MaximumPC 2005 03

The CPU came from a
different motherboard (MSI
K7N2 Delta-L), which apparently
had the same problems. The
weird thing is, I’ve been using
an Athlon XP 3000+ without
incident on both motherboards.
—FRAGALOT

Because the processor has issues
running at 1.8GHz (13.5 x 133) on two
different motherboards that are able
to run higher-clocked Barton-core
Athlons, the problem likely lies with
your CPU. The CPU is either bad or
you have a remarked processor. If
you’re not familiar with remark-
ing, it occurs when crooks obtain
a large shipment of CPUs that are
meant to be sold as, say, Athlon XP
2000+ CPUs, and then modify the
procs to look and run like Athlon
XP 2500+ CPUs. This generally goes
unnoticed unless the processor
can’t run at the higher speed or the
modifications on the chip wear off,
causing the CPUs to stop running at
the higher speeds.
That’s one possible scenario, but
it would be odd for a thief to waste
time reclocking a chip from 2000+ to
2200+ as there’s very little profit to
be made. Which brings us back to
a bad CPU. You should contact the
store where you purchased the CPU
to see if it’s covered by warranty.
AMD might also warranty the CPU if
it was a retail-boxed part.

WINDOWS XP REFUSES TO
UPGRADE SETUP FILES FOR CD
I followed the procedures in
your “Update Your Windows
XP CD” article (October 2004),
but I wasn’t able to get past step
two, “Update Your Setup Files.”
I extracted the files from the XP
Service Pack 2 CD and typed the
commands from the prompt.
When I tried to update existing
Windows setup files, I received
the following error message:
“This service pack cannot be
integrated into a destination
that also has integrated software
updates.”
—CARLOS HERNANDEZ

Unfortunately, your PC came with a
non-standard version of Windows,
most likely from a large OEM vendor
such as Dell or HP. The vendor has
already included an earlier Service
Pack or hotfixes with your Windows
CD, which prevents the SP2 slip-
stream from running. There’s really
no solution, short of buying a new
retail copy of Windows XP.

FORGOING A FIREWALL

I hear that if you don’t run a

software firewall, your PC will be

compromised within minutes.

What about people who use a

DSL router? I run a four-port

SMC Barricade DSL router and

the IP address for my internal

network is different from my

Internet address. I also have the

“Disregard ping from WAN”

option checked. How exposed

am I to attacks?

—MICHAEL STEFANI

If you’re using a NAT router—

which is the case if your comput-

er’s IP address uses one of the pri-

vate ranges that start with 192.168,

10.15, or 172.16—you’re protected

from most self-spreading worms

on the Internet. But if an infected

machine finds its way onto your

LAN, either via an unsecured Wi-

Fi access point or a direct connec-

tion, all your machines will be at

risk. If you secure your wireless

network, and don’t frequently

carry machines in and out of your

home network, then you’re prob-

ably OK.

It’s also worth mentioning

that firewalls really only protect

you from worms. A firewall won’t

protect you from viruses that

spread from clicking attachments,

or naughty ActiveX controls that

install spyware on your rig.

MOTION SICKNESS IN

HALF-LIFE 2

I have been looking around in

the forums and see plenty of

articles about motion sickness in

Half-Life 2. I’ve played Doom3,

Far Cry, Typhoon Rising, and

a slew of other games on the

same PC and Half-Life 2 is the

only one that makes me want to

throw up. Any ideas to reduce

this problem?

—MIGUEL

We used to think this was an issue

limited to little girly-men, but our

own Logan Decker experiences

the same problem. He recommends

cures that also work for seasick-

ness. Try chewing a little ginger

root, or if that doesn’t work, some

people say Dramamine helps.

BANNED SOFTWARE

FAILS TO ACTIVATE

I picked up DVD X Copy Gold

back in 2003 knowing I would

use the program sometime in the

future. Because I received a DVD

burner as a gift, I installed the

program and tried activating it,

but the program won’t activate.

I remember reading something

about the program being

outlawed or just pulled from

store shelves. Is there any way I

can get this program to work?

—MIKE SHERRETZ

Sadly, because 321 Studios—the

maker of DVD X Copy—is no longer

solvent, you’re out of luck. The

good news is there are lots of good,

cheaper alternatives for DVD back-

ups available today. If you want the

full scoop, turn to page 26, where

we show you exactly how to back

up your discs. If you just want to get

a quick and easy solution for DVD-

to-DVD copying, the Doc recom-

mends DVD Shrink. ■

MARCH 2005 MA XIMUMPC 59

It’s not a pretty world out there kiddies. There’s spyware everywhere,

worms out the wazoo, and computer viruses that spread faster than

chickenpox. Even during the digital plague, hardware still fails and

software still crashes. Fear not, the Doctor can help. E-mail him at

[email protected] and he’ll solve your computer woes.

SPYWARE CLINGS

DESPITE UPGRADE

I’m writing you after trying to clean

spyware from my PC. I tried several

spyware programs and updated to

Service Pack 2, but nothing can get rid

of “xlime.offeroptimizer.com” pop-ups.

Please help!

—RAGED ABBASSI

Sometimes anti-spyware developers just

can’t move fast enough to add the function-

ality necessary for combating the latest,

nastiest spyware. That’s why we recom-

mend using multiple tools instead of just

one. The Doctor recommends adding at least one

more application to your arsenal, either Ad-Aware

(www.lavasoft.com), or Microsoft’s free AntiSpyware

(www.microsoft.com) beta app.

The strain of spyware you mention—xlime

.offeroptimizer.com—is especially difficult to

expunge with current anti-spyware apps, but a

quick trip to Google turned up a fairly painless solu-

tion. The problem is that the xlime.offeroptimizer

tricks Windows into protecting its files with System

Restore. When your anti-spyware app removes

them, System Restore just puts them right back

where they were. The trick is to first disable System

Restore (Control Panel, then System, then click the

System Restore tab, then uncheck System Restore).

Next, restart the computer and go into Safe Mode by

pressing F8 before Windows starts. Then you need

to unhide the hidden system files. Go to Tools, then

Folder Options, then View. Uncheck the box that says

“Hide protected operating system files.” You’ll also

want to select “Show hidden files and folders.” Go

to Start, then My Computer, and search for bi.dll and

localnrd.dll. Delete both files, and then restart.

Because of the lightning-fast pace of spyware

development, the files used by this particular strain

could change, so if these instructions don’t work, be

sure to search Google for the latest update.

Microsoft’s new anti-spyware program is surpris-

ingly good. In our informal tests, the first beta

tracked down and removed more spyware than

any of the competitors.