The common error, “Windows Explorer has encountered a problem and needs to close. We are sorry for the inconvenience,” that occurs at startup or when trying to access a Windows folder (i.e., My Computer, My Pictures, etc) can be caused by any number of things.  To try to fix this Windows explorer error, try the following options:

Windows Explorer Fixes

In general, rebooting your PC immediately after you encounter a Windows Explorer error may solve the problem.  If not, try one of the other options.

1. Go into your Control Panel
2. Select Internet Options
3. Go to the Advanced tab
4. Uncheck the “Enable third party browser extension” tab
5. Click OK or Apply
6. Restart

If your OS is Windows XP, try going to the Start menu:

1. Select Run
2. Type “regsvr32 /u shmedia.dll” into the command prompt
3. Press Run
4. The command will let you unregister shmedia.dll and hopefully remove the Windows Explorer error.

Check to See if Windows Explorer is Infected
Some Windows Explorer errors can be caused by malware on your computer.  Try downloading and enabling a scan that includes malware in its protection services.  Run a scan, remove any malware and viruses found, and restart your computer.

Did You Install New Software?
If the error started occurring after you installed any new software, try uninstalling it and rebooting.  If the error does not occur anymore, reinstall the software and ensure that the install didn’t cause the error again.

Maintain Your Registry
Try resetting your computer to the Last Known Good Configuration by pressing F8 when you restart your computer.  As a last resort, back up all of your important files on your computer (preferably on a CD or a USB drive) and do a system restore.  This may or may not require the Windows XP CD.

The error might also be a result of corrupted registry files.  Prevent Windows Explorer errors by downloading and utilizing a good registry cleaner.  This will find and fix any registry errors, prevent future registry errors, and keep your files and computer safe.

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In most cases whenever someone gets a page error message there is a problem with their Internet access that has nothing to do with the user’s computer, but there are times when things can happen to the user’s computer that can cause these very common errors.  Usually when a user gets these errors on only one web browser, the problem is with the computer and not with the Internet access itself.

Malware can cause some of the most destructive registry entries that involve the web browsers that are installed on a particular computer.  If you have been infected with malware recently and now your web browser is not working, but you know that your Internet access is fine, you might need to fix bad registry entries.

The first thing all users in this position should do is update their computer’s operating system.  They should also update and run a complete virus scan to double check that their computer is free of malware.  After that they should go through and clean up the computer’s registry.

Registry cleaning can be a dangerous thing to do if you are not familiar with which entries need to be left installed and which ones are causing problems.  If you are not sure you can safely fix your registry issues you should get a program that can help, because accidently deleting the wrong registry entry can mean hours of reinstalling every program that was installed, including the operating system.

This is where Regcure can help.  Our award winning software is designed to fix all sorts of registry problems that other registry cleaning programs do not even begin to address.  With just a few clicks Regcure can repair page error problems and get you back to surfing the web without worry.  Download Regcure today!

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Have you ever wondered why you have several different svchost.exe running on your computer at any given time?  When I was trying to remove some malware I realized that I had almost a dozen different svchost.exe files running at once.

The purpose of a svchost.exe file is to run the system’s .dll files, but sometimes creators of malware will use them to secretly run all types of spyware and adware.  In some cases the programs that remove malware off the computer will not be able to clean up the svchost.exe files that are associated with the infection.  These leftover svchost.exe files can and sometimes do cause the processor to get locked into a loop while it is trying to find the .dll files that are no longer on the computer.

One good way to remove these unwanted svchost.exe files is to go through the registry and clean up all of the old and unneeded svchost.exe file as well as the .dll files that might be causing the processor to work overtime.  Once I removed all of the unwanted svchost.exe files and the .dll files that were associated with them I noticed a big change in the way my computer was running.

I must point out that there is a serious risk of damage to the computer if the wrong svchost.exe files are removed, because these files are critical to the day to day operation of the computer.  Be very careful when doing any type of registry cleaning on a computer.  If someone does not know or understand what a particular file does in the registry it is best to get some type of good research into the file before removing it.

To make things easier, Regcure has all of the tools necessary to help you get your computer running faster. So if you think that it might be time to optimize your PC, then it is time to try Regcure. Download Regcure today to fix svchost.exe errors and fully optimize your PC in under two minutes!

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As security advances so does the opposition. Many malicious software makers are starting to notice that the average PC user is becoming smarter when it comes to avoiding emails that could be potentially harmful.

Recently these malicious programmers have started to take a different path. They have begun to create different types of threats. One type that you may have already seen is where the program will inform the user needs to download security software. Three other major programs which are known as Win32/FakeXPA, Win32/FakeSecSen, and Win32/Renos have been found on millions of computers.

Attacks have also been taking place in common files such as .PDF and .DOC. Even Adobe Reader 9 and Acrobat 8 have had several exploits in them. While there are updates out for these programs, many users don’t update their software. For example over 90 percent of attacks in Microsoft Office have been from an exploit that could be fixed with a simple update. Surprisingly this update is over 2 years old!

While many PC users look for updates through Microsoft they rarely look to update other programs. There are a lot of PC users that believe that the Microsoft updates will solve everything. While Microsoft does run the PC business due to most users using Windows, they can’t watch over every company’s individual software issues such as the issue with Adobe.

It’s surprising how many people have issues with malicious software but do nothing to fix it. There are updates for programs coming out all the time to fix these holes and help prevent attacks however many users don’t seem to check for updates as they should. Microsoft alone last year released 78 updates that fixed 155 issues.

Therefore if you are having continuous problems with attacks you should ensure that everything on your computer is up to date. While you may update Windows constantly it’s not enough to stop someone from attacking your computer.

Source: CNET

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Have you ever tried using a public PC? Some of you might probably answer in the negative. Indeed, going to Internet cafés to surf the Web is starting to become unfashionable these days as portable computers continue to get cheaper.

But don’t expect net café’s to totally disappear soon. No matter how small PCs get, you won’t always find it convenient to carry it around with you. So there will definitely come a time when you’ll be forced to use a computer that’s not yours.

Using a public PC can be dangerous, so you’d better limit the things that you’ll do whenever you’re using one. Public computers are notorious for being a melting pot of viruses, just as public toilets are. Hundreds of people have already used it, so there’s a big chance that one of them might have introduced a worm in the system maliciously or inadvertently.

One of the things that you shouldn’t do when you’re using a computer that’s not yours is to engage in e-commerce. Whenever you buy things on the Internet, sensitive financial data will be asked of you, such as your credit card number. Many worms are embedded in public PCs that capture keystrokes, especially those that are keyed in on online stores. Unless you would want to give a virtual supplemental card to hackers, don’t conduct financial transactions on a PC that other people also use.

You should also think twice in accessing your e-mail or other accounts on a public computer. Again, malware that are designed to capture passwords are often injected into public PCs. Try to limit the things that you do in a public computer. Checking the latest NFL or NBA results is harmless. But checking your bank account balance on a net café can be suicidal.

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In case you haven’t heard yet, millions of PCs around the globe are fast succumbing to a worm that experts have yet to completely dissect.

According to F-Secure, a security software company based in the US, around 9 million computers are already playing host to the dreaded malware called “Conficker.” Millions more are expected to be infected by it in the next few days.

Little information has been unearthed as to what the virus could do. What is conclusively known, though, is that it exploits networks and servers that have not installed the latest security patches issued for Windows RPC Server Service. The fact that many antivirus programs cannot detect it also exacerbates the problem.

Conficker, which also goes by the name “Downadup,” spreads rapidly as it immediately copies itself into systems and storage devices. It’s very difficult to detect as it uses different extension names.

While security software makers appear to have been caught flatfooted, they are already laying out plans to curb the infection. Microsoft has recently announced that the latest update of its malware detection and removal tool would already be able to identify and eliminate Conficker.

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I’m sure many of you would want to start 2009 with a clean slate. May I then suggest that you start the new year with a clean and secure PC. There are many ways by which you could accomplish this.

Delete Unnecessary Files

If you’ve worked and traveled a lot last year, then your desktop or laptop may be filled with pieces of evidence of your industriousness and restlessness.  The proofs that I’m referring to are the countless files that you’ve saved and sent to your boss, and the equally innumerable multimedia files that you’ve compiled during your weekend getaways.

If you do not intend to open or access these files anymore at the start of the first working day of 2009, then I suggest that you either delete them or transfer them to an external hard drive. Delete old files that you don’t use or need anymore. While they may take up only a few kilobytes of your enormous hard drive, they can still slow your computer down. You’ll feel their weight during system scans or when you conduct an automatic search of files or programs on your computer. Search engines will scour every data on your hard drive, including ones that you’ve already forgotten. Hence, the more files you have on your hard drive, the longer the searches and scans will take.

Reformat Your Hard Drive

If you really want to forget any memory of last year, then you might want to consider performing the ultimate purge by reformatting your hard drive. While this would surely eliminate any malware residing in your primary storage device, your hopes for a virus-free new year would largely depend, though, on the data that you would reintroduce to your computer. Make sure that the storage device which contains your backup files is free from viruses and spyware. You may have unintentionally backed up copies of some or all of the malware that were saved in your hard drive.

Clean Your Registry

Whether you choose to perform a selective purge or nuke everything in your hard drive, your PC’s performance might still not improve if you have an infected Windows Registry. Everything that runs on your computer almost always involves or requires the participation of the Registry. It’s therefore imperative to keep the Registry free from the influence and control of any malicious application. A healthy Registry can efficiently manage the flow of traffic inside your computer. An infected or defective Registry, though, could clog your system with needless instructions or processes, thereby putting a strain on your computer’s resources.

Invest in a good registry cleaner. While you may have an efficient antivirus program, it’s not designed to handle Registry infections or problems. If you’ve experienced a system slowdown last year despite negative reports by your antivirus or anti-sypware software, then your Registry might be the culprit. RegCure can free your new year from the ghosts of the previous one. Start your new year right. Install all the essential programs and delete the unnecessary ones.

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Finally, the long awaited admission.

After years of bragging that its unit is virtually impregnable, Apple has started advising Mac users to beef up OSX’s security by installing an antivirus software. This tacit admission that the Mac is vulnerable to malware comes as a surprise since one of its product’s main selling points is that it is more secure than the PC.

The advisory wasn’t brought about by any virus or spyware attack. It wasn’t an alarm bell as some have thought. The manner by which it was aired was actually discreet as the article or note was more of a nonchalant endorsement of the idea or tip.

Still, the advisory confirms what everybody, including Mac users, already knew – no computer is safe from malware, regardless of the platform or architecture on which it’s built.

This development should not be seen or interpreted as a victory for the malware authors. On the contrary, the news might have even discouraged hackers from testing Apple’s units, thus making the Apple computer even safer and more secure. It’s already difficult to infect the Mac and its OSX as it is. Fortifying it with an antivirus will definitely make any attempt to climb its walls all the more impossible.

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