Computer And Internet Tips

There are many things you can do to keep your computer from catching viruses in the first place.

A virus is a small computer program that can copy and spread itself from one computer to another, with or without the help of the user.  However, viruses typically do more than just be fruitful and multiply, which is bad enough in itself because it hogs system resources.  Anything else viruses are programmed to do, from displaying annoying messages to destroying files, is called their payload.  Often, they cannot deliver their payload until an unsuspecting user does something to make the virus execute its programmed function.  This could be as simple as clicking on an innocent looking file attachment with the .exe (executable) extension.

Most viruses are spread through e-mail attachments because it’s the easiest way to do it.  Although Macintosh, Unix, and Linux systems can catch viruses, hackers are particularly keen on exploiting the security weaknesses in anything Microsoft, particularly Microsoft Outlook and Outlook Express.  Because of the popularity of this software, hackers get maximum bang for their buck, and they probably get some satisfaction from continually reminding Microsoft that being big doesn’t mean you’re perfect.

Solution 1:  Anti-virus Software

Your first line of defense is to install anti-virus software.  To be extra safe, also install firewall software, which is now included in some anti-virus packages.  This software can scan all of your drives for viruses and neutralize them.  Here are some features to consider when evaluating anti-virus software.

Solution 2: The Virus Scan

If you receive a particularly juicy attachment that you’re dying to open, save it on your Windows desktop and run your anti-virus software on it first.  To do this, click once gently on the file on your desktop … don’t actually open it … then right click and choose Scan with (Name of Anti-Virus Software) to activate a virus scan.

If it’s infected, your anti-virus software may neutralize it, or at least tell you the attachment is too dangerous to open.  On the other hand, don’t feel guilty if the very thought of saving a potentially damaging file anywhere on your system is enough to quell your eagerness to open it and make you delete it immediately.

Solution 3: Delete first, ask questions later.

When in doubt about the origin of an e-mail, the best thing to do is delete it without previewing or opening it.  However, some viruses, such as Klez, propagate by fishing in people’s address books and sending themselves from any contact they find to another random contact.  You can spread a virus just by having people in your address book, even if you don’t actually e-mail them anything.  They’ll receive it from someone else in your address book, which really makes life confusing.  Because of the proliferation of porn on the internet, e-mail viruses often tempt victims by using sexual filenames, such as nudes.exe.  Don’t fall for it.

Solution 4: Beware of virus hoaxes

E-mails warning you about viruses are almost always hoaxes.  You may be tempted to believe them because you typically receive them from well-meaning friends, who received them from friends, etc.  These e-mails themselves usually aren’t viruses, but some have actually fallen into the hands of hackers who loaded them with viruses and forwarded them merrily on their way as a sick joke.

The proliferation of e-mails about virus hoaxes can become nearly as bad as a real virus.  Think about it, if you obey an e-mail that tells you to forward it to everyone in your address book, and they THEY do it, and this goes on long enough, you could bring the internet to its knees.  If you ever want to verify a virus warning, your anti-virus vendor may have a list of hoaxes on it website.  It’s in the business of providing the fixes, so it will know which viruses are real.

Solution 5: Beware of filename extensions

The extension of a filename is the three characters that come after the dot.  Windows now defaults to hiding filename extensions, but it isn’t a good idea.  Just being able to see a suspicious extension and deleting the file before opening it can save you from a virus infection.

To see filename extensions in all your directory listings, on the Windows XP desktop, click Start button | Control Panels | Folder Options | View Tab.  Clear the check box for Hide extensions of known file types.  Click Apply | OK.  System files will still be hidden, but you’ll be able to see extensions for all the files you need to be concerned with.  Viruses often live on files with these extensions – .vbs, .shs, .pif, .Ink – and they are almost never legitimately used for attachments.

Solution 6: Disable the .shs extension

One dangerous extension you can easily disable is .shs.  Windows won’t recognize it and will alert you before attempting to open an .shs file.  The extension is usually just used for “scrap object” files created in Word and Excell when you highlight text and drag it to the desktop for pasting into other documents.  If this isn’t something you ever do, or you have Word and Excell 2000 or later, which allow you to have 12 items on the Clipboard, click the Start button | Control Panel | Folder Options | File Types tab.  Under Registered file types, scroll down and highlight the SHS extension.  Click Delete | Yes | Apply | OK.

Solution 7: Dealing with double extensions

When you turn on your extensions in Windows, you’ll be able to detect viruses that piggy-back themselves onto innocent looking files with a double extension, such as happybirthday.doc.exe.  NEVER trust a file with a double extension – it goes against Nature.

Solution 8: Beware of unknown .exe files

A virus is a program that must be executed to do its dirty work, so it may have an .exe extension.  Unfortunately, this is the same extension used by legitimate program files.  So, don’t panic if you find files named Word.exe or Excel.exe on your system – they’re your Microsoft software.  Just don’t EVER open any file with an .exe extension if you don’t know what the file’s purpose is.

Solution 9:  Watch out for icons

Viruses in attachment files have been known to assume the shape of familiar looking icons of text or picture files, like the wolf in the hen house.  If you recieve an unexpected attachment, don’t open it without first running it through your anti-virus software.

Solution 10:  Don’t download from public newgroups

What better place for a hacker to lurk and stick his virus than in the middle of a crowd?  Sooner or later, someone’s bound to download it and get the virus going.  Don’t download files and programs from newsgroups or bulletin boards, or open attachments sent from strangers in chatrooms (“Let’s exchange pictures!”) without first scanning with your anti-virus software.

Solution 11:  Avoid bootleg software

This may seem like a no brainer, but sometimes that tiny price tag on a popular but expensive package can be too good to resist.  Resist it!  Likewise, be careful about accepting application software from others.  You don’t know where it’s been, and what may have started out as a perfectly clean package could have become infected during installation on someone else’s infected computer.

Solution 12: Protect macros in MS Word, Excel, and Powerpoint

A common type of virus uses macros.  Macros are sets of stored commands that users can save as shortcuts to perform long functions in just a few keystrokes.  A macro virus may perform such mischief as changing file types from text files or spreadsheets into templates, locking up keyboards, and deleting files.  Word, Excel, and PowerPoint come with macro virus protection.  To make sure yours is activated, open each application, then click Tools menu | Macro | Security.  On the Security Level tab, make sure Medium or High is selected.  Clcik OK.  If you are already infected with a macro virus, you may find that the steps of this procedure are unavailable becasue the virus has disabled them.  In that event, run a virus scan on your system to see if your anti-virus software can kill the virus.

Solution 13: Use passwords

If you share your computer, it’s a good idea to assign everyone a password.  Passwords should be a combination of letters and numbers no less than eight characters long, and preferably nonsensical.  Never write passwords and stick them anywhere near the computer.  To assign passwords in Windows XP, click the Start button | Control Panel | User Accounts.  Follow the prompts to assign/change passwords.

Solution 14: Update application software

Microsoft constantly issues patches for the security holes in its operating system and applications software.  however, don’t be lulled into complacency if you have Windows Update automatically checking things for you.  Update checks for patches to repair bugs in the operating system, not for security problems.

To get the latest security hotfixes (as Microsoft calls them), visit www.microsoft.com and look for hotfixes for all your Microsoft software, particularly Outlook and Outlook Express.

Microsoft also has a free downloadable package called Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer (MBSA) that scans your system for missing hotfixes.  It works with Windows 2000 and XP Home and Professional only.  It doesn’t support Windows 95, 98, or ME.

To download the MBSA, go to the TechNet section of the Microsoft Website.  Be warned that the information is written in techie language, so you may find it daunting.

Last Words:

Now that you know some ways for avoiding and dealing with viruses, let’s wrap things up with some solution you’ve probably heard before but have ignored.

You must make sure your computer there isn't any hiden malware infects currently infecting your system. Even if you think there isn't, chances are some type of malware is hidden somewhere in your system. If you don't already have security software installed such as antivirus or internet security, your computer is most likely infected. Malware includes all malicious computer threats such as viruses, spyware, and adware.

Are you one of those people that constantly download programs and install them onto your computer? Every software program you have on your computer is taking up space. It is not only taking up space, but it might also be checking for updates and connecting to the Internet. It also might be starting up when your computer starts up. There are so many good reasons why you should Uninstall Unused Programs. Uninstalling any programs and services that you find unused will really help to clear out the clutter and free up some extra memory on your hard drive.

The more information and programs you have on your computer, the more it is likely that Windows has placed parts of the same file in different locations on your hard drive. It may do this for hundreds of files and programs, depending on how much space is available. Defragmenting the hard drive places all information for each file in one place. The result can be a faster computer experience. You can find this utility from Start >> All Program >> Accessories >> System tool>> Disk Defragmenter or you can follow procedure from step two where you can get ‘Disk Defragmenter’ under ‘Tool’ Tab.

An operating system is a collection of files that perform different functions. It is possible, over time, that one or more of these system files has changed or become corrupted. If this happens, the speed of your system may decrease. By using a utility called “System File Checking”, it will inspect these files and correct any problem it finds.

You probably aren't aware of all the unnecessary clutter that can accumulate over time and really slow down your computer. Sometimes the easiest and most effective solution to regain your computers top performance is to simply upgrade or reinstall the entire operating system. Upgrading to the latest OS edition will certainly provide the most effective speed boost, but reinstalling your current operating system will work just as well to give your computer a fresh start. Ideally, you should first back up only your most important files and documents to a separate secure location such as a flash drive or external hard drive, that way you can safely install the operating system and restore your files after.

RAM (random access memory) is basically like a turbo kit for your computer and is a physical hardware component that is easily upgradable. If you wonder why is my computer so slow whenever you have lots of open windows and/or programs open, adding more RAM to your computer can certainly allow you to run more powerful programs at once. Although working with a hardware component yourself may sound a little out of your comfort level, the RAM is one of the easiest hardware devices to replace. Since no data is ever permanently stored on the RAM, you can easily swap out and upgrade RAM in your system without worries of losing or damaging data. The more RAM your computer has, the more high memory programs you can run at once and the more powerful your system will become. 64-bit operating systems can support a whole lot more RAM compared to 32-bit systems which typically have a max RAM limit of 4 GB.

Programs use operating memory (RAM, also called system resources). Unless you always use these programs, you can keep them from loading at Windows startup and speed both the booting of your computer and its performance.

When we start our system, systems starts many processes which we don’t require at starting our system and this also slow down our system performance at startup as well as while they are running in background. So, we must stop this unnecessary process that slow down our system performance, which will boost your system speed with almost 20%. You can disable this process from Start >> Run >> (type) ‘msconfig’ follow by enter. Now switch to ‘Start up’ tab and uncheck the unwanted process and then hit OK.

Sometimes just doing some basic housekeeping can have a positive, if small, effect on PC performance. It is easy to manually clear out your browser's cache and delete temporary files, but using a free application like CCleaner (Windows) or OnyX (Mac OS X) automates the entire process and finds files (and registry entries in Windows) that you might otherwise miss. 

One of windows properties is indexing files and folder, which help us to search the files and folders faster. But since window uses CPU and memory for indexing it takes lots of memory space and hence you system get slow. So, you can disable this properties which will just slow down searching speed which is not required in personal computer since one knows about his/her data location. To disable this property just right click on the respective drive (any drive) and got to properties, where you need to uncheck the option i.e. ‘Allow files on this drive to have content indexed in addition to file operation'.

This is one of the window inbuilt application, which is used to store ‘Temporary files in respective folders’. Using this application you can see all the temporary files and folder which you need to delete time by time. You can check this application by typing ‘%temp%’ in the Run window. As soon as temporary folder appears just delete all the files and folders. But sometime it is not possible to delete some of the files because it may be open currently. So don’t worry if it doesn’t get deleted.

This depends on the software/application used. Sometimes blocked sites are stored as a list of URLs (eg. www.yahoo.com, www.donwload.com,etc) and typing the IP instead of the URL might sometimes work. In a local computer, doing a ping domain.com command in Command Prompt (Mac users use Terminal) will return you the IP address. You can also do it online via www.whatsmyip.org