Tag: REPAIR

CCleaner continues to be one of the most popular Windows maintenance programs we cover here at Download Squad, and Piriform has released a minor (but important) update. CCleaner version 3.05 now includes full support for both recently-released Web browsers, Internet Explorer 9 and Firefox 4. The update doesn't stop there, however. CCleaner is now better at scanning your registry for unused ...

It certainly didn't take long for Mozilla to jump to the pump and address a very-recently-announced bug affecting automatic updates to Firefox 3.6.9 and 3.5.11. A patch has been pushed, and users can now allow auto-update to do its thing without fear of winding up with a browser that won't start properly. Mozilla's Christian Legnitto voiced his surprise about the bug in comments on Bugzilla, ...

Google Chrome's sync features can be incredibly handy for those of use who run the browser on multiple computers. Every now and then, however, you may run into a problem. In my case, I had certain bookmarks which kept popping back up even though I'd previously deleted them. Today I got an email from a reader, John, who was having a similar issue with his extensions. "Recently LastPass has ...

Among the must-have utilities on my USB flash drive is CCleaner -- it's been cleaning my system of useless, space-wasting cruft for years. Every now and then, however, I find myself wishing there was an easy way to make it tidy up after a few additional apps without having to manually set up a handful of custom rules. Thanks to a post on Raymond.CC, I've now got a nice, simple way to do just ...

One thing that's always bugged me about cleaning up and repairing systems for my customers is the fact that the Windows Installer Service doesn't run in Safe Mode -- not by default, anyways. That means there's additional tinkering involved before I can remove any number of annoying and useless applications -- and installing useful programs which require the Installer service to be running. ...

SystemRescueCD is an incredibly useful, Linux-powered tool for troubleshooting and correcting problems on PCs that are in need of help. CDs and my workbench just aren't a good mix, though -- they tend to get forgotten in optical drives or sandwiched between case panels and scuffed beyond use. While it's been possible to dump Sysresccd to a USB flash drive for a while, it's gotten a whole lot ...

I spend a lot of time during the work week removing malware from customers' computers. So whenever I happen upon a new malware cleanup app, I make it a point to put it through the paces. Better tools make my job easier, after all. Today I'm checking out Norton Power Eraser -- a free, portable malware cleanup tool from the folks at Symantec. I had tried to test earlier beta versions of NPE, but ...

Just yesterday I wrote about FixWin, a free program which helps fix a number of Windows Vista and Windows 7 errors. It's a lot like Microsoft's web-based FixIt solutions. Today, there's another option and it comes straight from Microsoft. Their new Fix It Center is a program you can download for free which provides automatic fixes for a wide range of bugs and annoyances. Choose the issue you ...

Giveaway of the Day has done it again! The other day they were offering up Driver Magician Pro for free, and today they've gone one better. Until the end of the day, GOTD is providing a free download of Glary Utilities Pro - one of my favorite multi-purpose system maintenance programs. I've mentioned Glary Utilities before. On top of the cleanup, tune-up, and repair options the free version ...

It's not often that you find a decent commercial utility being given away for free. It's usually a marginally-useful app or a program for which there's a better (and often free!) alternative. Today, however, you can score Driver Magician at no charge from Giveaway of the Day. It's a very good driver backup, restore, and removal utility - and there aren't a ton of good free programs that offer ...

Yesterday I wrote up a little list of things I wished people would quit installing on their PCs. Today, I've put together a selection of handy programs those same people can use to take care of some of the annoyances I mentioned - and more. Here are six (seventeen, really, but some are grouped) simple applications that will help - and they're all free for personal use! 1. PC Decrapifier - A lot ...

Fire up the half-megabyte, portable RepairIE and you're presented with five tabs to help make administering Internet Explorer an uncomplicated process. Configuration options are broken down into appearance, features, network connections, search, and security. To change a yes/no option, simply double click it and confirm your action. RepairIE provides an incredible number of options for ...

PC World has put together a round-up of ideas to save you from the worst things that could happen to you. These end-game scenarios include: Your computer won't boot You just told off the CEO in an e-mail and instantly regret it No PCs show on the network Your identity has been stolen! Your Net connection is dead You're being sued by the RIAA/MPAA Your device just got doused ...

An unfortunate fact of Windows life is that any Windows install will slowly wear out through use, getting more and more bogged down until finally one must take drastic measures. My own Windows XP install is coming up on a year of use and abuse and has for some time been showing signs this phenomenon, but what I wasn't aware of is that it's possible to create a clean Windows install without the ...

I'm happy to say that I've only had this happen to me once before: Windows really, really won't boot. You can't even get to safe mode. All you get is "Windows NT could not start because the below file is missing or corrupt" and a prompt to reboot over and over again. This usually seems like a reinstall moment (especially if you ask tech support), but it doesn't have to be so: Short-Media is ...