Reinvent the Windows Wheel

Posted 02/19/2008 at 10:53am | by Paul Lilly

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Delete an Undeletable File

Windows won’t let you delete a file if it’s currently in use, which is usually a good thing, but that can spell bad news when trying to rid your system of a nasty malware strain. Luckily, there’s a workaround. Click the Start menu, select Run, and type CMD to bring up the Command Prompt. Now hit CTRL-ALT-DEL to open the Task Manager. Under the Processes tab, highlight explorer.exe and click End Process. ALT-Tab your way to the Command Prompt and then navigate to the directory of the file you’re trying to delete using the CD command (cd C:\Program Files\3DSaver). Next, use the delete command to delete the offending file (del 3DSaver.exe). ALT-Tab back to the Task Manager, select New Task under File, and type explorer.exe to bring back the Windows shell. Alternately, try Unlocker (free, http://ccollomb.free.fr/unlocker/) and delete stubborn files through a svelte GUI.

Create Restore Points on the Fly

Uh oh! Did experimenting with beta software thrash your Windows install? Don’t fret—fire up System Restore and revert to the last known good configuration. That is, if you have one. Windows doesn’t always create restore points when it should, and who wants to go through the rigmarole of sifting through menus to manually create one? Now you don’t have to, thanks to a VB script (free, http://tinyurl.com/3rw0) that does the job with just a double-click of the mouse.

Uninstall Hidden Components

Find sysoc.inf in the C:\Windows\inf folder and edit it with Notepad. (If you don’t see the inf folder, click Tools, View, and select “Show hidden files and folders.”) Remove the word HIDE from any entries you wish to unhide, such as WordPad or Pinball, and then save the file. These will now show up in the Add/Remove Windows Components list.

Stay Prepared with a Password Restore Disk

Open User Accounts in the Control Panel and select your account. Click the “Prevent a forgotten password” link in the left-hand pane and follow the prompts.

If you’re on a domain, press CTRL-ALT-DEL to bring up the Windows Security dialog box and then click Change Password. In the “Log on to” box, click the local computer, select Backup, and then follow the prompts. Both methods require a floppy disk.

Scan System Files for Corruption

Malware infections and bad install routines are just two of the ways critical system files can become corrupt, but there’s an easy fix to undo damage done by third-party software. Click the Start menu, select Run, and type sfc /scannow to run XP’s System File Checker. Keep your Windows CD handy and insert it when prompted.