Cleaning your Monitor and Malicious Software removal
I have two topics for the price of one for you today. Cleaning your monitor and malicious software removal tools:
How to Clean Your Computer Monitor
Older CRT screens -- the big bulky ones -- are made of sturdy glass. They can be cleaned much like glass windows if you exercise some common sense precautions. Unplug the monitor from your computer and its electrical power source. Dampen a clean cotton cloth with window cleaner, but don’t use so much that it drips down the screen into the electronics; that might cause a short circuit when you power up the monitor again. Never spray cleaner directly on a CRT monitor screen, it’s almost certain to run down under the bezel and into the circuitry.
Wipe the screen from the top down, and side to side. Pay particular attention to the corners and edges of the screen’s frame, where dust and grunge tend to build up. Let the screen air-dry thoroughly before plugging it into a power source and your computer again.
Cleaning LCD and Plasma Screens
LCD and plasma screens -- the ones on laptops, newer desktop computers and televisions -- are not as tough as glass CRT screens. They can be scratched very easily, so it is very important to use a soft cotton or microfiber cloth that is completely free of dirt. These types of screens are often plastic, or have an anti-glare coating that may react badly to household cleaners such as Windex. In particular, avoid any cleaning liquid that contains acetone, ethyl alcohol, methyl chloride, ethyl acid, or ammonia. If plain water won’t do the trick, mix water with white vinegar in equal parts.
TIP: If you have a house cleaner at home, or cleaning staff at work, make sure they know that they should never use Windex or similar glass cleaners on your LCD screens. That includes laptops, desktop monitors, and TV screens as well.
Do not scrub or press hard on a LCD or plasma screen. It may bend, stressing the tiny wires embedded in the plastic screen and possibly breaking some of them. Then you will have permanent damage, like a dead pixel that remains dark all the time or a “hot” pixel that stays lit when it should shut off.
A lot of different screen-cleaning solutions are on the market. They’re all pretty expensive and don’t do the job any better than vinegar and water. Likewise with “specially treated” cleaning cloths. Cotton underwear or handkerchiefs work just fine. Try Ace Hardware or Makro or Carrefour to buy inexpensive bags full of lint-free white or pink cotton cloth scraps used to apply finishes to furniture; those work well for screens too.
Cleaning the case of a monitor requires a bit less gentleness but just as much attention to drips. Do not let cleaning solution drip down into the circuitry! A desktop monitor collects the most dust on its top, so pay attention to that area. It’s generally unnecessary and ineffective to try and blow or vacuum dust out of the inside of a monitor.
NEXT: What is the Malicious Software Removal Tool?
The Windows Malicious Software Removal Tool (MSRT) is a component of Microsoft Windows XP, Vista, and Windows 7. It does not run on older systems, such as Windows 98, Windows Millennium Edition, or Microsoft Windows NT 4.0. It’s installed automatically with the rest of the operating system and updated regularly via Windows Update. It does just what its name says, and that’s all it does. Then it removes itself until the next time you update Windows.
The Malicious Software Removal Tool does not ward off infections by malware as programs such as Norton Internet Security and Avast! Antivirus do. It only detects infections that already exist on your system and removes them. Malware (viruses, spyware and other nasties) may have already done damage by the time MSRT snuffs it, so you should have preventive anti-malware programs installed as well.
Furthermore, MSRT detects only some of the many malware that exist in the wild. It relies upon a database of known malware programs and their digital signatures. This database is updated often, but there will always be a large body of new malware being written that MSRT does not recognize yet. That’s another reason not to rely upon MSRT exclusively for protection.
Another limitation of MSRT is that it only detects malware that is actively running in RAM on your computer. If a malware program is lying dormant on your hard drive it will escape MSRT’s notice.
Do You Really Need the Malicious Software Removal Tool?
If this sounds pretty lame to you, you’re in good company. There are lots of free antivirus programs available that do a much better, more proactive job. So why does MSRT exist, and why does Microsoft push it onto every Windows user via default installation and Automatic Update? Basically, MSRT is a just a perfunctory patch for Windows’ wretched reputation as a security sieve.
Bottom line, MSRT is better than nothing for those who have nothing.
To use MSRT:
1. Open your start menu
2. Click Run
3. And type MRT in the box and click OK
4. Then the tool will open, so click next then select which scan you want to do, then click next and it will begin scanning,
Last time I scanned with it on my computer I think it took about 40 minutes but I don’t have that many files on this computer.
Have a question or problem? Write me at BaliPCAdvisor@Gmail.com. I’ll try and answer as soon as I can.
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