The control panel is basically a GUI (Graphical User Interface) that has been there in almost all versions of Windows Operating System. It is quite useful because it makes it easier for both novices and professionals to make all the necessary changes that they might require on their computer systems. Using the control panel, users can perform a wide range of tasks such as those described below:

• Changing program accessibility options
• Adding new hardware
• Adding or removing software programs
• Managing administrative tools and options
• Making changes to the automatic update option
• Setting time and date
• Changing display settings
• Changing folder options
• Managing fonts and graphics
• Changing Internet settings
• Changing mouse and keyboard settings
• Setting up or remove network connections
• Installing or linking printers, faxes, scanners, and cameras
• Managing system tools and settings
• Changing user settings and parameters
• Setting up a wireless network connection
• Making changes in Windows firewall settings
• Changing the taskbar and start menu settings and options

The control panel in Windows is displayed as a separate folder, but you will be surprised to know that it does not physically exist on your system. The page that is displayed when you click on the “control panel” contains only the shortcuts to all the various applets that are available in Windows. The actual applets are in fact .CPL files, all of which are stored in the system32 folder of Windows.

To access control panel, you just have to click on ‘Start’ and select “control panel” from the list. Making changes and managing all the various tools and options is also easy and everything gets done in just a few clicks. However, it’s necessary that you log in as an administrator or a user having administrative rights because some components such as the administrative tools, date and time, firewall settings and others require you to have administrative rights. Just ensure this and you will easily be able to make all the desired changes in your computer.

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If your Windows based computer is constantly being bombarded with “c windows system32” type of error messages and if you have been left wondering as to what went wrong and what needs to be done, then just keep reading to know what all you can do to resolve this issue. To start with, I would like to tell you that there are mainly two types of problems that usually lead to such errors. Both these problems are quite different from each other, but since they affect the same components in your Windows Operating Systems, the error messages are more or less the same.

The error “Cannot find C:\Windows\System32\System32.exe” usually occurs when you have the W32.KWBot.C.Worm virus on your computer. The errors may also continue to appear in case your anti-virus program could not effect a complete removal of this virus and its components from your computer. If this happens, you will have to manually remove the entries from the Windows Registry. Detailed guidelines on how to remove the problematic entries from the Registry are available at http://support.microsoft.com/kb/833767. Just follow the instructions given in here and you will soon be able to stop the irritating “c windows system32” type of errors.

The other types of error messages such as “C:\Winnt\System32\config.nt” and “C:\Windows\System32\Autoexec.nt” occur when some critical system files are missing from your computer. The missing system files are usually Config.nt, Autoexec.nt, and Command.com. Detailed instruction on how to resolve these issues is available at http://support.microsoft.com/kb/324767.

Whatever you do, I would recommend that you first create a backup of he Windows Registry and your important files and folders. Step-by-step instructions given on Microsoft’s Website are no doubt quite easy to understand and implement, but since the final outcome depends a lot on your computer’s configuration as well, backing up your data does seems to be the right thing to do. I would add that you start right away before more problems and errors start appearing on your computer screen.

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Spamming has become a big problem and since it wastes plenty of your productive time and effort, it’s necessary that you take proactive steps to curb this growing menace. You may have already added the names or domains of spammers in the blocked senders list of your outlook express mail client, but that itself won’t be enough because the blocked senders list is stored on your hard drive and can get easily damaged or erased in case of a crash or system instability. If your computer somehow loses the blocked senders list, it would mean that you will have to do all the hard work all over again and worst still you will have to manually delete all the spam mails that might start reappearing in your inbox.

To tide over such potential vulnerabilities, you need to create multiple backups of your blocked senders list. For this you will have to access the “Registry Editor” on your computer and follow the instructions as available on Microsoft’s customer support website. Detailed instructions on creating backup files of blocked senders list are available at http://support.microsoft.com/kb/276511. Tweaking the registry is not something that is generally recommended, but if you follow the step-by-step instructions as given on this web site, it’s highly unlikely that you will make any grave mistakes. Just don’t try to do things on your own and you will easily be able to create backup copies of your blocked senders list.

For reducing the probability of loss to its barest minimum, you need to store the backed up copy of your blocked senders list at multiple locations such the various drives on your computer, CD/DVD, flash drives, tape drives, and even online if you wish so. This would help you in avoiding unnecessary problems that might come up in case your computer crashes and you are left with no other option but to format your C drive and reinstall Windows. Not to mention the complete peace of mind that you will have after creating backup copies of your blocked senders list.

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Cannot connect to Internet? Well, don’t get hyper because more often than not it’s just an overloaded network server that is responsible for this. However, you have every right to try out your own things because although quite common, an overloaded network server is not the only thing that can make Internet inaccessible to you.

You may not be aware, but there are plenty of other reasons as well such as a badly configured firewall setting or an inappropriate entry in the proxy settings of your Internet connection. Sometimes, it has also been noticed that a dysfunctional Internet connection has been the result of malicious software codes such as viruses, Trojans, worms, spywares etc. Some of these unwanted software codes can take complete control of your system and when this happens, it might make Internet inaccessible to you.

So, if you cannot connect to Internet, I would recommend that you first try to find the root cause of the problem. Your first step should be to run a virus scan on your computer using an effective anti-virus software program. For best results, you need to turn off the “System Restore”, before you actually click on the Scan button. System Restore continually keeps creating backups of your system and if you do not turn it off during a virus scan, chances are high that the virus might resurface after some time.

If a virus-scan fails to improve your situation, you should move on to other issues such as your firewall and proxy settings. The easiest thing to do here is just reset all the settings to their default levels. You should make further changes only when the default settings fail to give the desired results. If none of this works, then I must admit that you will have no other option but to pick up your phone and call your Internet service provider. That’s the last and final remedy in case you cannot connect to Internet.

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Can’t send emails? Well, don’t get frustrated because there are plenty of solutions available, which can be used for resolving these types of problems. The main thing you would be required to do is locate the root cause of the problem and then make an effort to find an appropriate solution for that. You can do this easily if you access the “online help database” of the email client you are using or by simply calling up the customer support center. If the problem is generic, you can rest assured that eventually you will find the solution you might have been looking for.

However, sometimes not everything might go as per your plans because it has been noticed in many cases that the inability to send emails was due to badly configured firewall or proxy settings. So, before you pick that phone to call customer support, I would recommend that you first have a look at your firewall settings and proxy settings of your Internet connection. If you find this difficult, I would recommend that you just restore all the settings to default and see if the problem gets resolved. Your anti-virus system can also play tricks sometimes, and it would be better if you have a look at it before calling up customer support.

Sometimes, there is no problem at all and it’s just that the mail server was too overloaded to process your request. It would be better if you try after sometime and see if you can get your mail through. Unnecessarily fiddling with your firewall and proxy settings can aggravate your problems because then it would become even more difficult to identify the root cause that might have been preventing you from sending emails. My personal recommendation would be to think logically in these situations and avoid overdoing the technical stuff.

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The link - http://vil.nai.com/vil/stinger/ leads you to one of the best free virus detection and removal tools that are currently available on the Internet. This anti-virus software utility has been developed by McAfee Avert Labs, a reputed name in the world of computer security software providers. The best thing about this anti-virus software is that its total download size is just around 1 MB. This means that you will not have to spend much time on downloading this software. What is even more noteworthy is that Stinger is downloaded as a ready executable file and not as a setup file that is usually the case with other anti-virus programs downloaded over the Internet. You can thus start using the software as soon as the download is over.

Stinger is meant specifically for home users, evident from the easy to use Graphic User Interface (GUI) and the easily understandable scan and removal options. For using Stinger, you just have to add the Directories that you want to scan and click on the “Scan Now” button.

Stinger allows you to set your preferences such as what you would like to do in case an infection is detected. You can choose from options such as ‘report only’, ‘repair’, ‘rename’, and ‘delete’. I would recommend that you select the ‘delete’ option because Stinger recognizes only around 55 known viruses. As such it’s highly unlikely that you would end up deleting anything else other than the viruses that might have been detected.

The only problem with Stinger is that it cannot be used as a replacement for a complete computer security system. But, its still good because it is anti-virus software that does not occupy too much space, does not slow your system, scans faster and does exactly what it is designed for. Given below is the list of viruses that the Stinger can successfully detect and remove from your computer system:

BackDoor-AQJ
BackDoor-ALI
BackDoor-CEB
BackDoor-JZ
Bat/Mumu.worm
Downloader-DN.a
Exploit-DcomRpc
Exploit-LSASS
Exploit-MS04-011
HideWindow
IPCScan
IRC/Flood.ap.dr
IRC/Flood.bi.dr
IRC/Flood.cd
NTServiceLoader
ProcKill
PWS-Narod
PWS-Sincom.dll
W32/Anig.worm
W32/Bagle@MM
W32/Blaster.worm (Lovsan)
W32/Bropia.worm
W32/Bugbear@MM
W32/Deborm.worm.gen
W32/Doomjuice.worm
W32/Dumaru
W32/Elkern.cav
W32/Fizzer.gen@MM
W32/FunLove
W32/IRCbot.worm
W32/Klez
W32/Korgo.worm
W32/Lirva
W32/Lovgate
W32/Mimail
W32/MoFei.worm
W32/Mumu.b.worm
W32/MyDoom
W32/MyWife.d
W32/Nachi.worm
W32/Netsky
W32/Nimda
W32/Pate
W32/Polybot
W32/Sasser.worm
W32/Sdbot.worm.gen
W32/SirCam@MM
W32/Sober
W32/Sobig
W32/SQLSlammer.worm
W32/Swen@MM
W32/Yaha@MM
W32/Zafi
W32/Zindos.worm
W32/Zotob.worm

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Well, the most cost-effective method for avoiding viruses would be to curtail your habit of random Internet surfing, downloading and installing unverified freewares, and sharing audio and video files on the Internet. However, since doing so will completely dry up the fun quotient of your Internet experience, it’s highly unlikely that you will follow these recommendations. You may also not like the idea of buying a licensed copy of computer security software, obviously because there are costs involved and as a true Internet surfer, you would want to have something that is completely free but is still able to do the job, i.e. prevent viruses from entering your computer system.

Based on these specific needs and requirements, I could have easily told you to download pirated copies of popular computer security software systems. But, I will never make such dubious recommendations because firstly it is illegal and secondly because most of these pirated or cracked copies are themselves embedded with loads of malicious software codes. So, if you use these pirated copies, you might either end up in jail or with a computer that has more of viruses than your files and folders. The choice is all yours.

For avoiding viruses, the one thing you can do legally is that you can download and use trial versions of popular computer security software systems that might be available. You don’t have to worry about the expiry of trail period because there are plenty of options available and you can continue using them one after another. However, since not all of these security systems offer full functionality in their trial versions, you might still have to compromise on the security of your computer system. This may work as long as you do not have any valuable data on your computer, but in case you have some, I would recommend that you get yourself a licensed copy of computer security software as soon as possible. You have no other option. Trust me!

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Adobeacrobatreader is one of the many free products that have been made available by Adobe Systems for users worldwide. Over the years, Adobe Systems, the company, has developed many useful software applications such as Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Dreamweaver, and Adobe Flash Player, but none has become as popular and as widely used as Adobeacrobatreader. One reason for the popularity might be that it is free, but you cannot deny that it is in fact a top-class software application.

The Adobeacrobatreader is a class software utility because it provides a common platform for users to share any type of document data over the Internet. Since the utility is completely free of cost, it provides an excellent alternative to conventional and costly documentation software systems such as Microsoft Word. More popular as the PDF file format, Adobeacrobatreader has some very useful features such as the two-dimensional documentation option that makes it possible for you to include everything from text to images, graphics, and much more in your PDF document.

However, not everyone is pleased with Adobeacrobatreader and of late this software utility has come under fire from Internet security experts who believe that the software has vulnerabilities that can be misused. One such claim is that the latest Java Support as provided in the newest version of Adobeacrobatreader can be used for embedding malicious codes that will run automatically as soon as the document is opened. Adobe systems however refutes these charges saying that the software has the option of disabling Java controls, which can be used if the user suspects a PDF file to contain malicious codes. And this is not much to ask from users, considering that one always needs to be careful while surfing the Internet.

In spite of these allegations, Adobeacrobatreader continues to remain the most popular document sharing utility for computer users. With new features constantly being added, the utility is set to become even more popular in the days to come.

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With rising incidences of online scams, it has become quite necessary to install and use an effective security system that can protect your computer from all types of risks such virus attacks, spyware, Trojans, worms, and other types of malicious software programs. However, this is often not possible obviously because most of the security systems that are available require you to purchase a licence that is quite costly. Most computer users are thus left with no other option but to rely on trial versions having limited functionalities or free versions whose credibility is always a suspect.

So, isn’t there a solution to this? Well, the solution is there but you see it all depends on how you use the Internet. The solution I would recommend is AVG free edition, but to derive the best possible benefits from this free security software, it’s important that you follow the prescribed guidelines. You see, the free version of AVG does not provide protection from spywares, Trojans, worms, and rootkits and as such you need to be careful while surfing the Internet. AVG free is effective only against viruses, but you can make good use of it if you avoid random Internet surfing. In effect, it means that while using AVG free, you will have to limit your Internet surfing to known, reputed websites where the probability of malicious software programs is a lot less.

This may take the fun out of your Internet surfing experience, but if you don’t have the funds to purchase a licensed copy of security software right now, then AVG Free is certainly your best bet. You can install and use AVG Free for the time being and when you have the requite funds, you can purchase the licensed copy of AVG computer security that provides complete protection, 24/7. And by the way, don’t forget that something is always better than nothing.

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It’s time you logged on to the Internet because the Adobe acrobat free downloads now include both trial version downloads as well as free software downloads. The trial version downloads include a variety of essential software such as Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Dreamweaver, Adobe Flash, Adobe Creative Suite and many others. All these are quite popular and the fact that they are available for free makes them the perfect download choice for Internet users. However, if you are a pro, you cannot probably rely on these primarily because they are available only for a limited period only. The other reason is that some of the essential functionalities are often found missing in Adobe Acrobat trial version downloads. They are nonetheless perfect for home and occasional users, who may not need the advanced functionalities of these software systems.

The free software section includes three essential software systems, namely, Adobe Reader, Adobe Flash Player, and Adobe Shockwave player. All the three are completely free and there are no strings attached. The Adobe Reader is perhaps the most popular of them all, probably because it provides users a common platform to share anything and everything on the Internet. Adobe Flash player and Shockwave player are also popular because they enrich the surfing experience through interactive graphics and eye-catching images and animation videos. These are essential software utilities that all Internet users should have on their computer systems.

For using any of these essential software programs, you just need to go to the Adobe website, select the software you need and click on the download button. Download and installation is easy for most of these and gets done without any errors or technical glitches. No wonder Adobe Acrobat Free Downloads have become so very popular among Internet users.

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