A Computer virus ..... What is it?

A computer Virus is a piece of software that has been written to enter you computer system and “infect” your files or programs, they are programs that spread by attaching themselves to other programs, they requires a host (your computer) in order to make copies of themselves. This ability to replicate distinguishes them from programs that do not, and this nature is neither an accident, nor a computer glitch, people who know how to write computer programs create them.

Some viruses will not harm your system, while others are destructive and can damage and destroy your data. Viruses usually have the extension .exe, .vbs, and most recent ones uses macros and may have the extension .doc.

Experimental viruses were first programmed and tested in the 1960s. They got their name when a University professor used the term “virus” to describe them in 1984, because like a biological virus, a computer virus is small, makes copies of itself, and cannot exist without a host. When personal computers became popular, PC viruses began to appear (in 1986/87), at first intended as jokes, or developed for research or demonstration purposes.

The typical virus writer is an otherwise intelligent male, between 15 and 23 years old. He may be bored, curious, or intent on doing forbidden things, just to frighten others. Some belongs to organized virus-writer groups, and those in the group often respond to peer pressure, trying to outdo the others. Whether in a group or not, some get satisfaction from the challenge, while others think of themselves as rebels against the “system”.

New computer viruses are written all the time, and it is important to understand how your system can be expose to them, and what can you do to protect your computer. Currently there are more than 50,000 viruses, and more are being written every day.

How can you tell whether your computer is infected?

Because some viruses cause strange things to happen, an odd or unexplained event may lead a user to conclude a virus must be responsible, without bothering to explore other possible causes. On the other hand, many viruses are carefully programmed to do nothing to betray their presence. The solution to this dilemma is not to assume anything, but to rely upon anti-virus software as a diagnostic tool.

Some common symptoms that could indicate your system has been infected are:

• Unusual messages or displays on your monitor
• Unusual sounds or music played at random times
• Your system has less available memory than it should
• A disk or volume name has been changed
• Programs or files are suddenly missing
• Unknown programs or files have been created
• Some of your files become corrupted or suddenly do not work properly

How can you protect your data?

If you have files you can’t afford to loose, make sure you have more than one copy of them. Files that you create, business records, spreadsheets, manuscripts, and other important files can be lost in an instant due to a virus or other causes, hard disk failure among them. If you have no copies, make them before it’s too late.

  The two safest things you can do to protect yourself against viruses are:

1. Avoid opening e-mail attachments
2. Avoid downloading and running programs from sites you are not 100% sure are safe.

  You should also:

• Run antivirus software
• Update your antivirus software regularly. Virus software needs to be updated regularly to be effective.
• Finally a lot of common sense practices can help reduce the risk of virus infection. Be careful about opening attachments to e-mail. 

Spyware .... What is it?

Spyware is any technology that aids in gathering information about a person or organization without their knowledge. On the Internet (where it is sometimes called a spybot or tracking software), spyware is programming that is put in someone's computer to secretly gather information about the user and relay it to advertisers or other interested parties. Spyware can get in a computer as a software virus or as the result of installing a new program.

Data collecting programs that are installed with the user's knowledge are not, properly speaking, spyware, if the user fully understands what data is being collected and with whom it is being shared. However, spyware is often installed without the user's consent, as a drive-by download, or as the result of clicking some option in a deceptive pop-up window. Software designed to serve advertising, known as adware, can usually be thought of as spyware as well because it almost invariably includes components for tracking and reporting user information. However, marketing firms object to having their products called "spyware." As a result, McAfee (the Internet security company) and others now refer to such applications as "potentially unwanted programs".

The cookie is a well-known mechanism for storing information about an Internet user on their own computer. If a Web site stores information about you in a cookie that you don't know about, the cookie can be considered a form of spyware. Spyware is part of an overall public concern about privacy on the Internet.

Many Internet users were introduced to spyware in 1999, when a popular freeware game called "Elf Bowling" came bundled with tracking software.

Check our freebies page for basic anti-virus and anti-spyware protection.

Printer Problems?

The most common problems with printers is :

Printing blank pages - solution change the cartridges/toner as it is most likely out of ink.

Paper keeps jamming - solution check the printer thoroughly including all panels that you can open for small pieces of paper which get stuck in the edges of moving parts.

Virus? Spyware?

Has your computer started acting strangely or slowed down to almost a complete stop?

The most likely reason is a virus or malware. You require programs to protect you so we have included some links to websites which offer some of the best anti-virus and anti-malware software available.