Spyware - The Silent Killer!

You turn your computer on. Your boss is making you finish a report for him. You start writing your report, and you want to turn in for the night. Oh no! Your computer is frozen, and all your work is going to be lost! You're infuriated!

The fact is, Spyware and Adware viruses infect computers that surf the internet. To make things short, Spyware is a virus that spies on your computer activities, whether it be watching videos on Youtube, or, doing some online banking. The people who send the Spyware out into the internet have one thing in mind, invading your privacy. They use a certain tracking technology that helps them track where and when Spyware infects a computer. Don't get too discouraged though, there are programs that help protect you from infection, and even gets rid of them if you ever get Spyware or Adware on your computer.

There are many different types of programs out there that claim to clean your computer, and wipe all the viruses out of your hard drive. Not all of them are effective though. Many of them are the cheap, free kind that just does a basic run through of your computer, and if it seems like there are no Spyware or Adware viruses, they say your computer is clean. The better ones thoroughly search your computer, and track down all of the potential threats in your computer. They do this a couple times to make sure your computer is safe, and that there is no possibility of Spyware or Adware viruses left unchecked.

There is one that really caught my attention, the Adware Alert! Wow, even the name is exciting! Well, I don't want to get into too much detail, but the product that they are offering is one of the best in the business. It uses cutting edge technology that helps it find Adware and Spyware viruses, and kill them to ensure a clean, and running computer.

So, to be frank, Spyware is bad. It ruins your computer, and it costs you a lot of money. If I were you, I would make that investment, and buy an effective Spyware remover.

Do you want to get rid of your Spyware and Adware? Well, Click Here to find out how you can learn more about Adware Alert, and get rid of your Spyware forever!

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Rishi_Goswami

Data Centre Cables - A Historical Overview

When you are putting together a data centre, everything has to be connected together; most good data centres will have enough data flowing to completely overwhelm a typical wireless router, and wired data speeds are always faster than wireless, hence the emphasis on cable runs.

Planning how your networking topology will run is a large part in setting up your data centre. You need to set space for the cables to be run, and it helps to know what kind of cable you plan on using.

The lowest grade of twisted pair cable is plain old telephone cable, such as is used to hook up your phone to the wall socket; this has serious bandwidth issues, and the signal drops off rapidly over time. In terms of the standards bodies that rate these, this is CAT 3 cable, and is all but unheard of in any kind of new built network architectures, though in legacy configurations where low bandwidth is acceptable, many installations of CAT 3 were never pulled and upgraded to CAT 5.

CAT-2 was used for an older architecture type called Token Ring (promulgated by IBM with the PS/2 systems). CAT 4 is an updated version of CAT 2 with better shielding and transmission properties.

The most basic of the modern cable types used in networking is Category 5, or Cat-5. This twisted pair cable is shielded, and has a grounding line, allowing it to go for much longer runs than the CAT-3 cables that preceded it; it originally hit the scene in the mid '90s, and while more expensive at the time, quickly supplanted the prior cable types for anything driven by the TCP/IP networking stack.

Incremental improvements were made in both the protocols and the network adapters that used CAT 5, and its capacity has gradually increased as networking standards have grown; each increase in the capacity of the cable has resulted in a greater need for shielding to prevent packet loss and other interference artefacts; this has resulted in a partial upgrade to the standard called CAT5E. CAT-5E is also called Gigabit Ethernet cabling, and is the likeliest cable that you would be buying for a consumer networking connection.

On the horizon (meaning it's primarily used for high end connectivity at this point) is CAT 6 cabling, which offers significant cross talk reduction from CAT5E, and has about a fivefold increase in bandwidth. This standard has also been extended by some cable vendors, who have created 10 Gigabit Ethernet, and the cables they use are commonly called CAT-6E. The CAT-6E standard was codified in February of 2008.

CAT 7 is a future standard, and is still being worked on; there are some facilities using pre-release versions of this standard for high data bandwidth apps, mostly for use in full motion video transfers, and radiology departments. Up until the CAT-6E standard, CAT7 was the only 10GBASE-T implementation that could handle the full bandwidth for a full hundred meters; it's uncertain whether it will be supplanted by CAT-6E, or, as is likely, it will become the baseline for future extensions of bandwidth.

Derek Rogers is a freelance writer who writes for a number of UK businesses. For Network cabling, he recommends Network 24, a leading structured cabling company.

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Data Recovery Freeware - Take Advantage Of The Freeware Available To You

Everyone can benefit from data recovery freeware from those who use their computer at home for fun to large corporations who use computers to run million dollar operations. It makes sense to protect your personal files as well as those of your customers. You don’t want hackers to get your financial information, copies of your contracts, or passwords for your online accounts. This can happen if your hard drive crashes or the server fails for one reason or another.

There are some great places online to find quality software programs. Take your time and choose the right one for your computer security needs. By entering keywords into your favorite internet browser you can find pages of freeware programs to use. Try typing in a variation of keywords to get the most results. For example you should try both "recovery freeware" and "free data recovery".

Compile a list of websites you want to look at for their freeware program. You should have a good idea of the features you want the data recovery software to offer. You can find information about the pros and cons of a particular software program just by reading the reviews posted by other users. This way you avoid accessing one that isn’t going to live up to the standards you are looking for.

In most cases you will be asked to register with the site before you are allowed to download the installation package. The time it will take to download the material depends on the size of the package and how fast your internet connection is. The installation process should be simple and you can easily get started using it. Most of the data recovery programs offer you step by step instructions to help you zip right through the set up process.

Don’t underestimate the importance of protecting your data. It is very easy to do so just by downloading a data recovery program that you can find online. The process doesn’t take very long and it is the responsible way to protect all of your personal information for your home or business.

By: Caleb Liu

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10 Tips on How to Properly Maintain Your Computer

In order for a computer to stay fast and reliable it must be well maintained. a computer can stay in good condition for many years if it is properly maintained. Here are ten tips on how to properly maintain your computer.

1. Be sure to have a good antivirus software installed in your computer and make sure that it is always updated. Viruses are among the main causes of computer failure. A complete virus scan should be performed regularly. avoid visiting websites that are suspected to be infested with malware. Do not open e-mails whose sender seemed shady, they could contain deadly malware that can put your system at risk.

2. Defragment your disk regularly. Defragmenting your disk once in every two or three months is a good way to ensure that your computer stays in top condition. Fragmentation happens when your computer's operating system fail to allocate enough contiguous space to store a complete file as a unit and instead places parts of it in gaps between other files. To illustrate this, let us compare it to a library where some users do not return the books to the proper place after they read them. The books in the library are arranged in a manner that would make it easy to locate any particularly book easily. If many books are no longer in their proper places it would take longer to find them. A fragmented file system is like a library where the books are not in their proper places.Think of defragmentation as a process of returning the books in their proper places so that it will be easier to find them using the card catalog. Windows XP and Vista have their own built in defragmenting software but they are very slow. There are good defragmentation software that can do the job in a fraction of the time it would take for the Windows default defragmenter to finish. I recommend Power Defragmenter and Contig.

3. Clean your Windows Registry regularly. When your Windows registry is clogged with bad keys and entries the performance of your computer will slow down. There manual cleaning of the registry is not advisable to non-experts. There are some good registry cleaners like RegVac and Registry Mechanic that are very easy and safe to use.

4. Regularly get updates for your operating system and other important software. Some softwares do not offer automatic updates so it is advisable to regularly check with their website and download and install updates manually.

5. Delete cookies.It is a good advice to periodically delete internet cookies to ensure that your internet runs at optimum speed. It is easy to delete cookies with Firefox, just go to Tools then click on Options. Select the "Privacy" tab then click the "Show cookies" button. Another box with the "remove cookies" button will pop up. Click on the "remove cookies" button. If you are using Internet Explorer 7, do this: exit Internet Explorer 7 then click start, then click run, then type inetcpl.cpl in the text field and click enter. The General tab will appear. Click "delete" under browsing history in the Internet Properties dialog box. The delete browsing history dialog box appears. Click delete cookies. Click "Yes".

6. Regularly run Windows XP's error-checking computer maintenance tool. It can be found by right-clicking the local disk icon in My Computer folder and selecting "Properties". Click the Tools menu and click on the Error-Checking button. In the dialog box that pops up you can choose to run the error checker and scan for errors, or also fix system errors as it finds them.

7. Uninstall programs that you do not use. These programs occupy space in your hard disk. the more space you have in your hard disk the faster your computer runs.

8. Always run your computer on a UPS. Sudden electric surges are harmful to your computer.

9. If you are familiar with the inside of the casing, physically clean your computer. Remove dust that gather in the casing with cloth or vacuum. Be careful not to damage any part though.

10. Give your computer a rest by turning it off every once in a while.

It is important to maintain your computer. If you follow the above tips you can be assured that your PC will last longer and will always have optimum performance.

Ms. Pinky is a Computer Support Specialist for more than 25 years. Has a Bachelor of Science Degree in Computer Engineering, MS Research work in Systems Engineering.

Get more free computer tips on her blog at http://www.computerhelpdeskandsupport.com/

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A Quick Reference to a Wireless Router Setup

Where wireless routers and speeds are concerned, price is not always the best controlling factor. There's a wide variety of wireless routers available in the market and one is not always as good as the other. Basic, low-range types gives you speeds of only about 56 mbps. Pick one with ultra-range capabilities or a dual-band router for best performance and fastest speeds.

Setting up your wireless routers is not as difficult as it seems. When you have a wireless router at hand, you only have to substitute your DSL or cable connection with it. For techie people who would like to learn, here's a quick guide to doing it yourself.

First, remove cable or DS modem from your power supply and also the ethernet cable from the computer. Leave the phone cord on the modem.

Connect the end of the ethernet cable you removed from your computer to the internet port at the back of your router. This port is normally marked clearly. Plug your modem back to the power source.

Plug one end of your router's ethernet cable into the ethernet connector on the network card of your computer. The other end goes into one of the ethernet network ports on the router itself.

Hook up the router to a power supply and check the indicator lights. Five indicator lights should be on: the power light, the internet light, the security light, the wireless light, and the light for one of your ethernet network connections.

All indicator lights should be stable. Otherwise, you'll need to check if you had plugged cables securely or if the router is working properly.

Install the software that came with your wireless router. Run it as instructed and test your system. Products made by different manufacturers, although intended for the same purposes, would invariably be slightly different from one another. Some routers could be a bit more complicated to setup or install. If you followed the above steps and it didn't work like it should, refer to your router's user manual for guidance. This is usually included in the kit that you purchased. If it's not, log on to your manufacturer's website for questions.

When you have accurately installed your router into your system, configure the device. Key-in your internet access pass (username and password) into the router's setup screen. Also, for security reasons, change your router's username and password immediately to prevent unauthorized access into your wireless connection.

Although sharing internet connection and file sharing between network computers may be done via alternative methods, having a router simplifies these tasks immensely. It's what makes routers such popular alternatives.

Although routers do not generally support dial-up modems, there are a few units with built-in serial ports that work with serial cables to accommodate dial-up connectivity.

Get better access to your home network and get the most out of your internet connection. Hook everything up to a network with a wireless router. It saves you time, effort, and money. Plus, it makes your computers better-able to interact with your mobile phones and other devices.

For more information on Wireless Router Setup and Wireless Long Range Router please visit our website.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=David_Urmann

How To Safely Identify And Remove A Virus

What’s the best way for removing virus from an infected computer? Well, what’s a virus and how do you know you need help in removing virus in the first place? A virus is a name for any kind of malicious program that may have been downloaded to your computer and it needs to be removed. A virus can also be known as spyware or malware, and among the many ways to know you’re infected and need help in properly and completely removing virus is when you see things like having your web browser homepage redirected to a new site, seeing “notification” windows popping up on your desktop telling you that you have a virus, and finding mysterious new folders being created randomly on your computer. If you’ve seen anything like this it is evidence that your computer is now infected and needs help for removing virus immediately! The good news, is that there is an easy way for removing virus and achieving repair to your computer.

The first and foremost rule about removing virus when infected is, don’t click on ANY new windows or notifications about your infected computer. Close windows only by clicking on the “X” in the box at the top right of the window to prevent a virus from further attacking your system. By clicking on YES, or even NO, you are giving permission for the virus to further infect your computer, making it even more difficult for removing virus. Even if you don’t click a button, your computer has already been infected with a virus and you need to a reliable way for removing virus.

While claims are made by many to prevent and help removing virus, the ability to truly sweep your computer and permanently remove a virus can be a frustrating task. Usually, it’s almost impossible to achieve removing virus completely from your computer. Many programs claim to be able to accomplish removing virus, only to find your computer reinfected after you reboot. The good news is that you don’t need to be a computer geek to properly get assistance in removing virus anymore.

There are a number of Virus Removal tools that will peform a safe and complete sweep of your computer and will NOT take any action at removing virus. Once the sweep is done you will be presented with a list of any infections and YOU decide to tell the tool to start removing virus with a button click. That’s it! One click to find any virus infections and to completely and safely remove any and all viruses from your computer.

An evaluation of most Virus Removal Tools are free. It's now a one step process for completely and safely removing virus from any computer.

By: David Reardon

Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com

Feng Shui For Your Computer

Although feng shui principles are usually applied to the real world, your virtual environment could also benefit from less clutter. Follow these steps to desktop nirvana.

Go for a minimalist look. Many programs install start-up icons on your desktop, making it difficult to find what you really want. Reduce the clutter by removing everything from your desktop, except the stuff you need. Keep the icons for ‘My Computer’ or your hard drive, the Recycle Bin, the CD drive and your browser and bin everything else. You don’t need everything in plain view.

While you’re making friends with the Recycle Bin, get rid of everything else you don’t need – shareware you’ve once used, wallpaper, sound files, email. Be ruthless – as long as you don’t want it and it’s not in the Windows folder, delete it. Anything with a .tmp extension in the filename can be safely removed too.

There’s only so much clutter you can take away manually. Programs leave bits and pieces of themselves in hard-to-find places, so get a friend to help you. Once you have removed everything, run a registry scan and a complete virus scan.

Organize your start menu if you’re a Windows user. New programs invariably place short cuts for themselves in the main part of the menu – after a while you can end up with a huge, unwieldy list that’s difficult to navigate. Combat the chaos by indexing programs as you go along. Remove redundant associations. If you’re not sure, leave them.

By now your computer should be more immaculate than when you first took delivery but there are still a couple of housekeeping tasks you need to perform to get it running harmoniously. Run a registry fix about once a week and set your antivirus to do a full system scan at least once a week too. If you’re running Windows XP then enable Windows Defender to do a full scan once a day, at a time when you are not using your computer. Leave your computer switched on and connected to the Internet permanently if you have a broadband Internet connection. Set your programs to automatically download and install updates.

Make yourself a cup of tea – preferably a calming herbal brew like chamomile. While it’s steeping, run a full virus scan. As you sip your tea, try to visualize a calm scenario – a placid lake in Autumn, for example. By the time you’ve finished your tea, your chi (energy) will be fully refreshed and your computer will be ready for the last stages of its feng shui makeover.

Add the final touches to your desktop. If you’ve had the same desktop theme since you bought your computer, change it now and add a new suite of sounds. Choose something you can live with – this is important. The number of computers physically damaged by users who had installed Hal from 2001 desktops themes is inestimable.

Reboot your machine. You’re making a new beginning and this is an important gesture that separates your old, cluttered and inefficient way of working from your new energy-balanced relationship with your computer. It also gets rid of the junk your machine couldn’t delete while it was running.

Published At: www.Isnare.com
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Ways to Make a Computer Run Faster

If your computer is not running as fast as it used to you would know how frustrating it can sometimes be especially if you don't know what to do or what you have tried did not work. The good thing though is that there are several things you can do to make your computer run faster and this article would show you some of them.

The first way to do so is to get a very good anti-spyware and anti-virus on your computer and ensure that they are up to date. The reason why you need this is that spyware and viruses are not only harmful to your computer but they can also make your computer not run as quickly as it should or as quickly as it should be running. There are some of them which are available free on the internet but ensure that you get one that comes with regular updates as spyware and viruses are a continuous threat that keep changing and evolving everyday.

Another way to do this to reduce the number of programs that start up with your computer as this can also affect the speed of your computer especially when you have a lot of programs starting at the same time. This is a problem common to a lot of people and some of the programs you should try to stop from starting with your computer include things like your instant messaging service and any program you know that is not vital to your computer.

You should also try to wait for your computer to start up before you plug things to your computer and a very good example of this is your iPod. A lot of people usually just plug it onto their computer even before the computer is put on and this can affect make can make a computer run slowly.

There are still many more things to know about how to make your computer run faster and if you would like to find out more about what you can do if your computer is running slow you can do so by Clicking Here Now.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jide_Chen

Portable Zip Drives - Take Your Zip Files Anywhere

The Zip drive is a storage system for computers that serves as a good alternative to USB flash devices and CD and floppy drives. It can either be installed in your CPU or you can opt for the portable Zip drives so you can take your files anywhere with you for more convenience. The portable ones still function like the ones you can install in your CPU since they rewrite and read Zip disks, but this time, they can be removed and reconnected easily.

Replacements for the floppy disk

Portable zip drives were originally designed to serve as a more convenient and better way to store more files than the 3.5-inch floppy disk. They are connected to the computer using a peripheral port and their storage capacities range from 100MB to 750MB. However, due to their expensiveness and bulkiness, only a few people are able to find them useful and really convenient as a replacement to the floppy disk.

USB versus parallel ports

When portable zip drives were initially introduced in the market, they were able to connect to computers through the parallel port. However, they were not compatible with other computers that did not have those parallel ports. Furthermore, these ports have lower data rates compared to USB's. On the other hand is the USB portable zip drive that you can conveniently plug to the USB port of your computer and it allows for faster transfer of files.

Zip drives are useful, too

In today's world where USB flash drives and DVD ROM's are more preferred, you can still opt to buy a portable zip drive for your computer or laptop. After all, you can never have too many storage devices and they make good back-up devices, too. Just make sure that it consists of a plug-and-play USB system that won't require you to install any software and that it has a format time of 10 to 15 seconds.

Important information

Complete information on portable zip drives is available at PickyGuide, the authority in free consumer advice. Access top-ranked, best-reviewed, and most competitively priced zip drives in PickyGuide's recommended products section.

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