Sunday, December 9, 2007

Delete spyware now ..Remove Spyware from your computer

Two main groups of Spyware are Adware and Malware . The most common form of spyware is
Adware. The main function of an adware program is to capture data from your computer for targeted advertising. Adware is usually just an irritation, but sometimes it can cause greater difficulties.

The lesser common spyware program is called Malware. Malware is a program that is known to wreak havoc with your computer. Malware include viruses, Trojan horses, and certain kinds of hijacking spyware. These forms of spyware are programmed to retrieve personal information like online transaction passwords, internet banking passwords, email passwords, credit card numbers, and social security numbers for fraud. Many of spyware can alter default program settings to make an attacker access to the computer, or monitor a user’s regular websurfing habits to get information The information is then sent off to the criminal with the help of an email without user knowledge or intervention. People who download peer to peer software online have a higher amount of chances for their computer to be infected by spyware.

It's hard to tell the share of computers that have been infected with spyware, estimates run as high as 95% computers could be infected. Children online can be especially vulnerable because they may have less technical savvy and frequently download using peer to peer software from the Internet.

Spyware ads are in the form of pornographic ads which pop up everytime you surf; there can also be annoying pop ups that spring up everytime you open or close a website. Some spyware can use up your computer’s RAM and CPU making them run programs even when your computer is not required to. Spyware can alter the browser's homepage and other settings without the user's permission like turning of the PC security and firewall protection making your system to be attacked from harmful virues.



Simple Steps for Removing Spyware from Your Computer

Restart computer in Safe Mode(with Networking). Here’s how you can restart Computer in Safe Mode :
Some computers have a progress bar that points to the word BIOS. As soon as the BIOS begins toload, begin tapping the F8 key on your keyboard. Do this till the Windows Advanced Options menu appears. If you begin tapping the F8 key too soon, some computers displays a “keyboard error’ message. If such a thing happens, restart the computer and try again. Using the arrow keys on the keyboard, choose Safe mode (with Networking)


Download the anti spyware CWShredder and save it to your Desktop.
Download the anti spyware Spybot - Search & Destroy install and run it
Download the best anti spyware Ad-Aware and install it. Make sure you click on check for updates before scanning
Download HijackThis from here


CWShredder (Freeware) CWShredder detects and removes traces of CoolWebSearch. CoolWebSearch is a term given to a wide range of different browser hijackers. Though the code is very different between variants, they are all used to redirect users to coolwebsearch.com and other sites affiliated with its operators.
The CoolWebSearch Trojan can install manyin Favourites, mostly to porn sites on your desktop; it also adds toolbar to Internet Explorer and alters your home page without your permisson. and it also significantly slows down the performance of your computer, and it may cause Windows to reboot or crash intermittently.

Sunday, November 4, 2007

DVD scratch repair- how to fix scratch DVD

DVD scratch repair is the first thing that crops up in our mind when we see our favorite movie on DVD skipping, stuttering or not moving ahead. When you remove the DVD, you see some marks or scratches on the surface of the DVD. Here are some steps to fixing a scratched DVD:

1. The most popular home remedy for DVD scratch repair is by cleaning the DVD scratch itself. Take a bit of fluoride toothpaste and revolve the paste all around the surface of the DVD. After this, all you do is take a soft clean piece of lint-free(the ones used for cleaning the eyeglass) cloth and clean it. Insert the DVD and you should be able to play it without any problems.
2. Like toothpaste, cleaners, polishes and alcohol can all be effective as DVD scratch removers to some extent. Always use solutions that you use on glass, for instance Windex or the Amway glass cleaner. Do not use stuff that can be used to clean the floors or bathroom flooring. These can in fact harm the DVDs.
3. Solutions that are specially made for DVD scratch removal or DVD scratch repair are quite effective. The DVD repair kit comes with a DVD cleaning solution and a cloth. You can apply it on the DVD from the cloth and start cleaning from the center of the disk to the edge in a straight line. Do not clean your DVD in a circular motion but from the middle to the outside. Make sure you rub the DVD gently.
4. You can also spray the DVD cleaning solution onto the DVD and then run the DVD in the DVD player to give an all-round cleaning to the DVD disc.

Thursday, October 11, 2007

Lesser known but funny facts about Windows and Microsoft Word

Try creating a folder anywhere on your computer and rename it as CON. It will never work. The whole microsoft team was never able to find out. This error was find out by an Indian.



There is a bug in Microsoft Word. Open a word document and type
=rand (200, 99)

and then press ENTER.

This error was discovered by a Brazilian. You will find the mention of this error in Chetan Bhagat's book One night at the Call Center. The whole Microsoft team has not been able to figure out this bug in MsWord.

WIndows XP secrets. Unlocking Windows XP magic


Your windows Xp software is quite easier to operate, easier than you think. You don't ahve to really hunt in the program folder or some system folder to find information that can be available through Windows Xp in just less than 20 seconds. Here is how you can use Windows Xp to your advantage:



Secret - Hidden Install Creator
Unlock - Go to Start, Run, type iexpress

Secret - Hidden Internet Conference Application
Unlock- Go to Start, Run, type conf

Secret - Hidden Font Editor
Unlock - Go to Start, Run, type eudcedit

Secret - Hidden Command Line Switch

Unlock- Go to "Start", "Run" and Type defrag c: -b to defragment the Boot and Application Prefetch information.

Secret - Image Trails
Unlock - Open an image and hold down Shift then drag the image around to create an image trail.

Secret - Create a Log File
Unlcock - Launch Notepad, Type .LOG on the first line, and then press Enter to move to the next line. On the File menu, click Save As, type a descriptive name for your file in the File name box, and then click OK. When you next open the file, note that the date and time have been appended to the end of the log, immediately preceding the place where new text can be added. You can use this functionality to automatically add the current date and time to each log entry.


Secret - 10x Zoom
Unlocks - Open an image and select the magnifying glass icon. Left-Click exactly on the line below the 8x.




Secret - Hidden Windows Media Player
Unlock- Go to Start, Run, type mplayer2

Saturday, September 22, 2007

Folder lock, folder hide in less than a minute

Folder hide software is not important for your needs, because there is a technique to hide your folders in Windows XP. Let us see how we can use the folder lock for secret folders.

Let’s you want to hide a folder named ‘sex and porn’ which is in the drive D of your computer

Do this..Click on Start->Run-Type in ‘cmd’(without the quotes) and then d:
start--->run--->cmd-->d:

Once this is done

type D:/>attrib +h +s porn

the above command is to hide or conceal the folder
When you hide your folder in this manner with this folder hide command, it will not be visible even after doing advance search or showing ‘show hidden files’ action.

The only way you can bring your folder back to visibility is by typing the command:
D:/>attrib -h -s porn



Saturday, September 15, 2007

Internet error codes-Understanding Internet error codes

Here's a complete list of Internet error codes-it helps to understand what they mean. The codes can generally by grouped as follows -

* 100-199 - Information Codes. Gives information about the request or the servers involved.
* 200-299 - Success Codes. Shows that the request was accepted or the requested file has zero content (empty).
* 300-399 - Redirects. Requested content has moved.
* 400-499 - Client Errors. Cannot find content or you don't have the necessary permissions to access it.
* 500-599 - Server Errors. There is a problem at the server end, not allowing the request from completing successfully.




100 Continue
101 Switching Protocols
200 OK The request was successful
201 Created The request was successful and a new resource was created
202 Accepted The request was accepted for processing, but the processing is not yet complete
203 Non-Authoritative Information
204 No Content The server has processed the request but there is no new information to be returned
205 Reset Content
206 Partial Content
300 Multiple Choices The requested resource is available at one or more locations
301 Moved Permanently The requested resource has been assigned a new URL and any further references should use this new URL
302 Moved Temporarily The requested resource resides at a different location, but will return to this location in the future
303 See Other
304 Not Modified The requested resource has not been modified since the date specified in the If-Modified_Since header
305 Use Proxy
400 This is bad request error, First check you could be typing a wrong URL name and server may not understand your request.
401 You are attempting to open any unauthorized access site or page. Check your username and password if you are trying to open any webpage.
402 Payment Required Error
403 You are attempting to open any forbidden page and you are blocked by that domain.
404 You are attempting to open the webpage that was removed or re-named, also check the URL spelling.

405 Method Not Allowed
406 Not Acceptable
407 Proxy Authentication Required

408 This is time out error. You should send the request with in time that the server set for you.

409 Conflict
410 Gone
411 Length Required
412 Precondition Failed
413 Request Entity Too Large
414 Request-URL Too Large
415 Unsupported Media Type
500 Internal Server Error The server could not satisfy the request due to an internal error condition.
501 Not Implemented
502 Bad Gateway The server received an invalid response from the server from which it was trying to retrieve information.
503 Out of Resources
504 Gateway Time-Out
505 HTTP Version not supported




Computer running slow?

What to do if you computer becomes slow all of a sudden? You have not installed any suspicious software, yet the system is taking almost an hour to transfer files which it used to do in just about 5 minutes. What do you do? Here’s how you take care of this problem:

1. Delete the useless files from your system with ccleaner.

2. Find out the volume for errors. For this, right click on drive >>tools>>checknow

3. Do a system defragmentation once a week. Right click on drive >>tools>>defragmentation.

4. Your startup menu can make your computer slow. Remove items that you do not require, from startup. For this go to start>>run>>msconfig>>selective startup>uncheck load startup items.

5. Make use of an antivirus software that can scan, remove suspicious and damaging software and also alert you of any possible attack on your system from virus, Trojan or email spam. Kapersky, Norton or McAfee are recommended anti-virus software.

6. If all the above fail, you should reinstall your OS or windows. This will take care of the problem.

Windows XP-Hidden Applications

There are a lot of hidden applications in Windows XP which can be quite helpful. These applications can be quite fruitful. Try them out. Here’s how you go about doing it.

In order to run any of these apps go to Start > Run and type the executable name (for example drwsten32.exe).

WINDOWS XP HIDDEN APPS:

1) Character Map = charmap.exe (very useful for finding unusual characters)

2) Clipboard Viewer = clipbrd.exe (views contents of Windows clipboard)

3) Dr Watson = drwtsn32.exe (Troubleshooting tool)

4) DirectX diagnosis = dxdiag.exe (Diagnose & test DirectX, video & sound cards)

5) Private character editor = eudcedit.exe (allows creation or modification of characters)

6) IExpress Wizard = iexpress.exe (Create self-extracting / self-installing package)

7) Disk Cleanup = cleanmgr.exe

8) Microsoft Synchronization Manager = mobsync.exe (allows organization of files on the network when working offline. Apparently undocumented).

9) System Configuration Editor = sysedit.exe (modify System.ini & Win.ini just like in Win98! ).

10) Program Manager = progman.exe (Legacy Windows 3.x desktop shell).

11) Remote Access phone book = rasphone.exe (documentation is totally non-existant).

12) Registry Editor = regedt32.exe [also regedit.exe] (for hacking the Windows Registry).

13) Network shared folder wizard = shrpubw.exe (creates shared folders on network).

14) File siganture verification tool = sigverif.exe

15) Volume Contro = sndvol32.exe (I've included this for those people that lose it from the System Notification area).

16) Syskey = syskey.exe (Secures XP Account database - use with care, it's virtually undocumented but it appears to encrypt all passwords, I'm not sure of the full implications).

17) Microsoft Telnet Client = telnet.exe

18) Driver Verifier Manager = verifier.exe (seems to be a utility for monitoring the actions of drivers, might be useful for people having driver problems. Undocumented).

19) Windows for Workgroups Chat = winchat.exe (appears to be an old NT utility to allow chat sessions over a LAN, help files available).

20) System configuration = msconfig.exe (can use to control starup programs)

21) gpedit.msc used to manage group policies, and permissions


22) Windows Media Player 5.1 = mplay32.exe (Retro version of Media Player, very basic).

23) ODBC Data Source Administrator = odbcad32.exe (something to do with databases)

24) Object Packager = packager.exe (deals with packaging objects for insertion in files, appears to have comprehensive help files).

25) System Monitor = perfmon.exe (highly recommended, highly configurable tool, tells you all you wanted to know about any aspect of PC performance, for uber-geeks only )

Friday, September 14, 2007

Speed up your firefox

Speeding you your Firefox is easy.
Open Firefox. Type about:config in the address bar and press enter











In the filter bar type network.http.pipelining. Ensure that the value field is says true. If not double-click to set it.








Come back to the filter bar and type network.http.pipelining.maxrequests. Double-click this option and set its value to 8.


More information about speeding up your Firefox is given at http://howto.helpero.com/howto/Speed-Up-Firefox_31.html

Wednesday, June 27, 2007

Google and Beyond!

Any guesses on the world's favorite home page online?
No prizes for guessing..it is the good ol'(sorry new) Google. About 50 percent of Internet users are using Google as their primary search engine.

The huge and humongous world of Internet can be thought of as an ocean, with search engines as fishing boats. However fishing boats and nets cannot be really equipped to capture things that are lying deep. In other words, Google has access to about one billion documents worth of information (or junk!) that exist on the surface of Internet. But what about the 500 odd billion documents lying unvisited deep down? To delve deep, go to completeplanet.com.

Anything that has been posted online stays there. Those who say that the information has done a Houdini is wrong. There is always a way to retrieve online information that you think is no longer there.All you have to do is go to waybackmachine.org. This website has carefully archived every webpage since 1996. There is a heavy chance that you may find what you are looking for here.

We all need to do our bit with what we have got. And we have got Google! There is a lot of unwanted matter which comes on top of the search engine purely because of done to death key words. Every wannabe and web bee is trying to create and recreate something or the other on the web. In such a situation, how do you streamline your searching skills so that you get what you want without wasting time? Read on to know more..

Searching skills: Use the search engine to your advantage. You should know to seperate the wheat from the chaff. Let's say you want to find out information on the nutritive qualities of an apple. If you just type 'apple' on the Google search engine, you might just have to go to the doctor. There is a rightful amount of confusion in the search results page, as you get information on the iPod, Macintosh and Steve Jobs. A smarter way is to try this: type, apple-macintosh-mac-stevejobs+fruit. What the minus sign does is it tells the search engine to exclude pages that are irrelevant to what you are looking for . Rest assured, you will get information only about the fruit.

If you want to find out the meaning of a certain term, all you have to is type "define:" For example, if you want to find out the meaning of the word 'therapy,' all you have to do is type "define:therapy" in Google. If you are thinking of buying a cell phone which costs between Rs. 8000 and Rs.12000, go to Google and type: cellphone Rs. 8000..Rs.12000. The two dots show that you are interested in a product inside the given price range.

Lets say you are looking for information relating to sex education and all you get is porn. All you have to do is type : safe search-sex education and you will have no problems. There is a lot of information about search engine skills given in googleguide.com.