Internet Security - Simple ways to save yourself(part 1)

Do you know some very basic things to keep your information secure?  Can you pinpoint a phishing email just by the appearance of it?  Can you smell a crook's new email trick within 10 seconds of clicking on that new message?

No? then something is wrong, there are some very basic common sense tactics every internet user can utilize to figure out who sent them the email, or if they are who they say they are.

1.  Just about anyone can send a email from 'security-response@worldbank.com', its childs play, in fact thats one of the first lessons I learned when I got online, how 'insecure' email really is.

Email, is a simple text based technology, and anyone with the correct script, or program can point at IP's (your computer) at random, or by design, to snatch data.  I dont want to scare you from telling about your big birthday bash on the 13th of November for uncle john from Quebec City, but that is the first step of a scammers information, now they gotta figure out who 'uncle john' is, and find out how old he is... not really hard if you ask yourself some common sense questions, and seek out the answers....

This is why its important for you to be aware of how scammers, phishers, etc grab information from you, in fact one of the easiest ways is on facebook, very FEW people I noticed have dug into the privacy settings to learn how to secure their data.

I can glance at over 80% of facebook users profiles and find out their birthday, including year.

I can glance at the same users, and figure out where they worked

I can glance at the same users and figure out what they might have as a hobby

I can glance at the same users, and figure out who they are friends with, and who are family (or make a generalized guess that makes me look like I know what I am talking about)

So, the email you sent out about uncle john's birthday party, gives me your email address, and uncle johns birthday.  From here I go to facebook (or other social networking site) and enter your email address (if not your name if I have it in the email).

I can then glance at your friends, and family, if your privacy settings are not secured, and find anyone with 'John' as a name, its short work afterwards to glance through all your 'John' contacts, looking for someone who is in Quebec, or might be french, or might have a birthday.. on or about the 13th of November.

When you call to have services connected, disconnected, or moved, one of the first things they ask, is your birthday, address etc, all this information is easily accessible on MOST people online, specially if they are on facebook.

Do you really want to know more?  Go learn how to set your privacy settings on facebook, and be careful HOW MUCH information you put in your emails.

PS:  Emails, FTP, Telnet, general CHAT protocols are TEXT BASED and NOT ENCRYPTED, and thus, open to something called 'sniffing packets' which opens up your private world to those who know how.

Fix Windows 7 Blue Screen - How to Repair Windows 7 BSOD

Probably the worst thing that can happen to a Windows 7 user is to get a BSOD or blue screen of death. This is when your computer suddenly flashes a blue screen and displays some text then either reboots, hangs up or shuts down. You will not get to save any of your work and anything you have been doing goes up in smoke.

In reality, the Windows 7 blue screen is an essential safety measure. It acts as protection against further damage to your computer by halting error-prone software and hardware and restarting it before the issue gets worse. Here are a few quick things you can do to fix your Windows blue screen blues.

• Cool down your computer. BSODs are often due to heating issues inside your computer. For desktops, try investing in a better cooling and fan system. For laptops, a cooling pad will do wonders in reducing the temperature of your system.

• Add some RAM. Some programs need more memory space to run so adding RAM not only gives your computer a much needed boost, it also helps keep the dreaded blue screen at bay. For certain Windows 7 machines, you can also use the system's ReadyBoost and add memory by just plugging in a USB 2.0 flash drive.

• Fixing the Registry. The registry is essentially your operating system's index for your PC. One wrong entry in it will cascade into catastrophic failure. There are some readily available registry cleaners on the market and some even have robust scheduling and automated repair features that will help keep your registry clean at all times.

Again, we cannot stress enough that fixing your registry manually is both dangerous and difficult. Any mistake in editing it by yourself can cause some of your programs to stop running or worse, it can permanently render your computer inoperable.

Your best bet is to use a reliable and trusted registry cleaner to do the job for you. Not only will it automatically fix the Windows 7 blue screen, it will also speed up your computer considerably.

Need to fix a blue screen error? Want to turbocharge your system while you are at it? Get an easy fix and scan your computer for free with the best registry clean up software on the internet today. Jim Marshall is a computer technician expert with over 15 years in the industry. He has an intimate knowledge of the windows registry and various register repair software. After testing some of the top registry cleaners on the market, he has created a comprehensive review site that details his findings. http://www.registry-clean-up.net Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jim_Marshall

How to Recover Lost Data From a Hard Drive Easily

Did your hard drive just break down and you failed to get a backup of your files? Hard drives, unlike other types of storage, have greater tendencies to crash. Once you notice that your computer takes time to boot and you suddenly hear a clicking sound, soon, you can bet your hard disk will break down soon. The worst thing about crashes is that you could end up losing your important files. If this happens, do not panic. Advancements in technology have found solutions for this problem. Now, you can find several ways to recover lost data from hard drive.

If you have an external hard drive and another computer to work with, you can try to see if you can view your files from there. If this does not work, you can still find other options. A data recovery program can still help you. Recovery programs are tools that can be downloaded from the internet. There are various programs in the internet that offer various features. You can check their differences and what can be more effective to recover lost data from hard drive.

By using data recovery software, you will not be bothered with the hassle of looking for a computer technician. Data recovery software is easy to use. No need for any technical skills to operate it. Once you have downloaded the software, simply install it on your computer and run it. It will scan your computer and retrieve lost data from hard drive. It won't take much of your time and afterwards you can have the files you need back. It is also advisable to backup these files to avoid any more inconvenience in the future.

Usually, a dependable data recovery tool should be enough to bring back the files you need. Just browse through the different websites and programs in order to find the best. If, however, you are still unable to recover lost data from hard drive, now is the time to seek assistance from a computer expert.

REMO Recovery Software is a recovery applications which employ improved and efficient scanning algorithms and recover files in their original form, regardless of the data loss situation. Why not Download REMO Recover for a FAST way to recover lost data from hard disk easily? Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Logan_Yanany

Frustrated With Windows 7 Freezing? Fix it the Easy Way!

Computers are one of the best ways to improve the functioning of our lives. However, we always get perturbed when errors occur in them such as the freezing of windows system. In most cases the freezing of windows 7 happens due to reasons like overheating. In the situation of windows 7 freezing, the computer screen blocks for some time and the mouse cannot be moved at all.

Such error is quite annoying when it occurs in the middle of some important work. Not only the work is lost due to the windows 7 freezing, but also sometimes, it is not possible to restore the computer without restarting it. This error can be a source of multiple problems for computer users.

So How to Fix Windows 7 Freezing?

Windows 7 freezes can be prevented by ensuring that the RAM of the computer is as per its needs. It is quite true that when the RAM of the PC is not able to support its functionalities, such errors are liable to occur. The RAM decides the speed of the PC because it helps in proper processing of tasks. Therefore, the computer users have two choices before them to prevent the occurrence of such errors, they should not try to either operate multiple programs simultaneously or increase the RAM of your PC.

Sometimes, it might happen that such windows 7 freezes occur when a person is only using a specific program. In that case, the program might not be even compatible with your PC, so such issues may happen. Therefore, it is better to upgrade the drivers of the PC for that program to fix this kind of problem.

However, the most common way to prevent windows 7 freezes is to make use of a registry cleaner software. The windows registry contains some very important entries that are used for interaction between the operating system and the hardware of the PC. Without it working properly, the computer cannot just bear the load of your instructions all the times. Therefore, it is certainly a great thing that all the extra entries and errors in the registry are removed so that the PC does not become over heated at all. A registry cleaner software can scan your windows system for possible defects and ensure that all the errors and unneeded registry entries are deleted safely and automatically. With the help of a registry cleaner, it is now possible to use your computer system without worrying about the appearance of windows 7 freezing.

Fix Windows 7 Freezing is easy to do with registry cleaner. If you scan your computer it will detect all the errors in your registry and safely remove them. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Logan_Yanany [Editors Note:  Remember to do research on any and all utilities you download from the internet. We can not guarentee links 100% ]

Windows 7 Startup Slow? Proven Tips on How to Speed Up Windows 7 Boot Up Time

When computers are such a basic part of our daily functioning, how can we not suffer from the development of any simple errors in them? It is quite true that after some time, when minor problems develop in our PC, they lead to many errors due to which it cannot work. A very crucial problem is the Windows 7 slow startup, which leads to so much delay.

However, the users have many solutions that can ensure they are able to fix problems like Windows 7 slow boot. One of the solutions is to reduce all the mess that you have created on your desktop. Most of the users have a tendency to store all their items on the desktop apart from so many programs and document shortcuts that they gave.

In addition, a computer user have to ensure that he can find solutions for shortcuts of programs, which start themselves automatically when the computer is booted. So, just enter the control panel and ensure that the option of a program starting itself on boot is changed. However, if the application still starts on booting, the better option is to delete it using the option Add/Remove Programs if it's not required.

However, in most cases, utilizing a Windows registry cleaner is the best way to speed up Windows 7 boot up time.

The Windows registry is the most crucial part of the computer and it is very important that any error in it should be fixed promptly because it determines the functioning of the PC. Since the Windows has to use all the entries stored in such a registry, a cleaner will organize the mess for you making sure that the Windows does not take much time in executing booting commands using registry. It can surely amend the Windows 7 slow start problem.

So, get a credible Windows registry cleaner software to speed up Windows 7 boot. After scanning and fixing your PC, you will be surprised how fast your Windows 7 startup is.

Speed Up Windows 7 is easy to do with registry cleaner. If you Scan Your Computer it will detect all the errors in your registry and safely remove them.

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

Fix Computer Slowness by Hellen White

This article is about how to fix slow computer with a registry cleaner. The features that a good registry cleaner should have are discussed. If you want to speed up your computer, these advices will be much helpful for you.

When your computer runs slowly, do you have an idea about that there are viruses on your computer? It is not hard for you to associate slow computer with viruses. When there is an error message, it also may be a problem of the operating system. The symptoms are various when your computer is infected by viruses. It is so important that there should be a top quality antivirus software on your computer. There are some antivirus software on the market now. You'd better ask for help from a computer professional before you purchase any antivirus software. A piece of powerful antivirus software will protect your computer from being infected by viruses, malware and spyware. It is best to choose real-time monitoring antivirus software.

That a computer runs slowly is not only because of viruses. In most cases, it can be attributed to system clutters, junk files, and duplicate files. If you don't clean these junk things from your computer, it must become more and more slowly. If you don't want to clean them manually, you can purchase a top-notch registry cleaner. It can help you a lot.

A registry cleaner can clean Internet cookies, Internet temp files and Internet histories. All these clutters can be cleaned quickly and safely. In addition to this, a registry cleaner can fix computer registry errors. It can clean the empty keys in the registry and can arrange the items in order. When you install a program onto your computer, there is a record in the registry. When a program is uninstalled, some remnants are left. A registry cleaner can clean the remains completely to reduce the computer's burdens. Therefore the computer can run much faster.

After a bit of time, the computer is bound to run slowly without deleting these junk files. A good registry cleaner will deal with this easily. After cleaning these useless files, the redundant things will be reduced to a large extent. An advanced registry cleaner will be able to fix many computer problems, such as IE problems. Some registry cleaners also have a function that can manage the startup programs. You can disable or enable the programs that you don't want or want them to start with the operating system. Some also can defrag the disks. When you save some files on the disk, some fragments are caused. A registry cleaner can defrag the disks and then free disk space will be had. If you want to know more about registry cleaners, you can visit the website below.

http://www.registrymum.com

ABOUT THE AUTHOR (Hellen White)
I am an experienced computer user. Sincerely hope what I share can be helpful for more and more people.


Source: Free Articles from ArticlesFactory.com

Factors Affecting CPU Speed And Its Solutions

CPU speed is generally measured in MHz and one Megahertz is equivalent to one million cycles per second. But this does not mean that a CPU with 3MHz works faster than a 1MHz CPU. The difference is observed on the quantity of work a CPU can perform in one clock cycle. Technically speaking, a CPU with 1MHz speed could possibly be faster and the 2MHz CPU could probably have high efficiency or perform larger amount of work. The speed of a CPU can be improved using caches as it can provide quicker access to the used information. They can also help in terms of the performance. A larger cache will lead to better performance. They are said to be heart of a CPU and while some may operate at a high speed, others do not.
Another factor affecting the CPU speed is the Front Side Bus (FSB). This is the main joint that connects the CPU to the whole memory system. It operates in a fraction of time compared to the CPU clock speed. Even the performance of a CPU can be judged according to the data transfer speed allowed by the FSB. Besides, speed is also affected by the Random Access Memory (RAM). A faster RAM implies that the CPU does not require much time for data transfer hence will work faster.

Generally speaking, anything included in the system may have impact on the speed of the CPU. They are also the main factors to the CPU performance as well as the whole system such as RAM video speed, speed of rotation and the access time for the hard disk. If you find the acceleration of your CPU to be considerably slow, you can try out the recommended solutions. One of them is to identify the most suitable CPU to complement your existing computer. Buying a new CPU, advancing aback and installing the new CPU into the computer should be pretty simple but beware that you are accurate on altering the CPU as you can cause severe damages if things in your computer are affected by you.

You can actually analyze your CPU performance and its acceleration in your computer by clicking on the start icon, choosing run and typing in “msinfo32”. Such method to improve the speed is highly recommended as they are cost-effective and simple.

Dennis enjoys writing on wide range of topics such as CPU speed and processor speed. You may visit for more details.