Clean up the Add-Remove Box - Orphaned program entries

Faster Boot Tip

Training: Sophos Antivirus - Installing updating, and using the new SUNY Oneonta anti-virus software

1. The SQL Slammer - What is was and what it did
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The SQL Slammer is a denial of service worm. It is NOT a virus in the traditional sense of the word, in that it did not alter or damage the data on the systems affected, and did not spread through the traditional virus routes (email, etc). It simply flooded network systems with traffic to the extent that the pipe capacities of these systems became overloaded.

The worm looked for SQL Server-based computer systems. It travelled via network connections, meaning that there was no end-user effect on the outcome of the virus....only network administrators could do anything about it.

Once the worm was into a system, it sent out network requests for other SQL servers to respond, so the worm could locate those servers and move on to them. The request/response cycle was what caused the dramatic slowdown in internet speed. Once system administrators realized what was going on they had to shut the networks down to stop the spread of the worm, and to perform emergency patching of the SQL server.

While few people in the res halls may be running SQL server itself, some may be running MSDE (MS Desktop Engine) which connects the end user machine to a SQL server based app on a remote machine. This makes the student's machine vulnerable. Microsoft has the patch at the following website:

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=9032f608-160a-4537-a2b6-4cb265b80766&displaylang=en

The software is also available on our server at ftp://helpdesk.oneonta.edu/slammer/sql2ksp3.exe

Don't just install this on any machine. If someone is experiencing a significant slowdown, and they have SQL-server based software (such as MSDE), you may patch it with this software. Let me know when you think you'll be doing this.

2. Clean up the Add-Remove Box - Orphaned Program Entries
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Orphaned program entries are references to programs that you have already removed. The reference to the program has not been taken out to the list of applications to be removed in the Add-Remove Programs dialog. This is one way to get rid of those entries. Note: This involves a registry hack. Back up the registry before you perform this procedure.

Go to Start > Run and type 'regedit'.
Back up the current registry by exporting it to the root of c:\ (or what ever hard drive the current OS is booting from).
Navigate to the following registry key:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Uninstall

The programs listed are in the form of subkeys in the left-hand pane under the 'Uninstall' subkey. Delete the entry in question, exit the registry, and restart the computer.



3. Faster Boot Tip
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If you're performing a troubleshoot, and the computer has a lot of startup-applications (which can make the multiple restart process long and tedious), you can shorten the process by holding down the 'shift' key while booting. That will tell the system to skip all startup items. Please note that this is only for that session, not a permanent fix.



4. Training: Sophos Antivirus - Installing updating, and using the new SUNY Oneonta anti-virus software
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