Bill Gate

Family and Early Childhood

On October 28, 1955, shortly after 9:00 p.m., William Henry Gates III was born. He was born into a family with a rich history in business, politics, and community service. His great-grandfather had been a state legislator and mayor, his grandfather was the vice president of a national bank, and his father was a prominent lawyer. [Wallace, 1992, p. 8-9] Early on in life, it was apparent that Bill Gates inherited the ambition, intelligence, and competitive spirit that had helped his progenitors rise to the top in their chosen professions. In elementary school he quickly surpassed all of his peer's abilities in nearly all subjects, especially math and science. His parents recognized his intelligence and decided to enroll him in Lakeside, a private school known for its intense academic environment. This decision had far reaching effects on Bill Gates's life. For at Lakeside, Bill Gates was first introduced to computers.

First computing Experience

In the Spring of 1968, the Lakeside prep school decided that it should acquaint the student body with the world of computers [Teamgates.com, 9/29/96]. Computers were still too large and costly for the school to purchase its own. Instead, the school had a fund raiser and bought computer time on a DEC PDP-10 owned by General Electric. A few thousand dollars were raised which the school figured would buy more than enough time to last into the next school year. However, Lakeside had drastically underestimated the allure this machine would have for a hand full of young students.

Bill Gates, Paul Allen, and a few other Lakeside students (many of whom were the first programmers hired at Microsoft) immediately became inseparable from the computer. They would stay in the computer room all day and night, writing programs, reading computer literature and anything else they could to learn about computing. Soon Gates and the others started running into problems with the faculty. Their homework was being turned in late (if at all), they were skipping classes to be in the computer room and worst of all, they had used up all of the schools computer time in just a few weeks. [Wallace, 1992, p. 24]

In the fall of 1968, Computer Center Corporation opened for business in Seattle. It was offering computing time at good rates, and one of the chief programmers working for the corporation had a child attending Lakeside. A deal was struck between Lakeside Prep School and the Computer Center Corporation that allowed the school to continue providing it's students with computer time. [Wallace, 1992, p. 27] Gates and his comrades immediately began exploring the contents of this new machine. It was not long before the young hackers started causing problems. They caused the system to crash several times and broke the computers security system. They even altered the files that recorded the amount of computer time they were using. They were caught and the Computer Center Corporation banned them from the system for several weeks.

Bill Gates, Paul Allen and, two other hackers from Lakeside formed the Lakeside Programmers Group in late 1968. They were determined to find a way to apply their computer skills in the real world. The first opportunity to do this was a direct result of their mischievous activity with the school's computer time. The Computer Center Corporation's business was beginning to suffer due to the systems weak security and the frequency that it crashed. Impressed with Gates and the other Lakeside computer addicts' previous assaults on their computer, the Computer Center Corporation decided to hire the students to find bugs and expose weaknesses in the computer system. In return for the Lakeside Programming Group's help, the Computer Center Corporation would give them unlimited computer time [Wallace, 1992, p. 27]. The boys could not refuse. Gates is quoted as saying "It was when we got free time at C-cubed (Computer Center Corporation) that we really got into computers. I mean, then I became hardcore. It was day and night" [Wallace, 1992, p. 30]. Although the group was hired just to find bugs, they also read any computer related material that the day shift had left behind. The young hackers would even pick employees for new information. It was here that Gates and Allen really began to develop the talents that would lead to the formation of Microsoft seven years later.

Roots of Business Career

Computer Center Corporation began to experience financial problems late in 1969. The company finally went out of business in March of 1970. The Lakeside Programmers Group had to find a new way to get computer time. Eventually they found a few computers on the University of Washington's campus where Allen's dad worked. The Lakeside Programmers Group began searching for new chances to apply their computer skills. Their first opportunity came early the next year when Information Sciences Inc. hired them to program a payroll program. Once again the group was given free computer time and for the first time, a source of income. ISI had agreed to give them royalties whenever it made money from any of the groups programs. As a result of the business deal signed with Information Sciences Inc., the group also had to become a legal business [Wallace, 1992, p. 42-43]. Gates and Allen's next project involved starting another company entirely on their own, Traf-O-Data. They produced a small computer which was used to help measure traffic flow. From the project they grossed around $20,000. The Traf-O-Data company lasted until Gates left for college. During Bill Gates' junior year at Lakeside, the administration offered him a job computerizing the school's scheduling system. Gates asked Allen to help with the project. He agreed and the following summer, they wrote the program. In his senior year, Gates and Allen continued looking for opportunities to use their skills and make some money. It was not long until they found this opportunity. The defense contractor TRW was having trouble with a bug infested computer similar to the one at Computer Center Corporation. TRW had learned of the experience the two had working on the Computer Center Corporation's system and offered Gates and Allen jobs. However thing would be different at TRW they would not be finding the bugs they would be in charge of fixing them. "It was at TRW that Gates began to develop as a serious programer," and it was there that Allen and Gates first started talking seriously about forming their own software company [Wallace, 1992, p. 49-51].

In the fall of 1973, Bill Gates left home for Harvard University [Teamgates.com, 9/29/96]. He had no idea what he wanted to study, so he enrolled as prelaw. Gates took the standard freshman courses with the exception of signing up for one of Harvard's toughest math courses. He did well but just as in high school, his heart was not in his studies. After locating the school's computer center, he lost himself in the world of computers once again. Gates would spend many long nights in front of the school's computer and the next days asleep in class. Paul Allen and Gates remained in close contact even with Bill away at school. They would often discuss ideas for future projects and the possibility of one day starting a business. At the end of Gates's first year at Harvard, the two decided that Allen should move closer to him so that they may be able to follow up on some of their ideas. That summer they both got jobs working for Honeywell [Wallace, 1992, p. 59]. As the summer dragged on, Allen began to push Bill harder with the idea that they should open a software company. Gates was still not sure enough to drop out of school. The following year, however, that would all change.

The Birth of Microsoft

In December of 1974, Allen was on his way to visit Gates when along the way he stopped to browse the current magazines. What he saw changed his and Bill Gates's lives forever. On the cover of Popular Electronics was a picture of the Altair 8080 and the headline "World's First Microcomputer Kit to Rival Commercial Models." He bought the issue and rushed over to Gates's dorm room. They both recognized this as their big opportunity. The two knew that the home computer market was about to explode and that someone would need to make software for the new machines. Within a few days, Gates had called MITS (Micro Instrumentation and Telemetry Systems), the makers of the Altair. He told the company that he and Allen had developed a BASIC that could be used on the Altair [Teamgates.com, 9/29/96]. This was a lie. They had not even written a line of code. They had neither an Altair nor the chip that ran the computer. The MITS company did not know this and was very interested in seeing their BASIC. So, Gates and Allen began working feverishly on the BASIC they had promised. The code for the program was left mostly up to Bill Gates while Paul Allen began working on a way to simulate the Altair with the schools PDP-10. Eight weeks later, the two felt their program was ready. Allen was to fly to MITS and show off their creation. The day after Allen arrived at MITS, it was time to test their BASIC. Entering the program into the company's Altair was the first time Allen had ever touched one. If the Altair simulation he designed or any of Gates's code was faulty, the demonstration would most likely have ended in failure. This was not the case, and the program worked perfectly the first time [Wallace, 1992, p. 80]. MITS arranged a deal with Gates and Allen to buy the rights to their BASIC.[Teamgates.com, 9/29/96] Gates was convinced that the software market had been born. Within a year, Bill Gates had dropped out of Harvard and Microsoft was formed.

by John Mirick

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How to Start Video Blogging?

A video blog, sometimes shortened to vlog is a blog that comprises video. Regular entries are typically presented in reverse chronological order and often combine embedded video or a video link with supporting text, images, and other metadata.

Vlogs also often take advantage of web syndication to allow for the distribution of video over the Internet using either the RSS or Atom syndication formats, for automatic aggregation and playback on mobile devices and personal computers. See video podcast. Though many vlogs are collaborative efforts, the majority of vlogs and vlog entries are authored by individuals.
A videoblog requires larger disk spaces on websites, a faster server, and a whole new set of programs to support it. Videoblogs can be fed through RSS. This is technology of syndicating your website to other RSS aggregators.



Videoblogging works with people on the internet expressing their selves. Now if you put this on a business prospective, you are up to a lot of benefits. Think of it as a powerful tool in making showing your prospective customers your line of products or your services. It’s just like showing a commercial all for free. And if you videoblog through RSS, then most probably you are getting your target market.

People like to see what they are going to buy. Some would like to see proof and be sure that they are getting their money’s worth before shelving their dimes on it. All of us know the influence of a thirty second commercial. The effect of videoblogging is similar to that. You show your product, people watch it. If they like it, they buy it. If you present it good enough, they’ll buy the product even if they don’t need it.

Now on the web, things are pretty much static, unlike in television in which all are moving. If you post something that is mobile, it would most likely catch attention. Now imaging your product parading in all it’s royalty through videoblog. You’ll get phone call orders in no time.

If your business is just starting up, you can create a videoblog right at your own home. All you need is your web camera, microphone, video software, and lights. For as long as you know how to use your camera, then you can create a videoblog.

Invest in a good web camera. The higher its resolution is the better the output. And you like to present your goods in the optimum way so get the best one possible. Make a short story, or just capture your goods in one go. Just make sure you are getting the best profile for each. Get those creativity juices flowing.

Lights are important in a production. Make sure you illuminate entirely the area you are going to use to create videoblog. The brighter the area, the crispier the images will be. You can also use lighting effects for added appeal to the presentation.

Should you require sounds for your videoblog, you need a microphone. Record you voice as a voice over for promoting the product and its benefit to consumers. Sounds are as important as videos on a videoblog. It is advisable to make your sound effects as enticing as the video.

Your video editing software can be any program. You need this to finalize your work. You can add sounds, delete some bad angles, or insert some still pictures in there too. Some programs are user-friendly and can be used even with zero knowledge on video editing. Even simple video editing programs should do the trick. Select your background carefully too. The light affects the presentation so make sure that the background and the light complements each other.

Videoblogging is a great tool but it also has it downside. It may slow down the computer so other may steer clear of it. Download time may also be time consuming especially if customer is still on a dial- up connection.

But don’t let those stop you. Let videoblogging be an alternative for you, though it is best to still keep the text and pictures present in your presentation to accommodate all possible viewers of your site.

Nowadays, the more creative you are in presenting your product to the market, they more you are likely to succeed. Videoblogging offers an interactive way of selling. You involve the customers. You instill in them the advantage of your goods. And at times, those are enough to make a sale.

by: Kanicen Nichathavan

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What Is RSS?

RSS is technology - a simple software program - that allows you to access web and blog content automatically. The acronym's most popular translation is "Really Simple Syndication. Once your browser or computer has an RSS reader on board, you can subscribe to any number of RSS "feeds." A feed is simply a way in which a reader may subscribe to website content - most commonly blogs or news sites. A news site, for example, may list their latest headlines or entire articles in their feed every time a new article is published. A blog would publish this feed as a series of recent posts.

Feeds are published by millions of publishers, from small individuals to large organizations like Newsweek. The value of a feed is that it brings the most current site content to you in a format that is easily scanned; further, you are spared the task of visiting each source site each day. This is typically done through the use of what is called an 'aggregator' or 'feed reader'.

Feed readers or RSS readers, are software programs that run on your computer (or PDA or phone); let you easily subscribe to feeds, and allow you to read through them efficiently. Some are relatively simple, showing the headline and summary. The fancier ones often work with (or in) your browser to make viewing the material look much like the source page. Once you have a reader on your computer, subscribing to a feed with is an easy click or drag from your browser. Sites that provide RSS feeds will usually have a button for that purpose.

There are several RSS feed formats as well as one with an entirely different methodology called Atom. Atom has become popular with some bloggers and blogging tools. Some aggregators can read both. The other acronyms you will see in "feedspeak" are XML, which stands for 'extensible markup language' and is the code standard for these simple text feeds. An 'OPML" file is a format for indexing hierarchical feed lists. If you dive into this web habit in a big way, your aggregator or reader may keep your subscription list in an OPML file.

An RSS feed is a great method for staying abreast of issues and topics that interest you. There are a number of feed "libraries," so to speak, from which you can learn what's out there in your areas of interest. Google has a built-in reader that makes the subscription process easy, as does Yahoo. Firefox has a downloadable extension for the purpose of aggregating RSS feeds, as well as a default ability to save RSS feeds as "live bookmarks" that update via the RSS feed. You can download a number of stand alone readers and aggregators; you can find them through a simple web search.

The whole RSS "movement" is a step towards utilizing the Internet more efficiently. The trick is to avoid overloading your email inbox with daily reports that you end up ignoring most of the time. For that purpose, there are sites like Feedster that will search millions of RSS feeds for articles that are relevant to your interests. Like any search tool, however, these services are hit and miss. They are still working off keywords and sometimes what they find is relevant, sometimes not. But if you want daily news broken into categories, it's great technology once you learn how to make it work for you.

by: Madison Lockwood

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RSA Attack Efficiency Improves

August 2006 saw the disclosure of a fairly interesting attack against the RSA encryption algorithm (most famously being used in SSL - protecting online transactions). While it didn't target the actual algorithm, which still has not been broken, it is a so-called side channel attack, targeting the peculiarities associated with implementing the algorithm on various computing hardware.

The team behind the initial disclosure have recently submitted a modified approach to the attack, resulting in almost-astronomical improvements in attack efficiency.

In basic terms, the attacks rely upon a phenomenon known as 'Branch Prediction Analysis', where a program / attacker is able to predict what other software is doing as it passes through the CPU of a system.

In the first iteration of the described attack, the method required snooping on what was happening with the CPU for a relatively long period (or number of cycles), and certain software that implemented SSL protection (OpenSSL) quickly introduced patches to protect against this listening attack.

While many hardware manufacturers and Operating System developers have introduced defensive mechanisms to try and prevent this sort of attack taking place, it has been discovered that Pentium-IV (PIV) chips with Hyper-Threading enabled still have two caches that are not adequately protected. The new iteration of the attack, using a technique dubbed 'Simple Branch Prediction Analysis' (SBPA) targets both of these caches and can extract almost the complete secret SSL key in just one cycle. Running as an unprivileged user, this method can also target and extract data from any other software processes running on the system (SSL is an example in this case).

The technical black magic of how a branch predictor attack works can be explained as follows. Although modern CPUs are very quick, they still can't process absolutely every bit of information that they need to without a queue building up. This queue of instructions / data waiting for processing sits in a cache next to the CPU and they are executed in order of priority / time spent in the queue (various tuning settings come into play). By attempting to monopolise the CPU's attention, and filling the cache, the miniscule timing differences between when instructions from the same process are executed can give hints about what other instructions and data are moving through the CPU. Being able to interpret what this data is exactly, is key to branch prediction.

Mitigating the issue is the requirement to be running secure and insecure processes on the same processor at the same time, and for the attacker being able to run their process as a local user. Due the spying process capturing almost 100% CPU continuously while it is running, normal system monitoring software should be alerting administrators to something out of the ordinary running on the system.

What real-world threat exists for this relatively esoteric attack? Shared-server installations. It would be possible for a lesser-privileged account holder on a shared server to run the spying process while other account holders are negotiating SSL connections. A well timed attack will allow them to run their spying process once (and thus minimise the attention drawn to it), and then be able to effectively intercept SSL communications directed at the target.

by: Carl Jongsma

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Protect Your System With Rollback Rx

Whether you are a home user or IT professional, Rollback Rx provides you with an essential system restore utility, giving you the flexibility to do a PC restore in the event of a system crash or any other serious program error. You can rollback to the point you want, choosing from the numerous snapshots of your entire system. The flexibility of Rollback Rx must be experienced to appreciate it.

Rollback Rx system restore software has powerful capabilities with which fixing computer problems becomes a tension-free process with the least downtime imaginable and without depending on expensive technical support.

Configure According To Convenience

You can configure Rollback Rx to take a new snapshot before you set up a new program. By scheduling it to take an event-based snapshot, defining executables, you can have Rollback Rx take a new snapshot before the defined new program is launched. Defrag your drives before you install Rollback Rx in your system. Rollback Rx has a snapshot defragmenter built into it that you can use to defrag your system too. It works very fast. Though, when you want to defrag your drives with a third party tool, remove Rollback Rx from your system, defrag your drives and then re-install Rollback Rx for optimum performance.

Rollback Rx is a very useful tool to use in patch management, making the process effective. You can take a pre-patch snapshot of your system and if the patch happens to fail, you can always rollback the system to the pre-patch snapshot instantly, allowing you to quickly fix computer problems.

Is Rollback Rx Similar To Windows System Restore?

As far as restoring system configuration to an earlier point in time is concerned, Rollback Rx and Windows System restore are similar. But Windows system restore stops at protecting system files. It does not protect data, programs and user settings. Rollback Rx protection is complete – which means it protects everything on your hard drive including each and every file you were working on right up to the moment your computer problem occurred. If Windows does not start up, system restore cannot work.

But with Rollback Rx, even if Windows fails to start, you need not worry. Your computer settings can be restored and within a reboot cycle, you can have your system operational, because Rollback Rx installs below the Windows operating system, so that it can fix computer problems even when there is a complete crash. Also, Windows system restore occupies 5-15% space on your hard disk for every snapshot it takes. Rollback Rx only uses 0.07% space for a snapshot. It also does not run in the background, conserving free space, which you can use for other things.



by: Jacob Henderson

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Picture Perfect System Restore – Rollback Rx

Picture perfect: that is how the Rollback Rx snapshot based system restore software works. Recovering lost data can be quite a hassle and cost you dearly in terms of time as well as money. But with RollBack Rx system restore software anyone can repair computer issues. The rollback abilities of Rollback Rx are versatile. They let the user create a snapshot of the whole system so that you can roll back to a specific snapshot of your choice.

User Benefits of the Rollback Rx

Educational institutions usually restore their IT systems back to the start of the previous semester. With Rollback Rx, they can achieve this in just about three mouse clicks. They don’t have to use ghost, imaging or mirroring software, resulting in substantial savings in cost.

In the corporate scenario, users set their Rollback Rx to take snapshots at specific intervals. Suppose the system crashes, they can roll back to the last snapshot. Before you install software in the beta version, Roll back can help in testing, recovering or uninstalling applications.

Domestic users can play it safe by taking a snapshot of the system before they try out new software. In spite of uninstalling certain software, remnants of this software are often left behind in the system and registry. This makes the system slower. Rollback Rx does a clean uninstall of unwanted programs.

Sometimes operating system critical updates are such huge files that you are forced to leave the system on overnight, unprotected. Rollback Rx makes the process simple by maintaining these updates. The networking ability of Rollback Rx lets administrators use an Internet based console to configure Rollback Rx installations.

Thus, Rollback Rx can be used to fix computer problems. The pc restore facility is invaluable and deployment can be a large network in an organization or a personal computer used by an individual. Rollback Rx gives your system that extra security to keep away hackers and viruses, which are the two things that commonly put fear in a user. Rollback Rx can recover data even after you format your system. It uses a subsystem and kernel system to protect the PC.

Remote Control

Support through remote control is not an easy process. But with Rollback Rx, it can be. All that needs to be done by the user who is traveling is to reboot and then hit a designated key to do a pc restore to a state where it can function fully. No need to go through the tedious process to bringing back and sending bulky systems. So no more time wasted through lengthy sessions instructing the user to do the right thing!

by: Jacob Henderson

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Ecommerce Shopping Carts

Shopping carts are more commonly used as a way to display physical products, products like televisions, groceries, electronic equipment, clothes, and memorabilia, etc, not digital products. Shopping carts make it easy to cross-sell and up-sell your customers once they arrive at your store. Shopping carts typically handle the shipping and handling calculation, taxes and credit card processing. A good shopping cart handles all of these efficiently and securely.

Dynamic Operation
A good shopping cart program also creates dynamic order forms on the fly as the order takes place. The shopping cart should be totally dynamic; meaning it only executes code and retrieves products, images, and product descriptions from your database when your customers request it. During the checkout process it should also calculate shipping/handling and taxes for you.

Real-Time Credit Card Processing

Powerful CGI, PHP, CFM, ASP, etc, scripting, processes commands for you on secure servers when your customers place their orders. Don't get this confused with credit card processing. That’s mean passing of your customers' order information from a secure form, to your merchant or payment processor, using one of the scripting languages above. Your payment processor or merchant, like PayPal, 2CheckOut, or Authorize.Net will then process the credit card. If you don't currently have a merchant or payment processor, and you are going to be selling online, then you need one.

Usability

You can choose what options you want your customer to see. For instance, you can choose to display a search form on your shopping cart. A search form allows your customers to search your store for items by keyword or product name, etc. You can choose to display options like color, size and quantity, and even adjust the price based on the customer's selection. These are called options. Your shopping cart should also allow you to upload images of your products as well.

Stand-Alone –Vs.- Hosted Shopping Carts

You can purchase standalone shopping cart software or services. The stand alone software, of course, requires skill and expertise to install it on your web host or on your own server. Some of the shopping cart services, although it may not seem like it at first, limit you as to what you can and cannot do. These services are most commonly offered by web hosts as a way to entice you to host your site with them. When using these types of services, remember, you're locked into using that web host when you opt to use their shopping cart service. Your business is not portable and becomes a part of that web host. Make sure there is a simple export process that allows you to easily download your website and shopping cart if you no longer wish to use their services. The best option is to use a shopping cart that runs from your own website, independent of your web host. Both Prowebware and stand-alone shopping cart applications run from your website, giving you both control and flexib!
ility.

Choosing a shopping cart boils down to 4 things:

1 Your Budget

2 Your Skill-level - Do you have the expertise to edit & install scripts on your server?

3 Desired Functionality - Want a professional results oriented system or a display case?

4 Time - Have time to take away from your business to shape and mold a new program?

Whatever you decide, your cart should also permit you to follow-up with your customers automatically and even instantly auto-subscribe them to your mailing list.

To implement most out-of-the-box applications, you will need to know how to edit PHP, HTML, or ASP code and how to set up a MySQL database on your server for dynamic operation. Then, with some, all you need to know is how to copy/paste some simple code to your existing web pages or the template you're using. The system should also include some type of easy help or instructions, like an HTML file or contextual help menus that walk you through setting up your new cart.

by: Glenn Roy Ormond

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Ways To Hide Files On Your Computer

At some point in time, perhaps on your family computer, or your own computer, you will develop, collect, and store some important personal files on your hard drive that are strictly for your needs and purposes. These digital files may be so important to you, that under no circumstances, should anyone ever be able to access and see them. Some of these personal and business files may include documents, spreadsheets, emails, pdfs, text files, invoices, pictures, videos, and mp3s. These files may be so sensitive in nature, that you realize a need to prevent your spouse, kids, friends, or anyone for that matter, from viewing and accessing them. Perhaps, you may even need to hide porn or other explicit files. Just imagine if your spouse, or little ones at home, did a file search for all picture files and movies that were on your computer. Hopefully the results wouldn't expose them to anything that you wouldn't want them to see. Just imagine what could happen, if your children at home decided to fool around with your work and files that was listed in the recent documents menu. Ok, you get the point. And thus, this question is raised: How do I hide files and folders so that they won't be discovered?

There are several ways in which you can hide files: You can put your files within a folder and apply the hidden attribute to the folder. You can bury your files deeply in subdirectories within subdirectories and hope that no one browses using Windows Explorer. You can change the file name and file extension of your file to something unique and strange, so that no one recognizes it, or you can purchase a file hiding software security application such as a folder lock or folder hider with password protection.

All of the above methods may be your solution to hide your important files. It simply depends on the significant importance of your files and level of security you need. You can apply the hidden attribute to a folder or file by choosing to do so within its properties. This is a simple way of hiding a folder in Windows XP. However, the files will still show up if a user sets the option "show hidden files and folders" within the folders options. Another way to hide a file is simply by concealing it by dumping it into a folder you think no one will ever access. However, you run the risk of it appearing within the results of a Windows Search and having it displayed in the documents list. Another way to hide a file is by renaming it along with its file extension so that no one recognizes it or is able to open it using its standard program. Although this method could possibly work for you, you would have to waste time renaming it and changing it back to the correct extension.

And thus, the following question is raised: What is a quick and sure proof way to hide files in windows so that they won't appear within Windows Explorer and won't be displayed in the results of a Windows search? Your solution: A simple and easy to use folder security software utility that will allow you to hide files and folders and make them reappear all with a simple hotkey. Supreme Folder Hider is such a solution that will save you time and will provide you with an extra added sense of security. Supreme Folder Hider prevents all file access from Windows Explorer, the command prompt, shortcuts, and most recently used document lists.

by: Clinton Brown

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Fix Computer Problems In A Jiffy With Rollback Rx

Rollback Rx system restore software is mandatory for every computer user to ensure system security and data loss prevention. More so in educational institutions dependent on PCs for their routine work, where a rollback tool is essential since most are multi user systems. PC restore is a regular operation that has to be done, to preserve data and to repair computer problems that might arise from misuse of computers. This can happen in many ways, but can be totally avoided with a disaster recovery solution like Rollback Rx.

Areas Where Rollback Rx Can Repair Computer Issues

In colleges and universities where several people use the same computer, students store their academic work in the form of reports, software programs, etc in various folders. Because many people use the same system, the necessity to fix computer problems arises when certain files or folders become deleted or moved. This could very well cause problems. With Rollback Rx, PC restore can be done easily to a secure state, to keep the operating system and other data intact.

Unauthorized Downloads Can Be Fixed With Rollback Rx

There is a tendency to download free programs that appear useful, little knowing that it can lead to security issues and computer repair. Viruses and spyware get into the system and crash the entire network. In such situations, Rollback Rx helps retrieve important data while removing all these unwanted elements from the pc network when a system restore is performed, preventing permanent damage and exorbitant costs.

Just imagine having the hard drive being deleted by a click of the mouse. When students handle computers, they are usually curious and tend to tinker around with settings and end up, sometimes unintentionally creating computer repair, putting the computer’s security at risk. When Rollback Rx is installed on the pc, it can be scheduled to take snapshots at specific intervals so that fixing computer problems becomes a quick task instead of creating several hours of downtime and data loss. This would avoid serious issues like certain scheduled activities being deactivated, antivirus programs being over-ridden or firewalls turned off, exposing the network to sabotage and other malware. With Rollback Rx, this sort of problem can be avoided and rectified easily, because it helps rollback the systems to a configuration that is suitable.

Rollback Rx system restore software is like a guardian for the PC network, avoiding computer repair and disaster through program failure or operating system malfunction. It keeps the system healthy and the user happy. While very simple to use, Rollback Rx has the options of selectively allowing only certain people to access it, thereby making it ideal where multi-user systems exist.

by: Jacob Henderson

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Choosing The Best File Recovery Solution

All file recovery solutions are not created equally. But, choosing one specific software or service company can be overwhelming from the sheer numbers available. For starters, why do some file recovery software cost as low as $29.99, while others range as much as $400? Before addressing these details, and how to choose the best file recovery solution for your situation, let's make sure your files have the best chance to be recovered.

Safety First...

If you are reading this article on the computer you are trying to recover files from, do the following steps immediately (Your computer is always running in the background, and could be overwriting the data you are trying to recover):

1. Close any important documents that are open.

2. Print this article to follow off-line.

3. Unplug your computer (Do not turn off your computer, unplug it now.).

Note: Unplugging the computer stops the computer from running all together. Turning off or shutting down your computer might make the computer go through a process that could overwrite data - your files.

What not to do...

1. Do not run the system recovery disk from the computer manufacturer. This software is designed to get your computer running again with no regard to your data. In other words, it is not designed as a file recovery solution. Just ask the manufacturer if there is a possibility that you could lose data. Yes, is always the answer.

2. Do not install file recovery software on the computer you are trying to recover files from, for this could overwrite the files you are trying to recover. You must have a secondary storage device (i.e. hard disk drive, USB device, etc.) to install the program and to recover the files.

Note to Advanced Users: Even if you are trying to recover a particular partition, and already have a separate partition to install the file recovery software on, do not do it. Since there is possible corruption within the file system at this point, you run the risk of overwritting the partition and files you are trying to recover during the installation process. Better safe than sorry. Install the program on a secondary drive.

File Recovery Software...

Which file recovery software you choose depends on what has happened:

1. Have you accidentally delete a file that you want back?

2. Have you lost a file, or found it damaged upon opening it?

3. When starting your computer, has it failed to boot to the desktop,

invoking a blue or black screen, or an error message (write that message down)?

Accidentally deleted files can usually be recovered by File Undelete software, which lucky for you is the cheapest solution at about $30 USD. If you cannot locate a file afer running the program, the file system (where the files lie) may have been altered, deleted, or damaged. This means, File Undelete software cannot work, and you should use a "complete" file recovery product.

Lost or damaged files require a "complete" file recovery software, which usually costs about $100 USD. (Professional grade recovery software which include multiple recovery functions costs as much as $400). If you cannot locate a file after running the program, or if your computer failed to boot to the desktop, you may need File Recovery Services.

File Recovery Services...

A good rule of thumb at choosing a file recovery service company is, if they develop and sell file recovery software - not just sell them, they should have reliable in-lab services (After fifteen years of developing file recovery software, and knowing who is who in the industry, I can attest to this point). Also, full-scale recovery companies only do file recovery and computer forensics. So, ask a computer related question like, can you install a network with thirty computers? Yes means hang up the phone. Remember, you always get what you pay for and nobody works for free.

In conclusion, the saying in the industry is "file recovery is not, if it will happen, but when will it (and will you be prepared)." Prevention is the best solution. So, to ensure the safety of your files in the future (not to mention the hassle of having to go this process again) consistently do the following:

1. Back-up files daily to a secondary storage device, not on the main hard disk drive where you originally saved them.

2. Defrag your computer regularly. Doing so will increase the probability of a successful recovery if you ever encounter this problem again.

3. At least once a month confirm your back-up is working properly. This is a common problem.

by: Ken Roberts

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Windows XP Tips for Computer Security

Here are a couple of tips to speed up your Windows XP computer and help keep you protected and secure online. First you need to control which programs load on startup: Many of the programs you install on your computer automatically configure themselves to launch at startup, usually invisibly. The truly essential ones, such as anti-virus and firewall products, generally run as services and run fine in the background. Other less important software like media players don't need to be running continually.

These extra programs slow the boot process and then severely suck up resources like memory and CPU cycles. It is pretty easy to control which applications launch on startup. The System Configuration Utility lists all these applications in one place:

1) To get there: Click the ‘Start' button then choose the ‘Run' command.

2) In the text box type "msconfig". - Across the top of the dialog box select the ‘Startup' tab.

3) The Startup Tab lists all the programs that launch at start-up. To disable any of these simply un-check the box on the left. Only non-essential programs are listed here it should be safe to un-check pretty much anything. If it turns out you needed it just go back and re-check it.

4) Once you are done re-boot the machine. 5) When the Desktop returns you will be presented with a window that says you have chosen Selective Startup. Just Check "Do not show this window again" and click OK.

To keep your computer secure, turn on automatic updates. Seems like every virus writer has nothing better to do then attack Windows operating systems. Keeping the system patches and security fixes is critical. During the setup of XP Service Pack 2 with a new computer or an up-grade you are asked whether or not to turn on automatic updates, if you made the mistake of checking no you can find this option in the Windows Security Center (Start / Control Panel) and change it back. Even with all its faults, XP is a powerful operating system that has many good security features.

Here are some more tips to help you get the most out of your operating system. Remove Windows components not found in ADD / REMOVE. Many Windows components, things like Network Services or Solitaire are easy to remove through the Add or Remove programs configuration window (Start / ControlPanel / Add and Remove Programs / Windows Components). Simply un-check them, but … some things are deliberately hidden.

A good example would be MSN Messenger. To remove this from startup follow these steps:

1) In Windows Explorer (right click Start / Explore), navigate to C:WindowsInf and make a copy of Sysoc.inf.

2) Double click on Sysoc.inf and it will open in Notepad.

3) Press Ctrl H (opens Find and Replace) and replace the string ,hide, with ,, then save and replace the file. Now all the hidden components will appear.

4) Then follow the steps above for removing programs from the startup menu.

To restore a corrupted system file: If a necessary system file should become missing or corrupted by a virus you can replace it from your Windows CD.

1) Go to Start / Search and type in the file name replacing the last letter with an underscore (ex. Filename.ex_).

2) If the file is found, open a command prompt (Start / Run, type CMD in the textbox).

3) At the prompt type expand followed by the full pathname of the file and destination (expand D:Windowsfilename.ex_ C:Windowsfilename.exe) where D: is the letter of your disc drive. If either pathname contains spaces surround the entire pathname with double quotes. If the file isn't found search again using the un-modified file name, it is probably in a CAB file, Windows treats these as folders, simply drag the new folder to the destination while holding down the right mouse button then select Copy Here.

by: Chris Kaminski

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Improving Web Site Security

Hackers are devising new attacks and new ways to slip past security measures every day. One of their favorite kind targets is a Web site. Three quarters of all attacks on Web sites are designed to hamper the forms, log-in pages, shopping carts on online shops and other Web content. Since the design of Web applications make them accessible at anytime from anywhere, it is important that a Web site has protection that works well all the time. This not only protects important consumer details such as credit card numbers; it also protects the Web site itself.

Even the best firewalls, Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) and other protective measures will not enough to guard Web applications against every attack. It is infinitely more difficult for security professionals to figure out what new and innovative trick will be used to bypass security than it is for the hackers to find that trick

It can seem as if there is no solution to this problem. What is needed is a program that can check Web applications and further improve the security. That program is Acunetix WVS. It deals specifically with SQL Injection and other vulnerabilities like XSS. It helps to secure Web sites from harsh attacks, checks for scripting in cross-sites, and strengthens the authentication pages and passwords. It also audits shopping carts in an effort to prevent attacks. With the security audit reports peace of mind can finally be gained.

CRLF injection, directory traversal, code execution and file inclusion attacks are other ways to cripple a Web site's security. Authentication as well as input validation attacks are also likely.

The Google Hacking Database (GHDB) can identify important data like the logon pages, network information and so on and so forth that might be vulnerable, making it an important tool to improving Web site security. With the Acunetix, the queries wedged in the Google Hacking Database will be launched long before something goes wrong.

Acunetix gives suggestions on how to correct any problems through its report generator that will create quick reports and data to zero in any vulnerabilities that might exist.

It is necessary to reconstruct HTTPs and analyze them for cross-site scripting and SQL injection to ensure better security. Also important is HTTP fuzzer to validate the input and test the overall performance of the Web site.

It’s vital that passwords be configured and protected. Input configuration should utilize HTML form fillers as a matter of course. This allows testing how certain occasions and different inputs influence how the site behaves.

Important things to consider:

1. Is the Web site ready and prepared for a dictionary attack?

2. Support from other technologies such as PHP, CGI and ASP.

3. Search directories for weak permissions

4. Detect errors in pages as early as possible

5. Re-auditing all changes in the Web site to check for new vulnerabilities

dotDefender 2.1 is one of the programs that can protect and secure. It takes care of spammer bots, attacks, probes, SQL injections, hijackings, pronounced tampering and even proxy takeovers.

It can be a daunting task to improving Web site security, but is absolutely critical to do so. By following a few simple steps and using programs tailored to assist in the task everything will work efficiently and effectively.

by: Charles Taylor

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Defragging Drive May Work Best When Starting in Safe Mode

The following is a question posed to Array Systems Inc. (http://www.arraysystems.com/), an IT outsourcing and Computer Network Support company serving Los Angeles:

"When attempting to defrag the C drive on my 333 E Machines PC using Windows 98 OS 6.1 edition, the first message I get is “Reading Drive Information. Defrag begins but will not go beyond 10 percent completion. Next a blank screen appears, th. This sequence recurs every 3 to 4 minutes."

What you’re experiencing is conflict/contention with another open program. When the defrag utility runs, it copies information (data, programs or files) from one area of your hard disk to a clean area. If a program is open or a file is being accessed by another program, the defrag utility will not copy it to the clean area. These programs probably are part of your startup process. For example, my startup process automatically opens my virus scan program so that when I get on the Internet I’m protected. If I want to run my defrag utility, I need to start my computer in safe mode.

Safe mode is a scaled down version of your Windows operating system and will bypass your startup process so that programs that are automatically turned on will not be initiated. You’ll notice a difference right away because your Windows desktop will look different and your icons will appear larger than normal. This is because the default screen resolution is larger than your normal settings.

For those who aren’t familiar with the defrag utility, let me take a few minutes to explain what what exactly it is. There are two programs you should run on a regular basis, which should be part of your disk maintenance program. These programs are disk defragmenter and scandisk.

I run my disk defrag once a quarter and my scandisk once a month. The disk defrag utility cleans up your hard disk to make it more efficient. Let me explain how your hard disk works and why it needs to be cleaned up periodically.

I’m writing my column using MS Word. When I open the file for my current column, I like to save it after 5-10 minutes of typing. When I save it, the Word document can’t be saved over the same spot on my hard disk. Therefore, a new spot on the hard disk must be found and the pointer (index) must be updated to reflect the new location. Sometimes, if the file is very large (novel or screen play), there isn’t enough clean space in one location so the file is broken up into several locations with several pointers. The old space is now unusable until the next defrag utility is run.

Sometimes, you’ll notice that your computer takes a long time to save a document because it is hunting around for some clean space. This is probably the No. 1 problem associated with computer performance. The defrag utility starts by copying all the files from the beginning of your hard disk to another location. Then it cleans the disk area and copies the current files back. It continues with each area/sector or your hard disk until it cleans the entire disk. This process can take up to eight hours, depending upon the size of your hard disk and the computer’s speed.

The next utility is called the scandisk. It resembles the defrag utility, but it updates only the pointer/index files. Every time a file is updated, the new location is updated in your index file. These files are the most active files on your computer because it tracks the location of everything. The scandisk also eliminates any corruption problems that have occurred when shutting down your computer improperly or when your computer hangs.

A well-maintained index also will increase the speed and efficiency of your computer

by: Sid Kato

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How To Install A Motherboard

(Important make sure you read through this guide before you begin installation of your new motherboard.)

The motherboard is the largest and one of the most important components of your computer. It’s reliability and health is utmost important.

Once you have picked out and purchased your motherboard you are ready for installation.

Carefully remove the motherboard from the box, do not remove it out of the ESD (electro static discharge) bag. Do a quick inventory to make sure you have all of your parts. Most likely you should have all of you IDE cables for the hard drive and cdrom, and possibly I/O plate. If you purchased a motherboard that support ATA hard drives you should have those cables.

Once you have verified that you have all the parts, pick up the user manual, and read through it, you don’t have to read it from cover to cover but you want to familiarize yourself with the motherboard, in addition many motherboard manufactures will also include a quick installation guide so take a look at that also.

Now you are ready, your work area should be clean and static free. Put on your anti static wrist band, if you have one. A anti static wrist band is just basically a cloth wrist band that has a snap on stretchable cable that is grounded, the grounded surface area helps keep electrostatic discharge in control.

Remove the motherboard from the box and all of the parts. Then remove the motherboard from ESD bag and lay it inside the empty box. Cut open your ESD bag on each side and turn it inside out so that you can lay your motherboard inside of it. Just laying your new motherboard on top of your ESD bag is not enough protection from electro static discharge.

Prepare your computer chassis. If you have already installed and mounted your power supply, tie the power cords out of your way with some wire ties, or some Velcro. You need a clear path from the opening of your chassis to the bottom of your chassis, where your motherboard will be mounted.

Something’s you need to think about before you drop your new motherboard into your chassis is, cooling. Depending on what type of processor you have purchased, the processor may run hot. So you have to think about good ventilation for your chassis. Heat can destroy your new investment in a matter of hours. If you do not already have at least two exhaust fans on your chassis you may have to think about actually cutting a hole either at the top of your chassis or on the side to mount the exhaust fans. Ok pick your jaw off the ground; it’s not as bad as it sounds. If you have a dremel with a cutting blade it can be very easy. Use an old CD as a template and draw around the CD with a washable marker. Then just follow the line with your dremel. Now you don’t have to do this, you can buy a chassis with plenty of exhaust fans already installed, so that is something to consider when you are in the process of buying all of your parts.

Now let’s get back to installing your new motherboard. Once you have a clear path to the bottom of your computer chassis, make sure that you have your bag of screws handy, and a long neck Philips screw driver. Take a look at the motherboard mounts, they are installed inside your chassis, these are the mounts that you will align with the holes on the motherboard. If you do not have any mounts you will have to installed them your self. The hardware should have come with your chassis if your chassis is new; if not make sure you save your screws, when you remove your old mother board.

Remove the old I/O plate and install the new one, take a look at the manual for reference. Make sure that it is secure. Look at the mounts that are on the bottom of your, chassis you want to make sure that you line up the mounts with the holes that are drilled on your mother board. (Important DO NOT DRILL ANY HOLES IN YOUR MOTHERBOARD) Angle the motherboard so that I/O ports will match with the holes on the I/O plate. There is a good chance that you might need to remove the break away pieces of metal the cover some I/O holes on the I/O plate. It is a good idea to check for proper match before installing the mother board.

As you angle the motherboard towards the I/O plates make sure that mounting holes on the motherboard are lining up with the mounts on the chassis. Gently push the motherboard towards the back of the chassis so that the I/O ports are snug against the I/O plate, and that all of the ports are protruding all the way out.

Once you have the motherboard correctly align with the I/O plate you are ready to mount the motherboard to the chassis with the screws provided. Tighten each screw down so that they are snug; do not over tighten the screws.

Use the manual as your guide and connect the power LED, speaker, reset switch ECT, coming off of the chassis to the F_panel (Front Panel) of your motherboard. Since each motherboard will be slightly different make sure to refer to the manual for exact instruction.

Ok well there you have it. You just installed your new motherboard. Need more information on motherboards, and motherboard form factor like the AT or ATX head on over http://www.amecomputers.com/form-factor-motherboards.htm

by: Anthony Elias

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What Is Spam? How To Identify And Block It?

Almost everyone who used to communicate via e-mail has ever found in the Inbox the messages from people he doesn’t know proposing some services or products. All unsolicited and undesired messages you receive are SPAM. The emails of this kind usually offer pharmaceutical products, diet methods, sexual enhancements aid, and “get rich quick” plans. You can also meet bogus sales pitches, sales opportunities, and different types of scams. In addition to stock scams, in which spammers encourage you to invest money, a new spam-scam gambit called phishing is becoming very popular now. This scam is aimed to obtaining people’s private information such as user name, password, credit card details, etc. An example is an email coming from PayPal or Ebay asking you to go to the company’s web site and update your account. If you do it, the spammers will record your keystrokes and your private details will be disclosed to them. And have you ever received pitiful letters from a widow or a relative of the former ruler of Nigeria? Sure you have. It’s a famous Nigerian fraud that is still having a place on the Internet. Don’t be enticed by the millions they would promise you. All they want is your bank account details in order to rob you.

How do you identify spam among legitimate messages? You usually look at the sender’s name, which may be unknown to you or contain some gibberish. You also read the subject line of the message. As a rule the subject line of spam emails concerns gambling, pornography, or an offer to make a fortune in 24 hours. But the spammers are also able to create an email identical to legitimate one coming from a respected source. In other cases, the subject lines may indicate that the message is a reply to your email. A general way to distinguish spam is to read the To and From header fields in all the messages you receive. If you see strange, anonymous or scrambled alpha-numeric email addresses (for example, gt4590xx@domain.com) then you have spam. Some anti-spam solutions provide you with the capability to preview the emails. For example, in addition to a safe message content preview, G-Lock SpamCombat allows you analyze the message header in detail: From, To, Subject, Received and other header fields.

How to block spam? Remember, the point of spam is to have you open the email. Once you do it, the least trouble you may have is to let the spammer know that your email address is valid. It’s luck for a spammer. He can continue spamming you in the hope that earlier or later you will swallow the bait. Or, he can sell your email address to someone else. Also, be aware that spammers send millions emails at a time, so even a very tiny response rate is a great success for them. Let’s imagine that 100 out of 10 millions people invested 5 dollars each into a scam offered by a spammer. So, the spammer makes 500 dollars at a time.

If you are really suffering from a continuous spam flow, you can consider getting a new email address and disclose it to trusted senders only. Or, you can start clearing your inbox from spam right away using anti-spam software. Although not perfect, anti-spam filters are now very sophisticated and very effective at cutting out most of spam.

Anti-spam programs basically do one or more of the following things:

1. Check the senders’ email addresses and names against a blacklist of spammers they own and delete the message if the sender is on the blacklist.

2. Check the recipients’ email addresses and names and filter the messages according to certain parameters. For example, if the email is sent to a large group of recipients sorted alphabetically, the email is considered spam.

3. Analyze the message content and subject line and search for certain words or phrases, which are typically met in spam emails such as “Viagra”, “Cialis”, “Mortgage”, “Invest” and filter the spam email accordingly.

There are many kinds of anti spam solutions now. Software developers offer standalone spam blockers like Mail Washer, Spam Nullifier, G-Lock SpamCombat, etc. Most of the big, free email services such as Yahoo!, Google, MSN, and Hotmail also provide effective spam filtering. You just need to choose the right anti-spam solution that will serve you in the most effective way.

by: Julia Gulevich

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Scams, Spams, Viruses and Spyware - Protecting Yourself Online

On the Internet, there's so much to see and do. You can communicate, shop, play and learn. It's a veritable treasure trove of information and activities for just about anyone of any age. Unfortunately, just like in the real world, everything also has a downside. For the Internet, that downside includes, scams, spam, viruses and spyware. Basically, people who want to take advantage of you. This article will give you some basics for protecting yourself online.

Scams

One of the worst scams comes to you via email, in the form of "phishing" emails. They come to you in the form of an email from banks, eBay, a store, Paypal or other business or financial institution. The email will have the name of the company in the from area and the email may look real, complete with corporate logos and official sounding text. Don't be fooled, however. A reputable financial institution or business will never ask you for your username, password, account number or other sensitive personal information via email. NEVER click on the link to the site provided in their email. If you are unsure if the email is fake, then open up your browser and manually type in the URL of the company's website. Go there and login and see if they are requesting something from you there. Chances are, they aren't. You can report these emails or simply delete them.

Other scam emails may come to you from foreign countries asking you to hold a large sum of money for them, in return you get a percentage of the money, usually millions of dollars. If it sounds too good to be true, it is. This scam has been around for years, don't fall for it. It's just a way to get your bank account information and to empty it before you even realize what has happened.

Scam websites are also a problem, whether it's a fly by night store, a phony eBay seller or a store that's actually just trying to get you to give them your personal information for marketing purposes, you can easily avoid these by checking eBay feedback, store reviews via Google and the BBB and other consumer complaint websites.

The solution to scams? Be vigilant. Never click a URL in an email that looks the least bit suspicious. Always check the feedback, reviews and ratings of sellers before buying and never, ever give away your personal information to a website that looks suspicious.

Spam

Spam can be a huge problem if you have had your email address for any length of time. No matter how well you protect your email address by not giving it out to anyone you don't know, you're still going to get spam. You can, however, minimize the time you spend dealing with spam by adjusting the options in your ISP or web mail preferences section. For most web email addresses, like Yahoo Mail, Gmail and Hotmail, you can adjust or train the spam filters so that spam rarely makes it to your main inbox but instead ends up in your Bulk Mail or Junk Mail folder. For AOL users, they have a similar Spam Mail folder and email options which you can adjust to your liking. For stand alone email programs using POP email boxes, any good email program will have spam and junk mail filters as well as allow you to set rules for which mail is deleted, flagged or sent in to the Junk Mail folder according to preferences you set. If you still have a problem, you may consider a third party program like MailWasher at mailwasher.net or SingleFin from singlefin.net. Both programs are free and should help solve or minimize your spam problem.

Viruses

Viruses are a common problem if you spend any time online. That greeting card attachment your friend forwarded you contained more than a greeting card, you've now got a virus! Viruses can slow your computer down, slow down your web surfing or they can do more serious damage like relay sensitive information like your bank login information to a hacker or at the worst end, erase your entire hard drive! To prevent these problems, you should never open attachments unless it's been scanned by a virus program first, also don't download any files from suspicious websites, stick to the well known download sites instead, like download.com. To help keep your computer clean of viruses, download and install one of the many anti-virus programs available. Some good ones are AVG Free Anti-Virus, from grisoft.com and Avast Anti-Virus from avast.com. Both programs are free and will automatically check for new versions of their virus databases so you are protected from existing and new viruses.

Spyware

Spyware is also a common problem that can slow your computer down tremendously and run programs on your computer without you even knowing. Spyware can come from websites, even well known and reputable websites but usually spyware is contained in certain free programs, like games and software that is free due to banner ads or other advertising inside the program. Since spyware can slow down your computer, it's a good idea to download and install at least one program that will protect you from spyware. Two good ones are Spyware Doctor from pctools.com and Ad-Aware SE from lavasoft.de.

Once you have downloaded and installed your anti-virus and spyware protection software, be sure to schedule a full scan of your computer often, at least once a week or more to help keep your computer running fast and smooth.

by: Lydia Quinn

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Computer Repair And Cracking Passwords!

I spend a lot of time cracking passwords! No, not for stealing software or information, for doing computer repair! One of the most common home or small business computer service repair calls I get is that Bob, fill in the blank here – lost his password / forgot his password / left the company and never told anyone his password, and we can’t use the computer or software.

If you have physical access, most times you can reset a password on any version of Windows XP. Some vertical applications get a little trickier but I still can usually figure out a way to get in to clear the existing password and then let the customer reset it.

And no, I’m not going to teach you how in this article, sorry. But what I can do is help you figure out a way to never forget a password without writing down. An especially bad practice that I see all the time is someone will write down the password on a post-it note and put it on the monitor. Which is a particularly ugly breach in security.

But I can understand the problem. Chances are you have many passwords to remember if you use a computer at home or at work. And since many of the systems automatically force the user to change their password every 90 days, this becomes quite a challenge to remember them all.

There are some good ways to create a password so that you can’t forget it. And you can easily meet the minimum requirements of at least 8 characters with at least three being punctuation or numerals too. But the best is 15 characters (I won’t go technical on you but let’s just say that the stored password of over 14 characters are much more difficult to crack). I can’t even remember who taught me this method but I’ve been using it for years.

The first thing to remember is not to use children’s names, birthdays, or any information that someone might guess. This includes common names found in the dictionary or some other know source. The reason for this is there are many cracker programs out there that use these common sources to check against password to break them. So stay away from common words or expressions.

Even the programs that generate random characters can be beat by another program designed to emulate that type of software. The idea behind them is good and they can provide a stronger password but for most user that creates a bigger problem since who can remember W#8hY*2l-Km$!1d, let alone type it.

So what’s the secret? The easiest way I’ve found to remember a password is to associate it with a person or event that you’ll never forget. Something that even a good friend might not know but also something that you couldn’t forget even if you wanted to if you tried.

If the password is for windows or a windows program you have up to 127 characters most times. So use a phrase instead of just one word. So if you have a phrase (or song lyric) burned into your brain you could use it too. When I need a quick password when working at a client’s I normally look at the machine or something on the wall and use it for the password. One of my favorites is “I hate Compaq’s model 2780!” or use any computer name).

When I was five we moved to the corner of 85th street and pacific. Most people I know now don’t know that and I doubt it would come up in any conversation. So if I used 085TH@pacificst5 that contains something I can easily remember and also meets the high end password requirements.

Or how about the first love of my life (which dumped me in about 2 weeks)? I won’t use her real name to protect the guilty but here’s that one, http://2wKJeN06.OrG an, I added organ since she was organic (I think). See how this works? I’ll bet we all have lots of things, events, people, and the date or age we experienced them to use.

One weakness any password can have is if someone slips in a keylogger program on your computer. Keyloggers record all the keystrokes that a user makes and regardless how tough you make your password, if they can see the key strokes, they’ve got you. And it’s much easier than you think to do a stealth install.

There is one way to get around this issue, use extended characters. If you hold down the alt key, then press one or more numerals you get one of those weird characters with double dots on top or a symbol. But the keylogger still shows the character, but a way around it is to use Alt 0160. This extended character is a space and hides the fact that you used the Alt method to create it. So they won’t be able to duplicate it even if they see it.

There is no perfect solution for passwords. But you can and should take some steps to insure that you take the appropriate precautions whenever you create one. Keep it over 15 characters, use numerals, punctuation, and alphabetical characters. Combine elements that are easy to remember but not common information like birth dates or children’s names. Use associations that make it easy to remember.

And never communicate your password in any documentation or emails. Don’t display them on your computer or loan them to friends or associates. Random generators can be helpful but aren’t bullet proof. Change your passwords on a regular basis just in case. Always have a master or Administrator password that can be used to go in and change user’s passwords when necessary.

I’d much rather fix hardware or software problems than crack passwords on a computer repair service call. It makes my job a little easier and can save you a lot of money.

by: John Dow

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Spyware - Adware - Scumware, The "Hezbollah" of the Computing World!

Yes, the world of computing has it's own "Hezbollah", called Spyware, Maleware, and Scumware. Like the terrorist group among civilians, these programs "hide" among legitimate downloads and upgrades you make on a daily basis. If you are connected to the internet you have been exposed to, and almost certainly already have, a Hezbollah/Spyware/Maleware/Scumware program living right along side one of your favorite programs as we speak! These programs are almost as hard to get rid of as the Hezbollah and not nearly as nice.

I wrote this article out of shear frustration!! Having just finished (I Hope) the removal of the last remnant of a particularly bad Spyware infection. It started when I decided to take a look at a "music" download service - you know the type - the kind that let you "download all you want!" I downloaded something all right. First came the popups - I couldn't close them fast enough, then I noticed my home page was NOT Google Search anymore but some God awful Male Enhancement site, then came the emails - sex sites, gambling sites, advertisements of all shape, size, and color and did I say SEX sites - I had no idea how many males suffer from small.... well you get the picture. I then noticed my computer had become soooooo....slooooow... it would churn and churn as the Male Enhancement ads and the Viagra ads - just kept coming!

I NEEDED HELP and NOW!!

The more I read about the culprits Spyware - Malware and Scumware as they have been affectionately called the more I began to worry - these guys were SERIOUS about their mischief! I tried all the free softwares I could find to get rid of them but even after I rebooted the little devils reinstalled themselves. I knew I was in over my head and the enemy was very very good at their craft, I even had one Spyware "killer" program that installed it's own Malware on my system and sent me to a site to "Buy" the only fix for the Problem - UNBELIEVABLE!!

Why Do I Feel Like Somebody's Watching Me?

Spyware is one of the fastest-growing Internet threats. According to the National Cyber Security Alliance, Spyware infects more than 90% of all PCs today. These unobtrusive yet malicious programs are designed to silently bypass firewalls and anti-virus software without the user's knowledge. Once embedded in a computer, they can wreak havoc on the system's performance while gathering your personal information. Fortunately, unlike viruses and worms, spyware programs do not usually self-replicate.

Where do they come from?

Typically, Spyware originates in three ways. The first and most common way is when the user installs it. In this scenario, spyware is embedded, attached, or bundled with a freeware or shareware program without the user's knowledge. The user downloads the program to their computer. Once downloaded, the Spyware program goes to work collecting data for the spyware author's personal use or to sell to a third-party. Beware of many P2P file-sharing programs. They are notorious for downloads that possess spyware programs.

The user of a downloadable program should also pay extra attention to the accompanying licensing agreement. Often the software publisher will warn the user that a Spyware program will be installed along with the requested program. Unfortunately, we do not always take the time to read the fine print. Some agreements may provide special "opt-out" boxes that the user can click to stop the spyware from being included in the download. Be sure to review the document before signing off on the download.

Another way that Spyware can access your computer is by tricking you into manipulating the security features designed to prevent any unwanted installations. The Internet Explorer Web browser was designed not to allow websites to start any unwanted downloads. That is why the user has to initiate a download by clicking on a link. These links can prove deceptive. For example, a pop-up modeled after a standard Windows dialog box, may appear on your screen. The message may ask you if you would like to optimize your Internet access. It provides yes or no answer buttons, but, no matter which button you push, a download containing the Spyware program will commence. Newer versions of Internet Explorer are now making this Spyware pathway a little more difficult.

Finally, some Spyware applications infect a system by attacking security holes in the Web browser or other software. When the user navigates a webpage controlled by a Spyware author, the page contains code designed to attack the browser, and force the installation of the Spyware program.

What can Spyware programs do?

Spyware programs can accomplish a multitude of malicious tasks. Some of their deeds are simply annoying for the user; others can become downright aggressive in nature.

Spyware can:
1. Monitor your keystrokes for reporting purposes.
2. Scan files located on your hard drive.
3. Snoop through applications on your desktop.
4. Install other Spyware programs into your computer.
5. Read your cookies.
6. Steal credit card numbers, passwords, and other personal information.
7. Change the default settings on your home page web browser.
8. Mutate into a second generation of Spyware thus making it more difficult to eradicate.
9. Cause your computer to run slower.
10. Deliver annoying pop up advertisements.
11. Add advertising links to web pages for which the author does not get paid. Instead, payment is directed to the Spyware programmer that changed the original affiliate's settings.
12. Provide the user with no uninstall option and places itself in unexpected or hidden places within your computer making it difficult to remove.

Spyware Examples

Here are a few examples of commonly seen Spyware programs. Please note that while researchers will often give names to Spyware programs, they may not match the names the Spyware-writers use.

CoolWebSearch, a group of programs, that install through "holes" found in Internet Explorer. These programs direct traffic to advertisements on Web sites including coolwebsearch.com. This Spyware nuisance displays pop-up ads, rewrites search engine results, and alters the computer host file to direct the Domain Name System (DNS) to lookup preselected sites.

Internet Optimizer (a/k/a DyFuCa), likes to redirect Internet Explorer error pages to advertisements. When the user follows the broken link or enters an erroneous URL, a page of advertisements pop up.

180 Solutions reports extensive information to advertisers about the Web sites that you visit. It also alters HTTP requests for affiliate advertisements linked from a Web site. Therefore the 180 Solutions Company makes an unearned profit off of the click through advertisements they've altered.

HuntBar (a/k/a WinTools) or Adware.Websearch, is distributed by Traffic Syndicate and is installed by ActiveX drive-by downloading at affiliate websites or by advertisements displayed by other spyware programs. It's a prime example of how spyware can install more spyware. These programs will add toolbars to Internet Explorer, track Web browsing behavior, and display advertisements.

How can I prevent Spyware?

There are a couple things you can do to prevent Spyware from infecting your computer system. First, invest in a reliable commercial anti-spyware program. There are several currently on the market including stand alone software packages such as Lavasoft's Ad-Aware or Windows Antispyware. Other options provide the anti-spyware software as part of an anti-virus package. This type of option is offered by companies such as Sophos, Symantec, and McAfee. Anti-spyware programs can combat spyware by providing real-time protection, scanning, and removal of any found Spyware software. As with most programs, update your anti virus software frequently. As discussed, the Internet Explorer (IE) is often a contributor to the Spyware problem because Spyware programs like to attach themselves to its functionality. Spyware enjoys penetrating the IE's weaknesses. Because of this, many users have switched to non-IE browsers. However, if you prefer to stick with Internet Explorer, be sure to update the security patches regularly, and only download programs from reputable sources. This will help reduce your chances of a Spyware infiltration.

And, when all else fails?

Finally, if your computer has been infected with a large number of Spyware programs, the only solution you may have is backing up your data, and performing a complete reinstall of the operating system.

DO NOT take the Spyware threat lightly.

It is, in my opinion, much more insidious and sneaky than the plain old Virus that most Virus software can handle. Take it from me after nearly 48 hours of trying to cleanse my system of this "stuff," - I will not be without an effective and Guaranteed method of removal again.

by Steve Ingram

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Bye-Bye Pop-Ups And Computer Slowdowns! Learn More About Spyware Removal

‘Spyware’ is a form of advertising software that is covertly installed on a person’s personal computer without their knowledge or consent. Some advertising software today is put in with the permission of the computer owner as a form of payment for the use of a website or program, and these forms of marketing software are usually termed ‘adware’.

The difference between spyware and adware is knowledge and consent of the user. Because spyware is added without consent, and often can lead to a number of damaging effects to a computer, spyware removal is a popular subject for computer users today.

The first step in spyware removal is of course determining that you indeed have spyware installed on your computer. Chances are, you do. In a study conducted by America Online and the National Cyber Security Alliance in 2004, it was estimated that 80% of computer users across the world have some form of spyware installed on their computer, and 90% of these users are not aware of it.

Some common signs that your computer maybe dirty with spyware are ‘pop up’ advertisements that occur frequently and sometimes even when you are not on the web. These ads can be extremely irritating to be sure, but spyware can have even more disturbing effects to your computer. For instance, it can considerably slow your computer down, add hard to remove toolbars to your browser, change your home page without your knowledge, and cause put away or break down, resulting in lost data.

The good news is there are a number of spyware removal programs available that will scan your computer to detect spyware elements. If it is determined that your computer is infected with spyware, some of these programs are able to remove the infection.

Many spyware removal programs are available free of charge, though they must be updated regularly. Some programs will allow you to scan your computer for free, but will then ask for payment in order to clean the identified spyware. Personally, I’m a little disbelieving of these programs, and stick to the ones that are entirely free of cost. Some good examples include SpyBot, and AdAware.

These spyware removal programs are usually able to get most spyware off your computer. To increase your chances, it is best to run two or even three different programs. You may encounter occasional spyware programs that are especially hateful and will require more complicated measures to remove. Instructions on how to remove these more deceitful spyware programs are often available in technical meeting across the internet, and most stores that offer computer repair are also able to clean spyware as well as viruses.

by: Paul I. Etkin

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