FixCleaner

How to understand, troubleshoot and fix computer errors in six installments.

Part 6: Fighting Malware

Thursday, 01 March 2012 00:00 |

Written by Rebecca |

We all know they are out there – the bad guys. The computer programs that spy on your activities, that bog down your searches, and that steal your personal information. You know it’s there and you may feel reasonably safe, but do you really know how to fight malware?

Types of Malware

The first step to eliminating the threat of malware is to identify it. There are several types of rotten computer programs and files that can wreak havoc on your computer.

Worms

Spreading quickly through the various programs on the hard drive, worms work within the operating system to cause harm. Often this harm is establishing spyware. Most worms spread through email or file-shares on a network (the connections between networked computers). Moving from one PC to another is a worm's M.O. Once effectively established it can copy itself into an email and then send itself to your contact list . . . with your name attached.

Viruses

The most commonly discussed malware, viruses have a special code that embeds them into other programs. The viruses add their own code to the original program when the file is opened and the results can vary, but are never good. Unlike spyware or adware which are designed to seal info or advertise, viruses are almost always programmed to damage something by erasing it or corrupting it.

Trojans

Trojan horses are smugglers. They carry other things inside them and then deploy their payload once they're on your computer. How do they get on your computer? Well, part of why they're so hard to pin down is because Trojans are always disguised. The user likely downloads one without realizing it when he or she clicks an email-attachment, clicks a banner-ad or popup on a malicious website or even downloads files from a peer-to-peer file sharing network.

Spyware

Spyware is a lot like Big Brother. It’s software on your machine that tracks your movements and spies on your actions. Spyware can used as a portal for hackers to enter your machine or it may be gathering information and reporting it back to other sites. Spyware isn't dangerous in and of itself. It may slow your PC down, but that's usually the worst of it. The bigger threat is the information they steal, personal data that could divulge financial, behavioral or shopping records.

Part 5: Managing DLLs

Wednesday, 29 February 2012 19:59 |

Written by Rebecca |

Errors seem to be a way of life in the age of technology, but that doesn’t make it any less frustrating when you’re faced with an error as you try to download a new program or update something online. Errors can be caused by many things, but among the many causes .dll files tend to have more than their fair share of problems. Dll files aren’t bad – you actually need them to make your computer work correctly, but they can be challenging simply because there are so many of them to deal with.

A dynamic-link library, or .dll file, is an executable that provides supporting resources for a given program. Not only that, but one .dll can provide resources for multiple applications. Since the .dll can hold special commands and processes, it frees up the program to run only its essential functions, calling on the .dll whenever it needs to do a special task. This drastically reduces the size and processing power needed to run most modern applications.

So it's no wonder that if a program becomes "unlinked" from one or more of its resource libraries, you've got a problem. Now we can make sense of that once enigmatic error message:

What to do?

Like most PC fixes, resolving a .dll error isn't an exact science. There are lots of applications and lots of .dlls - big ones, small ones, DLLs from unknown startups and those from major software players like Microsoft. The key is re-establishing the link between the library and the application that relies on it. The essential checklist for this process is based on re-installing.

First step: the standby. Reboot the system and see if a link established during bootup can be reestablished that way.
No luck? Update the programs that need the .DLL. Is there an update available? If so, get it and see if the link can be reestablished that way.
No luck? The next step should always be re-installing the program that needs the .DLL. That's because it will usually include the library file in its installer and re-installing it will put a new copy in place.

But maybe reinstalling a program just isn't an option: it's too big, you don't have the installer or maybe you don't have the license for it. In these situations, it's time to do a little digging and find the resource yourself.

Part 4: Managing the Windows Database

Wednesday, 15 February 2012 19:16 |

Written by Rebecca |

It should come as no surprise that your computer has an underground element. The Window’s Database is that place – it holds instructions for your computer and, among them, includes details that manage thousands of small tasks on a PC.

Annoyingly, this database (also called the Windows Registry) can make an environment for errors – including traces of programs you’ve already uninstalled. But like many behind-the-scenes elements, it’s dangerous to play with the registry unless you know exactly what you’re doing.

What to Know Before Editing the Registry

There are many solutions to errors that involve making changes to the registry. And so long as you’re following step-by-step instructions and picking your way through the database carefully, you should be just fine. The concern about modifying the Registry is that there is always a chance something will go wrong. You’re working in the most fundamental layer of the computer, so if you delete the wrong thing, as one computer expert explained, “you've got an expensive doorstop.”

You have the power to put it back, but you must do so with exactness. Perhaps this is why Microsoft makes editing the registry sound downright sinister:

“Serious problems might occur if you modify the registry incorrectly by using Registry Editor or by using another method. These problems might require that you reinstall the operating system. Microsoft cannot guarantee that these problems can be solved. Modify the registry at your own risk.”

What is the Windows Registry?

So all of this gloom and doom is a bit hard to swallow without knowing exactly what it is that we’re talking about: the registry is the central database that is used to store communications information. The data stored in the Registry is necessary to configure, or make the system work, for the users, for applications and for the various hardware devices.

Inside the registry you’ll find . . .

Part 3: Managing Drivers

Wednesday, 08 February 2012 14:27 |

Written by Rebecca |

Sometimes, it’s not programs in your PC that’s the problem, it’s the devices either attached to it, or inside it. When it comes to a driver error, you can often resolve the problem by updating or downloading new drivers rather than installing or removing software. If a printer suddenly stops working correctly – it’s not communicating with your computer anymore despite being turned on, for example – the drivers may be faulty. Drivers are the small software programs that “speak” to other devices to ensure everything works together correctly.

If your drivers decide they can’t speak to each other anymore, you have a computing disconnect. This not only stops big components like printers, keyboards and monitors, but it can affect smaller, internal items like USB drives, ports, and buses on your motherboard.

First Try: Update a Driver through Windows

To resolve the problem, you can update drivers through Windows. Go to Start and then type “Device Manager” in the search box. Drill down in the menu that appears to find the component of your computer that doesn’t seem to be working correctly. This is where specific error messages can actually help. Did you get a message telling you that …

“The Computer Cannot Find the ___”?
Or it is "Unable to connect to ___"?

Then that’s the thing you look for in the device manager. This dialog is nested, so you can click on the action keys (the plus sign) to see the number and type of that device category that your computer has installed.

Part 2: Managing Software

Thursday, 02 February 2012 18:12 |

Written by Rebecca |

Using your computer often means venturing online to find various programs and support. Gone are the days of loading software to your computer using a disc. Today computing is highly connected through web-based programs. In fact, when you buy a new computer today there are very few programs installed on the machine for you. You’ll find almost no discs in the box with the new machine – everything you need is located online.

Cloud computing, or storing files and programs out in cyberspace instead of your hard drive, and online resources have changed the way we think about programs and using a computer. If you need a new program or one program isn’t working right and you need to fix it, you’re not heading to the store for a new box of software. Instead you’re downloading the program from the company’s website. Of course to make your computer work well, you absolutely must have any number of critical programs that websites and other programs depend on.

Software

Picking the right software for your computer is often a game of catch-up. You only find out that you’re missing critical software after you try to visit a website that is no longer working or you find yourself facing errors and problems. Other times you realize that you need a particular sort of software to continue with a work situation or simply to enjoy the games and videos you watch online on a daily basis.

Software Types and Updates: The Rundown

The fact of the matter is software is computing. Word Processing, SpreadSheets, Gaming Platforms, PDF Readers, Music and Video Players: they’re all programs that can come from different sources, and they all can become outdated. The rundown for what types of programs you use can be characterized this way:

Licensed Apps – things you buy once, (download), and install. These have license keys and include major work programs like Microsoft Word or large video games. Most licensed apps can be updated: this is the process where the version you have can get new features and bug-fixes from the Internet. The only time when you have to pay for it again is when you get a new version (a process called an upgrade), not an update. Updates are free. A good example of buying a new version is paying for MS Office 2007 to replace MS Office 2003.

Subscription Apps – things you buy for a certain length of time. These have license keys that enable you to use a product for an interval of time, usually ranging from six months to several years. The licenses entitles you to all feature upgrades (of that version) in the time-frame. A good example of this is anti-virus software that you can activate on a yearly basis.

Shareware – it’s an older term, but it’s still used, often in reference to so-called “limited-feature” software. These are licensed apps for which you can trial for free. The free version may have all the features as the paid one, but deactivate after a certain time limit. Or the free version could have no time-limit, but only include some of the features of the paid one.

Freeware – just free software. This term freeware used to be associated with lower-quality programs, but not anymore. Now, many of the tools you use everyday can be found with a free version out there. Big names have even established reputations for providing free products; these include Google (Docs, Chrome, Blogger), Adobe (Reader), and Apple (Itunes). What’s more, the open-source movement has supplied the web with hundreds of programs that are by principal not only free, but open to user modifications. These include the popular web browser Firefox and the VLC media player.

Every type of software listed above can have an integral role in the way your computer behaves, including the amount of memory it takes up and the amount of resources it takes to run. That’s why, when it comes to software, you have to do two things:

1. Decide if you want it (If you don’t, why keep it? It just takes up space and resources.)

2. Keep it updated (If you don’t bugs and outdated functions can eat up resources.)

More Articles...

Part 1: Understanding PC Error Types

Fixing PC Errors in 6 Steps

How to understand, troubleshoot and fix computer errors in six installments.

Part 6: Fighting Malware

Types of Malware

Worms

Viruses

Trojans

Spyware

Part 5: Managing DLLs

What to do?

Part 4: Managing the Windows Database

What to Know Before Editing the Registry

What is the Windows Registry?

Part 3: Managing Drivers

First Try: Update a Driver through Windows

Part 2: Managing Software

Software

Software Types and Updates: The Rundown