Computers and Technology

What is a virus?

A virus is a self-replicating piece of software which usually sends itself to other computers via email or the Internet. It does not require human intervention. Its purpose is to either replicate, cause computer damage, or both. It typically comes from infected emails or documents and can either do its damage right away, or be like a ticking time bomb waiting for the special day to activate.

Examples of viruses:

Boot viruses such as Michelangelo and Disk Killer load when the computer reads the disk. This type of virus is extremely difficult to get rid of.

Program viruses attach themselves to the executable programs on the computer and replicate themselves to all executables on the hard drive. Again, these are very difficult to remove. Examples include the Sunday Virus and Cascade Virus.

Stealth viruses manipulate file sizes to avoid detection. Examples include the Whale virus and the Frodo virus.

Polymorphic viruses change when they replicate so they don't look the same to antivirus software or humans attempting to find them. Examples include the Stimulate virus and Virus 101.

Macro Viruses infect Microsoft Office documents (and others) and infects the normal.dot file (the template that opens with Word when you don't open a file). These viruses infect every document that is opened in the program, and replicates itself to other computers when infected files are shared. Examples include the DMV and Nuclear viruses.

Viruses also got really good at doing something else: disabling anti-virus software. Not only could this particular virus do its dirty deeds after this event, but other malware could also infect the computer without fear of being caught. As a matter of fact, on many routine service calls I would observe that the little anti-virus software icon near the clock disappeared, and the computer user never even noticed the difference (at least until I pointed it out!).

What is Spyware?

Spyware is a general term for malware that is installed on a computer by infected pages on the Internet, or comes from software and other packages that was installed on the computer by the user. Incorrectly labeled as viruses, spyware has proliferated over the last 8-10 years (since about 2000) and has caused many computer users to have major headaches, causing computer reformats and file loss. This type of software is what this document is going to concentrate on.

Spyware can come in the form of Ad-ware, Hijackers, tracking cookies (although not all tracking cookies are bad), rogue security software, ransom-ware (an advanced rogue security software), and keyloggers. New types of spyware include rootkits which can be very difficult, if not impossible to remove from a computer system. I will speak more on that later. The primary point of spyware, however, is that it is a piece of software installed on a computer system without the user's consent or knowledge, and is typically very difficult (or seemingly difficult) to remove.

Many spyware programs are installed by way of Trojans where a piece of software is installed on the computer from the Internet. The spyware is installed unknowingly by the user at the same time as the "software" giving the malware free reign of the computer. Software that installs this way includes free screensavers, free games, programs from torrents, programs from file sharing (such as Limewire), and other rogue software.

Other spyware programs are installed by way of infected web pages. If you see a page with a popup that comes up and says something like "Warning: Your computer is infected with 99999 viruses. Click here to perform a scan of your computer," you are witnessing an infected web page and rogue software that is trying to get on your computer.

Ad-ware includes pop-ups, pop-unders, and other advertisements that appear on a computer by way of software that is unknowingly installed on the system. The primary purpose of adware is to get users to click on advertisements which earn money for the person that made the software.

Hijackers (browser hijackers) literally hijack a web browser and take the user to places other than where the user wanted to go. Most of the time even the homepage gets hijacked. Again, the purpose of a hijacker is money - when users click on the links on the hijacked page, the malware maker receives a payout. Hijackers operate technically at several different levels including registry changes, Hosts file changes, browser add-on changes, LSP (Layered Service Protocol) Hijacks, and homepage changes. Removing browser hijackers can result in browser connectivity loss which requires additional (and more experienced) diagnostics and cleaning.

Keyloggers can determine what the user is doing on the computer and record the keystrokes of the user while logging into banking pages, eBay, Paypal, and other websites important to the user. The keylogger software then transmits this information to the "Home" server (also known as "calling home") where the bad guys can decipher the information and use it to gain user credit card, banking, and other identity stealing information.

Rogue security software and their more dangerous cousins, ransom-ware, are the latest types of malware to cause problems for computer users. The rogue security software pretends to be useful security software, and is generally installed by way of infected web pages in the form of a popup that states the computer is infected with so many thousands of viruses (also known as drive-by download). This scares the user into clicking on Scan Now or OK, which really just installs the malware. The software doesn't actually detect anything at all, even though it says it does. It then offers to clean the computer for the price of the software. Paying for the software just changes the routine a bit, with the software stating it cleaned all of the infections. Examples of this malware include Spy Sheriff (one of the originals), Antivirus 2009, Antivirus 2010, Security Tool, and Security Essentials 2010.

Ransom-ware is similar in nature to rogue security software, but the effects are much worse. Not only does it want to be paid for, but it will not allow for proper operation of the computer until it does get paid for. Even worse, some of the malware of this type also encrypts all of the data files on the computer - documents, pictures, music, everything, with a 128 bit key that only the programmer knows. Recovering the data is nearly impossible unless the data was backed up onto an external drive, or the user pays the ransom. This software is installed in the same manner as the rogue security software.

The nature of malware programs and why anti-virus software cannot protect you in many cases.

Malware is created by people that understand computers, operating systems, and browsers MUCH better than the average Joe, AND know how to program the computer - and they can be located anywhere in the world. They make their creations, test them, and then send them out of the nest to fly (and infect) on their own. The malware is tested against every browser and operating system the bad guys can get their hands on, and they do their best to take advantage of ANY security holes still available in the software and operating systems.

Many times they learn about these security holes from other hackers, and sometimes they even learn about them from other people that just find them without any intent to harm. Then the malware creators advertise their infected web pages on search engines, or maybe purposely misspell a popular domain name, or upload (some great looking, but infected, software that promises the world to the user) on a website or possibly even a shareware site. The software starts to infect computers, slowly.

What about the antivirus companies? Well, the antivirus and anti-spyware companies (Norton, Mcafee, Trend, AVG, Avast, Webroot, Spybot, Ad-aware, and now Microsoft, etc.) do not even know about this software yet. That is because no one has reported it to those companies. The bad guys are, well, really bad! They don't tell the anti-malware companies that they are releasing this new software!

However, once the antivirus companies start getting reports of the new malware, they request samples and the sources (where it came from). Then they can start taking them apart (reverse engineer) as needed and work on updating their program definitions so their software can fight the infections.

Definitions are the bits of code that the good-guy software uses to compare the code on the hard drive to and determine whether it is bad software or not. Definitions need to be constantly updated so the good guys can fight the bad guys. Years ago, definitions were updated about once a week. Now many companies update them once a day, or even more.

Now that the malware has been "in the wild" (on the Internet) for some time, the good guys have a chance to update their definitions and possibly update their software (if necessary) to fight the malware. Does that mean that it will remove all of the infections all of the time going forward? NO! There may still be problems with the removal routines, and sometimes the removal routines do not even improve for many weeks, or even months. Other problems can occur because the good software is not able to stop the bad software from running when the computer is on (known as processes). Rootkits are especially good at hooking themselves into the operating system - they can even run in Safe Mode.

Anti-virus software may not help! If the user (you, or a relative, friend, etc) gives the okay to install a program (ANY program) on your computer, your antivirus software will not be able to stop the installation, even if it has a Trojan in tow. No matter what anti-virus software you use, even the "rated-best" software, cannot stop the infection from installing!

Can you see how this is a never-ending, vicious cycle? Can you see how and why your antivirus software will not be able to protect you? Does this mean you should stop using anti-virus software? No, I think not. Anti-virus software CAN help protect you in some cases, and it CAN help remove infections and alert you to changes in your operating system that should not occur. But, it is NOT a cure-all for virus infections, nor can it prevent them from occurring!

HOW do you protect yourself from these bad, nasty infections:

1) EDUCATION and Common Sense must be used on the Internet. That's right - YOU have power to stop these infections dead in their tracks with no ifs, ands, or buts. If something doesn't feel right about what you see on the screen, don't do it!! Don't press the button.

2) ALWAYS keep Windows and your Anti-Malware software updated - it can't fight what it doesn't know! Only run ONE anti-virus software program. Multiple anti-spyware scanners may be used, however (like Ad-Aware and Spybot Search and Destroy, for example).

3) Use a software firewall. Windows 7 comes with an adequate firewall that monitors incoming AND outgoing connections. The Windows firewall in Vista and XP are passable but do not monitor outgoing connections (like when spyware tries to "call home") Check out a free firewall like Comodo Firewall with antivirus - it's free and it works great. Again, only one anti-virus (and one firewall), okay?

4) When you are browsing, stay away from porn sites, hacker sites, party poker sites, and any sites with funny characters or where the domain name (such as google.com) does not make sense. When you are doing searches on the Internet, be careful what you are clicking on. Don't just click a site that looks appealing if you don't recognize the domain. Critically think about the way the domain and the rest of the URL looks. If it looks scary, don't go there. Same thing with Facebook and MySpace links! Find another, safer looking place to go (think of URLs like you think of a dark alley - you never know if danger lurks!). You can use a website checker (Symantec and McAfee both have one with their Security Suite and AVG uses one, even with their free anti-virus software) but again, remember that nothing is 100% guaranteed.

5) Here is a way to make the bad pop-up go away (note - this ONLY works if you have NOT clicked anything yet and the malware has not infected your computer): Press the CTRL and ALT buttons (hold them down) and press the DEL (or DELETE) button once. If Windows XP or before, Task Manager will start; if XP (with Quick Logon disabled), Vista or 7, click "Start Task Manager." Make sure the Programs tab is highlighted. Click the all Internet Explorer programs one at a time and click End Task until the bad pop-up goes away, and guess what - You were saved!

6) Some techs advocate unplugging the computer from the power when they see a bad popup like this, or if a laptop, holding the power button for 5 seconds. One caveat to this method, however: this is a hard shutdown, and it can actually ruin your Windows installation and possibly your hard drive. Therefore, I do not personally recommend this method except in a dire emergency. Know the possible consequences however, should you decide to try it!

Other kinds of attacks that the bad guys use to try to get your personal information have nothing to do with installing software on your computer.

Phishing attacks can come from email, or from a rogue web page that is disguised as the real thing. A couple of years ago, rogue emails were sent out to millions of people that looked like they came from their stock broker, bank, PayPal, or eBay. The email stated that the account was in default, or that their password had expired, or scared the user in some other way (this is known as Social Engineering in the computer security world). The user, not thinking about a possible scam, clicked on the link and freely entered all of their personal and banking information into the rogue web page. Needless to say, many people lost a lot of money by not critically thinking about what they were doing, or even looking at the entire domain. Here is an example of a rogue webpage URL: "http:// www. ebay.changepassword.tki.ru". Note that "eBay" is in the URL, but the actual domain is tki.ru - this would be a Russian website, with the page URL disguised as an eBay page. The title could even say something like "eBay - Change Password." ALWAYS know the TRUE domain and NEVER provide personal information unless you typed the URL in yourself, or used a trusted favorite (also known as a bookmark).

"When it comes to software on the Internet, we need to ask ourselves - did it come to me, or did I go to it?"

If it came to you, run away (or close the browser window). If you went to it, you probably knew what you were doing and where you were going.

Another security risk on the Internet:

Craigslist has become hugely popular over the last few years and for many people it works well, but unfortunately it is fraught with scammers as well! Here is the way the scam usually works:

You list something to sell on Craigslist.org. You get an email from someone who is interested (they are usually afraid to call!). The person states they are very interested in the item and want to buy it immediately, sight unseen (a definite warning flag). They offer to send you a Moneygram or cashier's check for much more than the item is worth. You get to keep some extra for your trouble, they say, but they also want you to pay the shipper an extraordinary amount to pick up the item and ship it to the "new" owner. The scam is that you pay your hard earned money for the shipping, lose the item, and to boot the cashier's check turns out to be a fraud. Not a very good day in Craigslist land, was it?

Amazingly enough, someone tried to scam me in much the same way on Craigslist! I had two people email me after I listed an advertisement to repair laptops that said they had 7 laptops to fix, and the laptops were currently out of state. They told me to name my price and they would ship the laptops. The scam was I would get paid with fake money, and I would pay the "shipper" to ship the computers - but, I would be out of my money, there are no real computers to fix, and the fake money would be lost.

Okay, now that you have this great information on what the malware is, how it gets on your computer, why antivirus software cannot protect you from it, and how to stop it if it tries to get on your computer, what do you do if you still get bit?

You could try performing a "Google" search for the symptoms and look for web pages that tell you how to remove the infection. For example, if you have a box that comes up that will not go away, and it calls itself "Security Tool," search for that term on Google. You don't need to go to paid techy sites such as experts-exchange.com; bleepingcomputer.com is a GREAT place to go for advice - a lot of people on that site have tons of experience removing malware and are happy to help for free.

Note that sometimes you are really going to have to get your hands dirty and possibly learn much more about this removal stuff if you want to try it on your own. And, it's a scary world out there.

But, there is always an alternative. You can hire a professional to help you - you can look in the online yellow pages or do an online search, or look in your local phone book. Choose someone that is reasonably priced but not cheap - cheap always comes at a price you may not want to pay. Look for a business that has been around for a while - ask them when you call how long they have been doing this and what the success rate is. Sometimes the computer is so badly infected it really needs to be wiped clean. You will want your data saved, too. The true pro will offer a flat rate to do all of that. Do not be afraid to ask questions - that is part of what you are paying for.

I hope this report has been beneficial to you, and I also hope that it has helped prevent your computer from getting infected at least once or twice. We aren't perfect, and even I have had the "opportunity" to do my own damage control once or twice.

Thank you for reading! Have a great day!

Disclaimer: I do not work for, nor do I have an interest in any of the companies that I have mentioned in this report. All company trademarks are of their respective companies.

The moment your computer connects to the Internet, you're leaving your computer to be exploited by viruses, hackers, and all sorts of malware, even if the computer is unattended! For any computer connected to the Internet, security is a must to defend against online threats.

A good first step is protecting your surfing experience by upgrading or switching your web browser. Always check to see if your web browser has a new version available. A newer version of a browser usually protects fixes the security flaws of a previous version and can add new functionality to increase your web experience. Sometimes, switching to another web browser can offer a better return in security than upgrading it. Switching from Internet Explorer to Firefox is an example. Internet explorer is an extremely popular web browser: over 80% of computer users run this software to browse the Internet. Internet Explorer's popularity is what makes the browser an also popular target for malicious websites and programs to exploit. What makes Internet Explorer and Firefox so different if both just browse the net? Their differences lie all "under the hood" of how the software runs and how tight the code is from flaws and bugs. This is why a security hole can apply in one browser but not in another. Download Firefox free at firefox.com and secure you web surfing. Firefox will take minute or two to download depending on your connection and setting it up is a breeze!

A web browser is a makes up the first level of defense when you're online browsing but what about when you're not browsing? Windows has hundreds of communication ports that deal with internet traffic. You're web browser only deals with a few when its in use. Whats watching over the other ports? Hopefully, you have a firewall because an unprotected port is vulnerable to outside attacks. The reality of this happening to you is very high: a person, without much hacking know-how, can easily sweep a small country for unprotected computers in a few days using special programs and steal and corrupt you data. A firewall closes communication ports not in use; and, for all other open ports, the firewall uses logic to reject traffic from a questionable source. Windows XP comes with its own built-in firewall to protect you from inbound attacks but not from outbound from inside your computer if its already compromised by malware. Luckily you can prevent the latter by simply avoiding websites and downloads known for packing malware. You can complement or even replace your Windows firewall with another dedicated commercial firewall that can protect you from both inbound and outbound attacks.You can research a bit on what each firewall provides and their licenses they give to the end-user to see what appeals to you. With a computer protected by a secure web browser, a powerful firewall, and a careful user, the need for an anti-virus is optional. Just remember a firewall can prevent online attacks, but can't stop infections.

After a web browser and a firewall, an anti-virus program can make up your third layer of defense in fighting an online threat before it can infect your computer. Modern anti-virus programs come with real-time scanning engines to delete a virus once it enters your computer's memory. If you've been using a computer for a while and never ran an anti-virus scan, you may be infected and don't even know it. Some commercial anti-virus companies offer a free diagnoses of your computer through their website and remedies. Its important to know if you're computer is "clean" before trying any computer-safety practices mentioned in this article, or what ever you do won't go as planned. If your computer comes out clean, just have a firewall on and be careful on how you surf the web; you don't have to have a anti-virus and save on computer resources unless you want to! If you're computer is always exposed to questionable files or used by people who aren't as security-savvy as you, then an anti-virus is another must. Take for example if a person is ferrying their work with a flash drive from your computer to a computer at school and back again. School computers are notorious for being virus-ridden because of the many students that recklessly use the computer. If you have people sharing the computer, you should put up an anti-virus to protect the computer from the possibly unsafe surfing habits.Remember though that no anti-virus software can possible catch every virus created. Hundreds are made every month and anti-virus programs can only catch the most common ones. In last ditch efforts in dealing with a virus not detected by an anti-virus, you'll need to back up and scan your important files, reformat your hard drive, and reinstall your operating system. This fact about viruses doesn't put you in immediate danger yet; your computer's chances of catching a rare or a brand-new virus is proportionally small. Follow safe computer practices!

Finally, your last defense is your operating system. Generally, it is the weakest and pretty much the target of hackers and malware but it does give some protection that is well complemented with firewall and anti-virus protection. For example, Windows XP prevents important system files from being changed or deleted to an extent and can disable permissions of regular accounts to edit system settings. Such features can only be found in new versions of Windows. Older versions such as Windows 98 and Windows ME don't benefit from the same security features as Windows 2000, XP, and Vista. Upgrading to a new stable version of Windows is a good thing.

All of the recommendations mentioned lead to a protected and productive computer.

Computers have become an intricate part of our society, that is why most of us will go out and buy a new one every couple of years. Purchasing computers can put a huge hole in our wallets that is why I suggest you upgrade your current computer yourself. It is easy and not time consuming; don't bother paying someone else to do it. There's one computer part that can easily boost your systems performance and give it some extra life. You may now be wondering, how do I go about choosing this part and then putting it into my machine. I will explain.

To increase your machine's performance overall you will need to upgrade your ram, also known as memory. This should not be mistaken with hard drive space. Ram is an important component in your computer to help it run efficiently. It stores the data of the programs you are running at that moment. When you have many programs open and you notice your computer beginning to run very slow, one reason is that you are using up too much ram. Fortunately, there is a solution, and it's easy to do, put more ram into your computer.

There are different types of ram and ram sizes. Generally, most newer home computers utilize DDR-RAM. Understanding the names is irrelevant. Since most home computers use DDR-RAM you can assume yours it too, but to be on the safe side you can check with your manufacturer or find the specifications regarding your computer system. The upgrade size you would find most useful to utilize is 512 mb or 1 gb. Either one should aid in meeting the demands of most of your computer needs. There are also different ram speeds. Most newer computers can handle PC-3200, which is a reasonable speed to choose when upgrading. PC-3200 would be on the box of the ram, you do not need to worry about its meaning.

Next step is to purchase ram. Ram looks like a large green stick of gum. It's small and light, so finding the item then bringing it home is not an issue. The price, depending on your choice, can range from $50.00 to $200.00. All depending on company, quality, and size. Choosing the right one is up to you, the more expensive ones tend to have advanced cooling technology incorporated into them. This can be useful, because overheating causes your computer in general to slow down, but
it is not entirely necessary.

Once you have acquired the ram you need to remove it from its box, remove any protective covers, then we can begin putting it into your computer. First you need to remove the wires from your computer then place the computer on its side. The side of your computer comes off, you just need to find if there is any mechanisms or latches that need to be moved or pushed to unlock the side. Next, you will see a big green board, this is your motherboard, there will be wires and cards coming out of it. You need to find the ram that's already in your computer it is not flat, but standing. Once you find it there should be an open slot next to the ram you currently have. Keep in mind if the computer has not been upgraded yet, there will be an open slot. Carefully place the ram in the slot and apply pressure until it snaps the two locking mechanisms in. Then you can put the case back together, plug in the computer, turn it on, and your performance will noticeably increase. Be sure to clean up your computers hard drive a bit, delete stuff you don't need. This will definitely help a lot
as well.

Cory Henig
Founder/President of XCSystems - http://www.xcsystems.com

Though it is hard to believe, memory is a part of computer that is the easiest to install. But just like all other computer parts one needs to maintain absolute care to make sure nothing goes wrong. The first step naturally is to buy the computer memory that you want to install on your system.

Figure out the type of memory that is required for your computer such as DDR, DDR, SD etc. First of all, switch off the computer, if it is on. Take out all accessories from the various connection ports attached to the computer. Place the cabinet on a working surface to begin. Open the screws of the computer case. Before doing this, the most important thing is to ground yourself first of all. Wear shoes so that there is no chance of getting a shock when you touch the computer.

Remove the cover of the cabinet. You will see a number of empty slots for installing a memory in place. Note the number of empty slots, as the next time you need to install a memory you would how many slots are left. Gently place the memory into the slot and press it; it would snap into place. However, take care not to force it into the slot. If does not snap in conveniently, you might be installing the wrong kind of memory. Take a note of the markings in the slot and get the right type of memory that your computer would be compatible with. Once you get the right one, repeat the procedure as above.

Now that your computer memory has been installed, take some time and dust out your system. Place back the case cover, but do no put up the screws immediately. Reattach the monitor and other accessories, and boot the computer. To test if the computer memory has been installed correctly or not, Go to start, then to Control Panel. Click on system, then under the General tab you will see the option Computer Information. Clicking on this option will display the configuration of the memory installed on your computer. Congratulations! Now your computer will be running much faster than before.

In order to test your computer memory, try using some game that normally slowed down your computer. Besides this, you can try running several programs at a time. Notice how many programs you can run, before it slows down your computer. Buying a memory is not too expensive, so you can easily buy more and install in the same way.

Computer memory is available in various sizes such as 128 MB, 256 MB, 512 MB, 1 GB and more. Install as higher memory as possible and affordable by you, as this will also give you more free slots. So increase the memory, speed as well as efficiency of your computer system by installing the computer memory in the right way.

Our world today is full of electronic devices. We see a lot of them in our homes, in our offices and at shopping malls. Each device has their own characteristic, and they are all equipped with computers embedded deep in their system. These small computers are called single board computers (SBCs).

Single board computers are small circuit boards that contain all the components (i.e. processor, memory, I/O, etc.) necessary to function as a complete digital computer. These computers are actually similar in appearance to your typical desktop computer motherboard, although much smaller. Single board computers are found in many applications we use today. They are often used as the base for personal computers like laptops and notebooks. Single board computers are designed to be integrated with other electronic components to form an industrial machine or an electronic product.

But how can the combination of a processor, memory, and other computer components automate the functions of a specific electronic product or industrial machine? There are actually two phases in the design of embedded single board computers. The first is the design of the computer hardware, and the second is the design of the computer software.

In the hardware design phase, a company in need of a new industrial machine may opt to design their own embedded SBC in-house. They hire engineers to design the SBC for them. Alternatively, they can ask an SBC manufacturer to make an embedded SBC custom-designed for their specific application.

Today, most companies purchase SBCs that are already pre-designed -- often called off-the-shelf SBCs. As opposed to custom SBCs, off-the-shelf embedded SBCs adhere to certain standards that are determined by their form factor. Most common form factors for embedded SBCs are the PC/104, EBX and EPIC form factor.

So how can these off-the-shelf embedded SBCs perform a specific function if they have the same designs? The answer is the software design. For the computer to perform a specific function, a computer program must be developed instructing the computer what to do. Companies usually hire software engineers for this design phase. Embedded SBC manufacturers often provide extensive software support.

Computer PC software is so called in contrast to computer hardware, which encompasses the physical interconnections and devices required to store and execute (or run) the software. Computer software is held in the storage of computers for a very specific purpose and performs the function of the program it implements, either by directly providing instructions to the computer hardware or by serving as an input to another piece of software. PC software is described as the information processed by the systems. Computer PC software is a major form of intellectual property, both from the standpoint of the intellectual creativity required to produce it and the practical and commercial value of good products.

Software is an ordered sequence of instructions for changing the state of the computer hardware in a particular sequence. Software may also be written in an assembly language, essentially, a mnemonic representation of a machine language using a natural language alphabet. Software license gives the user the right to use the software in the licensed environment, some software comes with the license when purchased off the shelf, or OEM license when bundled with hardware. Software may also databases, and computer games. Software can help a small business correspond with its customers, keep track of inventory and even answer the phone and process orders.

Computer software, consisting of programs, enables a computer to perform specific tasks, as opposed to its physical components (hardware) which can only do the tasks they are mechanically designed for. Computer software has to be "loaded" into the computer's storage (such as a hard drive, memory, or RAM). Computers operate by executing the computer program. Computer software, a general term used for computer programs and data. Computer PC software can be classified into two types:Systems software includes basic input-output systems, device drivers etc. Computer users can also create their own computer software, including spreadsheet templates, word processor macros etc.

Copyright in software may be assigned or licensed to others. Copyright and other intellectual property laws protect software created, posted and traded on the Internet. Copyright protection can be claimed without registration or the deposit of copies with the Copyright Office. Copyright law does not protect the ideas and functional elements of software, as does patent law.

System software helps run the computer hardware and computer system. System software enables the users to run computer hardware and computer system including operating system, device drivers, diagnostic tools, servers, windowing systems and some more. Computer software is protected as intellectual property under the US copyright system. "Bundled" software is canned software that is sold with hardware and does not have a separately stated price, and can include operating systems such as DOS, UNIX, OS-2, or System 6. Because embedded software is part of the computer system, machinery, or other equipment, it has no separate acquisition cost and shall not be separately valued apart from the computer system, machinery, or other equipment in which it is housed.

Programming software usually provides tools to assist a programmer in writing computer programs and software using different programming languages in a more convenient way. Programs may be called by one to many other programs; programs may call zero to many other programs. Program and library The term "software" was first used in A program may not be sufficiently this sense by John W. Programs may be software, programming software and called by one to many other programs; application software, although the programs may call zero to many other distinction is arbitrary, and often programs. Programming software provides some useful tools like text editor, compiler, interpreter, linker and debugger etc.

Computer software is big business with millions of research dollars at stake. Computer software is a set of directions or instructions that exist in the form of machine-readable or human-readable code, is recorded on physical or electronic medium and directs the operation of a computer system or other machinery and/or equipment. Computer software is covered by copyright and cannot be used unless it has been legally obtained. Computer software is protected under the federal copyright law which states that, "Users may not make a copy of a piece of software for any other reason than as an archival back-up without permission of the copyright holder.

If you are in the market for a computer, there are a number of factors to consider. Will it be used for your home, your office or perhaps even your home office combo? First off, you will need to set a budget for your new purchase before deciding whether to shop for notebook or desktop computers. Many offices use desktop computers because they are not intended to be moved around a lot. In addition, affordability often plays a large role in someone's decision as to whether to purchase notebook or desktop computers.

While you are shopping around, it's important to keep in mind some of the benefits that go along with owning different types of computers. To that end, this article provides five important reasons to purchase desktop computers.

- PCs are typically much more affordable than notebook computers. With notebooks, you are paying more for the convenience of portability. For as little as $299.00, desktop computers can be purchased from one of the leading manufacturers and a notebook computer for as little as $499.00.

- Unlike notebook computers, replacing a keyboard, mouse, speakers or even a monitor does not require having your computer serviced by a professional repair shop. Because notebook computers have everything built in, including the aforementioned features, it is more difficult to replace a keyboard or monitor as opposed to desktop computers, which operate on external connections.

- In the event of an unlawful entry into your home, PCs are not as likely to be stolen because of their weight and bulk. Notebook computers, on the other hand, are small and portable. This, alone, makes them more appealing to a thief than desktop computers.

- Computers are stationary by nature. Unlike a notebook computer, which can easily be moved from room to room, they are less likely to be dropped or broken because they are not moved as often.

- The vents on desktop PCs are located on the back of the tower, which allows for proper ventilation that will help to prevent the computer from overheating. Notebook computers, on the other hand, feature only one vent on the back with the remaining underneath the base. If placed on a table, the air vents can become blocked and the computer may overheat. If prolonged use leads to overheating, damage may result.

When choosing from the many computers on the market, always make sure that you purchase from a manufacturer who has experience in creating computers. Even though they are more affordable than notebooks, computers are not cheap. With an investment that involves several hundred dollars, you will want to consider the length of time the manufacturer has been in business, their reputation with customers and their warranty.

Additionally, when choosing any system, always look at the potential for future upgrading. As you grow, you will want your computer to grow with you and a part of that will include a slight upgrade from time to time. This is the only way to get the best use of your computers and make sure that your investment is one that lasts for years to come.

Choosing a computer power supply is easy, provided that you are not making the mistakes that other people are making. One of the most common mistakes people made when building their own computer is to neglect the importance of computer power supply. They tend to cut down their budget on computer power supply and get the cheapest one around. If you really care about your computer system, you have to put in some serious effort to choose the best power supply.

The computer power supply is the energy source for the whole computer system. Imagine that you are not eating well for every meal, do you think you can still function well for all your daily tasks?

Power Rating

While people are discussing about the gigabytes of storage, 64 bit processing capabilities and the heavy-duty 3D graphics card, the only thing that required the most attention, but is discussed least is the computer power supply. What they have not realized is that the more powerful a computer become, the more power it needs. If you are building a high-end gaming computer, chances are you may need a 600 - 650W power supply.

Mean Time Between Failure (MTBF)

This refers to the lifespan of the power supply. It represents the average hours the power supply can perform before it fails. Most power supplies will have MTBF ratings of 100,000 hours or more.

Short Circuit Protection

When choosing a computer power supply, make sure that it is equipped with a short circuit protection feature. This is to prevent the computer parts from drawing excessive currents which might cause its internal chips to be burned.

Low Noise

The main reason for a power supply to be noisy is because of its inability to dissipate heat fast. The fan has to work extra hard to maintain the required temperature. When choosing a computer power supply, make sure that it comes with a big powerful 140mm fan or two 80mm fans to effectively dissipate the heat away.

Load Current (Maximum and Minimum values)

Each computer part requires different voltage and current to function. It is important that the power supply can support the various voltage levels and the current supplied.

Maximum load current - The maximum current that the computer part can accept for a particular voltage level

Minimum load current - The minimum current the computer part needs to be functional.

If the part is not getting the minimum load current from the power supply, chances are the power supply is spoiled.

Form Factor

Most of the power supplies in the market are of the ATX form factor. However if you are using a micro ATX computer case, you have to get a micro ATX power supply, else it won't be able to fit inside the case.

Conclusion

Power supply is definitely a computer part that you must pay attention to. When choosing a computer power supply, always get a power supply that has a higher power rating than what your system needs. In addition, unless you are willing to risk your computer to system jeopardizing power spikes and surges, do not ever scrimp on the power supply.

Computer viruses tend to grab our attention. Computer viruses are small software programs that are designed to spread from one computer to another and to interfere with computer operation. These viruses do not generate by themselves. They can spread to other computers and files whenever infected files are exchanged, such as attachments to an e-mail note, download, diskettes or CD. A virus may also send a web address link as an instant message to all the contacts on an infected machine. If something about your computer just isn't quite right, it might mean your computer is infected with a virus. When you share a copy of an infected file with other computer users, running the file may also infect their computers; and files from those computers may spread the infection to yet more computers.

Programmers are beginning to write viruses that change every time they get sent to another computer. Some viruses are programmed to damage the computer by damaging programs, deleting files, or reformatting the hard disk. A program called "Elk Cloner" is commonly credited with being the first computer virus to appear "in the wild" -- that is, outside the single computer or lab where it was created, but that claim is false.

Nonresident viruses immediately search for other hosts that can be infected, infect these targets, and finally transfer control to the application program they infected. The virus stays active in the background and infects new hosts when those files are accessed by other programs or the operating system itself.

Antivirus software can detect nearly all types of known viruses, but it must be updated regularly to maintain effectiveness.If a virus is detected, your antivirus program will quarantine or eliminate it so that it cannot harm your computer. Some viruses try to avoid detection by killing the tasks associated with antivirus software before it can detect them. To help avoid viruses, it's essential that you keep your computer current with the latest updates and antivirus tools, stay informed about recent threats, and that you follow a few basic rules when you surf the Internet, download files, and open attachments. The company that manufactured your antivirus software will provide constant updates as they find new viruses. Norton AntiVirus and McAfee VirusScan are the two best-known antivirus programs for the Microsoft Windows operating systems.

Computer viruses have impacted a significant number of computers over the past few years. Keep in mind that not everything that goes wrong with a computer is caused by a computer virus or worm. Anti-virus products provide important tools for protecting your systems from computer viruses.

In today's environment, millions of people rely on computers to do business, homework, and to dispatch information to others. It is therefore very important to secure the information that we have on our computers. If you are using a computer exclusively, it is your duty to do all you can to reduce computer risks, prevent data loss, and to reduce computer abuse. In the business world, data protection is paramount because a company's data is fast becoming one of the most value asset that any company owns. Keeping your electronic data secure from hackers is therefore most important.

A computer security risk is any action, deliberate or otherwise that could cause lost of information, damage to critical software, or data corruption. Computer security risks also extend to program incompatibilities, or computer hardware obsolescence. Many instances of computer loss or computer damage are planned and are therefore not accidental. Any intentional breach in computer security is said to be a computer crime which is slightly different from a cyber crime. A cyber crime is really an illegal act perpetrated through the Internet, whereas a computer crime will be any illegal behaviour which involves the use of a computer.

There are several distinct groups of people involved in computer crimes and understanding who they are is important. The most popular form of criminal computer acts is broadly known as hacking. In this case, a person uses a network or the Internet to gain illegal access to a computer. Hackers too, have gained much notoriety over the last 10 years because they are seen as representing people who are in rebellion against the systems of society. Some of the more recent names assigned to people posing computer security risks are cracker, cyber-terrorist, cyber-extortionist, unethical employee, script kiddie and corporate spies.

The term hacker was actually used in reference to ordinary people with the ability to break into computer systems legally. However, with the wide-spread use of the Internet, a hacker has now become known for illegal actions. A hacker is defined as someone who accesses a computer or computer network unlawfully. They often claim that they do this to find leaks in the security of a network. Recent developments in computer programming have spawned the term Ethical Hacking. This is an IT-related term for posing as a thief to catch loopholes in your own computer systems. The term cracker has never been associated with something positive this refers to someone how intentionally access a computer or computer network for unlawful or unethical purposes.

A cyber-terrorist is someone who uses a computer network or the internet to destroy computers, websites, or systems for political reasons. The intention here is to cause harm to important systems such as a banking system or a military computer network in order to score political points. Unlike a regular terrorist attack, cyber-terrorism require highly skilled individuals, thousands of dollars to implement, and many months of planning. The term cyber extortionist is used to refer to someone who uses emails or other electronic communication media as an offensive weapon. As an example of this, a cyber-terrorist can access a web-based database, confiscate it, and erase other available copies. They can then demand a ransom for the release of this information.

They could carry out their illegal act by doing other things such as sending a company a very threatening email. The information they may have could be trade secrets, company data, or even personal information about one of the senior officers of the company. By demanding a ransom for not releasing such information through the Internet, they are participating in cyber-terrorism against the company or persons.

Many computer security risks are related directly to disgruntled employees. It is for this reason why many of the top companies in the USA have adopted sections of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. Executives of each public company must take personal responsibility for the security of a company's data in addition to truthfulness in accounting practice. All stake-holders must be assured that the data which a company has about a person such as credit cards must be secure at all times. As the Internet grows, only time will tell what other measures will become necessary to reduce computer risk, thwart cyber-terrorism, and mitigate against the impact of hackers and crackers all over the globe.

When you first purchase a computer, it may possess limited memory. Nevertheless, if you so choose, you can upgrade your computer memory later on down the road. The reasons for upgrading your computer memory may vary, but with the purchase of additional hardware, you can easily upgrade your computer memory when it becomes necessary to do so. Upgrading your memory will help increase the efficiency of your machine and your computer will be able to handle more software applications with greater ease. How can you upgrade your computer memory? Where can you get more memory so that you can have it installed?

You can upgrade your computer memory by purchasing additional memory and then having it installed into your computer tower. You will need to know who manufactured your computer, the precise product line and the model so that you get the correct memory for your computer. There are system scanners available online that can advise you about what kind of model computer you have, who manufactured it and the product line so that you can order the correct memory from a dealer online. Moreover, such scanners can advise of the memory configuration of your computer so that you can easily purchase the correct amount of memory you need.

Once you have determined the type of memory you require you can order a small chip-like device that, once installed, will add more memory to your computer. For example, if you currently have 256 Megabytes of RAM (Random Access Memory) and you want your home computer to run more efficiently, you may want to purchase an additional 256 Megabytes of RAM, which will bring your computer up to 512 Megabytes of RAM. With that amount your computer will work a lot faster, you will be able to manipulate graphics quicker and all of your software applications will work with increased speed.

With an online computer scanner, you can receive recommendations pertaining to the best upgrade for your computer. You may not require the amount of memory you think you need and a scanner can advise you about what is on your system now, and what can be on your system in the future. Further, if you purchase your memory online, you will get a guide that advises you about the proper installation of your new memory.

So, if you can't immediately afford the computer with the amount of memory you may want in the future, there is no need to worry. You can purchase additional memory when you have the funds to do so and install it when you receive your new memory in the mail. Or, if you prefer, you can bring your computer to a knowledgeable professional and have them install the newly ordered memory for you. Computer technicians are skilled at performing computer upgrades, and if your computer doesn't have any existing problems and you have purchased the right type of memory, you should have your computer out of the shop in no time whatsoever.

It attacks your computer like the South American army ant. Tiny, harmless looking critters by themselves, in larger numbers they can cover, kill and dissolve a full grown cow in a matter of hours.

Okay, maybe not exactly like that. But, wood shop and machine shop owners are experiencing the devastating effect manufacturing dust can have inside their shop computers. And they are looking for answers.

It doesn't take much to ruin your day, especially, when metallic dust meets sensitive electronic components. Electricity chooses to travel in the shortest route possible, and little bridges of metal dust make great short cuts. Zap! WRRrrrrrr...

And wood dust makes a great insulating blanket. That's okay if you're lost in a big wood bin and freezing to death, but to a hard working computer it can be bad news. Heat sinks and fans attempt to dissipate the heat from within your computer, but a layer of dust can reduce or prevent this transfer of heat. Also, computer fans can malfunction when dust and grime are allowed to build up. Things heat up. Computers die. Data is lost. Business suffers.

Okay, what's the answer then? How do you protect your computer from dust?

The actions you are willing and able to take to protect your computer equipment from dust depend on a large number of individual circumstances. Regardless of your situation, I recommend you take a three-front defensive position and optimize for each of the following areas:

o Computer room environment

o Protective computer dust barriers

o Computer maintenance

Let's look at each of these areas individually.

Computer Room Environment

Control the environmental conditions surrounding your computers. The ideal solution would be to keep your computers and monitors in a clean, climate controlled computer room. In other words, take them out of the danger area. Of course, this is unrealistic or undesirable to many shop owners, who want, or need the computers to operate in the immediate work area.

So what then? Do what you can to control the dust and air pollutants in the shop. Use and maintain dust collectors for woodworking machines and a ventilation system for the shop area. And, if you can't move the computers out of the shop, try to move them across the room, away from welding, grinding or direct contact with billowing sander dust.

Protective Computer Dust Barriers

These include computer dust covers, dust filters, computer dust bags, and computer enclosures. Each has its advantages and limitations as described below. Determine which option is the best solution for you.

Standard computer covers are made by a number of manufacturers. Usually plastic or vinyl, they are cheap, but effective in keeping dust off your computers and monitors. However, they may only be used while your computer equipment is shut down. And, you must remember to put them on. Every day. In other words, they are almost useless in a busy shop.

Computer filters, on the other hand may be used while the computer is running. Also very cheap, these small pieces of loose mesh material are placed over fan air intakes in the computer case to remove dust from incoming air. Some have experimented with using panty hose, Brillo® Pads and other household items with some success. The main drawback with computer filters is their small surface area. They clog up quickly in dusty areas and must be cleaned, or changed frequently to allow the unimpeded flow of cool air into the computer case. Another drawback is that they leave other openings in the computer case unprotected, allowing fine dust to infiltrate the CD ROM drives, floppy drives and other small openings.

Relatively new on the scene, computer dust bags are a combination computer cover and computer filter. Designed for the harsh, dusty and smoky conditions inherent to wood shops and machine shops, these innovative covers entirely encase the computer processor or monitor at all times, allowing the entire surface of the bag to act as a huge dust filter to remove dust from incoming air. Monitor dust bags have a see-through, anti-static front to allow a clear screen view, and are very effective in keeping dust, wood chips and other debris out of the cooling vents. At around $20 or less, the recommended life-span of the computer dust bag is 3-12 months, depending on the level of dust in the shop. A possible drawback to using the computer dust bag is reduced access to CD and floppy drives. However, it is possible to use these drives if you cut a hole in the dust bag and cover it with a door flap, which is included with the bag. You may also have to cut an access slot to use your USB ports.

Finally, computer enclosures are typically metal or wood, box-like cabinets which your computer processor and monitor are placed in to protect them from the surrounding environment. A variety of fan and filter combinations introduce fresh air into the enclosure. Computer enclosures have the added advantage of protecting your equipment from blunt force trauma, such as a falling 2x4, chemical splashes and other things harmful to your computer. Filters must be changed regularly. Disadvantages include high price, greater amount of space required, and filter maintenance.

Computer Maintenance

Finally, the third part of a sound computer dust protection strategy is computer maintenance. Yes, that means cleaning. Does that scare you? It's easier than you think. You don't have to buy all kinds of expensive tools and cleaning agents, and no heavy scrubbing or complicated disassembly is needed. The most important thing is to maintain a regular computer cleaning schedule. It may be as simple as opening the computer case once every three months to blow out the dust. Educate yourself on the computer cleaning basics and decide the right course of action for yourself. For a copy of the Standard Operating Procedure, "Computer Cleaning and Dust Protection in an Industrial Environment", which you can modify to fit your own requirements go to http://www.computerdust.com. It's free when you sign up for "The Computer Dust Solutions" newsletter.

Just as numerous insects and animals perish when attacked by the army ant, a great number of computers are killed by dust every day. Don't let it happen to you. Follow the common sense ideas shown here and stop computer-killing dust in its tracks!

Have you ever been in the middle working on your computer and suddenly it froze, crashed or came to a slow crawl? And you had to restart, lost your work, lost time and felt so enraged that if you had an axe STOP! DO NOT KILL the computer. Here are 6 tips on how to speed up a computer.

1. INCREASE VIRTUAL MEMORY:

Virtual memory is the space your computer uses when there is not enough RAM (Random Access Memory), which is the memory used when running programs like Microsoft Office.

Resetting the virtual memory usage on your computer, also referred to as pagination, is great way speed up a computer.

To access and reset the Virtual Memory:

On the Start menu,click My Computer. The My Computer window is displayed. Click View System Information. The Systems Properties dialog box is displayed. In the Systems Properties dialog box click the Advanced tab. Under Performance, click Settings. The Performance Options dialog box is displayed. In the Performance Options dialog box, click the Advanced tab. Find the Virtual memory area. Click Change. The Virtual Memory dialog box is displayed. There you can make changes to the custom pagination. You should not exceed the MB limit given by your computer.

2. STORING FILES ON THE MAIN DRIVE:

Do not store lots of data on the main drive, usually the C Drive, which is where you install your windows operating system. Storing software like games, finance programs and other software on another drive of your computer is another way to speed up a computer.

3. RESETTING START UP MENU:

To increase the speed with which your computer boots you can remove unnecessary programs from the start up process, and this is another effective way to speed up a computer.

4. TURN OFF SYSTEM RESTORE:

System Restore is a function which keeps a backup of your computer's scheme by date. Having the system restore option on takes a lot of space from the hard drive. If you turn off the system restore option it will free up a lot of physical memory and can significantly speed up a computer.

To access and turn off System Restore:

Click START, then click ACCESSORIES, then click SYSTEM TOOLS, then click SYSTEM RESTORE. Once there you can edit settings and then turn off the system restore option.

5. CLEANING INTERNET CACHE AND COOKIES:

Temporary Internet files affect browser speed. Regularly cleaning the cache and cookies will make your browser and computer perform at a faster speed.

To Clean Internet Cache and Cookies:

click Tools from your browser toolbar and click on Internet Options to delete and clear cache and cookies. This should be done on a regular basis to ensure ongoing improvement of computer performance and browser speed.

6. DEFRAGMENTING THE DISK:

Regularly defragmenting the drive will speed up a computer.

This tool can be accessed from the Start Menu then Accessories thenSystem Tools.

WHAT ABOUT SOFTWARE THAT CLAIMS TO SPEED UP COMPUTERS?:

There is software out there that claims to optimize computer speed and performance, but this type of software is often costly and does not provide an all-in-one tool necessary to speed up computers to the max. And so you wind up buying several software programs in an attempt to fix multiple computer problems.

Think twice if you think the best thing to do with an unused computer it to put it to the curb. Although it may be tempting to just get rid of some of our older or broken computers, there a few things we should think about before we throw away that computer. Meet the 3 R's of computer disposal. Repair, Re-Purpose, Recycle.

Repair

If your computer used to be fast but just seems to be slow recently it can be fixed. There are often many software problems that affect the performance of a computer that when resolved will bring back the speed you used to experience. Even a seemingly hopeless computer can perform as it once did and even upgraded to be faster than ever. Even if your hard drive has failed or files have been accidentally deleted,all of your data is not necessarily gone. It may be possible to recover some or even all of the data from the drive. Bring your computer to a professional computer repair technician before declaring the time of death

Re-Purpose

Even though your computer may not be able to play the latest videogames, watch high definition movies or have the multitasking performance of a new computer, there are many things that they can be used for.

File/Print Server

A file is a server is a computer connected to your home network that allows your documents and media to share a central location so that they can be easily accessed over a network. It also serves as a consolidated place for your files to be backed up from. A print server allows you to share your printer across a network so that you can print from any computer in the house.

Web Surfing Computer

Even older computers are can still be adequate web surfing computers. They can be perfect computer for a spare room or even for your children to not have to use your new computer. They can also be setup in certain ways that allows them to be dedicated web browsing machines without ever needing maintenance through using Linux or customizing your Windows installation

Home Theater PC

In many cases computer can be adapted to become home theatre systems with little to no modification depending on the set-up & requirements. With a home theatre PC you can integrate your computer into your living room to be able to play movies, games. view pictures & listen to music in the comfort of your living room. More complex set-ups can record live TV, play and stream high definition content and output surround sound audio.

Recycle

Computers should never be thrown out with the rest of our garbage because they can be easily recycled. There are places that are designated recycling depots that will accept your computers, printers, monitors, & keyboards. To see the full list of accepted items and to find out where your nearest recycling depot is in Ontario, visit the Do What You Can Website.

Data Security

When you give away your computer to a friend, sell it or recycle it, all of your data is going with it. All of your emails, documents, pictures and other personal information are at risk of being seen by anyone who gets access to your old computer. If you think your data is safe because the computer wasn't working or because you deleted your files or even reformatted the computer, it's not. The best methods to ensure your data is safe when your planning to give your computer away is to do a secure erase and reformat. We can erase data from a hard drive in a method that is accepted by military standards. If the computer is going to be recycled you can physically destroy the drive ensuring to break the internal platters. Or alternatively you can remove the hard drive from your computer to re-use or store.

Would you like to know how to fix the computer speed and how to change it?

Providing you have a good understanding of computer technology and also feel confident to install new CPU's and mother boards then it is perfectly possible to fix your computers speed.
You see your CPU which may be running at 500mxh. is connected to your FSB. The FSB allows the CPU to talk to the computer. This is controlled by your BIOS which is the software that is responsible for starting up your computer System.

STILL WITH ME.

No... don't worry, you see there are easier ways to fix the computer speed and how to change it.

Do you turn on your PC and then go for a cup of coffee while it boots up? Does it take forever to log on to your systems and are you day dreaming as you wait for your computer to open application or documents. Is surfing the Internet more like paddling in your local park? Do you tell your friend that you don't do music, video or pictures on your computer because it takes up to much memory (you really mean it will take to long to down load).Any of these familiar. Well you are not alone. In a recent study, over 91% of home computers owners have the same sort of issues.

Have you kept a record of all the programs that you have either down loaded or installed on your computer? If you are any thing like me then you can probably only remember the last must have program that you installed. You see a lot of these programs will automatically be pinned to your start up memory. So as you start up your computer you may have up to 25 programs running in the background trying to load. No wonder you computer is so slow. Your PC just cannot cope.

Now don't get disheartened you don't have to go and invest your hard earned cash on new computer just yet. All most all of the problems I have described can be fixed on your computer. You see you your computer keeps a record of every thing you do on your PC. Every time you open, edit or delete a file, surf the net look at pictures, play games. When you down load software or install or even uninstall software you computer is keeping a record of what actions you are carrying out. This record is kept in the computers registry, and this registry will eventually become clogged and slow down your computer speed...

You don't have to go to the expense of buying and then installing a new CPU or upgrade your mother board to repair all these problems. You could instead take a look at some software that has been developed especially for these problems. This soft ware will run a registry check will check to see what is going on in the back ground on your computer. It will stop unessential programs from running on start up making you PC boot just like new. Also clean up your registry files so that they are more manageable by your computer. You will be amazed at the difference that this simple easily installed computer program will make to your PC.

The more advanced of these program will actually perform a free scan on your computer so you don't even have to purchase any thing up front before you see the results. You will then have a much better idea of how to fix the computer speed and how to change it.

Did you know that over 91% of home computer run slower than there owners would like Can you put up with your slow computer any longer. Discover how you can have you computer back up and running again super quick on start up, and loading applications. A joy to surf, play games and start to build that music library that you have been promising your self. All this without having to invest a lot of your hard earned salary on a new computer.

Computer training centers are places where you get basic and advanced knowledge about computer programs and specific computer software. Many of the centers are high-quality, equipped with knowledgeable and experienced instructors, routing both beginners and experienced hands to familiarize themselves with opportunities in the IT world. Training centers are found in almost all areas. They offer computer education and training in the form of certificate courses and degree programs.

Computer training centers offer many divisions of learning, including software, hardware, web development and networking. Some of the short term courses provided include software products such as spreadsheets, word processing, computer aided design, and programming languages such as java, visual basic, web scripting, C, C++ and .NET. In addition, one can learn the basic computer safety techniques, troubleshooting and the maintenance of computers.

A beginner in the computer field can first locate a good computer training center. The location, size of the classes, training facilities, accreditation of the center and its courses, and the fee are factors to be thought of. Special discounts may be available for certain programs. Sometimes, computer training centers offer course packages with free training on Internet and basic programs on special occasions. Some centers have special packages for employees to learn the latest software packages. They extend professional training on office software and hardware in leading companies.

A few centers give assessment services for those who need to benefit from new computer technologies. In this regard, the centers work close to federal and private departments, schools and various private or public parties. In addition to initial assessment, computer training centers offer follow up services beneficial for clients. Clients can familiarize themselves with the new operating environment and the best use of the new software.

Computer training centers are a profitable business. The government extends considerable support, including grants, to set up a center.

There are companies offering free computer items for qualified orders. Free computer parts are not exchangeable. When buying a computer, one should also inquire about the availability of free computer parts or accessories that comes along with the package. It varies from company to company.

Many times, at the end of the year, free computer parts are available or sold very cheaply to clear out old stock. Some of these parts can be modified to suit the exact needs of your computer for a very reasonable cost. Software can be considered free computer parts as well. Free antivirus software is available that helps protect computers from virus.

Other free computer parts include screen savers with the latest electronics and technology. You may have to pay a little for them, but the discounts are fantastic. There are many screen savers that are offered for free. Depending on the brand of your computer, you will find some companies also offer free printers along with other software. Some drivers are also included 'free' as part of a packaged computer purchase. In order to show their appreciation for your business, some companies offer you free items with your purchase if you spend a certain amount of money. Choices include free computer cases, free system accessories, free power supplies and other miscellaneous items. Some even offer clothing accessories like hats, shirts and jackets embossed with the company's logo.

Finally, you can also check out websites like craigslist.org. This site has hundreds of items that students and people who are moving are looking to get rid of. Often times, there are several computer parts and accessories listed.

Technology and slow are complete opposites with each other. With the rapid advancement of technology, we have become more and more reliant on computers to have information on the go. However, despite how hard we want it to be our way, sometimes our computers fail us and they do not perform at their peak performance when we them to. The question then pops to mind, "why is my computer slow?"

There are several reasons to explain why your computer is not performing at its maximum potential.

Virus or Spyware

One of the main causes for 'slow-down' performance of computers is due to the introduction of viruses or spyware into the system. Viruses and spywares not only slow down your computer's performance but it can erase precious data too. Also, viruses can leave behind false registry keys that will slow down your computer as your computer has to go over these false registry keys to get to the right one.

Corrupted Registry

The registry part of our computers is not something that we often look into however it does play an important role that may be the reason for your computer slowing down. It contains many files that are called registry keys that determine how your computer will function and run. Unfortunately, these registry keys can be ruin overtime as the computer is constantly used for different functions. Through this process, new entries are made and old entries are deleted, resulting in false entries. As such, the computer slows down as it has to go over these false entries before processing the right one. Moreover, after a long period of use, computers can loss files pertaining to the registry or the files may have turned corrupted.

Multiple programs

Just like how we wish to complete our tasks in the shortest possible time, we do that through trying to complete our tasks all at the same time! When we are at work, we open numerous windows, Microsoft Word, Excel documents, websites for research, all these while chatting with our friends on the web messenger! How can we then expect our computer to be at its fullest potential? Just imagine, someone were to ask you to wash the clothes while changing the diapers and at the same time cook dinner for the family. It is impossible! You may argue that we are human and are restricted to our boundaries and while computers don't cry for mummy, they just overload.

Machine and men may be different, but both have their limits and capacities. We have to learn how to take care of our computers just as how we take care of ourselves. While, you need not pamper your computer with praises or compliments, what I meant was to keep it at its best. Clear the bad "stuff" inside it and do regular virus checks and keep it well maintained. Only then, will you be able to enjoy the advantages and benefits of having a computer that can function at its best all the time.

Computers are present in almost every part of the world. They have become an inseparable part of human life. In order to keep the different computer systems up and running, we need skilled personnel. Computer technical schools are special educational institutions which train the students in various aspects of computing technology. The schools also teach about the operation and upkeep of the computer systems.

A major boost to the computer technical schools came when the Internet went public. Today anyone can easily join an online computer school and get any type of computer education that he wants. The online schools provide a number of advantages as compared to the traditional schools both when it comes to ease of education as well as the cost of education. Let us see how an online computer technical school turns out to be one up than a traditional one.

First of all an online computer school is much more liberal when it comes to the computer certification. This means that unlike a traditional computer college which offers a computer degree, the course structure in the online computer technical schools is much more flexible. The students are free to choose whatever subjects they want to study and they will get appropriate computer certification. This means that the students can study only those subjects that they want to.

Second difference is that of computer classes. The computer classes of online computer schools are held online. Unlike the traditional technical schools where the students have to be physically present at the school premises, the student can attend the classes in a virtual learning environment. The lectures are available via download or live streaming. The students of online technical schools can study from almost anywhere in the world.

Third major technical benefit of online computer technical education is that the level of teacher - student interaction and the student - student interaction is very high. The students need not even get up to talk. They can do almost all the discussion and interaction comfortably while sitting on a couch and using the laptop or Tablet PC to communicate. Interaction has never been as easy as the online computer technical schools make it.

Fourth benefit is that the students have a mine of information at their disposal. They have access to the Internet. This is rarely possible in the classroom of a tradition computer technical school.

Finally the online computer technical schools provide education at fees much lower than what you would have to shell out in a traditional college for computer degree or any type of industry accredited computer certification.

Today, almost everyone owns a computer. There are computers in almost every home and office in the US. With all of these computers have come specialized uses for them. Some of the most common kinds are the home computer, the business computer, and the gaming computer. The computer for business, however, has really evolved from where it started over 40 years ago. When computers first came on the scene, they belonged to big, powerful companies. The computer of the age was often as large as a room, if not an entire building, depending upon how the computer was used. Through its evolution, the business computer can now compare side by side with any home computer on the market, at least in looks.

On the inside, a business computer can differ quite a bit from the home computer. Since these computers often have specialized uses, what is on the inside is what really sets them apart. As far as hardware is concerned, the business computer and the home computer will generally have the same general types of hardware. However, the computer for business will often have particular sets of the hardware installed. For example, for company's that have employees that travel a lot, the laptop might have a lower end video card, but come installed with an air card. An air card uses cell phone service in order to connect a computer to the internet anywhere that cell phone service is provided. For at the office, the computer may have a larger hard drive with slightly less RAM in order to store large amounts of data. Almost all computers in a business setting will have a way to be networked with a main server, in order to share all data.

The main difference between a home system and a business computer is usually in the software. The business end computer is usually installed with professional versions of Microsoft Office. This allows for the professional development of documents and presentations. Office also enables a solid way for internal email servers, to send messages to co-workers without having to go through the internet. Depending on the type of business, the computer may also be installed with good database software, especially to connect to a centralized database server. Productivity and sharing of information is ultimately the main purpose for computers used in the business setting.

A business computer is also usually set up with good security. Often, a system will require passwords to be used during startup, or for interrupting the screen saver. This protects company data that may be of a sensitive nature. They also generally have professional grade antivirus software installed in order to minimize the threat of viruses infecting the system, and potentially destroying or compromising any information that is on the computer. Antivirus software also helps prevent the spread of viruses to the server, helping to eliminate the spread of any potential viruses to other computers on the network.

With the technology available today, the business computer can be nothing more than a modified version of the home computer. However, when researching a good computer, it is a good idea to establish what the computer's role in the scheme of the company is to be. A computer that is to be used by a receptionist may be designed in a much different way than the one used by the graphic designer. Having a list of required functions will help narrow down the available business computer lists, which will save time and money in the long run.

Computers are practically in every aspect of our lives these days and our reliance on them is heavy. They are used as tools for work, data storage, schoolwork, shopping, and entertainment. Because so much information is typically stored on our computers we must always make sure they are protected from that loss of information. Businesses have to secure information on their computers to protect it from exploitation by hackers. And the home computer user is no exception to the requirement to protect computer information because there can be credit card numbers, social security numbers, and other sensitive personal information stored on their computer or transmitted when doing online shopping. There is a term used for this and it is "computer security risk." This term refers to the likelihood that some action could cause the loss of information, computer hardware, or denial of service.

When computer security is put at risk intentionally, it becomes criminal in nature or we call this a computer crime. Another relative of the computer crime is the cybercrime. The FBI pays especially close attention to cybercrimes and there are other types of crimes related to them such as corporate spying, unethical computer activity, cyberterrorism, hacking, cracking, and cyberextortion.

Hacking at one time had a positive meaning to it but since computer crimes were introduced, it falls in the bucket with the rest of them. The hacker is the person who gains access to a computer network illegally. They sometimes use the excuse that they were only trying to break a network's security so as to make the administrator aware of any security deficiencies.

Closely related to the hacker is the cracker. But the cracker never has been viewed in a positive light. The cracker always has had the intent to gain access to computer and its network to do harm to it or commit a crime like stealing information stored on it. The cracker, like the hacker, has to know what he or she is doing so advanced computer skills are needed in order to pull these crimes off.

Then there are the cyberterrorists and cyberextortionists. The cyberterrorist has a political motive behind his or her activities and it is to do harm to computers to adversely affect a political system. Cyberterrorism requires extensive planning, skilled people to carry it out, and money to fund it. It is much like the classic terrorist attack.

The cyberextortionist is the one who commits the crime of extortion via email. They will hold a company hostage by threatening to release sensitive company information or harm a company's computers and network if not given some confidential information and/or money. Sometimes these criminals are aware of security leaks that will allow them to exploit the computer. It is much like classic extortion except carried out through computers.

Then there is the employee who wants to get revenge on his or her company because of some perceived wrong done to them or they want to pad their pockets. These people are known as the unethical employees and what makes them so dangerous is that they many times know how to get into the system.

Not everyone has the computer skills required to be a cracker or hacker so there is another classification known as the "script kiddie." This person is usually is a teenager attempts to harm a computer system but cannot do much because he or she does not know much. This person will use canned programs and scripts to attempt to do the hacks and cracks.

Some unethical businesses try to gain an unfair advantage on their competition through an illegal activity known as corporate espionage. The same unethical businesses will hire a corporate spy who is highly-proficient in computers and technology to break into the target corporation's computers. The corporate spy will then steal information or even sabotage the target computer.

It is imperative that home and business computer users take action to shield their computer from these threats to their security. Computer security methods are not 100% foolproof but they do decrease the risk to computers significantly. As soon as a solution is found to protect against one threat, someone figures out a new way to gain unauthorized access to them. Computer users on home networks are more at risk to have information stolen than are computers on business networks mostly because of the more advanced security on the latter. And the internet is a network even more susceptible and at risk when it comes to security. Another problem with security on the internet is that there is not one centralized point to manage security and safety on the information highway.

You are probably wondering now if your computer is secure from threats such as these. There are ways you can get your system evaluated. You can find sites on the internet that offer services that will access your computer and report to you any security vulnerabilities found either through internet browsing or the e-mail. These same companies many times offer tips and suggestions of ways to protect against the vulnerabilities. Another resource in the fight against computer security threat is the Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT) Coordination Center which also offers suggestions.

Security attacks against computers usually involve things like worms, viruses, denial of service, Trojan horses, and spoofing. All of these, the computer virus is the most famous. A computer virus is basically software that is designed to do damage to the files on your computer once it gets installed on it. All if it is done without the user giving permission and without the user's knowledge at first. A computer virus, once it gets in your computer, will spread and cause more damage. It will do things like delete files and corrupt your computer's operating system and render it inoperable. Thus it was tagged with the term "virus" because it acts much the same way as human virus does: it gets in and spreads throughout the body and causes illness or damage in some cases. Protection against viruses is available through anti-virus software.

An offshoot of the computer virus is the computer worm. A computer worm is much like a virus with the exception that it will find some perfectly valid executable program on your computer and attach itself to that program. When the user runs the program, the computer worm will attack. Computer worms can consume a lot of network bandwidth while they replicate across a corporate network.

And now for the famous Trojan horse computer threat that derives its name from the famous story in Greek mythology. What a Trojan horse does is hide itself in a program that looks like a valid program but in reality it is not. Trojan horse programs do not replicate like the viruses and worms do.

All these different types of threat software are known as malware which is term used to refer to malicious-logic programs. Malware, as the name implies, does damage to your computer. There are other variations of worms, viruses, and Trojan horses but we are just discussing these three for this article. And you should know how to suspect you have been attacked by one or more these malicious programs. You should be suspicious that you have been attacked if your computer shows one or more of these signs:

Programs you use suddenly don't work like they used to:

• Files are missing or corrupted
• Strange music or sounds are heard on your computer
• You start running out of memory for no apparent reason
• Strange files show up on your system
• System properties begin to change
• Popup windows with odd messages and/or images display

The ways in which these malicious programs do their damage or drop their "bombs" can be one any one of the following:

• A user runs a program infected with the virus. This is why virus scanning software that checks a program before running it is so important.
• A user boots a computer and the virus is installed on the boot sector. It is recommended that you remove all media files when you shut down your computer.
• A user connects to a computer that is not protected against viruses on the network (such as accessing a shared drive). So the user opens a virus-infected file on a shared drive and now the user's client computer has the virus.
• A user opens up an email attachment that contains an executable file with a virus. This is why it is so important to not open up executable email attachments unless you know the sender and the attachment has been scanned by anti-virus software.

And another big problem with malicious logic programs is that new ways to implement them are discovered every day. Security websites try to stay on top of each new malware implementation so that users can be alert for them. Take basic safety measures to protect your computer such as installing a good anti-virus package that gets updated with new malware detection logic automatically. Never open up suspicious email attachments. Be careful of the internet sites you visit (i.e., don't visit Warez sites), and run anti-spyware programs. Take the media out of any alternate boot devices you have so that a virus cannot get stored on it and be introduced at boot time. Finally, stay informed from security websites as to the latest threats and what to look out for.

Your might be wondering why you should spend so much money in buying a so called ergonomic computer keyboard rather than straight flat standard computer keyboard that cause you a lot less money. Well, sometimes shopping for a computer keyboard is equal to shopping for a new car. Mostly, you don't know how crappy your car / computer keyboard is until you try out a better car or ergonomic computer keyboard. There are couple of reasons why you should buy ergonomic computer keyboard instead of straight standard keyboard if you have to work all the time using your computer in the office or at home.

First of all is the result of research won't lie. Over the past few years, there are many ergonomic scientists or engineers have been working together to analyze and study how human operates the computer keyboards and possible hurts that human got after typing on computer keyboard for long time. Because of this research and study, these specialists have come out a special design computer keyboard that they think can maximize productivity by minimizing operator fatigue and discomfort. For example, Microsoft has her own group of ergonomic scientists in researching and developing her line of ergonomic computer keyboards and mouse products that first to be used on Microsoft employees and see how they feel about the computer keyboards and mouse, then the scientists and engineers will make improvements depend on users' comments. Hence, ergonomic keyboards are the result of hundreds or thousands of hours of research and study on how human operates computer keyboard and what can be done to create a better computer keyboard for all of us to use.

Secondly, you got to believe that your hands are not flat. When you are typing on a regular standard keyboard, you have to watch carefully how your hands are positioning in order for you to type on the standard keyboard. You will notice that, you have to bend your both your right and left hands a little bit and make them sit on the middle on the computer keyboard. Believe it or not, if you have positioning your hands like that for quite a while, your shoulders going to get hurt. Hence, this is why ergonomic computer keyboard is invented. Ergonomic computer keyboard allows you to lay your hands comfortably on it without you have to bend your hands to fit into the keyboard instead the computer keyboard is designed to fix your hands.

In a nutshell, the standard flat computer keyboard is designed without studying how human operates computer keyboard. It is designed so that you and I have to adjust our hands to fit the computer keyboard. On the other hand, ergonomic computer keyboard is designed so that the keyboard itself fits our hands and the ways we operate compute keyboard. Neverhtless, one advice for you if you are looking for ergonomic computer keyboard is to look around and try out different ergonomic computer keyboard that suit you the most before you decide which one to buy. This is because sometime the design of ergonomic computer keyboard might doesn't suit what you need. I would recommend you to shop around at http://www.compkeyboard.com for the best computer keyboard advices and offers.

Here is a general guide on the components of the computer, what they do, and what usually happens when they get damaged/malfunction.

Computer Case:

This is probably what 75% of the people in the world with a computer only see. They most likely never open this thing up and actually see what makes their computer work. There are several different sizes of computer cases. The main two however are Mid-Tower and Tower. Tower being around twice the size of a Mid-Tower and able to pack a lot more stuff into it. There are also "portable" cases that just look like big blocks.

A computer case can have several different uses depending on the quality of the manufacturer and the design. A few things it is used for are:

Protecting your hardware!

Cooling your hardware!

Providing easy access to your motherboard and other components, such as the back of the computer with all those nifty plugs and holes? Yeah when you plug something in back there it hooks up to either the motherboard or components such as graphics cards, sound cards, etc.

So the computer cases main function is basically to ensure that your hardware does not get damaged, and makes it easy for people who do not know much about computers to easy hook all the components up and make it run.

Power Supply Unit (PSU)-

Probably one of the most important parts of your computer (well they are all important) and provides power to your motherboard, graphics card, and everything else that needs power in your case. Most people only know the power supply as the thing you plug the cord in to get power from a socket to the computer. They also have a nifty fan next to the plug!

Low quality power supplies often come with a case, however you can always upgrade to a higher quality brand such as Corsair or PCP&C.

A power supply has a slew of cables for connecting to different things such as the motherboard, disk drives, case fans, graphics cards etc.

Now the most important things you need to look at when you purchase a power supply is the brand and the amount of Watts it puts out. As long as you get a brand that is 1st-3rd tier you should be fine. As for figuring out how many Watts you need to power your computer, check out a power supply calculator through Google.

Motherboard (MOBO):

Now this is the most important part of any computer. If the motherboard breaks, your best of buying a whole new computer unless you have customized it yourself. Motherboards contain a slew of connectors and slots and when you put your first computer together it might be a little intimidating not knowing where to plugin things.

Modern motherboards at minimum contain the following:

[*]A main socket where you insert the CPU which is then usually covered over with a large heat sink and/or fan.
[*]Slots where the systems memory is placed (RAM).
[*]A chip-set which forms an interface between the CPU's front-side bus, main memory, and peripheral buses.
[*]Non-volatile memory chips containing the system's firmware or BIOS for when you start up your computer
[*]A clock generator which acts as a timer to synchronize the computers different components together.
[*]Expansion card slots, such as those for Video or Sound cards.
[*]Main power connector, which receives electrical power from the PSU and distributes it to the CPU, chip-set, main memory, and sometimes the expansion cards, unless of course they are provided their own power by the PSU.

It is crucial to always keep your motherboard cool, either through a heat sink and fan, liquid cooling, or additional case fans. The hotter your MOBO gets, the shorter its life is and the more likely it is to die. If your motherboard dies, you will notice as your computer will not be able to function. If, however you notice problems with a lot of your hardware at once (such as graphics messing up, as well as keyboard and mouse not working) then most likely there is a problem with your motherboard.

Central Processing Unit (CPU):

The CPU is the brains of the computer and performs its operations. If you notice that your computer is running slow, a outdated or bad CPU could be the problem.

On laptops and desktop computers, the CPU is housed in a single chip known as a microprocessor. Motherboards and CPU's are designed for each other, so do not try to put a brand new CPU into a 4 year old motherboard, it will not work! If you ever open up your computer, most likely you will not see your CPU, all you will see is a large heat sink and a fan. The heat sink usually looks like a big block of thin metal sheets stacked closely together. The idea is to create the largest surface area possible in the smallest amount of space to dissipate the most heat possible.

As technology has grown over the years, there have been more and more advancements in CPU power, originally having only one core, but now the newer versions contain as many as 4. The more cores you have, the more power you are able to crank out of the microprocessor. Multi-core processors also have the multithread ability (they can use applications that specifically support working all 2 or 4 cores of the CPU). 64 bit versions of operating systems are specifically designed for multi-core CPUs

Random Access Memory (RAM):

Random Access Memory (which I will refer to as RAM) is a form of computer data storage that stores temporary data in any order to be accessed at any time regardless of its physical location and whether or not it is related to the previous piece of data.

The type of RAM hierarchy goes as follows

DDR3 > DDR2 > DDR

Pretty simple eh? You can usually tell what type of RAM your computer has by the date it was built. If it was built very recently and is a high quality computer then it most likely has DDR3 RAM, if it was built a few years ago or is a regular computer built today then it most likely has DDR2. If it is a very old computer then it most likely has DDR RAM.

Ram comes in several different stick sizes, ranging from 512mb stick to 2gb stick and soon to be 4gb sticks. The more RAM you have, the faster your computer will run. However make sure that you do not put to much in, as it will be a waste of money, and your CPU might act as a bottleneck so that that extra RAM goes to no use.

A few important numbers other then the main type of RAM are its Data Rate (measured in MT/s, or millions of transfers per second), Command Rate (Also known as Clock Rate, measured in Hz), and the CAS latency (usually 4 sequential numbers).

Generally the higher the Data Rate and Command Rate (which is usually half of the Data Rate) the better. CAS latency, which measures the delay time between the memory controller and memory module, is usually best when it is a low number.

If you are unsure how these names and numbers would relate to quality, just make sure to get RAM from a good brand. Some of the best include Corsair, Crucial and Kingston.

Graphics Card:

Ahh the graphics card, probably the most sought after and customized part of the computer. Most low end computers do not include a graphics card, but rather an embedded graphics chip in the motherboard. I would avoid these computers at all cost, because most likely you will be unable to play modern video games.

The two major graphic chipset manufacturers are nVidia and ATI. However there are actually hundreds of graphics card manufacturers. Some of the well known ones are BFG, SAPPHIRE, XFX, and EVGA.

The ideal graphics card for you all depends on your need for it and your price range. Also you need to make the decision for nVidia or ATI, I personally prefer nVidia however ATI is just as good. Both companies seem to match their cards shot for shot, making sure one does not blow away the other. Rather then go into a in-depth decision of graphics card comparisons, I thought I would link you to a great article on tomsharedware. They always do very good in-depth reviews of graphics cards.

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/radeon-geforce-price,2323.html

Hard Drive:

Well, hard drives are probably one of the most basic parts of a computer, they are used to store files, programs, etc.

Types of Storage Drives:

Hard Drives - These simply contain one, or multiple, rotating disks. These can range in storage from low GB to 1.5-2TB drives. They also come in different speeds, which effect how fast your able to access stored data. The regular speed is 7,200 rpm, but faster and more expensive drives can reach higher than 10,000 rpm.

Besides the storage space and drive speed, it is also important to get your drive from a good manufacturer, because saving a few bucks getting it from a bad company can mean hard drive failure a few years, or months, down the road. Western Digital, Seagate, Hitachi and a few more are reliable brands.

Solid State Drives - No moving parts, no rotating disks, much faster, much more expensive.

I can't say much about SSD's here, since I have never owned one. Although they come in smaller storage sizes and are much more expensive, I have heard they are amazingly fast compared to regular hard drives. They also have a lower life span however.

I am thinking of getting one for a new netbook, just to make it as fast as possible in the smallest container. If your looking for max speed on your computer, put your Operating System on a SSD, and it will scream.

Note: There are also external and flash drives, but those are not part of a computer, and they are easy to use anyway!

Optical Drives:

Pretty simple, they are used for CD/DVD/Blue Ray reading. If the drive has a RW or +RW tacked on the end of it, it means it can both read and write CD/DVD/Blue Rays.