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Sachin Controversies

noreply@blogger.com (jawahar) — Sat, 16 Oct 2010 03:59:17 PDT

Mike Denness incident

Main article: Mike Denness and Indian cricket team incident

In the second test of India's 2001 tour of South Africa, match referee Mike Denness fined four Indian players for excessive appealing as well as the Indian captain Sourav Ganguly for not controlling his team. Tendulkar was given a suspended ban of one game in light of alleged ball tampering. Television cameras picked up images that suggested Tendulkar may have been involved in cleaning the seam of the cricket ball in the second test match between India and South Africa at St George's Park, Port Elizabeth. This can, under some conditions, amount to altering the condition of the ball. The match referee Mike Denness found Sachin Tendulkar guilty of ball tampering charges and handed him a one Test match ban.[89] The incident escalated to include allegations of racism, and led to Mike Denness being barred from entering the venue of the third test match. After a thorough investigation, the International Cricket Council revoked the official status of the match and the ban on Tendulkar was lifted. Tendulkar's ball tampering charges and Sehwag's ban for excessive appealing triggered a massive backlash from the Indian public and even the Indian parliament.

Controversy over Ferrari customs waiver

In commemorating Tendulkar's feat of equalling Don Bradman's 29 centuries in Test Cricket, automotive giant Ferrari invited Tendulkar to its paddock in Silverstone on the eve of the British Grand Prix (23 July 2002) to receive a Ferrari 360 Modena from the F1 world champion Michael Schumacher. On 4 September 2002 India's then finance minister Jaswant Singh wrote to Tendulkar telling him that the government will waive customs duty imposed on the car as a measure to applaud his feat. However the rules at the time stated that the customs duty can be waived only when receiving an automobile as a prize and not as a gift. It is claimed that the proposals to change the law (Customs Act) was put forth in Financial Bill in February 2003 and amended was passed as a law in May 2003. Subsequently the Ferrari was allowed to be brought to India without payment of the customs duty (Rs 1.13 Crores or 120% on the car value of Rs 75 Lakhs). When the move to waive customs duty became public in July 2003, political and social activists protested the waiver and filed PIL in the Delhi High Court. With the controversy snowballing, Fiat India agreed to pay the import duty. Tendulkar has been seen taking his Ferrari 360 Modena for late-night drives in Mumbai.

Sachin - Style of play

noreply@blogger.com (jawahar) — Sat, 16 Oct 2010 03:39:24 PDT

Tendulkar is cross-dominant: He bats, bowls and throws with his right hand, but writes with his left hand. He also practices left-handed throws at the nets on a regular basis. Cricinfo columnist Sambit Bal has described him as the "most wholesome batsman of his time". His batting is based on complete balance and poise while limiting unnecessary movements and flourishes. He appears to show little preference for the slow and low wickets which are typical in India, and has scored many centuries on the hard, bouncy pitches in South Africa and Australia. He is known for his unique punch style of hitting the ball over square. He is also renowned for his picture-perfect straight drive, often completed with no follow-through. Recently, legendary Indian batsman Sunil Gavaskar, in an article he wrote in the AFP, remarked that "it is hard to imagine any player in the history of the game who combines classical technique with raw aggression like the little champion does".

Tendulkar plays a wristy leg-side flick

Sir Donald Bradman, considered by many as the greatest batsman of all time, considered Tendulkar to have a batting style similar to his. In his biography, it is stated that "Bradman was most taken by Tendulkar's technique, compactness and shot production, and had asked his wife to have a look at Tendulkar, having felt that Tendulkar played like him. Bradman's wife, Jessie, agreed that they did appear similar."

Tendulkar at the crease, getting ready to face a delivery

Former Australian cricket team coach John Buchanan voiced his opinion that Tendulkar had become susceptible to the short ball early in his innings because of a lack of footwork. Buchanan also believes Tendulkar has a weakness while playing left-arm pace. He was affected by a series of injuries since 2004. Since then Tendulkar's batting has tended to be less attacking. Explaining this change in his batting style, he has acknowledged that he is batting differently due to that fact that, firstly, no batsman can bat the same way for the entire length of a long career and, secondly, he is a senior member of the team now and thus has more responsibility. During the early part of his career he was a more attacking batsman and frequently scored centuries at close to a run a ball. Ian Chappell, former Australian player, recently remarked that "Tendulkar now, is nothing like the player he was when he was a young bloke".

Tendulkar has incorporated several modern and unorthodox strokes into his repertoire in recent times, including the paddle sweep, the scoop over short fine leg and the slash to third man over the slips' heads, over the last seven or eight years. This has enabled him to remain scoring consistently in spite of the physical toll of injuries and a lean period in the mid-2000s. By his own admission, he does not bat as aggressively as he did in the 90s and early 2000s, because his body has undergone changes and cannot sustain aggressive shotmaking over a long period. He is often praised for his ability to adapt to the needs of his body and yet keep scoring consistently.

While Tendulkar is not a regular bowler, he is adept at bowling medium pace, leg spin, and off spin with equal ease. He often bowls when two batsmen of the opposite team have been batting together for a long period, as he can often be a useful partnership breaker. With his bowling, he has helped secure an Indian victory on more than one occasion. He has taken 44 test match wickets and is the ninth highest wicket taker for India in ODIs.

Dr.Watson - Who is he

noreply@blogger.com (jawahar) — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 08:22:46 PDT

Dr. Watson for Windows is a program error debugger that gathers information about your computer when an error (or user-mode fault) occurs with a program. Technical support groups can use the information that Dr. Watson obtains and logs to diagnose a program error. When an error is detected, Dr. Watson creates a text file (Drwtsn32.log) that can be delivered to support personnel by the method they prefer. You also have the option of creating a crash dump file, which is a binary file that a programmer can load into a debugger.

Note Windows XP also provides an Error Reporting service that monitors your computer for both user-mode and kernel-mode faults ("stop" error messages or error messages that are displayed on a blue screen, as well as improper shutdown events) that affect both the operating system and any programs. This service allows you to send error reports to Microsoft when an error occurs. Because all error reports are confidential and anonymous, Microsoft Support Professionals do not have access to any error report that you have sent to Microsoft over the Internet using the Error Reporting service. As a result, you may need to send a Dr. Watson for Windows log file to a support professional. For additional information about Error Reporting Service in Windows XP, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

310414 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/310414/EN-US/) HOW TO: Configure and Use Error Reporting in Windows XP

If a program error occurs, Dr. Watson for Windows starts automatically. To configure Dr. Watson, follow these steps:

1.	Click Start, and then click Run.
2.	Type drwtsn32, and then click OK.

By default, the log file created by Dr. Watson is named Drwtsn32.log and is saved in the following location:

drive:\Documents and Settings\All Users.WINNT\Application Data\Microsoft\Dr Watson

To disable Dr. Watson

1.	Click Start, click Run, type regedit.exe in the Open box, and then click OK.
2.	Locate and click the following registry key: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\AeDebug NOTE: Steps three and four are optional, but they necessary if you want to restore the default use of Dr. Watson.
3.	Click the AeDebug key, and then click Export Registry File on the Registry menu.
4.	Enter a name and location for the saved registry file, and then click Save.
5.	Delete the AeDebug key.

Registry entries for debugger programs are located in the AeDebug key in Windows. The Dr. Watson program is installed by default in Windows, and is configured to run when an application error occurs (with a data value of 1 for the Auto value). The default values are:

Value Name = Auto
Type = String (REG_SZ)
Data Value = 1 or 0. (Default is 1)

Value Name = Debugger
Type = String (REG_SZ)
Data Value = drwtsn32 -p %ld -e %ld -g

NOTE: This data value (drwtsn32 -p %ld -e %ld -g) is specific to Dr. Watson. Alternative debuggers will have their own values and parameters.

To enable Dr. Watson

1.	At a command prompt, type the following line, and then press ENTER: drwtsn32 -i
2.	Double-click the .reg file you created in steps three and four above.

How to start windows programs quickly with Run Command...?

noreply@blogger.com (jawahar) — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 18:48:05 PDT

The run option of Start menu is used to run a program or to open a document directly. If you

do not know the exact location of the program or document then click on Start button to open

Run and type the programs shortcut name to open it directly.

Run Commands

appwiz.cpl -- Used to run Add/Remove wizard

Calc --Calculator

Cfgwiz32 --ISDN Configuration Wizard

Charmap --Character Map

Chkdisk --Repair damaged files

Cleanmgr --Cleans up hard drives

Clipbrd --Windows Clipboard viewer

Control --Displays Control Panel

Cmd --Opens a new Command Window

Control mouse --Used to control mouse properties

Dcomcnfg --DCOM user security

Debug --Assembly language programming tool

Defrag --Defragmentation tool

Drwatson --Records programs crash & snapshots

Dxdiag --DirectX Diagnostic Utility

Explorer --Windows Explorer

Fontview --Graphical font viewer

Fsmgmt.msc -- Used to open shared folders

Firewall.cpl& nbsp; -- Used to configure windows firewall

Ftp -ftp.exe program

Hostname --Returns Computer's name

Hdwwiz.cpl -- Used to run Add Hardware wizard

Ipconfig --Displays IP configuration for all network adapters

Logoff -- Used to logoff the computer

MMC --Microsoft Management Console

Msconfig --Configuration to edit startup files

Mstsc -- Used to access remote desktop

Mrc -- Malicious Software Removal Tool

Msinfo32 --Microsoft System Information Utility

Nbtstat --Displays stats and current connections using NetBIOS over TCP/IP

Netstat --Displays all active network connections

Nslookup--Returns your local DNS server

Osk ---Used to access on screen keyboard

Perfmon.msc -- Used to configure the performance of Monitor.

Ping --Sends data to a specified host/IP

Powercfg.cpl -- Used to configure power option

Regedit --Registry Editor

Regwiz -- Registration wizard

Sfc /scannow -- System File Checker

Sndrec32 --Sound Recorder

Shutdown -- Used to shutdown the windows

Spider -- Used to open spider solitaire card game

Sfc / scannow -- Used to run system file checker utility.

Sndvol32 --Volume control for soundcard

Sysedit -- Edit system startup files

Taskmgr --Task manager

Telephon.cpl -- Used to configure modem options.

Telnet --Telnet program

Tracert --Traces and displays all paths required to reach an internet host

Winchat -- Used to chat with Microsoft

Wmplayer -- Used to run Windows Media player

Wab -- Used to open Windows address Book.

WinWord -- Used to open Microsoft word

Winipcfg --Displays IP configuration

Winver -- Used to check Windows Version

Wupdmgr --Takes you to Microsoft Windows Update

Write -- Used to open WordPad

Boot Sector Virus Removal

noreply@blogger.com (jawahar) — Fri, 30 May 2008 02:09:48 PDT

Boot sector virus removal can be a tricky business as these are some of the most evil and difficult kinds of viruses. They lidge in your boot sector, the part of your computer that is responsible for loading or “booting” the rest of it, so that as soon as your computer is turned on, the virus is already loaded into memory. This can be a big problem, because a cleverly designed boot sector virus removal can convince your computer that there is no virus at all when it loads.

The best way for boot sector virus removal is to make a backup “clean” disk. This disk loads your computer when you stick it in the drive, so it is not loading from the boot sector, which has been contaminated by a virus. This way, you can load your computer virus free, and then clean the virus off of it.

The best way to prevent boot sector virus removal is to switch operating systems away from Microsoft Windows. Windows is the only system which is commonly infected by viruses. They strike macs and linux machines, almost never at all. This is because windows is badly programmed. If, for example, you get an email with an attachment, it is designed to automatically open the attachment and to follow its instructions even if they put your computer in danger!

Mac OS and Linux both have safeguard built in to protect you from these problems, but Microsoft doesn't care about anything except about whether or not their system looks pretty and they are making money.

Boot sector virus removal isn't the only protection you might need on your computer. You need spyware removal as well. Spyware is a little like viruses, but much less harmful. When you visit certain websites with spam, they will put a program in your web browser which keeps track of your information and sends it back to them. It follows what websites you go to, what you buy, etc., and uses it to market things to you.

It also slows down your computer and opens pop-up windows which you don't want to see repeatedly, which is very distracting and annoying. Some adware can even devert your web browser, sending you to websites you don't want to see, and stopping you from getting to the ones which you are trying to get to. Fortunately, these harmful nuisances are easily removed using one of any number of commonly avalable adware removal programs.

How To Select The Best Student Laptops

noreply@blogger.com (jawahar) — Fri, 30 May 2008 02:08:24 PDT

Laptops are the perfect educational tool for students. They can handle an innumerable amount of tasks and serve many different functions that allow students to consolidate all of their class assignments and home studies into one convenient location, which simplifies workflow and increases productivity.

The two most important things to look for in a student laptop are portability and battery life. This laptop will likely be carried in a backpack or shoulder bag from class to class, so you will definitely want a system that is light and easy to transport. There is also no guarantee that you will have access to an auxiliary power supply in your classroom or on campus, so you will most likely want a battery that lasts up to several hours per charge.

Desktop real estate can be limited in your class, so you want to make sure your laptop is compact and economical in size, preferably around 14" X 10" in general dimensions.

As far as individual specifications, you can get by with most base configurations. A 1.66GHz processor, 512MB of RAM, a 40GB hard drive, and a standard DVD/CDRW drive should suffice, but you may wish to upgrade certain components depending on whether or not you want to use your notebook for any extra curricular activities, such as gaming or multimedia production.

Unless you intend to do higher-level networking, or unless your school requires domain-based authentication to access the school network (check with your IT department), Windows XP Home Edition should more than meet your needs for an Operating System.

Lastly, you will need some office suite software to process and edit your reports and class assignments. Microsoft Office Basic will be able to handle most of your needs, however, if you plan on doing any slide-show presentations or website creation, you will want to go with Office Pro.

These are the main things you need to know and consider before purchasing a student laptop. This is just a general outline. Feel free to make additional customizations if you have specific requirements for school.

Tamil woman in U.S.(its FUNNY) - tamil padum kashtam !!!

noreply@blogger.com (jawahar) — Fri, 30 May 2008 02:07:12 PDT

Superb! Tamil woman in U.S. - nice blog article...
read it when u need a break...really superb...!

The following is an excerpt from a blog (written by an Indian in America )
Wednesday, September 28, 2005
En per padum paadu!!!
My full name is Kalaivani, but I call myself Kalai. This is not for scene, ....like how Madhavan does in Anbe Sivam (Anbarasu --> Ars).it has a looooong and pathetic history...
I started hearing different versions of my name after coming to this country, and the painful fact is all the possible permutations and combinations of vowels in my name give meaningful words in tamil!!!
When I first joined the university, my professor wrote to me..
Dear KALAvani (meaning: thief; context: kalavani paya..)
.... ... ...
Sari adhuvachum typo nu free ya vittudalam..
Then after a year, I joined a company for internship.those people called me before I joined, to inform me about some test which I had to take..
"Hello is this Ms. Kizhavaani?" (meaning: old; context : kizha bolt..etc.)
"No..this is KALAIvaani"
"Ohh..am sorry KALAvaani" (Marupadiyum. ..)
Then I decided.periya pera irukkinala thane ivlo confusion?!! So, I started calling myself 'Kalai'... but the story continued..
I joined my full-time position in another company recently. On my first day, we had a meeting..
"Let's all welcome our new associate.Ms. Kulai" (meaning: bunch; context: kulai kulaiyai vazhaipazham kaaithadhu)
CLAP! CLAP! CLAP! CLAP! Followed by smiles.
(Dei.ennangada. .. ellarum serndhu comedy panreengala? ??)
Anniku arambichadhu. ..
Once my boss and I were talking about a project... after finishing the meeting...
"Ok, Kali. Nice to have you here!" (meaning: last yuga; context: kali muthi pochu.)
"That's KALAI" (Enakku idhu thevaya?!)
"Ohh kAALi?" (meaning: goddess; context: badrakaali.. )
"Hee hee .very close" (Podaannnggg. ..!!)
So, I stopped correcting my name after that..!
One fine morning, I was working.
"Hey kiLai (meaning: branch; context: marakiLai) .howz it going?"
"Yea good" (Sollitu thirumbitten. Nammaluku edhuku indha per thiruthura business nu...)
"Is that how you say your name?"
(Aaahaa arambichutanya. ..!!!)
"Uhhh. It's KALAI"
"Kolaai?" (meaning:pump; context: kozhai adi sandai.)
(Venaaammm.. .)
"Kolai?" (meaning: murder; context: kolai panniduven.. )
(Venaam!)
"kaLai?" (meaning: weed; context: kaLai pudunguradhu.)
(Valikkudhu. .. azhudhuduven. ..)
"May be I'll get your name with practice. Haha."
(Idhellam remba over da dei... Tamil la paatha rende rendu ezhuthu thaan da!!!)
Ennada, Chandramukhi la thalaivar 'durga' perai nakkaladikkira maathiri... namma per ayiduche nu nenaikkum podhu... my friend came up with a brilliant idea!
Adhavadhu... to compare my name with a word.so I started using this word 'kaleidoscope' ; which has the same pronunciation as 'kalai'!
So, I started telling everyone. 'Kalai as in kaleidoscope' !. Ippo kooda romba ellam ozhunga solradhulla. They are saying 'kalaai' (kalaaikiradhu)..
"Hey Kalaai!!"
"Yea?"
"Just trying to say your name. Ha ha ha"
"Ohhh ..how sweet!" (thooo thEri..)
Yedho vaandhi edukkira effect la per irundhalum.. . my life was in peace... until few days back...
My net connection was down, so I called up the customer service (En kiragam. Madras call center ku pochu!)
Enakku andha vishayame theriyala. So I started in complete American accent...
"Your name ma'am?"
"Kalaai"
"What? Can you repeat ma'am?"
" Kalaai as in kaleidoscope"
"I didn't get that ma'am. Can I have your number? I can check the records"
(Sigh!... and gave the number)
"Ohh, Kalaivani, right?" (in a sarcastic tone.)
( Ada paavi makka... nee nammooora??! !! All American accents stopped. Back to Indian accent.)
I could clearly see what he was thinking... per paatha 'urs pammingly' nu podra category maathiri irukku... scene podradhu mattum princess Diana range kaa...
"Anna... naan sathyama andha maathiri illeeengana. ..

iPhone Unlocking Benefits

noreply@blogger.com (jawahar) — Fri, 23 May 2008 05:23:32 PDT

Many awaited the launch of the iPhone and when it finally arrived in the summer of 2007 the line to get one was a long one. For people who didn’t live in the USA the waiting in this line would have to continue till November the same year and by then it stood clear that the phone needed to get unlocked to live up to its full potential. To get an iPhone and not unlock it would be considered a waste of money by many, especially since unlocking became so easy as clicking your mouse.

Cheating Customers

It is questionable if it is OK to unlock an iPhone but this could easily be turned around as a customer that buys this expensive phone is forced to accept the terms of the operator it is tied to. In the USA the phone operator is AT&T and in some cases buying the phone means that a customer has to stick to the phone company for 2 years! It is evident that such an arrangement robs the customers of the benefits of a free market where prices are influenced by the competition of the phone companies. To unlock the iPhone means to get a better variety of rates and subscriptions.

In Europe it is only possible for people living in the UK, Germany or France to enjoy the locked iPhone. It is not unusual with business relationships between these nations and that means that customers in Europe will not only have to accept the rates of the company with the rights to the iPhone in their own country but also the conversion rates that are added as they cross into one of the other countries. By unlocking the iPhone it will gain a better reputation as a phone that can be fit for everyone.

Immobile mobile

For people living in countries other than the UK, France, Germany and the US, the only way to enjoy an iPhone is to unlock it. It is quite remarkable that a phone that is meant to be used as an all around tool isn’t fit to be used globally. Without a simlock the phone becomes affordable and more attractive and it can better be used globally. Taking away the lock-feature will not only benefit the great many customers who would like to use it but also the producers that certainly want to see their phone conquer the world.

If you decide to unlock your iphone its recommend you do it with a reputable firm that knows what its doing and can give you propper support. There are many cases where an iPhone has been bricked by malfunctioning software.

Build A PC Plan To Save

noreply@blogger.com (jawahar) — Thu, 22 May 2008 09:11:53 PDT

If your number one reason for building a computer is to save money, than you need to Plan to Save. An old Indian proverb says "All the flowers of all the tomorrows are in the seeds of today." The flowers that you seek are a highly functional computer that by building it saves you money. Well, you are in luck. I just so happen to have 4 seeds that I am going to give you. All you need to do is water these seeds and nurture them.

Create a budget

Have you ever tried to save money without first setting up some ground rules to spending? Well, if you are Bill Gates, this article isn't for you. For the rest of us, we need to create some sort of budget. The budget is used as a guideline to spending. It makes us aware of how much we spend and what we are spending it on. Ok, enough with the Personal Budget 101 course (if you haven't taken this course yet, I highly recommend you contact your local college and get enrolled). I just wanted to point out that in order to effectively save money; you need to be aware of what you are doing with your money. This way, you can adjust your spending accordingly, in order to accomplish short term and long term financial goals.

Know what you need to buy

Well, the same principle of budgeting can be applied when building a computer. In order to not over spend on a project, you need to focus specifically on what you need to buy and how much it costs. Let me help you out. Here is a list of what you need to buy:

Processor

Motherboard

Power Supply

RAM

Computer Case

Hard Drive

Optical Drive

DVD ROM

Monitor

Keyboard/Mouse

Operating System

This is just what you need to buy. You still have to consider what you want to buy. Now that you have a general idea of what you have to buy, now you have to think about what you want to budget for this project. $200 $300 $1000 It's solely up to you.

How will the computer be used?

Next, you need to think about what you expect from your computer; not just what you want it to do today, but as far out as 3 to 5 years from now. You should always build a computer with future upgrades in mind. Do you plan on using it for word processing and internet surfing or for intense gaming? This will help you to determine how much RAM you need and how fast the CPU will be.

Put it all together

Now, this part is just like creating a personal budget. Either use an excel or equivalent spreadsheet, or a sheet of lined paper and write on the top the name of this project (Billy's Computer Build) and how much money you've allocated for the project. Next, list all the components you need and want to buy. Beside each, write how much you want to spend on that particular component. Your motherboard, power supply and processor are your most important parts and I suggest you not short change these. Also, you should do some research on each component, so you have an idea of its cost.

This budget or plan will help you to stay within the funds you allocated to the project. If you have $50 allocated for your case and you catch a deal after rebate for $29.99, then you have $20 that you can re-allocate. Also keep in mind shipping and handling and taxes. This is money that you are spending too, so it should be posted against your budget.

Asus Eee PC Review

noreply@blogger.com (jawahar) — Thu, 22 May 2008 09:10:51 PDT

The Asus EEE PC is hot, hot, HOT! Who would have thought that a sub-compact laptop would become so popular in a world where "bigger is better"? Everyone wants more storage and bigger screens and more features - and yet these small computers grow in sales every month!

The first surprise is that the Asus EEE PC is a sub-compact laptop that runs on "Linux" and not Windows. Right away that pigeonholes the purchasers to geeks and technophiles. The Macbook and Mac air are both geeky devices, and Mac's OS share went from 9% to 14% from 2007-2008. Linux use on low-end PC's is growing, the Everex gPC sold at Wal-Mart online sold out. Consequently, the gPC got pulled from Wal-Mart retail shelves, probably because geeks don't shop in brick and mortar stores for tech gear. Currently, the Asus Eee PC 4G Surf is in the Amazon top 10 lists for "Computers and Hardware" beating out all Apple models.

Why is it that Makes the Asus Eee PC so popular?

I think one obvious point it that it's cheaper than an iPhone, but a fully fledged computer. Both the screen and keyboard are smaller than a conventional laptop, but completely usable. If you're tired of carrying around a PDA type phone with a folding keyboard from hell or tiny thumbkeys - why not just get an Asus EEE PC? It's probably around the same money.

Features:

- affordable pricetag (from $300-$500)
- Built in camera (0.3 megapixel 30fps)
- Durable Solid State Drive (4-20GB SSD)
- MMC / SD memory card slot and 3 USB Ports
- 512MB - 2GB RAM
- 800x480 screen resolution
- Wifi b/g 10/100 wired connections
- Xandros Linux installed
- Great for Personal Use
- Only 2 lbs
- No bigger than a hardcover book

The company that makes these (Asustek) predicts selling 2 million units in 2008. That's significant for a Linux based OS. It should be no surprise however that one of the most popular hacks is to convert the Asus Eee PC to Windows XP (if you have a valid license of course). Linux is great, but some of the most popular complaints in Amazon comments for the Eee PC are that it's not user-friendly or for the first time Linux user. That's where the geek factor comes into play. The happiest customers for the Eee are geeks that have no problems configuring and using Linux. Even though the Xandros distribution is very user-friendly, your average non-geek might run into problems when plugging in their store bought iPod, printer, or digital camera. Comment squakers will attest to this, but geeks will boast how easy-to-use and configurable it is.

So - it may be no surprise that Asustek is going to play to the masses and release a Windows XP version of the Asus Eee PC installed from the factory. In just the last month the Asus Eee PC 4G and 12G have been released with Windows XP Home installed. The main difference most will notice between the 4G and 12G an increased screen size to 8.3", allowing a default 1280x600 resolution (much closer to a standard desktop). With the Windows versions selling well, Asus should have no problems reaching their 2008 sales goals.

That does raise the price slightly, but at just over $500 it's not much more than an Xbox 360 or Playstation 3. All in all the "bang for the buck" is pretty good with the Eee PC considering how much high end gaming systems and cell phones cost. Small portable computers are going to get more and more popular, will you be the next to buy one?

Ink Refill Refilling Printer Ink And Avoiding New Cartridges

noreply@blogger.com (jawahar) — Thu, 22 May 2008 09:10:21 PDT

Tired of purchasing new cartridges for your printer? Don't worry, In this article i will show you the importance of ink refilling and how you can save a lot of money which you are currently spending on purchasing new cartridges.

The printer is a very well thought out machine that is easy to operate and is very very good to make your work a lot more easier and faster. It also consumes ink which will cost you a lot money if you want to replace the whole cartridge but ink refilling is popular nowadays, that it has even given birth to lots of ink-refilling stations. Ink refilling is where a printer becomes either a means offprinting affordable or making lucrative profits for manufacturers. It is an effective way to make great savings on your printer ink. The need to provide ink refilling is especially acute in the case of color ink cartridges, because typically one color will run out of ink before the other colors are depleted. With a strong awareness of recycling today, ink refilling is a demand service.

Refilling applies to nearly all makes and models, with or without integral print heads, (although some printers will need to have the cartridge chip override codes). Refilling means recycling your ink jet cartridge. Refilling is good for the environment and can save you a lot of money on your cartridges costs. Ink refilling is popular nowadays, that it has even given birth to lots of ink-refilling stations. You can actually do the refilling yourself provided you have the materials and the knowledge how to do it. Once again you will save big time by refilling your own cartridges, its a process that will not take much of your time, and with the easy to follow instructions you will be done in minutes.

Separate ink refilling is important mostly for intensive printing of unbalanced (monochrome) color images which are typical of studio and art photography. With a strong awareness of recycling today, ink refilling is surely killing the need of cartridges at crucial stages, one can easily afford some cash for purchasing ink.

It is not very much difficult to integrate ink in your cartridge, read some manuals and you will be on your way, don't waste too much money, just refill your existing cartridge.

In short words, I have just explained about the importance of ink refilling, it's uses and how much efficient it is in now a days.

How To Disable The Shutdown Event Tracker On Microsoft Windows Server

noreply@blogger.com (jawahar) — Thu, 22 May 2008 09:08:50 PDT

Microsoft Windows has a feature which enables the operating system to record information about why the machine is going to be shut down or in the event of an unexpected shut down; why it was shut down.

This functionality is called the Shutdown Event Tracker. The feature is turned off by default in Windows XP Home & Professional and most other desktop versions of the operating system. In the case of Windows Server 2003 and other versions in the server family it is enabled by default.

In our experience this functionality is not required for many server installations and in fact gets in the way frequently. It is intended to act as a audit tool to understand what has happened to the server, but in reality it make shutting down/restarting the server annoying. I switch this functionality off on all server's I run, the process outlined below will allow you to do the same:

1. Go to Start > Run and type gpedit.msc and press ok

2. Open the Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > System Folder

3. Double click the Display Shutdown Event Tracker setting in the right hand pane.

4. Select the Disable option on the pop up window and press ok

When you attempt to Reset or Shut Down the computer next time the Shut Down Event Tracker option will no longer be displayed and you will be free to perform the operation without its annoyance. To turn it back on - repeat the above but select enabled.

A Brief Outline Of LCD Television

noreply@blogger.com (jawahar) — Thu, 22 May 2008 09:08:12 PDT

Nowadays very one is concerned about the quality, what ever the products is. Even in the market of TV, LCD televisions have taken the place from the traditional CRT televisions. Technologies are so advanced that LCD TV technology has now reached the position where picture quality is exceptionally good as compared to traditional CRT TV. LCD's technology is commonly using in the standard TV sizes, but it is also extended for large screen sizes with PLASMA technology.

As far as the price of LCD TVs is concerned, it continues to fall rapidly. LCD TVs are more portable as compared to huge CRT TVs. It occupied a fraction of the floor space of a traditional CRT television. But people are not stopping of using their large CRT set. In fact, some models of LCD TVs are quite useful that they are possible to mount on a wall or sit them on a shelf; which in turn helps to free up all of your valuable floor space.

LCD TVs comes in different sizes. Typically LCD TVs start at 15". The LCD TVs technology is moving forward all the way. 40" to 45" sets were widely available in October 2004, and Sharp announced the manufacture of a 65" set. Shortly afterwards, Samsung announced an 82" LCD TV, in March 2005. LG Philips announced a 100" set, in August 2006.

The no of television viewer is increasing day by day. At the moment we can clearly see the undergoing huge changes in television viewing experience. Competition in the market is quite challenging since technology continues to go far ahead but prices are falling. So take the advantages, don't forget to check out the prices of different LCD TVs before you decided to purchase an LCD TV.

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Hitachi And Their 320GB Laptop HDD

noreply@blogger.com (jawahar) — Thu, 22 May 2008 09:07:46 PDT

SSD (Secured Storage Data) is thought to be the next best thing in hard drive technology for mobile computers. Even though it's tougher, it doesn't reach its market appeal yet. Highly expensive and relatively slow, SSD is still on its baby-phase: It might be years before we could see a 320GB SSD that will not cost us more than a thousand dollars.

For now Hitachi is banking on the good old hard drive. Called the Travelstar 7K320, this laptop hard drive will show you that the soon to be old is not that bad especially for your laptop. Aside from 320GB of storage capacity, the 7200 RPM should turn any laptop junkies head into considering this hard drive. According to their recent press release, the 7K320 promises 60% increase of storage capacity, 12% increase of performance. All of these are possible while driving down 22% of power consumption. With this speed, data transfer is also at its peak. Standard data transfer is 3GB/s while the encrypted transfer is up to 1GB/s. If that speed will never amaze you, nothing will. The 7K320 also promises to be very silent: during operation it only provides 2.8Bels of sound while 2.5Bels of sound is expected when it is not on operation.

What's even better with Hitachi's Travelstar 7K320 is the security it offers. Most of the security that we offer today for our hard drives comes with the software. Hitachi however has developed a built-in security technology that is hardware based. Available during encrypted transfer, Bulk Data Encryption (BDE) scrambles the data while it is being written. After the transfer or writing on the hard drive is done, BDE again reassembles the data so that it could be read by application.

The Hitachi Travelstar 7K320 is expected to hit the market in a few weeks and the price is expected to be from US$200 to US$250.

Diagnosing Computer Hardware Faults

noreply@blogger.com (jawahar) — Thu, 22 May 2008 09:06:54 PDT

When your PC goes wrong and you have lost all hope the normal final stage is to reformat your computer and start afresh. This will most likely resolve any software issues, remove viruses or any other nasties and give you a clean start. But what happens if you have already reformatted and the problem still exists?

This means, most likely, you have a hardware fault. This is where problems can start.

Diagnosing a computer hardware fault can be a right pain as any of the computer components could the cause. Unless you are intending to replace the entire machine you need to carefully diagnose with what components the fault lies with.

I would advise you look at the computer into these main areas to analyse.

Memory / RAM

Power Supply

Hard Disk

Motherboard

This isn't a complete definitive list, obviously depending on your issue ie if your issue is that you don't get sound then it could be a sound card issue, similarly if you don't get a display then graphics could be the culprit. If it is a random fault then either of the above could be the cause.

Memory - this is fortunately quite easy to diagnose. Search the Internet for a memory tester. Generally these can be put onto a CD (or Floppy if you are stuck in the past!!), boot up from the CD which then enters the memory test. This will constantly cycle through, testing the memory for errors. It is wise to leave this on for several hours or even better over night. It will advise you if the memory fails.

Power Supply - this can be a strange one. People generally assume that if the power supply does fail then you would get no life from you computer at all. This sometimes is not true. I have had computers that turn off at random times, computers that have the power light on, but do not start up etc and it has turned out to be the supply - I would advise this should be one of the first things to test as can be a problematic area. Testing it can be difficult without the right equipment. Really the only way is to get a volt tester and check the voltage and current coming out.

Hard Disk - this can be one of the worst problems to have as if your hard disk does fail, unless you have been sensible and done regular backups of your most valuable data, you stand to lose it all. Hard disks can go at any time and usually you will hear a harsh sounding clicking noise that is coming from your computer. If this is the case you need to probably replace the hard disk. Get someone who then knows what they are doing here to try and recover your old data for you.

If none of the above solves your problem then you could possibly be looking at the fault being with the motherboard or any other plug in cards or devices you have. Remove everything to leave only the very basics. Take out all sound cards etc and any other PCI devices that are not essential. If you have more than one stick of ram then leave in only one and see if the problem resolves.

Really, solving hardware issues comes down to a case of trial and error here so take the time to test everything out. Bear in mind that even if your keyboard or mouse is faulty, very strange things can happen to a computer, so if you can, try to remove and test every single item.

LCD Monitors Is Now The Time To Upgrade

noreply@blogger.com (jawahar) — Thu, 22 May 2008 09:06:26 PDT

If you get the Sunday paper, and happen to be looking at the sales sections. You may have noticed that LCD monitors have really come down in price. The question is, is now the time to get an LCD monitor.

And I'd have to say yes, for many different reasons.

First off, LCD monitors are getting to be really cheap. Where just a few short years ago, you'd have to spend $500 or more on a decent LCD monitor. It's now not uncommon to get a good monitor between $150-250 depending on the size and manufacturer.

Second, they perform better than they used to. One of my big hang-ups about LCD monitors was that they didn't perform that well. Particularly for gaming, there was a latency in the screen, which means that you could see residual images on the screen during fast action. That has changed as the monitors have gotten much more efficient in recent years.

Third, they take up less space than normal monitors. It allows for smaller desks, more space for more essential things on your desktop, etc. They really can save quite a bit of space, so much so that it seems like a 19" or 22" LCD monitor is smaller than your 15" CRT monitor was, even though the screen seems much larger.

Fourth, they take up much less energy than the older CRT monitors. I've seen some reports that some of the Viewsonic models are up to 3 times more efficient than older CRT monitors. And that's a good thing in today's age of rising energy costs.

Definitely times have changed and the technology has gotten cheaper, more effective and more reliable. If you have been holding off, I believe the price to performance ratio has gotten there. Now you just have to wait for the new Organic LED's, which can be as thin as 1mm (think about half as thick as a nickel), Kodak and other manufacturers are betting on the technology in a big way.

Hard Drive History 50 Years In The Making

noreply@blogger.com (jawahar) — Thu, 22 May 2008 09:05:36 PDT

September 2006 marked the 50th anniversary of hard drive storage. When IBM delivered its first hard drive on September 13th, 1956, few could have imagined the impact it would have on our everyday lives. The RAMAC (also known as 'Random Access Method of Accounting and Control') was the size of two refrigerators and weighed a ton. It required a separate air compressor to protect the heads, had pizza-sized platters and was able to store a then whopping 5 megabytes of data. Now you can do all that with a mere pocket drive! What's more - the RAMAC was available to lease for ?18,500 , the equivalent of ? 134,500 in today's pounds.

25 years on, the first hard drive for personal computers was invented. Using the MFM encoding method, it held a 40MB capacity and 625 KBps data transfer rate. A later version of the ST506 interface switched to the RLL encoding method, allowing for increased storage capacity and processing speed.

IBM made technological history on 12th August 1981, with the launch of their first personal computer - the IBM 5150. At a cost of ?830 the 5150 had just 16K of memory- just enough for a small amount of emails. It's difficult to conceive that as recently as the late 1980s 100MB of hard disk space was considered ample. In today's era, this would be totally insufficient, hardly enough to install the operating system, not to mention a large application such as Microsoft Office.

When asked about the limitations of the early PC, Tom Standage, the Economist magazine's business editor says: "It's hard to imagine what people used to do with computers in those days because by modern standards they really couldn't do anything."

As a result of these major breakthroughs, the industry has grown from several thousand disk drives per year in the 1950s to over 260 million drives per year in 2003. During this period, the cost of magnetic disk storage has decreased from ?1,088 per megabyte in the 1960s to 0.03 pence today.

The future is bright
At present, the standard 3.5 inch desktop drive can store up to 750 gigabytes (GB) in data. But disk drives are set to become even smaller, more powerful and less costly. According to Bill Healy, an executive at Hitachi, drives containing hundreds of gigabytes will be small enough to wear as jewelry. "You'll have with you every album and tune you've ever bought, every picture you've ever taken, every tax record."

Having five disk drives in your household is becoming increasingly commonplace: PCs, laptops, game systems, TiVo? video recorders, iPods? - just to mention a few. Experts believe that someday households will have up to 15 disk drives, some of which may appear in your TV set, mobile phone or car.

In fact, the industry is expected to deliver as many drives in the next five years as it did in the last 50 years. Industry anaylsts such as Gartner, IDC and TrendFOCUS believe that the global HDD market will continue to experience impressive unit and revenue growth.

Take the good with the bad
As new devices hit the market, and the amount of stored data escalates the potential for data loss is greater than ever. No matter how strict your back-up policy or how heavily you invest in data protection- somewhere along the line data loss will occur. With 20 years' experience, Ontrack Data Recovery? has certainly seen its fair share of data disasters. From the dog that ate one man's memory stick - to the frustrated user so angry he shot his laptop with a gun! Not to mention the businesswoman who spilt coffee on her laptop and the father who accidentally deleted his child's baby photos.

Ontrack Data Recovery has the technical capability to recover data from any media, operating system or storage device -no matter how old or cumbersome! Preparation is the name of the game. By establishing a relationship with a reputable data recovery provider, you can reduce the stress surrounding data loss and relax with a ready-made action plan for data recovery and restoration.

Ontack Data Recovery specialises in data recovery services & software as well as data management solutions for businesses and individuals.

How To Avoid Get Rich Quick Scams

noreply@blogger.com (jawahar) — Sat, 10 May 2008 17:34:36 PDT

Get rich quick scams are everywhere! You can find them in

newspapers, magazines, Television and more, but the place where

they have flourished the most is certainly the internet.

If you think that there are ways to make money overnight, I have

bad news for you; there is simply NOT such thing as get rich

overnight.

If you have fallen for one or more of those get rich quick

scams, don't be ashamed, a lot of us have too. It's something

most people who want to get out of the 9-5 job machine are

falling prey to. I have fallen myself as well. Experiences

like these, however, helped me never to fall for them again, as

well as becoming an expert to warn others.

One of the first clues to look for, to avoid get rich quick

scams, are statements like; it will not take much work at all to

get to your first $1000 per day, all you need to do is plug in

and follow the system. This is a false statement, or more

simply said, a lie. If you are starting in network marketing,

or even if you already know what you are doing, it will take you

some work to get to this kind of figure. Just think about it

for a minute. You are going to plug in to their system, do

close to nothing, maybe just a few clicks here and there, and at

the end of the day, wow! You've just earned $1000! That is when

you know that you've just found a get rich quick scam.

You will NEVER make money just by plugging into a system. You

are going to make money by doing the work of a network marketer.

Big difference! That is where those less than honest companies

catch their prey, based on the lack of knowledge of the

difference between plugging into a system, and actually do the

work NEEDED which will bring you success, after you've plugged

in.

Getting rich overnight! IT is NOT going to happen. When you

fall for these types of advertisements, what happens is that you

just lose the money you invest in it. The one who is getting

rich is the get rich quick scam system you've just signed up

with.

This being said, there is still hope for an entrepreneur like

you, who wants to get free from his 9-5 JOB. There are

legitimate resources that can build you a foundation to make

money online. They will teach you the best techniques, and

practices for earning money online, building the foundation of

your business for you.

These programs are of the absolute best quality, and very

affordable. If you are truly looking to start a business

online, or take your business to the next level, you must

investigate them. You will not regret you did, and never fall

for a get rich quick scam again.

How To Avoid Being A Victim Of Paid To Read Email Scams

noreply@blogger.com (jawahar) — Sat, 10 May 2008 17:33:48 PDT

Anyone who has been a member of a number of paid email programs is likely at one time or another to have been a victim of a scam. While there are many well run paid to read email sites that pay its members there are also many that are there to take advantage of the members. Those sites will typically promise to pay members once their accounts reach a certain amount but never actually do so. The unfortunate result is that many people never see the little money they earned for all their hard work. What is even more tragic is the members who spend money on advertising to build their downlines for the scam sites and lose all the money they invested. All the while the owners take in money from the advertisers.

While there is no foolproof way of avoiding all the paid email scam programs there are some things you can look out for. Here is a list of what to look at before joining.

1. How long has the site been around? Generally speaking the longer the site has been in business the greater the chance it is well run and the members get paid regularly.

2. How large of membership does the site have? If there is a large number of members usually that means they are paying and have a decent reputation.

3. How much does the site charge for advertising versus how much it pays members for each email? It is a matter of judgement. For example if a site offers to pay members 50 cents an email and only charges 10 dollars for advertising that is obviously a scam.

4. Check out what others who have been members think of the site. A simple search for a review of site will bring up people who have left their opinions on various websites. Don't rely on just one review or opinion though. Try to get at least 3 different reviews before joining.

Finally I would like to caution not to spend money advertising a new site you have joined to build downlines. First use free marketing such as blogs, forums, web 2.0 sites and articles. Once you have actually been paid you can consider it more safe to spend money promoting the program. If you consider all those things just covered and use caution your chances of success in generating income with paid email will be much greater than simply jumping in to new programs.

Is It Safe To Limewire Your PC

noreply@blogger.com (jawahar) — Sat, 10 May 2008 17:33:11 PDT

Before I begin, I just want to make something perfectly clear: NOTE TO ANY ATTORNEYS WHO MAY WORK FOR LIMEWIRE - I think that your clients' product is WONDERFUL! Aside from the wheel and the internal combustion engine, it's probably the SINGLE GREATEST ACHIEVEMENT in the history of mankind. REALLY!... So please don't sue me.

Now that I've cleared that up we can get down to business. In my line of work, I get calls on a daily basis from people who are having issues with viruses on their computer. Some of these people have relatively minor infections and some have MAJOR PROBLEMS. Here's the pattern I've noticed, though (I just call 'em like I see 'em): When someone has a serious virus and/or spyware infection on their PC, they almost always have a copy of Limewire installed as well. Now, don't interpret that the wrong way. The Limewire software (assuming you get it from a legitimate source) is perfectly safe (Are all of the attorneys still paying attention?). To my knowledge, their software contains no spyware or viruses and I'm not just saying that to avoid a lawsuit. I really mean it. So, if the question is posed to me "is it safe to install Limewire on my computer?", my answer is an unwavering "Yes".

The problem, it seems, is when people start using the service to actually download files to their computer. This is where a lot of people get a bit confused about why their computer gets so badly infected in a relatively short period of time. From my observations as a working pc repair tech I have come to the conclusion that most people don't have even a basic understanding of how file sharing services work, nor (in a lot of cases) do they care. That's too bad really, because it's difficult to protect yourself from threats if you don't even know what those threats are or where they come from. Alas, the lure of "free" music is just too much for many people, so they will just blindly download files and hope for the best.

There, now that I have that off my chest, I feel much better. The real purpose of this article though, is not to chastise people for their wide-eyed naive trust of free things they get from total strangers over the internet, but to (hopefully) help educate those who want to use a file sharing service and provide them with a little bit of knowledge so that they can better protect themselves.

The first thing I want to do before I go any further with this discussion is to let the folks at Limewire off the hook. They are not responsible for their users' reckless online activities any more than the people at Ford are responsible for their customers reckless driving. It's up to the end users to monitor their own activities and to become part of the solution instead of being part of the problem. It really wasn't my intention to single them out because most file sharing services are essentially the same. The only reason I mentioned these guys by name is that they are far and away the most popular service of this type operating today. Had I written this article a few years ago I probably would have the Napster people annoyed with me. So for the remainder of this discussion I will just refer to all of these services collectively as "file sharing services". Now all you lawyers can go back to what you were doing before, such as suing somebody (other than me).

Anyway, as I said before, most users of file sharing services may not completely understand how the file sharing process works. There seems to be this perception that there is some gigantic free music repository full of perfectly safe, virus free, downloadable content stored somewhere out there in cyberspace. I assure you that this is not the case. OK, you ask, then where do the file sharing services get all of this music that they offer for free downloads? I'm glad you asked. The answer is that they don't. File sharing services don't store any music files or movies or anything of the sort on their servers. More importantly, they don't own any distribution rights for any of the copyrighted material. So where does the music come from? Again, thanks for asking. It comes directly from the computers of other users of the file sharing services.

You see, file sharing services are in essence a very large peer-to-peer (P2P) network. When you join one of these services, you are sharing a portion of your computer with other members of the service and they are in turn sharing access to their files with you. Now, you may think that this is somewhat of a security risk, but probably not a huge one, as these services upon installation of their software, designate a default folder on your PC to share on the network. Other than that one folder, nobody has access to your PC. The real threat with this type of network is in the files you download. If someone in the network has infected files on their computer (trust me, a lot of them do) and then you download one of these infected files, guess what!? You've just invited a virus onto your computer. Multiply this scenario by the hundreds of thousands of other P2P members and the MILLIONS of files being passed back and forth and you can see how this can quickly become a real threat to your PC.

So as a computer tech that deals with virus infested computers on a daily basis, I have to say that I HIGHLY RECOMMEND downloading your music from a "pay-per-track" service such as itunes or amazon.com. I only say this because from a PC security standpoint, using P2P file sharing is just too costly in the long run. Think of it this way, how many itunes could you have purchased with the $200 that you just gave to the computer repair guy after he cleaned up your PC? When you look at it that way, all that "free" music just doesn't seem like such a great deal, huh?

I will say this. Many people insist on using file sharing services even when they know the risks, so if you are absolutely dead-set on using a file sharing service to build your music collection, at least get some good antivirus and antispyware on your computer and make sure that your virus software is always updated with the latest definitions. This will at least give you a fighting chance at keeping your computer safe. Also, learn how to effectively use your antivirus software. Most antivirus software will let you scan individual files in real time (after you download but BEFORE you open the file) by right clicking the file and using the scan option in the menu. Other than that, all I can do is wish you the best of luck and hope you know a good computer guy.

So again, if you ask me if it's safe to install Lime...um...file sharing software, the answer is yes. Is it safe to actually USE file sharing software? No, probably not.

Why Is My Computer Running Slow AntiSpyware Might Be Your Answer

noreply@blogger.com (jawahar) — Sat, 10 May 2008 17:32:38 PDT

Back in the early days of the Internet, which for many was not that long ago, if you asked the question: why is my computer running slow? Your answer was pretty simple, you more than likely had to delete some programs from your computer or the worse of the two was that you had a virus on your computer. Ask that question today and you could be staring at multiple problems. A registry fix, scandisk or virus could all be reasons why your computer runs slow.

The good thing is, for the most part, those just mentioned mostly have solutions for them. You can get software to help clear up most of those problems. However, today's Internet has now become a double-edged sword. We can get any information right at our fingertips. You can even type in the phrase "why is my computer running slow?" and come up with loads of answers.

The internet offers us all kinds of great information from how to instructions to gossip and great products that we can buy without ever leaving our homes. The bad side of that is while we are searching for answers or products we can have all of our identity stripped from us with adware or spyware programs secretly placed on our computer in secret locations on our computers.

Lucky for us there are many great anti adware companies out there. Many great antispyware software companies have made it their business to remove adware from unknowing consumers. Chances are you have downloaded some product from some of these companies already. Many companies who offer great antispyware software give a free scan of your computer to let you know exactly what kind of aware or spyware is lurking on your computer.

A good antispyware program will let you detect Trojans, worms and malicious programs. It will also repair damage left by malware. You can usually use a good antispyware software to load extremely helpful features such as a registry shield that will protect your registry, one of the first things that cause your computer to slow down.

There are times when it is hard to trust shareware, as we might not know if it is just another malicious program wrapped in a shareware package. So it's good to do some research before you download anything. You can find good reviews on antispyware programs all over the net and it's also a good thing to check out the company and make sure it is a legitimate software company before you download anything. If you are asking your self "why is my computer running slow?" Then antispyware could be an easy fix. If you are looking for free or paid adware software you do some research and read some reviews.

More about spyware: www.computers.pcriot.com

SEO Security

noreply@blogger.com (jawahar) — Sat, 10 May 2008 17:31:47 PDT

Whether the tools of script kiddies or more advanced hackers; a breach in security can result in a website being flagged as badware by Google.

This wouldn't affect a mom and pop personal website to a major degree but would surely carry a negative view for a site which purports to be somewhat professional in nature.

Supposing one was to sell hosting, scripts themselves or security even; then it would look particularly bad for a customer or client to stumble upon a search engine result page which won't bring them to their site but rather to a page which suggests that they should pick another result........Disaster!

Of course in real terms, its not a disaster but perception can be everything.

Following are some guidelines which may be helpful.

If you don't already have a Google webmaster account, then sign up. Ensure too that your account email address is kept functional rather than forgotten.
If using a content management system for publishing, ensure also that heed is paid to the security aspects associated with that particular cms. Its not enough to publish and forget!
As a matter of good practice, be sure to chmod files and directories with as tight permissions as possible without upsetting the functionality of the site.
Passwords can be a pain, but are so called, for a reason. Make these difficult to crack.
Sometimes, it can be enough to view the source code of a webpage, to find hidden and malicious code. Seeing iframes where they don't belong is a give away.
Patrol files on your server to see if anything is there which shouldn't be there. Remove such files once you determine that you or your host are not the instigators. Sometimes, new files are created to quickly help a hacker to quickly find re-entry information such as database names and passwords.
While it is good practice to become familiar with all files and directories of a given cms, some will not be competent to this level. If this is the case, then the total clearance or deletion of all server files and folders may be the quickest option. Once done, known and safe backup copies can be quickly uploaded. Likewise for the database, where undesirable code may be inserted.
While one might feel popular by having hundreds or thousands of users; not everyone is your friend. Limit the ways which your users can manipulate your database, usually by limiting their webform input. If you don't know how, then ask someone trustworthy.
Get the latest possible update to your software. As well as increased functionality, updates are for plugging security vulnerabilities as they arise.
A reliable host is a great line of defense as well, as some of the better ones will monitor activity on their servers and can spot nastiness. Most of the time though, responsibility is yours. In the western world at least, there are choices of where to shop and set up your stall.
Finally, Google does not appear to punish publishers harshly and tend to help actually. For an established domain, they seem to have a good idea that such hacks are not the intention of good people. If hacked, join the forum at www.stopbadware.org where these great volunteers may help you to clean out your cupboard.

One thing for sure is that it is difficult enough to get into the serps in the first place. When that is done, you don't want anyone to find a page which might suggest that your site and all indexed pages of it; are not exactly fit for public consumption. Worse again, would be complaints to you that the innocent surfer suffered pesonal computer damage and associated malware, by simply visiting your website. What good then, is an S.E.O.?

Want to know more about SEO: www.computers.pcriot.com

Security and the Family Internet Experience

noreply@blogger.com (jawahar) — Sat, 10 May 2008 17:30:42 PDT

The Internet is all about freedom. It is the freedom to explore, the freedom to learn new things and the freedom to pursue a business that can make money.

There are certain countries that restrict the freedom of their citizens when it comes to online exploration, but the free exchange of information and ideas is what makes using the Internet so appealing to many.

According to each individual's way of thinking there are a lot of strange websites out there. You can find websites that offend and may seem distasteful to your senses. Yet, you will also find many more that will connect with your interests and values.

Some, who may have never used an online entry point, may view the web as a place where evil can be found on every site. If you use a search engine you can quickly find an abundance of sites that will easily offend, but the truth is the Internet is simply a tool that can be useful for either positive or negative purposes.

If you go online in a deliberate attempt to find something negative you will find it, but the opposite is also true. The same logic can be applied to television. The form of media can contain material that is positive and negative depending on your point of view. That doesn't make the television good or bad - it simply causes the user to exercise caution when using this form of media.

When parents discover objectionable programming they can use available technology to block certain channels and use other technology to block any shows with a rating they don't want their family to see.

In the same way there is a form of security for parents when it comes to allowing their children to gain access to the web. In some cases parents who supervise their children online do not have much problem of their children encountering site content that may be objectionable. They may also be able to divert online messaging that could pose potential dangers to their child.

There are programs like Net Nanny that allow parents to gain remarkable control over what their children are allowed to see online. They can monitor where they have been, and they can do this without the need to stay with their child every moment they are online.

A program called Covenant Eyes can also help individuals who may be attracted to material on sites that may not be healthy to an ongoing relationship or finances. This site can help by providing an accountability partner with a report about sites that have been visited. The idea is to help an individual who may have a gambling addiction or may be prone to visit sites with pornography to kick the habit using a trusted friend who can monitor online activity and gently confront the problem.

These and similar programs provide family security online because sometimes we can stumble into a place we know we shouldn't be and decide to stay too long.

The Internet is not evil, but we could all use a little help in making sure we are comfortable in using it wisely.

Old Scam New Twist

noreply@blogger.com (jawahar) — Sat, 10 May 2008 17:30:00 PDT

There is a old scam with a new twist that people need to be aware of. This one involves a mystery shopper site called Value Max Service. It is not yet established if the site is at fault or if a fraudulent client has compromised the information given to the site. As of this writing, no charges have been laid against the site and the person who obtained funds has not been found.

A Red Deer, Alberta Canada women answered an ad in a local paper for mystery shoppers. She went to this site and provided information and then was contacted by a man who gave her assignments. He then sent her a bank draft of approximately $1360.00 and asked her to deposit it, which she did. She deposited the bank draft in an instant teller. She was to wire the money to a woman in Toronto. Then the man sent her another bank draft for over a thousand dollars and asked her to deposit it and then wire him the money.

She caught on to the problem when the bank machine would not take the deposit but informed her that she needed to speak to a bank representative. She found out that the first draft had been a fraud and the one she almost deposited was also a fraud. As she was the one that was depositing fake drafts, she was held responsible for the money lost. She was out almost $1500.00 of her own money.

Several attempts were made to contact the phone number listed on the website but no calls have been replied to as of yet. Another woman in Prince George, British Colombia had a similar experience with this site and is out $3660.00. Although the matter has not been resolved in terms of who is responsible for the scam, the website or another party, this is an old scam that keeps coming up in new ways.

No matter what the work is that you are offered online, you should be aware that anyone that sends you a money order, bank draft or cheques and asks you to deposit it is scamming you.

If you think about it, why would they need you to deposit money for them? You are a relative stranger to the business, why would they let strangers deposit their money? None of the money orders, bank drafts and cheques are real. They make money from getting you to transfer the money out of your own pocket before the money has cleared. When it bounces, they already have your money. The worst part is, these sleazy scam artists slip away leaving little information to track them down and you as the depositor are in fact doing a crime by depositing fake money orders, bank drafts or cheques.

Be aware the same scam is used in different ways. Some "hire" you as a bookkeeper, or another position that seems real. They almost always give you some legitimate looking work to do before they send you the fake funds to deposit. They also use this scam by emailing you that they for some desperate reason have a huge amount of money they need to deposit in another Country or they will lose it all. They generously offer you a percentage to help them out. Of course it is a fake again and you are out a lot of money.

Again, stay away from any work online or off that offers you work and then wants you to deposit funds for them. Call the police if any work you have taken online or through an ad in the paper and they ask you to do this. Do not deposit the funds. Take it to the authorities.

Generate Encrypt and Keep Your Passwords Safe

noreply@blogger.com (jawahar) — Sat, 10 May 2008 17:29:15 PDT

With technology comes convenience, and the technology of the Internet grows each day allowing busy people and consumers to do more in less time. Some of the most often used Internet sites include; on-line banking, internet shopping, on-line bill paying, research at our fingertips, e-mail, instant messaging, photo image storing and creation and so much more. Not only can we communicate, pay bills complete many other day to day tasks, but we can also help our children with homework, do research, plan a vacation, make reservations (for restaurants to travel) and so many other things. But with this technology comes risks, especially as websites try to "personalize" the site to each individual, even to greeting you by name when you log in. As a result, more and more information is gathered, and to keep that information safe, more and more passwords created.

As personalization becomes standard as does our reliance on many websites to do everything from pay bills to monitoring assets the security of this information becomes of utmost importance. So, how do we complete all the forms for the sites we need as well as create passwords that are unique, unusual and that will protect our online services and accounts?

If you are like many people, you probably use one or two passwords, alternating them between sites, so you don't forget your password. Or you write them down and store them somewhere-but not too far from the computer so you don't have to go looking for them. Internet security experts, as well as many websites warn us of the dangers of an easy password as well as the dangers of having our passwords within easy access. Another situation that needs to be considered is what happens in the event of emergency, disability, illness or even death, and your family needs those passwords in order to keep your finances in order, and you are the only one who knew what your passwords are and where they are located.

Is there a safer alternative to writing them in an address book or on a piece of paper underneath my keyboard? Absolutely, there is a software system available to consumers called Roboform. This software not only generates original passwords but stores them, and personal and financial information frequently used when working online.

Roboform software completes online forms and creates securely encrypted passwords. It will even generate a random, highly safe password for you when you hit generate. It uses an artificial intelligence system that is created to identity forms, complete them as well as generate and safely store passwords, keeping your account information safe.

This form filler and password service saves time and effort as well as provides security by: managing passwords and logging you in automatically as well as filling in long forms for registration or shopping checkout with just a click. This function also cuts down on "keystrokes" making it more difficult for keylogger software to work in any possibly attempts to "steal" your information.

Roboform Features:

-The ability to create one identity, but have multiple credit cards, addresses, user names and passwords stored.

-Roboform detects and fills in drop down boxes.

-This software detects what formation of numbers need to be used, for example is the telephone number field presented in ten digits or a different format and completes the form correctly.

-Customization of information according to country locations and traditions. For example, date formats will be completed based on country location, so US dates will be month, day, year while foreign forms require day, month and year.

-Customization based on language.

-A highlight function that indicates that Roboform should only complete specific sections of the form.

Roboform Protection and Security services include:

-Encrypting passwords for increased security.

-Generation of random passwords.

-Detection of "phishing" websites and only completing forms on legitimate sites.

-Eliminates keyloggers, because the keyboard is not used to complete forms.

Roboform first became available in 1999. Because of its popularity and reliability, it has been translated into 30 languages and is used by millions around the world. Also available is RoboForm2Go, one of the first of applications that can operate from USB flash drives. RoboForm2Go is a portable version of RoboForm that allows consumers to their passwords with them and enjoy the conveyance of this service anywhere. Roboform and Robofrom2Go are compatible with many different operating systems and software, including: Internet Explorer, AOL, MSN, Firefox, IE 7 and Vista.

The cost for a lap or desktop computer is $29.95. Roboform2Go for U 3 drives or non-U 3 drives is available for $19.95. The PALM version is $9.99. A 30 days free trial is available with a "No Questions Asked" Money Back Guarantee.

This service has been awarded PC Magazine's Editor's Choice Award, Soft32.com's Editor's Review Award (Excellent in 5/5 categories) and the blue ribbon FDM (Free Download Manager) User's Choice Award. Independent consumer reviews say over and over that it is "easy to use," "a quality time saver" and "fast, fast, fast."

Roboform software can not only save consumers time (and time is money in many cases) but it also protects their personal and financial information. The creation of unique passwords as well as elimination of keylogger access makes all the conveniences of using the Internet, not only convenient but safe. Financial information, online bill paying and more can be done safely and effectively, and in case of emergency your family will have the information it needs all stored in one place, permitting them one more level of security not only financially but personally.