autorun

Of course you use antivirus software and maybe a firewall, too, but keeping your PC safe only starts there. One of the simplest yet smartest things you can do is disable Autorun in Windows. It's a convenience that runs programs automatically; for example, Autorun starts playing a CD as soon as you close the tray. It's even more convenient for the viruses and other malware that use autorun.exe to do everything from infiltrating your system to destroying it. One of the simplest ways to disable Autorun completely or selectively is with AutoRun Disable by Endpoint Protector. This … Read more

Old McDonald's Farm is a software designers' collective, not a noisy musical farm. And on this farm they have some freeware, such as Autorun Eater, which scans your drives for suspicious autorun.ini files and removes those you want removed. Autorun.ini files issue basic instructions for starting all kinds of programs, but malware can infect computers with them, sometimes from external drives. Autorun Eater monitors your system for suspicious autorun.ini files in the root directories of drives C through Z as well as removable drives. It also fixes three common registry errors caused by autorun.ini files … Read more

Alfa Autorun Killer is a free security tool that helps protect your system by scanning for and removing viruses, worms, adware, and other autorun threats on your hard disks and removable drives and by preventing unauthorized programs from executing autorun processes. It includes secure delete and process, services, and startup managers, and automatic updates.

Alfa's system-tray icon is the central access point for the software's features and settings. We right-clicked the program's icon to open its extensive menu, which stayed open even when other windows and apps were active--a small but welcome touch. From this menu, we … Read more

Microsoft appears to be winning a major battle against autorun malware.

A blog post this week by Microsoft's Malware Protection Center said the company discovered 1.3 million fewer infections on Windows Vista and XP caused by autorun malware from mid-February to mid-May, compared with the three months prior.

A persistent security threat for the past several years, autorun malware typically spreads through flash drives, memory cards, and other external devices courtesy of Microsoft's autorun feature, which automatically executes a command when the device is plugged in.

Autorun has been a trigger for some of the "top … Read more

Autorun.inf Check scans your computer and looks for autorun.inf files. The program will remove or back up autorun.inf files.

The program's interface is minimal and contains no instructions or Help file, so we based our summations of its operations and functionality on educated guesses. The About link on the interface takes users to a forum created by the program's manufacturer, but it offers little useful information. Autorun.inf Check's job is to scan your computer for autorun.inf files, which are files that automatically run programs when triggered. You have the option to tell … Read more

AutoRun is the handy Windows feature that automatically starts a program when, for example, you insert a CD-ROM in your PC's drive. Whether you're a network administrator or a newbie, an installation program that starts right up with a professional-looking interface is a reassuring sight. Good installation programs don't design themselves, though. Someone put it all together and put it on disk. You can, too, with AutoRun Pro Enterprise II from Longtion. It's designed to let anyone create interactive front ends for downloads, CD-ROMs, and other such applications, regardless of skill level. It lets you bring … Read more

Spam and botnets have hit their highest levels ever, according to McAfee's second-quarter Threats Report, released Wednesday. McAfee's Avert Labs says spam recorded in the second quarter shot up 80 percent compared with the first quarter of the year.

This follows a brief reprieve from spam following last year's shutdown of the McColo ISP. June alone saw the largest amount of spam recorded by McAfee, surpassing the previous monthly high in October by more than 20 percent. McAfee now estimates that spam accounts for 92 percent of all e-mail.

By country, the amount of worldwide spam originating … Read more

Events Manager offers to help users avoid missing important events with its simple task reminder system, but it may be too basic for some.

This freeware program has an interface that could not be much simpler: a rectangular blank screen with some menus along the top of the box. Here users can choose between File, Events, Options, and Help. By selecting a new event, users are prompted to enter data in the appropriate fields. Event name, notes, time, and date are all easy to add. In addition, users can choose any MP3 or WAV file of their choice to use … Read more

Natali's out, and Jason and I are joined by Donald and Brian Tong, making for a fun-filled episode in which Tom says stupid, guy things, like "touchdown line." But we do talk about the Windows 7 RC and Atom processors getting used in Netbooks.

Microsoft preps Windows 7 release http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/8026736.stm

Microsoft to disable Autorun http://tech.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=09/04/29/2110241

In major shift, Apple builds its own team to design chips http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124104666426570729.html… Read more