Windows Tools, Help & Guides

If you want access to your Windows account (and not just access to your files), you can reset your password quite easily. Learn, in this guide, how to burn a password reset disc and how to boot from it and reset your Windows account password.

Warning: Do not reset your password if you’ve used Windows to encrypt your files. Instead, attempt to crack your Windows password to regain access to these files.
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Microsoft Security Essentials (MSE) has been around for some time and has proved to be a popular, free anti-virus program. In this guide, I’ll show you how to configure MSE, what all the options mean, and some advanced tips to make the program run optimally for you.

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Windows Forums member and owner of Real Security, geohac, has updated his comprehensive guide to help users remove malware from their PC. In the guide, geohac covers steps you should take to prepare for removal such as disabling proxy servers (to give you a better chance at getting online and getting to the sites you need for virus removal software.) The guide then goes on to show you how to boot into safe mode to fight a virus (something we recommend ourselves) and then shows you which tools you should use to remove a virus (downloading these tools on a non-infected PC is the safest bet and making sure, if you have to use a USB drive to transfer the files, that you don’t put the same, now potentially infected, thumb drive back in the clean PC.)

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If you use online banking, you may have noticed when you get your password wrong that the error in response is pretty generic i.e. “Wrong user name or password.” These error messages are pretty unhelpful; however, this is by design. If someone tries to compromise your account, do you really want them knowing they got the user name right and now just need to tackle the password? Probably not. The harder we make it to get in to our accounts, the less chance we have of opportunists getting to places we don’t want them to be. With that said, this guide will show you how to disable user name display on the Windows logon screen, for additional security.

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TuneUp Shredder is one of the many utilites that comes with TuneUp Utilities 2012 (full review) and is automatically available* after you install TuneUp Utilities 2012 (trial) (aff)

Even after emptying the Recycle Bin, files can be retrieved from your hard disk until they are physically overwritten. If you want your files deleted, permanently, use TuneUp Shredder to completely remove traces of your files. Doing this is both useful and strongly recommended if:

• You sell your PC
• You sell your hard drive
• You are returning a drive for warranty repair, replacement, or refund
• You loan your PC to a friend and you’re not sure what you’ve deleted recently
• Your PC is borrowed (school loaner, corporate laptop etc.)

To shred a file:

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New to using the command prompt? Check out the Windows Command Prompt Beginner’s Guide

If you’ve ever asked a PC help question in a forum, it’s likely someone suggested you check for corrupted or out of version protected system files. To do this:

1. Open a Command Prompt (Click Start, type cmd, and click cmd.exe.)
2. Type sfc /scannow and press Enter

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