Tag: Spyware

More tips for avoiding Windows 7 upgrade bumps

October 08, 2009 by Jason

For most PC users, the migration to Microsoft’s new version of Windows will go smoothly with a little preparation.

Spending a few minutes getting your system ready before you insert that Windows 7 installation disc may save you hours of troubleshooting and repair afterward.

- “If any of your products have a limit on the number of times they can be installed with the same serial number, you might be denied permission to install them as part of a fresh install of Windows 7. Most of the time, there’s nothing you can do about this. You just have to try the installation and hope that you’re under the limit.

“However, some software companies allow you to deactivate the serial number from your old computer and reactivate it when you reinstall. This keeps you under the limit. Adobe in particular does this. For example, in Adobe Acrobat Standard or Professional, you can go to Help, Activation and click Deactivate. By doing this, you’ll stay under the limit and you’ll be able to reinstall the product.”

A reader who goes by the name Alrock discovered a couple of quirks when he used Microsoft’s Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor: Read More»

Firefox databases for better performance

July 29, 2009 by Jason

Since Firefox 3.0, bookmarks, history and most storage is kept in SQLite databases. Also, the default history time span was raised from 9 to 90 days as it became more discoverable and useful thanks to the awesome bar, so depending on your browsing habits it could represent some pretty large databases.

Aas any other database, SQLite databases become fragmented over time and empty spaces appear all around. But, since there are no managing processes checking and optimizing the database, these factors eventually result in a performance hit. So, a good way to improve startup and some other bookmarks and history related tasks is to defragment and trim unused space from these databases.

To do this:

Step 1: get sqlite3, a single file command line SQLite database manager, for your platform (available for Linux, Windows, and Mac OS X).

Step 2: Copy the downloaded binary to your profile folder where all your .sqlite files reside.

Step 3: Close Firefox. Read More»

Free Morro Microsoft Security Essentials 1.0

June 19, 2009 by Jason

Come June 23rd, 2009, Microsoft will open up codename Morro, its upcoming free security solution designed to replace Windows Live OneCare 2.0, to the public. The Redmond company offered official confirmation that codename Morro had been rebranded as Microsoft Security Essentials, and that the first Beta for version 1.0 was ready to debut next week. Access to Microsoft Security Essentials 1.0 Beta will be granted to testers in the United States, Brazil and Israel, the software giant informed. The information provided by Microsoft comes after screenshots of Morro made it into the wild, followed by the actual bits, leaked a couple of days ago.

“The Microsoft Security Essentials Beta will be made publicly available in Brazil, Israel and the U.S. starting June 23 at about 9am PDT from www.microsoft.com/security_essentials, and general availability is scheduled for later this calendar year,” a Microsoft spokesman told pctipsbox. Read More»

Free Password Protect Files Program For Windows

February 14, 2009 by Jason

One of the most important feature which almost every windows user wants in windows is to protect the private files with password. Many people keep some of the very sensitive files on their hard drive and other portable drives which they don’t want other to see.

Androsa (Password Protect Files Via Ghacks.net) is a free password file protector to protect your confidential documents or any other file with a secret password. It lets you lock any file in windows with a secret password.

When ever you password protect any files with this program it will convert the file into an encrypted file which can be opened only with software and de-protected by entering the correct password. You can select among different encryptions method at the time of password protecting your files with this program.

Let’s see how simple you can password protect any program with this software. Read More»

Problems of Internet Explorer 7

February 08, 2009 by Jason

So you think that everything was going to be great and all will work fine when you upgraded to Internet Explorer 7and all your web browsing problem will be gone? but despite having the latest and stable version of Internet Explorer 7 problems still occurs, such as:

  • Internet Explorer temporarily hangs up while loading certain webpages such as those that use the contain Adobe Acrobat Reader plugin or any pages that contain client-side Java applets.
  • Web Pages takes more time to load than normally expected even if you have high speed internet connection and your computer just comes from a fresh restart.
  • Internet Explorer just stops responding and even refuses to be terminated even if you attempt to end it’s process.
  • Internet Explorer spontaneously crashes and stops running

Knowing the exact causes Internet Explorer 7 problems is just as much a mystery now as it has always been with previous versions of this web browser. Read More»

10 Tips to Make Your Computer Run Faster

February 03, 2009 by Jason

1. Upgrade Your RAM

Yeah, the most obvious tip but people hardly upgrade it. RAM these days is very cheap, especially if you buy it through Amazon or eBay. When I checked Amazon, the price of 1 GB RAM was around $20-$30.

2. Get Rid of Unneeded Software

Most PCs come shipped with unneeded software. Uninstall all of them. I’m sure there are better alternatives to those software. For example, my PC came shipped from hp with lots of bloatware such as HP Image Zone, Norton AntiVirus 2004, Record Now! CD & DVD Burning software etc. I uninstalled all of them and replaced them with better software like Picasa and Nero.

3. Keep Only One Browser

This is part of the getting rid of unneeded applications but I decided to separate it because so many people have 3, or even 4 browsers installed on their computer. I used to do this; I used to have Internet Explorer, Firefox, Opera, and Safari. Now I only have Mozilla Firefox. Yes, I even removed Internet Explorer! Read More»

Windows 7 Beta/RTM Official Security Solutions

January 05, 2009 by Jason

Just ahead of the public Beta of Windows 7, Microsoft has started recommending security solutions that can be integrated with the next iteration of its Windows client even at this early stage in the platform’s development. The first products designed to protect users running Windows 7 Beta come from Kaspersky and AVG, according to the Redmond company, which have promised to work with ISVs in order to produce security software compatible with Windows Vista’s successor since 2008. In this context, when it comes down to bulletproofing Windows 7, AVG and Kaspersky are ahead of the rest of the security industry with AVG Internet Security 8.0, AVG Anti-Virus 8.0, and the Technical Preview of Kaspersky Anti-Virus for Windows 7, respectively.

“Before you install antivirus software, check to make sure you don’t already have an antivirus product on your computer. If you do, be sure to remove the product you don’t want before you install the new one. It can cause problems on your computer to have two different antivirus products installed at the same time,” a message from Microsoft explains. Read More»

10 Spyware Warning Signs – Are You Infected?

November 20, 2008 by Jason

It’s been estimated that over 60% of all computers have some kind of spyware installed and most of their owners are unaware! If you are tired of your PC running slow and filling your screen with those nasty pop-up then you will want to read the 10 warning signs listed below.

Afterwards check out my “action plan” and what you can do to rid yourself of your spyware infestation.

1. Browser Hijacks – When I used to get a call from a customer saying that their homepage had suddenly changed, without them doing anything, I knew to bring my anti-spyware fighting software. Malicious programmers love to change your browser settings to transfer your homepage to their “client’s” websites.

2. PC is Crashing – Without warning, your PC starts crashing, freezing or locking up, but you haven’t added any new software or updated anything recently.

3. Pop-Ups – You open your browser to visit your favorite blog site then “WHAM!” You are suddenly drowning in pop-ups! Your screen is full of brightly colored lures to porn, gambling or gaming websites. You click on the “Close” or the “X” to shut it down…uh, oh something is downloading to your machine! Read More»

9 Tips Make Your Computer Run Faster

November 18, 2008 by Jason

A few months ago, my PC took over 10 minutes to start up. Now it just takes about a minute. Want to know how I did it? Here’s how:

1. Upgrade Your RAM

Yeah, the most obvious tip but people hardly upgrade it. RAM these days is very cheap, especially if you buy it through Amazon or eBay. When I checked Amazon, the price of 1 GB RAM was around $20-$30.

2. Get Rid of Unneeded Software

Most PCs come shipped with unneeded software. Uninstall all of them. I’m sure there are better alternatives to those software. For example, my PC came shipped from hp with lots of bloatware such as HP Image Zone, Norton AntiVirus 2004, Record Now! CD & DVD Burning software etc. I uninstalled all of them and replaced them with better software like Picasa and Nero.

3. Keep Only One Browser

This is part of the getting rid of unneeded applications but I decided to separate it because so many people have 3, or even 4 browsers installed on their computer. I used to do this; I used to have Internet Explorer, Firefox, Opera, and Safari. Now I only have Mozilla Firefox. Yes, I even removed Internet Explorer! Read More»

How To Make Your PC Internet Secure

November 09, 2008 by Jason

Worms, Trojans, adware, spyware, key loggers and viruses are all types of malicious code that may invade your computer, seriously harming your system and data while also hogging system resources or reducing PC performance and Internet bandwidth. Here are seven ways to protect yourself against malware.

1. Update your operating system regularly

The first step in protecting your PC, and your valuable data, is to ensure that the operating system (OS) is updated with the latest security patches. This is critical as OS manufacturers, such as Microsoft Windows, update the security features of their products continuously to cover any potential and actual loopholes.

2. Buy good anti-virus software

Secondly you should have updated anti-virus software running on your system. This software must be able to scan email and files, as they are downloaded from the Internet, to help prevent malware reaching your system. It is also important to make sure that this anti-virus software is updated frequently, with fixes to the actual engine and to the database files, ensuring they contain the latest cures against new viruses, worms and Trojans. Read More»