FAQ's

How Can I Protect My Computer?
You Think You Have a Virus, Now What?
Why are Device Drivers Important?

How Can I Protect My Computer?

At some point you are going to need your computer repaired. Hardware and software issues will always happen at some point. I'm sure you already new this but almost half of all computer repairs are actually the end users fault. That's right it's your fault. Close to half if not more of all computer repair jobs have to do with removing spyware or viruses from computers. If the person had protection in the first place they would not have to pay a few hundred bucks to get it repaired.

I already have Anti-Virus so I'm good

This is 100% false. In fact many people out there think that just because they have anti-virus software installed they are protected. End users need at least three things to be protected while on-line. If you are missing just one of them your system is at risk. Those three must haves are a good firewall a good anti-virus client and a lastly spyware protection. If you don't have all three then at some point and time you will be infected with something.

The sad truth is most people out there want to save a buck. They go out and download a free anti-virus client and call it quits. I'm not knocking free software but there is not one free anti-virus client that can match the protection of most paid software. Yes they do work but for many you do not get live protection, it's only after you are infected that the software kicks in and removes the threat. By that time it may be too late. Another misconception is not having to re-purchase your software. Every year you have to pay to re-new your client software. If not then you are leaving yourself open to all the latest threats.

For the most part people do have an anti-virus client installed and by default in XP and Vista you have a firewall. While the Vista firewall is decent the XP one is really lacking and you should not really on it. The one thing most people skip out on is spyware protection. Spyware is more prevalent on the net nowadays then viruses are. The reason is simple. Spyware is where these crocks can make a ton more money. Rather then just crashing your system, why not have a thousand pop-ups and push fake anti-virus software onto people? That's why spyware has taken over as the leading threat online.

What can I do about It?

This one is simple. Go out and pay the 30 bucks for an anti-spyware program. If you need virus protection and a firewall then add anther 20 bucks onto that and you're good to go. It's a very wise investment and the next time your co-worker complains about being infected you will be glad you did.

You Think You Have a Virus, Now What?

What is a computer virus?

A computer virus essentially acts like a biological virus and usually gets into a computer system through unsolicited email.

Antivirus software is a computer programs that attempts to identify, neutralize or eliminate malicious software. Most modern antivirus software is now designed to combat a wide range of threats, including worms, phishing attacks, rootkits, trojan horses and other malware.

Antivirus software typically uses two different techniques to accomplish this:
- Scanning files to look for known viruses that are found in a virus dictionary.
- Looking for suspicious behavior from a computer program which might indicate infection.

Most commercial antivirus software uses both approaches, although there is an emphasis on the virus dictionary approach.

In the virus dictionary approach, the antivirus software first looks at a file it then refers to a dictionary of known viruses that have been identified. If part of the code in the file matches any virus identified in the dictionary, the antivirus software can then take one of the following actions:

1: Attempt to repair the file by removing the virus itself from the file

2: Quarantine the file (so that the file is inaccessible to other programs and the virus can no longer spread)

3: Delete the infected file

To achieve success over time, the virus dictionary approach requires users to download updated virus dictionary entries.

Although the dictionary approach can effectively contain virus outbreaks, virus creators always try to stay a step ahead of such software by writing their viruses with encrypted parts or otherwise modify themselves as a method of disguise, so that it does not match the virus's signature in the dictionary.

The suspicious behavior approach, doesn't attempt to identify known viruses, instead it monitors the behavior of all programs. If a program tries to does something that it is not supposed to the antivirus software can flag this behavior as suspicious and then alert the user and ask what to do.

The suspicious behavior approach unlike the dictionary approach provides protection against brand-new viruses that do not yet exist in any the known virus dictionaries. However, it can also sound a large number of false positives, resulting in the users becoming desensitized to all the warnings.

Some virus scanners can also warn a user if a file is likely to contain a virus based on the file type.

Sometimes antivirus software can considerably reduce a computer's performance. Some users may disable the antivirus protection to overcome the performance loss, and increase their risk of infection. For maximum protection your antivirus software should to be enabled at all times.

Sometimes it is necessary to temporarily disable the virus protection when installing major updates. Having antivirus protection running at the same time as installing a major update may prevent the update installing properly or at all.
Some antivirus programs are actually spyware masquerading as antivirus software. It is best to double-check that the antivirus software which is being downloaded is actually a real antivirus program.

Why are Device Drivers Important?

What is a Computer Device Driver?

According to Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, "A device driver or software driver is a computer program allowing higher-level computer programs to interact with a device. A driver typically communicates with the device through the computer bus or communications subsystem to which the hardware is connected. When a calling program invokes a routine in the driver; the driver issues commands to the device. Once the device sends data back to the driver, the driver may invoke routines in the original calling program. Drivers are hardware-dependent and operating-system-specific. They usually provide the interrupt handling required for any necessary asynchronous time-dependent hardware interface."

The Device Driver Purpose "A device driver simplifies programming by acting as a translator between a device and the applications or operating systems that use it. The higher-level code can be written independently of whatever specific hardware device it may control. Every version of a device, such as a printer, requires its own specialized commands. In contrast, most applications access devices (such as sending a file to a printer) by using high-level, generic commands, such as PRINTLN. The driver accepts these generic statements and converts them into the low-level commands required by the device." Wikipedia further explains.

Signs that your drivers aren't working properly include: - System instability - Malfunctioning hardware - Unresponsive hardware - Computer errors

What You Should Know

Windows comes with a utility that you can use, but it's awkward because; each device must be updated individually. If you're tired of manually updating your device drivers in an effort to keep your computer running at optimum performance, there is a better way. Numerous software developers have created special utilities that automate updating your drivers. These tools are particularly impressive for their ease of use, safety, and features. Some tools stand out for their user-friendliness and diagnostic capabilities. You don't need to be a computer genius to use this software and diagnose and repair hardware issues! These utilities also remove obsolete device drivers and related files which improves system performance and stability. These products scan your computer, identifies all devices, identifies the current device drivers, and searches for the most current device drivers available for your computer configuration. Their ability to Update or install the latest drivers will help with the operating systems compatibility, reliability, and enhance computer performance.

What Can You Do?

The basic first steps to prevent data loss are; keep your system clean and tuned. Make sure to always use official software and up-to-date antivirus solutions. Stable device drivers and quality hardware nearly always guarantees that your system will not crash for no immediately apparent reason.

The More Computer Savvy Can...

Compile a listing of their PC devices and undertake a search of each manufacturer's website for the drivers and software they individually need. Once the latest driver updates are located it is very important to follow any recommendations or directions provided by any hardware or software manufacturer before updating device drivers. You should know, manufacturers usually only publish driver updates every few months as a general rule and that updates for hardware drivers are not published as frequently as other software updates.

The Newbie or Not So Technically Inclined Can...

Save yourself the stress, aggravation or confusion and do an Internet search for software special utilities that automate updating your drivers that are specifically designed to locate the appropriate drivers or, driver updates needed to keep your operating system updated and optimized.