How to detect malware on your computer manually

I`ve been asked this kind of topic over and over again. Most of people asking this do not have any updated antivirus or anti spyware solution, so going through the common way is difficult.

If you think persistent spyware is bogging down your computer, Hijackthis may help you to troubleshoot the problem. Hijackthis will examine certain critical areas of the registry and hard drive and list their contents on a log file. Remember; do not remove all these registry entries as u could be deleting some legitimate entries. A good solution is to post the log file to a tech forum and ask for expert opinion.

If nobody responded your query on a tech forum you may try Hijackthis Auto Analyzer for a hint. Paste your hijackthis log file on the form and the system will parse the entry against few databases to determine which entry in your log are OK and which ones are bad! Reboot your computer in safe mode and delete the bad entries via regedit. If your regedit has been disabled by some virus/spyware , copy the code below and paste in Run window . Press enter to reenable your regedit.

REG add HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System /v DisableRegistryTools /t REG_DWORD /d 0 /f

How to convert FAT to NTFS

I have a second hard disk running on my Windows XP box and its running on FAT. Why would u want to convert FAT to NTFS? There are few reasons why you want to convert FAT to NTFS:


You can encrypt and decrypt file on NTFS
Better hard disk usage efficiency
NTFS provides quota
File by file compression
Of course there tons of other reasons u may want to use NTFS. You may get full comparisons here.

Actually you don’t need any third party software to convert FAT to NTFS. Microsoft provides a ready tool called convert.exe. Remember, converting FAT to NTFS is a one way road and there is no turning back.

Here’s step by step instruction to convert FAT to NTFS


Click Start >Run
type cmd and click run
the full command is CONVERT volume /FS:NTFS [/V] [/CvtArea:filename] [/NoSecurity] [/X]
As an example let say if I want to convert my D: drive from FAT to NTFS I just have to type CONVERT D: /fs:ntfs

How to prevent PC from spreading virus to USB Drive

Here is another tip to prevent public PC from acting as reservoir to spread virus/Trojan via USB Drive. When this technique applied with SHIFT key hold down technique, no virus will be able to spread via USB drive. (Unless the virus reverses whatever registry change we did to counter the spread)

This tip is specifically for Windows XP users as for Vista users, I believe UAC should protect you. I believe some of us do not realize that Windows XP SP2 provides extra function to protect your computer from writing data into USB drive. While some computer administrators are using this technique to prevent data theft from public or personal computers, this technique can be used perfectly to counter virus spread via USB Drive.

Before you messing around with windows registry, its safer to create a restore point.
Here`s a step by step instruction to set USB drive read only:
1. Open registry editor .Click Start > Run and type Regedit
2. Browse the windows registry and find this value:
a. HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\StorageDevicePolicies
3. If the StorageDevicePolicies key is not there, simple create the key under the parent key.
4. Create the following value WritePtotect (DWORD) and set it as 1
5. Close your registry editor and you are done!

Virtual Memory Low—What to Do?

Question: What do I do to fix the virtual memory when it is too low? -Chris Parks
Solution: I assume that you got a little balloon in the bottom right-hand corner announcing that your virtual memory is low and that Windows is adjusting it. If this happens just once, don't worry—as the message said, Windows found a problem and fixed it. But if it happens repeatedly, it could be that your settings don't allow Windows to make the necessary adjustment. First, make sure your drive isn't overly full. In Windows Explorer, right-click the drive icon and choose Properties. If the amount of free space is under about 10 percent, you'll need to free up some space. You can use the Disk Cleanup button right next to the free space indicator, or manually move some files to off-line storage, or uninstall unnecessary applications—whatever it takes to get more free space.
If low drive space isn't the problem, the virtual-memory settings may be wrong. Right-click My Computer and choose Properties. Click the Advanced tab. Click the Settings button in the Performance panel. Click the Advanced tab in the Performance dialog. Click the Change button in the Virtual memory panel. Whew! This setting is buried quite thoroughly! Look for the System managed size option, select it if it isn't already selected, and then click OK, OK, OK. That should end the warnings