Six Ways to Protect Your Home Computer

Here are a few ways you can keep your computer—and the personal information stored there—safe and secure.

Use strong passwords. The passwords you use should be long and complex. They should avoid words found in dictionaries and include numbers, capital and lowercase letters.

Use an anti-virus program. Anti-virus programs scan the files in your computer, email, and discs to ensure they are clean and virus-free. The programs can also remove a virus and protect your computer from extensive damage.

Be cautious about downloads. Never download anything sent as an email attachment from someone you don't know.

Update your applications regularly. If you get behind on your updates, you leave your computer open to attack. Download updates for your operating system and other programs regularly.

Use a firewall. Firewall programs are designed to block programs from entering your computer without your knowledge.

Never give out personal information in an email. Scammers send emails designed to look like official emails from a company you do business with. The emails will usually tell you that there has been a problem with your account, and they'll ask you to re-send your username and password. If there really is a problem, the company or institution should call you—and if you think the email might be real, call them to confirm.

Your computer can provide access to identity thieves, hackers, and viruses. But with the right precautions, you can keep your information safe and secure.

Chris Smith is sales and marketing director for on365 a UK based company providing a range of IT solutions including server rooms and UPS protection. For more information visit

Bullet-Proof your Computer - The Latest Anti Virus Advice

Think updating your antivirus software is a hassle? Then try dealing with the aftermath of a virus attack. Just think of the time it will take to try and retrieve all your files, deal with your boss and even get a new machine. But all this is quite easy to prevent. With the latest software and by practicing safe surfing you can avoid this scenario happening to you.

The first step to protecting yourself is having robust antivirus software in place. Choose a product that regularly updates its database in the background while you are connected to the Internet. This will mean that your software is always up to date and you will not have to remember to update it manually.

Another feature to look for on your antivirus software is real-time scanning. This is where any virus or trojan is intercepted before it actually gets onto your machine. This is becoming more important as the nature of security threats change. Some programmers now put malware (malicious software) onto websites that will automatically download onto your computer in the background without you knowing it. Just by visiting the site you can become infected. Real-time scanning will provide protection from this.

The second line of defense is to have a firewall. This will provide security to your system. The minimum recommended is to ensure that the Windows firewall in Windows XP and Vista is turned on. You can also go for a more robust firewall that is available from companies such as Norton and McAfee.

When you have these protective devices installed don't think you are immune to any malware. You should practice safe surfing. Don't download any files unless you know they are from a trusted source. Even if you know the sender, run the file through your antivirus scanner before opening it. Be wary of any attachments that are sent through email, as this is a common route to transmit viruses. If you don't know the sender, don't open the attachment, regardless of how interesting they may sound.

By protecting your computer with software and being sensible, you have the best chance of bullet-proofing your system from viruses. And in this environment, prevention is a lot less hassle than cure.

Find out how I choose the top antivirus software for my PC by visiting You can also learn about computer virus definitions.

Why You Need To Worry About Spam

What is Spam? According to spam abuse .net "Spam is flooding the Internet with many copies of the same message, in an attempt to force the message on people who would not otherwise choose to receive it. Most spam is commercial advertising, often for dubious products, get-rich-quick schemes, or quasi-legal services. Spam costs the sender very little to send -- most of the costs are paid for by the recipient or the carriers rather than by the sender."

What Are Some of Spam's Consequences? Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia advises, "Spam's direct effects include the consumption of computer and network resources, and the cost in human time and attention of dismissing unwanted messages. In addition, spam has costs stemming from the kinds of spam messages sent, from the ways spammers send them, and from the arms race between spammers and those who try to stop or control spam. In addition, there are the opportunity cost of those who forgo the use of spam-afflicted systems. There are the direct costs, as well as the indirect costs borne by the victims - both those related to the spamming itself, and to other crimes that usually accompany it, such as financial theft, identity theft, data and intellectual property theft, virus and other malware infection, child pornography, fraud, and deceptive marketing." Also they say, "The secondary consequence of spamming is that search engine indexes are inundated with useless pages, increasing the cost of each processed query."

According to a new study released by the Federal Trade Commission, spammers continue to harvest email addresses from public areas of the Internet, but Internet Service Providers' anti-spam technologies can block the vast majority of spam sent to these email addresses. The FTC staff report also found that consumers who must post their e-mail addresses on the Internet can prevent them from being harvested by using a technique known as "masking."

Why Lose Sleep Over Spammers? According to onguardonline.gov/botnet "Spammers can install hidden software on your computer in several ways. First, they scan the Internet to find computers that are unprotected, and then install software through those "open doors." Spammers may send you an email with attachments, links or images which, if you click on or open them, install hidden software. Sometimes just visiting a website or downloading files may cause a "drive-by download," which installs malicious software that could turn your computer into a "bot." The consequences can be more than just annoying: your Internet Service Provider (ISP) may shut down your account."

Additionally they say "Computers that are taken over this way often become part of a robot network, known as a "botnet" for short. A botnet, also known as a "zombie army," usually is made up of tens or hundreds of thousands of home computers sending emails by the millions. Computer security experts estimate that most spam is sent by home computers that are controlled remotely, and that millions of these home computers are part of botnets."

Fighting Back Con artists are clever and cunning, constantly hatching new variations on age-old scams. Still, skeptical consumers can spot questionable or unsavory promotions in email offers. Should you receive an email that you think may be fraudulent, forward it to the FTC at spam@uce.gov, hit delete, and smile. You'll be doing your part to help put a scam artist out of work.

Take action immediately If your computer is infected,if your computer has been hacked or infected by a virus - disconnect from the Internet right away. Then scan your entire computer with fully updated anti-virus and anti-spyware software. Report unauthorized accesses to your ISP and to the FBI at If you suspect that any of your passwords have been compromised, call that company immediately to change your password.

To learn more about how spam scanner software detects spam riddled throughout a user's existing email account and Protects consumers from even the most sophisticated email threats such as phishing and malware attacks visit . Access the site Navigation Button labeled "Spam Control".

Why Your Computer Runs So Slowly

As a working PC tech, this is one of the most common issues that I face day in and day out. Although it happens to varying degrees, everyone at some point realizes that their computer is not performing like it used to. To some the slowdown process is gradual, to the point where they hardly notice until someone else uses their computer and complains. For others, it happens very quickly so that there is a sudden and unmistakable loss of usability. Whichever is the case for you, here are some general guidelines to help you in diagnosing the cause (or causes) of the slowdown.

The first thing I suspect when someone tells me that their PC is running slowly is that they may be dealing with adware or spyware. Typically, a computer infected with this type of malware will display other symptoms as well. Odd behavior such as pop-up ads, your internet home page changing, sudden closing of your browser or even system crashes are all symptomatic of a Spyware/adware infestation. Whether or not you are experiencing any of these additional symptoms, you should scan your PC with a good antivirus/antispyware program. My personal favorite is AVG Internet Security and I highly recommend it. Whichever program you use though, just make sure it has a good reputation.

Another common source of system slowdowns is a highly fragmented hard disk. Disk fragmentation happens over a period of time and may happen so gradually that you don't even realize how poorly your computer is performing. Fragmentation usually doesn't cause other symptoms, so if your PC is otherwise acting OK then fragmentation may be the problem. Windows has a built in defrag utility, however it will not defragment especially large files and some system files such as your Paging File (sometimes called the Swap File) or the Master File Table. To run at peak performance you should use a third party defrag utility such as Diskeeper. Third party programs 'one-up' the built in Windows utility because they have the advanced features that allow you to defrag the entire drive.

Lastly, another reason many PC's start to lose performance over time is that too many programs are running in the background. This happens over time because software developers assume that you want to run their application every time you're at your computer. So for your "convenience" they helpfully add their app to the startup group. That's fine except by the time you've added 30 or 40 new programs to your computer, you've got 30 or 40 programs starting up automatically every time you boot your computer. With all these programs hogging precious resources from your system, there isn't much left to do the things that you want to do. Here's the fix for that:

Click on 'Start' > 'Run'. In the dialog box type "msconfig" (without the quotes). Press enter. This launches the Windows Configuration Utility. At the far right is a tab labeled 'Startup'. Click this tab. Every program that starts automatically is listed with a checkmark beside it. Most people are surprised by the number of auto-starting programs that are listed. All of these programs can be safely disabled by un-checking the tick boxes. Don't worry, this doesn't remove or disable the program. It merely prevents the program from starting automatically just because you turn on your PC. All of the programs are still readily available from the start menu or from your desktop shortcuts. A word of caution, though. There are some programs that you do want to run automatically such as your antivirus and antispyware. Just leave the check in the box for any of these programs. When you're finished, click 'Apply' and 'OK'. You will see a message informing you that your computer must be restarted for the changes to take effect. After your PC has been restarted, you will be presented with a dialog telling you that you have used the System Configuration Utility. Just put a check in the box that says "Do not display this message on startup" and click OK. You won't see that dialog again (until next time you use the msconfig utility).

Essential Tips On How to Remove A Trojan

Before attempting to remove a trojan, first you should understand how a Trojan is able to infiltrate your computer and what damage it can do. Trojan's aren't true viruses, as they don't replicate themselves. A Trojan is malware.

Malware is software that is designed to infiltrate or damage your computer without your knowledge, which is similar to spyware, adware, and viruses also. A Trojan is a stealthy and sneaky program that exists to cause damage to you and your computer.

- Some examples of what Trojan's are programmed to do are:

- Erasing or overwriting data on your computer.

- Allowing remote access to your computer.

- Spreading other malware, such as viruses.

- Setting up networks of other computers in order to launch DDoS [Distributed Denial of Service Attack] or send spam.

- Spying on your computer and silently reporting data such as browsing habits to sender of the Trojan.

- Logging keystrokes to steal information such as passwords, credit card and bank account details.

- Phishing for bank or other account details, which can be used for criminal activities

- Installing a backdoor on a computer system, so your computer can be used without your knowledge or permission

- Collecting e-mail addresses and using them for spam

- Deactivating or interfering with anti-virus and firewall programs

How Did A Trojan Infect Your Computer?

A Trojan is able to gain access to your computer because it pretended to be an innocent or helpful program, or because you download movies, music or software illegally. Once the Trojan is activated, normally by you clicking on it thinking it's a useful program, it will start the job it was programmed for.

It will do this silently in the background without your knowledge and so will often only interfere a little with your computer, choosing to do their dirty work while your machine is idle. Computers left on and connected to the internet while you are asleep, at work or school are favourite targets.

Removing a Trojan can be tricky as they hide themselves in the computers registry files and manual deletion is not recommended. trojans can also disguise themselves as software your computer in reality needs, you could accidentally delete an essential program or system registry entry. This could result in your computer not being able to boot up.

Signs You May Have a Trojan

For more FREE computer tips and advice please visit the website

Home Computer Repair Know How

Computers are actually very easier to repair these days. Home Computer Repair activity classified into hardware problems and software problems. Software problems only the main source to repair the home computers again and again. If there is no antivirus program in our systems then it is easily attacked by threats. The famous computer threats are listed below

1. Vulnerabilities

2. Spy ware

3. Email spam

4. malware

5. Phishing

These threats are very powerful must repair the home computer. Prevention is better way to repair the home computers.

A software program which helps protect a computer against being infected by a virus is Called Antivirus Software. Most antivirus programs include an auto-update feature that enables the program to download profiles of new viruses so that it can check for the new viruses as soon as they are discovered.

The popular Antivirus software's are

1. Mcafee

2. Kaspersky

3. Avg

4. Avast

5. Symantec

Automatic updating is the easiest and reliable way to protect the computer from the latest threats. Antivirus software scans incoming emails for attached viruses. It monitors files as they are opened or created to make sure they are not infected. It performs periodic scans of every file on the computer.

The following steps are very important to prevent the computer from threats.

1. We must use original software's only.

2. We update our software and security patches up to date.

3. We use a reliable Internet security program to protect from spyware and other security risks.

4. We configure the firewall to block unsolicited requests for outbound communication.

5. We do not accept suspicious dialogs within the browser.

6. We do not download free deal of free offer without know the details.

7. Before installing any new software we must read End User License agreement.

8. Install Spam filtering/blocking software.

9. If we find an email is spam, delete the mail without fail.

10. Reject all Messages from people who are not in our messenger list.

11. Only open mails and attachments that come from trusted sources and are expected.

12. Before opening attachment we must scan the antivirus program.

13. Delete all unwanted messages without opening.

14. Without knowing the information about the website doesn't open that.

15. If a person on our messenger list is sending any strange messages, files or Web site links then don't accept.

16. Scan all files with a reliable Internet security program before transferring them to our system.

17. Only transfer files from secured sources.

18. Always use anti-virus programs when we are connected to the internet.

19. Don't open the pornographic sites for any reason.

If we follow the above steps then there is no need to repair the home computer. Most of the antivirus programs are freeware and shareware. We can easily download from the internet and use. If we find the any hardware problem in home computer then we identify which hardware is to be fault. Then only we take the necessary action to repair the home computer.

Visit our home computer repair help blog to learn how to keep your home computer in tip top shape!

Great Products For Personal & Everyday Use

We all search for those particular products whether it be personal use or to use in every day living. Some people look for products to help the train thier pet to use the yard for thier toiletry, some look for EBooks for guidence on wieght loss and health, some need help with bipolar dissorder disability.

I know many look for Anti-virus & registry cleaner software to clean the bugs out of thier computer system, while others are looking for guides to the perfect Koi Pond. Parents search the web for tools to keep thier child safe online from harmful predeters that prey on our young.

Huntsmen & women look for ways to get the trophy they dream about, many look for products of stress relief. There are those who want to enhance thier home based buisness, while others are looking for new tattoo designs.

Gardners are looking for the best soil or fertilizer to use in their prize winning gardens, and others are looking to enhance thier lovemaking skills for thier partners.

There are many people searching for the products that they want now, they don't want to wait 6-8 weeks for shipping and they don't want to pay a handling charge. People search the internet for just about anything these days. And you can buy just about anything too. So I suggest if your looking for any of the products that have been mentioned above,(we also carry more products not mentioned) or if your just courious, visit our site and search through our variety of choices and find what you need today!

There are many products that are in demand at this very moment, why not get yours now?

About the author:

We at want people to know that there are many wonderful products that help with everyday needs and wants. People should be able to purchase thier products in the saftey and privacey of thier own homes and not have to deal with waiting 6-8 weeks for thier product to show up on thier doorstep damaged. Our products are available after purchase without the wait. Did I mention that we have great prices on some of our products?

Registry cleaning software – Simple overview of how to improve PC performance

Are you struggling with a sluggish PC? Errors popping up all the time, programs not starting, or worse the blue screen of death? It's possible that you're suffering from registry errors on your PC and you don't even realize it. This article will show you how you can improve the performance of your computer using registry cleaning software. More specifically, we'll talk about why your registry gets messy, what registry software does to improve it, and what type of results you should expect.

Why do I need registry cleaning Software?

Your registry files hold a vast amount of information about your computer, its software, and hardware. Everything from file locations, device driver information, and even desktop shortcuts have information in the registry. Over time this area of your computer can become bogged down with old information. Information about programs that have since been un-installed or removed. This extra information can cause windows to hang or freeze when it goes searching for valid info it needs, only to get slowed down and thrown off track due to old files and errors.

The good news is that registry cleaning software was designed specifically to heal troubles like this. You don't need to be a computer guru, and in as little as a half hour you can have a shiny clean registry performing better then ever.

How does registry repair Software fix my registry?

The registry cleaning process isn't as technical as you might think. The first step is an initial scan performed by the software looking for items like we described in the previous section. These might be old deleted files, invalid registry keys, or empty lines in your registry. After the complete scan has is done the software then moves onto the repair process.

You have two options to repair the troubles that the software found during it's scan. One, you can have the registry cleaning software make the corrections automatically for you. Many first time users select this as their repair method, how ever it can cause more trouble then good. The second alternative to repair the items found during the scan is to manually review each item before it's repaired. While this can take a bit more time, it will ensure that valid registry entries are not deleted during the cleaning process.

What sort of results can I expect from a clean registry

This of course is one part of the equation that I cannot predict for every user. Some people will experience drastic differences in their PC start up speed, speed to open programs, and lack of freezing or crashing. Of course the extent to which you notice any changes will depend greatly on the degree of problems you were experiencing before you ran the software.

To ensure you get maximum performance out of your PC all the time it's wroth while using any scheduling features that might exist in the software. Scheduling registry cleaning software to automatically check for new errors every few weeks will ensure your computer is in tip top shape.

To learn more about registry cleaner software visit a popular website exploring the windows registry system how it can be repaired to improve performance.

Award Winning Antivirus Protection And It's Free To Home Users

Avira AntiVir is personal computer antivirus protection software program available for download that that not only offers you award winning service, but a price everyone can afford; it is free.

The company of Avira is a global leader that supplies computer security solutions for both private and professional use. With over, 250 computer security specialists employed in five countries and over 20 years experiences; Avira's 40 million current customers can be assured that research is being conducted on a regular basis that focuses on global computer security threats.

Avira offers a free download of Avira AntiVir Personal Antivirus to home personal computer users. This software offers reliable antivirus solutions to home computers around the world. This software works 24/7 in the background of your computer system scanning and promptly reacting to prevent detected threats from accessing your computer. The AntiVir Personal software detects several threats, including: viruses, trojans, backdoor programs, hoaxes, worms, dialers, and phishing.

For those home computers that may require more protection, or for the business user Avira AntiVir Premium offers all these services as well as protections against spyware, adware, email viruses (POP 3), annoying malware, plus game modes. Real time, fast updates are available through their premium server. Avira Premium Security Suite gives users the protection of all-around security for the internet, including firewall and spyware protection. It provides all of the services already stated but also provides the added protection of firewalls, anti-spam, proactive anti-phishing and game mode protection...

For home users, the Avira AntiVir software is free and Avira Premium Security Suite sells for $26.95 for a one year licensing period. Technical support includes: online reference manuals, a support forum, frequently asked questions and tutorials to train you how to best use your antivirus software. Your purchase and download are easily completed and you will begin to receive your antivirus protection.

How good is Avira at providing quality personal computer information security? Year after year Avira has earned multiple awards and international recognition. Most recently (February 2008) Avira earned their third Gold Award from Anti-Malware.ru for detection of polymorphic viruses. The web edition of the specialist IT magazine, CHIP online has awarded this company 1st place for its antivirus protection and virus Bulletin Magazine has awarded it with the VB100-Award, eleven times. Individuals, businesses and the computer industry trust this protection. With this type level of protection, computer corporations such as IBM, Sun, Novell, AVM and Clearswift depend on Avira for efficiency and competency.

If you need personal computer security, business, corporate or all around security that includes firewalls, spyware, and root kit detection Avira provides award-winning products backed by over 20 years of experience. Many home computer users fail to install or update their antivirus software once it expires because they do not know which provider to trust, cannot afford the protection or are worried and installing and using a new system. But with Avira Antivir, free software download, easy installation and free technical support all those fears and concerns are taken care of. Now users can rest assured knowing that their personal computer is protected against viruses and that their online experiences can be virus free.

Lisa Carey is a contributing author for Identity Theft Secrets: prevention and protection. You can get tips on Identity theft protection, software, and monitoring your credit as well as learn more about the secrets used by identity thieves at the Identity Theft Secrets blog.

Avoid Social Networking Dangers

Social networking sites, MySpace, Facebook and Bebo, and have climbed in popularity recently. They allow users to keep in contact with their friends and meet new ones, but they can also expose them to viruses, spyware and other online dangers. As the use of Web 2.0 applications, like wikis, blogs and social networking sites increases, they attract the attention of cyber criminals. Many of the people who use these sites are relatively new to the Internet and they can lack experience in dealing with online threats.

Many of the threats discussed in this article are historical. They have now been countered by site owners, but new ones will appear as attackers develop their methods in response to improved security. Social networking sites can spread threats very quickly, due to their interactive nature. This makes them very attractive as targets. Many threats take advantage of the fact that people trust their friends, and fail to realize how important it is to treat electronic communications with care, irrespective of their apparent source.

As with other aspects of Internet use, threats fall into two categories: behaviour-based and technology-based.

Behavior-Based Threats

Behaviour-based threats arise largely because users are careless regarding the personal information they share online. This can leave them vulnerable to phishing attacks and identity theft. Users often publish details of their friends, their likes and dislikes, hobbies and jobs, without realizing that this information can be invaluable to identity thieves as it can help them appear more credible.

Research carried out by IT security company Sophos on a random sample of Facebook users showed that 41% were prepared to divulge personal information like email address, date of birth and phone number to a complete stranger. The research involved creating a fictitious Facebook profile for a green plastic frog named Freddi and sending out 200 friend requests to randomly-chosen users throughout the world. 87 of the users contacted responded and 82 of them supplied personal information, including email addressed, date of birth, details about their education or workplace, address and phone number, as well as photos of friends and family and information about spouses, likes and dislikes and hobbies.

Internet Safety website Get Safe Online found in 2007 that one in four British social networking users had posted confidential personal information, such as their address or phone number or on their profiles. 13% of users had posted information or photos of other people online without their permission. This figure increased to an alarming 27% among 18-24 year-olds.

Phishing isn't the only threat to be found on social networking websites. Eleven students at a high school near Toronto were suspended for posting comments about their principal on Facebook after the school imposed a ban on electronic devices and implemented a uniform policy. A school spokesman described the comments as vulgar and profane and claimed that they amounted to amounted to cyber-bullying.

There have been several stories claiming that young girls have been raped by older men who encountered them via MySpace or Facebook, but none of these appear to have been conclusively proved. The real problem is that social networking sites offer an opportunity for men to meet young girls in an unsupervised environment, something which should be of grave concern to parents.

Technology-Based

Social networking sites can also be a source of technology-based threats. They allow millions of users to post content, so it's almost inevitable that some of these will be malicious individuals who will try to post viruses or spyware.

More than three million Facebook users were infected with spyware in less than four days at the beginning of 2008. A Facebook widget called "Secret Crush" or "My Admirer" is believed to have been downloaded by one and a half million users. It claimed to tell users who had a secret crush on them, but in reality fooled them into downloading the notorious Zango spyware. It spread by asking users to forward it to five friends.

Anti-virus vendor Symantec has claimed that vulnerabilities which could be used by hackers to take control of Windows PCs have been found in ActiveX controls offered to users for uploading images to their pages by both Facebook and MySpace. The insecure controls are based on an ActiveX control named Image Uploader, produced by Aurigma Inc.

Towards the end of 2005, 19-year old Samy Kamkar wrote a worm that infected more than a million MYSpace users and caused the site to shut down. The Samy worm added a million friends to his profile within a few hours, adding the string "but most of all, Samy is my hero" to each of their profiles. Kamkar was later sentenced to three years probation and made to perform 90 days of community service.

In January 2008 a 17-gigabyte file containing more than half a million pictures obtained from private MySpace profiles appeared on BitTorrent, a well-known peer-to-peer file sharing service. This is biggest privacy breach to date on a social networking site. It was made possible because a security vulnerability, first reported in Autumn 2007, allowed hackers to access the photo galleries of some MySpace users who had set their profiles to private. This is the default setting for users aged under 16. This attack allowed pedophiles and voyeurs to target vulnerable 14- and 15-year-old users.

In December 2007, Brazilian users of Google's Orkut application were attacked by a worm that tried to hijack compromised computers and steal bank account details. It spread via booby-trapped links placed on the personal page of Orkut users and infected users when they viewed messages sent by friends who had already been exposed.

This loophole was closed quickly, but another worm, called Scrapkut, appeared on Orkut early in 2008. It seemed harmless at first, but it was soon discovered that it could intercept login sessions at several Brazilian banking Web sites and replace components with a fake authentication prompt which could capture the users' logon credentials.

YouTube has also been used indirectly to infect sites with malware. Many Internet users have received spam messages asking them to click on an attached YouTube video clip. The link actually takes them to a fake YouTube sight where they are told that they must install Adobe Flash Player to play the video. Clicking the supplied download link causes a file called install_flash_player.exe. This is the same name as the real Flash installer, but it actually installs a trojan known as Trojan-Dropper.W32/Agent.

How Can You Protect Yourself?

We've looked at some of the dangers you need to guard against on social networking sites, but what can you do to protect yourself against them? Technology-based attacks can often be repelled by the usual software defenses, ie: anti-virus software can prevent infection by viruses, trojans and worms, and anti-spyware programs can protect you against spyware and adware. A top-quality firewall (remember that the one supplied with Windows XP is fairly basic) can protect you against hackers and Internet safety suites can offer protection against a range of threats.

Behavior-based attacks rely on tricking users into behaving in an unsafe manner. These are more difficult to combat as they can only be countered by a changing user behavior. The Get Safe Online website offers some guidelines for networking safely, including the following:

Don't let peer pressure push you into doing something you're not comfortable with.

Avoid publishing information which can identify you, eg: phone numbers, pictures of your home, workplace or school, your address, birthday or full name.

Choose a user name that doesn't include any personal information.

Set up a disposable email account (eg: Hotmail or GMail) that doesn't look like your real name and use that to register and receive mail from the site.

Use a strong password with at least eight characters.

Avoid saying anything or publishing pictures that could embarrass you later.

Use the privacy features on the site to control access to your profile.

Be on the lookout for phishing scams.

If you ensure that your software defenses are strong and up-to-date and follow the above guidelines you should be able to enjoy surfing on social networking sites without problems.

If you have young children you should ensure that they are not allowed access to the Internet in an unsupervised environment. It's much better if the computer is in a family area, such as a lounge or dining room, rather than hidden away in a bedroom. Even with older children you should try to keep an eye on their Facebook or MySpace profiles and watch out for any changes in behavior which may suggest that they are encountering online problems.

Ted Hastings has over 35 years experience of IT and education. He has written a textbook on Internet Safety Skills and writes a popular blog entitled Surf Safely.

Preventing Malware & Spyware Attacks

As more computer owners learn about spyware and its damaging effects on our PC's, there is still a hidden threat that hasn't made front-page news yet. Sure, some of us have heard of the growing 'malware problem,' but in order to prevent such an occurrence from affecting us, it's vital to know the basics of this nasty, new PC predator.

• Malware is like a computer virus. They're hard-to-find and at times, difficult to remove.

• It drastically slows down our PC speed-As a result of ad-buildup and tracking devices, your computer may run noticeably slower.

• File sharing is a huge source of harmful malware, especially in instances like illegal music downloading.

• Unintentionally visiting harmful websites masking as legitimate pages can increase your chances of picking up malware.

• Your Internet search habits can be recorded and distributed to unknown sources through the use of malware.

• If you surf to a site and notice you're consistently being redirected, this is a symptom of malicious malware.

• Malware often tries to steal your personal information. For instance, Voice Over IP Provider Skype just reported a malware stunt whereby users were asked for log-on information on a phony sign-in screen.

In many ways, malware is like the big brother of spyware. It often bundles many unseen threats together, increasing your chances of being attacked. Installing an anti-spyware software program such as STOPzilla is one measure we can take to diminish the risk posed on our PC's.

6StarR cites that STOPzilla not only protects you from spyware, it blocks phishing attempts (those browser hijacks commonly associated with malware.) Spyware Doctor provides comprehensive threat detection through their Spider Scanning Technology, a great feature. Many spyware removal programs offer great deals for you to save: such as 15% off on Spyware Doctor products as exclusively reported by 6StarR Though research on malware and its effects are in the early stages, protecting your PC now is an action all computer owners should make.

Kelly Liyakasa is staff writer for 6StarR a site dedicated to giving YOU, the consumer, the best product and web service reviews around. If you like saving time and money by having someone else review leading sites and products, then visit http://6 for more information.

How could we make us safe nowadays when evil intents are getting growth

We are living in exciting times. Day by day we experience an enormous technical development - especially within computer technologies.

Almost every person in the world has at least a minimum of computer experience. We use different programs for different activities and the programs are often very helpful to us. Many people from different countries are involved in software development. Not only from the large companies like Microsoft, Symantec, IBM and others. There are a lot of small companies or

individual developers making software for every aspect of life. It's hard to find a task that doesn't have a matching program helper.

This is all very well. It means that we can use our computers to improve and simplify our lives.

But there are things that can ruin our great relationship with the computer, and the worst by far is the virus. And there are many different viruses - trojans, sniffers, adware, spyware (sometimes called "malware"). They work in mysterious ways, from showing annoying dummy adds and stealing personal data to erasing programs and even destroying the computers.

Luckily, there is a cure for almost anything. The normal medicine for this is antivirus software. But there are so many programs on the market and it is hard to decide which is the best. We all spend a lot of money and time downloading, installing and updating such software, and everybody needs a watch dog to protect the computer from the infected files.

Lately, a new and interesting approach in the war against virus has developed with all the web based file storages that claim to check all files for malware and provide malware cleanness confirmations. The most important to look for on these sites is how the actual checking and result is described.

Our web site was the first site of this kind. We check files and assure its visitors that we work to make their surfing much safer. What this means? We receive files and check them by our antivirus software. In each case we give a full report about all the files items and their malware staus. We do not only use self developed software but third party software as well, and best of all, this web site feature is free of charge. Software authors can inform their users about their software cleanness by using our reports. Every program on our web site has it's own antivirus report. Follow our web site to make sure.

There's also other an option that's free of charge - you can check any file on the web without getting it onto your computer by using - the online checking form. You can submit a file and receive a full analogue report as it was described above. The second option - web browser plug-ins allowing you to produce checking request without typing of file's URL in the checking request form. Those plug-ins allow you just to call a menu item. After clicking the menu item, the file will be enqueued to be checked. Then you will receive an URL of further report.

The surfing safety is more and more important and we try to solve the one part of that - cleanness of files that people get from worldwide web.

- web site with chekced software

- online utility to check software without downloading

- checking browser plugins

Its Halloween! Spooks, Specters and Spyware!

It was late, I had put off going to the Software Convention till the last minute. I just had to watch my favorite show on TV, "S-Files". Its that episode where the Computer Salespeople all turn into Pod People and ,,,,well never mind. Its really scary!

So I'm driving down the lonely one lane road from my house to the Convention. Its dark and the shadows are creepy, I'll never watch S-Files again, I swear! I pull into the parking lot, the convention is being held in the old YMCA. Geez, its dark, only 1 parking lot light and its flickering on and off. As I walk up to the entrance, I remember the old story about how, back in the Dot.Com days, when they tanked, the building was used as a makeshift morgue, to hold all the bodies of the CEO's who committed suicide.

I get this really creepy feeling on the back of my neck as I go in,,,,oh, its just a Linux software salesman at the first booth. Is it my imagination or are his eyes glowing?

I head to the registration desk to get a program. I see the place is kind of empty, guess cause its so late. Well, I'm here to see who is offering the latest demos and what kind of freebies I can score.

The front booths are usually the big sellers and they never give away freebies or demos. So I head to the back, hmmm, the lights back here are terrible!

Here's a booth, anti-spyware 4 U. The salesman shuffles up to me and says "Please take a demo of our new product". I look at it, it says this is the latest greatest software to combat Spyware. I take the CD out of the plain paper cover and look at the Logo. Its just a plain shiny cd? Wow I can see myself in it I remark.

"We spared no expense" a voice says behind me, making me jump. I didn't even know he was behind me. Wait, I should have seen him behind me in the reflection off the CD. I I've got to be imagining things I say to myself.

I ask the salesman for a brochure about their other products and as he hands it to me, our fingers brush each others.

Jeez! His fingers are as cold as ice! Well, he is a salesman after all.

I thank him and head off to the other booths, seeing that I've gotten here too late after all, everybody is leaving. I decide to swing by the refreshments table to see if I can at least get a drink and some cookies.

It sure is dark in here I think again as I come up to the table. As I scan the table, a little old lady comes up and asks me if Id like any milk and cookies. Yes Mam I reply.

She hands me a little plate with cookies and paper cup of something white. I assume its milk, but its so dark in here! And there seems to be a fog or steam on the surface of the milk. Well beggars cant be choosers I think to myself as I thank her. She gives me a freaky cackling laugh as I turn away, stunned I turn back around and to my Horror, there is no-one there! Where in blazes did she go ?

I'm out of here my mind screams to me as I head for the door at a ever faster walk. In a minute I'm in my car with the doors locked and the engine warming up.

Whew, That was the strangest Convention I've ever seen. All the way home I've got a death grip on the wheel, just waiting for something to jump out of the shadows. Like a IBM salesman, now that would be scary!

If only I had known the other horrors that awaited me! I breathe a sigh of relief as I close and lock the living room door behind me. Still shaking my head I head over to my computer to try out this latest and greatest Anti-Spyware Software. As it boots, I get a message to disable my own Anti-Spyware program. I thing this odd, but I remember reading somewhere online that some programs can conflict with others so I comply.

After a few seconds I get a message that the new Program is installed and it needs to connect to get possible updates.

So I get online and let it do its thing. A reboot is needed it says, OK so I reboot. The computer comes up and I get online to check out the latest results of the Mullet

contest. what's this ? This isn't my Homepage, it's a site where you can ,,,Holy Hand Grenades! Its Porn!

I close the Browser and man alive, I'm beset by about a dozen pop ups offering me things that, well, no decent person would want. I'm figuring now that I've been had by this Anti-Spyware CD.

I do a Restore and get back to my Online Mullet competition site. Then I remember that I need to transfer some money in my savings to my checking account. So I head to the Bank site and take care of it. I must be tired, the computer seems slow to me. I check my mail and the wait to login is frustrating.

I decide to call it a night. I'll take care of it tomorrow.

After a tossing and turning night and dreams of my computer melting, the new day dawns. With a cup of coffee I head to the computer to see who won the Mullet Contest. The boot takes forever and the login freezes the first time so I have to power off and back on again.

I'm really mad by now. I've been had by some sleazy software company! I finally get online but the Mullet competition site wont load. I cant tell if it's the computer or maybe the online connection.

As it dawns on me that I'm going to have to take it in for service, I hope I've got some extra in my savings to cover it. I head to the Bank site but it wont load either. Then I notice the Hard Disk light blinking away. I'm not doing anything at the time so it shouldn't be accessing anything.

Cursing, I turn the computer off and pick up the phone to call the bank.

I get a live person after waiting only 5 minutes so I figure the day may be improving. I give her my account info and she comes back saying "I show that account being closed last night after all money was withdrawn"! .

There must be a mistake I say, she checks it again and says its true. The money in the account was transferred to a Bank she has never heard of in ,,,,Transylvania of all places. As I hang up in shock, I could have sworn I heard her laughing just like the old lady at the convention did last night.

I figure I better head to the Police Station to get some help. In a Panic I head for town. As I make the last turn into town, I glance towards the location of the YMCA, where all this started, only to see its not there! Its burned to the ground! Stunned, I stop in the street and get out.

Nothing but ashes. The Man in the car behind me gets out and asks me if I'm ok. I mumble I'm lucky to be alive, I could have died in there last night. Puzzled the man says, but the YMCA burned down 2 nights ago!

As I get back into the car, I glance at the spot on the seat where I put the CD and the Pamphlet. Gone. Just a little pile of dust. At the Police station, a sergeant takes down my story and informs me I've been the victim of online Identity theft. As I'm leaving, A couple of kids run by, in costumes, yelling "Happy Halloween"

Are you scared ? You should be!

About the Author:

Doug Woodall writes to educate about computer security.

He also hopes you visit his website at

the next time you need a computer

security product.

Computer Hacking Must Stop

Though I do not understand computers very well, I have used a computer since about 1993. Now that my fingers are no longer so flexible I love my computer even more than before. Using E-mail I am able to correspond with friends and family. And I am able to keep my thoughts organized using my word processor.

One thing about computers which I absolutely hate is the way some others use their computers -- hacking! Hackers should be jailed without regard to their age. Hackers have caused both you and me to lose a lot of money.

They are guilty of creating frustration and aggravation for those of us who are simply trying to enjoy using our computers. Hackers may be very bright when it comes to understanding computers but they are ignorant, thoughtless and uncaring when faced with the consequences of their actions.

Personally, through the years I expect I have spent at least 100 hours troubleshooting various problems. In addition, I believe I have spent about $5000 in upgrading and/or replacing my computer and in buying software to prevent the problems which hackers create.

I read recently that successful computer hackers might also be able to steal your identity. Now that is scary! Viruses, trojans, adware, and slow loading or non-functioning computers are bad enough. But now we learn that hackers could actually destroy your life by stealing your identity!

Where will it all end?

Computer protection programs are available. But many, if not all, do nothing to stop someone from sending problems to your computer. However, some of those programs are quite efficient in removing those problems, once a problem is recognized. It seems prefferable to stop the problem from being placed on your computer in the first place.

But I think I have found a program which will stop computer hackers. I have just downloaded a program called Security Suite which can run continuously in the background and stop hackers from gaining access to your computer for whatever reason they may have in mind. The download took less than a minute. And after the free scan turned up no problems on my computer I feel secure.

The cost is reasonable and with a full eight week money back guarantee, there is nothing to lose.

I highly recommend you least get the free scan. I think you will agree that this product is worthwhile for your peace of mind and for your personal, or business, security.

Here's to a happy computing experience. L. Bowlin

When shopping for computer protection be certain to visit the site for Security Suite at Click Here! There, you will find comprehensive 24/7 personal and computer protection.

Anti-Virus Software for Back to School

As parents, college students and kids alike prepare for the back-to-school season, there are plenty of things on everyone's minds. While university enrollees prepare to throw down hundreds on college textbooks, younger students are getting their school supplies lists from new teachers. However, there is one item that should be on every new school year list: anti-virus software.

These days, most every student uses a computer for homework, research and we cannot forget about games and music downloads. Using a PC is nearly mandatory in anyone's daily life in the 21st century, especially a student's. For many college students, heading back to campus means connecting their wireless routers to the university network, which may pose a greater threat than the Web connection from the comfort of your home.

The Information Age has opened doors to countless benefits, but also pitfalls. More students are expected to email professors or teachers with file after attached file of book reports and research papers. What about online classes? Many college campuses require students to participate in Web portal classroom discussions and work critiques, which utilizes file sharing.

Anti-virus software is a key component of any student's desktop or notebook PC, mainly because of the high volume of downloads, emails and files that are sure to make their way into each and every computer. According to a consumer survey, about 78% of respondents intend to spend the most on school supplies, coming in over apparel and book bags. While school supplies used to mean folders, pens and post-it's, items like anti-virus software are becoming the norm and the necessary. After all, the more you use a computer, the better your security and virus protection must be.

Kelly Liyakasa is staff writer for 6StarR Kelly Staller is site manager at 6StarR a site dedicated to giving YOU, the consumer, the best product and service reviews around. If you like saving time and money by having someone else review leading sites and products, then visit us at: for more information.

Avoiding Internet Frauds

Never before has communication been so quick and simple. In todays high-speed internet age, users are now presented with an increasing number of ways to converse with family, friends, clients, and merchants. Unfortunately, as technology improves, so do the instances of internet frauds.

The criminal fraudsters are always looking to benefit from loopholes presented by technology, especially where commercial transactions are involved. With the emergence of online banking and the numerous benefits associated with it, many consumers are taking up this option and creating the necessary online accounts. The fraudster has very cleverly taken advantage of this ecommerce fraud through the use of email and something that has been termed 'Internet Phising'.

Phising involves the setting up of a website that will resemble that of an official commercial enterprise, such as your credit card company. The site is used specifically to capture an individual's confidential details such as 'username' and 'password'. Armed with the necessary details, the fraudster can get into the persons account and exploit it.

Avoid The Click-through Via Emails

In order to capture your details, you must first be directed to this 'scam' website. You will be asked to do this via an extremely professional and legitimate looking email. These scams email will often contain the relevant logo's and usual disclaimers so that they have the look and feel of an authentic message. The main body of the email will inform you that in order for 'an issue' to be resolved, they will need you to log in to your account, perhaps verify a few details and then your account will be updated. You will be presented with a hyperlink, for your convenience, so that you can log directly into your account through this email. This is exactly what you must never, ever do! On no occasion must you ever log in to a website via an email, where your confidentiality may be at risk. Always open up a new browser window and enter the specific website Homepage details. Once there, log in through the normal means. It may take you a few minutes longer to do it this way, but you will not be handing over your personal details to a thief!

If by mistake, you do happen to fall victim to this type of internet frauds, and you do realize that you have actually submitted your details to a copycat website, contact the company straight away and inform them of what has happened so that they can protect your account. Forward the email that you received to the real company so that they can investigate its origins. They can also alert their other customers to be aware of this email scam. Failure to report such an incident as early as possible, could cost you more than just a few phone calls to your credit card company. Depending on what information has been captured, some people may find that they have their entire personal identity taken over altogether!

The cost involved in restoring not only one's credit file, but also reputation. If criminal activity has taken place in your name, then all legal action will be taken against your name. This can take months to sort out. Very recently, a journalist from the UK, went to Europe on holiday. During his excursion, he was paid a visit by the local Police and found himself locked up behind bars for a couple of days. The Police arrested this individual as he was wanted in connection with fraudulent activities in their country. The journalist had actually had a break-in a few years back. One of the items stolen was his Passport. Although he followed all the correct guidelines such as reporting it lost, and having a new one issued, the old version was obviously, still in use and was now connected to some serious criminal activities.

After the intervention of the local British Authorities, he was eventually cleared of all wrong-doing and involvement in the case. This person is now quite (understandably) wary of returning to this place.

How To Protect Oneself From Internet Phising?

Basically, one needs to remain 'alert'. It is when you drop your guard that you may fall victim to this email fraud. Remember, it will be difficult to block these messages as there will not be any attachments, or viruses, that would normally trigger your internet security program. Now that you have been made aware of such internet frauds, be vigilant and encourage others to do the same.

Develop further knowledge on how you too can minimize internet frauds by visiting our site at

Removing Common Errors on Your Computer

Ever get annoyed when you start your computer to find errors preventing you from using your computer properly? Have you ever seen the dreaded "Blue Screen of Death"?

Most errors on your computer can be caused by spyware, malware, and even viruses. Most of the time we get this simply by installing a "Free" program off the Internet.

Most spyware comes from "Free" programs we find on the Internet. Often they mention they contain spyware in the license agreement which most people fail to read or understand.

Viruses come in all shapes and sizes, and usually come from infected software or websites we use and visit. More often than not our virus scanner will sound alarms when we try to use infected software or try to open an infected website.

Malware is usually installed secretly without our knowledge. Most of the time it comes from websites or programs that have it.

Spyware, Malware, and Viruses can slowly destroy your computer. A good virus scanner can help, but it doesn't eliminate all forms of malware and spyware.

Having an up-to-date virus scanner does help, but often the scanner can't remove all types of spyware. Usually another program is required to actually remove the spyware.

Bug Doctor is one of those programs. It was designed to help virus scanners remove these spyware and malware threats from your computer.

So start fixing these errors easily with Bug Doctor. Bug Doctor can fix 98% of all computer errors and issues you may encounter using your computer.

Before you waste another second trying to fix problems on your computer, be sure to check out Thomas Haddelin's free report on fixing common computer problems, and his helpful spyware removal tips!

Computer Viruses - do you have adequate protection?

You have a virus - these are words that you don't want to hear either from your doctor or your computer tech, fortunately your body usually recovers from a virus with no long lasting effects. This may not necessarily be the case with your computer though. Simple viruses can slow down your system as they quietly distribute themselves to many other computers, whereas the more complex ones can completely trash your computer's systems causing it to crash.

Internet worms such as Doom, Novrag and RPC are infecting thousands of computers worldwide. So what possesses rogue programmers to design these menaces? Some do it for curiosities sake, some see it as an art form and some want to see their creations wreak havoc on the world's networked computer systems. The problem with fighting these viruses is that they are created and modified on a daily basis. Programmers of anti-virus software are continually trying to stay one step ahead of the virus creators, this is why you need a software package that is continually updated.

If you surf the web you simply must have virus protection and there are many and varied reasons for this. Apart from the inconvenience that having a virus can cause there is also the threat to your online security. Protection of your sensitive information is paramount and the anti-virus software package that you choose should offer complete security for your private data. Identity theft, credit card theft and private documents being sent around the internet are all problems that can arise from your computer being infected with a virus. There is no need to spell out the repercussions of such an event and the time and money that can be lost.

With so many anti-virus programs being available you need to be sure that the package that you decide on is up to the task. As mentioned, frequent updates are important as is security for your private information and protection from all viruses and worms. The majority of programs offer spyware removal, adware removal and a free initial scan to see where any issues lie which is also helpful.

For more information and reviews of the top three programs available today please visit Tried n Tested.

The SpyCrush Threat

Those who are in the market for an anti-virus or anti-spyware program, which will protect their computer from all the traps out there, are at an unusual risk that they may not be aware of. On the web, there are a number of rogue security programs being advertised and they will do anything but protect a computer. The cold truth is that they are designed to trick web users and if downloaded, they will slow down their computers, bombard them with irritating pop-up ads, and more importantly, they will often compromise their privacy.

SpyCrush is one of these "fake" anti-spyware programs to be on the lookout for. With a trojan, SpyCrush will install itself on your computer and unless it's removed immediately, it can do tremendous harm to your system.

SpyCrush is likely a clone of VirusBurst. After all, it looks just like VirusBurst and if you read the user agreement, VirusBurst is actually in it. Essentially, this newer version of VirusBurst is a form of "ransomware," because if a web surfer does install it, instead of it scanning their computer for spyware and viruses and promptly removing them, it will actually issue warnings titled "Security Alert!" which advise them to then download the full version of SpyCrush to correct the situation.

By Patrick Federer for

- Here you'll learn about Spycrush

Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Spyware

John Locke said that "no one ought to harm another in his life, health, liberty, or possessions",Yet as I sit here at my computer this morning, I get the feeling that the attempts being made to keep the Internet's safe will not come to fruition soon.

Yes, I can hear you saying, "don't be such a downer, Doug"

Well, hear me out.

Lets explore John Lockes quote shall we?

Life. Yours, mine, your loved ones. Its yours, to do with what you will. Well, sometimes your will is to use the Internet's. But how secure are you? Is your AntiVirus, antispyware and Firewall working and up to date? Do you know what is a Spam email is and not to click on the URL they provide? These decisions can affect your life if you are online.

Next, Liberty or as I prefer to think of, Freedom. To have access to particular resources without constraint. If online threats are making your life hectic, would you consider your rights violated? I would if I found out that some drive by download had installed a keylogger on my computer and then cleaned out my bank account. Or how about while you're trying to conduct business online and you keep getting these awful pop=ups telling you about the sale at Harveys Fish Emporium.

Are your Liberties/ Freedoms being constrained yet?

Now we come to the best part, the pursuit of Spyware. Ok, so John Locke didn't say anything about Spyware, Write your own article, this ones mine!

Threats to our online safety are growing in leaps and bounds by the day. I learned long ago, there is always someone out there who is better than anyone previously. The attacks on servers, the Bot networks, the phishing, the URL re-directs, Keyloggers, Image Spam, it just goes on and on. Your personal information is at risk every minute you are online.

I know, you have the best AntiVirus, AntiSpyware, Firewall there is. But is it really? How do you know? When was the last time you ran "Hijack This" and uploaded the results to a help Forum like MajorGeeks, Bleeping Computer or DaniWeb? Its the only way to make sure your computer is clean. And theres no guarantee it wont become re-infected two minutes after you leave the Forum.I know it happens because I frequent these Forums and I see hundreds of freaked users pleading for help. Many are repeat submitters.

Which brings me to the whole purpose of this article. To bring into the spotlight those out there who fight everyday to help keep us safe. They sit at their computers for hours at a time, examining postings in Forums to help others they don't even know stay out of the clutches of those who would benefit from the misfortune of others.

Ever get that feeling of helplessness that comes when your computer wont work right.

Remember? Not fun huh? These people read your postings and know your pain. Its hard to do this also, they have to help you fix your computer thru posting instructions for you to do. Miscommunication and frustrations can cause it to take longer and compound the repairs.

Then there are the organizations that go after the meanies that cause your pain.

They put out alerts and issue fixes. These include The Alliance of Security Analysis Professionals, The anti-spyware Coalition, The Council of Advocates for Relief from malware Assimilation, The Spamhaus Project, just to name a few. There are plenty more out there that are fighting the good fight every day. The goal is a communication arena where all can participate without concern of malicious intent.

Kind of like the old days when the Internet first existed.

Back then there were "Hackers". They were mostly driven by ego and competition to see who was the best. Now its mostly about money. Legions of Bot captured computers sending out Spam and ads going to millions and millions of unprotected servers, computers and of course, into your email. Theres also the Pharming of websites, waiting like a spider in its lair for you to show up and give you a lil driveby download of something special. You name the evil that people do and you can find it online. Thank goodness the goodness of the Internet's is on the other side of the scale.

So, the solution? Make another one and try again? I don't have the answer, I do know that there are good people out there who want safety for all and are making a good show of it. They deserve our thanks.

I believe there is alway bad that comes with the good. A balance or whatever. And like the other saying goes, Retaining Freedom for all requires constant vigilance.

So be vigilant.

About the Author: Doug Woodall has a website at

There he provides free information

and recommended products to combat Spyware, Viruses and

other Online Nasties.

5 Steps To Easily Keep Your PC Running Smooth And Fast

Most people who use computers today use them for work, games,

research or socialization. With more and more people trying to

begin home businesses, the computer has become the essential tool

for their business startup and operation. People want to optimize

their computers so that they will be as efficient as possible;

however, there are many factors associated with the performance

output of a personal computer.

In order for a computer to reach and maintain maximum

performance, many factors must be considered. On the hardware

side of the equation, one must consider their processor speed and

system memory. With regards to the software side of your

computer, you must be aware of your computer's privacy

protection, system security, and anti-virus software.

Additionally, you should do your best to take care of your

Windows operating system - such as Windows XP or Windows Vista –

including its registry and the files cleanup process.

To keep a PC running smoothly and error-free, there are some

basic steps that anyone can follow. Fortunately, none of these

steps are really at all difficult. Anyone can do these tasks,

with a little bit of basic education. Keep this article around

for future reference, just in case you need it again.

Shut-Down Processes

First off, it is important to understand that programs need to be

given the proper signals to shut down. It is strongly recommended

that you never simply unplug your machine to turn it off. Please

go through the normal shut down procedures, no matter how long

those processes might take.

If you lose power, it really is an unavoidable event. Microsoft

has done a good job at helping Windows know when it was shut down

improperly, so the next time you start up your computer, your

operating system might repair itself. Typically, when you restart

your computer after an improper shut down, it might take a few

minutes longer to boot up than usual. Let Windows do its long

boot up after it has unexpectedly shut down. The longer boot up

process is Windows attempt to repair any corruptions caused by

the unexpected shut down of your computer's operating system.

If you need to shut down your system more quickly than usual, we

strongly recommend that you utilize the Control-Alt-Delete key

combination, and then select Shut Down from your Windows Task

Manager window. By utilizing this shut down method, Windows will

make appropriate notes to itself that it will need to do some

cleanup on its next boot up sequence.

If Windows is not allowed to clean up after itself, you run the

risk of corrupting the operating system or different programs you

have loaded on your computer. Corruption of programs may force

you to reinstall those programs. Corruption of your data files is

the worst-case scenario – you could lose hours or years of work

in a single moment, as a result of your impatience. Don't be

impatient; let your computer do what it needs to do to repair and

protect your system files.

Unnecessary Applications Running In The Background

The "background" is not the image on your desktop. "Running in

the Background" is a reference to programs that are running on

your system in invisible mode. In some cases, they are completely

invisible, and in other cases, the only indication that they are

operating is their icon in your System Tray, next to your clock.

Certain programs think that they need to be operating in your

System Tray at all times. QuickTime, Yahoo Messenger, MSN

Messenger are three of these types of programs. Microsoft Office

even thinks it should be loaded and running in your background.

If you use these applications frequently and need access to them

almost instantaneously on a frequent basis, then yes, you

probably should let them run in the background. But, most of us

only use those applications on an infrequent basis.

The theory of having those applications running in the background

is that it prevents you needing to wait thirty seconds while the

software loads, when you need access to those applications. But,

there is a significant amount of trade-off for thirty seconds of

reduced wait time. That trade-off is a less-responsive computer.

In worst-case scenarios, the thirty seconds saved at program

start-up could trim minutes of productivity from your full

workday.

While your system is operating, you can right-click on any icon

next to your clock and most programs will allow you the option to

select Close Application. By closing unnecessary applications,

you can literally speed up the Windows operating system.

With most versions of Windows, you can also go to Start – Run and

then type in "msconfig" and click OK. Once the Windows System

Configuration Utility opens, click the tab that reads Startup.

You can review the list and deselect items that you will not want

to open when your computer boots up. It is important to note here

that you should only close applications that you recognize and

know that you can live without. Don't turn off an item in the

Startup window, unless and until you know what that file really

does. A quick search for that file name on the Internet will

generally turn up lots of pages explaining what those files do in

your Windows operating system environment.

Mean Kids On The Internet

Mean kids, who are also computer nerds, frequently grow up to be

computer programmers who create Viruses and Spyware

applications.

The mean teenagers of the programming world get their kicks from

turning our lives upside-down, with viruses that create a

multitude of problems on whatever machines they can get their

software installed. Virus writers with a criminal history

frequently grow up to be people who write trojans and Spyware

applications that seek to steal our private information

A trojan is a malicious program that pretends to be a screensaver

or some other non-threatening and fun kind of thing. When you

execute it on your computer, it installs malicious software and

then it does its dastardly deeds.

Trojans and Spyware typically try to harvest private information

from your computer for the financial benefit of its creator. Most

of these kinds of computer programs only want to shove their

advertising in your face (adware) or track your Internet usage

habits, so they can sell that information to other businesses;

but the really ugly versions try to steal your credit card data

and other financial data from your computer.

For some people, Trojans and Spyware computer programs are

responsible for as much as a 60% deterioration of a computer's

performance capability.

Forgotten Programs On Your Computer

Do you remember some of those 30-day free trial software

applications that you tried once or twice, but never used again?

Some of these applications may be running in the background of

your computer. All of these programs are also still taking up

space on your hard drive.

Never go into your Windows Explorer and simply delete folders

that contain the software programs you will never use again.

Instead, every two or three months, you should utilize your Add /

Remove Programs procedure, which can be accessed by going to

Start – Settings – Control Panel - Add or Remove Programs, and

remove old computer programs that you no longer use. This can

frequently free up a lot of extra space on your hard drive. It

can also free up some extra memory in your computer, if the

program had been running in the background of your operating

system at startup.

Final Closing Thoughts

If you still encounter problems after following the above

suggestions, you may wish to try out "Advanced Windows Care v2

Personal". It has been designed to help you perform all of these

essential protection and maintenance processes for your computer,

enabling you to get on with more important tasks like making more

money. This software can remove adware and Spyware programs from

your computer system, protect your privacy, prevent security

threats, fix registry errors, and much more.

This program is an all-in-one systems utility that only requires

a single click each day for proper computer maintenance,

optimization and protection. It is free, so try it out. Remember,

if you don't like the software, we have already taught you how

to remove it, if you ever wanted to do so. If you want to keep

the software, that is fine too.

Trever Soutter writes about computer software and system

maintenance and optimization. If you find that your personal

computer is starting to run slower and slower, then it is time

for you to do some serious system maintenance. The "Advanced

Windows Care Personal" software will clean and optimize your

system for maximum Windows performance, enabling you to speed

up Windows by as much as three times. Learn more and get the

free download here:

How to Secure Your Network ?

Network security is a method of preventing your computer network from the unauthorized user access, email spoofing, trojan horses, denial of service, hacking, viruses, spyware and intruders etc. There are different securities mechanisms are being employed to protect the network. If a hacker gets control of your computer or network, he can send viruses or steal your company's confidential data. Similarly if any computer in your network is infected with the viruses or spyware, all other computers will also be infected if no proper security system has been implemented. Securing a network is most important job description of the network administrators, security specialists, network engineers and IT managers. You can secure your computer network by the following security methods.

Network Security Tips

Use virus Protection Software

Don't open unknown email attachments

Use regular backup of your critical data

Make boot disk

Use Firewall program

Authenticate users

Implement Security Policy in your network

Keep an inventory of your software and hardware and make a list of all the devices.

SCAN TCP/UDP services

Don't provide more rights to the system resources than necessary.

Perform the network security testing and find the holes and fix them.

Place your server at very safe place.

Prepare an Assistant Network Administrator and train him/her about all the security related matters so that he/she can control the network in your absence.

Monitor the user's activities on the internet and block all the unwanted websites, web applications which have security risks.

If you have wireless network then the following methods are very helpful in securing your wireless network.

Wireless Network Security

SSID (Service Set Identifier) –

WPA (Wi-Fi Protected Access)

WEP (Wired Equivalent Privacy)

TKIP (Temporal Key Integrity Protocol)

MAC Addressing (Media Access Control)

DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol)

Encryption

B. Bashir manages this website Networking Tutorials and regularly writes articles on various topics such as Computer Networking, Network Troubleshooting Tips Wireless Networking, Computer Hardware, Certifications, How Tos, Network Security Guide and computer tips.

Anti Virus Software Not Working,

It cost you good money to take your computer down to the shop to be cleaned out. How many times have you had to take that computer in? Doesn't it just make sense to you that since we have 1.8 million computer hackers in this world if they are getting into your PC, something must not be working?

I have found a company that is tackling the problem head on. This company is moving in the right direction. They want to end I.D. Theft, make computers safe and stop cyber crime.

We need to know no one else is watching what we are watching. Do you know that is true that someone can get into your computer from thousands of miles away and see what you see. I think that we need to know for sure we are safe when we surf on the Internet.

Top Notch called the "Best Of Breed" is what makes up this company products. You can get a free virus scan, even if you have the latest store brand Anti Virus protection and the Invisus Brand Company will find something in that free scan. No longer do you have to worry about it.

They have big clients using the exact same programs. If it is good enough for Home Land Security, it must be good enough for us. I would just join up with these guys, try it out and if the problems go away, you will know I was right.

Cyber Crime can hurt innocent people by taking their Identification and cleaning them out. We must join together and fight Cyber Crime. It is not going to go away any day soon without us getting on top of this.

Please compare the facts at You'll be glad you did.

Tim Clark is a free lance writer that has found this company by doing research for others and is now working to get the word out about them. While he lives in Oregon, the Internet makes the world a much smaller place. To send Tim and email just write to; Tim@ About the author: Tim Clark can make some great suggestions on finding your perfect Cyber Crime Fighting Company. For a

Anti virus software

Though viruses are mushrooming at a faster rate than vaccines still there are very good and reasonable anti-virus software to assist its users to keep their computer system virus free. At present, the following are the most popular anti virus software:

Norton anti virus

Dr.soloman

PC clean

The function of anti-virus software is to perform one or more of the following functions:

Prevention: Anti-virus programs may be preventive or restorative. Preventive techniques include stopping attempts at direct access such as formatting and deleting, or even write protecting the hard disk while testing familiar software. The restorative process is achieved by maintaining a copy of CMOS information, boot sector information, the file allocation table, etc., in a safe area like a floppy.

Detection

The detectors warm the user of the presence of a virus after it is loaded into the machine or disk. These programs maintain a file with a list of checksum values of the executable files. The identifiers rely on the fact that when the replicates, it makes a copy of itself.

Vaccination: The vaccinators inject some code into the executable files. When the vaccinated file is run, the injected code performs an integrity check on the program being executed and warns if any changes have been made.

Inoculation: The inoculators insert the virus signature into infected areas or files at appropriate location. When the virus performs their self detection, they find their signature and believe that the memory/disk/file is already infected and so do not infect.

Damage control: The better equipped anti-viral programs are also capable of controlling damages caused due to virus attack.

Bureau 24 is the leading source for Tech Services in Las vegas , Nemesis Computers and Servers, Web Design las vegas, Tech Support, Aegis DVR Surveillance Systems and SEO in Las Vegas

Home Computer Repair - two anti-virus programs

So as you all know I own and operate a home computer repair services company. Well I'm just going to tell you about the problems she was having. She had a dell computer about three years old and was in need of home computer repair.

When she had bought her Dell Dimmension computer, it had came with Mcafee Anti virus, which by no means is a suitable anti-virus program. If your home computer is in need of repair, alot of times it is Mcafee's fault. That whole topic is for another day in home computer repair.

So she had a version of that installed that was not activated, because they charge some amount of money per month or year or something like that. So she evenutally installed a free anti-virus program that was very good in order to fix her home computer. She was having problems and it was running very slowly.

She chose to install a program called AVG anti-virus, but remember she still had Mcafee installed even thoguh it was not registered and working. Having two virus scanners on a computer that needs repairing is a big NO NO. Two anti-virus programs cannot be running concurrently on a home computer. So her minor problems of having Mcafee on her home computer turned into a bigger problem.

The bigger problem now was in need of legitamite home computer repair. That repair being uninstalling Mcafee anti-virus totally, so that only one anti-virus scanner would be installed. So that is what I did. I uninstaleld Mcafee anti-virus and then went about doing the home computer repair by doing a series of things like minimize background programs and ran other free programs to eliminate spyware/adware.

So the moral of the story is, and to remember, would be to never have two anti-virus programs installed on PC, or will need some serious home computer repair.

Virus programs are always important, but what is more important is how they are used. For information on using them correctly, check out my Home Computer Repair blog.

Junk In Your Trunk (computer)

Home Computer Repair Repair - Got Junk In Your Trunk?

Unfortunately I'm not talking about someone who has nice "ass-ets," but rather I'm talking about your home computer repair and the unnecessary junk that wastes space therein. I'm talking about spyware, junk that affects your home computer repair by installing programs that slow down your operating system, usually without your knowledge or permission. So what exactly is spyware? Spyware is software components hidden in other software.

It's used primarily by companies who aim to advertise their products on your home computer repair. By using spyware, they are able to install their own programs or they attach themselves, like parasites, to Internet Explorer (IE), in hopes that you will click on one of their pop up ads, directing you to their homepage. Sometimes it is even used to report information about you, like what Web sites you are viewing, and then transmitting this information back to their server on the Internet. After this information is transmitted, your home computer repair is targeted with specific pop up ads, linking you to specific products promoted by these larger companies.

But I Didn't Download This

Right. No one would knowingly download a program that monitors his/her actions like Big Brother. Spyware components are hidden in software that you would download, like free game programs from mainstream companies. Thus, when you install the program, you're also unknowingly installing spyware. Another way people are fooled into downloading spyware are by clicking what they think to be a Window's error message. The message is actually a pop up window containing spyware waiting to be clicked on so it can begin installing itself into your home computer repair. And, in addition to downloading and clicking disguised messages, there's yet two more common ways it can be installed: by visiting maliciously encoded Web pages and in email programs like Microsoft Outlook who use HTML script that can also be maliciously encoded.

Prevention Tactics

So now that we've discussed what spyware is and how you can get it, let's talk about how to prevent it. The easiest and most simplistic thing you should do is disconnect your modem when it's not in use. This will prevent certain spyware components from enabling your modem to dial long distance numbers. If you have Windows XP, Service Pack 2 should be installed because it patches many of IE's security holes. This program contains a welcome pop up blocker and a new add-on manager that allows you to disable unnecessary programs opened while using IE. IE also has a special security feature that enables you to categorize sites as either Internet, local Intranet, restricted, or trusted. If you categorize the sites you visit, especially sites in the restricted section, IE will prevent the sites from harming your home computer repair. Additionally, Windows also offers firewall protection against malicious sites. Furthermore, whether you have Windows XP or another operating system, there are free programs like Spyware Blaster and Spyware Blocker that can be downloaded to list potentially harmful sites that can be added to your restricted area, while preventing personal information from being transmitted over the Internet.

Removal Strategies

The first thing you need to do is locate spyware. One way you can do this is by turning your home computer repair on in Safe Mode, then pressing CTRL+ALT+Delete to view the Task Manager. Once you see the Task Manager, click on the "Processes" tab and jot down the programs you see. Then, reboot your home computer repair and press CTRL+ALT+Delete again and write down the programs from the same section. Compare the programs and whatever programs are leftover on the list you made from when you rebooted your home computer repair, aside from anti-viral software, are probably ad-on applications created by spyware. To double check that these programs are caused by spyware, you can visit the Library, to research them.

Unfortunately, there's no one program available that will detect and destroy all spyware. Fortunately, there are several free programs that you can download, that when used simultaneously, can be very efficient; programs like Lavasoft's Ad-Aware, Hi Jack This, and Spybot Search & Destroy. And, in case the spyware is difficult to remove, as in the case of a particular program called "Cool Web Search," that takes control of your homepage and then implants trojans within it, you will have to manually remove it by using CWS Shredder, a specific program designed to shred this particularly difficult spyware. So, if you just remember to disconnect your modem when it's not in use, keep your anti-virus programs current, utilize the Internet's safety features along with your home computer repair system's firewalls, and download or purchase spyware removal programs, your home computer repair should run a lot smoother.

I am a computer repair guru who specializes in helping every day home computer users. I run a blog on home computer repair.

Computer Home Business

When the conversation turned to cool businesses that one could work from home the topic turned to starting a home computer repair business.

As my wife and I have had many such chats over the years this one started out as just a routine brainstorming conversation. Then I Googled the idea and things changed.

I found out that up to 95% of all Windows computers currently online are plagued with data-mining, offline ad pop-ups, something called parasites, trojans, dialers, browser hijackers and lots of stuff even meaner sounding than viruses.

According to Earthlink, "the spyware and virus problems are getting worse instead of better. Problems with locked up computers are more common and over 225 million computers are infected."

I decided to start a casual survey of my friends. I gave myself a very low key goal of 3 to 5 months to complete the project. I didn't want to appear too pushy or obvious. All I asked was one question and the rest of my presentation took a natural course from that point.

My conversation would begin casually and end with....have you noticed your computer is acting funny?

Most often the response would be, "sort of. It takes longer to boot up and I get so many pop-ups even with a pop-up blocker, it makes me sick."

My next strategy is to say, well the same thing was happening to me and just about all of my friends. I decided to buy a kit to clean out viruses, some nasty worms, and some stuff that's hard to pronounce. I always get a laugh with that line. Then I continue.

"Most of the time I just charge for the program I use for each computer which is about 20 bucks. I'll take a look at your's some time, just let me know when.

8 times out of 10 I make an appointment on the spot. Even though I've only done this about a dozen times, I've banked $600. This mostly because I'm getting referrals, one of which was a small accountant's office just before the tax season started.

I've always maintained a private coaching practice so the money is not the main idea behind my project. I wanted to see if what I read had any value. It appears to be a true opportunity that can only get bigger.

USA Today reported recently that, "By the turn of the millennium, unparalleled growth in computer and Internet usage resulted in a $300 billion computer service market, comparable in size only to the home improvement market!

This sector of the computer industry is now experiencing double-digit growth, and is projected to continue doing so for the foreseeable future." This was based on industry studies by Ziff-Davis.

If I ever decide to retire from coaching, I'll have no problem moving into a computer home business.

I recently found a great little company that has designed a complete home computer repair package. If you know how to setup an internet connection on your computer, and access the add/remove programs in the control panel, you can do this.

What's even better about this is my personal experience indicates you can pocket a day's pay in less than a day.

Alex Rich, Ph.D. is a published author, hypnotherapist and personal coach.

Alex spends his days coaching and his nights writing articles on a variety of subjects. Read about Dr. Rich's latest business find at

Combating Computer Espionage

In some cases, spies and covert operations are found in war grounds or politically tense regions. Now however, you can find spies and covert operations running undetected within your personal computer system as you use your computer and the Internet.

Have you noticed a suspicious slow down of your computer's processing without any particular reason? Are you bombarded by unsolicited pop up ads that indiscriminately appear whether you are running a program or not? These symptoms may continue to happen despite checking your system and running your recently updated anti virus program to run diagnostics on your computer.

Unless you run the correct program, you will not be able to detect the real problem in your system: spyware and adware.

Adware are unsolicited programs that usually come bundled with freeware or shareware. Yes, sometimes things that seem to be good to be true usually come with unwanted invisible strings attached. Companies usually pay freeware or shareware creators to be able to capitalize and prey on unsuspecting individuals who download these programs. Adware cause unsolicited pop up advertisements in your computer and in severe cases, adware causes pop up advertisements to pop up soon as you boot your system.

Spyware on the other hand is more covert and usually undetected in your system until you run an anti spyware program. Spyware is used exactly to spy on you. In relatively mild cases, spyware is used to track your Internet browsing habits so that the spyware can report your preferences to build a marketing profile. This means that as you go about your Internet business, you are under surveillance and your basic right to privacy is impinged upon.

In severe cases though, certain spyware better labeled as malware, are used for criminal purposes and can steal keywords and other sensitive information based on your computer and Internet usage.

For instance, malware can take note of your keystrokes or take note of your credit card number and other vital information that can be used to steal your identity and generally put your security at risk.It is said that 9 out 10 computers are infected with spyware and to make sure that you are not part of statistical majority, you need run an adware and spyware cleaner to detect unwanted security and privacy breach within your system.

There are a lot of reliable adware and spyware cleaners in available to remove these unwanted programs in your computer. You must note however that some adware and spyware are intricately bundled within their parent programs that cleaning them out from your computer will inadvertently disable the legitimate programs they infect. This consequence is a necessary evil to clean your computer of unwanted adware and spyware. You should choose an adware and spyware cleaner that can also work proactively by preventing future accidental installation of these nuisances.

Adware and spyware cleaners work like your anti virus programs except that these particular cleaners target adware and spyware.Considering the trouble adware and spyware creators take to ensure that extracting installed adware and spyware from your computer system will be difficult, the adage about an ounce of prevention being worth more than a pound of cure applies in this situation. Be sure to install a reliable and secure adware and spyware cleaner in your system to remove existing security and privacy risks as well as preventing future hassle.

To read more on this subject, and how to act to protect yourself from Adware and Spyware please visit:

Checklist for Internet Security Software and Firewall

If you connect an unprotected computer or computer without any security software to the internet, cyber criminals, hackers or identity thieves can attack your computer within seconds. So, to avoid such security problems and identity theft, you should have security software with at a minimum, firewall, antispyware and antivirus protection.

There are various internet security softwares available on the internet with basic firewall protection. However you should also look at the additional security tools and features available with these softwares for complete security on internet. The checklist below can help you to select the proper security software for your computer, so that you can go online and surf the internet with confidence.

Firewall:

Firewall is necessary to block the unauthorized access to your computer data. It monitors the inbound and outbound traffic from your computer to the internet and blocks any suspicious traffic coming to your computer. Firewall could be network and program firewall and operating system firewall.

Network and program firewall:

Internet security softwares provide network and program firewall to protect your network from suspicious traffic and to shield your programs from malware. It should be a multi-layer firewall or with multiple layer of security for high level of security.

Operating system firewall:

Some internet security software also provides operating system firewall to protect your operating system. This tool blocks any malicious software from causing damage to files in your core windows operating system. It also blocks entry of hard to remove spyware with kernel-level threats to computer to protect your operating system from any damage.

Full Stealth Mode:

This feature is required to make you invisible to hackers, so that you can surf the internet without any fear of getting hacked.

Antivirus:

Antivirus is necessary to protect your computer from damages by viruses, worms and trojans. You should never connect your computer to the internet without updated antivirus program with the latest definition files.

Antispyware:

Integrated antispyware is required to protect your computer from spywares and intruders to protect your personal information. Spywares get installed on your computer without your knowledge and gather your personal data, information and web activities and transmit that data to others.

Complete Spy Site Blocking:

Spyware distribution websites are the main source for spywares. This feature blocks these websites and also blocks you from visiting these sites by mistake or redirection to websites, which distribute spywares.

Identity theft protection:

Identity theft protection is necessary to protect your identity and personal information on your computer. With increase in e-commerce, online buying and credit card usage on internet, identity theft could be major problem. So, nowadays, protection against identity theft is must while accessing the internet.

Real time updates:

Real-time security updates for protection against any new possible attacks and viruses.

Anti Spam and Anti Phishing and Email protection:

It protects you from phishing e-mails and e-mail fraud.

Instant messaging protection:

IM protection protects your instant messaging session from hackers, spammers, spywares and virus attacks. You can also use this tool to restrict your kid to use instant messengers only with trusted people.

Parental control:

This feature is necessary to prevent your kids from accessing inappropriate websites and objectionable content on web sites.

Credit Card Monitoring alerts:

Some internet security software provides credit card monitoring alerts which alert you if your credit card number appears online. This tool is very useful if you use your credit card on internet for transactions.

Although firewall, antispyware and antivirus protection is must in any internet security software, but additional security tools can also help you to improve your security on internet. With this checklist you can make the right choice for your security software program.

More information on internet security softwares with all these features for complete security is available at Author is a freelance writer.

For details on internet security softwares with essential security tools and features for complete security and protection on internet, please visit

Internet Security Software website.