Another Day With My PC

Are we getting too dependent on technology? In case you haven’t noticed, everything seems to be available to us in just a push of a button. While it has definitely made life easier for us, it has also made us more vulnerable to glitches or power outages. It seems that man’s extinction would be caused not by climate change but by power shortages.

I’m not saying that we should gradually rid ourselves of the gadgets that we’re carrying around. I might be the first person who’ll proffer an objection to such a proposal. What I’m advocating is for everybody to be made aware of our dependency and vulnerability so that something could be done about it.

I’m not exactly sure as to the appropriate measures that should be taken in order to prepare ourselves for worst-case scenarios, but I think many of us should be reacquainted with the old and computer-less procedures of our respective crafts.

What do you do when you encounter a PC problem?

If it’s a software dilemma, chances are is that you’ll have your antivirus scan the program’s folder first. If the check turns out negative, then the next thing that you’ll probably do is delete it and just install a new copy. While this is one way of solving the problem, there are other ways by which you could bring that software back to tip top shape without wiping it off your hard drive.

If the virus check is negative, then there’s no file corruption involved. A probable reason or explanation for the problem is setting modification. There are times when we accidentally change the setting of our programs. You shouldn’t worry about this, though. Almost all applications have a back-to-the-future button in order to undo the errors that you’ve committed. I’m simply talking about the “reset” button, in case you’re wondering.

There’s one drawback in clicking this button, though. In case you’ve deliberately made some changes in the program, you’ll lose those modifications. So you have to go through the settings again in order to tailor-fit the program according to your preferences.

Do you know what endorphins are?

Endorphins are euphoria-inducing neurotransmitters that act as natural anesthetics. They’re also considered as happy hormones or chemicals produced by the brain that make us feel good. So whenever we smile and feel good about something, chances are is that endorphins are being mixed in our system.

So what do endorphins have to do with computers?

Feeling Good

We all want to feel good and safe whenever we turn our PCs power button on. We definitely want to double that sense of security whenever we hit the power button of our modem. There are hundreds of ways by which our PC could get mangled when it’s running, so it could be surmised that our endorphin levels are dipping dangerously to the bottom whenever we’re using it, especially when we’re connected on the Internet.

Whether you’re PCs holding sensitive information or just plain old games that you could easily install if it gets corrupted, you would definitely want your system to be able to fend off attacks from malware. I know, we’ve all heard of back ups, but reinstalling data back into a freshly reformatted hard drive consumes time. And even if data back up is already as common or popular as sliced bread, not everybody eats bread.

Additional Troops

An average PC user usually just depends on an antivirus and his operating system’s firewall for security. Ordinarily, this may already be enough. However, we’re all aware of the growing threat both on software and hardware. Viruses and spyware are being manufactured everyday from different points of the globe. Hence, one might say that it’s only a matter of time before an infiltration becomes successful.

I’m fully aware of the possibility that my system would eventually succumb to an attack. However, I also know that I could beat or go against the odds or predictions by encircling my PC with barbed wire. There’s this unexplainable feeling of joy, pride, and relief whenever I could tell myself that my PC is somewhat impregnable. I usually boast to my officemates that my laptop can withstand malware attacks, even some harsh ones, considering the sentinels that I’ve installed in my system. Aside from my antivirus and the built-in firewall in my OS, I also have RegCure since many malware targets system registries.

e-endorphins

The one thing that many of us value is peace of mind. I hate worries. I always want to do things with the assurance that when something goes wrong, I could still recover what have been lost. Or better yet, I want to do things with the thought that I won’t be disrupted therefrom. This goes double whenever I’m using my PC. I relish at the assurance that I’ll be able to recover what I would lose in case my system crashes. But the very thing that makes me feel secured is the thought that my computer would be able to withstand any attack against it.

Life is stressful enough to make room for a couple of more worries. Insurance companies often make this point in order to sell their products. And believe me, they do have a point. In the same manner, makers of security software and system tools assure people a considerable degree of confidence and assurance whenever they put their life in the hands of their PCs.

Inject a good amount of endorphins in your system by injecting a registry cleaner and an antivirus in your PC. These applications are not just mere placebos. They are up to the task of ensuring that the smile plastered on your face whenever you venture into cyberspace is justified.

I wonder if Parker, Cross, or any other pen makers experienced a dizzying dip in sales during the past two decades. There used to be a time when the pen, paper, and the writer made a very beautiful ensemble as far as weaving words was concerned. Nowadays, journalism is an inkless and paperless profession or endeavor.

The computer has greatly revolutionized the way book-writing is done. Keyboards are the new pens. I think the only time John Grisham or Stephen King use their pens which involve their books is when they’re being asked to sign it.

Some say that the computer has dulled the minds of writers. I’m not saying that I agree with their observation, but indeed, current word processors have already taken some of the tasks that pen pushers are admired for. For one thing, many readers put writers at a pedestal for their great mastery of the dictionary. Of course, this admiration is slowly drying out. Everybody could be a quiz bee champion now with the incorporated spelling or word checkers in word processors.

The evolution that computers have sparked has taken a lot of weight off of people. However, some say that it just made them lazy. But if you’re going to ask me, the PC is no different than the old tools that man used in pursuing their profession or other activities. Computers are still just instruments which help man in realizing the things that he want to create or accomplish.

Are you constantly being annoyed by Autoplay? If you have no idea what I’m talking about, Autoplay is that window which appears whenever you insert a CD or plug in a flash drive. It presents you with options as to the available programs you may want to use in opening the files inside the media.

Some see this as very useful and convenient. For others, they are irritated whenever they are always prompted as to what they would want to do with the files inside the drive or disk. If you’re going to ask me though, I see Autoplay as something of both, with danger on the side.

For unsuspecting or careless users, Autoplay may just pave the way for malware inside the disk that they’ve inserted to be introduced into his system. Instead of exercising prudence by scanning the disk first, users are tempted to immediately open the files inside the media since Autoplay has already prompted them as to the available or compatible programs that could be used to open them.

Don’t just click around or continue typing when you’ve just introduced a media to your PC since you might accidentally click “OK” when Autoplay to pops out. If the files therein turn out to be infected, then you’ll be spending the next few hours scanning and ridding your hard drive of unwanted guests.

I was browsing for something the other day when I heard my sister throw out a series of profanities on her computer. I jokingly told her that her PC might answer back. She just smirked. She then vented her anger on me and asked why is her Internet connection is so slow. I was quite surprised considering that we’re using the same DSL connection via a wireless router.

I checked her PC and ran a series of bandwidth tests. Everything seems ok. In fact, her PC seems to warp around cyberspace a lot faster than my laptop. I also explained to her that bandwidth is not usually the culprit in slow chat response time since IRCs or IMs don’t require a 1mbps connection in order to relay messages on time. In fact, even a dial-up connection would do, unless you’re having a teleconference.

Before cursing your ISP, check your connection stats first. The Web site that you’re browsing might just be having a down time, or the person you’re chatting with might have just taken a few winks.

I wonder what it would be like to live in a world without computers.

Writers like me would definitely miss it. I mean, who could live without auto-spacing and auto-indentions.

Video game players would definitely wilt without it. Although there are many platforms that could satisfy their lust for virtual blood, speed, and fury, there are games that could only be played to the max when it’s loaded and ran on the PC.

Researchers would certainly slit their wrists without it. Just imagine life without Google. The computer, along with the Internet, has dramatically reduced the time that it takes to come up with materials on a particular subject. If you have no idea what I’m talking about, try researching for a particular topic about William Wallace in your state library’s European Studies Section. I bet that you’d be camping out in the building for a day or two for that undertaking alone.

I could go on and on and on and on about how the computer has revolutionized everything that we do. I’m sure nobody would dare deny that the PC has, in one way or another, changed their lives for the better.

Do you know what file extensions are? A friend of mine once asked me to help her search for a device driver. I asked her for the file extension, and she went blank on me. I was quite surprised that there are a good number of PC users who don’t know what the term means.

File extensions are indicators of the type of information that are stored therein. They are the last three characters forming the file after the dot. In case you’re still flipping the dictionary for the IT gobbledygook, just think of .COM or .EXE.

Descriptor

The letters after the dot tell us a lot about what the file is all about. We all know that .EXE and .COM files are executable ones, meaning they run a program. So whenever you’re thrown a bunch of files and you don’t know which one to click in order to activate the application, just look for the one which has a .EXE or .COM extension.

Recognizing file extensions was very important during the time when DOS still ruled over PCs. Before the advent of Windows, users had to find the right executable file in order to activate the program. This is a bit of a hassle, especially if the application has hundreds of files comprising it.

Still Important

Of course, rummaging through hundreds or thousands of files in different folders just to run a program is already a thing of the past. You could easily open up an application by simply looking for its icon. However, this doesn’t mean that file extension recognition is something that one doesn’t need anymore. On the contrary, the knowledge to identify file types is already being considered as indispensable.

We all know that malware attacks have increased exponentially over the past several years. While hackers are to blame for this, it is the users who are blamed for the fruit that the former have planted. It’s enraging that malware authors get international notoriety while we victims bear the brunt of their work. In a way, it is true that we are partly to blame for the misfortunes that we’re encountering on the Internet. We are simply too careless.

Jack in the Box

Many of us are just too eager to open files that are sent to us, even by persons who we don’t know. These files are usually given to us through e-mail. The files are cunningly or surreptitiously being presented as something that’s innocent or interesting, such as a picture of Angelina Jolie or an amorous love letter of a married celebrity to another woman. While these files may be damaging to the Hollywood stars in question, they are not exactly harmful to the ones opening them, that is, if the files are really what they purport to be.

For example, there are malicious e-mail attachments which claim to be image files. Image files usually bear the extensions .JPG, .GIF, or .PNG. The subject or heading of the mail indicates that it’s a graphic or image file. However, if you’ll look closely at the filename, you’ll notice that it’s .EXE or .COM. The attachment is obviously not a picture file, but an executable one. That file, however small, could definitely wreak havoc on your system, corrupting your Windows registry and other indispensable system files.

Be very careful when opening attachments. The file may look very innocent, but trouble is usually packaged in that way. Invest on an antivirus software and on a registry cleaner, such as RegCure. Don’t let yourself be surprised by the jack in your e-mail box.

Do you think that human interaction is getting too impersonal?

Teleconferencing used to be a fixture in sci-fi flicks. Of course, this is anything but science fiction today. In fact, you’re probably having a cam-to-cam conversation right now with somebody who’s several states or continents away.

I have no qualms in conversing with somebody electronically, be that through e-mail, instant messaging programs, or even bulletin board systems (I know, I know, too passé). However, nothing beats talking with somebody face to face while having a good cup of coffee, especially if that somebody is someone very dear to you. But if it’s your boss, then I guess you would agree with me that you’d rather communicate with him through BBS :)

Technology will definitely change the way we communicate, if it hasn’t already. It will most likely make the same all the more impersonal, but it will definitely make it more convenient.

Instant messaging or internet relay chats were not yet popular during my high school days. Although I was able to communicate with a few people who I don’t know from Australia and New Zealand, I have our school’s pen pal program to thank that for. But don’t get me wrong, though. The thought of speaking with somebody who’s from another continent isn’t exactly considered a Michael J. Fox movie even when I was still in kindergarten. Unless you’ve already forgotten, a sort of instant messaging service was already in existence even during our grandparents’ time in the form of telegram services.

Small, Small World

The world shrank further a few years later when the Internet’s popularity increased exponentially. Web sites were not yet widespread back then, and people were not that reliant on the same for information. What many appreciated the Internet for during that time was for the messaging services. Yahoo! or Windows/MSN Messenger was not yet available. The first communications tool or application that I remember using was mIRC.

Internet relay chat programs allow users to exchange messages in real time. It’s no different than with the instant messengers that everybody’s using nowadays, well except that the former’s GUI is a bit prehistoric, and the smileys are still “cro-magnic.” Oh and of course, Web cams were unheard of back then.

Exploiting for Exploits

As with anything on the Internet, hackers soon found a way to use IRCs to infect PCs with their creations. While IRCs primarily process messages and send them to their intended recipients, they also have the ability to send files.

It’s very easy to spread malware through IRCs or IMs. Almost all people who have Internet access use them, unless the persons that he needs or intends to communicate with all live in his house. Hackers usually open up accounts and pose as chatters who pretend to be interested in befriending you. During the course of your conversation, he will ask you to receive a file from him, purportedly a picture of him or something that might be interesting to you. If you’re too trusting (or gullible), then chances are is that you’ll be reformatting your hard drive the next day due to a hopeless case of registry infestation.

Surfing With Bodyguards

We’re always told to never talk to strangers. While you may think that such warning doesn’t apply in the virtual world, think again. The admonition is actually more relevant, or at least equally applicable in cyberspace. Don’t underestimate the cunningness of con artists lurking around the chat rooms. Many have already been victimized personally and virtually. The danger is real. You could be robbed or maligned in cyberspace. While you may escape physical harm when entertaining strangers in IRCs or IMs, the virtual or electronic injury can be likewise equally painful.

Protect yourself and your computer from being mugged in cyberspace. Make sure that you have electronic sentinels before taking a trip in cyberspace. Two bodyguards in the form of an antivirus and registry cleaner programs should already be enough to ward off malicious attacks.