Tech Support: How to Detect and remove Malware Using Windows Defender

Windows Defender is an inbuilt tool into Windows Vista and available as a free download from Microsoft for XP users.

Windows Defender is easy to use and lets you do manual, scheduled, and real-time scanning with automatic updates of spyware signatures, without a large performance penalty.

If you have already installed or using a third-party anti-spyware application, there's really no need to keep Windows Defender's real-time scan enabled. In this case you can get a performance increase by disabling it.

Using Windows Defender

Selecting Tools and Settings will start you off in the appropriate window to stop applications from active on startup by selecting Software Explorer. Users can make other adjustments from here as well.

Selecting Tools and Settings will start you off in the appropriate window to stop applications from active on startup by selecting Software Explorer.

Some users find the Real-Time scanning annoying because the hard drive is always busy, just go into Options and disable it.  Uncheck the box for "use real-time protection". This is really helpful on a laptop, where every little bit of tweaking helps battery life.

Keep the automatic updates set so that you don’t have to worry about updating the protection database.

Microsoft Windows Defender allows users several options for scans. Quick Scans which scan essential OS directories, Full Scan which scans all files and folder, and Custom Scan which allows us to choose what to scan.

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Managing Virtual Memory Paging Files

Like most modern operating systems, Microsoft Windows XP uses virtual memory, which is created

by extending the physical memory assigned to an application to the computer’s

hard drive. Windows can assign some memory to an application, but not necessarily

enough to satisfy all that application’s needs. Instead, Windows monitors memory

access and continuously reorganizes memory structure to meet applications’ needs. By

correctly anticipating applications’ needs, and by storing pages of memory to hard disk

as necessary, Windows uses virtual memory to allow a computer to operate with less

physical memory.

When Windows stores memory to hard disk, it uses a special file called a paging file.

You can configure some aspects that relate to how Windows uses the paging file by

using the Virtual Memory dialog box. To open the Virtual Memory dialog box, follow these steps:

1. From the Start menu, right-click My Computer and select Properties.

2. In the System Properties dialog box, on the Advanced tab, click the Settings button

in the Performance section.

3. In the Performance Options dialog box, on the Advanced tab, click Change.

The Virtual Memory dialog box shows the size of the paging file for each disk on a

computer and the total paging file size for all the drives combined. The files on all disks

are combined and treated as a single area for paging memory to disk. Breaking the

paging file up across multiple disks (especially disks on different disk controllers) can

decrease the time it takes to write memory information to the paging file.

For the most part, Windows does a good job of managing the size of the file itself.

Unless you have a good reason for changing the paging file, you should probably just

leave it alone. However, if possible, you want to avoid having your paging file on the

same disk as your system files.

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Disabling Visual Effects

Many of the new visual effects that are available in Windows XP can slow the perceived
performance of a computer by making dialog boxes, windows, and menus take
longer to open and work with. By default, Windows enables visual effects based on the
capabilities of a computer, but you can enable or disable specific visual effects to strike
your own balance between performance and appearance.

Microsoft Windows XP provides quick access for enabling and disabling visual effects. From the
Start menu, right-click My Computer and then choose Properties. In the System Properties
dialog box, on the Advanced tab, click Settings in the Performance section to open the Performance Options dialog box.

You can choose from the four options for visual effects:
■ Let Windows Choose What’s Best For My Computer
■ Adjust For Best Appearance, which enables all the effects
■ Adjust For Best Performance, which disables all the effects
■ Custom, which allows you enable and disable the effects yourself
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Turning Off Fast User Switching In Windows Xp

Fast User Switching in Windows XP allows users to switch between different user
accounts without logging off. Each user can even have his own applications running
while another user uses the computer. Although this feature presents obvious advantages,
it also comes with an equally obvious disadvantage. The more applications that
your computer runs at the same time, the slower the computer will perform, regardless
of whether those applications are run by one or multiple users. If users frequently have
problems with other users leaving applications running, and if this situation tends to
slow down the computer, suggest that users turn off the Fast User Switching feature.
You can learn more about Fast User Switching in Chapter 3, “Supporting Local Users
and Groups.”
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Removing Unnecessary Background Applications

Many applications install software that runs in the background as you use Windows.
Normally, this software is a useful piece of the application, such as the monitor that
allows your antivirus installation software to check files for viruses during download. Often, this
software is a program that you could easily live without. When this is the case, it is best
to prevent the software from loading with Windows so that the software does not consume
system resources.
You can sometimes tell what background programs are running because the programs
are represented by icons in the notification area, but this is not always the case. Even
if there is an icon present, turning off different programs usually requires different
steps, depending on the program.
To prevent unnecessary background applications from running, try the following:
■ If there is an icon in the notification area, right-click or click the icon to see if a
menu opens. Often, there is a command for setting preferences that you can use
to figure out how to prevent the program from loading when Windows starts. You
can learn more about the notification area in Chapter 4, “Supporting the Windows
Desktop.”
■ If there is no menu for the icon, check the Startup folder on the Start menu. Often,
programs place shortcuts here to load components at Windows startup. You can
also try running the program that is associated with the icon to see if there are
instructions for preventing the program from loading.
■ You should also check the Startup folder for applications that load, but do not
place an icon in the notification area.
Windows also includes the System Configuration Utility, which you can use to control
Windows startup. Run the program by typing msconfig at the Run dialog box or command
prompt. The System Configuration Utility, shown in Figure 12-1, contains many
tabs that you can use to configure different aspects of the startup process, including the
following:
■ General Use the General tab to select a type of startup to use the next time that
Windows starts. A diagnostic startup is the same thing as starting Windows XP in
safe mode. A selective startup allows you to choose which types of components
should be loaded (represented by the other tabs on the utility).
■ SYSTEM.INI, WIN.INI, BOOT.INI These tabs allow you to control the system
files that Windows XP uses primarily for compatibility with previous versions of
Windows. In earlier versions of Windows, these files were used instead of a centralized
system Registry. Turning items on and off by using these tabs is generally
safer than editing these files directly.
■ Services This tab presents a list of services that load with Windows. Although
you can use this tab to prevent services from loading, it is much safer (and just as
easy) to use the Services node in the Computer Management window.
■ Startup This is probably the most important tab used for optimizing Windows
startup. It presents a list of all program components that load with Windows,
whether or not they are represented in the notification area or not. Turn off the
programs you do not want to load and restart Windows. You can return and reselect
the applications whenever you want.
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Configuring Windows XP for Performance

Optimizing Windows Startup
After you first install microsoft windows XP, the operating system begins to automatically optimize
system settings to speed up subsequent startups. Similarly, Windows XP optimizes
program files so that applications launch more quickly as you use them. For this
reason, you should allow a sufficient number of restarts and launches to let Windows
perform these configurations before deciding whether you need to optimize the performance
of a computer.
Windows startup is fairly complicated, but there are many ways that you can optimize the process
for a quicker startup time:
■ Check the basic input/output system (BIOS) settings for your computer to see if
there are unnecessary actions that you can eliminate from the startup process. For
example, on many computers, you can skip the memory check that occurs when
you turn on your computer—something that can take quite some time when you
have a lot of memory.
■ If a computer is configured with multiple operating systems, you can reduce the
amount of time that Windows displays the menu of operating system choices at
startup. Configure this setting by opening Control Panel, selecting the Advanced
tab, and then clicking Settings in the Startup And Recovery section.
■ Remove any unnecessary applications that start automatically with Windows.
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Invalid Page Faults

A page fault is a normal process that occurs when a program requests data that is not
currently loaded into the computer’s real memory. When this occurs, Windows
attempts to retrieve the data from the virtual memory that is stored to hard disk. If the
data cannot be mapped to virtual memory, the result is an invalid page fault—and
often a crashed application. Invalid page faults are often difficult to diagnose. Connectivity
settings; a full Temporary Internet Files folder; and third-party Internet software
including firewalls, file-sharing software, Internet optimizers, and on-screen animation
programs can cause page faults. Network protocols, cookies, corrupted Favorites, services,
and Internet software installations can also cause invalid page faults.
Invalid page faults can be represented in Internet Explorer by several different types of
errors, including the following:
■ An actual invalid page fault error
■ Iexplore.exe has generated errors and must be shut down
■ The page could not be displayed
■ Could not open the search page
■ An access violation occurred in MSHTML.DLL
If specifics about the error are provided in the error message and type in the exact error message
as the keywords for a search. Downloading and installing a particular update might
solve this particular error. These are the easiest of all page faults to find solutions for.
If no specifics are given, you will have to resolve the errors using trial-and-error computer troubleshooting tips.
When the error occurs, use the Internet Explorer Reporting tool to report the error, and then view the error details. If the error report gives any indication of the cause of the error, disable the program or service associated with it.
If that process does not work, and if you have the most up-to-date service packs
installed, continue troubleshooting in the following order:
1.• Verify that the proxy settings for the LAN, if they exist, are correctly configured.
You can locate these settings by clicking LAN Settings on the Connections tab of
the Internet Options dialog box.
2.• Disable third-party browser extensions or other third-party downloaded components.
Applications like these can often be disabled from the notification area or
from the application itself, and uninstalling the component from Control Panel is
the best option if one of these programs caused the page fault.
3.• Delete all temporary Internet files. You can do this on the General tab of the Internet
Options dialog box.
4.• Delete cookies. You can do so on the General tab of the Internet Options dialog
box.
5.• Troubleshoot the Favorites folder. It is possible that corruption in the Favorites
folder or some of the files it holds is to blame. Try moving the contents of the
your Favorites folder to a temporary folder. If that solves the problem, add the
shortcuts back to the Favorites folder a few at a time. If the problem recurs, it is
usually easy to find the culprit..
6. Verify that the system has enough RAM and that the RAM is performing properly.
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Resolving Problems with Viewing Web Pages

There are several reasons why Computer users have trouble viewing Web pages properly, and many times the problem is the result of changes to the defaults that the users have made on their own. Problems can also occur because of default security settings. For example, a site is in the Restricted Sites zone, or the site requires cookies be placed on the computer and cookies are not allowed. Users might report specific errors as well; they get internal page faults; or they cannot hear sounds, see videos, or view pictures.

Screen Resolution

If a user reports problems with viewing a single Web page, but other pages look fine, check to see whether there is a note at the bottom of the page that says, “This page is best viewed using 800 x 600 screen resolution” or something similar. If it is a corporate website or one the user relies on heavily, the user might need to reconfigure his or her display settings permanently. Display settings are changed in Control Panel

Cookie Handling

Many websites require that cookies be enabled on a user’s computer if the user wants to visit and browse the site. A user cannot view websites that have this requirement if the user’s privacy settings are configured to block all cookies, if the privacy settings are set to High, or if the company has a strict cookie policy that blocks first-party cookies or does not allow session cookies. Allowing a user access to sites requires that the default privacy settings be changed.

Sounds, Videos, and Pictures

Some of the Advanced options of Internet Explorer restrict what users can and cannot see on a Web page. These settings are often configured to speed up access to a page by not playing videos or showing pictures when the site is loaded, and sound can be disabled as well. If a user reports problems that are associated with sound, video, or pictures, one can check the advanced options first by following these steps:
1. Open Internet Explorer, and from the Tools menu, select Internet Options.
2. Click the Advanced tab and scroll down to the Multimedia section.
3. Verify that the appropriate items are selected:
❑ Play Animations In Web Pages
❑ Play Sounds In Web Pages
❑ Play Videos In Web Pages
❑ Show Pictures
4.• On the Advanced tab, verify that the Show Image Download Placeholders check box is cleared. Click OK.

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