Q: I have tried following the instructions in the help section for turning off the built-in protection for a certain program. I have a third party email program that I like to use, but Vista will not allow me to unblock it. Can you help?

A: Yes, here's how:

Go to Start>> All Programs>> Accessories
Right click the entry titled: Command Prompt
Select Run as administrator from the resulting menu
In the command prompt, type in: Bcdedit.exe /set nx AlwaysOff
Press Enter

The above command will now turn off the Built-in Protection

If you would like to turn this feature back on, simply follow the steps above, except this time in the command prompt, type in: Bcdedit.exe /set nx AlwaysOn

[Top]

Q: Each time I start Vista, I receive the following message from Windows Defender:

"An Application Registration change was made for a known application file : C:\Progarm Files\Windows Defender\MpCmdRun.exe."

Is there anything I can do to tell Defender that I don't want to see this anymore. Nothing appears to be wrong with the system...it's running fine.

A: To turn off Windows Defender notifications, follow the instructions below:

1. Open Windows Defender

2. Select Tools

3. Select Options

4. Scroll down the page and uncheck the option titled: "Choose if Window Defender
   should notify you about: Changes made to your computer by software that is permitted to run"

5. Click OK

[Top]

Q: I'm really tired of all of the prompts that I'm given at every turn. How can I shut the UAC down?

A: It isn't recommended that you shut the UAC off. It is designed to alert users. You can always run a program with elevated privileges so that you do not get the prompt each time you run it. But if your mind is made up and you want to disable the UAC, here's how:

1. Go to Start

2. Select Control Panel

3. Under the entry titled: User Account and Family settings, select "Add or remove user account"

4. Select one of the user accounts

5. Select the link titled: "Go to the main User Account page"

6. Under the category titled: "Make changes to your user account", click the link titled: "Change security settings"

7. Uncheck the checkbox titled: "Use User Account Control (UAC) to help protect your computer"

8. Click OK

To re-enbale the UAC, simply follow the instruction outlined above and place a checkmark back in the checkbox titled: "Use User Account Control (UAC) to help protect your computer" in step #7.

[Top]

It is a good idea to have a password reset disk on hand to have as a backup in case you forget your login password. If you are on a domain, you will not be able to use this information as your system administrator can reset your password for you. To create a password reset disk for a local user account, here's how:

1. Inset a removable media such as a flash drive of a floppy disk

2. Go to Start

3. Select Control Panel

4. Select User Accounts and Family Safety

5. Select User Accounts

6. Select "Create a password reset disk" from the left pane

7. Follow the onscreen instructions to complete the process

Be sure to store your password reset disk in a safe place.

[Top]

Note: This information is for local user accounts. If you are on a domain, you will need to contact your system administrator to have your password reset.

1. When you type in the wrong password, you will receive a prompt that states that your user name or password is incorrect

2. Click OK

3. Select "Reset Password"

4. Follow the onscreen instructions for using your password reset disk at this point.

[Top]

1. Press CTRL + ALT + DELETE on your keyboard

2. Select "Change a password"

3. In the 3 labeled text boxes, type in your old password, then your new password and then type in your new password again in the third box

4. Press Enter

[Top]

Yes you can, however, you need to be aware that there are risks involved when resetting the password in this manor:

• The user account will lose all files that were encrypted. This includes all emails that were encrypted as well.

• All stored passwords for websites or network resources will be lost.

[Top]

You can't. You will have to change the password again in order to create the password hint. Here's how:

1. Go to Start

2. Select Control Panel

3. Select User Accounts and Family Safety

4. Select User Accounts

5. Select "Change your password"

6. In the three labeled text boxes, type in your old (current) password. Type in the new password. Type the new password once again in the third box.

7. Type in the password hint that you would like to use.

8. Select "Change password"

Note: If you are on a domain, you will not be able to create a password hint.

[Top]

Q: I'm looking for a third party product that will not slow my system down, is frequently updated and of course provides excellent protection. Is there such a program available?

A: Yes. People I communicate with are favoring Avast over many others for their anti-virus needs. However, I use AVG and it seems to do a fine job for me.  Some of the features are:

• Simple User Interface

• 32 and 64 bit compatibility

• Automatic Frequent Updates

• Various Skin Support (changes the applications appearance)

• Memory Test during program startup

Best of all, they offer a free version for home users. You can read more about this product and obtain the download by clicking the link below:

http://www.avast.com

[Top]