By Rick E.J
This Tip is kindly contributed by my buddy Jason Edwards, a Snr. Network Engineer with a Large Network Firm.
Here's a great tip to speed up your browsing of Windows 2000 machines. Its actually a fix to a bug that by default of a normal Windows 2000 setup that scans shared files for Scheduled Tasks. And its turns out that you can experience a delay as long as 30 seconds when you try to view shared files across a network from as Windows 2000 is using the extra time to search the remote computer. Note that though the fix is originally intended for only those affected, Windows 2000 users will experience that actual browsing speed of both the Internet & Windows Explorers improving significantly after applying it since it doesnt search for the Scheduled Tasks anymore. Here's how :
Open up the Registry and go to :
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/Software/Microsoft/Windows/Current Version/Explorer/RemoteComputer/NameSpace
Under that branch, select the key :
{D6277990-4C6A-11CF-8D87-00AA0060F5BF}
and delete it.
This is key that instructs Windows to search for Scheduled Tasks. If you like you may want to export the exact branch so that you can restore the key if necessary. This fix is so effective that it doesn't require a reboot and you can almost immediately determine yourself how much it speeds up your browsing processes.
Updates
Note : This branch also exists in both Win98 & ME and Ive got so many mails asking me if it's safe to apply the fix on it. However, I would like to warn users that the fix is intended only for Windows 2000. If you decide to try it for your Win98/ME system, pls make sure that you back up or export the exact branch so that you can restore the key if something goes wrong. Currently there are more than 20 users that have tried the fix in Win98/ME. Out of this 20, there are 4 users who reported that problems arises (2 lost their net connection, 1 BSOD, 1 cant view Windows Explorer) after removing the branch while the balance 16 reported great success.
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Miscellaneous Hard Drive Tweaking
This tweak really should have made it into the last revision of the Win2k Hard Drive and Memory Tweak Guide, but I overlooked it in my notes so I will share it with you now. By default, Windows 2000 logs the I/O traffic of your hard drive. While this is a very useful setting for servers, for workstations it doesn't do anything except use up system resources. To disable it, go to the run menu and type diskperf -n to disable the logging.
Disable Avira splash screen and Nag on Windows 7 64bit
Just a quick post. Basically the free version of avira comes with a splash screen and an annoying nag screen that’s basically a popup ad that opens up every few hours telling you to go premium. Disabling the nag is easy (same as on vista):
1. Go to C:\Program Files\Avira\AntiVir PersonalEdition Classic\avnotify.exe
2. Right-click avnotify.exe-> properties-> security->
3. Under the group or username SYSTEM click edit
4. Put a checkmark under the DENY column for “read and execute”
It’s also possible to do this via the security policy app. For more info check this helpfull site.
Now to disable the splash is a little different – since avgnt is no longer in the registry under HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run on Windows 7 64bit. Instead you have to look for it in:
HKLM\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run
FYI this seems to be the currentversion\run for 32bit apps on a 64bit OS.
Now you just find avgnt and add /ns at the end (i.e: avgnt.exe” /min /ns). For avira versions before 9 (update!! Outdated virus scanners are bad. It’s free. You have no excuse!) use /nosplash instead.
Hope this helps people
1. Go to C:\Program Files\Avira\AntiVir PersonalEdition Classic\avnotify.exe
2. Right-click avnotify.exe-> properties-> security->
3. Under the group or username SYSTEM click edit
4. Put a checkmark under the DENY column for “read and execute”
It’s also possible to do this via the security policy app. For more info check this helpfull site.
Now to disable the splash is a little different – since avgnt is no longer in the registry under HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run on Windows 7 64bit. Instead you have to look for it in:
HKLM\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run
FYI this seems to be the currentversion\run for 32bit apps on a 64bit OS.
Now you just find avgnt and add /ns at the end (i.e: avgnt.exe” /min /ns). For avira versions before 9 (update!! Outdated virus scanners are bad. It’s free. You have no excuse!) use /nosplash instead.
Hope this helps people
Disable Avira Notifier in Windows 7
Having recently switched operating systems to Windows 7, I also decided to load Avira Antivirus as my main antivirus program.
As you may recall in an earlier post, I explained how to disable the annoying Avira splash screen (notifier) on an XP operating system.
After a little exploration and trial and error, I have figured out how to disable the notifier splash screen in Windows 7.
To get started, find the folder where Avira is stored (in mine it’s in Program Files x86) I have a 64bit OS.
Open the folder.
In this folder, you should have another folder called Antivir Desktop (open it).
Scroll down to Avnotify.exe and right click.
Click on Properties.
Click on the Security tab.
Click on Edit.
Make sure “System” is highlighted.
Check the “Read and Execute” and “Read” box in the Deny column.
Click Apply.
That should do the trick for you.
As you may recall in an earlier post, I explained how to disable the annoying Avira splash screen (notifier) on an XP operating system.
After a little exploration and trial and error, I have figured out how to disable the notifier splash screen in Windows 7.
To get started, find the folder where Avira is stored (in mine it’s in Program Files x86) I have a 64bit OS.
Open the folder.
In this folder, you should have another folder called Antivir Desktop (open it).
Scroll down to Avnotify.exe and right click.
Click on Properties.
Click on the Security tab.
Click on Edit.
Make sure “System” is highlighted.
Check the “Read and Execute” and “Read” box in the Deny column.
Click Apply.
That should do the trick for you.
Disable Avira Notifier
I recently downloaded Avira AntiVir Personal – Free Antivirus as my primary antivirus program. I had been using version 8.2. Recently my favorite security tech guru – Bill Mullins, advised me that version 9 is now ready for download. I couldn’t immediately find an update to version 8.2 so I used my trusty Revo Uninstaller to uninstall version 8.2 and made a clean install with version 9.
For those of you who don’t use Avira, I’m the poster child, card carrying member for their product. I have tried several antivirus programs and Avira works the best in my opinion.
That being said, Avira has one drawback – A nagging notifier to upgrade to the premium version pops up every time you update the Avira database.
Well, you don’t think g would put up with a popup do ya? Heck no!
To disable this pesky notifier, simply follow these directions:
For XP and Vista Users:
1. Start-> Control Panel
2. Administrative tools-> Local security policy
3. Click on Software Restriction Policy-> Action (at the top)-> create new restriction policies
4. Right-click additional rules (on the right side)-> new path rule
5. Click Browse and navigate to C:\Program Files\(Avira)\AntiVir Desktop\ and double-click avnotify.exe
6. Set the security level to Disallowed-> apply-> ok
If you had Avira previously installed and have already disallowed this, you need to change the thread to match (which for me meant changing Antivir Personal Classic to AntiVir Desktop).
It’s a beautiful thing my friends!
For those of you who don’t use Avira, I’m the poster child, card carrying member for their product. I have tried several antivirus programs and Avira works the best in my opinion.
That being said, Avira has one drawback – A nagging notifier to upgrade to the premium version pops up every time you update the Avira database.
Well, you don’t think g would put up with a popup do ya? Heck no!
To disable this pesky notifier, simply follow these directions:
For XP and Vista Users:
1. Start-> Control Panel
2. Administrative tools-> Local security policy
3. Click on Software Restriction Policy-> Action (at the top)-> create new restriction policies
4. Right-click additional rules (on the right side)-> new path rule
5. Click Browse and navigate to C:\Program Files\(Avira)\AntiVir Desktop\ and double-click avnotify.exe
6. Set the security level to Disallowed-> apply-> ok
If you had Avira previously installed and have already disallowed this, you need to change the thread to match (which for me meant changing Antivir Personal Classic to AntiVir Desktop).
It’s a beautiful thing my friends!
How the iTunes Folder is Organized
For most users, your entire iTunes library is contained in a folder named “iTunes” located within either your Windows “My Music” folder or your Mac’s “Music” folder in your home directory.
This folder is specific to your own user profile on your computer. If you have multiple user accounts on your computer and log in as another user, you will be creating a new iTunes library in that particular user’s “My Music” or “Music” folder.
By default, this folder contains not only your iTunes library database, but also all of your iTunes media content. A sub-folder, named “iTunes Music” stores not only your music, but also music videos, audiobooks, podcasts, movies and TV shows. The location of this folder can be confirmed or changed in iTunes’ Advanced preferences:
iTunes Library.itl (file)—This is your actual iTunes library database. It contains just about all of the information about your iTunes library, including your playlists, your track metadata, ratings, play counts, file locations and much more. This file is absolutely critical to back up as part of any iTunes backup strategy, as it is basically the key to your entire iTunes world.
iTunes Music Library.xml (file)—This is an XML-based version of the main iTunes library database. Although iTunes updates this file, it is not actually read by iTunes itself except in situations where the main database needs to be rebuilt. The primary purpose for this file is to allow third-party applications to easily read information stored in the iTunes database itself.
iTunes Library Genius.itdb (file)—This is a database of the Genius information for iTunes 8. This file is not critical, as it can be easily recreated by re-running the Genius setup, but there’s usually little reason to not back it up.
iTunes Library Extras.itdb (file)—This is a SQLite database containing information related to CD’s that you have previously imported and looked up on the CDDB service. Like the Genius database, this is not critical, but there’s also usually little reason to not back it up.
Album Artwork (folder)—This contains a cache of all album artwork, both that which has been downloaded from the iTunes Store as well as artwork from the tags within your actual files. For automatically downloaded artwork, this is the only place it is stored, although you can theoretically re-download the artwork again from the iTunes Store. Ideally, however, you should include this folder in your backups.
iPod Games (folder)—This contains any Click Wheel iPod Games that you have purchased from the iTunes Store. Unlike the iTunes Music folder, this folder is always stored in this location and cannot be relocated through normal means.
Mobile Applications (folder)—This folder contains any iPhone or iPod touch applications that you have purchased from the iTunes Store. Again, unlike the iTunes Music folder, this folder is always stored in this location and cannot be relocated through normal means. Note that as you download application updates from the iTunes Store, the old versions are still retained in this folder, so this may grow over time. If you’re concerned about cleaning up this folder, it’s generally safe to delete the oldest versions of each application, but we generally don’t recommend that you try this unless you’re reasonably confident in what you’re doing.
Previous iTunes Libraries (folder)—When you update iTunes to a newer version and there are database structural changes involved, a backup of your pre-upgrade database is kept in this folder with the date appended to the file name. Over time you may have several older versions of your iTunes database stored in here. These files are relatively small, but if you’re concerned about space you can delete them as they are just backups and not actually used by iTunes itself.
Backing up the iTunes Library Database
With the above in mind, the simplest solution for backing up the iTunes library database is to simply back up the “iTunes” folder and everything in it. This will include not only the iTunes database itself, but also any Click Wheel iPod Games, iPhone and iPod touch applications, and downloaded and cached album artwork.
This will ensure you have a backup of your iTunes library database and related files, but whether or not it includes your media content will depend on how and where you have chosen to store it…
Determining where your media content is actually stored
One very important thing to keep in mind when planning an all-encompassing backup strategy is where your media content is actually stored. For the average iTunes user, this content will likely in your “iTunes Music” folder located within your “iTunes” folder, but it’s important to know that this is not necessarily the case.
Obviously, knowing where your files actually are is important to being able to back them up. Within iTunes’ advanced preferences, there is a checkbox labelled Copy files to iTunes Music folder when adding to library. This setting controls whether tracks you import into iTunes are copied into your “iTunes Music” folder or whether they are referenced from their original locations.
Depending on the version of iTunes that you first used to set up your library, this option may have been enabled by default if you were using iTunes on a Mac, and may have been disabled by default if you were using iTunes on Windows.
If this option is UNchecked, then chances are that any content you’ve imported into iTunes has been left in its original location. If you had specifically set or left this option off because you wanted to pre-organize your content into a single folder or set of folders before importing it, then this is not too much of a problem, since you know where that content is and can easily just back up that set of folders in addition to your iTunes folder.
However, if you didn’t realize that this setting was disabled and have simply been importing content from various locations with this setting OFF, then you will very likely have your media content scattered around your computer’s hard drive, and it may be difficult to track it all down to back it up.
In this second case, your best option is to consolidate your content into the iTunes Music folder so that it all lives within a single folder and can be backed up from there. Note that this folder can be the default iTunes Music folder or any other folder you specify. Our tutorial on Transferring your iTunes Library describes how to use iTunes’ built-in “Consolidate Library” feature to accomplish this.
The bottom line is that you should ensure that all of your iTunes media content is stored in a known location so that you can easily point your backup software at it and be assured that it’s all going to be included.
This folder is specific to your own user profile on your computer. If you have multiple user accounts on your computer and log in as another user, you will be creating a new iTunes library in that particular user’s “My Music” or “Music” folder.
By default, this folder contains not only your iTunes library database, but also all of your iTunes media content. A sub-folder, named “iTunes Music” stores not only your music, but also music videos, audiobooks, podcasts, movies and TV shows. The location of this folder can be confirmed or changed in iTunes’ Advanced preferences:
iTunes Library.itl (file)—This is your actual iTunes library database. It contains just about all of the information about your iTunes library, including your playlists, your track metadata, ratings, play counts, file locations and much more. This file is absolutely critical to back up as part of any iTunes backup strategy, as it is basically the key to your entire iTunes world.
iTunes Music Library.xml (file)—This is an XML-based version of the main iTunes library database. Although iTunes updates this file, it is not actually read by iTunes itself except in situations where the main database needs to be rebuilt. The primary purpose for this file is to allow third-party applications to easily read information stored in the iTunes database itself.
iTunes Library Genius.itdb (file)—This is a database of the Genius information for iTunes 8. This file is not critical, as it can be easily recreated by re-running the Genius setup, but there’s usually little reason to not back it up.
iTunes Library Extras.itdb (file)—This is a SQLite database containing information related to CD’s that you have previously imported and looked up on the CDDB service. Like the Genius database, this is not critical, but there’s also usually little reason to not back it up.
Album Artwork (folder)—This contains a cache of all album artwork, both that which has been downloaded from the iTunes Store as well as artwork from the tags within your actual files. For automatically downloaded artwork, this is the only place it is stored, although you can theoretically re-download the artwork again from the iTunes Store. Ideally, however, you should include this folder in your backups.
iPod Games (folder)—This contains any Click Wheel iPod Games that you have purchased from the iTunes Store. Unlike the iTunes Music folder, this folder is always stored in this location and cannot be relocated through normal means.
Mobile Applications (folder)—This folder contains any iPhone or iPod touch applications that you have purchased from the iTunes Store. Again, unlike the iTunes Music folder, this folder is always stored in this location and cannot be relocated through normal means. Note that as you download application updates from the iTunes Store, the old versions are still retained in this folder, so this may grow over time. If you’re concerned about cleaning up this folder, it’s generally safe to delete the oldest versions of each application, but we generally don’t recommend that you try this unless you’re reasonably confident in what you’re doing.
Previous iTunes Libraries (folder)—When you update iTunes to a newer version and there are database structural changes involved, a backup of your pre-upgrade database is kept in this folder with the date appended to the file name. Over time you may have several older versions of your iTunes database stored in here. These files are relatively small, but if you’re concerned about space you can delete them as they are just backups and not actually used by iTunes itself.
Backing up the iTunes Library Database
With the above in mind, the simplest solution for backing up the iTunes library database is to simply back up the “iTunes” folder and everything in it. This will include not only the iTunes database itself, but also any Click Wheel iPod Games, iPhone and iPod touch applications, and downloaded and cached album artwork.
This will ensure you have a backup of your iTunes library database and related files, but whether or not it includes your media content will depend on how and where you have chosen to store it…
Determining where your media content is actually stored
One very important thing to keep in mind when planning an all-encompassing backup strategy is where your media content is actually stored. For the average iTunes user, this content will likely in your “iTunes Music” folder located within your “iTunes” folder, but it’s important to know that this is not necessarily the case.
Obviously, knowing where your files actually are is important to being able to back them up. Within iTunes’ advanced preferences, there is a checkbox labelled Copy files to iTunes Music folder when adding to library. This setting controls whether tracks you import into iTunes are copied into your “iTunes Music” folder or whether they are referenced from their original locations.
Depending on the version of iTunes that you first used to set up your library, this option may have been enabled by default if you were using iTunes on a Mac, and may have been disabled by default if you were using iTunes on Windows.
If this option is UNchecked, then chances are that any content you’ve imported into iTunes has been left in its original location. If you had specifically set or left this option off because you wanted to pre-organize your content into a single folder or set of folders before importing it, then this is not too much of a problem, since you know where that content is and can easily just back up that set of folders in addition to your iTunes folder.
However, if you didn’t realize that this setting was disabled and have simply been importing content from various locations with this setting OFF, then you will very likely have your media content scattered around your computer’s hard drive, and it may be difficult to track it all down to back it up.
In this second case, your best option is to consolidate your content into the iTunes Music folder so that it all lives within a single folder and can be backed up from there. Note that this folder can be the default iTunes Music folder or any other folder you specify. Our tutorial on Transferring your iTunes Library describes how to use iTunes’ built-in “Consolidate Library” feature to accomplish this.
The bottom line is that you should ensure that all of your iTunes media content is stored in a known location so that you can easily point your backup software at it and be assured that it’s all going to be included.
How-To: Backup your Windows iTunes library
Most online tutorials make use of iTunes’ ability to burn data disk for music backup jobs. This requires that you have a CD burner and available blank media. This short tutorial requires that you either a.) have an external HD (or iPod) or b.) a second computer to use as temporary storage. If you decide to use an external HD, make sure that it is large enough to store your whole music library. Following this tutorial will allow you to transfer your Window iTunes collection to another computer while retaining your playlists, smart playlists, song ratings, play counts, and last played dates.
Right off the bat I’m going to say that this particular tutorial will be most useful for Windows users that allow iTunes to keep their libraries organized. It was written under the assumption that your iTunes preferences “Keep iTunes Music folder organized” & “Copy files to iTunes Music folder when adding to library” are checked under the Edit > Preferences > Advanced tab.
The first step is deciding whether you wish to use an external HD or a second computer as a temporary host for your music collection.
If you’re going to use your iPod as your external HD, plug it into your computer and wait for iTunes to startup. You need to enable iPod disk mode if it isn’t already enabled.
In order to keep this tutorial short I’m going to assume your Google skills can help you to get your computers networks. Hint: ICS (Internet connection sharing). There’s always the comments at the bottom for questions.
Create a new folder on your external HD or in the Shared folder on your second computer. Name it something like ‘iTunes Backup’. Next, go into ‘My Documents’ > ‘My Music’. Inside the ‘My Music’ folder you’ll find the iTunes folder. All you have to do is copy that whole iTunes folder to your external HD or Shared folder. The iTunes folder contains your complete music library as well as two important files: iTunes Library.itl and iTunes Music Library.xml
.
This next step is optional. If you would like to backup your iTunes preferences, which would eliminate the initial setup questions after a new iTunes install, follow these next steps:
Right-click on the Start button and select ‘Explore’. In the ‘Tools’ menu, select ‘Folder Options’. Select the ‘View’ tab. Under the ‘Advanced Settings:’ tick ‘Show hidden files and folders’. Click ‘Apply’ and ‘OK’ at the bottom of the window.
Use the left column to navigate to Documents and Settings > Your Username > Application Data > Apple Computer > iTunes. In the iTunes folder you should see a ‘iTunes Plug-in’ folder and a ‘iTunes.pref’ file. This .pref file contains all your preference settings for iTunes which is what you want to copy.
That’s all there is to it. The only thing left to do is to install a fresh copy of iTunes. Download your copy from here and run the installer. At the end of the installation run iTunes once ignoring the import wizard and close it. Then drop the iTunes folder and files exactly where you initially found them. When you fire up iTunes the second time your playlists, smart playlists, ratings, play counts, and last played dates will be right where they’re supposed to be.
As usual, feel free to leave questions below if needed.
Right off the bat I’m going to say that this particular tutorial will be most useful for Windows users that allow iTunes to keep their libraries organized. It was written under the assumption that your iTunes preferences “Keep iTunes Music folder organized” & “Copy files to iTunes Music folder when adding to library” are checked under the Edit > Preferences > Advanced tab.
The first step is deciding whether you wish to use an external HD or a second computer as a temporary host for your music collection.
If you’re going to use your iPod as your external HD, plug it into your computer and wait for iTunes to startup. You need to enable iPod disk mode if it isn’t already enabled.
In order to keep this tutorial short I’m going to assume your Google skills can help you to get your computers networks. Hint: ICS (Internet connection sharing). There’s always the comments at the bottom for questions.
Create a new folder on your external HD or in the Shared folder on your second computer. Name it something like ‘iTunes Backup’. Next, go into ‘My Documents’ > ‘My Music’. Inside the ‘My Music’ folder you’ll find the iTunes folder. All you have to do is copy that whole iTunes folder to your external HD or Shared folder. The iTunes folder contains your complete music library as well as two important files: iTunes Library.itl and iTunes Music Library.xml
.
This next step is optional. If you would like to backup your iTunes preferences, which would eliminate the initial setup questions after a new iTunes install, follow these next steps:
Right-click on the Start button and select ‘Explore’. In the ‘Tools’ menu, select ‘Folder Options’. Select the ‘View’ tab. Under the ‘Advanced Settings:’ tick ‘Show hidden files and folders’. Click ‘Apply’ and ‘OK’ at the bottom of the window.
Use the left column to navigate to Documents and Settings > Your Username > Application Data > Apple Computer > iTunes. In the iTunes folder you should see a ‘iTunes Plug-in’ folder and a ‘iTunes.pref’ file. This .pref file contains all your preference settings for iTunes which is what you want to copy.
That’s all there is to it. The only thing left to do is to install a fresh copy of iTunes. Download your copy from here and run the installer. At the end of the installation run iTunes once ignoring the import wizard and close it. Then drop the iTunes folder and files exactly where you initially found them. When you fire up iTunes the second time your playlists, smart playlists, ratings, play counts, and last played dates will be right where they’re supposed to be.
As usual, feel free to leave questions below if needed.
Remove the Microsoft .NET Framework Assistant (ClickOnce) Firefox Extension
Intended For
Windows 2000
Windows 7
Windows XP
Windows Vista
The Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5 Service Pack 1 update, pushed through the Windows Update service to all recent editions of Windows in February 2009, installs the Microsoft .NET Framework Assistant firefox extension without asking your permission.
This update adds to Firefox one of the most dangerous vulnerabilities present in all versions of Internet Explorer: the ability for websites to easily and quietly install software on your PC. Since this design flaw is one of the reasons you may've originally choosen to abandon IE in favor of a safer browser like Firefox, you may wish to remove this extension with all due haste.
Unfortunately, Microsoft in their infinite wisdom has taken steps to make the removal of this extension particularly difficult - open the Add-ons window in Firefox, and you'll notice the Uninstall button next to their extension is grayed out! Their reasoning, according to Microsoft blogger Brad Abrams, is that the extension needed "support at the machine level in order to enable the feature for all users on the machine," which, of course, is precisely the reason this add-on is bad news for all Firefox users.
Here's the bafflingly-convoluted procedure required to remove this garbage from Firefox:
1. Open Registry Editor (type regedit in the Start menu Search box in Vista/Windows 7, or in XP's Run window).
2. Expand the branches to the following key:
* On 32-bit systems: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \ SOFTWARE \ Mozilla \ Firefox \ Extensions
* On x64 systems: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \ SOFTWARE \ Wow6432Node \ Mozilla \ Firefox \ Extensions
3. Delete the value named {20a82645-c095-46ed-80e3-08825760534b} from the right pane.
4. Close the Registry Editor when you're done.
5. Open a new Firefox window, and in the address bar, type about:config and press Enter.
6. Type microsoftdotnet in the Filter field to quickly find the general.useragent.extra.microsoftdotnet setting.
7. Right-click general.useragent.extra.microsoftdotnet and select Reset.
8. Restart Firefox.
9. Open Windows Explorer, and navigate to %SYSTEMDRIVE%\Windows\Microsoft.NET\Framework\v3.5\Windows Presentation Foundation.
10. Delete the DotNetAssistantExtension folder entirely.
11. Open the Add-ons window in Firefox to confirm that the Microsoft .NET Framework Assistant extension has been removed.
It will be a great day when PC users no longer have to waste this much time to protect themselves from those who write the software they use. (And if you're thinking, "Why not just use a Mac," may I remind you of the MobileMe junk recently installed on so many Windows machines without their owners' permission!)
Windows 2000
Windows 7
Windows XP
Windows Vista
The Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5 Service Pack 1 update, pushed through the Windows Update service to all recent editions of Windows in February 2009, installs the Microsoft .NET Framework Assistant firefox extension without asking your permission.
This update adds to Firefox one of the most dangerous vulnerabilities present in all versions of Internet Explorer: the ability for websites to easily and quietly install software on your PC. Since this design flaw is one of the reasons you may've originally choosen to abandon IE in favor of a safer browser like Firefox, you may wish to remove this extension with all due haste.
Unfortunately, Microsoft in their infinite wisdom has taken steps to make the removal of this extension particularly difficult - open the Add-ons window in Firefox, and you'll notice the Uninstall button next to their extension is grayed out! Their reasoning, according to Microsoft blogger Brad Abrams, is that the extension needed "support at the machine level in order to enable the feature for all users on the machine," which, of course, is precisely the reason this add-on is bad news for all Firefox users.
Here's the bafflingly-convoluted procedure required to remove this garbage from Firefox:
1. Open Registry Editor (type regedit in the Start menu Search box in Vista/Windows 7, or in XP's Run window).
2. Expand the branches to the following key:
* On 32-bit systems: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \ SOFTWARE \ Mozilla \ Firefox \ Extensions
* On x64 systems: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \ SOFTWARE \ Wow6432Node \ Mozilla \ Firefox \ Extensions
3. Delete the value named {20a82645-c095-46ed-80e3-08825760534b} from the right pane.
4. Close the Registry Editor when you're done.
5. Open a new Firefox window, and in the address bar, type about:config and press Enter.
6. Type microsoftdotnet in the Filter field to quickly find the general.useragent.extra.microsoftdotnet setting.
7. Right-click general.useragent.extra.microsoftdotnet and select Reset.
8. Restart Firefox.
9. Open Windows Explorer, and navigate to %SYSTEMDRIVE%\Windows\Microsoft.NET\Framework\v3.5\Windows Presentation Foundation.
10. Delete the DotNetAssistantExtension folder entirely.
11. Open the Add-ons window in Firefox to confirm that the Microsoft .NET Framework Assistant extension has been removed.
It will be a great day when PC users no longer have to waste this much time to protect themselves from those who write the software they use. (And if you're thinking, "Why not just use a Mac," may I remind you of the MobileMe junk recently installed on so many Windows machines without their owners' permission!)
Auto-Login Your Windows 7 User Account
Tip: Auto-Login Your Windows 7 User Account
Posted By: Sarah Perez | Feb 2nd @ 11:27 AM
Although I don’t personally recommend this, there are some people out there who don’t want to bother with using a password to protect their Windows user account. Of course, using a password in Windows isn’t required, only suggested. But even if you don’t fill one in, you still have to click your user icon to start the login process.
An easier way - although again much less secure - is to enable auto-logins for your Windows PC. This is possible in Windows 7, as it was in prior versions, but it takes a little finagling to do so. (And for good reason, darn it.)
Still, if you must do this, here’s how:
1. Press the Windows key + R on your keyboard to launch the “Run” dialog box.
2. Type in control userpasswords2
3. Press Enter. The User Accounts window will display.
4. Uncheck the option “Users must enter a user name and password to use this computer”
5. Click “OK”
6. You will then be prompted to enter the current password and confirm it.
7. After doing so, you will no longer be prompted to enter your password upon login.
Use this tip at your own risk!
Posted By: Sarah Perez | Feb 2nd @ 11:27 AM
Although I don’t personally recommend this, there are some people out there who don’t want to bother with using a password to protect their Windows user account. Of course, using a password in Windows isn’t required, only suggested. But even if you don’t fill one in, you still have to click your user icon to start the login process.
An easier way - although again much less secure - is to enable auto-logins for your Windows PC. This is possible in Windows 7, as it was in prior versions, but it takes a little finagling to do so. (And for good reason, darn it.)
Still, if you must do this, here’s how:
1. Press the Windows key + R on your keyboard to launch the “Run” dialog box.
2. Type in control userpasswords2
3. Press Enter. The User Accounts window will display.
4. Uncheck the option “Users must enter a user name and password to use this computer”
5. Click “OK”
6. You will then be prompted to enter the current password and confirm it.
7. After doing so, you will no longer be prompted to enter your password upon login.
Use this tip at your own risk!
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