COMPUTER MAINTENANCE

HOW TO USE YOUR BLACKBERRY PHONE AS A MODEM ON YOUR PC

2013-07-21T14:57:00.000-07:00

If you own a blackberry phone and you desire to browse with your personal computer using your blackberry as a modem it's simple, easy and economical. Read through this article and follow the steps.
You can save the money for buying a new modem and make use of your blackberry phone as your modem. This article also contains the the configuration settings of all the mobile phone networks in Nigeria for your blackberry phone. Below are the steps u will follow to achieving this.

STEP 1: Download and Install Blackberry Desktop Manager or check your Phone Pack for the CD that comes with it.
You can download Blackberry Desktop Manager HERE
STEP 2:. After Downloading and installing the blackberry desktop manager. Launch the BlackBerry Desktop Manager after Installation and Click to Tools in the menu bar section. Select Mobile Internet Settings Use this As your Settings depending on the Network you choose.

MTN SETTINGS
Profile Name: MTN Nigeria
Username: web
Password: web
Access Point: web.gprs.mtnnigeria.net

GLO NG SETTINGS
Profile Name: Glo Ng
Username: flat
Password: flat
Access Point: gloflat

ETISALAT NG
Profile Name: Etisalat Ng
Username: etisalat
Password: etisalat
Access Point: etisalat

AIRTEL NG SETTINGS
Profile Name: AIRTEL NG
Username: internet
Password: internet
Access Point: internet.ng.airtel.com

STEP 4: After completing all the steps above, press the OK Button to exit the small popup screen then OK Again to exit the Mobile Internet Settings configuration dialog.

STEP 5: You will see a warning on your screen showing and notifying you that you will be Charged, all you have
to do is Ignore it, if you have already Subscribed. Then Click on CONNECT

STEP 6: When you have Connected to the Internet and you are Ready to Browse, at the bottom left of the BlackBerry

Desktop Manager, you should see something like this (Time Connected and Data Used). What it means, is that you are now connected to the internet and ready to go.

HOW TO USE YOUR MTN BLACKBERRY SIM CARD TO BROWSE ON YOUR MODEM

2013-07-21T14:50:00.000-07:00

1ST STEP: subscribe to any of the MTN blackberry plans

2ND STEP: plug in your modem with the MTN sim card in it

3RD STEP: go to the "settings" on the available modem software, click on the "+" button on the software to add a new profile

4TH STEP: on the APN bar, tick the "static" button to edit to new APN, then inside the bar type "blackberry.net"

5TH STEP: click on the save button

6TH STEP: select the profile you created and click on "set as my default profile" and lastly click on "apply changes".

once you're done with this steps then you can now hit the connect button to browse on MTN with your Blackberry unlimited plan.

SOME IMPORTANT USE OF BLACKBERRY DEVICE

2013-01-05T13:32:00.002-08:00

The advanced encryption capabilities of the BlackBerry Smartphone make it eligible for use by government agencies and state forces alike. President Barack Obama's use The President of the United States, Barack Obama, became known for his dependence on a BlackBerry device for communication during his 2008 presidential campaign. Despite the security issues, he insisted on using it even after inauguration, becoming the first President of the United States to use mobile email.

USE BY GOVERNMENT FORCES

An example is the West Yorkshire Police, which has allowed the increase in the presence of police officers along the streets and a reduction in public spending, given that each officer could perform the work desk directly via the mobile device, as well as in several other areas and situations.

The US Federal Government and Department of Defense are also prominent examples of BlackBerry device users, the latter agency even stating that the BlackBerry smartphone is "essential for national security" because of the large number of BlackBerry users in the government. The high encryption standard of BlackBerry smartphones and the PlayBook tablet allow them to be the only consumer handheld devices certified for use by US Government agencies.

ORGANIZED CRIME USE

The Italian criminal group known as the 'Ndrangheta was reported on February 2009 to have communicated overseas with the Gulf Cartel, a Mexican drug cartel, through the use of the BlackBerry, since the texts are "normally difficult to intercept". RIM's view of users RIM CEO Thorsten Heins has said that BlackBerry users have "Very little time to consume and enjoy content" and so do not need the third party apps that Android and Apple users enjoy.

USE BY BANGALORE TRAFFIC POLICE

Traffic Police in the Southern Indian city of Bangalore have begun using Blackberry devices to print e-receipt or e-challan for traffic offences. These are also used to store the details of booked cases in server. These devices are also used to retrieve the license information from server.

COMPETITION

The primary competitors of the BlackBerry are smartphones running Android, the Apple iPhone and Windows Phone. BlackBerry has struggled to compete against Android and Apple and its market share has plunged in recent years, leading to speculation that it will be unable to survive as an independent business. However, it has managed to maintain significant positions in some markets.

TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANCEMENT OF BLACKBERRY

2013-01-05T13:24:00.004-08:00

These advancement are based on the Central Processing Unit (CPU). Early BlackBerry devices, such as the BlackBerry 950, used Intel 80386-based processors. BlackBerry 8000 series smartphones, such as the 8700 and the Pearl, are based on the 312 MHz ARM XScale ARMv5TE PXA900.

Devices such as the BlackBerry 9000 series, were equipped with XScale 624 MHz processors. The BlackBerry Curve 8520 featured a 512 MHz processor, while the Bold 9700 featured a newer version of the Bold 9000's processor, but is clocked at the same speed.

An exception to this is the BlackBerry 8707 which is based on the 80 MH Qualcomm 3250 chipset; this was due to the PXA900 chipset not supporting 3G networks. The 80 MHz processor in the BlackBerry 8707 meant the device was often slower to download and render web pages over 3G than the 8700 was over EDGE networks.

The latest blackberry devices such as the Bold 9900/9930, torch 9810, 9850/9860 feature a Qualcomm Snapdragon MSM8260 CPU clocked at 1.2 GHz which can be compared with that of some laptop computers. It also have 8 Gigabyte(Gb) of on-board storage and can support an additional 32 GB microSD cards.

FEATURES

Supported software Further information: BlackBerry App World BlackBerry Messenger BlackBerry devices use the proprietary BlackBerry Messenger, also known as BBM, software for sending and receiving encrypted instant messages, voice notes, images and videos via BlackBerry PIN. Some of the features of BBM include groups, bar-code scanning, lists, shared calendars, BBM Music and integration with apps and games using the BBM social platform. Third-party software Third-party software available for use on BlackBerry devices includes full-featured database management systems , which can be used to support customer relationship management clients and other applications that must manage large volumes of potentially complex data.

BlackBerry PIN

BlackBerry PIN is an eight character hexadecimal identification number assigned to each BlackBerry device. PINs cannot be changed manually on the device (though BlackBerry technicians are able to reset or update a PIN server-side), and are locked to each specific BlackBerry. BlackBerrys can message each other using the PIN directly or by using the BlackBerry Messenger application. BlackBerry PINs are tracked by BlackBerry Enterprise Servers, and the BlackBerry Internet Service, and are used to direct messages to a BlackBerry device. Emails and any other messages, such as those from the BlackBerry Push Service, are typically directed to a BlackBerry's PIN. The message can then be routed by a RIM Network Operations Center, and sent to a carrier, which will deliver the message the last mile to the device. Example of a BlackBerry PIN:28D13EED.

ORIGIN AND HISTORY OF BLACKBERRY

2013-01-05T13:12:00.000-08:00

ORIGIN

BlackBerry is a line of smartphone devices developed and designed by Research In Motion (RIM). The first BlackBerry smartphone was released in 1999. BlackBerry; the name decided after a founding member noted that the tiny keys on RIM's device resembled a group of seeds. so the company decided a variety of seeded fruits and vegetables before ultimately deciding on "BLACKBERRY" since RIM's devices were largely colored black at that time. BlackBerry devices are smartphones, which are designed to function as personal digital assistants, portable media players, internet browsers, gaming devices, cameras and much more. They are primarily known for their ability to send and receive (push) email and instant messages(pinging) while maintaining a high level of security through on-device message encryption.

HISTORY

The first BlackBerry device, the 850, was introduced in 1999 as a two-way pager in Munich, Germany. The reason for the monumental growth of BlackBerry is explainable because in 1999 it was little more than a mobile pager. It did integrate with existing enterprise email, though most consumers didn’t really have a need for a mobile email device. Cell phones in general weren’t even big in the consumer market at that point, so the need for a wireless PDA was expectedly lacking. But it did provide corporate data access, an organizer, calendar, paging, and wireless Internet, so it was of great use to businesses who wanted a more mobile workforce. After the launch 1999, in November 2004 RIM announced that there were over 2 million subscribers worldwide, it rose to 5 million in 2005 after 9 months it rose to 14 million subscribers and as of October 2011, there were seventy million subscribers worldwide to BlackBerry which has now risen enormously to over a hundred million subscribers in 2012. BlackBerry devices support a large variety of instant messaging features, with the most popular being the unique BlackBerry Messenger service. BlackBerry accounts for 7.2% of mobile device sales worldwide in 2012, making its manufacturer Research In Motion (RIM) the fourth most popular device maker (25% of mobile device sales are smartphones) after the likes of the top:

1. South Korea Samsung 25.4%

2. Finland Nokia 22.5%

3. Canada BlackBerry 20.2%

4. United State Apple Inc 9.5%

5. United State Motorola 6%

6. South Korea LG 5.2%

The consumer BlackBerry Internet Service is available in 91 countries worldwide on over 500 mobile service operators using various mobile technologies.

WHAT IS BLUETOOTH ?

2013-01-05T12:59:00.001-08:00

The bluetooth named after Harald I Bluetooth, the 10th-century Danish king who unified Denmark and Norway, is a technological innovation used to allow short-range wireless communication between electronic devices. Bluetooth was developed in the late 1990s and soon achieved massive popularity in consumer devices.

In 1998 Ericsson, the Swedish manufacturer of mobile telephones, assembled a union of computer and electronics companies to bring to the consumer market a technology they had been developing for several years that was aimed at freeing computers, mobile phones, personal digital assistants (PDAs), and other devices from the wires required to transfer data between them. Because the protocol would operate on radio frequencies, rather than the infrared spectrum used by traditional remote controls, such devices would not have to maintain a line of sight to communicate.

Bluetooth, was designed to enable a wide variety of devices to work together and the range of the network can be between 30 to 100 ft. Its other key features were low power usage—enabling simple battery operation—and relatively low cost.

The union, known as the Bluetooth SIG (Special Interest Group), released the Bluetooth 1.0 specifications in 1999. The technology first appeared in mobile phones and desktop computers in 2000 and spread to printers and mobile computers (laptops) the following year. By the middle of the decade, Bluetooth headsets for mobile phones had become almost universal, and the technology was being incorporated into television sets, wristwatches, sunglasses, picture frames, and many other consumer products. Within the first 10 years of the protocol, nearly two billion Bluetooth-enabled products were shipped.

CONNECTING YOUR COMPUTER TO INTERNET WITH YOUR NOKIA PHONE AS A MODEM

2012-10-11T08:25:00.000-07:00

In order to achieve this, you will be needing the OVI suites installed on your computer or laptop, this software can connect your pc to the internet using your phone as a modem.

Steps to connect your system to the internet using the OVI suite.

1, plug in the phone to the computer using the USB chord,

2, select ‘’ pc suite’’ when the phone asks,

3, automatically the computer will begin to install the necessary drivers needed from the mobile device,

4, open the OVI suite on your computer to verify if the phone has been connected successfully with the OVI suite, for confirmation, the picture of your mobile phone will be displayed at the bottom left of the OVI suite window,

5, after the confirmation, click on the “sync” button as indicated below and then click on “sync option” (sync – sync option)

6, select the “connect to internet” and tick the small round radio “ use manual settings ”

Fill in the desired access point of the network preferred. Below are the details you will be needing for different networks in Nigeria

MTN

Access point- web.gprs.mtnnigeria.net

Username-web

Password-web

AIRTEL

Access point- internet.ng.zain.com

Username-wap

Password-wap

ETISALAT

Access point- etisalat

Username-wap

Password-wap

GLO

Access point- gloflat

Username-wap

Password-wap

After filling the access point and the details, LEAVE THE “additional initialization commands” BLANK and click on ok.

7, another window will pop out asking you to connect all you have to do here is click on “yes”

8, Finally when its connected, your OVI suite should look like this…..

always drop a comment if you find this post helpful.

BlackBerry Secret Codes UNleashed

2012-10-10T23:24:00.001-07:00

Like I'll always say "there is no problem without a solution..!!!" nothing made by man can be ticked for perfection. Even the almighty blackberry has secret codes below are the listed Blackberry secret codes
The Blackberry secret codes for hidden menus work a bit differently to all other manufacturers since you don’t use the *#code# sequence but rather activate most of the codes by holding the ALT key. As always it is right to point out that these are not some magic Blackberry hacks just the codes to access the hidden menu systems which people commonly refer to as the Blackberry secret codes.

To use these codes you just have to enter the key sequence as specified.
Hidden Functions (HOLD ALT)

Code	Function
ALT+NMLL	Changes the signal meter from the standard bars to a decibel display, entering the code again will revert back to the bars
ALT+LSHIFT+H	The Techinical information menu, if you are trying to get support or help you will probably need the information displayed here
ALT+VALD	Validates the address book, can only be used in the address book
ALT+RBLD	Forces the address book to rebuild, can only be used in the address book
*#06#	Displays the IMEI (home screen)
ALT+RBVS	Used in the browser to view the page source code, useful if you are developing applications
ALT+LGLG	Displays the devices event log, if you are struggling to get BES/BIS working the information here can be very useful
ALT+SHIFT+DEL	Soft reset a blackberry device, this is not a format or hard reset. Just a reboot

Smart System Codes (Type these in a message box for example while composing a new e-mail)

Code	Function
MYVER	Displays the Software Version and Model Number of the device
LD	Local Date is displayed
LT	Local Time is displayed
MYSIQ	Displays the device owner information
MYPIN	Device PIN is displayed

Other Codes

Code	Function
ALT+LEFTCAPS	Displays the Language Selection Screen
LOLO	Use on the Date/Time screen to display the network date and time
ALT+VIEW	Displays the ID’s in the messages menu
ALT+THMN	Use in the themes menu to disable themes
ALT+THMD	Use in the theme menu to return to the default blackberry theme
ALT+SMON	Enables the simulated WLAN wizard (WLAN Menu)
ALT+SMOF	Disables the simulated WLAN wizard (WLAN Menu)
BUYR	Display data and voice usage, enter at the status screen (options>status)
TEST	Performs a full device test, enter at the status screen (options>status)

Sim Card Shortcuts (no ALT required, found under Options>Advanced>Sim Card)

Code	Function
MEP1	Enable/Disable Sim personalization
MEP2	Enable/Disable Network personalization
MEP3	Enable/Disable Network subset personalization
MEP4	Enable/Disable Service provider personalization
MEP5	Enable/Disable Corporate personalization
MEPD	MEP Information Display – Shows Status

A lot of the Blackberry Secret codes are actually shortcuts to the hidden menu areas that people do not realy know.

ALSO SEE...!!!..
MAINTAIN AND PROTECT YOUR BLACKBERRY PHONE
CLICK TO READ POST

SOME IMPORTANT USES OF BLACKBERRY DEVICE

2012-10-10T02:31:00.001-07:00

USE BY GOVERNMENT FORCES

ORGANIZED CRIME USE

USE BY BANGALORE TRAFFIC POLICE

HISTORY OF BLACKBERRY

2012-10-10T02:29:00.002-07:00

1. South Korea Samsung 25.4%

2. Finland Nokia 22.5%

3. Canada BlackBerry 10.2%

4. United State Apple Inc 9.5%

5. United State Motorola 6%

6. South Korea LG 5.2%

The consumer BlackBerry Internet Service is available in 91 countries worldwide on over 500 mobile service operators using various mobile technologies.

ORIGIN OF BLACKBERRY

2012-10-10T02:27:00.001-07:00

WHAT IS BLUETOOTH ?

2012-10-09T07:31:00.001-07:00

UNLOCKING YOUR MODEM

2012-10-09T07:16:00.003-07:00

It pains me to see people pay for what they aren’t supposed to pay for that is why I decided to drop this post for you.

Unlocking your modem can be very easy for you only that you need to download a software called the universal modem unlocker of just 480kb and bingo you’ve saved for yourself that money which you would have given a technician to do it for you.

Steps in making that modem a universal modem.

1, Open the software(universal modem unlocker)

2, Key in the imei number of the modem and click on calculate to get the unlock code of the modem

3, Insert the modem and key in the unlock code of the modem to make your modem a universal modem

Then put another sim card to test.

WHAT IS WI-FI?

2012-08-13T04:16:00.001-07:00

In full-WIRELESS FIDELITY(WI-FI) wireless networking technological innovation that uses radio waves to allow high-speed data transfer over short ranges.
Wi-Fi technology has its origins in a 1985 ruling by the U.S. Federal Communications Commission that released several bands of the radio spectrum for unlicensed use. Technology firms began building wireless networks and gadgets to take advantage of the newly available radio spectrum, but without a typical wireless standard the movement remained fragmented, as gadgets from different manufacturers were rarely compatible. Eventually a panel of industry managements came up with a common standard, which was approved by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) in 1997. Two years later, a group of major companies formed the Wireless Ethernet Compatibility Alliance (WECA), a global nonprofit organization created to promote the new wireless standard. WECA named the new technological innovation Wi-Fi.
The popularity of Wi-Fi has grown continously. Wi-Fi allows local area networks (LANs) to operate without wiring and cabling, making it a popular choice for home, business and office network systems. Wi-Fi can also be used to provide wireless broadband Internet access for many modern devices, such as laptops, mobile phones, PDAs, and electronic gaming consoles(systems). Wireless-enabled devices are able to connect to the Internet when they are near areas that have Wi-Fi access, called "hot spots".Hot spots have become typical, with many public places such as airports, hotel and resorts, book shops, and coffee shops(cafes) offering Wi-Fi access.

PUBLISHING BLOGPOST WITH YOUR MOBILE DEVICE.

2012-08-09T06:09:00.001-07:00

This is quite a good news for bloggers who may have posts to publish but due to economic constraints could not publish at that particular point in time because they don’t have access to any internet facility: talking about the internet connected computer, an i-phone or an Android mobile device. Publishing Blog post with your mobile device can be very difficult to achieve because Bloggers are expected to use the Google Chrome Browser to effectively publish posts and make necessary modifications on their blogs but the good news is that if you have a post without an image or a link then you can use the “UCWEB” browser. One good thing about this mobile browser is that it has both sis, sisx and java versions and also with it you can easily publish blog posts with mobile phones such as Nokia, Samsung, HTC etc…. but the constraints about it is that you wouldn’t be able to upload images with the browser. You can download the software from wap.ucweb.com Try it and Do well to drop a comment because I actually dropped this post with a Nokia 63.

USING ''ON SCREEN KEYBOARD''

2012-08-09T04:37:00.003-07:00

As the level of technology improves daily, so as the level of ‘’cyber theft’’ increases alongside with it. Some Software developers have got the attitude of producing software like KEY LOGGING SOFTWARE that can easily take out your passwords as soon as you punch them in any website with your keyboard, this passwords are used by them to exploit your accounts and possibly loot your account if it has to do with e-money. Also you may have problems with your keyboard: where by some buttons would just stop working. You can simply take advantage of On Screen Keyboard utility provided by Microsoft to type without using keyboard. This will bring a keyboard on your desktop and you simply use your mouse to click on the characters you wish to key in. To get this on screen keyboard simply follow the steps::: Click on> "StartMenu->All Programs->Accessories->Ease of Access->On screen Keyboard".

DOWNLOAD ONE PIECE episode 548

2012-07-21T13:53:00.002-07:00

HOW TO DOWNLOAD
when you're using your pc click on the link http://www.uhszone.org/2012/05/download-one-piece-episode-548.html scroll down to select the prefered choice 3gp(for fone), mkv(for laptops) and others, when you click, it will redirect you to adf.ly check the upper right of the page to click on SKIP AD

after clicking, THE DOWNLOAD WILL ASK YOU WHERE TO SAVE... SAVE AND ENJOY YOU MOVIE...
MY SUBSEQUENT POST WILL BE THE LINKS FOR LATER EPISODES.
drop a comment if it works for you
NB: UPCOMING HOW TO DOWNLOAD FAIRY TALE.

HOW TO KNOW ORIGINAL PHONE AND A FAKE PHONE

2012-07-21T05:30:00.002-07:00

Before you buy a new phone dial *#06# ,it will display the serial number or IMEI number which must be 15 digits and must begin with 35. Now check whether the number displayed is the same with the number on the battery base. If it's original the numbers would be the same, if fake the numbers would be different. You can check your phone right now to know whether you are using original phone or fake phone.

PRODUCT CODES FOR NOKIA, MOTOROLA, BOSCH, PHILIPS, LG, SAGEM, TRIUM, NEC, ALCATEL, SIEMENS, SAMSUNG.

NOKIA
IMEI number *#06#
Software version *#0000#
SIM lock info *#92702689#
Enhanced full rate *3370#
Enhanced half rate *4720#
OFF #3370#
To know the manufactring date dial *#0000#

ALCATEL
IMEI number *#06#
Net monitor *#0000#

BOSCH
IMEI number *#06#
Default language *#0000#
Net monitor *3262255*8378#

MOTOROLA
IMEI number *#06#
Net monitor ON ***113*1*
Net monitor OFF ***113*2*
To know manufacturing date dial #02# . Dont send. Only available on C117,C115,C116,C118,C119,C126.

PHILIPS
IMEI number *#06#
SIM lock info *#8377#
Security code *#1234# OR *#7489#

SAMSUNG
IMEI number *#06#
Software version *#9999# OR *#0837#
SIM lock info *0324#
Changing LCD contrast #0523#
Memory information *0377#
Reset memory (SIM lock revovery) *2767*3855#
Battery state *9998*228#
Alarm beeper *998*289#
Vibra test *#9987*842#

SIEMENS, LG, SAGEM, TRIUM, NEC
IMEI number *06#
Software version #6276421#

Use Facebook desktop version with your mobile phones

2012-07-21T05:26:00.002-07:00

If bolt browser users has missed anything since bolt ends it free services some months ago, then it is its fine desktop display of web pages on mobile phones.
Bolt has long gone, and facebook is helping matters either as all users accessing their account using phone are redirected to facebook mobile version thus denying them of many facebook functionalities.
But don't worry, just follow this simple three (3) steps to bypass facebook silly logic for mobile redirection and enjoy a full desktop version of facebook on your phone now.

Step 1. Login to facebook with your phone. (as usual u'll be redirected to the mobile site. Don't worry).
Step 2. After you've login and still within your facebook Homepage, visit www.facebook.com/home.php and the browser will return the desktop version of your home page. Then navigate to any page u want (like messages, find friends profile etc).
Step 3. Whenever you want return to your home page from any other page, repeat step 2.

Stick to the rules and enjoy and a desktop facebook experience with your mobile.

HOW TO STOP YOUR MTN 10MB FROM EXPIRING THE SECOND DAY!!

2012-07-21T05:25:00.000-07:00

I subscribed to the MTN 10MB DATA PLAN BY 19:36 and u all knw that it will expire by exactly 19:36 on d second day whether i finish it or not...But could you believe the MB no gree expire and am having 4MB left unused because i dnt av time to use it....i used a simple tweak before subscribing...wanna know the tweak??

BUY MTN #100 Recharge card...dont load it yet..

Change the date 0f ur phone to 2days ahead of the real day..for example today is 23-04-2012 change the date to 25-04-2012 and change ur time to 11:59am or 23:59 ... Then l0ad the card and start and subscribe to the 10MB By sending 104 to 131 or dial *123*4*1*1# u'll be given ur 10mb Asap! And ur money wil be taken...
=>THE GOOD THING IN THIS TWEAK IS THAT IF U ARE UNABLE TO USE UR MB BEFORE THE TIME IN D SECOND DAY,,DONT WORI IT WONT EXPIRE...

YOU CAN ALSO DO IT FOR OTHER DATA PLANS BT MAKE SURE YOU CHANGE THE DATE TO 2DAYS AHEAD THE DAY THE PLAN SHOULD EXPIRE...

TOP 10 TIPS TO PROTECT YOURSELF AGAINST COMPUTER VIRUSES.

2012-07-05T06:14:00.004-07:00

When your computer gets infected with a virus it can be a devastating experience and this is exactly why you need to protect your computer from viruses. A virus can consume your precious computer files and even damage your computer hardware. Is this worth ignoring? I don’t think so! Google it and I guess you might be getting the same definition. Anything you can do when protecting your computer from viruses has to be a good thing and is well worth spending your time on. We all know prevention is better than a cure so I am going to share my top 10 tips on how to protect your computer from viruses.

10 tips to protect your computer from viruses.

There are many ways to protect your computer from nasty viruses invading. Protecting your computer is an number one concern for every computer user on earth. I do not know anyone that wants to have their computer crash due to a virus invasion. Here are 10 ways to protect your computer and keep your files and data safe.

1. Learn about viruses.

The first thing that I recommend is to research and become knowledgeable about viruses. How can you protect your computer from viruses if you don’t even know what they are. Here are some previous tutorials I have written about viruses. See What is a Virus and how do I know if I have one? and What is the difference between a virus, spyware, Malware, and adware? How can you protect your computer from viruses if you don’t know what it is?

2. Arm yourself with the best Anti-virus software to suit your needs.

Not everyone can get away with using free Anti-virus software because it depends what you do on your computer. It depends on factors such as if you download files or not, if you open email attachments, and if you surf suspicious websites. See my reviews for the best Virus Removal Software. Lets face it, if you do not have protection against viruses installed on your computer, you will without a doubt, get a virus within the first hour of surfing the internet. It is that easy. For years I would remove a virus from my dads computer at least once a year, until finally I realized that he needed a paid Anti-virus program. He wasn’t good with computers and if a windows popped up and said he needed to take a scan, he would just do it. He would just presume it was the program I had installed to protect his computer. Now I have Eset on his computer and there has not been one problem since. I bought the Internet security version so it has full protection. It never asks him to do anything and just works in the background.

3. Regular Updates

Having a great Anti-virus program installed on your computer to protect your computer from viruses is great, however if you do not regularly update the virus definitions, then the program is useless. New viruses are produced daily and this is why we constantly have to update the viruses definitions and stay ahead of the bad guys. Eset Internet Security simply updates by itself and just tells me when it is done.

4. Downloading

When surfing the internet avoid websites that contain illegal software downloads, sexual references, free screensavers, cracks or serials, etc. I am sure you get the picture. If you go near these sites you are immediately asking for trouble. Some other websites that you should stay away from include foreign websites where you cannot understand the language on them. This is because you cannot tell what is on the website.

5. Windows Updates

Always update Windows when protecting your computer. These updates contain

security updates that will help in your fight against viruses. If you do not perform regular Windows updates you are leaving your computer in a vulnerable state. You can simple check to see if your computer needs updates by going to he start menu and typing in “windows update”. See the screen shot below. You can also view recent Windows update history so you can be in control of the whole situation. tips to protect your computer from viruses

6. Opening Emails

Be careful when opening emails. There are obvious emails that you know you shouldn’t open, however what about the ones you get from people you know? What if your friend has a virus and it is spreading itself through emails? An email cannot be important enough to risk getting a virus. Delete the email and send a fresh email to your friend asking them if they actually did send you the email. It is better to be safe than sorry. :( You can also create a whitelist so only certain emails get through. You will still have to be careful though, as you do not know what security the sender has installed on their computer. It’s like driving on the road, you need to watch how others are driving to stay safe.

7. Change your settings to protect

your computer from viruses If you are really serious about protecting your computer you can change your email settings and receive text emails only. You can also disable the ability to open email attachments. Virus travel in HTML enabled emails and file attachments. They cannot travel in text email messages. I know this sounds very boring, however, I would rather be boring and protect my computer from viruses.

8. Peer to Peer file sharing – ways to protect your computer

Do not use peer to peer (p2p) file sharing programs. These include programs such as Limewire, Bearshare, Gnutella, Morpheus, Torrents, etc. These program let you download files from other computer users connected to their program network. You have no way of knowing what you are actually downloading until it is on your computer. Even if you share files from a cd from a friend, it may have a virus. Protecting your computer from viruses is the most important priority for you and you do not want to risk your computer safety just because you trust your friend.

9. Do not download files from websites

Again, there is no way of knowing what you are downloading. The file can appear to be named like the file you want, however it could be anything. Most of the time, this is how a virus is unleashed, it usually seems like a harmless, familiar object. If you are looking for a driver for a certain brand of computer then make sure you are getting the download from the genuine website. Many websites on the Internet offer free driver downloads, however, many of them contain viruses. Everything is not what it seems, so be very careful.

10. Have Firewall Protection

Make sure you have a firewall enabled on your computer. Windows comes with an inbuilt firewall or you can use a third party firewall program like Zone Alarm. Either way, make sure the firewall is on…To check the Windows Firewall go to the security settings in your control panel. If you are careful and are serious about learning how to protect your computer from viruses, it is possible to stay safe. My top 10 tips will help you keep your computer running smoothly, and virus free.

Notes on tips to protect your computer from viruses: These 10 ways to protect your computer from viruses are extremely important tips to follow. If you have had a virus in the past you would know how devastating it is when you lose all of your files and your computer crashes. People often try to install more than one anti-virus program to protect their computers from viruses. This is not how to protect your computer from viruses as installing more than one program always causes a problem. You can only install one virus removal program at any one time.

CUSTOMIZE UAC IN WINDOWS 7

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Windows 7 User Account Control displays less warning than UAC in Vista, and lets you customize UAC according to your need and preference between security and a less annoying desktop experience. UAC prompts in Windows 7 are not as much as in Vista as very few programs require elevation, and Administrator can adjust these UAC prompts.

Go to Start > Control Panel > User Accounts > Change User Account Control Settings

Here you can select when to notify or bring the UAC prompt. There are 4 levels of security which includes:

Always Notify
Notify me only when programs try to make changes to my computer
Notify me only when programs try to make changes to my computer (do not dim my desktop)
Never Notify

Select them according to your balance between security and desktop experience and adjust the level of UAC prompt. Any change to the level of the UAC will prompt for confirmation.

CUSTOMIZE THE WINDOWS 7 LOG-ON SCREEN.

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Windows 7 makes it easy to customize the Windows log-on screen. Just follow the simple steps below.

1. Go to start, and click on Run(WIN+R), type Regedit & press enter there.

2. Navigate to : HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Authentication\ LogonUI\Background

3. Double-click the OEMBackground DWORD key

4. Set value of the key to 1.

5. Select a background image for Logon Screen with size less than 256KB in size (Use of Image Resize software like VSO Resizer can help)

6. Copy that image into the C:\Windows\system32\oobe\info\backgrounds folder

7. Rename the image to backgroundDefault.jpg

8. Reboot, and now your logon Image would have changed.

CREATE NEW INSTANCE OF AN APPLICATION IN WINDOWS 7 SUPER TASKBAR

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In windows 7 Taskbar instance of an application can easily be created by using Win + Number Key. Here number key signifies the position of the Application in the Taskbar.

If you press Windows + 1, it will create a new instance of the first icon in the task bar. In the taskbar Shown here it will open an instance of Internet Explorer while Win+5 open Windows media Player, Win+7 to Windows Live writer and so on.

Now that‟s when i wish there must be Double digit Keys as well in Keyboard.

CHECK WINDOWS VERSION

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Windows Version tells the exact Build of OS and service Pack you are using. You can simply check it by using Winver Command. Open Run Dialog box by using Win+R and type “Winver” there without quotes. This will bring a Windows which has OS details such as Windows details.

Alternatively you can also use the Command prompt to find the information. Type “Winver” in command prompt. It would display all details in command prompt.