Online Computer Help

Computer Help: Why Is My Computer Slow?

noreply@blogger.com (Joseph Rios) — Mon, 29 Aug 2011 05:50:00 +0000

In determining the answer to the question "why is my computer slow," it is important to consider when it showed sign of being slow. By knowing this, you would be able to know why is becomes slow and how you can deal with it.

If your computer gradually slows down over a period of time and is becoming slower and slower each day, chances are your computer needs an upgrade or there is an issue with your software. However, if it suddenly becomes slow after running smoothly for a time, then it may be something that you have done from the time it was on its desired speed up to when it started to slow down. The key is to find out when you started to realize that your computer is starting to slow down.

Older models of computers are actually designed with a memory enough to hold its operating system and the application that goes with it. Only little memory is spared for any other additional applications and software. As the internet offered huge library of applications and software for every users' specific needs, older version of computers is having a hard time coping up with the system requirement of this new applications. So if you are using older models of computers, the answer to your question of "why is my computer slow" can be answered by saying that your computer's memory is not enough to accommodate all the applications and software is currently storing. Expanding your memory and updating your system can fix your problem. However, purchasing a new computer can be advised as well.

On the other hand, if your computer is running smoothly for quite some time and all of a sudden it just started to slow down than normal, then you must have done something to make it slow. Try to determine when the exact slowing down happens and then find out what are the things you did prior to it slowing down. This sudden slow normally happens due to an addition to your computer. This could be anything from a new hardware to new software.

In finding out a solution for your question "why is my computer slow", start remembering the additional hardware or software you put on your computer. The problem becomes harder when you have made several installations to your computer.

Article Source: http://goo.gl/jghXY

How to Connect to Another Person's PC for Support

noreply@blogger.com (Joseph Rios) — Mon, 22 Aug 2011 07:13:00 +0000

Remote Assistance enables a user to connect to and access another computer remotely. If you need to connect to another user's PC to assist in troubleshooting or provide support, the user must send you an attachment via email with the Remote Assistance invitation and password. Once you receive the required information, you can run Remote Assistance to connect to the other person's PC. From there, you can assist the user with their computer issue.

Instructions

Sign in to Windows as an administrator. Click "Start." Click "Control Panel." Type "troubleshooting" into the search bar.

Select "Troubleshooting" from the results. Select "Get Help From a Friend" from the left pane.

Click "Invite Someone to Help You." Click "Offer Remote Assistance to Help Someone."

Click "Use an Invitation File." Locate the RA Invitations file. Click "Open." Input the password when prompted. Click "OK." Once the user approves the connection, you can begin performing troubleshooting or support steps on the PC.

Read more: http://goo.gl/YmwuY

Computer Tech Support

noreply@blogger.com (Joseph Rios) — Tue, 16 Aug 2011 04:17:00 +0000

Online computer tech support makes our work a lot easier in terms of providing a very important tech support which is indispensable for the efficient use of computers, laptops, printers, scanners, and many more related peripherals. These machines work on a strong combination of hardware and software which requires a strong understanding for them in order to use them efficiently. Due to the nature of working of these machines, which requires a lot of understanding of many kinds of software and hardware applications, it becomes mandatory to have a readily available technical support which could always come forward to shoulder the responsibility of providing uninterrupted efficient service.

There are many issues which do not require an onsite technician visit like software updates, application upgrades, migration, antivirus issues, slow performance of PC, blue screen error etc but just because of the fact that we are quite ignorant of the availability of many online services we end up paying huge bills with large time spent on it. We all are quite aware that with the help of internet and intranet, computer forms a networking which can be local or worldwide. Computer, networking and internet all together make a very efficient combination that enables us to perform and make us more efficient. By being efficient it means to cut time and cost both and online computer tech support does both the works quite smartly and intelligently. The services that are offered online are quite effective due to the fact that they are rendered with the help of high end technical tools and applications which are available online.

Remove a Virus

1.Online
When you need computer help, perhaps the cheapest place to turn is online. This is especially true if the problem is one of confusion or figuring out how to do something. It's not always a good idea to follow online advice regarding opening the computer and replacing hardware yourself, but many issues can be resolved by visiting websites such as Microsoft.com for Windows-related issues, the company website of your computer manufacturer, or any of the thousands of computer forums out there. The forums are patrolled by a lot of Good Samaritans, and if you approach them politely, they are likely to help.
Finding online help for computer problems can be tedious and time consuming, but you can't beat the price.

2.Local Technician
The range of prices for local technicians can be staggering. Don't blindly walk into a repair shop, turn over your computer and ask them to fix it. The resulting bill might cause heart palpitations. Do a little research first. See if you can find the going rate for your problem by doing an online search. If you know what work needs to be done, ask for a quote from several shops before selecting one to do the work. Look for new, small businesses staffed by one or two technicians. They're likely to charge a lesser hourly rate in order to get your business.

3.Schools and Books
If you really don't want to spend a lot of money on a computer fix, think outside the box. Call local colleges or high schools and see if they might put you in touch with students who think a gift certificate to a video store is pretty good pay.
Don't forget the "Dummies" series at your local bookstore. There are a variety of titles. If one fits your situation, a $25 manual is a lot cheaper than a $60-$70 hourly technician's rate.

Cheap Computer Help

noreply@blogger.com (Joseph Rios) — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 11:19:00 +0000

Today's world runs on computers. Another inescapable truism is that your computer is going to have problems, usually when you can least afford the downtime. Hardware, software, connectivity, operator confusion--all can ruin your day when malfunction strikes. Computer help is not cheap but here are some ideas to reduce the expense.

Online

When you need computer help, perhaps the cheapest place to turn is online. This is especially true if the problem is one of confusion or figuring out how to do something. It's not always a good idea to follow online advice regarding opening the computer and replacing hardware yourself, but many issues can be resolved by visiting websites such as Microsoft.com for Windows-related issues, the company website of your computer manufacturer, or any of the thousands of computer forums out there. The forums are patrolled by a lot of Good Samaritans, and if you approach them politely, they are likely to help.

Finding online help for computer problems can be tedious and time consuming, but you can't beat the price.

Local Technician

The range of prices for local technicians can be staggering. Don't blindly walk into a repair shop, turn over your computer and ask them to fix it. The resulting bill might cause heart palpitations. Do a little research first. See if you can find the going rate for your problem by doing an online search. If you know what work needs to be done, ask for a quote from several shops before selecting one to do the work. Look for new, small businesses staffed by one or two technicians. They're likely to charge a lesser hourly rate in order to get your business.
Schools and Books

If you really don't want to spend a lot of money on a computer fix, think outside the box. Call local colleges or high schools and see if they might put you in touch with students who think a gift certificate to a video store is pretty good pay.

Read more: http://goo.gl/Ddymw

Computer Help on Low Disk Space Warning

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 23 Jul 2011 09:34:00 +0000

Many of you may consider Low Disk Space Warning as one of the most annoying sort of pop up messages on your computer screen. Most of the time they alert you when there is any chance of potential danger. However, sometimes they are benign enough to delete them without taking any specific action. But sometimes some users are in the habit of deleting them without considering their impact on the system which can prove to be bad for the system afterwards. So, computer help technicians suggest you to take proper care of this error messages.

A specific warning that the computer users frequently face is the message 'You are running out of disk space on Local Disk'. Actually these warnings are created by Windows to alert the users when they run low disk space on their system. If your system has got less than 200 MB available disk then the first low disk warning comes. If your system has got less than 80 MB free space then it gets the second warning, if the system has got 50 MB of available disk space then the most urgent warning pops up on the computer screen. So, when the disk space of your system gradually decreases, the chance of warnings pop-up on your computer screen increases. And in such case, many users want to disable the warnings making changes in the Windows setting.

So, should you ignore the messages and can go ahead with working on the computer? Computer help technicians suggest you not to ignore these specially if you are running out pf space on your system drive or C drive. If you are running out of space in the C drive you need to act on immediately otherwise your system performance will suffer. Your attempt to recovery after any virus or spyware attack will also suffer severely. If you still don't act upon it, you can lose your data by computer lock up or system crash. You should also keep in mind that for optimal performance of your PC it needs minimum 200 MB free space and if it falls down under that label Windows automatically takes action to ensure the minimum performance.

If the warning refers to any other drive other than system drive like D or E drive you can ignore the messages. However, experts for computer help suggest you to clean up unnecessary files and make some space available.

When your computer hard drive has got minimum disk space another risk may take place. When the computer has got the minimum RAM memory, a virtual memory will be attempted to made by the Windows. If there is not enough space available, the application will fall causing system downfall.

However, bringing your system back on track is not tough. You can run disk clean up function and can solve the problem. For doing this you will need to click on the pop up for Low Disk Space. You can also use disk clean up tool to delete unnecessary files, temporary Internet files and other unimportant files and folders. Disk clean up action will free some of your disk spaces.

Read more: http://goo.gl/BhrTb

How to Use an Online IT Help Desk

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 19 Jul 2011 03:51:00 +0000

The easier it is for you to access an online help desk to inform their technicians of the networking or computer issue you are having, the quicker the issue can be resolved. IT help desk sites are all different, but most work in very similar ways.

Instructions

Submit a ticket, send an e-mail or establish a chat connection depending on the severity of your issue and what options are available on the IT help desk website. Some IT help desks charge money for assistance if it is during certain hours of the evening or if the situation is complex. Establish a chat connection for an immediate resolution for your issue.

Download the necessary software to open the chat script between you and the help desk technician. For example, Log Me In Rescue is a software that allows you and a technician to chat and for him to obtain certain details about your computer and operating system to troubleshoot. Download this or similar software when prompted form the help desk. Store the file to the desktop. The software will extract and install.

Tell the technician as much information as possible about your situation so he can actively troubleshoot. Be sure to list the time and frequency of the malfunction as well as the programs that are currently open and being affected.

Accept the terms and conditions when prompted if the technician needs to access your computer remotely. Many help desks allow a technician to remote access and view your files or your computer. This may be necessary to handle difficult tasks of perform certain tests on your system.

Read more: http://goo.gl/5Chv2

Online Computer Technical Support Repair Services

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 11 Jul 2011 09:04:00 +0000

Online PC Support Services - An Overview

Online PC support services have become most affordable and reliable solution for troubleshooting day to day computer problems. These computer support services which come under remote tech support are very useful for maintenance and repair of your computer system. Nowadays, computer support services are provided by skilled professionals certified by Microsoft through email, internet or telephones. There are many companies providing online computer help services to the users facing problems related to their systems. They call up remote technical support help desk and find solutions related to their computer issues.

The basis of remote tech support is that users get connected to expert professionals who diagnose the problems. These professionals then get access to the user desktop through remote desktop. They then troubleshoot the problems and change the settings to fix the problems. They employ the latest version of technology and tool to solve PC issues by analyzing the problems and providing online computer help through comprehensive set of detailed and useful instructions. These technicians have wide experience and are deft in troubleshooting almost all the problems in front of your eyes thereby providing you live PC support.

Advantages of Online Computer Help

The main advantage of availing remote technical support services is that you get your PC repaired in no time without having to go to repair shop. Online computer help is provided through internet or email from the convenience of your home or office. This saves your time and efforts without delaying your work. This is the most efficient option as you do not have to wait for hours or days to get the computer system fixed.

Secondly, professionals and technicians who provide these services have wide range of experience so they can diagnose the problems and can fix them most efficiently. Another advantage is that most of these remote technical support services come as a comprehensive package which involves one time payment after which you can avail unlimited services throughout the year. Additionally, some of these services come along with a guarantee so you do not have to pay for the services until the problems get fixed.

Thirdly, these services are provided 24/7 for your convenience, so you can get the problem solved anytime and anywhere. Thus, this type of PC tech support is available anytime. Fourthly, online PC tech support provides fast result. This type of PC tech support provides fast access to user system through remote desktop even from remote location. They troubleshoot the problems quickly after analyzing them.

Read more: http://goo.gl/zsegI

5 Tips to Solving Your Computer Driver Problems

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 05 Jul 2011 09:23:00 +0000

Drivers are a very important part of your computer. These little pieces of software make link our hardware to our software, applications, or operating system. Without them, Windows will not work correctly because it cannot communicate to your hardware. Your hardware therefore will not function at all, or it will work well below average performance.

So, if we are experiencing driver problems, what can we do to solve them? Here are some suggestions.

Visit the Driver Manufacturer website - Most problems can be solved by going directly to the manufacturer's website and downloading then installing the latest driver for that device. This will update the drivers and get your hardware functioning properly again.

Restart Your Computer - After the installation was completed, make sure that you restart your computer. If problems appear after an update, you should roll back the hardware driver - see tip 5.

Reinstall a Device Driver - If you are facing hardware issues, one of the first steps you should take is to reinstall the hardware driver. In many cases this will solve your problem. When you do this, Windows automatically detects and installs the hardware, like new. To do this, go to "Device Manager" on your Windows machine and select "Confirm Device Removal".

Try an Automated tool - Automated updaters such as Driver Detective or Driver Robot, offer a free evaluation version which allows you to scan your PC for missing drivers at no cost. If your missing drivers are found, you can register and for a small fee install the drivers automatically and receive unlimited driver updates. This is not a bad option especially if you cannot locate the driver you need manually.

Rolling back a Driver - This is a very easy process and there is nothing unsafe about it. To roll back a device driver means to revert to the old version. Windows will use the previous version of your driver.

As you can see, there are many options available if you are experiencing issues and are uncertain how to resolve them. If reinstalling, updating, rolling back the driver or any other of the above tips does not solve your driver problem, try reinstalling the hardware. Although the drivers themselves are the main causes of problems, faulty hardware installation has its share of the blame as well.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/2850662

Take advantage of the Remote Computer Help On-line and get the best Companies Everywhere!

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 24 Jun 2011 07:10:00 +0000

This remote personal computer assistance is actually a assistance which gives options and fixing for the usual complications faced by the people on the web, computer software, and hardware. It's also referred to as on the web laptop or computer technical assistance. This can be extensively employed by many computer system users particularly businessmen. It provides you with readily available as well as swiftly connections all all through the globe. This online computer assistance has a lot of benefits. The changes and improvements can be readily accomplished to your computer program, and within your scrutiny. This is indeed less complicated and simpler as in comparison with taking your own computer to the repair outlets.

An additional benefit associated with remote computer system assistance is the fact that they give assistance on the net, even when you’re on distant regions, somewhere far from computer repair outlets. Wherever you're, you can avail of this service. You are able to have this computer repair Chicago based, computer repair Los Angeles based, computer repair Portland based, or anyplace with that issue. You may share information and computer software and also you can always make contact with the technicians anytime you need them.

This particular on-line remote help makes use of remote desktop computer links which allows their computer system specialists to access your own system even though in remote areas. You do not have to worry about security concerns since the technicians make use of an advanced technology to guard your program.

There are many firms that give these services. The technicians are authorized experts and they make use of advanced technologies with regard to system tracking as well as management. As a result of the increasing demand for laptop or computer repairs and personal computer help, these corporations are created . Their availability along with the services they offered are one thing that individuals are regarding for. The on the internet service is accessible 24/7 and also you really don't need to transfer out of your spot to have your computer repaired or even re-installed. Not simply can these kind of services offer the top help and convenience, you'll also have the benefit of paying out for a lowest cost probable.

Source:-illuminatingmatters.info

How to Get Computer Help Online

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 07 Jun 2011 06:40:00 +0000

Computers always seem to have some sort of problem. It can be very frustrating when you just want to use your computer and programs like normal and things are not working right. While you can just wait for paid help, after awhile this can become very costly to you especially if it's actually an easy fix. If you learn how to find your own computer help by using the internet, it's a skill that will help you save money as well as have more control over your system when there is something going wrong.

Before you do anything, you need to always start off with computer issues by diagnosing the most basic problems first. Today one of the most common problems on most systems are virus and malware problems. Do your best to keep updated virus and spyware software and keep it on at all times. Many people just learning this one habit will be able to avoid a wide variety of computer related issues.

The first thing that you can do when you have a software related problem is to find a forum for that specific piece of software. If you are using a word processor and are getting a problem, go to a search engine and look for that software's forum. Sometimes these are official forums and sometimes these are made by the users. Typically you will be able to find your answer there. If not, you can ask a question explaining your issue and someone will help you.

For hardware related issues you can do the same thing. There are many users who make forums for specific pieces of hardware. Search for these and take advantages of them getting the help that you need for your problem.

If you get a specific error from your computer, simply take that error, put it in quotes, and do a search in a search engine. This typically brings up a wide variety of results that makes it easy to learn how to fix your problem.

Read more: http://goo.gl/66TMI

Computer Help to Fix Speaker Issues

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 31 May 2011 04:34:00 +0000

A quality sound card and set of computer speakers can never guarantee long term functionality. You can face problem with them at some point or other or just can not get them to work. In major cases the errors crop up due to simple carelessness. So, as computer help professionals suggest while facing such errors, you start checking from the very basic things like plug in error and power connection. It might sound idiotic, but some time people just forget to plug in the speakers and look for causes why they are not getting sound out of their system. Professional tech support experts direct non technical users to connect their devices properly to the circuit for here the orientation also maters a lot. So if you are one facing such error, check the condition is not similar in your case.

If you checked with the power connection thing and confirmed there is no error, concentrate on finding where the actual error lies then. Computer help suggest, you need to be much careful and a little technical while diagnosing some system error. In most cases people spend hours on finding a root cause while it simply lies on the basic part. According to computer help guidance, you first need to connect your speakers with a music system or radio, if it works, then the problem is definitely within your computer system.

Tech support directs you to check the internal volume controller of your computer system that monitors sound level. In some cases user keep the sound controller mute which leads to no sound output from the computer system. You will also be directed to open the advanced audio controls to make sure no technical error is there. If the problem still persists, computer support technicians will ask you run some multimedia applications like media files to check the sound output. This will ensure the problem is truly within your system setup and not on certain audio files. But if the sound error is occurring on certain media files, uninstall them immediately and download another file from internet.

Online computer help or tech support companies provide free software program or utilities from reliable sources that never bring virus or other malicious programs along with. This is a serious concern; being a non technical user or new in computer world you might download the files from wrong sources that even worsen the situation. So, it is always wise to work with a professional assistance as you can never afford a mistake.

If you are not getting any fruitful result from these efforts, your computer help vendor will direct you to go to the system properties by clicking Windows + Pause/Break. Here you need to make sure the system sound card is installed properly. A yellow exclamation mark will denote if you need to reinstall it.

Source: http://goo.gl/4p9OH

Know All About Online Computer Repairs

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 24 May 2011 05:01:00 +0000

Nowadays, one can do anything on the internet. Whether it is doing research on certain subjects or shopping from home. Everything is possible if you have access to the internet and computer. Most of the people have a computer at their homes. With an increase in the usage of the computer, the problems associated with it are also on a rise. Even if one is very careful while using the system, there are 100% chances that even then they will face some or the other problem at some point in time. The usual routine is to go to a computer repair shop and get the computer repaired. This is the correct solution but it also causes a lot of inconvenience. In today's times, on line computer repairs are becoming the order of the day.

It is one of the best gifts of technology as now one does not have to carry their computer systems all the way to the repair shops to get them repaired for even small problems. And then one had to wait for a long time to get it back. The other thing is that these computer repair services do not cost much. One does not have to spend fortunes for getting one's system repaired. Most of them charge a very minimal amount for removing the virus or the spy ware. Most of the on site computer repairs shops offer the free or fix it policy. This means that they will charge you only if they are able to fix up your system problem. They do not charge anything for consultation. The most common types of problems that are solved by the online repair companies are driver issues, virus and spy ware removal, system tune ups, internet issues and the registry issues.

Though there are many problems that cannot be solved by these computer repairs services for reasons unknown. Issues like booting problem cannot be solved by these repair shops. Neither can they fix the system if a certain part of the computer gets damaged. But since they have the no fix no pay policy, one does not lose any money. So if you are going for online repairing of your computer make sure that the company you have chosen has this policy.

Here are some benefits of the online computer repair services.

* Online tutorials are available for repairing the computer. Though an expert will only fix your system, you can also understand how you can go about fixing your system for a particular problem. It educates you about your system, so that you can yourself minor problems of your system.
* These online services offer excellent customer service. All your system problems whether big or small will be given utmost attention and care.
* You save a lot of your time and energy by getting your computer fixed online. Otherwise you would have to waste a lot of standing in queue and wait for your turn for getting your system problem fixed.
* These services are offered seven days a week. You can avail their remote tech services anytime and from anywhere. You won't have to worry about holiday or breaks.
* Well experienced and qualified technicians are hired to fix up your system problem. They are experts in this field and are absolute professionals. You can completely rely on their expertise.

So it is better to go for these online repair services. It will help you save a lot of your time, energy and money. There are several online sites who offer these services. All you have to do is visit them and see how you can contact them for repair services.

Source: http://goo.gl/rylEB

5 Important Facts To Know About Computer Maintenance

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 18 May 2011 09:58:00 +0000

Read on and find out more about computer maintenance and support. We list down 5 facts to know so that you won't be at a loss the next time you call for support.

Computer breakdowns are pretty much unavoidable

1. The Original Manufacturer

One of the first things to do when you get a computer breakdown is to call the original manufacturer of your hardware. They will offer service and support through a phone line. Some of them are notoriously difficult to deal with - so be prepared to weather some bad service sometimes.

2. Repair It Yourself

If you're feeling adventurous and you have the know-how, you can try repairing the PC yourself. In fact, many vendors now give you a choice to repair yourself according to their instructions.

If you really want to learn how to upgrade, maintain or troubleshoot computers, then click here to learn about a great resource.

3. Outsourcing

This point is more relevant to companies. If you own a business, you can consider outsourcing your computer repairs to a vendor or third-party company. Just be careful in dealing with them - make sure that you write up proper contracts and scrutinize their terms and conditions.

4. Look for Your Friends

If you have a friend with good computer background and experience, then you can ask them to upgrade or repair your PC for you. I personally help out with many of the PC problems my friends and relatives have.

5. Remember to Get Names

one last point. Always remember write down the name of customer support officer speaking to you in a support phone call. You need to reach that same person again if you check some technical fault and need to get back to the company.

Source: http://goo.gl/bF2C6

Install Antivirus to Make PC Secure

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 11 May 2011 11:31:00 +0000

In today's scenario, security of your computer system from intruders has become a difficult task. Intruders can access your important data and may harm your computer system. Your computer system becomes more vulnerable to malicious programs in case an updated antivirus is not installed on it. The reason behind this is the fact that any malicious program like virus, worm can enter into your system from many ways.

Malicious programs get installed on your computer system when you browse infected websites on the internet, when you download any infected software, when you open an infected e-mail message and so. If you want to protect your computer system from these malicious programs, then you have to install updated antivirus software on your computer system.
Why you should install antivirus?

Antivirus software offers computer security and protection from malicious programs like virus, worm, Trojan horse and other harmful things. The role of an antivirus is to check all the files for presence of viruses or any malicious program. In case it detects any viruses, it will suggest suitable action to remove them from your computers.

After installation of antivirus software, you should update it whenever anew update is available. If you have the latest antivirus program installed in your PC you will be able to identify newly discovered viruses and security threats. You should select an antivirus program depending upon your usage of computer and Internet.

If you are downloading any antivirus software from Internet, then you should investigate about the source of antivirus. In case the source is not legitimate you might end up installing some viruses along with the software causing harm for the health of your computer.

Antivirus software make use of many methods for identifying viruses. Some of the most common methods are signature based detection, heuristic based detection, and many more. In the signature based detection, antivirus software compares the content of files with virus signature. Heuristic based approach is used to identify unknown viruses.

Source: http://goo.gl/j53Lm

New fake antivirus accepts SMS payments

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 19 Apr 2011 06:36:00 +0000

There's a new twist with some fake antivirus scareware that has cropped up. It accepts payment via SMS, according to antivirus firm CyberDefender.

Typical rogue security programs infect the system first, then display pop ups warning that the computer is infected, and request payment to clean it up. The new programs are seemingly more genteel, asking for the money before the program is installed and infects the system, said Achal Khetarpal, threat research director at CyberDefender. Of course, a payment does nothing to "fix" a system and means criminals now have your money and possibly your credit card information.

When a potential victim happens upon a Web site hosting the malware, a dialog box pops up that looks very much like an installer window for a legitimate antivirus product, according to screenshots from CyberDefender. It says "Welcome to" and names a popular antivirus software and suggests closing other applications. If the victim falls for the ruse, it then displays a message that says "To complete installation, you must go through activation" and offers several ways to pay, including SMS (Short Message Service), WebMoney, and credit card.

If you click "cancel", the program won't install, compared with typical fake antivirus programs that have already infected the system by the time the victim realizes what is happening and keep displaying the annoying pop-up messages, even after reboot, Khetarpal said.

The company has seen five versions of the rogue security programs masquerading as software from Avast, Norton, McAfee, BitDefender, and RootKitBuster, and they, as usual, target Windows systems.

Khetarpal could not say how widespread the malware is but said he has seen it in a "lot of Web sites" and in relation to search results for popular and trending topics.

Fake AV scammers aren't the only ones to hop on the SMS payment bandwagon. Scammers were found to be seeking payment by SMS for fake browser updates earlier this year, according to GFI Labs.

Virus Attacks. Facebook of South Africa Endangered!

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 04 Apr 2011 08:27:00 +0000

It's over the corner. Millions of Facebook users should take all the possible precautions, especially South Africans. Why? It was recently announced that extremely dangerous viruses have started to spread worldwide. However, at this point, the primary source of attack is South Africa.

According to the CEO of ESET Sounthern Africa, Carey van Vlaanderen there are two types of viruses which are most dangerous. One of them is Yimfoca.AA which attacks through Facebook chats, while Fbphotofake uses Facebook spam messages in order to distribute all kinds of malware.

According to the research done, people started not to trust in emails send from unknown sources. However, a vast majority of Facebook users still consider messages sent from friends to be reliable and secure. Of course, you should always keep in mind what message you receive, what it states and only then open it. You should be more suspicious about all your friends cause, in most cases, when a Facebook profile gets infected, even your friend is unaware that he is sending spam messages with malicious data in it.

Therefore, we advise you to take extreme caution and be suspicious about everything, about every single message you receive even from your best friend.

Although the viruses Yimfoca.AA and Fbphotofake have started to spread in Southern Africa, it won't take long till they reach not only Europe but America as well. Surf safe!

Kaspersky Mobile Security 9 for Android and Blackberry: antivirus for the smartphone

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 30 Mar 2011 06:34:00 +0000

The smartphone needs antivirus as well, at least that’s what Kaspersky is claiming and charging $30 per year for the use of the application that purports to be an all inclusive security solution for the mobile OS.

The rise of the smartphones also has disadvantages: in recent years, smartphones, their applications, browsers and processors become no less powerful than our PC’s, and are used for tasks and assignments. If there’s one thing PC’s are characterized with (especially those running Windows) its security breaches. Viruses, malware and Trojan horses are terms that still bring fear into users hearts and force them to use an effective antivirus, like Kaspersky – a veteran in the arena of PC antivirus.

Kaspersky Mobile Security is the company’s product that purports to provide a collection of tools to maintain privacy and security on our smartphone. This is not just an antivirus but an entire package that contains firewall, tools to fight theft of loss of the device, call filter and more. Version 9 that was issued in the beginning of the year with support to Windows Mobile and Symbian received a significant update that added support to Android (versions 1.6 to 2.2) and Blackberry (versions 4.5 to 6.0) but not the new Windows Phone 7 by Microsoft.

Unlike other solutions for the Blackberry and Android that exist on the market, Kaspersky doesn’t have a free version for the application and the application is offered at a license limited to one device at a relatively higher price than common in the smartphones market. In order to gain access to the application in any of the four supported OS you’ll have to part with $29.95 per year. A trial period of one week is available after which you’ll have to decide whether you want to continue.

The application’s installation is a little complicated because it is not done through the Android Market or Blackberry application store but by entering Kaspersky’s website and downloading an outside file. On the Android you’ll have to enable the download of an application from an unknown origin and then follow the instructions. On the Blackberry you’ll have to authorize a series of authorizations for the application during the installation.

New way removing virus from a computer

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 08 Mar 2011 09:36:00 +0000

STEP 1:what I did is that i created a secondary account on my computer for backup plan if my main account is infected badly were the antivirus program wont come up and get rid of the virus.
STEP 2:hold the power button on your computer until it turns off. let it sit for a minute or two. turn it back on and log in when the log in screen comes up. click on the antivirus program that you bought. if your antivirus program doesnt come up and you tried everything. then log off or shutdown your computer and use your secondary
account you created.
STEP 3: go to the control panel on your seconary account and click on USER ACCOUNTS AND FAMILY SAFETY. then go to ADD OR REMOVE USER ACCOUNTS after that then click on the user account and then click on delete user account. it will get rid of the account. ONLY DO THIS IF YOU HAVE TOO.

Malware ads hit London Stock Exchange Web site

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 01 Mar 2011 13:01:00 +0000

Visitors to the London Stock Exchange's Web site were hit with malicious ads over the weekend, designed to pop up fake security messages on their computers.

The culprit was an online advertisement that was somehow placed on the Unanimis ad network, which is used by the the Web site, a London Stock Exchange spokeswoman said Monday. "We had an advert on the site that linked through to a third-party website that was hosting this malware," she said. She did not know how many people had been served the malicious ad.

The Stock Exchange's Web site itself was not compromised, and the ad was removed as soon as it was discovered on Sunday, she said.

Nevertheless, visitors to the site early Monday were greeted with browser warnings saying that londonstockexchange.com had been reported as an attack page. The warnings showed up in the Firefox, Chrome and Safari browsers, but were removed later in the day.

"The malware was a classic spoof antivirus program which used a software vulnerability to download and install native executable code," said Paul Mutton, a researcher with Web analytics firm Netcraft, who reported the issue on his personal blog.

The malware pops up a message on the victim's computer that reads "Warning! You're in danger! Your computer is infected with spyware." This is a common type of malicious program, called "rogue antivirus," which is designed to trick the user into paying for useless antivirus software. Typically the victim ends up handing money over to the scammers, but the malicious software doesn't really go away.

In an online chat, Mutton said he did not know what bug the hackers used to install their malware. He also said he couldn't discuss the incident further.

In a brief statement, Unanimis said it had found malware "which affected some advertisements on our network." Unanimis is owned by European telecommunications giant Orange France Telecom Group.

Security experts say that criminals have become adept at sneaking onto online ad networks in recent years. In December, Google's ad network was hit with a similar type of malware. That attack lasted for about five days, according to security vendor Armorize.

Windows 7 Security: 5 Simple Ways to Stay Safer

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 16 Feb 2011 12:30:00 +0000

Is your Windows 7 PC as secure as it could be?

It's often too easy for you busy laptop warriors to assume your Windows PCs are safe. A computer virus? That's not going to happen to me ... until it does.

So in addition to running a full antivirus software suite, either free and good enough (Avast, Microsoft Security Essentials) or paid and Teflon strong (Symantec Norton, Kaspersky), you should also take advantage of Windows 7's built-in security settings and updates.

These five simple security features in Windows 7 help keep the bad guys at bay.

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Action Center

Action Center, the home base for your PC's security, lists all information about security settings. The main role of Action Center is to consistently check on security items such as your network firewall and maintenance items including backup and restore, to make sure your machine is healthy.

The Action Center in Windows 7 gives you a view of all your PC's security and maintenance features.

Action Center shows up as a little white flag on the right-hand side of the Windows 7 toolbar, or it can be reached by the path Control Panel -- System and Security -- Action Center.

Inside Action Center, you can make sure your Windows Firewall is on, your antivirus software is up to date and that your PC is set to install updates automatically.

When the status of a monitored security item changes, such as your antivirus becoming out of date, Action Center notifies you with a message in the taskbar. Then when you open Action Center, the status of the item in question changes color to indicate the severity of the problem, and an action is requested.

[ For complete coverage on Microsoft's Windows 7 operating system -- including hands-on reviews, video tutorials and advice on enterprise rollouts -- see CIO.com's Windows 7 Bible. ]

Action Center is a helpful resource that warns you when there may be trouble. Be sure not to neglect those Action Center messages when they turn up.

Windows Defender

Windows Defender, antispyware software that's included with Windows 7, runs automatically when it is turned on.

Spyware is any unwanted or potentially harmful software that can be installed on your computer without your knowledge any time you connect to the Internet. It can also infect your computer when you install programs using a CD or DVD.

Windows Defender staves off spyware in two ways:

* Real-time protection. Windows Defender alerts you when spyware attempts to install itself or to run on your computer. It also alerts you when programs attempt to change important Windows settings.
* Scanning options. You can use Windows Defender to scan for spyware that might be installed on your computer, to schedule scans on a regular basis, and to automatically remove anything that's detected during a scan.

To open Windows Defender, click the Start button located in the far left of the task bar. In the search box, type Defender, and then, in the list of results, click Windows Defender.

User Account Control

UAC, the security feature that prompts you for permission to install or open programs, was despised by Windows Vista users, but it is much more customizable in Windows 7. The options are no longer "on or off"; there are four notification levels that a user can set.

The four settings in Windows 7 UAC's customizable slider range from Always notify to Never notify.

The improved Windows 7 UAC is essential in that it informs you when a program makes a change that could potentially harm your computer or make it susceptible to security threats.

If you are your computer's administrator (in most cases you are), you can click Yes to continue. If you are not an administrator, someone with an administrator account on the computer will have to enter their password for you to continue.

When your permission is needed to open a program or install software, UAC will notify you with one of four different types of dialog boxes:

* When a program or setting is part of Windows and needs your permission to start.
* When a program is not a part of Windows and needs your permission to start
* When a program with an unknown publisher needs your permission to start
* When you have been blocked by your system administrator from running a program because the program is known to be untrusted

To modify User Account Control Settings, click the Start button and then click Control Panel. In the search box, type uac, and then click Change User Account Control Settings.

Windows Update

Windows Update can be a pest, especially when updates pop up when you're in the middle of 10 things. But by installing the latest updates as they become available for your PC, you are continually improving the security, reliability and performance of your computer without too much of an inconvenience.

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You can set Windows to automatically install "important" and "recommended" updates or to install important updates only. Important updates are for more critical security and reliability issues and recommended updates address noncritical problems.

To turn on automatic Windows Updates:

* Click on the Start button. In the search box type Update, and then in the list of results click Windows Update.
* In the left pane, click Change Settings.
* Under Important updates, you can choose if you want to install new updates automatically, and the day and time you want the latest updates to take place (i.e. Every Day at 6 am).
* Under Recommended Updates select the "Give me recommended updates the same way I receive important updates" check box, and then click OK.

Windows Firewall

Windows Firewall is an easy feature to turn on or off and can help prevent hackers and worms from slithering into your computer through a network or the Internet. A firewall can also help stop your computer from sending malicious software to other computers.

Unless you have another firewall enabled, such as a corporate network firewall, you should turn on Windows Firewall to protect your computer and network (if you have one).

To turn on Windows Firewall:

* Click the Start button, and then click Control Panel. In the search box, type firewall, and then click Windows Firewall.
* In the left pane, click "Turn Windows Firewall on or off." If you're prompted for an administrator password or confirmation, type the password or provide confirmation.
* Click Turn on Windows Firewall under each network location that you want to help protect, and then click OK.

Note: If your computer is connected to a corporate network, your company's group policy settings might prevent you from turning on Windows Firewall.

Microsoft Overhauls Free Antivirus Software

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 23 Dec 2010 11:58:00 +0000

Without fanfare, on Thursday Microsoft released version 2 of its Microsoft Security Essentials (MSE) antivirus software. The software is free for individuals and small businesses with up to 10 PCs.

The new version of the software, which recently went through a four-month beta program, now has an overhauled heuristic antivirus scanning engine, integration with Windows Firewall, and network traffic inspection for Windows Vista and 7 -- but not XP -- reported Ars Technica.
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Positive Networks has a straightforward approach to two-factor authentication using your cell phone. Instead of spending money on more security infrastructure for your virtual environment, Solera's V2P Tap promises to regenerate the virtual traffic to your existing security infrastructure, thereby protecting your investment. Andrew Conry-Murray spoke with the president of RSA, Art Coviello, at EMC World 2008 about Data Loss Prevention.
Instead of spending money on more security infrastructure for your virtual environment, Solera's V2P Tap promises to regenerate the virtual traffic to your existing security infrastructure, thereby protecting your investment.

On Thursday, Microsoft also announced that the not-free Forefront Endpoint Protection 2010 -- aimed at larger corporate users -- would be available from January 1, 2011. Forefront offers similar functionality to MSE, as well as centralized administration.

According to internal Microsoft research, 80% of PC users in the United States think their antivirus software is up to date. But in reality -- thanks to outdated signatures or lapsed trials -- only about 40% of Windows users are employing up-to-date antivirus software.

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Why, then, wasn't there more fanfare for the latest version of a free antivirus program that's earned plaudits? The United Kingdom's PC Pro magazine said the stealth release might have to do with the software looking less like its previous, standalone antivirus scanner incarnation, and more like the security software offered by the likes of Symantec and McAfee. With MSE 2, according to PC Pro, "users are now asked whether they want to turn on the Windows Firewall during installation, dragging Security Essentials closer to becoming a full-fledged security suite."

Microsoft has recently come under fire from some antivirus firms for apparently muscling onto their turf. In November, after Microsoft began automatically installing MSE onto PCs that lacked antivirus software, Trend Micro slammed Microsoft on competitive grounds.

In a similar vein, Panda Software blogged that Microsoft was threatening PC users by creating an antivirus monoculture. According to Panda, "Microsoft should offer the complete portfolio of more advanced and secure alternatives of free antivirus products and time-limited versions of paid security suites, allowing users to choose any of them from the Optional Windows/Microsoft Update." Microsoft doesn't appear to have pursued this strategy.

Interestingly, Microsoft's release of MSE 2 comes on the heels of a new study from German AV vendor Avira, which found widespread dissatisfaction with antivirus. According to the survey of more than 9,000 Avira users, 25% of antivirus users admit to pulling the plug on their antivirus software -- at least temporarily -- because it appeared to be slowing their computer. Furthermore, nearly two-thirds of respondents have tried multiple security products on their PC in the past year.

AVG Antivirus Update Crashes Windows 7 64-bit PCs

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 08 Dec 2010 12:10:00 +0000

If you have not downloaded the latest version of AVG Antivirus 2011 free edition mandatory update, it would be sure to pay attention to intercept it before the collapse of your computer system; because the AVG update released on December 1 can crash Windows 7 running on 64-bit PC completely.

The problem lies in 271.1.1/3292 (432/3292) database update progress; when the update is completed, the software will prompt to restart, then the affected computer will pop up a C0000135 error(windows 7 kernel error) and can not restart, and AVG update crashes Windows 7 running on 64-bit PC completely.

AVG has released urgent update patches to ensure that more computer is not affected by this problem. AVG also published a solution about how to disable the software, and AVG forum users also come up with a number of problem-solving skills, such as pressing F8 to enter safe mode to remove AVG update.

Microsoft vs. McAfee: How free antivirus outperformed paid

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 15 Nov 2010 10:52:00 +0000

Ed Bott has experiment
How effective is free antivirus software? Ed Bott had a chance to see a real, in-the-wild example just this month, and the results were, to put it mildly, unexpected. The bottom line? Microsoft’s free antivirus solution found and removed a threat that two well-known paid products missed. Here are the details.
Ed Bott’ve had Microsoft Security Essentials (MSE) installed on my main working PC for most of the past year. Mostly, he use it for real-time protection. He typically disable the scheduled virus scans on PCs and instead occasionally do a manual scan just to confirm that nothing out of the ordinary has snuck through. Last month he decided to perform a scan using the Full option.
MSE had detected several files that it considered malicious. One was a rigged PDF file. The other was a single file in the Java cache folder on this system that contained three separate exploits. Using the information in the MSE history pane, he found the file and uploaded it to Virustotal.com, which is a free service that allows you to scan a suspicious file using 43 separate antivirus engines. The file, identified by a unique hash, had already been analyzed:
Only 17 of 43 antivirus products detected this as a threat. The full results page showed the identification, if any, for each product on the list. Microsoft, Symantec, Avast, and F-Secure were among the engines that flagged the file. But the majority didn’t. That means one of two things. Either the file was a false positive, or he was about to delete something harmless and perhaps even necessary. Or it was real, and most AV programs were missing it.
To get to the bottom of the issue, he sent e-mail messages to contacts at three companies. He asked Microsoft to reanalyze the file and confirm that it was indeed malicious. He also asked McAfee and Sunbelt to look at the file; both of them had reported the file as clean, according to VirusTotal.
Microsoft had two analysts review the file. Here’s a portion of their response:
We have confirmed that the threat detection you received from Microsoft Security Essentials is indeed valid. There were more than 3.5 million reported CVE-2008-5353 attacks in Q3 2010, and Java vulnerability exploitations like these, while once a rare occurrence, have spiked this year. … [T]his exact file is something we have seen in the wild more than 40,000 times in the past six months.
This October 18 post by Holly Stewart on the Microsoft Malware Protection Center blog provides useful additional detail on why these types of attacks can be challenging for IDS/IPS vendors, as well as the steps customers should take to ensure that they are protected.
According to the scan results, this threat was first identified in definition 1.85.1774.0, which was released by Microsoft on July 9, 2010.
McAfee responded quickly to my e-mail as well. A spokesperson sent this reply:
Our Labs team took a look at the file you referenced and it is malicious. We are in the process of developing new heuristics to combat the effects from a stream of recent malicious JAR files more proactively, the file corresponding with the hash you mentioned is in the queue.
Sunbelt’s Malware Response Manager, Dodi Glenn, reported that this file was in the company’s repository and submitted it for detailed analysis. Here are the results:
This file contains a malicious java.class … that exploits the CVE-2008-5353 vulnerability. … We are currently testing our updated detection for this exploit and expect to release it shortly.
The good news is that my system wasn’t compromised in any way. The exploit in question was blocked by a Java update that I had installed last year. Likewise, the booby-trapped PDF file (which all of the antivirus programs detected) relied on the user having a very outdated version of Adobe Reader installed, and mine was fully up-to-date.
Last week, when I wrote about Microsoft’s decision to expand its distribution of Microsoft Security Essentials via Microsoft Update, McAfee complained that free software simply isn’t as good as its paid protection. Here’s what a spokesperson told me:
McAfee wants consumers to be safe online. Options that provide an elementary level of security are free products including Microsoft Security Essentials, however these mostly rely on traditional protection mechanisms. McAfee products offer not only more features but most importantly, McAfee products offer real-time protection using cloud-based Global Threat Intelligence to combat even the most sophisticated threats thus ensuring complete protection and peace of mind.
In this case, at least, that protection wasn’t as complete as the free Microsoft product it was comparing itself to.
As an aside, it’s worth noting that criticizing Microsoft Security Essentials because it’s free misses an important point. MSE uses the same scanning engine and definitions as its enterprise-grade Forefront product, which is most assuredly not free.
One certainly shouldn’t draw definitive conclusions from a single anecdotal example, but as this case shows, the gap between antivirus products isn’t as simple as free versus paid, and even the best and brightest researchers can miss a threat.

Resource:http://www.zdnet.com/blog/bott/microsoft-vs-mcafee-how-free-antivirus-outperformed-paid/2614

McAfee Launches Digital Information Security Initiative

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 18 Oct 2010 11:56:00 +0000

McAfee announced it has unveiled its "Security Connected" initiative, enabling partners, developers and customers to apply a sustainable approach to securing digital information.
McAfee has announced the first two of four new connected security platforms.
1. McAfee Endpoint Security 9
2. McAfee Security Management 5

Security often is being driven from different silos within businesses, from mobile devices, PCs, and tablets, to mission-critical networks, hosted applications, servers, cloud services, virtual machines, and databases, bringing dozens or hundreds of different security technologies and disparate management paradigms with them.

McAfee said its Security Connected components include: -Proactive security through built-in integration and intelligence -Global Threat Intelligence: Threat research and content capability to deliver predictive threat analysis, reputational scoring, cloud delivery and intelligence in depth to power connected security technologies.

-Broad portfolio of countermeasures: Integrated security for PCs, Mac, smartphones, tablets, storage, embedded, silicon, network perimeter, datacenter, web gateways, mail security, content, and so on with a choice of on premise, SaaS, or hybrid delivery models.

-McAfee Connected: program is aimed at helping partners worldwide ensure product and service compatibility with McAfee solutions. The program's testing process ensures that the third-party hardware, software and services that customers choose perform well, and are compatible with, McAfee technology.

How to Remove Antimalware Doctor Virus ?

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 04 Oct 2010 10:26:00 +0000

End Infected Processes

Step 1

Press "Ctrl" + "Alt" + "Delete."

Step 2

Click on the "Task Manager."

Step 3

Click on the "Processes" tab.

Step 4

Right click on "Antimalware Doctor.exe," and select "End Process."

Delete Infected Registry Values

Step 1

Click on the "Start" menu.

Step 2

Click on "Run."

Step 3

Type "regedit" (without the quotation marks) and click "OK." The Registry Editor will open.

Step 4

Locate the following registry values in the left pane of the Registry Editor and delete them. To delete a registry value, right click on it and select "Delete."

"HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Antimalware Doctor Inc\Antimalware Doctor"
"HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\Antimalware Doctor"
"HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run Antimalware Doctor.exe"

Delete Infected Files

Step 1

Click on the "Start" menu.

Step 2

Click on "Search Files and Folders."

Step 3

Search for and delete the following files. To delete a file, right click on it and select "Delete."

"enemies-names.txt"
"Antimalware Doctor.exe"