How To Keep Your PC Healthy By Avoiding Viruses

The toughest to fight in any computer is a virus that has already gotten into your system, snooped into your files and multiplied to the point that it hogs your hard disk space and slowly eats at your system. Let's admit it, we're scared of these viruses and we want to get rid of them. Here are very useful tips for protecting your PC:

Making Use Of The Firewall

Windows operating system has the firewall for a reason. For those who are connected to the Internet 24/7, the firewall is the basic way to protect your PC. Check if your firewall is on by going to the control panel of your Windows PC. Firewalls keeps your computer away from malicious software (malware), worms, and Trojan viruses. Also, it prevents other people from snooping in your files and applications.

You can also download firewall software off the net if you want more protection for your system, but the basic firewalls work.

Download A Trusty Antivirus Software

These days, when you have no antivirus software, your PC is vulnerable to virus attacks, especially when inserting your friends flash disks in your USB ports. There are already a variety of viruses sticking themselves to flash disks then automatically transferring it to the PC.

It would be really helpful to have an antivirus which is regularly updated off the internet. It's also good to always have it active all the time to detect virus in real time.

Check If Your Windows Operating System Is Getting Updates

Never ignore the Windows update bubble popping out of the lower right part of your screen. Your Windows operating system will be fully protected by downloading updates. These updates often include anti-malware updates or improvement for different Windows utilities to avoid vulnerabilities in the system.

Though most of the time, Windows automatically downloads updates and let you install them manually or automatically when you shut down your system.

Being Wary Of Suspicious E-Mails And Various Zipped Files

Don't open everything in your inbox. This is almost common knowledge, however, sometimes; curiosity gets the better of us. Inspect the sender and the subject before opening an e-mail and downloading anything off the attachments. Some of the most deadly virus hides in e-mails.

Lastly, if you download files from limewire, for example, be very careful on downloading zipped files. Check if the file is described in the right size and it looks trustworthy enough before downloading it.

The Bottom Line

Being careful and doing the right things will help your PC avoid getting viruses. In the end, it's not up to the PC to do the work, but it's up to the user to configure and protect the PC himself; which is the best way.

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Setting Up A Safe Home Network

Securing the computer in your home is a task that requires your full and serious attention.

They take a lot of your time and there are steps that need to be done. The following are some of the tips and advice you could do to be able to secure your very own personal computer.

Anti-virus programs is a must

Imagine it this way, would you allow someone to knock at your door and enter your own living space in order to make you buy something or use your own telephone?

If they were neat and presentable enough you could probably let them inside your own home, but just like anyone else, you definitely would be watching their every move.

Observe just what it is you have done. You have already profiled that person and based on the profile you have come up with, have also decided what you will do.

This is because you are very much cautious and concerned on just who enters your own space.

Basically, this is how anti-virus programs work.

These programs scan all contents of every file, looking for patterns that are specific and one that would match a particular profile. This is basically termed as virus signature – or something that is notoriously harmful to your computer.

Every file that has a signature match, the program provides options on just how it is it should respond. One such response is by removing the patterns that are offensive or one that destroys the file.

A virus basically works this way. They are like salesmen who knock in your own living space and they would get you to buy or listen to their sales pitch. However, they could try to pilfer your money or valuables.

One way to know if a particular scammer is prowling in your neighborhood is probably by reading about them in the news or seeing them in a tv news report. These reports could give you an idea of what these scammers look like or what are the things to be wary and watch out for.

Anti-virus software programs basically work similarly. When the vendors know of a new potentially threatening virus, they have a set of updated signature viruses that could include the new virus threat.

Scan and check, check and scan

Other ways and means for viruses to enter your personal computer is via floppy disks, web sites, email, CD-ROM as well as downloaded files.

As much as possible, all these avenues must be checked if they contain viruses or not.

For instance, prior to using a particular floppy disk, it must first be checked for any viruses.

Also, when downloading a specific file from the net, these must be checked for any viruses. Your own anti-virus software program usually allows you to specify and check these places for any viruses. They may also do this scan automatically.

Patch it now, patch it good

The instance your computer’s system breaks down, do you have an idea on how you should restore its functions?

Many vendors have patches whose purpose is to fix any types of bugs. Usually, vendors offer patches that are free in their own web sites. When purchasing programs, it is a great idea if you ask the vendor how they supply patches.

Software vendor programs also have a service that allows you to a recall. Notices for patches could be received via e-mail through mailing list subscription. Through this service, one can easily learn computer problems even if you have yet to discover them and before any intruders could have the opportunity to exploit your computer’s system.

Be cautious when reading attachments via e-mail
Always be careful when opening received e-mails that carry attachments. Sometimes, the potentially threatening messages could come from unsolicited e-mails.

To be able to determine if an email is safe or not, it would be best to conduct the following test and ask these questions: Was the email sent by someone you know? Did you receive this e-mail before? Is the subject of the email described in a clear manner?

A suspicious e-mail usually read as BradPitt.jpg.vbs. Worms could travel this way and reading / opening it could bring damage to your computer system.

All in all, caution and care is needed to be able to protect your computer from unnecessary attacks by malicious viruses and worms.

New! Ezy-Internet Safety Guide is the perfect blueprint to the truth about Internet safety. Learn everything you need to know about making your computer safer, safety software that works and how to avoid all the nasty spyware, malware, viruses, worms and trojans.

This free article is provided by the FreeArticles.com Free Articles Directory for educational

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configuring windows as a NTP server

source: Free Articles from ArticlesFactory.com

Computer time synchronisation is highly important in modern computer networks, precision and time synchronization is critical in many applications, particularly time sensitive transactions. Just imagine buying an airline seat only to be told at the airport that the ticket was sold twice because it was purchased afterwards on a computer that had a slower clock!Modern computers do have internal clocks called Real Time Clock chips (RTC) that provide time and date information. These chips are battery backed so that even during power outages, they can maintain time but personal computers are not designed to be perfect clocks. Their design has been optimized for mass production and low-cost rather than maintaining accurate time.For many applications, this is can be quite adequate, although, quite often machines need time to be synchronised with other PC's on a network and when computers are out of sync with each other problems can arise such as sharing network files or in some environments even fraud!Microsoft Windows (2000 and above) has a time synchronisation utility built into the operating system called Windows Time (w32time.exe) which can be configured to operate as a network time server. It can be configured to both synchronise a network using the internal clock or an external time source. Note: Microsoft strongly recommends that you configure a time server with a hardware source rather than from the internet where there is no authentication.To configure Windows Time service to use the internal hardware clock, first check that w32time is located in the system services list in the registry, to check:Click Start, Run then type regedit then click ok.Locate and then click the following registry entry: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\W32Time It is highly recommended that you back up the registry as serious problems may occur if you modify the registry incorrectly, modifications to the registry are done at your own risk.Note: the following instructions are based on Windows 2000 other versions of Windows may differ.To begin configuration for an internal clock, click on the following subkey:HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\W32Time\ParametersIn the right pane, right-click ReliableTimeSource, then click Modify.In Edit DWORD Value, type 1 in the Value Data box, then click OKExit Registry EditorTo restart the Windows Time Service click Start, Run (or alternatively use the Command Prompt facility).Type: net stop w32time && net start w32timeThen press enter.To reset the local computers’ time, type the following on all computers except for the time server which must not be synchronised with itself:w32tm –sTo configure the Windows Time service to use an external time source, click Start, Run and type regedit then click OK.Locate the following subkey:HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\W32Time\ParametersIn the right pane, right-click Type then click Modify, in edit Value type NTP in the Value data box then click OK. Now in the right pane, right click ReliableTimeSource, then click Modify.In the Edit DWORD Value box, under Value Data, type 0, then click OK.Right-click NtpServer in the right pane then click Modify.In Edit Value, type the Domain Name System (DNS), each DNS must be unique. Now click Ok.For Windows 2000 Service Pack 4 only, set the time correction settings to do this locate:HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\W32Time\ParametersIn the right pane, right-click MaxAllowedClockErrInSecs, then Modify in the Edit DWORD Value box, , type a time in seconds max number of seconds difference between the local clock and the time received from the NTP server in order to be considered a valid new time. Click OK.To set the poll intervals locate:HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\W32Time\ParametersIn the right pane, right-click Period, then click Modify.In the Edit DWORD Value box, under Value Data, type 24 then OKExit Registry EditorClick Start, then Run then type the following and press Enter:Net stop w32time && net start w32timeTo reset the local computers’ time, type the following on all computers except for the time server which must not be synchronised with itself:Network Time Protocol (NTP) is an Internet protocol used for the transfer of accurate time, providing time information along so that a precise time can be obtainedTo enable the Network Time Protocol; NTPserver, locate and click:HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\W32Time\TimeProviders\NtpServer\In the right pane, right-click Enabled, then click Modify.In the Edit DWord Value box, type 1 under Value data, then click OK.Now go back and click on HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\W32Time\Parameters\NtpServerIn the right pane, right-click NtpServer, then Modify, in the Edit DWORD Value under Value Data type In the right pane, right-click NtpServer, then Modify, in the Edit DWORD Value under Value Data type the Domain Name System (DNS), each DNS must be unique and you must append 0x1 to the end of each DNS name otherwise changes will not take effect.Now click Ok.Locate and click the followingHKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\W32Time\TimeProviders\NtpClient\SpecialPollIntervalIn the right pane, right-click SpecialPollInterval, then click Modify.In the Edit DWORD Value box, under Value Data, type the number of seconds you want for each poll, ie 900 will poll every 15 minutes, then click OK.To configure the time correction settings, locate: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\W32Time\config In the right pane, right-click MaxPosPhaseCorrection, then Modify, in the Edit DWORD Value box, under Base, click Decimal, under Value Data, type a time in seconds such as 3600 (an hour) then click OK.Now go back and click:HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\W32Time\configIn the right pane, right-click MaxNegPhaseCorrection, then Modify.In the Edit DWORD box under base, click Decimal, under value data type the time in seconds you want to poll such as 3600 (polls in one hour)Exit Registry EditorNow to restart windows time service, click Start, Run (or alternatively use the command prompt facility) and type:net stop w32time && net start w32timeAnd on each computer, other than the time server, type:W32tm/ -sAnd that’s it your time server should be now up and running.

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Install Games From The Internet Onto Your PSP

People who have computers and are connected to the internet can easily download and install different kinds of games from the internet for use on portable gaming units. These games come in many different choices and genres for your gaming pleasure and can either be free games or games you have to purchase to be able to download them. The choices in games you have for download and installation on your computer then to your PSP actually covers quite a huge spectrum of game types.

What You Need

You will need a few things before you can get started. Aside from your PC and an internet connection, you will need a memory stick that is compatible with your PSP and a PSP unit that has firmware version 1.0 or version 1.5.

What To Do

Once you have your PSP and your memory stick ready, you can begin downloading your game of choice onto your PC.
1. To make sure that the game you are downloading can be used on your PSP, try to check for firmware compatibility with your PSP's firmware version. Homebrew games are usually compatible with firmware versions that are either 1.0 or 1.5. Any firmware versions beyond that are usually incompatible with Homebrew games. After you have downloaded the game on your PC, double check to see that the game you downloaded is compatible with your psp.

2. After you have downloaded the game file you want for your PS, you will need to check if it is in a compressed form. You will then need to unzip it or uncompress it for upload to your PSP.

3. Connect your PSP to your PC with the use of its USB cable. This cable comes with the unit upon purchase. Make sure your memory card is in your PS before you connect.

4. You will then need to copy the game to your PSP and save it in the proper game folders on your PSP. You need to remember that your memory stick needs to have a PSP folder with a GAMES folder in it where you must place your game files in for it to run properly on your PSP. You will then need to copy all the files of the game for your PSP into the GAMES folder inside the PSP folder of your PSP unit.

5. Disconnect your unit from your PC and check your PSP for the files you just copied. It should be in the memory stick option. The games should be listed on the games list of the memory card.

You can then scroll down to the game you just installed and play it till your heart's content.

This free article is provided by the FreeArticles.com Free Articles Directory for educational purposes only.

Article Copyright By Author. All Rights Reserved Worldwide.

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Tip Choosing A Video Card

A video card is that device ( a loaded circuit board ) that determines the screen output or video display of the computer. It is also known as the graphics card, graphics adapter, display adapter or video adapter.

The video card is either installed directly on the mother board or in an expansion slot. The intended use determines which type to use.

What To Check For When Choosing A Video Card

1. Determine how the computer will be used. Is it for computer games or just for ordinary encoding?

There are different types of video cards for different uses.

2. RAM is resolution required to meet the video output needed.

The memory of a video card is very important for speed because it holds the common operands for the images. Since the video card can access its own memory faster than that of the mother board, the images are displayed faster.

3.Mother board and Video card format compatibility.

A mother board doesn't support all kinds of video cards. Some mother boards only have the GPUs or graphics processing units which maybe adequate for an average business or home use but not applicable where more graphics capabilities are needed. A GPU is a video card's own processing unit.

Mother boards may have the following expansion slots: AGP slots, standard PCI slots, 1xPCI EXpress slots, 16xPCI Express slots. Make sure the video card and the slot where it will be installed are compatible

The 16XPCI Express slot has compatibility with the most video cards, so it is advisable to buy this card for a new computer. The next newest slot is the AGP slot which came before 16xPCIExpress.

The least recommended slot is the PCI slot because there are only a few video cards compatible with it and most of them are the slow , expensive type.

4. TV output capability

Not all video cards have this capability. Be sure to check this out.

5. The fan on the video card must be working to prevent over heating of parts which slows down its performance.

6. Price- how much can you afford to pay?

The compatibility of components determine how the equipment functions. In the case of video cards, there is more need to check for compatibility due to the various models developed to meet various needs.

Incompatibility is expensive, for how will you install a video if it doesn't fit in the expansion slot?

This free article is provided by the FreeArticles.com Free Articles Directory for educational

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Make phone calls with your PSP!

Sometimes it's important to assert the dominance of homebrew features over Sony's lacklustre official firmwares.

Take the forthcoming PSP phone functionality. According to various rumours, Sony will shortly announce (in a few regions of the world) some new software to allow you to make and receive phone calls with your PSP via wifi, which may or may not be based upon the popular Skype platform.

That's nice, but there are a few flaws:

1. It's not yet clear how much it will cost to obtain the software, to subscribe to the service, and to make calls
2. It's not likely to be available in all countries
3. It's rumoured to only run on the PSP Slim - what about all those loyal early-adopters? :(
4. It will probably only support a limited subset of possible voice platforms - e.g. maybe just Skype, which is notoriously bad at interoperating with other networks.
   

Here at Noobz, we're fans of freedom. So we thought we'd release our own PSP Phone software - and here it is, codenamed "Furikup" (it's a geeky protocol-based joke, don't worry about it).

Here are some of Furikup's best features:

1. It's free software - in both the beer, and speech senses.
   
2. You can use it anywhere in the world, subject to signing-up to a suitable local SIP-based voice-over-IP provider and being near a usable wifi access point. In many countries, you can find those for free or nearly-free - e.g. with SIPGate, in the UK, you can call to your PSP from any standard phone (landline or cellphone) for just the standard local call cost, and from PSP to another SIP phone (another PSP or a PC) for free.
3. It runs on both slim and fat PSPs.
   
4. It uses open standards, for maximum compatibility with other phone systems.
5. You can use a Go!Cam (Chotto Shot), Talkman microphone, or SOCOM-style headset for audio input. (And even if you don't have any of those, you can still send audio from a WAV file in a pinch).

It's still pretty much beta software - the audio quality needs some work (but it is usable), the UI isn't very pretty, and video calls aren't working (yet!). But it works, and it's a nice demo of what is possible.

Since this is open source homebrew software, there are endless possibilities as to what inventive minds could do with this engine. We'd like to see a much nicer GUI (we suck at UIs!), and maybe a custom firmware plugin to use the engine as a teamspeak-style add-on feature for online games. Go on, go crazy and show us what you can do with it - you have our blessing!

The download link is below. Make sure that you read the README.HTML file (we don't write them just for fun...), and please report any successes / problems in the official support forum .

Written by Fanjita

Download Furikup v0.1.12 - PSP SIP Phone

File Size: Downloads: 5430

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Play PC Games On Your PS3

If you haven't heard of StreamMyGame.com, let us enlighten you: they're a community website that uses a new online technology called Game Streaming. They create "innovative, industry-changing products" for the PC and video game industry. And now, they have announced the release of its free Linux Player, which will let you play any PC game on the PlayStation 3!

This is a free server from StreamMyGame, and it allows PC games to be played remotely by first converting the game's video and audio into a Game Stream. After that's done, they send the data over a home network to a second computer where you can view and play the game with the free StreamMyGame Player. This second computer can be a PC, laptop, PS3 or Linux device, and it doesn't need to have the game installed on it, either. The StreamMyGame Server is available to just about anybody, as it's compatible with Windows XP, Vista and all PC titles based on Microsoft's DirectX8, DirectX9 and DirectX10. Yep, this does include last year's PC big-time award-getter, Crysis. The StreamMyGame Player is compatible with Windows XP, Vista and Linux with resolutions that go all the way up to crazy high Super HDTV (3200 x 2400).

"Playing the latest PC game on the PS3 is now a reality at HD resolution and fast frame-rates," said Richard Faria CEO. "I have a PS3 in my living room and PC in my office and my two kids both have old PCs in their bedrooms. Now we can play games anywhere around the home. StreamMyGame's technology networks the power of a main PC so it can be used to play high end games on other PCs, PS3s and Linux devices."

Come March, StreamMyGame will broaden its horizons a bit by enabling games to be played remotely over broadband networks that have "sufficient capacity" (like Verizon's FiOS or British Telecom's FTTP). It's certainly an ambitious idea, so if you want to make your PS3 more capable than ever, check it out.

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How To Make Your Computer Faster

Are you wondering, "Why is my computer slow?" Do you need help figuring out how to speed up your computer? Computers are wonderful devices that allow us to do many things but things can get rough once the garbage that comes in through our internet connection begins to stop up our system. I have put together a step-by-step procedure for cleaning all of this out.



Follow the steps below and you will see a noticeable improvement in your system. If you're looking to really speed things up -- like make your computer twice as fast -- check out Computer Secrets Unleashed. Enjoy!

1. Download Microsoft's Anti-Spyware program, Adaware, and Spybot Search and Destroy. Microsoft's program can be downloaded at Microsoft Windows Defender. Adaware can be downloaded at Lavasoft Downloads. Spybot can be downloaded at The Home of Spybot-S&D. All of these programs are free.

2. Install Microsoft's anti-spyware program now, but not the other two.

3. Run MSconfig. To do this, select Start>Run and type msconfig into the space. Select the Startup tab and get rid of all unnecessary programs. The way to determine this is to go to ProcessLibrary.com and check it against their database.

4. Boot into Safe Mode. To do this, restart the computer and press F8 continuously. Select the Safe Mode option from the list and continue to desktop.

Want more tips to improve computer performance?
Try PC Booster

5. Delete any spyware programs from your add/remove. To do this, select Start>Control Panel>Add or Remove Programs. Check all unknown programs against SpywareGuide.com.

6. Locate the temp folder in your computer and delete everything in the folder. This is located, usually, in C:\Documents and Settings\Username\local settings.

7. Still in Safe Mode, install Adaware and Spybot. Run Adaware, Microsoft's anti-spyware and Spybot. Update to the most recent definitions in each program and run them in full scan mode. Microsoft's program cannot be installed in Safe Mode. You have already installed it.

8. Reboot into standard Windows mode.

9. Download HijackThis. You can get this program here Merijn.org. Install and run it. Click Do A System Scan and Save A Logfile. HijackThis will analyze processes that are running on your computer and alert you when there are things running that should not be there. It will also let you know when there are programs running that are not malicious but can safely be gotten rid of because they are not needed.

10. Post the logfile in the Automated Log Analyzer at HijackThis.

11. After determining what's safe and isn't, check appropriate boxes and click Fix Checked.

12. Run the Microsoft Anti-Malicious program, which you can download at the Microsoft Download Center. This program is designed by Microsoft to detect and remove programs whose sole purpose is harming your computer. The technical term for this type of program is a rootkit.

13. Download and run BLBeta Expert. This can be downloaded at F-Secure Blacklight. Make sure to carefully review anything it detects before removing. BlBeta is another program that is designed to get rid of rootkits.

14. For Internet Explorer, click Tools> Internet Options> Security Tab. Click on the Internet Globe icon and select Custom Level. Disable the following:

a. Download Unsigned ActiveX Controls.

b. Initialize And Script ActiveX Controls Not Marked As Safe.

c. Active Scripting.

d. Scripting Of Java Applets.

Also click High Safety under Java Permissions.

If this causes trouble viewing any favorite sites, click the Trusted Sites icon of the Security Tab and use the Sites button to add the URL's of sites that are exempt from these requirements. The purpose of these changes is to tighten the security of your system so that not so many malicious programs make it to your system.

15. For Firefox, type about:config in the address bar. Right click in the window and click New and Integer. In the first box, type privacy.popups.disable_from_plugins. In the second box, type 2. This will prevent Flash popups in Firefox.

16. Open Regedit by clicking Start>Run and type in regedit.

17. Once Regedit is open, click the plus symbol next to the HKEY_CURRENT_USER folder, the plus symbol next to Control Panel, and then click the Desktop folder icon to display its contents. In the right pane, double-click MenuShowDelay to change its value. (This Registry location is referred to as HKEY_CURRENT_USER\CONTROL\PANEL\DESKTOP\MENUSHOWDELAY.) The default Value Data is 400, or 4/10 of a second. Change the Value Data to 0 for the least delay, and click OK. This will make menus appear instantly on your computer instead of having a delay.

18. Open HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CURRENTCONTROLSET\CONTROL\FILESYSTEM. Right-click Filesystem, select New, and DWORD Value. Rename NewValue#1 on the right-side pane to DisableNTFSLast-AccessUpdate. Double-click this new entry, change the Value Data field from 0 to 1, and then click OK. This disables the constant updating of the dates when a file or folder were last updated. This will speed up the system.

19. Open HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\MICROSOFT\WINDOWS\CURRENTVERSION\EXPLORER. Create a new DWORD Value called DesktopProcess, and set its Value Data to 1.

20. Expand HKEY_CURRENT_USER, expand Control Panel, and click Desktop. Double-click the AutoEndTasks string and change the value to 1. This causes all of the components of the explorer to run in one process, making your computer faster.

There is a caveat for some users here. Do not make this change if you are not running at least a Pentium processor and 16 MB of physical memory. Dating Blogs.

21. Expand HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE, expand SOFTWARE, expand Microsoft, expand Windows, and expand CurrentVersion. Right-click Explorer, expand New, click Key, and name the new key AlwaysUnloadDLL. Click AlwaysUnloadDLL, double-click the Default string, and change the value to 1. Windows tries to keep some DLL's in memory when the program uses them. If a user has low memory, this can cause performance issues.

22. Expand HKEY_CURRENT_USER, expand Control Panel, and click Desktop. Double-click the HungAppTimeout string and change the value to 1000. Now, double-click the WaitToKillAppTimeout, string and change the value to 2000. This sets your system up to more efficiently handle application hangups. It also will optimize the amount of time a system takes to close a program when you try to end Windows.

23. Expand HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE, expand System, expand CurrentControlSet, and click Control. Double-click the WaitToKillServiceTimeout string and change the value to 2000. This optimizes the time that it will take for Windows Services to close when the system is set to shut down.

24. Expand HKEY_CURRENT_USER, expand Control Panel, click Desktop, and double-click the MenuShowDelay string in the right-hand pane. Change the value to 100. This will cause Desktop menus to appear almost instantly.

25. Close regedit.

26. Set Recycle Bin to 1-3 percent of the hard drive space. To do this, right click on the Recycle Bin. Select properties. Move the slider down to the desired amount and click Ok. By default, the Recycle bin takes up too much of your space.

27. To ensure DMA is in use, click Start, right-click My Computer, click Properties, select the Hardware tab, and click Device Manager. Expand the IDE ATA/ATAPI Controllers entry, double-click the entry for the channel where your hard drive is installed (most likely the Primary IDE Channel), and use the Transfer Mode drop-down menu to select DMA If Available if PIO Only mode is selected. Click Ok, reboot, and recheck the setting to make sure it sticks. When this is enabled, it will allow information from your CD/DVD to go straight to memory, bypassing the system processor and speeding up the system.

You should notice markedly increased speeds in your computer. Remember that this is not a "do once and forget it" procedure.

Crud is constantly building up in your computer, so make sure and set up a maintenance plan to keep your computer clean.

It's important to keep your Windows registry running lean, and that takes regular computer maintenance. This will prevent your computer from running slow

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4 Basic Steps To Protect Your Computer Against Internet Intruders

It never ceases to amaze me how many people connect to the Internet with no protection on the PC at all! This is a very dangerous activity and has led to financial ruin for some people.

I have had family members and friends who ask me to check out their PC's because they are 'slow' or they can't stop these damn popup windows from coming up. These are the first signs of infection or security breaches on your PC.

It takes 4 simple steps and it costs you nothing at all except a bit of time and effort.

Step 1 - Get a firewall installed.

Firewalls help to protect you from Internet attacks and intrusion from hackers on the Internet who go 'sniffing' for unprotected computers.

What do they do when they hack your computer? Well they look for password files, security breaches that allow them to use YOUR computer for malicious attacks on other computers on the Internet.

There was a story not long ago about the Russian Mafia hacking into a household computer and using it to transfer funds from unsuspecting bank accounts for their own illegal purposes. When the Feds tracked down the responsible computer, it belonged to some unsuspecting person who had no idea of what was happening. So be warned!!

Microsoft Windows XP has a built in firewall so you could enable that and it gives you some basic protection.

If you don't want to use that firewall then try a free firewall called zone alarm from http://www.zonelabs.com

Zone alarm is a great firewall and even better for the price - they have a free version for home and non-commercial use.

Step 2 - Get an anti virus product installed

Anti virus software scans your computer for malicious code that can cause all sorts of problems on your computer and even delete files and make your computer inoperable.

You can get a very good free virus scanning software called AVG virus scanner from http://www.grisoft.com/

Step 3 - Get a reliable anti-spyware software

Spyware tends to sit on your computer and 'spy' on what you are doing. It can do things like look at web sites you have visited, record your key strokes (looking for account numbers and passwords) and it can then sends this information back to its originator.

A great and well know spyware scanner is called Spybot-S&D from http://www.safer-networking.org/
The other great spyware utilities are adaware from lavasoft, and Microsoft have one as well.

My advice would be to run two or three spyware utilities, particularly if you do a lot of online transactions with your computer.

Step 4 - Keep your Microsoft (MS) Windows Operating System (OS) updated

Microsoft come out with security patches on a regular bases to close up security 'holes' that have been identified. These patches can be applied manually by you or you can have MS Windows download and install them automatically.

To check out what updates you require -

1. Go to the Microsoft Windows Update page here - http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com/

2. Scan your computer to find out what critical updates and security patches are not installed.

3. Select the updates to install paying particular attention to CRITICAL Updates.

You may need to restart your computer after the patches have been applied

As a final word on the 4 steps, it is critical that you keep all of the programs up to date. So check back with the vendors on a regular basis (at least weekly) to see if updates are available. The better programs (like Spybot) will have options in them to check for updates.

The above list of programs is not the ultimate list. Like any programs there are dozens of choices. The ones above are those that I have had first hand experience of.

I personally use commercial programs because I spend so much time connected to the Internet, my family surfs quite regularly and I am a big fan of online transactions. Even the commercial programs only cost pennies compared to what can happen if you do get an infection.

New! Ezy-Internet Safety Guide is the perfect blueprint to the truth about Internet safety. Learn everything you need to know about making your computer safer, safety software that works and how to avoid all the nasty spyware, malware, viruses, worms and trojans.

Terry Jones owns and operates http://www.easywebresources.com. His web site offers hints and tips on setting up your web site including script installations, script & tool reviews for your web success. To subscribe to the Easy Web Resources Gold Mine just go here - http://www.easywebresources.com/subscribeform.php

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