Dark Angel's Virus Writing

Virii are wondrous creations written for the sole purpose of spreading and
destroying the systems of unsuspecting fools. This eliminates the systems
of simpletons who can't tell that there is a problem when a 100 byte file
suddenly blossoms into a 1,000 byte file. Duh. These low-lifes do not
deserve to exist, so it is our sacred duty to wipe their hard drives off
the face of the Earth. It is a simple matter of speeding along survival of
the fittest.

Why did I create this guide? After writing several virii, I have noticed
that virus writers generally learn how to write virii either on their own
or by examining the disassembled code of other virii. There is an
incredible lack of information on the subject. Even books published by
morons such as Burger are, at best, sketchy on how to create a virus. This
guide will show you what it takes to write a virus and also will give you a
plethora of source code to include in your own virii.

Virus writing is not as hard as you might first imagine. To write an
effective virus, however, you *must* know assembly language. Short,
compact code are hallmarks of assembly language and these are desirable
characteristics of virii. However, it is *not* necessary to write in pure
assembly. C may also be used, as it allows almost total control of the
system while generating relatively compact code (if you stay away from the
library functions). However, you still must access the interrupts, so
assembly knowledge is still required. However, it is still best to stick
with pure assembly, since most operations are more easily coded in
assembly. If you do not know assembly, I would recommend picking up a copy
of The Microsoft Macro Assembler Bible (Nabajyoti Barkakati, ISBN #: 0-672-
22659-6). It is an easy-to-follow book covering assembly in great detail.
Also get yourself a copy of Undocumented DOS (Schulman, et al, ISBN #0-201-
57064-5), as it is very helpful.

The question of which compiler to use arises often. I suggest using
Borland Turbo Assembler and/or Borland C++. I do not have a copy of
Zortech C (it was too large to download), but I would suspect that it is
also a good choice. Stay away from Microsoft compilers, as they are not as
flexible nor as efficient as those of other vendors.

A few more items round out the list of tools helpful in constructing virii.
The latest version of Norton Utilities is one of the most powerful programs
available, and is immeasurably helpful. MAKE SURE YOU HAVE A COPY! You
can find it on any decent board. It can be used during every step of the
process, from the writing to the testing. A good debugger helps. Memory
management utilities such as MAPMEM, PMAP, and MARK/RELEASE, are
invaluable, especially when coding TSR virii. Sourcer, the commenting
disassembler, is useful when you wish to examine the code of other virii
(this is a good place to get ideas/techniques for your virus).

Now that you have your tools, you are ready to create a work of art
designed to smash the systems of cretins. There are three types of virii:

1) Tiny virii (under 500 bytes) which are designed to be undetectable
due to their small size. TINY is one such virus. They are
generally very simple because their code length is so limited.
2) Large virii (over 1,500 bytes) which are designed to be
undetectable because they cover their tracks very well (all that
code DOES have a use!). The best example of this is the Whale
virus, which is perhaps the best 'Stealth' virus in existence.
3) Other virii which are not designed to be hidden at all (the writers
don't give a shit). The common virus is like this. All
overwriting virii are in this category.

You must decide which kind of virus you wish to write. I will mostly be
discussing the second type (Stealth virii). However, many of the
techniques discribed may be easily applied to the first type (tiny virii).
However, tiny virii generally do not have many of the "features" of larger
virii, such as directory traversal. The third type is more of a
replicating trojan-type, and will warrant a brief (very, very brief!)
discussion later.

A virus may be divided into three parts: the replicator, the concealer, and
the bomb. The replicator part controls the spread of the virus to other
files, the concealer keeps the virus from being detected, and the bomb only
executes when the activation conditions of the virus (more on that later)
are satisfied.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
THE REPLICATOR
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
The job of the replicator is to spread the virus throughout the system of
the clod who has caught the virus. How does it do this without destroying
the file it infects? The easiest type of replicator infects COM files. It
first saves the first few bytes of the infected file. It then copies a
small portion of its code to the beginning of the file, and the rest to the
end.

+----------------+ +------------+
| P1 | P2 | | V1 | V2 |
+----------------+ +------------+
The uninfected file The virus code

In the diagram, P1 is part 1 of the file, P2 is part 2 of the file, and V1
and V2 are parts 1 and 2 of the virus. Note that the size of P1 should be
the same as the size of V1, but the size of P2 doesn't necessarily have to
be the same size as V2. The virus first saves P1 and copies it to the
either 1) the end of the file or 2) inside the code of the virus. Let's
assume it copies the code to the end of the file. The file now looks like:

+---------------------+
| P1 | P2 | P1 |
+---------------------+

Then, the virus copies the first part of itself to the beginning of the
file.

+---------------------+
| V1 | P2 | P1 |
+---------------------+

Finally, the virus copies the second part of itself to the end of the file.
The final, infected file looks like this:

+-----------------------------+
| V1 | P2 | P1 | V2 |
+-----------------------------+

The question is: What the **** do V1 and V2 do? V1 transfers control of
the program to V2. The code to do this is simple.

JMP FAR PTR Duh ; Takes four bytes
Duh DW V2_Start ; Takes two bytes

Duh is a far pointer (Segment:Offset) pointing to the first instruction of
V2. Note that the value of Duh must be changed to reflect the length of
the file that is infected. For example, if the original size of the
program is 79 bytes, Duh must be changed so that the instruction at
CS:[155h] is executed. The value of Duh is obtained by adding the length
of V1, the original size of the infected file, and 256 (to account for the
PSP). In this case, V1 = 6 and P1 + P2 = 79, so 6 + 79 + 256 = 341 decimal
(155 hex).

An alternate, albeit more difficult to understand, method follows:

DB 1101001b ; Code for JMP (2 byte-displacement)
Duh DW V2_Start - OFFSET Duh ; 2 byte displacement

This inserts the jump offset directly into the code following the jump
instruction. You could also replace the second line with

DW V2_Start - $

which accomplishes the same task.

V2 contains the rest of the code, i.e. the stuff that does everything else.
The last part of V2 copies P1 over V1 (in memory, not on disk) and then
transfers control to the beginning of the file (in memory). The original
program will then run happily as if nothing happened. The code to do this
is also very simple.

MOV SI, V2_START ; V2_START is a LABEL marking where V2 starts
SUB SI, V1_LENGTH ; Go back to where P1 is stored
MOV DI, 0100h ; All COM files are loaded @ CS:[100h] in memory
MOV CX, V1_LENGTH ; Move CX bytes
REP MOVSB ; DS:[SI] -> ES:[DI]

MOV DI, 0100h
JMP DI

This code assumes that P1 is located just before V2, as in:

P1_Stored_Here:
.
.
.
V2_Start:

It also assumes ES equals CS. If these assumptions are false, change the
code accordingly. Here is an example:

PUSH CS ; Store CS
POP ES ; and move it to ES
; Note MOV ES, CS is not a valid instruction
MOV SI, P1_START ; Move from whereever P1 is stored
MOV DI, 0100h ; to CS:[100h]
MOV CX, V1_LENGTH
REP MOVSB

MOV DI, 0100h
JMP DI

This code first moves CS into ES and then sets the source pointer of MOVSB
to where P1 is located. Remember that this is all taking place in memory,
so you need the OFFSET of P1, not just the physical location in the file.
The offset of P1 is 100h higher than the physical file location, as COM
files are loaded starting from CS:[100h].

So here's a summary of the parts of the virus and location labels:

V1_Start:
JMP FAR PTR Duh
Duh DW V2_Start
V1_End:

P2_Start:
P2_End:

P1_Start:
; First part of the program stored here for future use
P1_End:

V2_Start:
; Real Stuff
V2_End:

V1_Length EQU V1_End - V1_Start

Alternatively, you could store P1 in V2 as follows:

V2_Start:

P1_Start:
P1_End:

V2_End:

That's all there is to infecting a COM file without destroying it! Simple,
no? EXE files, however, are a little tougher to infect without rendering
them inexecutable - I will cover this topic in a later file.

Now let us turn our attention back to the replicator portion of the virus.
The steps are outlined below:

1) Find a file to infect
2) Check if it is already infected
3) If so, go back to 1
4) Infect it
5) If infected enough, quit
6) Otherwise, go back to 1

Finding a file to infect is a simple matter of writing a directory
traversal procedure and issuing FINDFIRST and FINDNEXT calls to find
possible files to infect. Once you find the file, open it and read the
first few bytes. If they are the same as the first few bytes of V1, then
the file is already infected. If the first bytes of V1 are not unique to
your virus, change it so that they are. It is *extremely* important that
your virus doesn't reinfect the same files, since that was how Jerusalem
was first detected. If the file wasn't already infected, then infect it!
Infection should take the following steps:

1) Change the file attributes to nothing.
2) Save the file date/time stamps.
3) Close the file.
4) Open it again in read/write mode.
5) Save P1 and append it to the end of the file.
6) Copy V1 to the beginning, but change the offset which it JMPs to so
it transfers control correctly. See the previous part on infection.
7) Append V2 to the end of the file.
8) Restore file attributes/date/time.

You should keep a counter of the number of files infected during this run.
If the number exceeds, say three, then stop. It is better to infect slowly
then to give yourself away by infecting the entire drive at once.

You must be sure to cover your tracks when you infect a file. Save the
file's original date/time/attributes and restore them when you are
finished. THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT! It takes about 50 to 75 bytes of code,
probably less, to do these few simple things which can do wonders for the
concealment of your program.

I will include code for the directory traversal function, as well as other
parts of the replicator in the next installment of my phunky guide.

-=-=-=-=-
CONCEALER
-=-=-=-=-
This is the part which conceals the program from notice by the everyday
user and virus scanner. The simplest form of concealment is the encryptor.
The code for a simple XOR encryption system follows:

encrypt_val db ?

decrypt:
encrypt:
mov ah, encrypt_val

mov cx, part_to_encrypt_end - part_to_encrypt_start
mov si, part_to_encrypt_start
mov di, si

xor_loop:
lodsb ; DS:[SI] -> AL
xor al, ah
stosb ; AL -> ES:[DI]
loop xor_loop
ret

Note the encryption and decryption procedures are the same. This is due to
the weird nature of XOR. You can CALL these procedures from anywhere in
the program, but make sure you do not call it from a place within the area
to be encrypted, as the program will crash. When writing the virus, set
the encryption value to 0. part_to_encrypt_start and part_to_encrypt_end
sandwich the area you wish to encrypt. Use a CALL decrypt in the beginning
of V2 to unencrypt the file so your program can run. When infecting a
file, first change the encrypt_val, then CALL encrypt, then write V2 to the
end of the file, and CALL decrypt. MAKE SURE THIS PART DOES NOT LIE IN THE
AREA TO BE ENCRYPTED!!!

This is how V2 would look with the concealer:

V2_Start:

Concealer_Start:
.
.
.
Concealer_End:

Replicator_Start:
.
.
.
Replicator_End:

Part_To_Encrypt_Start:
.
.
.
Part_To_Encrypt_End:
V2_End:

Alternatively, you could move parts of the unencrypted stuff between
Part_To_Encrypt_End and V2_End.

The value of encryption is readily apparent. Encryption makes it harder
for virus scanners to locate your virus. It also hides some text strings
located in your program. It is the easiest and shortest way to hide your
virus.

Encryption is only one form of concealment. At least one other virus hooks
into the DOS interrupts and alters the output of DIR so the file sizes
appear normal. Another concealment scheme (for TSR virii) alters DOS so
memory utilities do not detect the virus. Loading the virus in certain
parts of memory allow it to survive warm reboots. There are many stealth
techniques, limited only by the virus writer's imagination.

-=-=-=-=-
THE BOMB
-=-=-=-=-
So now all the boring stuff is over. The nastiness is contained here. The
bomb part of the virus does all the deletion/slowdown/etc which make virii
so annoying. Set some activation conditions of the virus. This can be
anything, ranging from when it's your birthday to when the virus has
infected 100 files. When these conditions are met, then your virus does
the good stuff. Some suggestions of possible bombs:

1) System slowdown - easily handled by trapping an interrupt and
causing a delay when it activates.
2) File deletion - Delete all ZIP files on the drive.
3) Message display - Display a nice message saying something to the
effect of "You are fucked."
4) Killing/Replacing the Partition Table/Boot Sector/FAT of the hard
drive - This is very nasty, as most dimwits cannot fix this.

This is, of course, the fun part of writing a virus, so be original!

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
OFFSET PROBLEMS
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
There is one caveat regarding calculation of offsets. After you infect a
file, the locations of variables change. You MUST account for this. All
relative offsets can stay the same, but you must add the file size to the
absolute offsets or your program will not work. This is the most tricky
part of writing virii and taking these into account can often greatly
increase the size of a virus. THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT AND YOU SHOULD BE
SURE TO UNDERSTAND THIS BEFORE ATTEMPTING TO WRITE A NONOVERWRITING VIRUS!
If you don't, you'll get fucked over and your virus WILL NOT WORK! One
entire part of the guide will be devoted to this subject.

-=-=-=-
TESTING
-=-=-=-
Testing virii is a dangerous yet essential part of the virus creation
process. This is to make certain that people *will* be hit by the virus
and, hopefully, wiped out. Test thoroughly and make sure it activates
under the conditions. It would be great if everyone had a second computer
to test their virii out, but, of course, this is not the case. So it is
ESSENTIAL that you keep BACKUPS of your files, partition, boot record, and
FAT. Norton is handy in this doing this. Do NOT disregard this advice
(even though I know that you will anyway) because you WILL be hit by your
own virii. When I wrote my first virus, my system was taken down for two
days because I didn't have good backups. Luckily, the virus was not overly
destructive. BACKUPS MAKE SENSE! LEECH A BACKUP PROGRAM FROM YOUR LOCAL
PIRATE BOARD! I find a RamDrive is often helpful in testing virii, as the
damage is not permanent. RamDrives are also useful for testing trojans,
but that is the topic of another file...

-=-=-=-=-=-=-
DISTRIBUTION
-=-=-=-=-=-=-
This is another fun part of virus writing. It involves sending your
brilliantly-written program through the phone lines to your local,
unsuspecting bulletin boards. What you should do is infect a file that
actually does something (leech a useful utility from another board), infect
it, and upload it to a place where it will be downloaded by users all over.
The best thing is that it won't be detected by puny scanner-wanna-bes by
McAffee, since it is new! Oh yeah, make sure you are using a false account
(duh). Better yet, make a false account with the name/phone number of
someone you don't like and upload the infected file under the his name.
You can call back from time to time and use a door such as ZDoor to check
the spread of the virus. The more who download, the more who share in the
experience of your virus!

I promised a brief section on overwriting virii, so here it is...
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
OVERWRITING VIRII
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
All these virii do is spread throughout the system. They render the
infected files inexecutable, so they are easily detected. It is simple to
write one:

+-------------+ +-----+ +-------------+
| Program | + |Virus| = |Virus|am |
+-------------+ +-----+ +-------------+

These virii are simple little hacks, but pretty worthless because of their
easy detectability. Enuff said!

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
WELL, THAT JUST ABOUT...
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
wraps it up for this installment of Dark Angel's Phunky virus writing
guide. There will (hopefully) be future issues where I discuss more about
virii and include much more source code (mo' source!). Till then, happy
coding!

Dark Angel's Virus Writing

Virii are wondrous creations written for the sole purpose of spreading and
destroying the systems of unsuspecting fools. This eliminates the systems
of simpletons who can't tell that there is a problem when a 100 byte file
suddenly blossoms into a 1,000 byte file. Duh. These low-lifes do not
deserve to exist, so it is our sacred duty to wipe their hard drives off
the face of the Earth. It is a simple matter of speeding along survival of
the fittest.

Why did I create this guide? After writing several virii, I have noticed
that virus writers generally learn how to write virii either on their own
or by examining the disassembled code of other virii. There is an
incredible lack of information on the subject. Even books published by
morons such as Burger are, at best, sketchy on how to create a virus. This
guide will show you what it takes to write a virus and also will give you a
plethora of source code to include in your own virii.

Virus writing is not as hard as you might first imagine. To write an
effective virus, however, you *must* know assembly language. Short,
compact code are hallmarks of assembly language and these are desirable
characteristics of virii. However, it is *not* necessary to write in pure
assembly. C may also be used, as it allows almost total control of the
system while generating relatively compact code (if you stay away from the
library functions). However, you still must access the interrupts, so
assembly knowledge is still required. However, it is still best to stick
with pure assembly, since most operations are more easily coded in
assembly. If you do not know assembly, I would recommend picking up a copy
of The Microsoft Macro Assembler Bible (Nabajyoti Barkakati, ISBN #: 0-672-
22659-6). It is an easy-to-follow book covering assembly in great detail.
Also get yourself a copy of Undocumented DOS (Schulman, et al, ISBN #0-201-
57064-5), as it is very helpful.

The question of which compiler to use arises often. I suggest using
Borland Turbo Assembler and/or Borland C++. I do not have a copy of
Zortech C (it was too large to download), but I would suspect that it is
also a good choice. Stay away from Microsoft compilers, as they are not as
flexible nor as efficient as those of other vendors.

A few more items round out the list of tools helpful in constructing virii.
The latest version of Norton Utilities is one of the most powerful programs
available, and is immeasurably helpful. MAKE SURE YOU HAVE A COPY! You
can find it on any decent board. It can be used during every step of the
process, from the writing to the testing. A good debugger helps. Memory
management utilities such as MAPMEM, PMAP, and MARK/RELEASE, are
invaluable, especially when coding TSR virii. Sourcer, the commenting
disassembler, is useful when you wish to examine the code of other virii
(this is a good place to get ideas/techniques for your virus).

Now that you have your tools, you are ready to create a work of art
designed to smash the systems of cretins. There are three types of virii:

1) Tiny virii (under 500 bytes) which are designed to be undetectable
due to their small size. TINY is one such virus. They are
generally very simple because their code length is so limited.
2) Large virii (over 1,500 bytes) which are designed to be
undetectable because they cover their tracks very well (all that
code DOES have a use!). The best example of this is the Whale
virus, which is perhaps the best 'Stealth' virus in existence.
3) Other virii which are not designed to be hidden at all (the writers
don't give a shit). The common virus is like this. All
overwriting virii are in this category.

You must decide which kind of virus you wish to write. I will mostly be
discussing the second type (Stealth virii). However, many of the
techniques discribed may be easily applied to the first type (tiny virii).
However, tiny virii generally do not have many of the "features" of larger
virii, such as directory traversal. The third type is more of a
replicating trojan-type, and will warrant a brief (very, very brief!)
discussion later.

A virus may be divided into three parts: the replicator, the concealer, and
the bomb. The replicator part controls the spread of the virus to other
files, the concealer keeps the virus from being detected, and the bomb only
executes when the activation conditions of the virus (more on that later)
are satisfied.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
THE REPLICATOR
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
The job of the replicator is to spread the virus throughout the system of
the clod who has caught the virus. How does it do this without destroying
the file it infects? The easiest type of replicator infects COM files. It
first saves the first few bytes of the infected file. It then copies a
small portion of its code to the beginning of the file, and the rest to the
end.

+----------------+ +------------+
| P1 | P2 | | V1 | V2 |
+----------------+ +------------+
The uninfected file The virus code

In the diagram, P1 is part 1 of the file, P2 is part 2 of the file, and V1
and V2 are parts 1 and 2 of the virus. Note that the size of P1 should be
the same as the size of V1, but the size of P2 doesn't necessarily have to
be the same size as V2. The virus first saves P1 and copies it to the
either 1) the end of the file or 2) inside the code of the virus. Let's
assume it copies the code to the end of the file. The file now looks like:

+---------------------+
| P1 | P2 | P1 |
+---------------------+

Then, the virus copies the first part of itself to the beginning of the
file.

+---------------------+
| V1 | P2 | P1 |
+---------------------+

Finally, the virus copies the second part of itself to the end of the file.
The final, infected file looks like this:

+-----------------------------+
| V1 | P2 | P1 | V2 |
+-----------------------------+

The question is: What the **** do V1 and V2 do? V1 transfers control of
the program to V2. The code to do this is simple.

JMP FAR PTR Duh ; Takes four bytes
Duh DW V2_Start ; Takes two bytes

Duh is a far pointer (Segment:Offset) pointing to the first instruction of
V2. Note that the value of Duh must be changed to reflect the length of
the file that is infected. For example, if the original size of the
program is 79 bytes, Duh must be changed so that the instruction at
CS:[155h] is executed. The value of Duh is obtained by adding the length
of V1, the original size of the infected file, and 256 (to account for the
PSP). In this case, V1 = 6 and P1 + P2 = 79, so 6 + 79 + 256 = 341 decimal
(155 hex).

An alternate, albeit more difficult to understand, method follows:

DB 1101001b ; Code for JMP (2 byte-displacement)
Duh DW V2_Start - OFFSET Duh ; 2 byte displacement

This inserts the jump offset directly into the code following the jump
instruction. You could also replace the second line with

DW V2_Start - $

which accomplishes the same task.

V2 contains the rest of the code, i.e. the stuff that does everything else.
The last part of V2 copies P1 over V1 (in memory, not on disk) and then
transfers control to the beginning of the file (in memory). The original
program will then run happily as if nothing happened. The code to do this
is also very simple.

MOV SI, V2_START ; V2_START is a LABEL marking where V2 starts
SUB SI, V1_LENGTH ; Go back to where P1 is stored
MOV DI, 0100h ; All COM files are loaded @ CS:[100h] in memory
MOV CX, V1_LENGTH ; Move CX bytes
REP MOVSB ; DS:[SI] -> ES:[DI]

MOV DI, 0100h
JMP DI

This code assumes that P1 is located just before V2, as in:

P1_Stored_Here:
.
.
.
V2_Start:

It also assumes ES equals CS. If these assumptions are false, change the
code accordingly. Here is an example:

PUSH CS ; Store CS
POP ES ; and move it to ES
; Note MOV ES, CS is not a valid instruction
MOV SI, P1_START ; Move from whereever P1 is stored
MOV DI, 0100h ; to CS:[100h]
MOV CX, V1_LENGTH
REP MOVSB

MOV DI, 0100h
JMP DI

This code first moves CS into ES and then sets the source pointer of MOVSB
to where P1 is located. Remember that this is all taking place in memory,
so you need the OFFSET of P1, not just the physical location in the file.
The offset of P1 is 100h higher than the physical file location, as COM
files are loaded starting from CS:[100h].

So here's a summary of the parts of the virus and location labels:

V1_Start:
JMP FAR PTR Duh
Duh DW V2_Start
V1_End:

P2_Start:
P2_End:

P1_Start:
; First part of the program stored here for future use
P1_End:

V2_Start:
; Real Stuff
V2_End:

V1_Length EQU V1_End - V1_Start

Alternatively, you could store P1 in V2 as follows:

V2_Start:

P1_Start:
P1_End:

V2_End:

That's all there is to infecting a COM file without destroying it! Simple,
no? EXE files, however, are a little tougher to infect without rendering
them inexecutable - I will cover this topic in a later file.

Now let us turn our attention back to the replicator portion of the virus.
The steps are outlined below:

1) Find a file to infect
2) Check if it is already infected
3) If so, go back to 1
4) Infect it
5) If infected enough, quit
6) Otherwise, go back to 1

Finding a file to infect is a simple matter of writing a directory
traversal procedure and issuing FINDFIRST and FINDNEXT calls to find
possible files to infect. Once you find the file, open it and read the
first few bytes. If they are the same as the first few bytes of V1, then
the file is already infected. If the first bytes of V1 are not unique to
your virus, change it so that they are. It is *extremely* important that
your virus doesn't reinfect the same files, since that was how Jerusalem
was first detected. If the file wasn't already infected, then infect it!
Infection should take the following steps:

1) Change the file attributes to nothing.
2) Save the file date/time stamps.
3) Close the file.
4) Open it again in read/write mode.
5) Save P1 and append it to the end of the file.
6) Copy V1 to the beginning, but change the offset which it JMPs to so
it transfers control correctly. See the previous part on infection.
7) Append V2 to the end of the file.
8) Restore file attributes/date/time.

You should keep a counter of the number of files infected during this run.
If the number exceeds, say three, then stop. It is better to infect slowly
then to give yourself away by infecting the entire drive at once.

You must be sure to cover your tracks when you infect a file. Save the
file's original date/time/attributes and restore them when you are
finished. THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT! It takes about 50 to 75 bytes of code,
probably less, to do these few simple things which can do wonders for the
concealment of your program.

I will include code for the directory traversal function, as well as other
parts of the replicator in the next installment of my phunky guide.

-=-=-=-=-
CONCEALER
-=-=-=-=-
This is the part which conceals the program from notice by the everyday
user and virus scanner. The simplest form of concealment is the encryptor.
The code for a simple XOR encryption system follows:

encrypt_val db ?

decrypt:
encrypt:
mov ah, encrypt_val

mov cx, part_to_encrypt_end - part_to_encrypt_start
mov si, part_to_encrypt_start
mov di, si

xor_loop:
lodsb ; DS:[SI] -> AL
xor al, ah
stosb ; AL -> ES:[DI]
loop xor_loop
ret

Note the encryption and decryption procedures are the same. This is due to
the weird nature of XOR. You can CALL these procedures from anywhere in
the program, but make sure you do not call it from a place within the area
to be encrypted, as the program will crash. When writing the virus, set
the encryption value to 0. part_to_encrypt_start and part_to_encrypt_end
sandwich the area you wish to encrypt. Use a CALL decrypt in the beginning
of V2 to unencrypt the file so your program can run. When infecting a
file, first change the encrypt_val, then CALL encrypt, then write V2 to the
end of the file, and CALL decrypt. MAKE SURE THIS PART DOES NOT LIE IN THE
AREA TO BE ENCRYPTED!!!

This is how V2 would look with the concealer:

V2_Start:

Concealer_Start:
.
.
.
Concealer_End:

Replicator_Start:
.
.
.
Replicator_End:

Part_To_Encrypt_Start:
.
.
.
Part_To_Encrypt_End:
V2_End:

Alternatively, you could move parts of the unencrypted stuff between
Part_To_Encrypt_End and V2_End.

The value of encryption is readily apparent. Encryption makes it harder
for virus scanners to locate your virus. It also hides some text strings
located in your program. It is the easiest and shortest way to hide your
virus.

Encryption is only one form of concealment. At least one other virus hooks
into the DOS interrupts and alters the output of DIR so the file sizes
appear normal. Another concealment scheme (for TSR virii) alters DOS so
memory utilities do not detect the virus. Loading the virus in certain
parts of memory allow it to survive warm reboots. There are many stealth
techniques, limited only by the virus writer's imagination.

-=-=-=-=-
THE BOMB
-=-=-=-=-
So now all the boring stuff is over. The nastiness is contained here. The
bomb part of the virus does all the deletion/slowdown/etc which make virii
so annoying. Set some activation conditions of the virus. This can be
anything, ranging from when it's your birthday to when the virus has
infected 100 files. When these conditions are met, then your virus does
the good stuff. Some suggestions of possible bombs:

1) System slowdown - easily handled by trapping an interrupt and
causing a delay when it activates.
2) File deletion - Delete all ZIP files on the drive.
3) Message display - Display a nice message saying something to the
effect of "You are fucked."
4) Killing/Replacing the Partition Table/Boot Sector/FAT of the hard
drive - This is very nasty, as most dimwits cannot fix this.

This is, of course, the fun part of writing a virus, so be original!

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
OFFSET PROBLEMS
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
There is one caveat regarding calculation of offsets. After you infect a
file, the locations of variables change. You MUST account for this. All
relative offsets can stay the same, but you must add the file size to the
absolute offsets or your program will not work. This is the most tricky
part of writing virii and taking these into account can often greatly
increase the size of a virus. THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT AND YOU SHOULD BE
SURE TO UNDERSTAND THIS BEFORE ATTEMPTING TO WRITE A NONOVERWRITING VIRUS!
If you don't, you'll get fucked over and your virus WILL NOT WORK! One
entire part of the guide will be devoted to this subject.

-=-=-=-
TESTING
-=-=-=-
Testing virii is a dangerous yet essential part of the virus creation
process. This is to make certain that people *will* be hit by the virus
and, hopefully, wiped out. Test thoroughly and make sure it activates
under the conditions. It would be great if everyone had a second computer
to test their virii out, but, of course, this is not the case. So it is
ESSENTIAL that you keep BACKUPS of your files, partition, boot record, and
FAT. Norton is handy in this doing this. Do NOT disregard this advice
(even though I know that you will anyway) because you WILL be hit by your
own virii. When I wrote my first virus, my system was taken down for two
days because I didn't have good backups. Luckily, the virus was not overly
destructive. BACKUPS MAKE SENSE! LEECH A BACKUP PROGRAM FROM YOUR LOCAL
PIRATE BOARD! I find a RamDrive is often helpful in testing virii, as the
damage is not permanent. RamDrives are also useful for testing trojans,
but that is the topic of another file...

-=-=-=-=-=-=-
DISTRIBUTION
-=-=-=-=-=-=-
This is another fun part of virus writing. It involves sending your
brilliantly-written program through the phone lines to your local,
unsuspecting bulletin boards. What you should do is infect a file that
actually does something (leech a useful utility from another board), infect
it, and upload it to a place where it will be downloaded by users all over.
The best thing is that it won't be detected by puny scanner-wanna-bes by
McAffee, since it is new! Oh yeah, make sure you are using a false account
(duh). Better yet, make a false account with the name/phone number of
someone you don't like and upload the infected file under the his name.
You can call back from time to time and use a door such as ZDoor to check
the spread of the virus. The more who download, the more who share in the
experience of your virus!

I promised a brief section on overwriting virii, so here it is...
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
OVERWRITING VIRII
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
All these virii do is spread throughout the system. They render the
infected files inexecutable, so they are easily detected. It is simple to
write one:

+-------------+ +-----+ +-------------+
| Program | + |Virus| = |Virus|am |
+-------------+ +-----+ +-------------+

These virii are simple little hacks, but pretty worthless because of their
easy detectability. Enuff said!

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
WELL, THAT JUST ABOUT...
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
wraps it up for this installment of Dark Angel's Phunky virus writing
guide. There will (hopefully) be future issues where I discuss more about
virii and include much more source code (mo' source!). Till then, happy
coding!

10 Good Reasons Why PC Shows Errors

Fatal error: the system has become unstable or is busy," it says. "Enter to return to Windows or press Control-Alt-Delete to restart your computer. If you do this you will lose any unsaved information in all open applications."

You have just been struck by the Blue Screen of Death. Anyone who uses Microsoft Windows will be familiar with this. What can you do? More importantly, how can you prevent it happening?

1 Hardware conflict

The number one reason why Windows crashes is hardware conflict. Each hardware device communicates to other devices through an interrupt request channel (IRQ). These are supposed to be unique for each device.

For example, a printer usually connects internally on IRQ 7. The keyboard usually uses IRQ 1 and the floppy disk drive IRQ 6. Each device will try to hog a single IRQ for itself.

If there are a lot of devices, or if they are not installed properly, two of them may end up sharing the same IRQ number. When the user tries to use both devices at the same time, a crash can happen. The way to check if your computer has a hardware conflict is through the following route:

* Start-Settings-Control Panel-System-Device Manager.

Often if a device has a problem a yellow '!' appears next to its description in the Device Manager. Highlight Computer (in the Device Manager) and press Properties to see the IRQ numbers used by your computer. If the IRQ number appears twice, two devices may be using it.

Sometimes a device might share an IRQ with something described as 'IRQ holder for PCI steering'. This can be ignored. The best way to fix this problem is to remove the problem device and reinstall it.

Sometimes you may have to find more recent drivers on the internet to make the device function properly. A good resource is www.driverguide.com. If the device is a soundcard, or a modem, it can often be fixed by moving it to a different slot on the motherboard (be careful about opening your computer, as you may void the warranty).

When working inside a computer you should switch it off, unplug the mains lead and touch an unpainted metal surface to discharge any static electricity.

To be fair to Mcft, the problem with IRQ numbers is not of its making. It is a legacy problem going back to the first PC designs using the IBM 8086 chip. Initially there were only eight IRQs. Today there are 16 IRQs in a PC. It is easy to run out of them. There are plans to increase the number of IRQs in future designs.

2 Bad Ram

Ram (random-access memory) problems might bring on the blue screen of death with a message saying Fatal Exception Error. A fatal error indicates a serious hardware problem. Sometimes it may mean a part is damaged and will need replacing.

But a fatal error caused by Ram might be caused by a mismatch of chips. For example, mixing 70-nanosecond (70ns) Ram with 60ns Ram will usually force the computer to run all the Ram at the slower speed. This will often crash the machine if the Ram is overworked.

One way around this problem is to enter the BIOS settings and increase the wait state of the Ram. This can make it more stable. Another way to troubleshoot a suspected Ram problem is to rearrange the Ram chips on the motherboard, or take some of them out. Then try to repeat the circumstances that caused the crash. When handling Ram try not to touch the gold connections, as they can be easily damaged.

Parity error messages also refer to Ram. Modern Ram chips are either parity (ECC) or non parity (non-ECC). It is best not to mix the two types, as this can be a cause of trouble.

EMM386 error messages refer to memory problems but may not be connected to bad Ram. This may be due to free memory problems often linked to old Dos-based programmes.

3 BIOS settings

Every motherboard is supplied with a range of chipset settings that are decided in the factory. A common way to access these settings is to press the F2 or delete button during the first few seconds of a boot-up.

Once inside the BIOS, great care should be taken. It is a good idea to write down on a piece of paper all the settings that appear on the screen. That way, if you change something and the computer becomes more unstable, you will know what settings to revert to.

A common BIOS error concerns the CAS latency. This refers to the Ram. Older EDO (extended data out) Ram has a CAS latency of 3. Newer SDRam has a CAS latency of 2. Setting the wrong figure can cause the Ram to lock up and freeze the computer's display.

Mcft Windows is better at allocating IRQ numbers than any BIOS. If possible set the IRQ numbers to Auto in the BIOS. This will allow Windows to allocate the IRQ numbers (make sure the BIOS setting for Plug and Play OS is switched to 'yes' to allow Windows to do this.).

4 Hard disk drives

After a few weeks, the information on a hard disk drive starts to become piecemeal or fragmented. It is a good idea to defragment the hard disk every week or so, to prevent the disk from causing a screen freeze. Go to

* Start-Programs-Accessories-System Tools-Disk Defragmenter

This will start the procedure. You will be unable to write data to the hard drive (to save it) while the disk is defragmenting, so it is a good idea to schedule the procedure for a period of inactivity using the Task Scheduler.

The Task Scheduler should be one of the small icons on the bottom right of the Windows opening page (the desktop).

Some lockups and screen freezes caused by hard disk problems can be solved by reducing the read-ahead optimisation. This can be adjusted by going to

* Start-Settings-Control Panel-System Icon-Performance-File System-Hard Disk.

Hard disks will slow down and crash if they are too full. Do some housekeeping on your hard drive every few months and free some space on it. Open the Windows folder on the C drive and find the Temporary Internet Files folder. Deleting the contents (not the folder) can free a lot of space.

Empty the Recycle Bin every week to free more space. Hard disk drives should be scanned every week for errors or bad sectors. Go to

* Start-Programs-Accessories-System Tools-ScanDisk

Otherwise assign the Task Scheduler to perform this operation at night when the computer is not in use.

5 Fatal OE exceptions and VXD errors

Fatal OE exception errors and VXD errors are often caused by video card problems.

These can often be resolved easily by reducing the resolution of the video display. Go to

* Start-Settings-Control Panel-Display-Settings

Here you should slide the screen area bar to the left. Take a look at the colour settings on the left of that window. For most desktops, high colour 16-bit depth is adequate.

If the screen freezes or you experience system lockups it might be due to the video card. Make sure it does not have a hardware conflict. Go to

* Start-Settings-Control Panel-System-Device Manager

Here, select the + beside Display Adapter. A line of text describing your video card should appear. Select it (make it blue) and press properties. Then select Resources and select each line in the window. Look for a message that says No Conflicts.

If you have video card hardware conflict, you will see it here. Be careful at this point and make a note of everything you do in case you make things worse.

The way to resolve a hardware conflict is to uncheck the Use Automatic Settings box and hit the Change Settings button. You are searching for a setting that will display a No Conflicts message.

Another useful way to resolve video problems is to go to

* Start-Settings-Control Panel-System-Performance-Graphics

Here you should move the Hardware Acceleration slider to the left. As ever, the most common cause of problems relating to graphics cards is old or faulty drivers (a driver is a small piece of software used by a computer to communicate with a device).

Look up your video card's manufacturer on the internet and search for the most recent drivers for it.

6 Viruses

Often the first sign of a virus infection is instability. Some viruses erase the boot sector of a hard drive, making it impossible to start. This is why it is a good idea to create a Windows start-up disk. Go to

* Start-Settings-Control Panel-Add/Remove Programs

Here, look for the Start Up Disk tab. Virus protection requires constant vigilance.

A virus scanner requires a list of virus signatures in order to be able to identify viruses. These signatures are stored in a DAT file. DAT files should be updated weekly from the website of your antivirus software manufacturer.

An excellent antivirus programme is McAfee VirusScan by Network Associates ( www.nai.com). Another is Norton AntiVirus 2000, made by Symantec ( www.symantec.com).

7 Printers

The action of sending a document to print creates a bigger file, often called a postscript file.

Printers have only a small amount of memory, called a buffer. This can be easily overloaded. Printing a document also uses a considerable amount of CPU power. This will also slow down the computer's performance.

If the printer is trying to print unusual characters, these might not be recognised, and can crash the computer. Sometimes printers will not recover from a crash because of confusion in the buffer. A good way to clear the buffer is to unplug the printer for ten seconds. Booting up from a powerless state, also called a cold boot, will restore the printer's default settings and you may be able to carry on.

8 Software

A common cause of computer crash is faulty or badly-installed software. Often the problem can be cured by uninstalling the software and then reinstalling it. Use Norton Uninstall or Uninstall Shield to remove an application from your system properly. This will also remove references to the programme in the System Registry and leaves the way clear for a completely fresh copy.

The System Registry can be corrupted by old references to obsolete software that you thought was uninstalled. Use Reg Cleaner by Jouni Vuorio to clean up the System Registry and remove obsolete entries. It works on Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows 98 SE (Second Edition), Windows Millennium Edition (ME), NT4 and Windows 2000.

Read the instructions and use it carefully so you don't do permanent damage to the Registry. If the Registry is damaged you will have to reinstall your operating system. Reg Cleaner can be obtained from www.jv16.org

Often a Windows problem can be resolved by entering Safe Mode. This can be done during start-up. When you see the message "Starting Windows" press F4. This should take you into Safe Mode.

Safe Mode loads a minimum of drivers. It allows you to find and fix problems that prevent Windows from loading properly.

Sometimes installing Windows is difficult because of unsuitable BIOS settings. If you keep getting SUWIN error messages (Windows setup) during the Windows installation, then try entering the BIOS and disabling the CPU internal cache. Try to disable the Level 2 (L2) cache if that doesn't work.

Remember to restore all the BIOS settings back to their former settings following installation.

9 Overheating

Central processing units (CPUs) are usually equipped with fans to keep them cool. If the fan fails or if the CPU gets old it may start to overheat and generate a particular kind of error called a kernel error. This is a common problem in chips that have been overclocked to operate at higher speeds than they are supposed to.

One remedy is to get a bigger better fan and install it on top of the CPU. Specialist cooling fans/heatsinks are available from www.computernerd.com or www.coolit.com

CPU problems can often be fixed by disabling the CPU internal cache in the BIOS. This will make the machine run more slowly, but it should also be more stable.

10 Power supply problems

With all the new construction going on around the country the steady supply of electricity has become disrupted. A power surge or spike can crash a computer as easily as a power cut.

If this has become a nuisance for you then consider buying a uninterrupted power supply (UPS). This will give you a clean power supply when there is electricity, and it will give you a few minutes to perform a controlled shutdown in case of a power cut.

It is a good investment if your data are critical, because a power cut will cause any unsaved data to be lost.

10 Good Reasons Why PC Shows Errors

Fatal error: the system has become unstable or is busy," it says. "Enter to return to Windows or press Control-Alt-Delete to restart your computer. If you do this you will lose any unsaved information in all open applications."

You have just been struck by the Blue Screen of Death. Anyone who uses Microsoft Windows will be familiar with this. What can you do? More importantly, how can you prevent it happening?

1 Hardware conflict

The number one reason why Windows crashes is hardware conflict. Each hardware device communicates to other devices through an interrupt request channel (IRQ). These are supposed to be unique for each device.

For example, a printer usually connects internally on IRQ 7. The keyboard usually uses IRQ 1 and the floppy disk drive IRQ 6. Each device will try to hog a single IRQ for itself.

If there are a lot of devices, or if they are not installed properly, two of them may end up sharing the same IRQ number. When the user tries to use both devices at the same time, a crash can happen. The way to check if your computer has a hardware conflict is through the following route:

* Start-Settings-Control Panel-System-Device Manager.

Often if a device has a problem a yellow '!' appears next to its description in the Device Manager. Highlight Computer (in the Device Manager) and press Properties to see the IRQ numbers used by your computer. If the IRQ number appears twice, two devices may be using it.

Sometimes a device might share an IRQ with something described as 'IRQ holder for PCI steering'. This can be ignored. The best way to fix this problem is to remove the problem device and reinstall it.

Sometimes you may have to find more recent drivers on the internet to make the device function properly. A good resource is www.driverguide.com. If the device is a soundcard, or a modem, it can often be fixed by moving it to a different slot on the motherboard (be careful about opening your computer, as you may void the warranty).

When working inside a computer you should switch it off, unplug the mains lead and touch an unpainted metal surface to discharge any static electricity.

To be fair to Mcft, the problem with IRQ numbers is not of its making. It is a legacy problem going back to the first PC designs using the IBM 8086 chip. Initially there were only eight IRQs. Today there are 16 IRQs in a PC. It is easy to run out of them. There are plans to increase the number of IRQs in future designs.

2 Bad Ram

Ram (random-access memory) problems might bring on the blue screen of death with a message saying Fatal Exception Error. A fatal error indicates a serious hardware problem. Sometimes it may mean a part is damaged and will need replacing.

But a fatal error caused by Ram might be caused by a mismatch of chips. For example, mixing 70-nanosecond (70ns) Ram with 60ns Ram will usually force the computer to run all the Ram at the slower speed. This will often crash the machine if the Ram is overworked.

One way around this problem is to enter the BIOS settings and increase the wait state of the Ram. This can make it more stable. Another way to troubleshoot a suspected Ram problem is to rearrange the Ram chips on the motherboard, or take some of them out. Then try to repeat the circumstances that caused the crash. When handling Ram try not to touch the gold connections, as they can be easily damaged.

Parity error messages also refer to Ram. Modern Ram chips are either parity (ECC) or non parity (non-ECC). It is best not to mix the two types, as this can be a cause of trouble.

EMM386 error messages refer to memory problems but may not be connected to bad Ram. This may be due to free memory problems often linked to old Dos-based programmes.

3 BIOS settings

Every motherboard is supplied with a range of chipset settings that are decided in the factory. A common way to access these settings is to press the F2 or delete button during the first few seconds of a boot-up.

Once inside the BIOS, great care should be taken. It is a good idea to write down on a piece of paper all the settings that appear on the screen. That way, if you change something and the computer becomes more unstable, you will know what settings to revert to.

A common BIOS error concerns the CAS latency. This refers to the Ram. Older EDO (extended data out) Ram has a CAS latency of 3. Newer SDRam has a CAS latency of 2. Setting the wrong figure can cause the Ram to lock up and freeze the computer's display.

Mcft Windows is better at allocating IRQ numbers than any BIOS. If possible set the IRQ numbers to Auto in the BIOS. This will allow Windows to allocate the IRQ numbers (make sure the BIOS setting for Plug and Play OS is switched to 'yes' to allow Windows to do this.).

4 Hard disk drives

After a few weeks, the information on a hard disk drive starts to become piecemeal or fragmented. It is a good idea to defragment the hard disk every week or so, to prevent the disk from causing a screen freeze. Go to

* Start-Programs-Accessories-System Tools-Disk Defragmenter

This will start the procedure. You will be unable to write data to the hard drive (to save it) while the disk is defragmenting, so it is a good idea to schedule the procedure for a period of inactivity using the Task Scheduler.

The Task Scheduler should be one of the small icons on the bottom right of the Windows opening page (the desktop).

Some lockups and screen freezes caused by hard disk problems can be solved by reducing the read-ahead optimisation. This can be adjusted by going to

* Start-Settings-Control Panel-System Icon-Performance-File System-Hard Disk.

Hard disks will slow down and crash if they are too full. Do some housekeeping on your hard drive every few months and free some space on it. Open the Windows folder on the C drive and find the Temporary Internet Files folder. Deleting the contents (not the folder) can free a lot of space.

Empty the Recycle Bin every week to free more space. Hard disk drives should be scanned every week for errors or bad sectors. Go to

* Start-Programs-Accessories-System Tools-ScanDisk

Otherwise assign the Task Scheduler to perform this operation at night when the computer is not in use.

5 Fatal OE exceptions and VXD errors

Fatal OE exception errors and VXD errors are often caused by video card problems.

These can often be resolved easily by reducing the resolution of the video display. Go to

* Start-Settings-Control Panel-Display-Settings

Here you should slide the screen area bar to the left. Take a look at the colour settings on the left of that window. For most desktops, high colour 16-bit depth is adequate.

If the screen freezes or you experience system lockups it might be due to the video card. Make sure it does not have a hardware conflict. Go to

* Start-Settings-Control Panel-System-Device Manager

Here, select the + beside Display Adapter. A line of text describing your video card should appear. Select it (make it blue) and press properties. Then select Resources and select each line in the window. Look for a message that says No Conflicts.

If you have video card hardware conflict, you will see it here. Be careful at this point and make a note of everything you do in case you make things worse.

The way to resolve a hardware conflict is to uncheck the Use Automatic Settings box and hit the Change Settings button. You are searching for a setting that will display a No Conflicts message.

Another useful way to resolve video problems is to go to

* Start-Settings-Control Panel-System-Performance-Graphics

Here you should move the Hardware Acceleration slider to the left. As ever, the most common cause of problems relating to graphics cards is old or faulty drivers (a driver is a small piece of software used by a computer to communicate with a device).

Look up your video card's manufacturer on the internet and search for the most recent drivers for it.

6 Viruses

Often the first sign of a virus infection is instability. Some viruses erase the boot sector of a hard drive, making it impossible to start. This is why it is a good idea to create a Windows start-up disk. Go to

* Start-Settings-Control Panel-Add/Remove Programs

Here, look for the Start Up Disk tab. Virus protection requires constant vigilance.

A virus scanner requires a list of virus signatures in order to be able to identify viruses. These signatures are stored in a DAT file. DAT files should be updated weekly from the website of your antivirus software manufacturer.

An excellent antivirus programme is McAfee VirusScan by Network Associates ( www.nai.com). Another is Norton AntiVirus 2000, made by Symantec ( www.symantec.com).

7 Printers

The action of sending a document to print creates a bigger file, often called a postscript file.

Printers have only a small amount of memory, called a buffer. This can be easily overloaded. Printing a document also uses a considerable amount of CPU power. This will also slow down the computer's performance.

If the printer is trying to print unusual characters, these might not be recognised, and can crash the computer. Sometimes printers will not recover from a crash because of confusion in the buffer. A good way to clear the buffer is to unplug the printer for ten seconds. Booting up from a powerless state, also called a cold boot, will restore the printer's default settings and you may be able to carry on.

8 Software

A common cause of computer crash is faulty or badly-installed software. Often the problem can be cured by uninstalling the software and then reinstalling it. Use Norton Uninstall or Uninstall Shield to remove an application from your system properly. This will also remove references to the programme in the System Registry and leaves the way clear for a completely fresh copy.

The System Registry can be corrupted by old references to obsolete software that you thought was uninstalled. Use Reg Cleaner by Jouni Vuorio to clean up the System Registry and remove obsolete entries. It works on Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows 98 SE (Second Edition), Windows Millennium Edition (ME), NT4 and Windows 2000.

Read the instructions and use it carefully so you don't do permanent damage to the Registry. If the Registry is damaged you will have to reinstall your operating system. Reg Cleaner can be obtained from www.jv16.org

Often a Windows problem can be resolved by entering Safe Mode. This can be done during start-up. When you see the message "Starting Windows" press F4. This should take you into Safe Mode.

Safe Mode loads a minimum of drivers. It allows you to find and fix problems that prevent Windows from loading properly.

Sometimes installing Windows is difficult because of unsuitable BIOS settings. If you keep getting SUWIN error messages (Windows setup) during the Windows installation, then try entering the BIOS and disabling the CPU internal cache. Try to disable the Level 2 (L2) cache if that doesn't work.

Remember to restore all the BIOS settings back to their former settings following installation.

9 Overheating

Central processing units (CPUs) are usually equipped with fans to keep them cool. If the fan fails or if the CPU gets old it may start to overheat and generate a particular kind of error called a kernel error. This is a common problem in chips that have been overclocked to operate at higher speeds than they are supposed to.

One remedy is to get a bigger better fan and install it on top of the CPU. Specialist cooling fans/heatsinks are available from www.computernerd.com or www.coolit.com

CPU problems can often be fixed by disabling the CPU internal cache in the BIOS. This will make the machine run more slowly, but it should also be more stable.

10 Power supply problems

With all the new construction going on around the country the steady supply of electricity has become disrupted. A power surge or spike can crash a computer as easily as a power cut.

If this has become a nuisance for you then consider buying a uninterrupted power supply (UPS). This will give you a clean power supply when there is electricity, and it will give you a few minutes to perform a controlled shutdown in case of a power cut.

It is a good investment if your data are critical, because a power cut will cause any unsaved data to be lost.

VISTA: Comparing The Versions

If you are thinking to upgrade your system and install a new full version OS other than Beta version, then here is a small review of different version available for Microsoft's Windows Vista

Vista Home Basic

Easy to set up and maintain, Windows Vista Home Basic is a good choice if you simply have basic computing needs, such as e-mail, browsing the Internet, and viewing photos. With this edition you'll be able to find what you're looking for on your PC and the Internet more quickly than ever. And you'll get automatic security features that will help you and your family use your PC more safely than you could with Windows XP. If you want more mobility and home entertainment options, you may want to consider Windows Vista Home Premium or Windows Vista Ultimate.

Easier

Easily search and find everything on your PC and the Internet

The first thing you'll notice about Windows Vista Home Basic is how easily you can find your most important programs and files—whether they're on your PC, on the Internet, or even within your e-mail. With Instant Search, you only need to type a word or two to find that funny photo of your dog, the website for your kid's homework, or a particular e-mail message from a friend.

Search anywhere, even from the Start menu.

When you're surfing the web, you can end up with a lot of open browser windows. Now you can see all your open windows on one page and use tabbed browsing to easily flip through them. Plus, web search from the toolbar in Internet Explorer 7 makes it easier than ever to find what you're looking for.

See all your open browser windows on a single page.

Keep organized

It can sometimes feel like you're constantly clicking to open the various programs and sites you use every day. You can use Windows Sidebar and gadgets to have the real-time information you care about, such as weather and news, always available at a glance on your desktop.

Organize your gadgets in Windows Sidebar.

When you created a folder name for those vacation photos three years ago, you never dreamed you would forget it. Now, rather than relying on your memory to find specific documents, music, photos, or e-mail, you can rely on Explorers. These flexible organization features make it simple to instantly find and view your files any way you want.

Get creative and show off your digital photos

You got that cool new digital camera for your trip to Hawaii and took a lot of great photos with it. But if those photos are still in the camera, take a look at how easy it is now to download your images onto your PC using Windows Photo Gallery. And then explore the fun ways you can view, edit, and share them with your friends and family.

Quickly view, edit, and share images with Windows Photo Gallery.

Enjoy easier setup and long-term peace of mind

Your move to Windows Vista will be straightforward. By using Windows Easy Transfer, you can automatically copy your files, photos, music, e-mail, and settings from your old PC to your new Windows Vista-based PC.

After you have set up your computer, you will appreciate how new performance technologies can help improve the responsiveness of your most-used applications and help decrease the time it takes you to download files.

System disruptions are kept to a minimum with little or no effort required from you. New self-healing technology automatically identifies and fixes problems, and built-in diagnostics alert you to disk failure, defective memory, and other potential issues so they can be resolved before affecting your everyday tasks.

Safer

Benefit from advanced security features

It's likely that safety is one of your top concerns. We worked hard on this area in the years since we shipped Windows XP, and the result of that work is the most secure version of Windows yet.

Explore the web with more confidence

You may have the feeling that your PC is the target of every advertiser and scammer out there. But the automatically running Windows Firewall and Windows Defender can help you decrease the number of pop-up ads and lessen the security threats caused by spyware and other unwanted software.

The automatic protection of Windows Defender helps you avoid unwanted software.

More ways you'll be safer:

• Your personal information can be more protected from scams with anti-phishing technology that helps you avoid fraudulent websites.

• The risk of your system being damaged or disrupted is lowered with dynamic security protection.

• The likelihood of hackers delivering malware to your system is reduced with Internet Explorer protected mode.

Help protect your family and your PC

Wouldn't you love to be aware of what your kids are doing on their PC but still be able to give them some privacy? With Parental Controls, you can manage your children's computer use by setting time limits and rules for accessing the web and PC games.

If you share your PC with your family, you probably have concerns that your kids may accidentally install malicious software or change something important, such as deleting all your favorites. With User Account Control, you can set up a user account for each family member, so a child will be prompted for a password when attempting to change system settings, install any additional software, or use certain websites or games.

Lastly, you can help safeguard your files, including music, documents, and priceless digital images, with basic backup features.

Posted by Eclat at 14:24:20 | Permanent Link | Comments (0) |

Vista Home Premium

Windows Vista Home Premium is a great choice for going beyond e-mail and web surfing to improve personal productivity and enjoy all kinds of digital entertainment. You can search for anything on your computer from virtually anywhere, so you'll save lots of time. You’ll get improved performance and better protection for your PC, your personal information, and your family. You’ll find more ways to have fun with your music, TV, games, and digital media. Plus, if you have a laptop, you'll love the new way your computer connects to wireless networks and manages battery life.

Easier

Get things done more easily and intuitively

The first thing you'll notice about Windows Vista Home Premium is that your desktop experience has never looked better. But behind the translucent good looks, the Windows Aero experience is all about making it easier to focus on your content and to find and keep track of what you're doing.

You won't have to open a window to see what's in it because live taskbar thumbnails and Live Icons will show you. And when you have a lot of programs open, you can quickly locate and select the one you want using Windows Flip and Windows Flip 3D.

Windows Flip 3D shows the beauty and functionality Aero provides.

Find what you need in less time

Your life probably moves at warp speed, so you can't afford to spend a lot of time searching on your computer for the things you need.

Now, virtually anything on your PC is never more than a few keystrokes away with Instant Search. To quickly find the holiday letter you're working on, that Halloween photo of your youngest child, or the e-mail invitation to your friend's barbecue, you can simply start typing in the Search box on the Start menu.

As soon as you start typing, Instant Search begins showing results containing the letters you've entered.

It's easier and faster to find anything, no matter where you may have saved it, with the consistent, streamlined menus, toolbars, and preview panes in the improved Explorers in Windows Vista. Explorers include Search boxes too, so you can search within a particular type of information, such as all your documents. You can organize your files any way that you want and immediately sort and filter information based on file type, saved date, or the name of the file creator. Watch this demo to see how Windows Vista helps you find and organize information.

Explorers include Search boxes so you can find what you need fast.

When you're surfing the web, you can end up with a lot of open browser windows. Now you can see all your open windows on one page and use tabbed browsing to easily flip through them. Plus, web search from the toolbar in Windows Internet Explorer 7 makes it easier than ever to find what you're looking for.

Navigate numerous sites easily with tabbed browsing in Internet Explorer 7.

Some days you can feel like you're overloaded with information and spending a lot of your time opening browsers and applications to find what you need. It seems like there should be an easier way for you to keep track of airfares, traffic maps, news updates, and other information you care about. Now you can with Windows Sidebar and gadgets.

Windows Sidebar and gadgets put handy tools right at hand on your desktop.

Enjoy easier setup and hands-off maintenance

Windows Vista Home Premium makes it easier than ever to set up and maintain your new PC. Get up and running fast using Windows Easy Transfer to automatically copy your files, photos, music, e-mail, and settings from your old PC to your new Windows Vista–based PC.

After your computer is set up, you will appreciate how Windows Vista works in the background to take care of itself and reduce the amount of technical maintenance you need to do. New performance technologies can help improve the responsiveness of your most-used applications and decrease the time it takes you to download files.

System disruptions are kept to a minimum with little or no effort required from you. New self-healing technology automatically identifies and fixes problems, and built-in diagnostics alert you to disk failure, defective memory, and other potential issues so they can be resolved before affecting your everyday tasks.

Safer

Benefit from advanced security features

It's likely that safety is one of your top concerns. We worked very hard on this area in the years since we developed Windows XP, and the result of that work is the most secure version of Windows yet.

There are thousands of advertisers and scammers out there, so it's good to know that you can take steps to prevent malicious software from infiltrating your PC. Your first line of defense in Windows Vista is Windows Firewall, which helps provide protection as soon as you turn on your computer. And Windows Defender can help you reduce the number of pop-ups and lessen the security threats posed by spyware and other unwanted software.

The automatic protection of Windows Defender helps you avoid unwanted software.

Surf more safely

After hearing the news stories about phishing scams, hackers, viruses, and worms, you may have the feeling that your PC is a constant target. But you can help decrease these online security threats by using Internet Explorer 7 and taking advantage of new capabilities in it that provide:

• Anti-phishing technology, which helps protect your personal information from fraudulent websites.

• Dynamic security protection that helps lower the risk of your system being damaged or disrupted.

• Internet Explorer protected mode, which helps reduce the likelihood of hackers taking over your browser and delivering malware to your system.

Help protect your family and your PC

If you share your PC with your family, you probably have concerns that your kids could accidentally install malicious software or change something important, such as deleting all your favorites. With User Account Control, you can set up a user account for each family member, so a child will be prompted for a password when attempting to change system settings, install any additional software, or to use certain websites or games. And each family member can have their own set of favorites and desktop layouts.

Wouldn't you love to be able to supervise what your kids are doing on their computer without feeling like you're the PC police? With Parental Controls, you can manage your children's computer use by setting time limits and rules for accessing the web and PC games. And you can tailor the controls to suit the age level and personal interests of each child.

Use Parental Controls to easily oversee your children's computer use.

Lastly, even though you know it's essential to back up all your priceless digital photos, music, movies, and documents, have you actually done it? If you're like many people, you may think it will be a lot of trouble and take a lot of time. But you won't even have to think about it when you set up a scheduled backup.

More entertaining

Enjoy home entertainment in a whole new way

Having fun shouldn't be hard work. Now, you can easily make your PC the center of a complete home entertainment experience with Windows Vista Home Premium.

Explore the options your entire digital entertainment library can offer with the easy-to-navigate Windows Media Center. For instance, you only need a cable TV connection and a TV tuner card to record TV shows and watch them whenever you like with no monthly fee. You can easily play DVDs, download movies, and even try something different like viewing your photos in a cinematic slide show or browsing your music collection by cover art.

Enjoy all your digital entertainment with Windows Media Center.

Best of all, you don't have to stay in one room with your PC. You can take Windows Media Center to the next level and stream all of your digital entertainment on TVs throughout your home with support for Xbox 360 and other consumer electronics connected to your home network.

Get creative with your digital images, and then share them

You love your digital camera and you've probably taken hundreds of digital photos representing just as many memories. Maybe you've even downloaded most of them to your PC. But have you looked at them much since you did that? Would it be easy to find the ones from the London trip with your best friend two years ago?

There are many ways to get more enjoyment out of your photos with Windows Photo Gallery. First, you can organize them with tags, dates, and ratings so they are easier to find. You can crop them, correct red-eye effects, and adjust exposure and color with easy-to-use tools. And you can have fun creating slide shows with themes, cool transitions, and video as well as still photos.

Download, find, and share photos easily with Windows Photo Gallery.

You've been remembering scenes from the great vacation you just had with your two sisters who live far away. You took some beautiful pictures and even shot a little video. You can share some of the photos with Cindy through e-mail, but Nancy doesn't want to receive personal e-mail at work and doesn't have e-mail at home. Luckily, they each own a DVD player. So you can easily make a slide show for both of them and burn it to professional-looking video DVDs with Windows DVD Maker. What a great way to stay close.

Easily create professional-looking DVDs.

Your dad is going to turn 80 in a few months and there is going to be a small family party. He is adamant about no gifts, but it doesn't seem right not to somehow mark such a milestone. Over the years you've amassed an awesome collection of photos and videos of him with your kids. You can easily edit and publish a digital home movie in standard or high-definition format with the updated Windows Movie Maker. Can you think of a more delightful way to celebrate?

Play your heart out

You never used to understand people's obsession with computer games. But lately you've been bonding with your son over his favorite game, LEGO Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures. And though you won't admit it to many people, you've taken to playing Spider Solitaire on your lunch breaks. Welcome to habitual fun and to improved gaming support in Windows Vista Home Premium.

For one thing, you and your son will be impressed with the hyper-realistic visuals and incredible performance. For another, you'll be able to fully explore next generation gaming options: with a DirectX 10 graphics card and the technology built into the operating system, only Windows Vista can run the latest, most graphically advanced PC games in the market.

Eye-popping graphics in Microsoft Flight Simulator X.

A seemingly limitless choice of games compatible with Windows is great, but it could sometimes be challenging to find and launch them. Now, you can conveniently access all of your games, and information about them, in a single location on your PC using the Games Explorer.

Gain easy access to games—and detailed game info—with the Games Explorer.

Look for Games for Windows branded titles—from the simple to the spectacular—for every age and ability. Plus, have more fun with old favorites on your PC such as Spider Solitaire and Minesweeper, as well as three new premium games: Mahjong Titans, Chess Titans, and InkBall.

Better connected

Stay productive and entertained with your mobile PC

If you want a PC that can keep up with you while you're on the go, then you'll appreciate how Windows Vista Home Premium helps you get the most from your mobile PC.

You'll especially appreciate not worrying about battery life. With Fast Sleep and Resume, you can go for weeks without fully shutting down your laptop. Simply press the power button to pause and then resume your computer session in just seconds while conserving your battery life in sleep mode.

Putting your PC to sleep can save time and power and protect your documents.

Does wireless networking seem complicated or even unsafe to you? Using the Network and Sharing Center can help make it easier for you to connect more securely to wireless networks when you're away from home and to set up a more secure wireless network at home.

It can often feel like you spend some days—especially weekends—running all over town. For your mobile devices to be useful, they may need to be in sync with your PC at home. You can use Sync Center to keep your supported mobile devices up to date with your calendar. And you can save time by using one location, the Windows Mobility Center, to quickly access and set your key mobile preferences.

Windows Mobility Center provides one place where you can adjust all your PC settings.

You and your best friend are on your city's parks committee and are managing a volunteer rebuilding project. If you both have Windows Vista, you can collaborate face to face using Windows Meeting Space to share plans, schedules, and pictures of the project over a wired network, a wireless local area network, or an ad hoc wireless network.

Perhaps you often handwrite your shopping list on your Tablet PC or make funny sketches for your kids while you're watching their dance lesson or ballgame. You'll find improvements that make the pen feel more natural and help you scroll down webpages more easily. And you won't have to write out URLs and e-mail addresses you've used before because AutoComplete lists possible matches from previous letters or series of letters.

Take your entertainment on the go

If you have a ton of digital music, photos, and video stored on your PC, you'll value new features in Windows Media Player 11 that can help you manage your impressive media collection. And the best part is being able to easily connect to a variety of portable players so you can take it all with you wherever you go.

Posted by Eclat at 14:23:34 | Permanent Link | Comments (0) |

Vista Business

If you own or run a small business, you'll want Windows Vista Business, the first Windows operating system designed specifically to meet your needs. With its powerful new security features, you can better protect the key information that your business depends on and that your customers trust you to keep confidential. Your employees can use its enhanced mobility technology to stay connected in and out of the office. They will find information more easily and collaborate better using this edition's new search and organization features. And you will spend less time on technology support issues with the advanced network management features in Windows Vista Business.

Easier

Work more efficiently

One of the first things you’ll notice about Windows Vista Business is how easy it is to navigate your open files and programs. The new look is both beautiful and efficient. You won’t have to open a window or file to see what’s in it because live taskbar thumbnails and Live Icons will show you. And you can conveniently arrange and manage all your open windows to find the one you need with Windows Flip and Flip 3D.

Windows Aero helps you quickly locate the window you need.

Spend less time looking

Everyone has had the experience of hunting—and hunting—for a particular document or e-mail message. Now, you can find virtually anything on your PC with a few keystrokes by using the search boxes. We call it Instant Search, and it should mean the end of your hunting days. For example, to quickly find the fifth draft of that budget report or the ninth draft of that grant proposal, just start typing in the Search box on the Start menu.

Instant Search displays results as soon as you start typing.

Plus, if there’s a search you do often, you can save it with the new Search Folders feature. Let’s say you frequently need to find all the information you have about a customer named Acme. Just save your search, and then run it later with a single click to get results from all the content on your PC that includes the word Acme.

Search Folders help you save search criteria to use again.

Cruise through your day

It can often take you longer than you thought it would to complete your job tasks, but at least you won’t have any trouble finding what you need to complete them. The improved Explorers in Windows Vista provide consistent, streamlined menus, toolbars, and preview panes to help you view and easily find information and resources such as documents, photos, devices, and Internet content.

When you can immediately sort and filter information based on file type, saved date, or the name of the file creator, it’s easy to find anything, no matter where you may have saved it. Watch this demo to see how Windows Vista helps you organize and find information.

More ways it’s easier:

• Share your work with coworkers using the Sharing command on the Explorer Command Bar. You can simply choose names of people on your network and they can access your files.

• Perform and manage all your faxing and scanning from one location with enhanced Windows Fax and Scan. Plus, support for multiple user accounts means no more generic faxes from your business because several employees sharing a single computer can log on to it and send their own faxes.

• Retrieve, view, and edit photos for your business or website with easy-to-use tools in Windows Photo Gallery—and possibly save the expense of hiring a special vendor.

Safer

Enjoy increased peace of mind with built-in security features

You’ve seen the news stories about online security threats such as phishing scams, hackers, viruses, and worms. No matter what size your business is, it’s crucial for you to protect your computer network and to protect your data from loss or theft. Windows Vista Business improves on prior versions of Windows to help you affordably safeguard your information, privacy, and PC security.

You probably don’t even want to imagine what it would be like to lose the information on your PCs. You know it’s essential to back up your data, but it can seem too complicated. The Windows Backup and Restore Center provides a comprehensive backup experience in one convenient place and gives you a choice between Automatic Backup and Complete PC Backup.

The Windows Backup and Restore Center makes protecting and recovering information easier.

We’ve all experienced a moment of panic when a document became corrupted or we’ve accidentally deleted a file we’re working on. Now you can quickly retrieve and restore a previous version. Shadow Copy automatically creates and archives copies of files as you work. Simply right-click a single file or a whole folder and select Restore. You can easily preview a read-only version of each file to determine the one you need.

If you’re concerned about sensitive information and data being shared outside of your company, you can use the Encrypting File System to password-protect shared documents.

With all the hackers and scammers out there, it’s good to know that you can stop malicious software before it has a chance to infiltrate your PCs. Your first line of defense in Windows Vista is Windows Firewall, which helps provide protection as soon as your computers are turned on.

Add further protection with Windows Defender, which not only detects, removes, and alerts you to suspicious software but also automatically updates its definitions of spyware to keep up with constantly evolving threats.

The automatic protection of Windows Defender helps you avoid unwanted software.

Not all threats to your PCs come from outside the company, however. Sometimes, people make mistakes that can be harmful. Now, you can lessen the risk that employees will install unauthorized software and make unapproved system changes. When you set up separate standard user accounts with User Account Control, the system will prompt users for the administrator account password if they attempt to make harmful changes to their PCs.

Online security threats change all the time, so you want to be able to know that your company has the most up-to-date security software and the strongest security settings. Windows Security Center helps you easily monitor security components such as your firewall, Automatic Updates, antivirus solutions, Internet security settings, and even security products from multiple companies.

Future ready

Ready to grow when you are

Windows Vista Business gives your small business PCs a good foundation for growth. Along with being easy for you to set up and manage, the computers can be easily moved onto a larger network if necessary.

And when you’re trying to grow, the last thing employees need to be doing is spending a lot of time setting up their new PCs. Watch how quickly they will be able to transfer data and settings from their old PCs to newly purchased PCs running Windows Vista with the help of Windows Easy Transfer.

Make the move to a new PC fast with Windows Easy Transfer.

You want to focus on your business, so you’ll appreciate new features that can help make networking easier, safer, and more reliable. And with the Network and Sharing Center, you have a central place to visually check the connection status of PCs and devices and troubleshoot connection problems without additional IT support.

Clearly, the less time you spend managing PCs the better. Now, you can simplify network administration tasks with User Account Control and enhanced Group Policy capabilities that make it easier for you to better protect, update, and maintain your company's PCs.

Windows Vista Business is ready to grow when you are, supporting connectivity with servers and domains in multiple PC environments.

Better connected

Your workplace unplugged

If your small business relies on mobile PCs, you’ll appreciate the many features that can help you conduct business when and where it's convenient. You can get the most out of your company’s laptops with less fuss trying to get connected and keep in sync.

Do you use one computer at the office and another on the road or at home? When you’re not in the office, you still need access to various company applications and resources. When you use Remote Desktop Connection, it’s much easier to access your PC remotely, whether across your company network or through the Internet from your home PC.

Along with a PC, are you constantly using a mobile phone or PDA? If you’re using more than one mobile device, it can be challenging to keep all your information in sync. Now you have a convenient central location, Sync Center, to help you manage synchronization between PCs, between PCs and servers, and between PCs and devices.

How about this scenario: you dashed out of the office without your power cord and you know your battery won’t last through the two-hour meeting. Now you can easily check battery status and manage other mobile settings in one place with Windows Mobility Center. You can quickly adjust wireless status, display and presentation settings, and power options for maximizing battery life.

Windows Mobility Center gives you a single place to adjust settings for your laptop and other mobile devices.

You know how important collaboration can be for your business, and you look for ways to make it easier for people to work together on projects. For example, it can be particularly difficult to share files without network access. Now you can use Windows Meeting Space to create ad hoc wireless networks when you're meeting with small groups of colleagues or customers who are Windows Vista users. Discovering and joining sessions is easy with the built-in Sessions Near Me feature.

Quickly, and wirelessly, work with other people using Windows Meeting Space.

Does the whole wireless thing seem complicated or confusing to you? You can use the Network and Sharing Center to recognize and automatically connect to wireless networks and network devices, such as displays and projectors.

If you use a Tablet PC for your mobile computing on the job, you’ll appreciate Tablet PC enhancements that improve pen navigation and the new touch screen experience that lets you control, navigate, and enter information with your fingers.

Posted by Eclat at 14:22:08 | Permanent Link | Comments (0) |

Windows Vista Ultimate

If you use the same computer at home and for your daily work, Windows Vista Ultimate is an excellent choice. You can smoothly shift between the things you want to do and the things you need to do. For fun, you'll love the extensive options you get for music, images, live and recorded TV, and online entertainment. For work, you'll find improved document sharing and networking support. If your PC is a laptop, you'll appreciate how easily you can manage and extend your battery life. And you'll get the most advanced, layered security protection of any Windows release yet.

Easier

See what you're doing, find what you need

The first things you'll notice about Windows Vista Ultimate are its elegant looks and how it helps you with essential tasks. It's easier to work with and visualize your information with Windows Aero. You can conveniently arrange and manage your open windows using Windows Flip and Flip 3D. And you won't have to click to see your content because live taskbar thumbnails reveal it.

Windows Aero helps you quickly locate the window you need.

Every day you have to hit the ground running at full speed. Now, with Instant Search, you have a faster way to find whatever you need on your PC, on your network, or on the Internet. Whether you're looking for an e-mail from a colleague, a picture of your mom, a spreadsheet from last quarter, or the website for your kid's homework, you only need to start typing in the Search box on the Start menu.

As soon as you start typing, Instant Search begins showing results containing the letters you've entered.

It's easier and faster to find anything, no matter where you may have saved it, with the consistent, streamlined menus, toolbars, and preview panes in the improved Explorers in Windows Vista. Explorers include Search boxes too, so you can search within a particular type of information, such as all your documents.

Explorers include Search boxes so you can find what you need fast.

You can organize your files any way that you want and immediately sort and filter information based on file type, saved date, or the name of the file creator. Watch this demo to see how Windows Vista helps you find and organize information.

Back up without fuss, roll back file changes

If you've used a PC for long, chances are good that you know the sick feeling you get in your stomach after you've accidentally deleted a picture or a document you spent hours writing. And you know you can avoid that feeling by routinely backing up your files. But you can find yourself procrastinating because it seems like it will take a lot of time and trouble.

Now you can avoid the procrastination because you can easily use the Windows Backup and Restore Center. If you want to back up just your files and data, you can choose Automatic Backup. Or you can choose Windows Complete PC Backup and Restore, which can get your entire PC back to normal in one easy step if you experience a catastrophic hardware failure.

The Backup and Restore Center makes this essential task simple to do.

What do you do if you've made a lot of changes to a document and realize you want to go back to a previous version? In the past, you had only the version you'd most recently saved. Now, Shadow Copy automatically creates and archives copies of your files as you work on them. So if you accidentally saved over a document or a document becomes corrupted, you can easily retrieve any previous version of that file.

Use multiple languages

Windows Vista Ultimate is available in 35 languages—simultaneously. If you have a multilingual household or are learning a new language, you can install as many languages as you want and even switch between them as easily as logging off and back on again. And if your family shares a single PC, each family member can use his or her preferred language to interact with the PC.

Easily fax and scan

Once in a while you might need to send or receive a fax or scan a document or image. You have flexible, integrated faxing and scanning capabilities in one convenient location with Windows Fax and Scan. For faxing, you don't need a fax machine. And if you have a locally connected or network-connected scanner, you can scan documents and images with a single click.

Create, send, and receive faxes, documents, and images from one spot.

Enjoy easier setup and simplified maintenance

If being an IT support person isn't your idea of fun, you can relax. For one thing, you can get up and running fast using Windows Easy Transfer to automatically copy your files, photos, music, e-mail, and settings from your old PC to your new Windows Vista–based PC.

After your computer is set up, you will be pleased that system disruptions are kept to a minimum with little or no effort on your part. Built-in diagnostics alert you to disk failure, defective memory, and other potential issues so they can be resolved before affecting your everyday tasks.

Behind the scenes, new self-healing technology can automatically identify and fix problems as they occur. And your system's performance is more consistent with Windows SuperFetch, which tracks when you use programs and ensures that you have faster access to them.

Smaller home and business networks can use the Network and Sharing Center to visually check the connection status of PCs and devices and troubleshoot connection problems. No additional IT support is required.

Safer

Benefit from advanced security features

It is likely that safety is one of your chief concerns. We have worked very hard on this area in the years since we developed Windows XP, and the result of that work is the most secure version of Windows yet.

You know that there are thousands of advertisers and spammers out there, so it's good to know that you can take steps to help protect your PC from many types of malicious software. Your first line of defense in Windows Vista is the more easily configured, automatically running Windows Firewall. And Windows Defender can help you reduce the number of pop-up ads and lessen the security threats caused by spyware and other unwanted software.

Automatically avoid unwanted software with Windows Defender.

Feel safer on the web

The news stories about phishing scams, hackers, viruses, and worms may leave you feeling that your PC is a constant target. But you can help decrease these online security threats by taking advantage of the new capabilities in Windows Internet Explorer 7 that provide:

• Anti-phishing technology, which helps protect your personal information from fraudulent websites.

• Dynamic security protection that helps lower the risk of your system being damaged or disrupted.

• Internet Explorer protected mode, which helps reduce the likelihood of hackers taking over your browser and delivering malware to your system.

Anti-phishing technology in Internet Explorer 7 can help protect your personal information.

Help protect your family and your PC

If you share your PC with your family, you probably have concerns that your kids could accidentally install malicious software or change something important, such as deleting all your favorites. With User Account Control, you can set up a user account for each family member, so a child will be prompted for a password when attempting to change system settings, install any additional software, or to use certain websites or games. And each family member can have their own set of favorites and desktop layouts.

You want to be able to supervise what your kids are doing on their computer without feeling like you’re the PC police. With Parental Controls, you can set time limits for your children's computer use and manage their access to the web and to PC games. And you can tailor the controls to suit the age level and personal interests of each child.

Use Parental Controls to easily oversee your children's computer use.

Help protect confidential information

If you have confidential information on your laptop, you want to do everything possible to safeguard it with the help of multiple layers of protection in Windows Vista Ultimate. For one thing, to help prevent sensitive business information and data from being shared outside of your company, you can password-protect shared documents with the Encrypting File System.

And you can help ensure the integrity of valuable information on your PC with Windows BitLocker Drive Encryption. Your entire hard drive is encrypted so that only you can access that information—even if your PC is lost, stolen, or decommissioned.

Help protect your business

Windows Vista Ultimate includes support for joining a network domain—a standard business networking feature that enables improved security and manageability for business PCs. An updated Group Policy infrastructure helps system administrators save time and reduce security risks by configuring wireless network settings, removable storage devices, printers, Internet Explorer, and even power-management settings centrally and automatically.

In addition, Windows Vista Ultimate includes the essential IT infrastructure features found in Windows Vista Business and Windows Vista Enterprise so that your PCs and IT infrastructure can grow along with your business.

More entertaining

Explore all your digital home entertainment options

You spend a lot of your time working hard, so you want it to be simple to relax and have fun in your home. You can easily make your PC the center of a complete home entertainment experience with Windows Vista Ultimate.

Did you know you don't need to buy a special box or pay a monthly fee to record TV? With a TV tuner and a cable connection, you're ready to go. And that's just one part of how you can enjoy your entire digital entertainment library on your PC or on your television with Windows Media Center.

Use your mouse or an optional remote control to easily play DVDs, download movies, and even try something different like viewing your photos in a cinematic slide show or browsing your music collection by cover art.

Enjoy all your digital entertainment with the simplicity of Windows Media Center.

Best of all, you're not limited to staying in the room where you keep your PC. With Xbox 360 support and other consumer electronics connected to your home network, you can stream your movies and music to TVs throughout your home.

Get more pleasure from your digital images

You love your digital camera and you've probably taken hundreds of digital photos representing just as many memories. Maybe you've even downloaded most of them to your PC. But have you looked at them much since you did that? Would it be easy to find specific ones from that amazing Switzerland trip with your best friend two years ago?

Now, with Windows Photo Gallery, you have better and more flexible ways to make the most of your digital photos and home videos. For one thing, you can create keyword "tags" and a star rating system to manage and organize them, and then use built-in Instant Search to find them again quickly.

You can easily crop them, fix red eye, and even adjust the exposure and color. And the coolest thing is being able to choose from several themes and templates to create slide shows of your still photos and videos, set them to music, and even watch them on your TV.

Organize, fix, and enjoy your digital photos.

Share the fun and enjoy it on the go

Your mom is turning 75 in a couple of months. She insists that she doesn't need any more stuff. So what can you do for a gift? She recently spent a week with you and you got some great photos and videos of her with your kids. You can easily create a photo slide show and burn it to a professional-looking video DVD with Windows DVD Maker. Then you'll all have a great time watching it on her DVD player at her party.

You also can capture, edit, and publish your digital home movies in standard or high-definition format with the updated Windows Movie Maker and Windows Movie Maker HD.

Get deep into your games

You used to wonder how people can be so obsessed with computer games. But lately you've been bonding with your daughter over her favorite game, The Sims 2. And now you've taken to playing FreeCell on your lunch breaks. Welcome to habitual fun and to improved gaming support in Windows Vista Ultimate.

For one thing, you and your kids will be impressed with the hyper-realistic visuals and incredible performance. For another, you'll be able to fully explore next generation gaming options: with a DirectX 10 graphics card and the technology built into the operating system, only Windows Vista can run the latest, most graphically advanced PC games in the market.

Eye-popping graphics in Microsoft Flight Simulator X.

A seemingly limitless choice of games compatible with Windows is great, but it could sometimes be challenging to find and launch them. Now, you can conveniently access all of your games, and information about them, in a single location on your PC using the Games Explorer.

Look for Games for Windows branded titles—from the simple to the spectacular—for every age and ability. Plus, have more fun with old favorites on your PC such as Spider Solitaire and Minesweeper, as well as three new premium games: Mahjong Titans, Chess Titans, and InkBall.

Windows Vista Ultimate has three premium games, including Chess Titans.

Better connected

Stay productive and entertained with your mobile PC

If you're like many people, you have a laptop at work and sometimes take it home or on the road with you. You'll appreciate how Windows Vista Ultimate helps you get the most from your mobile PC while you're on the go.

You'll especially appreciate not worrying about battery life. With Fast Sleep and Resume, you can go for extended periods of time without fully shutting down your laptop. Simply press the power button to pause and then resume your computer session in just seconds while conserving your battery life in sleep mode.

Putting your PC to sleep can save time and power and protect your documents.

If you often have to leave your office for meetings, it can seem like you're constantly managing transitions between being plugged in, using battery power, and using wireless. You can save time and worry by using one location, the Windows Mobility Center, to quickly access and set key mobile system settings. You can even adjust power options to maximize your PC's battery life.

Find all your mobile system settings in one place: Windows Mobility Center.

Improved wireless networking and support for the most up-to-date wireless security standards helps you connect to wireless networks in the workplace, at home, or in public hotspots with more confidence, privacy, and ease.

Take your Tablet PC further

If your mobile computing is done on a Tablet PC, you'll notice significant improvements in pen-and-ink functionality, navigation, and handwriting recognition. For instance, pen flicks make it easier to scroll down webpages. You won't have to write out URLs and e-mail addresses you've used before because AutoComplete lists possible matches from previous letters or series of letters. And you'll find built-in support for touch screens.

Get more done, quickly, with a Tablet PC.

Access one computer from another one, virtually anywhere

If you use both a desktop PC and a laptop, it's likely that at some point you'll need to get something off your desktop computer when you're on the road with your laptop. You can use the Remote Desktop Connection feature to more easily and securely access your documents and programs remotely. When you're able to gain remote access from across your home network, a work network, or across the Internet from another computer, you can get work done wherever you have a network connection.

Keep in touch, in sync, and informed

You probably depend on network connectivity pretty regularly. Now, keeping connected is easier. If there is a problem with your network connectivity, the new Network Diagnostics tool is designed to help you identify and solve the problem quickly and easily. In fact, most common problems are automatically fixed for you.

When you're collaborating on a project with a small group of Windows Vista users, you can use Windows Meeting Space to meet face to face and share documents over a wired network, a wireless local area network, or an ad hoc wireless network.

If you're like a lot of people, you don't use just a PC. You probably have a cell phone and maybe other devices or servers for your information. So you know it can be a challenge trying to keep all the information synchronized. The new Sync Center in Windows Vista Ultimate offers one convenient place where you can easily keep other PCs, server shares, shared documents, digital media devices, Smartphones, Pocket PCs, and other devices synchronized with your PC.

Keep all your information synchronized from one place.

Take your entertainment on the go

If you have a ton of digital music, photos, and video stored on your PC, you'll value new features in Windows Media Player 11 that can help you manage your media collection and easily connect to a variety of portable players so you can take it all with you.