How To Choose The Correct Web Hosting Service

Choosing the right web server will be one of the most important decisions you will ever make with your online business. Why? Because the web server you choose will literally make or break your online business.

Now, let's discuss two types of servers, Virtual web hosting and Virtual Private Servers.

Over the last several years Virtual Web Hosting has been the only way to go when choosing a web server. One of the reasons that Virtual Web Hosting became so popular was because they supported the necessary files and allowed you to have more freedom than other conventional web host services. But now you can have more freedom than ever before with Virtual Private Servers. Virtual Private Servers should not be confused with Virtual Hosts, since they are completely different.

Before I go any further I must explain what the difference is between a Virtual Host and a Virtual Private Server, so that you can fully understand. In this article I will also go over the advantages and disadvantages of both types of servers, to help you decide which is right for you and your business. Let's get started with Virtual Hosting.

Virtual Hosting Accounts

Virtual Hosting is also known as shared web hosting, where you are sharing the physical server and a single set of software applications with other users. Virtual Hosting has been extremely popular in the past for its fast deployment, strong resources, and most importantly for having a very reasonable price. Another advantage to Virtual Hosting is that you have a powerful, reliable, and professionally managed server without having to have advanced technical skills, making it ideal for an individual, small business, or even a beginner.

One of the disadvantage of Virtual Hosting is that you are sharing the server with other users. The server is configured and controlled by an administrator, not you. So basically you have no control, because you have to contact the administrator every time you want to adjust or change your configuration settings. Even if you managed to reach the administrator, they may not fulfill your request. It's up to them to help you or not to help you. They are the administrator. If you were the administrator you wouldn't have these limitations and would have immediate and total control of your servers.

Virtual Private Servers

Virtual Private Servers are usually the best choice these days and for a very good reason. Before I get into the advantages of a Virtual Private Server, let me explain what it is. A Virtual Private Server is a single server that is partitioned at the root into multiple dedicated servers. This allows you to share the cost of the network connectivity, hardware, and system maintenance with other web hosting customers, while maintaining your flexibility and freedom.

The true advantage of Virtual Private Servers is that they allow you to have complete control. You have the security advantages of a dedicated server at the fraction of the cost. You have access to the virtual root, Telnet, web configuration files, and full CGI-BIN access. Don't forget to mention that you also have access to your password, aliases file, and send mail configuration file. For these reasons you can see that a Virtual Private Server is an excellent solution for small to medium size businesses that have increasingly complex needs, but want a server that is reliable and easy to use.

One disadvantage with Virtual Private Servers is that you need to have some program knowledge to control and configure the settings. Sounds overwhelming, most businesses that offer Virtual Private Servers have very detailed manuals making them very easy to configure and control no matter what your program level is. We use HostE because their support staff always answers our questions within a few hours.

Which one is right for you? Well, that all depends on you and the size of your network.

If you have, or plan on having, just one web site and have absolutely no programming knowledge, then Virtual Hosting is the recommended and economical way for you to go. A Virtual Host can cost anywhere around $10 a month for an account, rather than $35 for a Virtual Private Server.

If you have a larger network that requires multiple web sites, and you have some technical skills, then a Virtual Private Server is perfect for you. You can host many web sites on a Virtual Private Server account, instead of having multiple Virtual Hosting accounts, which will cost you more money per month.

When it comes time to get a web server, make sure that the server fits your needs and that it supports the essential software for a prosperous online business. We personally give a 5-STAR rating to HostE because of their low prices, reliability, and excellent 24/7 customer support staff. They really care and really can help you solve your server problems.

Data Recovery Services, Web Hosting, Back Up Solutions

The worlds most poppular antivirus software just got a lot better

Found the below article from Hardware Geeks - I have been carefully watching the re emergence of Symantec's Norton products into the fore as the best in class security software it was long ago.

I also received a test copy and was equally blown away - but I loved this post so much it seemed best to just included it in it's entirety:

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Last week I received an email from Symantec's PR Firm, telling me about the new Norton Internet Security 2009. Being fed up with Symantec and their bloated ways over the past couple of years, I normally would have just hit delete.

But before I could hit delete something caught my eye. "Fastest install — Norton Internet Security 2009 installs in only 52 seconds" I immediately said BULL SHIT, who the heck does Symantec think they are trying to fool, no way in HELL does Norton Internet Security 2009 install in under 52 seconds no way in hell does it install in under 20 minutes. I called a few people up and we laughed at that claim.

So after I was done laughing I decided I needed to put it to the test, and make Symantec look like a big liar, so I requested a copy of Norton Internet Security 2009, and over the weekend while I waited for it I joked with a few guys who I know that are network admins and they laughed at the claim too. One of them even said "It will probably ruin your systemin under 52 seconds they mean".

But as the saying goes, he who laughs last laughs the hardest. I hear Symantec laughing really hard right now. I am embarrassed to report that Norton Internet Security 2009 installed on my system in less than 1 minute, in fact if my stop watch was correct it installed in less than 50 seconds. So Symantec I take back all the crap I have said about you guys over the past few years.

It installed so fast that I thought I might of not installed it correctly, so I installed it on a second machine and again it installed in under a minute.

So yes, Symantec you are correct when you say it will install in 52 seconds, but the outrageous and so far true claims do not end there. They also claim it uses less than 7MB of memory.

I again found that hard to believe when previous versions of Norton were known for using as much memory as your system could spare. But Norton literally is only using right now on my system 4 MB of memory, and get this not even 1% of the CPU.

I am simply blown away; in fact I am in love with Norton now and probably will recommend it to everyone and their mama, after years of recommending the free version of AVG which is bloated to hell and the free version of avast which confuses the crap out of a lot of novice users, I guess I will start throwing in a recomendation for Norton now. There is a saying, you pay for quality. Well when it came to AV Software that saying in my opinion did not apply until now.

I just ran a virus quick scan and it took 45 seconds, windows one care takes nearly 2 hours to do a quick scan on my system, and I like that the virus definitions are updated every 30 seconds or so automatically so you have the latest up to the minute protection.

Get Norton Now and ensure your surfing safely!

Here are some screen shots from the installation of Norton Internet Security 2009.

Norton Screen 1Screen 2

Screen 3

Screen 4

Screen 5

Norton Internet Security 2009

It installed so fast that my fingers weren't fast enough to catch a few of the screens. The longest part of the installation was activating it and that just took 5 seconds.

See the original post here

http://www.hardwaregeeks.com/index.php/gadgetblog/comments/symantec_norton_internet_security_2009_to_install_in_under_1_minute/

Anti-virus Programs: The Best One is Free

If you're like most people, you might be getting a little tired of having to pay more and more

for a good anti-virus program. The prices for the most popular name brand products have

continued to rise along with everything else. This has forced a lot of people to shop around and research some of the free anti-virus products available on the internet. Some of the

name brand products have a lot of features and use a lot of computer resources. (Sometimes these programs are referred to as being "Bloated" because they have so many features and are running so many different programs in the background all the time). This can actually result in your computer running slower. But, most of the time, I just want my anti-virus program to do one thing. Detect and get rid of viruses and other assorted bad guys.

While there is no perfect anti-virus program, some are better than others.

The program that I recommend is called "AVG Free edition". It was created by a company

called Grisoft. It is, in my opinion, the best free anti-virus software on the market. You can

download a copy at the Grisoft website or at

AVG does the one thing it was designed to do. Detect and get rid of viruses and other bad guys. (I like that)! It runs clean on your system and does not slow down your computer(it isn't

bloated). I like that too! You get automatic updates with AVG.

The program has a user friendly setup and interface. You can select when you want to check

for updates and install them.

I have used this program for several years now and it has always done the job for me. It has even detected and gotten rid of some things that the popular brand names didn't even find.

You can have more than one anti-virus program on your computer at the same time. Just be sure to disable one of them while you're using the other so that they don't interfere with each other. For example, when I first came across AVG, and I wanted to see if it was a good program to use, I would disable whatever anti-virus program I was using at the time and try AVG for a while. After a while, when I saw how great it worked, I uninstalled the other program from my system. Now, AVG is the only one I use and the only one I recommend.

So, if you're tired of paying for anti-virus protection, give AVG Free edition a try. I think you'll like it a lot.

Charles Garnett is an A+ Certified computer repair technician and the author of "7 Simple and

Easy things You can do to Keep Your Computer running fast, clean, and efficient-All The Time. And it Won't Cost You a Single Dime!"

Visit his website at

Free Registry Cleaner and Fix To Make Your PC Faster

If you are experiencing a little speed problem with your Personal Computer, then you need to get a free registry cleaner and fix for a better PC operation. You should certainly get one if you want to get the most out of your precious machine. Getting one would surely improve your Pc's performance enough to let you escape those unwanted lags and hangs. These are effects of a registry that's not performing at peak condition.

You might want to know the basics of how things work. Your PC is basically composed of hardware and software. The software part is what you need to deal with here. Your software makes your hardware do stuff. Without the necessary software, your PC is just a very expensive paperweight.

The programs installed in your Personal Computer do what they are supposed to do. These programs may enable you to create beautiful office presentations or may allow you to edit your home movies and post them on Youtube. You can even then download these special videos and transfer them to your cellphone.

Each of these functions adds something to your computer. This "something" is what is known as a registry key. These are needed by your PC to correctly run the programs you install. Each program attaches its very own keys to your system; they are contained in your computer's registry.

Your registry is the computer's way of keeping track of all individual programs' activities. These registry keys make the programs do what they are intended to do. Every program you have has embedded its own registry keys and because of this huge number, it is becoming a problem.

When these registry instructions or registry keys accumulate, like they always do, your PC stalls. This is the time you need a free registry cleaner and fix. Your computer is aging and its function is no longer as crisp as the day you first took it out of the box. A free registry cleaner and fix will allow you to re-experience that brand new pc speed once more.

A free registry cleaner and fix is the best solution to your problem of a very slow personal computer. Your problem will be solved and the best thing, it's free. You only need to download it, install the software and then execute the program. These are easy steps in regaining your PC's former speed.

If you want to download the best free registry cleaner and fix, then go to my blog and download it now.

PC registry in a mess? Clean it up with the best registry cleaners. Read these top registry cleaner reviews to find out more.

Spyware Removal Australia

Causing loss to business and PCs alike, the spy ware problem is growing worse and reaching higher levels of infection each day. Several pop ups, unwanted browser home pages, others controlling your computer out of your knowledge and having access to your personal information are just a few of the ways a spy ware can opt for to cause harm to your computer.

Today, spy ware removal has been made extremely simpler. Thanks to computer support Australia resources offering 24x7 help for all computer enthusiasts. They help you identify and remove nasty spy ware files, malicious applications and software from your PC with no computer experience needed.

You will probably be surprised at what these applications will track on your system. With the help of computer help Australia resources, you can now free your PC from spy ware's grip.

After identifying and removing any spy ware from your PC, your computer support worker ensures to take necessary measures to keep your machine spy ware free. However, you should also be cautious enough to protect yourself and your computer from spy ware. For example: Never download stuff from unrecognized websites or never open any email from unknown source. Also, you are advised to not to click on any attractive or strange looking pop-up windows.

Spy ware support Australia exists because there is a sheer money motive behind it. This is because there is so blasted much of it. Whereas a virus is generally written by someone for no real reason other than to do it, spy ware is simply designed for cash flow. Not all of it is written well, but plenty out there are.

When you avail spy ware removal services for your computer, you might try asking the advice of the support worker on what kind of anti-spy ware software programs you should use. These computer support technicians are knowledgeable enough to answer most questions involving your computer needs.

Taking care of your PC is significant to maintain its performance level. This involves software for the spy ware removal as well as protection against malware. Don't assume that your PC can take care of itself. You are the master who ought to help it and prevent critical situations.

Aadya Johnson is an Online Technical Support Executive for iYogi who provides detailed information on Computer Support Australia , PC Repair Services, computer optimization, Online Technical Support Australia , Australia Computer Repair, online data backup, virus removal, Australia 24/7 Support etc

Don't be a victim of Cybercrime .

When you access the Internet through the world wide web it is extremely important that you safe guard your personal information.

There are literally thousands of people around the world that make a living exploiting the security loop holes by accessing your personal identity, passwords and bank accounts.

There are many more daily who are the victims of these crimes. You have a responsibility as a user of the Internet to take certain precautions to protect yourself from online cybercrime.

Internet users who access bank accounts, e-currency accounts or any source of personal information online, should be aware of the following methods used by criminals to convince you to reveal your confidential information.

Here are some simple steps to help keep your information secure

1. Avoid being a victim of fradulent email requests for personal information

This method is called "Phishing" and is a popular way for criminals who are acting as legitimate businesses to steal your personal information. This is usually accomplished by sending you an email with a hyperlink to a fraudulent website made to look like the real one. Once you have entered your information the perpetrator will have access to your account, many times unknown to you.

One way to avoid falling victim to this sort of scam is to never provide any personal details in response to an email. Legitimate businesses will never ask you for your password by email. Be aware of suspicious emails from unknown individuals. Delete before opening anything that you think might be harmful.

2. Make sure you visit your bank, e-currency or financial website via your Internet browser with the correct website address.

3. You should take care to never follow any suspicious hyperlink, url, or open an unknown senders attachment.

If you inadvertently reply to a "Phishing" email or respond to what you think could be a fraudulent website, contact your associated financial institution immediately for advice. Do not delay in seeking help. Check your account for any unusual activity.

Ways to protect your computer

1. It is important to use only a trusted and secure computer to access your Internet banking account.

2. Using publicly shared computers, such as those at Internet cafes, is strongly discouraged.

3. It is recommended that you keep your computer up to date with current anti-virus protection, firewall and the latest patches.

4. Remember that after you install virus protection it is necessary to update the software so the protection remains current.

5. Avoid using the "remember my user name and password" feature when accessing sensitive financial information.

6. Make sure not to store your passwords and account information on your computer.

7. Use a different password for your bank than you would for your email address.

8. Do not use easy to guess passwords, or passwords that closely relate to you. Your birthdate, name or favorite pet make poor passwords.

9. Create passwords that have both numbers and letters.

10. If you use a wireless network it is important that you never leave your computer unattended.

11. Take extra precautions around wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi) hotspots that provide free Internet connections. Coffee shops, Internet cafes, airports and libraries can pose significant security threats. Avoid conducting sensitive business in a Wi-Fi hotspot.

Sniffing and Evil Twinning are two methods devious criminals are using to steal confidential data. Sniffing is the act of using a program to search for certain information like passwords and credit card numbers over a Wi-Fi network. Evil twinning mirrors the setting of a Wi-Fi hotspot. When the unsuspecting person uses the evil twinning hotspot the hijacker uses sniffer technology to access anything the victim might be sending.

12. When accessing bank accounts online, confirm that your data is encrypted between the bank and your computer by looking for the padlock symbol on the bottom right hand corner of the browser window.

13. Close your Internet browser after logging out at the end of each online banking session.

14. Beware of any windows that "pop-up" during an online banking session.

Most financial institutions have detailed information on their websites on how their customers can protect themselves from Online fraud attempts. Visit their website or contact them via email or telephone for information on how you can protect yourself from online criminals.

Computer virus, Spyware and Adware - What Is The Difference?

Computer virus, spyware and adware share some similarity. All three are extremely irritant for surfers and other computer users. Let's distinguish the three.

Spyware is software that does not purposely damage your hard disk. They make pathways in which someone else then the owner of the computer can be in touch with the computer. More often than not spyware record the diverse types of sites you go to. Afterward online marketers use these records to send you spam mails and pop-ups.

This is why computer users find spyware very irritating. They are more disturbing than adware. Spyware have their own unconnected executable software programs which let them look at applications that you are using. They also record your keystrokes after they scan the files on your hard disk.

Next the spyware sends the information that it had collected to the spyware programmer, often it is an online advertiser. The advertiser will then use this collected information for marketing and advertising purposes. In some cases the advertiser sells the information to companies that are looking for leads.

In contrast to spyware, adware is a more rightful form of free to download software. Just like spyware, adware contains software advertising programs. The difference is that adware installed itself on the computer after you have download software into your computer and spyware installed itself without any action of you.

There are also forms of adware that download marketing and advertising programs as a particular application is being utilized. It is very regrettable that the majority of the adware programs take the structure of spywares and that is track and report information from your computer to the programmer.

When Windows application takes too much time to load and unwanted pop-ads are coming up in front of your screen, it's in 9 of the 10 cases a sign that your computer is infected with spyware.

Compared to spyware and adware viruses are super bad. A virus is a destructive form of software and is only create and design with the purpose to destroy whatever it comes in contact with. The nasty thing about viruses is that they replicate their self and this way they destroy as many elements of the computer's operating system as possible.

These days, numerous anti-virus software programs also provide adware and spyware scanning and elimination functions. There are also some programs that are specialized in destroying adware and spyware programs. Both, Anti-virus software and anti-spyware/adware are dedicated to search your computer and identify any spyware and virus installed on your system.

They then get rid of it as well as their elements positioned in the system registry amongst other spaces in your computer. It is thus important to often update your spyware or virus scanner to make sure that your computer is protected against the millions of adware, spyware and viruses on the internet.

Don't let the ads that claim that the download does not contain adware or spyware fool you. Learn how you can protect yourself against these spyware and adware. Be sure that your computer is protected with high quality antivirus and spyware/adware programs.

That's why finding an anti adware and anti spyware program for your use must be a well researched project. You'll need to take the time to fully learn about the product and you also must be alert for scam programs. But don't worry! We have done the hard work for you.

We reviewed 15 registry programs - only 2 met our criteria- Ease of use, Improvement in PC Performance, Speed of Scan and Customer Support.

To read more about our review we invite you to visit our site:

Author: Lesley Febis. Article may reproduced on websites iif credit is given to the author and a link to:

How Trojan Horse Viruses Can Attack Your Computer

A trojan Horse virus is so called because of its reference to the Greek legend of Troy. The legend goes that a large wooden horse was left outside the gates of Troy as a peace offering from the Greeks, whom the trojans were at war with. Once inside, the horse burst open to reveal Greek soldiers who then destroyed the city.

trojan Horse viruses are similar because they appear to be a harmless program but once installed on your computer can wreak havoc with a number of viruses potentially hidden in its code. There is a slight difference between a Trojan Horse and an actual computer virus however. Unlike typical computer viruses, a Trojan Horse does not replicate itself.

One type of Trojan is known as Spyware. This type of program is designed to monitor your Internet surfing habits and use that information for things such as targeted marketing.

Another common problem that Trojan cause is the installation of a backdoor. This means that hackers have a hidden entrance to your computer in which they can send you spam, take control of your computer, or even destroy it. These types of Trojans can be very hard to detect and eradicate.

How Trojans are Distributed

You may be wondering how to protect yourself against Trojans. The first line of defense is knowing how they are distributed.

One of the most common ways is via a useful program such as a computer utility. Once you run the program with the hidden Trojan it can do what it wishes with your computer. Another common way to get a Trojan is through an email attachment. Many people receive executable files through email and don't think twice about running it on their computer. Once the program is run, you have a Trojan. If you ever get an attachment with an .exe at the end make sure you run a virus scan before opening it.

It is even possible to embed an image with a Trojan. Once you view the picture the Trojan has invaded your computer. It is best to never open files, regardless of type, if you don't know where they came from. Even well-meaning friends can accidentally email you an attachment which contains a Trojan.

Trojans often take advantage of your computer's operating system and ports which connect it to the Internet. Some Trojans even allow others to take remote control over your computer and steal keystrokes which may just be your credit card number.

Fighting Trojans

Other than being wary of what you open and install, the best defense is an up to date anti-virus program. It is important that you ensure your anti-virus software is always current since new viruses come out each day. You can typically download free updates from the software provider. You should also ensure you have a firewall to protect you while online.

Is your internet security really doing its job? Don't just blindly rely on some software package to protect you. Find out what you really need to know to keep yourself safe online at the Security Manor website. Visit for more helpful information.

Is the Internet Targeting Your Computer with Bots?

A bot is an important thing that a computer uses when on the Internet. A bot is an application that works to run automated activities for maintenance and protection when the user is on the Internet. There are some instances of where bots can be dangerous. So, how can you tell if your computer is bot infected? You can find out when you follow the tips mentioned here.

How can you tell if your computer is bot infected? You can find out by seeing if your Internet activities have been involuntarily restricted. There are various different types of bots that can be dangerous to a computer. Some bots will cause denial of service attacks to take place. This is where the user who is trying to get it to work cannot access a resource that is on a computer. It will be impossible for you to access certain websites on the Internet. This is one of the main ways of how can you tell if you computer is bot infected.

How can you tell if your computer is bot infected? You can tell if there is a good amount of computer viruses that are found on your computer during a virus scan. Even though a typical antivirus program will update itself often and do automatic scanning and protection, there can be instances where new viruses can sneak onto your computer that are not listed in the definitions that your computer program has. Many malicious bots will have these new viruses on them, so you should especially watch out for these when you are online.

One of the best things to do to find out how can you tell if your computer is bot infected is by checking to see how much spam you are getting in your email account. Bots will be especially effective in creating spam that can be sent to infected computers. This can even affect email servers that have strong spam filters. The reason why these filters will be avoided when bots send spam is that in some cases multiple bots on multiple systems can work together to send different pieces of spam. This takes place through a botnet that can build up when one bot infects a computer and it spreads to other computers.

One of the other things that can be used to help you tell if your computer is bot infected is if you live in an area that is near a bot control server. Bots have become a global problem in many countries that have control servers that send bots to other innocent computers. The United States has most of these servers, particularly in the Washington D.C. and Chicago areas. Atlantic Canada, Stockholm and Seoul also have large servers. These are areas that have the highest concern levels.

Are there any products that can help you with understanding about bot infections and that tell you how can you tell if your computer is bot infected? Of course there are. You can check to make sure that your firewall and antivirus programs are fully updated and contain the latest patches. After you update the program, you can run a scan to see if your computer is bot infected.

Prevention is an even more important thing to use though. Having a firewall program is helpful. Protecting personal information that you may be sending online should be used too, as you should only give it to legitimate sites that are trusted. Do not forget to avoid spam emails that may sound like a good deal. This is one of the main ways of how bots can spread onto a computer, and it can indeed be prevented.

How can you tell if your computer is bot infected? You can tell by looking into the viruses and spam that you have in your computer. Making sure your computer is protected can help you to avoid them so that only good bots that help with computer processes will be on your computer.

Terry Detty finds Targeted Internet Marketing and Website Internet Marketing to be very valuable to his Firm. His latest interest is a newEmail Marketing Online program he's been using for his website.

Spyware Software Explained – A Basic Overview

You may have heard the term 'spyware' and people saying that you need to take every precaution to avoid it; plus that it can also be really difficult removing spyware from your computer. Naturally, when you think of spyware, one of the first things that probably enters into your mind is someone invading your privacy – spying on you. In a technological sense, that is exactly what is happening. There has been such a proliferation of spyware recently that it is not something that should be taken lightly or ignored.

If you are not completely sure what spyware is, it can be defined as a type of software that is used by individuals or companies to gain access to information about you. Whether it is your surfing habits or your private information that is being monitored, spyware is an invasion of your privacy. In many instances, spyware will also change the configuration of your computer, causing it to behave strangely.

Though people normally use spyware for malicious purposes, it is many times installed on your computer with your consent. When you download many of the readily available 'freeware' programs, often you get more than you anticipated. Most times, this situation can be avoided by simply taking a moment to read the user agreement. It is often clearly stated that you agree to install third party software along with the free software.

Sometimes, though, the user agreement may not state that you are downloading third party software so it is also important to carefully read stipulations on the site where you download the software. Also, you should never download software from anyplace other than the original site or a trusted source. If you download software from a torrent site, you are virtually asking for your computer to be infected with spyware.

Spyware can cause all types of problems for your system. Your operating system files may be damaged or the resources may be overloaded, which can cause your computer's performance to slow down dramatically. Plus, certain types of spyware make it very easy for someone to steal your identity. While some companies simply want to spy on your surfing habits to improve sales demographics, the intentions of other abusers of spyware are not so transparent.

One of the most common types of spyware simply displays unwanted advertisements based on your surfing habits. Other more obtrusive types of spyware will hijack your browser's start page and add unneeded components to your system which may cause your computer to crash. Some of the most malicious types of spyware take control of your computer and use it as part of a network to gain control of other computers containing sensitive data.

One of the most important things to understand about keeping your computer free from spyware is that you should have a complete understanding of exactly what you are installing on your computer before completing the install. Read all enclosures and agreements carefully and only download software from trusted sites. If you follow these basic guidelines, you will have a much easier job preventing spyware from taking over control of your computer.

Visit Hybrid Computers at: IT Repairs Bucks, PC Services Bucks or Computers Buckinghamshire.

XoftspySE – the best solution to remove spyware

The internet world holds an infinite amount of information, but at the same time it is also the source for a lot of harmful things that can affect the performance of your computer. The most known threat for computers is a virus, but there are other things that can do a lot more damage without the knowledge of the user. These things I am talking about are called spyware.

Spyware consists of software installed on a computer without the user's knowledge or consent. Their main purpose is to partially control the interaction between the computer and the user, engaging in various activities with very harmful outcomes.

Among these outcomes we can name the collection of personal information and sharing with third parties that do not have your best interests at heart, installing various software programs like viruses, redirecting browser activity and most importantly redirecting advertising revenue.

The problems that can occur from spyware are more serious than those of viruses. Sure viruses can damage files and your operating system, but spyware software can even harm your budgets and invade your privacy to a greater extent. To remove spyware is not as easy as removing viruses, but some companies are struggling to keep this problem under control.

Virus problems have been counter-attacked with anti-virus software. The same principle has been applied to these things. If you want to effectively remove spyware, the best thing you can do is appeal to spyware removal software, also called anti-spyware software.

Some of these software solutions that can remove spyware can be categorized according to their effectiveness. Therefore, in order to benefit from great results, you should listen to the opinions of third parties that have used the software before and know what it can do.

If you want a recommendation for a good solution to remove spyware you should try xoftspyse. There are lots of features that make this software better than others available on the market, and from here on I'll try to explain each of them.

First of all, when you want software that solves problems, you need it to know what it is doing. In this direction, you can rest assured that the 260,000+ spyware database of XoftspySE is large enough to detect almost every threat of this sort your computer may be infected with.

Another important aspect is the use of the software. We all know that some of these things have the tendency to overcomplicate matters and use technical language that is very hard to understand for the average user. Each such software should be easy to use, because if you don't know how to use, it is worthless. The interface of XoftspySE is user-friendly with not to complicated menus and accessible buttons.

Another interesting feature of XoftspySE is the amount of information supplied regarding the problems. This is one way the users are introduced to the problems in order to avoid making the same mistakes over and over again. Customer support is also one of the major advantages of this software.

Because virus downloads are just one of the harmful activities spyware can engage, this makes the later much worse. In order to remove spyware, try XoftspySE for free and you will see the results for yourself.

The Enemy Within

Back in 1986, a graduate programmer in Lahore, Pakistan wrote a program that copied itself from one floppy disk to another. His name was Amjad Alvi and together with his brother, Basit, he entered computer folklore as the author of Brain, the first computer virus.

Brain is now extinct because it can only infect low density 5.25 inch floppies, which became obsolete long ago, but its descendants now amount to over 200,000 strains and the need for new ways to combat them has spawned an industry worth millions.

Like their biological counterparts, computer viruses cannot replicate by themselves – they must attach themselves to an existing computer program so they can be copied along with it. There are 3 main types of viruses, each of which use a different kind of host.

Stresses and Strains

Boot Sector Viruses (BSV) attack the boot loader program that the operating system places at the start of every formatted floppy disk. Hard disks also have a boot sector and once this is infected, every subsequent floppy disk put in the drive will become infected.

Boot Sector Viruses cannot be spread over the Net because they rely on the physical transfer of the infected diskette, but the second kind of virus can.

A file virus attaches itself to a program file (one with a .COM or .EXE extension). The host program is modified so that the virus instructions are loaded first before control is returned to the original program. The virus may execute only once and then clear itself from memory, or it may stay behind and after the host program has quit and infect every new program file that is run thereafter. Files that purely contain data, such as text files or graphics, are immune from virus attack because they do not contain program instructions.

The third variety of virus to emerge is the macro virus. These take advantage of the fact that Microsoft Office documents can contain small programs within them called macros. These are written in a programming language called Visual Basic for Applications (VBA), which Microsoft added to Office to enable power users to customize the software. Virus authors were quick to spot its potential for their black art.

Macro viruses are the easiest kind to write because VBA is easier to learn and more powerful than the Assembly language used to write BSVs and file viruses. In addition, it is very easy for would-be-virus-authors to modify the instructions in existing macro viruses to create newer and more sophisticated versions.

Exposed to Infection

The life cycle of a computer virus begins when you expose yourself to an infected source. For a BSV, this could be putting a floppy disk in a computer shared by many students at a college or it could be through a disk containing commercial software that has become infected during the duplication process. File and macro viruses can be caught by downloading an infected file or receiving an email with an infected attachment.

At this stage, your computer has been exposed to infection, but it isn't actually infected yet. That occurs in the next step, when you make your first mistake. Unthinkingly, you leave the floppy disk in your disk drive when you turn off the computer. When you turn it back on again, you see the message, 'Invalid system disk'. You take the disk out and hit a key to re-boot, but it is too late – the damage has been done.

In that moment of disk whirring before the message appeared, the virus loaded itself into memory and proceeded immediately to the next stage in its life cycle, which is replication. It relocates the boot sector program of your hard disk and copies the virus code into its place.

For a file or macro virus, infection occurs when you open the program or document. The virus loads into memory and replicates itself to whatever other suitable host files it finds on your hard disk.

Contaminating Others

Your computer is now infected and is a source of infection for others. The virus life cycle completes itself when you unwittingly spread this infection to someone else. You send a memo as an email attachment, you upload a shareware utility to your website or you pass a floppy or CD disk over to your friend. You may very well represent a trusted source to the person you infect and may have seen no symptoms of a virus on your own system.

A clever virus will be very careful not to manifest any symptoms of the infection until it has had time to spread itself, because a virus that reformats your hard disk on infection dies with its host. In nature, biological viruses may cause harm to their host in order to pass on the infection – forcing you to cough up your lungs in someone else's face, for example. With computer viruses, the nasty side effects, known as the payload, stem from much more capricious motivations and usually amount to nothing more noble than cyber vandalism.

Some viruses don't carry a payload and others may do nothing worse than a bragging message now and again. Although these viruses consume disk space and may slow your system down a little, the urgency to remove them immediately is relatively low.

The viruses that attract most attention from the mainstream media are those that deliberately attempt to destroy data. Normally triggering on a particular day of the month or year, these may simply initiate a hard disk reformat, or they may incorporate a more devious payload.

The One-half virus quietly encrypts your hard disk, a couple of cylinders at a time, every time it activates. As long as the virus remains in memory, requests for data from those cylinders will be intercepted and the data encrypted on the fly. If the virus is suddenly removed, the decryption facility is lost and the data along with it. For this reason it is important to backup the data before disinfecting the hard disk. Possibly the greatest lethal payload is that of the Chernobyl or Win CIH virus. On 26 April, which is the anniversary of the Chernobyl disaster, the payload activates and not only overwrites the infected system's hard disk, but also destroys the data in the BIOS, which is stored in flash ram. Since this will leave the computer completely unbootable the motherboard will have to be replaced as the BIOS chip is surface mounted to the board. If it's a notebook you may as well trash it.

Means of Protection

You can protect yourself from virus infection completely, without recourse to any scanning utilities or protective software. Simply ensure you never boot from drive A, never open an email attachment and never run any executable code you didn't write yourself. Because this is a trifle limiting, the next best thing is install an antivirus package and adopt a sensible scanning strategy.

Before your system becomes infected, you should create a clean boot disk and put it somewhere safe. This will enable you to start your system in an emergency and be confident there are no viruses in memory. This is important because some stealth viruses can intercept error messages and file date stamps and sizes and show you what they want you to see instead.

Just as important as choosing a good virus scanner, is knowing how to use it. If you only scan your hard disk at boot-up, you will allow a virus plenty of time to infect multiple files during a session and it may escape from your system via the internet before you realize you have been infected.

Sandra Prior runs her own websites at and

Basic Internet Security: Anti-Virus Software

Every time you access the Internet, you need to remember that you are not alone and that you are sharing access with millions of others. High speed Internet connections are becoming commonplace and virtually everyone has some type of access to the Internet – whether it is at home, work, or school. Along with this open access sharing comes problems of abuse, mainly in the form of viruses and spyware. In order to ensure that you are protected from these threats, it is essential that you employ some type of anti-virus software as basic Internet security.

There are perhaps millions of computer viruses (some mutations of originals) floating around the Internet, and approximately 300 new viruses appear each month. If your computer does not have anti-virus software in place, you are asking for trouble. In addition to having an anti-virus program installed, it is imperative that it is always current and up to date.

Anti-virus software works by scanning your computer for signatures of common computer viruses. Virus signatures are characteristics that are unique to a particular virus. Signatures can include such things as behavior patterns and file names. The best anti-virus software will detect viruses that have not yet infected your computer as well as get rid of ones that you already have. Types of files that anti-virus programs scan include email, CD-ROM, zip files, exe files, your text and spreadsheet documents, and many others that you not be aware of.

However, even though installing anti-virus software is a definite must, it only provides one level of defense. You can improve the effectiveness of your anti-virus software by using it in conjunction with a good firewall program and by abstaining from behaviors that promote the spread of viruses.

You should always use a high quality, reputable program from a company that you trust. If you have trouble deciding what type of anti-virus software to purchase, just do a little research either in computer magazines or online. Since Internet security is a huge issue, you should not have any problem finding reviews and ratings. Take your time and find a software program that closely matches your needs.

Also, if you have recently purchased a computer, a trial version of some type of anti-virus software may be included. Be sure to take it for a test drive and put it through the paces – it may suit your needs perfectly.

Once you have your anti-virus software installed, make sure that it is always on and scanning for potential threats from viruses. You can set your software to scan your email as well as the software and files you use on a daily basis. It is extremely important that you keep your anti-virus software updated and current. In this way, the software keeps up with all the new virus threats that appear daily. In addition to keeping your anti-virus software current, you should keep all of the software that you use on a regular basis current also.

Installing anti-virus software and keeping it current will help keep you safe from any nasty surprises. Be sure to also back up your important files on a regular basis as extra security. Following these basic Internet security guidelines make it much less probable that your system will be compromised and damaged beyond repair.

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Call It ‘Health Care for Your Computer’

Decatur, GA – One minute a small business is humming along - the next, one computer can't print, another is stalled from spam, and a third won't stop flashing an error message. A small business can be startled with I.T. bills that range from zero dollars a month – to thousands of unbudgeted dollars.

The new trend is paying up front for the security of knowing your computer will not stumble when you need it. Many computer consulting firms nationwide are now offering what the industry calls "Managed Services," a sort of health insurance for small business computer needs.

For a flat monthly fee I.T. gurus like Chip Reaves handle all regular maintenance and take care of any computer problems. "Technology consulting firms like ours used to get paid when computers broke down. Now, more and more, our franchise owners are telling us clients prefer to pay a predictable monthly bill to keep computers healthy."

Companies that are large enough to have I.T. departments can deal with the occasional computer crash, but businesses with 25 or fewer employees tend to contract out their computer repair and maintenance.

"Those smaller businesses are actually the ones that can least afford to have computer trouble," says Reaves. "Little guys really depend on all their staff being productive all the time. We fix everything from virus infections to server crashes." His company, Computer Troubleshooters, is the world's largest provider of Managed Services and offers a unique 'No-Downtime-Guarantee.'

"It's actually a much better service," says Reaves. "Instead of getting paid when your computer is broken, your local I.T. guy gets paid to keep it from breaking. We have an incentive to keep the business problem free. It's better karma," he laughs.

New technology doesn't just mean more computer components to break. New advances mean more ways to keep the small business up and running. Some technology consulting firms are able to install software so that I.T. service is paged when the computer system gets too hot, or gets infected. "Sometimes, we know before the client does. We'll call up and say, 'Hey, I see your back computer isn't hooked into the network,' and they'll go check and say, 'Hey, your right!'"

Small and medium sized businesses, like the Montachusett Veterans Outreach Center operated by Darrell Keating, find it more cost effective to pay I.T. repair companies to keep their computers working, rather than pay when they break down. "The best part…is that we don't see enough of them – this is meant as a compliment. Monitoring is done from their 'home office.'"

Reaves says small companies are wasting valuable time on computer issues. "We want to eliminate computer problems so that our small businesses can stop worrying about when their next computer problem will be and, instead, let us show them how they can enhance their businesses with new technologies."

Chip Reaves is the National Director of Computer Troubleshooters. To help pay for his studies in computer science at Georgia Tech, Reaves began fixing computers for local businesses in the late 1980's. The part-time work quickly became a full-time business, with Reaves establishing Chiptech in 1992. Reaves was surfing the web when he discovered Australia- based Computer Troubleshooters in 1998, and by 1999 he had negotiated the rights to operate CTS in the US, a move than has lead to over 500 franchise locations nationwide. Reaves is also on the board of directors of two local charitable organizations. Chip Reaves' website can be found at

Spyware, Malware and Viruses!

It's a dangerous world out there for your computer. Viruses, spyware, adware and other forms of malware pose a serious threat to any computer and no single piece of software can achieve total protection from these threats. So, how do you ensure your computer's protection? Actually, that protection is in your hands.

No matter how advanced the software program, there is not a single solution that can keep your computer safe. The reality is that, despite flashy advertising, the best solution is a combination of different software programs and vigilance on your part. You, and your surfing habits, play an integral role in what gets downloaded to your computer.

The first step towards achieving protection is to install a fire wall. Make sure that you don' have one already operating, though; most DSL connections have a built in firewall program. Having two of these programs operating at the same time can lead to serious problems. There are many different firewall programs on the market, though they all do the same basic job. Choose on that offers you the most features at the best price.

Antivirus software is the next thing that you should install. Don't be fooled by some companies' claims that they are a single source for protection. Even Norton and MacAfee have problems and can be bypassed. Shop around for a good program. In addition to familiar names like Norton, companies like Trend Micro and Avast offer good programs for low prices.

Make sure that the program you choose offers spyware protection as well as virus protection. You can get supplemental programs that can help as well, such as Spybot Search and Destroy and Adaware SE. These are specialized programs that can work in conjunction with any virus protection program to ensure complete protection for your computer.

To find more great computer tips such as the information provided in this article visit