From David Holiman's dlhnet.net - the source for all things "IT" in Benton, Arkansas.
There are a lot of tips, tricks, and information I can post here for all to see; it would probably make this the longest page on the Internet. Below, I'll share
some of the "best" (in my opinion) tips and tricks, some from my days on USENET long ago in the comp.* hierarchy, some new, and also some writeups I've done
on various topics like e-mail viruses and the new Windows 8.
Enjoy!
Info: This tip shows you how to delete multiple Internet Explorer favorites quickly and efficiently.
A quick write-up. A friend was having to delete out of the favorites list one entry at a time. I'm guessing the user was just in IE
and going through the favorites list that way. This should prove to be a quicker way.
Info: This tip shows you how to dig deep into the depths of a single e-mail message. Never trust e-mails
from unknown sources or if you weren't expecting it.
This was a pretty complex write-up; I wrote it up in Word and saved it as a .pdf for your convenience! It's graphics-intensive
but, in my opinion, worth it as it illustrates some freely-available tools to help you figure out stuff online.
Click here to access the writeup, "Anatomy of an E-mail Threat." Happy reading and safe browsing!
Info: This shows you how to use MSConfig to change what starts up when your Windows-based PC boots. If
you notice your PC slowing down at startup over time, this may be a good place to check to see what's being
launched when you start up.
In Windows XP, go to Start -> Run.
In Windows Vista/Win7/Win8, press Winkey+R for the Run dialog box...
Type "msconfig" and click OK.
Go to the Startup tab...
It's usually safe to "Disable all" or you can pick and choose what you want/don't want
to start when you turn your computer on. A hint: viruses will sometimes embed their
startup programs' launch trigger in the Registry; the Startup tab will sometimes show this.
Definitely disable anything that looks suspicious. If you have Microsoft Security Essentials
or another antivirus program installed, DON'T disable its entries here; it's essential that
they run so they can protect your computer.
If you happen to disable something you absolutely need, you won't find that your computer magically
quits working; more than likely, that one program that you disabled in msconfig will either not launch,
give you an error message, or start more slowly than before. That last part is especially true
with Adobe Acrobat. It's such a large program that it sets itself to partially load in memory
when you start your computer so the actual program seems to load faster when you need it. It will still work
if its startup program is disabled here, however.
Either way, press OK when you're done; reboot if prompted.
From comp.hardware, July, 2003...
Info: this tip touches on how Microsoft compresses critical Windows files on their installation CD/DVD
media and how you can expand/uncompress any of those files when necessary. Good info to have if you
ever get a corrupt system file.
Leonisknovo wrote:
> I recently bought a new video card.
> Now, all went well installing it, installing all the drivers, ect.
> It was the right type (AGP), and all that.
> Well, my Anti-virus said a 'rundll32.exe' had been modified,
> and the only options it gave me where help and repair.
> I checked out help, which didn't really do anything, so I clicked repair.
> Next thing I know it saying this 'rundll32.exe' had been deleted!!
> Now, when I right-click on desk top, then click propperties,
> a pop-up comes up, saying:
> "Cannot find the file 'rundll32.exe' (or one of its componets).
> Make sure the path and filename are correct and that all required
> libaries are available."
> Then, then I go to Control Panel, and its same thing for the following:
> ------
> Add/Remove HardWare
> Find Fast
> Gaming Options
> Internet Options
> Java Plug-In
> KeyBoard
> Mouse
> nVidia nView DeskTop Manager
> Phone & Modem Options
> Power Options
> QuickTime
> Regional Options
> Scanners & Cameras
> Sound & MultiMedia
> System
> Accessibilty Options
> ------
> The question is, is there anyway I can sort of install this
> 'rundll32.exe' or do I have to formate my hard drive & reinstall windows??
Ouch! Rundll32 is a very important file in Windows. A lot of those
control panel applets such as "System" (the same thing as My Computer
--> Properties) and "Display" are really just .dll files in your
windows/system32 folder and require the rundll32 stub program to run. A
.dll file can contain executable code, but isn't recognized by Windows
as an executable file, therefore needs an .exe file to have a handle to
the .dll. (clear as mud?) The only way I know of to replace the file is
to go to your Windows 2000 CD, extract the "rundll32.ex_" file in the
i386 folder, then place it in your windows/system32 folder, then apply
any service packs you may have installed. Good luck.
--
David L. Holiman
KD5YDU - amateur radio
A+ certified
Network and Systems Administrator
(Thread continues...)
Leonisknovo wrote:
> I did exactly that.
> I took the 'rundll32.ex_" file from the i386 folder,
> and placed in the "WINNT" folder
> (I believe that's the Windows folder for 2K, as there is no 'Windows' folder)
> Now, it didn't work; I rebooted to see if I had to, still, same thing.
> Also, I tried re-naming 'rundll32.exe' but still no work after rebooted again.
> Anything else I can do?
> I'd really like to know before I resort to re-formating my hard drive
> and re-installing Windows...
The "rundll32.ex_" is a compressed file and must be "blown up" to full
size. You have to use the EXPAND.EXE utility which should also be in
the i386 folder. Here's the usage of the EXPAND program:
F:\NRMEEVL_EN\I386>expand /?
Microsoft (R) File Expansion Utility Version 5.2.3790.0
Copyright (c) Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.
Expands one or more compressed files.
EXPAND [-r] Source Destination
EXPAND -r Source [Destination]
EXPAND -D Source.cab [-F:Files]
EXPAND Source.cab -F:Files Destination
-r Rename expanded files.
-D Display list of files in source.
Source Source file specification. Wildcards may be used.
-F:Files Name of files to expand from a .CAB.
Destination Destination file | path specification.
Destination may be a directory.
If Source is multiple files and -r is not specified,
Destination must be a directory.
In your case, it looks like you'd have to use "expand rundll32.ex_
c:\winnt\system32\rundll32.exe" . If that's the wrong syntax, I
apologize; jsut keep playing with your command line arguments and you
should be OK. Let me know if I can be of any more help.
Good luck.
-- David L. Holiman
KD5YDU - amateur radio
A+ certified
Network and Systems Administrator
From comp.windows.misc way back in 2004...
On 17 Mar 2004 15:57:38 -0800, annitb DeleteThis @hotmail.com (Annit Bhattacharya)
wrote this <1615e1ed.0403171557.3bea2285 DeleteThis @posting.google.com> in
comp.windows.misc:
>Hello,
>
>I just upgraded Win2k Advanced Server to Win2003 Server Enterprise
>edition ( it is similar in most respects to Win XP ).
>
>The upgrade went smooth except for the delay in the appearance of all
>submenus in all applications when I hover my mouse over any menu
>option.
>
>I have disabled all menu fading and animation effects and optimised
>for performance as is possible from My Computer->Right
>Click->Properties->Advanced->Performance(Settings). I have also
>reduced the menu reaction speed in the registry to 5 ms. I have the
>classic menu option selected.
>
>Yet the reaction time for appearance of submenus is 5-10 secs. In this
>time the CPU usage jumps to 100% with the application CSRSS.EXE using
>99%. The subitems appear correctly after 10 secs or so.
>
>I have noticed that submenus with items that are real files, like the
>Programs menu and the IE Favorites Folders don't show this problem.
>
>All others, e.g. - Tools->Mail and News (in IE), Tools->Send and
>Receive (in Outlook Express), basically every such menu item with
>submenu items in every application.
>
>Any help in rectifying this will be highly appreciated.
>
>Thanks,
>Annit
I had this problem when I upgraded to 2003 as well. I noticed that
when a user logged on for the first time (i.e. created a new profile
on the machine), the problem disappeared. So, I went in and deleted
my "old" profiles carried over from Win 2000, logged in as the user in
question, let a new profile be created, and voila, the problem was
gone.
Try logging on as another user, backing up the important stuff in the
other user's profile dir, delete that profile (the "right" way...under
My Computer Properties --> Advanced tab --> User Profiles section) and
then log back in as the other user (the one with the problem) and let
the machine create a "new" profile. Hope that helps!
David L. Holiman
Network Administrator
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For correspondance by e-mail, send mail to holliwood -at- netzero -dot- net
73 de KD5YDU