Windows Tools, Help & Guides

About a year ago I set out to create me a Windows 7 live CD. Finally, I am able to present you with the How-To. But before we get into that, let’s review what a LIVE CD is.

A Live CD is an actual Windows Installation that you carry with you on a USB Flash Drive or CD/DVD. The Windows Installation is portable, meaning that you can have your own windows running on any PC you encounter. The Live CDs are most commonly used to repair computers that have crashed or to rescue data from a hard drive before doing a fresh installation. The great thing about a Live CD is that it does not alter anything on the computer you use (almost like a sandbox). You boot the computer as if it is your own (from the CD/DVD or USB). You can pre-install all the software you like, making it available no matter where you are. Sort of a Laptop, but without the hardware.

In the Linux World it has been around for years ( and as Windows XP). But Windows 7, well it’s been a longer road. You have of course been able to download illegal Windows Live Copies on the net for a while – but now at last I am able to show you have to create your own legal copy (for your personal use), provided you own a Windows Setup Disk and license.

Enough chit chat, let’s get on with it…

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This is a common problem and I am sure many of you have had this problem before. Your antivirus detects a virus, then it removes the virus but your system doesn’t act the way you expected. In this post you will learn how to fix a computer after a virus infection.

We have spoken before about removing Windows virus:

Test to See if Your Antivirus Software Works (Safe)

Remove Viruses And Malware in Safe Mode [How To]

Thomas has written a post about a program that restores several windows features:

Re-Enable 2.0 – Restore Windows functionality after virus and Trojan attack [Freeware]

In this post  we are going to use another approach with SuperAntiSpyware portable to do this:

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Windows Guides’ Rating	User Rating	Compatible with	System
5 out of 5	(4 votes, average: 4.75 out of 5)

PROS: Easy installation, in-browser, free, open-source, cross-platform, detailed history reports, built-in RSS feed, transfer calculator, plug-ins. CONS: None VERDICT:  BitMeter OS from Codebox Software is an exceptional way to keep tabs on your bandwidth consumption. Its built in tools which allow you to query the data it collects, send alerts if you reach a certain amount of data, calculate a transfer and build an hourly or daily RSS report (and more) coupled with a sophisticated web interface are a god-send to anyone who requires to keep an eye on their bandwidth. PRICE: Free VERSION REVIEWED: v0.7.2

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Last week I talked about the different shut-down options in Windows. One of our readers (Alexandra) wanted to know how to tell Windows to shut-down or hibernate at a certain time. The easiest way to do this is to set windows to automatically shut-down or hibernate after a specific period of idleness using the Power Option Settings. There might be several reasons why you would opt out the Power Option solution, but one reason might be that you do not want the computer to shut-down at all during the day. If that be the case, you can schedule Windows to shut-down at a specific time, say at 3 am after you have fallen asleep over the keyboard.

This is how you go about to do just that (not fall asleep, but schedule the computer to …)

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Last week, we shared some commands you can run (from the Run box/Start menu) that can save you time and get you to the tools you need quickly. If you missed it, here it is: Use Start Menu/Run Dialog Commands to Access Windows Programs and Tools.

This week, we’ll point you to some of our previously-written guides that include keyboard shortcuts that you can use in Windows and in a couple of popular programs. If we’re missing any shortcuts or programs with shortcuts, let us know in the comments.

• General Windows Shortcut Keys

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There are many ways to shut down and restart your computer, but – which does what, and which should you use when ?

The answer depends mostly on you. Are you into saving energy or boot-up time? How often do you leave your computer and for how long ?

There are three main shut-down options available in Windows: Shut-Down, Sleep and Hibernate (names may vary depending on the Windows version). In Vista and Windows 7, there is also a fourth option; Hybrid Sleep.

Let’s explore the topic.

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