Internet Explorer 8 not Display Browsing History - Fix

When you upgrade to Internet Explorer 8, and all of the suddent you cannot get a drop dwon in the address bar to display your previously visited websites, there is a fix.

Go to Tools, Internet Options, select the Content tab at the top. Then select Auto Complete, and under "Use Address Bar For", select on "Browsing History" and also "Favorites", and your browsing history will again show up under the address bar! Then IE8 is now fixed for remembering your previously visited websites.

Removing Malware

It happens to everyone now and again, no matter how hard you try- or how many Antivirus, Spyware cleaners, etc you intall. One of our PC's got the "Your system is Infected" as your desktop wallpaper display, you can no longer get to the task manager to shut down any unwanted programs, etc. You run through several antivirus programs such as Vipre, McAfee Enterprise, Trend Micro Online (House Call) and Webroot Spysweeper with Antivirus and all to no avail. It is still there and you cannot change the desktop wallpaper to remove it, even turning off System restore and going into Safe mode (it was a Win XP computer).

How To Clean this Malware
First off, make certain everything is backed up (it was). There is an excellant How-to over at GeeksToGo.com under their Forum, Security » Virus, Spyware and Trojan Removal. They have a great Malware Cleaning guide which I followed:
Malware and Spyware Cleaning Guide.

The steps are as follows and they are very well scripted and well thought out:
1.Preparation- Install a Temporary File Cleaner and run it- TFC (Temp File Cleaner)
2.Preparation- Create a System Restore point using the utility SysRestorePoint
3.Preparation- Make a Registry Backup using ERUNT (Emergency Recovery Utility NT)
4. Step One- Scan for Malware/Adware/Spyware using Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware

There are a few more steps on GeeksToGo but after doing the steps 1 to 4 the PC was cleaned up, the desktop wallpaper "Your system is Infected" was destroyed, and we could get to the Task Manager again. All is well in Computerdom, again!!

Why Use DECT 6.0 Cordless phones vs. 5.8 GigHz?

We wanted to upgrade our cordless phones, but we have a long house and most phones to not reach, plus needing a 2 line cordless limits our selection. Our local Fry's store had a real deal on a 5.8 Gighz, so I started asking around. Which did I want to invest in 5.8 Gighz or the newer DECT 6.0? I asked Joe Melfi, of D-Link to comment of what he would recommend. He stated that you definately would want DECT 6.0 as it was more secure, had a longer range and there were not other wireless/baby monitors/microwaves that would interfere with this channel.

So the 5.8 GHz phone I had purchased at Fry's (and not opened), I did return. The Consumer Electronics Show was coming up and I thought I would ask there.

I ran into a very nice fellow from VTech at CES and he explained that Vtech had acquired Lucent's consumer phone business and licensed the AT&T brand on wireline telephones and accessories in the United States and Canada in 2000, so they knew quite a bit about phones. He emphasied that you do want DECT 6.0 over the 5.8GHz for the same reasons mentioned above. But when I mentioned I was having problems finding the right phone, he stated that since DECT 6.0 was a GLOBAL standard there were a lot more phones available from vendors, who could sell a Global phone, not just a differnet phone for the US. This will lead to quite a few more phones being available, since the vendors would market the same phone worldwide. There will more extended range 2-line DECT 6.0 AT&T phones out in the Fall, he stated.

So stay tuned!