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Understanding the Computer Virus

Computer viruses have been annoying people today more than ever before. In the world of technology, preventing and removing computer virus infections have transformed into big business opportunities. In order to fight a computer virus, it is best that you gain enough information in order to know how to battle it. Once you understand the details about a certain virus, you will eventually know what are the necessary steps to approach it.

Viruses can be categorized with the malware software category. Malware basically stands for malicious software. Though many think that viruses would showcase themselves, this has been the wrong notion that misinformed people get. A computer virus, especially the best made ones remain hidden. Viruses usually arrive through e-mail attachments or hidden programs. They usually remain hidden until the time that they attack. Just like human viruses, computer viruses need a place to stay first then reproduce, once the right time comes, they eventually appear.

When the virus becomes activated, it will spread all over the computer system which will lead to the start of the damage phase. Usually, majority of these viruses have been made to activate through a specific trigger. There is usually a specific time and date that the virus takes effect and the number of infected files shall also be determined. When the trigger point arrives, the virus delivers the payload towards your system. Effects vary, it can easily be annoying messages or it can damage your whole operating system and eventually lead to a blank computer screen.

Before, computer viruses only spread mainly through floppy disks. This was the former worst case scenario. But when the Internet came to be and became widely popular, viruses eventually started spreading like wildfire. They can be transmitted from downloaded files and e-mails. A single virus that usually take months or weeks to travel internationally can now infect computers in just a couple of hours or less.

Another kind of virus that spreads easily through the Internet are worms. It is able to move around networks and reproduce itself without any help from softwares or programs as hosts. Usually these worms damage networks of computers more than individual computers. Due to their ability of self-reproduction, they can provide damage through overloading networking resources. Overload can lead to slowdowns with networks through taking up a bunch of bandwidth from the network itself. Same with viruses, worms are made to carry payload. This works through the use of a target system backdoor.

Lastly, you must understand the most popular virus today, the Trojan virus. Based on the Trojan Wars, Trojans are compared to what the Greeks did in order to infiltrate the gates of Troy. With the use of a wooden horse for tricking the Trojans, the Greeks was able to penetrate the city of Troy. The Trojan horse seemed to be a gift from the Greeks but it brought forth the start of the damage instead. Just like with computers, the Trojan virus also pretends as a different thing but it actually sneaks into your computer to bring forth damage. Majority of hackers utilize a Trojan virus in order to set up a keylogger or to provide backdoors. Through this, a hacker can install another software which could cause problems by stealing financial and personal information from your computer.

A computer virus can cause you headaches if you lack information with regards to treating the problem. It is highly important that you research about different virus protection softwares that really provide effective protection. With the widespread use of the internet, viruses can storm in different places through different scenarios. The best solution is to provide the strongest defense or protection for your computer. If you have the most powerful anti-virus program, it is less likely that you will experience virus problems. Just always keep in mind that once your computer becomes damaged by a virus or viruses and you don’t know what to do about it, then it’s best that you consult a technician.

Choosing the Best Computer Anti Virus Software

Being bothered with computer viruses can really be irritating and frustrating. Can we really ensure that our computers are free from viruses? Given that we have a lot of activities where we use our computers, it is quite difficult for us keep it clean from viruses. One excellent way of protecting your computers is by installing a reliable antivirus program. There are a number of antivirus programs in the market and they promise you a lot of things. For some of us who don’t really understand computer lingo, deciphering what they mean is quite a headache. Now the question you have to face is: how should you choose your antivirus software?

Here are some simple pointers you should consider before purchasing an antivirus program.

First, it should  give you real time protection and must also have constant updates when the user of the computer goes online. Real time protection also means that a virus would be stopped by your antivirus software before it can get inside your computer system. No antivirus can protect your computer completely even though it promises real time protection, but a reliable antivirus can at the very least assure you that your computer system has the protection it needs.

An antivirus program which is constantly updated means that it is very much capable of protecting your computer from harmful viruses that might try to attack it.  Every antivirus program has a database of possible threats that comes with it when you install it in your system. The problem you will encounter if your antivirus software does not provide constant updates is that, the new kinds of viruses might not be detected by it. Viruses also evolve and continue to grow in number, so constant updates of antivirus software is a must. An antivirus software that is not updated is like having no antivirus software at all.

The best antivirus program should also have the capacity to remove viruses aside from just detecting them. When viruses are detected, there are other antivirus software that do not have the capacity to remove the virus from your system. So what’s the use of detecting them if they can’t be removed by your antivirus software? Together with this capacity to remove threats from your computer should be the capability of your antivirus software to scan your whole system automatically. There are viruses that do not show obvious destructions but are actually already destroying some of your important files or might be used to phish information from your computer.

It is also important to choose an antivirus program which can scan your deep registry. These are areas which most of the time you just don’t know which ones to delete and are sensitive because damage to them may mean a failure of your system. Remember that viruses work fast-they can spread more than one deadly threat to your system, especially in areas where some antivirus programs fail to reach.

Choosing the best computer antivirus software may sound easy for you, but actually this is a critical decision to make. A virus can damage your hard drive, or could destroy it completely. A virus can also delete your most important files and it would be very difficult for you to retrieve them. What’s worse is, it can even phish out important information from your computer and could pave way for theft of your identity. Some of these viruses were created to remember personal information such as your credit card number and your pin numbers. Even passwords in your email addresses and online accounts can be saved by some of these viruses too, so it is always best to be ready by using a reliable antivirus program.

Aside from the stress that the destruction of files or hardware may bring you, it would also cost you a great amount of money to restore damaged hardware or to replace it with a new one. So for you to be on guard, you should really scrutinize different antivirus programs before purchasing them.

How To Repair A Laptop

There are these bad days when we just feel either clumsy or forgetful. The stressful things that we could face during these bad days are losing small things to actually breaking and destroying important items. One very important thing we sometimes forget to take good care of is our laptop. Sometimes we tend to put on surfaces which make it slide and break, or we put in on top of our car seat and somebody sits on top of it. There are also instances when our foot gets caught in the cord of our laptop and we unintentionally drag it off the surface where we left it. Who knows what worse scenarios could happen it all ends up to one thing— a broken laptop. The damage could range from little broken parts or could be a totally wrecked laptop.

Now, let us discuss some problems with laptops which you might find very useful.

The usual problem we face is a blank laptop screen or a dim one. A blank laptop screen means that it would not turn on. This could possibly happen because of a few reasons. Sometimes, the laptop screen could already be damaged and you need to change it already. There are also instances when you just need to put the settings to the correct one. A blank screen could mean that your laptop’s output is set to an external screen, for instance, and LCD projector. For you to check this, you can press down Fn key found on the lower left part of your keyboard then press the key that is for the LCD or external monitor found in one of the keys from F1 to F12. The keys could either have the word LCD on them, or could have monitors shown on them. When you have already done that and nothing happens, then try using an external screen. When you have already plugged an external monitor and the display shows, this means that the only damaged part of your laptop is the screen and not the video card.

Dealing with a very dark screen is relatively the same with what we did on the first part, but this time, you should not look for the keys that correspond to the external monitor, you have to look for the keys that are for changing the brightness of your screen. When you have already done that but to no avail, then it could be that the backlight of your laptop screen needs to be replaced. You can find a repair shop and tell them to install a new one so that your screen’s brightness can be adjusted again.

Another problem is a broken or damaged hinge. One thing you can do to fix your laptop hinge is to tighten it up.  Check closely for screws that you can adjust it tighter using a screw driver. But in case you find out that the screws can’t be adjusted anymore, so you have to have your laptop checked.

A problem that you can also come across is missing keys from your keyboard. It is easy to snap back a key to its place but first you have to buy news keys to fill the space. There are online shops where you can find keys for different models and you can buy them from there. It is also an option for you to change your whole keyboard but this is will definitely cost more.

A friend once encountered a problem with his laptop adapter. There are some adapters that have lights on them to signify power. If the light does not turn on while it is already plugged, then it is possible that it is damaged. You have to change it if that’s the case. But if the light is turned on but your laptop does not get charged, check for loose wiring or could be possible that there are loose connections inside your laptop. In case you do not know how to check the internal part of your laptop, consult an expert.

Top 10 Things To Do When Your Computer Isn’t Working

When your computer has broken down, having it fixed means only one thing— you have to pay a certain fee for the service. Aside from the fee that you have to worry about, you have to deal with carrying your computer to the repair shop, leaving it there, and actually wait for a certain number of days or weeks to have it repaired. Because all of us do not like this experience, there are a few things that we can do before we decide to bring our precious computers to the repair shop.

The first thing you have to do is trying restarting your computer. You might think this is unnecessary but sometimes this is needed. There are people who sometimes forget to turn off their computers and they think it is okay. Every system needs to reboot for it to be on its best fit. Sometimes there are just problems with certain pathways in your computer system and restarting it can give it a fresh start. A lot of problems are actually fixed this way, so try it before panicking.

The second thing to do is to check whether your computer is turned on. Check whether the parts of your computer are plugged including the monitor and the CPU. Sometimes they just get unplugged without us knowing.

In connection to this, make sure the wires that connect different parts of your computer are all connected properly. Check whether they are plugged at the correct ports. Sometimes some of our computer parts do not work such as the mouse and keyboards just because we plugged them at a wrong port. This may sound stupid but this actually happens.

The next thing you have to check is whether your warranty covers the repairs for your computer. Warranties usually cover a specific range of time and a range of repairs.  Good manufacturers cover the costs of your repairs when the warranty is still valid.

It is also a must that your data is always backed up. A lot of personal and important information are nowadays placed in our computers so it is important that we copy them. This way, when you bring your computer in a repair shop, you would not be worried in case the information will be erased or lost. Storing them in a CD or external drives is a good way to keep a copy of your information. The external storage drives are better at this, and they are now relatively cheaper. So it is really wise to invest in external hard drives as early as now.

The next thing to remember, if there are things that you don’t want others to see, then delete it. This is especially true when you would leave your computer in repair shops. Delete information or files from your computer that you think should be kept secret.

Also, organize the documents that are important for your computer. Some of these papers are the warranty card, stickers as well as model numbers. You also have to keep safe the CD drivers and the installers that come with your computer.

Before bringing your computer to the repair shop, try searching the internet for useful information. One of the helpful sites is www.computerrepairforever.com. They try to give solutions to little problems.

If you have friends who are good with technology, then you can also ask them. Make sure though that they have reliable experience and knowledge with computers before trusting what they tell you.

If you have given up all hope and is now sure that you have to bring your computer to a repair shop—stop for a while. You first have to look for the repair shop that will serve you best and will make your money worth it. There are repair shops that will do their best to help you and will not just make a big business out of you. Make sure the persons who will do the repairs are honest enough and well experienced.