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Dirty Little Computer Viruses
and How To Protect Yourself by: Dan Preston
Whether you have learned your lesson
from a past experience with a nasty computer virus or have been pressing
your luck by surfing the web and downloading various files or opening those
email messages sent to you by people you don’t know without any real understanding
of just how vulnerable you really are each time you log onto your computer
you now have the opportunity to discover what steps you can take to avoid
such an annoying and many times destructive infestation.
Listed below are some of the guidelines
you can follow in order to keep those nasty viruses from making a mess
out of your computer and your life.
•Purchase and install a well respected
antivirus software program and be sure to set it up so that it automatically
runs when the computer starts up each time.
•Make sure to keep your antivirus
software up to date by either using the automatic update feature that many
come with or make it a habit to manually check at least once or twice a
week for updates on your own.
•Set your antivirus program to scan
for potential viruses each time you open a word-processing document like
the ones that get sent through email. Viruses found in word-processing
documents are called Macro Viruses.
•When purchasing software make sure
to only buy from vendors that are well known and from ones you trust.
•Resist swapping data with the use
of floppy disks or other mobile storage devices between various computers.
If exchanging programs between computers is unavoidable just make sure
to scan the storage device(s) for viruses before transferring data from
one computer to the next.
•If using floppy disks to transfer
data make sure to format them before using them for the first time.
•Never use pirated software. This
is both illegal and a very good way to invite an unwanted computer virus.
•When downloading software from the
internet do so as little as possible. There are many neat programs available
on the internet, but unfortunately there are many viruses that go along
with them also.
•If you must download programs from
the internet ALWAYS scan them for viruses BEFORE opening them up to install
on your computer.
•Probably the most important and
neglected method of disaster recovery are periodic backups of all important
files found on your computer. Should a virus happen to get through your
lines of defense you may need to replace the virus corrupted files with
fresh ones that have been kept for such an occasion.
Finally, it is not guaranteed that
if you follow the above steps that you will not be the victim of a computer
virus,but you can sure bet that if followed you will greatly reduce the
chance of being an unsuspecting recipient of such an unwanted program.
About The Author
Dan Preston is the webmaster of
a site called InfoHeaven Digital Books and The Online Book Store where
you can find useful and Fr'ee information along with many how-to digital
books that cover a large variety of interesting topics. http://infoheaven-digital-books.com
and http://online-book-store.net.
Courtesy of http://www.ArticleCity.com/
Are
You Well Protected? by: Roxie Hickman
Winter…the official start of the
cold and flu season. Though, technically speaking, things got started a
little early. Close to a million computers, mostly home PC users, have
been infected.
For many of us our computers are
our business. We keep in contact with customers and clients via email,
do extensive internet research, and transmit important files electronically.
We know what to do to protect our
bodies from viruses. There are some simple strategies, and even free precautions
we can take to protect our businesses by keeping our PCs virus free.
Adopting the following six checkpoints
will help keep your computer healthy and your business uninterrupted.
Use a Firewall
At its most basic level a firewall
is a software security system that acts as a barrier between your computer
and the outside world (the internet) by monitoring all incoming network
traffic. A more advanced firewall will also monitor outgoing traffic. How
you use your computer will determine whether basic or advanced firewall
protection is needed.
What a firewall does is make your
computer invisible while on the Internet. If hackers can't see you, they
cannot attack you.
Windows XP has this software installed;
however, it may need to be enabled. If you have XP and would like to enable
the firewall, directions are on the Microsoft website.
For non XP users, firewall software
can be purchased. McAfee and Zone Alarm are two very popular products.
Zone Alarm has a free downloadable firewall, basic version, available on
their website, www.zonealarm.com.
Before installing a firewall, you
may be interested in learning your computer’s vulnerability. This is something
that can be checked for free and in just a few minutes. Visit the website
of Gibson Research Corporation, www.grc.com, and under Hot Spots, click
on Shields UP. It takes a little bit of scrolling to get to but is well
worth the extra seconds. In minutes your PC is scanned and its vulnerability
rated.
Antivirus Software
Antivirus software is the "shot"
after the epidemic. This software protects your computer from known threats.
Many PCs come with antivirus software already installed. Some of the more
popular versions are Norton, PCCillin and McAfee.
If you have it pre installed or have
purchased it, great. Please be sure to keep it constantly updated with
the latest virus definitions. This is important because these definitions
are formed in response to the latest viruses. If you don't have this protection,
please consider getting it.
Once this software is installed on
your computer, you will be automatically notified when new virus definitions
are available. Then it is just a matter of a few clicks to download the
new definitions.
Likewise you will be notified when
your antivirus software is about to expire. The software needs to be updated
annually. The initial purchase, renewal, updates and installation can all
be done online.
Spyware Eliminator
Why am I getting all of these pop
ups? Certain websites that you visit or free software (shareware) that
you download, and, in some cases, hardware purchased from major manufacturers
will also install tracking devices on your computer (spyware). Spyware
is annoying but not illegal.
An internet search will reveal the
many choices available for spyware elimination software. The important
thing is to get one and use it consistently. Spybot and PestPatrol are
popular choices.
I really like Spybot Search and Destroy.
Besides the fact that it is free, once spyware is identified, the software
will provide a detailed description of just what it is. This is helpful
just in case it identifies something that you don't want to get rid of.
Backup, Backup, Backup
How often do you backup? What files/programs
do you backup? What media do you backup to?
We all know the importance of backing
up our information yet so many of us don’t do it. There may be a ton of
reasons why it's not done but the one reason it should be done on a regular
basis is that it can be a timesaver, possibly a business saver if your
computer system is corrupted for any reason.
If you happen to be using Windows
XP Professional, the backup procedure is quite simple. For users of XP
Home Edition, it is a bit more involved. Complete instructions, however,
are on the Microsoft website.
Typically, data files are what most
people need to back up and having well organized files will certainly simplify
the process.
Whether you backup to disk, zip disk,
DVD, writeable CDs, external file drive or utilize one of the online services,
it is important to get into the habit of backing up on a regular basis.
Weekly Updates of Windows
Windows users are automatically notified
of current updates for the Windows operating system when your computer
is turned on. With just a few clicks your operating system is updated.
However, when certain patches become
available for your particular applications software (XP, 2000, NT, etc),
as was/is the case with the recent worm viruses, a visit to Microsoft's
website is necessary.
Once there, Microsoft will scan your
computer, tell you what updates are available, and you then have the option
of installing them on your system. In some cases, you will need your installation
CDs to complete the download.
With the recent run of viruses and
with more expected, it is imperative to check for these updates weekly
on the Microsoft website as well as do the automatic updates.
Be Careful of Email Attachments
Email is such a widely accepted method
of communication, and this has not gone unnoticed by hackers who use email
as a means of mass virus spread.
For this final checkpoint, your due
diligence is the only software required.
Always delete any email from unknown
senders and be very careful of any attachments you are not expecting from
any known senders. As we have seen, hackers can quite easily access Outlook
address books to spread viruses.
By the way, including a fake email
address in your address book will not prevent your PC from spreading viruses.
This is an urban legend. If you’re interested in the full story, check
out this link: www.snopes.com/computer/virus/quickfix.htm
When it comes to the health of our
computers, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Effective prevention
software along with plain old common sense, used consistently, can keep
you protected.
About The Author
Roxie Hickman, Virtual Assistant
(VA), is the owner of The Virtual Connection. The Virtual Connection (www.thevirtualconnection.net)
specializes in working with the ‘sucstressed’ (successful professionals
who are stressed because they’ve been doing it alone). The Virtual Connection
provides offsite executive, administrative, and personal assistance (virtual
assistance).
roxie@thevirtualconnection.net
Courtesy of http://www.ArticleCity.com/
Basic
Problem in a PC by: Pawan Bangar
Basic Computer PROBLEMS
I have a p3 500MHz PC with 128MB
RAM, 10.2 GB HDD Sony CD ROM 48x with window ME edition operating system.
I have a problem- when I insert my audio cd, it shows the error message:
“window cannot access the specified device path or file. You may not have
appropriate permission the access the item.” Please tell me the solution
of this error how can we configure the Yahoo! Account in outlook express.
What is the pop mail and SMTP address of the Yahoo! Mail?
Dr Birbals: do you get this problem
only in the case of audio CDs only or is it an every time phenomenon. If
this problem is specific to audio CDs, then you must first check your sound
card drivers and the compatibility of the player you are using to play
audio CDs. Regarding configuration of Yahoo! Account in the outlook express,
the procedure is simple. If this is your first account in outlook express,
then on starting outlook express it will automatically start configuring
an e-mail account for you, which could be your Yahoo! account also. However,
if you are using outlook express already and would like to set another
account i.e. Yahoo! Then you should add identity and start configuring
the account as normally you would do by the following simple steps. However,
when you are asked to enter the POP address, then use pop.mail.yahoo.com.
In case of SMTP address, please use the address smtp.mail.yahoo.com. Enter
the user name, which would be the first part of your yahoo e-mail ID. Then
complete the rest of the step and this will finish the configuration.
I have assembled computer with Celeron
333MHz, Yamaha sound card, 32MB RAM and 4.3GB hard disk. I am using window’98
as OS. My problem is that whenever I make a call to the USA, the voice
from the other side comes but my voice doesn’t go. What is the reason and
how to solve the problem? My vendor advised me to add another sound card
to solve the problem. Is it right? Guide me which card suitable for the
same. I used Yahoo! Messenger for making a call.
Dr Birbals: in your case there is
a good possibility that you are using a half-duplex sound card in your
system. In the half-duplex sound card, the sound travels in only one channel,
which means that if you are speaking then the sound of other person could
not be transmitted, unless you stop speaking. However, in case of full-duplex
sound cards, the sound travels in both channels, thus facilitating proper
two-way communication. Therefore you must check, if your sound card is
half-duplex, then you may need another full-duplex sound card, otherwise
you do not need new sound card.
I have p3 (550 MHz) 810 motherboard,
assembled computer. My PC speaker 480 w of dolphin makes a noise when I
play a song, movie or any other program requiring sound output whether
I play song in winamp, media player or anywhere.
Dr. Birbals: since you have not mentioned
what kind of noise you are getting, so it is difficult to pinpoint your
problem. However, generally the problem of noise is associated with the
some kind of short-circuit or loose connection. So get your PC checked
for any such problem. Also please check the earthing of your electricity
connection, as improper earthing could also result in some kind of noise
with other problem in your PC.
I am having p3 550MHz Intel processor
with 810 Vinton motherboard, 20GB HDD, 52xCDD, Motorola 56 KBPS modems
with WIN ME as operating system. Recently I installed win 2000 professional
but can’t be able to install the driver of modem. I tried installing the
driver from the original Motorola CD but got the message “your driver may
get clash with win 2000 version because the driver is not having digital
signatures.” Please guide me what should I do to install the driver of
the modem.
Dr. Birbals: digital signature an
encryption and decryption process allowing both the positive identification
of the author of an electronic message (who wrote the message) and verification
of integrity of the message. Since this is a modem security measure, thus
it has become a standard in modern operating system like windows 2000.
There for you require drivers, which are compatible with windows 2000.
There could be a possibility that the driver you are trying to install
is not for windows 2000. Therefore in order to solve this problem, you
should install the version specific to Windows NT or windows 2000. However
as far as Motorola internal modems are connected, windows 2000 automatically
detects it and install the correct version of driver from its database
and thus it does not require you to install the driver manually. Thus,
in light of this fact, it is better to let the windows 2000 detect the
correct driver and install the same.
Q. No.1
I want to know that what do satellites
in a PC speaker system do.
Q. No.2
Do they act as tweeters or just normal
speakers so that the sound comes from all around the room?
Q. No.3
I have a creative sound blaster live
sound card, it has support for satellites so I want to buy jetway artis
speakers (with 4 satellite and sub-woofer included).will the satellite
create Dolby surround sound or will they just sound as four speakers placed
at the vertices of the room?
Q. No.4
Is a 33.6kbps external modem slower
than a 56kbps internal modem?
Q. No.5
Does having more RAM in your graphic
card, mean better performance?
Dr. Birbals: basically, satellite
nothing to do with PC speakers; it’s only the satellite speakers, which
are related to PC’s. The satellite speakers are magnetically shielded speakers,
which are meant for use with video monitors. It delivers powerful audio
playback from multiple piece system, normally three pieces. The use of
this technology brings about dramatic improvement normal speakers that
come bundled with your PC. They do not act as tweeters, however, but has
its own technology to improve the sound quality. It is not just limited
to Dolby surround sound, because it features are much advanced. Regarding
your query for modems. It is a matter of fact that the 56kbps modems are
faster than the 33.6kbps modems. It is irrespective of the fact whether
it is an external modems or internal modem. However at places, where the
downloading speed is very slow, the difference between 56kbps modem and
33.6 modem will not be much. Regarding your query related to higher video
memory, it is indeed true that the higher video memory means better performance.
I am using internet connection from
the VSNL. My problem is that while I am online, the telephone automatically
gets disconnected and I have to redial. Again after few minutes of being
online, I am disconnected. I have got two phone lines. This problem is
with one phone line while no such problem occurs with other phone line.
Win’98 is my OS and my computer is p2 with 333MHz.
Dr. Birbals: it is clearly evident
from your mail that the problem in your case lies in your telephone line
rather than your computer hardware. You must get your telephone line checked
for any kind of phone joints, cuts, and improper extensions. Normally,
it is happens because of these factors only. However, if you are satisfied
of these factors, then you may opt to change the line of your telephone
right from the nearest DOT point to your PC. I am sure these things will
help you in getting this problem corrected. However, in order to avoid
too frequent disconnection, you may also add the string S10=50 in the advanced
option in your modem configuration. But, this in itself will not be able
to solve your problem, if there is a defect in your telephone line.
I have Celeron 533with 1-0GB hard
disk and 64 MB RAM. I have windows ME operating system. I have a problem
that when I want to connect to the net, my system hangs. Please tell me
how I can solve this problem.
Dr. Birbals: the problem of system
hanging could be due to several reasons; please write back at what stage
of connection dose your system hangs. Whether it hanging on dialing, or
it hangs while hard shaking with the ISP server or at the time of logging
on to the windows. This information would be essential to answer your question
correctly.
I want to know how to get m Yahoo!
Mail in my outlook express. I entered pop.mail, yahoo.com as many incoming
server and smtp.mail.Yahoo.com as my outgoing server. When I press send
and receive I get “outgoing mail failed.” For incoming it asks me my password.
I entered it correctly 3 times yet could not get the mail.
Dr. Birbals: while entering the pop
and SMTP server please take care that it is enter correctly and there are
no space in it. In the setting of outlook express, you can save your password,
which will save you from the botheration of entering your password again
and will also not return this error. However, in case of sending mail through
outlook express using Yahoo! Services; it sometime gives this problem,
which is specific to Yahoo services only.
I have p3 computer. I have a problem
while working on net. Whenever I try to open any site, mantra online opens
as a default. Please tell me why does it open as a default and how can
I get of rid on it
Dr. Birbals: this is actually not
a problem and can be corrected easily by some simple changes in your browser
settings. If you are using internet explorer, then simply open the internet
explorer and check on the tool menu. Now click on the internet options
and in the home page address box, either choose site of your choice or
choose about blank. This will help you get rid of this problem. Similarly
in case you are using Netscape communicator, then to change the default
page, click on edit menu and then click preferences. In homepage location
box, either enter the site address of your choice or leave it blank. This
simple measure will help you get red of your problem.
I use my computer mostly for audio-CAD
work, which is precise; precious I store the whole data on my hard disk.
Other members of the family also use the same computer. From the safety
point of view, I want to have some reliable backup arrangement that can
be updated for additional work from time to time. At present there are
about 2500 files that I want to store in the back-up also. Floppy disk
are of low capacity, CD drive requires CD-writer and is expensive. So kindly
advise suitable mode for backup.
Dr. Birbals: these days the hard
disks normally have a large capacity so the easiest solution is to dedicate
a specific partition of your hard disk for backing up your files. You can
protect them with password and can even hide it so that it is not accessible
to anybody. The second solution could be Zip drive, where you can keep
your data in large capacity floppies and can even carry them with you.
This option is a bit expensive, as you will have to additionally buy external
Zip drive. However, the option of CD-writer is the best as you can store
a large amount of data on your CD. Besides that the data on a CD is safest.
I have a p3, 667 MHz (based 100 MHz
SD RAM) with 64 RAM on HP pavilion. My operating system is windowa’98 SE
on 10.2 GB ultra DMA ATA 66 hard drive (about 7GB free space). I have an
internet connection from the BSNL. I face a problem--- the system sometime
freezes and then neither keyboard nor mouse work. I have to turn the power
off. Please guide me whether increasing RAM to 128 will solve my problem?
Dr. Birbals: you must run scandisk
first in thorough mode in order to check any problems in your hard disk.
if the scan disk does not work properly in windows, then you must run it
in DOS mode. If there is any problem, then scan disk will report about
it. Moreover, you must also check the result for any bad sector in your
hard disk as this could be one of the reasons for your problem. However,
if everything is reported fine by scan disk, then the needle of suspicion
would go to motherboard of your computer. This you will have to get checked
from your hardware vendor. Your problem has nothing to do with increasing
the RAM and thus increasing it to 128 MB will not actually solve your problem.
I have p3 500MHz processor, 64 MB
RAM, win’98 SE internal modem (Motorola SM56PCI speakerphone). Usually
when I try to connect to the internet, I get an error 678 showing the message
“dialup network was unable to complete the connection. Double click the
connect icon to connect again” and after sometime I am able to connect.
Somebody told me that this problem is due to internal modem and if I use
an external modem, I may be able to connect the very first time. You have
mentioned some techniques to improve the modem. I tried to check my phone
line using HyperTerminal, but when I selected direct to com x in “connect
to windows”, I did not get the com x properties. I got a blank window instead.
When I enter the said terms (ATZ, AT&FDT ISP’s number) it dials using
tone dialing that I don’t have. So please tell me what to do with my internal
modem to avoid that error and also how I can check my telephone line using
HyperTerminal.
Dr. Birbals: this is very common
confusion in the minds of many persons that the internal modems are not
efficient and gives error. However this is not correct. Though undoubtedly
external modems are better in terms of overall performance and ease of
use yet the internal modems give identical result as far as the net speed
is concerned. Whether it is internal modem or external modem, what is more
important is chip set of the modem. If the internal modem good chipset
like Rockwell, then there is no problem in it. The problem mentioned by
you is not linked to the internet modem and there could be many reasons
for such kind of error. Now the technique you are talking about is to check
the line conditions and not the modem. So it will really not help you in
analysng your modem. However for a precise solution to your problem, please
write in detail including the message you get.
Whenever I start my computer I get
message: “NO ISDN devices were found. Please install an ISDN device and
run the configuration wizard”. I neither had ever installed nor wish to
install ISDN device. Kindly advise how to get rid on this message to avoid
clicking “OK” ach time.
Dr. Birbals: although for solving
your problem information about your operating system and system configuration
is necessary. However, it appears that while configuration your internet
connection, you had opted for ISDN connection. I think of because of this
reason you get the warning for ISDN device. As a solution of this problem
either remove the ISDN connection wizard or reconfigure your dial-up networking.
I have windows ME installed on my
computer. I want to configure my outlook express to get my mail from my
account on rediff.com but I don’t know how to configure. Please tell me
what to write in the incoming mail server and the outgoing mail server
fields.
Dr. Birbals: rediff mail is a web-based
e-mail services, so its pop and SMTP server names are not available. However,
for configuring an e-mail account in your e-mail client, the information
about these two servers is quite essential. So, practically it is difficult
to configure rediff mail account in outlook express.
I have problem with playing the VCDs.
It hangs the system, then it play for 4 to 5 seconds and hang again. The
HDD and CD ROM drive’s LED glows continuously with full light when it hangs.
All other CDs (program and audio) run well. I tried everything I know.
I have installed right drivers for the device. My system is p200 MMX, 32
MB RAM, cirrus 5446 VGA with 2MB RAM, creative CD ROM drive and OS is win’95.
Dr. Birbals: this problem is normally
occurs in case of low memory. So in order to get rid of this problem you
need to increase your memory if possible a better VGA card with higher
VRAM. Moreover, you also need to increase the size of the panging file
size. Also you should keep a good space on your hard disk free. So the
first thing you should try to do is free up some hard disk space. As a
rule of thumb you should always keep at least 10 percent of your hard disk
capacity always free, though higher is better. If this solves your problem,
its well and good, else you would be required to increase the memory.
About The Author
Pawan Bangar,
Technical Director,
Birbals, (Hbirbals,Seobirbals,Ebirbals,Ibirbals)
#1047,Sector 42-b,
Chandigarh.
Cell:+91-98153-52253
email:
www.ebirbals.com
www.birbals.com
www.hbirbals.com
www.seobirbals.com
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