Hard drive in one's PC is one of the most important component of your PC, be it mobile or desktop. The reason I wrote this topic is to inform you(in case you don't know) that hard drives manufacturers(SEAGATE, Maxtor, Western) actually give more than 1 year in all their products.So, instead of buying a new hard drive I suggest that you verify first your drive's warranty with its manufacturers, most of them can be done online. I myself prefer Seagate's products because they offer 5 years warranty and free shipping in all returned defective item. Its hassle less transaction on your part.
Click on the link to verify warranty and return your Seagate's product!
Verify and Return Seagate's Harddrive
Showing posts with label General Knowledge. Show all posts
Showing posts with label General Knowledge. Show all posts
June 6, 2011
May 31, 2011
Malware scanner finds 5% of Windows PCs infected
One in every 20 Windows PCs whose users turned to Microsoft for cleanup help were infected with malware, Microsoft said this week.
Microsoft cited that statistic and others from data generated by its new Safety Scanner, a free malware scanning and scrubbing tool that re-launched May 12.
The 420,000 copies of the tool that were downloaded in the first week of its availability cleaned malware or signs of exploitation from more than 20,000 Windows PCs, Microsoft's Malware Protection Center (MMPC) reported Wednesday. That represented an infection rate of 4.8%.
On average, each of the infected PCs hosted 3.5 threats, which Microsoft defined as either actual malware or clues that a successful attack had been launched against the machine.
Of the top 10 threats found by Safety Scanner, seven were Java exploits, said Scott Wu and Joe Faulhaber of the MMPC, in a blog post. Wu is a program manager with the MMPC, while Faulhaber is a software engineer.
That finding backs up a recent Microsoft security intelligence report that noted a huge spike in Java-based exploits in the second half of 2010, when the number tracked by Microsoft jumped to nearly 13 million from around 1 million in the first six months of that year.
Microsoft blamed exploits of just two vulnerabilities in Oracle's Java for generating 85% of all Java attacks in the second half of 2010. Not surprising, those same two vulnerabilities ranked No. 1 and No. 6 in the Safety Scanner top 10.
One of the heavily-exploited Java bugs was patched in December 2008 by Sun -- which has since been swallowed by Oracle -- while the other was fixed in November 2009.
Microsoft has sounded the warning about the explosion in Java exploits before. In October 2010, Holly Stewart, another MMPC manager, said the attack volume was "scary" and "unprecedented."
Hacker reliance on Java made sense to Marc Fossi, the director of Symantec's security response team, in an interview last year. "Since Java is both cross-browser and cross-platform, it can be appealing to attackers," he said, referring to Java's use by every major browser, and on Windows, Mac OS and Linux.
Safety Scanner found 2,272 Windows PCs with evidence of an exploit of the most wide-used Java bug, dubbed "CVE-2008-5353" in the Common Vulnerabilities & Exploits database. Of those machines, 7.3% of them also contained the notorious Alureon rootkit, while 5.7% of them had been infected with one of the fake security programs of the "Winwebsec" family.
"By the time a user downloads and runs [Microsoft Safety Scanner] to detect malware, the machine may have already been infected, if it was vulnerable to the exploit at the time," acknowledged Wu and Faulhaber.
Alureon made news in February 2010 when Windows XP systems infected with the rootkit were crippled after a Microsoft security update. And Winwebsec, as Microsoft called the line of phony antivirus software that dupes victims into paying for the worthless program, has been linked to MacDefender, the scareware that's been plaguing Mac users all month.
Safety Scanner, which replaced an older online-only tool, uses the same technology and detection signatures as Microsoft's free consumer-grade Security Essentials antivirus program and its Forefront Endpoint Protection product for enterprises.
The free scanner can be downloaded here.
Microsoft cited that statistic and others from data generated by its new Safety Scanner, a free malware scanning and scrubbing tool that re-launched May 12.
The 420,000 copies of the tool that were downloaded in the first week of its availability cleaned malware or signs of exploitation from more than 20,000 Windows PCs, Microsoft's Malware Protection Center (MMPC) reported Wednesday. That represented an infection rate of 4.8%.
On average, each of the infected PCs hosted 3.5 threats, which Microsoft defined as either actual malware or clues that a successful attack had been launched against the machine.
Of the top 10 threats found by Safety Scanner, seven were Java exploits, said Scott Wu and Joe Faulhaber of the MMPC, in a blog post. Wu is a program manager with the MMPC, while Faulhaber is a software engineer.
That finding backs up a recent Microsoft security intelligence report that noted a huge spike in Java-based exploits in the second half of 2010, when the number tracked by Microsoft jumped to nearly 13 million from around 1 million in the first six months of that year.
Microsoft blamed exploits of just two vulnerabilities in Oracle's Java for generating 85% of all Java attacks in the second half of 2010. Not surprising, those same two vulnerabilities ranked No. 1 and No. 6 in the Safety Scanner top 10.
One of the heavily-exploited Java bugs was patched in December 2008 by Sun -- which has since been swallowed by Oracle -- while the other was fixed in November 2009.
Microsoft has sounded the warning about the explosion in Java exploits before. In October 2010, Holly Stewart, another MMPC manager, said the attack volume was "scary" and "unprecedented."
Hacker reliance on Java made sense to Marc Fossi, the director of Symantec's security response team, in an interview last year. "Since Java is both cross-browser and cross-platform, it can be appealing to attackers," he said, referring to Java's use by every major browser, and on Windows, Mac OS and Linux.
Safety Scanner found 2,272 Windows PCs with evidence of an exploit of the most wide-used Java bug, dubbed "CVE-2008-5353" in the Common Vulnerabilities & Exploits database. Of those machines, 7.3% of them also contained the notorious Alureon rootkit, while 5.7% of them had been infected with one of the fake security programs of the "Winwebsec" family.
"By the time a user downloads and runs [Microsoft Safety Scanner] to detect malware, the machine may have already been infected, if it was vulnerable to the exploit at the time," acknowledged Wu and Faulhaber.
Alureon made news in February 2010 when Windows XP systems infected with the rootkit were crippled after a Microsoft security update. And Winwebsec, as Microsoft called the line of phony antivirus software that dupes victims into paying for the worthless program, has been linked to MacDefender, the scareware that's been plaguing Mac users all month.
Safety Scanner, which replaced an older online-only tool, uses the same technology and detection signatures as Microsoft's free consumer-grade Security Essentials antivirus program and its Forefront Endpoint Protection product for enterprises.
The free scanner can be downloaded here.
September 30, 2010
A Few things about Windows XP!
In case you did not know it yet, I compiled few things about Windows XP!
1. It boasts how long it can stay up. Whereas previous versions of Windows were coy about how long they went between boots, XP is positively proud of its stamina. Go to the Command Prompt in the Accessories menu from the All Programs start button option, and then type 'systeminfo'. The computer will produce a lot of useful info, including the uptime. If you want to keep these, type 'systeminfo > info.txt'. This creates a file called info.txt you can look at later with Notepad. (Professional Edition only).
2. You can delete files immediately, without having them move to the Recycle Bin first. Go to the Start menu, select Run... and type 'gpedit.msc'; then select User Configuration, Administrative Templates, Windows Components, Windows Explorer and find the Do not move deleted files to the Recycle Bin setting. Set it. Poking around in gpedit will reveal a great many interface and system options, but take care -- some may stop your computer behaving as you wish. (Professional Edition only).
3. You can lock your XP workstation with two clicks of the mouse. Create a new shortcut on your desktop using a right mouse click, and enter 'rundll32.exe user32.dll,LockWorkStation' in the location field. Give the shortcut a name you like. That's it -- just double click on it and your computer will be locked. And if that's not easy enough, Windows key + L will do the same.
4. XP hides some system software you might want to remove, such as Windows Messenger, but you can tickle it and make it disgorge everything. Using Notepad or Edit, edit the text file /windows/inf/sysoc.inf, search for the word 'hide' and remove it. You can then go to the Add or Remove Programs in the Control Panel, select Add/Remove Windows Components and there will be your prey, exposed and vulnerable.
5. For those skilled in the art of DOS batch files, XP has a number of interesting new commands. These include 'eventcreate' and 'eventtriggers' for creating and watching system events, 'typeperf' for monitoring performance of various subsystems, and 'schtasks' for handling scheduled tasks. As usual, typing the command name followed by /? will give a list of options -- they're all far too baroque to go into here.
6. XP has IP version 6 support -- the next generation of IP. Unfortunately this is more than your ISP has, so you can only experiment with this on your LAN. Type 'ipv6 install' into Run... (it's OK, it won't ruin your existing network setup) and then 'ipv6 /?' at the command line to find out more. If you don't know what IPv6 is, don't worry and don't bother.
7. You can at last get rid of tasks on the computer from the command line by using 'taskkill /pid' and the task number, or just 'tskill' and the process number. Find that out by typing 'tasklist', which will also tell you a lot about what's going on in your system.
8. XP will treat Zip files like folders, which is nice if you've got a fast machine. On slower machines, you can make XP leave zip files well alone by typing 'regsvr32 /u zipfldr.dll' at the command line. If you change your mind later, you can put things back as they were by typing 'regsvr32 zipfldr.dll'.
9. XP has ClearType -- Microsoft's anti-aliasing font display technology -- but doesn't have it enabled by default. It's well worth trying, especially if you were there for DOS and all those years of staring at a screen have given you the eyes of an astigmatic bat. To enable ClearType, right click on the desktop, select Properties, Appearance, Effects, select ClearType from the second drop-down menu and enable the selection. Expect best results on laptop displays. If you want to use ClearType on the Welcome login screen as well, set the registry entry HKEY_USERS/.DEFAULT/Control Panel/Desktop/FontSmoothingType to 2.
10. You can use Remote Assistance to help a friend who's using network address translation (NAT) on a home network, but not automatically. Get your pal to email you a Remote Assistance invitation and edit the file. Under the RCTICKET attribute will be a NAT IP address, like 192.168.1.10. Replace this with your chum's real IP address -- they can find this out by going to www.whatismyip.com -- and get them to make sure that they've got port 3389 open on their firewall and forwarded to the errant computer.
11. You can run a program as a different user without logging out and back in again. Right click the icon, select Run As... and enter the user name and password you want to use. This only applies for that run. The trick is particularly useful if you need to have administrative permissions to install a program, which many require. Note that you can have some fun by running programs multiple times on the same system as different users, but this can have unforeseen effects.
12. Windows XP can be very insistent about you checking for auto updates, registering a Passport, using Windows Messenger and so on. After a while, the nagging goes away, but if you feel you might slip the bonds of sanity before that point, run Regedit, go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER/Software/Microsoft/Windows/Current Version/Explorer/Advanced and create a DWORD value called EnableBalloonTips with a value of 0.
13. You can start up without needing to enter a user name or password. Select Run... from the start menu and type 'control userpasswords2', which will open the user accounts application. On the Users tab, clear the box for Users Must Enter A User Name And Password To Use This Computer, and click on OK. An Automatically Log On dialog box will appear; enter the user name and password for the account you want to use.
14. Internet Explorer 6 will automatically delete temporary files, but only if you tell it to. Start the browser, select Tools / Internet Options... and Advanced, go down to the Security area and check the box to Empty Temporary Internet Files folder when browser is closed.
15. XP comes with a free Network Activity Light, just in case you can't see the LEDs twinkle on your network card. Right click on My Network Places on the desktop, then select Properties. Right click on the description for your LAN or dial-up connection, select Properties, then check the Show icon in notification area when connected box. You'll now see a tiny network icon on the right of your task bar that glimmers nicely during network traffic.
16. The Start Menu can be leisurely when it decides to appear, but you can speed things along by changing the registry entry HKEY_CURRENT_USER/Control Panel/Desktop/MenuShowDelay from the default 400 to something a little snappier. Like 0.
17. You can rename loads of files at once in Windows Explorer. Highlight a set of files in a window, then right click on one and rename it. All the other files will be renamed to that name, with individual numbers in brackets to distinguish them. Also, in a folder you can arrange icons in alphabetised groups by View, Arrange Icon By... Show In Groups.
18. Windows Media Player will display the cover art for albums as it plays the tracks -- if it found the picture on the Internet when you copied the tracks from the CD. If it didn't, or if you have lots of pre-WMP music files, you can put your own copy of the cover art in the same directory as the tracks. Just call it folder.jpg and Windows Media Player will pick it up and display it.
19. Windows key + Break brings up the System Properties dialogue box; Windows key + D brings up the desktop; Windows key + Tab moves through the taskbar buttons.
1. It boasts how long it can stay up. Whereas previous versions of Windows were coy about how long they went between boots, XP is positively proud of its stamina. Go to the Command Prompt in the Accessories menu from the All Programs start button option, and then type 'systeminfo'. The computer will produce a lot of useful info, including the uptime. If you want to keep these, type 'systeminfo > info.txt'. This creates a file called info.txt you can look at later with Notepad. (Professional Edition only).
2. You can delete files immediately, without having them move to the Recycle Bin first. Go to the Start menu, select Run... and type 'gpedit.msc'; then select User Configuration, Administrative Templates, Windows Components, Windows Explorer and find the Do not move deleted files to the Recycle Bin setting. Set it. Poking around in gpedit will reveal a great many interface and system options, but take care -- some may stop your computer behaving as you wish. (Professional Edition only).
3. You can lock your XP workstation with two clicks of the mouse. Create a new shortcut on your desktop using a right mouse click, and enter 'rundll32.exe user32.dll,LockWorkStation' in the location field. Give the shortcut a name you like. That's it -- just double click on it and your computer will be locked. And if that's not easy enough, Windows key + L will do the same.
4. XP hides some system software you might want to remove, such as Windows Messenger, but you can tickle it and make it disgorge everything. Using Notepad or Edit, edit the text file /windows/inf/sysoc.inf, search for the word 'hide' and remove it. You can then go to the Add or Remove Programs in the Control Panel, select Add/Remove Windows Components and there will be your prey, exposed and vulnerable.
5. For those skilled in the art of DOS batch files, XP has a number of interesting new commands. These include 'eventcreate' and 'eventtriggers' for creating and watching system events, 'typeperf' for monitoring performance of various subsystems, and 'schtasks' for handling scheduled tasks. As usual, typing the command name followed by /? will give a list of options -- they're all far too baroque to go into here.
6. XP has IP version 6 support -- the next generation of IP. Unfortunately this is more than your ISP has, so you can only experiment with this on your LAN. Type 'ipv6 install' into Run... (it's OK, it won't ruin your existing network setup) and then 'ipv6 /?' at the command line to find out more. If you don't know what IPv6 is, don't worry and don't bother.
7. You can at last get rid of tasks on the computer from the command line by using 'taskkill /pid' and the task number, or just 'tskill' and the process number. Find that out by typing 'tasklist', which will also tell you a lot about what's going on in your system.
8. XP will treat Zip files like folders, which is nice if you've got a fast machine. On slower machines, you can make XP leave zip files well alone by typing 'regsvr32 /u zipfldr.dll' at the command line. If you change your mind later, you can put things back as they were by typing 'regsvr32 zipfldr.dll'.
9. XP has ClearType -- Microsoft's anti-aliasing font display technology -- but doesn't have it enabled by default. It's well worth trying, especially if you were there for DOS and all those years of staring at a screen have given you the eyes of an astigmatic bat. To enable ClearType, right click on the desktop, select Properties, Appearance, Effects, select ClearType from the second drop-down menu and enable the selection. Expect best results on laptop displays. If you want to use ClearType on the Welcome login screen as well, set the registry entry HKEY_USERS/.DEFAULT/Control Panel/Desktop/FontSmoothingType to 2.
10. You can use Remote Assistance to help a friend who's using network address translation (NAT) on a home network, but not automatically. Get your pal to email you a Remote Assistance invitation and edit the file. Under the RCTICKET attribute will be a NAT IP address, like 192.168.1.10. Replace this with your chum's real IP address -- they can find this out by going to www.whatismyip.com -- and get them to make sure that they've got port 3389 open on their firewall and forwarded to the errant computer.
11. You can run a program as a different user without logging out and back in again. Right click the icon, select Run As... and enter the user name and password you want to use. This only applies for that run. The trick is particularly useful if you need to have administrative permissions to install a program, which many require. Note that you can have some fun by running programs multiple times on the same system as different users, but this can have unforeseen effects.
12. Windows XP can be very insistent about you checking for auto updates, registering a Passport, using Windows Messenger and so on. After a while, the nagging goes away, but if you feel you might slip the bonds of sanity before that point, run Regedit, go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER/Software/Microsoft/Windows/Current Version/Explorer/Advanced and create a DWORD value called EnableBalloonTips with a value of 0.
13. You can start up without needing to enter a user name or password. Select Run... from the start menu and type 'control userpasswords2', which will open the user accounts application. On the Users tab, clear the box for Users Must Enter A User Name And Password To Use This Computer, and click on OK. An Automatically Log On dialog box will appear; enter the user name and password for the account you want to use.
14. Internet Explorer 6 will automatically delete temporary files, but only if you tell it to. Start the browser, select Tools / Internet Options... and Advanced, go down to the Security area and check the box to Empty Temporary Internet Files folder when browser is closed.
15. XP comes with a free Network Activity Light, just in case you can't see the LEDs twinkle on your network card. Right click on My Network Places on the desktop, then select Properties. Right click on the description for your LAN or dial-up connection, select Properties, then check the Show icon in notification area when connected box. You'll now see a tiny network icon on the right of your task bar that glimmers nicely during network traffic.
16. The Start Menu can be leisurely when it decides to appear, but you can speed things along by changing the registry entry HKEY_CURRENT_USER/Control Panel/Desktop/MenuShowDelay from the default 400 to something a little snappier. Like 0.
17. You can rename loads of files at once in Windows Explorer. Highlight a set of files in a window, then right click on one and rename it. All the other files will be renamed to that name, with individual numbers in brackets to distinguish them. Also, in a folder you can arrange icons in alphabetised groups by View, Arrange Icon By... Show In Groups.
18. Windows Media Player will display the cover art for albums as it plays the tracks -- if it found the picture on the Internet when you copied the tracks from the CD. If it didn't, or if you have lots of pre-WMP music files, you can put your own copy of the cover art in the same directory as the tracks. Just call it folder.jpg and Windows Media Player will pick it up and display it.
19. Windows key + Break brings up the System Properties dialogue box; Windows key + D brings up the desktop; Windows key + Tab moves through the taskbar buttons.
August 13, 2010
Branded or Compatible desktop?
Buying a new desktop? but still undecided what brand to buy?, This may help you make the choice.
Here are some points to ponder upon:
1.Public perception is that branded desktop PC is durable than assembled PC,true at some point, but not all branded PC are made the same, in fact I also experienced hardware problems in some of this popular brand in the market.
2.Parts that are installed in branded PC's are just almost the same with those found in any assembled PC units.
3.Hardware installed on any branded PC are just mixture of pc parts from different companies, such as Seagate, Kingston, LG or Samsung, liteon...ECS, Foxconn,etc.The only difference is its CPU casing which they design it to look so attractive.
Recommendation:
I will rather opt to pick my own pc parts with good quality at any hardware store and assembled it myself, in this way I am assured of a good performing CPU at a cheaper price. In case you have little knowledge in identifying the good stuff ask a friend or pay somebody to do the job for you, I am sure the cost will still be a lot cheaper than you buy a branded one.
Here are some points to ponder upon:
1.Public perception is that branded desktop PC is durable than assembled PC,true at some point, but not all branded PC are made the same, in fact I also experienced hardware problems in some of this popular brand in the market.
2.Parts that are installed in branded PC's are just almost the same with those found in any assembled PC units.
3.Hardware installed on any branded PC are just mixture of pc parts from different companies, such as Seagate, Kingston, LG or Samsung, liteon...ECS, Foxconn,etc.The only difference is its CPU casing which they design it to look so attractive.
Recommendation:
I will rather opt to pick my own pc parts with good quality at any hardware store and assembled it myself, in this way I am assured of a good performing CPU at a cheaper price. In case you have little knowledge in identifying the good stuff ask a friend or pay somebody to do the job for you, I am sure the cost will still be a lot cheaper than you buy a branded one.
March 28, 2010
Dealing hard to remove viruses on one's PC!
In days where PC viruses are not that hard to remove, a free version on any anti virus product will fairly do the job well. But as hardware and software advances, so with this criminal who are developing viruses that is hard to detect, even with those paid versions of those popular anti virus software.
If you suspect that your PC is infected with a hard to detect unknown virus, and your not yet ready to reformat your hard drive, you can try the following method:
1. Remove your hard drive and full scan it on another virus free PC with updated virus definition.
2.Another method is to download a rescue disk on some popular anti virus product(Kaspersky, bitdefender, avira,Norton...etc,), you can google it and its free.
Method 2 is more comprehensive than method 1 but its more tedious.
The concept behind using a rescue disk is to create a bootable disk out of the downloaded image and use it to scan you system.In this case you can full scan your hard drive without booting at the infected system thereby preventing hard to detect viruses(rootkits) to load at startup.After downloading use Daemon tools or PowerISO software to create the bootable CD.
Take note, downloading and creating the rescue disk must be done on a clean and virus free PC.
I am using a Kaspersky Rescue Disk but other anti virus rescue disk will also do the thing.
Click here to download Kaspersky Rescue Disk
If you suspect that your PC is infected with a hard to detect unknown virus, and your not yet ready to reformat your hard drive, you can try the following method:
1. Remove your hard drive and full scan it on another virus free PC with updated virus definition.
2.Another method is to download a rescue disk on some popular anti virus product(Kaspersky, bitdefender, avira,Norton...etc,), you can google it and its free.
Method 2 is more comprehensive than method 1 but its more tedious.
The concept behind using a rescue disk is to create a bootable disk out of the downloaded image and use it to scan you system.In this case you can full scan your hard drive without booting at the infected system thereby preventing hard to detect viruses(rootkits) to load at startup.After downloading use Daemon tools or PowerISO software to create the bootable CD.
Take note, downloading and creating the rescue disk must be done on a clean and virus free PC.
I am using a Kaspersky Rescue Disk but other anti virus rescue disk will also do the thing.
Click here to download Kaspersky Rescue Disk
October 24, 2009
A small utility inside your Windows OS!
Looking for a utility that gives summary on the hardware/software installed on your PC? from board manufacturer, memory size, hard drive capacity, software information......etc?
Some of us are using Windows XP for so many years now but maybe a few knows that this utility existed within Windows. The utility name is MSINFO32, a useful utility that gives quick overall view of your system.
To launch utility just click Start, click Run, type MSINFO32 in the Open box, and then click OK.
Wait a few seconds and a window appear that displays all the related information!
Happy Weekend!
Some of us are using Windows XP for so many years now but maybe a few knows that this utility existed within Windows. The utility name is MSINFO32, a useful utility that gives quick overall view of your system.
To launch utility just click Start, click Run, type MSINFO32 in the Open box, and then click OK.
Wait a few seconds and a window appear that displays all the related information!
Happy Weekend!
October 4, 2009
Proper Approach In PC Troubleshooting
Today I will discussed some troubleshooting approach that may help shorten your time in solving/isolating a particular PC problem.
Based on experience, I often encountered problems that seems a major problem when its not.
An example of this is a blackout motherboard only to find out that cmos enable switch is wrongfully set or there is no jumper inserted on the CMOS enable switch.
Another example is that you just transfered your PC in a different location, and when you plug everything you got a non responsive unit or PC on a continues reset, only to find out that PC was wrongfully inserted on the 110V power source, instead on the 220V outlet.
There are other scenarios that you will encounter in troubleshooting a particular problem, but with the right approach you can shorten the time in your troubleshooting.
Listed below are my basic approach in PC troubleshooting,
1.Talk to the user first what he/she noticed before the PC bogged down, often it will perform strangely, it this way you may have a hint to were you start your troubleshooting.
2.Try to establish if the problem cause by a software or a hardware, in this way you can cut half of your time in troubleshooting.
3.Look for minor cause of a particular problem first before digging deeper unto it, you may wrongfully reformat a PC that intermittently resets but later you found out that its just a case of poor memory contact on its slot or a clogged processor heatsink.
Thats all for now folks, I hope this particular topic help enhance your troubleshooting skills!
Based on experience, I often encountered problems that seems a major problem when its not.
An example of this is a blackout motherboard only to find out that cmos enable switch is wrongfully set or there is no jumper inserted on the CMOS enable switch.
Another example is that you just transfered your PC in a different location, and when you plug everything you got a non responsive unit or PC on a continues reset, only to find out that PC was wrongfully inserted on the 110V power source, instead on the 220V outlet.
There are other scenarios that you will encounter in troubleshooting a particular problem, but with the right approach you can shorten the time in your troubleshooting.
Listed below are my basic approach in PC troubleshooting,
1.Talk to the user first what he/she noticed before the PC bogged down, often it will perform strangely, it this way you may have a hint to were you start your troubleshooting.
2.Try to establish if the problem cause by a software or a hardware, in this way you can cut half of your time in troubleshooting.
3.Look for minor cause of a particular problem first before digging deeper unto it, you may wrongfully reformat a PC that intermittently resets but later you found out that its just a case of poor memory contact on its slot or a clogged processor heatsink.
Thats all for now folks, I hope this particular topic help enhance your troubleshooting skills!
August 5, 2009
Another PC Mind Boggling Problem!
Every day at work I used to experience unusual problem, just yesterday I encountered such a problem. The unit is a P4 CPU, the only problem of the unit is it cannot connect the net, it always indicate a limited connectivity. I tried all the basics to fix the problem, but still does'nt work.
The network device was tested good in other unit,And I suspect that it maybe a software problem so I decided to install a different harddrive with a fresh installed OS, to check if it can connect to the net with no problem and it did. With that I decided to replace the OS to restore its internet connectivity. I install back its original harddrive and started the system, but I decided to check its internet connection again before fresh installing the whole drive and to my surprise the connection was restored.
It may leave so many questions in me, but I was happy though that network connection was restored with less effort.
August 2, 2009
Different Virus Description & Characteristic Part 3
Continuation...........
MALICIOUS UTILITIES
These utilities are designed specifically to inflict damage.However, unlike other malware programs, they do not perform malicious actions immediately as they are run and can be safely stored and run on the user's computer.Such programs have functions used to create viruses, worms and Trojan programs, arrange network attacks on remote servers, hacking computers or other malicious actions.
There are many types of malware utilities with different functions.
Their types are described in the table below.
Click to download table in PDF form
POTENTIALY UNWANTED PROGRAMS
Potentially unwanted programs, unlike malware programs, are not intended solely to inflict damage.However they can be used to breach the computer's security.
Potentially unwanted programs include adware, pornware and other potentially unwanted programs.
ADWARE
Adware programs involve display of advertising information to the user.They display ad banners in other program's interface and redirect search queries to advertising websites.
Some adware programs collect and redirect to their developer marketing information about the user, for example, which sites he or she visits or which search requests he or she performs (unlike Trojan spies, these programs transfer this information with the user's permission).
PORNWARE
Usually, users install such programs themselves in order to search for or download pornographic information.
Intruders also can install these programs on the user's computer in order to display ads of commercial pornographic sites and services to the user without his or her permission.
To be installed, they use vulnerabilities of the operating system or web browser, Trojan downloaders and Trojan droppers. There are three types of pornographic nature distinguished based on their functions.
These types are described in the table below.
Click to download table in PDF form
OTHER RISKWARE PROGRAMS
Most of these programs are useful programs used by many users. They include IRC clients, dialers, file downloading programs, computer system activity monitors, utilities for working with passwords, FTP, HTTP or Telnet service internet servers.
However, if an intruder obtains access to these programs or install them to the user's computer, such intruder can use some of their functionality to breach the security. Other riskware programs are classified depending on their functions.
Their types are described in the table below.
Click to download table in PDF form
Until on my next post!
MALICIOUS UTILITIES
These utilities are designed specifically to inflict damage.However, unlike other malware programs, they do not perform malicious actions immediately as they are run and can be safely stored and run on the user's computer.Such programs have functions used to create viruses, worms and Trojan programs, arrange network attacks on remote servers, hacking computers or other malicious actions.
There are many types of malware utilities with different functions.
Their types are described in the table below.
Click to download table in PDF form
POTENTIALY UNWANTED PROGRAMS
Potentially unwanted programs, unlike malware programs, are not intended solely to inflict damage.However they can be used to breach the computer's security.
Potentially unwanted programs include adware, pornware and other potentially unwanted programs.
ADWARE
Adware programs involve display of advertising information to the user.They display ad banners in other program's interface and redirect search queries to advertising websites.
Some adware programs collect and redirect to their developer marketing information about the user, for example, which sites he or she visits or which search requests he or she performs (unlike Trojan spies, these programs transfer this information with the user's permission).
PORNWARE
Usually, users install such programs themselves in order to search for or download pornographic information.
Intruders also can install these programs on the user's computer in order to display ads of commercial pornographic sites and services to the user without his or her permission.
To be installed, they use vulnerabilities of the operating system or web browser, Trojan downloaders and Trojan droppers. There are three types of pornographic nature distinguished based on their functions.
These types are described in the table below.
Click to download table in PDF form
OTHER RISKWARE PROGRAMS
Most of these programs are useful programs used by many users. They include IRC clients, dialers, file downloading programs, computer system activity monitors, utilities for working with passwords, FTP, HTTP or Telnet service internet servers.
However, if an intruder obtains access to these programs or install them to the user's computer, such intruder can use some of their functionality to breach the security. Other riskware programs are classified depending on their functions.
Their types are described in the table below.
Click to download table in PDF form
Until on my next post!
August 1, 2009
Different Virus Description & Characteristic Part 2
Continuation...........
TROJANS
Unlike worms and viruses, trojan programs do not create copies of themselves. They sneak into a computer, for example, via e-mail or using a web browser when the user visits an "infected" website. Trojan programs are launched by the user and start performing their malicious actions as they run.
The behavior of different trojan programs in the infected computer may differ. The major functions of Trojans are blocking, modification and erasing of data, disruption of the operation of computers or computer networks. Besides, Trojan programs can receive and send files, run them, display messages, access web pages, download and install programs and restart the infected computer.
Types of trojan programs and their behavior are described in the table below.
Click to download table in PDF form
TROJANS
Unlike worms and viruses, trojan programs do not create copies of themselves. They sneak into a computer, for example, via e-mail or using a web browser when the user visits an "infected" website. Trojan programs are launched by the user and start performing their malicious actions as they run.
The behavior of different trojan programs in the infected computer may differ. The major functions of Trojans are blocking, modification and erasing of data, disruption of the operation of computers or computer networks. Besides, Trojan programs can receive and send files, run them, display messages, access web pages, download and install programs and restart the infected computer.
Types of trojan programs and their behavior are described in the table below.
Click to download table in PDF form
July 29, 2009
Different Virus Description & Characteristic
Everyday new viruses is being spread over the net and most of this viruses are difficult to neutralize in one's PC.So, I was thinking to run description summary in some of the characteristics of this malicious programs(viruses) for you to have better understanding.
Viruses are categorize into two, these are the Potentially Unwanted Programs and Malware Programs.I will focus more in the malware programs category since this is that bring most damage to one's PC.
Potentially Unwanted Programs-are created not intended solely to inflict damage. However they can be used to breach the computer's security, includes adware, pornware and other potentially unwanted programs.
Malware Programs-are created with the purpose to damage a computer and its user, for example, to steal, block, modify or erase information, disrupt operation of a computer or a computer network.It is further divided into three subcategories: viruses and worms, Trojans programs and malware utilities.
1.Viruses and worms can create copies of themselves which are, in turn, capable of creating their own copies. Some of them run without user's knowledge or participation, others require actions on the user's part to be run. These programs perform their malicious actions when run.
2.Trojan programs do not create copies of themselves, unlike worms and viruses. They sneak into a computer, for example, via e-mail or using a web browser when the user visits an "infected" website. To be launched they require user's actions and start performing their malicious actions as they run.
3.Malware utilities are created specifically to inflict damage. However, unlike other malware programs, they do not perform malicious actions immediately as they are run and can be safely stored and run on the user's computer. Such programs have functions used to create viruses, worms and Trojan programs, arrange network attacks on remote servers, hacking computers or other malicious actions.
Viruses and Worms Sub-Category
A classic virus infiltrates into the system, it infects a file, activates in it, performs its malicious action and then adds copies of itself into other files.It reproduce only on the local resources of a certain computer, they cannot independently penetrate other computers. They can penetrate other computers only if it adds its copy into a file stored in a shared folder or on a CD or if the user forwards an e-mail messages with at infected attachment.
Code of a classic virus can penetrate various areas of a computer, operating system or application. Based on the environment, there is a distinction between file, boot, script and macro viruses.
Viruses can infect files using various methods. Overwriting viruses write their own code replacing the code of the file they infect and after they destroy the content of such file. The infected file stops working and cannot be disinfected. Parasitic viruses modify files leaving them fully or partially operating. Companion viruses do not modify files but create their duplicates. When such infected file is opened, its duplicate, that is the virus, will be run. There are also link viruses, (OBJ) viruses that infect object modules, viruses that infect compiler libraries (LIB), viruses that infect original text of programs, etc.
Worms - After it penetrates the system, the code of a network worm, similarly to the classic virus code, gets activated and performs its malicious action. The network worm received its name due to its ability to tunnel from one computer to another - without the user's knowledge - to send copies of itself through various information channels.
The major method of proliferation is the main attribute that differentiates various types of worms. The table below lists types of worms based on the method of their proliferation.
Click to download table in PDF form
To be continued...............
Viruses are categorize into two, these are the Potentially Unwanted Programs and Malware Programs.I will focus more in the malware programs category since this is that bring most damage to one's PC.
Potentially Unwanted Programs-are created not intended solely to inflict damage. However they can be used to breach the computer's security, includes adware, pornware and other potentially unwanted programs.
Malware Programs-are created with the purpose to damage a computer and its user, for example, to steal, block, modify or erase information, disrupt operation of a computer or a computer network.It is further divided into three subcategories: viruses and worms, Trojans programs and malware utilities.
1.Viruses and worms can create copies of themselves which are, in turn, capable of creating their own copies. Some of them run without user's knowledge or participation, others require actions on the user's part to be run. These programs perform their malicious actions when run.
2.Trojan programs do not create copies of themselves, unlike worms and viruses. They sneak into a computer, for example, via e-mail or using a web browser when the user visits an "infected" website. To be launched they require user's actions and start performing their malicious actions as they run.
3.Malware utilities are created specifically to inflict damage. However, unlike other malware programs, they do not perform malicious actions immediately as they are run and can be safely stored and run on the user's computer. Such programs have functions used to create viruses, worms and Trojan programs, arrange network attacks on remote servers, hacking computers or other malicious actions.
Viruses and Worms Sub-Category
A classic virus infiltrates into the system, it infects a file, activates in it, performs its malicious action and then adds copies of itself into other files.It reproduce only on the local resources of a certain computer, they cannot independently penetrate other computers. They can penetrate other computers only if it adds its copy into a file stored in a shared folder or on a CD or if the user forwards an e-mail messages with at infected attachment.
Code of a classic virus can penetrate various areas of a computer, operating system or application. Based on the environment, there is a distinction between file, boot, script and macro viruses.
Viruses can infect files using various methods. Overwriting viruses write their own code replacing the code of the file they infect and after they destroy the content of such file. The infected file stops working and cannot be disinfected. Parasitic viruses modify files leaving them fully or partially operating. Companion viruses do not modify files but create their duplicates. When such infected file is opened, its duplicate, that is the virus, will be run. There are also link viruses, (OBJ) viruses that infect object modules, viruses that infect compiler libraries (LIB), viruses that infect original text of programs, etc.
Worms - After it penetrates the system, the code of a network worm, similarly to the classic virus code, gets activated and performs its malicious action. The network worm received its name due to its ability to tunnel from one computer to another - without the user's knowledge - to send copies of itself through various information channels.
The major method of proliferation is the main attribute that differentiates various types of worms. The table below lists types of worms based on the method of their proliferation.
Click to download table in PDF form
To be continued...............
May 24, 2008
Simple steps in deleting WGA notifications!
Good day to all my readers!Its been quite a while that I have not updated my blog,cause I been kinda busy for the past couple of weeks.
Today I will discuss a solution to one of the most common problems end-users and PC repairman encounters in a PC and this is the WGA(Windows Genuine Advantage)notification.Huge volumes of PC around the globe(especially from 3rd world nations)has an unlicensed Windows XP installed in it,and some of it automatically downloaded this small WGA apps from Microsoft server informing you that "you may be a victim of piracy.....blah...blah..." during startup and its annoying.
There are options in combating such situation,you either buy a license copy of XP(expensive one),reformat your hard drive and re-install everything(long process) or delete this notification thing and everything will be back to normal(recommended).
Their are different ways in disabling WGA notifications but some of them are confusing and has hard to follow steps, making it difficult for an end user to perform.Just recently I just found out an easier way to get rid of WGA notifications and I will share it with you(in case you don't know yet).
Following three simple steps, now you can get rid of this bugging Windows Genuine Advantage (WGA) notifications:
1. Reboot Windows in safe mode (hold the f8 key while booting and you will get the option to boot in safe mode-just after POST)
2. Open Registry Editor (regedit.exe) and search for wgalogon folder and delete it. IMPORTANT-You should backup up the registry beforehand, in case something goes wrong.
3. In your windows directory search for files wga* and delete them(all).
You are done,reboot your system and everything should be back to normal.
'Till on my next post,happy weekend!
April 23, 2008
Disabling a Write Protected BIOS Chip!
A BIOS Chip is one of the most important part of one's PC, without it a PC never works.BIOS chip seldom breaks down that's why a lot of us dont mind its function. The moment you encounter a "BIOS check sum error...." or suspect a hardware incompatibility,then you will start to remember how important BIOS is in a PC system.In such a situation the next you will think to do is to flash(replace the program) your BIOS via a utility provided by your board manufacturer.
What if your BIOS chip is write-protected?
BIOS can be write-protected via the software(by entering cmos setup) or via jumper setting on your board.But some manufacturer(refer to manual) don't provide jumper setting on their motherboard, so one option left is to write-enable it via CMOS setup,but the last solution mention above is only good if your BIOS setup is still accessible, in cases where you have a "Bootblock situation......" then it is impossible to enter your CMOS setup.
In this case your last option is to write-enable your BIOS chip directly,you have to disable the write-protect pin in order to flash your BIOS chip succesully.So, next thing you must do is to look(search the net) for the pin layout of a particular BIOS chip in order to bypass the write-protect pin.If your BIOS chip is similar to the figure shown above then you may proceed in write-enabling your BIOS.You may short it exactly as what it was shown in the figure,it will be easier to insert a thin wire in between the BIOS and the socket pin if it is socketed.
After putting a thin wire jumper on your BIOS chip you may now proceed in flashing your BIOS and it should flash successfully otherwise you wrongfully jumper your BIOS chip or has some non BIOS related problem of your motherboard.Remove the jumper after successfully flashing your BIOS chip.
Note:
This trick was successfully tested on the BIOS of a XPC Shuttle CPU, it may work on similar BIOS chip as other claim it, but don't held me responsible in case something worst happen on your motherboard.Its only a last resort solution before replacing a motherboard.If you don't want to take the risk I suggest that you try to order a BIOS replacement from your motherboard manufacturer or have it repaired to them.
March 26, 2008
What is RAID(Just the Basic)
Often times we encounter the term RAID, but some dont really know or have little knowledge about RAID, so I try discuss some of the basics about RAID.
This post will give an overview about the RAID system and introduce the basic background and glossary which you need to know before using RAID.
1. RAID-means Redundant Array of Independent Disk Drives, it use several hard drives to increase data transfer rates and data security. It depends on the number of drives present and RAID function you select to fulfill the security or performance purposes or both.
2. RAID 0- Also known as "Stripping". All of the data are distributed evenly to all of the existing drives. You gain benefits on performance because the data transfer rate is multiplied by the number of drives.However, RAID 0 has high risks of data security. All of the stored data will be lost if even any one drive in the RAID set crashes.
3. RAID 1- Also known as "Mirroring".Two hard drives are required. The goal of RAID 0is to ensure data security. Data is written to two or more drives synchronously. That is, 100% duplication of data from one drive to another.
4. JBOD(Just a bunch of drives)-Also known as "Spanning".Two or more hard drives are required.Several hard disk types configured as a single hard disk.The hard drives are simply hooked up in series.This expands the capacity of your drive and results in a useable total capacity.However, JBOD will not increase any performance or data security.
This post will give an overview about the RAID system and introduce the basic background and glossary which you need to know before using RAID.
1. RAID-means Redundant Array of Independent Disk Drives, it use several hard drives to increase data transfer rates and data security. It depends on the number of drives present and RAID function you select to fulfill the security or performance purposes or both.
2. RAID 0- Also known as "Stripping". All of the data are distributed evenly to all of the existing drives. You gain benefits on performance because the data transfer rate is multiplied by the number of drives.However, RAID 0 has high risks of data security. All of the stored data will be lost if even any one drive in the RAID set crashes.
3. RAID 1- Also known as "Mirroring".Two hard drives are required. The goal of RAID 0is to ensure data security. Data is written to two or more drives synchronously. That is, 100% duplication of data from one drive to another.
4. JBOD(Just a bunch of drives)-Also known as "Spanning".Two or more hard drives are required.Several hard disk types configured as a single hard disk.The hard drives are simply hooked up in series.This expands the capacity of your drive and results in a useable total capacity.However, JBOD will not increase any performance or data security.
March 6, 2008
My way of dealing computer viruses!
As computer hardware advances so was the viruses that infect our PC and sometimes its very difficult to remove such viruses, in spite of the advancement of different anti-virus programs,and still end-user and even technicians end-up in reformatting one's hard drive just to get rid of particular virus(es).
It will be hard to disinfect a computer virus when it loads up at start up(and even if you start in safe mode). Trojan are the most common type of virus that infects everyone's PC worldwide(Window base OS), it(the virus) sometimes disable the functionality of some key Windows utilities(regedit,msconfig,task manager, folder options...etc) to avoid from being deleted or disabled from loading.
As PC repair technician I have deal almost all kinds of computer virus on a PC that is Window base, and often times it is a lot tedious spending time cleaning a PC infected with viruses than just reformat the whole thing and re-load the drivers and needed software.
But, their are situations that a PC has a special programs installed that the owner don't have the installer and need to be preserved, In situation such this one you have no choice but to try everything to clean the virus and have his current installation be preserved by all means.
The best way to clean an infected HDD is to pull-out the hard drive from its CPU and have it scanned by a known clean and well protected PC, normally I suggest installing at least two effective anti virus programs to have a good chance of eradicating the infection(s)of a particular hard drive, and make sure that the virus database of all your anti virus or spyware programs are up to date before inserting a hard drive that is infected with virus.
After being certain that the infection has been removed, install back the hard disk to its CPU and check if its working fine, check also if restrictions on some of the utilities mentioned above has been restored, if some of it are missing or still disabled I suggest that you download a restrictions removal tool(RRT) to solve the problem(search the net).Also don't forget to update virus pattern(s) of your anti virus and make a full scan to check if there was no more infections left.
If in any case after 2 or 3 days the same virus re-appear and mess up your PC's configuration all over again, you have no choice but to re-format the hard drive and loads a fresh copy of your OS and application softwares.
Viruses can be avoided if the user itself is cautions in dealing files coming from the net, FDD, Flash Drives, CD...etc. Plus make sure that its anti-virus pattern(virus datatbase) is always up to date and perform a regular scan at least once every week.In my experience, a lot of end-users dont care if there anti virus database is up-to-date, what most users believed that as long that they have an anti-virus program installed on their PC they are already safe.
A well informed PC user will have lower risk of a virus infection in their PC, compare to PC users that don't have proper know how in dealing computer viruses.
It will be hard to disinfect a computer virus when it loads up at start up(and even if you start in safe mode). Trojan are the most common type of virus that infects everyone's PC worldwide(Window base OS), it(the virus) sometimes disable the functionality of some key Windows utilities(regedit,msconfig,task manager, folder options...etc) to avoid from being deleted or disabled from loading.
As PC repair technician I have deal almost all kinds of computer virus on a PC that is Window base, and often times it is a lot tedious spending time cleaning a PC infected with viruses than just reformat the whole thing and re-load the drivers and needed software.
But, their are situations that a PC has a special programs installed that the owner don't have the installer and need to be preserved, In situation such this one you have no choice but to try everything to clean the virus and have his current installation be preserved by all means.
The best way to clean an infected HDD is to pull-out the hard drive from its CPU and have it scanned by a known clean and well protected PC, normally I suggest installing at least two effective anti virus programs to have a good chance of eradicating the infection(s)of a particular hard drive, and make sure that the virus database of all your anti virus or spyware programs are up to date before inserting a hard drive that is infected with virus.
After being certain that the infection has been removed, install back the hard disk to its CPU and check if its working fine, check also if restrictions on some of the utilities mentioned above has been restored, if some of it are missing or still disabled I suggest that you download a restrictions removal tool(RRT) to solve the problem(search the net).Also don't forget to update virus pattern(s) of your anti virus and make a full scan to check if there was no more infections left.
If in any case after 2 or 3 days the same virus re-appear and mess up your PC's configuration all over again, you have no choice but to re-format the hard drive and loads a fresh copy of your OS and application softwares.
Viruses can be avoided if the user itself is cautions in dealing files coming from the net, FDD, Flash Drives, CD...etc. Plus make sure that its anti-virus pattern(virus datatbase) is always up to date and perform a regular scan at least once every week.In my experience, a lot of end-users dont care if there anti virus database is up-to-date, what most users believed that as long that they have an anti-virus program installed on their PC they are already safe.
A well informed PC user will have lower risk of a virus infection in their PC, compare to PC users that don't have proper know how in dealing computer viruses.
February 26, 2008
Cold solder on CRT monitors!
In my years of servicing PC, I often encountered problems on CRT monitors that is cause by a cold sorder(usually from CRT and vertical circuitry).When CRT module or a particular component heats up over time, it will tend to loosen up its solder and later will cause intermittent problem on your monitor display.
You will know if your monitor is experiencing a cold solder condition if you have an intermittent display problem(disappear or re-appear when its external casing is tap or shaken).Discoloration of display can be also cause by a solder joint.
Cold solder joints is easily recognize by carefully looking its individual solder in the circuit board,normally good solder looks smooth and firmly secured on the PCB, while cold solder joints show some cracks and solder is rough.
Once you suspect or identify a cold solder joint(s), try to remove and clean first the existing solder before re-applying a new solder,in this case it will ensure a good solder contact between component and the circuit board. Others just re-heat a particular joints without cleaning its previous solder, find the problem to re-appear later.
Most cold solder cases appears on class B monitors,if you dont want to experience less cold solder problems on your CRT monitor, I suggest buying class A monitors(LG,Viewsonic,Samsung,HP...etc).
Tools needed to repair a cold solder joints:
30 or 40 watts soldering iron
Desoldering Pump
Screw driver(+)
Soldering Lead
You will know if your monitor is experiencing a cold solder condition if you have an intermittent display problem(disappear or re-appear when its external casing is tap or shaken).Discoloration of display can be also cause by a solder joint.
Cold solder joints is easily recognize by carefully looking its individual solder in the circuit board,normally good solder looks smooth and firmly secured on the PCB, while cold solder joints show some cracks and solder is rough.
Once you suspect or identify a cold solder joint(s), try to remove and clean first the existing solder before re-applying a new solder,in this case it will ensure a good solder contact between component and the circuit board. Others just re-heat a particular joints without cleaning its previous solder, find the problem to re-appear later.
Most cold solder cases appears on class B monitors,if you dont want to experience less cold solder problems on your CRT monitor, I suggest buying class A monitors(LG,Viewsonic,Samsung,HP...etc).
Tools needed to repair a cold solder joints:
30 or 40 watts soldering iron
Desoldering Pump
Screw driver(+)
Soldering Lead
September 19, 2007
Difference bet 20 PIN & 24 PIN Power Supply
The ATX standard has two different versions of the main power cable: the original 20 pin cable, and the newer 24 pin cable. The 24 pin cable is just the 20 pin cable with 4 extra wires added to the end to provide extra current. If your power supply main power cable and motherboard main power connector both have the same number of pins then they'll (of course) fit together just fine. But what happens if they don't match? If you plug a 24 pin power cable into a 20 pin motherboard then it will work fine but you often can't get them to physically fit together because something gets in the way. If they don't fit together then you can get an adapter cable which converts a 24 pin power cable into a 20 pin cable. You can always plug a 20 pin power cable into a 24 pin motherboard but whether it works over the long haul depends on how much current your motherboard draws. Those extra 4 pins provide more current carrying capacity. Plugging a 20 pin cable into a 24 pin motherboard can strain the 20 pins that you're using. If the motherboard draws too much current then it will overheat the connector which can burn or melt it. There are adapters which convert 20 pin cables into 24 pin cables but they don't solve the problem and can cause problems of their own. Many newer power supplies come with a 20+4(last 4 pins is detachabel)power cable which has a 24 pin connector which can be split into two pieces: a 20 pin piece, and a 4 pin piece. This kind of power cable is fully compatible with both 20 and 24 pin motherboards. If you're buying a new power supply then try to get one with a 20+4 power cable.
The 24 pin power supply was created to address additional current requirement on newer motherboards, these 4 pins are supplied with the following voltages; +3.3V,+5V,+12V and Ground.It is also use to power-up the PCIe slot of newer motherboards, pcie cards may not function if you are only using a 20 pin power supply.
Picture courtesy of motherboard.org
September 13, 2007
What's a PCIe?
PCIe is the abbreviation of PCI Express, it was developed to replaced the PCI and AGP architecture, in fact almost all motherboard that's sold in the market today are all PCIe ready.Some of the advantages of PCIe architecture are its versatility,considering it can accomodate other devices(ex:sound card,LAN card);it may also runs 4x faster than and AGP card thereby giving the user realistic 3D performance in any PC games and graphics presentation;lower production cost of its physical slot(lesser pins and smaller slot structure).PCIe slot comes in different speed, these are the 1X,2X,4X,16X,32X slot. PCIe video cards used the 16X and 32X slot.
Picture courtesy of Wikipedia.org
Picture courtesy of Wikipedia.org
September 12, 2007
What is PHISHING?
Since the internet becomes so popular all around the world, an era of the so called cyber criminals was also born and until now it continue to mess on someone's online activities. In fact as individuals, banks, private establishments and government institutions relying more often and doing business via the internet, cyber criminals also grows its numbers.And inspite strict measures in certain countries to go after these criminals, still its not enough to stop these people from committing such crime. One cyber crime I would like to discuss in particular is called Phishing(in case you dont know).
Phishing is the act of sending an e-mail to a user falsely claiming to be an established legitimate enterprise in an attempt to scam the user into surrendering private information that will be used for identity theft. The e-mail directs the user to visit a Web site where they are asked to update personal information, such as passwords and credit card, social security, and bank account numbers, that the legitimate organization already has. The Web site, however, is bogus and set up only to steal the user’s information.
One example of this is my own experience, at one time I received an email from the admin of Yahoo(as to what I know that time) saying that congratulations you are one of those who win on our daily raffle worth $500 to claim the price please click on the link, if you still don't know what is phishing all about, you will really say that's the email is genuine and and you will jump to click on the link.After clicking the link it opens a site that resembles just like yahoo, and it will instruct you to further click on the link to claim you price via an e-currency company(if you have one, otherwise you will be obliged to open an account) and the last part just about you are finish transferring the $500, another message pops-up saying that you are not yet a premium member of Yahoo games and you have to register in order to claim your price, the cost is just a little over $8 so you will not suspect thats its a hoax, you will pay the said subcription price and found out later that no $500 goes to your account, and its just a work of a phisher but I thank God I only lost 8$. Phishers can steal password and user name to a site that you log-in regularly even in a Friendster or Yahoo mail account. Lots of E-bay members was also victimized by these phishers.
If you received an email, requiring you to upgrade your password, user name or something dont act on it, call or email the involve company to verify if it comes from them.Normally legitimate businesses will not let there members upgrade vital information via an email link, especially if password and user name are involve. You can also verify the given link on a domain verification site like http://www.whois.sc/ , in most cases it will give you the details of the particular link.
In IE7 there is already anti phishing features, while Opera and Firefox will warn you if the site you are about to open is not safe or bogus.
Phishing is the act of sending an e-mail to a user falsely claiming to be an established legitimate enterprise in an attempt to scam the user into surrendering private information that will be used for identity theft. The e-mail directs the user to visit a Web site where they are asked to update personal information, such as passwords and credit card, social security, and bank account numbers, that the legitimate organization already has. The Web site, however, is bogus and set up only to steal the user’s information.
One example of this is my own experience, at one time I received an email from the admin of Yahoo(as to what I know that time) saying that congratulations you are one of those who win on our daily raffle worth $500 to claim the price please click on the link, if you still don't know what is phishing all about, you will really say that's the email is genuine and and you will jump to click on the link.After clicking the link it opens a site that resembles just like yahoo, and it will instruct you to further click on the link to claim you price via an e-currency company(if you have one, otherwise you will be obliged to open an account) and the last part just about you are finish transferring the $500, another message pops-up saying that you are not yet a premium member of Yahoo games and you have to register in order to claim your price, the cost is just a little over $8 so you will not suspect thats its a hoax, you will pay the said subcription price and found out later that no $500 goes to your account, and its just a work of a phisher but I thank God I only lost 8$. Phishers can steal password and user name to a site that you log-in regularly even in a Friendster or Yahoo mail account. Lots of E-bay members was also victimized by these phishers.
If you received an email, requiring you to upgrade your password, user name or something dont act on it, call or email the involve company to verify if it comes from them.Normally legitimate businesses will not let there members upgrade vital information via an email link, especially if password and user name are involve. You can also verify the given link on a domain verification site like http://www.whois.sc/ , in most cases it will give you the details of the particular link.
In IE7 there is already anti phishing features, while Opera and Firefox will warn you if the site you are about to open is not safe or bogus.
September 9, 2007
Common PC Glossary (Part 2)
Continuation from last week,"Common PC Glossary"
- Dot-matrix printer-An impact printer that prints characters composed of dots.Characters are printed one at a time by pressing the ends of selected wires against an inked ribbon and paper.(Ex. Epson LX300,Epson FX1170 printers)
- Encryption-The translation of data into unreadable codes to maintain security
- FORMAT-The DOS format program that performs both low and high level formatting of floppy disks but only high-level formatting on hard disks.(High level means at the software level only)
- Full duplex-Signal flow in both directions at the same time.
- Giga-A multiplier indicating 1 billion of some unit,abbreviated as g or G.
- Gigabyte- A unit of information storage equal to 1,073,741,824
- GUI- Graphical User Interface. A type of program interface that enables users to choose commands and functions by pointing to a graphical icon using either a keyboard or a pointing device such as a mouse.Windows and OS/2 are the most popular GUIs available for PC systems
- Hardware- Physical components that make up a microcomputer,monitor,printer, and so on.
- Head crash- A rare occurrence in which a read/write head of your hard disk strikes the platter surface with sufficient force to damage the magnetic medium.
- Heat sink- A mass metal attached to a chip carrier or socket for the purpose of dissipating heat.(Can be found on all PC systems,use to protect processor chip and chipsets of a motherboard)
- High-level formatting- Formatting performed by the DOS FORMAT program.Among other things, it creates the root directory and FATs.(DOS formatting only for Windows98)
- HTML- Hyper Text Markup Language. A language used to describe and format plain-text files on the Web.It's based on pairs of tags which enables you to mix graphics with text, change the appearance of text, and create hypertext documents with links to other documents.
- HTTP- HyperText Transfer Protocol. The protocol that describes the rules that a browser and server use to communicate over the World Wide Web.HTTP allows a Web browser to request HTML documents from a Web server.
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