Another Day With My PC

How many times have Windows crashed on you? I bet it’s twice the digits of your favorite basketball player’s jersey number. While Microsoft futilely denies it, their operating systems are prone to seizures, leaving the user helpless and dumbfounded during attacks or glitches.

However, to its credit, Redmond is continuously trying to avoid painting your screen blue whenever its OS stumbles upon something that makes it cough. Patches are regularly issued, while malicious software removal tools are being shipped with the updates.

What Microsoft isn’t directly addressing, though, is its operating system’s inability to flush out the remains of outdated or deleted programs in the registry. The program’s ineptness to deal with the problem has caused it to sometimes carry bricks when the actual load should only be pebbles.

This is the reason why RegCure is essential. It fills in the holes left open by Microsoft. The fact that the registry is a very vital organ in your system makes a registry cleaner indispensable. With RegCure installed, you could ensure that the featured cartoon in this post remains funny.

In this age where dial-up is already extinct and 1Mbps is considered as just a trickle, one would definitely be up in arms if his Internet connection chokes or coughs up kbps phlegm. An uprising is definitely in place considering that Internet Service Providers are now promising 20-foot waves whenever you surf the Net using their surfboards.

While many ISPs are notorious for exaggerating their connection speeds, they are not actually the usual suspects when your bandwidth slims down to a needle thread. Indeed, they wouldn’t dare you into jamming their customer service phone lines by scrimping you on your broadband diet.

Surfing With Malware

Not every slow browse is caused by greedy ISPs, though. Most of the time, the problem lies in your PC. If you haven’t invested in an antivirus program or in a registry cleaner, such as RegCure, then chances are is that your Web browser is being choked by malware. Malware is considered to be one of the major causes, if not the primary cause, of slow browse. If your ISP insists that the problem is not at their end, then you could bet your modem that it is coming from yours. Fortunately for you, slow Web browsing caused by malware could easily be spiked up by simply running your antivirus and registry cleaner. Those programs easily fix slow browses in a jiffy by ridding your browser of its excess baggage.

Update Your Browser

If your PC is as clean as a sterile gauze and your ISP insists that it is providing you with tsunami waves to surf on, then your problem probably lies on your Web surfboard. Faulty browsers could definitely make Web surfing a drag. Visit Microsoft or Firefox’s Web sites and see if they already have a new version. Check for patches, too, as browsers with too many holes are susceptible to malware attacks. We all know what those malicious software could do, so be diligent in searching for updates.

Unplug Your Plug-ins

If you could still finish singing Beyonce’s latest single while waiting for a Web site to completely load up or appear on your screen, then your browser might have some problems with its plug-ins. Plug-ins are small applications that enhances programs by adding functions or features to it. Many of these programs are made for browsers. They’re definitely welcome add-ons to Internet Explorer or Firefox. However, faulty plug-ins could also slow down your browser. The best way to know if this is your slow browse culprit is by disabling your add-ons or by choosing to open a version or copy of your browser that has no cosmetics on it. You could do this in IE 7 by clicking Start • All Programs • Accessories • System Tools • Internet Explorer (No Add-ons). If you’re using firefox, just click on Tools • Add-ons, then disable the items listed as your browser’s plug-ins.

Before you call up your ISP and complain that your DSL or wireless Internet connection is acting up like a dial-up, check your bandwidth meter and see if your service provider is really the guilty party. If you don’t have one, download a copy at Cnet or PC World.

Don’t you just hate the fact that Mac users just seem to have it all? They have the coolest brand, the hippest laptops, and the sleekest operating system. If you own an Intel/PC-based laptop that’s running on Windows, you definitely know what I’m talking about.

If those facts (disputable) are not enough to make you sinfully envious, then check out PC Mech’s article regarding the file systems which Mac OS X and Windows use. Although the article is littered with geeky gobbledygook, it simply says that Apple’s operating system is virtually maintenance free compared to Windows XP and Vista in terms of defragmenting.

Despite the seeming lead of Mac over Windows, I still prefer the latter because of its superior compatibility with every program available in the market. Maybe the reason why the occurrence of file fragmentation is low in Mac systems is because there are few programs or files that are compatible with OS X (I sound like Bill Gates sour graping over Steve Jobs’ success ).  Just kidding.

There’s no reason for us PC/Windows users to envy Mac people that much. We have excellent system tools which make our lives a little bit less complicated like the ones that our Mac counterparts have.  Support and compatibility is our advantage.  Even though Windows is unceasingly being attacked by various types of malware, the most widely-used OS is backed and defended by all known antivirus and registry cleaners available. So what’s the worry? :)

What do you do when you encounter an error message?

I bet many of you just click “ok” after reading the first 4 words that are written in the notice or warning. I don’t blame you for having that kind of attitude towards Windows’ occasional ranting. I myself am guilty of that sometimes. The words in the warning or message box seem either gibberish or too technical to comprehend. In the fatalistic hope that things would turn out just fine by clicking ok (after all, ok means ok, right?), many users blindly click the first button that they see, especially if it’s selected or highlighted by default.

It’s Actually Telling You Something

The authors of Windows didn’t just randomly copy a page of the operating system’s manual and paste it on the error or warning boxes, though. You can bet your mouse’s left button that the designers carefully thought out all the error messages that Windows could utter in case it hiccups. I would even dare say that around 50 cents of the operating system’s price tag accounts for the time that the programmers have spent in writing those error messages.

It’s not wise to ignore error messages. Warning or error boxes that pop up on your screen are Windows’ way of telling you that it’s not feeling well and that it probably needs some tweaking. The fact that you know nothing technical other than Ctrl+Alt+Del doesn’t mean that you don’t have to exert any effort to try to address those messages. The most prudent thing to do when you see Windows coughing is to take note of the thing’s that it’s telling you and try to Google on it for clarifications and solutions.

The Blue Screen of Death

If you’re too lazy to open Google, then just continue reading this post. I’ll just spoon-feed you as to the possible causes.

One of the well known (and dreadful) error messages that you could get is the blue screen of death (BSoD). This curse is usually caused by faulty hardware, such as the motherboard and SIMM modules. Overheating on the CPU can also cause your monitor to spray blue paint all over its screen.

Solving BSoD problems caused by faulty hardware can easily be solved. However, the solution could be a bit of a burden on your pocket. Sputtering peripherals usually need to be changed. Although you could have it examined and dissected by a technician, chances are is that the numbers on the repair costs are almost the same as the price tag for a brand new part. I recommend that you just buy a brand new component rather than having your old peripheral undergo e-surgery.

Soft Solution for a Hard Problem

Before you buy a new component, though, make sure that it is really the problem. There are times when the peripheral is actually ok but appears to be not working due to a defective or incompatible device driver. Make sure that all the supporting applications or drivers that are necessary in order for the component to function are already installed. Update them regularly by visiting its manufacturer’s Web site for new releases or by checking driver repositories on the Internet, such as Driver Detective.

BSoDs are also caused by faulty Registry. If this is the cause of your operating system’s problem, you can solve it by running System Restore. If you failed to create a restore point, then seek the help of a Registry cleaner, such as RegCure. This program could rid your operating system’s registry of unwanted lines and instructions.

You don’t have to read every post in this blog to realize that running a full virus and registry scan at least once a week is as imperative as taking a bath at least once a day (I really hope that you do). We’ve devoted almost every article in this blog to campaign for PC optimization and security, and you cannot attain either if you don’t check your PC regularly for viruses and other malware.

At first glance, it seems that there’s no excuse for us to skip or fail to run a full system scan. After all, it takes just one click to scan your whole PC for malware. However, a typical hard drive contains thousands of system and other data files. Depending upon the depth or thoroughness of the scan that you’ve set, the antivirus software would generally rummage through every item in your computer. This process would definitely be time-consuming.

In this era where time is more valuable than gold, many simply cannot afford to freeze their tasks just to make way for their antivirus and anti-spyware programs to do their job. While there is such a thing as multitasking, sharing PC resources with an antivirus could be a problem since a security suite that’s running a full system scan would be very jealous of anything that tries to get the CPU’s attention.

Deadlines and other tasks should not be made as seemingly reasonable excuses to skip a full system scan. Unless you’re working 24 hours a day, there will definitely be pockets of time where your PC’s CPU would feel useless or neglected. Make use of these periods to flex your antivirus and registry scanner’s muscles. Schedule scans during lunch breaks or even after office hours. Every PC task can be done automatically, so you don’t have to baby sit the whole process. Trust everything in your anti-malware programs or to your task scheduler. It will take care of everything.

Malware could be very unforgiving when it decides to strike. While some unwanted programs would already be contented in creating small shanties for themselves inside your hard drive and just monitor everything that you do, others are not so passive and will pillage your system until they are the only applications left in it.

Of course, antivirus and anti-spyware programs are always there to save the day. But what if the carnage happened before you installed your security suites?

The Easy Step / Solution

Before anything else, let me just make it clear that anti-malware programs will still work even if you install them after your PC gets infected. Antivirus programs do not just prevent unwanted apps from entering into your system, but they also remove those which have already injected themselves therein.

The most common solution to an infection is to run a thorough virus or anti-spyware scan over your entire system. The security suites would automatically do the detection and removal of the malicious programs. Most of the time, the detection and removal will be successful. However, things will become a little bit different and complicated when the infection is so severe and it already involves vital system files.

It Doesn’t Always Win

There are times when security software cannot safely remove a virus from a file. Even if it can, doing so might render the file useless as the removal process could damage the data. In cases like this one, what the antivirus program usually does is to just leave the file as it is and recommends that you replace it with a new but similar one. This may seem easy, but I’m telling you that it isn’t. Take note that many programs come from zipped or compressed files. This means that you can’t just look for the infected program’s installation disk and get the needed file therein. You won’t find it in the disk. What you’ll probably see is just a few compressed files that need to be decompressed or unzipped first.

The Final Solution

If the infection is extremely severe, such as when a variety of malware have already nailed a “home sweet home” sign in your computer, then opening your antivirus to extract a cure may already be futile. The infestation in this case is already so serious that you cannot anymore remove the unwanted programs without damaging the whole operating system.

If your antivirus cannot remove many of the malware found in your system and you can’t also delete the infected file because it is vital to your system’s operation, then the only viable and effective solution to the problem would be to reformat your hard drive and reinstall your OS. This may seem a very tedious task that but a pandemic definitely requires the most extreme solution.

Fresh Start

Reformatting your hard disk and reinstalling your operating system would give you a fresh start in your effort to keep your system free from malware. A reformat would wipe out all programs, good or bad. As with all fresh starts or second chances, make sure that you won’t have to go into that situation again where you have to go back to the drawing board. Before you go online or introduce other programs aside from your OS, make sure that you install an antivirus and a registry cleaner first. This would ensure that no malicious program would get in your way when you surf the Web or run any application.

Have you ever come across a spam mail that bore your e-mail address?

A friend of mine did and she was so aghast by it that she immediately e-mailed all of those in her contact list to clarify that she was not the one who sent the e-mails. I could very well understand her shock and embarrassment since the spam mail that had been distributed to all her contacts contained indecent photos and links to pornographic Web sites.

You might think that the tale that I’ve just told you is fictitious. Indeed, one would wonder how a virus could log in to your e-mail account and compose various types of messages and even attach images and documents thereto. But it is possible. The malware need not log in to your account. All it has to do is publish or post your e-mail address as the sender so as to add a semblance of legitimacy to the mail. It would really thus appear that it came from you. But a close perusal of such spam mails would reveal that it had been sent through another account and is just being masked by your e-mail address.

Save yourself from such an embarrassing situation by building an impregnable virtual gate around your PC with an antivirus as your steel bars and a registry cleaner as its padlock. Your tech-savvy friends may immediately know or realize that the e-mail purportedly coming from you is just the handiwork of a malware that infected your PC. However, those who are not well-aware of the deception might think that you’re promoting illegal or indecent sites. Protect your reputation by protecting your PC.

There was a time when computer jargon was understood by bespectacled persons only. Those days are definitely gone. At present, everybody knows what OS means or what AV stands for.

The computer will undoubtedly beat sliced bread as the most common item known to man in a few years time. When that point comes, don’t be surprised if the United Nations adds Assembly Language, Visual Basic, or C++ along with Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian, and Spanish as one of its official languages.

A working knowledge of computers is unquestionably indispensable. It’s not that hard to learn how to use one. You don’t have to buy a dozen Dummies book about PCs in order to learn how to operate them. All you have to do is devote a few hours of your day on a daily basis in pounding that keyboard and see what happens on the screen. Trust me, the method may seem to be designed for Neanderthals, but this was how many computer geeks learned their favorite pastime.

Make sure that your PC is safe from external threats so that you won’t be disturbed in trying to find out what those F keys are for. System file or Windows registry infection could surely hamper your effort in trying to get to know your unit more intimately. Invest in an antivirus and a registry cleaner before you do anything with your PC.

When somebody tells you that your old neighborhood hacker took the weekend off to go fishing, don’t be surprised when you see him bringing a laptop instead of a hook, line, and sinker. You could bet your hard drive’s last kilobyte that he will not be looking for his next meal or a new addition to his aquarium. Unless he’s really fishing with an “F,” what he’ll probably do is phish for data rather than fish for, well, fish.

Phishing is the term used to describe the illegal or fraudulent act of acquiring personal information through deceptive means. Hackers usually do this by sending deceptive e-mails or other electronic messages that ask users for certain information about themselves. Many have already been deceived and victimized as criminals use methods which lead people to believe that the sender and the message are legitimate ones.

Not Just by e-mail Alone

While e-mail service providers have already rolled up their sleeves and took on the challenge of putting a scarlet letter on bogus or fraudulent e-mail senders or addresses, hackers have found another way of phishing passwords, account numbers, and other sensitive details from unsuspecting persons.

e-commerce is growing at a tremendous pace, and thousands or even millions now send out credit card numbers, bank passwords, and other financial details on the Internet. These information are usually asked for by and entered into e-commerce Web sites, such as e-Bay, Amazon, and other businesses or institutions, such as banks. Criminals are aware of this and have built numerous Web sites which replicate the ones where people usually go to shop or do financial transactions. As a result, a good number of people unsuspectingly types in sensitive data that the bogus site asks for, practically giving it to hackers on a silver platter.

Seemingly Unimportant Questions

Pop ups are also used as phishing instruments. PCs infected with spyware, adware, and other forms of malware are usually prone to phishing activities since hackers already have a hold on the unit. Pop ups might ask you for certain personal details. Some of the questions may seem harmless and you might not suspect it to be malicious, especially if it’s not asking for your social security or credit card number. However, be very wary on the questions that you answer, whether they come from dubious pop ups or seemingly legitimate e-mails. Questions asking you as to your favorite food, the name of your pet, or your mother’s maiden name might seem inconsequential. However, take note that these questions are usually the ones that are also being asked by e-mail service providers or e-commerce sites in case you’ve forgotten your username or password.

Nip the Problem at the Bud

Keep your PC safe and secure at all times. Malware oftentimes monitor Web surfing activities. If the malicious software detects that you’re a frequent user of online banking services or an occasional customer of e-shops, then you’ll probably be subjected to all sorts of phishing tactics or methods. Keep your PC from being infiltrated by installing security tools, such as registry cleaners and antivirus programs. These applications will ensure that everything that you do or send on the Internet will not be made known to anyone.

We have all had a problem with our PC speed becoming slow, and not working very efficiently and effectively, bu there are some tips that can help you to optimize your computer performance and increase your PC speed. The very first tip to increase your PC speed, and the easiest one to implement, is to avoid running multiple programs at the same time. When more than one program is running at the same time, PC speed decreases because of multiple tasks. If you only open and use one program at a time, you will be amazed at how much your PC speed increases.

Minimize the number of programs and services on your startup menu, and your PC speed will increase substantially. Many users have programs on the startup menu that are very rarely used, but these programs are started and running every time your computer starts up or boots. This uses valuable resources which could be used to help improve the PC speed and performance instead. Remove any items and programs which are not needed every time your computer is started, and keep only those programs which must be opened at every single start up. This will give you a faster PC speed and minimize your frustration.

The easiest and best way to increase the PC speed of your machine is contained in two specific program types, and these are anti-spyware and anti-virus programs. Spyware especially can really clutter up your hard drive, and drastically affect your PC speed. Most spyware programs take over your PC and install other undesired software programs without the user being aware of this. All of these programs running may end up taking most of the resources, and this results in a very slow and sluggish PC speed.

Installing anti-spyware and anti-virus software is not enough by itself to keep your PC speed at optimum levels, because new malware and spyware versions are appearing regularly. Updating the definition directory of your anti-spyware and anti-virus software regularly, preferably once a day right before the scan is done, will guarantee that you are protected against all threats which may slow down your PC speed, even the newest ones. Without updates, you could have a number of electronic infections which may slow your PC speed, without the security programs even being aware of those specific infections as a risk.

Using a registry cleaner or manually editing the Windows Registry may help to improve your PC speed, but the results may vary widely, depending on how large your registry is and how many entries in the registry should be removed. Manually editing the Windows registry to improve PC speed may be a huge risk, because if the wrong items are altered or removed it can affect the Windows operating system and all of the functions of your computer. Delete the wrong entries and you may end up with an expensive piece of useless junk. If you are not sure, never erase an item in Windows Registry just to improve your PC speed, or you may be very sorry that you did.

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