IT IS HIGHLY RECOMMENDED THAT YOU BACK UP YOUR REGISTRY BEFORE YOU APPLY ANY OF THESE UTILITIES!

PROGRAMS

If you have tried to open a Microsoft Office document created by someone in Office 2007, you know that it won't open with your Office 2003 and older. A Word document, for example, in Office 2007 doesn't even have the same extension. Instead of .doc, it is .docx. Download and install this program to seamlessly open Office 2007 documents with any older version of Windows.	Office 2007 File Converter
This program is for Windows 98 and 98SE users who's computers lock up on shut down. They get to the "Windows is shutting down" screen and then the computer stops responding. Download this utility to your desktop, then double click on it and run it.	Windows 98 Shutdown
This is THE best spyware program, in my opinion!	Spy Bot
Here is the MSConfig that SHOULD have been with Windows 2000. Save it to C:\WINNT\SYSTEM32.	MSCONFIG
Sam Spade Version 1.14	Sam Spade
This program converts images to virtually any other image format. It also allows compression and uncompression of pictures and images.	Irfanview
Click here for a list of all programs that may be listed in your start programs list. Updated weekly, this list is now courtesy of Pacman's Portal, which is a wealth of computer information.	Startup Programs
This is a program for backing up your email folders in Outlook Express, as well as your Favorites folder, and any other folders such as something on your desktop.	E-Backup
Run this program to erase tell-tale internet lists and auto-complete information from your hard drive. This includes things like the drop down lists that appear in Google or Internet Explorer after you type a few letters.	MRU Blaster
This program integrates with Outlook Express to provide spell checking capabilities for users that do not have a word processor such as Microsoft Word installed on their computer. I recommend this even if you have a program like word. It is much smaller and will not slow things down!	Outlook Express Spell Check
If you have ever tried to do a clean install of a new operating system on an older computer, you will know how frustrating it can be to find upgraded drivers. Microsoft doesn't help when the device manager identifies the hardware as "Unknown Device". This little program will scan your system and identify unknown devices so that you know what they are and what drivers you will need.	Unknown Device Identifier
Are you sick and tired of that pesky Windows Messenger box popping up in the middle of your screen trying to sell you Diplomas and other such drivel? This utility, courtesy of Steve Gibson at www.grc.com is the easiest way I have found to disable the Windows Messenger service. This is NOT the same as MSN Messenger, and will not affect it.	Messenger Disabling Tool
These files are used to tweak Windows XP so that you can print directory lists. Click the file called Printdir.bat. When asked to Open or Save, select Save. In the File Name field, type "%windir%\Printdir.bat" without the quotation marks, and then click Save. Now click on the Registry Tweak icon and download it to your desktop. Once done, double click on it and allow it to write the addition to the registry. Once done, you can delete the download. Voila. Right click on any folder and you will now have the option of "Print Directory Listing".	Printdir.bat Registry Tweak
The file titled Who Am I is a program that allows you to instantly see what your I.P. adress is on the Internet, and what channels you go through (i.e. router) to get there. You need Java installed in order to run the program. If you attempt to run the program and Java is not installed, you will get a message saying so. In that case, click on the link to the right here to get the Java program download. Download it to your desktop and then double click to install it.	Who Am I? JAVA
Ever suffered from not being able to find drivers for your system after an upgrade or update? Download and install this program, and you will be able to create a backup of all of the drivers on your system so that when you reinstall Windows, you can point back to the driver backup for all of your driver needs.	Win Driver Backup
This small utility, courtesy of of Steve Gibson at www.grc.com is the easiest way to avoid the DCOM exploit. Funny that you don't hear much about it, yet it is so BAD.	DCOM Exploit Fix
ScrubXP cleans out all temporary files and registry keys resulting from opening files and or using the Internet. It also clears all cookies, Recently Used lists, and on and on and on. Only works for Windows XP.	Scrub XP

BOOT DISKS

These Boot Disks are courtesy of BootDisk.com. In order to create them, just click on whichever one you want and save it to your hard drive. I like to save things on to my desktop. Once it is downloaded to your computer, place a formatted floppy disk in the floppy drive and then double click on the boot disk program you just downloaded.

Windows 95A	Boot Disk
Windows 95B	Boot Disk
Windows 98	Boot Disk
Windows 98SE	Boot Disk
Windows ME	Boot Disk
Windows XP Home Edition - This requires 6 floppy disks and is only necessary if you do not have a bootable CD drive or your install disk will not Autorun.	Boot Disk
Windows XP Professional - This requires 6 floppy disks and is only necessary if you do not have a bootable CD drive or your install disk will not Autorun.	Boot Disk
Windows XP Home Edition with Service Pack 1- This requires 6 floppy disks and is only necessary if you do not have a bootable CD drive or your install disk will not Autorun.	Boot Disk
Windows XP Professional with Service Pack 1- This requires 6 floppy disks and is only necessary if you do not have a bootable CD drive or your install disk will not Autorun.	Boot Disk
Windows XP Home Edition with Service Pack 2- This requires 6 floppy disks and is only necessary if you do not have a bootable CD drive or your install disk will not Autorun.	Boot Disk
Windows XP Professional with Service Pack 2- This requires 6 floppy disks and is only necessary if you do not have a bootable CD drive or your install disk will not Autorun.	Boot Disk

VIEWERS

What happens when someone sends you a file they have created with a Microsoft Office program such as Excel, Word, Access, or PowerPoint, but you don't have Microsoft Office? Well fear no more. Below are stand alone viewers for these products. Click on the icon of the viewer that you want. A box will appear asking if you want to download from the current location or if you want to save to disk. You must save the disk to your hard drive and then install it from there.

REMOVING NORTON AND MCAFEE COMPLETELY

Most computers today ship with either Norton or McAfee as their anti-virus and/or security suite of choice. Anyone who has used them for any period of time knows how much resources they take up, and once educated, wish to remove them completely in favor of an anti-virus that is much more efficient. I strongly and highly recommend using AVG as your anti-virus program. It can be found at www.grisoft.com and there is a free version which will suit most people. Before you can install it or any other solution, you need to first remove McAfee or Norton products. Anyone who as attempted this knows it is not as straightforward as using the Add/Remove Programs utility. Here then, are utilities to download and run to remove these.

Uninstaller for Norton Anti-Virus 2003 and earlier.	NAV 2003
Uninstaller for Norton Internet Security 2003 and earlier and Norton NPF 2003 and earlier.	NIS/NPF 2003
Uninstaller for Norton System Works 2003.	NSW 2003
Uninstaller for most Norton 2004/2005 products.	Norton 04/05
Uninstaller for all Norton 2003-2007 products installed in Windows Vista, XP, and 2000.	Norton 03-07
Uninstaller for McAfee products.	McAfee

WINDOWS TWEAKING THROUGH SCRIPTS

Don't let the title scare you away. These are very easy scripts to run, courtesy of the great folks that have written them. They have come from various sources, all identified in the scripts themselves. In order to use these, just click on them and dowload them to your desktop. Double click on them to perform their indicated functions. Don't be worried if they set off your anti virus programs. Just tell the program to allow the entire script to run once. These scripts have all been tested and are virus free.

Look in the blue bar at the top of the Internet Explorer page. See the title? It usually says Microsoft Internet Explorer. You can make it say anything you want with this tweak.	Change I.E. Title
Not sure where your Outlook Express mail files are stored? Use this script to easily locate your Outlook Express mail files and folders for backup.	O.E. Mail Location
If you have ever installed and then uninstalled certain browsers or programs, you may not be able to open images anymore. This script restores your computer's capability to open images.	Fix Image Viewing
This script allows you to force Outlook 2000 to allow attachments of your choosing.	View Outlook 2000 Attachments
This script allows you to force Outlook 2002 (XP) to allow attachments of your choosing.	View Outlook 2002 (XP) Attachments
This script allows you to force Outlook 2003 to allow attachments of your choosing.	View Outlook 2003 Attachments
If you ever choose to use the registry edit tool to lock off access to your registry, you will need this to unlock it again!	Unlock the Registry
Download this script to your desktop, and then whenever you want to create a restore point in Windows XP without the normal hassle, just double click on the icon.	Create a Restore Point

MISCELLANEOUS FILES AND TOOLS

Here you will find files and various things that I may refer to in my manual to make life easier.

In the section of my manual regarding repairing your XP registry, I refer to two batch files that automate a pile of commands, saving you a great deal of typing. They are both here.	regfix1.txt regfix2.txt
In the section of my manual regarding repairing your 2000 registry, I refer to a batch file that automates a pile of commands, saving you a great deal of typing. This is it.	regfix3.txt
If you have ever installed and then uninstalled certain browsers or programs, you may not be able to open images anymore. This script restores your computer's capability to open images.	Fix Image Viewing
This link allows you to see when the web page you are viewing was last updated. Right click on the words "Page Date" to the right, and select "Add to favorites...", then save it where you want. To use, when you are viewing a web page, click on Favorites at the top of the page, and then click on the Page Date favorite.	PAGE DATE
Have you ever been told that such and such a .DLL was missing? This link goes to an awesome website that will help you replace lost or deleted .DLL, .VXD, and other system files. Just follow the instructions on the page.	DYNAMIC LINK LIBRARY

HELP WITH HARD DRIVES

In this section, you can find instructions and utilities to perform various functions on your hard drive. Just find your brand of hard drive and click on the icon. A new window will open up and you will find diagnostic programs to test your drive, as well as programs that will partition and format your drive. Before you head over to those pages though, there are a few things you need to understand about installing your hard drive. Besides physically installing your new hard drive, you need to answer one simple question. Is this new hard drive to be used as a boot drive with a full copy of a Windows operating system, or is this new drive merely being added to a computer with an existing boot drive? I strongly suggest that if you are here for assistance with hard drive installation and/or formatting, you first download and read through the document marked Setting Up and Formatting Hard Drives. It will walk you through setting up your BIOS for boot options, as well as step by step installation of drives and/or Windows Operating Systems. I recommend reading the document first is because chances are that if you are simply installing a drive or formatting, you may not need any of the tools below. All you will need is probably included in the document.

Click on the link to the right to download my paper on setting up and formatting hard drives. You will need Adobe Reader, which you can get by clicking HERE if you don't have it.	SETTING UP A HARD DRIVE
Click on the link to the right for assistance with Maxtor & Quantum drives, including setup and troubleshooting.	Maxtor & Quantum
Click on the link to the right for assistance with Seagate & Connor drives, including setup and troubleshooting.	Seagate & Connor
Click on the link to the right for assistance with Western Digital drives, including setup and troubleshooting.	Western Digital
Click on the link to the right for assistance with Fujitsu drives, including setup and troubleshooting.	Fujitsu
Click on the link to the right for assistance with Samsung drives, including setup and troubleshooting.	Samsung
Click on the link to the right for assistance with IBM & Hitachi drives, including setup and troubleshooting.	IBM & Hitachi