Spyware

What is Spyware? Spyware is computer software that is installed and consequently retrieves information with malicious intent from your computer. It is called Spyware because it will install itself and collects information without your knowledge or consent, installing advertising-related devices that track your Web surfing habits or generate targeted advertising content. Often you have consented to a program being installed without reading the fine print, or you have opened an email without paying attention to who the sender is.

Spyware will track your computer through a variety of tracking techniques: Key logging;
records your keystrokes, invariably leading to theft of personal information, i.e. credit card information, financial information and passwords. Spyware also changes the functioning of your computer, slowing down your computer’s system resources and internet bandwidth. Spyware will also record internet browsing history, tracking the pages you have visited. Spyware will imbed software that scans documents on your computer. In turn the information is reported back to the source using the information as they see fit, sometimes selling your information to people willing to purchase, usually an internet marketing or pornographic company. Also, collecting your email address to send you spam (junk email).

Spyware applications are often bundled without your knowledge from freeware or shareware programs that are downloaded from the internet, so you have to be extremely careful when extracting these programs onto your computer.

Spyware has reached epidemic proportions leading to a revolution of an industry where the choice of programs to use that will eliminate Spyware occurrences becomes difficult to choose from.

Adware

Adware Is much like Spyware and sometimes work hand in hand, where it spies on you with the intent of making pop-ups appear on your screen based on the information you enter when browsing. Forcing you to an advertisers website you did not request, even if you have your pop-blocker enabled, you will still see these critters appear. Adware is still a malicious code that embeds itself into your files.

Spyware is a nuisance to say the least and is a great security threat to your computer, which can often result in data loss, system file changes to the operating system which can disable certain functionality of your computer and generally limit the use of your computer. However, the risks can be managed with a variety of anti-Spyware tools many of which are available for free.

You can find more information to help you understand and rectify Spyware issues. Please visit http://www.spywareonline.info

Author: Dawn Nelson
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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If you believe that you have Spyware installed on your computer, the first thing you need to do is purchase a reputable Spyware removal tool to scan your machine using any of the free Spyware scan and free removal tools available. Software can’t do it all. You need to control your own behavior if you really want to be safe.

If you are downloading any programs be mindful as to the source. Try not to download any free screensavers, freeware and shareware software which can contain hidden code. If your kids use your computer, either install another profile on your computer that has no rights for them to install programs or closely monitor what they do.

An option may be to use another web browser other than Internet Explorer, i.e. Opera, or Mozilla Firefox, they are not targeted as much as Internet Explorer. Internet Explorer is at greater risk for Spyware because of its large user base.

Beware of Security Warnings that resemble an operating system prompt that ask you to agree to install, read the message and if it is unfamiliar to you, do not install it. Do not install any application unless you are certain of what it does or where it came from.

Take a look at your add/remove programs function in the control panel. Do you recognize the majority of programs that are installed? If not, do a search on the internet to find out what the program does. If it is apparent or recognized as Spyware, uninstall it, or run your Spyware program to see it is detected.

Update your Spyware program regularly. Some purchased versions do this automatically when you are connected to the internet. The free Spyware scan and free removal tools, you will have to do manually.

Do not open spam email messages, always look to see who sent the message, if the message looks unfamiliar or it’s missing some characters or looks suspicious in some way delete it!
Make sure you have anti-virus software installed. Some include a buddle of Anti-virus, Spam filter and firewall. Update this regularly so the software can download any new definitions, which are patches for a new virus that has newly surfaced.

Taken all of the above into consideration you should be well protected and enjoy the comforts of a spy free computer.

Please visit http://www.spywareonline.info for more tips on how to rid Spyware.

Did you find these tips useful? You will be able to find more sources of information for helping you combat your spyware problem at http://www.spywareonline.info

Author: Dawn Nelson
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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These Simple Instructions will Guide You In Preventing System Crashes

• Internet Explorer Error 403 Forbidden Access

This specification defines the protocol referred to as “HTTP/1.1″.

This protocol includes more stringent requirements than HTTP/1.0 in order to ensure reliable implementation of its features.

Similar to Error 401, this error is usually caused because special permission is needed to access the website in that a password and/or username may not be correctly registered on the websites database.

Other times the website server may not have the proper permissions set up on its directories.

Get permission from the Website Administrator

Clear your Internet Explorer settings and Reboot.

You will get a pop up Welcome page and you will need to enter the user name and password that they provide you.

• Windows – Fatal Exception Error (Blue Screen of Death)

  How to Deal with the Blue Screen of Death

There are thousands of causes for blue screens, and there are thousands of different error messages in the BSODs, but they fall into three general categories, in order of frequency – operating system file corruption, hardware failures, and application software conflicts.

The only way to determine the specific cause is, usually, to look up the specific error code contained within the blue screen of death.

۰ Reason out the potential cause of why it happened:

۰ What were you doing immediately prior to the BSOD?

۰ What is the complete and exact error code?

۰ Is the BSOD caused by a specific action, and is it repeatable?

۰ How many times has it happened? Once, twice, thirty times?

۰ Is the error message exactly the same every time?

۰ How frequently does it happen? Once a day, a week, a month?

۰ What software were you using before it happened?

۰ Did you download something from an unsecured source just recently?

Almost all BSOD issues will require someone to physically analyze the PC before the issue can be resolved, so please don’t imply that a quick fix is available for BSOD errors.

Usually you will get an error code that specifies:

“A problem has been detected and Windows has been shut down to prevent damage to your computer”

If this is the first time you’ve seen this stop error screen, restart your computer. If this screen appears again follow these steps:

۰ Check to be sure you have adequate disk space.

۰ If a driver is identified in the stop message, disable the driver or check with manufacturer for driver updates.

۰ Try changing video adapters.

۰ Check with your hardware vendor for any BIOS updates.

۰ Disable BIOS memory options such as caching or shadowing.

۰ If you need to use safe mode to remove or disable components, restart your computer, press F8 to select Advanced Startup options, and then select safe mode.

۰ Reboot your computer.

If you get a send message report, it sends all of your private information to Microsoft.

Blue Screen of Death can also cause your Operating System to slow down.

Make sure you have the latest versions of Anit Virus and Spyware Destroyers and run them frequently.

This will also help prevent Operating System corruption.

Check your performance in Task Manager

Running frequent Disk Cleanup and Defragmenters will also help prevent Operating System corruption.

• Error DLL

DLL error code is a form of error code that recognizes corruption from downloading or installing certain programs that become corrupt during download or install. It affects the Windows Operating System by seeing an incorrect or invalid registry entry that are common causes for Windows crashes and error messages.

You can scan your hard drive in a minimal fashion by going to:

۰ Start on your system tray

۰ Choose Run

۰ Type sfc /scannow

This command will replace any system files that may have become corrupted.

• How to Install and Run Spybot Search and Destroy

Spybot – Search & Destroy can detect and remove a multitude of adware files and modules from your computer.

Spybot also can clean program and Web-usage tracks from your system, which is especially useful if you share your computer.

Modules chosen for removal can be sent directly to the included file shredder, ensuring complete elimination from your system.

For advanced users, it allows you to fix Registry inconsistencies related to adware and to malicious program installations.

The handy online-update feature ensures that Spybot always has the most current and complete listings of adware, dialers, and other uninvited system residents.

۰ Download Spybot Search and Destroy for free at spybot.com

۰ Choose your language.

۰ Click download

۰ Locate spybot search and destroy 1.4 and download from there.

۰ On your PC – Locate the installation folder

۰ Copy the entire folder on to your machine

۰ Run spybotsd14.exe to install Spybot

۰ Run spybotsd_advcheck.exe to install the latest updates

1. In Start

2. Go to Run

3. Type in spybotsd14.exe to install Spybot

4. Run spybotsd_advcheck.exe to install the latest updates

• Running Norton Symantec AntiVirus
  What To Do When a Virus is Detected on Your PC. Picture Guide

Norton Symantec AntiVirus, protects our network by continuously scanning your computer’s boot sector, memory, files and email attachments for known viruses. When such a scan detects a virus on your computer, you receive a notification:

The message gives information about the virus, the location where it was found, and also what action was taken. In most cases, the antivirus software will attempt to clean and delete the virus from the infected file and quarantine it, if unsuccessful, so that the virus cannot do any damage to your PC or spread to other PCs. Since quarantined files remain on your computer, they will continue to trigger virus alerts on subsequent virus scans and should be dealt with.

When you receive an alert as described above, close the notification message and then launch Symantec AntiVirus from your System Tray (usually found in the bottom right corner of your screen at the end of the taskbar) by double-clicking the yellow shield icon:

The window that opens shows you general information about the status of the antivirus software, for example, the parent server from which you receive updates, the program version, the date it was last updated, and if there are quarantined files on your PC:

If you see in the right half of the window that there are items listed under Quarantine:

(1), expand View in the left pane

(2) and select Quarantine

(3) to display a list of the quarantined files:
Select All Items from the drop down

(4) to display all quarantined files. Highlight each file

(5) listed (hold the Ctrl key while you click each item to select more than one file) and then press the red X

(6) to delete them from the Quarantine.

Symantec will verify the files and confirm that they can indeed be deleted. Press Start Delete to permanently delete them:

After the files are successfully deleted, press Close and Exit on each subsequent window until you have exited Symantec AntiVirus.

Note: If you encounter any unforeseen messages or are unsure about anything discussed here, please contact your local MIS Support for assistance in dealing with viruses. An infected computer poses a serious threat to our network’s security and stability and should be taken seriously.

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We offer Good Business Sense in Setting up the best Entity for Your needs, what to watch out for so You don’t get scammed and Articles on “How To” set up Your Entity, PC Help, Troubleshooting Steps with Pictures even, VPN, Software and Hardware issues, Guides and General FYI.

Author: Aaron Adams
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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An External Hard drive can come in handy for backing up files or freeing up some disk space on your PC. The only problem is they can be pretty expensive. An easy alternative is to buy a drive enclosure for about $20 and build your own using an internal hard drive.

Building your own external hard drive enclosure can be done in as little as 5 to 10 minutes time, and without opening up your PC’s case. Not only does assembling your own external hard drive save money, it provides flexibility in choosing the connections, capacity and style that fit your needs. It is also an excellent way to make use of the older hard drives from previous computer systems.

I saved quite a bit of money when I built my external drive a few months ago. For example: I bought a 200GB internal IDE hard drive for only $60, and a USB 2.0 external hard-drive case for only $19. Comparatively, a pre-built enclosure with similar specs at Best Buy cost over $200. That makes for over $120 saved!

Laptop Hard Drives Versus Desktop

If you’re shopping for all your parts, it’s worthwhile to examine the options. There are three dimensions of internal drives to consider: laptop (1.8 in., 2.5 in.) and desktop (3.5 in.). Laptop hard drives are smaller and lighter, and most draw power through a USB cable. However, because laptop hard drives are physically smaller in size, they are always more expensive than a desktop hard drive and seldom offer as much storage capacities. Desktop drives of today offer capacities of up to 500GB; the down side is that they require their own external power source. In my case, I decided that the 3.5 inch hard drive was the better choice because it offered more storage capacity.

IDE Versus SATA Technology

In either case, there are two main types of hard drives: SATA (Serial Advanced Technology Attachment) and IDE (Integrated Drive Electronics). IDE drives have been around for quite a long time and are therefore much more common, and also tend to be cheaper.

On the other hand, SATA drives have become much more popular in the past few years because they can transfer data at up to six times the speed of IDE drives. However, keep in mind that for an external enclosure, the increased speed of a SATA drive is limited when the data is passed through a USB 2.0 cable because this type of connection transfers data at a slower speed.

Types of Enclosures

For an enclosure you are best off to go with an aluminum case since the aluminum enclosure will act as a heat sink to keep the drive cool. On the other hand, plastic cases will not help cool the drive as much and you will need most likely need to buy one with a fan.

USB 2.0 Versus Firewire

Most enclosures come standard with a USB 2.0 connection, but you can spring for the faster more expensive Firewire connections. Before choosing the latter, make sure you have a Firewire input on your computer

Assembling the Unit

Building the an external enclosure is relatively simple, and about the only tool you’ll need is a small screwdriver.

1. First, consult the hard drive manual and ensure that the jumpers are set to the “master” position.
2. Next, secure the hard drive into the case.
3. Following that, plug in the power cable and a data cable. Connecting the two cables to the drive is a no-brainer as these connections are shaped so they can’t be plugged in the wrong way.
4. When complete, close the case and connect all external cables (Power and USB).
5. Before you use the drive you may need to install the software that came with the enclosure. For the most part users running Windows XP will not need to install any software as the drive should be detected automatically.

You now have your very own external hard drive!

Keith Greenhalf is a columnist for infopackets.com. To read more quality articles like this one, be sure to surf over to infopackets.com, today! RSS Feeds are also available! Established in 2001 and enjoyed by over 250,000 readers worldwide, infopackets.com is a multi-authored web site that features daily tech tips related to MS Windows, Computing, The Internet, and Frequently Asked Questions. Best of all: subscription is free! So what are you waiting for? Visit infopackets.com, today!

Author: Dennis Faas
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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The tips that follow should help you to write e-mail that will be well received every time…

Pay attention to punctuation, spelling, grammar and capitals. It shows that you value us and that you’ve thought about what you’ve written rather than an off-the-cuff rushed message in the heat of the moment.

Your subject line should be descriptive, especially when we get so many emails or if we like to save the emails in a file. It’d be great a practice to start the subject with “Recipient or group name” then a hyphen, your subject (specific and changed for each email), another hyphen and then the date. E.g. Thea-Email tips attached-15Oct05 Make the subject crystal clear.

Use short paragraphs and leave lines between them. This makes for more easy and quick reading when you experience a lot of email activity on a regular basis.

Check the source of any “news” or “chain” mailings before passing on. Here is a good resource for that: sophos.com/virusinfo/hoaxes alternatively, simply select pertinent keywords from the email and do a Google search.

Avoid sending unsolicited, large attachments. That 3MB movie file may be the funniest thing you’ve seen for a long time, but don’t automatically send it to everyone to know. Ask them first if they want to receive it. There are many free, online tools for large file size sending.

Ensure that your PC is protected against viruses. Your virus scanner might not protect against Spyware and Adware. Good quality, no-cost tools are listed in my article titled “Computer Security and Maintenance”.

Remember to set your email service to scan viruses for emails coming in and going out.

Use lower case font. When in all capitals, it is harder to read and may be perceived as aggressive.

Thou shalt not spam! Find great information here http://yatuc.com/a0

Re-read your message before sending. Read it from the perspective of the recipient.

Tidy up all those “>” characters when replying or forwarding. I use a handy tool for this http://www.dsoft.com.tr/stripmail/ I’ve downloaded it and I keep it on my desktop.

Consider first if your message needs the “Reply To All” treatment, or if it is sufficient to simply “Reply To Sender” only. Always ask permission if wanting to pass another’s contact details forward. If you need to keep another’s email details hidden when you “Cc:” then place their email address in the “Bcc:” text box.

Limit your “non-group related topic” emails to e.g. one per week, when using the group email option. Keep emails short i.e. to a single screen page. When it’s a more complicated issue to discuss, why not use the telephone and speak? In emails to busy people, tell recipients if/when you do/don’t want a reply or action.

Be mindful of when you use the ‘priority’ or the ‘request receipt’ options (these are under ‘Tools’ and ‘Message’ when you have email open & ready to send). Less use has greater impact when you need it.

Is it clear who is the sender? Use an email signature that has contact details and change the “From:” option for your emails. For an email signature you can go to your task bar Tools, Options, Signatures. To change what shows in the “From:” box, go to Tools, Accounts, Properties and change “Your Name:” in User Information. It won’t impact account settings, it’s safe to do.

Thea Westra lives in Perth, Australia. She publishes a wealth of material for increased life power, self improvement, inspiration, personal success, online business, and internet know-how. Enjoy her many self-improvement resources at http://www.myforwardsteps.com and her latest book at http://www.timeformylife.com

Author: Thea Westra
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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Portals were preferred over other content websites to provide consolidated, customized and updated information. The trend moved towards one-click information on weather, cities, movies, music, communities, latest news, stock update and much more with customized and personalized user web space. Users started expecting the possibility of paying bills, checking bank accounts, transferring funds, city information and tracking insurance claims through a secure online platform. Users, no longer, wished to be caught in the slow and lengthy request-processing loop offered by call centers.

Highly acclaimed community portal, Yahoo, introduced the user-centric personalized portal My Yahoo! in 1996. Users needed to create a profile to access a gamut of information through a personal web space. The users experienced up-to date view of information streamed on the basis of their preferences. Self-service portals, thus, evolved a user-centric web-based platform approach. It enables an anywhere anytime model with data integration from multiple sources facilitated through an open architecture. Users can access instant information through a personal web space where they can even specify their preferences to view specific data categories. With Service Oriented Architecture enabled, the information can be accessed through PCs, mobile phones, PDAs and other channels. With online self-service model, companies significantly saved on customer services.

Customer Self-service Portal is targeted to meet the specific requirements of the B2C domain. It provides an end-to-end solution for E-commerce activities enabled through a single sign-on personalized platform for users with data and applications accessible on-demand. The end-users are provided with extensive information streamed through a wide network of sources. The information is then processed and collated into precisely the data requested by the end-users.

The overall costs incurred with toll-free phone support, emails and chat sessions amount to much more than self-service portal. Intelligent data analysis is provided by sophisticated aggregation and integration functions of portals. The advanced analysis capability enables easy identification of potential customers by capturing user-browsing behavior. ‘Customer lifetime value’ can be enhanced with personalized and instant interface. It also optimizes the business environment for remote and local collaboration of data, software and applications. Portals are designed to manage large data requirements like integration, storage and data processing.

With rapidly growing demands of an increasing customer base, the customer-servicing costs have become unaffordable. Dependence on human interface and contact centers is reducing due to deteriorated services and high costs. The late 90s experienced changing trend in the way customers wanted to be served. Growing complexity in businesses led to a massive increase in the number of processes, applications and user database to be maintained. Data being stored at multiple locations consumed more time to integrate. With number of users increasing and complexity of processes growing, companies outsourced their customer services to multiple call centers. The costs and the dependence on human interface, thus, added tremendous burden on company funds whereas quality of customer servicing continued to drop. Users expected faster services and access through multiple channels like the Internet and mobile phones. From an IT perspective, this translates into data integration across the enterprise and web-based customer and employee portals founded on the fundamentals of a Service Oriented Architecture (SOA).

Roopal is an Online Marketing Professional from http://www.infogain.com, an IT Services Company, writes blog, content, and articles. She writes marketing col-laterals and advice to Visit her web page for your concerns regarding Self Service Portals and for Retail POS Systems

Author: Roopal Bhatia
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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Microsoft Windows is the most popular computer operating systems on the market today. Used for both work and home computers this popularity though makes that operating system a big target for individuals who wish to cause malice and harm to our PC’s via thing such as malware and viruses. This does not mean other operating systems are immune to their actions, it just means that when something is coded and placed online for innocent people to accidentally come across it is much more likely going to become a bigger threat and there are other vulnerabilities out there.

How does malware get on my computer?

One of the most common ways malware get onto your computer is via Java and Flash plugins. Normally, these small programs allow for some pretty sophisticated graphics, but in the wrong hands fancy graphics may not be the only thing run on your computer. Your best defense there is simply to keep these programs up to date. Regular updates come out from the company when they fix these vulnerabilities.

Second, the browser you use to surf the web could have openings that allow malware in. Once again the more popular the browser the more likely someone will try to find a exploit in the programming. Once again the best defense you have is keeping yourself up to date. Doing this will help to fix exploits in the programming code and stop malware infecting your computer.

Lastly, downloading programs from sites and resources that are not trusted. This is one problem that cannot be fixed by offering some updates. This is something that you have to do yourself. instead of malicious coders taking advantage of errors in the programming of a software, they rely on people not giving enough thought to simply downloading something off the internet or being unaware of the possible consequences. If you don’t trust a site and you download and install something from that source you are pretty much playing computer Russian roulette. Only download from sites that are trusted.

How do I know if I am infected by malware

#1 A sudden drop in computer performance is an indication.

#2 Constant warning and pops about viruses, trojans and malware start appearing every minute and its impossible to your computer. These are usually fake and generated by malware but you you need to scan your computer to make sure.

#3 The network activity light and the disk activity light are flashing away all the time even when you are not using the computer. This is an indication that something is at work and if is not you, what is it?

How Can I stop malware getting on my PC?

While we cannot protect our computers from all the problems out there we can take steps to prevent more problems than there should be. So Just keep your computer up to date and only download from sites that are trusted.

here is how to stop malware infecting your computer

#1 Run windows update. This will patch both windows and internet explorer against any holes.

#2 Consider using another browsers besides internet explorer, such as firefox which is more secure and less open to being attacked.

#3 Ensure your antivirus is not just installed but switched on. Some malware will pretend to be genuine anti-spyware or antivirus and turn your own antivirus off and even disable it and in some cases uninstall it and prevent you even downloading it again.

#4 Run a full system health check with third party software. You can usually get free trials of software that will check for spyware, adware and damaged and malicious registry entries and doing this can help protect your computer from malware for good.

Doing this and following these steps to stop malware infecting your computer and make your computer run fast and error free.

Here is the answer to Stop Malware Infecting Your Computer this will make your PC faster, just click here.

Author: James Randell
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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Everyone who owns a PC knows that PC repairs are a routine requirement. Still, by routine backing up, by using surge protection, by installing latest anti virus software, and keeping the security system updated, PC repair needs can be reduced.

Data backup is something all PC owners should do on a routine basis. Data backup does not totally eliminate the possibility of PC repairs because a computer may break down even if the data is safely stored somewhere else. But it will substantially influence the repair solutions that the user may seek.

If a PC user can make backing up of data in a USB flash drive a daily habit, even if his PC crashes only a few hours of work would be lost. An eSATA interface, with or without RAID capability, will also work well as a storage device. Those who find these external devices cumbersome can store data online as well. Online storage facilities are one step ahead than removable disks in helping data storage and thereby reducing repairs needs.

Many storage sites allow free storage up to a certain limit and charge a monthly or annual fee for storage beyond that. One benefit of online storage is that the system can be set up to do the backing up on its own at fixed intervals. Further, since the data stored online can be accessed from anywhere, even when a persons PC breaks down, he can access data from any public place and continue the work without interruption.

When data is continuously stored in duplicate at an additional location, PC repair in the form of data recovery will never be needed in the case of a computer crash. The software used for data recovery is expensive and if the disk damage is more extensive, the charges will further increase. This can be completely avoided with the use of a regular backup. All the user may need to do is buy a fresh hard disk.

Using a surge protector as well can reduce PC repairs. The device will protect the computer from thunder/lighting strikes and power surges due to heavy winds or rains. Since microprocessors are highly sensitive to voltage fluctuations, getting stable current is important for the smooth functioning of a PC and preventing computer crashes that will necessitate repair.

There are plenty of anti virus programs in the market and every PC user must have one installed in his machine. For choosing the right program he can take guidance from his PC repair technician. The update option of the program should be kept open so that it receives regular updates and become increasingly effective against new viruses.

The computer firewall should be kept enabled to prevent intrusion from unwelcome sources, and to prevent them access to information contained in the machine. Most operating systems have built-in firewalls but if your PC is part of a network, it will be more vulnerable to interference from external sources, and resultant PC repair requirements. To counteract this, you can have an additional hardware based firewall as well.

If all these are taken care of, PC repairs will not be a frequent necessity.

PCSoft is a Sydney based computer support, PC repairs, maintenance, and Services Company and provides same day onsite support, repair and service anywhere in Sydney. We can send a computer technician to your home or office for onsite assistance and PC repair today.

Author: Sunil Punjabi
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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An efficient and error free operation is the goal of any administrator that is setting up a computer network. Ensuring the smooth running and passing of data without errors or loss of connections is a prerequisite for any decent functioning network system.

There are some fundamental things that can be carried out to minimise risk of encountering problems further down the line. A decent network server is a must, as is an efficient router but there is one piece of technology often overlooked in computer networking – the network time server.

The importance of correct computer network time only becomes apparent when something goes wrong. When an error does occur (and without adequate time synchronization it is a matter of when not if) it can be next to impossible to pin down what caused in and where. Just imagine all the error logs on the different machines all with timestamps telling a different time, finding out where and when the error occurred can be near impossible – and that’s before you can even get round to fixing it.

Fortunately most network administrators appreciate the value of synchronization and most ensure the network receives a time signal from across the Internet. However, many administrators are unaware of the vulnerabilities this may cause throughout the network.

By using an online time server, a UDP port (123) needs be kept open which can be an open gate to malicious programs and users. Furthermore, there is no authentication of the online time server so the signal could be hijacked or just be inaccurate.

A dedicated network time server running the protocol NTP (Network Time Protocol) will operate externally to the network and receive the time from an atomic clock source directly (through radio or GPS) making NTP servers, secure, accurate and reliable.

Richard N Williams is a technical author and specialist in atomic clocks, telecommunications, NTP and network time synchronisation helping to develop dedicated NTP clocks. Please visit us for more information about an NTP server or other NTP time server solutions.

Author: Richard N Williams
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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Windows 7, Microsoft’s latest Operating System, is due to be released on October 22, 2009. Much of the appearance of Vista has been retained and the basic functionality of Vista is improved in Windows 7. Windows 7 has been designed to be compatible with Windows Vista’s hardware, applications, and device drivers.

So what is new with Windows 7? Microsoft has banished the Quick Launch toolbar to replaced it with an improved taskbar featuring large icons and the ability to pin shortcuts to it. The icons are larger to enable Windows 7 users to take advantage of Touch Screen monitors.

Three new features improve windows functionality:

· Aero Peek – click or hover over this button to turn windows transparent in order to show the desktop. This feature replaces the ‘Show Desktop’ shortcut in the Quick Launch toolbar.

· Aero Shake – Highlight a window with the mouse, then shake it – all open windows will minimize. Shake again to return to open document view.

· Aero Snap – drag a window to the left or right of the screen to latch to the side – repeat the other side for two tiled documents side-by-side. Drag to the top to maximize and drag away to restore.

Changes have been made to familiar concepts – all security errors and system notifications have been consolidated into one area, the Windows Action Centre. The user has more freedom to customize how messages are handled in Windows 7.

You may be surprised to learn that some familiar applications are now missing from the Windows 7 installation – Calendar, Photo Gallery and even Windows Mail. All are part of Windows Live Essential Applications, available to download from Microsoft’s website. This may at first sound odd; why would Microsoft omit these? The reason is simple – these applications, by being separate, are easier to update than if they were still integrated into the Operating System. Another change will be affecting European users – due to legal challenges from the EU, Windows 7 in Europe will lack the standard MS Internet Explorer browser. Browsers will have to be loaded from alternative media sources such as CDs in order to gain access to the Internet.

First impressions suggest a sleeker, faster Operating System in Windows 7, with more polish than Vista. Microsoft appears to have listened to criticisms and delivered what they failed to do with Vista.

If you want to learn more and see Windows 7 in action, visit Windows 7 Ready to Upgrade?

Author: Sandy Peaks
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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I would love to tell you that I have a silver bullet to stop your spam problem. Unfortunately, one does not exist. Yes, there are hardware and software solutions that are getting pretty good, but there is a cost there.

Unfortunately, there is no easy, inexpensive remedy; once on a spammers list, you’ll be fighting it forever. They trade, barter or sell their list to other spammers and you can never get off. A change of address is the only sure way. A host of anti spam products will certainly help, but you will always have to wade thru the junk folder to see if there is a “false positive” in there that you want; and learn to “whitelist” friends, colleagues and discussion lists that you do want.

Some email providers are more prone to spam than others. This is because of a technique known as “Directory Harvesting”. Gmail is especially prone to this and many people have found they are getting spam just from signing up, without ever having sent or received an email!

Spammers know about Gmail and its popularity. Directory Harvesting is the process of sending email to every possible combination of letters with the @domainname after it.

Again it’s a matter of payoff for the spammers. They know it’s popular so they can write a program to send emails to practically every combination of common names with the @gmail suffix (I’m deliberately leaving off the .com) and know that a high percentage will be real email addresses.

After they hit the common names, they will go after other combinations. Therefore, it might help if you create an email like j#smith@gmail instead of jsmith@gmail. Unfortunately, this might also confuse the people you want to share email with and maybe even trigger their spam filter into labeling your email as spam.

Why, you ask? Because spammers many times change their “from” address daily, again using random characters, so as to foil your attempt to “blacklist” them! (Better anti spam software will allow you to block an entire domain, but many block just individual addresses.)

If you have a new email address and want to stay clean or at least want to prevent your problem from getting any worse, I have some recommendations for you to follow.

7 Steps to Prevent Spam from finding you

1. Guard your email address. Don’t give it out everywhere. Use throw away free addresses (msn, gmail, yahoo) whenever possible. Perhaps a second email account specifically for online shopping or even free subscriptions. There are also sources of temporary email addresses good for a few minutes or days.

• mailinator.com
• 10minuteemail.com
• maileater.com

These are just a sample, many more such services are out there. Always use SiteAdvisor, a free service from McAfee, when searching for a service like this (or any searching for that matter). Go to “green” sites only. (See http://www.freecomputerconsultant.com/siteadvisor.html for details on SiteAdvisor.)

Give out your real email only to trusted people or companies.

2. Beware of friends and family members that send out emails to large groups without using “BCC” or blind carbon copy. Those emails then get forwarded on and on, with YOUR email address there to be harvested from any of those computers that happen to be infected. If you know someone is a problem, give them your gmail, yahoo, or msn address instead of your good one.

3. NEVER put your email address on the web in it’s normal format. Use some kind of camouflage, at minimum “nameabcxyz@domain.com” with a note to remove the abcxyz. Something. Be creative. This goes for newsgroups especially.

4. Be courteous of other peoples email address. Learn to use BCC (blind carbon copy) and when forwarding emails, strip out all extraneous information, especially email addresses. Then encourage them to do the same for you.

5. NEVER open an email you know is spam. Many emails include “phone home” programming that lets the spammer know that yours was a valid address when opened. That’s in addition to the risk of virus, spyware and even serious damage to your computer’s usability.

6. NEVER click on the “remove me from your list” in a spam email. Again, that won’t get you off the list, just confirm that yours is a real address so they can send you more.

7. Protect your computer. Always use up to date anti virus software and scan regularly for other types of spyware/malware. Some malicious software programs are designed to scan your address book and other areas of your PC looking for email addresses to add to their owners spam list.

Software and Hardware Spam Filters

These filters, which can be expensive if hardware based, can certainly reduce spam significantly. But no matter what you do, there is always the chance that a filter will create a “false positive”, that is, mark a good email as spam.

What that means is that you won’t see that email unless you go looking for false positives in some kind of special folder or quarantine area.

For this reason, I absolutely do not recommend any email or spam filtering service that does not give you access to suspected spam – no filter is perfect.

And last but not least, try not to get too attached to your email address – just in case you need to do a “change of address”. Unfortunately, sometimes that’s the only option.

My website has additional information on Home Computer Security

Roger DeReu has been working with PC’s, as a programmer, IT specialist and independent consultant, since 1984. He currently consults primarily with small and medium sized businesses in the Midwest. He is a Microsoft Certified Professional and Small Business Specialist. http://www.FreeComputerConsultant.com was originally created to be a free resource for the employees of his clients to have access to his knowledge for benefit of their home PC’s.

Sign up for his free weekly e-zine, Tip-Of-The-Week, at http://www.freecomputerconsultant.com/e-zine.html

Author: Roger DeReu
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Excise Tax

In this small article we will give you SAP BO integration example with C# code. Service Management System uses Microsoft CRM Case object to store service hours. Integration pulls Customer Number, Billable Time, Unit Price, Service Description and Item number from various MS CRM 3.0 objects, such as Activity, User Name, Account and sends them into staging table ALBATIMELOG and from there it sends these fields into SAP B1. Integration is implemented as SAP Business One SDK application – please refer to your SAP B1 reseller to help you with your specific integration challenges

This specific case proves you that you can deploy SAP Business One as back end ERP solution for Servicing company: repair and maintenance, contracts, project organization, field service, consulting, auto-repair shops, communication, telephony, utilities maintenance, etc. SAP Business One supports multicurrency, integration to SAP mySAP, SAP all-in-one, R/3, plus we know cases when SAP B1 is integrated with Microsoft ERP systems, such as Microsoft Great Plains Dynamics GP, Oracle eBusiness Suite/Financials – this is especially important for multinational companies, opening manufacturing or distribution facilities in Brazil.

Below is application code, you should create is as C# console application project in MS Visual Studio

using Microsoft.VisualBasic;

using System;

using System.Collections;

using System.Data;

using System.Diagnostics;

using System.Data.SqlClient;

namespace ConsoleApplication2

{

sealed public class OrderApp

{

public static DataTable TableLines; // the datasource of the datagrid called DataLines.

public static SAPbobsCOM.Documents oOrder; // Order object

public static SAPbobsCOM.Documents oInvoice; // Invoice Object

public static SAPbobsCOM.Recordset oRecordSet; // A recordset object

public static SAPbobsCOM.Company oCompany; // The company object

// Error handling variables

public static string sErrMsg;

public static int lErrCode;

public static int lRetCode;

static string description, itemnumber, accountNumber;

public static void Main()

{

int docNumber=0;

OrderApp.oCompany = new SAPbobsCOM.Company();

OrderApp.oCompany.Server = “localhost”; // change to your company server

OrderApp.oCompany.language = SAPbobsCOM.BoSuppLangs.ln_English; // change to your language

OrderApp.oCompany.UseTrusted = true;

OrderApp.oCompany.CompanyDB = “TEST_SAPBO_ALBA_US”;

OrderApp.oCompany.UserName = “manager”;

OrderApp.oCompany.Password = “manager”;

OrderApp.oCompany.Connect();

Console.WriteLine(“Company is: “+OrderApp.oCompany.CompanyName);

SqlConnection connection = new SqlConnection();

connection.ConnectionString = “Integrated Security = true;Data Source = CRMSERVER; Initial Catalog = CRMCUSTOMIZATION;”;

connection.Open();

SqlCommand command = new SqlCommand();

command.CommandType = System.Data.CommandType.Text;

command.CommandText = “SELECT * FROM ALBATIMELOG”;

command.Connection = connection;

SqlDataReader reader = command.ExecuteReader();

while(reader.Read())

{

decimal billableTime, unitPrice, lineTotal;

double bTime, uPrice;

description=”";

itemnumber=”";

accountNumber=”";

Console.WriteLine(“Record:”);

//reading from timelog

accountNumber=reader.GetSqlString(0).ToString();

billableTime=reader.GetSqlDecimal(1).Value;

unitPrice=reader.GetSqlDecimal(2).Value;

lineTotal=reader.GetSqlDecimal(3).Value;

description=reader.GetSqlString(4).ToString();

itemnumber=reader.GetSqlString(5).ToString();

//add fields

bTime=(double)billableTime;

uPrice=(double)unitPrice;

Console.WriteLine(billableTime);

Console.WriteLine(billableTime.ToString());

Console.WriteLine(unitPrice.ToString());

Console.WriteLine(lineTotal.ToString());

Console.WriteLine(description.ToString());

Console.WriteLine(itemnumber.ToString ());

Console.WriteLine();

//Adding order

OrderApp.oOrder = ( ( SAPbobsCOM.Documents )( OrderApp.oCompany.GetBusinessObject( SAPbobsCOM.BoObjectTypes.oOrders ) ) );

// set properties of the Order object

OrderApp.oOrder.CardCode = accountNumber;

OrderApp.oOrder.HandWritten = SAPbobsCOM.BoYesNoEnum.tNO;

SAPbobsCOM.Recordset rs = null;

// Create the next Order number

object sSQL = “SELECT TOP 1 DocNum FROM dbo.ORDR ORDER BY DocNum DESC”;

rs = ( ( SAPbobsCOM.Recordset )( OrderApp.oCompany.GetBusinessObject( SAPbobsCOM.BoObjectTypes.BoRecordset ) ) );

rs.DoQuery( System.Convert.ToString( sSQL ) );

while ( !( ( rs.EoF ) ) )

{

docNumber=System.Convert.ToInt32( rs.Fields.Item( 0 ).Value ) + 1;

rs.MoveNext();

}

// Default Currency

string dfcurrency=”";

sSQL = “SELECT MainCurncy FROM dbo.OADM”;

rs = ( ( SAPbobsCOM.Recordset )( OrderApp.oCompany.GetBusinessObject( SAPbobsCOM.BoObjectTypes.BoRecordset ) ) );

rs.DoQuery( System.Convert.ToString( sSQL ) );

while ( !( ( rs.EoF ) ) )

{

dfcurrency= System.Convert.ToString(rs.Fields.Item( 0 ).Value);

rs.MoveNext();

}

OrderApp.oOrder.DocNum = docNumber;

OrderApp.oOrder.DocDate = System.DateTime.Today;

OrderApp.oOrder.DocDueDate = System.DateTime.Today.AddDays(30);

OrderApp.oOrder.DocCurrency = dfcurrency;

OrderApp.oOrder.Lines.ItemCode = itemnumber;

OrderApp.oOrder.Lines.ItemDescription = description;

OrderApp.oOrder.Lines.Quantity = bTime;

OrderApp.oOrder.Lines.Price = uPrice;

OrderApp.oOrder.Lines.TaxCode = “00″;

OrderApp.oOrder.Lines.LineTotal = uPrice*bTime;

//ATTENTION – you should NOT add last row!!!

//OrderApp.oOrder.Lines.Add();

OrderApp.oCompany.GetLastError( out lErrCode, out sErrMsg );

lRetCode = OrderApp.oOrder.Add(); // Try to add the order to the database

if ( lRetCode != 0 )

{

OrderApp.oCompany.GetLastError( out lErrCode, out sErrMsg );

}

}

}

}
}

Andrew Karasev, Alba Spectrum Group. São Paulo – SP – Brazil +55-11-3444-4949, help@albaspectrum.com or skype: albaspectrum, US: 1-630-961-5918 or 1-866-528-0577, http://www.albaspectrum.com, [http://www.enterlogix.com.br]

Author: Andrew Karasev
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Import duty tariff

Essential to peace of mind is protecting the PC and your online privacy. When connected to the web, your work and data is open to attacks of various kinds including harmful downloads. A simple game, picture, or program may be the vehicle for malevolence. So, you need to check whether every file that you download, open, or save, is safe or whether there are irregularities of any kind.

Protect your PC by:

o Blocking hackers and viruses by installing the latest firewall and antivirus software. It is advisable to install a software firewall even if you have a hardware firewall in your system. A software firewall is designed to query whether or not it should permit “X,” access. The user can specify which applications can access the port and which cannot. A bi-directional firewall such as ZoneAlarm3 and Personal Firewall 5 will monitor both inbound and outbound traffic preventing Trojans and backdoor programs from functioning.

o Block downloads that install unwanted programs by using the options in Internet explorer to block all software from source X specified by you.

o Install software programs that will constantly scan your PC for spyware, adware, dialers, and web bug traces which can create a nuisance and cause crashes, slow down systems, or steal financial information. By adding a schedule you can instruct NoAdware to automatically scan your PC at set times for in-filtrations.

o Immunize your PC and prevent malicious add ons to your system.

o Configure your PC browser to protect you when you are working online. Use a ‘real time shield’ and prevent intrusions. Be sure to click the “protect IE Favorites” box and ensure that no thief can add an URL without your permission to your browser’s favorites list. This will block offensive and dangerous websites from entering your PC environs.

o Say “no” to any web address or site that instructs you to download specific software to view their pages. Such software can contain a virus, Trojan horse, or auto dialer.

o Create a regular back up schedule for your work. Once a week is ideal if you are a virtual worker or running a business. This will minimize any damage should problems arise.

o Be sure to update your software with the latest patches and bug fixes. Then use the updated or enhanced security settings provided by the updates. There are in built ways which you can operate to block damaging viruses, stamp out cookies, and keep unwanted visitors away from your computer system. The method is easy for example if you are using Internet Explorer just go to Tools-Internet Options-Privacy tab. Click the edit button to accept or reject a specific cookie. Go to the advanced settings and check block third party cookies.

o Scan all downloaded files before use. Never launch executable or scriptable files namely those that have dot.exe; .bat ;.doc; .vbs extensions. Do not access attachments of any kind before they are certified as safe.

o Remove file sharing and windows printer options these increase vulnerability of the PC.

o Encrypt your e-mail and embed an identifying key.

Better be sure than sorry. Preventing snoops is easier than trying to recover after an attack. Take informed steps to protect yourself and your PC.

Paul Wilson is a freelance writer for http://www.1888Discuss.com/software-download/, the premier REVENUE SHARING discussion forum for Software Download Forum including topics on all about software, download, spyware, freeware, shareware and more. He also freelances for the premier Software Download Site http://www.1888SoftwareDownloads.com

Author: Paul W Wilson
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
News of Solar Power and Alternative Engery

Organizations are commonly using access control systems which require employees to access secure areas of buildings by using proximity cards to gain approval. The proximity card is provided to each employee and it contains a unique identifier that is read by a card reader and transmitted to the access control software in the central computer. The internal database that is housed in the computer where the software resides is the guide that the access control software uses to allow access or deny the request.

Proximity cards are contactless integrated circuit devices. The cards are often called proximity cards or smart cards. A popular brand is made by HID, hence the name HID prox card. These cards provide access control to secure facilities, personal computers, computer networks and other restricted areas that can be controlled by the access system.

In a unique custom ID, the information is able to be read by the computer after it is transmitted by the card-reader to the software capable or reading the interpreting the information. Sometimes a password is required in combination of swiping a smart card to verify the authentication of the user. The card-reader extracts the information available in the prox card when it is swiped.

Some smart cards must make direct contact with the card reader for transmission to occur. Other readers can extract the information when the card is held close to the reader. Contact is not required for this transmission.

Proximity cards are able to be used on card readers located on a personal computer, inside or outside a door, on computer systems or other areas that a company requires limited access. The reader can run off or a power source, a 12 volt, 24 volt or USB power supply.

Once the information is transmitted to the computer software, the software begins analyzing the database on file for the card holder’s information. Once it is located, the software scans the database for additional specific information that would allow or deny access. If approved, the software is capable of sending an electronic message to the locked item and it is opened for the card holder to enter. If not approved, some systems do not return any response, while others will issue a denial.

Catherine Williams writes articles for the business security field. Learn more about plastic card printer and other ID card printers at SafeCard ID, an integrator of secure id card systems.

Author: Catherine A Williams
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
US Dollar credit card

Internet crime is becoming increasingly popular among organized crime groups because it is very difficult to catch them at it. More and more people are becoming victims of identity threat and fraud, among other things. Like most people these days, you may use the internet for increasing variety of transactions. It is used not just for entertainment, but also for communication as well as doing financial transactions from the comfort of one’s home. If you are aware of the dangers you are exposed to on the internet, you would have equipped your computer with malware protection.

Malware protection is nothing but a computer program that protects your computer by identifying and then destroying any viruses it finds. There is a lot of malware protection available in the market that you could buy or download free of cost. However, your computer may be infected in spite of having a good malware protection.

This could happen for a variety of reasons. The first could be that your protection has not identified a particular program as malware. If it has not done so, then it will not destroy it. Malware are designed extremely well, and the best ones will not even hamper your computer’s operation. You will not even be aware of their existence. They will merely bypass your antivirus protection. Phantom viruses, for example, keep changing their signature so that they cannot be detected.

Another reason your malware protection will not work is that there is one system that can fully solve your problem. Each system has its strengths and drawbacks and these are exploited by malware to gain access to your system.

There are a few steps you can take to make your malware protection work better. Firstly you will have to run more than one, so that one makes up for the other ones shortcomings. This will create layers of anti-virus security for your system. You will also have to update your anti-virus protection frequently. Once a week, would be a better option. Online security forums will give you lots of information about which combinations of malware protection works best in specific circumstances.

In addition to this, you will have to be careful about which sites you visit and where you click. Do not open emails from unknown sources, especially if they have attachment files. It is best to reduce your exposure to computer viruses and other malware by being very careful.

Author: Rizvana Abdul
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Creditcard Currency Conversion Fee