As I have said time and time again, no operating system is created equal, nor do they present themselves as better than another. Such a statement can be applied to Windows because, hopefully, everyone knows Windows is prone to crashing. If you haven’t backed up your important and even your not-so-important files recently, getting those files back can be a pain…until now.

Note: If you plan on reformatting your system, please refer to Your Universal Guide to Windows (Part 1) before proceeding with this article for necessary download links to free security software. If you are attempting to recover your Windows machine from a crash, it would be wise to access those downloads from another computer and transfer them to an external storage source.

You could use a file recovery program to attempt to get your files back after reformatting, but that doesn’t guarantee you will get them all back and retrieve 100% of the data. If you want a sure fire way to get all your data back, one of your best bets is to use a Linux distribution on a Live CD. If you have never used Linux before, this walkthrough will be a nice introductory to Ubuntu Linux. Ubuntu is a nice stepping stone for those that have not ventured the Linux path, allowing users to get a feel for the Linux software and even a decent grasp of the Linux command line.

If you do not have an Ubuntu disc or have the ISO downloaded and burned to a disc, visit DistroWatch or the Ubuntu website to download the ISO image and burn it to a disc with ImgBurn or another ISO image writer. Afterwards, follow the instructions to learn how to view your hard drive.

1. Insert your new Ubuntu Linux disc into your CD drive and reboot. Your PC will boot Ubuntu from the disc.

2. A menu will appear with a list of options. Select Try Ubuntu without any changes to your computer and press enter.

3. Allow Ubuntu to boot. At the very top of the screen, you will see a task bar with a number of options. Click on Places and then Computer. This will show you your hard drive as well as other hard drives on your system, if it applies.

4. Double click on your Windows drive to view the contents. If it opens immediately, skip to step 11 and read on. If not, continue on with the next step.

If you receive an “Unable to mount the volume” error, the next few steps will show you how to force the drive to open to view the contents.

5. Click on the Details link on the “Unable to mount the volume” error message, which will include a command line to force the drive to mount. Copy that command line down.

6. Go back to the top taskbar and click on Applications, then Accessories, and then Terminal. This application will allow you to use the Linux command line.

7. In order to force the mount of your hard drive, we will need to change to the administrator mode (Linux terms: root). Type in the following command:

sudo /bin/bash

8. Hard drives are either in NTFS format or Fat32. If you do not know what kind of drive you have, type the follow command:

fdisk -1

9. A directory must be created in order to mount the drive. Use the following command:

mkdir /media/disk

10. The following command is what you will type next, with a slight variation. Where it is bolded, replace that with what you copied down from the error details. This command is for those with an NTFS drive.

mount -t ntfs-3g /dev/sda1 /media/disk -o force

If you have a FAT32 drive, use the following command line:

mount -t vfat -o umask=000 /dev/sda1 /media/disk

If you do not know what type of drive you have, refer to step 8 again.

11. If you completed all of the steps correctly, you should be able to see your hard drive contents.

Now would be a good time to have your external hard drive or other storage content with you. Please note that not all external hard drives are compatible with Linux. Please be sure to check to see that yours is.

Explore your hard drive as you normally would on Windows. Assess the amount of space used and how fast Ubuntu is retrieving the data. If you have a lot of data and Ubuntu seems to be lagging some, stop the data retrieval and look at the contents it has acquired. If there are a lot of useless old files, delete them. If there are a lot of .tmp files, delete them. Afterwards, try and read the folder again and do the same.

Once the hard drive has been cleaned and your file have been backed up, congratulations! You can now reformat your hard drive and reinstall Windows!

If you’re reading this, you are hopefully a Windows user. If you are anything but a Windows user, enjoy the rest of the site. This particular post is meant to be a resource for those that have experienced the irreversible crashing or feel the need to restore their PC to the factory default conditions by reformatting. Either way, this post is here to help individuals seek a number of programs, through this single resource, to aid in the crash & reformat process. I would recommend downloading these programs and backing them up on an external source, such as a USB jump drive, external hard drive, or even copying them to a DVD-RW drive so you can install these programs before connecting to the Internet again.

Disclaimer: This is only meant as a compiled resource. I do not necessary recommend or endorse any one or numerous programs in this guide. However, I have placed a ** in front of them as they conform to my needs. Your particular needs may be different, depending on how often you use your Windows PC and what you use it for.

Service Packs: Service Packs are essential to your Windows operating system. They provide essential performance and security updates to help your Windows machine run more efficiently and be more secure.

Windows Vista

All versions: Service Pack 1

Windows XP

1. Home/Professional Edition (32 bit): Service Pack 1, Service Pack 2*, Service Pack 3*

Anti-Virus Software: There is a number of good anti-virus software out on the market. Some are paid versions while others are freeware versions. Personally, I believe that some of the freeware versions are equivalent to the paid versions, so I will be providing a number of anti-virus freeware.

1.**Avast Home Edition: I switched to Avast from AVG recently and I have to say, I’m glad I made the switch. Avast is a lightweight program specifically designed to find any all viruses, even the incoming ones, and remove them. Avast is ideal if you plan on running a separate, more sophisticated Anti-Spyware program.

2. AVG Free 8.0: AVG is one of the more popular free anti-virus software on the Internet. It combines its comprehensive Anti-Virus protection along with its newly created anti-spyware protection to keep your Windows machine protected and help it run more smoothly. AVG also comes with other tools in its software as well to help protect you while reading e-mail, surfing the Internet, and much more.

3. Avira AntiVir Personal: With extensive malware recognition of viruses, trojans, backdoor programs, worms, and more Avira makes Anti-Virus ideal for any Windows PC. Installation and configuration are done in a couple of steps. A help forum and phonme support are available, as well as a Knowledge base with virus descriptions available on the web site.

Anti-Spyware: Anti-Spyware software helps protect your Windows machine from unwanted and harmful malicious software intending to ruin the performance and security of your PC.

1.**SUPERAntiSpyware: Don’t let the cheesy name fool you. This program is considered on of the best out there. It’s light on system resources and has a very high detection rate. It’s unique repair tool makes this program one of a kind.

2.**Spybot Search and Destroy: Spybot is another unique anti-spyware program. Not only does Spybot remove spyware and other malware from your PC but it can also use methods inside of your browser to protect it from future attacks. That’s not all, though. Spybot also has the ability to back up your registry and recover components that may have been lost due to the spyware purging.

3. MalwareByte’s AntiMalware: A baby to the Anti-Spyware conglomerate, MBAM is a program that can detect some of the more advanced malware. It includes a number of features, including a built-in protection monitor that block malicious processes before they even start.

4. Ad-Aware 8.0 (Anniversary Edition): Lavasoft does a nice job when it comes to removing spyware. Ranked number one on download.com, Ad-Aware is most effective when combined with other security tools.

Firewalls: Another crucial component to protecting your Windows machine, a firewall acts as a filter keeping malware out and helps to keep your PC running as it should. If you’re looking for something to replace Windows Firewall, here are four really good suggestions.

1. Comodo Firewall Pro: “It’s Pro? And it’s free?” Absolutely! Comodo Firewall Pro has a number of components inside of this program to maximize the protection of your PC. First it has its Network Defense and Proactive Defense components, providing protection on the inside and outside of your Internet connection. Second, it has it’s own malware scanner, which will scan upon installation. Comodo also contains a variety of other tools to help you with your PC’s security: View Active Connections, My Network Zones, View Firewall Events, and much more.

2. Zone Alarm: Zone Alarm Free, fortunately, is now available for your Windows Vista machine. And, thankfully, it is still a #1 firewall used amongst Windows 2000 and XP users. Zone Alarm is a more unbloated version of Comodo, in that it only does a few simple tasks. First, the firewall portion protects your PC at your discretion, allowing you to set the filter on certain applications connecting to the Internet. Second, the Internet lock halts all web traffic while your Windows 200o/XP machine is not in use or if you have not opened a web browser. Third, the Zones portion of the program monitors overall activity on your PC and notified you when a new application wants to connect to the Internet.

3. Sunbelt Personal Firewall: Sunbelt Personal Firewall helps users control how their computers exchange data with other computers on the Internet or within the local network. It’s a necessity for all desktop computers connected to a broadband Internet. Versions 4.2.2 and prior are FREE for home and personal use.

4. Sygate Personal Firewall: Whether your working, banking, gaming, or even chatting, Sygate protects your Windows machine by actively looking for Trojan applications and hostile intruders that wish to break your system. If an attempt occurs, it blocks it by default. The same is true for applications; if an unauthorized application attempts to access the Internet, it, too, will be blocked by default. (Note: Since November 30th, 2005, all Sygate Firewall products have been discontinued. The last version is still available through the above link.)

Internet Browsers: Having the right Internet browser makes all the difference when it comes to your PC. It’s good to have an all-around browser: fast, open source, and secure. Having all three of these components in a browser will make your Internet browsing more enjoyable and less of a hassle.

1. Mozilla Firefox: One of the more common browsers on the open source market today, Firefox is known for its speed as well as its flexibility when it comes to your browsing experience. Firefox has over 5,000 add-ons and plug-ins to make your browsing experience more secure and enjoyable for you. Integrated anti-phising and anti-malware measures within the browser make this Internet browser a must have.

2. Internet Explorer 8: The recently released IE 8 is supposedly faster, safer, and more customizable. If you use IE 7 and are looking to update, click the link above.

3. Avant: The Avant browser is more of a secret in the web-browsing community, in my opinion. Avant is based on Microsoft Internet Explorer’s rendering engine but built by a smaller programming firm. Avant is wicked fast and preloaded with an abundance of skins for personalization. Tabbed browsing and toolbars are also features of this browser, among others. Avant lacks expansion and has been known to create problems in Vista. This is a good alternative to IE.

4. Maxthon: For those of you who want to try something different from IE and Firefox, Maxathon is a good alternative. With its ADs blocker and advanced content filter, Maxthon is ideal for those that want to escape from “the norm”.

5. Flock: Flock, as the company is aptly named, believes that users today are using the Web differently than they did years ago. Flock believes that the web browsers of today have not kept pace with these changes in online behavior. Hence, the browser ‘Flock’ was born, an open source browser that meets the stands of today’s web browsing. Many versions of Flock are available.

6. Safari: Safari is Apple’s pride and job web browser. All though it was designed for the Mac OS platform, it has also been made avaialbelt o Windows users.

7. Opera: Opera is a little farther along in the web browser community in terms of development. Opera is the only Web browser that comes complete with everything you need to productive, safe, and fast on the Internet.

8. Seamonkey: Formerly known as the “Mozilla Application Suite”, Seamonkey contains a web browser, a mail client, an HTML editor, Web development tools, and an IRC chat client all in one package. Ideal for those that want a somewhat leightwieght application to do a number of tasks.

9. Netscape Navigator: An oldie to the browsing community, Netscape Navigator offers high speed web browsing and instant messaging capabilities as well as tabbed browsing, support for buddy icons, and more.

10. Google Chrome: A newbie to the browsing community, Google Chrome combines a design sophisticated with technologies that allow your to surf the Web faster, safer, and easier. (Note: The download link above will take you to the Google Chrome website, where you must accept the EULA before downloading. Also, the 474k downloadable file is only a stub installer. You must remain connected to the Internet during installation to complete the full download of Google Chrome.)

File Clean-up/Recovery: File Clean-up programs are nice to get any un-needed files off of your system. What is an un-needed file? Anything in your Temporary Internet Folder, cookies, sometimes the tmp, etc. Some browsers can clean up your files, while there are other more sophisticated programs to clean up the rest of the junk. File Recovery programs allow you to retrieve files that have been deleted permanently from your hard drive and recover them to a manageable state.

1. Ccleaner: Formerly known as “Crap Cleaner”, this program cleans your hard drive of all un-necessary files that clutter your hard drive. This free system optimization tool removes such files to give Windows the ability to run fast and free up needed disk space.

2. ATF Cleaner: ATF Cleaner is a nice program if you don’t want to install another program onto your hard drive. It’s easy interface makes cleaning up files a breeze.

3. Recuva: Don’t let this program’s pronunciation fool you. Pronounced “recover”, this file recovery technology allows you to recover files that have been permanently deleted from your system, whether it was by you, a virus, or even an annoying Windows error.

Fun Programs: Every Windows machine should have some sort of interesting and appealing program on it. Check out these programs below:

1. ObjectDock: A program from Stardock, ObjectDock gives Windows users the feel for the Mac OS X dock. Customizable icons, grouped icons, and other customizable features make this program a must have.

2. Automatic Wallpaper Changer: I’m sure the lot of you tend to change your wallpaper often, so this program is a must have for you. AWC, as it is commonly called, allows you to set a timer between wallpaper changes as well as customize other particulars with the program.

3. Desktop Sidebar: If you’re a Windows XP user, you may to a certain extent envy the Windows Vista sidebar. Well, envy no more. Desktop Sidebar has a variety of features that you’ll drool over. Preinstalled features include a System Performance monitor, RSS feed, Calendar, Volume Control, Media Player, Shortcut area, and weather information, just to name a few.

Well, here you have it. Your guide to for your Windows machine. Everything you need to getting started on your new Windows machine, whether your new to Windows or simply recovering from a crash or reformat. If you have any other programs you wish to see on this list, please leave a comment.

* Also available for the Tablet and Media Center Editions

Windows Wednesday for April 15, 2009
The Ultimate Guide to Securing your PC. The topics included Updating your computer, Installing Malware Protection, Installing a Firewall and Fun things to do when you are secure.

For more information about the topic’s discussed on the 15th please visit Zetacon’s Post “Your Ultimate Guide to Windows (Part 1)”

Questions brought up during the show :

• Is AVG still going to provide a free version in the future? The question to this answer is Yes. AVG is still going to provide a free version of their software to End Users. Emails that AVG users got about AVG not being free was a fishing attempt.
• What is a good linux CD to download and burn to help me try to fix my broken and infected computer? Our recommendation is SystemRescueCD it will allow you to boot to a live CD to try to fix the most common of system issue.