Robbie

The installation process took about an hour and a half so I wasn't taking much notice of the laptop... all I did see was a set of generic installation screens "eg "devices" each displaying the % of installation for that particular part of the installation. The specifics of each part of the installation wasn't displayed.

At 12% of the contents of the drive it would seem to be quite a lot of old jank! I've solved the problem of being forced to sign in with a Microsoft Account each time I startup the computer or bring it out of standby - all I did was go to Settings -> Change PC Settings -> Accounts and then signed out of my Microsoft Account. I'm now back to being logged on as a local user account and this stays the same even when restarting the computer.

Hi hazelnut, it's been a while since I last posted! I have Windows 8 and I too have been using a local user account rather than a Microsoft Account. I've just upgraded from Windows 8 to 8.1 and I wasn't able to complete the upgrade without converting my local user account to a Microsoft Account. Perhaps I overlooked some setting but I don't think I did. Basically once Windows 8.1 was downloaded to my laptop and was then installed (a process that for both took in total well over two hours) I had to go through a number of screens that were similar to those I had to go through the first time I switched on my laptop after buying it back in June though some such as having to give the laptop a computer name didn't appear. But the screen that asks for a Microsft Account for signing in did appear and I couldn't see the option that I had back in June which sadi "Sign in without a Microsoft Account" which then created a local user account. Bizarrely, after installing Windows 8.1 I have an additional 12GB of free space on my C: Drive which is the drive I use for the system files. The drive is 100GB in size and the free space available has increased from 33GB to 45GB. Quite how or why I don't know. I do like Windows 8.1 (apart from this local user account issue) though.

Good to see you Dennis!

It was lovely being in Newcastle yesterday until Man Utd scored that fourth goal... I nearly burst into tears!I live just south of Newcastle, in Washington, and as you may know, it's half and half for supporting teams, so the pub I was in was showing the Newcastle game and the pub next door was showing the Sunderland game. After the game, guess which pub was the happier... thankfully there was no trouble but us Geordies were getting some stick from the mackems after the game!

A slightly belated Merry Christmas but also a Happy New Year to all. I don't post much these days but I do lurk! So all the best!

Cheers Dennis!

This is the first time I've posted for ages! Was this service unique to France or were there variations of it elsewhere? I have a vague memory of a similar system existing at Kings Cross railway station in London in the late 80s (possibly in late 1988 or early 1989) after the station was rebuilt following a fire in the station in late 1987. I remember that you could buy rail tickets, check train and bus timetables and view things like a phone directory as well as services like news and sport stories. I tried it once and found it boring - I remember wondering why on earth people would want to spend their time staring at a screen just to find out things!

Anyone who lives in the UK, is with BT Broadband and uses the latest version of the HomeHub router (Home Hub 3) will find that ShieldsUp reports that port 161 is open and therefore the computer fails the TruStealth Analysis. There has been a number of threads and posts about this at the BT Community Forums and the official BT explanation is that "BT use port 161 to carry out remote management on the Home Hub and the network." and they say further that "We manage customer devices so that they and any feature on them do not present any security issue.". It is also apparently impossible to close this port in order to pass the ShieldsUp test. I've always liked to see my system pass this test but since I started to use the new Home Hub a few months ago I've been a bit concerned that my system no longer passes this test and I don't find BT's answer to be very reassuring!

It is a winapp2.ini entry. The winapp2.ini file I am using is dated 22/02/09 (22 February 2009) and was downloaded from this site. There is an entry to delete the Windows Update Logs in that file. I've just checked the latest version which can be downloaded from the "Winapp2.ini additions" thread in this forum, dated 27 June 2011 and it is still there: [Windows Update Logs*] LangSecRef=3025 DetectFile=%WinDir%\SoftwareDistribution\DataStore\Logs Default=False FileKey1=%WinDir%\SoftwareDistribution\DataStore\Logs|*.* Strangely, for all the entry has been in winapp2.ini all this time I'm sure it's only a few months ago that I first noticed the relevant entry appear in CCleaner (it's under Applications -> Windows -> *Windows Update Logs). If it was there before that I can't remember ever seeing it, and this is on both a Vista PC and a Windows 7 Laptop. I have the option unticked on both my computers as I wish to keep the Update Logs. I also don't have Windows set for Automatic Updates and never have done so it's probably just as well I noticed the entry in CCleaner and made sure it was unticked. EDIT: I've just downloaded the newer version of winnap2.ini and removed the Windows Update Logs entry which has now removed the entry from CCleaner.

As a workaround add the Thunderbird files you do not want deleted to CCleaner's "Add To Exclude List". For users who are unsure how to do this, run Analyze on CCleaner, double click on "Firefox/Mozilla - Saved Passwords" in the summary results pane, right click on the files you wish to exclude from wiping and then choose "Add to Exclude list".

I'm guessing the former - for System Restore - is down to the fact that there is a lack of space to include "Systemwiederherstellung" into the box without needing to change some coding for the German version? It is a long word to have to fit into such a short space! Perhaps the developer could list it as "System Wiederherstellung"? That would list the word over two lines, as it does for "Programme deinstallieren" (Uninstaller).

I've just used Drive Wiper on a USB Flash Drive formatted in FAT 32. The drive was first formatted and then wiped and the format type remained as FAT 32. None of the files that had been on the USB drive could be found using Recuva in either normal scan or deep scan so Drive Wiper certainly did its job. There were two large files created in the Drive Wiper process which Recuva listed but these were unrecoverable. The process appears to work by creating large files to overwrite the data on the drive. This is a 2GB USB drive and the two files created total up to about 2GB in size.

I can't get Drive Wiper to work on either my Windows 7 laptop or Vista desktop PC. Here is what I am trying to do: On both laptop and PC I have a small partition I created called "Backup and Maintenance" which is where I download and keep all my program exe files as well as drivers and other files relating to my computer. It is this partition on both laptop and PC I am trying to wipe as a test. I started up CCleaner and chose Tools -> Drive Wiper then Wipe: Entire Drive Security: Simple Overwrite (1 pass) I then click on the appropriate drive and then click "Wipe" I type the word ERASE as prompted and click OK A progress bar headed "Formatting" appears very quickly followed by a Windows error box "CCleaner has stopped working" with the usual choice of "Check online for a solution and close the program" or "Close the program". "View problem details" shows the following on my Vista PC: Problem signature: Problem Event Name: BEX Application Name: CCleaner.exe Application Version: 3.0.0.1303 Application Timestamp: 4cc867bb Fault Module Name: CCleaner.exe Fault Module Version: 3.0.0.1303 Fault Module Timestamp: 4cc867bb Exception Offset: 00047d8e Exception Code: c000000d Exception Data: 00000000 OS Version: 6.0.6002.2.2.0.768.3 Locale ID: 2057 Additional Information 1: 7d6e Additional Information 2: a11fa91365189298221a0a41a982033b Additional Information 3: b121 Additional Information 4: 55b26c2b1c840eace7ba48766d585804 I haven't got access to my laptop at this moment but the details were much the same. Choosing the Free Space wipe only option in Drive Wiper works perfectly fine.

I use Windows Firewall and Microsoft Security Essentials - I find that together they offer a high level of security and both are free, which is an added bonus.

Happy New Year and Happy New Decade! What will posters be calling next year "two thousand and ten" or "twenty ten"? At some point it will have to shift over to the latter...

I've been running it on my Vista PC for a few months since NatWest first offered it to me. I've always been security conscious so I probably don't really need it but I thought I would give it a try. It's fairly unobtrusive (apart from this problem!) and I use it to protect all websites where I may have financial transactions (not just my bank, credit card company etc but even sites like amazon.co.uk). I do read the security reports that are available and there are one or two entries there sometimes but all security programs have entries when you log their activity. I'll keep using it for the time being but I'm not sure if I'll always stick with it. What did you not like about it? Too many warnings (eg passwords, if you have more than one site monitored with the same password) or just not what you wanted? To be honest, I only ever downloaded it in the first place as I was getting a bit sick of having the "download rapport" page appear every time I logged into my NatWest bank account!

an update on this: I sent a report to Trusteer outlining the specific problem I was experiencing and received a reply - the problem is known and is a Rapport / Windows 7 conflict. Trusteer are about to release an update that will fix the problem. I assume other people must have been reporting the problem too!

It sounds like a similar problem to the one I posted about recently, where changing ownership or permissions makes no difference. In my case it was an installed program that was locking a registry key. While I wasn't after deleting the key I was after being able to make changes to that key which I wasn't able to do in normal mode. In the end I had to use a process of elimination but a starting point was to boot into Safe Mode where I was able to change the entries in the registry key. I then ran msconfig - in Safe Mode - and disabled all Services and Startup Items (choosing the Selective Startup option) and then one by one re-enabled each Service and Startup item until I found the problem. It was a frustrating and time consuming process but I got there in the end...

I've finally been able to pinpoint the cause of this problem and have fixed it! It was a security program after all - I forgot that I had installed a secuity program provided by my Internet Bank. The program is called Rapport, it is manufactured by Trusteer and is designed to securely protect information on sensitive sites by locking down the browser once connected to a sensitive site such as a bank by protecting the browser from malicious software and preventing traffic from being diverted to fraudulent websites. The specific conflict is in one of the Security Policy settings in Rapport, specifically "Protect Rapport from Unauthorized Removal". With it set to "Always" that registry key locks. Changing it to "Never" unlocks the registry key and items can be added or removed as normal. As this never happened in Vista I don't know if it's a bug, a conflict or meant to happen in Windows 7. I've reported it to Trusteer though. I wish I'd remembered about installing this program, it would have saved me many hours of trying to solve the problem by a process of trial and error! Thankfully I never did a computer factory reset as the problem would have occured once more, once I'd reinstalled this program. Thanks to all who replied, it's most appreciated.

Thanks for the replies. Unfortunately I stll have been aunable to solve this problem. The only security programs running on my laptop are Windows Firewall, Avira AntiVirus and Windows Defender. Disabling the Firewall and Defender and uninstalling Avira still brought me no joy. Andavari - I'd already seen those instructions at your link. I followed the instructions to the letter but that didn't work either. I can't understand how I can add / delete items from that registry key while in safe mode but not while in normal mode. It just doesn't make any sense. And I can add or delete entries to the corresonding key in HKLM (HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run) while running Windows in normal mode - and both keys have the exact same owner and permissions. The reason why I noticed this problem in the first place was because I installed NetMeter v1.13. It ran at startup perfectly well. I then noticed it wasn't logging any traffic as there were no wireless interfaces listed. This was a known bug with Windows 7 and there had been a fix, version 1.14 beta was released solving the bug. Anyway I uninstalled NetMeter v1.13 and ran CCleaner's Registry Cleaner. I noticed that one of the keys listed was HKCU...Run\NetMeter. I cleaned it, ran CCleaner again and the same registry key was listed again, meaning it hadn't been deleted. I went to the actual registry key and tried to delete it via that method. I kept getting an error message and basically could not delete the entry. So I booted into safe mode and was able to delete the entry. I then booted back into normal mode, ran the NetMeter v1.14 beta installer and got this error: Code 5 relates to a permissions problem, from what I've read. But there is no problem as I can do all this in safe mode. So I just booted into Safe Mode to install NetMeter. Additionally I can create subkeys (folders) in Run and can add or delete entries in that folder in normal mode. It just appears to be a problem adding or deleting an entry in the actual Run key in normal mode. Before this problem started I had disabled some startup items via Autoruns. Autoruns keep them in a key called Autoruns Disabled in the Run key (ie in the key HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run\Autoruns Disabled) and I can add or delete items in this folder in normal mode. Since this problem started I can no longer disable entries in the Run key via Autoruns while in normal mode, though again i can in safe mode. In normal mode and using Autoruns I uncheck the box next to the entry and when I go back to autoruns that box is still uncked but a duplicate entry appears, with the box checked. Again, it's not a serious problem, more a nuisance, because to add or delete items in the Run key / folder I'll have to keep booting into Safe Mode. I'll also have to install programs that I want to run at startup in Safe Mode too. Though I'm not one for having too many programs run at startup so it won't happen that often - for example my Windows XP PC is almost 4 years old and has a mere 5 entries in the Run key. I just don't like not having full control over my computers! If anyone can suggest anything further then I would be grateful. The only thing I don't think I'll do is to do a reinstall just to see if that solves the problem. It's bound to crop back up at some point in the future.

Specifically trying to add or remove items from the registry key HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run My account is an Administrator account but I am unable to add or remove entries from this registry key. If I login to Safe Mode then there is no problem, I can amend the entries in this key, but it's a problem if I'm installing a program that I want to run at startup. I have to login to safe Mode just to add the startup entry to that registry key. Looking around the internet it seems the problem may be one of "permissions" and me not having sufficient permissions to amend this key. I notice that the owner of the Run and Run Once keys show as "SYSTEM" rather than my user account name (unlike many of the other registry keys around Run and Run Once, with many of those my account name seems to be the owner). However, SYSTEM has the same rights as my user account and the Administrators group so I don't know what the problem is. Does anyone know it there's something I need to tweak in order to be able to add or delete entries in those two registry keys? Not being able to do so unless I boot into safe Mode is more an annoyance than a problem but it's something I've never encountered before. Even using Autoruns I am unable to delete entries in the Run key. My laptop is running Windows 7 if that makes a difference but the setup / ownership / permissions of those keys looks just the same as it does on my Vista PC and I can add to or remove entries from the Run key on my Vista PC without any problems.

Thanks hazelnut. I'd posted at the same time as yourself so you may not have seen my post. I've managed to solve the problem, it was caused by that pesky iTunes!

Problem solved! I'd installed iTunes a few days ago and iTunes has created its own folder in my main music folder and copied ALL of my music files into that folder. All I did was to delete that iTunes folder and the problem has now been solved.

Adding further to this: I've now deleted the entire folder that contains the database file, started WMP, recreated the databse and the same problem has happened again. I'm at a total loss what to do to solve the problem.