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Son of RegClean

Submitted by Mike on Sun, 04/22/2007 - 6:39pm
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In the good (bad) old days, we used to use a Microsoft tool, RegClean which would scrub the Windows registry for dead information (which tended to accumulate if you removed previously installed software, and for other reasons.) This accumulation would cause your system to slow down, use more memory, and be less stable.

Microsoft stopped supporting RegClean for anything newer than Windows 98; so, if you have Win2k, XP, or Server 2003, what can you do to maintain system performance?

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D-Link DWL-650 Drivers

Submitted by Mike on Mon, 04/16/2007 - 7:17am
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D-Link DWL-650 Info and Drivers

Interesting article regarding an external
antenna for this card:

http://c0rtex.com/~will/antenna/
(older version archived here) http://www.guerrilla.net/reference/80211_mod/dwl-650_ext_antenna/

Alternative drivers for D-Link DWL-650 wireless network card may be located
at D-Link's UK site:

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DLL Error: Illegal System DLL Relocation

Submitted by Mike on Mon, 04/16/2007 - 6:30am
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Find and fix DLL errors

Having DLL problems in Windows XP or Vista? Check our DLL error repair guide.

If you are running Windows XP SP2 (including Media Center and Tablet Edition), and you have applied the Microsoft updates 925902 (MS07-017) and security update 928843 (MS07-008), and you are using Realtek audio components on your system, you may receive this error message when trying to use ElsterFormular, Realtek HD Audio Control Panel, TUGZip, and CD-Tag.

{application name} - Illegal System DLL Relocation

The system DLL user32.dll was relocated in memory. The application will not run properly. The relocation occurred because the DLL C:\Windows\System32\Hhctrl.ocx occupied an address range reserved for Windows system DLLs. The vendor supplying the DLL should be contacted for a new DLL.

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DLL Error: esent.dll and wuauclt.exe - Access violations and other errors after user logs in

Submitted by Mike on Thu, 04/12/2007 - 12:22am
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A friend had me check out his ailing Windows XP Home notebook computer last night. Every time he booted the computer, it would display an endless stream of error messages about wuauclt.exe having caused an access violation. This message would reappear every 30 seconds or so.

Microsoft has a hotfix (see 'related links', below) that is supposed to address this problem, but I was unable to install the hotfix - the system would display an error message saying that it could not verify the system configuration, and therefore could not install the hotfix.

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Windows XP Themes

Submitted by Mike on Tue, 04/10/2007 - 11:02pm
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Windows XP supports look and feel customization using 'themes'. Themes are collections of settings and images that provide a complete appearance 'package' for your XP system.

When you select a new theme, Windows XP takes on a customized appearance that is controlled by the theme's settings and imagery. The customizations can include fonts, colors, desktop wallpaper, and other Windows XP visual styles elements. You can give your Windows XP system a completely unique look and feel.

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Adware and spyware and how to remove them

Submitted by Mike on Mon, 04/09/2007 - 8:54pm
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An epidemic of uninvited guests

One of the recurring problems I encounter is spyware and adware. When helping home or other casual Windows users with performance problems on their Windows XP systems, I frequently encounter programs that have installed themselves without the users' knowledge - invariably, I hear "I have no idea how that got there."

Upon inspection, I often find a variety of 'hidden' program set to run when the computer is started. These unwelcome and uninvited guests pests bring a variety of problems with them, so it's always best to eliminate them from the computer whenever possible.

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New AdSense ad graphic

Submitted by Mike on Sat, 04/07/2007 - 12:36pm
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We've noticed some new visual elements in AdSense ads - namely, Google has been adding enhanced graphic elements where the old "Ads by Gooooogle" text used to appear.

They are using transparent PNG files to overlay the border graphic.

Here's a sampling of the new graphics:


http://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/abglogo/abg-en-100c-000000.png

Here's what it looks like with an ad having a visible border:

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lsass.exe - what is it?

Submitted by Mike on Fri, 04/06/2007 - 10:47am
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LSASS.exe (the 'LSA Shell') is part of the Windows security services, dealing mainly with local security policies. I've seen two major variants: the export version (weak crypto) and the domestic version, which is supposed to offer 128-bit encryption.

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Essential CSS

Submitted by Mike on Thu, 03/08/2007 - 12:05pm
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If you are working with CSS and you use the FireFox browser, you absolutely must check out the lifesaving Web Developer add-in.

Essential JavaScript

Submitted by Mike on Thu, 03/08/2007 - 9:33am
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If you are working with JavaScript, run, do not walk, over to Douglas Crockford's site and read his writings on JavaScript. We'll be here when you complete the assignment.

Back so soon? Now go over to jibbering.com's closures page and read up. Go ahead, it's ok.

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