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| Foreword | |
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| Introduction | |
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| Why Is My Computer All Gunked Up? | |
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| What the Experts Know | |
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| Understanding How You Got So Gunked Up | |
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| Files Are Saved All over the Hard Drive | |
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| Temporary Files Aren't Always So Temporary | |
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| Spam, Spam, Eggs, Bacon, and Spam! | |
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| Installing Too Many Programs | |
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| Your Menu System Is Overrun | |
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| Your Desktop Is Overrun with Icons | |
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| Segmented Hard Drive | |
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| Low Hard Drive Space | |
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| Unorganized Data Files | |
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| Unorganized Web Favorites | |
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| Spyware Boogeyman | |
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| The Dreaded Cookie Monster | |
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| Service Packs and Updates | |
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| You're Gunked Up! | |
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| Ready for Degunking? | |
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| Degunking Your PC | |
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| The Strategy Behind Degunking | |
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| Important Questions to Ask Yourself | |
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| File Management 101 | |
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| Desktop and Start Menu | |
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| E-Mail Degunking | |
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| Clean Up Those Program Remnants | |
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| Hard Drive Optimization | |
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| Patch Things Up | |
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| Speaking of Patches... | |
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| Security | |
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| Backups | |
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| Doing a Clean Start | |
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| The Degunking 12-Step Program | |
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| Summing Up | |
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| Getting Rid of Files that Shouldn't Be There | |
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| Clean Up the Default Folders | |
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| Documents | |
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| Media Files | |
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| Shared Folders | |
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| Clean Up Your Main Drive | |
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| Delete Files from the Root Directory (C:) | |
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| Delete Unused Files in Other Locations | |
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| Clean Up the "Unzipped" Folder | |
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| Locating Duplicate Files | |
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| Get Rid of Those Pesky Temp Files | |
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| Use Disk Cleanup | |
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| Cleaning Up What Disk Cleanup Has Missed | |
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| Deleting User Files from Unused User Accounts | |
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| Summing Up | |
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| Uninstalling Programs You Don't Need and Tweaking Those You Do | |
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| Remove Programs You Don't Use | |
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| Using a Program's Uninstall Command | |
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| Using the Control Panel to Remove Programs | |
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| Removing Extraneous Windows Components | |
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| Cleaning Up the Start Menu | |
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| Find Programs You Don't Even Know You Have | |
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| Check Out the Program Files Folder | |
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| Remove Spyware | |
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| Remove Programs for Hardware You No Longer Own | |
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| Tweaking Programs You Do Need | |
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| Right-Click Your Program Icons | |
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| Program Compatibility Mode | |
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| Make Multimedia and Games Run Better | |
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| Performance Options | |
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| System Restore | |
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| Summing Up | |
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| Organizing Your Remaining Files and Folders | |
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| Better Organize the Default Folders | |
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| Where Should You Put Your Data? | |
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| Personalize the Default Folders with Folders of Your Own | |
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| Empty the Recycle Bin | |
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| Restart the Computer | |
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| Make a Final Pass | |
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| Ready? Empty! | |
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| Use Disk Defragmenter | |
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| Staying Degunked | |
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| Summing Up | |
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| Tweaking Your Desktop and Start Menu | |
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| Clean Up and Personalize the Taskbar | |
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| Managing the Taskbar's System Tray | |
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| Add Quick Launch Icons | |
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| Lock, AutoHide, and Group Options in the Taskbar | |
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| Customizing with TweakUI | |
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| Personalize the Start Menu | |
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| XP Start Menu | |
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| Classic Menu | |
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| Clean Up and Personalize the Desktop | |
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| Add or Remove Default Icons | |
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| Create Folders and Program Shortcuts | |
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| Identify the Gunk | |
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| Removing Folders and Shortcuts | |
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| Run the Desktop Cleanup Wizard | |
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| Choose Non-System-Intensive Screensavers | |
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| About Themes | |
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| Explore Folder Options | |
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| Summing Up | |
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| Preventing Spam Gunk | |
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| Choose the Best E-Mail Addresses | |
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| Set Up Your Primary E-Mail Address | |
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| Set Up Your Backup and Disposable E-Mail Addresses | |
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| Avoid Spammer Dictionary Attacks | |
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| Choose Your E-Mail Client Carefully | |
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| Be Careful with Outlook | |
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| Watch Out for Spam Beacons | |
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| Use Alternative E-Mail Clients | |
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| Use Your E-Mail Address Carefully | |
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| Never "Unsubscribe" from a Spammer Mailing List | |
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| Never Post (or Let Others Post) Your E-Mail Address on the Web | |
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| Obfuscate Your E-Mail Address on Newsgroups and Discussion Boards | |
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| Use Disposable E-Mail Addresses for E-Commerce | |
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| Services That Manage Disposable E-Mail Addresses | |
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| Use a Separate Spam Filtering Utility | |
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| A Short Spam Filtering Glossary | |
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| Filtering within Your E-Mail Client Is Not Enough | |
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| How Mail Proxies Work | |
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| POPFile and Its Buckets | |
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| Configuring Your E-Mail Client to Use POPFile | |
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| Using and Training POPFile | |
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| Creating POPFile Magnets | |
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| Avoid Triggering Other People's Spam Filters | |
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| Summing Up | |
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| Cleaning Up E-Mail Gunk | |
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| Keep, Hold, or Pitch? | |
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| The 100-Message Rule | |
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| Is Autosorting a Good Idea? | |
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| It's Psychology, not Technology! | |
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| Create a One-Screen Folder Hierarchy | |
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| Keep Your Folder List to One Screen | |
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| Keep Time-Delimited Mail in Separate Folders | |
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| Use Nested Folders Carefully | |
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| Don't Accumulate Attachments | |
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| Miscellaneous E-Mail Housecleaning Pointers | |
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| Watch Out for Abandoned Drafts | |
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| Delete Duplicate Copies of Your Mailbase | |
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| Outlook Express E-Mail Gunk in the Windows Registry | |
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| Use a File Shredder after You Delete Messages Containing Personal or Financial Data | |
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| Summing Up | |
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| Installing Upgrades for Your System | |
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| Use Windows Update to Stay Up-to-Date | |
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| Get Updates Automatically or Manually | |
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| High Priority Updates and Service Packs | |
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| Software and Hardware Updates | |
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| Upgrade to Windows XP Professional | |
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| Upgrade the Media Applications | |
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| Upgrade to MSN Messenger 7.0 | |
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| Summing Up | |
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| Surviving Service Pack 2 | |
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| Make Sure You Have Service Pack 2 and Get It If You Don't | |
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| Ways to Get Service Pack 2 | |
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| Installing Service Pack 2 | |
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| Let Internet Explorer Explore Again | |
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| Allow Active Content and View Blocked Pop-Ups | |
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| Reconfigure Outlook Express | |
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| Enable Attachments, Live Links, and Embedded Pictures | |
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| Optimize the Security Center | |
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| Tweak Firewall Settings | |
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| Automatic Updates | |
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| Configure Virus Protection | |
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| Get Rid of Unnecessary Messages | |
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| Find Solutions for Other SP2 Problems | |
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| Uninstall Service Pack 2 (If All Else Fails) | |
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| Summary | |
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| Degunking Media | |
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| Get Media Updates | |
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| Degunk Windows Media Player | |
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| Control Your Playlists | |
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| Finding Missing Media Files | |
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| Deleting Media Files You Don't Want | |
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| Remove Duplicate Links in the Music Library | |
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| Back Up, Restore, Manage, and Recover Lost Licenses | |
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| Degunk Windows Movie Maker | |
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| Understand the Difference between Source Files, Project Files, and Movie Files | |
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| Organize Your Files and Delete Files You Don't Need | |
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| Create Movies of Appropriate Length | |
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| Summary | |
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| Optimizing Your Hard Drive and System Startup | |
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| Use NTFS | |
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| Converting to NTFS | |
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| Resize Your Partitions | |
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| Degunk the Startup Process | |
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| Clean Up the Startup Folder | |
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| Clean up Third-Party Programs | |
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| Clean Up the Boot Process | |
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| View Errors with Dr. Watson | |
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| Running Dr. Watson (Drwtsn32.exe) | |
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| Use Network Diagnostics | |
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| Get Rid of Unsigned Files and Drivers | |
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| Using File Signature Verification | |
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| Updating Unsigned Drivers | |
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| Error Checking | |
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| Staying Degunked | |
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| Summing Up | |
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| Cleaning and Tweaking the Registry | |
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| Inside the Registry | |
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| A Quick Note about Windows Versions | |
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| REGEDT32 Is Your Gateway to the Registry | |
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| Back Up and Restore the Registry | |
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| Clean the RegistryClean the Registry | |
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| Use Registry Cleaning Software | |
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| Use Microsoft's RegClean to Clean the Registry in Windows 95/98/NT or Windows 2000 | |
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| Tweak the Registry | |
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| Turn My Documents into a Cascading Folder | |
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| Display Compressed Files in an Alternate Color | |
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| Display Hidden Files with Explorer | |
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| Remove All Icons from Your Desktop | |
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| Summing Up | |
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| The Best Hardware for PC Degunking | |
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| Add Memory | |
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| Physical Installation | |
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| Tweak Virtual Memory Settings | |
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| Add a Backup Device | |
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| External Hard Drive | |
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| USB CD-R, CD-RW, DVD-R, DVD-RW | |
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| Zip Drive | |
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| Other Storage Options | |
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| Add a Second Monitor | |
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| Purchasing a New Display Adapter | |
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| Physical Installation | |
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| Configuring the Display Settings | |
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| Physically Clean the Machine | |
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| Cleaning Keyboards, Mice, and Monitors | |
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| Degunking Inside the Case | |
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| Purchase a New Computer | |
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| Degunk Your New PC | |
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| Free Short-Term Trials | |
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| Software from the Manufacturer, Third-Party Software, Duplicate Software | |
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| Summing Up | |
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| PowerToys and Awesome Shareware | |
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| Use PowerToys for Degunking | |
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| Downloading and Installing | |
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| Customize Windows Settings with TweakUI | |
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| Organize Your Desktop with Virtual Desktop Manager | |
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| Resize Images with the Image Resizer | |
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| Alt-Tab Replacement | |
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| WUGNET's Shareware Picks | |
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| Keep Your Registry Clean with Registry First Aid | |
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| Get Rid of Annoying Pop-Up Messages with Pop-Up Stopper Professional | |
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| Synchronize Your Folders with FolderMatch | |
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| Keep Your Computer Running Smoothly with System Mechanic | |
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| Bloglines and RSS Feeds | |
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| Microsoft's New Utilities | |
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| Summing Up | |
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| Improving Security | |
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| How Secure Is Your PC? | |
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| Purchase and Configure Anti-Virus Software | |
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| Configure Internet Options | |
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| Configure Security Zones | |
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| Privacy Options | |
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| Understand Your Options | |
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| Enable the Guest Account | |
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| Enable and Configure a Guest Account | |
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| A Look at Administrative Tools | |
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| Local Security Policies | |
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| Computer Management | |
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| Firewalls | |
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| No SP2? Enable Windows XP's Internet Connection Firewall | |
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| Windows XP and SP2's Firewall | |
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| Home Office and Business Firewalls | |
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| Get the Best Security for the Buck | |
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| Summing Up | |
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| Backing Up Precious Files | |
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| Perform Backups with the Backup Utility | |
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| Getting Started | |
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| Creating a Simple Backup | |
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| Creating a Thorough Backup | |
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| Use Different Types of Backups | |
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| Recommendations for the Home User | |
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| How Often to Back Up | |
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| About Storing the Backups | |
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| Scheduling a Backup Using the Backup Utility | |
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| Schedule Backups with the Windows Scheduled Tasks Utility | |
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| Configuring a Scheduled Task | |
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| Using the Restore Utility | |
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| Copy to a CD as a Backup Option | |
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| Summing Up | |
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| Last Resort Degunking Techniques | |
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| Locate Incompatible Hardware | |
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| Fix Problems with Hardware Drivers | |
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| Return to Older Versions of Drivers Using the Device Driver Rollback Utility | |
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| Use System File Checker | |
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| Return Your System to an Earlier State with System Restore | |
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| Configure System Restore | |
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| Create Restore Points Manually | |
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| Using System Restore | |
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| Repair XP with the XP CD-ROM | |
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| What If I Don't Have an XP CD? | |
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| How to Boot to the CD | |
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| Changing the BIOS | |
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| Repair XP Without Doing a Clean Install | |
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| Upgrade to Windows XP | |
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| Do a Clean Install but Only If You Really Have To | |
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| Gather Your Critical Information | |
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| Reinstall Everything | |
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| Summing Up | |
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| Performing a Clean Windows Install | |
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| Settings Needed for Reinstalling Windows | |
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| Tips on Locating Personal Data and Configuration Settings | |
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| Locating Hard Drive Configuration Settings | |
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| Locating Your Internet Settings | |
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| Locating Registration Information for Software You Download | |
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| Service Packs and Updates | |
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| Using Microsoft Support for Help | |
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| Recovering from a Corrupted Registry | |
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| How to Know When You Have a Registry Boot Problem | |
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| Fixing Your Corrupted Registry | |
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| Troubleshooting Your PC with Degunking Techniques | |
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| Operating System Problems | |
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| File Management/Hard Drive Problems | |
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| Application Problems | |
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| E-Mail and Web Browsing Problems | |
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| Security Problems | |
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| Hardware and Peripheral Problems | |
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| Media Problems | |
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| The Future of Degunking | |
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| Making Windows Virtual | |
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| Instant Degunking | |
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| Trying Out Software | |
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| Virtual Projects | |
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| Safe Surfing | |
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| What Makes Virtualization Work | |
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| Virtualization's Limitations | |
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| How to Get Started | |
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| Index | |