Virus removal is a large part of doing computer repair. There are different ways your computer can get infected; one of them is by opening an infected e-mail message and/or attachment. When any of my clients ask how I deal with unwanted e-mail, I tell them about Mailwasher, the anti-spam program from Firetrust.

The main screen inside of Mailwasher Pro 7.1.0

With Mailwasher, you view all of your e-mail without opening it or the attachments. That way you can read it before you open it in your e-mail program or browser. You can also view the source of the mail and find out if the sender and server are correct. Plus, you can check the links inside your e-mail to be sure that they are valid. And best feature of all, you can bounce mail (send back marked as undeliverable).

The main screen inside the Android version of Mailwasher

The latest release, Mailwasher 7.1.0, has some great additions and improvements, including a smartphone app and syncing between computers / smartphones. Here's a brief list of the changes:

• Added the ability to Sync MailWasher Pro settings and accounts between PCs
• Added the ability to Sync MailWasher Pro settings and accounts with MailWasher Mobile for iOS and Android
• Added the ability to view emails in HTML
• Added slider to Performance settings to control how much text is sent through Quick Reply/Forward
• Improved Contact Importer
• Improved Account Importer
• Improved encoding for Quick Reply/Quick Forward for web based email clients
• Improved Sent and Received columns not updating on date rollover

Mailwasher comes in two versions, Pro and Free. Both versions work with Outlook, Outlook Express, Outlook.com, Windows Live Mail, G-mail and every other mail program. Mailwasher Pro allows you to check an unlimited number of email accounts, access to First Alert global spam database and the advertising banner at the top of the program is removed. The Pro version also has the latest features.

For more information on Mailwasher Pro or Mailwasher Free, just follow the links below:

Mailwasher Pro
Mailwasher Free

Posted on: 3/25/2013 at 7:56 AM
Tags: anti-spam, mailwasher, mailwasher free, mailwasher pro, microsoft outlook, outlook, outlook express, software, windows, windows 7, windows 8, windows live mail, windows xp, windows vista, g-mail, outlook.com
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Do you have an old Windows based computer you would like to get rid of but want to make sure that all of your data is securely erased? Or maybe you would like to wipe all of the data from your hard drive and perform a clean installation of Windows? Either way, you'll want to make the data is completely wiped out. Here's how to securely erase all of the data from your Windows based computer.

Back-up all folder(s) and/or file(s) you want to save

This is the time to double and triple-check for any folder(s) and/or file(s) you may want to keep. If you plan on reinstalling Windows, make sure that you have all of the installation media available. If you need to create the recovery media that is stored on your computer, this is the time to do it. Once the hard drive is wiped cleaned, the recovery media images will be gone too.

• Windows XP Backup
• Windows Vista Backup
• Windows 7 Backup
• Windows 8 Backup

Download and create bootable media with disk wiping software

The best way to completely wipe clean a hard drive is by booting the computer up on a CD/DVD disk or USB drive. This way you can erase all of the space on the hard drive. There are several free utilities for doing this, including Darik's Boot And Nuke, CMRR - Secure Erase and PC Disk Eraser. I recommend the Ultimate Boot CD (UBCD), which has all of these and more already built-in. Just download the image file (.ISO) and use your favorite disk burning software or Windows built-in disk burning to create the bootable media. You can even create a UBCD bootable USB drive.

Encrypt the contents of your hard drive

This step may seem unnecessary, but it does make data recovery virtually impossible on the drive you are going to wipe. Windows has a feature called Encrypting File System (EFS) built-in, but it's disabled by default. It allows files to be encrypted transparently with a File Encryption Key (FEK). For more on EFS, check out this Wikipedia article. So even if someone was able to recover the data on the drive after the wiping, it would be in very poor condition. After that, the data would have to be unencrypted, and being in such bad condition, would be really hard, if not impossible.

1. Open File Explorer / Windows Explorer (Windows logo key + E).
2. Select the file(s) and/or folder(s) you want to encrypt.
3. Right-click on the items selected and then left-click on Properties from the context menu that appears.
4. On the General tab, left-click on Advanced.
5. Left-click the check box for Encrypt contents to secure data.
6. Left-click on OK. Be patient, encrypting the folders and/or files may take some time.

Insert bootable media and restart system

When you restart your system, it should boot up on the media you created. Follow the on screen instructions. If using the UBCD, navigate to HDD > Disk Wiping for the list of utilities. Each program will have similar data destruction settings. I always look for the latest Department of Defense standard (currently DOD 5220.22-M). If you really want to clean your hard drive, just run two or more of the disk wiping programs included on the UBCD.

If your system does not boot up on the media you just created, you may have to change the boot order for the computer. Check the 'splash' screen that first appears when you start your computer. Sometimes there is an option for boot device and/or menu, usually an F key. If not, you will have to change it manually inside the BIOS (Basic Input Output System). The BIOS can usually be accessed by pressing the DEL or F2 key when the 'splash' screen appears. It's always recommended to check the documentation for your motherboard on which keys are used to access the BIOS and where in the BIOS to change the boot order.

Posted on: 3/8/2013 at 12:45 AM
Tags: backup, windows xp, windows vista, windows 7, windows 8, encrypting file system, erase hard drive
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Have you ever opened a filling cabinet just to find the folders just scattered around? The files are all over the place and you cannot find what you're looking for. The same thing can happen to the folders / files on your Windows based computer. Windows does come with a disk defrag program, but its options are very limited. If you're looking for something more in a disk defrag program, check out Defraggler by Piriform.

Drive view inside of Defraggler

With Defraggler you can do much more than just defragment your hard drive. You can do a quick or full defrag, defrag just free space and my favorite, boot-time defrag. And it uses the same technology as Windows built-in defragmenter to read and write files. You can even have the option to replace Windows built-in defrag program with Defraggler.

Block detail view inside of Defraggler

Defraggler also has something that has been missing from Windows built-in defragmenter for years, a drive map showing the status of files on your hard drive. And what is really cool is that you can left-click on a block and defraggler will tell you what file(s) are located in it. And best of all, it's free. Here's a quote from the Piriform website:

Defragment exactly what you want
Most defrag tools only allow you to defrag an entire drive. Defraggler lets you specify one or more files, folders, or the whole drive to defragment.

Safe and Secure
When Defraggler reads or writes a file, it uses the exact same techniques that Windows uses. Using Defraggler is just as safe for your files as using Windows.

Compact and portable
Defraggler's tough on your files – and light on your system.

Interactive drive map
At a glance, you can see how fragmented your hard drive is. Defraggler's drive map shows you blocks that are empty, not fragmented, or needing defragmentation.

Quick Defrag
Give your hard drive a quick touch-up with Quick Defrag.

Defragment free space
Organizes empty disk space to further prevent fragmentation.

Scheduled defragmentation
Defragment while you sleep - and wake up with a faster PC. Set Defraggler to run daily, weekly or monthly.

Multi-lingual support
No matter what your native tongue is, Defraggler speaks your language. It currently supports 37 languages.

For more information on Defraggler, just follow the link below:

Defraggler - File and Disk Defragmentation

Posted on: 12/17/2012 at 12:44 PM
Tags: defrag, disk defragmenter, optimize hard drive, windows xp, windows vista, windows 7, windows 8, defraggler, piriform
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There may come a time when your Windows based computer starts to run improperly. Installing and uninstalling software, viruses and malware are just a few things that can corrupt the integrity of system files. When it comes to computer repair on a system running Windows, I always like to check for corrupt system files. You can too with Windows built-in System File Checker (SFC).

System File Checker running in Command Prompt inside of Windows 8

SFC scans the integrity of all protected system files and replaces incorrect versions with correct Microsoft versions. Everything SFC does is documented in the CBS.log file. So, if SFC finds any files that it cannot repair, check the CBS.log for more information. See the bottom of command line syntax(s) and parameter(s) for details on how to view the CBS.log.

Running SFC in Windows Vista, Windows 7 and Windows 8

To ensure that SFC runs with administrator privileges on Windows Vista, Windows 7 and Windows 8, you will need to run it at an administrative Command Prompt.

1. Open a Command Prompt with Administrative privileges
   How to open a Command Prompt with Administrator privileges in Windows Vista and Windows 7
   How to open a Command Prompt with Administrator privileges in Windows 8
2. Use the following command line syntax(s) and parameter(s) to run SFC:

sfc [/scannow] [/verifyonly] [/scanfile=<file>] [/verifyfile=<file>] [/offwinddir=<offline windows directory>/offbootdir=<offline boot directory>]

You can view the CBS.log file in Notepad by using the following code at the same administrative Command Prompt used to start SFC.
notepad %systemroot%\Logs\CBS\CBS.log

Running SFC in Windows XP

To use SFC, you will need to open a Command Prompt.

1. Click the Start button, then Programs, then Accessories, then click on Command Prompt
   or
   Press + R. This will bring up the Run dialog box. Type CMD and click OK
2. Use the following command line syntax(s) and parameter(s) to run SFC:

sfc [/scannow] [/scanonce] [/scanboot] [/revert] [/purgecache] [/cachesize=<x>]

When SFC is done, you can view the log file in Notepad by using the following code at the same Command Prompt used to start SFC.
notepad %systemroot%\Logs\CBS\CBS.log

Posted on: 12/6/2012 at 4:12 AM
Tags: system file checker, sfc.exe, cbs.log, windows xp, windows vista, windows 7, windows 8
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At some point in time, you may need to run a program or command from a Command Prompt with Administrative privileges. Some of the best features inside of Windows Vista and Windows 7 are only accessible through an administrative Command Prompt. Here's how to open a Command Prompt with Administrator privileges in Windows Vista and Windows 7.

A Command Prompt in Windows 7 with Administrator privileges

1. Left-click on the Start button.
2. Left-click on All Programs.
3. Left-click on Accessories.
4. Right-click on Command Prompt.
5. On the context menu that appears, left-click on Run as administrator. If you're prompted for an administrator password or confirmation, type the password or provide confirmation.

or

1. Left-click on the Start button.
2. In the search box above the Start button, type Command Prompt.
3. In the list of results, right-click Command Prompt.
4. On the context menu that appears, left-click Run as administrator. If you're prompted for an administrator password or confirmation, type the password or provide confirmation.

Posted on: 12/5/2012 at 7:14 AM
Tags: command prompt, windows vista, windows 7
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