windows - How do I disable Google Chrome silent updates?

I've done the instructions that I found online and Chrome is still automatically updating itself.

I've downloaded and installed the ADM template so I can use Local Policy to disable updates. I've set it to manual updates only. I've also added keys to the registry at HKLM/SOFTWARE/Policies/Google/Update

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Google\Update]
"UpdateDefault"=dword:00000000
"AutoUpdateCheckPeriodMinutes"=dword:00000000
"DisableAutoUpdateChecksCheckboxValue"=dword:00000000
"Update{8A69D345-D564-463C-AFF1-A69D9E530F96}"=dword:00000000
"Install{8A69D345-D564-463C-AFF1-A69D9E530F96}"=dword:00000000

Google Update Services are both disabled. (gupdate and gupdatem)

virus - How can I determine if a file or executable has a keylogger included with it?

I had a program created for me recently and didn't really think about it being executable posing a threat since I pretty much trust the source, but not completely.

I then thought about the fact that a keylogger, or any kind of spyware or malicious software could've been possibly binded to it. This made me wonder about all the other stuff I download daily from places or people (torrents) I don't think twice about.

• How can someone find out if there has been some sort of keylogger
  binded to the software you're running or other things binded?




• What are some good ways to find out and stop these things?

windows - Forwarding Network traffic from an interface to another in one PC

I have two pc running on Windows. They are connected with direct Ethernet cable.
PC1 has two interfaces. One is connected to the LAN with static ip:172.16.50.2 mask: 255.255.0.0 and gateway: 172.16.20.1. and the second interface is used to connect directly to PC2 with ip: 192.168.0.1 mask:255.255.255.0 and no gateway.
PC2 has one interface for direct connecting to PC1 with ip: 192.168.0.2 mask: 255.255.255.0 and gateway: 192.168.0.1 These two PC can see each other with no problem. But I want to access the LAN resources from PC2 without using Bridge on PC1. I have already enabled IP Packet Forwarding in PC1. What specific "route add" command should I use?

Answer

PC1 already knows how to get to the LAN, and PC2 already knows how to get to PC1. You can't add a route anywhere to improve on this situation and make PC1 route traffic from PC2 to the LAN.

What you need to do is enable Internet Connection Sharing on PC1's 172.16.50.2 interface. When prompted, select the 192.168.0.1 interface as the "home" network. This will configure PC1 so that it routes traffic between the two interfaces.

windows - Hard drive degredation from large memory usage and paging files?

I've had a question(s) regarding computer degradation going through my head for a while and haven't found many good resources for researching it.

1) First off, when is the virtual RAM/paging file on a hard drive used by Windows? Is it used when the RAM is full? Or does it use the Virtual RAM/paging file as intermediate caching between the RAM and actual hard drive space all the time?

2) If I were to run many applications on my computer at the same time and have a bad habit of doing this for the entire lifetime of the computer, does it use more of the virtual RAM/paging file than if I were to have fewer programs running? Just to note, the RAM never fills up on my computer but it is used heavily.

3) By extension of question 2, if the virtual RAM/paging file is used more heavily, would that result in rapid hard drive degradation?

I have seen a pattern among all of the computers that I have owned or used in the past 5 years. I am the kind of person to leave my web browser up with 40 tabs among other programs which will eat up 40% of my memory typically. Over time my computer will slow down, browsers start crashing, programs start seizing up or crashing themselves, eventually the computer becomes essentially unusable. I have been trying to rack my mind to come up with a solution other than to purchase a new PC to have it die on me in the next couple years as well. This is the only thought that has come to mind that might have a simple hardware fix...Windows ReadyBoost...Maybe? I'd like to be able to discuss this so I can learn something about all of the above.

Thanks.

Answer

When the RAM on a computer is mostly filled up, the computer takes the part of the RAM that has been left unused for the longest period of time and transfers it to the paging file on your Hard Drive. The Hard drive is much, much slower then your RAM, which means that your computer will slow down if you have too many programs open. However, this is solved by simply closing the program that you are not using in order to free up space in the RAM.

The only long term thing that can happen from using the paging file too much is that your hard drive will crash, and this requires, really, really bad abuse, (or an old SSD with no wear leveling, which 99% likely, you don't have) way worse then what you are doing here. A slow computer is not a long term result of having stuff in your paging file.

From what I have read about it, Windows Ready boost might help. Other things you can do include uninstalling programs you are not using, defragmenting you Hard Drive, or simply buying more RAM. RAM is basically the cheapest way to make your computer faster, these days, every computer should have at least 2GB of RAM. I personally prefer 4GB, which is the maximum that a 32-bit system can support.

windows 7 - Laptop with external monitor

I'm using a laptop connected via HDMI to a TV which I use as the primary monitor. I have disabled the sleep function when closing the lid in the power settings and set the laptop to "only display on monitor 2" in the display settings. This works fine and allows me to just use the TV as the main display while stowing the laptop out of the way while I watch a film etc. My problem is that when it comes to open the laptop to gain access to the keyboard the display is automatically reverted to "extend these displays" making the laptop screen the primary again. This messes up whatever's on screen and also mean that I have to manual switch the TV to the primary display when it comes to closing the laptop again. Is there any way to prevent this from happening.

I understand that there are a few work arounds such as not closing the laptop lid (which I currently am forced to do) or buy a wireless keyboard and mouse to avoid having to use the built in ones (which I may well do in the future). For now I was just wondering if there was any easy way to prevent the opening and closing the laptop from altering the display settings in the same way as changing the power options prevents it from putting the laptop into sleep mode.

Windows Updates settings issue?

it's my first post here, don't wanna make it long, but I got a problem with my 'Windows Update' it won't show its setting's options. It only shows these settings:
Important Updates, Recommended Updates and Who can install updates, it removed the other setting sections like 'Microsoft Updates' "Give me updates for Microsoft products and check for new optional Microsoft software when I update windows" or the last settings section 'Software notification' "Show me detailed notifications when new Microsoft software is available"

Here's a screenshot of my Windows Update:

And here's how it was before and how should be:

PS: I'm running windows 7 RTM

Cannot dual boot Windows 7 after installing Linux Mint

I first installed Windows 7. /dev/sda1 was the system reserved partition for Win 7, and /dev/sda2 was the C partition. Then I installed Linux Mint. After that, when I started the computer, I could see the "Windows 7 (/dev/sda1)" was listed in the end of boot menu, but I could boot into Windows 7. The only thing I can think of is I might make a mistake in choosing the place the grub was to be installed: I chose /dev/sda1 rather than /dev/sda by default.

Can anyone provide any advice? Thanks so much!

Answer

Reinstall GRUB to /dev/sda. You install to sda as that is not a partition and GRUB goes into the MBR of that. Installing to sda1 is a partition, not a hard-drive MBR section, of the drive.

Here are instructions to reinstall GRUB in Mint.