AdWare : How to Protect Yourself

What is Adware?

Adware is basically an advertising infection used for marketing purposes. This includes tracking cookies to track your activity on the internet and pop-up advertisements which appear even when your not online. Numerous tool bars on your internet browser can also be a sign of adware.
If you are experiencing infections like these (hopefully not as bad), I would recommend using the AdwareAlert program. They offer a free scan and the software is very effective when it comes to removing adware issues like the ones shown above. AdwareAlert is easy to use and costs only $29.95 to remove all of the issues. Download AdwareAlert Here.

Best Regards,
Matt

Your PC’s “New Years Resolution”

This year your PC has been through a lot. Checking emails, writing documents, creating power points, and maybe even playing some games. Why not give your PC a nice gift, with a new years “clean up”. In this article we will go over some techniques and programs you can use to make your computer run faster this new year and free up some space on your hard drive.

1. Remove Spyware: I have said this a thousand times and I’ll say it again. You need to remove spyware from your PC because according to Wired News, “Spyware is the biggest threat to personal computing.” I couldn’t agree more. CNN also said, “…there is a 90% chance your PC is infected with Spyware.” In extremely simple terms, Spyware is one of the most popular reasons your PC runs slow, even if you do have the most advanced antivirus software. Remove these infections using AntiSpywareBot which can be downloaded for a free scan here. To remove all of the issues detected, you need to pay $19.95, but it is totally worth it. I use this software personally and it’s worth every penny.
2. Clean up Your Registry: Registry Issues is the other leading cause of slow PC performance. All Windows PC’s have a registry which consist of vital configuration information. Many times these registry key’s become corrupted. Every time you install a program, or edit something in your control panel, it effects your registry. If you download AntiSpywareBot, and decide to purchase, get RegClean as well. Its only $10 more and it’s an effective program. I still swear by RegCure, but RegClean is an acceptable 2nd Place.
3. Defragment your Hard Drive: More than likely you PC has fragmented files on your Hard Drive, which slow down the loading of files on your computer. I recommend a defragmentation of your Hard Drive. Run a defragmentation using the AusLogics Disk Defrag program. It’s 1oo% free and you can download it at Download.com by clicking here.
4. Clean Up Unnecessary Files: Remove temporary files, cookies, your website history, and fix minor registry issues using CCleaner. This program is also free via Download.com and you can get it here.
5. Update your Anti Virus: Hopefully you have antivirus, but if it is outdated, it’s useless. I highly recommend you update your antivirus if it is not updated. Then run a complete scan of your PC. If you do not have an antivirus, get the free one I use personally, Avast!. It easy to use, better than paid programs, and offers free automatic updates. Download it here.

Tips:

1. If you use your computer within every 15 hours, do not shut it down. Specifically at night. If you are using it the next morning or afternoon, leave it on, or set it to sleep (standby). When you turn on your PC after it being shut down, you’re performing a “cold boot”. A cold boot can eventually wear away at your PC’s inside components because of the surge of electricity to them. Leaving your PC running at night, or on standby, prevents this from happening.
2. The biggest threat to the hardware of your computer is heat. Hardware are the physical components inside your computer. If your PC is laced with dust inside, its like having a layer of insulation inside your PC. This can eventually fry the components on the inside of your computer. To prevent this kind of damage, don’t leave your tower on the floor, keep it in a raised, dust free location.

With these tips and programs, your PC should be running like new in no time. Have a great New Years.

-Matt

Review: ParetoLogic Privacy Controls

ParetoLogic has established itself over the years as a reliable and popular software development company and their Privacy Controls program definitely precedes their reputation. I downloaded the program, which was pretty quick, then installed it and ran a scan. I blinked once and the scan was done. In literally two second, this program found 463 infections. But what does this program actually do? Privacy Controls scans your PC for records that could be dangerous if shared. This program deletes these files which includes your website history, passwords, tracking cookies, IDs, credit card and bank account numbers. Privacy Controls deletes P2P (peer to peer) file sharing records which can be lurking inside your PC. It’ s scans records for Limewire, Morpheus, Bit Torrent, Kazaa, and more. Temporary files, Microsoft Office files, Email trash, and Multimedia history files are also removed. This flexible program is available on all Windows operating systems including Vista. Use the link below to download the program and run a free scan.

To remove the issues, you need to register the product for $29.95. Privacy Controls comes with a 60 day money back guarantee, and I highly recommended you at least give it a try with a free scan of your PC.

Download Privacy Controls for a Free Scan Here.

Best Regards,
Matt

Why Firefox is Better.

Mozilla Firefox, in my opinion, is the best internet browser available. Compared to Internet Explorer, Firefox is king. Why you ask? Because Firefox automatically includes a Google search box, a tool bar on the main browser with your favorite links, fast cache clearing, and more a simplistic user interface. Editing and controlling the settings is easier too. You can even add customized plugins. I have a tool bar called ForcastFox at the bottom of my browser which displays the forecast for my town and its powered by the trustworthy AccuWeather. Firefox also has a handy spell checker when you are typing online, and it has tabbed browsing, so you can view more than one website in a single window. Can you do that with Internet Explorer? Didn’t think so.

Avast! AntiVirus : Free Program

I have been using Avast! antivirus for a little over a year now and I wouldn’t use anything else. It provides on access protection from all types of infections with the exclusion of spyware and is really easy for even the most basic user to operate. You can choose different skins and set various settings including password protection, the scanners sensitivity, and more. The on demand scan feature is great too. You can scan a certain section of your hard drive, scan archived folders, and run quick scans. Prior to using Avast! (and yea it is spelled with an exclamation point) I was using McAffe antivirus and I would rather use this free program over McAffe’s paid software. Avast offers automatic updates and if a virus is detected the program prompts you with options on how to handle the infection. (Avast! is always running in the background of your computer and that is what the On-Access feature is.) Below is a picture of what this prompt looks like.

When this screen appears an infection has been detected and a really corny noise is played (think of like a biohazard infection alarm). While this alarm may be very startling, the program lets to delete the file, move or rename it, or quarantine it. Myself and the program recommend moving it to the quarantine chest so you have a record of what occurred. This program is completely free and I highly recommended it, you can visit the Avast! website to download it below.

Download Free Avast! Here.

Best Regards,
Matt

Vista = Aweful Operating System

I recently purchased a new computer preloaded with Vista Home Premium. I had heard mixed reviews about the product, but I decided to give it a try and here is what I came up with.

Vista Sucks.

Heres why:

• Vista has an infinite number of compatibility issues with various softwares including a lot of anti virus programs.
• This OS (operating system) has tons of trial software from Norton Antivirus to Office 2007 which you need to purchase at the end of the trial period.
• The “cool looking” user interface is an extreme waste of the CPU and memory. Running numerous programs at once without disabling the animated features is near suicidal. The sidebar, although it looks nice, is a complete waste. (For those of you that didn’t know, you already have a clock on your screen in the lower right corner. Who needs two?)
• Vista’s disk burning feature does not work at all. I recommend using another disk burning software called Roxio.
• Vista is quick to determine if a program is not responding, unlike XP. Often times it will say a program is not responding and three seconds later it is.
• Windows Movie Maker: Don’t even bother. This program will stop working after about 30 seconds.

My genious conclusion:

Stick With XP! (Who would have guessed?)

Not only is XP the most stable operating system ever made by Microsoft, it is the most compatible with programs. XP will continue to be supported for a while, so stick with XP until Vienna comes out (Microsofts next big OS), or wait for Vista’s Service Pack to arrive. Trust me, it’s worth the wait.

Best Regards,
Matt