Spyware Definitions List

The adware and spyware definitions list is very long. But the definitions listed below are the most common ones. This is a glossary of spyware facts and terms so you'll know what these malicious programs are and what they can do to your computer.

Adware

Adware components are generally installed along with a shareware or freeware programs you download. The adware developer creates pop up windows that generate advertisement revenue for them. Most adware components are actually installed with consent from the user. This happens because most people never read the end-user license agreement that comes with software.

Spyware

Spyware is most often installed bundled with freeware or shareware, much like adware. Spyware programs gather and transmit sensitive and personal information about your online behavior to an unknown party. The data is collected without you even knowing it happened. By the time you discover it, the damage is done and the hacker is long gone.

Browser Hijackers

Browser hijackers are innocently installed as helpful browser toolbars. They can alter your browser settings and can change your default home page to point to a site that generates revenue for the hijacker.

Trojan Horse Programs

Trojan horse programs sneak into your system and run without you realizing it similar to spyware. Programmers use these programs for any number of malicious uses and not one of them you would approve of. The good thing is Trojan horse programs do not duplicate themselves.

Tracking cookies

Tracking cookies are files with small amounts of data like passwords and settings. Tracking cookies can provide a benefit to you especially if you revisit the same web sites. But in the wrong hands, cookies are used to track your Internet behavior without your knowledge or consent and provides marketers with private information about you.

Keyloggers

Keyloggers are programs that run in the background silently recording all your keystrokes. Once the keystrokes are logged, the hacker uses a remote keyloggers program to retrieve the data later. The hacker can get your passwords, credit card numbers and any personal information on your computer.

Malware
The definition of malware is any malicious software or program that will harm your computer. Computer viruses, worms and Trojans are all considered malware, but several other types of programs may also be included under the term.

Password Cracker

A password cracker is simply a program used to decrypt a password or password file. Security administrators use password crackers for legitimate use by using them to improve system security. But the dangers when a hacker gets a program like this is unimaginable.

There are many other spyware definitions including scumware, annoyanceware, parasites and the list continues to grow daily.

Read more »

Articles, Computer, Computer Programing, Computer Science, Describe, How To ?, Other, Prevention Service, Programs, Protect, Recover, Security, Services, Technology,

{[['']]}

Adware and Spyware Blockers

The most important things you can do for your computer right now is to install adware and spyware blockers. Everyone is aware of computer viruses and run an anti-virus program to guard your computer against them.

But only a fraction of computer users are running any kind of adware and spyware blockers software. It is believed that 90% of today's PCs are infected with some form of adware and spyware. Most of the time you are not aware that your computer is even infected.

Adware and Spyware are less noticeable than computer viruses but can be much greater danger to your computer. So what is the danger posed without removing spyware from computers and how do you block spyware and adware on your PC?

If your computer becomes infected, the results range from minor nuisances such as pop up ads to more serious threats including identity theft. Even your passwords and credit card numbers could end up in hacker's hands and you wouldn't know it happened until the damage was done.

Spyware and adware files hide in your computer and are loaded down as you browse the Internet. Common culprits include pop up ads, shareware, freeware and instant messaging. However, there are less common ways to become infected.

Some computers contain adware and shareware files even before you purchase them. Because of thisfighting spyware and adware and removing spyware from computers is becoming even harder today

Spyware and Adware has become such an epidemic that it is the latest target of NY Attorney General Eliot Spitzer. "Spyware and adware are more than an annoyance," Spitzer said in the statement. "These fraudulent programs foul machines, undermine productivity and in many cases frustrate consumers' efforts to remove them from their computers. These issues can serve to be a hindrance to the growth of e-commerce."

There are many programs that you can download to block adware and spyware from infecting your computer. Protect your privacy, and get the right Internet privacy tools installed on your computer immediately. You need to install adware and spyware blockers now so you can enjoy the Internet without the hidden dangers.

Read more »

Apple, Articles, Computer, Computer Programing, Computer Science, Describe, How To ?, Other, Personal Computer, Recover, Security, Services, Software, Technology,

{[['']]}

Build your first computer from hardware scratches

Wow- if you do it first time and have some asset of time in your disposition - then go ahead and purchase motherboard, your favorite processor, memory, video card (probably it is better to purchase it external for advanced quality). You will also need computer case - first computer should probably go to the cheap one - with USB 2 ports from the front side - the only question - you might want to replace noisy cheap power supply with $50 dollars one. Processor fan - nowadays you will see the variety for all the tastes - get the one with adjustable spinning speed to regulate noise (if you could not place it into the basement of your house - I guess you live in apartment or student dormitory). Let's go to details:

*Ahead of Generation. It is not a secret that when you build your own computer - you might overpay - in considering to what is available in the stores.. However you usually get ahead of technology. For example - it is still common when Dell/Compaq/IBM computers use PC2700 standard of memory. If you bought PC3200 - you have two years of being ahead of the competition
*Processor. If you build your computer from scratches - you should look into 64-bits processor from the beginning. Get AMD Athlon 64 3400+ at least
*Video Card. For $100 you can get maximum of memory and performance. This is why we recommend to get external videocard
*DVD Writer. RW+/- unfortunately Japanese manufacturers are in the process of decision making on winning standards plus DVD of high density. Get both supported.
*Hard Drive. Decent motherboards support IDE raid and you could experiment with striping (raid 0). Then if you purchase two IDE disks 400 GB each - you will get 800 GB - unbelievable for supercomputers - but you are on your own and cosmopolitan individual - step forward and be ahead of competition.
*Troubleshooting. Understood and respected. First listen your mother board beeps and refer to its documentation. It might not see memory, graphical card, etc. When you are installing memory - be very careful to static electricity issue. When you are attaching your mother board to computer case - the most typical issue is motherboard shorting - so do not be surprised to try your motherboard first outside the case

Read more »

Articles, Computer, Computer Programing, Computer Science, Describe, How To ?, Other, Prevention Service, Security, Services, Technology,

{[['']]}

Free Up Memory (RAM) in Windows

The processing power stored in the CPU of a PC is extremely important when running games, movie players, compression products and graphics software.

However, when analysing overall system performance, CPU speed comes second to having sufficient physical memory (RAM) to run these complex applications.

While many of today's computers have enough RAM to store a small library, modern software and media files do require a lot of memory consuming resources.

Memory-related problems can cause delays and glitches that can drastically hamper the software being used with, for example, noticeable slowing down of movies (or delays in playback)and games.

By optimizing all your system settings and by monitoring resource usage more carefully, these problems can be avoided, resulting in a smoother and more stable gaming experience.

Paging Files and Performance:

In comparison to the minute integrated circuitry of a RAM Chip, a mechanical hard drive is not very fast.
The read/write speed of the hard drive is slower than RAM and the technology of the former is not designed toward accessing small pieces of data at a time.

When your computer runs out of physical memory, Windows will use your hard drive to store the information that it cannot place in RAM.

It will indiscriminately create what is called virtual memory or a paging file (or a swap file) that stores data from RAM that hasn't been used recently to load up and manage the more recent applications.

This slows down your hard drive and eventually may lead to a system crash.

The greater the number of (or the more power-hungry) applications running, the more RAM is required and the larger the paging files may be.

The easiest solution to this problem and perhaps the most expensive is to upgrade your RAM. There are, however, less expensive solutions that will greatly enhance your PC memory.

Ideally, you would want to avoid using the paging file (hence your hard drive) directly for complicated operations by making sure that there is always enough RAM to execute these programs.

On the other hand, a large sound file containing 30 minutes of audio data might not have to be stored in RAM all the time.

By moving less important data to the hard drive, making the physical memory available to the applications that really need it, you can improve both performance and stability considerably.

Memory Management with SpeedUpMyPC

Windows is indiscriminate when it moves data from RAM to virtual memory.

Windows will also use leave a lot of unused information in RAM until this information is explicitly removed by the application that created it or until the RAM is needed by other applications.

In addition, the operating system does not know which applications are more important or whether you are going to start a memory-demanding application.

By using SpeedUpMyPC to monitor your RAM usage in real time, you can easily find out if there is enough RAM to run your favourite applications.

SpeedUpMyPC also lets you free up RAM at any time with a single click.

This can be very useful if you running a game or play a DivX movie.

By freeing up memory before starting a demanding application, you won't have to experience pauses or skipped frames while the application is running.

SpeedUpMyPC can also free up memory automatically whenever your memory usage exceeds a certain limit.

This can help you avoid running out of resources when running multiple applications, and will also prevent resources-related crashes.

Apart from monitoring RAM usage, SpeedUpMyPC can also monitor your page file usage or virtual memory usage in real time.

As soon as your page file usage reaches a critical level, SpeedUpMyPC will inform you about the situation, giving you enough time to terminate some applications before the computer crashes or stops responding.

Read more »

Articles, Computer, Computer Programing, Computer Science, Describe, How To ?, Other, Personal Computer, Prevention Service, Protect, Recover, Security, Services, Technology,

{[['']]}

Detect Spyware Online

You can detect spyware online using free spyware cleaners and by installing spyware protection software on your computer. Often it's best to start with free spyware cleaners because these free programs will remove any spyware programs currently running on your computer.

It's very important to detect spyware online and get rid of the malicious code in your computer files. This will protect your confidential data and the performance of your PC. Once you see how many of these programs are running silently on your computer you will probably be shocked.

It should be a wake up call that spyware and adware is a major threat to your Internet security. You will probably wonder how this all happened without your knowledge. Spyware programs are designed to install and run silently so don't blame yourself or anyone else. If you have ever downloaded music, freeware or shareware that's probably how spyware got into your files.

It doesn't matter if you get angry or how outrageous you think it is that someone did this to your computer. The important thing to know is these programs can send your passwords and credit card numbers into hacker's hands and you won't realize it happens until the damage is done.

Spyware programs are designed to invisibly track the sites you surf, the products you buy, and the messages you send. They started out with advertisers gathering information about products bought and sold on the Internet. But hacker's found that they can use these programs to steal your personal information from your computer.

It is estimated that 9 out of 10 computers have spyware, adware or both somewhere in the files. Even though this is a serious Internet privacy problem, you can do something about it.

There are free spyware cleaners you can use to clean these malicious files out of your computer. If you use one of these free spyware cleaners, make sure after you download you update to the latest version so you can clean as much spyware out of your computer as possible.

After you scan your computer with a free spyware cleaners it's recommended you purchase spyware software from a reputable manufacturer. The software puts up an anti spyware shield for your computer. Professional spyware software not only removes spyware but stops spyware from getting in your files in the first place.

The best way to protect your personal information as well as your computer is to detect spyware online and use the best spyware protection software you can find because your Internet security is at stake.

Read more »

Articles, Computer, Computer Programing, Computer Science, How To ?, Other, Personal Computer, Protect, Recover, Security, Services, Technology,

{[['']]}

How to optimize your video for the web

Optimizing your video or movie in order it can be distributed and played on the web implies many aspects. This action, often known as streaming video, must be achieved carefully in order not to loose an important amount of video quality on the process. Due to the great amount of data a video or movie contains and the big size it file would have, transferring it or playing it over the web with its original quality might be not easy sometimes.


To start with, a person should have a good Internet connection based on cable or DSL in order to be able to play or watch your movie over the web. If they do not have high speed connection, accessing and watching your movie would be almost impossible, since in case they were able to play it, it would be of very low quality and probably would go blank sometimes.

In order to optimize your video or movie and avoid as many of these web- movie related problems, there are a few things you should have into account. First of all, you should compress your video using an appropriate technology, such as, for example, Real Video, or any other which was meant for this specific purpose.

There are several different compression technologies which were developed in order to help movie makers uploading and transferring their videos over the web. In order to choose a good compression technology, you should check it allows you to compress your video without causing it to loose much of its original quality. You should always consider that maybe it is preferable that your video is transferred less quickly and looses not so much quality than it is transferred very fast and looses an important amount of data.

The PC or equipment the person who will watch your movie has will be one of the main factors you should consider at the time of sending your video to him or letting him download it. Depending on the equipment, the video a person plays over the web will be played with good quality, bad quality or it might not be played at all.

Read more »

Articles, Computer, Computer Programing, Computer Science, Describe, How To ?, Other, Personal Computer, SEO, Services, Technology,

{[['']]}

About distributing your AVI movies

 An AVI movie can be compressed using different video codecs. This compression is necessary in order to reduce the movie file size which otherwise would occupy too much space and copying it or transferring it from one device to another would be a complicated step to achieve.

If you wish to watch your AVI movie in your PC and this movie was compressed with a particular codec, you will need to have the same codec installed on that PC. You will always need one same codec to compress and to decompress not only an AVI movie but any other movie n any other format as well.

There are some codecs which you can use with your AVI movie when you wish that it doesn't loose as much quality as it generally would through the compression- decompression process. TSCC is one of the codecs which would allow you to compress, transfer and decompress your movie without loosing its quality.

One of the main advantages of AVI files is the fact that they can be played in many different players while other files can only be played in specific ones. If you storage or distribute your own movie through an AVI file, it could be seen in Real Player, Camtasia Player, Media Player and QuickTime.

Another important aspect to take into account regarding AVI files is that the audio data occupies much more space than the video one. This way, it is very important that your movie's audio data is carefully compressed as well as the video data is, or otherwise it could occupy much more space than you would have thought.

If you do not know which audio codec to choose for your audio AVI file, MPEG Layer 3 is one of the most advisable ones. This codec would allow you to compress your audio file converting it into a much smaller file and without loosing much of its quality, although it will not be exactly the same than it was before being compressed. There also are other good codecs, but due to these files high size, all of them would cause your movie to loose some of its audio quality.

Read more »

Articles, Computer, Computer Programing, Computer Science, Describe, How To ?, Other, Personal Computer, Prevention Service, Services, Technology,

{[['']]}

What is data recovery?

 Data recovery is the retrieval of inaccessible or contaminated data from media that has been damaged in some way. Data recovery is being increasingly used and is an important process nowadays.

There has been a lot of progress in increasing the memory capacity of data storage devices. Therefore data loss from any one incident also tends to be very high. The relevance of lost data can vary greatly. Maybe you have had the experience of storing a homework assignment on a floppy disk only to have it missing on the day the assignment in due.

Consider the fact that a large amount of businesses nowadays have vital organizational related data stored on machines. Also hospitals store data on patients on computers. Large amounts of websites nowadays use databases technology to enhance their websites and make them more dynamic. Php and MySql use has been on the rise on the Internet. Database failure is not uncommon and so it is not a fail proof method of storing information.

Companies have high reliance on computer technology to write and store data relevant to their business operations. Thus the data being stored can have a great deal of impact on personal lives and operations of companies.

There can be several causes of data loss.

Data loss can occur from unexpected incidences including national tragedies such as floods and earthquakes.

Often power failure can cause loss of data from hard drives. Sudden power surges can also cause a lot of damage to a computer's hard drive.

Accidentally deleting a file or formatting a hard drive or floppy disk is a common reason for data loss.

If you have accidentally lost any important documents there are several steps you can take.Remember that if you have accidentally erased a file, it may not have vanished from your computer. It may have left an imprint in a different format on the computer's hard drive or other storage devices. Recovering the data involves locating it and transforming it into human readable form.

Not all data may be recoverable.

You can either hire professional service to help you solve your problem or attempt a recovery on your own.

You can carry out data recovery operations on your own computer if you know what you are doing. There is data recovery software widely available that can assist you in the process.

Data recovery can become complicated if you overwrite on the storage device that has the lost data. Therefore if you do not know what you are doing, it is advisable to contact a professional service firm.

Data recovery professionals are experts in recovering data from all sorts of media and from a variety of damages done. There are many specialists out there who have years of experience in the IT field. The kind of data recovery operation to use will depend a great deal on the storage device and other variables such as the amount of damage done or the operation system used such as Macintosh, Windows or Linux.

There are some cases where it may be impossible to recover any data. However do not fret as the odds lie in your favor since a high percentage of data recovery operations are successful.

Preventing data loss

Of course the best way is to prevent data loss in the first place.

Data backup allows for restoring data if data loss occurs. Even ordinary pc users can set up their computer to carry out regularly scheduled backup operations. In the event of a hard drive crash or an unwise change in settings by an uninformed user, the restore tool can be used to retrieve deleted data or to restore the computer's settings from an earlier time.

For the back up process to be useful it should involve several reliable backup systems and performing drills to make sure the data is being stored correctly. Additional protection methods from data loss include making sure that the hard drive is protected from damages from the external environment. This includes protection from sunlight and temperature extremes.

Also plugging in your pc into a surge protector rather than an ordinary outlet can give your computer a protection layer from electricity fluctuations. Keep your virus protection up to date. Also remember to keep your backup data separate from your computer.

Nevertheless a lot of companies will go through a disaster and experience data loss. The best thing to do is not to panic and also not to ignore the situation. The quicker you rectify the situation the better. Counting on data loss will help you be prepared for any such event.

Read more »

Articles, Computer, Computer Programing, Computer Science, Describe, How To ?, Other, Personal Computer, Programs, Protect, Recover, Services, Software, Technology,

{[['']]}

Data recovery from laptops

A lot of important data is being stored on laptops today. Laptop use has increased significantly in recent years. Increased demands for portability and convenience have been envisioned in this mobile technology.

Demand for laptops has gone up in part due to the spread of telecommuting in businesses today. Businesses often allow employees to work on laptops at home and bring them to work.

Data loss in a laptop can end up costing the company a lot of employee hours worked. Even people who use their laptops for personal use are not pleased if they lose any important data. Carrying around a laptop all day can cause stress on the machine and increase the chances of data loss.

There are many companies that can help you with the laptop data recovery process. After you contact a company, first you will likely go through an evaluation process to evaluate the extent of damage done.

A lot of companies will offer a free evaluation and a quote if they feel they can successfully perform recovery operations. It may be a good idea to shop around for services to make sure you are getting the best deal. Each company may offer a different price. Some companies even have fixed pricing.

If you are panicking over a blank laptop screen or a hard drive crash, you will be happy to learn that a high percentage of the requests data recovery companies get are successful completed. However you still need to be prepared that some of the data may never be recovered. The only way to find out is get proactive and contact representatives from data recovery firms.

Several data recovery companies have specialized departments for performing data recovery operations on laptops. You can get a lot of your data recovered and receive it in a readable format, even from badly damaged storage devices.

Laptop systems are more fragile and therefore highly susceptible to damage to their hard drives.

There are many companies online that can offer you internet-based laptop data recovery. This allows you to ship of your laptop to company headquarters and have it shipped back to you after the data has been recovered.

Some problems you may experience with your laptop is a dead screen, hard drive crash, etc. There are different types of laptop data recovery operations you can perform. Laptop data recovery can allow you to recover files after such events and after technical malfunctions. You may also be able to recover MS Word, Excel or Power Point files that you may have accidentally deleted.

Laptops can receive a lot of abuse and their hard drives can get damaged. You may need laptop data recovery support if:

- You dropped your notebook and it no longer turns on.
- An unsolicited e-mail has downloaded a Trojan or virus on your laptop.
- The laptop's hard drive crashes.
- You accidentally deleted some important company files and you want them retrieved in a hurry before your boss finds out.

If you have lost important company data and your boss just says to go and recover it, rapid data recovery can be a solution. Often companies can perform emergency operations to recover lost data and get you on your way in only 24-48 hours. However be prepared to pay up for these services. The services will be worthwhile depending on how important the lost data is to you or your business.

If you are involved in the management of a company, you may want to keep the contact information of a reliable data recovery specialist near your desk. You never know when you may need one.

Read more »

Articles, Computer, Computer Programing, Computer Science, How To ?, Other, Personal Computer, Prevention Service, Printer, Programs, Protect, Recover, Security, Services, Technology,

{[['']]}

Make Printer Colors Print Right

Having trouble understanding dpi and resolution? Pictures not printing in the color you expected? Here's an inkjet project you can do to help you understand how it all works! After you do the project (or don't do it!), read on for some color solutions to help you get the results you want from your printed images.

The project:
Open up your art program and draw a one-inch square. Reduce your square to 10% (1/10 of inch). Now duplicate it 9 times running across the width of your page. You should have a horizontal row of 10 squares. Duplicate your row 9 times, so you end up again with a one-inch box that contains one-hundred 1/10th inch squares. Print out your one-inch box.

Next, get three magic markers: one magenta, one cyan, and one yellow. Fine tip markers will probably work the best. Have a friend or relative stand behind you and yell out purple, green, orange, yellow, cyan, magenta in the order of their choice. If they yell out yellow, pick up the yellow marker and fill in one of the small blocks in your box. It they yell out purple, pick up the cyan marker in one hand and the magenta marker in the other and simultaneously fill in the next block in the row across. Repeat this process, choosing the correct marker for each color as your friend yells out the color name. Color in each of your blocks until your box is full, Congratulations! You have just made a one hundred dpi color image without your inkjet printer!

Now of course, the above project is just a rough rendering of what we ask our printers to do. First of all, they don't have the luxury of a visible grid! Secondly, they squirt ink through the print head nozzles in tiny units of measure called Pico liters, squirting only enough of each color to generate the six colors above plus reds, browns, navy blues... and they do it all in resolutions of three to six hundred dpi or more in micro-seconds per requested color!

Sometimes, though, the three colors of our inkjet inks won't mix properly for them no matter how much or little our printers put in the dpi blocks. That's why our pictures frequently don't print in the colors we expected. Here is a simple (but rough) explanation. Our computer monitors display color in the exact reverse to how we see it on paper. Light from our monitors goes through the colors. Adversely, when we look at color on paper, light from the paper is reflected back to our eyes.

Here's something you can do that will help you get the right colors. Print a color palette. Some programs will allow you to print different palettes but if you can't, here's a link to a 216-color palette.

http://www.expressnews.ualberta.ca/ualberta/Services/color.html
Print it out using the same media you will use for your print project and compare the difference in how color displays on your monitor vs. how computer colors look in print. Using the same media ensures that your display will be as printed. Notice, in the palette you printed that the color white (upper left hand corner) is blank. That's because inkjet printers don't print white no matter what the color of the paper is. On the palette you printed, look at green, which is six colors from the bottom of the last column (00ff00). Green on the computer screen looks like a neon sign, but printed it looks like the green you see on a color crayon. Using the printed color palette, you can better choose the colors for your print projects.

Read more »

Articles, Computer, Computer Programing, Computer Science, Describe, How To ?, Other, Printer, Services, Technology,

{[['']]}

Computational Philanthropy - The World Community Grid

Have you ever wondered what your computer does when you're not there to provide it with stimulation? On Windows, it runs a process called the 'System Idle Process'. Doesn't sound very intellectually challenging does it? As far as an intellectual challenge, let's not flatter ourselves either: To our computers we move at the speed of molasses in winter.

Well what if your computer could be running software that benefited humanity in its ample spare time? That is precisely the task the World Community Grid offers your computer when you aren't using it.

Currently, the World Community Grid is looking to dramatically shorten the Human Proteome Folding Project. This is a project that could take years even on the most powerful supercomputer. The answer is to take advantage of parallelization (using many computers at once) to dramatically shorten this computational time.

Many of us have heard of the Human Genome Project that recently completed a map of all human genes. In order for that information to be useful, scientists seek to understand how the proteins that those genes code for are formed in a process called protein folding. It is the shape of proteins that determine their bio-chemical properties. Knowledge of protein folding could, one day, be used in dramatic treatments of all diseases.

To contribute to this admirable task is quick and painless. Visit: http://www.worldcommunitygrid.org/ and download the client program and within seconds your computer will be solving the problems of humanity.

Download? Download?! This word is sacrilege to many network administrators. Well you needn't worry because IBM, 'Big Blue', has lent its name and resources to ensuring that this is a safe and reliable process.

Once downloaded, the client program will allow you to see the proteins currently being computed. In future, upon completion of the Human Proteome Folding project, the grid can be used for other challenging scientific problems. One likely candidate is signal processing for the SETI (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence) program which required distributed computational power.

Gandhi once said: "life is full of seemingly inconsequential acts, but it is absolutely essential that we do them." This seemingly small act may yield research that can improve the quality of life for all. Visit: http://www.worldcommunitygrid.org/ and help contribute to scientific history.

Read more »

Articles, Computer, Computer Programing, Computer Science, Describe, Personal Computer, Programs, Services, Technology,

{[['']]}

10 Steps To Secure And Manage Your Passwords

Passwords protect your most sensitive personal, financial and
business information. They are the key to accessing membership,
financial, and other web sites that you are a member of. All
sorts of havoc can occur in your life if some unauthorized person
discovers your password. Here are some tips for making that event
less likely:

1. Don't use easily guess passwords like a date of birth, spouse, child's or pet's name. In fact, don't use any word or phrase that even remotely relates to you or your world. You need to use a password which is difficult for anyone to guess but is not so difficult for you to remember.

2. Use a combination of upper and lower case letters, symbols and numbers to make the password harder to guess. Some web sites do not allow symbols so you may not be able to always use them. Almost all web sites treat passwords as CaSe SeNsItIvE so mixing case is a good idea.

3. Make your password at least eight characters long. Longer is even better. The more characters there are

4. Use a different password for each account or web site. That way if one gets compromised you'll still be protected elsewhere.

5. Change your passwords frequently. Pick a period, like the 15th of each month, and change all of your passwords on that date.

6. Do not write your passwords down anywhere. You never know who is checking your drawers or file cabinet when you're not around. Also, do not store your passwords in an electronic filing device like a PDA. That's just as insecure as a piece of paper if you lose the device and someone who is less than honest finds it.
If you have too many passwords to keep track of then consider using a password manager program. There are a lot of them on the market but be careful: some of them contain "adware" which will pop up ads every time you are online. Most of the free password managers contain some degree of adware. Here's one that doesn't: http://www.roboform.com/

7. Never share your password with anyone else. If you have to, then change it immediately afterwards.

8. Avoid using "dictionary" words. There are password-cracking programs that will check every word in the dictionary. If you want to use words then break them up with non-word characters. For example: BuIlT*99$APPlE is difficult for anything other than the most sophisticated password-cracking program to guess because it is combined with non-alphabet characters and it is in mixed case.

9. Don't use "password" or "none" as your password! Don't even use "PaSsWoRd"!

10. If someone calls or sends you e-mail claiming that they are from your bank, or credit card company, or anywhere else that you have a password with, NEVER give them your password or PIN no matter what story they tell you. It's a scam. No one will ever ask for your password. Legitimate administrators of your
password-protected accounts do not need your password to access your files during the normal course of their business dealings with you.

the harder it will be to guess.

Read more »

Articles, Computer, Computer Programing, Computer Science, Describe, How To ?, Other, Passwords, Personal Computer, Prevention Service, Protect, Recover, Security, Services, Technology,

{[['']]}

The Best Data Recovery Choice For You

The best defense against a loss of data is a really solid and faithful backup routine of important files to reliable media. It's also a good idea for the media to be removable and portable if possible so that even if something happens to your whole computer for any reason, the data is protected by being in a totally different physical area.

OK, so that is the best solution to data loss. But what if you have not been backing up your drive like you should and now you find yourself confronted with the daunting task of getting all the important files back that were on your computer before the emergency happened? (By the way, you can take some comfort in knowing that quite a few people find themselves in this situation. You are not alone.) What are your choices at this point?

Well, basically there are two ways of recovering data from a damaged disk, either by using a data recovery service or a data recovery software package. Either can do the job, but there are some factors that should go into your decision about which one to use. First, are you pretty computer savvy? If you are then maybe data recovery software will work for you. If not, do not try this method at all. The other is how much time do you have to spend on retrieving this data? If you have lots of time to put into it, then consider doing the job yourself with a reputable software package. If you don't have much time to devote to this endeavor, don't waste both time and money with the software option.

If you have decided upon using a data recovery service, you should know that the odds are that you will get a good portion, if not all of your data back. The generally accepted success rate in the industry is around 80%. Much of the success will depend on the skill and determination of the data recovery specialist who will be working on your drive. They all have sophisticated software tools to work with, but data recovery is not as simple as just plugging in a piece of software, walking away and coming back when it has found all the files. It often requires a specialist who is a bit of a detective, andnot easily discouraged, to get back a good portion of data, especially on drives with physical damage.

Don't be surprised to get two quotes for data recovery from some companies either. One for logical data retrieval that is much easier to handle and will be a much lower figure, and one for physical damage which is far more challenging and therefore rightly costs more. You will also find that cost quotes will often vary considerably. It is usually best to choose somewhere in the middle of the pack toward the higher end. The reason for this is that some companies engage in a bait and switch tactic that indicates that they will cost less initially, but when they actually receive the drive they wil claim that upon review the cost will be much higher. It's best to avoid messing with these companies at all.

So if you have lost data and have no backups to fall back on, data recovery can still be done. Just use the guidelines presented in this article for choosing the data recovery method that will work best for you.

Read more »

Articles, Computer, Computer Programing, Computer Science, Describe, How To ?, Other, Personal Computer, Programs, Protect, Recover, Security, Technology,

{[['']]}

Is DVD Storage An Attractive Alternative For Your Computer Backup?

If you have a computer for home use or for your business and don't take comprehensive backup for full protection then you are in the danger-zone.
Maybe you do not take any backup at all.

You can find in Windows a basic backup utility which are installed during the installation.

I should say for all Windows...,but in fact it is not included during the installation of Windows XP Home Edition.

It is as if Microsoft thinks that data protection is not necessary for home computers and computers used by small businesses.

It is true that hard drives are becoming less prone to hard disk crashes.

But, if you consider not only hard disk crashes, but also virus infection, theft plus other treats, then you realize the importance of implementing a full-proof backup strategy for your computer.

Today many computers are equipped with a DVD burner, yet most do not use it to manage their vital data backup.
The amount of data you can store on a single DVD is several Giga Byte.

There are many types of backup you can make.

Here are the steps that I take myself to fully secure my data against data loss:

1. Disk image backup.
I use a disk image backup software and make a complete image backup of the disk on consecutive DVDs.
I also create an emergency rescue CD.

If I have a hard disk crash I'll use this emergency CD to boot from.

But, first I have to install and setup a new hard disk that is working.

Then I can recreate the data directly back from this backup stored on the DVDs.
This work is made fast and without the need to spend time installing both the operation system and the backup software.
Everything is instead copied directly into the hard disk from the DVD's.

2. Full hard disk backup.
I also use a data backup software and create a full backup of the hard disk on consecutive DVD's.

This is a standard disk backup. With this backup I'm able to restore any files and/or folders.
I can also move the data to another computer.

3. Regular scheduled backup of files and folder.
Here I use the same software product I use for the full disk backup. I make with this software regular schedule backups of the files and folders I work with.

In my case they include My Documents, Outlook emails and other files that are modified over time.
I do this by keeping a permanent rewritable DVD inside the DVD burner.
I then rotate a number of DVD's for this purpose so I can keep copies away from the computer.

Whenever I install important new programs from the Internet or I make other major changes to my system I'll also create a new disk image backup and a full hard disk backup.

You should use a DVD burner that is built for rewritable DVDs.
Unfortunately there are several competing DVD standards on the market.

The DVD-R, DVD-R and DVD-RAM standards supports DVDs which only can be written to once and can't be reused and those standards should be avoided.

The DVD player should instead support at least one rewritable DVDs standard.
Either DVD-RW or DVD+RW.

Conclusion:
I use regular schedule backup to backup the data files I work with on a daily basis.

I'll make a disk image backup so that in case of a hard disk failure I will be back in business fast.

I also create a full disk backup so that I will be able to restore individual files or folders. It makes it also possible to move the data to another computer.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Per Strandberg specializing in data security and data storage and have a site about data backup technology

Read more »

Articles, Computer, Computer Programing, Computer Science, Describe, How To ?, Other, Personal Computer, Protect, Services, Technology,

{[['']]}

Microsoft Great Plains Integrations - tips for developer

In this short FAQ style article we would like to introduce you - software developer, programmer, database administrator into Microsoft Great Plains Integration tools and options
Microsoft Great Plains is main Microsoft Business Solutions product for US mid-market. Historically Great Plains Software designed Great Plains Dynamics and Dynamics C/S+ as multiplatform application and the integration was possible via Great Plains Dexterity or Dexterity-based end user tools, such as Import Utility and later on via Integration Manager. When Microsoft Windows platform won the OS market (the last battle was in 1997 with PowerMac) Great Plains recommended OLE Server approach: Continuum for VB and Delphi and new Microsoft light programming technology - VBA (Visual Basic for Applications), which was integrated into Dexterity application - Great Plains Modifier (requires customization site enabler license). Since then Great Plains Dynamics/eEnterprise integration techniques use Microsoft technologies.

1.Microsoft SQL Server approach. This integration technique uses SQL stored procedures and views to pull data from your legacy or third party application and push it into Great Plains. The nice thing about MS SQL Server - it has linked server technology - you can establish the link to virtually all ODBC ir OLEDB compliant databases: Oracle, DB2/Unidata, Sybase, Ingress, Lotus/Domino, Pervasive SQL/Btrieve, Ctree/Faircom, Microsoft Access, Foxpro to name a few. You can schedule your integration as maintenance job or DTS package. However keep in mind that Great Plains tables structure is rather complex (it has master records, summaries, historical, work, open tables) and you should probably verify your stored procedures business logic with Great Plains source code (DYNAMICS.DIC with Dexterity procedures and functions scripts - in regular DYNAMICS.DIC these are stripped out - not every MBS partner has source code subscription - so do your selection work)

2.Great Plains Dexterity integration with Great Plains process server. This is more advanced and recommended approach, however it requires advanced Dexterity programming skills and access to the source code. The idea behind is simple - you populate so-called triggering custom table and then check it from Dexterity custom application every 5 seconds or so. If the record is there - then you process it. Processing is usually Dexterity source code stored procedure call. Great Plains uses similar logic when you post the batch and see the status in Process Monitor window. If you don't have source code - you can try to do the best guess with Microsoft Great

Plains Software Development Kit (SDK)

3.Great Plains Integration Manager. This is end user tool and is easy to use. However - it uses Great Plains as OLE Server and calls Great Plains forms behind the scenes. As the result - it is very slow - we recommend using integration manager when you have up to one thousand transactions per day.

4.eConnect - it is type of Software Development Kit with samples in VB.Net. Obviously the development environment should be Visual Studio.Net. eConnect will allow you to integrate master records - such as new customers, vendors, employees, etc, plus you can bring transactions into so called Great Plains work tables (eConnect doesn't allow you to bring open or historical records - you need to post work records in Great Plains, the same limitation applies to Integration Manager above) eConnect is rather for ongoing integration. It was initially created for eCommerce application integration to Great Plains.

Read more »

Articles, Computer, Computer Programing, Computer Science, Describe, How To ?, Other, Personal Computer, Prevention Service, Security, Services, Technology,

{[['']]}

HTML & CSS are very important aspects when it comes to creation of websites. First and foremost html on its own will prove to be a poor presenter of layout, thus you have to introduce CSS which will in turn provide you with the opportunity to format your web pages and give you the desired layout and styles. The purpose of CSS is to provide webmasters more control over page layout and display than HTML offers. With CSS you have a much better control over the layout and you can specify how exactly big a font will be, exactly where an element will be on a page, how the page will look like when printed and so much more.

CSS can also save you a lot of time, particularly when maintaining a large site. Also, the World Wide Web Consortium recommends that the web developers use CSS tags instead of HTML tags instead of HTML tags wherever possible.

Other than saving time CSS will also have various other advantages which will include, providing less codes which means less download time thus making pages load faster. Also, it provides easy maintenance. When changing the style of an element, you only have to make an edit in one place. Similarly, CSS will prove to have superior styles to HTML in that it has a much wider array of attributes than HTML.

To add onto that with CSS you only have to create one rule to effect the style each time you use an HTML element, whereas in HTML you have to code the attribute into each use of the element. Similarly with CSS you can change one file and have that change reflected on every page of your site, but with HTML, you have to find and make that change in every place on every page that you used that element.

However CSS will not apply to be the best in all aspects of web design and maintenance, hence HTML will also serve a great role as well and has some advantages too and they include, HTML being supported by all or almost all browsers. Certainly when CSS is facing a problem of browser incompatibility, HTML is compatible with almost all browsers, and as a result if you build a site with HTML, be sure it will appear on all the supported browsers around the world, as long as the programmer takes care to optimize the website for most commonly used browsers.

Another advantage is that HTML is free. You do not need to purchase any software for HTML, no plug-in are required and it means that you can save considerably on your website development cost. Similarly, you will find that most development tools support HTML, whether it is Dream weaver Front Page or any other programming tool, they will all most likely allow you to create HTNL based websites.

Another advantage of using HTML is that it is most search engine friendly. Creating SEO compliant using HTML is significantly easier than using any other programming language. An HTML website is easiest to read and access for search engine crawlers and this reduces crawling time and improves page load time.

Read more »

Computer, Computer Programing, Computer Science, CSS, HTML, Personal Computer, PHP, Services, Technology, Web Design,

{[['']]}

Graphic Design Programs - Corel Draw

Corel Draw is a vector illustration program to desktop publishing developed and marketed by Corel Corporation. Corel Corporation is abbreviation of Cowplan Research Laboratory and deals graphic processing software. Michael Cowpland the founder of Corel Corporation developed Corel Draw software with the collaboration of two software engineers Michel Bouillon and Pat Beirne in 1989. That was first version of Corel Draw and first graphics software for the windows platform. The company had a big success very soon by releasing this advanced technology graphic software. After the success of first version company introduced a series of upgraded versions. Up till now Corel Draw total sixteen versions have been introduced to the market and every next version introduced with new and enhanced features. Its latest version is CorelDraw Graphic Suite X6 which is equivalent to 16 introduced on 20th March 2012.

CorelDraw Graphic Suite X6 is very powerful and creative version ever launched by Corel Corporation. It is one of the complete graphic editor programs. CorelDraw Graphic Suite X6 provides very easier way to create attractive graphics with a set of powerful illustration, drawing and editing software applications. CorelDraw Graphic Suite X6 is not only faster to the market but it is also very easy to use. Moreover it helps to brings bright ideas to create attractive vector graphics. Whether you are an expert graphic designer or an artist who wish to achieve distinction or advancement in your work, CorelDraw Graphic Suite X6 is the right solution for everyone to achieve desired results. Means you have everything you need to express your innovative ideas and designing skills with endless option.This is sixteenth addition of Corel Draw software series and primarily consists following some new and enhanced applications.

• CorelDRAW X6

This application is directly and instinctively known for vector illustration and page-layout application.

• Corel PHOTO-PAINT X6

This is Images editing application to get attractive and desire look for professional designers.

• Corel PowerTRACE X6

This is great application for accurate tracing bitmap images and converts into editable vector graphics.

• Corel Website Creator X6

This is new included application in suite to possessing the strength and ability to create professional website templates.

• Corel CAPTURE X6

This is an easy capture tool (just simple one-click screen capture utility).

• Corel CONNECT X6

This is easy and quickly content finder tool.

• Photozoom Pro 2

This is very useful plug-in (PHOTO-PAINT) to extend the digital images.

• ConceptShare

This is great tool to interactive online working together with one or more people in order to achieve something better.

Corel Draw Graphic Suite X6 is directly known to evoke the feelings of creativity that forced to collide with every challenge of graphic designs. When we create something to evoke emotions and excitements then we want the world (especially experts and competitors) see our creations. CorelDRAW latest suite pack is one of the best graphic design programs that help to create innovative graphics in an organized and accurate way. It is truly professional software applications suite pack to cover the all types of workflow that are commonly used in graphic creating and editing.

Corel Tutorials [http://coreltutorials.com] is comprehensive website for learn graphic designing by using Corel Draw.

Read more »

Computer, Computer Programing, Computer Science, Corel Draw, Graphic Design, Personal Computer, Prevention Service, Programs, Services, Web Design,

{[['']]}

Five New Features That You Should Learn About Adobe Photoshop CS6

If you are looking to enhance your photos or want to create stunning digital artwork, Adobe Photoshop is the software you need. The latest version CS6 includes five especially noteworthy features that will turn your photos into works of art. Features in the latest update include new design tools, an updated user interface, a new crop tool, improved autocorrect and the inclusion of Adobe Camera Raw 7. These five features are useful tools for photographers, digital artists and everyone else who wants or needs to edit photos and other images. If you want to learn about the many other features of Adobe Photoshop, you can also sign up for Adobe Photoshop Classes.

New Crop Tool

Picture cropping is commonly part of the process of editing digital photos. The new enhanced crop tool found in Adobe Photoshop CS6 is a noticeable improvement and allows you to crop photos with higher precision and speed than its predecessor. The Mercury Graphics Engine is what gives the crop tool in CS6 its quick and accurate results.

Improved Autocorrect

Autocorrect allows users to make simple edits to their images in a matter of seconds. A simple click of the mouse button can autocorrect curves, brightness, contrast and color levels. Sometimes, all a photo needs is a quick touchup with this tool. It's an easy to use and powerful tool that every Photoshop user should become familiar with.

Configurable User Interface

If you've had trouble with the rather dark default color scheme in recent versions of Adobe Photoshop, you'll be glad to know that you can now choose from four different gray color schemes, each with a different level of contrast.

New Text Layout and Design Tools

One improvement which graphic designers and publishing industry professionals will be especially excited about is Photoshop CS6's improved handling of text, including a Paragraph Styles feature. If you've used Adobe InDesign before, you'll remember this feature - and even if t

his is your first time using it, you'll appreciate how easy it is to add and fine tune text in your images.

Adobe Camera Raw 7

Adobe Camera Raw 7.2 is also included in Photoshop. This feature allows you to upload .raw and .dng format images from your digital camera and edit them, while keeping the original file intact on your camera's memory card. This feature is also incorporated into Adobe Lightroom and is very popular with professional photographers, since it allows users to work with the original image at the highest possible quality while keeping an untouched copy for archival purposes or further editing later on.

Conclusion

These five different features can help you do more with Adobe Photoshop CS6. If you would like to learn more about what Photoshop has to offer, you can also sign up for Adobe Photoshop Classes in your area. Instructors can teach you more about the software and features, and how you can apply them in your digital photography.

Read more »

Articles, Computer, Computer Programing, Computer Science, Graphic Design, Photoshop, PHP, Services, Technology, Web Design,

{[['']]}

Is Photoshop Really a Girl's Best Friend?

Photoshop has so invaded our cultural mindset as the magic button that makes things better, more beautiful. But it's more dangerous than you might believe, both because of the myth of what it can do and the subconscious damage it does do.Now please don't misunderstand, I love my Photoshop. It has opened up whole new creative avenues that would have been impossible 20 years ago.And really, it's not so much Photoshop that is dangerous as it is the person who wields the mouse, or more often the tablet pen.

First, the danger of the myth of Photoshop: it's viewed as the universal 'make better button'. The phrase, 'I can fix that in Photoshop' almost goes without saying now. Photoshop, or rather the operator because somehow they have become the same, will improve on reality. Create in every image the essence of beauty.

So the myth is that Photoshop makes things better. That suggests two things: that things aren't good as they are, plus that if a little Photoshop is good, then more must be better.

That premise has birthed plugins to Photoshop. One in particular has become massively popular with photographers. They have so refined it that the software analyses the subject's face and reshapes it to better fit with its researched vision of beauty.

Faces become thinner, eyes wider and better placed, lips fuller with enriched colour, brighter teeth and whites of the eyes, along with colour shifting skin. In the end, you often don't look like you, just enough to at least resemble you, though.

Often Photoshop users go too far. Skin becomes plastic, no pores, glowing white eyes along with trimmed body parts that are just impossible anatomically. You can find piles of websites called Epic Photoshop Fails.

The damage it does. It subtly tells us that we are not good enough as we are. The subconscious reads it this way, chipping away at our self-image, like we need fixing some how to be presented to the world, to those we love. Like spin doctors, our image is being managed.

Watch for the signs that Photoshop is transforming from a friend to a dangerous felon.

However, done carefully it can represent you like a good dress does. You don't go out on a hot date wearing your dumpy clothes.

It does correct for things that the camera causes. For example, some lens and angles used will shorten your legs, and Photoshop can bring them back to the right perspective. Blemishes and sunburns that come and go, can go. We can gently correct an errant fabric flow or hair wisp. We can creatively colour match the outfit to the background or to your lipstick.

So be wary of images that feel like Photoshop has been used to save it. Often what is being saved is a photographer's weak base skill set. Most things Photoshop fixes can be looked after in camera and with posing. Just because something can be done, does not mean it should be.

With all the corrections and fixes and tweaks, it's very easy to suck the delicate life - the character of a woman - from the image. It may look lovely, but in a mannequin sort of way.

Photoshop can be a girl's best friend, the same way a sexy pair of heels can, or a wicked form-fitting dress tricked out with makeup that brings out your eyes, accenting your lips.

Like your makeup and style, it's always best never to go to excess.

Read more »

Articles, Computer, Computer Programing, Computer Science, Graphic Design, Photoshop, Programs, Services, Web Design,

{[['']]}

Simple Website Design Using Photoshop

There are a number of different ways to create Websites. While some may choose to hand draw a concept and then start coding HTML, others may want to take a more graphical approach to the design and layout.

People nowadays do business and market through the Internet, since Internet is the place where people finds information about everything. If the business people advertise through the Internet it reaches the people very fast and they tell about this to many people. For the business people, their goal is to advertise their websites of products or services to many websites and only when people visit the websites they can generate traffic. We prefer creating web pages the purpose of which is to represent the client efficiently and in high quality.

 

So today explain the design process I go through when a new customer hires me. Being very visual, I find it easier to start with an image when I design a Website and these are the basic steps follow:

1. First, using Photoshop, create an image that mimics the general layout you'd like to use for your site.

2. Once you're happy with the image you'll need to "slice" it up for use in your Website template. In this process, it helps to have a working knowledge of HTML.

3. Then it's time to create an HTML document that's comprised of those slices. This will become the template you'll use to create all the pages of your Website.

Website Features

• Header - This could be a graphic banner
• Logo
• Buttons - Links for home, about us, contact us etc.
• Pictures
• Content area
• Copyright Information
• Web design is one of those areas that, when done right, you just know it. The finished site looks refined and well done-it pops! There are a number of ways that you can achieve this by polishing off your design in Photoshop. Here we look at some of the ways to do

If this all looks like it will involve a lot of work, that's because even if you know what you are doing, it is a lot of work. However, it can be fun and rewarding. If you are planning to create a world class web site, it will not be worthwhile to skip some steps. If you are just planning a personal website and don't care about promotion, the promotion steps could be skipped and some other steps could be skipped with some sacrifice of quality.

Read more »

Articles, Computer, Computer Programing, Computer Science, Graphic Design, Personal Computer, Photoshop, Web Design,

{[['']]}