Our answer man provides fast, practical solutions to seven problems that put users at odds with their PCs. On this page, he addresses the delicate task of removing important files from a malware-infested flash drive without transferring the aliens too. He also identifies the steps involved in adjusting the settings for the Recent Documents list in Windows' Start Menu, and reviews techniques for identifying third-party cookies in Internet Explorer and Firefox.
What a problem! It's scary just to plug in such a drive. Since most malware is operating system-specific, it's a good idea to perform the file retrieval on a non-Windows computer, such as a Mac or a Linux machine. For an easy and safe way to boot Linux on your own PC, browse to my
If you must plug the flash drive into a Windows PC, do it very carefully. Before you attach the infected file, update Windows itself and all of your security programs. Next, unplug all of your Internet and local network connections, so your computer can't communicate with the outside world.
Now turn off AutoPlay for your flash drive. Windows XP users should do this with Tweak UI, a free Microsoft Powertoy. Once you've installed and opened Tweak UI, navigate its left pane to
If you use Vista, click
Plug in the drive and move the files you need onto another removable storage device (not your hard drive). The documents themselves could be infected, so move only the ones you're sure you can't do without to a folder on the removable medium, and scan that folder with every security program you have.
Finally, shut down the PC, remove and throw away the flash drive, plug the PC back into the network, and reboot.
Always be mindful of Spector's First Law of Safe Computing: Never rely on one copy of anything. If you had made backups of those important documents before the infection, you could have thrown the unclean flash drive away at the first sign of disease.
To turn this list on or off, right-click the
It's trickier to set the maximum number of items that the list can display. The following works only for Administrator accounts, and you should do it only after backing up the Registry. For instructions, go to my
In XP, select
In Vista, select
Bonus tip: For a better look at your recent documents, try Flexigensoft's free ActualDoc. The program lets you filter the Recent Documents list by file type or date, go to the folder that houses the document, and secure the list. The Pro version (priced at
As I explain in my tip "Block Spying Cookies, but Keep the Useful Ones," most of the cookies that violate your privacy are owned not by the sites you visit, but by advertisers.
Internet Explorer doesn't providea good way of identifying these third-party cookies, but Mozilla Firefox does. If you're concerned about controlling cookies, Firefox is the better choice, anyway.
In Firefox, select
To see what site is placing third-party cookies, clear your cookies, but keep the Cookies dialog box open and visible as your surf. The cookies placed there by the current page will appear at the bottom of the list.
What's Up With Recalcitrant CD Rewrites, Bulky Browser Add-Ons, and MoreThe question and answers continue with a look at the history of the compact-disc format. Ohter topics include what you can do to dial up music volume in Windows XP or Vista while keeping the OS's system sounds comfortably pianissimo, how to uninstall or disable browser add-ons in Internet Explorer and Firefox, and how to set up faxing in Windows XP and Vista.
The compact-disc format was designed originally as a read-only medium, and the ability to erase and rewrite discs had to be added to the format after the fact. That's why you need special software to write to CD-R and -RW discs, and why--even with this software in place--CD-RWs behave like reformattable CD-Rs, and not like editable storage devices along the lines of flash drives.
Packet-writing programs get around this limitation of the format by running in the background and, in effect, fooling Windows into seeing an inserted CD-RW as a hard drive. Ahead Software's $80 Nero 7 Ultra and Roxio's $70 Easy Media Creator 9 come with packet-writing programs, though Nero's InCD isn't part of the default installation. Roxio calls its program Drag-to-Disc. Flash drives may be a better choice than CD-RWs as erasable, portable media because they don't have this problem.
In Windows XP, there's not much you can do to customize your volume levels. Make sure that the volume in your media player software is cranked up as high as it can go. To turn off Windows sounds entirely, select
Vista has a Volume Mixer that allows you to set different audio levels for different programs that deliver sound (XP's Volume Control looks similar, but it doesn't do the job). To reach Vista's tool, right-click the speaker icon in your system tray and select
If you're using Internet Explorer, you probably can't. The best you can do is disable them. To do so in IE6, select
Internet Explorer 7 allows you to remove ActiveX controls--provided that they're ones you've downloaded and installed (as opposed to those that came with the browser). To remove them, select
You may have other options at your disposal for deleting these programs. Check Control Panel's Add/Remove Programs applet (Programs and Features in Vista); An uninstaller for the add-on may be there. And if the program has a reputation as malware, you may be able to remove it by using a security program such as LavaSoft's AdAware.
On the other hand, if you're using Mozilla Firefox, all you have to do uninstall an unwanted browser add-on is select
Both XP and Vista come with perfectly serviceable fax programs. Of course, to use them, you'll need a dial-up analog modem plugged into your telephone line. To set up faxing in XP, open Control Panel's
From now on, you can fax anything that you can print. Just select
Lincoln Spector
