Computerz101

Frequently asked computer repair questions

HOW DO I GET ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE?

HOW DO I DEFRAGMENT MY HARD DRIVE?

WHAT IS SPYWARE AND WHAT DO I NEED TO REMOVE IT?

WHAT ARE POP-UPS?

HOW DO I BLOCK POP-UPS?

WHAT IS SPAM?

WEB SITE SECURITY: 8 TIPS TO HELP YOU!

HOW TO INSTALL A MOTHERBOARD!

WI-FI WIRELESS INTERNET MADE SIMPLE



HOW DO I GET ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE?

You can get free anti-virus software at www.majorgeeks.com. There are links on the left hand side click on anti-virus. It will bring up a page showing you all different kinds of anti-virus software you can get make your choice and download. You can find more information addressing this in the forums.


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HOW DO I DEFRAGMENT MY HARD DRIVE?


Well the best thing to do would be to shutoff all running programs. Step 1: Go to start, then all programs, then accessories, then go to system tools, in the system tools folder you will find something called DISK DEFRAGMENTER click on that. The program will pop up. Now what you need to do highlight the hard drive you want to defragment. Most people have 1 hard drive which would be called the (C:) Drive highlight that by clicking on it. Then click the button that says defragment near the bottom. This could take anywhere from five minutes to a couple hours depending on how much stuff is on your pc. When that is done running you can close it out. You have just defragmented your hard drive. Pretty easy huh? It's usually good to do this after installing a lot of programs or after uninstalling programs. What this does is keeps the file system in order so everything runs faster and has to search less for misplaced files.


WHAT IS SPYWARE AND WHAT DO I NEED TO REMOVE IT?


Spyware any software that covertly gathers user information through the user's Internet connection without his or her knowledge, usually for advertising purposes is known as Spyware. Spyware applications are typically bundled as a hidden component of freeware or shareware programs that can be downloaded from the Internet; however, it should be noted that the majority of shareware and freeware applications do not come with spyware. Once installed, the spyware monitors user activity on the Internet and transmits that information in the background to someone else. Spyware can also gather information about e-mail addresses and even passwords and credit card numbers.


Spyware is similar to a Trojan horse in that users unwittingly install the product when they install something else. It is also called adware. Free software that is loaded onto a user’s computer, with the user’s permission, to perform some useful task, like automatically filling in their web forms, in exchange for the ability to track the user’s web activity and show the user targeted contextual ads. Users of Adware have legally opted into the software license. A common way to become a victim of spyware is to download certain peer-to-peer file swapping products that are available today. Spyware-Its usesAside from the questions of ethics and privacy, spyware steals from the user by using the computer's memory resources and also by eating bandwidth as it sends information back to the spyware’s home base via the user's Internet connection. Because spyware is using memory and system resources, the applications running in the background can lead to system crashes or general system instability. It is a general term for a class of software that monitors the actions of a computer user.


This software falls into a number of categories: Software that may be installed legitimately to provide security or workplace monitoring software with relatively benign purposes that may be associated with marketing data collection Software that is maliciously installed, either as a general violation of a user’s privacy or to collect information to allow further attacks on their computer or online transactions.


Most highly awarded anti-spyware:


Spyware Doctor provides three-way protection for your PC through real-time threat blocking, advanced system scanning and immunization against known browser infections. This is one of the many reasons why the award-winning Spyware Doctor has been selected by millions of users to protect their PCs against spyware, adware, Trojans, key loggers, spy bots and other tracking threats.


Did you know that when a computer is infected with spyware that every keystroke, every website and every discussion could be recorded or monitored by the people or companies that may have secretly installed software on your PC? The consequences of spyware and adware infections can consist of banking and identity theft, unusual computer problems, slow Internet access, changed browser homepage, search pages or favorites, and excessive numbers of adware generated adverts.


Spyware Doctor is a multi-award winning spyware detector and removal utility that identifies and cleans thousands of potential spyware. Learn more about the importance of removing spyware with our Spyware Insight, a power Spy Doctor, Spyware Detector software for you.


Features:


When you consider the amount of valuable personal information stored on your computer, including credit card and banking details, personal e-mails and documents, shopping and browsing habits, the hazard of having software intruders become obvious.


Consequences of spyware and adware include identity theft, computer problems, slow Internet access, changed homepage and favorites, and excessive numbers of adware generated adverts. Anti-virus software and firewalls do not completely protect your system against the majority of spyware and privacy threats.


Spyware is normally bundled with software downloads, attached to e-mails, or transmitted through networks so it can appear to be legitimate software, but once installed it can be nearly not possible to detect and remove without the help of a dedicated spyware detector and removal program like Spyware Doctor.


Spyware protection should be an important part of your protection to defend your privacy and computing habits from prying eyes and virtual trespassers, download Spyware Doctor and check computer now.


On guard constantly monitors and protects computer from browser infections and tracking cookies. Receive timely live updates of fresh threats as they become available. It is capable to quarantine and restore items that have been removed. Immunize system to protect against hundreds of known web-browser hijackers.


Customized and deep scans allow thoroughly checking for computer infections. Spyware Doctor consists of frequently updated threat database to capture the latest infections.


Spyware Doctor actively blocks threats from being installed rather than only removing them after they have installed and already caused harm.


Computer Tools employs a dedicated team of security experts and malicious code researchers to revise and support Spyware Doctor.


Conclusion:


Spyware Doctor guards against more than just Spyware. It takes care of Adware, Key loggers, Malware, Trojans, Hijackers and other threats. Spyware Doctor does not use older out-dated anti-virus methods. Spyware is a modern threat and demands specialized methods for detection and repair. Spyware Doctor can be used forever once purchased and you can renew your yearly database and upgrade payment at a discounted price. Spyware Doctor is downloaded over 5lacks per week, evidence to its recognition and appreciation as a leader in Spyware protection. Spyware Doctor is continuously being enhanced to cater for new threats, for example it includes a Popup Blocker and phishing protection at no additional cost.


 


WHAT ARE POP-UPS?


Pop-ups are small windows that appear in the foreground of an Internet browser. Pop-ups are often used to display advertising or unwanted content on the screen, however they can be integrated into some websites for practical purposes.


HOW DO I BLOCK POP-UPS?


These pop-ups can be prevented by installing a pop-up blocker. Often times, these new windows display advertising that can interfere with your ability to see the content on the page you're trying to read. Adding the AD related Domains to the Restricted Zone in Internet Explorer is a good idea. Refer to the following MS-KB articles to learn how to stop pop-ups from a particular webpage. Windows XP Service Pack 2 now includes a built-in Pop-up blocker. So it's encouraged to have service pack 2 for windows xp.Enable the Firewall in Windows XPFor Windows XP SP2 systems:


If you're using Windows XP, and haven't updated to SP2, please do it immediately.


Click Start, Run and type Firewall.cpl Select On (recommended) button, and click OK. Never connect to internet without enabling the Firewall. Otherwise, there are fairly good chances your system gets infected. Finest example is the recent RPC NT Authority Shutdown caused by Blaster Worm, which infects "unpatched" and "unprotected" computers.


Essential Tools (minimum required)Any good Anti-virus package. You may consider AVG A third-party firewall such as Zone Alarm, Zygote. Spybot S&D Lavasoft Ad-Aware Spyware Blaster Google Toolbar to block pop-ups. Google Toolbar Privacy Policy


Users:

Microsoft Internet Explorer users


Microsoft Internet Explorer 6.0 users


Users who are using Microsoft Internet Explorer 6.0 can be thankful that Microsoft has decided to include a popup blocker in the browser. By default this option should be enabled if you wish to change the settings of how this feature works or want to verify if it is enabled or not you can follow the below steps.


Open Internet Explorer Click Tools Click Options Click the Privacy tab At the bottom of the Privacy tab you should have a Pop-up Blocker section. If you wish pop-ups to be blocked check the "Block pop-ups" option. You can also set additional settings such as disabling the sound when a pop-up is blocked or disable the information bar displayed when a pop-up is blocked by clicking the Settings button.


WHAT IS SPAM?


Spam refers to electronic junk mail or junk newsgroup postings. Some people define spam even more generally as any unsolicited e-mail. In addition to being a nuisance, spam also eats up a lot of network bandwidth. Because the Internet is a public network, little can be done to prevent spam, just as it is impossible to prevent junk mail. However, the use of software filters in e-mail programs can be used to remove most spam sent through e-mail.


 


WEB SITE SECURITY: 8 TIPS TO HELP YOU!


The computer age has made the personal computer affordable for most people of virtually every industrialized country. Whether it takes the form of a desktop or laptop, all computers are used for a wide variety of functions. As the number of people on the Internet soars ever higher, security becomes an increasing concern. Here are some tips to help ensure a personal or business Web site is secure against attack.


1. Passwords are the first line of defense. Most programs have a maximum number of characters for the password, and it is best to use all every available character. Each additional letter or number in a password makes it that much more difficult for someone to figure out what it is.


2. It is very common for people to use important dates, names of loved ones, and other things close to the heart their heart as their password. Unfortunately this information is not very difficult to discover. Then it simply becomes a matter of trying each likely candidate until one works. Passwords should never be these kinds of things so that the contents of the computer will not be compromised.


3. The worst kind of passwords are those that are simply a sequential series of letters or numbers, or those where the log in name and password are the same. This lack of imagination practically begs for a security breach to happen.


4. Only the owner of a Web site should be privy to the security codes on it. No one else should know password and it is best never to write it down. If the password falls into the wrong hands, or is even suspected of being compromised, it should be changed immediately.


5. Some passwords are case sensitive. If the password was originally entered with the caps-lock off, but upon logging on it was typed with caps-lock on, the system will not honor the password. A clever user can take advantage of this feature by randomly distributing capital and lower-case letters in a password.

6. The natural assumption when trying to guess someone’s password is to believe it to be a real word. However this need not be the case. Some of the most unbreakable passwords are those which are not words at all.


7. Another security problem that some people create is the act of using the same log in and password when logging on to many different sites. Should only one of these sites be cracked the chances are the others will also be compromised. It is best to use a different password for each site. At the very least, reused passwords should be limited only to applications where security is not important. For example, Web forum memberships, if compromised, represent very little danger to the user so long as the password used for those sites is not reused for anything where sensitive data could be stored.


8. When using Web sites that require a login, simply closing the browser is not sufficient to prevent other users from accessing that information from the same computer. It’s possible to simply re-open the browser and gain access to the site without needing to log back in. Use the proper log-out procedure on the Web site before closing the browser in order to avoid this from happening.


Keeping secure on the Internet is not just the job of those who create software products for the consumer. It is also the responsibility of each and every computer user. The user can feel at ease knowing the contents in the Web sites are safe by simply taking the appropriate safety measures.


HOW TO INSTALL A MOTHERBOARD!


HOW TO INSTALL A MOTHERBOARD!


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


Ok well there you have it. You just installed your new motherboard.


WI-FI WIRELESS INTERNET MADE SIMPLE


WI-FI WIRELESS INTERNET MADE SIMPLE


Just what is all this Wi-Fi wireless internet stuff they are trying to confuse and torment me with?


It is actually quite simple, useful and most of all convenient.


All you probably want to do is to share your internet connection throughout your home whether it be to other computers or so that you can sit in your bedroom and wirelessly surf the internet or send email. Perhaps as well you wish to share files such as songs throughout the computers in your house, apartment or condo.


Don’t let them confuse with all this alphabet soup - b , g , a , 11 megabytes , 54 , 108.


To begin with most any of the systems are beyond overkill. All will go faster than the even high speed broadband internet. Most use the same frequency as the standard cordless phones (2.4 GHz). . Be reassured the phones and the wireless internet in most cases will co- exist and work well with each other.


The most common wireless setups wireless b and g use the frequency most cordless phone use. G wireless internet is sort of a faster b standard. What is important to know is that it is all standardized. B will work with G and G products will work with B. G is said to up to 5 times faster than B that is assuming that you are relatively close. G wireless is very useful primarily if you are sharing large files between computers. For ordinary browsing b wireless is still overkill speed, faster as said than most broadband internet connections. The usual stated range of these wireless products is 300 feet indoors range and 1000 feet outside. The range is basically line of sight. Heavy dense objects – primarily metal, metal doors, metal foil insulation, heavy bricks and pipes and objects such as furnaces, metal filing cabinets will block reception to some degree. As well if the manufacturer makes some ultra high speed claims remember that both the router and wireless network adapters will have to be that brand and that special computer networking hardware feature to work at those high speeds and transmission rates. Remember to that wireless internet transmission speeds fall rapidly with distance.


Wireless internet is basically a radio setup with a transmitter and receivers. The transmitter is a box that plugs into the internet to share your internet connection. This is called a “Router “. . Wireless routers are made by a number of manufactures and the most widely known are the Linksys and D-Link brands. All routers are fairly good now. Tech support may be something to consider for setup ease. Routers are often sold on sale at big box stores as a means of drawing customers who already have at least one computer into their stores. It is reasoned that if a customer wants to buy a router the odds are good that he or she has more than one computer and once in the store will make additional purchases .Perhaps they will be even so fed up with the older computer as the kids have taken use of the newer faster model that the customer will even buy a additional new computer from the store.. The routers that you will find on sale will most likely be the newer g standard routers which will work with your B or G wireless network adapters in your computers.


Secondly you will need a receiver to receive the wireless internet signal at the computer end. You will have several options depending on your setup. If your laptop is a newer model then you may have a wireless “network adapter:” already built into your laptop. If you have an older laptop you can install a PCMCIA wireless network adapter into the credit card sized slot on your laptop. If you have a desktop computer you will have several options. If you have the abilities and are allowed by your warranty to open your computer case then you can install a standard PCI wireless card. The advantage of the PCI cards is that they almost always work, are screwed in so that they cannot be dislodged to stop working. The disadvantage is that the antenna of the card is hidden behind the metal of the computer case limiting reception. Another option is USB wireless adapters. Not only can the USB wireless adapter be installed without opening the case but as well with a USB extension cord the YSB network adapter can be lifted away from the computer to a higher more open place.


Several points on setup to make your life easier. After all networking is often called “Voodoo Science “. First if you are buying both the wireless adapters as well as the router try to buy the same brand, There will be easier setup , perhaps faster speed and tech support will not be able to blame the other vendor’s product for setup issues. You can tell tech support even after the return period of the store: “I guess the products are defective and have to be replaced “. There will be no issue of blaming the other vendor’s product. Case closed. Secondly most of the routers are setup by a “web based interface “. Some will come with an install disc as wizard. With others you will enter a web address usually 192.168.x.x and a password. To enter this setup interface. The instructions and passwords should be in either your instructional manual or disc that came in the box with your router. If you have a standard cable broadband account then just follow instructions if you have a DSL type of broadband internet connection then you will need the paper the phone company gave you with your internet account name and setup password. The type of connection that you set up in the router for DSL connections is called “POPE” The connection internet connection password is most likely different than your email password. This internet connection password is of very little value to anyone else. If you do not have this information phone your DSL provider tech support.


Next install the wireless adapters. Windows XP has its own wireless utility program installed. With previous versions of windows (Windows 98, 2000 and ME) you will have to install the utility program that the manufacturer provided on the install disk.


Most of his install manuals have 2 different sets of instructions – one for Windows XP, the other for the remaining operating systems.


When you setup the router you will be given a choice of whether to turn on the security features so that other people can drive up in front of your house and freeload your internet signals. It is anyone’s choice whether they wish to use this feature or not.


Believe me there will be no shortage of wireless internet connections for those freeloaders – estimate is 60 %. You can say to yourself if someone wants to waste gas to sit in front of my home to download songs or whatever good for them . If you wish to turn on the scrambling to sign onto your internet it will be in the advanced wireless or wireless security section of your router control panel. There are a number of choices. Most common is a setup called “WEP” (Web Enabled Protection)... This is available in a standard 64 bit or more secure 128 bit WEP settings. 64 bit setup is easier. 128 bit has you enter a long string of characters twice. Lots of fun with mistakes on entering those digits correctly. The easier to use security setup routines will allow an easy to use phrase code generator. For example in the phrase code generator you enter the word


Badgerlinux. The number / character code will then be generated that you must enter both the router and wireless adapter ends of your system. WEP is considered by purists not as secure as a newer system called WPA. Not all of the older hardware supports WPA. You may look at it as – if someone in my area can break into my WEP protected wireless system then that is the least of my troubles. Lastly the biggest problem with wireless internet networks in neighbors. That is right neighbors. It is estimated that 40 % of wireless products are returned to big box stores. There are 12 available channels available in the wireless router settings. For convenience and to aid setup most brands of routers place the default channel of their routers as channel 6 right in the middle of the 12 channels available. It does not take much a signal at all to confuse your wireless adapter. You will see signal strength of your wireless route signal but you will unable to get a solid internet connection.


Worse yet this phenomenon of no internet connection may be sporadic. In many cases you will not be able to even spot the culprit in your wireless configuration software.


Remarkably wireless internet signals can travel a fair distance and may even appear to come out of nowhere. Worse yet the interference may be on sporadic. And as said it does not take much of a signal at all to leave you with no internet connection.


The answer is simplicity itself. “Change the Channel “. There are 12 available channels in your router setup control panel. The next 2 choices for wireless channel selection are at the 2 ends of the spectrum – channels 1 and 11. However it may simply be a matter of trial and error.


Wireless Internet is rather amazing, you can surf the world, download songs, send email and transfer files conveniently at high speed and at some distance away from your Internet connection. In addition you do not have to call or pay electrician to string the Internet network wiring in your home. And if you wish to move the computers or even move just pickup and make the move.


If in the end you are having troubles on setup do not feel afraid to call tech support. Someone in India or the Philippines will be more than happy to assist you. Remember in the end you have the ultimate threat of all , that is to take your new Wi-Fi wireless products back to your store of purchase.



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Firefox


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