Q: The virus blocked the registry access and how to get rid of it?

A: You can deal with like this:

1. Click on Start -> Run (or Start Search in Windows Vista).
2. Enter GPEdit.msc and then press Enter.
3. Navigate to the following location:
User Configuration -> Administrative Templates -> System
4. In the Settings pane, locate the Prevent access to registry editing tools option, and then double-click on it to open the settings dialog.
5. Select Disabled or Not Configured.
6. Click on OK button.
7. Try to run RegEdit.exe, and if required (still blocking yet), restart the computer.

Q: How to disable unnecessary programs which automatically load on start-up?

A: You should try using MSCONFIG in Windows XP to disable some of the unnecessary programs that automatically load on start-up. Disabling these programs will help your computer boot faster and crash less.

1. In Windows XP, go to Start > Run
2. Type MSCONFIG in the “Open:” box and then either press enter on your keyboard or click on the OK button.
3. This launches Microsoft’s System Configuration Utility. Click on the Startup tab (the tab at the far right).
4. This takes you to a page with a list of “startup items.” Startup items are programs that are automatically loaded every time you turn on your computer. Some startup programs are absolutely necessary, others are simply a waste of RAM.
Remember, disable only those programs that you recognize and don’t need to have running all the time. When in doubt, leave it on. 5. Click on the OK button.
6. A message will pop up telling you that you must restart your computer before these changes will take effect. Click on “Yes” and your computer will automatically reboot.

Q: How to start up in Safe Mode?

A: To get into Safe Mode with Networking:

1.Log out and reboot your machine.
2.When the machine starts the reboot sequence, press the F8 key repeatedly.
3.Select Safe Mode with Networking from the resulting menu.
4.Login. If the malware has changed your password, try logging in as Administrator. By default, Administrator has no password.
5.The machine will continue booting, but the Windows desktop will look different.
6.When you’re finished doing what you need to do, log out and reboot back into normal mode.

Q: What is spyware?

A: Spyware is a broad category of software that is installed on computers without the user’s consent, for monetary purposes. They are the usual suspects for causing excessive pop ups, changing your home page, taking you to advertisement or pornographic web sites that you did not request and even making your PC slow and unstable.

Q: What does spyware do?

A: The purpose of spyware is not to do anything destructive like a virus, as the spyware makers use it for financial gain, but spyware will cause your PC to become slow and unstable. The more spyware that is on a system, the slower and less stable the PC can become.

That is not the only problem with spyware. The use of spyware has become controversial in the way that they are also considered an invasion of privacy and even a security threat. The purpose of many spyware programs is to display adverts or to sell things, but others are installed on PCs to gather information about your surfing habits. This may be simply what websites you visit, and most people may not mind but some spyware is also known to log keystrokes. This means that if you visit your bank’s website and log into your Internet Banking account, you may have submitted your log in details to the spyware author.This goes for any other websites you use and require logging in too.

Q: How to avoid spyware at max?

A: Although you are unlikely to be able to completely avoid spyware, you can give yourself more control by being aware of what goes in and out of your computer and being more wary.

1. Use a different web browser. Internet Explorer is not your only option. Other web browsers will be less likely to be infected with spyware.
2. Use a different operating system like Linux. Spyware is only know to target Windows operating systems, so using something else would prevent spyware from infecting your PC. Unfortunately, not everyone is will to do this.
3. Install and keep anti-virus software up-to-date. Anti-virus software should be used alongside any spyware scanners you may have.
4. The best advice on how you can prevent spyware from entering your system is to BE AWARE. Be cautious of free software. Many programs are free for a reason.

Q: How to speed up your PC?

A: 1. Defrag Your Computer to Speed It Up

To defrag your hard drive with Windows XP, go to:

* Start
* Programs
* Accessories
* System Tools
* Disk Defragmenter

Other Windows operating systems has the disk defragementer tool in a similar location. If you can’t find it, go to Windows help and search for “defrag” to find out how to run it.

2. Clean Temporary Files To Speed Up Your Computer

Windows loves to write files all the time to your hard drive and until you run out of room on your hard drive or ask it to clean it up, it will leave old temporary files there. Windows XP comes with a handy program that cleans them up. To clean up temporary files on your hard drive with Windows XP, go to:

* Start
* Programs
* Accessories
* System Tools
* Disk Cleanup

3. Clean Your Inbox to Speed Up A Slow Computer
If you are like me, I have my email program loaded and running all the time. I noticed that it is taking a long time to load and I think I figured out why. It is loading over a thousand messages. I cleaned out all the junk email and now it loads quick and my computer seems to run faster. All those messages ready to be showed at any given time seems to be taking up memory – valuable memory used up that causes a computer to run slow.

For other Windows operating systems you may have manually remove temporary files. To find out how, go to Windows help and search for “temporary files”.

4. Remove Spyware to Speed Up A Slow Computer
Are you running a anti-virus software package that includes spyware detection? Not all anti-virus programs packages remove spyware and protect your computer from spyware – a main culprit of a slow computer. To remove spyware, get the free anti-spyware software from Grisoft.

5. Anti-Virus Software
Has your anti-virus software expired? That is something that should not be ignored and you need to remedy this immediately. If you don’t have the money to update your virus subscription, us the free anti-virus software from Grisoft.

6. Clean Up Your Desktop To Speed Up Your Computer
Do you have a lot of icons sitting on your desktop? These will slow up your computer. Having a clean desktop is important enough that Windows XP now asks you to clean up unused desktop icons. If you have ignored the prompt, you can either clean them up manually by right clicking your mouse on them and selecting delete or you can access the Windows XP program.

* Start
* Control Panel
* Double-click “Display”.
* Click the “Desktop” tab.
* Click the “Customize Desktop” button at the bottom.
* Click the “General” tab.
* Click the “Clean Desktop Now” button at the bottom.

This simple tips should speed up your computer. If you are having more serious problems, it may be time to call in a professional.

Source: http://www.spy-cleaner.com/faq.html