus manufacturers provide superior product support online and off. Additional support for software may come in the form of assistance over the phone, email, live chat, or through a number of additional resources (knowledgebase, FAQs, tutorials).A well-balanced antivirus solution is effective, efficient, and easy to use. Combining all the right features with a usable interface; our top antivirus software choices deliver the best security and usability without a serious investment in time, money, or system resources.

Remove Windows Error Correction

What this infection does:

Windows Error Correction is a fake rogue anti-spyware program that is part of the Fake Microsoft Security Essentials infection. When this infection is installed on your computer it will display a fake Microsoft Security Essentials alert that states that it has detected an Unknown Win32/Trojan on your computer. This alert will state:

Microsoft Security Essentials Alert
Potential Threat Details
Microsoft Security Essentials detected potential threats that might compromise your private or damage your computer. Your access to these items may be suspended until you take an action. Click 'show details' to learn more.

It will then prompt you to scan your computer, which will start a fake scan of your computer that ultimately states that a particular file is infected with Trojan.Horse.Win32.PAV.64.a. It will then prompt you to install Windows Error Correction to remove the virus. The text of this prompt is:

Threat prevention solution found
Security system analysis has revealed critical file system vulnerability caused by severe malware attacks.
Risk of system files infection:
The detected vulnerability may result in unauthorized access to private information and hard drive data with a seriuos possibility of irreversible data loss and unstable PC performance. To remove the malware please run a full system scan. Press 'OK' to install the software necessary to initiate system files check. To complete the installation process please reboot your computer.

When you press OK, the infection will download and install Windows Error Correction and reboot your computer.

 
Windows Error Correction Screen shot
For more screen shots of this infection click on the image above.
There are a total of 4 images you can view.

When your computer reboots you will be presented with the Windows Error Correction screen before your normal Windows desktop is shown. It then prompts you to scan your computer, which will state that your computer is infected with numerous infections. In order to get to your normal Windows desktop, you will need to close the Windows Error Correction program when it has finished its fake scan. As you can see this program is a scam as it is ransoming the proper operation of your computer until you purchase it. It goes without saying that you should not purchase this program for any reason.
While the program is running it will also display fake security alerts that are further used to scare you into thinking that your computer has a serious problem. Some of these alerts include:

System Security WarningAttempt to modify register key entries is detected. Register entries analysis is recommended.
System component corrupted!System reboot error has occurred due to lsass.exe system process failure.
This may be caused by severe malware infections.
Automatic restore of lsass.exe backup copy completed.
The correct system performance can not be resumed without eliminating the cause of lsass.exe corruption.
Warning!
Name: firefox.exe
Name: c:\program files\firefox\firefox.exe
Application that seems to be a key-logger is detected. System information security is at risk. It is recommended to enable the security mode and run total System scanning.

Just like the fake scan results, these alerts are also fake and are only being used to scare you into purchasing the program. Therefore, please ignore them.
As you can see, Windows Error Correction was created to scare you into thinking your computer has a severe security problem so that you will then purchase this program. For no reason should you purchase Windows Error Correction, and if you already have, you should contact your credit card company and dispute the charges stating that the program is a computer infection. Finally, to remove this infection, and any related malware, please use the removal guide below.

Threat Classification:

• Information on Rogue Programs & Scareware

Advanced information:

View Windows Error Correction files.
View Windows Error Correction Registry Information.

Tools Needed for this fix:

• Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware

Guide Updates:

03/07/11 - Initial guide creation.

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Automated Removal Instructions for Windows Error Correction using Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware:

1. Print out these instructions as we may need to close every window that is open later in the fix.
   
2. It is possible that the infection you are trying to remove will not allow you to download files on the infected computer. If this is the case, then you will need to download the files requested in this guide on another computer and then transfer them to the infected computer. You can transfer the files via a CD/DVD, external drive, or USB flash drive.
   
3. The Windows Error Correction infection will start before your normal Windows desktop appears. To access your desktop we first need to allow it to perform it's fake scan. Therefore, when it tells you that it must perform a scan press the OKbutton to allow it to do so. Windows Error Correction will now perform a fake scan and then state you need to open the License Manager. Press the OK, Open the license manager button. You will now be at a screen where you can close the program by clicking on the X at the top right of the Windows Error Correction Window. Shown below is an image of the program screen that shows the location of the X, designated by the black arrow, that you should click on to close the program. Once you close the program, your Windows Desktop will load normally.
   
   
   
   
   
   Now that your Windows Desktop is available, we can continue with the rest of the removal process.
   
4. Before we continue we should also terminate the Windows Error Correction infection so that it does not interfere with the cleaning procedure. To do this, please download RKill to your desktop from the following link.
   
   RKill Download Link - (Download page will open in a new tab or browser window.)
   
   When at the download page, click on the Download Now button labeled iExplore.exe download link. When you are prompted where to save it, please save it on your desktop.
   
5. Once it is downloaded, double-click on the iExplore.exe icon in order to automatically attempt to stop any processes associated with Windows Error Correction and other Rogue programs. Please be patient while the program looks for various malware programs and ends them. When it has finished, the black window will automatically close and you can continue with the next step. If you get a message that RKill is an infection, do not be concerned. This message is just a fake warning given by Windows Error Correction when it terminates programs that may potentially remove it. If you run into these infections warnings that close RKill, a trick is to leave the warning on the screen and then run RKill again. By not closing the warning, this typically will allow you to bypass the malware trying to protect itself so that RKill can terminate Windows Error Correction . So, please try running RKill until the malware is no longer running. You will then be able to proceed with the rest of the guide. Do not reboot your computer after running RKill as the malware programs will start again. 
   
   If you continue having problems running RKill, you can download the other renamed versions of RKill from the RKill download page. All of the files listed there are renamed copies of RKill, which you can try instead. Please note that the download page will open in a new browser window or tab.
   
6. Next we have to do is fix your Windows Registry Shell value. If we do not fix this entry and is deleted, then your Windows desktop will not be displayed the next time you reboot.
   
   To fix the Shell entry, simple download the following file to your desktop. If you are having trouble downloading the file, try right-clicking on it and selecting Save as.
   
7. Once Shell.reg has been downloaded, locate it on your desktop and double-click on it. When Windows asks if you would like the data to be merged, please allow it to do so.
   
8. Now you should download Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware, or MBAM, from the following location and save it to your desktop:
   
   Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware Download Link (Download page will open in a new window)
   
9. Once downloaded, close all programs and Windows on your computer, including this one.
   
10. Double-click on the icon on your desktop named mbam-setup.exe. This will start the installation of MBAM onto your computer.
    
11. When the installation begins, keep following the prompts in order to continue with the installation process. Do not make any changes to default settings and when the program has finished installing, make sure you leave both the Update Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware and Launch Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware checked. Then click on the Finish button. If MalwareBytes' prompts you to reboot, please do not do so.
    
12. MBAM will now automatically start and you will see a message stating that you should update the program before performing a scan. As MBAM will automatically update itself after the install, you can press the OK button to close that box and you will now be at the main program as shown below.
    
    
    
    
13. On the Scanner tab, make sure the the Perform full scan option is selected and then click on the Scan button to start scanning your computer for Windows Error Correction related files.
    
14. MBAM will now start scanning your computer for malware. This process can take quite a while, so we suggest you go and do something else and periodically check on the status of the scan. When MBAM is scanning it will look like the image below.
    
    
    
    
15. When the scan is finished a message box will appear as shown in the image below.
    
    
    
    
    You should click on the OK button to close the message box and continue with the Windows Error Correction removal process.
    
16. You will now be back at the main Scanner screen. At this point you should click on the Show Results button.
    
17. A screen displaying all the malware that the program found will be shown as seen in the image below. Please note that the infections found may be different than what is shown in the image.
    
    
    
    
    You should now click on the Remove Selected button to remove all the listed malware. MBAM will now delete all of the files and registry keys and add them to the programs quarantine. When removing the files, MBAM may require a reboot in order to remove some of them. If it displays a message stating that it needs to reboot, please allow it to do so. Once your computer has rebooted, and you are logged in, please continue with the rest of the steps.
    
18. When MBAM has finished removing the malware, it will open the scan log and display it in Notepad. Review the log as desired, and then close the Notepad window.
    
19. You can now exit the MBAM program.
    
20. As many rogues and other malware are installed through vulnerabilities found in out-dated and insecure programs, it is strongly suggested that you use Secunia PSI to scan for vulnerable programs on your computer. A tutorial on how to use Secunia PSI to scan for vulnerable programs can be found here:

Associated Windows Error Correction Windows Registry Information:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Image File Execution Options\afwserv.exe "Debugger" = 'svchost.exe'
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Image File Execution Options\avastsvc.exe "Debugger" = 'svchost.exe'
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Image File Execution Options\avastui.exe "Debugger" = 'svchost.exe'
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Image File Execution Options\egui.exe "Debugger" = 'svchost.exe'
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Image File Execution Options\ekrn.exe "Debugger" = 'svchost.exe'
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Image File Execution Options\msascui.exe "Debugger" = 'svchost.exe'
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Image File Execution Options\msmpeng.exe "Debugger" = 'svchost.exe'
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Image File Execution Options\msseces.exe "Debugger" = 'svchost.exe'
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\SystemRestore "DisableSR " = '1'

Upgrading Windows 7

Let PCmover Windows 7 Upgrade Assistant™ Help.

Of the 66 Windows 7 upgrade scenarios detailed by Microsoft, only 14 are supported by Windows. As illustrated in among the remaining unsupported scenarios are all upgrades from Windows XP - for the many XP users out there, this makes upgrading to Windows 7 a complicated task.

That’s why we created Windows 7 Upgrade Assistant: it helps you upgrade your existing PC quickly and easily from any version of Windows (Media Center or later) to Windows 7. If you are upgrading your PC from XP to Windows 7, you need PCmover Windows 7 Upgrade Assistant.

Using PCmover to upgrade to Windows 7 is easy. First, run PCmover and follow the easy-to-use wizard. Then install Windows 7, choosing "custom" install (do not reformat). Then run PCmover again. That's it - you're done. No need to copy files to external media; no need to reinstall all your applications. PCmover does it all for you without any external storage, without copying files and without old CDs and serial numbers!

Upgrade your Existing PC in 3 easy steps

Keep it simple. Save yourself the time and hassle of upgrading to Windows 7 by using PCmover.

Key Features of PCmover Windows 7 Upgrade Assistant

	Application Selectivity Choose which applications you want to have on your upgraded PC.		Keep Everything All programs, files and settings can stay exactly as they were in your old operating system with one easy step.
	File & Folder Selectivity Select which folders you want and uncheck any file types that you don't want to have after the upgrade.		Easy-to-Use Wizard Click through a simple wizard to perform the upgrade.

IMPORTANT:

If you are setting up a NEW PC, drive, partition or deleting your old operating system, you should select a different edition of PCmover.

Set up your new PC

INSTALL Install PCmover on your new and old PC

CONNECT Connect your new PC to your old PC

TRANSFER Transfer all your programs, files and settings

Transfer using  a network (LAN or wireless), Laplink high-speed transfer cable (Laplink Ethernet or USB 2.0 ) or removable media such as an external disk drive.

Key Features of PCmover Professional

	Easy-to-Use Wizard Just install PCmover on both of your computers and use the Wizard to start transferring everything you want to the new PC.		Set It and Forget It You start the transfer and walk away. PCmover does the rest!
	Complete Selectivity Automatically copy the applications, files and folders you choose to your new PC. Programs are set up by PCmover and ready to use.		Multiple Transfer Scenarios Supported Use PCmover to move from an old PC to a new one, to transfer contents of an old hard drive (or image), or perform an in-place upgrade even from Windows XP.
	"Undo" Feature Quickly reverse changes made to your new PC with PCmover's easy undo feature.		User Profile Selectivity Transfer all or selected user profiles including related settings in one easy step.

Multiple Connection Options: Use a Laplink High-Speed Transfer Cable or USB 2.0 Transfer Cable (50% off in cart), a network, or external drive. 

Do you already own PCmover and need to perform another computer migration? To get a new serial number, just purchase a download edition of PCmover. You will be emailed a new serial number immediately and you will be ready to do another computer migration!

A single license of PCmover allows you to migrate from a single old (source) computer to a single new (destination) computer. Additional computer migrations require the purchase of additional licenses. As part of the checkout process, you will be given the option to purchase additional licenses at a 25% discount.

"In the nightmare world of PC migration, PCmover is a rare pleasant dream. Transferring from one system to another via PCmover was an amazingly simple and pleasant experience. The results were outstanding. Everything landed exactly where it belonged…. in five migrations (three Vista-to-Vista, and two XP-to-Vista), the results were amazing―every single time…P Cmover performed as advertised, which is a rare thing in today’s software environment.

Fighting Unknown Problems

Hardware problems are quite difficult to tackle, worse if under Windows. There was once when installing a software, I accidentally inserted the Audio hardware diskette. Thinking it was harmless, I went on, thinking I can always "undo" everything again. How wrong was I. The next moment I restarted Windows, I got the blue screen of death. Yeah, Windows is very nasty when it comes to hardware.

Find The Culprit

Always calm down. Try to solve the problem yourself before resolving to formatting or sending to your computer dealer. First, know what's happening and the cause of it. In my case, the installation must have overwrite my old setting and replaced the wrong file. There must be a reason why Windows is acting improperly.

Logging Back On

First, try to log back on. If you can't log into Windows, don't panic. Restart the computer. When the text "Starting Windows 98..." appears, press F8. A menu will appear. Choose "Safe Mode" to continue. Safe mode will take some time to load. When you are in Windows, go to Control Panel, System. Click on the Device Manager tab. Find the faulty hardware driver and delete it. Open autoexec.bat and config.sys (both are hidden files in your root directory) with notepad. If the hardware is a CD-ROM or sound card, it will probably write add some lines. Check whether there are backup file (autoexec.bak, autoexec.b~k e.g.) since most installation will back up the 2 important files. If there is, simply replace them with the backup files. If there isn't, put "REM " in front of every line that loads the hardware.

Repairing

When you restart, your computer is probably ok, since you have deleted all instances of the hardware drivers. But the hardware isn't functioning. re-install the hardware drivers, restart and you're done! If the problem persists, your probably have a system conflict go to the next page for more.

Hard Drive

Your hard drive, or also called hard disk, is a gigantic diskette in your computer. It is one disk big enough to store you Operating System, games and programs. Without it, your PC is just an empty shell.

Check Your BIOS

Better beware of older systems with large hard drives. If you have an older motherboard, your BIOS might not recognize hard drives larger than 2.1 GB. Hopefully, your BIOS is EPROM which means although read only (noticed the ROM?) it can be edited by authorized editors. Nearly all newer motherboards support that. All you need to do is to go online, go to your motherboard manufacturer's website and try to download a flash BIOS update. Install it and it should be done.

Are You FAT Enough?

If you have a large capacity hard drive with more than 2.1 GB, you might have a problem. Windows 95 itself will only recognize a partition with not more than 2.1 GB. You need FAT32. With FAT32, you can have one large capacity hard drive without partitioning. You will also save some space with FAT32. In short, larger hard drives require FAT32.

Consider Partitioning

Although you can have one big fat hard drive as one partition, you should consider partitioning as well, if you have a big hare drive. Partitioning is the method of dividing an area on a disk into smaller portions of lesser capacities that can be recognized by the operating system. Picture this: your hard drive is a cake. It is easier to eat a cake divided into pieces than to eat it whole.

Partitioning enables you to achieve greater efficiency and functionality from high-capacity disks (2.1GB or greater). You can create partitions by using FDISK on a system running in MS-DOS mode or by using a third-party disk utility. Remember that after partitioning, all data will be loss so be careful.

You can set aside a small partition for backup purposes. In case you should decided to format, just format the partition you use to store Windows. Your data in the backup partition is still there. But be careful! If you format a FAT32 partition with a FAT16 formatting utility, your partitions with data in it will all be loss! So never install DOS after formatting Windows. Because DOS utilizes FAT16, your FAT32 partition will all be gone.

Access Time or Seek Time?

If you want to buy a hard drive but are confused with the specifications of access time and seek time, remember that the key to the speed of a hard drive is the average access time. This is the time taken to access a single sector to the time when the drive's head reaches the sector. But beware, some ads quote seek time that is not the appropriate measurement. Access time is seek time plus latency (the time it takes for the chosen sector to come around to be positioned under the read/write head)

Speed, Not Space

A lot of people are confused between speed and space. If you have a Quantum Fireball with 1.2 GB and a Quantum Bigfoot with 3.5 GB surely you should put the Bigfoot as the master and Fireball as the slave right? Wrong! You should always consider speed as well as space. The Quantum Fireball has a faster access time. A faster hard drive means better performance. Make sure your operating system is store in the faster hard drive. You can use the Bigfoot to store your programs or games which makes not much difference to the speed. With speed hungry programs or games, store them in the faster drive too. You must know what to put where.

The status of the drives is determined by setting small jumpers that are usually located next to the IDE connector on the drive itself. 

About Monitor

The monitor is a television-like box except it is used in a computer for display. You can't use the computer at all without a monitor. The monitor is different from the television is many ways. It is flatter compared to the television. Television refreshes the screen by interlacing while the monitor is using non-interlaced functions. Monitors uses pixels to display, making it finer and better to display text.

Larger Resolution, Smaller Display

One thing you should know, since monitors measure by pixels, you should always set the resolution right. A larger resolution uses smaller pixels, making everything smaller but you have a larger view. The default is 640x480 but most prefer 800x600. For larger monitors, you can decide on 1024x800 or 1280x1024. Also remember, since there are more pixels, the higher the resolution, the slower the screen refreshes.

Decide On A Screen Filter

Although computer screens are just 30% of the radioactivity from the TV or less, you still might want to consider a screen filter. It helps filter up radioactivity. Never settle for a cheap screen filter. A lousy one won't filter the screen - it just darkens it. Always make sure that it won't make everything look dark. Some good screen filters provide a wire to clip it at the back of the casing to lose the radioactivity.

On the other hand, you should also make sure you don't need one. Here are a few points to guide you.

• Your computer (& monitor)  is placed under a bright place and can balance with the brightness of the monitor
• Your monitor is anti-glare and non-reflective.
• Your monitor produces little static and radioactivity.
• Your monitor produces clear, crisp and not-too-bright images.
• You won't have problems staring at the monitor for a long time.

If your monitor fits that criteria, you can forget the screen filter.

Blink Your Eyes!

This is not actually a hardware tip, just to let you know how important it is to blink your eyes. Your eyes don't actually get strained staring at the monitor, just loses moisture and making the eyes dry. It has been proven that people staring at the monitor for a long time has the tendency to blink less than the normal rate. Make an effort to blink your eyes. If not, try eye moisture drops.

Degauss

Degauss is a very important function that helps you restore your monitor when colors are distorted or you noticed weird colors at the corners of your monitor. This is cause by magnetization that can be caused by jerking the monitor, shifting to a different direction or moving it across the globe (different magnetic field). The degauss control removes magnetization from your monitor

Use the degauss control lightly. You should only degauss if you see color purity problems. Otherwise, don't use it. Too much degaussing stresses the circuitry components and overheats the large coil around the CRT. If possible, when the display clears up, shut down the monitor/computer for a while to let it cool down.

Take Control

When your monitor comes, modify the factory default setting of your monitor! Get more colors or brightness. And stretch the screen to the fullest! Although this may sound trivial, a lot of people just think it's alright to follow the original setting, losing valuable screen space, you will be surprised to know how much bigger you can stretch the screen. A bigger display is always better.

Backup Your Computer Installed Drivers?

You can easily create the backup of your computer installed drivers (just the particular or all drivers) and use it to troubleshoot any driver problems. This backup will be very useful when you will format your computer window due to any reason. There is no need to search the drivers from internet or drivers CD, just import the driver backup and within five minute, you will complete the driver installation process. You can move this backup from one computer to other computer for installation. 


To complete the all process, we will use a simple tool called DriverMax. Using this tool, we can easily export the backup of any specific or all drivers and then import it for reinstallation later or elsewhere. You can free download (with free registration code) this tool for windows XP and Vista also. Download it and run the easy setup.

After Installation launch DriverMax, the first screen you will get with title "DriverMax - Version" and options "Export drivers, Import drivers and Installed drivers report". Just click on "Export Driver" option to start backup process.

Now after welcome screen, system will take few seconds to create the list of all installed drivers and then show you all installed drivers list.

Here you can select any specific device driver or click on "Select all" button to create the backup of entire installed drivers.

Press the Next button and in next screen you can select the export type (simple backup or in zip format) and then choose the backup location (always choose drive other than C drive).

Again press the Next and system will take some time (depend upon the size of your drivers) to finish exporting the selected drivers.

Click the "Open extraction folder button" to view the backup files or press Close button to finish it.

Now you can use this backup files (using import option) to restore drivers backup or move to any other computer. Copy the Following link to download it.

Clear Windows History Files Just One Click?

Today tip will help you to manage the all types of user history in windows operating system. This is a built-in feature of all windows keeps track the user's history, for example the websites you have visited, the documents you have opened and the keywords or files for which you've searched. However this tip is very useful for you, if you are sharing your computer with others or you do not want that the other persons know about your last visited documents history. You can clear these kinds of user's history with a single click on desktop icon named Cleanmru.reg. There is no need to clear each history file one by one. This trick will work in nearly all of the windows versions like windows 2000, XP and 2003.

Follow the given steps for configuration to clear recently opened documents automatically: 

To edit the computer registry, first you should log onto your computer with administrative rights.

Here copy the following 6 lines and paste in notepad then save with the name Cleanmru.reg on your desktop.

REGEDIT4

[-HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\TypedURLs]

[-HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\RunMRU]

[-HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\RecentDocs]

[-HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\ComDlg32\

LastVisitedMRU] 

[-HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Search Assistant\ACMru]

When you double-click Cleanmru.reg icon to remove the windows history, a small dialog box will appear with the information "Are you sure you want to add the information in C:\Documents and Settings\Administrator\desktop\Clearmru.reg to the registry?"

At the end, you will get the message "Information in C:\Documents and Settings\Administrator\desktop\Clearmru.reg has been successfully entered into the registry." Click on Ok button and verify that your all history will have been clear.

Restore Windows Icons

You can restore the all windows default desktop icons, if you accidentally deleted them from your computer desktop. 

List of windows default icons. 

• My Computer
• Internet Explorer
• My Documents
• My Network Places
• Recycle Bin 

Here we are discussing the recovering process of four windows default icons “My Computer, Internet Explorer, My Documents and My Network Places’ and we will cover recovery process of the Recycle Bin icon in next tip.

Fellow the given steps to restore the windows default icons: 

• Go to Start Button and open Run then type the given command to open windows Desktop items dialog box.  
• Control desk.cpl,,@Web
• Simple copy the above command and paste it in Run box and press Ok,  
• Now “Desktop Items” dialog box will appear with different options. 
• Under the “General” tab, select the all check box in “Desktop icons” area or click on “Restore default” button to restore the all default icons on your computer desktop.
• Press Ok to close the entire dialog box.

Detect viruses in a computer using multiple antivirus engines

Virus detection and its removal are made through an antivirus program which finds out viruses in a computer and then possibly removes or repairs the virus problem. But today an interesting tip, how to scan your system without any installed antivirus program. You can scan any specific file for viruses, malware, worms and trojans on your system without any preloaded antivirus protection. 

VirusTotal is a free service that facilitates you for quick scan to detect viruses, malware, worms and trojans. VirusTotal will analyze your system files using multiple antivirus engines. VirusTotal is not a proper substitute of installed antivirus program, because this service works only when you will be connected to internet.

Now open the VirusTotal site to start scan process.

Now under the "Upload the file" section, click on browse button to select the virus affected file and press "Send File" button.

Here VirusTotal will takes some time to upload file (depends upon the file size and internet speed).

Solve windows startup issue?

You can troubleshoot many of computer startup problems using windows boot logging. When you start you computer with enable boot logging feature, a log file will be created to identify the drivers and services that is creating the problem during startup.  The name of this file is ntbootlog.txt and located in root directory (%SYSTEMROOT%, normally in C drive). You can search this file with the name "ntbootlog.txt" in C drive. Follow the example of ntbootlog.txt in windows XP.

Service Pack 2 8  7 2007 22:02:09.500

Loaded driver \WINDOWS\system32\ntoskrnl.exe

Loaded driver \WINDOWS\system32\hal.dll

Loaded driver \WINDOWS\system32\KDCOM.DLL

Loaded driver \WINDOWS\system32\BOOTVID.dll

Loaded driver ACPI.sys

Loaded driver \WINDOWS\system32\DRIVERS\WMILIB.SYS

Loaded driver pci.sys

Loaded driver isapnp.sys

Loaded driver intelide.sys

Loaded driver \WINDOWS\system32\DRIVERS\PCIIDEX.SYS

Loaded driver MountMgr.sys

Loaded driver ftdisk.sys

Loaded driver dmload.sys

Loaded driver dmio.sys

Loaded driver PartMgr.sys

Loaded driver VolSnap.sys

Loaded driver atapi.sys

Loaded driver disk.sys

Loaded driver \WINDOWS\system32\DRIVERS\CLASSPNP.SYS

Loaded driver fltMgr.sys

Loaded driver sr.sys

Loaded driver Fastfat.sys

Loaded driver KSecDD.sys

Loaded driver NDIS.sys

Loaded driver Mup.sys

Loaded driver agp440.sys

Did not load driver ACPI Uniprocessor PC

Did not load driver Audio Codecs

Did not load driver Legacy Audio Drivers

Did not load driver Media Control Devices

Did not load driver Legacy Video Capture Devices

Did not load driver Video Codecs

 

To enable boot logging, boot your computer and press F8 keys. An advance menu screen will appear with different options.

• Safe Mode
• Safe Mode with Networking
• Safe Mode with Command Prompt
• Enable Boot Logging
• Enable VGA Mode.
• Last known Good Configuration
• Start Windows Normally
• Reboot
  
  

Here select the option Enable Boot Logging, and press Enter button, your system will be returned to main menu screen and again press Enter button to start logging.

If there is no problem in windows startup, then your system will boot successfully in normal mode, and you can review the log file. In case any problems in log file regarding loading services and drivers then you can troubleshoot that services (stop and restart) and drivers (reinstall). 

If your problem does cause Windows to crash then restart your system and again Press F8 button to boot your system in safe mode. In safe mode again reviewing the ntbootlog.txt file and identifies the problems either disable any device or uninstall any third party application. If your problem is still there then visit your hardware vendor website for help.