A thread for boring computer questions.

I feel like such an idiot. Thank you to everyone who's helped.

I wish I could find a reviews and recommendations site for people like me who will buy recentish hardware but have no intention of overclocking it and then expecting it to run ice-cold for endless LAN parties and suchlike. They're all aimed at the hardcore gaming and overclocking crew, which leaves me with no idea how much cooling is the minimum to run safely and what PSU I'll need if I don't plan to fit six extra fans all going full-tilt and sapping the 12V line.

go to Run (command prompt)

type msconfig

go to the startup tab

uncheck all the offending programs (anything that looks suspect)

when you close msconfig, it will prompt you to reboot. say yes. when windows comes back up, you'll get a message saying something along the lines of "windows is in selective startup mode" or something (i think - haven't done it in a while)

then you should be able to delete the files

you might have to go back into msconfig and move it back to normal startup

you could head for the registry, but be careful. save a copy of the branch you are going to edit, and all the usual warnings about fubar-ing your computer, etc...

have a look at this key:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run

this should contain the startup programs.

what version of windows are you using?

Command + H hides an application and all its windows
Command + ~ cycles windows in a great many applications

Yeah, I know - but I usually have at least 3 apps open. I want something that will quickly clear the desktop of all windows, just like 'Minimize all windows' does in Windows.

I no longer have any MP3centric jukebox-style software on my PC, so I was just going to do my usual method of prepping the WAVs individually in CoolEdit and saving to MP3 at reasonably high quality VBR, with the file name taking the form 'Artist - Title.mp3'. Do I need to bother with ID tags and the like?

Sorry for being so niave, but how do I look at this key, can you expound?

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run

"what version of windows are you using?" I'm using XP.

I tried to start my computer up in safe
mode, hoping I could then access the file and delete it without the
programme using it, but astonishingly - and this was also the verdict of
people working in the shop where I got my computer - my computer's cursor
freezes mid-way through the safe mode start up process: at the point where I
a message directs 'to begin, click your user name'. The last thing I've tried was
to press control, alt, delete, and I went to the processes tab to see what
was running, and saw that the file was not declared - it has stealthily
buried itself!

"are you sure that it was actually running though? it may have re-checked itself for next time - i don't think the selective startup is a permanent thing, just one time. did it not let you delete them, or did you just see the progs re-checked and think you were outfoxed?"
Indeed I did try to delete it but it wouldn't, again stating it was currently being used etc.

the structure on the left works just like windows explorer, by navigating folders and subfolders. so just follow the path from hkey... to ...Run by clicking on the appropriate folder icons.

be careful in there. worth mentioning is there's no "save changes" when you're in registry editor. everything is being changed as you type, delete, whatever.

just in case, i'd make a copy of the branch you're thinking of editing. make sure it's highlighted on the tree to the left, then click file-->export, and make sure the radio button for 'selected branch' is on. you can save it anywhere, say on your desktop. you could back up the whole thing, but it might take a while.

'TRULY nasty indeed ... pass this along to the affected person ...

The VIRUS which starts the proxy is that EXE file in question and it's a
cutie. What it's DOING is hiding inside Norton's code space AND inside the
EXPLORER.EXE program as well. Fortunately, you can stop this nonsense but
it takes a little trick.

First step, OPEN an MS-DOS (console) session. LEAVE IT OPEN ...

Now bring up the task manager and STOP EXPLORER.EXE ...

The traybar will vanish (this is why you have the MSDOS session open) ...
this is what you WANT to happen here.

Now go to the MSDOS window, type in EXPLORER and hit return.

This will bring BACK the traybar. Some icons may be missing, but the
programs that were running there will STILL be running, Microsoft doesn't
do a very good "restart" notify and that works in our favor here.

You SHOULD be able to go and delete that file now. Reboot, then clear out
the rest of the trash and unless it's being fed from another program
somewhere (should have been detected by AV) then it should be gone for good
now'.

Thanks ron for your help, too!

ahhhhh! selfupdate-cvs! of course. this is the thing that's been bloody well eluding me for days. i went so far as to compile python2.3 by hand and do a bunch of other stupidly unnecessary things which led me to think darwin was well and totally hooped. sourceforge has been behaving badly lately which i suspected was the reason i could not find the proper packages through fink, but it turns out it was just this one simple thing.

i'm doing my package dependencies right now. hopefully i'll up on soulseek this evening!

thanks ed, i owe you a beer!

run fast. if that fails, use fire.

"fat bastard cowboy cunt"...FAT SAM!!!!!!!!!

-- ambrose (ambrosewhit...), May 6th, 2003.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

indeed I hope he's in prison now getting buggered by an even fatter more unpleasant baby strangler, that would be justice.
-- Ed (dal...), May 6th, 2003.

haha!

you won't believe it

reincarnated as
FAT SAMS BUSINESS

Will, does this mean you'll get your money back?

What i want to know is how does he get away with it?????

One slight issue with the iMic, the gain circuits are quite clumsy and can only be adjusted in wuite large steps, so you get better results if you have a deck and a mixer and can fine tune the gain on a mixer.