Remove Those Stubborn Files From Windows 7

Every so often you download a file, and when your finished with it, you go to delete it and then you get the famous error message. ” Windows was not able to remove the selected file because it is currently in use” this just drives me nuts when I see it. Ok, right so I just go and close whatever window I had open that caused the file to be in use and try again.

Nope still doesn’t work. Right then, I’ll close every single window and program, that should do the trick. Try to remove the file again, but nope still you keep getting that error message.

You’re getting worried at this stage, is this a virus or what? So you go and reboot your machine, then you go once more to delete the file, but still no luck, error message yet again.

So what do you do? Are you stuck with this file forever? Well not anymore, now there is a program called “Unlocker” which will solve all your problems.

It works with both Windows 7 32 bit and 64 bit (there is a different version for each so be sure to download the right one) and even better it’s free.

It works out which processes are running and causing the file to be in use, and kills them which then allows it to delete the file. What’s more, you don’t even have to reboot your machine unlike other file removal programs.

Just a word of note though, because of the nature of this program, several antivirus programs mark it as a false positive and think it’s malware. But rest assured, it’s not and there’s proof of that on the developers blog

You can download the

32 Bit version here

64 Bit version here

Windows 7 Software Tweaks You Should Have

Monitoring Windows 7 can be time consuming, sometime expensive. But fortunately there are many programs available that will help you maintain control of Windows 7. They offer tweaks and fixes. Here is a short list of Windows 7 programs that you should download and have on your system.

EnhanceMySeven

One such program, a free utility, called EnhanceMySe7en, is free program that is substantial in what it offers. This program is a combination diagnostics tool, system customizer, and maintenance utility. It gathers an impressive amount of detail about your PC. This includes data about RAM, the processor, the display adapter, and the hard disk.
You can customize the start menu, and tweak the desktop, taskbar, the Windows Media Player, and Windows Explorer. These tweaks dig down into the foundations of the system. You can remove all toolbars from the taskbar, or hide the Log Off button on the Start menu. It also has Registry cleaner, plus a disk cleaner, and more importantly (sometimes) a way to stop programs from launching on startup.

EnhanceMySeven

Network Activity Indicator for Windows 7

Windows 7 does not come with a Network Activity Indicator program. Microsoft provided it before, in Vista, but you can now have it back. Like the Vista version, this tool puts a small icon, showing two monitors in the system tray. They indicate your connection to a network or the Internet. The icon also blinks to show you when your machine is sending or receiving data. It can also provides information, such as the connection type to a network.

Network-activity-indicator

Network Activity Indicator for Windows 7

7Smoker Pro

If more customization power is what you are looking for than what you can get from free Windows 7 utilities, then try 7Smoker Pro. It provides a wide range of control over many aspects of Windows 7. It performs tweaks, maintenance operations, and security protections. These categories have subcategories, and each subcategory offers multiple tweaks, with customization features available.

7smokerPro

7SmokerPro

Windows 7 Manager

One way to change and improve the look and feel of your Windows 7 interface, to make it more of your own is to use Windows 7 Manager. With this utility, you can customize and improve many aspects of Windows 7. You can optimize and clean your system. You can control what programs run on Windows startup. You can adjust the Task Scheduler to turn off unnecessary system tasks. These are just some of the features you can manipulate with this program.

Windows7 Manager

Top 7 Backup Tips

Image via Wikipedia

1

It’s not worth deciding on some convoluted back-up plan that you’ll never keep up. If all you need to save is your Documents folder, making complete system images every week is a waste of time. You’ll give up long before you have your system crash, and lose everything.

2

It’s always worth keeping at least two copies of your files, one on a physical medium such as a DVD or external hard drive, another in an online backup service – so if your home is damaged by fire or flood, you’ve still got your documents.

3

Online backup services are generally reliable, but they rarely make a cast iron guarantee that your data will be safe, or offer any comeback if they lose it. This is especially true with free ones, which might disappear, be bought out, or change focus at any time.

4

Never keep your backups on your main computer. A virus, an accident or a hard disc crash could easily destroy them along with the original versions.

5

Your files matter, your Windows 7 installation doesn’t. Reinstalling may be a pain, but you’ll be back up and running in minutes. You can’t replace lost photos or documents.

6

You can’t back up programs by just copying their folder from Program Files – at least, not all of them. Most require registry entries, drivers and other bits from around your system. Only a system image is guaranteed to restore settings.

7

Restoring previous files can be a lifesaver, but don’t get into the habit of thinking of it as a safety net. If you’re going to be making big changes to a document that you may or may not want to undo, the best way is always to save it as a new copy until you’re sure.

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First Look at Windows 7's Backup and Restore Center

It may have been a while since you considered using Windows' built-in tools for backing up your data, but for the average user with media and crucial file needs, Windows 7's default backup features look promising.

Windows Vista was the first version of Windows to introduce a consolidated Backup and Restore Center, and Windows 7's own backup center builds on it.

The strengths of Windows' own system are its ability to leverage the built-in "Shadow Copy" features to restore previous versions of individual files or folders, and make only iterative backups when necessary—if only part of a massive file has changed, only that part has to be transferred and copied over. It also supports backup to shared network space and external drives, but you'd hope any backup utility worth its salt would do so. In a pretty real way, this backup system is kind of like Leopard's Time Machine—but without all the eye candy.

Let's take a walk through the basics of Windows 7's backup system, and highlight the changes since Vista:

The first screen is pretty self-explanatory, but less tech-inclined users get a link to best practices for external backups (how they got to this screen in the first place is somewhat impressive, though):

Hit the "Add Network Location" button below that listing of non-internal drives, and you get a straight-forward directory and user/pass input dialog.

Vista asked backup users whether they wanted to back up "files or your entire computer." To those looking for simplicity, that's a pretty wide disparity to choose between—the entire barn or your selection of individual hay straws. Windows 7 breaks your options down into whether or not you want a restore-friendly system image, any particular data folders you want to save, and if you want to leave the system stuff to Windows' discretion or your own box-checking whims:

If you take the "Let me choose" route, you get to pick the folders and whether you want a system image for restoring:

If you opt for "Let Windows choose," you're told that every user gets their file backed up, and a system image is thrown in by default:

Either way you roll, you're asked to set up a regular schedule for your backups—daily, weekly, or monthly, at whatever hour you wish:

That's the end of the settings-fiddling, at least for now. Now onto the Backup and Restore Center, which is easy to get to from a start menu search or the Control Panel. It shows you the drive you've selected to be your backup receptacle, how much space is left on it, how much space is being used by Windows Backup, and, if you're currently running a backup, how far into the process you are. There's also some plain English about your last backup and what it had in it, but Windows 7 refused to believe my external drive had a backup finished not 20 minutes ago (did I need to set up a schedule to force recognition?)

The breakdown in space usage, accessed by choosing "Manage Space" from the main Backup and Restore window, is just about my favorite aspect of Windows-based backups. Unless you bought an external hard drive for the sole purpose of clean, conservative backups, you probably use it for all kinds of other stuff as well—downloads, media sharing/streaming, file transfers, and the like. Windows 7's backup gives you access to your previous system image files for deletion, shows exactly how much space is used by each of its backup components, and, knowing that it's only going to copy the new bits of files after a first backup, a pretty decent picture of what space you'll need to keep open for it:

None of this is to say that Windows' baked-in backup center is a substitute for a smart, powerful backup utility, of course. But for the relatives you're obliged to provide tech support for, and anyone who really just has their standard folders and not much else, it's a workable solution. For those looking for something with a bit more juice and extensibility, check out our readers' picks for the five best Windows backup tools and file syncing tools.

What do you wish the built-in backup system in Windows 7, or farther ahead, could do on its own? Have you been getting by with Backup and Restore in Vista just fine? Tell us about it in the comments.

Top Ten Tips For Computer Security (also some facts)

Image via Wikipedia

Have you ever wondered why there is a huge increase in online fraud? Well, the main reason is happening is that most users are not adequately safeguarded.
When you follow these 10 tips on the Internet and online security, you will discover were your computer system weaknesses are.
1. It is a fact that 75% of PC users do not use an updated antivirus program is a program that scans your PC looking for all malware, when discovered, they can either quarantine or delete them. Some AV programs even scan sites you visit and detect phishing sites.
2. phishing sites “are sites that have been created to look like a bank or payment processor like PayPal. We’ve all received emails from our bank stating our account is empty and immediately connect the hyperlink in the email you click on the real side, but the site he made for fraudulent, they are stealing money! Always make sure your banks website has a picture of a padlock on the toolbar, which shows that it is a safe place to log in. If you have any questions contact your bank immediately.
3. We all need a firewall to hide. This is a piece of software that prevents any intrusion into our computers, at home or at work. Once the software is installed is running in the background. Basically, it blocks the ports on our computers that hackers use to access the back door. Like the VA, there are many free firewall.
4. Your operating system upgrade? When is it updated? Most people will respond, ever. Major software companies like Microsoft, because the updates, is to connect all security vulnerabilities in software, so when I do an update, its wise to update your system.
5. Review all consumer equipment that uses, as there are products on the market called keyloggers, this is an electronic device that records all keystrokes and can be downloaded. So if you use the library of your online bank, eBay, make sure the keyboard cable is connected directly to your computer when connected to a piece of cable, could be a keylogger. The person who put there just download the information and have all your contact information and access to your money! Always disconnect and not save passwords on public computers – ever!
6. Check public WiFi connections are public! Make sure it is not just another computer that serves as a gateway, if you pass your details to them, a credit card and address, then you get Internet access. If you send emails, they are using your credit card to buy products online!
7. Do not share games, because that’s how some viruses were transferred from one computer to another. Run anti-virus scanner for the first disk.
8. Do not let anyone use a flash drive into your computer as soon as someone plugs a flash drive into a computer from a virus could be transferred to your computer, which may or may not be done on purpose, but problem is still there take the information from your computer and can even send email from your computer at a later date!
9. Physical protection at home and at work, which is essential to maintain the equipment and data stored on it falling into the wrong hands. The PC is a special steel box, which was designed to protect computers, so heating and security issues has been addresses, these units are fully welded and normally bolted to the walls (which is how banks protect their computers.)
10. The movement of physical protection is essential for laptops, so Kingston security offers the best option is a cable high-grade steel that locks into the laptop and links around a table leg, which prevent your personal information is stolen with the laptop in an accident and theft of support.
Follow these simple steps and offline and online security is safe. 

so be secure and save data