You may already have had a bad experience with a computer viruses. If this is true then you may have been due to opening an email from some one you didn't know, or from downloading a ton of different files off the internet. Either way, if you want to ensure this doesn't happen again, the you should read this article to guard yourself against the annoying computer bugs.

I have put together 10 tips that you can follow in order to avoid being infected by a nasty virus that could potentially turn your PC into a disaster zone.

1. Purchase and install a well respected antivirus software program and be sure to set it up so that it automatically runs when the computer starts up.

2. Ensure that the antivirus software is kept up to date. Most software has a feature that warns you when it is going to expire.

3. Set your antivirus program to scan for potential viruses each time you open a word-processing document like the ones that get sent through email. Viruses found in word-processing documents are called Macro Viruses......


4. You should only download software from the internet if it is really necessary. There maybe some great programs available online, but there are also many bad viruses too.

5. There are many ways to swap data between two different computers. I don't recommend you do this unless it is unavoidable, and even then you must scan the storage device you are transferring from for viruses.

6. When transferring data using a floppy disc, the disc must be formatted first.

7. Only use trusted vendors when you are buying new software for your computer.

One of the most common ways of catching a virus is to install pirate software. This is illegal and should never be done.

9. You must scan all programs you download of the web, BEFORE you open and install them on your computer.

10. Back up your files on regular basis so that if you do get infected, you can delete the corrupted files and replace them with clean ones that were saved earlier.

I can't guarantee, if you follow the step that I advise, that you won't get a computer virus, but I can promise you that it will be a less likely occurrence by far.

Sponsored by: Malaysian Internet Marketer

Photo: http://www.ciasolutions.com.au

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Author: Roberto Beiro is a new author on the web. You can find more computer advice from him at his website Old boy articles. There are also 100's of articles on other subjects like finance advice, and travel advice

Top 10 Tips For Guarding Against Computer Viruses

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With the advent of the touch screen interface for iPods when the Touch came out, new features were added to the humble iPod to make it better than ever and more flexible in the realm of mobile entertainment for the person on the go. And the most compelling addition to the iPod Touch compared to other iPods before it was a whole new slew of games using the device's touch screen as controls. For the iPod owner who is also a gamer at heart, this can be a dream come true because now, not only can you play music or videos on your device, but play games and keep setting new high scores on their iPod. And the best part is that you can download and install new games on your iPod to make it even better when you play the games you want.

Types of games available for download

From puzzle games to arcade, sports games to racing, there are a lot of games available for downloading to your iPod touch so that you won't ever have to feel bored again. Games in any genre that you enjoy playing are available, most of them at a price......


There are a lot of games coming out, because to the developers the iPod Touch/iPhone is a new platform where they can develop new games or specialized versions of their bestselling titles for iPod gamers to play. You'll be able to select which games you want to get when you browse around gaming download sites. There are new titles for the iPod touch itself, and there are new reprisals of old games that are loved by most even in their simplicity, like the classic solitaire game. You can download whatever game you want and enjoy it all on your iPod.

How much you'll pay

With iPod games downloads, you can expect that there are some good games that are free to download and pay, and at the other extreme you'll have to pay upwards of twenty dollars for a chance to play your favorite game on your new iPod. But most games will fall somewhere in between, and the list price for individual downloads will most likely be in the ten-dollar range. These games will be priced squarely so that the developer will also make money, but at a price that won't have users steering away from them in droves.

However, there are also other ways that you can get games on your iPod Touch. Download sites that charge a membership fee but offer unlimited downloads for their subscription duration are way better for your wallet than having to download each game separately. Once you've signed up, all you have to do is pay the initial subscription, and then you can download whenever you want, no matter how many you want to download and put in your iPod.

Another way to get around paying for games on your device is to get the trial versions before you actually download the full version on your iPod, so that if you don't like the download, you didn't actually pay for it yet so no worries on your part. If you like it however, you can purchase the full version knowing that you'll already be satisfied with your new game on your iPod Touch.

Sponsored by: Malaysian Internet Marketer

Photo: http://asia.cnet.com

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Author: Sandra Maria Stammberger is the owner of Ipod Touch Downloads - Visit her site and learn about the best places to download iPod Touch games, music, movies, and software.

What iPod Touch Games Downloads Are Out There for the Gamer iPod Owner

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What is VoIp ? It's voice over the internet calling from your computer. People across the world are finding that internet phone service is the new easier way to communicate. Unlike traditional land line phone service Internet phone service lets users make cheap phone calls using their broadband internet connection and an internet phone.

Choosing a provider you can trust and that offers the latest features and technologies makes internet phone service easy and fun.

FOR EXAMPLE.

Lets say you live in Mexico City where you use your VoIP phone. Your mom lives in Miami, Her area code is 786. You could get an telephone number in the 786 area code that rings in Mexico City. Now mom dose not have to pay long distance chargers when she calls you. There is no limit to the amount of telephone numbers you can have and they will ring anywhere in the world you connect using your VoIP phone number......

Keeping Your Existing Number.

If you would like to keep your existing phone number and wish to purchase, You can choose a lite line service or use a service like US/Canada Unlimited Plan.

If you would like a new phone number and wish to purchase a plan from the area you can select to Purchase Phone Number, a Pay as you go type, in addition to the Did phone number More on (DID number on our next post).

Or choose a US/Canada unlimited plan which provides a flat rate monthly plan perfect to replace you existing your existing phone service (Virtual DID phone Number can be added to any of service that support DID's).

Sponsored by: Malaysian Internet Marketer

Photo: http://www.instablogsimages.com

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Author: Charles Stillwell writes on VoIP Internet Phone Service business related issues. You can learn more on by visiting my blogger at http://StilTechCo.com

The Basics Of Understanding VoIP

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Computers are an essential part of everyday life. Weather it is used for school, business or just fun, almost everyone today has or knows how to use a computer. The majority of people use Windows based operating systems and the newest operating system to come from Windows is Windows Vista.

Keeping your computer clean and running smooth is the best way to increase productivity and decrease the frustration of having a slow computer when you are working on an important task. One of the best ways to keep your computer running great is by cleaning the registry with a Windows Vista Registry cleaner.

Vista certified?

Many of the registry cleaners, even some big name ones, are still not yet ready for Vista yet. So, be careful when choosing a registry cleaner to avoid these if you have Windows Vista as your operating system.

A good registry cleaner has the ability to clean the registry in order to get your computer's speed up speed up and have it run smoother with little to no errors. Registry cleaners also get rid of those pesky spyware files that hog a majority of your system's resources and steal information from your computer. The Windows Vista operating system is very different from the previous version so it is important to use a genuine Vista registry cleaner......


Vista certified means it has been given Microsoft's seal of approval, but when you think about it, this is not a really big deal. If a reputable company feels its cleaner is ready to deal with Vista that is good enough for me. What Microsoft thinks and why they think it is secondary.

Registry optimization

Using the registry cleaner is very simple, pretty much as simple as opening the program and hitting a button to run it. Once it runs, it does all the work by itself, checking for problems and fixing them. The best registry cleaners also compress, or optimize the data as well and this is where a majority of the speed boost comes from.

It keeps the registry up to date and removes all the unnecessary and outdated files not used by your computer anymore. New to Vista registry cleaners, it can also deal with viruses and trojans as well, which not only slow down your computer but are also very harmful to it as well.

Newer operating systems

Technology has progressed and the use of the computer has increased drastically. With all the things you can do, like listen to music, watch videos, surf the net, write papers and more, you need more resources to be able to do all this efficiently.

Cleaning the registry on a regular basis allows you to be able to do all of this without slowing down your computer. This is because it doesn't have to work as hard to run all of these things. We live in an age where we are used to having things right now and very fast and it gets frustrating when we don't have this luxury.

So cleaning the registry is one of the best ways to be sure you're up to speed when working with a Windows operating system, especially one of the newer ones like XP and Vista. Also if using Vista make sure the registry cleaner is Vista ready or Vista compatible. However, whether or not Microsoft has actually certified the cleaner for Vista it is not that important.

Sponsored by: Malaysian Internet Marketer

Photo: http://uk.gizmodo.com

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Author: The author, Ed Lathrop is a comp TIA A+/Network+ certified computer technician familiar with the operation, repair and upkeep of today's PC's. His site, Free Use Registry Repair Compare Website, rates the latest registry programs and tells what works and what might actually be dangerous to your computer. Also, get up to date tips on keeping your registry in top working order at: Registry Repair Tools.

Microsoft Registry Cleaner - Is Vista Certified Best?

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Poor computer speed can be one of the most frustrating things someone must deal with. It's terrible when your computer decides to stop working when you are in the middle of an important project or just Web surfing. Diagnosing the problem can be frustrating because it's difficult to know where to begin.

The first thought is to add a bunch more memory to the computer and see what happens. While it is true adding memory can help your computer gain speed, it is not usually the answer when the computer just mysteriously starts to run slowly.

A bad file, as in registry file

It is possible, in many cases; a bad file could be the culprit. It's strange how even the smallest file can affect something as powerful and smart as a computer, but if this bad file is in the registry, it could spell trouble.

Corrupted files in the registry can slow down your computer noticeably because the registry is the most important part of the operating system. In fact, the registry is what the operating system is composed of. The registry keeps track of user preferences, pointers to drivers as well as to all the software and hardware on the computer. If any of those files are corrupted, it can cause a lot of problems, namely slowdowns and even crashes.

Registry files left behind

Interesting to note is the fact when a program or file is deleted from the computer, some of the entries in the registry that pointed to this program or file get left in the registry. This means the Operating System will have to investigate pointers leading to nowhere. It is easy to see where enough such operations would take extra time. Thus, you end up with a slower computer.

The first part of the fix is as easy as finding a good registry cleaner and running it. Most of these programs do everything for you and you don't have to worry about anything. If the registry cleaner is a good one, it will reorganize your registry into its proper order and it will delete the fake pointers that leave your computer searching for files in the abyss......

The love of speed

With your cleaned and reorganized registry your computer will now have its old speed back and you will seem like you are flying down the information highway. This is true if, of course you don't have some real problem with your computer or your hardware, such as a bad RAM chip and the like.

How do you know you don't have such a problem before you go out and get a registry cleaner? Well, make sure you get a free scan first. Any reputable registry cleaner will offer you a free scan. Take it.

If you see you have very little incidents of corruption in your registry, you can opt not to purchase it. If you have a lot of corruption, like a hundred or so incidents you can be sure, or at least very, very close to sure your computer slowdown is caused by registry corruption.

Right now you probably want to know if the computer scanner you show you a bunch of bogus corruption just to scare you into buying their program. Well, I've thought of this. So, I've scanned computers I knew were clean to see if I could find any crooks selling registry cleaner programs and I haven't found any yet. Make sure you buy a registry program from a company who gives a complete money back guarantee. That will take care of the matter.

Is this going to break me?

As far as cost is concerned, the top registry cleaners cost in the neighborhood of $30 to $50 for a year. I've seen them as high as $100 but really, you don't need top spend this much. A less pricey reg cleaner will be just fine.

Be wise, optimize...

Earlier I said, "The first part of the fix is as easy as finding a good registry cleaner and running it." So, is there another part to the fix? Well, sort of. Using a good registry cleaner will get your speed back but if part of that cleaner is an optimizer, you will find your computer will even gain more speed. There are a few cleaners that also optimize and this type of registry program is well worth having because they are not more expensive.

There are many other things that could slow down a computer, but getting a free registry scan is so easy, it is what I would recommend as a first step.

Sponsored by: Malaysian Internet Marketer

Photo: http://www.library.drexel.edu

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Author: The author, Ed Lathrop is a comp TIA A+/Network+ certified computer technician familiar with the operation, repair and upkeep of today's PC's. His site, Free Use Registry Repair Compare Website, rates the latest registry programs and tells what works and what might actually be dangerous to your computer. Also, get up to date tips on keeping your computer running at top speed at: Repair Slow Computer.

Repair Slow Computer Speed and Start Racing Down the Fast Lane Of the Information Highway

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In this era of Internet, most people are frequent users of computers. Many of us use computers through out the day, accumulating morasses of information in various formats, which include email, digital photo, word document, spreadsheet, presentation file, ebook, article, other downloaded files, music, visited web pages, and many others. We stuff them in multiple folders in our PC. Before we know it, our hard drives become a storeroom of misplaced items. As a result, finding a needed file of information some times become a daunting task!

The search function integrated to Microsoft Windows is not a big help either. It requires you to know, albeit vaguely, where the file could possibly be located. If your data storage is significant and you made a search on your whole hard disk, it might take ages to get search results and, then again, there is no guarantee that you will find the right file. Frustrating? Thanks to new Google Desktop Search this is about to change!

What is Google Desktop Search?

Google Desktop Search is a free downloadable small program, which will quickly and easily find your files no matter where in your hard disk they are stored. The great thing about this program is by making your computer searchable, this program frees you from having to manually organize and sort your files, emails, and downloads. You no more have to mull over where in your PC the information you are looking for is residing – in your email, files or web pages that you browsed recently.



At present Google Desktop Search works only with the full text in Outlook and Outlook Express email, text, HTML, Word, Excel and PowerPoint files, AOL chat, and Web pages viewed through Internet Explorer. Other files like PDF will be probably added in future version.

How it works?

Google Desktop Search is fairly easy to download and set up. The address for downloading the program is http://desktop.google.com. Once you installed the program, it begins initial indexing process of your hard disks. This may take several hours for an average size disk. The one-time indexing process only works when the computer has been idle for more than thirty seconds. Indexing for Google Desktop Search is an ongoing process, new files and emails get updated automatically. The search index created by the program resides on your own computer.

On your system tray you will see a swirled icon in Google colors, by clicking on it you will open the regular Google search page with the addition of Desktop along side with other search areas. Once the indexing is done, files are searched in under a second and the results are impressively precise. The top bar shows quantities of files found under the four categories, which include emails, files, chat and Web history. The results are shown in much the same way as regular Google interface. You can choose to see relevant results from all or any of the categories. You can also sort results by relevance or by date. By clicking on any result you open the file in respective application software.

The email query results are the best! No longer have you had to remember in which folder you stored the email written to John in reference to Peter. By searching for Peter or John, you will find all relevant emails and related correspondence. You can read and answer to any of the discovered email from the thread. This really saves time when you need to follow up to a large numbers of emails each day.

There are two more text buttons next to the search field. One is Desktop Preferences and other is Remove Items. Desktop preferences allow you to choose the types of files you would like the program to include in its index out of available ones. You can also point out not to index specific folders from your hard disk. If you share your PC with others, it’s a good idea to eliminate your private folders from the Desktop index. You can also specify not to index certain websites from your cached web history as well. The Remove items button allow you to eliminate selected results from the index.

The advance search option allows you to search by phrase by putting the phrase within quotation marks, to eliminate a word from search by putting a minus sign in front of the word, to search by file type, and to search within a web URL. A neat feature is to integrate your desktop search with your web search. This is very handy if you have already done an extensive search for some information and after a few days doing search for similar information once again.

Privacy question

By default, Google Desktop Search collects a limited amount of non-personal information from your computer and sends it to Google. This includes summary information, such as the number of searches you do and the time it takes for you to see your results, etc. You can opt out of sending this information during the installation process or from the Desktop preferences later. According to Google Privacy Policy no personally identifying information, such as your name or address, will be sent to Google without your explicit prior permission.

What is missing?

I bemoan not having PDF files in the search process as yet. I have dozens of e-books and PDF whitepapers residing in my PC, and I really would prefer to have them indexed. That way, I’d have been able to read materials, when I needed them most.

The other thing I want to see is clustered result of my query, which shows organized search results into meaningful hierarchical folders similar to the way Vivisimo search engine works. This clustering is particularly helpful for desktop search, as this allows us to see other relevant documents connected to the searched word.

Conclusion

Due to Google’s immense popularity as a search engine, it’s logical that most users will prefer Google’s desktop search program as oppose to other similar programs, such as Copernic and Hotbot. Finally you can search your very own computer with similar ease and preciseness as you have been searching the Internet for quite some time.

Sponsored by: http://www.balootisme.com

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Author: Nowshade Kabir is the founder, primary developer and present CEO of Rusbiz.com. A Ph. D. in Information Technology, he has wide experience in Business Consulting, International Trade and Web Marketing. Rusbiz is a Global B2B Emarketplace with solutions to start and run online business. You can contact him at mailto:nowshade[at]rusbiz.com, http://ezine.rusbiz.com/archivenews.html?nl_oid=46

How To Search Your PC With Google Desktop

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