Because IM is so popular, virus writers can use it to spread malicious programs.

Understanding instant message viruses

Like e-mail viruses, instant message viruses are malicious programs that are designed to travel through IM.

These viruses are spread, in most cases, when a person opens an infected file that was sent in an instant message that appeared to come from a friend.

When you open one of these files, your computer can become infected with a virus. Because of the virus, your computer may slow down or stop responding, or you may not notice any change at all.

However, the virus might have installed a covert program on your computer that could damage software, hardware, or important files, and that may include spyware, which can track information entered on the computer.

A computer infected by a virus may continue to spread the infection by sending copies of the virus to everyone on your IM contact list, that is, the collection of IM names that you can store in your IM program.

5 steps to help avoid instant message viruses

As with most threats on the Internet, you can help keep yourself safe by taking basic precautions. If you know how to avoid e-mail viruses, you’ll already be familiar with many of these steps.

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Microsoft Knowledge Base Article

This article contents is Microsoft Copyrighted material.
Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. Terms of Use | Trademarks

Griefers are the Internet equivalent of playground bullies, who find fun in embarrassing and pushing around others.

What griefers do

Typical griefer behavior includes: taunting others, especially beginners; thwarting fellow teammates in the game; using inappropriate language; cheating; forming roving gangs with other griefers; blocking entryways; luring monsters toward unsuspecting players; or otherwise using the game merely to annoy a convenient target or to harass a particular player who has reacted to their ill will.

Although they are only a small percentage of the video-gaming community, griefers have some gaming companies concerned about losing subscribers. As a result, many game sites and providers are becoming less tolerant of griefers and are employing new methods to police for them and otherwise limit their impact.

The best way to deal with griefers is to educate yourself and prepare your kids on how to deal with them on their own terms. Open discussion with your kids is important for any online activity they’re involved in.

Here are ten tips to help you handle griefers.

10 tips for dealing with griefers

You can use the Regsvr32 tool (Regsvr32.exe) to register and unregister OLE controls such as DLL or ActiveX Controls (OCX) files that are self-registerable. This may be necessary to troubleshoot some issues with Windows, Microsoft Internet Explorer, or other programs.

MORE INFORMATION

Regsvr32.exe is included with Microsoft Internet Explorer 3.0 or later versions, Windows 95 OEM Service Release 2 (OSR2) or later versions, and Windows NT 4.0 Service Pack 5 (SP5) or later versions. Regsvr32.exe is installed in the System (Windows Me/Windows 98/Windows 95) or System32 (Windows NT/Windows XP/Windows Vista) folder.

Regsvr32.exe usage

RegSvr32.exe has the following command-line options:

Regsvr32 [/u] [/n] [/i[:cmdline]] dllname

/u – Unregister server
/i – Call DllInstall passing it an optional [cmdline]; when used with /u calls dll uninstall
/n – do not call DllRegisterServer; this option must be used with /i
/s – Silent; display no message boxes (added with Windows XP and Windows Vista)

When you use Regsvr32.exe, it attempts to load the component and call its DLLSelfRegister function. If this attempt is successful, Regsvr32.exe displays a dialog box that indicates success. If the attempt is unsuccessful, Regsvr32.exe returns an error message. This may include a Win32 error code.

For example, to manually register a Sample.ocx ActiveX control, type the following command at command prompt:

c:\regsvr32.exe sample.ocx

Regsvr32.exe error messages in Windows Vista

The following list contains RegSvr32 error messages and possible causes.

The command-flag “”%1″” is not valid. Please review the command usage and try again.

An invalid combination of options was passed in the command line to regsvr32.exe.

This command is only valid if a Microsoft Visual Studio OLE Custom Control project is opened.

Regsvr32.exe was invoked by Visual Studio but no modules were specified in the command line.

To register a module, you must provide a binary name.

Regsvr32.exe was invoked without specifying any modules in the command line.

The command OleInitialize failed to run. Your computer might be low on memory. Close any open programs and then try again.

Regsvr32 must initialize the COM library before it can call needed COM library functions and uninitialize the library when it shuts down. These error messages occur if an attempt to initialize or uninitialize the COM library is unsuccessful.

The module “”%1″” failed to load.\n\n Make sure the binary is stored at the specified path or debug it to check for problems with the binary or dependent .DLL files.\n\n%2.

There was an error in loading a module that was specified in the command line. The error text appears as part of the message.

The module “”%1″” was loaded but the entry-point %2 was not found.\n\nMake sure that “”%1″” is a valid DLL or OCX file and then try again

Regsvr32.exe was unable to find the required entrypoint in the module specified in the command line. This can occur if the entrypoints are not properly exported from the module or if the module is not a .DLL or .OCX file.

The module “”%1″” was loaded but the call to %2 failed with error code %3.\n\nFor more information about this problem, search online using the error code as a search term.

There was an error when regsvr32.exe invoked the entrypoint in the module specified in the command line. The error code appears as part of the message

The module “”%1″” may not compatible with the version of Windows that you’re running. Check if the module is compatible with an x86 (32-bit) or x64 (64-bit) version of regsvr32.exe.

This error can happen, for example, if regsvr32.exe is run on an x86 machine and the module specified in the command line is a 64-bit module.

Regsvr32.exe error messages prior to Windows Vista

The following list contains RegSvr32 error messages and possible causes.

Unrecognized flag: /invalid_flag

You typed an invalid combination of flags or switches (refer to the “Regsvr32.exe Usage” section in this article).

No DLL name specified.

You did not include a .dll file name (refer to the “Regsvr32.exe Usage” section in this article).

Dllname was loaded, but the DllRegisterServer or DllUnregisterServer entry point was not found.

Dllname is not a .dll or .ocx file. For example, typing regsvr32 wjview.exe generates this error message.

Dllname is not an executable file and no registration helper is registered for this file type.

Dllname is not an executable file (.exe, .dll, or .ocx). For example, typing regsvr32 autoexec.bat generates this error message.

Dllname was loaded, but the DllRegisterServer or DllUnregisterServer entry point was not found.

Dllname may not be exported, or a corrupted version of Dllname may be in memory. Consider using Pview to detect the file and remove it.

Dllname is not self-registerable or a corrupted version is in memory.

For example, typing regsvr32 icwdial.dll returns this error message because the Icwdial.dll file is not self-registerable. If you suspect a corrupted version of Dllname is in memory, try restarting your computer or re-extract the original version of the file. If you are running Windows NT, you may need to use the Kill or Pview tool from the Microsoft Windows NT Server 4.0 Resource Kit.

OleInitialize failed (or OleUninitialize failed).

Regsvr32 must initialize the COM library before it can call needed COM library functions and uninitialize the library when it shuts down. These error messages occur if an attempt to initialize or uninitialize the COM library is unsuccessful. For example, the Ole32.dll file may be corrupted or may be the wrong version.

LoadLibrary(“Dllname“) failed. GetlastError returns 0×00000485

From Winerror.h, 0×00000485 = 1157 (ERROR_DLL_NOT_FOUND), which means “One of the library files needed to run this application cannot be found.” For example, typing regsvr32 missing.dll returns this error message if the Missing.dll file is not found.

LoadLibrary(“Dllname“) failed. GetLastError returns 0×00000002

From Winerror.h, 0×00000002 = 2 (ERROR_FILE_NOT_FOUND), which means “The system cannot find the file specified.” In other words, a dependent DLL was not found. For example, typing regsvr32 icwdial.dll with Tapi32.dll (a dependency) missing, returns this error message.

LoadLibrary(“dskmaint.dll”) failed. GetLastError returns 0x000001f

From Winerror.h, 0x000001f = 31 (ERROR_GEN_FAILURE), which means “A device attached to the system is not functioning.” This behavior can occur if you try to register a Win16 .dll file. For example, typing regsvr32 dskmaint.dll returns this error message.

DllRegisterServer (or DllUnregisterServer)in Dllname failed. Return code was: string

Search Winerror.h for string.

——————————————–

Microsoft Knowledge Base Article

This article contents is Microsoft Copyrighted material.
Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. Terms of Use | Trademarks

This article describes the standard terminology that Microsoft is adopting to describe software updates. This terminology is also included in the Microsoft Security and Privacy Glossary.

MORE INFORMATION

Microsoft is adopting the following standard terminology to describe software updates:

——————————————–

Microsoft Knowledge Base Article

This article contents is Microsoft Copyrighted material.
Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. Terms of Use | Trademarks

If you want to disable the right click mouse button on your pages , please read the following

JavaScript Code to Disable Right Mouse Click

<SCRIPT LANGUAGE=”JavaScript”>
function noRightClick(buttonClicked) {
if (navigator.appName == ‘Netscape’ &&
(buttonClicked.which == 2 || buttonClicked.which == 3))
return false;
else if (navigator.appName == ‘Microsoft Internet Explorer’ &&
(event.button == 3 || event.button == 2)) {
alert(“Your Message Goes Here”);
return false;
}
return true;
}
document.onmousedown=noRightClick;
document.onmouseup=noRightClick;
if (document.layers)
window.captureEvents(Event.MOUSEDOWN);
if (document.layers) window.captureEvents(Event.MOUSEUP);
window.onmousedown=noRightClick;
window.onmouseup=noRightClick;
</script>

Please note

A message will appear when anyone clicks the right mouse button

alert(“Your Message Goes Here”);

To create more lines in the message  they need to be escaped with a backslash

e.g. alert(“Your \”Message\” Goes Here”);

The script will fail if you do not use the backslash

Here are some tips for protecting your children’s privacy and safety when they’re using the computer.

Step 1: Decide where your child can and can’t go on the Internet

It’s a good idea to check out some sites for kids. Pay particular interest to sites that collect personal information.

If you don’t agree with the privacy statement of a particular site or if you don’t want to give away any of your child’s personal information, do a little searching and you may find a similar site that doesn’t request any information at all.

Block inappropriate content
One of the best defenses against inappropriate content is to block it before it gets to you. With Microsoft software there are a few different ways you can do this.

Windows Vista Parental Controls. As a parent you have a unique opinion on what kind of content is appropriate for your child depending on his age, maturity, and your personal beliefs. Windows Vista introduces a rich and powerful set of parental control features to help parents monitor, manage, and administer their children’s computer use-and help keep them safe.

Windows Live OneCare Family Safety (currently in beta). Software that helps you filter information based on each child’s age to help protect them from content you don’t want them to see. You can also limit searches, block or allow certain Web sites, and monitor what your kids are doing online. You’ll also have access to guidelines on how to help a child use online communications safely or how parents should talk to children about inappropriate Web browsing.

Xbox parental controls. Xbox includes similar parental controls that help you restrict your child’s ability to play inappropriate games and watch inappropriate DVD movies.

Step 2: Increase your security and privacy

In addition to blocking inappropriate content, it’s a good idea to block sites and downloads that may be a risk to your security and privacy.

Create different user accounts. With Windows Vista and Windows XP, you can create multiple user accounts for your computer. Each user can log on separately and has a unique profile with his or her own Desktop and My Documents folder.

As a parent you can give yourself an Administrator account with full control over the computer, and give your children Limited User accounts, with restricted controls.

Limited Users cannot change system settings or install new hardware or software, including most games, media players, and chat programs.

Adjust Web browser security settings. You can also help protect your child through your Web browser. Internet Explorer helps you control your security and privacy preferences by allowing you to assign security levels to Web sites.

Internet Explorer 6 also helps protect your privacy while you’re on the Web by providing features that help control how Web sites track your activities.

Step 3: Keep track of where your kids go online

It may not always be possible to be present while your children are surfing the Web. But it is possible to check later to see where your children have spent their time online.

By reviewing the History list in Internet Explorer, you can see all the places your children visited on the Web. To view your Internet History, click the History button on the browser toolbar.

With MSN 9 parental controls you can receive a weekly e-mail report that details your child’s recent online activity, including the total time spent online, Web sites he visited or tried to visit, e-mail addresses and MSN Messenger IDs of people with whom he corresponded, and files he downloaded.

Step 4: Remind kids not to talk to strangers online

Real-time chats and instant messaging can be a great way for children to discuss their interests and build friendships. But the anonymity of the Internet can also put children at risk of falling victim to imposters and predators. To help minimize your children’s vulnerability, teach them to take precautions such as:

To help protect your children from being contacted by strangers while instant messaging, configure your software to allow only approved contacts.

To block unknown contacts in Windows Messenger:

An “approved list” to help parents limit their children’s e-mail exchanges is also a feature of MSN 9.

Set family rules for Internet use
Although software can help you protect your family from inappropriate content on the Web, there is no substitute for teaching your children a few basic rules. Talk to your children about the risks of going online, and teach them how to handle uncomfortable situations. And finally, set limits, and discuss them with your children. Together, you can create a fun and safer environment for your children online.

They are, however, highly dependent on adults or older siblings to help them interpret online information.

When your kids are at this young age you should supervise their computer use and use tools such as Windows Live OneCare Family Safety or Windows Vista Parental Controls.

Safety tips

Here are some safety tips to consider when you go online with your 11-14 year old:

When your kids are at this young age, you should supervise their computer use. It’s also a good idea to use tools such as Windows Live OneCare Family Safety or Windows Vista Parental Controls.

Safety tips

Here are some safety tips to consider when you go online with your 2-10 year old:

INTRODUCTION

This article contains recommendations that may help you protect a computer that is running Microsoft Windows Server 2003, Microsoft Windows 2000, or Microsoft Windows XP from viruses. This article also contains information to help you minimize the effect of antivirus software on system and network performance.

MORE INFORMATION

For computers that are running Windows Server 2003, Windows 2000, or Windows XP

Do not scan the following files and folders. These files are not at risk of infection. If you scan these files, serious performance problems may occur because of file locking. Where a specific set of files is identified by name, exclude only those files instead of the whole folder. Sometimes, the whole folder must be excluded. Do not exclude any one of these based on the file name extension. For example, do not exclude all files that have a .dit extension. Microsoft has no control over other files that may use the same extensions as the following files.

For Windows Server 2003 and Windows 2000 domain controllers

Because domain controllers provide a critical service to clients, the risk of disruption of their activities as a result of malicious code from a virus must be minimized. Antivirus software is the generally accepted way to mitigate the risk of virus infection. Install and configure antivirus software so that the risk to the domain controller is reduced as much as possible and so that performance is affected as little as possible. The following list contains recommendations to help you configure and install antivirus software on a Windows 2000 or on a Windows Server 2003 domain controller:

Warning Microsoft recommends that you apply the following specified configuration to a test configuration to make sure that in your specific environment it does not introduce unexpected factors or compromise the stability of the system. The risk from too much scanning is that files are inappropriately flagged as having been changed, resulting in excessive replication in Active Directory. If testing verifies that replication is not affected by the following recommendations, you can apply the antivirus software to the production environment.

Note Specific recommendations from antivirus software vendors may supersede the recommendations in the article.

1. %systemroot%\sysvol                                                  Exclude

2. %systemroot%\sysvol\domain                                           Scan

3. %systemroot%\sysvol\domain\DO_NOT_REMOVE_NtFrs_PreInstall_Directory  Exclude

4. %systemroot%\sysvol\domain\Policies                                  Scan

5. %systemroot%\sysvol\domain\Scripts                                   Scan

6. %systemroot%\sysvol\staging                                          Exclude

7. %systemroot%\sysvol\staging areas                                    Exclude

8. %systemroot%\sysvol\sysvol                                           Exclude

APPLIES TO

———————————————–

Microsoft Knowledge Base Article

This article contents is Microsoft Copyrighted material.
Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. Terms of Use | Trademarks

MORE INFORMATION

What is a computer virus?

A computer virus is a small software program that spreads from one computer to another computer and that interferes with computer operation. A computer virus may corrupt or delete data on a computer, use an e-mail program to spread the virus to other computers, or even delete everything on the hard disk.

Computer viruses are most easily spread by attachments in e-mail messages or by instant messaging messages. Therefore, you must never open an e-mail attachment unless you know who sent the message or unless you are expecting the e-mail attachment. Computer viruses can be disguised as attachments of funny images, greeting cards, or audio and video files. Computer viruses also spread by using downloads on the Internet. Computer viruses can be hidden in pirated software or in other files or programs that you may download.

Symptoms of a computer virus

If you suspect or confirm that your computer is infected with a computer virus, obtain the current antivirus software. The following are some primary indicators that a computer may be infected:

Note These are common signs of infection. However, these signs may also be caused by hardware or software problems that have nothing to do with a computer virus. Unless you run the Microsoft Malicious Software Removal Tool, and then you install industry-standard, up-to-date antivirus software on your computer, you cannot be certain whether a computer is infected with a computer virus or not.

Symptoms of worms and trojan horse viruses in e-mail messages

When a computer virus infects e-mail messages or infects other files on a computer, you may notice the following symptoms:

Symptoms that may be the result of ordinary Windows functions

A computer virus infection may cause the following problems:

Note These problems may also occur because of ordinary Windows functions or problems in Windows that are not caused by a computer virus.

How to remove a computer virus

Even for an expert, removing a computer virus can be a difficult task without the help of computer virus removal tools. Some computer viruses and other unwanted software, such as spyware, even reinstall themselves after the viruses have been detected and removed. Fortunately, by updating the computer and by using antivirus tools, you can help permanently remove unwanted software.

To remove a computer virus, follow these steps:

For more information about how to remove a computer virus, visit the following Microsoft Web site:

http://www.microsoft.com/protect/computer/viruses/remove.mspx (http://www.microsoft.com/protect/computer/viruses/remove.mspx)

How to protect your computer against viruses

To protect your computer against viruses, follow these steps:

——————————————–

Microsoft Knowledge Base Article

This article contents is Microsoft Copyrighted material.
Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. Terms of Use | Trademarks

Display DNS Cache Info Configuration: ipconfig /displaydns

Clear DNS Cache: ipconfig /flushdns

Release All IP Address Connections: ipconfig /release

Renew All IP Address Connections: ipconfig /renew

Re-Register the DNS connections: ipconfig /registerdns

Change/Modify DHCP Class ID: ipconfig /setclassid

Network Connections: control netconnections

Network Setup Wizard: netsetup.cpl

Test Connectivity: ping www.ossmall.info

Trace IP address Route: tracert

Displays the TCP/IP protocol sessions: netstat

Display Local Route: route

Display Resolved MAC Addresses: arp

Display Name of Computer Currently on: hostname

Display DHCP Class Information: ipconfig /showclassid

1. If you think you’ve received a phishing e-mail message, do not respond to it.

2. Report suspicious e-mail.

Report the e-mail to the faked or “spoofed” organization.
Contact the organization directly-not through the e-mail you received-and ask for confirmation. Or call the organization’s toll-free number and speak to a customer service representative. Report the e-mail to the proper authorities, including the FBI, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), and the Anti-Phishing Working Group.

3. Don’t click links in e-mail messages.

Links in phishing e-mail messages often take you to phony sites that encourage you to transmit personal or financial information to con artists. Avoid clicking a link in an e-mail message unless you are sure of the destination. Even if the address bar displays the correct Web address, don’t risk being fooled. Con artists can display a fake URL in the address bar on your browser.

4. Type addresses directly into your browser or use your personal bookmarks.

If you need to update your account information or change your password, visit the Web site by using your personal bookmark or by typing the URL directly into your browser.

5. Check the security certificate before you enter personal or financial information into a Web site.

Make sure the site is secure before you type. In Internet Explorer, you can do this by checking the yellow lock icon on the status bar, as shown in the following example.

The closed lock icon signifies that the Web site uses encryption to help protect any sensitive, personal information that you enter, such as your credit card number, Social Security number, or payment details. It’s important to note that this symbol doesn’t need to appear on every page of a site, only on those pages that request personal information. Unfortunately, even the lock symbol can be faked. To help increase your safety, double-click the lock icon to display the security certificate for the site. The name following Issued to should match the name of the site. If the name differs, you may be on a fake site, also called a “spoofed” site. If you’re not sure whether a certificate is legitimate, don’t enter any personal information. Play it safe and leave.

Tip: If you don’t see the status bar at the bottom of your browser window, click View at the top of the browser, and then select Status Bar to activate it.

6. Don’t enter personal or financial information into pop-up windows.

One common phishing technique is to launch a fake pop-up window when someone clicks a link in a phishing e-mail message. To make the pop-up window look more convincing, it may be displayed over a window you trust. Even if the pop-up window looks official or claims to be secure, avoid entering sensitive information, because there is no way to check the security certificate. Close pop-up windows by clicking the red X in the top right corner (a “cancel” button may not work as you’d expect).

7. Use the latest products and services to help warn and protect you from online scams

8. Update your computer software.

At Microsoft, we continue to make improvements to our software to help protect your computer. Visit Microsoft Update to scan your computer and install any high-priority updates that are offered to you.
If you have Automatic Updates enabled, the updates are delivered to you when they are released, but you have to make sure you install them.

——————————————–

Microsoft Knowledge Base Article

This article contents is Microsoft Copyrighted material.
Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. Terms of Use | Trademarks

Microsoft SmartScreen is an intelligent spam-filtering solution that is integrated across all Microsoft e-mail platforms, including:

SmartScreen technology determines how to distinguish between legitimate e-mail messages and spam by using extensive user input from hundreds of thousands of MSN Hotmail and Windows Live Hotmail users.

The result is that more legitimate e-mails reach you and upwards of 95% spam is blocked. To learn more about how Microsoft Office Outlook 2007 helps protect against spam, see The 2007 Microsoft Office System: New security features.

Block images

Just as a lighthouse beacon beams a message with light, pictures in e-mail messages–also called “Web beacons”–can be adapted to secretly send a message back to the sender.

Spammers rely on information returned by these images to locate active e-mail addresses. Images can also contain harmful code and be used to deliver a spammer’s message in spite of filters.

The best defense against Web beacons is to prevent pictures from downloading until you’ve had a chance to review the message.

Both MSN Hotmail and Microsoft Outlook 2003 are preset to do this automatically for e-mail from addresses not in your address book. Outlook Express also increases its protection against Web beacons if you’re using Windows XP Service Pack 2.

Keep your filters current

Spam is a cat-and-mouse game with spammers working relentlessly to outwit the filters. Do your part by keeping your junk e-mail filter up to date. To do this if you’re using Outlook 2003, go to Microsoft Update, and follow the instructions on the screen. For more information about Microsoft Update, see Use Microsoft Update to help keep your computer current.

Be careful about sharing your e-mail or instant message address

Tip: When you sign up for Web-based services such as banking, shopping, or a newsletter, carefully read the privacy policy before revealing your e-mail address so you don’t unwittingly agree to share confidential information.

The privacy policy should outline the terms and circumstances regarding if or how the site will share your information. If a Web site does not post a privacy statement, consider taking your business elsewhere.

Improve your computer’s security

You can greatly reduce your risk from hackers, viruses, and worms if you use a firewall, keep your Windows and Office software up to date, and install antivirus software (and update it routinely). Learn more about how to protect your computer.

What to do with the spam you have

Despite your best efforts, you no doubt have received e-mail and instant messages you didn’t ask for. Here’s what you can do about all that junk.

Ignore spam

Note: It can be troubling to receive spam from what appears to be your own account. Your first suspicion may be that someone has hacked into your account to send you mail-or worse, send others e-mail that is allegedly from you.

The truth is these fears are not likely to be real. More likely, a spammer has forged the headers (which include your e-mail address) to lend authenticity to their junk e-mail, and also potentially help the message bypass some e-mail filters.

———————————————–

Microsoft Knowledge Base Article

This article contents is Microsoft Copyrighted material.
Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. Terms of Use | Trademarks

1. Position your wireless router (or wireless access point) in a central location.
2. Move the router off the floor and away from walls and metal objects (such as metal file cabinets).
3. Replace your router’s antenna. (May not be possible)
4. Replace your computer’s wireless network adapter. (May not be possible)
5. Add a wireless repeater.
6. Change your wireless channel.
7. Reduce wireless interference.
9. Pick equipment from a single vendor. (Router and Adapter)
10. Upgrade 802.11b devices to 802.11g.

Source: Microsoft

1. Enter Task Navigator, click Applications , then Settings and after that go to Control panel.
2. ClickAbout product.

3. You will see the  MAC address of the phone near the WLAN MAC address zone

Enjoy

NOTE: HPFS is only supported under Windows NT versions 3.1, 3.5, and 3.51. Windows NT 4.0 does not support and cannot access HPFS partitions. Also, the FAT32 file system is only supported in the Windows 98/95 and Windows 2000.

MORE INFORMATION

FAT OVERVIEW

FAT is by far the most simplistic of the file systems supported by Windows NT. The FAT file system is characterized by the file allocation table (FAT), which is really a table that resides at the very “top” of the volume. To protect the volume, two copies of the FAT are kept in case one becomes damaged. In addition, the FAT tables and the root directory must be stored in a fixed location so that the system’s boot files can be correctly located.

A disk formatted with FAT is allocated in clusters, whose size are determined by the size of the volume. When a file is created, an entry is created in the directory and the first cluster number containing data is established. This entry in the FAT table either indicates that this is the last cluster of the file, or points to the next cluster.

Updating the FAT table is very important as well as time consuming. If the FAT table is not regularly updated, it can lead to data loss. It is time consuming because the disk read heads must be repositioned to the drive’s logical track zero each time the FAT table is updated.

There is no organization to the FAT directory structure, and files are given the first open location on the drive. In addition, FAT supports only read-only, hidden, system, and archive file attributes.

FAT Naming Convention

FAT uses the traditional 8.3 file naming convention and all filenames must be created with the ASCII character set. The name of a file or directory can be up to eight characters long, then a period (.) separator, and up to a three character extension. The name must start with either a letter or number and can contain any characters except for the following:

   . " / \ [ ] : ; | = ,

If any of these characters are used, unexpected results may occur. The name cannot contain any spaces.

The following names are reserved:

   CON, AUX, COM1, COM2, COM3, COM4, LPT1, LPT2, LPT3, PRN, NUL

All characters will be converted to uppercase.

Advantages of FAT

It is not possible to perform an undelete under Windows NT on any of the supported file systems. Undelete utilities try to directly access the hardware, which cannot be done under Windows NT. However, if the file was located on a FAT partition, and the system is restarted under MS-DOS, the file can be undeleted. The FAT file system is best for drives and/or partitions under approximately 200 MB, because FAT starts out with very little overhead. For further discussion of FAT advantages, see the following:

Disadvantages of FAT

Preferably, when using drives or partitions of over 200 MB the FAT file system should not be used. This is because as the size of the volume increases, performance with FAT will quickly decrease. It is not possible to set permissions on files that are FAT partitions.

FAT partitions are limited in size to a maximum of 4 Gigabytes (GB) under Windows NT and 2 GB in MS-DOS.

TITLE : Maximum Partition Size in MS-DOS

For further discussion of other disadvantages of FAT, see the following:

HPFS OVERVIEW

The HPFS file system was first introduced with OS/2 1.2 to allow for greater access to the larger hard drives that were then appearing on the market. Additionally, it was necessary for a new file system to extend the naming system, organization, and security for the growing demands of the network server market. HPFS maintains the directory organization of FAT, but adds automatic sorting of the directory based on filenames. Filenames are extended to up to 254 double byte characters. HPFS also allows a file to be composed of “data” and special attributes to allow for increased flexibility in terms of supporting other naming conventions and security. In addition, the unit of allocation is changed from clusters to physical sectors (512 bytes), which reduces lost disk space.

Under HPFS, directory entries hold more information than under FAT. As well as the attribute file, this includes information about the modification, creation, and access date and times. Instead of pointing to the first cluster of the file, the directory entries under HPFS point to the FNODE. The FNODE can contain the file’s data, or pointers that may point to the file’s data or to other structures that will eventually point to the file’s data.

HPFS attempts to allocate as much of a file in contiguous sectors as possible. This is done in order to increase speed when doing sequential processing of a file.

HPFS organizes a drive into a series of 8 MB bands, and whenever possible a file is contained within one of these bands. Between each of these bands are 2K allocation bitmaps, which keep track of which sectors within a band have and have not been allocated. Banding increases performance because the drive head does not have to return to the logical top (typically cylinder 0) of the disk, but to the nearest band allocation bitmap to determine where a file is to be stored.

Additionally, HPFS includes a couple of unique special data objects:

Super Block

The Super Block is located in logical sector 16 and contains a pointer to the FNODE of the root directory. One of the biggest dangers of using HPFS is that if the Super Block is lost or corrupted due to a bad sector, so are the contents of the partition, even if the rest of the drive is fine. It would be possible to recover the data on the drive by copying everything to another drive with a good sector 16 and rebuilding the Super Block. However, this is a very complex task.

Spare Block

The Spare Block is located in logical sector 17 and contains a table of “hot fixes” and the Spare Directory Block. Under HPFS, when a bad sector is detected, the “hot fixes” entry is used to logically point to an existing good sector in place of the bad sector. This technique for handling write errors is known as hot fixing.

Hot fixing is a technique where if an error occurs because of a bad sector, the file system moves the information to a different sector and marks the original sector as bad. This is all done transparent to any applications that are performing disk I/O (that is, the application never knows that there were any problems with the hard drive). Using a file system that supports hot fixing will eliminate error messages such as the FAT “Abort, Retry, or Fail?” error message that occurs when a bad sector is encountered.

Note: The version of HPFS that is included with Windows NT does not support hot fixing.

Advantages of HPFS

HPFS is best for drives in the 200-400 MB range. For more discussion of the advantages of HPFS, see the following:

Disadvantages of HPFS

Because of the overhead involved in HPFS, it is not a very efficient choice for a volume of under approximately 200 MB. In addition, with volumes larger than about 400 MB, there will be some performance degradation. You cannot set security on HPFS under Windows NT.

HPFS is only supported under Windows NT versions 3.1, 3.5, and 3.51. Windows NT 4.0 cannot access HPFS partitions.

For additional disadvantages of HPFS, see the following:

NTFS OVERVIEW

From a user’s point of view, NTFS continues to organize files into directories, which, like HPFS, are sorted. However, unlike FAT or HPFS, there are no “special” objects on the disk and there is no dependence on the underlying hardware, such as 512 byte sectors. In addition, there are no special locations on the disk, such as FAT tables or HPFS Super Blocks.

The goals of NTFS are to provide:

Reliability

To ensure reliability of NTFS, three major areas were addressed: recoverability, removal of fatal single sector failures, and hot fixing.

NTFS is a recoverable file system because it keeps track of transactions against the file system. When a CHKDSK is performed on FAT or HPFS, the consistency of pointers within the directory, allocation, and file tables is being checked. Under NTFS, a log of transactions against these components is maintained so that CHKDSK need only roll back transactions to the last commit point in order to recover consistency within the file system.

Under FAT or HPFS, if a sector that is the location of one of the file system’s special objects fails, then a single sector failure will occur. NTFS avoids this in two ways: first, by not using special objects on the disk and tracking and protecting all objects that are on the disk. Secondly, under NTFS, multiple copies (the number depends on the volume size) of the Master File Table are kept.

Similar to OS/2 versions of HPFS, NTFS supports hot fixing.

Added Functionality

One of the major design goals of Windows NT at every level is to provide a platform that can be added to and built upon, and NTFS is no exception. NTFS provides a rich and flexible platform for other file systems to be able to use. In addition, NTFS fully supports the Windows NT security model and supports multiple data streams. No longer is a data file a single stream of data. Finally, under NTFS, a user can add his or her own user-defined attributes to a file.

POSIX Support

NTFS is the most POSIX.1 compliant of the supported file systems because it supports the following POSIX.1 requirements:

Case Sensitive Naming:

Under POSIX, README.TXT, Readme.txt, and readme.txt are all different files.

Additional Time Stamp:

The additional time stamp supplies the time at which the file was last accessed.

Hard Links:

A hard link is when two different filenames, which can be located in different directories, point to the same data.

Removing Limitations

First, NTFS has greatly increased the size of files and volumes, so that they can now be up to 2^64 bytes (16 exabytes or 18,446,744,073,709,551,616 bytes). NTFS has also returned to the FAT concept of clusters in order to avoid HPFS problem of a fixed sector size. This was done because Windows NT is a portable operating system and different disk technology is likely to be encountered at some point. Therefore, 512 bytes per sector was viewed as having a large possibility of not always being a good fit for the allocation. This was accomplished by allowing the cluster to be defined as multiples of the hardware’s natural allocation size. Finally, in NTFS all filenames are Unicode based, and 8.3 filenames are kept along with long filenames.

Advantages of NTFS

NTFS is best for use on volumes of about 400 MB or more. This is because performance does not degrade under NTFS, as it does under FAT, with larger volume sizes.

The recoverability designed into NTFS is such that a user should never have to run any sort of disk repair utility on an NTFS partition. For additional advantages of NTFS, see the following:

Disadvantages of NTFS

It is not recommended to use NTFS on a volume that is smaller than approximately 400 MB, because of the amount of space overhead involved in NTFS. This space overhead is in the form of NTFS system files that typically use at least 4 MB of drive space on a 100 MB partition.

Currently, there is no file encryption built into NTFS. Therefore, someone can boot under MS-DOS, or another operating system, and use a low-level disk editing utility to view data stored on an NTFS volume.

It is not possible to format a floppy disk with the NTFS file system; Windows NT formats all floppy disks with the FAT file system because the overhead involved in NTFS will not fit onto a floppy disk.

For further discussion of NTFS disadvantages, see the following:

NTFS Naming Conventions

File and directory names can be up to 255 characters long, including any extensions. Names preserve case, but are not case sensitive. NTFS makes no distinction of filenames based on case. Names can contain any characters except for the following:

   ?  "  /  \  <  >  *  |  :

Currently, from the command line, you can only create file names of up to 253 characters.

NOTE: Underlying hardware limitations may impose additional partition size limitations in any file system. Particularly, a boot partition can be only 7.8 GB in size, and there is a 2-terabyte limitation in the partition table.

——————————————–

Microsoft Knowledge Base Article

This article contents is Microsoft Copyrighted material.
Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. Terms of Use | Trademarks

turn on your Nokia and then just enter

*#9270689#

An oldie but goldie trick

Type :    *#3646633#

You will get to a hidden factory screen where you can edit some phone parameters. For the people that had troubles with the sound (too low) this is the only solution

It worked for me , and i share it with you .

You will be surprised  of the result

• google l33t
• google loco
• google gothic
• elgoog
• ewmew fudd
• xx-klingon
• xx-piglatin
• google bsd
• google linux
• google easter egg

Here are a few basic tips on how to help protect your children when they play games and compete online.

Family Safety from Windows Live OneCare and the parental controls included in Windows Vista can help you create a safer online environment for your children.

The American Academy of Pediatricians (AAP) helped Microsoft develop age-based guidance for Internet use that’s included in both of these products. To learn more, click the links below.

Up to age 10: High settings

Supervise and monitor your children to make sure they are not exposed to inappropriate materials up until they are age 10.

You can use Internet safety tools to limit access to content, Web sites, and activities, and be actively involved in your child’s Internet use.

Ages 11 to 14: Medium settings

Children this age are savvier about their Internet experience, but it’s still a good idea to supervise and monitor their Internet use to ensure they are not exposed to inappropriate materials.

You can use Internet safety tools to limit access to content and Web sites and provide a report of Internet activities.

Make sure children this age understand what personal information they should not give over the Internet.

Ages 15 to 18: Low settings

Teens should have almost limitless access to content, Web sites, or activities. They are savvy about the Internet but they still need parents to remind them of appropriate safety guidelines. Parents should be available to help their teens understand inappropriate messages and avoid unsafe situations.

It’s a good idea for parents to remind teens what personal information should not be given over the Internet.

The best thing about having a mobile PC (a notebook, Tablet PC, or ultra-mobile PC) is that you can take it with you wherever you go. You can use it just about anywhere-on a trip, at the library, or even at your favorite café. The downside is that your computer-and the valuable data on it-may be a target for thieves and hackers.

You know it’s important to protect your hardware and personal information, but perhaps you’re not sure how to go about it. Look no further. You’ll find nine tips here to help you help protect your mobile PC-without sacrificing mobility or connectivity.

1. Use a cable lock

You’ve got a great mobile PC, but do you have a cable lock? How about an anti-theft alarm? Chances are your mobile PC has a lock slot in the side or the back of its case. For about $30, you can buy a cable that loops through the lock slot to secure your mobile PC to a stationary object. For a little more money, you can buy a cable lock with an alarm.

2. Buy a locking carrying case

You need a case anyway, so why not buy a hard-side case with a solid lock? Unlike a nylon case or backpack, a hard-side case doesn’t advertise that you’re carrying a valuable computer. The lock shows thieves that they’ll need to work a lot harder to open your case. A locking carrying case doesn’t cost much, and it will also help protect your mobile PC if you drop it.

3. Get insurance

You might be lucky enough to have replacement coverage through your homeowner’s or renter’s policy. If not, you can purchase insurance from companies that specialize in computer coverage. It depends on where you live, but you can probably protect your hardware inexpensively.

4. Create a strong password

A strong password is one of the best ways to ward off hackers. You should create strong passwords to log on to Windows and any networks that you use. For even better security, make a habit of changing your passwords frequently.

To create a strong password, follow these tips:

• Include at least eight characters.
• Use letters, numbers, and symbols.
• Make the password significantly different from your previous passwords.
• Don’t use your name or user name.
• Avoid common words, names, or phrases.

5. Back up your files regularly

If your computer is stolen or the hard disk fails, you could lose your data-unless you made a backup. Backing up your files to a location that is separate from your mobile PC is an essential part of protecting your important files. You should back up your files at least once a week, or, for even better protection of your most recent data, once a day.

You can back up your files to a CD or DVD, a USB flash drive, an external hard drive, or another computer if your mobile PC is on a network. Make it easy on yourself by scheduling automatic backups that can run even while you’re using your computer. Here’s how to set up an automatic backup:

1. Click the Start button , click Control Panel, click System and Maintenance, and then click Backup and Restore Center.
2. Click Back up files, and then follow the steps in the wizard.

6. Install Windows updates automatically

You know that it’s important to install Windows updates to help protect your computer, but you can’t always be at your computer when you get notified that new updates are available. No problem-you can set updates to be installed automatically, as soon as they are available.

With Windows automatic updating, you can choose to install important updates only, or important and recommended updates. Windows installs the latest updates as soon as you connect to the Internet. You can set the time that you want Windows to install the updates, such as 3:00 A.M. If you turn off your computer before then, Windows installs the updates the next time you’re online. Here’s how to turn on automatic updating:

1. Click the Start button , click Control Panel, click Security, and then, under Security Center, click Turn automatic updating on or off.
2. Make sure that the Install updates automatically (recommended) option is selected.
3. Under Recommended updates, make sure that the Include recommended updates when downloading, installing, or notifying me about updates check box is also selected.

7. Use Windows Firewall

If your mobile PC is running Windows Vista, Windows Firewall is already working for you. A firewall checks information coming from the Internet (or a network) and either blocks it or lets it through to your mobile PC. Windows Firewall can prevent hackers from installing worms or viruses on your mobile PC. You can change the settings for Windows Firewall, but don’t turn it off completely. If you prefer not to use Windows Firewall, be sure to install and use another firewall.

8. Use Windows Defender

Windows Defender, which comes with Windows Vista, helps keep spyware and other potentially unwanted software at bay. Though not all detected software is harmful, Windows Defender will notify you if it detects spyware and malicious software (also called malware).

Windows Defender works in three ways:

• First, it can automatically scan your computer for spyware and other potentially unwanted software. To better protect your computer, set Windows Defender to automatically scan your computer each day.
• Second, it notifies you when software attempts to install itself or run on your mobile PC.
• Third, if you opt to join the online Microsoft SpyNet community, it lets you know how other people in the community have responded to software that hasn’t yet been classified as a risk. If they think it’s harmful, you’ll know. If you think it’s harmful, you can prevent it from running on your computer and your choice will be used to help other people decide what to do.

You can also scan for spyware and other potentially unwanted software at any time. Here’s how:

• Click the Start button , click Control Panel, click Security, and then, under Windows Defender, click Scan for spyware and other potentially unwanted software.

9. Install an antivirus program

Anytime you go online, your mobile PC is at risk for viruses. To help protect your mobile PC from viruses, install an antivirus program and keep it up to date. Antivirus programs scan for viruses that try to access your e‑mail messages and attachments, operating system, or files. To find an antivirus program, see the Windows Vista Security Software Providers website.

Add these tips to your daily routine

Remember, the best way to help ensure that someone doesn’t help themselves to your hardware or files is to follow a few simple steps:

• Use a cable lock to secure your mobile PC to something big and heavy when you leave it in your home or office.
• Don’t let your mobile PC out of your sight or let someone you don’t trust use it.
• Insure your computer against theft and damage.
• Create a strong password and change it often.
• Back up your files regularly.
• Set Windows Update to install updates automatically.
• Let Windows Firewall help protect you. Don’t turn it off.
• Let Windows Defender help protect you. Don’t turn it off.
• Install an antivirus program and update it regularly.

——————————————–

Microsoft Knowledge Base Article

This article contents is Microsoft Copyrighted material.
Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. Terms of Use | Trademarks

Some impressionable kids move from sites where people are mocked for their personal appearance to sites where minorities and homosexuals are attacked.

White supremacist and hate groups have turned to the Internet to target young people for recruitment. Hate promoters look for vulnerable youth who can be brought into their community through private chat rooms and e-mail, far away from the public eye.

These groups also use hateful music to entice young people to their cause. When kids surf the Net for music, they can easily come across sites that sell hate music or even make it available for free.

Some hate sites have areas specifically designed for young children that give the appearance of being legitimate by offering harmless activities, crafts, and links to respected kids’ sites.

The purpose of a hate site isn’t always readily apparent. For example, at first glance, “martinlutherking.org” appears to be a tribute to the American civil rights leader. In fact, it is a hate site created by a white supremacist organization.

How to help your kids avoid hateful content on the Internet

Parents must protect young children from hateful content on the Internet. They must also teach older kids how to think critically about online content and what to look for when identifying if a Web site might be a hate Web site. Here are some things you can do to help your kids avoid hateful content online: