I normally use IrfanView as a program to resize and sharpen digital images.
I also normally use Easy Thumbnails to create small versions of images.
http://www.fookes.com/ezthumbs/overview.php
Fotografix is a portable image editing application.
http://lmadhavan.com/software/fotografix/
Another free option would be Paint.NET.
Trojan Remover
MalwareBytes
Superantispyware
http://www.superantispyware.com/
The makers of Superantispyware now have a free online scanning option.
http://www.superantispyware.com/onlinescan.html
Due to the popularity of some of these utilities such as MalwareBytes, malware will prevent these applications from launching. One trick is to rename the main executable to another value. This sometimes allows the utility to load. Booting into Safe Mode with Networking support is another common procedure to use.
Windows 7 (and Windows Vista) include an application called the Reliability Monitor. This utility attempts to track and monitor events and installations within Windows. To access this program, access the Start Menu and type “reliability monitor” in the search box. Click on the returned result.
Once launched, the utility will display data via day or week. Any critical issues should be displayed with a red X. In the example below, Windows did not shut down properly on 9/19.
This application is also handy to determine when a particular application or plug-in was installed on your computer. In the example below, a plug-in for Internet Explorer was installed on 9/20.
If the line graph displays a sharp drop, you may wish to review any changes or installations near the date of the decline. Stability may return to your system if the application or plug-in in question is removed.
http://processhacker.sourceforge.net/
This utility appears to be similar to Process Explorer from Sysinternals.
One change Microsoft started with Vista and continued with Windows 7 is to remove some components and make them available via a separate download. This was done to remove some “size” from Windows and to allow faster development for some of the applications in question.
To download and install some or all of these applications, access:
Once on the home page, click on the Download button. A separate link is available under the Download button for system requirements. Some of the components will run under Windows XP but others such as Movie Maker will not.
When a file dialog box appears, click on the Run button.
After downloading the initial loader, a dialog box will appear asking which applications you wish to install. When you click on an entry, a description of the component should be displayed on the right. After selecting the applications, click on the Install button.
A dialog box may appear asking to close some open programs; click on the Continue button if all data has been saved.
Depending on the components selected and your Internet speed, the download and installation can take a few or several minutes.
One of the final screens ask to change your home page and search engine; you have the option of not making these changes. Once you have made your selections, click on the Continue button.
The install process should now be completed. Click on the Close button.
To access some of the applications, a new Windows Live entry should now be present under the Start Menu.
When you open some of the applications, a dialog box may appear asking to log into Live.com:
You can use an existing Live.com account or create a new entry if you wish. But a Live.com account is not a requirement for using the application. In the example above, you could simply click on the Cancel button and continue to use the program.
One of the big interface changes within Windows 7 is the new taskbar. Certain windows are combined into one icon. The example below is Windows Explorer with three windows open.
If you wish to go back to the “classic” view with each window a separate entry on the taskbar, right-click the Start icon on the lower left hard corner of the screen and left-click on the Properties entry.
Click on the Taskbar tab. To the right of the Taskbar buttons selection, click the drop-down box and select the “Never combine” option. Click on the OK button near the bottom of the dialog box.
Your taskbar should now resemble previous versions of Windows.
By default, Adobe Acrobat Reader has JavaScript support enabled. Disabling this feature can help against malicious PDF files.
To disable scripting support, launch Adobe Acrobat Reader as normal. Click on Edit – Preferences.
Click on the JavaScript text within the left column and remove the checkmark to the left of “Enable Acrobat JavaScript”.
Disabling scripting is not a cure-all for all potential security issues. But it should protect you from the majority of the current PDF threats found on the Internet today.
Most of the time, JavaScript support is not needed to view “normal” PDF files. But certain situations do require this option. The latest Reader version allows editing of files depending on how the PDF was created. I accessed the IRS’s web site to obtain some examples. The form below did not have any problems with the security setting in place.
But when I accessed another form, an error dialog box appeared.
If you click on the Yes button above, this action enables JavaScript for this document as well as all future documents. If the file in question requires this feature, you do not have a choice but to enable scripting. But you do have the option of again disabling scripting support after processing the file in question.
