Windows has a built in encryption scheme known as EFS. You can put the "encrypt" and "decrypt" entries in the context menu and then encrypting a file is only two clicks away.

The Rebuild command checks an installation for valid startup information and files and can help bring an XP installation back to life.

Use WindowsXP recovery console as a mini-operating system that is used to troubleshoot or "recover" a Windows installation. It can be even more useful and easier to use with the following tweeks.

If you want to see if Windows firewall is doing its job then logging is the answer. With the firewalls logging capabilities so you can see dropped packets and allowed connections

In XPpro you can create a disk to log on to your machine and allow you to reset the password.

One way to is to stop spyware from installing itself by using the 'kill bit' which blocks specific ActiveX controls. It marks that control as incompatible or not runnable.

When you have determined you are infected, many times you need to do a certain amount of cleaning before you can clean the rest of the system. This will do just that.

Reading HighJackThis (HJT) logs is not for the faint at heart. It lists each and every possible point that a highjacker could use your system to infect you so the log can get quite big. Most entries are benign and it is up to you to figure out what is malicious and needs to be removed. You may want someone else to look at the log (see 'sites that analyze a HJT log'). But if you want to try it yourself, read on.

If you want to decipher the HJT log yourself or fix a problem, you will need some tools and web-sites with special information.

You may not want to allow someone to shutdown from the Start-up window or from the command line.