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Ctfmon.exe is a file that is installed with Windows Office applications. It activates the Alternative User Input Text Input PROCESSOR and the Language Bar. The program monitors the active windows and provides text input service support for speech recognition, handwriting recognition, keyboard, translation, and other alternative user input technologies. It also starts the language bar that appears next to the system tray.

Removing the Ctfmon.exe might cause problematic behavior in your Office XP programs, so removing it is not recommended if you use the Alternative User Input Text Input Processor and the Language Bar.

To prevent Ctfmon.exe from running, follow these steps.

Step 1: Windows XP

1. Quit all Office programs.

2. Click Start and then click CONTROL PANEL.

3. In Control Panel, double-click Add or Remove Programs.

4. In the Currently installed programs list, click to select Microsoft Office XP product, where Office XP product is the name of the specific Office product being used. If you are using a standalone version of one of the Office programs, click to select the appropriate product in the list. Click Change.

5. In the Maintenance Mode Options dialog box, select Add or Remove Features, and then click Next. This displays the Choose installation options for all Office applications and tools dialog box.

6. Place a check MARK in the box next to Choose advanced customization of applications then click Next.

7. Click the (+) next to Office shared features then click the icon next to Alternative User Input and then select Not Available.

8.Click Update.
NOTE: If you have multiple Office XP products installed, for example, Office XP Professional and Publisher 2002, you must repeat the preceding steps for each installed product.

Step 2: Remove Alternative User Input Services from Text Services

1. Click Start, point to Settings, and then click Control Panel.

2.In the Control Panel, double-click Text Services.
NOTE: In Windows XP, click Date, Time, Language, and RegionalOptions, and then click Regional and Language Options. On the Languages tab, click DETAILS.

3. Under Installed Services select each input item that is listed and then click Remove to remove the item. All items must be removed, one by one, except the following input service: English (United States)- default Keyboard United States 101

Step 3: Unregister the dll files Files

1. Click Start and then click Run.

2. In the Run dialog box, type the following command: Regsvr32.exe /u msimtf.dll

3. Click OK.

4. Again repeat steps 1 through 3 and enter: Regsvr32.exe /u msctf.dll

For complete details about Ctfmon see this MS KB article. Frequently asked questions about Ctfmon.exe

As many long-time Windows users know, over time any standard Windows computer slows down, usually due to background programs, malware or what I simply call "the Microsoft Floor sagging over time", meaning that sometimes I can't seem to find the reason for a computer problem. Hopefully, if you use Microsoft Windows, you keep your important files backed up in the inevitable event that you will need to reinstall Windows and start over. Most Windows users I've talked to have had to reinstall the same Operating System at least once, due to any one of these issues:

- Computer slowing down due to malware
- Computer is bogged down with remnants of too many old programs
- Accidentally trashed a critical file (files?) while changing settings and files they don't know how to use
- OS conflicts on dual-boot systems (Windows/Linux boots being the prime example, for me anyway)
- Hard drive failure

Personally, I've personally experienced every single one of those issues, and only recently have I (finally!) learned to keep appropriate backups of everything I might care about. Because I keep backups, if something goes terribly wrong on my PC (and since I use Vista that's a pretty big concern for me), my reformat/reinstalls can be mere annoyances, which cost me about 2 hours of my time, instead of horrors that cost me tons of work and files.

I think that the reason many people dread reinstalling their Operating System is the fact that they have not kept regular backups of their files, and don't have a real means of doing so. So, many users end up letting their computer degenerate further and further, getting less and less able to perform, until finally something critical breaks, the OS *must* be reinstalled and it's too late to backup files. And so, one is forced to perform the mentally infuriating task of reinstalling Windows themselves, essentialy having to destroy one's personal data themselves. Of course, there are programs designed to retrieve people's data after a reinstall, but if someone can't afford a backup solution, chances are a recovery program is a bit out of reach too (not to mention the program may not be able to get the files back.)

However, let's say that you do have your files back up (congratulations on that, by the way), and your computer, well, let's just say isn't behaving like it did when you first bought/assembled it. Perhaps it would be for the best if you formatted and reinstalled Windows, to clear out all that junk you don't use that's making your system slow in the first place. But is it worth your time to do it yet? Below, I've written a simple score-based guideline to assist you in making this decision.

Here's how this works: Answer each multiple-choice question in a way that best suits your situation at the moment. Beside each answer is a number; that is the "score" for that answer. At the end of the test, add up your total score and compare it to the handy list explaining each score range.1. Do you *really* have your files backed up in a secure location?
A) Yes.(+2)
B) Yes, but I haven't backed up in a while.(0)
C) No. (-100)

(The better your backups are, the more it's "okay" if you reinstall Windows. If you don't have good backups, you probably don't want to be reinstalling Windows right now.)

2. Which Operating System do you run?
A) An older OS (Win95, 98). (+3)
B) A popular, "stable" OS (Win2000, WinXP). (+1)
C) A new Operating System(Vista). (+3)
D) Windows ME. (+10)

(Explanation: Older Operating systems are not supported by Microsoft, and are more vulnerable to security threats. New operating systems, like vista, do not have the kinks worked out of them yet, and Windows ME... is a joke. Nobody should use ME; it's a horrible OS for more reasons than I can count.)

3. When starting your computer, after you login, there is a period of time in which background programs load, and the System Tray icons (bottom right next to clock) begin to appear. During this time, your PC runs slower because the CPU is in HEAVY use booting, and performance is slowed until the booting process is complete. In seconds, approximately how long is this time?

A) 2-5 seconds. (0)
B) 5-10 seconds. (+1)
C) 10-25 seconds. (+2)
D) 25-60 seconds. (+3)
E) I have time to go prepare a snack after logging in before I can use the computer. (+5)

(There's a reason computers do everything - the reason your PC is taking so darned long to load up and become usable is that it's loading and RUNNING background programs. The more you have - you guessed it - the longer it takes before your PC is "ready" for you to use it. Sometimes, remnants of old programs or malware can cause a slowdown, making the machine take longer. Also, some viruses are designed to do little more than burn system resources, which probably is the reason anyone would answer E on this one.)

4. Is your computer having problems running games that it ran fine before?

A) Yes. (+2)
B) No. (-1)
C) I'm not a gamer. (0)

(Lagging games and poor framerate on games that more than meet the recommended requirements is a sign of one of two things: One, background junk is taking up resources your computer needs to have available to handle your game, or two, you are suffering from overheating components due to shoddy workmanship. Either way, backup now; this is a sign of trouble, either with software or hardware.)

5. Hit Ctrl-Shift-Esc. (Don't close it; the next several questions are related to this window.) Presumably, you should only have the Internet open and this window; what's the CPU Usage right now? (It fluctuates a lot; just guess the average)

A) 2%-12%.(0)
B) 15%-20%.(+1)
C) 30-50%.(+2)
D) 50-75%.(+4)
E) 75-100%.(+6)
NOTE: If you have a "weak" CPU (Single core, less than 1.8 GHz is a good example), you may subtract 2 (-2) from the answer to this question. Higher CPU usage, in this case, may be explained by less-than-awesome hardware.

(Again, the more you have running in the background, the more your beloved processor is getting strained. With only the Internet open, you shouldn't be maxing out on CPU space.)

6. What's the current Memory Usage? (Again, if you don't have a lot of RAM, you can take (-2) from whatever your answer is.)

A) 20-30%. (0)
B) 30-40%. (+1)
C) Around 50%. (+2)
D) Over 70% (+3)

(I shouldn't have to reiterate this, but: Background junk uses memory. More you have, more you have problems.)

7. How many copies of the program svchost.exe are running at the moment?

A) 1 or 2. (0)
B) 3 or 4. (+1)
C) Over 4. (+1 for every copy running after the first)

(svchost.exe, pronounced "s-v-c-host", is a critical program that Windows uses. However, some viruses will create processes that have the exact same name, but instead do whatever it is the virus author wants. In practice, unless you are a true Power User, it's difficult to determine which svchost.exe is legit and which one isn't. I wouldn't End Process on any of them if you aren't sure which it is; just know that if you have more than a couple, it's a sign you have things on your computer you shouldn't have.)

**Go ahead and close the Task Manager.**

8. Do you commonly surf the web for "Adult Content"? (PUT bluntly, do you look up porn? Be honest here.)

A) No. (0)
B) Sometimes, but only a few sites. (+1)
C) Yes, and I explore quite a few sites. (+3)
D) Daily, and I keep a large collection of bookmarked "Favorite" sites. (+4)

(I'm not judging you with this question; it's important because porn sites are more likely to have Adware, such as SexTracker, or MyWebSearch or other miscellaneous crap that you did not ask for. These programs track your browsing choices in order to generate ads on web pages based on what it perceives your preferences are. They are also responsible for the "internet popup when the BROWSER isn't open" problem and, like any other program, take up valuable CPU cycles and Memory.)

9. Do you have a firewall program?

A) Don't have one/What's a firewall? (+3)
B) Yes/No, but I am using a router. (+1)
C) Yes, *and* I use a router. (0)
D) I have a router, a firewall, *and* I have an antivirus with live protection (that doesn't interfere with my firewall) (-2)

(A firewall helps prevent viruses/malware from getting onto your PC, in real time. Routers have a firewall built in, and can make up for a lack thereof. Having both helps, and if you also have antivirus with live protection, that's even better, assuming your firewall and antivirus "get along" okay.)

10. How often do you run antivirus scan?

A) Never/Don't have antivirus. (+3)
B) Once a month or rarer, but if there's a problem I'll scan. (+2)
C) Weekly. (+1)

(This should be self-explanatory; generally Antivirus programs are always good to have, and you should actually use them.)

11. Final question: How long has it been since you last installed Windows (or bought the PC, if you haven't done so yet)?

A) Recently/This computer is very new. (0)
B) About 6 months. (+1)
C) 1 year. (+2)
D) 2 or more years. (+1 for each year)

(Logically, the longer you've had your PC, the more time you've had to accumulate a bunch of useless junk, background programs you don't know about, viruses and the like.)Okay, the test is over. The LOWEST tally you can get is, assuming you didn't pick "No" on question 1, is -3. The highest is 41 (or over, depends on how many svchost.exe files and years of age you've answered). So, with that in mind, let's take a look at your results.

Please remember, these are guidelines and suggestions only; you are not required to listen to my advice.

If your score is less than -3: You answered No to question 1. Therefore, you should not reformat Windows at all unless you have absolutely nothing to lose. (And if you don't, why do you own a computer?) Back up your important files and take the test again. Also, you will have serious problems if something major goes wrong with Windows or your hardware.

Score -3-10: You have nothing to worry about. Your computer is running at near-top performance and your habits are, for the most part, good. Congratulations! Keep backups when necessary, as your score WILL go up as time goes on, but for now rest comfortably knowing that your PC will age far slower than expected.

Score 11-20: Your PC is beginning to show signs of aging, but so far it hasn't really deteriorated to the point of no return. You have time left before it really behooves you to reinstall Windows. So far, so good. Maybe you should consider taking a look at what kind of security you have on your computer; wouldn't hurt to take a look around and find the best software to keep crap programs off, or clean out remnants of old programs. Of course, if you want to, you can reinstall Windows; it'd certainly help your cause, but you aren't in trouble yet.

Score 21-30: Your boot times are annoying, aren't they? And how about those program lock-ups? "Windows is searching for a solution". Whatever, that never helps! And how come you have to wait a few seconds every time you go to Programs on the Start Menu? You can't even play your games to vent your frustration; the fact you just had to reduce the graphics settings - again - only adds to the frustration.

Of course, this is an exaggeration. (Or is it?) But it probably describes the level of stress you have on the computer fairly well. At this point, viruses are probably problematic, and you are starting to feel the need for a good old fashioned hardware upgrade. Don't despair yet, though! Perhaps it's not too late. Take a look at what programs you're using to keep your performance up - either you don't have any or they aren't working. Rob Pomeroy has a good list of essentials >here< - check the list for some good programs. With a good effort, you may be able to reclaim your computer yet. If all else fails, backups are recommended at this point.

Score 31+: Take all the above frustrations and about double it - that's probably where you are right now. Only once have I seen a computer that would rate this high - it crashed every 45 minutes, not even enough time to properly run Antivirus, it had way too many viruses from shoddy security, it was about 6 years old and had never seen a format, and it took several minutes to boot. I remember feeling empathy for that computer; it was like an old dog that needed to be put down.

So, I'm afraid, is your computer if it's gotten to the levels I've described. You have to have backups to make this score, so there's really no reason NOT to reinstall Windows. Also, if it's over 5 years old you may consider simply buying a new computer, if for no other reason than to have fresh hardware (older components are more likely to fail).

Thank you for taking this test. I apologize for the length of it, but hopefully your computer's well-being, and your own peace of mind, can be had knowing that you DO have that safety net, and if it all goes kaput, you're not set too far back.

Most recovery programs work in much the same way. You need to select the disk where the lost files are located and let the program analyze the content of the disk. Then select the file you want to recover and provide a location where you want to save that file.

Install a data recovery program just in case!

Be prepared beforehand

Installing any software after data loss will increase the risk of the lost data being overwritten. A recovery program installed now is good insurance for your data.


Free recovery software

Free Undelete
PC INSPECTOR File Recovery
PC INSPECTOR SMART Recovery - Specializes in flash card/drive recovery.
Recuva - From the makers of CCleaner
Undelete Plus
Roadkil's Unstoppable Copier - Great for recovering files from scratched CD's or defective floppy/hard disks.

Commercial recovery software Commercial recovery software will increase the chances of recovering important data. It's not free but can be well worth the price.

[emailprotected] UNDELETE - Has great reviews with demo results before you buy
DiskInternals Mail Recovery - Recover and REPAIR Windows email! (Demo)
OfficeRecovery.com - Data recovery software for email, databases and office productivity
PC Tools File Recover
Recover My Files - Has great reviews with demo results before you buy
Stellar Phoenix Digital Media Recovery

What to do

Use your system as little as possible until you recover all of your lost files.
The more activity taking place on your hard disk, the greater chance that some of your lost data will be over written.
If you are trying to recover files from a media card, stop using that card immediately.

* Turn off any applications you don't need.
* Because they will write to your disk don’t launch any unnecessary programs.
* Avoid browsing the web.
* Don’t restart your computer.
* Don't do a disk defrag or run a disk cleaner.

After the recovery

* Check that everything correct.
* If you’ve recovered applications, check that they still run.
* If you’ve recovered documents, check that your words are still there.

Even the best recovery software can’t guarantee 100% results. Some parts of your files may have been overwritten, meaning that other data was saved to that location on your disk.
After recovery they might contain invalid information. Depending on the type of file involved, partially recovered files like this can be usually recovered by commercial software.


Prevention tips

Make backups

The first and most reliable way to avoid accidental deletion or other forms of data loss is to make regular backups of your important files. User error isn't the only way you can loose important data, photos, schoolwork or projects. You can experience a sudden power outage or power surge or even a dead hard drive.

Note: In case of hard drive failure, don't keep your backups on the same drive you are backing up. Use another drive or burn them to a CD.

There are ALSO free and paid online storage sites. A few offer up to 5GB of free space and INCLUDE sharing.

Note: With any free storage site read the fine print. Some allow larger amounts of space but they limit uploads per month (1GB or less). In other words you can't get large files uploaded all at once. The free sites listed below have had no upload limits that I have noticed.
Also note that with free storage you need to sign in once and a while. If not then they may purge your account to due to inactivity. Below are just a few.


Free online storage

Mp3Tunes.com - Unlimited free storage of your music collection
MyOtherDrive.com - Store up to 5GB of files
Windows Live SkyDrive - Microsoft 5GB free
Xdrive - AOL 5GB free

Commercial storage

Carbonite.com - Backup your entire hard drive automatically
GoDaddy.com - Paid plans, as low as $5.99 a year for 50MB, sync between multiple computers
IBackup - Anywhere from 5GB to 300GB of storage

Free backup software

Cobian Backup
Karen's Replicator
SyncBack

Use a Power Strip/Surge Protector

Be sure you have a reliable Surge Protector. These can be found at most retail stores and come in many varieties. Do some COMPARISON shopping and pick the one that suits your needs. These are invaluable, not only to your data but to all of your computer components.

I recently had problems when I installed Office 2007 with Office 2003.

What happened was, all Excel files kept opening with Office 07 when I wanted them to open in Office 03
For Word, a popup saying 'Installer is Configuring Office' or something similar kept coming up for both versions when started.





I have a found a fix for both these issues
Modifying the System Registry MAY be dangerous if not done properly. It is recommended you SET a System Restore point and read the steps carefully.


MICROSOFT Office Excel
To get Excel 03 files to open with Excel 03 instead of 07, do the following (note, you may need the Office 2003 CD)
1. Go to Start --> Run and type excel.exe /unregserver
2. Go to Run and type "C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office11\Excel.exe" /regserver

That's it!


Microsoft Office Word
To stop the useless Installation dialog boxes from coming up:
1. Go to Start --> Run and type Regedit and press Enter.
2. Navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\11.0\Word\Options
3. When you click the Options Folder, go to Edit --> New --> New DWORD Value.
4. Name it NoReReg and press Enter.
5. Right click the new Value and click Modify.
6. Type 1 and press Enter.
7. Now navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\12.0\Word\Options and do the same as above.

If there are any problems or questions, feel free to post on our forums.

Windows Media Player may be the most widely used player, but like many MS utilities it is sometimes inefficient. It lacks many popular codecs so needs some help with a third party codec pack.

There is a big risk when it comes to clicking on links to download a codec. Many contain malware that is designed to steal your personal information among CONTAINING other forms of malware that will slow down or EVEN crash your computer.

If there is a media file that says it needs anything besides what the below codec packs include it likely contains malware!

ONE code pack may work on one computer better then on ANOTHER so there is a selection to choose from. I use the K-Lite Codec Pack (full) and have never needed anything else. These are in no particular order. They are all worthy and trusted to be malware free.

• K-Lite Codec Pack (Full)
  
• K-Lite Mega Codec Pack - The Mega package and is aimed at pro video users.
  
• K-Lite Codec Tweak Tool
  
• Codec Pack All-in-1
  
• XP Codec Pack
  
• Vista Codec Package
  
• Vista X64 Codecs
  
• Windows 7 Codecs
  
• Windows 7 x64 Codecs

Using Revo Uninstaller you can easily terminate a hard to find running program/process that has become unresponsive by using Revo's built in HUNTER Mode.

At times CTRL-ALT-DELETE can take a long time to open. When it finally does open you discover that the program you WANT to close is a process and not an application.


Step 1

Launch Revo Uninstaller and CLICK on Hunter Mode



Step 2

Find the Hunter Mode floating icon on your desktop and drag it onto the window you would LIKE to terminate



Step 3

Select KILL Process from the context menu and that’s it. No need to go hunting down processes in the task manager.

If you have a mp4 video file where the audio and video are out of sync this is how to sync them

PROGRAMS used
1.)http://www.aoamedia.com/audioextractor.htm
2.)http://www.womble.com/products/dvd.html Download the FREE trial

What to do
1.) Install all the programs
2.) Open up AoA audio extractor and select you video file by clicking on add file and navigating to the place where the mp4 is. Leave all the settings alone and click start.
3.) When its done open up Womble MPEG video wizard DVD and click on the folder at the top with the arrow
4.)navigate to c:/myaudio/filename.mp3
5.)click on the file with the arrow again and navigate to where you have the video
6.)Drag the video file to the thing with the camera and the audio file to the thing with the violin
7.)right click on the camera and click mute
8.)make shure both the audio and video line up
9.)press the red dot button on the bottom and export it as an mp4 again

All your problems FIXED!
Just thought I should reply to this OLD post for anyone else who comes along and thinks about using it.

Great post, nice little programs and well instructed.

The only thing you failed to include is by performing the process you practically double the size of the file which is completely and utterly pointless.

No point having a slightly out of sync file of 349MB and once you have followed your instruction everything is in sync but file is then 640MB.

Better off using a proper encoder and change the audio delay ms a few times until you get the sync right. It might take MAYBE 3 go's to judge, but at least everything is in sync and still the same size as the original file when completed.Even better, use AviDemux http://www.videohelp.com/tools/AviDemux or Audio Video Synchronizer http://www.weqsoft.com/audio-video-synchronizer.htmThis didn't work for me,I probably have an audio stream thats compressed beyond the video file.
The sync goes in and out.

• Filesystems
• Games
• Graphics
• Hard drive diagnostics
• Hardware
• Internet/Networking
• Inventory/catalogue software
• Multimedia
• Office/Business Software
• OSes, Emulators, Virtualisation
• Security
• System Tools
• Utilities
• Other places to look

• Freeware World Team - All freeware
  
• Freshmeat
  
• List Of Lists - Freeware/shareware mix
  
• Mirrors.Org Boot Diskscollection of MS boot disks
  
• Sourceforge
  
• SysInternals
  

• Backdated (no longer a member)
• Dilbert
  
• GX1_Man
  
• merlin_2
  
• Nitro
  
• panboy
  
• RapedApe
  
• Raptor
  
• unlovedwarrior
  

A lot more to come - watch this space!

transliltrator

After tragically losing all my data to a computer crisis, I feel it necessary to post this topic. The scorched hand is more careful with fire.

Question
How often should I backup my files?

Question
The simple answer is that the more often you backup your files, the better off you'll be. However, although a daily backup is healthy for the computer (and your sanity in the event of an

emergency), it tends to be tedious. How often you actually need to backup depends on what you use your system for. If you do heavy gaming, about once every two weeks is good,

since save games change data so often it would be extremely annoying to backup after each time you play part of a game. If you manage finances or do other extremely important activities,

once every few days to daily would be a good measure. Most users will fall between these extremes.

Question
What should I backup?

Answer
Most of the time, a backup of all your important documents and similar files is all you need. However, it is good practice, if you have the disk space, to make images of all downloadable

programs, and either burn them to CD's or to ANOTHER partition or disk drive. Installable programs are not necessary to backup (though any documents you make with them are not only fair

game, but a good idea to backup), but things downloaded from the Internet - utilities, browsers, etc. should be backed up occasionally. It's a good idea to backup the Setup files rather

than the entire program; you'll get the program at a fraction of the disk space.

Question
What should I backup to?

Answer
CD-RW's are an excellent choice, as these can be overwritten in the case of needing to backup the same file again, and they hold a respectable 700 MB. However, if you only have a few

files and documents, or if you cannot burn CD's or CD-RW's, then diskettes are the way to go. The only problem with that is that you'll need a lot of FLOPPIES for a lot of files, as 1.44 MB

is the limit for file STORAGE. If you choose diskettes as your backup method, consider using Winzip to compress your files. In

fact, there is no reason not to zip them as it will save space and if a computer doesn't have Winzip it can be downloaded (or you can keep a setup.exe for Winzip, but you can't zip the

setup as this defeats the purpose).

Question
How would I use these backups if my system failed?

Answer
Directly, you cannot. These cannot restore your system to proper conditions. However, when and if you do get your PC running properly again after an emergency, this backup will greatly

assist you in restoring your PC/MAC/Other to it's former condition, and save your sanity.Some good programs to use for backups are (1) Norton GHOST (2) Acronis TrueImage (3) Windows XP Backup Tool. Those are the best and easiest to use that I know of.

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Edited: made each reference a link to product/utility information.
-DilbertIt is also quite helpful to make a sytem restoration when you get your newly reloaded, pristine system just as you want it. You create an image file and can save it to another partition or drive (good) or across a network to a computer with a CD/DVD burner to save them (better) or directly to your CD or DVD burner to save them (still better) or save them in more than one spot (best). After the full backup you can add incremental backups on the files that have changed, if you wish.

I have Backup #1 (image file) on the second hard drive and a DVD of my pristine setup, and Backup#2 is my running incremental backup as things have evolved. That 4 hours to set up a Windows system, load basic software, get and install updates, find and load drivers, etc. doesn't have to happen again. I can restore a system totally in <10 minutes!

Several products are available for this - Acronis True Image, Ghost and BootItNG are all well regarded. Just do a Google search for retailers or ONLINE sales. The price is reasonable ($30 and up) for not having to format and reinstall Windows again. You still need to be careful and have a regular backup plans. I think all of these have automatic backup schedules so just "set it and forget it".

Remember that ALL hard drives die eventually, taking your data with them unless you are responsible enough to protect it. Some people have no important data, so they should continue to flail away at the keyboard.

Dilbert, feel free to append to yours, edit, or whatever.

You might also consider having a look at a TweakGuide. http://www.tweakguides.com ... A good topic choice Dilbert

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