Ever have a friend ask you to help them repair their computer only to find that its so bloated with malware that you think they should just nuke the site from orbit? Some recent malware can be quite difficult to remove. In these sorts of situations you might try an alternative approach: boot from a CD-ROM or DVD and run the repair tools while the virus-laden operating system (OS) is offline. There are other recovery tasks most easily performed while the OS is offline, but I spend more time helping people with malware than doing anything else for them.

How to create a bootable disc? You could do it with Linux, but then you’d have to learn another OS, I prefer to stick with Windows. Besides, there are a lot of useful tools already available for Windows. You may have heard of the Windows Preinstallation Environment (Windows PE or simply PE) that has been available to computer vendors for years. Microsoft made it available to everyone a few years ago, and I’ve found it to be extremely useful. There are several ways to create a customized Windows PE disc, the simplest approach is to use the Microsoft Deployment Toolkit (MDT) that some colleagues of mine in the Solutions Accelerators Team (SAT) at Microsoft created. You’ll need several gigs of storage space to download and use everything described below, make sure you have enough room before you start!

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I got this question in the comments today:

I have a gateway computer and i use apassword each and every time i turn it on so that nobody can get on it. But for some strange reason my password has either been changed or someone has been messing with my computer behind my back. It is a good computer and ive never had any trouble with it. Now the only thing that shows up on the screen is GATEWAY and ENTER PASSWORD no matter how many times i enter my password after ther 3rd time it say system disabled and i have to start all over again. What can i do? I miss my computer. That’s my pet.

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Tony, I’ve set my computer up to dual-boot between Windows Vista and Windows 7, and I’ve enabled BitLocker on the Windows Vista system volume. How can I enable BitLocker for the Windows 7 volume?

Here’s a Microsoft article on how to set up dual boot with BL on both:

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ee449438(WS.10).aspx#BKMK_dualbootW7Vista

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Question:

In the Windows Explorer window there is a folder named Searches which contains a folder named Recently Changed. This folder shows every file that I have ever recently changed. These are not shortcuts so if I try to remove this evidence of my work by deleting a file in this folder the actual file is deleted from the folder it actually sits in. I need to be able to empty the contents of this Recently Changed folder (obviously without losing any files) and then disable it permanently. This is a terrible feature that denies the main user of a computer security and privacy.  All other users have access to the Recently Changed folder.

Your help is greatly appreciated.

Les

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Question:

So I want to use Bitlocker, don’t have a TPM and my bios doesn’t seem to ’see’ the usb drives in time.

Now I know I can still use bitlocker… by entering a 48 or so pin key but that’s a bit too long.
I could update my Bios but I have the latest version and when I rang Dell they didn’t think it would be updated.

There must be another answer, there are other programs out there but I have Vista, any idea for a work around?

Generic firmware for the Bios? Key stored on a CD?

It seems the USB requirement is pointless and restricting, after all the best key or password is one only in my head not on a USB drive.

Answer:

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I hate antivirus software. It costs money, slows everything down, and prompts you with 1,000 false alarms for every real alarm.

Still, you probably need it. Information Week points us to several vendors who are offering free trials of antivirus software: