TrendMicro PC-Cillin Internet Security Review

By: Joel Smith

Trend Micro PC-cillin Internet Security is the best Internet
Security software in its market. This release combines
award-winning antivirus security and a personal firewall for
comprehensive protection against viruses, worms, Trojans, and
hackers. It also detects and removes spyware and blocks spam. It
even guards against identity theft by blocking phishing and
pharming attacks. PC-cillin also protects your wireless network
with Wi-Fi Intrusion Detection, an innovative security feature
that alerts you when an intruder uses your Wi-Fi connection.

Major Features That Make TrendMicro PC-Cillin Internet Security
2006 so effective include:

Comprehensive Antivirus Security that detects and removes
viruses from emails, Internet downloads, removable media, and
your personal computer's hard drive. The improved Outbreak
Warning System sends alerts to warn you of new threats. Security
updates automatically execute as soon as they are available.

Powerful Spyware Protection is assured using Trend Micro's
leading anti-spyware technology that blocks spyware and grayware
in real time. Manual and scheduled scans detect and remove
spyware that may already be installed on your personal computer.
New Exception Lists and improved Quarantine Management give you
more control to keep, delete or restore programs.

Phishing Fraud Defense allows URL filtering, anti-spam, and
patent-pending technologies to work together to block fraudulent
websites, phishing emails, and pharming attack. These scams are
designed to attack financial data, user names, and passwords.
The Anti-Fraud Wizard makes it easy to configure and the new
Anti-Fraud Toolbar helps you avoid future scams by displaying a
credibility rating of Web sites in real time.

Wi-Fi Intrusion Detection is the industry's first alert system
for wireless home networks and is now faster and better at
sending rapid alerts as soon as an unauthorized user intrudes
your wireless network.

Improved Spam Filtering employs advanced spam-filtering
technology that blocks spam from flooding your inbox and new
integration with Microsoft Outlook makes it easy to set
preferences. New user-friendly tools and more reports make it
very easy to view and manage.

Enhanced Personal Firewall is your personal firewall that
prevents intrusion from hackers, and blocks network viruses like
the well-known ZOTOB worm that targets network vulnerabilities.

Home Network Control is a centralized management console makes
it easy to configure, update, and manage all aspects of security
for every computer on your home network or wherever PC-cillin
2006 is installed.

Vulnerability Assessment is provided via PC-cillin as it
performs regular scans of your computer, alerts you to operating
system/browser vulnerabilities, and provides one-click access to
Windows Update.

System Requirements for TrendMicro PC-Cillin Internet Security
2006:

Hardware - Microsoft Windows XP/2000: Intel Pentium 300MHz or
above; Microsoft Windows Me/98/98 SE; Intel Pentium 233MHz or
above; Microsoft Windows XP: 128MB or above; Microsoft Windows
2000/Me/98/98SE:128MB or above. Requires 120MB available hard
disk space

Software - Operating System: Windows XP Home
Edition/Professional SP 2 or above; Windows 2000 Professional SP
4 or above; Windows Me, Microsoft Windows 98/98 Second Edition;
Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.5 SP 2 or above; Netscape 7.1; AOL
7.0 and Firefox 1.0; Microsoft Outlook Express 6.0; Microsoft
Outlook 2000, 2002, or 2003; Netscape 7.1; Eudora Pro 6J; AOL
Mail; Yahoo! Mail; MSN Hotmail and Mozilla Thunderbird 1.0;
Windows Messenger 4.7, 5.0 and MSN Messenger 6.2; ICQ 5; ICQ
Lite; AOL 5.1; Windows XP SP 2 or above; Microsoft Outlook 2000,
2002, or 2003; Microsoft Outlook Express 6, SP 2

Trend Micro PC-cillin Internet Security 2006 with an MSRP of
$49.95 offers a broad range of protection for your PC. It is a
feature rich, powerful choice in Internet Security protection
your PC.

About the author:
Joel Smith recommends reading the TrendMicro PC-Cillin Internet Security review at Identity
Theft Spy.

ZoneLabs Zone Alarm Pro

By: Ben Sikes

A firewall is essential on any Internet connected PC. Firewalls
control what is allowed in and out of the computer, virtually
eliminating the possibility of a hacker gaining control or of
spyware that has found it's way in transmitting any data.

ZoneLabs Zone Alarm Pro is a popular personal firewall
application - a piece of software installed onto the PC to block
unwanted connections by using:

* the Triple Defense FirewallT

* an anti-spyware system

* the SmartDefenseT service

* protection of privacy and identity

* email protection

* wireless PC security

Zone Alarm Pro is available in a variety of packages, from the
single user license to large volume license packages, making it
ideal for the home, small network or larger working environment.
The program is clearly laid out and easy to use. If a query
can't be fixed through support documentation, there are online
user forms for quick and handy advice.

The Triple Defense Firewall, as the name suggests, has three
layers of protection, providing excellent security against
Internet pests:

* defense against hackers, spyware, and Trojans by not allowing
them through

* prevention of "bad" programs attacking "good" programs on the
PC by surrounding each application with a second firewall

* deep down protection of the operating system against malicious
attacks

SmartDefense works with the firewalls, automatically updating
itself with information on new spyware programs and adjusting
Zone Alarm's security settings to match. SmartDefense examines
everything that tries to connect to the Internet from the PC to
see if it is performing a valid operation. If it is not, access
is blocked. If it does allow the connection, SmartDefense will
continue to monitor the activity to ensure it does not perform
any operations outside of it's built-in policies.

The privacy and identity protection works to stop annoying
pop-up ads and to prevent personal information leaving the
computer without permission. Email is kept secure with any
suspicious attachments being quarantined for examination in case
they contain anything harmful. Likewise, any suspicious outbound
messages are also stopped to prevent unintentionally passing on
anything nasty.

Even with all of the protection offered by the firewall, some
persistent spyware will still find it's way into the computer.
The anti-spyware system within Zone Alarm Pro roots it out,
while learning to recognize legitimate items with spyware-like
tendencies, such as the cookies for your favorite websites.

Wireless protection is crucial when out in the open on a laptop
as well as on the home network. It's easy for a hacker to hijack
a wireless connection or even set up their own. Zone Alarm can
prevent connection hijacking wherever the connection is made.

Zone Alarm Pro runs on Windows systems only, with minimum
specifications of:

* Windows 98SE/ME, 48MB RAM (some functions may be limited and
support is due to end for the operating systems late 2006)

* Windows 2000 Pro, 64MB RAM

* Windows XP, 128MB RAM

* Pentium III 450 MHz or higher

* 50MB available hard disk space

* Internet access is required for updates (Internet Explorer,
Netscape, Firefox, AOL and MSN compatible)

* POP3 and SMTP mail only

* Instant Messenger compatibility with minimum version number:
MSN 6.2.0205, Windows Messenger 4.7.0.2009, Yahoo! IM 5.5.1226,
AIM 5.2.3292, ICQ Pro 2003b, ICQ Lite 5.0, Trillian 0.74i,
Trillian Pro 1.0, GAIM 0.74, Miranda 0.3.2

About the author:
Ben Sikes recommends reading the full product review of ZoneLabs Zone Alarm Pro at Identity Theft Spy.

The Home Computer User's Guide to Spyware

By: Richard Rogers

As with the computer virus, spyware can be broken down into a
number of different categories. Most users are familiar with the
term "adware" which refers to software which serves annoying
ads. There are however a number of other spyware variants you
should be aware of.

To begin with it is important to have a clear definition of
spyware. This will also help us understand why the term is
commonly used to encompass a number of different variants.
Spyware is a program, usually installed without your knowledge,
which records what you do on your computer and then shares it
with its creator.

The information which the spyware program collects can vary from
the websites you visit to log-in and passwords for your online
banking site. The sharing of your personal information with a
third party is why spyware in its purest form is labelled as a
malicious threat and clearly is a major privacy issue.

Adware is the second mostly commonly used term. Adware is
designed to display adverts relevant you, commonly based on your
surfing habits, to generate Pay-Per-Click advertising revenue or
sales through affiliate links. Adware is commonly bundled with
free software by developers instead of charging a price.

The malicious nature of adware can vary enormously. At one of
the scale, adverts are displayed in a non-intrusive manner in a
window within the free program you have downloaded. When the
program is not running, ads are not displayed. At the other end
of the scale, a user could find their desktop overwhelmed as the
adware program spews out multiple pop up ads in a very
aggressive manner. Whilst it may be possible to believe the
former is not transmitting personal data to a third party, it is
difficult to expect the later not to.

The adware issue is further complicated by marketing companies
who do not like their software being labelled "spyware." These
marketing companies generate millions of dollars of income often
via recognised brand name clients. So to avoid legal issue
security companies refer to this software as PUPs (potentially
unwanted programs).

Browser hijackers are another aggressive form of spyware. They
attack important browser settings like your default homepage
which your browser loads when you start the program. Hackers
direct you to sites which generate revenue for them like the
Russian website "Cool Web Search". Browser hijackers can also
insert sites into your bookmarks. They also can cause your
browser to crash and stop working completely and are typically
difficult to remove.

Key Loggers capture all your key strokes into a DLL file which
the creator retrieves. Software key loggers are often bundled
with a Trojan Virus which gives the creator access to your
computer.

Here are some tips and strategies to fight the different types
of spyware.

- Keep Windows XP and ALL your web browsers (including Internet
Explorer and FireFox) up to date with the latest patches.

- Install a reputable anti-spyware program like Webroot Spy
Sweeper or PC Tools Spyware Doctor. Run frequent scans and keep
the definitions up to date.

- Install a reputable anti-virus program like Norton Anti-Virus
or McAfee VirusScan. Run frequent scans and keep the definitions
up to date.

- Install a firewall which manages both inbound and outbound
connections. Top personal firewall software picks include Zone
Labs's Zone Alarm and Norton Personal Firewall. Alternatively
purchase a router with a hardware firewall.

- Avoid downloading free software programs including
screensavers and weather toolbars.

- Avoid know high spyware risk area on the internet including
illegal music sharing sites, Peer-to-Peer programs, free game
download sites and adult sites.

About the author:
Richard Rogers runs a number of computer-related sites offering
Spyware Remover and Anti Virus Software help.

Several Common Ways That Viruses Spread

By: Jordi Shoman

In addition to the common methods of spreading through email
attachments, boot infections and program infectors, there are
other ways by which viruses spread to your computer. These
include:

Infection by Disk(Floppy, Zip, CD's, Tapes, etc.)

Floppy disks, though not as commonly used as in the past, are
still a very common way viruses being spread from machine to
machine. Anyone with an infected machine, using a floppy disk to
copy and save files, can also copy and transfer the virus. Any
use of that same removable disk, by any user, at any time in the
future, will most likely contaminate, or re-contaminate the any
computer it is used with. The only way to properly clean an
infected floppy disk is to perform a low-level format. The
normal Windows(tm) "format disk" is often not enough.

With CD's, all the above holds true with the exception that an
infected CD can never be cleaned. To get rid of an infected CD,
you need to put it in the trash and never use it again.

Infection from Networks

Peer-to-Peer network, Local Area Networks (LAN), a Wide Area
Network (WAN), Wireless Networks, and the Internet, are all
computer networks. They all have the same basic purpose; to
share software, and information resources between two or more
computers. As with anything else that is shared between
computers, networks let users share files, and wherever files
are shared, viruses can be shared and spread.

Most network virus/worm/Trojan activity is like what we
described earlier, although more and more examples of automatic
mass mailing attacks, system resource attacks are being found.

Recently many attacks are designed to specifically target major
corporate interests (Microsoft, eBay, Amazon, major Banks etc.)
in an attempt to disrupt their online services. Very generally
these are called DOS (denial of service) attacks. The way they
most commonly work is by secretly infecting thousands of local
user computers (like the one you are using right now), and then
at a specific time, launching a combined attack from all the
infected machines against the primary target.

As you can see, your computer can be hijacked without your
knowledge and then used in a major attack against an
unsuspecting company. However with up-to-date virus/firewall
protection, your computer will be immune to such hijacking.

Other ways by which virus spreads

Other sources of viruses have been found to be the result of
software downloads available over the Internet. Software
patches, drivers, demonstration software, from reputable
companies, generally carries little risk. However, the Internet
is also filled with "unofficial" software, pirated programs, and
low-budget software from questionable sources that may be
intentionally or unintentionally infected with viruses. Files
downloaded directly from the Internet (either through
file-sharing programs or direct download from websites), are
among the fastest growing sources of computer virus infections.

Email, with its nearly universal availability and ease of use;
chat rooms and messenger systems, not only make communication
simple and quick, also make the transmission and re-transmission
of infection simple and alarmingly fast. Creators of newer
viruses, and internet worms specifically target these systems
because they are widely used, and are often built right into the
operating system and used with default settings making them much
easier to attack and exploit.

As a point of reference, Internet Explorer, and Outlook/Outlook
express email clients are two of the applications most targeted
by Internet viruses and worms. Why? Because they are installed
on more computers around the world than any other software, and
they are installed 99% of the time with default settings (which
means virus programmers have an easy blueprint to follow).

If you use an email system or instant message system that is
installed automatically with your computer's operating system
you need to install and use current antivirus software. You also
need to learn how to turn off certain default settings that can
leave your system open to very easy attack.

About the author:
Learn how to remove black worm virus & block trojan horses,
spyware, computer viruses, etc. in the future. Growing library
of Compu
ter Security Articles

External Hard Disk Drive: The Best Backup Medium

By: Anonymous Coward

Want to backup quickly and easily? Backup to external hard disk
drives.

Backup to external hard disk drives easily, securely and
efficiently.

As a hard disk is the fastest and largest backup medium you can
get, you may want to backup all your important files to an
external hard drive. You can backup literally everything: your
Outlook and Outlook Express files, your bookmarks, your
favourite save games, and of course, your important work
documents, photos, images and maybe even videos.

As an external HDD is detatched from your system and, combined
with a strong encryption algorithm, like blowfish or 3DES, you
can get maximum security. Just make sure you actually remember
the encryption password. You can also store your external hard
disk offsite (at a friend's house, a paid locker or specialized
fire-proof storage place) in case your information is very
important (well, generally, anyone can do that and it can't hurt
for sure).

As external hard disk drives have the cheapest storage volume
(about 200Gb for $150?) and you can reuse them for several
years, you may as well get the cheapest backup medium at your
disposal. When using a backup schedule, you can simply backup
the backup program run when you are absent (or maybe even at
night) to backup everything without supervision. If you need two
or more backup disks, you may as well get another external HDD.

Also, now there are quite large mobile hard drives, which can
admit all the necessary data: work documents, e-mail files, etc.
You can also carry your data anywhere you want and feel safe,
because some external hard disks are now hard to break by
dropping.

So, go with external HDD and backup as fast as you want, as much
as you want, secure your important data, get the cheapest
backups and even be able to carry your backups anywhere you
want.

About the author:
Learn more
backup tips and read more articles at www.FairBackup.com.

Protect Your Privacy by Erasing Tracks Left on Your Computer

By: Richard Rogers

When you browse the web information is continuously collected by
the websites you visit and by your own computer. For example,
websites at a minimum collect information about the web browser
you use the operating system of your computer and the geography
you reside from. However, what surprises most users is the
amount of information that is collected on your computer from
your surfing habits and daily use.

Your web browser stores a lot of different types of information
which is designed to improve your internet surfing experience
but nevertheless poses a privacy risk. The sites or URLs which
you visit are stored in the browser's "history." Search results
are saved when you enter a search term into a search engine like
Google. Web content and images are stored in the "temp" folder.
Files that you download are stored in the download manager.

Websites also place "Cookies" onto your hard drive. A cookie is
a small text file and is used by websites to offer advanced
features. Some of the information that cookies store include
shopping basket items or log-in information for a membership
site. Cookies can also store information about when you visited
the site including date and time.

Given all this information being collected above you can easily
see why this could become a privacy risk. It would not take
someone who knew what they were doing too long to figure out
what websites you visit, what you have bought online and what
search terms you are looking for. This is unfortunately not the
end of it.

If you are a user of instant messenger or chat programs like
AIM, MSN Instant Messenger or even Skype then it is important to
be aware that the programs saves your chat history. Most
programs allow you turn this feature off.

There are number of other places besides your web browser where
information is stored on your computer. This data can allow
people to figure out what you have been doing on your computer.
Media players like RealPlayer and Microsoft Media Play store
audio and video playing history. Microsoft Office like Excel and
PowerPoint applications store information about the most
recently accessed files.

Another important thing to remember is that when you delete a
file it is not necessarily permanently erased and can be
recovered with the right software. When you first hit delete the
file is moved to the Recycle Bin. Even when you empty the
Recycle Bin the file still exists on your hard drive until
Windows overwrites it.

Here are two things you can do to help reduce the privacy risks
from your computer.

- Use a free software tool called "CCleaner"
(http://www.ccleaner.com) to clear information collected by your
web browser and Windows's Temp Folder. This software automates
the manual process of using your browser options menu to clean
out cookies, URL history etc. Try to run this tool once a week
or more frequently if you are a heavy internet user. - If you
work with sensitive data files on your computer then you may
want to consider investing in secure file "shredder" software.
This type of software actually overwrites or "bleaches" the file
you want to delete which means that it cannot be restored.

About the author:
Richard Rogers runs a number of computer-related sites offering
Spyware Remover and Anti Virus Software help.

Reduce Eye Strain with Flat Screen Monitors

By: Mike Johnson

Copyright 2006 Online Crazy Deals

Do you have a job where you are constantly working at the
computer? Well, thanks to new innovation technology they have
found a way to dramatically reduce eye strain with flat screen
monitors for you computer.

This technology is widely used in movie screens, household
televisions and now computer screens. Flat screen monitors are
completely flat so they reduce glare, which in turns takes off
more strain from your eyes.

Doing more with computers these days is nothing new. You can
view your digital photos, watch DVD movies, watch video clips
and more. The flat screen monitor enables you to view all this
in a more deep, rich, and vibrant color and picture. Bringing
everything to maximum texture.

There are many advantages to flat screen monitors like reducing
eye fatigue, so you can work more efficiently, watch movies, and
view picutures all in true color format. They can be viewed from
different angles too, so you still get a great quality picture.

Do you get headaches, or are your eyes straining after working
on the computer? There is a solution: flat panel, or flat screen
monitors. The most likely problem is glare and poor color. You
will be able to enjoy deep, rich color and the highest picture
quality with less glare with a true flat screen monitor. Nothing
else comes close. Flat screen monitors take up less space and
are easier on the eyes.

Most people must use a computer these days. Whether it's at
work, or home the computer is here to stay. One problem that
arises though is the way our eyes respond to the monitor. They
can get drained, irritated and make us down right miserable
while we're trying to work or research on the computer. Drink
all the coffee you want, it still won't keep your eyes from
fatigue. The monitor is causing your eyes to strain even though
you don't realize it. With less glare and better picture quality
you will be able to perform better at work, or school because of
less irritation that glare poor color causes.

Headaches, sleepy eyes and more are symptoms of staring at a
poor quality computer monitor. Now you don't have to suffer from
eye strain. Flat screen monitors reduce glare, enhance images,
increase picture quality, take up less space and will bring
pictures alive.

Investing in your health is never a bad idea. Take advantage of
new technology to help your eyes feel better and work more
efficiently, so you can get out and do better things. If you get
frequent headaches, take several breaks during the day, or just
can't seem to concentrate you might want to consider a flat
screen monitor.

About the author:
At Online Crazy Deals we are always helping people. With flat
screen monitors you can help yourself to better health. OCD is
always putting customers first. http://www.onlinecrazydeals.com

Spyware - Know Your Enemy

By: Kenth Nasstrom

Spyware is a term that has become quite common to hear.

The term spyware refers to a broad category of malicious
software designed to intercept or take partial control of a
computer's operation without the "known" consent of that
machine's owner or user. Spyware is as a term is being used
quite loosely and includes a number of different programs. The
thing they all have in common as spyware, is that they monitor
the computer and/or user and share information with a third
party. With or without the consent of the computer's owner.

Semi spyware has become widely used and they manifest themselves
as software, plugins or help files to other programs you want or
need, and if you accept their policies and term of usage, you
also accept the fact that these semi spyware programs will be
installed and used.

They are normally not directly malicious as the secret spyware,
but they do send out information from your computer to a third
party. Most commonly some kind of habit tracing or statistics of
surfing or similar. In most cases the information is completely
anonymous and do not pose any kind of threat to you as an
individual.

Spyware - a virus or not?

Spyware differs from viruses and worms in that it does not
usually self-replicate. Like many recent viruses, however,
spyware - by design - exploits infected computers for commercial
gain.

Typical tactics furthering this goal include delivery of
unsolicited pop-up advertisements; theft of personal information
(including financial information such as credit card numbers);
monitoring of Web-browsing activity for marketing purposes; or
routing of HTTP requests to advertising sites.

These things are very hard to keep track of and know if a
spyware is alive in your computer or if pop ups and other
changes in your surfing programs behaviour should occur.

The only reliable way to know if an evil spyware is living and
thriving inside your computer, is to install and use a good
spyware removal program.

How does spyware infect?

Spyware does not spread like a computer virus or worm. Instead,
spyware installs on your computer through deception or
exploitation of software vulnerabilities.

Spyware Trojan horse!

A Trojan horse, by definition, smuggles in something dangerous
in the guise of something desirable. So spyware often hide as an
add on to some other program you really want.

Bundled Spyware

Spyware can also come bundled with shareware or other
downloadable software, as well as music CDs. The user downloads
a program (for instance, a music program or a file-trading
utility) and installs it, and the installer additionally
installs the spyware. Although the desirable software itself may
do no harm, the bundled spyware does.

Manipulating Security Features

Another way of distributing spyware involves tricking users by
manipulating security features designed to prevent unwanted
installations. Internet browsers like Internet Explorer for
example are easy targets t this method. Everybody has them and
use them online almost daily. The way you protect yourself
against this, is to always keep your operating system up to date
when it comes to security updates.

Use Microsoft Update regularly (and often).

Examples of Spyware

As with computer viruses, researchers give names to spyware
programs which frequently do not relate to any names that the
spyware-writers use. Researchers may group programs into
"families" based not on shared program code, but on common
behaviours, or by "following the money" or apparent financial or
business connections.

For instance, a number of the spyware programs distributed by
Claria are collectively known as "Gator". Likewise, programs
which are frequently installed together may be described as
parts of the same spyware package, even if they function
separately.

It is also important to know that different anti spyware program
creators and big antivirus software creators may have different
names for the save spyware. This can cause you to believe that
you have 2 or more spyware products installed when you actually
only have one, but mentioned with different names.

* CoolWebSearch, a group of programs, installs through the
exploitation of Internet Explorer vulnerabilities. The programs
direct traffic to advertisements on Web sites including
coolwebsearch. To make this happen, they display pop-up ads,
rewrite search engine results, and alter the infected computer's
hosts file to direct DNS lookups to these sites.

* Internet Optimizer, also known as DyFuCa, redirects Internet
Explorer error pages to advertising. When users follow a broken
link or enter an erroneous URL, they see a page of
advertisements. However, because password-protected Web sites
(HTTP Basic authentication) use the same mechanism as HTTP
errors, Internet Optimizer makes it impossible for the user to
access password-protected sites.

* 180 Solutions transmits extensive information to advertisers
about the Web sites which users visit. It also alters HTTP
requests for affiliate advertisements linked from a Web site, so
that the advertisements make unearned profit for the 180
Solutions company. It opens pop-up ads that cover over the Web
sites of competing companies.

Toolbars from any other then the big players like Google, Yahoo,
Msn and similar very often contains spyware to some degree today.

And even the big guns have started to incorporate "spyware like"
statistics gather from their toolbars. They do tell you about
them, and ask for your permission to install or active these
routines. But they often do it in such a convoluted way, no one
actually understand it.

So start out the day by cleaning your computer and then working.
Make sure you have a restful safe day, download, scan and clean
your computer from any spyware today ...

About the author:
Kenth "The Designer" Nasstrom writes about spyware, adware and other non wanted
software. You should find out how to remove spyware and adware
from your computer now and reduce the risks.

Refurbished Laptop Computer Batteries-Don't Risk It

By: Mike Johnson

Copyright 2006 Online Crazy Deals

Some laptop computer batteries dealers offer a refurbished
laptop battery claiming they are restored to original specs.
"Caveat Emptor", buyer beware. Most are cheap and won't hold the
charge for very long. You might get lucky and get a good one,
but the life of the battery is in jeopardy.

Why take the risk? New laptop batteries are not that much more
in price and they are going to last a much longer time. If you
buy a refurbished laptop battery it may only hold a good charge
for a couple of months and once it's dead, it's dead!

Many people trust buying refurbished laptops and computers
because the replacement parts are new and can make it last an
extended amount of time. The laptop battery is different. Think
back to when Dick Clark was selling the battery re-charger for
regular AA, C, D and AAA batteries? If you bought one you
quickly found that the charger worked great. One bad thing- the
battery only held about half the original charge and you could
only charge it a few times and then the battery wouldn't charge
at all anymore.

If you take the same concept with refurbished laptop computer
batteries you get the same results. They will last for a short
time and most people only saved a few extra dollars, but were
not happy with the overall performance. The technology just
doesn't exist yet to supply a good refurbished battery. In the
case of refurbished laptops, we have figured out that you can
replace the hardware and it works as good as new. Sorry, but a
laptop battery doesn't have hardware parts to replace, so the
end result could be bad.

If the laptop battery isn't too old it should work just fine,
but how many dealers tell you the age of the battery? Not many.
If you want to save a few dollars then please buy a better MPG
car, not a refurbished laptop battery. A lot of the time you
don't know exactly what you're getting like how many times has
it been charged previously, or how old is it. If you know the
answers you probably can get a decent deal, but good luck
finding out the answers.

Although a great way to save money it to buy refurbished
electronics because they have replaceable parts, the technology
to recondition batteries isn't quite up to the same speed. The
good news is most new laptop computer batteries have a one year
warranty and a discount price. You are much better off buying a
new laptop battery.

About the author:
Online Crazy Deals specializes in mobile computer technology
including refurbished laptops, but only new laptop computer
batteries. We recommend visiting us for more info.
http://www.onlinecrazydeals.com

The Top Five Spyware Issues Dealing With Internet Security

By: Greg Lietz

One of the main ways to compromise internet security on your PC
is via a program called a Trojan Horse. A Trojan Horse is a
program that quietly runs in the background, inviting the user
to run it, while spreading its malicious code. This code can do
any number of things. It can start right away or it may simply
install a program that won't start for sometime. Once it does
start, it can delete all of the files on the computer or it can
infect the computer and try to infect other computers on the
network. There are a number of ways spyware is delivered, and as
a Trojan horse is the most common.

In addition to these things, spyware may infect your e-mail
address book. Once this occurs, spam will be sent to every
single person in every single infected address book.

The major difference between spyware like Gator and most other
spyware programs is that users are understandably notified of
its download before it actually occurs.

Another significant spyware threat is CoolWebSearch. This
spyware can do a number of things to compromise your internet
security. First, it can take over your current internet
settings, making things display wrong, and causing other system
inconsistencies.

The third major spyware threat is 180searchassistant. This
program has both pop-up and pop-under ads based on the user's
search terms. Moreover, once a site is clicked on, a new browser
window opens to display more advertisements based on the search
terms. It constantly updates by itself, and it can display
pop-up ads even when the internet is not running. In addition to
compromising your internet security, it can cause system slow
downs.

The fourth detrimental spyware threat to your internet security
is ISTbar. This spyware program displays adult pop-ups, even
when the internet is not in use. It can hijack your browser
settings, reset your homepage, and cause continual cascading
pop-ups while you are using the internet. It will continually
download related files without your knowledge. Moreover, it can
cause system slow downs.

The final major spyware threat to your internet security is
Internet Optimizer. This program redirects your computer to its
advertising sites. It also downloads and continually updates
itself without your knowledge. The worst part about this
spyware, though, is it leaves a back door open to your system so
other viruses can penetrate your defenses.

About the author:
Greg Lietz is a freelance writer, an internet business man and
enjoys working with and building computers. To discover how to
Knock-Out Spyware issues on your PC, visit this Spyware Removal
website as soon as you can.

Hard Disks: Firewire Vs. USB

By: David Stone

These two technologies are competing to be the best way to
connect electronics together. They both began as a connection to
your PC or Mac, but they have grown to be a form of data
transfer between almost any electrical data storage device. See
who is the winner in one of the biggest technological races of
this century. USB fist showed up on the map to solve the problem
of Plug N' Play devices. Most devices were, at that time,
connected to a computer via a serial port. Serial ports were not
intended for such a wide application of uses and it is a
relatively slow port. What USB set out to do was to create a
standardized plug that can be duplicated easily with adapters
and hubs. The result was the same standard port you see today.
It is much faster now than its original version, but it has
remained as unchanged as a wall socket. When it was introduced,
you actually create 144 USB ports from just one source by
duplicating it with hubs. Of course, the PC needs to able to
handle the software load. USB started popping up on all types of
devices from digital cameras to MP3 players. It is now used to
even connect devices together with out even using a computer.
Firewire came about shortly after the release of USB. This
severely hurt the spread of its use because USB had quickly
become a standard for personal computers. It was developed by
Apple and released in 1995 on its G3 Power Mac. Apple had the
advantage of being the standard computer in the artistic
community, so this was the edge that they had on USB. It took a
couple of years, but consumer electronics began using Firewire
to appeal to the industry that connected video and sound
equipment to their Macs. It was also praised for its speed of
data transfer. It was nearly impossible to transfer digitized
video via USB because it was too slow. Firewire affected the
entertainment industry in such a way it won the 2001 Primetime
Emmy Engineering Award. Which technology is better? With the
release of USB 2.0, USB has dominated Firewire and almost made
it disappear in the PC industry. Mac still embraces it; even
cell phones have USB ports on them. USB is now fast, universal
and you can actually charge devices like cell phones and iPods
through a USB port. Firewire started out with the speed, but USB
has pulled ahead in a dominating way.

About the author:
David Stone is a regular contributor of articles on computers
and technology. Find more great information at
http://www.hard-disk-help.info

Spam Is Now Dead Meat

By: J Schipper

Other than the canned meat sold by Hormel, the term spam is used
to describe unsolicited bulk email. It is rumored that the term
Spam came from an old Monty Python comedy sketch about a
restaurant where every item on the menu came with an order of
Spam. Certainly this is an accurate comparison due to the
ubiquitous nature of junk email, which first started to appear
in bulk in the early 1990s. The usual definition of spam is
email that is unsolicited, without prior permission or business
relationship, transmitted in mass mailings and containing
commercial content.

As the Internet became used increasingly in homes and
businesses, marketers did their best to promote their wares
through this new medium. Email, unlike postal mail that requires
a separate postage charge, can be sent out in bulk just as
cheaply as it can be sent to one person. Therefor, bulk email
became an irresistible way to advertise for Internet-based
marketers. Their only difficulty was to find valid email
addresses for recipients.

Bulk marketers began to compile lists of known email addresses
and sell them to other advertisers. Consumers often sign up on
mailing lists to be notified of sales or product promotions,
even from companies the openly pass their clients' email
addresses on to other companies. Spammers get email addresses
off publicly available web sites and user groups. Spammers have
even been known to hack into businesses' customer databases to
harvest even more addresses for their lists.

It did not matter if some of the addresses had expired; if an
address is not valid, email is simply not delivered. Millions of
simultaneous email messages could be sent out at little or no
cost to the marketer, so customer targeting was no longer
necessary. Spam was lucrative for marketers, as any response
rate at all would bring in profit from this essentially free
advertising. Much of the spam advertised goods and services of
dubious quality, such as pornography, get-rich-quick schemes,
multilevel marketing, stock promotions, quack health remedies,
and of course the services of internet marketers offering to
send out even more spam on behalf of the email account holder.

Internet users, however, were less pleased with spam than were
internet merchants. Many consumers resented receiving
advertisements through what is to be considered a personal
electronic mailbox. Finding legitimate emails became a time
consuming process of sifting through hundreds of unwanted
messages. Furthermore, some of the spam contained viruses.
Constant flow of spam used up bandwidth and filled up server
space. Parents objected to pornographic pictures being sent to
family websites which were accessed by children.

Spam is costly to the business world. It takes up bandwidth and
server storage space. Legitimate email may be lost, inboxes fill
up and staff spend office time deleting unwanted email. A study
published in May 2004 by Radicati Group shows that large
businesses (with approximately 10,000 employees) which do not
use spam filters lose $2,923.20 per user per year or a total of
$30 million annually in terms of email productivity. As Bill
Gates said, "The torrent of unwanted, unsolicited, often
offensive and sometimes fraudulent email is eroding trust in
technology, costing business billions of dollars a year, and
decreasing our collective ability to realize technology's full
potential."

Aside from being an annoying, time-wasting nuisance, spam also
includes "phishing" emails, false requests purportedly from
companies such as Ebay or Paypal, asking for credit card
information.

The total savings for businesses which do install anti-spam
filters is approximately $19.9 million per year. (Claburn,
2004). Filtering software looks for tell-tale signs such as an
invalid or spoofed "From" address, invalid host name in the
"From" or "To" address, similarity to previous emails, direct
SMTP transmission from a host without a fixed IP address,
receipt of the email from an unrestricted mail server, an IP
address, netblock or domain matching that of a known spammer or
"spamhaus", and unique headers created by spamming software.

No matter what kind of anti-spam system you employ in your home
or office, from the most basic to the most thorough, it's bound
to save you time and money.

About the author:
J Schipper loves Spam
Blockers Accounting
Software Business
Software Disk
Recovery

Beat the Printer Scheme and Save a Ton of Money on Ink or Toner

By: David Picella

Copyright 2006 Majella.us

Before you buy another printer, make sure you read this article.
The printing manufacturers actually don't make any money on the
printer itself. Instead, the real profits are made on the ink
and toner. In general, the cheaper the printer, the more you
will get gouged when it comes to replacing cartridges. But this
is not always the case. The high end printer manufacturers are
ready and willing to jump deep into your pocketbook. And if you
let them, they will stay there for very long time.

The Microchip Scheme

The primary way in which the printing companies gouge your
pocketbook is by placing a small microchip on the ink or toner
cartridge. The cartridge will stop working when you print a
fixed number of pages (usually around 5,000) even if you have
plenty of supply remaining. Sometimes the chips are also
programmed to stop working after a fixed period of time (e.g.,
six months) regardless of how many pages you have printed. The
chips are usually patented so as to guarantee that you will
always buy a new cartridge from the original manufacturer.

Just to illustrate how costly it can be to buy the wrong
printer, here is a personal example. I fell for HP's marketing
scheme and bought a "low cost" HP 1500 Color Laser Jet two years
ago for $499.00. I just checked with Staples.com and the cost of
replacing all the toner cartridges and drum including tax (free
shipping) is $597.33.

Is there a way around this?

Yes! If you do not have a chip on the cartridge then you can
simply look on the internet and find a refill kit. This will
work quite well. However, as a general rule, printing quality
will decrease after approximately five refills.

If you have a microchip on your cartridge, there are a couple of
options. First, with many cartridges you will be able to find a
"chip reset" kit on the internet. Buying ink or toner and a chip
reset kit is usually much cheaper than replacing the cartridge.
You will be able to use the reset kit over and over again, so it
will pay for itself. If you can't find a reset kit for your
cartridge, you can probably find a replacement chip. The
microchips are usually glued on the side of the cartridge, so
you can just pry off the old chip and glue on a new one.

The "Nuclear Option"

I saved the best for last! If this works, it is your best
option, but you might have to do a little bit of internet
research on your specific printer. What the printing companies
don't want you to know is that there is usually a way to
configure your printer such that you are able to reset the chip
memory. In some cases, you can completely disable the printer's
use of the chip. Getting back to my HP 1500 Color LaserJet, I
was able to do this by holding down the big green button for 20
seconds when the power is turned on. On this printer, this
causes what is known as a "hard reset" of all internal memory
settings. Whereas I should have been forced to replace all of my
toner and the drum, I have now been printing for months in
normal operation without a glitch and with no error messages!

Unfortunately, there is no guarantee that you will be able
reset, replace, or bypass the microchip on your printer's
cartridge. Every year, it seems that the printer manufacturers
become more and more skilled at preventing you from taking
charge of your machine. However, now you are armed with a little
bit of knowledge--and knowledge is power. The next time your
printer runs out of ink or toner, don't be so eager to go out
and buy a new cartridge. Remember, if there is a way around it,
you can find it! The personal satisfaction you get in saving
money and beating them at their own game will put a little bit
of excitement in what might have been a depressing and costly
situation.

About the author:
David Picella is a Family Nurse Practitioner and PhD Student who
studies women's health issues, infertility, and NaProTechnology.
He also writes computer technical articles. You can find
additional technical resources for this article in the
technology section at: http://www.majella.us