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Was having a little fun with rundll32.exe (command-lines will probably be a little messed up due to the length - they should be entered as one complete command). I first tried the commands on XP, but they produce similar results on Vista.

C:\WINDOWS\system32\rundll32.exe C:\WINDOWS\system32\sysdm.cpl,NoExecuteProcessException C:\windows\system32\ntoskrnl.exe

C:\WINDOWS\system32\rundll32.exe C:\WINDOWS\system32\sysdm.cpl,NoExecuteProcessException C:\windows\system32\hal.dll

C:\WINDOWS\system32\rundll32.exe C:\WINDOWS\system32\sysdm.cpl,NoExecuteProcessException C:\windows\system32\chkdsk.exe

C:\WINDOWS\system32\rundll32.exe C:\WINDOWS\system32\sysdm.cpl,NoExecuteProcessException C:\windows\system32\autochk.exe

C:\WINDOWS\system32\rundll32.exe C:\WINDOWS\system32\sysdm.cpl,NoExecuteProcessException C:\windows\system32\smss.exe

C:\WINDOWS\system32\rundll32.exe C:\WINDOWS\system32\sysdm.cpl,NoExecuteProcessException C:\windows\system32\winlogon.exe

C:\WINDOWS\system32\rundll32.exe C:\WINDOWS\system32\sysdm.cpl,NoExecuteProcessException c:\windows\Soap Bubbles.bmp

Do you know what SpywareScanner2008 is?

DESCRIPTION

SpywareScanner2008 is a program that makes a false claim of being able to improve the performance of your computer and remove spyware.

Do you ever get a warning message on your screen that says “Warning! Your system might be a risk”? Usually this message comes from the SpywareScanner2008 program where it starts it’s scare tactics in attempt to get you to purchase the full SpywareScanner2008 application.

SpywareScanner2008 or Spyware Scanner 2008, may display popup alerts and system messages when it is installed on your computer. You may not know you have SpywareScanner2008 installed until you see these popups because SpywareScanner2008 can be installed without your permission.

In non-techie terms: SpywareScanner2008 comes from Trojan infections or malicious websites that promote rogue anti-spyware.SpywareScanner2008 is just like any many other rogue applications in that it performs certain actions to get you to spend your money on a full version of the program. Do not fall for this scam under any circumstances.

SpywareScanner2008 screen shot image:

Aliases: SpywareScanner2008, Spyware Scanner 2008, spywareisoscanner.com.

SpywareScanner2008 Automatic Removal Instructions

This automatic removal method is for non-techie computer users. If you’re too lazy to learn about spyware removal or how to access sensitive files in your computer, then this is the method for you.
Before you start: Print or bookmark these instructions because you’ll have to reboot into Safe Mode. Also back up your computer in case you make a mistake.

1. Download and save SmitFraudFix to your desktop.
2. Restart your computer in Safe Mode (how to do safe mode). Once the
   desktop appears, double click on the SmitfraudFix.exe on your desktop.
3. After the credits screen, you’ll see a menu. Select the option number 2, which is ‘Clean (safe mode recommended)’, and then
   press Enter to delete infect files.
4. SmitFraudFix will begin cleaning your computer and take a series of cleanup processes. When the process is over, it will automatically begin the Disk Cleanup program.
5. Once the Disk Cleanup program is complete, you will be prompted with the message ‘Registry cleaning - Do you want to clean the registry’. Answer Y (Yes) and hit Enter. Reboot your computer.
6. SmitFraudFix will now check if wininet.dll is infected. SmitFraudFix will ask you whether to replace the infected file (if there’s any) ‘Replace infected
   file?’ Answer by typing Y (Yes) and hit Enter.
7. Reboot your computer to complete the cleaning process.
8. After reboot, a Notepad screen may appear containing a log of all the files
   removed from your computer. If it doesn’t appear, a file will be created called
   rapport.txt in the root of your drive, (Local Disk C:).
9. Restart your computer in Safe Mode (how to do safe mode).
10. Go to C:\Windows\Temp, click Edit, click Select All, press DELETE, and then
    click Yes to confirm that you want all the items to go to the Recycle Bin.
11. Go to C:\Documents and Settings\[LISTED USER]\Local Settings\Temp, click Edit, click Select All, press DELETE, and then click Yes to confirm that
    you want all the items to go to the Recycle Bin.
12. Reboot your computer back to normal mode. Go to Windows Update and download all critical updates.

SpywareScanner2008 Manual Removal Instructions

This manual removal method is for techie computer users. SpywareScanner2008 manual removal may be difficult and time consuming to remove. There’s no guarantee that SpywareScanner2008 will be removed completely. So read the SpywareScanner2008 removal steps carefully and good luck.
Before you start: Close all programs and Internet browsers. Also back up your computer in case you make a mistake and your computer stops working.

1. Uninstall SpywareScanner2008 Program
   Click on Start > Settings > Control Panel > Double-click on Add/Remove Programs. Search for and uninstall SpywareScanner2008 if found.
2. To stop SpywareScanner2008 processes (view process removal steps)
   Go to Start > Run > type taskmgr. The click the Processes tab and you’ll see a list of running processes.
   Search and stop these SpywareScanner2008 processes:
   SpywareScanner2008.exe
   For each unwanted process, right-click on it and then select “End task”.
3. If your homepage has been changed, go to Start > Control Panel > Internet Options > click on the General > click Use Default under Home Page. Add the your desired default homepage, then click Apply > click OK. Open a new web browser to check that you have your desired default homepage.
4. Remove SpywareScanner2008 Directories.
   To find SpywareScanner2008 directories, go to Start > My Computer > Local Disk (C:) > Program Files > Show the contents of this folder.
   Search and delete the following SpywareScanner2008 directories:
   C:\ProgramFiles\SpywareScanner2008
   C:\ProgramFiles\Spyware Scanner 2008

   Right-click on the SpywareScanner2008 folder and select Delete.
   A message will appear saying ‘Are you sure you want to remove the folder SpywareScanner2008 and move all its contents to the Recycle Bin?’, click Yes.
   Another message will appear saying ‘Renaming, moving or deleting SpywareScanner2008 could make some programs not work. Are you sure you want to do this?’, click Yes.

5. To remove SpywareScanner2008 icons on your Desktop, drag and drop them to the Recycle Bin.

You’ve completed the SpywareScanner2008 manual removal instructions!
I hope this article has helped you solve your SpywareScanner2008 problems. If you want to contribute to this article, post your comment below.

Disclaimer: This article is for educational purposes. By using this information you agree to be bound by the disclaimer. There’s no guarantee that SpywareScanner2008 will be completely removed from your computer. Seek professional help if your computer continues to experience problems.

I liked Windows 2000's improvements over NT 4.0, but I really found one thing annoying about it: the Documents and Settings folder. I do a lot of command-line work, you see, and folder names with spaces are a pain in the neck. You've got to put quotes around them, and even if you do, some programs get a bit stupid when handed a folder name with spaces in it.

NT originally stored user profiles in winnt\profiles, but Microsoft decided to move the profiles out of the OS's directory (which probably made sense) into a separate location. That, again, was a good idea; calling it “Document and Settings”, in contrast, was a bad one. (Not as dumb as making people learn goofy phrases like HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE to understand the Registry, but dumb enough.) Vista changes that, creating a folder to store local profiles called \Users. You've just gotta love it: no spaces, short and sweet.

But we've been living with Documents and Settings for six and some years, so Microsoft knows that there will be some application out there that doesn't follow the rules, and decides to write some data to c:\documents and settings\ some-users-name \ some-folder-name instead of just asking the operating system where that user's profile folder is. To combat that, Microsoft creates a Documents and Settings folder on the drive, but hides it. Then they take things a step further and set its NTFS permissions to-you'll love this-deny the Everyone group read access to Documents and Settings. The result? Any application that tries to create data in Documents and Settings, rather than just asking the OS where to put the profile information, will fail.

Vista, however, does make working with folders and file names with spaces in them easier. Whenever you're using a command-line tool that requires a file or folder name, you can just type as much or as little as you like of the folder or file name that you want to specify, then press the Tab key. It auto-completes the file or folder name. Thus, to change my directory to C:\Documents and Settings, I just type cd d and then press Tab, and instantly the command becomes cd ‘c:\documents and settings.’ If there is more than one directory starting with a "D" and it chose the wrong one, I'd just press Tab again and it'll cycle through the possibilities. It even puts the quotes around the name if there's a space in the name. (This feature existed in 2000, XP, and 2003 but was not enabled by default.)

RTM Announcement - Microsoft Assessment and Planning Toolkit 3.1 

Hello,

It's been a few months since I last blogged about the Microsoft Assessment and Planning Toolkit 3.1 - formerly known as WVHA or Windows Vista Hardware Assessment.  Today, I'd like to announce the RTM release of this tool with new capabilities including desktop security assessment, Hyper-V virtualization assessment, and more.

As you know, many of the IT pros out there like you are now spending a lot of time planning for Windows Vista deployments.  But many question and challenges remain:

• Are my existing PCs compatible to Windows Vista when it comes to Hardware and Device Compatibility?
• Will my PCs have BIOS issues after the upgrade to Windows Vista?
• Which of my PCs are ripe for an upgrade to Windows Vista?  (e.g. CPU too old so it's time to replace them; or just add 512MB system memory and the PCs would be Windows Vista capable!)
• What kind of software has been installed?
• Are all of my PCs secure?  Is Windows Security Center installed?  Do they have Anti-Virus or Anti-Malware software installed?  How about Windows Firewall settings?
• What about application virtualization readiness?

The MAP Toolkit 3.1 is designed to address all of these desktop-side issues from a single tool! The MAP Toolkit is a platform of tools that combines the strength of agentless discovery and report generation capabilities from the previous generation (Windows Vista Hardware Assessment). The pie-chart below is part of an auto-generated readiness report from the MAP Toolkit and it illustrates the level of hardware readiness for Windows Vista upgrades across the desktop infrastructure.

As a matter of fact, if you view the latest MAP Team RTM blog post from yesterday, you will find that the MAP Toolkit 3.1 also havs many server-side and virtualization features including a Hyper-V virtualization candidates assessment and SQL Server discovery!!   

• Download Microsoft Assessment and Planning Toolkit 3.1 RTM Version
• Read documentation about MAP operations on TechNet
• Learn tips and see video demos on MAP Team Blog
• Join MAP Fan Clubs on TechNet Forum or Facebook

Cheers!
Baldwin Ng (Sr. Product Manager, Microsoft Solution Accelerators - Virtualization Lead)

I'm not sure who makes the call on the user interface stuff at Microsoft, but I get the impression that he thinks we user types are pretty dumb. It seems like every version of Windows changes the default behaviors of the Start menu in ever-increasing levels of annoyance. XP hid Administrative Tools, Server 2003 made getting to the actual Control Panel more work, and now Vista has taken away the Run… item from the Start menu. Personally, I use Run… a lot of the time, if for no other reason than to quickly get to Regedit and the local Group Policy Editor. Losing Run… on the Start menu makes me less productive on Vista.

So let's fix that, shall we?

1. Right-click the Start menu, and in the resulting context menu choose "Properties." As with earlier versions of Windows, that brings up the Taskbar and Start Menu Properties page with the "Start Menu" tab highlighted. Choose the "Customize…" button in the upper right-hand corner to bring up the Customize Start Menu dialog.

2. In the Customize Start Menu dialog, you'll see a number of radio buttons in a window with a scroll bar down its side. Scroll down almost to the bottom, and you'll see the option "Run command" with an unchecked check box next to it. Check the box.

3. Still in that window, scroll all the way down and you'll see a section called "System administrative tools." In that section, choose the radio button labeled "Display on the All Programs menu."

4. Click OK to dismiss the Customize Start Menu dialog, and again to dismiss the Taskbar and Start Menu Properties page.

The Run… command and the Administrative Tools group are now back, after a few clicks. (And they call Vista a productivity tool!)