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What is Virus? Viruses are usually malicious pieces of software that infect your computer in any number of ways. There are actually thousands of viruses for the Windows operating system. Some of the most common kinds are a Trojan and worms. Trojans sit on your computer and if manipulated correctly, they can give hackers free access to your computer through different ports. They can view all of your files and take whatever private information they want. From there they can install other more serious virus if they wanted. Some virus's can clear out your entire hard drive after your next reboot. There are some pieces of software that will even open your CD tray and control your mouse. Worms are pieces of software along the same lines except they replicate themselves all over your computer and can be a real pain to try and remove. They especially continually spreading themselves anywhere they can go. The very commonly get attached to your emails or can even go through your address book and send themselves around that way. They have been known to eat huge amounts of data throughput, thus bring large networks to a stand still. This can be reduced drastically by using an anti-virus program of types. We recommend Norton Anti-Virus. |
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What is Spyware?
Spyware is software that cause many problems such as multiple pop-ups, adds, websites being re-routed, homepages changing, and even steals your private information. It is mostly used by different companies to figure out where you are going on the internet and they try to bring up advertisements. After so much of it starts getting into your computer, it actually slows your computer down. After time more and more comes if it is not handled correctly. Give us a call and we will do our best to remove it and let you know how to prevent it for the future. Spyware can be very deceiving and it is easy to get and sometimes tricky to remove. Unfortunately, it almost takes two different programs to remove some of this stuff. One to catch what the other one might have over looked.
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How can I get on the Internet? Companies are making this easier and easier every day and they provide you with just about everything you need. The first step is to pick the kind of service you want; i.e. dial-up, cable, DSL, or satellite. Then within that area find a provider. There are thousands out there. If you go with cable modem or DSL, there are only about 10 major ones. Comcast or Verizon are usually pretty good choices. A lot of the times they even provide you with the hardware you need, usually a network card and a modem of types. A good source to find services providers is: http://www.dslreports.com. How can I get email? Most services providers provide there customers with one email account if not more. There are also a lot of free ones out there too such as Hotmail, Yahoo, or Google mail. All of these methods connect differently. Most of them are webpage based or they use what is called an email client. There are hundreds of different email clients including, Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft Outlook Express, Mozilla Thunderbird, or Eudora. Check with your provider and see how they recommend connecting. A lot of the times they have their own pre-written instructions that are easy to follow. |
Which is better, DSL or Cable Modem?
Cable modems are a great source because they are not based on distance from the provider as much as DSL is. Cable modems are usually much faster than DSL; however they are also much more expensive. Neither cable nor DSL are available in all areas. Cable access is more prevalent though. DSL is nice because it is cheaper and it is not a shared line. With a cable provider, the more people your neighborhood get on, this slows you down. DSL is a dedicated line almost and a lot more secure than a cable. All of the data that goes through your cable lines transfers through to your neighbors too. That is why we recommend using a firewall of types.
Why would I need a Firewall? The internet is a public network and you probably want to keep your private information private. That is why we recommend using what’s called a firewall. A firewall controls what goes in and out of your network or computer. This not only prevents your information from going out, unless you want it too, but it also prevents intruders. There are a few very good personal firewalls out there. Also, the home routers that share internet connections add a little bit of security too along the lines of controlling ports. A good piece of firewall software is Norton Internet Security. This package also includes an Anti-Virus software and Anti-Spam software. The Zone Alarm package is great too. It comes highly rated from PC Magazine. How often should I defragment? We recommend defragmenting your hard drive at least once a month. To defragment go to: start > programs > accessories > systems tools > disk defragmenter. This cleans up where Windows places files. This should speed up the computer a little bit. You may not see it as much if you do it regularly. |
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