Top 10 Tips to Protect Yourself Against Computer Viruses

When your computer gets infected with a virus it can be a devastating experience and this is exactly why you need to protect your computer from viruses. A virus can consume your precious computer files and even damage your computer hardware. Is this worth ignoring? I don’t think so! Even sites like www.lifelock.com will tell you the same. Anything you can do when protecting your computer from viruses has to be a good thing and is well worth spending your time on. We all know prevention is better than a cure so I am going to share my top 10 tips on how to protect your computer from viruses.

10 Tips to Protect your Computer from viruses

There are many ways to protect your computer from nasty viruses invading. Protecting your computer is an number one concern for every computer user on earth. I do not know anyone that wants to have their computer crash due to a virus invasion. Here are 10 ways to protect your computer  from viruses and keep your files and data safe.

1. Learn about viruses

The first thing that I recommend is to research and become knowledgeable about viruses. How can you protect your computer from viruses if you don’t even know what they are. Here are some previous tutorials I have written about viruses. See What is a Virus and how do I know if I have one? and What is the difference between a virus, spyware, Malware, and adware? How can you protect your computer from viruses if you don’t know what it is?

2. Arm yourself with the best Anti-virus software to suit your needs.

Not everyone can get away with using free Anti-virus software because it depends what you do on your computer. It depends on factors such as if you download files or not, if you open email attachments, and if you surf suspicious websites. See my reviews for the best Virus Removal Software. Lets face it, if you do not have protection against viruses installed on your computer, you will without a doubt, get a virus within the first hour of surfing the internet. It is that easy. For years I would remove a virus from my dads computer at least once a year, until finally I realized that he needed a paid Anti-virus program. He wasn’t good with computers and if a windows popped up and said he needed to take a scan, he would just do it. He would just presume it was the program I had installed to protect his computer. Now I have installed PC Matic on this computer and there has not been one problem since. This program offers full protection along with full computer maintenance. It never asks him to do anything and just works in the background silently.

If you currently have no protection or maintenance software I highly recommend you grab a free scan with PC Matic to see what it can do for you.

3. Regular Updates

Having a great Anti-virus program installed on your computer to protect your computer from viruses is great, however if you do not regularly update the virus definitions, then the program is useless. New viruses are produced daily and this is why we constantly have to update the viruses definitions and stay ahead of the bad guys. Most programs will update by itself as long as you haven’t turned this option off by accident. This is definitely something you should check.

4. Downloading

When surfing the internet avoid websites that contain illegal software downloads, sexual references, free screensavers, cracks or serials, etc. I am sure you get the picture. If you go near these sites you are immediately asking for trouble. Some other websites that you should stay away from include foreign websites where you cannot understand the language on them. This is because you cannot tell what is on the website. This is definitely included in the top 10 internet safety tips.

5. Windows Updates

Always update Windows when protecting your computer. These updates contain security updates that will help in your fight against viruses. If you do not perform regular Windows updates you are leaving your computer in a vulnerable state. You can simple check to see if your computer needs updates by going to he start menu and typing in “windows update”. See the screen shot below. You can also view recent Windows update history so you can be in control of the whole situation.

6. Opening Emails

Be careful when opening emails. There are obvious emails that you know you shouldn’t open, however what about the ones you get from people you know? What if your friend has a virus and it is spreading itself through emails? An email cannot be important enough to risk getting a virus. Delete the email and send a fresh email to your friend asking them if they actually did send you the email. It is better to be safe than sorry.
You can also create a whitelist so only certain emails get through. You will still have to be careful though, as you do not know what security the sender has installed on their computer. It’s like driving on the road, you need to watch how others are driving to stay safe.

7. Change your settings to protect your computer from viruses

If you are really serious about protecting your computer you can change your email settings and receive text emails only. You can also disable the ability to open email attachments. Virus travel in HTML enabled emails and file attachments. They cannot travel in text email messages. I know this sounds very boring, however, I would rather be boring and protect my computer from viruses.

8. Peer to Peer file sharing – ways to protect your computer

Do not use peer to peer (p2p) file sharing programs. These include programs such as Limewire, Bearshare, Gnutella, Morpheus, Torrents, etc. These programs let you download files from other computer users connected to their program network. You have no way of knowing what you are actually downloading until it is on your computer.
Even if you share files from a cd from a friend, it may have a virus. Protecting your computer from viruses is the most important priority for you and you do not want to risk your computer safety just because you trust your friend.

9. Do not download files from websites

Again, there is no way of knowing what you are downloading. The file can appear to be named like the file you want, however it could be anything. Most of the time, this is how a virus is unleashed, it usually seems like a harmless, familiar object. If you are looking for a driver for a certain brand of computer then make sure you are getting the download from the genuine website. Many websites on the Internet offer free driver downloads, however, many of them contain viruses. Everything is not what it seems, so be very careful.

10. Have Firewall Protection

Make sure you have a firewall enabled on your computer. Windows comes with an inbuilt firewall or you can use a third party firewall program like Zone Alarm. Either way, make sure the firewall is on…To check the Windows Firewall go to the security settings in your control panel.
If you are careful and are serious about learning how to protect your computer from viruses, it is possible to stay safe. My top 10 tips will help you keep your computer running smoothly, and virus free.

Notes on tips to protect your computer from viruses:

• These 10 ways to protect your computer from viruses are extremely important tips to follow. If you have had a virus in the past you would know how devastating it is when you lose all of your files and your computer crashes.
• People often try to install more than one anti-virus program to protect their computers from viruses. This is not how to protect your computer from viruses as installing more than one program always causes a problem. You can only install one virus removal program at any one time.

Please share how you protect your computer from viruses as I know there are many more ways to protect your computer?

10 Top Safety Computer Tips

Your computer holds some of your most important—and private—information, so we’ve written down the 10 top safety computer tips that help you keep your computer and your information safe. Some tips are very common but are often over looked.

Safety Computer Tips #1: Use Anti-Virus Software

Anti-virus software is your best protection against the worst kind of computer problems—viruses. Although most viruses spread through email and Internet downloads, some spread directly through the network and other spread through USB disk drives.
There’s too many ways for an virus to get on your computer for you to try to guard against all of them, so the first step you take to secure your computer should be to install good anti-virus software.
But even more important than installing the anti-virus software is keeping it updated. Most anti-virus software will update itself—just make sure you don’t disable updating in the configuration or go too long without connecting to the Internet.
Anti-virus software can only protect your computer against known viruses. Hackers are writing new viruses everyday, so its important to also follow the rest of the tips in this article to keep yourself safe.

Safety Computer Tips #2: Beware Downloading

The easiest way for hackers to install malware (bad programs) on your computer is by convincing you to install them yourself. Most malware on the Web hides as small but useful-sounding programs. For example, new screen savers, new chat applications, and minor desktop improvements.
The software you thought you were installing quietly installs a few extra programs you didn’t ask for. Some of these programs display ads, some of them report details about your computer to hackers, some of them may even open ports—short for portals—that allow hackers to access your computer.
It’s hard to tell which software is legitimate and which software is genuinely useful, but if you have any doubt about a program, it’s best left uninstalled.

Safety Computer Tips #3: Don’t Trust Email

Do you trust your mother? Of course you do, so why wouldn’t you download the attachment she sent you in her latest email?
Viruses know that people trust their friends and family, and they often exploit this by sending rouge emails containing viruses to unsuspecting users. It’s not that your mother would ever intentionally try to infect your computer with a virus—she doesn’t know the attachment she sent you contains a virus.
A specific type of hacker called phisers also use fake emails from respected Internet companies to try to get your passwords. After they get your password, they’ll try to use it to empty your online bank accounts.
All of this means only one thing: don’t trust email. Don’t download attachments unless they’re in in a safe file format. Don’t click on links in your email and enter your password. With the state of email today, it’s ok to be a little paranoid. There are a few things for you to do to try and stop spam emails, but again it takes common sense mostly.

Safety Computer Tips #4: Investigate

Is there something goofy about your computer? Is it running slow? Are you getting strange error messages? Is your ISP complaining that you’re sending too many emails?
All of these problems need to be investigated. Viruses often use your computer processing power for evil, making your computer run slow. Viruses often try to hide among other programs, causing strange error messages. Viruses often send spam emails, making your ISP complain.
If you see a problem, start investigating it and don’t stop until you figure out what the problem was. Otherwise you risk letting a small virus install bigger, worse viruses.

Safety Computer Tips #5: Restrict Administrative Access

In a household or office where many people share computers, everyone is at the mercy of everyone else. No matter how safe you try to keep your computer, anyone else with administrator access can install a virus-infected program.
In these multi-user environments, it pays to restrict administrator access to only the users who know how to keep the computer safe. In fact, I suggest you create just one administrator account for each computer and then give every user their own non-administrator account.
Only when you need to install a program or change a setting should you use the administrator account. For everything else, you should use your own user account. This helps avoid the situation where you accidentally leave your administrator account logged in and the next person on the computer uses it to accidentally download a virus.

Safety Computer Tips #6: Backup!

A couple weeks ago shortly after a thunderstorm, I heard fire sirens down the street from my house. There had been a giant nearby bolt of lightning and the power was still out, so I went to investigate—one of my neighbors’ houses was on fire. It was tragic.

I don’t know how much they lost, but it made me think of what I’d lose if my own house caught fire. I realized that many of the things I’d miss most were stored on my computer. So, as soon as the power returned, I double-checked that my backups were still running as expected. I checked all my external hard drives and other backup storage devices I use.
Nothing can keep your data safer than backing it up. We’ve covered several great easy-to-use backup solutions in other articles, and we still recommend Mozy for affordable complete backups. They offer free 2Gb storage and promise better security.

Safety Computer Tips #7: Watch Your Kids

Kids these days grow up with the Internet, and that means they’re exposed to all of the Internet’s less savory aspects from an early age. It’s easy enough to install some parental control software and then assume that your kids are safe—but they’re not.
If there’s one thing I’ve learned about kids, it’s that they’re ingenious little buggers. Worse, your kids probably know your computer better than you do. No mere technology is going to stop them from getting into trouble.
The best way to keep your kids safe is to watch them when they browse the Internet. That may sound hard, but it can be quite easy—just put the family computer in the room where you or your spouse spend most of your time—for example, the kitchen or the living room.
You may also want to check the kid’s Web browser logs, but beware—if the kids know you do this, they’ll find ways of removing entries. A better method would be to check the hostname access logs on your router, but again, a crafty kid will eventually figure out how to fool even that.

Safety Computer Tips #8: Different Sites, Different Passwords

You’ve probably grown used to reading in computer news how such-and-such big site has been hacked and all of its usernames and passwords were stolen. It may not seem terribly important—after all, most sites don’t store any financial information.
But hackers know that most people use the same username and password for different websites. John Smith very likely uses the same password for his Yahoo! email account that he does for his PayPal account. Minutes after breaking into Smith’s email account, the hackers could use PayPal to empty his bank account.
Each site you use should have a different password—or, at the very least, you should use a different password for each site with access to your financial information. Protecting your online accounts is extremely important so do not neglect this!

Safety Computer Tips #9: Encrypt Sensitive Files

Even if you work really hard at avoiding viruses and other malware, you should prepare yourself for the chance that one will make it onto your computer any way. Backups protect your files from being deleted, but what protects your sensitive files from hackers?
The only thing that can protect your sensitive files is encryption. Higher-end versions of Windows include encryption, but you can also download a free encryption utility that provides just as much security (if not more—Microsoft is under pressure by some governments to put a “back door” into their encryption.)
To secure your files against hackers and other prying eyes, I suggest the free TrueCrypt encryption software.

Safety Computer Tips #10: Firewall

There’s a big difference between good and bad anti-virus software, but the same isn’t true of firewall software. Even the free firewall that comes with all recent versions of Windows will fully protect your computer against automatic network virus attacks. Just make sure you turn it on in the control panel.
If your anti-virus software comes with a firewall, I suggest you use that instead—not because it’s better, but because it will probably be easier for you to use.  And keeping things simple is its own safety computer tips.

How to open a word document in Photoshop?

A Microsoft word document cannot be simply opened in Photoshop. Word documents are saved in .doc or .docx file formats which are not compatible with Photoshop. Photoshop deals with .psd, .jpeg, .gif, and other various image file formats. This is probably a strange tutorial as I usually talk about cutting out images using Photoshop.
Free Getting started with Photoshop PDF report.

Why would you want to open a Word Document in Photoshop?

You can do so many things on a computer, however people always want to do something that is not always possible. Here are a few reasons I can think of why you would want to open a word document in Photoshop:

1. You might want to open a document full of pictures in Photoshop to edit them more professionally
2. Maybe you want to split the Word document up into layers to enable better editing.
3. You might want to use some special features in Photoshop that are not available in Microsoft Word.

How do you open a Word document in Photoshop

The only logical way I can see to open a word document in Photoshop is to use take a screenshot of the document, save it as a jpeg, and then open it in Photoshop.

You will need:

1. Microsoft Word.
2. A keyboard with a Print Screen key.
3. The Mspaint program. (Comes with Windows)
4. Photoshop.

How to get your Word document into Photoshop?

1. Open your Word document.
2. Go to see a print preview for the document so it will fit on the screen fully. Go to the file menu for Word 2003 or the office symbol for Word 2007. You will see print preview in these menus.
3. When you see your full page press the prtscrn key on your keyboard.
4. Open the mspaint program by going down to the start menu, all programs, accessories, then paint.
5. Go to the edit menu at the top and choose paste.
6. You will see a picture of the word document. Go to the file menu at the top and choose Save As.
7. Mspaint will save the screenshot as an image file. I prefer .jpeg. Please remember where you are saving the file.
8. Then open Photoshop, open the file that you saved.

Free Getting started with Photoshop PDF report.
Notes: You can also paste the document screenshot directly into Photoshop after opening a new project, however I feel that the quality is better through paint.

Cutting Out Images Using The Polygonal Lasso Tool in Photoshop

Cutting out images using the Polygonal Lasso Tool in Photoshop can be a very detailed process. It is a fantastic tool if you want to cut out images from a background and be left with a transparent background.
In the tutorial below, I had to cut out the background image from a coffee cup so I could use that image on a banner that I was making. I had to cut around the coffee cup picture and then also cut the background part away from inside the handle of the coffee cup. This is all shown in the video tutorial below. It is not an easy process to actually explain unless you are doing it right there on the video. If you do not have Photoshop there is free image editing software that can possibly do the same thing.
When cutting out images from backgrounds, I sometimes I try to use the Magnetic Lasso Tool in Photoshop, however in this case it would not work. The magnetic tool kept clinging to the wrong lines and therefore I needed to use the Polygonal Lasso Tool to do the job.
I needed the cut to be perfect, well the best that I could do, because I needed the cut out image for a very expensive large banner.
Free Getting started with Photoshop PDF report.

Cutting out images using the Polygonal Lasso Tool – Why?

Cutting out images using the Polygonal Lasso Tool is a great way to cut out a very detailed picture from a background. For example you could cut out a picture of a flower with branches and have it with no background. Having no background means it will have a transparent back ground which is great for placing on to new backgrounds. In the example below I cut out the coffee cup, and then place the cup or not to my banner and can move it around wherever I like.
In the Screen shot below I have circled the Polygonal Lasso Tool. All you have to do is right click on the Lasso tool icon and you can choose the tool that you need.

Watch this video below on Cutting out images using the Polygonal Lasso Tool

Download this Free Getting started with Photoshop PDF report.
If you have any others tips and tricks about cutting out images using the Polygonal Lasso Tool please feel free to comment below.

5 Simple Tips to Protect Your Online Accounts from Being Hacked

These days more and more people are discovering the joys of social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter. But unfortunately not everyone is using these sites for legitimate purposes and hacking is becoming a real issue. Having your accounts hacked can be disastrous, especially if someone manages to access your online banking information. That’s why banks and companies like Google, Yahoo, and Facebook are constantly upgrading their security policies. That’s something, but it’s not enough. You should make sure your online accounts are safe.

Here are five simple tips that will help Protect Your Online Accounts

1. Use strong passwords

Using strong passwords is the best way to ensure your social media accounts don’t get hacked by a spammer or someone who wants to embarrass you. That’s why it’s so important to have a unique password for each of your accounts. Creating strong passwords is fairly easy – just remember to combine letters, numbers and symbols that require pressing the Shift key. It’s also a good idea to change your passwords once in a while, like every two months.
Using strong passwords to protect your online accounts is a good start, but it will not protect you from serious hackers that rely on malware like keyloggers to steal your data. If your computer is infected with a keylogger, the hacker will have access to everything you type, including your passwords. Protecting your computer will help. You can also use strong passwords when protecting your home wireless connection.

2. Protect your computer

Protecting your computer is a vital part of securing your online accounts. You need to have solid security software to prevent more advanced hackers from accessing your online accounts and other sensitive data. There are many security suites available today, both paid and free. As a rule, it’s best to have a couple of different security programs installed on your computer, for example an anti-virus and an antimalware application. In addition to that, it’s always good to replace the Windows firewall with a more advanced one. Remember that you shouldn’t have two anti-virus programs installed at once because they might conflict with each other. Update your security software daily and scan your computer weekly to make sure there are no infections. Protect your online accounts include protecting your computer as they both rely on each other for safety.

3. Keep an eye on running processes

Every single program, whether visible or hidden, launches a process that is displayed in the Windows Task Manager. So if you think that your computer is infected, you should check running processes. It’s also good to monitor running processes on a regular basis.

Windows 7 has a pretty decent task manager (press Ctrl+Shift+Esc to open it), but it’s still best to use a third party application, such as the free Sysinternal’s Process Explorer or Auslogics Task Manager. These programs provide more details than the built-in task manager and can help you nip malware in the bud.
Some infections have a habit of masking themselves as Windows processes, such as svchost.exe and lsass.exe. So it’s always good to check your processes on Fileinspet.com, a Windows process library, and check their path.

4. Download with care

Do you like downloading free stuff from the Internet? I bet you do. But sometimes downloading free stuff can be dangerous. While a lot of free downloads are perfectly fine and come from legitimate sources, many are infected. They are designed to wreak your computer and steal your data. Never download anything that looks suspicious and stick to legitimate free downloads, be it software, songs, or videos.

5. Be careful when using unprotected public networks

We all love using free Wi-Fi in cafes and libraries. While they are great for browsing the web and reading the news, it’s not a good idea to use them for online banking, shopping and sometimes even email. These networks are unprotected, which means that a hacker sitting in the same cafe can easily access all of your open accounts and steal your passwords using special software. That’s why you should always take extra care and watch out for any strange activity. GMail users are lucky, because GMail tells you if more than two computers are using your account at the same time – just look below your messages to access this information.
These tips will help you stay safe, but also remember to use your common sense and watch out for anything suspicious.

Tips To Earn Easy Money By using Linkbucks

Have ever wanted to earn a decent amount of money while sitting at home.If you have then its the time to fulfill your desire.I personally have been associated with linkbucks from long time.This is one of the best programs I have used and recommended to other.Before putting the whole blueprint of the technique to earn money from linkbucks in front of you let me clarify the first question that might be coming into your mind about the intial investment that is required?The answere to this question is that its completely FREE.
Step by Step Guide To Earn Money
1.Click on the banner below to sign up for link Bucks.

2.Once you have signed up.Just go and find some links for movies,Tv shows,Softwares or anything that requires a download.
Note:-To find links just typpe in google the the name of movie or Tv show or whatever you want like shown below followed by the tem rapid share links
Like I have searched here for movie toy story 3 links

Now get links by clicking on any Result of the google and convet them using linkbucks.
4.Signup on some Movie forums and submit your links them and the larger number of forums you sign up for and put your links and larger will be your downloads and larger been your earnings.
5.The minimum payout is 5$ and you will easy get that within no time
If you want Proof Here is the Screen shot of My Earnings from link Bucks

Remember the payment is in Dollars And i have been paid 57$ in just 3 months.

How to Hack Your Friend’s Facebook Account

• First of all, create three new Facebook Accounts and add all these three accounts in your friend’s friend list. If you are done with the first step then you have done 90% of your work.
• Click on Forgot your Password button. It will show three options to recover your password.

• In the first option give his Email Address and in the Name field give your Friend’s Full Name, your name and click on Search button.
• Now if everything goes well you will see the profile picture of that person. Here click on the No longer have access to these.

• Now Enter your New Email address which doesn’t associated with any facebook account yet and click on Submit button.

• Now you will be prompted to Security question. If you know the answer then it is well and good otherwise, give wrong answers for three times.

• Now after three unsuccessful attempts, it will ask you to recover your account with trusted friend feature. Click on Continue button.

• It will ask you to choose three friends. Select your created accounts from the list and click on Continue button each time.
• After selecting three friends, Facebook will send security codes to the Email address associated with those fake accounts. Login to each account and fill the security codes in the same manner. Also check spam messages if it is not there.
• Now you will get password Reset Email on Email Address that you have entered in 5^th step.

That’s it! You have hacked your friends Facebook Account.
The Sole purpose of this article is to highlight the loophole in security.We are not responsible if you use it with malicious intentions and get caught !!

How Easily a Facebook Account Can be Hacked

Hackers have been busy in finding a ways to Hack Facebook Accounts. But hacking  Facebook accounts is not an easy task because Facebook is paying heavenly sum to its security experts and penetration testers to keep user accounts as safe as possible. Earlier, I wrote a funny trick to hack Facebook Account but this time it is not funny but a real working method. Facebook has integrated Three Trusted Friends feature to recover lost passwords. This feature was included to recover Facebook Account but it is exploited by hackers to penetrate into someone’s Facebook Account. Apart from third party tools its the only possible way to hack Facebook Accounts. It is the major loophole in Facebook security.
Keyloggers, Phishing websites etc are also the helpful alternate methods whereas bruteforcing, dictionary attacks, DDOS attack etc will not work directly due account lockout feature.
Hacking of Facebook Account with Trusted Friends is also not so simple. To get started with it, you have to create three fake Facebook accounts and make sure they are in friend list of the person whose facebook account you are going to hack. If you can make this happen then roll up your sleeves to begin the real action.

It is only for educational purposes. 

                                           

                                                          Don’t use it with wrong intension

Freeware

What is freeware? Basically freeware is free software that is available for personal use, without any limitations  or Adware attached to it. You can find freeware for almost any type of application. This software listed below has been provided free by the companies that develop these programs and Tips4pc is simply making you aware of them.
Photo Editing/Organizing

• PhotoFiltre
• Picasa
• Windows Live Photo Gallery
• Scanner and Camera Wizzard Download (This article recommends a replacement for the MSCW)

Free codecs

• VLC Player
• XP Codec Pack
• Vista Codec Pack
• Divx video codec

CD/DVD Burning

• Imgburn
• DVDScribe (direct link to download page)
• CD Burner XP

Screen Recording

• Camstudio

Office Applications

• Open Office.org
• Foxit Reader

Antivirus

• Microsoft Security Essentials

Online Tools

• Secunia
• Fotoflexer
• Online Image Resizer

File Compression

• 7Zip

Audio Software

• Audacity
• DbPowerAmp Music Converter

Video/DVD

• DVD Shrink
• Dvd decypter

Utilities

• Recuva
• Revouninstaller
• Ccleaner
• Defraggler
• Belarc Advisor
• EASEUS Partition Master

Convert Video Files

• Super
• DVDx
• Any Video Converter NOT AVS

Desktop Applications

• AutoScreenRecorder
• Desktop backgrounds, Page 2 desktop backgrounds, Page 3 desktop backgrounds.

Who are your Facebook friends? Do you really know them?

Do you really know who your friends are on Facebook? Who are they and do these friends actually even exist? Have you personally met them all face to face? I’d say no, especially if you have more than a few hundred. In fact why don’t you invite them all to a BBQ at your house and see who turns up.
Sorry to interrogate you like this but it worries me, this Facebook friend thing.Look at the screen shot below. There are three different people with different names and pictures. Well that seems normal doesn’t it? Yes it is supposed to seem normal but its not. If you look closely they all have the same message asking to be my friend.

“Hi Mitz, I just thought I’d add some really cool people as friends and I came across your Facebook profile and like what I see. So I am adding you, Mitz!”

My message for these spam friend requests:

Thanks for your request Gary,Willis, and Jimmie. Either your unusually close, long lost triplets, sleeping together, or you are not real. I have decided yet. Sorry guys, no becoming friends with me today.

What did these guys do, swap notes on how to get Facebook friends?

Are they real people?

Well I hope not, because I think I just offended them.
Unfortunately these people do not exist and these almost identical Facebook friends requests are produced by computer software. I have actually seen the software at a conference on the Gold coast and immediately thought it was unethical and highly “spamish”.

How can I catch spam friend requests on Facebook?

The only reason I noticed these guys is because I did not approve any friends requests for at least a month and let them build up. These particular requests probably came in at different intervals over the month and if I had approved them straight away I would not have noticed any similarities. This is a slack attempt to get gather Facebook friends to eventually market products to.

I have some rules for gathering friends on Facebook

1. To approve a friend you must have met them in person first. (shook hands and said hello)
2. If you are under 15 you must ask your parents if you can add that friend.
3. You should only add friends in your own age group. It looks bad when a 45 year old, single male is friends with the entire under 15′s netball team. (unless your the coach)
4. Children should also hangout with their own age group. My youngest daughter does not play with older teenagers in real life, why would she need to on Facebook? (they are a bad example)
5. Only let your children on Facebook if you are on there as well. Make sure they add you as a friend so you can see whats going on.

Notes:

• The word “spamish” does not exist, I made it up.
• These are actual friends requests from my Facebook account.

Share your thoughts by making a comment below. What rules do you have for adding Facebook friends.

How to Repair a Windows XP Installation Without Formatting your Computer

Repairing an installation of Windows XP will not wipe all of your files like formatting will. Formatting Windows XP cleans your computer of absolutely everything that you had on your computer, and therefore this fact alone makes repairing  a good option to try when fixing an error. If you suspect that there is a problem with the Windows system files you can simply try to repair it before resorting to formatting your hard drive.

What you will need to Repair a Windows XP installation:

1. An original Windows XP cd. The one you originally installed. (Not an OEM)
2. A COA sticker with a serial number that matches your installation.

There are other options to Recover your corrupted Windows instantly even if you do not have an operating system cd. If you do have a cd then you can use this to recover or repair your Windows XP.

How to Repair a Windows XP installation without formatting your computer:

I am assuming you have your operating system cd. If you do not see the option to repair and you only see an option to set up Windows then this tutorial is not for you.

1. First you must put your Windows XP CD in the drive.
2. Then restart your computer.
3. When it says press any key to boot from cd, Press any key on the keyboard. (Go to step 6)
4. If it doesn’t ask you this then restart your computer again.
5. Go into the BIOS settings of your PC, usually by pressing the F1, F2, F10, or maybe the delete key. If you are not sure watch the screen at startup and it will say “To enter setup press…….”. You have to be quick and press it. If you miss it restart again. Once you are in the bios you have to change the boot options. You have to make your cd rom the first boot option. Save and exit.
6. A blue screen will appear and you are on your way..

1. Press Enter to setup Windows XP now. Do not choose to Repair yet.
2. If there is a copy of Windows XP on your computer setup will find it.
3. See below where it says C:windows “Microsoft Windows XP Professional” Make sure this is selected. It may say Windows XP home also.

1. Now choose to Repair the selected Windows XP installation by pressing the letter R on the keyboard.
2. Now windows will seem to run through the usual setup process, however a lot quicker. Don’t panic because it will not wipe your files if you have chosen to repair.
3. At some point you will have to enter the serial number and restart the computer.
4. When you login again your files will still be there but the Windows errors you had will not.

Notes:

• This article relates to an original Windows XP cd. If you use an OEM Version of Xp it may actually format your entire computer and you will loose all of your data.

How to Repair a Windows XP Installation Without Formatting your Computer

All Free Computer Tips – Video Tutorials

Watching a computer video tutorials is much easier than trying to read detailed instructions on how to do something on a computer. It is so much easier to learn about computers when you have someone to actually show you how to do it.
Don’t worry, there will still be an article with most of the video tutorials, however you will be able to skip straight to the video if you like.
Video Rss Feed – Get all new computer video tutorials by Rss feed from Youtube.

Computer video tutorials. The basics

• How to cut, copy and paste text or pictures
• How to enable your Quick Launch Toolbar
• How to organize your my documents files and folders
• How to save my free desktop wallpapers to your computer
• How to take a screen shot in Windows Vista
• What is the difference between “Save” and “Save as” when saving a file?

Windows Live Messenger video tutorials

• How to appear offline on Windows Live Messenger
• How to Change your display picture in windows live messenger

Windows Desktop video tutorials

• How to change your desktop background picture
• Display Properties in Windows XP
• How to make shortcut to a internet web page on your Windows desktop or task bar
• Change icons
• How to create a shutdown, restart, or log off shortcut on your desktop
• How to create a keyboard shortcut to a desktop icon
• Add items or links to open a programs in the desktop right click menu
• Backup and Restore Wizard in Windows XP
• How to Use Disk Cleanup in Windows XP

File recovery video tutorials

• A free program to recover (Recuva) and restore accidentally deleted pictures, photos, and files

Computer video tutorials. Change settings

• Delete the previous owner registration details from your laptop or desktop computer

Format Windows Xp Computer video tutorials

• Format your spare hard drive

Windows XP video tutorials

• Windows XP Control Panel – Automatic updates
• Windows XP Control panel – Add or remove programs
• How and why you should use system restore in Windows XP
• Create a desktop shortcut to open Windows registry editor (regedit)
• Apply a menu template to a folder in Windows XP or Vista
• How to Use Local Users and Groups in Windows XP NEW

Windows Vista

• How to a run box link back into the Vista start menu
• How to organize computer files and create new folders in Windows Vista (video)
• Vista Version Features
• Customize the Windows Vista notification area
• Change the Windows Vista Start menu to a classic menu that looks like Windows XP
• How to take a screen shot in Windows Vista
• How to resize text on a windows vista computer

Word 2007 video tutorials

• Change UPPERCASE text to lowercase in Word 2007

Websites and Web page help computer video tutorials

• How to resize a gif image using a free online animated picture editor
• Free Online HTML Image Mapping Tool – Hot Spots
• Embed MSN Windows Live Chat in your website
• How To Add Amazon Affiliate Links Into a WordPress Post

Windows Seven Computer Tips

• How to find Other computers on your network in Windows seven
• Windows Seven Tips – Win 7 Desktop and Taskbar basic tricks
• Windows Seven Tips – Find your computer IP Address in Windows 7
• Windows Seven Tips – Change your folder list view
• Windows Seven Tips – Change your user account picture
• Windows Seven Tips – Setup parental controls

Video Rss Feed – Get all new computer video tutorials by Rss feed from Youtube.

Network Video Tutorials

• How to show your Network connection icon in the taskbar
• How to share files with other computers on your Home Network
• Add a Network printer to Windows

DVD or CD burning or copying video tutorials

• Copy a DVD
• How to burn a Cd using Windows XP
• Backup your files to DVD
• See this video on Nero ultra 8.
• How to use DVD shrink to backup a movie
• How to download DVD shrink free
• Rip a DVD movie to Avi Mp4 and save it to your computer

Digital camera tips video tutorials

• Delete all pictures automatically from your digital camera video tutorial
• When I connect my digital camera to my computer, where is the automatic scanner and camera wizard?

Outlook Express

• Watch a video on how to create message rules in Outlook Express
• How to organize email contacts in the Outlook Express Address Book.
• How to save photos
• How to send an email with Outlook Express
• How to set up an email account in Outlook Express
• How to attach a picture to an Outlook Express Email
• How to put a link, logo, or picture into an Outlook email signature
• Add a RSS feed to your Microsoft Office outlook 2007
• How to save a picture from an e-mail you receive

Thunderbird Email

• Thunderbird Email – Use Blind Carbon Copy (BCC) to make undisclosed recipients

Dos Command and run window video tutorials

• Change drive letters or directories in the dos command (cmd) window
• Change a user password when your are not logged in as an administrator

Extra Tips video tutorials

• Watch this video to see some more great open source programs that are free!!
• Free Photoshop alternatives
• Google search tips

Windows Movie maker video tutorials

• Save a movie to your computer
• Add a subtitle to a Youtube movie with Windows movie maker

Youtube

• How to upload a movie from your computer to the Youtube video website
• Download and convert Youtube videos to your computer to save
• Download a Youtube video
• Add a video or to word 2007 and convert it to a PDF

Converting Movie files

• Video – Convert an AVI Movie to DVD movie using Nero 7 Essentials
• Convert DVD to avi Divx with DVD decrypter and DVDx free
• How to covert any video format or extract audio – avi,dvd,vob,flv,mpeg,ipod,mp3,Ac3,svcd,mp4,etchttp://tips4pc.com
• How to convert a movie clip to mp4 to Play on your Ipod.
• Burn a DVD with Nero Ultra 8 and convert AVI to dvd
• Rip a DVD movie to Avi Mp4 and save it to your computer

• Change your profile picture on Facebook
• Internet Explorer 8 – Add or Change a homepage tab
• Internet Explorer 8 – Add or remove top menu navigation and toolbars

• How to edit a picture or photo in Windows Vista
• Find items to buy on Ebay that are for sale in your local area
• Use Powerpoint slides to create a video in Windows Movie Maker
• Batch resize photos and pictures before sending in email
• Video – How to create a shutdown, restart, or logoff shortcut on your desktop
• Video – All about the Windows XP control panel and how to use its features
• Video – Enable and disable the Quick Launch Toolbar in the Windows task bar
  
• Video – How to change a shortcut icon on your desktop
• Delete all pictures automatically from your digital camera video tutorial

We have close to 250 computer video tutorials on Youtube at the Computer Basics Channel.

How to Shrink a Partition on Your Hard Drive

If you have your hard drive partitioned and want to change the size of the partitions or the amount of partitions you have on your computer, you can. It is still going to wipe your data but if you backup your files to the main partition just while you are shrinking the other partition then you can move it all back after. You could also resort to formatting a hard drive.

How to shrink a partition?

In this tutorial I have 3 partitions on my hard drive. The first is C: drive, then D: drive, and finally E: drive. You can see this in the screen shot below. The first thing I am going to do is shrink E: drive. Now we must open the disk management tool in Windows Vista.
I cannot guarantee this will work in Windows Vista Home and Windows XP as this was done using a higher version of Vista.
Easily Resize, Copy, Move hard disk partitions without losing data!

Yes they could be depending on what version of Windows you are using. Be warned that I strongly suggest you backup any data or files that your partition has on it.

If you leave files on there and decide to shrink the partition some versions will clearly not let you do this, while others will but we all know accidents can happen. Its always better to be safe than sorry.

If I shrink a partition will the files be lost or wiped clean?

If you use partition software then you can basically shrink a partition with the files on it.

How to open disk management to shrink a partition?

1. Go to the start menu.
2. Right click on my computer or computer for Windows Vista.
3. Choose manage from the menu.
4. Choose storage.
5. Then click on  computer management.
6. Choose Disk Management in the left side menu. Then you see all your drives listed in the right side.

When you open disk management you will see the partitions I have on my computer. Now to continue to shrink drive E:

1. Right click on Drive E: as shown in the screenshot below.
2. Choose Shrink Volume from the menu.

• Now a box will appear. It will automatically choose the size to shrink the partition by.
• change the size of the shrink by changing the amount in the box that is highlighted blue.
• When you are happy with your size press Shrink.

Now see the screenshot below. My E: partition was 116mb and now it is 58.27mb. The data and files that was on there is gone. And now I have 58.17gb of free space. To use this free space we need to right click on that area and choose to create a new volume. We can also extend E: back out to 116mb by using the free space.

Shrink a Partition in Windows Seven

In Windows Seven you can decrease the size of the main partition without removing files first. You are restricted by the position files. It is probably a good idea to defrag your files to place them in an organized state, ready for the partition shrink. You can shrink the existing partition from the end of the volume to create new unallocated space. Then you can label the drive and start loading it up with files.
Easily Resize, Copy, Move hard disk partitions without losing data!
Notes on shrinking a partition

• You can experiment with any of your partitions but not C: drive. (except Windows seven)
• You cannot shrink C: drive unless you use another program like Partition Magic
• You can shrink any other partitions but you will still loose the files on it.

THC-HYDRA 7.2 released - network login Bruteforce Tool

THC-HYDRA 7.2 released - network login Bruteforce Tool

THC Hydra is one of the most famous network logon cracking tool. This tool gets an updated and released  THC-HYDRA 7.2. This tool supports  Samba, FTP, POP3, IMAP, Telnet, HTTP Auth, LDAP, NNTP, MySQL, VNC, ICQ, Socks5, PCNFS, Cisco and more.


Changelog v7.2

• Speed-up http modules auth mechanism detection
• Fixed -C colonfile mode when empty login/passwords were used (thanks to will(at)configitnow(dot)com for reporting)
• The -f switch was not working for postgres, afp, socks5,
• firebird and ncp, thanks to Richard Whitcroft for reporting!
• Fixed NTLM auth in http-proxy/http-proxy-url module
• Fixed URL when being redirected in http-form module, thanks to gash(at)chaostreff(dot)at
• Fix MSSQL success login condition, thanks to whistle_master(at)live(dot)com
• Fix http form module: optional headers and 3xx status redirect, thx to Gash
• Fix in configure script for –prefix option, thanks to dazzlepod
• Update of the dpl4hydra script by Roland Kessler, thanks!
• Small fix for hydra man page, thanks to brad(at)comstyle(dot)com
•  
• Download THC-Hydra v7.2

How To Get a Free Windows XP SP3 CD From Microsoft

Hi Friends, Today’s post is very interesting where you can get a free Windows XP Service Pack 3 CD from the legend Microsoft which is worth $150. All you have to do is to go to there official give away site and just fill the form with the details which they want.Let me give a complete picture of this give away. The best part is that the cd which they give you is a updated windows cd which will contain all there previous updates and releases. I will give you a Microsoft link where you have to do exactly which i do here so that you will get a free cd from them. But remember that Shipping cost is not free. So we have to pay that which i will mention below.
Steps to order the free windows xp sp3 cd :

1) Go to the Official Microsoft give away page from HERE (Use Mozilla Firefox For Better Results)
2) You will be opened with a Shipping and Delivery page where you can see agreement options agree and you will be redirected to a page.
3) Next you have to select your country, there are 48 different country subscription order forms. Since i live in india i have selected it and my currency will be updated to Indian Rupee.
4) This the most important part where you have to select the language of the xp cd which you want. Apart from English we also have 4 more languages like Chinese Simplified, Chinese Traditional, Chinese Traditional Hong Kong, Korean.

5) I have selected English which i am good at and now click on ORDER NOW button beside that.
6) Next page will be your shipping page where you have to enter your contact details and address with complete information so that the package will be posted to your address given here.
7) Note that for India Standard Mail Post cost is Rs: 469 and International courier Federal express cost is Rs:929.
 After that enter your billing form and Microsoft will review the details and provide you with a receipt for future assistance. If you want more details on this then contact the below given information.

The India office supports: British Indian Ocean Territory, and Maldives

Microsoft India Home Page

Microsoft Corporation (I) Pvt. Ltd.
9th Floor, Tower A, DLF Cyber Greens
DLF Cyber Citi, Sector 25A
Gurgaon 122 002
INDIA

Phone: 1800 102 1100 (Toll free number accessible from Airtel land line and mobile phones
Phone: 1800 111 100 (Toll free number accessible from MTNL/BSNL land line)
Phone: +91 80 40103000

Fax: +91-124-4158888

Microsoft India Product Support

ORDER HERE

Auslogics Antivirus 2011

Auslogics Antivirus 2011

Auslogics' award-winning antivirus protection against all kinds
of viruses, spyware, trojans and identity theft without slowing
down your computer.

• Prevents viruses from being copied to your disks
• Protects your identity: shop, bank and browse privately
• Scans all web and instant messaging traffic in real-time
• Uses heuristics to counter polymorphic viruses
• Blocks keyloggers monitoring your online activities

Download Now!

 

Proactive Protection

Analyses behavior of all applications running on your PC and warns if any of them tries to perform a malicious action.

Internet Safety

Prevents leaks of your personal data, like passwords or credit card numbers, over e-mail, IM, or websites.

Vulnerability Protection

Scans your system for security holes that could potentially be used to deliver viruses or spyware on to your PC.

Fast Scanning

The program remembers files that have already been checked and skips them for even faster full-system scans.

Matches Your Needs

You can select one of three interface views that best matches your computer skills: Basic, Intermediate, or Expert.

Works Silently

Use Silent and Game modes to reduce system load and disable alerts when you are watching movies or playing games.

Auslogics Antivirus Protection Techniques

Real-time Protection Stop viruses, spyware, Trojans and other malware before they can do damage. Auslogics real-time protection constantly scans all accessed files, e-mail messages and instant messaging traffic to protect your computer against a wide range of threats. With this feature you can safely download and open files from the Internet, as well as share them with your friends. It also identifies phishing web sites to protect your personal data from being stolen.

Active Virus Control Auslogics Antivirus is supplied with an Active Virus Control feature that protects your computer against new threats for which signatures have not been released yet. It constantly analyses the activity of all the applications running on your computer and warns you if any of them tries to perform a malicious action. In addition, you can control the activity of each program manually by adding them to the list of trusted/untrusted applications.

Privacy Control Keep Privacy Control enabled to protect your sensitive data, like e-mail passwords or credit card numbers, from being stolen by hackers. It is designed to block spyware, keyloggers, Trojan horses and other data theft tools. Privacy Control includes four-level protection: it analyses web traffic, controls changes in the Windows registry, allows to manage cookies and alerts if any web site tries to execute scripts on your computer, for example ActiveX controls.

Vulnerability Your operating system, applications, and browsers can have lots of security holes. Many of these security vulnerabilities can be eliminated by simply keeping Windows and software installed on your computer up to date. Auslogics Antivirus scans your system and notifies you if there are new updates available that could potentially protect your computer against malicious persons and applications.

Home Network Security Network Module allows you to remotely manage Auslogics Antivirus products installed on the computers in your household. You can run an on-demand scan, view history/events or fix issues that are affecting computer security in your home network. In addition to that, you can set one of your computers as an update server. This option can reduce Internet traffic, as only one computer will require connecting to the Internet for downloading updates.

Choose Your View Auslogics Antivirus lets you choose how you'd like to see and interact with the program. Just select one of three user interface views, from Basic to Expert depending on your computer skills. The Basic View is very simple to use and requires minimal interaction from the user side. Recommended for experienced users, the Expert View allows to manually configure each function of the program. Note, you can always change the view from the Options menu after installation.

Game & Laptop Modes Both Laptop and Game modes are designed to minimize system resources consumption by the Antivirus. While running in Game Mode the program disables all alerts, pop-ups and scheduled scans. Real-time antivirus protection is also set to Permissive, so playing your favorite games will never be interrupted. The Laptop Mode starts automatically every time your laptop switches to battery power. It will postpone scheduled tasks until your laptop is no longer running on battery.

Auslogics Antivirus Reviews

Auslogics Antivirus is among the top 10 most effective antiviruses in the world according to the independent security software test from VB100. During the tests Auslogics Antivirus showed one of the highest scores for detecting both known and unknown malware, and didn’t generate any false positives.
"The Response tests were run cautiously in small chunks, but showed some stellar detection rates, very close to perfect across the board.", - states the VB100 Report on the Auslogics Antivirus test.
The VB100 award is a prestigious independent security software certification that acknowledges the quality of anti-malware solutions. Virus Bulletin runs a series of RAP (Reactive and Proactive) tests to measure the detection rates for each tested antivirus against the latest malware samples available at the time of the test.

Auslogics Antivirus 2011

Version:

14.0.28 (2011)

Release date:

June 09, 2011

Program size:

245 MB

System Requirements

• Windows 7/Vista/XP (32&64-bit)
• 450 MB available hard disk space
• 512 MB RAM

Auslogics Antivirus 2011 FAQ

Select from the frequently asked questions below. If you do not see your question, you can contact our technical support and sales staff.

• What to do when Auslogics Antivirus cannot detect a virus or spyware?
• How do I register Auslogics Antivirus?
• I have a license valid for two PCs. How do I install Auslogics on my second PC?
• I have a license valid for two PCs. How do I register Auslogics on my second PC?
• How do I add a new email address to MyAccount on Auslogics website?
• How do I add a new license key to MyAccount on Auslogics website?
• What are the unresolved items in the Results Summary window?
• How can Auslogics Antivirus be installed?
• I can't install the program. Installation gets interrupted while downloading files. What can I do?
• Can Auslogics Antivirus run on Vista and Windows 7? Can it run on a 64-bit computer?