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Posts Tagged ‘computer maintenance’

Adware Prevention and Removal Guide

September 5th, 2009

So you have a pop-up appear on your computer that states “lose 10 pounds obeying these simple steps”. You think to yourself, “Where did this appear from”? This pop-up is a form of adware. Adware is a nuisance and comes in the form of pop-ups, automatic downloads and site redirections. Although a nuisance, there are ways to prevent and reduce the chance of getting adware on your computer.

First, try and stay away from malicious sites. Many warez, free movie streaming, adult sites and free software download websites are adware infested neighborhoods. The reason why these sites are infested with such programs is because they need a way to monetize their website as the

When you do get pop-ups, make sure to read each one carefully before closing it. Sometimes the pop-ups trick you into installing unwanted applications. Only install software that you agree to and have performed through research on. If you are going to download software and are unsure if it contains adware, try installing a program called Spychecker. Spychecker will determine whether the program you’re about to install has adware in its application.

Run anti-virus and spyware checker programs frequently. A good way to run these programs is when you’re sleeping. Set up an automatic run schedule during times when you’re not using your computer. Good anti-virus software will check for spyware and Trojans automatically.

Use a firewall to protect yourself from unwanted visitors. Firewalls prevent programs from accessing your computer and communicating with the internet. Without proper permission, you will prevent any unwanted adware programs from communicating with your computer and relaying information to the internet.

Learn all about adware removal . Read about adware removal and learn how to prevent adware attacks on your computer.

Kim Chi Spyware and Viruses , , , , , , , , , ,

Adware Prevention and Removal Guide

July 12th, 2009
by Kim Chi

So you have a pop-up appear on your computer that states “lose 10 pounds obeying these simple steps”. You think to yourself, “Where did this appear from”? This pop-up is a form of adware. Adware is a nuisance and comes in the form of pop-ups, automatic downloads and site redirections. Although a nuisance, there are ways to prevent and reduce the chance of getting adware on your computer.

If you follow these tips, you will be able to detect and remove adware programs from your computer. This will increase your computers speed as well as secure your website from predators. First off, you need to stop going to websites that promote spyware and adware. These “bad neighborhood” websites can be found all over the web. Have you gone to an adult website lately? Did a screen pop-up redirecting you to another website? This is a form of adware and an adult site is a bad neighborhood website. Other bad websites that are infested with spyware, malware and adware are warez, free software download and streaming movies websites. Since these websites are giving away free pirated software, they try and monetize their websites by placing advertisements and adware on their software downloads.

When you do get pop-ups, make sure to read each one carefully before closing it. Sometimes the pop-ups trick you into installing unwanted applications. Only install software that you agree to and have performed through research on. If you are going to download software and are unsure if it contains adware, try installing a program called Spychecker. Spychecker will determine whether the program you’re about to install has adware in its application.

Try and run antivirus software and other forms of adware prevention software. The best and free adware checker is called Ad-Aware by Lavasoft. Try and run these types of software daily, especially if you are going to a lot of bad neighborhood websites.

Use a firewall to protect yourself from unwanted visitors. Firewalls prevent programs from accessing your computer and communicating with the internet. Without proper permission, you will prevent any unwanted adware programs from communicating with your computer and relaying information to the internet.

About the Author:

Kim Chi Spyware and Viruses , , , , , , , , , ,

Three Steps to Turning Around Your Slow Computer Speed and Performance Level

June 24th, 2009
by Ed Lathrop

No computer problem is more annoying than having a crash right in the middle of an operation. Second to that would be to have a sluggish or even downright slow computer. If these problems sound at all too familiar to you, you’ve come to the right place. Lets see if we can determine what the problem with your problem computer is.

Standing between us and a superbly operating computer is spyware and viruses. These two troublemakers are similar to one another. Viruses take a different track in the way they attack a PC. Viruses are out to get your computer only. Spywares mission is to get information about you; it just happens to cause your computer to act up as it goes about its evil work.

Make Sure You are Virus Free

First, Clean Out the Viruses First of all, lets see if there are any viruses present on your hard drive. Run your virus scanner. If it happens you don’t have one or you think yours might be sleeping on the job, search one of the search engines for a free virus scan. You will find plenty of offers. Run one of these and see what, if anything turns up. If anything does turn up, and you took the free scan deal, you will have to pay to make the virus scanner yours so you can remove the virus or viruses.

Next, we are going to do a spyware scan. We will do so whether we just removed any viruses or our scanner didn’t find any. As in the case of the virus scanner, if you don’t have one installed, do a search for a free antispyware scan. Im sure you will find many offers.

Getting Rid of Spyware is Very Important

Very often a spyware scan will turn up incidents of spyware even if regular virus scans had been done. This is because most virus scanners just dont find all the spyware. So, if you find you need to pay to activate the spyware remover function, it will well be worth the price to keep your personal information safe. Dont go with a free spyware cleaner though, from my experience, they are worthless.

Were almost there! Next, do a registry scan on your computer. If you don’t have a registry cleaner do a Google search for “Windows Registry Cleaner.” You will find free scan offers on the page that comes up. Once again, if you need to buy a registry cleaner don’t hesitate. Just don’t fool around with anything that refers to itself as a “Free Registry Cleaner,” they will do more harm than good!

A Corrupt Registry Means a Poor Running Computer

In the last couple of years, registry corruption has become a very big problem for PC owners. Windows XP and Vista registries become corrupted very easily. Because of this, many people have decided to install a good registry cleaner on their computers. This is a great choice because registry corruption will cause a computer to be slow and error prone. So, many computer owners have literally resurrected their PCs by cleaning their registries.

Now, with no viruses, no spyware and no registry corruption, do you have your computer’s speed back? I’ll bet you do! If not, at least your computer will run better and you will have taken care of some matters that definitely needed to be taken care of!

If the computer is still slow, the only other problems you could possibly have would be internal hardware problems or you have a resources eating program running in the background. Open up your task manager and see what is running you may not be aware of.

About the Author:

Ed Lathrop Computers , , , , , , , ,

Fixing PC Errors – You Dont Need To Be a Technician

June 11th, 2009
by Dave Johnson

The common practice of fixing computer problems caused by dysfunctional software involves a PC technician and a time-intensive, hands-on, grueling process.

Not to mention the costs that a technician can mount on you for spare parts. But the most serious thing is your valuable data, which is at risk.

A great new alternative to long repairs is available today. A new service that repairs your PC remotely, and you are not required to know anything about PC repair. Moreover, you can be up and running in as little as half an hour.

It works a lot like the Windows system restore functionality, but it is different. While the Windows system restore would just roll back to the previous backup point, this service diagnoses, looks for and replaces missing parts without any backups or other points of reference.

It shares a screen with you and does the required actions by itself. You don’t have to take any decisions based on superficial operating symptoms anymore. This service will study all the software objects and dependencies, comparing everything to a huge repository of more than 25 million objects.

This is a true breakthrough, and the main evidence is that many technicians already signed up for the professional package where they get to use this service whilst on location. This way they can drink coffee while the service takes care of the subject PCs.

If you experience problems with your system, errors popping up every once in a while. Don’t hesitate to try this service. It would most definitely be saving you time and money.

About the Author:

Michelle Emerson Data Recovery , , , , , , , , ,

Registry Scans – Are They Needed To Keep Your Computer Running?

April 14th, 2009
by Ed Lathrop

It is a challenge to keep a computer fast. It is also a challenge to prevent it from becoming prone to errors and crashes. So, we have to take precautions in order to keep our computers running at their best. We know, of course, spyware, viruses and other types of malware can infect our computers and cause such slow downs and errors. They can even cause the “blue screen of death.”

Even worse is the fact spyware has the ability, in many cases, to steal private information about a computer operator and this stolen information can result in identity theft! The result of these facts becoming well known is that most people scan for viruses and spyware everyday.

The importance of using a good virus/spyware scanner cannot be overstated because by not using one a person leaves him/herself wide open to the odious things viruses and spyware are capable of doing.

Enter Registry Corruption

Yes, viruses and spyware are threatening to us in many ways. Still, they are not the only things that can cause our computer to slow down and perform poorly. There is something else that can do just as much harm to our computers.

It is registry corruption and though a lot of folks are not yet familiar with it, it can be very damaging to a computer’s capability to function. Registry corruption is known for making a once speedy computer about as functional as a doorstop. So, a computer that is virus and spyware free and is still operating somewhere between sluggish and brain dead, probably has corruption present in its registry.

How To Avoid It

It is not practical to operate or care for a computer in such a way as to keep corruption out of its registry. In the case of an older operating system, probably not deleting any programs or upgrading any drivers would do the trick. However, Windows XP and Vista don’t work exactly the same way as their predecessors and though they are a huge advancement over yesterday’s OS’s, their registries corrupt very easily.

In today’s computing world there are an endless number of temporary files being exchanged constantly. Also, the unbelievably large sizes of the new operating systems make them a magnet for registry corruption. It does not mean the operator was careless if his/her Windows XP or Vista registry becomes corrupt. It happens to everyone eventually.

What Can We Do About It?

Fortunately, you can get a free registry scan with a top performing registry scanner so you can see if you do have corruption in your computer’s registry. If you do, you will want to make registry cleaning a part of your computer maintenance routine along with regular virus/spyware cleanings. Registry cleaners are inexpensive and can literally save you computer’s life. So it is a smart move to have one on hand.

In closing, remember it is important to note spyware can strike against you in two ways. First, it can slowdown your computer’s operations as well as cause errors and crashes. Secondly, it can rob you of your privacy and make it possible to have your identity stolen. Registry corruption has no way of performing this second horrible feat. However, it can wreak havoc on your computer’s speed and operations. On several occasions, I’ve seen registry corruption built up to the point it rendered PC’s inoperable.

About the Author:

Hiel Strassman Computers , , , , ,

Registry Scans – Do They Help Keep Your Computer Error Free?

April 13th, 2009
by Ed Lathrop

From the day we first start up our new computers, we have a job on our hands trying to keep it running fast and smoothly. Something we all know will slow down the computer and maybe even disable it are the parasites we know as viruses and spyware.

Beyond simply slowing down a computer, the wrong kind of spyware will read personal information, like social security numbers and banking information right out of the computer’s onboard memory. Fortunately, everyone is aware of this and so just about everyone uses a spyware cleaner periodically.

If you don’t have a top-notch virus/spyware scanner installed on your computer, you really ought to take care of this situation right away because spyware and viruses can cause great harm to you and your finances!

Enter Registry Corruption

Yes, viruses and spyware are threatening to us in many ways. Still, they are not the only things that can cause our computer to slow down and perform poorly. There is something else that can do just as much harm to our computers.

This villain is registry corruption. Registry corruption, in its early stages will manifest itself by slowing down a computer significantly. In its later stages registry corruption can actually bring a computer to its knees as it causes frequent or even constant crashes. These, of course, would make a computer very difficult or even impossible to use.

Prevention

It used to be registry corruption was the result of programs and drivers that had been deleted from a computer. Now however, there is more to it than that. While it was relatively difficult to corrupt a Windows 98 registry, it is just about impossible not to corrupt a Windows XP or Vista registry. Sometimes there is a downside to technology’s leaps forward.

With today’s huge file systems and the enormous amount of temporary files that get stored on hard drives as we surf the Net, registry corruption is inevitable. It takes no abusive action on a computer operator’s part to corrupt a registry.

What Can We Do About It?

Fortunately, you can get a free registry scan with a top performing registry scanner so you can see if you do have corruption in your computer’s registry. If you do, you will want to make registry cleaning a part of your computer maintenance routine along with regular virus/spyware cleanings. Registry cleaners are inexpensive and can literally save you computer’s life. So it is a smart move to have one on hand.

In short, we know we must keep our computers virus and spyware free. However, registry corruption is a less well-known problem, that while it can’t ruin us financially, it does have the ability to put a computer flat on its back for the count of ten! For those of us who are not ready to go out and purchase a new computer right now, that’s a good enough reason to scan our registries on a regular basis and clean out any corruption that is found.

About the Author:

Ed Lathrop Computers , , , , ,

Registry Scans – Are They Needed To Keep Your Computer Running?

April 4th, 2009
by Ed Lathrop

From the day we first start up our new computers, we have a job on our hands trying to keep it running fast and smoothly. Something we all know will slow down the computer and maybe even disable it are the parasites we know as viruses and spyware.

Even worse is the fact spyware has the ability, in many cases, to steal private information about a computer operator and this stolen information can result in identity theft! The result of these facts becoming well known is that most people scan for viruses and spyware everyday.

The importance of using a good virus/spyware scanner cannot be overstated because by not using one a person leaves him/herself wide open to the odious things viruses and spyware are capable of doing.

Take Care Of The Registry

Yes, viruses and spyware are threatening to us in many ways. Still, they are not the only things that can cause our computer to slow down and perform poorly. There is something else that can do just as much harm to our computers.

What we are talking about is registry corruption. Registry corruption can be very detrimental to a computer’s capacity to perform. When a registry contains a certain amount of corruption, it will slow down, sometimes to a crawl, and in general it will act like a sick child who just can’t get up out of bed to go to school in the morning.

How To Avoid It

It used to be registry corruption was the result of programs and drivers that had been deleted from a computer. Now however, there is more to it than that. While it was relatively difficult to corrupt a Windows 98 registry, it is just about impossible not to corrupt a Windows XP or Vista registry. Sometimes there is a downside to technology’s leaps forward.

In today’s computing world there are an endless number of temporary files being exchanged constantly. Also, the unbelievably large sizes of the new operating systems make them a magnet for registry corruption. It does not mean the operator was careless if his/her Windows XP or Vista registry becomes corrupt. It happens to everyone eventually.

What Can We Do About It?

There are free registry scans available so it is easy to find out if it is registry corruption that is taking the spring out of your computer’s step. Of course, you will have to purchase a registry cleaner if it turns out there is a lot of corruption present. This is a small price to pay to get the old computer speed and performance back again.

In short, we know we must keep our computers virus and spyware free. However, registry corruption is a less well-known problem, that while it can’t ruin us financially, it does have the ability to put a computer flat on its back for the count of ten! For those of us who are not ready to go out and purchase a new computer right now, that’s a good enough reason to scan our registries on a regular basis and clean out any corruption that is found.

About the Author:

Ed Lathrop Computers , , , , ,