Search results matching tags 'Vista', 'Spyware', and 'Hardware'

Check My Sidebar For New Links To Secure Your PC

dgosling — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 06:00:00 GMT

Please have a look at the new links I have added to the sidebar of my blog, to decide if the websites and programs may be useful to you, my readers.I am hopeful that these quick links to online information will help you keep your computers safe and healthy:

There is a new section “News” where I have added several links including my favourite site to help children surf safely on the internet. The theme and title are “Be Web Aware” and you can rely on it for safe topics and links appealing to children. There are many sites online that are setup to attract children and teenagers that you should be aware of. Know what your children are finding on the internet. Drop by and check it out, Web Aware will help your child/children remain safe online. Every computer a child uses should have parental controls activated, as there are many inappropriate websites that children find when they are surfing. If you have Windows XP on your system you can find Parental Control software that can be downloaded and installed at . If you have Windows Vista there are built-in Parental Controls for you to use. There are criminals on the internet looking for children they can exploit and you need to know if your child/children have come in contact with them, before they are exploited by the criminal element.

Another item in the “News” gives you a list of Anti-Spyware forums where you can get help with your PC, infected or not. Also included is a link to a forum where you can Stand-Up and Be Counted among those who want to fight back against the malware writers, and have changes made to the laws in their country that allow them to write malware with impunity. I have added a few new categories that include Security Information, Free AV Products, Free Firewalls, Free AntiSpyware Products, Free Rootkit and Trojan Scanners, Online Scanners and Anti-Trojan products and Free Security Tools that you can install on your system, as well as links to the original sites and blogs.

“Security Information” contains several sites where you can read reviews on the features and effectiveness of different AV products, AS products, and Firewalls. Also included are links to sites with information such as Rogue Software products that you should avoid, Steve Gibson’s site that is full of information about Securing your PC, as well as a link to a product called “Belarc Advisor” that will inventory all of your hardware and software.

The Free product sections include links to approved Free Antivirus, AntiSpyware, Firewalls and other security software products that can be used if you are unable to purchase the software. You require all of these products in this day and age, to keep your computer and yourself safe online. If you are able to afford one but not the others, then please download and install the free products so that you have one of each type of software. However, please remember that you should never have more than one Antivirus product or Firewall protecting your system because more than one will conflict with the other, causing them to be ineffective. You can have more than one AntiSpyware program as long as only one is setup as a resident program and the others used to scan your PC on a regular basis for malware. A regular schedule is recommended for a full scan of your hard drive(s) by each of the products you have. The reason that more than one AntiSpyware program is recommended is that they often have definitions for different infections. Online Scanners including Anti-Virus, Anti-Spyware, Anti-Trojan, and Anti-Dialer, become very useful if you are questioning whether something has taken up residence on your system through email or other download. Often when a PC is infected, the onboard programs on your hard drive (antivirus and/or firewall) are unable to find the infection because those programs which you have relied on to keep your PC safe, have been compromised and no longer protect your system. If you think you have been infected an Online Scanner is needed to find and remove the infection. It is wise to run one or more Online Scans on a regular basis because the malware today is insidious and embeds itself in your system, often for a period of time before you become aware of it.

I always recommend that anyone who suspects they have a Malware infection, should visit one of the Anti-Spyware Forums and get help from the trained volunteers. Many of the malware infections we see today are very invasive, requiring sophisticated tools and the help of someone who has been trained in the removal of that specific malware so that permanent damage is not done to your files. Many of the removal tools used now, unlike the tools we used a few years ago, can damage your PC if not used properly, by someone who has been trained in their use.

I hope you find the new sidebar links useful as they are now easier to get to than they were when included in my articles.

Virus/Trojan or Hardware? A Few Tips...

mikehall — Tue, 16 Oct 2007 05:00:00 GMT

Your computer is acting up, and it's not always easy to tell. Some of the symptoms of a virus and/or Trojan are similar to what is seen as a hard drive sings its swan song.

Question #1.. Was it always that way? Most computers when first supplied work very well straight out of the box. If, for some reason, yours did not, then you would have taken it back, right?

If it worked well out of the box, this tells you that the OS and hardware were intrinsically ok. Unfortunately, problems occur in manufacturing of both elements, and both can fail for no obvious reason at all. When new, possible but not likely, hardware the most likely candidate.

When I ask you what you did or were doing at the point of failure, please do not throw your arms up in the air and say "IT WASN'T ME". I have seen and heard it all before.

A quick look in the ADD/REMOVE PROGRAMS can say a great deal about one's computing habits. Appearances by Limewire, WinMX, Zango, MyWebSearch and others will help in the initial diagnosis, and also help squash protestations along the lines of 'it wasn't me' and 'I don't know how that got there'.

Virus and Trojans will attempt to stop any removal process or the seeking of help, so when one clicks on 'Help and Support' and nothing happens, suspect that something in there is doing its best to stop you. If it proves impossible to browse without being directed to some useless search engine, or one can no longer change the desktop scene, somebody is trying to spoil your fun. If your computer also slows way down, it is because it has become a reporting tool for your general computing, web surfing and online buying habits.

So what price now the desire for stupid animations in IM chat which made you agree to sponsorware, or believing that the web page managed to detect five trillion viruses in the space of two seconds, and unless you scan now with 'SupaDupaAntiSpyware', your computer will be compromised forever? Your mother doesn't have a computer, and your friend has neither web cam or video camera, so what made you click on the link in the e-mail that suggested either or both parties had uploaded compromising videos to a web site?

There are well known programs that can help you avoid the pitfalls, and when run alongside equally well known and respected anti-virus programs, will protect you. However, the responsibility to ensure that they work for you is entirely YOURS. Use of free versions will entail manual updates in most cases. Paid versions will almost always have some auto update feature. No anti spyware program ever seems to be a cure-all on it's own regardless of being free or not, so you will have to run more than one.

A personal note on Anti virus solutions.

I will admit to never having been a fan of Norton products, and nothing has changed in that respect. I did use McAfee in its early years, but both Norton and McAfee products have become as invasive as the stuff they seek to destroy. In what I see as an attempt to justify the cost, they both now supply a suite of applications which promise the world, and root like weeds, choking the system to death while delivering no better protection than anything else.

I have a shortlist of programs I think are ok, and it is exactly that.

Adaware
Spybot S&D
SpywareBlaster
WinPatrol
AVG
Avast
NOD32
Windows Defender
Hostsman

Bear in mind that hardware failures are not vindictive. Like anything else electrical, electronic and mechanical, breakdowns are inevitable either through deficient manufacturing, inept handling or age.

Assuming that you have covered yourself well with software protection, kept it all up to date et al, and your computer is starting to act up, maybe slow or intransigent at times, you should be looking towards hardware failure.

RAM has two problems. #1.. It can partially fail, rendering some memory addresses/locations out of reach of the computer. For the most part, the computer will seem to be ok, but as soon as something calls for a memory address that is no longer operable, strange behaviour may follow. This can be seen when installing an operating system, where the installation goes so far and then throws up that a file can't be read off of the installation media.

When this happens, there is a tendency to blame either the installation media itself or the optical drive reading it. Older optical drives can fail in this way, but if it was working ok before you decided to re-install the OS, there is a very good chance that it is still working. So why didn't the bad RAM show up before? Simply because the processes and programs you were running did not access the bad memory locations.

Installation of additional memory is #2. It has to be the right specification for your computer, that is it has to match the motherboard. In almost all cases, it should also match any memory already installed. Some mismatched configurations will not work at all, resulting in wild beeping sounds, and in other cases it will work but at reduced performance levels. If, after having installed additional memory of the correct matched type, you have strange things happening, run a memory test on both installed, and then one at a time, and in all memory slot positions. Two very good memory tests are:

Memtest86
Windows Memory Diagnostic Tool

Either need to be run more than once unless memory problems are found during the first pass, which says it all really.

Some notes on the installation of anything inside a desktop case.

The integrity of most desktop cases is compromised as soon as you remove a side panel. Moving the unit around in this state can lead to twisting actions which may loosen cards in PCI, AGP and PCI-e slots and also memory, so before replacing side covers, always ensure that everything is seated properly. While you are reseating cards, you might also check to ensure that you have not loosened data or power cables. Do not ever apply excessive pressure while seating anything. If it doesn't fit easily, it is either the wrong part, slot, or the mode you are using. And one other thing.. always fix the side back properly!!

Hard drives can fail at any time and need not necessarily be old. Backup Backup Backup or risk losing it all. Bad performance can be down to cluster failure, improper handling (i.e. being dropped maybe or placed close by a strong magnetic force), excessive ambient heat inside the case, bad heat dispersion from the drive itself, a manufacturing fault, or misuse on the part of the computer user.

Programs and data will not forgive you for squeezing them into a tight space. Some of the utilities used to manipulate data and code will not only not forgive, they will sometimes give you a solid kick. Leave ample free space. A good rule of thumb is to have at least 15% free (this used to be the accepted limit for Windows Defragmenter to strut its stuff) , and more if at all possible. When my drives have only 25% left, I look to either dumping stuff I no longer use or getting a larger hard drive. Squeezing the use out of the very last cluster on the drive is a false economy

Before resorting to repair installs, changing random settings et al, run the less stressful tests as found on the hard drive manufacturer web sites. Do not run the really tough tests on a drive containing valuable data. Back anything important up first. If the hard drive tests come up with zero faults after extended running, just keep a watchful eye, and start software diagnosis procedures.

Optical drives have limited lives. A cleaner disc can be used much as one might on a domestic stereo unit, and can be purchased from stores selling computers and/or stereo. If the drive will not read properly after cleaning, replace the drive.

Power supplies are tough units, but here is a tip. If the computer starts up ok, but struggles to remain up and running when under a bit of pressure, take a look at the power light on the front of the case. Is it shining brightly, and maintaining its brilliance while the computer is working away. If it is not, replace the unit.

Computer hardware is quite resilient, and if given due consideration like cleaning the dust out, especially from the CPU heat sink and fans, will last a good few years.

Why are there no URLs in this article? Well, the way I see it is this. I have given you names of stuff that will help you. Use the same technique to find and download them as you did when looking for a P2P client and those annoying animated things.