The XP Firewall Isn't Enough

You might think you don't need a firewall because windows XP has one built in, but read on for a plain-english explanation why this isn’t enough.

Before broadband and cable connections were common most people didn't need a personal firewall because they weren't connected to the Internet for extended periods of time.

Every computer that connects to the internet has an IP address. This is like a sort of phone number, and is issued either to an individual computer or to a "gateway" that connects a private network to the 'net.

Domestic dial-up internet connections normally use a system called Dynamic IP Addressing where people are issued with a sort of "new identity" every time they connect, so it's difficult to find and attack an individual computer - Dynamic IP addressing is a bit like having your phone number change every time you use the phone, which makes it difficult for the bad guys to find you.

But the longer you keep a particular “phone number” the more chance there is of someone finding you and that is why high-speed always-on connections need handling with care.

In particular, with "always on" DSL and cable connections you are connected for extended periods of time which give the attackers more chance of finding you if you've got an unprotected connection.

In these days of identity theft and with more and more security holes being uncovered in commercial software it is vital that you have a good firewall if you use a high-speed connection.

You may already have a firewall, either in a device called a "Broadband Router" which goes between your computer and the Internet or the very basic firewall built in to Windows XP Service Pack 2 and you might think that’s all you need.

But there's another reason that you won't have thought of.

Basic firewalls will tell you, and hopefully protect you if someone is trying to get in.... but they won't tell you if something is trying to get out!

That's right! Certain spyware and viruses can gather your personal information and send it out of your machine without you knowing.

A good firewall will spot these attempts to send stuff out and will warn you, quite possibly before your Antivirus or Spyware application notices the problem. Which gives you time to get the problem fixed.

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Why I Need Anti Virus Software For My Computer?

If you’ve recently purchased a computer, or are just learning about using email and the internet, you may have heard about computer viruses and anti-virus software.

You may be wondering if this is something that you should be concerned about, and if so, what you should do about it. This article will attempt to answer these questions for you.

First, you may be wondering just what a computer virus is. Basically a computer virus is one of many types of small programs that install themselves on your computer without your consent. Usually they enter your program through an email, or while you are browsing a website.

When these programs run, usually without you knowing, they can cause all types of problems with your computer. Some viruses can be mildly annoying, slowing down your computer as they use your computer’s resources for another purpose.

Others can be very dangerous, collecting your personal information and sending it to another party, or damaging your hard-drive.

True to their name, viruses are able to use your internet connection and email program and send themselves to the computers of other people you know, spreading themselves just like a contagious disease.

Because of this, just like the health of your body, when it comes to computer viruses, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. It is much easier to prevent viruses from entering your computer than it is to get rid of them and cure your computer once it becomes infected. This is why Anti-Virus software is important.

Once you realize that you need anti-virus software installed and running on your computer, you’ll have to choose which one to purchase and install. This can be a complicated process, but here are some tips to make it a bit easier.

First, check your computer to see if it came with anti-virus software. Many new computers are shipped with anti-virus programs already to go on them, you just need to turn them on. Check your instruction manual to see if this is the case with your computer.

Once you have your anti-virus installed and running on your computer, be sure to contact the software’s support if you have any questions. It is also important to keep your software updated.

Many of these programs will automatically update themselves when you are online. This is very important since new viruses are always appearing and you want to make sure your computer is protected.

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Tips For Keep Your Computer Running at Maximum Performance

This article will focus on two problems that impact the performance of your computer and will then explain what you can do about it.

Problem #1: Computer Hard Disk Files
Your computer is always writing information to your hard disk, no matter what you do. Your computer attempts to keep all file information in the same location on your hard drive. As you add and delete files, blank spaces are left between your files. As you add new programs or files, your computer tries to use these blank spaces.

Over time, this reading and writing of files can affect the way your computer performs. The files eventually become scattered in multiple locations on your hard disk rather than in the same location. This requires your hard disk to work harder and do more reading/writing than is necessary. It will slow down your computer by as much as 200% and causes increased wear and tear on your hard drive.

Problem #2: Spyware
If you use the Internet, at some point you will download a file or software program onto your computer. Sometimes you will know something is being downloaded to your computer. Other times you will have no idea. (Although this article will not talk about small files called “cookies”, you may want to look up information on this subject. Cookies are written onto your computer from the Internet.)

Free computer programs (often referred to as Freeware) are a big hit on the Internet. Every day thousands of users download these “free programs”. Although there are some great freeware programs, these programs often have advertisements or tracking code associated with their use. The term “Spyware” refers to programs that gather information about your computer and (Internet) surfing habits without your knowledge. This information is then sold to a third party company as a means of generating revenue.

The problem with Spyware is that it also impacts the performance of your computer. It can make your computer very sluggish and unresponsive.

Three Steps to Improved Computer Performance
Now that we’ve discussed two problems that affect the performance of your computer, let’s discuss three things you can do to get your computer performance back to normal. You should do these three steps in the order presented.

Step #1: Delete Spyware
The first thing you should do is to delete spyware files or programs from your computer. To do this, you can use a free software program such as Ad-Aware SE Personal Edition from LavaSoft. To get the program, go to www.download.com and search for “Ad-Aware SE” (without the quotes). Select “Download Now” and follow the installation instructions. Once the program is installed, you can scan your computer for spyware files. Then, you can select and delete them from your computer.

• Note #1: Always be sure to use the “Check for updates now” option to keep your program current.
• Note #2: You need to be aware that when you delete spyware files, some of those “free” programs you downloaded may not continue to work correctly. If you have a program you’ve downloaded and want to continue to use, check very carefully what you select to delete from the “Scanning results” once the scan has been completed.

Step #2: Clean up your Hard Disk
Once the spyware is removed, you need to clean up temporary and unwanted files from your hard disk. To do this on your windows PC, select the start option in the lower left hand corner of your computer screen. Then, select the program option. Under the program option, select “Accessories”. Under the “Accessories” option, select “System Tools”. From the System Tools option, select “Disk Cleanup”.

Step #3: Defrag your Hard Disk
Once all the spyware and temporary files are removed, you need to defrag your hard disk. This process simply rewrites your computer files so they are no longer scattered all over your hard disk, but are written in the same location for quick sequential access.

You can select “Analyze” to have the program check out the hard drive and see if it needs to be defragged. The program will prompt you at the completion of its analysis. Use the defragment option as prompted.

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How Spyware Blaster Can Protect Your Computer

By browsing a web page, you could infect your computer with spyware, adware, dialers and hijackers. These, unwelcome guests, are some of the fastest growing threats on the Internet today. It is important to protect your computer and one of the most powerful software products, available for this, is Spyware Blaster, a program created by Java cool.

How are you affected?

A spyware program will record every keystroke and e-mail as well as every web page you visit and every chat session. Some spyware programs will try to take control of your homepage, search page and other browser settings. Some may silently download themselves onto your computer. Others may pose as legitimate programs and persuade you to download them.

Private and confidential information extracted from a user's computer may be put on the Internet before he can realize that he is a victim of these malicious programs.

A Microsoft program called ActiveX is used to download software from websites for supporting legitimate services like file viewers or games. ActiveX can also be used to download spyware, hijackers, dialers and ad ware.

Spyware Blaster can make it difficult for these ActiveX programs to run on your computer. It can also protect your computer from certain cookies while running Mozilla based browsers like Fire fox.

The major anti-virus software product manufacturers have ignored the risks of spyware, hijackers, dialers and adware till now. Due to this, users have little knowledge of the software products that can be effective in detecting and eliminating them. One of the most powerful products available to provide security from spy ware is Spyware Blaster.

Spyware Blaster

Spyware Blaster is a freeware that offers effective protection from malicious Internet downloads. It disables malicious ActiveX controls that are already present and prevents downloads of malicious ActiveX controls from a web page. Its current database contains 822 items against which it provides protection. About 100 of these are tracking cookies, used by advertisers.

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Computer Hardware Preventive Maintenance Software

Computers often break down at the worst of all times. These problems can be averted, or at least minimized with preventive maintenance.

Several methods of keeping computer hardware in good working order deal with the external components of the computer, such as the keyboard and monitor.

For example, it is important to keep the processor away from excess heat and moisture. There are also computer hardware preventive maintenance software programs that can help with the upkeep of other internal aspects of a computer.

While it is rare to find a CMMS that works on all of a computer’s hardware, many different programs can be utilized simultaneously. Some computers have periodic automatic updates available that can be downloaded and used to improve the computer’s performance.

Other software programs, known as disk defragmenters, manage hard drive space so that software programs take less time to access. Programs known as hardware diagnostic utilities can check the computer’s hardware components and alert the user about any potential failures.

Since some new hardware will not always work on all computers and could cause existing hardware to malfunction, it is important to have a CMMS program to ensure that the new hardware is compatible with existing hardware.

Antivirus programs are another important component of computer hardware preventive maintenance software. Computer viruses have become increasingly common in recent years and can render a good computer useless. While computer viruses mainly attack software programs, they can ruin hardware as well.

Several manufacturers make reliable antivirus software. A couple of well-known companies are Norton and McAfee. As with much preventive maintenance software, these programs are usually available for a free trial period before the user must pay a subscription fee.

Computer hardware preventive maintenance software is necessary to keep computers in good working order. This software manages aspects of computer hardware that would be difficult and time-consuming for even the most computer savvy users.

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How to Increase Your Computer Speed Fast

I'm sure you've come across tons of articles and even suggestions from some of your friends on how to get your computer to work faster. Its really not that hard to increase your internet speed. I'm going to make it real simple for you and you don't need to be a computer geek to make this work.

The first thing you need to remember is to never, and I mean absolutely never download programs especially free software without reading the fine print.

Most free computer software will bombard your computer with spyware which will eventually bring your internet speed to a screeching halt! If your computer is already infected with spyware you can download the leading spyware remover called ad-aware which will scan your computer and remove spyware and tracking cookies from your computer.

Another way of making your computer and internet connection faster is by clicking on start, then run and typing in msconfig. Go to start tab and remove any program except your antivirus software and any other program which you must have start when windows starts.

This tip will increase your computer start up time dramatically!

Step number 3, and I do this almost on a daily basis is to clean up your internet cache. Go to your control panel which you can access from your start button and click on internet options.

Go to temporary internet files and clear your history. I would recommend that you also set internet history to a maximum of 2 days. Next step is to delete your temporary internet files including offline content.

Last step is to delete cookies. Be careful though because deleting your cookies will also delete useful information from your computer. You can read a how to on cookies here www.howstuffworks.com/cookie.htm.

These steps are the basics you can take which will speed up your internet connection immediately. I would also recommend doing a virus check on your computer on a weekly basis.

If you don't have antivirus software, get it! You'll be happy you did. Just one virus can wreak havoc on your computer! Make sure you test your internet speed whether its broadband or dial-up, before and after you take these simple steps so you can compare if these steps you've taken have worked.

Taking these basic steps will make you a happy surfer and will restore your faith in the World wide web!

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