Fake Process Tasks?

How to differentiate the genuine from the fakes? If you were to open Task Manager on a machine which is known to have viruses/trojans/worms, more likely than not you'll find an array of unfamiliar (or familiar) processes that are running on the victim.

A great resource if you have access to internet would be here at LIUtilities. They have an extensive list of tasks that are known to hide in your OS as if genuine processes. Don't get confused! Some are just a matter of a letter difference. For example the legit syshost.exe becomes svshost.exe. If you look closely, the "y" is missing its tail!

Simply go to the page and search for your suspicious process. Then click on the link to see how severe it is. You'll see a security rating, 5 being greatest, and the category of damage it can bring. Of course LIUtilities has a product that could zap it all for you, but being the self-proclaimed geek I am, I prefer to do-it-myself. (WARNING: Only for trained personnel! Or those who don't mind formatting your computer again! Fiddle at your own risk!)

Another excellent free utility to check your running processes would be Process Explorer by SysInternals. This will give you a better understanding of what the process is actually doing, where it's from. Usually, Windows processes are marked from Microsoft. If they look like Windows OS processes without the Microsoft label on it, then its worth taking a further look. Right-click and Google it :)

Happy Zapping!

Worried about Speed on uTorrent?

I swear by uTorrent, imho, the BEST bittorent client/manager out there! Lightweight , compact, sexy and delivers! I did have some connection issues in recent weeks. Been trying to figure out the problem, until I found this EXCELLENT post on their forums by "Icedog". If you're having similar problems or don't know what I'm talking about... Go to Control Panel>Administrative Tools>Event Viewer and check under SYSTEM. Sort by "Event" and look for 4226. If you have any (or may I dare say, a bunch) of those, then you could use his advice. Check it out and you'll be amazed with the results :)

Basically it's a security thing that XP SP2 imposed by limiting the open TCPIP connections to your computer. This is indeed a GOOD thing for most common folk, especially those who are susceptible to worm attacks. But for the hardcore internet geek at heart, nothing goes without a tweakin'. So, to get more control, go thru the guide and be impressed with the results!

Happy tweakin'!

Which Codec?

Ever been confused and frustrated at not being able to play a video you just downloaded. Usually due to incompatible codec.

Being an avid Anime fan, I have tried dozens of codecs and lived thru the early days of divx, then xvid, now H.264. Not to mention OGM, and many more. Some codecs are just pure simple, but I've found that when you have too many on your system, it either starts conflicting with each other, or just simply sucks up all your CPU's juices...

Never fret! For I believe I have found an absolute charm when it comes to codec packs. Created by a group of fansubbers/encoders, this codec pack shall not disappoint! Try it out!

CCCP or Combined Community Codec Pack

Simply follow the FAQ. I'd HIGHLY recommend to do so. By all means, run that Insurgent, to be rid of all the debris and leftover bad codecs on your system before installing anew.

You'll be a happy camper to find that you're now able to practically play ANY file that you get off the net. (Of course Real Media & Quicktime and other commercial formats are not supported thru this codec. There are other workarounds :)

If you're wondering what players, I'd highly recommend the ZOOM player from InMatrix or the totally Open Source MPC (Media Player Classic).

Ultimate XP Security How-to-Guide

An excellent site in my books, this is a MUST bookmark site for all techies dealing with Windows. I just stumbled upon while Googling for a good way to Optimize XP.

Most of what's recommended on Diagnose XP and Secure XP are mainly stuff that I've been practicing personally. I'll be adding my own flavor bit by bit in future posts.

Oh, btw, the site is called: Optimize Guides, created by Andrew K.

For those who are still unsure on how to protect yourself and really secure Windows and really have peace of mind, follow what Andrew has outlined in "Secure XP". Though I'm still iffy on the Microsoft Defender recommendation... I've had problems personally.

And for those looking for a totally FREE antivirus for Home Use Only, do try AVG from Grisoft. You can download it here. (Scroll to the very bottom and choose your OS version)

Enjoy!

Computers, Tech & Gadgets

Hi & Welcome!

I intend to use this on & off to store my reference and resource of everyday troubleshooting activities from work. Hopefully it'll come useful to those out there, be it friends or the general public.

Cheers!