Computer Help

Computer Help



I have so many people complain to me about how messed up there computers are that I decided to show people how to get there system running the way it was design to like when it was new, and in some cases , better than new.
People tell me that they need a new computer because they just can’t do anything on the one they have due to how slow it runs or all the pop up windows messing up the screen all the time. The trouble is not the computer itself; it’s what’s in it.
Computers are a piece of equipment and like every other piece of equipment it must be maintained. It’s not unlike your car, copy machine, fax machines even your lawnmower, and they all need maintenance. In the case of computers one of the most important maintenance operations that are required to keep your system running well is the protection from unwanted and dangerous software.
Have you ever noticed all the updates for Windows that Microsoft sends to all of us? Ever wonder why there are so many? As of today there are about 100 updates for Windows XP that Microsoft sends us and most of them are security updates. This is meant to keep unwanted people and software out of your computer.
Computers are made up of two basic things, Hardware and software. Every computer in the world has both of them. When a problem occurs like running slow, popup windows and ads, the problem lies in software that should not be in you computer. It’s not to say that hardware never goes bad, on the contrary, hardware goes bad all the time. But, if you can get your computer started and you can do some basic things then chances are your hardware is fine. Well then, what the heck is going on? Let’s get some basic knowledge of software first.
Most of the home computers today run on Microsoft software called Windows. This is the software that operates the hardware in your computer. It is commonly called the operating system. Without going into a lot of detail we can look at Microsoft. Microsoft stared out with an operating system called Windows 95, back in 1995. Then came Windows 98, Windows ME, and Windows 2000 all the way up to the newest Windows called Windows 7, and rest assured there will be many more. The most popular windows by far is Windows XP. Some say that it was the best Microsoft ever made and I’d have to agree. The thing all these have in common is something called venerability or put simply, security holes.
This is not an actually a hole. When operating system software is written, it takes many programmers many hours of hard work of writing, testing, fixing and rewriting. It’s a lot of very hard work for many people. Since people aren’t perfect, little problems are sometimes overlooked. When the operating system is completed and tested everything look like it’s working correctly and it is. But those little overlooked problems that are sometimes very small can be very serious.
There many programmers in the world. Some are good people and some are not so good. Some are smart and some are even smarter. Since some people see something and for whatever reason think “how can I mess this up”? If they are smart enough, they will find a way, usually by finding those little problems that were overlooked and making them do whatever they want them to do. This is why we get viruses, worms, trojans, mailware, spyware and the list goes on.
Of course Microsoft put security in this system so no one could mess with it, but maybe it wasn’t quite good enough. So, if this programmer wants to and he is smart enough he can write something that takes advantage of this little problem and turn it to what we know of today as a virus and many other things. To put it simply, he can make your computer do things it was never meant to do. This can be anything from a pop up window to destroying all data on your hard drive, including some of your operating system.
There is one more thing that our friendly virus can mess up for us. This is called the registry. The registry is the part of you operating system that keeps track of all the programs in your computer. This is not the only function of the registry, but for now, we will look at just this part of it. Every time you install or remove software, it is recorded in the registry. This extremely important part of the operating system and one is critical to the operation of your computer. Viruses can and do like to mess up the registry and this can have a divesting effect on the operation of your computer. Some things that will happen if the registry is not working correctly are programs will not open correctly, and sometimes not at all. It can also slow down the speed of your computer to a crawl, and take forever to start up. The damage can usually be repaired by using a registry repair program. There are many programs like this available at your local computer store or on line.
WIKIPEDIA, THE ON LINE ENCYCLOPEDIA, DEFINES VIRUSES AND SPYWARE AS FOLLOWS:
VIRUS - A computer virus is a computer program that can copy itself and infect a computer. The term "virus" is also commonly but erroneously used to refer to other types of malware, adware, and spyware programs that do not have the reproductive ability. A true virus can only spread from one computer to another (in some form of executable code) when its host is taken to the target computer; for instance because a user sent it over a network or the Internet, or carried it on a removable medium such as a floppy disk, CD, DVD, or USB drive. Viruses can increase their chances of spreading to other computers by infecting files on a network file system or a file system that is accessed by another computer.
The term "computer virus" is sometimes used as a catch-all phrase to include all types of malware. Malware includes computer viruses, worms, trojan horses, most rootkits, spyware, dishonest adware, crimeware, and other malicious and unwanted software, including true viruses. Viruses are sometimes confused with computer worms and Trojan horses, which are technically different. A worm can exploit security vulnerabilities to spread itself to other computers without needing to be transferred as part of a host, and a Trojan horse is a program that appears harmless but has a hidden agenda. Worms and Trojans, like viruses, may cause harm to either a computer system's hosted data, functional performance, or networking
throughput, when they are executed. Some viruses and other malware have symptoms noticeable to the computer user, but many are surreptitious.
Most personal computers are now connected to the Internet and to local area networks, facilitating the spread of malicious code. Today's viruses may also take advantage of network services such as the World Wide Web, e-mail, Instant Messaging, and file sharing systems to spread.
SPYWARE - is a type of malware that is installed on computers and that collects information about users without their knowledge. The presence of spyware is typically hidden from the user. Typically, spyware is secretly installed on the user's personal computer. Sometimes, however, spywares such as keyloggers are installed by the owner of a shared, corporate, or public computer on purpose in order to secretly monitor other users.
While the term spyware suggests software that secretly monitors the user's computing, the functions of spyware extend well beyond simple monitoring. Spyware programs can collect various types of personal information, such as Internet surfing habits and sites that have been visited, but can also interfere with user control of the computer in other ways, such as installing additional software and redirecting Web browser activity. Spyware is known to change computer settings, resulting in slow connection speeds, different home pages, and/or loss of Internet or functionality of other programs. In an attempt to increase the understanding of spyware, a more formal classification of its included software types is captured under the term privacy-invasive software.
In response to the emergence of spyware, a small industry has sprung up dealing in anti-spyware software. Running anti-spyware software has become a widely recognized element of computer security practices for computers, especially those running Microsoft Windows. A number of jurisdictions have passed anti-spyware laws, which usually target any software that is surreptitiously installed to control a user's computer. The US Federal Trade Commission has placed on the Internet a page of advice to consumers about how to lower the risk of spyware infection.
Computers need good protection to keep all those bad things out of them, and you would be really shocked to know just how many there are. Just about every time you open email or just go on line you are very likely to get some kind of little bug that you really do not want. The worst part is, most of the time, you won’t even know they are there until they really make a mess of things. There are many ways to protect your computer form any of these nasty things. Anit-virus and anti-spyware software is a must for anyone using a computer today. Also there is something called a firewall that helps keeps bad people from getting into your computer when you are on line. Windows XP has a built in firewall but even this is sometimes not enough. All these things are unfortunately necessary to be sure your computer, that you spent good money on, does not get messed up by someone getting there kicks, or whatever turns them on, by sabotaging someone’s computer.
There are many good programs out there that do a fine job of protecting your computer system from all this junk. The point of all this is to make sure your system is protected by using some type of virus and spyware protection. The real question is will you spend a little money now to avoid spending a lot in the future to repair the damage a virus or spyware can do. Please take this seriously; it can really save you a lot of time, aggravation, and money.
In the right side panel of this blog you may find some software programs that can be very helpful in cleaning viruses and spyware form you system as well as keeping it running the way it was designed to. Take a look at them, this is all good quality software will all help keep you system clean and running trouble free.
Don Zaron
Z-Computers