"The only difference between the fool, and the criminal who attacks a system is that the fool attacks unpredictably and on a broader front." (Tom Gilb)
It doesn't matter if your computer is compromised by professional villains or just by the geeky kid across the street, once your sensitive files have been broken into your life may never be the same. Spyware is one of the most unrated forms of "espionage" occurring in the world today.
Most computer users think of this kind of program as a being just as an annoying or embarrassing kind of prank. But criminal-minded programmers know better.
In the past, spyware and its close cousin adware were simply wicked bits of "paid advertisements" for shady website publishers to attract customers. But soon, more malicious coders determined to use these programs to really "spy" on innocent people and dig out as many of their victim's secrets to use or sell on the black market as possible.
These new programs are being crafted by "professional" development teams just like a "real" software company. The programs are sophisticated and slick.
At its most innocent level, these spy packages just track your browsing habits (where you go and what you do on the web). Your email addresses are also raided. This information is then sold to websites for advertising.
At an intermediate level, a "keystroke" logger (a program that observes and records what you type on your keyboard) can be used in combination with web-tracking software to dig out the keywords, passwords and usernames you use when visiting sites such as eBay, PayPal and your bank.
The final level is in which spyware has completely overwhelmed your computer and all your sensitive information is laid-bare to any prying eyes that want to view it. Your ID/SSN numbers, your home address, personal photographs, your banking or other financial information is dug out and sold to the highest bidder.
This is then used to create everything from fake driver's licenses for teenagers, terrorists, and illegals to making dupe credit cards used to run up charges under your name. Your "identity" has been stolen and compromised for years to come.
Your computer can be turned into a "zombie" and thousands and thousands of fake emails could be sent through your connection to the Internet. This will result in your ISP (Internet Service Provider) taking action and limiting or shutting down your account. And with unpaid charges bouncing about your credit card report will soon be in a shambles as well.
What you should do now to lock down your PC...
Download from the Net or buy a good anti-spyware software package. For free try Ad-Aware or SpyBot's S&D. Or use SpySweeper if you need an industrial strength cleaner.
Scan your hard drive and follow any instructions on removing items.
Install a good personal firewall program to slow down pop-ups and other nastiness.
Password protect any personal folders where sensitive documents, photos, etc are stored.
Download and install a password storage program like "Password Safe" to securely store your usernames and passcodes.
Use strong passwords.
Change passwords every 6 months for your bank, eBay, PayPal and other financial institutions.
For more free tips see http://www.fixcomputerproblemsguide.com
Hard Drive Crashed? Repair or Rescue Any Hard Drive... visit http://www.fixcomputerproblemsguide.com/Hard-Drive-Crashed.html
From Chancer Reese, your Small Office Tech Diva.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Chancer_Reese
Custom Search
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Computer Problem Tips - 10 Spyware Warning Signs - Are You Infected? By Chancer Reese
It's been estimated that over 60% of all computers have some kind of spyware installed and most of their owners are unaware! If you are tired of your PC running slow and filling your screen with those nasty pop-up then you will want to read the 10 warning signs listed below. Afterwards check out my "action plan" and what you can do to rid yourself of your spyware infestation.
1. Browser Hijacks - When I used to get a call from a customer saying that their homepage had suddenly changed, without them doing anything, I knew to bring my anti-spyware fighting software. Malicious programmers love to change your browser settings to transfer your homepage to their "client's" websites.
2. PC is Crashing - Without warning, your PC starts crashing, freezing or locking up, but you haven't added any new software or updated anything recently.
3. Pop-Ups - You open your browser to visit your favorite blog site then "WHAM!" You are suddenly drowning in pop-ups! Your screen is full of brightly colored lures to porn, gambling or gaming websites. You click on the "Close" or the "X" to shut it down...uh, oh something is downloading to your machine!
4. Strange Favorites - You notice that there is a strange looking icon in your favorites. You click on it out of curiosity. You are caught in a webring of girly webpages...drat it, you're at work!
5. Strange Icon on Desktop or in Systray - You know notice a "winking" red light on the bottom-right in your Systray display. It says you have been infected. You hurriedly click on it to see what is wrong. Then a pop-up appears that says it is downloading an "anti-virus killer"...uh, oh.
6. Strange New Files Appear - You are poking about in your files and you notice that some odd, spyware-killer software has a folder on your hard drive. Where did that one come from?
7. Strange Emails - While searching for a note you dropped to the boss, you notice that you have lots of strange emails in your "Send" folder. You didn't send them, especially the ones in a foreign language.
8. Strange Toolbars - You open up your browser and now you have 3 toolbars instead of just one. What gives? When you try to remove, or change the settings, they keep coming back no matter what you do.
9. PC runs sluggish or slow - Granted your computer may not be the newest kid on the block but lately it has been moving slower than the Street Dept fixing a pothole. It takes several minutes for it logon and go out on the web. And it takes forever for you do to the simplest things anymore.
10. Hard Drive is running all the time - You have noticed that your hard drive is running all the time now. Even when nobody is on the machine! You can see the activity light blinking away and you can also hear the drive being accessed. Huh?
Action Plan - What to do next...
Download from the Net or buy a good anti-spyware software package. For free try Ad-Aware or SpyBot's S&D. Or use SpySweeper if you need an industrial strength cleaner.
Scan your hard drive and follow any instructions on removing items.
Install a good personal firewall program to slow down pop-ups and other nastiness.
Copyright 2008 by Chancer Reese
For more free tips see http://www.fixcomputerproblemsguide.com
Hard Drive Crashed? Repair or Rescue Any Hard Drive... visit http://www.fixcomputerproblemsguide.com/Hard-Drive-Crashed.html
From Chancer Reese, your Small Office Tech Diva.
1. Browser Hijacks - When I used to get a call from a customer saying that their homepage had suddenly changed, without them doing anything, I knew to bring my anti-spyware fighting software. Malicious programmers love to change your browser settings to transfer your homepage to their "client's" websites.
2. PC is Crashing - Without warning, your PC starts crashing, freezing or locking up, but you haven't added any new software or updated anything recently.
3. Pop-Ups - You open your browser to visit your favorite blog site then "WHAM!" You are suddenly drowning in pop-ups! Your screen is full of brightly colored lures to porn, gambling or gaming websites. You click on the "Close" or the "X" to shut it down...uh, oh something is downloading to your machine!
4. Strange Favorites - You notice that there is a strange looking icon in your favorites. You click on it out of curiosity. You are caught in a webring of girly webpages...drat it, you're at work!
5. Strange Icon on Desktop or in Systray - You know notice a "winking" red light on the bottom-right in your Systray display. It says you have been infected. You hurriedly click on it to see what is wrong. Then a pop-up appears that says it is downloading an "anti-virus killer"...uh, oh.
6. Strange New Files Appear - You are poking about in your files and you notice that some odd, spyware-killer software has a folder on your hard drive. Where did that one come from?
7. Strange Emails - While searching for a note you dropped to the boss, you notice that you have lots of strange emails in your "Send" folder. You didn't send them, especially the ones in a foreign language.
8. Strange Toolbars - You open up your browser and now you have 3 toolbars instead of just one. What gives? When you try to remove, or change the settings, they keep coming back no matter what you do.
9. PC runs sluggish or slow - Granted your computer may not be the newest kid on the block but lately it has been moving slower than the Street Dept fixing a pothole. It takes several minutes for it logon and go out on the web. And it takes forever for you do to the simplest things anymore.
10. Hard Drive is running all the time - You have noticed that your hard drive is running all the time now. Even when nobody is on the machine! You can see the activity light blinking away and you can also hear the drive being accessed. Huh?
Action Plan - What to do next...
Download from the Net or buy a good anti-spyware software package. For free try Ad-Aware or SpyBot's S&D. Or use SpySweeper if you need an industrial strength cleaner.
Scan your hard drive and follow any instructions on removing items.
Install a good personal firewall program to slow down pop-ups and other nastiness.
Copyright 2008 by Chancer Reese
For more free tips see http://www.fixcomputerproblemsguide.com
Hard Drive Crashed? Repair or Rescue Any Hard Drive... visit http://www.fixcomputerproblemsguide.com/Hard-Drive-Crashed.html
From Chancer Reese, your Small Office Tech Diva.
Using Free Movie Sound Effects For Your Projects By Ray Barthell
Are you looking for fresh ideas on how to make your projects as appealing as possible? It is about time to get yourself used to the idea of using free movie sound effects for your projects. Sound effects are great add-ons to any media material that you are able to find. From the Internet, videos, websites and even television, the use of sound effects have always been a popular way to make viewers relate to the media presentation. Imagine the difference when you see a gun fired by the James Bond, but with no sound effect at all. It will barely give you an impression that the gun has been fired. A gun-firing sound effect will thus make the entire shooting scene more realistic and hence bringing the audience closer to the action.
But before you start downloading movie sound tracks and movie sound effects for your latest project, check out some of the important points to note. When using free downloaded tracks or sound effects for your project, be sure to use tracks that are not copyrighted. Examples of copyrighted tracks and sound effects are the ones like Batman theme and songs that you hear over the radio. These kinds of songs and sound effects are not supposed to be used and downloaded for free. Although it might be tempting to get 'freebies' off the Net, the consequences can be pretty tough on you if you are caught with illegal downloading.
So, in order to protect yourself and your project, make full use of free movies sound effects that can be downloaded from royalty free music websites. Royalty free music tracks are tracks that can be downloaded and edited to death. It doesn't matter what you do to these royalty free tracks. You as the downloader and purchaser are entitled to make all the tweaking and editing you'll need to bring out the desired effect. And no, you no longer need to worry about getting caught by the cops. These sound effects are rightfully yours.
While it might be very tempting to use the Batman sound track for your project, you are strictly forbidden from doing so. However what you can do is to get a royalty free track that sounds similar to the Batman theme and use it. Otherwise, you can just freely mix the royalty free music around with sound effects to result in something totally original and new.
As aforementioned, adding sound effects will help to attract the attention of the audience. However, too much of it might make the whole project look too candid. For more ideas on how to use your sound effects correctly, do check out Japanese variety shows that use great sound effects to bring out the desired effect of fun and laughter.
If you are still wondering about the other kinds of sound effects that you can use for your projects, you can try looping sound tracks or sound effects such that they form a 3 minute full song. Try downloading the sounds of a waterfall splashing onto a wall and loop it over many many times until you get it to run for 3 minutes full. You can also try experimenting with other sound tracks or movie sound effects to create your very own masterpiece.
Have a fun and creative time creating your very own movie sound effects!
Ray Barthell is an internet audio specialist providing royalty free music at http://downloadroyaltyfreemusic.net - Be sure to download free sound effects
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ray_Barthell
But before you start downloading movie sound tracks and movie sound effects for your latest project, check out some of the important points to note. When using free downloaded tracks or sound effects for your project, be sure to use tracks that are not copyrighted. Examples of copyrighted tracks and sound effects are the ones like Batman theme and songs that you hear over the radio. These kinds of songs and sound effects are not supposed to be used and downloaded for free. Although it might be tempting to get 'freebies' off the Net, the consequences can be pretty tough on you if you are caught with illegal downloading.
So, in order to protect yourself and your project, make full use of free movies sound effects that can be downloaded from royalty free music websites. Royalty free music tracks are tracks that can be downloaded and edited to death. It doesn't matter what you do to these royalty free tracks. You as the downloader and purchaser are entitled to make all the tweaking and editing you'll need to bring out the desired effect. And no, you no longer need to worry about getting caught by the cops. These sound effects are rightfully yours.
While it might be very tempting to use the Batman sound track for your project, you are strictly forbidden from doing so. However what you can do is to get a royalty free track that sounds similar to the Batman theme and use it. Otherwise, you can just freely mix the royalty free music around with sound effects to result in something totally original and new.
As aforementioned, adding sound effects will help to attract the attention of the audience. However, too much of it might make the whole project look too candid. For more ideas on how to use your sound effects correctly, do check out Japanese variety shows that use great sound effects to bring out the desired effect of fun and laughter.
If you are still wondering about the other kinds of sound effects that you can use for your projects, you can try looping sound tracks or sound effects such that they form a 3 minute full song. Try downloading the sounds of a waterfall splashing onto a wall and loop it over many many times until you get it to run for 3 minutes full. You can also try experimenting with other sound tracks or movie sound effects to create your very own masterpiece.
Have a fun and creative time creating your very own movie sound effects!
Ray Barthell is an internet audio specialist providing royalty free music at http://downloadroyaltyfreemusic.net - Be sure to download free sound effects
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ray_Barthell
Ways to Make My Computer Run Faster By Logan Albright
With multiple uses for computers today, everyone is looking for new ways to speed up their computer. Many have found spending a couple of hours each day deleting their cookies necessary. When searching for resources, each website tags the computer's id number and fills cookies very quickly. As such, is necessary to keep these cookies removed constantly. With the new Internet Explorer 7, the tool menu in the bar makes it simple to remove your cookies.
These days, it is important that you Defragment your computer regularly. In the past, you could get by with Defragging once a week, yet, it has become an everyday affair. So, after you finish doing your work, take a break and use this time to do the Defragging. By the time you have return from your rest, the computer will have finished the process and you can then resume work.
Defragmenting your computer is not the only thing you can do. After the Defragmenting has finished, you should also do a disk cleanup to help compress your old files. Doing both procedures takes a little time, but are well worth it. This is because these two programs help prevent your computer from shutting down or locking up.
Keeping your desktop free from unused icons will make a difference in your computer's speed. Things such as short cuts, high resolution wallpapers, graphics, cursors, and skins slow your computer down.
If you have an older computer, say three years old, it might be a good idea to upgrade it. Rams and other chips tend to get outdated very quickly in that short span of time. When you upgrade your Ram, it will greatly increase the speed of your computer. Also, it is fairly inexpensive and easy to install, providing you with the opportunity to touch the edge of the computer with your forearms for about 60 seconds, enough to ground yourself and to protect you and the chips from static that may still be inside the tower. If you are not computer savvy, be sure to talk to a computer expert to find out what sort of chips you need to get before dismantling and fixing your computer. Most experts, such as the people at Radio Shack are very educated in such fields and will tell you what you need to know at no cost.
Sometimes, computers may be infected by some of the viruses picked up from the websites you visit. It is imperative to have some sort of anti-virus and anti-spyware programs installed on your computer. One of the more popular program used by PC owners today is Tend-Micro, a program that not only tells you when that there is a virus present, it also quarantines the virus and then fixes it.
All computer users are recommended to purchase a registry cleaner as it will eliminate any clutter or junk that has built up from installing and uninstalling programs. Without a registry cleaning program, your computer could become sluggish, crammed full of error messages, and may have regular computer systems crashes.
Click Here to speed up your computer for free. Logan Albright is an authority on troubleshooting computer problems. He provides valuable advice to thousands of people on how to optimize their computers through a proper computer check up.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Logan_Albright
These days, it is important that you Defragment your computer regularly. In the past, you could get by with Defragging once a week, yet, it has become an everyday affair. So, after you finish doing your work, take a break and use this time to do the Defragging. By the time you have return from your rest, the computer will have finished the process and you can then resume work.
Defragmenting your computer is not the only thing you can do. After the Defragmenting has finished, you should also do a disk cleanup to help compress your old files. Doing both procedures takes a little time, but are well worth it. This is because these two programs help prevent your computer from shutting down or locking up.
Keeping your desktop free from unused icons will make a difference in your computer's speed. Things such as short cuts, high resolution wallpapers, graphics, cursors, and skins slow your computer down.
If you have an older computer, say three years old, it might be a good idea to upgrade it. Rams and other chips tend to get outdated very quickly in that short span of time. When you upgrade your Ram, it will greatly increase the speed of your computer. Also, it is fairly inexpensive and easy to install, providing you with the opportunity to touch the edge of the computer with your forearms for about 60 seconds, enough to ground yourself and to protect you and the chips from static that may still be inside the tower. If you are not computer savvy, be sure to talk to a computer expert to find out what sort of chips you need to get before dismantling and fixing your computer. Most experts, such as the people at Radio Shack are very educated in such fields and will tell you what you need to know at no cost.
Sometimes, computers may be infected by some of the viruses picked up from the websites you visit. It is imperative to have some sort of anti-virus and anti-spyware programs installed on your computer. One of the more popular program used by PC owners today is Tend-Micro, a program that not only tells you when that there is a virus present, it also quarantines the virus and then fixes it.
All computer users are recommended to purchase a registry cleaner as it will eliminate any clutter or junk that has built up from installing and uninstalling programs. Without a registry cleaning program, your computer could become sluggish, crammed full of error messages, and may have regular computer systems crashes.
Click Here to speed up your computer for free. Logan Albright is an authority on troubleshooting computer problems. He provides valuable advice to thousands of people on how to optimize their computers through a proper computer check up.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Logan_Albright
How Popular Internet Speed Accelerator Tools Work By Kelly Hunter
Everyone wants faster Internet access these days, not everyone can afford the expensive costs of Internet on T1 connections so most people are forced to opt from services from other subscribers and make use of a variety of tools and services such as the Internet Speed Accelerator tools that seem to be available today. A variety of tools and services are available for use and these tools and services perform the required task by taking advantage of a series of technologies and services in order to boost the speed of your existing Internet connection to something which you would find much more appealing.
These products are moderately expensive and one technology that some of these tools use to boost your Internet connection speeds is by boosting a number of settings which might be related to TCP/IP technology which is the main technology that guides the transmission as well as delivery of the information over the Internet. By boosting these settings such Internet Speed Accelerator tools ensure that you receive and process your data at a much faster rate than usual, allowing you to take advantage of a whole lot of opportunities which fast Internet access tends to open you up to.
Sometimes the speed of your Internet access is not hampered so much by external hardware but internal hardware as well such as your computers memory. A number of solutions will also provide additional assistance by boosting your computer memory and helping your computer run a whole lot faster. This solutions works with a variety of Internet access technologies because it’s working on your computer and not the external connection that you rely on in order to access the Internet. By doing this it keeps everything faster on a local level while giving you the chance to use the Internet connection you pay for better.
Desktop settings can help your computer run much more faster than you expect, some of them also make use of a number of online tools and services in order to boost your connection such as the channeling of all your data through high-speed VPN proxies which are connected to T1 or devices greater than T1 speeds on the Internet. Most of these solutions are more or less reasonably priced which allows you to make use of fast internet at rates much lower than what would be obtained elsewhere. Some of these tools require you pay a monthly fee while others require that you pay a one-off subscription in order to enjoy their services and further your benefits.
Some tools even do much more than speeding up your regular Internet connection, some of these tools go the extra mail by helping you speed up your e-mail connection as well. E-mail is just as important as regular Internet; after all it is the preferred means of Internet person-to-person communication so you can easily make use of Internet Speed Accelerator tools that provide you with this opportunity as well and allow you to do whatever it is that you do on the Internet with maximum proficiency and profitability.
Kelly Hunter owns and operates http://www.bestinternetspeedaccelerator.com and writes about Internet Speed Accelerator tools.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Kelly_Hunter
These products are moderately expensive and one technology that some of these tools use to boost your Internet connection speeds is by boosting a number of settings which might be related to TCP/IP technology which is the main technology that guides the transmission as well as delivery of the information over the Internet. By boosting these settings such Internet Speed Accelerator tools ensure that you receive and process your data at a much faster rate than usual, allowing you to take advantage of a whole lot of opportunities which fast Internet access tends to open you up to.
Sometimes the speed of your Internet access is not hampered so much by external hardware but internal hardware as well such as your computers memory. A number of solutions will also provide additional assistance by boosting your computer memory and helping your computer run a whole lot faster. This solutions works with a variety of Internet access technologies because it’s working on your computer and not the external connection that you rely on in order to access the Internet. By doing this it keeps everything faster on a local level while giving you the chance to use the Internet connection you pay for better.
Desktop settings can help your computer run much more faster than you expect, some of them also make use of a number of online tools and services in order to boost your connection such as the channeling of all your data through high-speed VPN proxies which are connected to T1 or devices greater than T1 speeds on the Internet. Most of these solutions are more or less reasonably priced which allows you to make use of fast internet at rates much lower than what would be obtained elsewhere. Some of these tools require you pay a monthly fee while others require that you pay a one-off subscription in order to enjoy their services and further your benefits.
Some tools even do much more than speeding up your regular Internet connection, some of these tools go the extra mail by helping you speed up your e-mail connection as well. E-mail is just as important as regular Internet; after all it is the preferred means of Internet person-to-person communication so you can easily make use of Internet Speed Accelerator tools that provide you with this opportunity as well and allow you to do whatever it is that you do on the Internet with maximum proficiency and profitability.
Kelly Hunter owns and operates http://www.bestinternetspeedaccelerator.com and writes about Internet Speed Accelerator tools.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Kelly_Hunter
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
