computer

Not so long ago, we received a query concerning buying a computer and what all the hype was about concerning 32-bit vs. 64-bit, and so on. Since the gift giving season is rolling around and prices for computer equipment is going down, I decided to ... try and give you all some help. 32-bit vs 64-bit Computing To start, let me explain the difference between 32 and 64-bit systems, and the 'why' behind it. In your computer, you have several 'items' that, normally, you don't concern yourself about. One of those is the 'data buss'. It doesn't go across town or anything like that, but it does provide ... (view more)

One of the ways that the spyware and Trojan makers get spyware on your computer is to trick you into installing it. Just recently, I was deleting some spam on a forum I administer, I came across something that caught my eye. I was offered a video to ... watch, but I was told I had to install something to see it. I then decided to get my test computer ready, and installed the codec that I was told that I needed. Subsequently, the installed file brought spyware onto my computer. Shortly after that, I began to get pop up ads. One of those pop ups had a new program that I had not heard of before, ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader Fasika writes: " Dear Dennis, My USB flash drive was working for months -- flawlessly, but has recently encountered a problem. It starts 'misbehaving' after I try to use with my new computer, but it works fine with my old ... computer, and both computers are using the same operating system. Problem: when I plug the USB flash drive into the new computer, the 'new hardware found' message box appears notifying me that my new hardware is installed and ready to use. But when I go to My Computer to check for the flash drive icon, it isn't there. What would you advise me to do in ... (view more)

[Continued from Firewalls: Hardware and Software Solutions , Part 1] On the software only side of things, there are quite a few possibilities available for a software firewall. These all install directly on your PC and use the internal resources ... like any other program run on your system (such as memory, disk space, CPU cycles, and so on). Software firewalls do a good job of preventing both inbound and outbound traffic and are easy to install and configure. First up is Zone Labs Zone Alarm. The download is free as is the firewall product itself. They will try to get you to buy the Pro version ... (view more)

As I was sitting here at my desk, a few things came to mind that I feel should be passed on to you. I have spent the past few months reading about firewalls on web sites and industry publications. Taken together, the subject is complex and ... confusing. Yet, only one point is clear in all the noise: you need a firewall if you ever decide to connect to the Internet. Period. The arguments start when the topic of what kind of firewall is best. Therefore, I figured the thing to do is try and clear away the confusion as best I can. First off, there are three different camps when it comes down to ... (view more)

A firewall is a barrier to keep destructive forces away from your computer. In fact, that's why it's called a firewall. Its job is similar to a physical firewall that keeps a fire from spreading from one area to the next. Firewalls use one or more ... of three methods to control traffic flowing in and out of the network: Packet filtering: Packets (small chunks of data) are analyzed against a set of filters. Packets that make it through the filters are sent to the requesting system and all others are discarded. Proxy service: Information from the Internet is retrieved through the firewall and then ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader Rosalind H. writes: " Dear Infopackets Team, My teenager recently downloaded Limewire onto our computer. As I am very wary of shareware programs, I would like to know whatever you can tell me about this and similar popular ... programs. Is it safe? Thanks for your response. " Doug's Response: Limewire is a peer-to-peer ("P2P") application that permits the user to download files from a server community. The general usage is to download music files to be played on iPods (or other MPEG3 players) or computer systems. If misused by copying/downloading copyrighted material ... (view more)

I've been hearing a lot of hype about this Windows Genuine Advantage program. I especially liked Brandon Dimmels articles about it here at Infopackets (see "Windows Genuine Advantage (WGA) Under Fire"). I don't like programs that needlessly contact ... their home websites to report on me. Many people call that "Spyware" and I also agree that WGA fits the description. It's taken a little while for me to figure out what to do about WGA. The funny thing to me is that I've had the "Fix" on my PC for a long time. Here's what I've done ... Install BigFix Turn off automatic downloading of Windows ... (view more)

The crusade to combat data theft has produced a recent technology which was only previously seen in movies. Those interested in protecting sensitive data can now turn to software which erases files from a remote location, or by using a chemical that ... physically destroys a hard drive. Absolute Software's "Computrace LoJack for Laptops" can ask the company to wipe out files from a hard drive the next time a computer connects to the Internet. In a process which takes anywhere from ten to thirty minutes, random information overwrites the computer's data several times, rendering the original files ... (view more)

While you are building an Excel worksheet, it is held in a temporary memory within your computer (called "RAM", or random access memory). Unlike human memory, the computer won't remember anything unless you save your work. If you turn off the ... computer or if the power goes out, all your work disappears. To store your work permanently, you must save it on a disk. The First Time You Save You can save a spreadsheet by using any of these methods: Choose File | Save. Click the Save button on the toolbar. Use the shortcut key Ctrl+S. The first time you save, the Save As dialog box appears ... (view more)