LAN Speed Test

Note: This file addresses v1.1.5 of the software.

How fast is your network connection? No, I don't mean how fast you think it is, or how fast your network provider says it is--I mean how fast is it in real-world conditions? LAN Speed Test is an excellent, free way to find out.

Using LAN Speed Test couldn't be simpler. Load the program, click Start Test, and it will ask where you want to store a temporary file it uses to test network speed. Don't worry about clogging your PC; it deletes the file after it performs the test. Once you've done that, click again, and after a few seconds, it shows results for both writing to your disk (essentially the equivalent of download speed), and reading from your disk (essentially the equivalent of upload speed). That's all it takes. Once you've got the results, you can print them.

Don't run LAN Speed Test test a single time and expect to get highly accurate results. From one moment to the next, there may be network traffic condition, and changing circumstances. I found that on several occasions there would be "outlier" results, results that were very different from the vast majority of other results. Run the test multiple times for a realistic picture of your connection speed.

It's also a good idea to run the tests at different times of the day, again to get the truest picture of network speed. If you're a network administrator, that will help you see when network congestion is highest. You may also want to run the tests on different PCs, to see whether certain computers or parts of your network have network issues.

LAN Speed Test would be more useful if it could save results to disk, or even average the results for you. But given that this program is free for business use as well as for personal use, that's a minor quibble. Whether you're a network administrator, or just an ordinary user who would like to know your true network speed, you'll find this a useful tool.

--Preston Gralla

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PC Wizard

Contrary to the implications of its moniker, there's really no wizardry involved with PC Wizard. Unless of course you consider a comprehensive querying and report on your system's hardware magic. This free utility from CPUID relays a lot, and I mean a lot, of info. Much of said info may be found in Windows Device Manager, but a lot of it can't.

In addition to the usual processor info, PC Wizard reports on the motherboard chipset, exact CPU model (mostly) and cache sizes, voltages, etc. hard drive spindle speed (5400, 7200, etc.), facts that Microsoft doesn't consider useful to the average user.  Microsoft  is correct; however, the more granular info is very handy to more technical types, repair people, and--dare I say it?--reviewers.

Installing PC Wizard is easy. However, it does want to install the Ask toolbar so don't blindly click through if you don't want that particular piece of software. PC Wizard takes from 5 to 15 seconds to gather basic information about your system when it first runs, and 5 to 10 seconds to gather UPnP info when you select that icon. Network device info requires scanning IP addresses so that of course will take a little while as well. PC Wizard also offers a stability test and benchmarking of various components.

My only gripe about PC Wizard is that it isn't as up-to-date with new hardware as its sister program, CPU-Z, which I've used for years to confirm vendor claims. For instance, it reported that a laptop CPU was a Core i5, but not the 2410M model number which CPU-Z reported. Unfortunately, neither program correctly reported the Radeon GPU used in tandem with the Intel HD graphics on the same laptop.

Despite those oversights, PC Wizard is a must-have for any tech's toolbox. The zipped version may be run without installation from a thumb drive. Here's hoping they set it to look for dual-graphics implementations soon.

Note: This program is donationware. It is free to use, but the author accepts and encourages donations towards further development.

--Jon L. Jacobi

It's hard to keep up with all the hardware on your PC--just ask your PC. If you want it to have the right answers, install PC Wizard 2005. This utility detects all kinds of hardware, from the obvious Bluetooth devices to the boards in the guts of your PC. PC Wizard 2005 updates its lists monthly to make sure your PC recognizes the newest devices. Not only does PC Wizard tell you about your peripherals components, it can benchmark your system so you see how it's doing with all that hardware.

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Windows Tools

III. A. Windows Tools – Command Prompt

There are a few ways on how to start the command prompt:

• Start Menu > Programs > Accessories > Command Prompt
• Start Menu > Run… > type “cmd”
• Win+R (“Windows” key + “R” key) > type “cmd”

Commands: (add /? to see the switches and how they’re used)

• “dir” – lists directory contents or searches for a specific file/directory
• cd / md / rd – change/make/remove directory
• del – delete file
• attrib – change the attributes of files/directories

III. B. Windows Tools - Registry Editor

• C:\Windows\regedit.exe
• Run… > “regedit”

III. C. Windows Tools – Group Policy Management

• C:\Windows\system32\gpedit.msc
• Run… > “gpedit.msc”

Tackling Side Effects

IV. A. Tackling Side Effects – Disabled Command Prompt

• gpedit.msc > User Configuration > Administrative Templates > System > “Prevent access to the command prompt” > “Disabled”

IV. B. Tackling Side Effects – Disabled Task Manager

• gpedit.msc > User Configuration > Administrative Templates > System > Ctrl + Alt + Del Options > “Remove Task Manager” > “Disabled”
• cmd > “reg add HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System /v DisableTaskMgr /t REG_DWORD /d 0 /f

IV. C. Tackling Side Effects – Disabled Registry Editor

• gpedit.msc > User Configuration > Administrative Templates > System > “Prevent access to registry editing tools” > “Disabled”
• cmd > “reg add HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System /v DisableRegistryTools /t REG_DWORD /d 0 /f

IV. D. Tackling Side Effects – Missing “Folder Options”

• gpedit.msc > User Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Windows Explorer > “Removes the Folder Options menu item from the Tools menu” > “Disabled”

IV. E. Tackling Side Effects – Shutdown on “cmd”

• C:\Windows\regedit.exe
• HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Command Processor > “AutoRun” > delete value (will usually contain “pc-off.bat”
• After the above, you can now use your command prompt.
• cmd > search for “pc-off.bat” and delete the file

IV. F. Tackling Side Effects – Traces of “autorun.inf”

Search every drive and every folder for instances of “autorun.inf” including normal, hidden, and system file attributes. Malicious “autorun.inf” files are usually found in root drives other than Drive C: and have hidden and/or system file attributes by nature. Don’t delete all the “autorun.inf” files you see because there are legitimate programs that use this file for automatically running upon detection (like the Microsoft Office CD, for example).

IV. G. Tackilng Side Effects – Suspicious Processes in the Task Manager

Signs of Infection

II. A. Signs of Infection – Disabled CMD, TaskMgr, Regedit

Worms usually infect units and disable as many ways to remove the infection. These range from disabling the command prompt (to disable absolute control over files), the task manager (to disable stopping certain tasks from running), disabling the registry editor (to disable us from removing the effects of the infection from the computer), and others.

II. B. Signs of Infection – Shutdown Upon Execution of the Command Prompt

As stated above, this is another method of disabling the command prompt with the additional nuisance of a computer shutdown if you even attempt to launch the command prompt. This is usually caused by a file that’s attached as an autorun everytime the command prompt is executed.

II. C. Signs of Infection - Missing “Folder Options”

Infections may also include the disability to see hidden and system files by removing the “Folder Options” in the Tools menu in Windows Explorer. This is done so that we won’t be able to change the visibility of files whose attributes were changed to “hidden” and/or “system”. If we can still view the Folder Options anyway, we won’t be able to switch from “Don’t show hidden files…” to “Show all hidden files…”

II. D. Signs of Infection – Unable to Safely Remove Flash Drive

“Safely” removing a flash drive or removable drive involves the computer checking if the flash drive is still being used or accessed. “Safely” removing a flash drive just makes sure that the computer is not reading or writing data onto the flash drive anymore. Being unable to remove your flash drive “safely” using the “Safely Remove Hardware” of Windows XP when we’re absolutely sure that the computer is not accessing the flash drive anymore possibly means that the computer is constantly saving an “autorun.inf” file onto the flash drive because of the infection. It is not a sure sign of an infection though because there are exceptions to the rule.

II. E. Signs of Infection – Different Title in Internet Explorer

There are worms that use the title bar of Internet Explorer for “bragging rights”. They label it with their own statements like “I WAS HERE” or something to that effect. Unless we ourselves edited the registry to change the title of Internet Explorer, it’s a sign that our computer is infected.

II. F. Signs of Infection – Different Folder Icons and/or Missing Folders

There is a type of worm that hides the folders in our root drives and then camouflages itself as an executable file with a fake folder icon mimicking the name of the folder/s it hid. If we look closely, the folder icon it uses is a bit different from our typical Windows XP folder icon (hopefully).

Prevention of Infection

I. A. Prevention of Infection – Antivirus Software Scan

It is always a good idea to scan your flash drive using your antivirus software BEFORE doing anything else with the flash drive, even if it’s just selecting an action when Windows prompts you with a question as to what to do.

I. B. Prevention of Infection - Using My Computer to Access Flash Drive

NEVER attempt accessing your flash drive by double-clicking on the drive letter of your flash drive on the right side of your “My Computer” window (common way to access a disk is to open “My Computer” and then double-clicking on the drive letter). Using the “My Computer” icon actually just executes “explorer.exe” or Windows Explorer (the main file manager of the Microsoft Windows operating system) and creates another instance of it. Double-clicking on your drive/flash drive this way “executes” the drive. When Windows “executes” a drive, it searches for an “autorun.inf” file in the root folder of the drive and runs the executable that the “autorun.inf” file points to. If the flash drive is infected with a malicious program set to “auto run”, the computer is then infected.

There are two ways to access a drive safely:

1. Open “My Computer”, click on the “Folders” icon on the toolbar, click on the drive on the left (Folders explorer bar) to see the contents of the drive without “activating” the drive.
2. Press the “E” key (keyboard) while pressing the “Windows” key (between the CTRL and ALT keys on the keyboard) to open Windows Explorer with the Folders window open already.

I. C. Prevention of Infection – Checking For Suspicious Files (cmd)

Check for suspicious files using the command prompt (see Section III-A for more details) at least in the root folders of all your drives (including flash drives). No drive (except for CDs/DVDs and some specially unique flash drives that have loaders) should have the “autorun.inf” file on them. Typical hidden/system files/folders on your Drive C: are the “autoexec.bat, boot.ini, config.sys, hiberfil.sys, io.sys, msdos.sys, ntdetect.com, ntldr, pagefile.sys” files and [recycled] and [System Volume Information] folders.

Basic System Troubleshooting for Windows

1. Prevention of Infection
   1. Antivirus software scan
   2. Using My Computer to access flash drive
   3. Checking for suspicious files using the command prompt
2. Signs of Infection
   1. Disabled command prompt, task manager, and/or registry editor
   2. Shutdown upon execution of the command prompt
   3. Missing “Folder Options” menu item in the Tools menu in Windows Explorer
   4. Unable to safely remove flash drive despite inactivity
   5. Different title in Internet Explorer
   6. Different folder icons and/or missing folders
3. Windows Tools
   1. Command Prompt
   2. Registry Editor
   3. Group Policy Management
4. Tackling Infection Side Effects / Remnants
   1. Disabled Command Prompt
   2. Disabled Task Manager
   3. Disabled Registry Editor
   4. Missing “Folder Options”
   5. Shutdown on “cmd”
   6. Traces of “autorun.inf”
   7. Suspicious processes/threads in the Task Manager
   8. Unable to open drive normally in My Computer
5. Other Tools
   1. Hiren’s Boot CD
   2. BartPE
   3. Linux Boot CD
   4. UBCD (Ultimate Boot CD)