TCP and UDP Ports Explained

Introduction
In this tutorial we will discuss the concept of Ports and how they work with IP addresses. If you have not read our article on IP addresses and need a brush up, you can find the article here. If you understand the concepts of IP addresses, then lets move on to TCP and UDP ports and how they work.
The devices and comptuers connected to the Internet use a protocol called TCP/IP to communicate with each other. When a computer in New York wants to send a piece of data to a computer in England, it must know the destination IP address that it woud like to send the information to. That information is sent most often via two methods, UDP and TCP.
The two Internet workhorses: UDP and TCP
UDP? TCP? I know you are getting confused, but I promise I will explain this in very basic terms so that you can understand this concept.
TCP stands for Transmission Control Protocol. Using this method, the computer sending the data connects directly to the computer it is sending the data it to, and stays connected for the duration of the transfer. With this method, the two computers can guarantee that the data has arrived safely and correctly, and then they disconnect the connection. This method of transferring data tends to be quicker and more reliable, but puts a higher load on the computer as it has to monitor the connection and the data going across it. A real life comparison to this method would be to pick up the phone and call a friend. You have a conversation and when it is over, you both hang up, releasing the connection.
UDP stands for User Datagram Protocol. Using this method, the computer sending the data packages the information into a nice little package and releases it into the network with the hopes that it will get to the right place. What this means is that UDP does not connect directly to the receiving computer like TCP does, but rather sends the data out and relies on the devices in between the sending computer and the receiving computer to get the data where it is supposed to go properly. This method of transmission does not provide any guarantee that the data you send will ever reach its destination. On the other hand, this method of transmission has a very low overhead and is therefore very popular to use for services that are not that important to work on the first try. A comparison you can use for this method is the plain old US Postal Service. You place your mail in the mailbox and hope the Postal Service will get it to the proper location. Most of the time they do, but sometimes it gets lost along the way.
Now that you understand what TCP and UDP are, we can start discussing TCP and UDP ports in detail. Lets move on to the next section where we can describe the concept of ports better.
TCP and UDP Ports
As you know every computer or device on the Internet must have a unique number assigned to it called the IP address. This IP address is used to recognize your particular computer out of the millions of other computers connected to the Internet. When information is sent over the Internet to your computer how does your computer accept that information? It accepts that information by using TCP or UDP ports.
An easy way to understand ports is to imagine your IP address is a cable box and the ports are the different channels on that cable box. The cable company knows how to send cable to your cable box based upon a unique serial number associated with that box (IP Address), and then you receive the individual shows on different channels (Ports).
Ports work the same way. You have an IP address, and then many ports on that IP address. When I say many, I mean many. You can have a total of 65,535 TCP Ports and another 65,535 UDP ports. When a program on your computer sends or receives data over the Internet it sends that data to an ip address and a specific port on the remote computer, and receives the data on a usually random port on its own computer. If it uses the TCP protocol to send and receive the data then it will connect and bind itself to a TCP port. If it uses the UDP protocol to send and receive data, it will use a UDP port. Figure 1, below, is a represenation of an IP address split into its many TCP and UDP ports. Note that once an application binds itself to a particular port, that port can not be used by any other application. It is first come, first served.

<-------------------- 192.168.1.10 -------------------->

0

1

2

3

4

5

..

..

..

..

..

..

..

..

65531

65532

65533

65534

65535

Figure 1. IP address with Ports

This all probably still feels confusing to you, and there is nothing wrong with that, as this is a complicated concept to grasp. Therefore, I will give you an example of how this works in real life so you can have a better understanding. We will use web servers in our example as you all know that a web server is a computer running an application that allows other computers to connect to it and retrieve the web pages stored there.

In order for a web server to accept connections from remote computers, such as yourself, it must bind the web server application to a local port. It will then use this port to listen for and accept connections from remote computers. Web servers typically bind to the TCP port 80, which is what the http protocol uses by default, and then will wait and listen for connections from remote devices. Once a device is connected, it will send the requested web pages to the remote device, and when done disconnect the connection.

On the other hand, if you are the remote user connecting to a web server it would work in reverse. Your web browser would pick a random TCP port from a certain range of port numbers, and attempt to connect to port 80 on the IP address of the web server. When the connection is established, the web browser will send the request for a particular web page and receive it from the web server. Then both computers will disconnect the connection.

Now, what if you wanted to run an FTP server, which is a server that allows you to transfer and receive files from remote computers, on the same web server. FTP servers use TCP ports 20 and 21 to send and receive information, so you won't have any conflicts with the web server running on TCP port 80. Therefore, the FTP server application when it starts will bind itself to TCP ports 20 and 21, and wait for connections in order to send and receive data.

Most major applications have a specific port that they listen on and they register this information with an organization called IANA. You can see a list of applications and the ports they use at the IANA Registry. With developers registering the ports their applications use with IANA, the chances of two programs attempting to use the same port, and therefore causing a conflict, will be diminished.

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How to connect an iPad to a Wireless or Wi-Fi network

Introduction
The iPad is ultimately a device create to allow you consume content in an easy and portable manner. As there is no better location for consumable content than the Internet, being able to connect to a Wi-Fi network so you can access the Internet is a necessity. This guide will walk you through all of the steps required to connect to a Wi-Fi network using your iPad. We have also outlined steps that will allow you to access almost all types of Wi-Fi networks as well as using proxy servers if your particular scenario requires it.

How to connect to a Wi-Fi or Wireless Network

This section will explain how to connect to a Wi-Fi or Wireless network that is broadcasting its name or SSID. For most public, and many private, Wi-Fi networks the name, or SSID, of the network is broadcast so that anyone who tries to connect to it will be able to do so. This guide will walk you through the steps of connecting to a Wi-Fi network that is broadcasting its name. If you wish to connect to a wireless network that is not broadcasting its name.

1. Start the iPad
    
2. Tap on the Settings app. The Settings icon looks like the following:
   
   
   
   
   Settings Icon
   
   
   Once in the settings application, you will be at the General Settings screen as shown below.
   
   
   
   
   General Settings screen
   
    
3. Tap on the Wi-Fi category to get to the screen where you will connect to a wireless network as shown below.
   
   
   
   
   Choose an available wireless network screen
   
   When you reach this screen, the iPad will start searching for Wi-Fi networks that are in range and that are broadcasting their names. As it discovers available networks it will list them under the Choose a Network... label. Please note that it may take some time for the iPad to see all of the available networks, so please be patient while it searches. You can tell that it is searching as there will be an animated symbol next to the Choose a Network... label while it is searching. If it does not find anything, it will pause for about a minute and then attempt to search again.
   
   When you see the Wi-Fi network that you would like to connect to, simply tap on it to attempt to join it. If it has a lock next to the name, then it will require you to enter a wireless encryption password in order to connect to it as discussed in the next step.
    
4. Once you Tap on a network name, it will try to connect to it. If the network is not using encryption, then you can just skip to this step. If the network is using wireless encryption, though, you will be presented with a screen asking you to enter the wireless encryption password as shown below.
   
   
   
   
   Enter wireless security password screen
   
   
   In the password field, enter the wireless encryption password that is required to join this network. This password was originally set on your wireless router, and if you do not remember this password anymore, you can logon to the router and change the password to a new one. Please note that if you change the password on the router, then any other devices that connect to this device wirelessly will also need to have their settings changed to use the new password.
   
    
5. The iPad will now attempt to connect to the network, and when finished, will display the Wi-Fi settings screen again, but this time with the joined network listed and with a checkmark next to it as shown below.
   
   
   
   
   Screen showing the iPad connected to a wireless network
   
   
   This checkmark designates that your iPad is connected to the network. You can also see that your iPad is connected to a wireless network as in the upper left-hand corner you will see the word iPad with the Wi-Fi symbol ()next to it. You can now go back to your home screen and use any apps that require Wi-Fi connectivity.

How to connect to a Wi-Fi or Wireless network that is not broadcasting its name or SSID

There are many networks that do not advertise their network name, or SSID, for extra security. Due to this, the only way for an iPad to connect to these types of networks is to manually enter the network information that is required to make a connection. This section will explain how to manually connect your iPad to a wireless network.

In order to accomplish this please follow these steps:

1. Start the iPad
    
2. Tap on the Settings app. The app icon looks like the following:
   
   
   
   
   Settings Icon
   
   
   Once in the settings application, you will be at the General Settings screen as shown below.
   
   
   
   
   General Settings screen
   
   
    
3. Tap on the Wi-Fi category to get to the screen where you will connect to a wireless network as shown below.
   
   
   
   
   Wi-Fi Settings screen
   
    
4. Determine the correct Name, or SSID, that you will be connecting to and Tap on the Other... button. You will now be at the Other Network screen where the iPad will ask you to enter the settings required to connect to the network.
   
   
   
   
   Enter SSID screen
   
   
   In the Name field, enter the network name or SSID.
    
5. Then tap on the Security button and you will be at the screen show below.
   
   
   
   
   Select Security Encryption Type screen
   
   At this screen you need to select the wireless encryption that the network that network you wish to connect to is using. It is important that you select the correct encryption type, as if you do not, you will not be able to connect to the wireless network. After selecting the encryption type, tap on the Other Network button.
    
6. You will now be back at the Other Network screen where the iPad is now prompting you to enter the password as shown below.
   
   
   
   
   
   Enter Security Encryption Password screen
   
   In the password field, please enter the password that is required to connect to the Wi-Fi network. This password was originally set on your wireless router, and if you do not remember this password, you can logon to the router and change the password to a new one. Please note that if you change the password on the router, then any other devices that connect to this device wirelessly will also need to have their settings changed to use the new password.
    
7. Once you have entered in all the required information, tap the Join button on the iPad keyboard. The iPad will attempt to connect to the network, and when finished, will display the Wi-Fi settings screen again, but this time with the joined network listed and with a checkmark next to it as shown below.
   
   
   
   
   Screen showing the iPad connected to a wireless network
   
   
   This checkmark designates that your iPad is connected to the network. You can also see that your iPad is connected to a wireless network as in the upper left-hand corner you will see the word iPad with the Wi-Fi symbol () next to it. You can now go back to your home screen and use any apps that require Wi-Fi connectivity.

How to configure your iPad Wi-Fi connection to use a static IP address
If the wireless network you are connecting to does not use DHCP to assign IP addresses to wireless devices, then you will need to configure your iPad with static IP addresses and other information in order to connect to the Internet or a network. To do this first find out the info, such as the static IP address, IP subnet mask, DNS servers, and router IP address, and proceed with the following steps. Please note, you must first create the wireless profile that you will be assigning static information to.

1. Start the iPad
    
2. Tap on the Settings app. When the Settings app loads, you will be at the General Settings category.
   
    
3. Tap on the Wi-Fi settings category and you will be at a screen as shown below.
   
   
   
   
   Screen showing the iPad connected to a wireless network
   
   You should now tap on the to access the specific settings of the wireless connection.
    
4. You will now be at the Wi-Fi network settings screen for the connected network.
   
   
   
   
   
   Wireless settings for a Wi-Fi network
5. Now tap the Static button to enter the static settings screen as shown below.
   
   
   
   
   Screen showing the iPad connected to a wireless network
   
   In this screen you can enter the IP address, IP subnet mask, router IP address, DNS server, and search domains as necessary. At a minimum you must enter information in the IP Address, Subnet Mask, Router, and DNS fields for the iPad to be able to properly work on the wireless network. If you do not know this information, you should ask the router owner or administrator.
   
   When you are done entering the information, tap on the Wi-Fi Networks button and then go back to your Home screen to start using the iPad with these new settings.

How to configure your iPad to use a Proxy Server
Some networks require you to use a proxy server to access the Internet. A proxy server is another computer or device that acts as an intermediary between you and the Internet by relaying your requests to a server and the servers responses back to you. Unfortunately, this type of setup requires you to specify certain settings in order for you to use the Internet properly. This section will provide information on how to configure your iPad to use a proxy server.

1. Start the iPad
    
2. Tap on the Settings app. When the Settings app loads, you will be at the General Settings category.
   
    
3. Tap on the Wi-Fi settings category and you will be at a screen as shown below.
   
   
   
   
   Screen showing the iPad connected to a wireless network
   
   You should now tap on the to access the specific settings of the wireless connection.
    
4. You will now be at the Wi-Fi network settings screen for the connected network.
   
   
   
   
   
   Wireless settings for a Wi-Fi network
   
   
   At the bottom you will find three proxy server options that you can choose from. The first option is Off, which is the default option and means that the iPad will not use a Proxy Server. The second setting is Manual, which means that you will enter the specific information about proxy server in the specified fields. The last option is Auto, which allows you to enter a URL that contains the configuration information as to what proxy settings the iPad should use.
    
5. If you need to specify manual settings, then simply tap on the Manual button and fill in the appropriate fields as shown below.
   
   
   
   
   Screen showing the iPad connected to a wireless network
   
   If your proxy server requires you to login to it before it allows you to use it, make sure you slide Authentication to ON and input your login credentials.
   
   If you have a configuration URL that contains your proxy settings, then simply tap on the Auto button and you will see a screen similar to below.
   
   
   
   
   Screen showing the iPad connected to a wireless network
   
   Simply fill in the URL field with the proxy autoconfiguration URL.
    
6. When you are done setting up your proxy server, tap on the Wi-Fi Networks button and then go back to your Home screen to start using the iPad with these new settings.

Deleting a Wi-Fi connection profile so the iPad wont automatically join it
At times you may find the need to delete a Wi-Fi connection profile that has previously been configured on your iPad. Whether this is because the profile belongs to a hotel that you are no longer staying at or you have changed your wireless password and need to re-enter it, this section will explain how to delete the profile from your iPad.

1. Start the iPad
    
2. Tap on the Settings app. When the Settings app loads, you will be at the General Settings category.
   
    
3. Tap on the Wi-Fi settings category and you will be at a screen as shown below.
   
   
   
   
   Screen showing the iPad connected to a wireless network
   
   You should now tap on the next to the Wi-Fi profile that you wish to delete.
    
4. You will now be at the Wi-Fi network settings screen for the connected network.
   
   
   
   
   
   Wireless settings for a Wi-Fi network
5. Tap on the Forget this Network button.
    
6. When the iPad asks you to confirm that you wish to forget the network, tap on the Forget button.

You will no longer automatically connect to this network. Do not be concerned, though, if you go back to the Wi-Fi settings and still see the network you just specified should be forgotten. Once you power off the iPad, and start it again, the network will no longer be listed.

Troubleshooting
When working with computers and networking problems invariably happen. This section will offer steps that can be tried to resolve Wi-Fi connectivity issues with your iPad.
What to do if your iPad can't access a visible network:

The first step is to make sure that the wireless connection does not require a password. You can determine this by seeing if there is a lock symbol next to the wireless network name. If there is, then make sure you know the correct password to the network before attempting to join it. If that still does not resolve your issue, try moving closer to the wireless router and seeing if you are able to connect then.

What to do if you cannot access a network that is not broadcasting its network name or SSID:

Diagnosing connections to Wi-Fi networks that are not broadcasting their name or SSID can be difficult. The first suggestion, if the wireless router is under your control, is to allow the router to broadcast the name. If you can then connect, then you may have entered the name incorrectly, selected the wrong wireless encryption type, or entered the wrong wireless encryption password. You should then confirm these settings by looking at the configuration of the router, and if necessary, changing those settings to new ones. Then try connecting again.

What to do if you cannot access the Internet when connected to a wireless network:

If it shows that you are connected to a network, but you still cannot access the network, you should first make sure that your Internet connection is actually working. Test the connection from another computer and device to confirm that it is working. If it is working, go into the Wi-Fi settings for this particular connection on the iPad and under the DHCP settings, make sure that you have an assigned IP Address, Subnet Mask, Router, and DNS. If you do not have these fields populated, then tap on the Renew Lease button, and then tap on the Renew button when it asks if you with to continue. This will make the iPad request new connection settings. Once that is done, if you now have settings in the DHCP fields, try connecting to the Internet again.
If this still does not work, then you may want to confirm that you do not need to enter a static networking configuration into the iPad. To determine this, you should ask the owner or administrator of the wireless router.
Last, but not least, if the iPad shows its connected, but cannot access the internet, it could be because you entered the wrong wireless encryption password or it was changed after you initially created the Wi-Fi profile. To test this, simply Forget the network profile and try recreating it and entering the password again.

How to fix slow iPad Wi-Fi speeds or low quality wireless connections:

Unfortunately there have been a lot of reports that the iPad wireless range and sensitivity is not as good as it could, or should, be. That means that Wi-Fi connections that work fine with other devices or computers may not work as well with the iPad. To determine the quality of your Wi-Fi connection, you can look in the upper left-hand corner of the device. The three quality levels are shown from best to worst as , with the lower the level being the worst connection speed.
Unless Apple releases an update, or a software hack is released to increase the power of the antenna, we will need to use other methods to make the Wi-Fi connection quality better. To do this you can first try and use the iPad closer to the wireless router to increase your connection quality. This, though, is a ridiculous thing to have to do considering how much you spent on the iPad. Another option is to purchase a wireless extender that can extend the range of your wireless device so it is strong throughout your entire house or apartment. Popular extenders are the Linksys WRE54G Wireless-G Extender, Belkin Wireless G Universal Range Extender, or the Netgear WGXB102 Range Extender. When you add an extender to your wireless network, it will increase the range of your wireless router so that you can connect to your network in locations that previously you could not.

Conclusion
As you can see there are many Wi-Fi configuration options available to suit your specific needs. By knowing how to connect to a wireless network you can now connect to the Internet from locations such as a public Wi-Fi hotspot, a friends house, or a hotel. No matter what the specific requirement of your location, hopefully the information in this guide has shown you how to work around them.

Thanks & Regards,

"Remember Me When You Raise Your Hand For Dua"
Raheel Ahmed Khan
System Engineer
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How to Change a Linux Password

Keep your Linux computer secure by occasionally changing the password.

Linux is an operating system known for its stability and security. IT professionals generally consider Linux to be one of the most secure operating systems available today. This security can be weakened, however, if you have a weak password. It is also advisable to change your password from time to time just in case a hacker were to somehow discover your password. Changing a password in Linux is a very straightforward process, and with it you can make your system much more secure.

Instructions Changing a Linux password
       
1)Open a terminal. A terminal is the Linux version of the DOS command prompt in Windows. It takes text commands and produces text output. The process to open a terminal differs between different distributions and desktop environments. In GNOME, you can open a terminal by pressing "Alt+F2" and then typing "xterm" into the prompt that pops up.
  
2)Become root. This essentially elevates your privilege level to the Linux equivalent of "Administrator" in Windows. This may not be necessary if your user account already has the permissions to change passwords. To become root, type "sudo su" into the terminal and press "Enter." You are prompted to enter the root password. As you type your password, no dots or asterisks appear as they do on most applications, so take care to type it correctly. Once you have successfully done this, the dollar sign at the end of the command prompt will be replaced with a pound sign (#).
  
3)Change the password by typing "passwd username" (replace username with the user name on the account for which you want to change the password) and pressing "Enter." You are prompted to enter the new password twice. The entry method is the same as when you became root--no asterisks or dots appear as you type. You may also change the root password by just typing "passwd" with no user name and pressing "Enter." You should ideally use a strong password (at least eight characters long, consisting of at least three types of characters, such as lowercase or uppercase letters, numbers, and special characters such as spaces or punctuation). The terminal gives you a success message, and now you have successfully changed your Linux password.


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How to Change an XP Password in Linux

Resetting and recovering a lost user’s password in Windows XP is easy provided you have access to the administrator account. If you have lost the administrator’s password, things get a bit tricky. One of the best and easiest ways of changing the administrator’s password is by using Linux. With an Unbuntu Linux Live CD, you can access the Windows hard drive and change the admin password, regaining administrative access on your XP installation.

Instructions

1)Download the Ubuntu ISO from Ubuntu.com and burn the image to a CD, if you have not already. Use your favorite ISO recording application (MagicISO, Nero, Roxio or ISO Recorder) to do so.
  
2)Place the Ubuntu Live CD into the computer’s disc drive and restart the computer. Press any key to boot into the Linux disc and select “Try Ubuntu Without Making Any Changes...” when prompted.

3)Select “System” > “Administration” from the menu bar, when the Ubuntu desktop loads. Select “Synaptic Package Manager” > “Settings” > “Repositories.” Enable the option to allow restricted software. Close the utility.
  
4)Relaunch the Synaptic Package Manager. Click “Search” and search for “chntpw”. Then hit "Enter." Install the returned result by selecting it and clicking “Apply.”
  
5)Select the Windows hard drive from the “Places” menu.
  
6)Select “Terminal” via the “Applications” menu, located in the “Accessories” subfolder.
  
7)Type "cd: /media/disk/WINDOWS/system32/config" and hit "Enter" to navigate to the Windows hard drive.
  
8)Type “sudo chntpw SAM” and hit "Enter." Use an asterisk to set a blank password, or type in the desired new password, and hit "Enter." Press “Y” to confirm the action.
  
9)Remove the Ubuntu Linux Live CD and restart the computer. You have successfully changed the Windows password via Linux.

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How to Change a Lost Computer Password

When a Windows-based computer is booted in Safe Mode, it is generally necessary to enter the Administrator password for the computer to continue. Unfortunately, the Administrator password is easily fo

rgotten, making it impossible to log into the Windows Administrator account. However, any account with administrative privileges can be used to reset the password of any other account in Windows. Use the Windows command prompt to reset the password for your computer's Administrator account, or any lost password.

Instructions

1)Boot Windows normally. Log in to your computer using any account with administrative privileges.

2)Press the Windows logo and "R" keys on the keyboard simultaneously. The "Run" box appears.

3)Type "cmd" without the quotation marks in the Run box, and hit "Enter." The Windows command prompt appears.

4)Type "net user (user name) (password)" at the command prompt and hit "Enter." For example, if you want to change the Administrator password to "password," type "net user Administrator password." Substitute the username of your choice if you would like to reset a password other than the one for the Administrator account.

5)Restart your computer and log in to Windows using the new password you chose.

 

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How to Remove an Administrator Password in Windows XP

How to Remove an Administrator Password in Windows XP thumbnail
You can reset your Windows XP administrator password or eliminate it altogether.

Passwords--those ubiquitious alphanumeric codes that protect us and give us access to everything digital--can be confusing. Though your computer likely won't forget a password, you very well might. When this happens, you can be locked out of your whole system, as in the case of the Windows XP administrator password.

Instructions

1)Insert your Windows XP CD into your CD drive and boot your computer. If you receive the message "press any key to boot from CD," press any key.
      
2)Press "Enter" to set up Windows. After you accept the license agreement, you will be asked if you want start a repair process.

3)Press "R" to begin the repair process. Setup will now check your disks and start copying files, which can take several minutes. After this, reboot. Let the computer boot normally (do not press a key to boot from CD).
       
4)Keep your eye on the lower left portion of the screen. When you see the Installing Devices progress bar, press "Shift" and "F10" at the same time. This will open a command line console.
       
5)Type "NUSRMGR.CPL" (without quotes) at the prompt, then press "Enter." This will give you access to User Accounts. Remove or change your password. Write it down. After the repair is finished, you will be able to log on with your new password.

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Windows Program Automatic Startup Locations

Many programs that you install are automatically run when you start your computer and load Windows. For the majority of cases, this type of behavior is fine. Unfortunately, there are programs that are not legitimate, such as spyware, hijackers, trojans, worms, viruses, that load in this manner as well. It is therefore important that you check regularly your startup registry keys regularly. Windows does offer a program that will list programs that are automatically started from SOME of these locations. This program, Msconfig.exe, unfortunately, though, only lists programs from a limited amount of startup keys.

Below are the various list of registry keys that can start a program when Windows boots. I have tried to keep the keys in the exact order that they load. Keep in mind, that some of the keys are set to load at the same time, so it is possible that the order will change on each boot up. These keys generally apply to Windows 95, 98, ME, NT, XP, 2000, Windows Vista, and Windows 7, and I will note when it is otherwise.

Upon turning on the computer the following autostart locations are processed in the following order:

Windows Boot Device Drivers - These drivers are loaded first as they are required for the proper operation of hardware such as storage devices. Boot device drivers will be located under the following key and have a Start value equal to 0.

Registry Keys:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services

Windows will now perform various tasks and then start the Winlogon process. Winlogon eventually starts the service control manager that loads services and drivers that are set for auto-start.

Windows Auto-start Services & Drivers -The Service Control Manager (SCM) process (\Windows\System32\services.exe), will now launch any services or drivers that are marked with a Start value of 2.

Registry Keys:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services

RunServicesOnce - This key is designed to start services when a computer boots up. These entries can also continue running even after you log on, but must be completed before the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\...\RunOnce registry can start loading its programs.

Registry Keys:	HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunServicesOnce
	HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunServicesOnce

RunServices - This key is designed to start services as well. These entries can also continue running even after you log on, but must be completed before the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\...\RunOnce registry can start loading its programs.

Registry Keys:	HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunServices
	HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunServices

The Windows logon prompt is shown on the Screen. After a user logs in the rest of the keys continue.

Notify - This key is used to add a program that will run when a particular event occurs. Events include logon, logoff, startup, shutdown, startscreensaver, and stopscreensaver. When Winlogon.exe generates an event such as the ones listed, Windows will look in the Notify registry key for a DLL that will handle this event. Malware has been known to use this method to load itself when a user logs on to their computer. Loading in such a way allows the malware program to load in such a way that it is not easy to stop.

Registry Key:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon\Notify

UserInit Key - This key specifies what program should be launched right after a user logs into Windows. The default program for this key is C:\windows\system32\userinit.exe. Userinit.exe is a program that restores your profile, fonts, colors, etc for your user name. It is possible to add further programs that will launch from this key by separating the programs with a comma. For example:

HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon\Userinit =C:\windows\system32\userinit.exe,c:\windows\badprogram.exe.

This will make both programs launch when you log in and is a common place for trojans, hijackers, and spyware to launch from.

Registry Key:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon\Userinit

Shell Value - This value contains a list of comma separated values that Userinit.exe will launch. The default shell for Windows is explorer.exe, though there are legitimate replacements that have been made. When userinit.exe starts the shell, it will first launch the Shell value found in HKEY_CURRENT_USER. If this value is not present, it will then launch the value found in HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE.

Registry Key:	HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon\\Shell
	HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon\\Shell

The rest of the Autostart locations will now be processed.

RunOnce Local Machine Key - These keys are designed to be used primarily by Setup programs. Entries in these keys are started once and then are deleted from the key. If there is an- exclamation point preceding the value of the key, the entry will not be deleted until after the program completes, otherwise it will be deleted before the program runs. This is important, because if the exclamation point is not used, and the program referenced in this key fails to complete, it will not run again as it will have already been deleted. All entries in this key are started synchronously in an undefined order. Due to this, all programs in this key must be finished before any entries in HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\...\Run, HKEY_CURRENT_USER\...\Run, HKEY_CURRENT_USER\...\RunOnce, and Startup Folders can be loaded. The RunOnce keys are ignored under Windows 2000 and Windows XP in Safe Mode. The RunOnce keys are not supported by Windows NT 3.51.

Registry Keys:	HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunOnce
	HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunOnceEx

Run - These are the most common startup locations for programs to install auto start from. By default these keys are not executed in Safe mode. If you prefix the value of these keys with an asterisk, *, it will run in Safe Mode.

Registry Keys:	HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run
	HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run

All Users Startup Folder - For Windows XP, 2000, and NT, this folder is used for programs that should be auto started for all users who will login to this computer. It is generally found at:

Windows XP	C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Start Menu\Programs\Startup
Windows NT	C:\wont\Profiles\All Users\Start Menu\Programs\Startup
Windows 2000	C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Start Menu\Programs\Startup

User Profile Startup Folder - This folder will be executed for the particular user who logs in. This folder is usually found in:

Win 9X, ME	c:\windows\start menu\programs\startup
Windows XP	C:\Documents and Settings\LoginName\Start Menu\Programs\Startup

RunOnce Current User Key - These keys are designed to be used primarily by Setup programs. Entries in these keys are started once and then are deleted from the key. If there is an exclamation point preceding the value of the key, the entry will not be deleted until after the program completes, otherwise it will be deleted before the program runs. This is important, because if the exclamation point is not used, and the program referenced in this key fails to complete, it will not run again as it will have already been deleted. The RunOnce keys are ignored under Windows 2000 and Windows XP in Safe Mode. The RunOnce keys are not supported by Windows NT 3.51.

Registry Key:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunOnce

Explorer Run - These keys are generally used to load programs as part of a policy set in place on the computer or user.

Registry Keys:	HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer\Run
	HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer\Run

Load Key - This key is not commonly used anymore, but can be used to auto start programs.

Registry Key:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Windows\load

AppInit_DLLs - This value corresponds to files being loaded through the AppInit_DLLs Registry value. The AppInit_DLLs registry value contains a list of dlls that will be loaded when user32.dll is loaded. As most Windows executables use the user32.dll, that means that any DLL that is listed in the AppInit_DLLs registry key will be loaded also. This makes it very difficult to remove the DLL as it will be loaded within multiple processes, some of which can not be stopped without causing system instability. The user32.dll file is also used by processes that are automatically started by the system when you log on. This means that the files loaded in the AppInit_DLLs value will be loaded very early in the Windows startup routine allowing the DLL to hide itself or protect itself before we have access to the system.

Registry Key:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Windows

ShellServiceObjectDelayLoad - This Registry value contains values in a similar way as the Run key does. The difference is that instead of pointing to the file itself, it points to the CLSID's InProcServer, which contains the information about the particular DLL file that is being used.

The files under this key are loaded automatically by Explorer.exe when your computer starts. Because Explorer.exe is the shell for your computer, it will always start, thus always loading the files under this key. These files are therefore loaded early in the startup process before any human intervention occurs.

Registry Key:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\ShellServiceObjectDelayLoad

SharedTaskScheduler - This section corresponds to files being loaded through the SharedTaskScheduler registry value for XP, NT, 2000 machines. The entries in this registry value run automatically when you start windows.

Registry Key:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\SharedTaskScheduler

The following are files that programs can autostart from on bootup:

1. c:\autoexec.bat
2. c:\config.sys
3 . windir\wininit.ini - Usually used by setup programs to have a file run once and then get deleted.
4. windir\winstart.bat
5. windir\win.ini - [windows] "load"
6. windir\win.ini - [windows] "run"
7. windir\system.ini - [boot] "shell"
8 . windir\system.ini - [boot] "scrnsave.exe"
9. windir\dosstart.bat - Used in Win95 or 98 when you select the "Restart in MS-DOS mode" in the shutdown menu.
10. windir\system\autoexec.nt
11. windir\system\config.nt

Though it is good to know these details, if you just need a program to quickly scan these keys and produce a list for you, you can use Sysinternals Autoruns program. While you are at that site, you should browse some of the other excellent utilities.

Thanks & Regards,

"Remember Me When You Raise Your Hand For Dua"
Raheel Ahmed Khan
System Engineer
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send2raheel@engineer.com
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How to see hidden files in Windows

Introduction

By default Windows hides certain files from being seen with Windows Explorer or My Computer. This is done to protect these files, which are usually system files, from accidentally being modified or deleted by the user. Unfortunately viruses, spyware, and hijackers often hide there files in this way making it hard to find them and then delete them.

By following the steps below for each version of Windows you will be able to change the operating systems behavior so that you can see hidden and protected files. In this way you will be able to delete or replaces files for troubleshooting purposes.

Windows 95

To enable the viewing of Hidden files follow these steps:

1. Close all programs so that you are at your desktop.
2. Double-click on the My Computer icon.
3. Select the View menu and then click Options.
4. After the new window appears select the View tab.
5. Scroll down until you see the Show all files radio button and select it.
6. Press the OK button and close the My Computer window.
7. Now your computer is configured to show all hidden files.

Windows 98

To enable the viewing of Hidden files follow these steps:

1. Close all programs so that you are at your desktop.
2. Double-click on the My Computer icon.
3. Select the View menu and then click Folder Options.
4. After the new window appears select the View tab.
5. Scroll down until you see the Show all files radio button and select it.
6. Press the Apply button and then the OK button and close the My Computer window.
7. Now your computer is configured to show all hidden files.

Windows ME

To enable the viewing of Hidden files follow these steps:

1. Close all programs so that you are at your desktop.
2. Double-click on the My Computer icon.
3. Select the Tools menu and click Folder Options.
4. After the new window appears select the View tab.
5. Under the Hidden files and folders section select the radio button labeled Show hidden files and folders.
6. Remove the checkmark from the checkbox labeled Hide file extensions for known file types.
7. Remove the checkmark from the checkbox labeled Hide protected operating system files.
8. Press the Apply button and then the OK button and shutdown My Computer.
9. Now your computer is configured to show all hidden files.

Windows NT
To enable the viewing of Hidden files follow these steps:

1. Close all programs so that you are at your desktop.
2. Double-click on the My Computer icon.
3. Select the View menu and then click Options.
4. After the new window appears select the View tab.
5. Scroll down until you see the Show all files radio button and select it.
6. Press the OK button and shutdown My Computer.
7. Now your computer is configured to show all hidden files.

Windows 2000

To enable the viewing of Hidden files follow these steps:

1. Close all programs so that you are at your desktop.
2. Double-click on the My Computer icon.
3. Select the Tools menu and click Folder Options.
4. After the new window appears select the View tab.
5. Under the Hidden files and folders section select the radio button labeled Show hidden files and folders.
6. Remove the checkmark from the checkbox labeled Hide file extensions for known file types.
7. Remove the checkmark from the checkbox labeled Hide protected operating system files.
8. Press the Apply button and then the OK button and shutdown My Computer.
9. Now your computer is configured to show all hidden files.

Windows XP and Windows 2003

To enable the viewing of Hidden files follow these steps:

1. Close all programs so that you are at your desktop.
2. Double-click on the My Computer icon.
3. Select the Tools menu and click Folder Options.
4. After the new window appears select the View tab.
5. Put a checkmark in the checkbox labeled Display the contents of system folders.
6. Under the Hidden files and folders section select the radio button labeled Show hidden files and folders.
7. Remove the checkmark from the checkbox labeled Hide file extensions for known file types.
8. Remove the checkmark from the checkbox labeled Hide protected operating system files.
9. Press the Apply button and then the OK button and shutdown My Computer.
10. Now your computer is configured to show all hidden files.

Windows Vista

To enable the viewing of Hidden files follow these steps:

1. Close all programs so that you are at your desktop.
2. Click on the Start button. This is the small round button with the Windows flag in the lower left corner.
3. Click on the Control Panel menu option.
4. When the control panel opens you can either be in Classic View or Control Panel Home view:
   
   If you are in the Classic View do the following:
   1. Double-click on the Folder Options icon.
   2. Click on the View tab.
   3. Go to step 5.
   
   If you are in the Control Panel Home view do the following:
   1. Click on the Appearance and Personalization link .
   2. Click on Show Hidden Files or Folders.
   3. Go to step 5.
       
5. Under the Hidden files and folders section select the radio button labeled Show hidden files and folders.
6. Remove the checkmark from the checkbox labeled Hide extensions for known file types.
7. Remove the checkmark from the checkbox labeled Hide protected operating system files.
8. Press the Apply button and then the OK button.
9. Now Windows Vista is configured to show all hidden files.

Windows 7

To enable the viewing of Hidden files follow these steps. Please note a guide with images that shows the same steps can be found here:

How to show hidden files in Windows 7

1. Close all programs so that you are at your desktop.
2. Click on the Start button. This is the small round button with the Windows flag in the lower left corner.
3. Click on the Control Panel menu option.
4. When the control panel opens click on the Appearance and Personalization link.
5. Under the Folder Options category, click on Show Hidden Files or Folders.
6. Under the Hidden files and folders section select the radio button labeled Show hidden files, folders, or drives.
7. Remove the checkmark from the checkbox labeled Hide extensions for known file types.
8. Remove the checkmark from the checkbox labeled Hide protected operating system files (Recommended).
9. Press the Apply button and then the OK button..
10. Now Windows 7 is configured to show all hidden files.

Windows 8

To enable the viewing of Hidden files follow these steps. Please note a guide with images that shows the same steps can be found here:

How to see hidden files in Windows 8

1. From the Windows 8 Start Screen, click on the Control Panel app.
2. When the Control Panel opens scroll down to the bottom and click on the More Settings option.
3. The traditional Windows 8 Control Panel will now open. When it is open, click on the Appearance and Personalization link.
4. Under the Folder Options category, click on Show Hidden Files or Folders.
5. Under the Hidden files and folders section select the radio button labeled Show hidden files, folders, or drives.
6. Remove the checkmark from the checkbox labeled Hide extensions for known file types.
7. Remove the checkmark from the checkbox labeled Hide protected operating system files (Recommended).
8. Press the Apply button and then the OK button..
9. Now Windows 8 is configured to show all hidden files.

Please note that you will now see icons that were not previously visible. One of the most common concerns is that you will see a file called desktop.ini throughout your computer. These are legitimate hidden files and can be ignored.

Conclusion

Now that you know how to see all hidden files on your computer, malicious programs such as viruses, spyware, and hijackers will no longer be able to hide their presence from you or people helping you.

 

Thanks & Regards,

"Remember Me When You Raise Your Hand For Dua"
Raheel Ahmed Khan
System Engineer
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send2raheel@engineer.com
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How to remove a Trojan, Virus, Worm, or other Malware

Dialers, Trojans, Viruses, and Worms Oh My!
If you use a computer, read the newspaper, or watch the news, you will know about computer viruses or other malware. These are those malicious programs that once they infect your machine will start causing havoc on your computer. What many people do not know is that there are many different types of infections that are categorized in the general category of Malware.

Malware - Malware is programming or files that are developed for the purpose of doing harm. Thus, malware includes computer viruses, worms, Trojan horses, spyware, hijackers, and certain type of adware.

This article will focus on those malware that are considered viruses, trojans, worms, and viruses, though this information can be used to remove the other types of malware as well. We will not go into specific details about any one particular infection, but rather provide a broad overview of how these infections can be removed. For the most part these instructions should allow you to remove a good deal of infections, but there are some that need special steps to be removed and these won't be covered under this tutorial.
Before we continue it is important to understand the generic malware terms that you will be reading about.

Adware - A program that generates pop-ups on your computer or displays advertisements. It is important to note that not all adware programs are necessarily considered malware. There are many legitimate programs that are given for free that display ads in their programs in order to generate revenue. As long as this information is provided up front then they are generally not considered malware.
Backdoor - A program that allows a remote user to execute commands and tasks on your computer without your permission. These types of programs are typically used to launch attacks on other computers, distribute copyrighted software or media, or hack other computers.
Dialler - A program that typically dials a premium rate number that has per minute charges over and above the typical call charge. These calls are with the intent of gaining access to pornographic material.
Hijackers - A program that attempts to hijack certain Internet functions like redirecting your start page to the hijacker's own start page, redirecting search queries to a undesired search engine, or replace search results from popular search engines with their own information.
Spyware - A program that monitors your activity or information on your computer and sends that information to a remote computer without your knowledge.
Trojan - A program that has been designed to appear innocent but has been intentionally designed to cause some malicious activity or to provide a backdoor to your system.
Virus - A program that when run, has the ability to self-replicate by infecting other programs and files on your computer. These programs can have many effects ranging from wiping your hard drive, displaying a joke in a small box, or doing nothing at all except to replicate itself. These types of infections tend to be localized to your computer and not have the ability to spread to another computer on their own. The word virus has incorrectly become a general term that encompasses trojans, worms, and viruses.
Worm - A program that when run, has the ability to spread to other computers on its own using either mass-mailing techniques to email addresses found on your computer or by using the Internet to infect a remote computer using known security holes.

How these infections start
Just like any program, in order for the program to work, it must be started. Malware programs are no different in this respect and must be started in some fashion in order to do what they were designed to do. For the most part these infections run by creating a configuration entry in the Windows Registry in order to make these programs start when your computer starts.
Unfortunately, though, in the Windows operating system there are many different ways to make a program start which can make it difficult for the average computer user to find manually. Luckily for us, though, there are programs that allow us to cut through this confusion and see the various programs that are automatically starting when windows boots. The program we recommend for this, because its free and detailed, is Autoruns from Sysinternals.

When you run this program it will list all the various programs that start when your computer is booted into Windows. For the most part, the majority of these programs are safe and should be left alone unless you know what you are doing or know you do not need them to run at startup.
At this point, you should download Autoruns and try it out. Just run the Autoruns.exe and look at all the programs that start automatically. Don't uncheck or delete anything at this point. Just examine the information to see an overview of the amount of programs that are starting automatically. When you feel comfortable with what you are seeing, move on to the next section.

Use an anti-virus and anti-malware program to remove the infections
Make sure you are using an anti-virus program and that the anti-virus program is updated to use the latest definitions. If you do not currently have an anti-virus installed, you can select one from the following list and use it to scan and clean your computer. The list below includes both free and commercial anti-virus programs, but even the commercial ones typically have a trial period in which you can scan and clean your computer before you have to pay for it.

• Kaspersky Anti-virus
• ESET Nod32
• AVG
• Avast
• BitDefender
• Microsoft Security Essentials
• Trend Micro
• Antivir

It is also advised that you install and scan your computer with MalwareBytes' Anti-Malware and SUPERAntiSpyware. Both of these are excellent programs and have a good track record at finding newer infections that the more traditional anti-virus programs miss. Guides on how to install and use these programs can be found below.

How to use Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware to scan and remove malware from your computer
How to use SUPERAntiSpyware to scan and remove malware from your computer

After performing these instructions if you still are infected, you can use the instructions below to manually remove the infection.

How to remove these infections manually
We have finally arrived at the section you came here for. You are most likely reading this tutorial because you are infected with some sort of malware and want to remove it. With this knowledge that you are infected, it is also assumed that you examined the programs running on your computer and found one that does not look right. You did further research by checking that program against our Startup Database or by searching in Google and have learned that it is an infection and you now want to remove it.
If you have identified the particular program that is part of the malware, and you want to remove it, please follow these steps.

1. Download and extract the Autoruns program by Sysinternals to C:\Autoruns
   
2. Reboot into Safe Mode so that the malware is not started when you are doing these steps. Many malware monitor the keys that allow them to start and if they notice they have been removed, will automatically replace that startup key. For this reason booting into safe mode allows us to get past that defense in most cases.
    
3. Navigate to the C:\Autoruns folder you created in Step 1 and double-click on autoruns.exe.
    
4. When the program starts, click on the Options menu and enable the following options by clicking on them. This will place a checkmark next to each of these options.
   1. Include empty locations
       
   2. Verify Code Signatures
       
   3. Hide Signed Microsoft Entries
       
5. Then press the F5 key on your keyboard to refresh the startups list using these new settings.
    
6. The program shows information about your startup entries in 8 different tabs. For the most part, the filename you are looking for will be found under the Logon or the Services tabs, but you should check all the other tabs to make sure they are not loading elsewhere as well. Click on each tab and look through the list for the filename that you want to remove. The filename will be found under the Image Path column. There may be more than one entry associated with the same file as it is common for malware to create multiple startup entries. It is important to note that many malware programs disguise themselves by using the same filenames as valid Microsoft files. it is therefore important to know exactly which file, and the folder they are in, that you want to remove. You can check our Startup Database for that information or ask for help in our computer help forums.
    
7. Once you find the entry that is associated with the malware, you want to delete that entry so it will not start again on the next reboot. To do that right click on the entry and select delete. This startup entry will now be removed from the Registry.
    
8. Now that we made it so it will not start on boot up, you should delete the file using My Computer or Windows Explorer. If you can not see the file, it may be hidden. To allow you to see hidden files you can follow the steps for your operating system found in this tutorial:
   
   How to see hidden files in Windows
    
9. When you are finished removing the malware entries from the Registry and deleting the files, reboot into normal mode as you will now be clean from the infection.

How to protect yourself in the future
In order to protect yourself from this happening again it is important that take proper care and precautions when using your computer. Make sure you have updated antivirus and spyware removal software running, all the latest updates to your operating system, a firewall, and only open attachments or click on pop-ups that you know are safe. These precautions can be a tutorial unto itself, and luckily, we have one created already:

Simple and easy ways to keep your computer safe and secure on the Internet

Please read this tutorial and follow the steps listed in order to be safe on the Internet. Other tutorials that are important to read in order to protect your computer are listed below.

Understanding Spyware, Browser Hijackers, and Dialers
Understanding and Using a Firewall
Safely Connecting a Computer to the Internet
Using SpywareBlaster to protect your computer from Spyware, Hijackers, and Malware
Using IE-Spyad to enhance your privacy and Security

Conclusion
Now that you know how to remove a generic malware from your computer, it should help you stay relatively clean from infection. Unfortunately there are a lot of malware that makes it very difficult to remove and these steps will not help you with those particular infections. In situations like that where you need extra help, do not hesitate to ask for help in our computer help forums. We also have a self-help section that contains detailed fixes on some of the more common infections that may be able to help.


 Thanks & Regards,

"Remember Me When You Raise Your Hand For Dua"
Raheel Ahmed Khan
System Engineer
send2raheel@yahoo.com
send2raheel@engineer.com
sirraheel@gmail.com
send2raheel (skype id)

My Blog Spot
http://raheel-mydreamz.blogspot.com/
http://raheeldreamz.wordpress.com/

My Face book pages
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How to force quit a program on a Mac

When using an application on a Mac it may become unresponsive and become frozen. When an application is in this state you are normally not able to interact with the program or close it normally via the Quit menu option. When this occurs the only way to close the program is to use Force Quit, which will forcefully close the programs. This tutorial will walk you through terminating an unresponsive program on your Mac.

WARNING: When you forcefully close a program as shown in the steps below, any unsaved data will be lost. You should only close programs this way if the application is hung and you cannot quit it normally.

To forcefully quit a program, please click on the Apple icon () in the top left corner of your MacOS desktop and select Force Quit Finder as shown below.

This will bring up the Force Quit Applications menu that displays a list of all the running applications that you can close.

Left click on the application you would like to close so that it is selected and then click on the Force Quit button. You will now be shown a prompt confirming whether or not you want to continue terminating the program.

Click on the Force Quit button again and the program will be forcefully closed on your Mac.


Thanks & Regards,

"Remember Me When You Raise Your Hand For Dua"
Raheel Ahmed Khan
System Engineer
send2raheel@yahoo.com
send2raheel@engineer.com
sirraheel@gmail.com
send2raheel (skype id)

My Blog Spot
http://raheel-mydreamz.blogspot.com/
http://raheeldreamz.wordpress.com/

My Face book pages
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http://www.facebook.com/pages/Beauty-of-islam
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Health-is-wealth
 

How to start Windows in Safe Mode

Introduction
Windows Safe Mode is a way of booting up your Windows operating system in order to run administrative and diagnostic tasks on your installation. When you boot into Safe Mode the operating system only loads the bare minimum of software that is required for the operating system to work. This mode of operating is designed to let you troubleshoot and run diagnostics on your computer. Windows Safe Mode loads a basic video drivers so your programs may look different than normal.
For Win98/ME, XP, Vista and Windows 7 there are two methods of booting into Safe Mode, while 95 and 2000 only have one. We will describe these methods below:
F8 - By pressing the F8 key right when Windows starts, usually right after you hear your computer beep when you reboot it, you will be brought to a menu where you can choose to boot into safe mode. If it does not work on the first try, reboot and try again as you have to be quick when you press it. I have found that during boot up right after the computer shows you all the equipment , memory, etc installed on your computer, if you start lightly tapping the F8 key you will usually be able to get to the desired menu.
System Configuration Utility - You can use the System Configuration Utility, or MSCONFIG, found in Windows 98, ME, XP, Windows Vista, and Windows 7 to make Windows boot into Safe Mode on the next reboot. We will go into specific details in the sections below. Please note, that you should not force your computer to boot into Safe Mode using the System Configuration Utility if you suspect you are infected with malware as the malware may corrupt keys required to boot into Safe Mode. You can read more about this here.
Windows 95
Windows 95 can only boot into Safe Mode using the F8 method as it does not have a System Configuration Utility.
Using the F8 Method:

1. Restart your computer.
2. When the machine first starts it will generally list some equipment that is installed in your machine, amount of memory, hard drives installed etc. When it is finished with that it will say "Starting Windows 95". Immediately after seeing "Starting Windows 95" press the F8 key.
3. You will now be presented with a menu. Select the option for Safe Mode using the arrow keys.
4. Then press enter on your keyboard to boot into Safe Mode.
5. Do whatever tasks you require and when you are done reboot to boot back into normal mode.

Windows 98/ME
NOTE: Windows ME may look slightly different than what is shown in the images below. You should still have no problem following along.
Using the F8 Method:

1. Restart your computer.
2. When the machine first starts again it will generally list some equipment that is installed in your machine, amount of memory, hard drives installed etc. At this point you should gently tap the F8 key repeatedly until you are presented with a menu.
3. When you have the menu on the screen. Select the option for Safe Mode using the arrow keys.
4. Then press enter on your keyboard to boot into Safe Mode.
5. Do whatever tasks you require and when you are done reboot to boot back into normal mode.

Using the System Configuration Tool Method:
Step 1: Close all programs so that you have nothing open and are at the desktop.
Step 2: Click on the Start button then click on Run.
Step 3: In the Run field type msconfig as shown in the image below.

Figure 1. Starting Msconfig

Step 4: Press the OK button and the System Configuration Utility will start up. You will then see a screen similar to Figure 2 below.

Figure 2. SCU Startup Screen

Step 5: You should now press the Advanced button designated by the red box in the figure above and you will see a screen similar to figure 3 below.

Figure 3. Advanced Options

Step 6: Place a checkmark in the checkbox labeled "Enable Startup Menu" designated by the red box in Figure 3 above. Then press the OK button and then the OK button again. Windows 98/ME will now prompt if you would like to reboot as shown in Figure 4 below.

Figure 4. Confirm Reboot

Step 7: Press the Yes button and your computer will restart into Safe Mode.
Step 8: When the computer boots up perform what diagnostic or troubleshooting tasks you require.
Step 9. When you are finished with these tasks, complete steps 1-7 again, but in Step 6 this time uncheck the checkbox labeled "Enable Startup Menu".
Step 10: Reboot the computer back into normal mode.
Windows 2000
Windows 2000 can only boot into Safe Mode using the F8 method as it does not have a System Configuration Utility.
Using the F8 Method:

1. Restart your computer.
2. When the machine first starts again it will generally list some equipment that is installed in your machine, amount of memory, hard drives installed etc. When that is completed it will start loading Windows.
3. When you see the screen that has a black and white bar at the bottom stating "Starting Windows", tap the F8 key repeatedly until you get to the Windows 2000 Advanced Options Menu
4. At this menu use the arrow keys to select the Safe Mode option, which is usually the first in the list.
5. Press the enter key.
6. Your computer will continue booting, but now will boot into Safe Mode.
7. Do whatever tasks you require and when you are done reboot to boot back into normal mode.

Windows XP
Using the F8 Method:

1. Restart your computer.
2. When the machine first starts again it will generally list some equipment that is installed in your machine, amount of memory, hard drives installed etc. At this point you should gently tap the F8 key repeatedly until you are presented with a Windows XP Advanced Options menu.
3. Select the option for Safe Mode using the arrow keys.
4. Then press enter on your keyboard to boot into Safe Mode.
5. Do whatever tasks you require and when you are done reboot to boot back into normal mode.

Using the System Configuration Tool Method:
Note: If you are having trouble entering Safe Mode via the F8 method, you should not use this method to force it to startup into safe mode. For reasons why, you should read this.
Step 1: Close all programs so that you have nothing open and are at the desktop.
Step 2: Click on the Start button then click on Run.
Step 3: In the Run field type msconfig as shown in the image below.

Figure 4. Starting Msconfig

Step 4: Press the OK button and the System Configuration Utility will start up. You will then see a screen similar to Figure 5 below.

Figure 5. Starting the System Configuration Utility

Step 5: Click on the tab labeled "BOOT.INI" which is designated by the red box in Figure 5 above. You will then be presented with a screen similar to Figure 6 below.

Figure 6. BOOT.INI Tab

Step 6: Put a checkmark in the checkbox labeled "/SAFEBOOT" designated by the red box in Figure 6 above. Then press the OK button. After pressing the button you will be presented with a confirmation box as shown in Figure 7 below.

Figure 7. Confirm Reboot

Step 7: Press the Restart button and let the computer reboot. It will now boot up into Safe Mode.
Step 8: When the computer boots up do what diagnostic or troubleshooting tasks that you need to do.
Step 9. When are finished with your tasks, complete steps 1-7 again, but in Step 6 this time uncheck the checkbox labeled "/SAFEBOOT". Then click on the General tab and set it for Normal startup.
Step 10: Reboot the computer back into normal mode.

Windows Vista
Using the F8 Method:

1. Restart your computer.
2. When the computer starts you will see your computer's hardware being listed. When you see this information start to gently tap the F8 key repeatedly until you are presented with the Windows Vista Advanced Boot Options.
3. Select the Safe Mode option using the arrow keys.
4. Then press the enter key on your keyboard to boot into Vista Safe Mode.
5. When Windows starts you will be at a typical logon screen. Logon to your computer and Vista will enter Safe mode.
6. Do whatever tasks you require, and when you are done, reboot to go back into normal mode.

Using the System Configuration Tool Method:
Note: If you are having trouble entering Safe Mode via the F8 method, you should not use this method to force it to startup into safe mode.

1. Close any running programs and open Windows so you are back at the desktop.
    
2. Click on the Start () button.
    
3. In the Start Menu Search Box () type msconfig and press enter on your keyboard.
    
4. The System Configuration utility will open and you will see a screen similar to the one below.
   
   
   
   
   Figure 8. Vista System Configuration Utility
   
   
   Click on the Boot tab.
5. You will now be at the Boot options screen as shown below.
   
   
   
   
   Figure 9. Vista Boot tab in the System Configuration utility
   
   
   Put a checkmark in the checkbox labeled Safe boot
    
6. Press the Apply button and then press the OK button.
    
7. You will now be presented with a prompt stating that you need to reboot the computer to apply the change.
   
   
   
   
   Figure 10. Restart Prompt
   
   
   Click on the Restart button to reboot your computer.
    
8. Your computer will now restart directly into Safe Mode. When you get to the Vista logon screen, log on to the computer and perform any necessary tasks.
    
9. When done with your tasks, from within Safe Mode, start msconfig.
    
10. When the program is open, and you are on the General tab, select the option labeled Normal Startup.
     
11. Then press the Apply button and then the OK button.
     
12. When the programs prompts you to reboot, allow it to do so, and you will boot back into Windows Vista in normal mode.

Windows 7
Using the F8 Method:

1. Restart your computer.
2. When the computer starts you will see your computer's hardware being listed. When you see this information start to gently tap the F8 key on your keyboard repeatedly until you are presented with the Windows 7 Advanced Boot Options screen as shown in the image below.
   
   
   
   
   Figure 11. Windows 7 Advanced Boot Options screen
3. Using the arrow keys, select the Safe Mode option you want.
4. Then press the enter key on your keyboard to boot into Windows 7 Safe Mode.
5. When Windows starts you will be at a typical logon screen. Logon to your computer and Windows 7 will enter Safe mode.
6. Do whatever tasks you require, and when you are done, reboot to go back into normal mode.

Using the System Configuration Tool Method:
Note: If you are having trouble entering Safe Mode via the F8 method, you should not use this method to force it to startup into safe mode. For reasons why, you should read this.

1. Close any running programs and open Windows so you are back at the desktop.
    
2. Click on the Start () button.
    
3. In the Start Menu Search Box type msconfig as shown in Figure 12 below.
   
   
   
   
   Figure 12. Windows 7 Search box
   
   
   Then press enter on your keyboard.
    
4. The System Configuration utility will open and you will see a screen similar to the one below.
   
   
   
   
   Figure 13. Windows 7 System Configuration Utility
   
   
   Click on the Boot tab.
    
5. You will now be at the Boot screen as shown below.
   
   
   
   
   Figure 14. Windows 7 Boot tab in the System Configuration utility
   
   
   Put a checkmark in the checkbox labeled Safe boot
    
6. Press the Apply button and then press the OK button.
    
7. You will now be presented with a prompt stating that you need to reboot the computer to apply the change.
   
   
   
   
   Figure 15. Restart Prompt
   
   
   Click on the Restart button to reboot your computer.
    
8. Your computer will now restart directly into Safe Mode. When you get to the Windows 7 logon screen, log on to the computer and perform any necessary tasks.
    
9. When done with your tasks, from within Safe Mode, start msconfig.
    
10. When the program is open, and you are on the General tab, select the option labeled Normal Startup.
     
11. Then press the Apply button and then the OK button.
     
12. When the programs prompts you to reboot, allow it to do so, and you will boot back into Windows 7 in normal mode.

Problems that can occur by forcing Safe Mode using the System Configuration Utility
It is possible to make your computer continuously boot up into safe mode using the System Configuration utility as described above. The program does this by changing your boot.ini file, the settings file that configures your computer's boot sequence, and adding the /safeboot argument to your operating systems startup line. An example of this can be seen below.

Original	[operating systems] multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(2)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP Professional" /FASTDETECT /NOEXECUTE=OPTIN
After using MsConfig.exe	[operating systems] multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(2)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP Professional" /FASTDETECT /NOEXECUTE=OPTIN /safeboot:minimal

When you are done using safe mode, you would then run the System Configuration utility again and uncheck the /Safeboot option, thus removing the /safeboot argument from the boot.ini file, and allowing your computer to boot up normally.
On a computer that is operating properly this is normally not a problem. Unfortunately, though, a new trick that some of the more recent malware are using is to delete certain Windows Registry keys so that your computer can not properly boot into safe mode. It is in these situations that using the System Configuration utility to boot into safe mode can cause the computer to become inoperable for many users.
This is because once you set the computer to boot into Safe Mode using /Safeboot, it will continuously attempt to start Safe Mode until the /safeboot argument is removed from the boot.ini. Since the malware is not allowing us to actually boot into safe mode, you have no way of getting to a point where you can run the System Configuration utility again to uncheck the /Safeboot option. Thus, you are stuck with a computer constantly attempting to get into safe mode and not being able to do so.
If a situation like this has happened to you it is possible to fix this problem by renaming your boot.ini file. The first step would be to use a boot disk to start your computer. If your computer does not have a floppy disk, then you can typically boot off the Windows CD that came with your computer in order to access the Windows Recovery Console. More information about the Windows Recovery Console can be found here. Once booted to a command prompt, you would simply rename your C:\Boot.ini file to another name like C:\Boot.ini.bak. The command to rename the file at the command prompt is:
ren C:\Boot.ini Boot.ini.bak
Once the file is renamed, you can then remove the boot disk and reboot your computer to get back to normal mode. When booting up after the rename, do not be surprised if you see an error stating that you do not have a valid Boot.ini file. When you get back to normal Windows mode, you can then rename C:\Boot.ini.bak to C:\Boot.ini and run Msconfig again to remove the /safeboot flag.

Conclusion
It is not uncommon when people are helping you troubleshoot your computer that they tell you to enter Safe Mode. With this tutorial you should now know how to enter Safe Mode when it is required.


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