Erha Computer: 2009

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Video Tips Blog
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Qur'an in Ms Word (English)

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Friday, April 17, 2009

Does XP do DOS?

Q. I heard that WinXP has no DOS included with it, is this true? Can you run DOS games on it?

A. Yes, it is true, WinXP has NO facilities for DOS support. Mr. Gates & Co. have been moving to this end and it is finally upon us. However, XP has DOS emulation that will run DOS programs.

Go to Start | Accessories | System Tools | Command prompt

To open an MS-DOS program from a command prompt window
Open . command prompt
Type the name of the installed -based program you want to open, and then press ENTER. Or, change to the directory where the program is located and type its name there.

Notes
To open command prompt, click Start, point to All Programs, point to Accessories, and then click Command Prompt.
To switch between a full screen and a window, press ALT+ENTER.
To quit a command prompt session, type exit at the blinking cursor in the command prompt

XP, like NT and Win2K before it, has no native DOS component.There is DOS emulation, but any games which require real-mode support will not work in this mode. There is a Recovery Console which is a limited Command Line interface to interact with the system. Also, XP supports a Command Console (CMD.EXE) which accomodates NT/2000/XP shell scripting.

NTFS vs. FAT 32? Which is best?

Q. I have just upgraded from Me to XP pro and I am using the FAT32 system,
Should I go to ntfs system or should i remaim on the fat32 system.
I have 1.50 gb free space.
What are the advantages and the disadvantages?

A. Basically, yes, NTFS is very secure and if security is high on your list of needs, you probably should convert.

Since you have made the move from WinMe to XP-Pro, I assume you are not using this computer for much in the way of gaming. Some users have been surprised to find that their Win9x games would not load on WinNT/2000 platforms. Still others find that their favorite DOS games paly betteer or at least as well. There, isn't that as clear as mud? Is it a crap shoot? Oh yeah it is. Best advise on gaming, find the shareware version and see how it plays out in XP before commiting to a purchase. For older games? Flip a coin, maybe will, maybe won't.

If security is not an issue for you, but you want to maximize the disk space utilization on your system, NTFS still may be a good choice. The current 32 bit file system is adequate and stable.

Do the research and make your best educated decision.

Here is a good link that explains all about NTFS: http://www.pcguide.com/ref/hdd/file/ntfs/

Thursday, April 16, 2009

THE MONITOR

When you think about it, you will realize that you spend most of your time looking at the video monitor when working at your computer. Again, inexpensive monitors accompany inexpensive computer systems. A good monitor yields a crystal clear image and is flicker-free. Often you won't notice any inherent flicker from the monitor when glancing at it for a short period of time. However, after hours of work, the subconscious mind processes this subliminal flicker and translates it into eye strain or a major headache!
Better monitors can be set with higher refresh rates to eliminate flicker. A slow refresh rate of less than 60 Hz can be irritating. Your eyes will thank you if your monitor has a refresh rate of 70 Hz-100 Hz. Of course, your video graphics card must also have the capability of supporting higher refresh rates.
A good video card and a good monitor constitutes a good video subsystem. Inexpensive computers have video subsystems that are plagued by slow performance, unsharp displays with inherent flicker, and poor convergence of colors that creates a halo around text and graphics. Skimping on this aspect of your computer purchase will take its toll on you, especially if you use the computer for extended periods.
Bargain computers usually come with 14" monitors. A 15" monitor is far superior. You may find it hard to understand how 1" can make such a big difference. The only way to answer this is, "seeing is believing". Check out two identical computers hooked up to 14" and 15" monitors. You'll only want to buy the 15".
Monitors display images by way of tiny dots on the screen, much as newspaper images consist of tiny dots. The finer the dots, the better the image looks. A monitor with a dot pitch of 0.35 mm will look coarse and grainy compared to a monitor with 0.28 mm dots. These dots are called picture elements or pixels for short.
Better video subsystems let you vary the number of pixels on the screen. The standard number of pixels or dots is 640 across the screen and 480 from top to bottom. Therefore, a standard screen will display 640 x 480 or 307,200 pixels.
If you purchase a larger monitor, say a 17" size, a resolution of 640 x 480 may appear a little too coarse. Most people like a resolution of 800 x 600 pixels on a 17" screen. This is 480,000 pixels and it gives the video display a pleasing look.
For specialized publishing and drawing applications, many businesses use a much larger 21" monitor. With such a large monitor, 800 x 600 pixels looks rather coarse. Therefore, 21" screens are typically set for 1,024 x 768 or 786,432 pixels. Some are set even finer, to 1,280 x 1,024 or 1,310,720 pixels.
Please remember that these variable settings are only possible if the monitor and video display card allow them. The greater the number of pixels, the higher the resolution. You could purchase a good video display card and high quality 15" monitor and set your screen to display 1,280 x 1,024 pixels. However, if you did this, the text on the screen would be so small that you would need a magnifying glass to read it. Clearly there are optimal settings for every size of monitor.
There is another important consideration when dealing with video displays. It is the number of colors on the screen a one time. Early computers could display only 16 different colors at one time. Later, the industry standard became 256 simultaneous colors. Today, the standard is 16,777,216 simultaneous colors! With over 16 million colors to choose from, the screen can display photo-realistic images that are every bit as good as what you are accustomed to viewing on TV.
We refer to the 16 million colors as a true color palette. Video monitors never use all 16 million colors at once. Think about it. If the monitor is set for 640 x 480 or 307,200 pixels and every single pixel is a different color, the video display would only be using about 2% of the 16 million possible colors! Even if the screen resolution was set for 1,280 x 1,024 or 1,310,720 pixels and every pixel was a different color, the video display would still only be using about 8% of the total true color palette.
You may have heard that video images are only made up of three primary colors, Red, Green, and Blue (referred to as RGB). In every pixel, each of these colors is stored in 1 BYTE. So the color of a single pixel requires 1 Red BYTE, 1 Green BYTE and 1 Blue BYTE. Remember, a single BYTE can represent any of 256 possible conditions. So there are 256 possible shades of red, 256 possible shades of green, and 256 possible shades of blue. The total number of possible combinations is therefore 256 x 256 x 256 or 16,777,216 colors!
To summarize, it takes 3 BYTES to store a true color in any pixel.
For a 640 x 480 true color screen, you need video memory of 640 x 480 x 3 BYTES = 921,600 BYTES
For an 800 x 600 true color screen, you need video memory of 800 x 600 x 3 BYTES = 1,440,000 BYTES
For a 1,024 x 768 true color screen, you need video memory of 1,024 x 768 x 3 BYTES = 2,359,296 BYTES
For a 1,280 x 1,024 true color screen, you need video memory of 1,280 x 1,024 x 3 BYTES = 3,932,160 BYTES
It was mentioned earlier that inexpensive computers today typically come with 1 MB video display cards. A 1 MB card is only sufficient for displaying a 640 x 480 true color screen. It would not be capable of displaying an 800 x 600 true color screen because this requires more than 1.4 MB of video RAM. To display this, you would need a 2 MB video card. You can see why the bargain computer has limited display options. The better computer comes with 4 MB of video RAM on the video card which easily allows a true color display at the higher 800 x 600 resolution.
So what happens if you attempt to change the screen resolution to 800 x 600 and you only have a 1 MB video card? This can be done, however, you cannot access a true color palette of 16,777,216 colors. Instead, the video card sets a new color depth - a reduced palette of only 65,536 colors. These images still look quite good, however subtle tonal gradations will be poorer. If you try for higher resolutions like 1,024 x 768, the color depth will be reduced even further, to only 256 colors. Surprisingly, 256 color images can still look quite good. Of course, they don't always have the photo-realistic look of true color images.
We have spent a lot of time discussing video imagery here. It's very important to purchase a video card with expandable video RAM, highly accelerated performance, and the ability to adjust screen resolution and color depth. Likewise, your monitor should be capable of working at a variety of resolutions. It must support refresh rates that eliminate flicker at all the resolutions you choose to use.
A final note on monitors. Because monitors emit electromagnetic radiation, it's better to pay a little more and get one that's properly shielded. Today's monitors should be ENERGY STAR compliant. This means they have built-in circuitry to automatically shut down when the computer is not being used for an extended time (say 10 minutes). As soon as you touch the keyboard or mouse, the monitor turns itself on automatically.

Friday, April 3, 2009

Common Problems

A list of common computer problems and solutions. Categories include Virus and Spyware, Browsing the Web, E-mail, Windows and Programs.

Virus and Spyware

How to check if I have a virus or spyware?

There is a free online scanner available to check if you have any virus or spyware on your PC:
Trend Micro HouseCall
For more information about virus and spyware detection and removal read these tips:
Check For Viruses
Remove Spyware

What can I do to keep my PC safe online?

Keep Windows updated regularly by visiting the Microsoft web site. Use a firewall and anti-virus and spyware removal programs, and use Firefox instead of Internet Explorer. You can find more information from this page:
5 Steps To Keep Your PC Safe Online

Browsing the Web

How can I check if a web site is safe to visit?

Internet Explorer 7 and Firefox 2 feature built-in tools to warn you about malicious sites. Read Start Using Internet Explorer 7 and Browse The Web With Firefox for more information.

What can I do to keep my child safe on the Web?

There are several steps you can take to keep children safe when using the Internet. Read this guide: How To Keep Kids Safe On The Web

Why has my browser homepage changed?

If when you start your browser it loads a different web site instead of your normal homepage, it is possible a malicious program has hijacked your browser and set a different homepage.

To change it back, click on the Tools menu then Internet Options. On the General tab, under the section Home page you should see an Address box. Type in the address of the site you want (or click Use Current for the site you are currently viewing) and click OK.

If you find your homepage keeps changing on its own, you will need to use an anti-spyware program. Read the following guide to installing one: Remove Spyware

My browser window opens too small

Your web browser remembers the size it was last used at, so if you or a web site have changed the size it will appear like this the next time you start your browser.

To set the correct size, start your browser and hold your mouse over the corner of the window until you see the resize arrows, then click and drag to change the size, then close the browser. When you next start your browser the window should open at the same size.

Some Web sites do not display correctly

If particular web sites are not displaying correctly - with errors, missing buttons or images, links that do not work, incorrect layouts - this may be due to your browser security settings, which can block parts of a web site it decides are potentially unsafe (though there may be nothing wrong with them, it is just being cautious).

To change security settings in Internet Explorer click on the Tools menu then Internet Options, but be careful as changing to a low security setting might let unsafe content through to the PC.

There may just be a problem with the web site itself, in which case try again later.

Web page text is too small

You can increase the size of text on a web page by clicking on the View menu (Page in Internet Explorer 7) at the top of the browser window, then select Text Size and choose a larger size. This should work with most text on web pages though not all.

My browser address bar has disappeared

Click on View from the menu at the top (or Tools in Internet Explorer 7) then Toolbars. Click to tick the Address Bar option and it should reappear.

How can I get rid of pop-up adverts?

To stop adverts opening in new windows you need a pop-up blocker. Both Internet Explorer 6 and Firefox have built-in pop-up blockers. In IE go to Tools > Pop-up blocker to turn it on or change your settings.

How can I tell if a web site is secure before buying?

To know whether a site is secure before you give your credit card details, look at the address bar and make sure the web address begins with https://

There should also be a padlock symbol on the address bar (or at the bottom of the page in older versions of Internet Explorer) to indicate the site is secure.

How do I print only certain text or images from a web page

Rather than printing out a whole web page, you can select the particular text you want and copy it to a Word document, and then print it out.

Start Microsoft Word and minimise it by clicking on the minimise button at the top-right of the window. Now open your web browser window and click and drag your mouse pointer across the text you want to highlight it. Right-click and Copy. Return to Word by maximising it from the taskbar, right-click and Paste. You can repeat this process as many times as you like to get all the text you want into one Word document.

You can copy and paste most images in the same way by right-clicking on the image and clicking Copy. Alternatively you can choose Save As to save a picture to somewhere on your PC, for example the Desktop or My Documents. Then in Word, click Insert then Picture From File. Click to select the picture you have saved then click Insert.

You can then Print your document. By using Word you also have the ability to rearrange, edit and resize text and images before printing.

Web page won't print properly

Sometimes when you try to print a web page it prints incorrectly, for example the right edge of the page may be missing. Look for a Printer-friendly page option, or try printing in Landscape mode in File > Page Setup.

You can also try reducing the size of the default right-hand margin in Page Setup. Alternatively copy and paste the areas of the page you want into Word and then print from there.

In Internet Explorer 7 there are improved printing features. Text can be automatically shrunk for printing so all web page content fits on the printed page.

Web page not found 404 error

This common error message indicates that the address or link you have used is incorrect, or it points to a page that no longer exists or has been moved.

Why does online music or video keep cutting out?

Music and audio on the Web often loads some of the content and starts playing while the rest of the file is still being downloaded. This means you don't have to wait too long to hear/see anything, but sometimes you may catch up with it and it has to stop until it has downloaded the rest of the data.

If you find this annoying, you could press pause and then wait for the loading bar to reach full before playing the file. Also if you are using Windows Media Player you can go to Tools > Options > Performance and increase the buffer size.

E-mail

How can I stop getting spam?

You cannot completely remove the possibility of receiving spam but there are steps you can take to help reduce the number of unwanted e-mails you receive. Read this guide for more information:
Preventing Spam

I can't open my e-mail attachments

Outlook Express can block some attachments if it thinks they might be viruses and they will appear greyed out. If you are sure you want to allow these attachments, go to Tools > Options > Security and un-tick the box 'Do not allow attachments to be saved or opened that could potentially be a virus'. Click OK.

If you can access a particular attachment but can't open the file on your PC, you may not have the necessary program installed to run that type of file. You need to ask the person who sent you the attachment what program they used to create it, or ask them to save it in a more common filetype if they can.

Alternatively use a search engine to try to find the necessary program depending on the filetype extension, for example an attachment filename that ends in .ppt will require Powerpoint. See also Common Filetypes

My photographs are too big to send as e-mail attachments

Read this guide to reducing the file size of images to send as e-mail attachments:
E-mail Attachments

Windows

My PC has stopped responding! What do I do?

If a program or window on your PC seems to have frozen up and you cannot close it by clicking the X (Close) button in the top-right corner, hold down the CTRL and ALT keys together and tap DELETE once.

In Windows Task Manager click on Applications which shows all the programs that are currently running. You can usually tell which program has frozen or crashed as its Status will appear as Not responding. Click to highlight that program on the list then click on End Task. The PC will now attempt to close it. If it is successful you can then close Task Manager and the PC should be able to carry on as normal.

If Task Manager does not appear, try holding down CTRL, ALT and DELETE and keeping all three keys held. This will restart your PC, which will often fix the problem. If these keys don't work, you will have to press and hold the power switch or turn the plug off. Turn the PC back on. Your PC should be alright but always try to avoid switching off without shutting down properly first.

I'm running out of disk space. How do I clear out unnecessary files?

Read Clean Out And Clean Up Files to learn about removing unnecessary files and tidying up your PC.

I have deleted a file by mistake! What can I do?

First check the Recycle Bin on your Desktop to see if it is in there. Deleted documents go there first, so if you find it there and want to put it back where it was, right-click it and select Restore.

Once items are deleted from the Recycle Bin you will need special software to retrieve them, such as Recover My Files.

I can't find a particular file or folder but I know it's on my PC somewhere!

Click on the Start menu and Search all files and folders. Type in the name of the missing file or folder and Windows will try to find it.

I can't see any system files or folders! Where are they?

Important system files and folders are usually hidden to prevent accidental deletion. They still exist but will not be visible.

To see them, open any folder and click on Tools then Folder Options. Click on the View tab and under the Advanced Settings list tick Show hidden files and folders. Also un-tick Hide protected operating system files. Now click OK.

Programs

How do I get rid of a program I don't need anymore?

To remove a program you need to uninstall it from your PC:

Click on the Start menu then Control Panel. Click on Add/Remove programs, select the program from the list and click Remove.

Alternatively, go to your Start menu and in your programs list, find the entry for the particular program and click on the link to Uninstall the program.

File won't open

Sometimes when you double-click a file, nothing happens or the program that is usually used to open that type of file can't run it. Instead, right-click the file and use Open With.. to choose a different program to try to open it with. See also Common Filetypes

Common Filetypes

A list of common file types with a brief description and examples of programs that can open these files.

If a file does not appear to have a filetype extension, open the folder it is stored in and click on Tools from the menu, then Folder Options. Click on the View tab and un-tick Hide extensions for known file types.

.avi - video file. Open with Windows Media Player
.bmp - image file. Open with Paint
.cfg - configuration file.
.dat - data file.
.doc - document file. Open with Word
.exe - program file. Double-click to run
.gif - image file. Open with Paint
.htm - web document. Open with Internet Explorer
.html - web document. Open with Internet Explorer
.ini - text configuration file. Open with Notepad
.jpeg/jpg - image file. Open with Paint
.mov - movie file. Open with Quicktime
.mpeg/mpg - video file. Open with QuickTime
.mp3 - audio file. Open with Windows Media Player
.pdf - secure document file. Open with Adobe Reader
.pps - slideshow presentation. Open with PowerPoint
.ppt - presentation file. Open with PowerPoint
.sys - system file.
.txt - text file. Open with Notepad
.wav - audio file. Open with Windows Media Player
.xls - spreadsheet file. Open with Excel
.zip - compressed file. Open with WinZip

Clean Out And Clean Up Files

This article describes how to tidy up unnecessary files to gain more disk space and help Windows run better.

Introduction

The more you use your PC, the more it will collect junk files that you no longer need, taking up unnecessary disk space. It is therefore a good idea to regularly clean out your system, getting rid of the files you no longer need to make space for new ones.

You can also run maintenance programs which can 'defrag' your files – in other words clean up and arrange them in a way which makes it easier for your PC to find. By doing this, you can improve the speed at which Windows runs programs.

The Recycle Bin

When you delete a file, usually this just means it has been moved to the Recycle Bin. If you do not regularly empty your Bin, the files inside may take up valuable disk space.

Double click the Recycle Bin icon on your desktop to see which files are currently stored in there. If there are any files in the Bin that you want to keep and put back in the original place you deleted them from, right-click on the files and select Restore. If you are happy you no longer require any of the files in the Recycle Bin, you can remove them from your computer completely by right-clicking the Recycle Bin icon and selecting Empty recycle bin.

You should empty your Recycle Bin regularly, at least once a week..

Remove Temporary Files

Temporary or junk files are left over by programs and are usually no longer needed. They waste space and that may eventually slow your PC down.

Internet Explorer stores many of the files used on the web pages you visit so that next time you go to a site it doesn’t have to download the same files again. However, this can build up over time and take up a lot of disk space.

In Internet Explorer 6 click on Tools then Internet Options. Under the section Temporary Internet Files on the General tab, click Delete Files. Tick Delete all offline content and click OK. When finished, click OK to exit the Internet Options window.

In Internet Explorer 7 click on Tools then Internet Options and look for the section Browsing History and click the Delete button underneath. Next Click the Delete Files button next to

Temporary Internet Files.

The System Restore facility is a useful safety feature but it can also use up a lot of space, so occasionally it is worth clearing out the old restore points.

To do this, go to Control Panel, click on System then on the System Restore tab. Tick to turn off System Restore and click Apply, this will clear out all old restore points. Now un-tick to turn System Restore back on and use the slider to specify the amount of disk space you want it to use for future restore points.

Disk Cleanup

The Disk Cleanup system tool allows you to clean out Windows components and programs you no longer need, and remove temporary files.

From the Start menu, click on Programs> Accessories> SystemTools> Disk Cleanup.

The main Disk Cleanup window shows two tabs - Disk Cleanup and More Options. In the Disk Cleanup tab window, put a tick in the following boxes if you wish to clean out these unnecessary files:
- Downloaded program files
- Temporary internet files
- Recycle bin
- Temporary files

Click on the More Options tab and you can choose to get rid of unwanted Windows components, remove installed programs you no longer use, and remove all but the most recent System restore point.

When you have selected everything you want to clean up, click on OK then Yes to confirm you want to begin the Disk Cleanup process.

Defragmenting Your Hard Disk

Disk Defragmenter helps Windows arrange files on your Hard Disk in a way that makes it easier and faster for it to find your programs.

From the Start menu, click on Programs> Accessories> SystemTools> Disk Defragmenter.

It is recommended that you read the Defragmenter Help manual before beginning the defragmentation process. Click on Help from the menu at the top of the Disk Defragmenter window.

Defragmenting can take anything from a few minutes to several hours depending how fragmented the disk is, during which time you should not run any other programs.

Disk Defragmenter requires 15% of free space on your hard disk to work with. If you do not have enough space you will need to delete some files. To start the defragmentation process, click the volume that you want to defragment, and then click Defragment.

Make Your PC Run Faster

This article explains how you can tweak and tidy up your PC to give it a boost and help it to run programs better.

Introduction

If you find your PC is slower at handling everyday tasks it may be because over time, computers get cluttered with unnecessary files that need cleaning out. A slow PC can also be because your software or hardware is outdated, but there are certain steps you can take to improve performance.

This guide shows you how to give your slow PC a speed boost and also to keep your computer free of clutter.

Causes Of A Slow PC

There are many possible causes of a slow PC. Because your computer is constantly working with files - moving, copying and deleting from place to place - it will eventually get cluttered with leftover files, some of which are not needed and just take up valuable disk space. You only have a certain amount of disk space available on your hard disk, and as it fills up the computer can begin to struggle to find room to perform its tasks.

If your PC crashes or freezes up, it may be a symptom of a slow or cluttered PC.

The brain of your computer is the Processor, and it may be that your processor is too slow to run today's demanding software. The processor can also struggle if you have multiple programs running at once - for example, if you have Word open to compose a letter while downloading a file from the Internet and also playing a song through your media player.

RAM is the temporary memory the computer uses to do its calculations. If you do not have enough RAM, your programs will run slowly.

Other components of your PC can contribute to poor performance, particularly your Graphics Card when it comes to running media and games software. Some hardware needs special programs called Drivers and these need to be kept up to date.

You may also have programs running in the background using up memory that you are unaware of, and in some cases, the problem may be a malicious program such as a virus or spyware.

Solutions

The following is a list of tweaks and tips that can be used to help improve the performance of your PC.

Maintenance

Sometimes, slowdown is caused by physical problems with your PC and its hardware. One example is your PC becoming too hot. It may be that there is a build up of dust which is preventing the cooling fans from doing their job. Your PC should be positioned in a cool place and its air vents should not be blocked.

Always turn off and unplug your PC before you clean it. A can of compressed air can be used to blow out the dust.

Like any piece of equipment, hardware components can start to wear out over time and eventually they will need replacing, usually with a newer model. You should make sure after replacing or upgrading components such as RAM memory or Graphics cards, that they are firmly in place in their slots.

Remove Unwanted Programs

There is a lot of software on the average PC which is unnecessary, and has usually been installed and then forgotten about over time. It is good practice to clean your PC of unwanted programs regularly.

Click on the Start menu then Control Panel. Switch to Classic View if you are in Category view, and double-click Add or Remove Programs. Look for programs that you don't use anymore, click to select them and then click the Remove button to uninstall them.

When your PC starts, Windows loads lots of programs including some you may not be aware are running. Often, these are necessary so that Windows and security software such as anti-virus and firewall can function properly. Sometimes, however, programs that are not necessary can be running in the background using up memory.

Hold the CTRL and ALT keys down and then press the DELETE key once. This brings up the Windows Task manger window which allows you to see at a glance all the programs currently running on your PC. The Applications tab will list programs such as Internet Explorer, Word and any folders you have open. Click to select a particular program and then click the End Task button to stop it.

Another way to stop a program running is if it has an icon on the Taskbar. Usually you can right-click the icon and select to Quit, Disable or Shutdown.

These methods will stop the program running for now, but it will probably start up again when you restart your PC. To prevent it from running completely, you may need to remove it from the list of programs Windows is instructed to run on startup.

To do this, click on your Start menu and then on Programs. From your Programs List, hold your mouse over Startup to see the programs currently set to start when Windows does. Right-click any of the programs and click Delete to remove them from startup.

However, not all startup programs are shown in the Startup folder. To see the others, click Start menu then Run and type 'msconfig' then click OK. This brings up the System Configuration Utility window. Click the Startup tab then un-check the boxes next to any programs that you don't wish to run automatically when Windows starts.

Disable Unnecessary Processes

The Applications tab in Windows Task Manager only shows the main programs that are running. However, this is not everything: there are also various Processes that run too. Click on the Processes tab to see them.

Many of the processes listed in Task Manager will be legitimate tools required for Windows and other programs to run properly. But you may also find some here that you don't need (and sometimes you may find a process belonging to a harmful virus or spyware program).

The information given here shows you the name of the process and also how much processor (CPU) time it is using up as a percentage of the total available. You can also see the amount of memory the program consumes.

You can right-click on any process and choose End process to stop it running temporarily, but it will most likely start up again when you restart your PC. You should be very careful when ending a process that you do not stop a process that is required by Windows.

You can identify what a process is for by using the Web. Type the name of the process, such as "svchost.exe" into a search engine and see what people have to say about it. If they say it is not required it should be OK to stop it. They may also give instructions on how to remove it permanently so it does not reappear in future.

There are many useful web sites for identifying processes, including:
www.liutilities.com
www.processlibrary.com
www.neuber.com

Remove Malicious Programs

It is important that you use up-to-date security software to detect and remove malicious programs.

Virus programs can slow down your PC and cause unwanted behaviour, even damage to your data. Read this guide to using an anti-virus program:
Check For Viruses

Spyware tracks your movements on the Web for advertising purposes, but can affect your PC's performance as well. Use anti-spyware programs to remove it, as explained in this article:
Remove Spyware

Clear Out Junk Files

Any time you visit a web site, your computer needs to download the page along with any pictures displayed on it. To prevent your computer having to download the same files again each time you visit the same web site, your web browser will keep a "cache" of stored files it will retrieve if the site hasn't changed since your last visit.

Although this means web pages appear faster, over time your cache can eat up a lot of disk space and slow your PC down.

Whenever you delete a file, it is moved to the Recycle Bin first, to give you the chance to change your mind. But the Recycle Bin uses disk space too, so if you leave lots of files in there you are wasting precious space.

You can read this article to find out how to clear out junk files, empty the Recycle Bin, defrag your hard disk, remove old system restore points and get rid of temporary files stored by your web browser:
Clean Out And Clean Up Files - Disk Cleanup / Defragmenter

It is also possible to use compression software to reduce the amount of disk space your files take up, without losing any of the data they contain:
Compress Files With WinZip

Clean The Registry

The Registry is where Windows stores information about your programs. Over time, this too can get cluttered and may affect performance.

You can use a Registry cleaning tool such as CCleaner to remove redundant program entries.

Streamline The Windows Interface

Windows XP (and the new Windows Vista) has a number of effects that make working with files and folders on your screen more pleasing to the eye, such as smooth animated menus and transparent windows.

However, these use the processor too which means they can cause slowdown. Right-click the My Computer icon on the Desktop and click Properties. Click the Advanced tab and under Performance, click Settings and you can choose to switch off some of these effects.

Tweak The Page File

When Windows uses up all the available RAM memory in your computer, it turns to the hard disk for help and uses a Page File as extra space to work with. If the Paging File is too low, Windows can run slowly.

Right-click the My Computer icon on the Desktop and click Properties. Click the Advanced tab and under Performance, click Settings then Advanced and you can Change the Virtual Memory settings.

The System managed size option lets Windows determine the best settings for you, but you can choose to set your own Custom Size if you wish. Type in the amount of disk space you want it to use.

There are varying opinions on what is the best setting, but many recommend putting it at 1.5 times your RAM - so for example if you have 512MB of RAM, you would set both the Initial and Maximum size boxes at 768MB. Click the Set button to accept your changes and see if performance has improved.

If you have plenty of RAM for your computer to use, then setting a large Page File is unnecessary and will just waste space on the hard disk. You should not disable the Page File completely though, as certain programs require it to run properly.
Update Drivers And Windows

In order to make your hardware work properly, Windows needs special programs called Drivers. Read this guide to find out about updating your drivers, which can often fix problems and make your programs run better:
Update Your Hardware Devices

It is also important to ensure your Windows system files are up to date. This can help fix problems and protect against security threats. Read this guide to downloading these updates:
Update Windows

Speed Up Games

Games performance, especially for demanding 3D games, is very dependent on hardware, specifically the graphics card and also your processor and RAM memory. If you want to run the latest games at their highest quality settings, you will need to have powerful hardware.

However, there are things you can do to help your current PC run games better. First, make sure you have the latest drivers for your graphics card by visiting www.nvidia.com for Nvidia GeForce cards or http://ati.amd.com for ATI cards.

Most PC games include display options in their menu screens. You can often choose from a simple performance setting - for example: Low, Medium or High, or you can get more involved with advanced options. Some games let you tweak or switch off things like shadows and other special effects that can put a strain on your system.

Often, it is a case of experimenting to get a good balance between visual quality and performance. A common setting to tweak is the resolution: choosing a higher resolution will mean clearer, more detailed screens but can cost performance. You can only go up to the highest resolution that your monitor can support.

When playing games, you should make sure not to run other programs in the background, especially anti-virus software, as these can contribute to slowing down your game.

Upgrade Hardware

Upgrading hardware such as RAM or the graphics card is a common way for PC users to improve the speed of their machine.

PCs bought from stores will often only have integrated graphics cards which are not powerful enough to run demanding applications such as the latest games. Many users later choose to replace these on-board cards with a better graphics card from the Nvidia GeForce or ATI Radeon ranges.

Sometimes you will not be able to get the most out of your brand new hardware without replacing other components which support it too, such as the PSU (power supply unit). You will also need to make sure any new hardware is compatible with your current PC's specifications before you buy it.

More advanced users can investigate the technique of "over-clocking" hardware to squeeze as much power and speed as possible from it, but this must be done with caution as it can cause physical damage to components.

Windows Vista users can take advantage of a new feature called ReadyBoost which enables you to plug in a USB memory stick which the computer can use as additional RAM memory.

The Windows Experience Index

A new feature for Windows Vista is the Windows Experience Index, which is aimed at helping users understand how well Vista and the software running on it will perform on a specific PC.

The PC is awarded a score based on its hardware configuration. When buying certain software, you will see a recommended Windows Experience Index score that a PC will need in order to run the program properly.

More Information

There are many sites on the Web with advice about improving performance and tweaking your PC. One of the best sites to check out, which has useful guides for tweaking your system settings and improving performance of specific games, can be found at www.tweakguides.com.

There are also many programs available which claim to be able to boost your PC's speed, however it is worth doing some research first as sometimes these programs can actually have a detrimental effect.

If you are looking at upgrading or buying new PC hardware, www.tomshardware.com has reviews and comparisons of PC components.

Watch Videos Online

Web video is hugely popular thanks to broadband and sites like YouTube. This guide explains how to find and watch videos online.

Introduction

The recent boost in popularity of video sharing web sites like YouTube is due to the fact that more web users now have fast broadband connections, allowing them to download and share video files more easily.

Among the most popular uses for web video are music videos, movie and game trailers, and short films. Videos can be either streamed through your browser or downloaded for use with media player software.
Streaming Or Downloading

You can watch online video from a web site through your browser. On a broadband connection, the video starts playing almost immediately. This is because of a process known as Streaming, which allows you to start watching the video while the rest of the data is being transferred to your PC in the background.

When you close your browser, any video that has been streamed is not saved on your computer. If you want to watch the video again later you will have to revisit the web site.

When Downloading a video, you must wait until the whole video file is downloaded to your PC before you can start watching, and you will need your media player software to watch it. Usually, downloaded video can be watched offline and as many times as you like.

Many web sites only offer streaming video that cannot be saved to your PC. On other sites, if you want to download a full video you will usually have to pay, and sometimes there are restrictions on how often or for how long you can watch the video file.
Where To Find Videos

The current success story in online video is YouTube, which allows you to watch videos other people have made and give your opinions on them, or even broadcast your own videos. You can search using keywords or by browsing categories such as Comedy, Entertainment and Music.

Videos on YouTube are played through your browser using a Flash player. Adobe Flash Player is an essential tool for web browsing because it is used by many web sites to provide animation, video and interactive content. You can download the latest version from www.adobe.com/software/flashplayer

When you find a video on YouTube that sounds interesting, click the link and you will be taken to a page where the video will start playing automatically and you can also rate it and give comments.

YouTube is very popular but there are many other good web sites for watching videos online.

If you are interested in watching movie trailers, take a visit to www.apple.com/trailers. Movie trailers commonly use the QuickTime movie (or .mov) format, and to play these videos you will need to install the QuickTime Player. When you visit a site to watch a video that requires QuickTime, you will usually be given the option to download and install the QuickTime player.

Also from Apple is the famous iTunes software which allows you to watch TV shows, movies and trailers and 'sync' them to your iPod to watch videos on the move.

You can search for videos across the Web using Yahoo! Video or AOL Video. On AOL Video you can also pay to download episodes of popular shows like 24 and Prison Break. You can also watch the latest news stories on sites like BBC News.
Playing Streaming Videos

When watching streaming video through a web site, you may notice that the quality is far from what you might expect if you were watching a DVD or downloaded video. This is because in order to deliver video to your PC as quickly as possible so you can watch it straight away, the file size needs to be kept small. For this reason, online video files often appear low quality and in a small-sized window within the page.

However on some sites you will get a choice of video size such as Small, Medium, Large or High Definition. Large and HD videos give you a bigger picture and better quality, but will take more time to stream to your computer.

Sometimes you will find when watching streaming video that the video pauses for a short time before continuing. This is because it needs to download more of the video file before it can continue playing. You may encounter regular pauses when streaming larger videos if you have a slow Internet connection or the web site's server is very busy.

With most online video players you will see a progress bar below the video. Here you can see your current position, and if enough of the video has been downloaded you can skip ahead by clicking a position further along the bar. There are also usually buttons to control the volume or change the screen size.

Often sites provide streaming video rather than downloads to prevent users from storing and distributing these videos. However, you can find software on the Web that can allow you to capture streaming video and save it onto your PC.

If you use the Firefox browser, you can download certain video clips embedded in a web page by right-clicking the page and selecting View Page Info, then clicking the Media tab. Select the video file you want and click Save As.

See Browse The Web With Firefox for more about Firefox.
Playing Downloaded Videos

To play a video file you have downloaded you will need media player software such as the free Windows Media Player, WinAmp or Media Player Classic.

To play a video in Windows Media Player, start the program by clicking on the Start menu then All Programs, and click on Windows Media Player.

Right-click on the menu bar at the top of the Windows Media Player window and select File then Open. Locate the video file you want to play, click to select it then click Open and Windows Media Player will try to play the video.

If you do not see your video listed when you search for it, it may be that the video is in a format that Windows Media Player does not support and you will need another program such as WinAmp or Media Player Classic to play it.

Another way to open a video file is by right-clicking on the file and then click Open with and select your media player software.
Video Filetypes

There are many different video filetypes. Some of the most common filename extensions are .avi, .mov, .wmv, .mpg and .mpeg.

If you have downloaded a video file and want to find out its filetype, go to the folder where you have placed the file and click on Tools then Folder Options. Click on the View tab and uncheck the box next to Hide extension for known filetypes. Click Apply and you should now be able to see what the filename extension is. You may want to put the check back in the box later if you do not want to keep seeing the extensions for all your files.

Some video files may require you to download particular video codecs for your media player from the Web. These are files that tell your software how to play particular video formats.

If none of your media players can play a particular file you should try searching on the Web to find out which program is required to open that type of video file.
Sharing Videos

The YouTube web site became very popular because people could easily share their own videos. Many users shared videos they had created using webcams, camcorders or mobile phones.

Some users tried to share videos they did not own the copyright to, such as TV episodes and movies, and sites like YouTube have worked hard to prevent illegal file sharing.

There is however a range of file sharing software available to download from the Web, such as BitTorrent, which makes it possible for people to share and download legal (and illegal) video files.

Although the major movie companies and TV networks have previously only been focused on trying to stop people sharing videos online, many have now started to make positive steps to take advantage of the demand for online video, and begun making their content available for users to purchase and download.

This means Internet users will have easy access to a wide range of video content, from commercial movies and TV shows to home-made clips, which can be streamed or downloaded online.

Work With Pictures In Microsoft Paint

A beginners guide to using the Microsoft Paint software to work with image files. How to edit existing pictures, and print and save new image creations.

Microsoft Paint is a free graphics tool installed on Windows PCs.

Paint is a simple introduction to image editing and allows you to resize and edit pictures. It gives you the ability to zoom in, create text, draw simple shapes and fill them with colours.

You can also convert and save images into different picture file formats.

To start Paint, click on the Start menu then All Programs > Accessories > Paint.
Create A Picture

There are toolbars running along the side and base of the Paint window with which you can draw or alter your picture. If you can't see these icons, go to View and make sure Tool Box, Color Box and Status Bar all have ticks by them. If you hold your mouse pointer over one of the icons for a moment, a small description will appear.

To start a new picture, click File > New. To change the size of the canvas area, go to Image > Attributes where you can adjust the height and width. As you move your mouse pointer around the canvas you will see the co-ordinates change on the Status Bar below.

Double-click a colour on the Color Box below the canvas or click Colors > Edit Colors to select from the basic colour palette, or define custom colours if you don't see the colour you want to use.
Tool Box

The Tool Box down the left of the screen gives you various options for creating and selecting parts of your picture.

For example, to draw a box click the Rectangle tool and then on the canvas, click and drag the cursor to create a box which will be outlined in your chosen colour.

Pick a different colour and then click the Fill With Colour button on the left menu. Now click anywhere inside your box to automatically fill it with that colour.

Experiment with the other drawing tools on the menu which include lines, curves, and ellipses. Notice that when you click on certain tools you will see other options appear below the menu. For example, the brush tool will display a range of brush types.

Use the pencil or brush tool along with the Magnifier zoom tool for detailed drawing.

The select tools allow you to edit or apply effects to particular areas of your drawing. Use them like the drawing tools by drawing an outline around the area you want to select.

After selecting a particular area, you can use the Edit menu to Cut, Copy and Paste.

Use Edit > Select All to make the entire canvas the current selection. To wipe or clear the canvas, use Image > Clear Image.
Work With An Existing Image

To open an existing picture file, click File > Open. Browse to where the file is located on your hard drive, click to select it then click Open.

To insert a picture onto an existing canvas, use Edit > Paste From and browse to where the picture is located on your hard drive. Click to select the picture you want then click Open.

The picture will now appear on your canvas. The image will have a dotted outline meaning you can move it by clicking on it and dragging it, or you can resize it by clicking on the corner handles.

To change the appearance and size of a picture, use Image > Stretch/Skew to stretch in percent and skew in degrees. For example, if you have a picture you would like to double in size, enter 200% in the horizontal and vertical boxes.

From the Image menu you can also choose to Flip/Rotate an image, or Invert Colors which gives you a kind of 'negative' effect.
Printing Your Work

You can change the orientation, margins, paper size and centering of your image in File > Page Setup.

Use File > Print Preview to see how your image will look when printed. Click Close to return to the main view again, and click File > Print when you are ready to start printing.
Saving Your Work

To save your work, click File > Save As.

You will be able to choose where to save the picture on your computer, what name to call it, and what filetype it will be saved as (such as .BMP, .JPEG, or .GIF).

Bitmap (.BMP) is the standard image filetype but it can be very large, while JPEG and GIF are 'compressed' versions and use less disk space, though the quality is reduced.

You will find that most people nowadays tend to use the JPEG format, which gives a good balance between quality and file size.

Many of the more advanced image editing programs also allow you to set the precise amount of compression applied to a file when converting it to JPEG.

Compressed picture files like JPEGs are especially useful on the Web and when you want to send pictures with e-mails, as they are smaller and therefore reduce the time that it takes to send and receive them.

Analisa keruskan Monitor (Troubleshoting)

Wiwien novandra
Wewen29@telkom.net
http://www.wewen29.cjb.net

Pendahuluan
Monitor merupakan perangkat yang penting dalam computer,dibawah ini ada bebebrapa hal yang harus dianalisa jika computer kita mulai rusak.

Isi

1. Daftar Kerusakan Power Supply

Gejala Yang Diimbulkan Kerusakan Komponen
Indikator layar gelap Kabel power, fuse, dioda bridge, transistor output Regulator,
Dioda Zener, IC Oscilator
Gambar gelombang Elco Filter, Dioda Bridge
Gambar bergetar Condensator diseputarakan Oscilator

2. Daftar Kerusakan Horizontal

Gejala yang ditimbulkan Kerusakan komponen
Indikator hidup layar gelap IC Oscilator Horizontal, Transistor Driver Horizontal,
Transistor Output Horizotal, Playback
Gambar terlalu ke kiri atau ke kanan Trimpot H-Hold, Trimpot H-Line, IC Oscilator Horizontal
Gambar melebar bagia kiri dan kanan Transistor Pelebar Jalur, Yoke Defleksi.
Raser satu garis vertikal Condensator Non Polar.
Gambar garis-garis hold Card Adapter, IC Syncronisasi, Kabel data.
Gambar terlalu kontras Trimpot Sub-Brigtness, Trimpot Sub-Contras, Potensio Screen.
Gambar tidak fokus Potensio Fokus, SocketCRT.
Gambar redup/gelap Trimpot Sub-Brigtness, Trimpot Sub-Contras, Potensio Screen, CRT.
Gambar lengkung dipinggir kiri dan kanan Trimpot Pinchusion, Yoje Defleksi.
Ada blanking/garis-garis putih Potensio Screen, Flayback.

3. Datar Kerusakan Vertikal

Gejala yang ditimbulkan Kerusakan komponen
Raster satu garis horizontal C Vertical, Yoke Defleksi.
Gambar turun naik tidak berhenti Card Adapter, Kabel Data, IC Oscilator Vertical, rimpot V-Hold.
Gambar memendek ketengah IC Vertical, Trimpot V-Size.
Gambar terlalu keatas atau ke bawah Trimpot V-Hold, Trimpot V-Line.
Gambar melebar bagian atas atau bawah Trimpot V-Hold,Trimpot V-Line, Trimpot V- Size
Gambar memanjang bagian atas atau bawah Trimpot V-Hold, Trimpot V-Line, Trimjpot V-Size

4.Daftar Kerusakan RGB

Gejala yang ditimbulkan Kerusakan Komponen
Tidak ada warna Card Adafter, IC RGB
Gambar tidak keluar atau kurang jelas Card Adafer, IC RGB
Gambar tidak kelihatan tapi raster terang Card Adafter, IC RGB, Trimpot RGB
Warna gambar tidak lengkap/warna dasar Card Adafter, IC RGB, Trimpot RGB, Transistor RGB, CRT.

5. Daftar Kerusakan Yoke

Gejala yang ditimbulkan Kerusakan Komponen
Raster satu garis horizontal/vertikal Yoke Defleksi
Gambar travesium Yoke Defleksi
Gambar berbentuk lingkaran Posisi Yoke kurang maju kedepan.
Gambar miring ke kiri atau ke kanan Posisi Yoke Defleksi terlalu miring.
Indikator hidup l;ayar gelap Yoke Defleksi

6. Daftar Kerusakan CRT

Gejala yang ditimbulkan Kerusakan Komponen
Indikator hidup layar gelap CRT, lihat kerusakan horizontal.
Filamen tidak menyala CRT, telusuri pembagian tegangan filamen.
Gambar redup tidak kelihatan CRT, naikkan tegangan filamen.
Pada saat power diOFF kan ada cahaya dilayar seperti korek api CRT.
Ada blanking berwarna merah/hijau/biru CRT.
Ada bercak-bercak warna pada layar Hilangkan dengan magnet Degausing. Biografi Penulis
Nama Penulis. saya adalah putra riau,saya dilahirkan didumai pada tanggal 29 maret 1982,selama pendidikan saya di pekanbaru,kemudian saya pindah ke lampung untuk memasuki kuliah komputer,saya kuliah d3 dcc bandar lampung kemudian saya melanjutkan di darmajaya sambil menjadi asisten laboraturium dan membantu dosen dalam mengajar.saya ingin membagi ilmu dengan teman teman pembaca semua.semoga saling tukar ilmu akan bermanfaat buat kita.

Wednesday, March 25, 2009

Should you disinfect your computer keyboard? Will this harm it?

Computer keyboards are a breeding ground for bacteria, especially when keyboards are shared, according to a study published in Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology in March.

Researchers at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, led by epidemiologist William A. Rutala, swabbed 25 computer keyboards that were used frequently by multiple nurses and other healthcare providers.

As expected, the keyboards were teeming with bacteria, said Rutala. In a second phase of the study, the team then deliberately put certain known strains of bacteria on keyboards to see how well commonly available disinfectants worked.

The team used three products containing quaternary ammonium compounds: Clorox wipes, CaviWipes and Sani-Cloths. All worked well, removing 95 to 100 percent of bacteria. So did three other products, plain old 70 percent isopropyl alcohol; Vesthene, a different germicide; and a chlorine product containing 80 parts of chlorine per million. ``These are all inexpensive, they're just pennies per wipe," said Rutala. All the products can also kill viruses, he said. And even sterile water was able to remove, though not inactivate, keyboard bacteria.

To see if all this disinfecting damaged keyboards, Rutala's team wiped each of the IBM laptop keyboards 300 times with each of the six disinfectants. No damage was done.

Dr. John Halamka , chief information officer for Harvard Medical School, recommended that hospital areas in which many people share keyboards should use ``membrane" keyboards in which a thin layer of plastic covers the keys, making the keyboard easier to clean. It's also essential, he said, for health care providers who share keyboards to be compulsive about hand washing, including before using shared keyboards.

JUDY FOREMAN

How to protect and disinfect your computer

HOW YOU CAN GET INFECTED

Booting the computer from an infected hard disk, cd-rom or diskette.

Opening (by autorun) an infected USB stick.

Executing attached infected files (.exe, .com, .vbs, .dll, .sh, .bat , .scr, .pif and more) you may find inside emails.

Executing infected files (.exe, .com, .doc, .bat, .hlp, .htm, .ini, .js, .php, .pif, .reg, .ppt, .scr, .sh, .shs, .sys, .vbs, .wbt, .xls, .pdf and more)

Previewing emails usually sent by an unknown person, because they possibly contain destructive code in the form of .html, that is automatically executed upon the email preview.

Browsing infected webpages (usually .htm and .html ).

Just by using the internet. To be more specific, almost every operating system, especially Microsoft Windows, have "security holes" which are exploited by a new type of viruses in order to infect the computer, without asking at ANY point the permission of the user to install any type of software.

HOW TO PROTECT YOURSELF

Make a backup of your critical files regularly, after having scanned them with an antivirus program.

Update your antivirus program as often as possible.

Update your internet browser program as often as possible.

Update your email client program as often as possible.

Update the program Adobe Acrobat Reader (if you use it).

Update the programs Microsoft Office and OpenOffice (if you use them).

Scan every file you download from the Internet.

If you use irc chat, make sure you have disabled the auto-accept-dcc-files option.

Do not insert to your computer USB sticks from untrusted sources.

Try to have a real-time antivirus monitor while your computer is operating.

Don't visit every website you are invited to by an unknown person. It may contain a non-visible destructive applet.

Disable the execution of java or active-x scripts within your browser.

Unhide the hide-file-extension-of-known-filetypes option within your hard disk explorer. If someone sends you a file called pic.jpg.vbs, you may think it's a .jpg file and execute it!

Always have a boot disk or boot cd for repairing your computer in case you get infected. Most antivirus programs offer this disk.

Try to use two different antivirus programs, using only one real-time monitor. It would be best if one of the 2 programs is in the top-10 antivirus programs' list you will find in the results of our LATEST Comparative test of antivirus programs. Security is not a matter of money, it's a matter of life-and-death for your computer!

Use a firewall program (we recommend Sygate Personal Firewall -it has been discontinued but you can find its latest version at "www.virus.gr/sygate.zip"- or Outpost Firewall Free or Comodo Personal Firewall or Kerio Personal Firewall, which are absolutely FREE and manage to protect efficiently any personal computer - NOT to be used in corporate network).

Use an anti-spyware program (you can find a list of good and freeware ones in the "FREE antivirus software" section of the website).

Try to update the operating system of your computer often (especially Microsoft Windows), so that all known security holes are fixed. We should mention that certain Microsoft operating systems do NOT allow the user to install updates if they have not been purchased!

WHAT YOU SHOULD DO IF YOU GET INFECTED

Avoid installing an antivirus program if you are sure you have been infected by a computer virus. As a first choise, we advise you to use the "Free Antivirus Tools Collection" available in our website and remove the virus.

If your antivirus program detects the virus but cannot repair it, do NOT delete the file! Try using another antivirus program, maybe it will be able to repair the infected file. None of the antivirus programs is perfect, still, the difference among them may be huge!

Do NOT format your hard disk! Formatting is NEVER a 100% guaranteed solution in order to face a computer virus. Have patience, faith in the antivirus program you have chosen and ... a bit of good luck!

Remember that you can always make a post at the forum section of our website and seek help from us, free of charge of course.

Disinfecting Viruses/Spyware/Adware from Your Computer

If you have virus or spyware/adware problems, these instructions will guide you through the process of removing them from your computer. You can obtain virus removal software through your SNAP network connection going to a web browser and entering http://lbis.kenyon.edu/antivirus. If you cannot access the network, you can bring your computer to the HelpLine for assistance.

Spyware/adware removal software (such as Spybot and Adaware) is available from the Internet. Their web addresses are listed in the section Remove spyware and adware below. Although the HelpLine does not disinfect viruses and spyware/adware on your computer, we will answer questions and offer guidance in removing them.

Note: If your network port was disconnected by LBIS:

If you were notified by LBIS that your network port has been disconnected because of virus-like activity, you must disinfect your computer before you can be reconnected to the network. If you need assistance, bring you computer to the HelpLine.
Once it is cleaned off, you must bring your computer to the HelpLine to have it confirmed clean by an LBIS staff member.
At the HelpLine you will have to run a virus scan to confirm that it is clean, so plan to come least one hour before the HelpLine closes (by 3:30pm weekdays, 4:00pm weekends) to allow time for scanning, which can possibly take an hour.
Once your computer is verified clean by a member of the LBIS staff, a request will be sent to the LBIS security systems manager to have your port reconnected to the network, which may take a day or two.

Software tools needed for addressing virus/spyware/adware problems:

In order to remove viruses or spyware/adware and to maintain your computer's security, it is essential that you have certain software installed (listed below):

Kenyon's antivirus software: Symantec (Norton) AntiVirus Corporate Edition (SAVCE)
Up-to-date virus definitions
Critical software updates from the Internet (for Windows or Macs)that are set for automatic updating on your computer
Up-to-date spyware/adware removal software: Spybot and/or Adaware

Follow the instructions in the following sections. If you already have some of the software installed, just skip those sections. You may want to print out this document before beginning.

Install Symantec (Norton) AntiVirus Corporate Edition (SAVCE):

Note: If unable to access the network to download (SAVCE), bring your computer to the HelpLine for assistance.

Locate the software: Login to the network. Go to Installing Kenyon Antivirus for Students at http://internal.kenyon.edu/patches/antivirus/index.htm
Print these installation instructions there before actually downloading the software.
Download Symantec (Norton) AntiVirus Corporate Edition (SAVCE) from the network by selecting the Mac or Windows ddownload link.
Disconnect your network cable or disable your wireless connection. (If using wireless with Windows XP Home, you must disable the radio).
Important!! After you download SAVCE but before you install it, you must uninstall any existing anti-virus software on your computer. (Instructions for uninstalling this software are in the installation instructions you just printed.
Install SAVCE using the above installation instructions.

Note: If you are unable to install SAVCE or access it once it is installed, you may have spyware/adware on your computer that is causing your problem. You will have to remove it first before continuing. See later section Remove spyware and adware from your computer for instructions.

Check virus definition date and update if necessary:

Once SAVCE is installed, reconnect to the network by plugging in your network cable or enabling wireless.
Immediately open SAVCE by double-clicking the gold shield icon in the bottom right corner of screen.
Check if your SAVCE virus definitions are up to date. If they are more than a week old, you must update the definitions by running LiveUpdate. See Running LiveUpdate at http://lbis.kenyon.edu/antivirus/liveupdate
Note: If unable to access the network, contact the HelpLine on how to proceed with updating your virus definitions.

Download critical software updates from the Internet

It is very important to protect your computer by keeping it updated with critical software updates (recommended weekly). Download these updates now:
- For Macintosh OSX computers see Macintosh OSX Software Updates web page at http://antivirus.kenyon.edu/macupdate/osxupdate.htm
  You must also set your Mac computer to update these Software Updates automatically.
- For Windows 2000 & XP computers see Installing Critical Updates for Windows 2000 & XP at http://lbis.kenyon.edu/antivirus/xpcrit
  You must also set your Windows computer to update these critical Windows Updates automatically. See document Update Windows 2000 & XP: Apply Security Patches Automatically at http://lbis.kenyon.edu/antivirus/updatewin

Scan hard drive for viruses:

Scanning the hard drive can take an hour or more, depending on the number of files you have, so don't start until you have the time!
To run a virus scan, see Perform a Full System Scan at http://lbis.kenyon.edu/antivirus/winavcescan. You may want to print this out for reference because you will have to disconnect from the network to run the virus scan.
Disconnect your network cable or disable your wireless connection. (If using wireless with Windows XP Home, you must disable the radio).
Before running a virus scan, it is recommended that you backup your data on the hard drive.
Then start your computer in Safe Mode as follows:
- Shut down and power off your computer. Wait 30 seconds and then turn the computer on.
- Immediately start tapping the F8 key every half second. You will soon see the black-and-white Starting Windows moving bar at the bottom of screen. The black Windows Advance Option screen will appear after that.
- Make sure that the Safe Mode option is selected on this screen. In most cases it is. The computer will then start in Safe Mode, which takes a few minutes.
Once the desktop appears, open SAVCE through the Start | Programs menu (When in Safe Mode, there is no SAVCE gold shield icon in the bottom right corner of screen).
If any viruses are found by the scan, they will show up in the Scan Results or Virus History. If their status is "quarantined," they have been rendered inactive. After the scan completes, you can safely delete them by highlighting their names and clicking on the red "X" at top of window.
Scan your hard drive a second time to confirm that the computer is clean. There should be no viruses remaining in the Scan Results screen after the second scan.
If any viruses still remain, check their status. If it is "active" or "quarantine failed," you will have to manually remove them. You may have to come to the HelpLine or a public lab to print out the manual removal instructions for those viruses, which can be found at www.symantec.com. Also print out If SAVCE Reports Your Computer is Infected at http://lbis.kenyon.edu/antivirus/wininf.
Do not reconnect your computer to the network until all viruses are completely cleaned off!!!
When finished with virus removal, restart your computer as you normally do. You can now reconnect to the network unless your room's network port has been disconnected and you must first have LBIS verify your computer is clean.

Note: If your computer still exhibits strange symptoms or poor performance after checking and clearing any viruses, you may have adware or spyware on your computer. They must be removed before your computer will work properly. (See next section).

Remove spyware and adware from your computer:

If you run spyware/adware removal software on your computer, you must understand that there is some risk of unpredictable consequences to your computer. However, we have used Spybot and Adaware at the HelpLine for some time and find that they have been reliable removal tools.
Download and install Spybot and Adaware:
- Spybot (freeware) and Adaware SE Personal Edition (free version) can be downloaded from the Internet (www.spybot.info and www.lavasoftusa.com).
- Consult their websites and especially the Help sections for details on how to use these spyware/adware removal tools to scan your computer. You can also bring your computer to the HelpLine for assistance.
- After downloading them, double-click their Setup icons on your desktop to install each program. When the Install Wizard opens, follow the instructions, accepting the defaults.
- Note: If you can't access the Internet to download this software, you can bring your computer to the HelpLine for assistance. If you bring your computer in, we cannot remove the spyware/adware for you, but we can advise you in installing and running the spyware/adware removal software.
- Because of licensing restrictions, we cannot offer Adaware. However, you download the "personal" version yourself from the Internet. Once you run Spybot, it often cleans off enough spyware that you can get to the Internet to download Adaware and run it.
Run Spybot and Adaware:
- Before running these removal tools, it is recommended that you backup your data on the hard drive.
- It is advisable to run both Spybot and Adaware for the most complete removal of unwanted spyware/adware. They should both be run regularly on a weekly basis to keep your computer relatively clean.
- All spyware/adware removal software will require periodic updating, similar in concept to updating virus definitions, so always check for updates before scanning your computer.
- If asked to Create a backup of the registry, Immunize, etc., do so.
- After scanning is done, a list of "problem" files will display. Checkmark them for deletion and then delete them.
Note: If you are unable to install or run Spybot or Adaware, or if the computer still exhibits performance problems, you may have to get further help from one of the local repair services in the area. See:

Install an Alternative Web Brower

As an extra security measure, the HelpLine strongly recommends that you install and use a web browser other than Internet Explorer, which is vulnerable to virus/spyware/adware problems.
The Mozilla Suite or Firefox are both acceptable web browsers, available for downloading from Alternative Internet Browsers at http://internal.kenyon.edu/patches/browser/index.htm.
If you cannot access the Internet, you can bring your computer to the HelpLine and ask to use our Mozilla or FireFox CD.

Monday, March 23, 2009

How to configure Remote Access VPN using ASA?

Remote Access VPN (Easy VPN) provides a secure tunnel over the public network to the off-site users. Easy VPN is a proper client-server model, that is why we will try to perform maximum configurations on the sever end and use Cisco VPN client software at user end to establish connection.

Basic steps for Easy VPN Configuration:

1- First configure the ASA interface

Interface name
Security level
IP address
Enable crypto isakmp on ASA

2- Configure IP pool

Pool name
Range of IP addresses to be used in pool

3- Configure user accounts

Username
Password

3- First define the ISAKMP Policy.

Authentication
Hash
Encryption
Group

4- Establish IPsec transform set.

Esp-des
Esp-md5-hmac
Esp-aes
Asp-sha-hmac

5- Configure tunnel group

Group name
Group policies

6- Now apply crypto map on the outside interface.

Used to verify the outgoing interface traffic

Configuration of ASA

ASA(config)#interface GigabitEthernet 0/1

ASA(config-if)# no shutdown

ASA(config-if)# nameif outside

ASA(config-if)# ip address 20.1.1.50 255.0.0.0

ASA(config-if)#exit

ASA(config)# crypto isakmp enable outside

(To enable crypto isakmp on ASA)

ASA(config)# ip local poolname 30.1.1.1-30.1.1.50

(define IP pool)

ASA(config)# route outside 0 0 20.0.0.0

ASA(config)# username Mark password Cisco

(define username and password)

Now defined the IKE polices on ASA

ASA-(config)#crypto isakmp policy 10

(10 is isakmp policy number)

ASA(config-isakmp)#encryption des

(enable encryption des)

ASA(config-isakmp)#hash md5

(enable algorithm md5 for hashing)

ASA(config-isakmp)#authentication pre-share

(enable Pre-shared method)

ASA(config-isakmp)#group 2

(enable diffie-Helman group 2)

ASA(config-isakmp)#exit

(Exit from crypto isakmp mode)

ASA(config)#crypto ipsec transform-set ts2 esp-des esp-md5-hmac

(Here encryption type is des and hashing technique is md5-hmac)

ASA(config)# crypto dynamic-map dmap 10 set transform-set ts2

(apply the transform set)

ASA(config)#crypto map imap 10 ipsec-isakmp dynamic dmap

(call dynamic-map in crypto map name imap)

ASA(config)# tunnel-group marketing type ipsec-ra

(create a group for marketing department)

ASA(config)# tunnel-group marketing general-attributes

ASA(config-general)# address-pool poolname

ASA(config-general)# exit

ASA(config)# tunnel-group marketing ipsec-attributes

ASA(config-ipsec)# pre-shared-key Cisco

ASA(config-ipsec)# exit

ASA-B(config)# crypto map imap interface outside

(Apply crypto map on outside interface)

Now to verify the secure tunnel, dial connection from user end using Cisco VPN client.

Saturday, May 16, 2009

Free Aspire 2920, 2920z, 2420 Windows XP Drivers (Acer Taiwan)

Aspire 2920, 2920z, 2420 Windows XP Drivers (Acer China)

Software Utility Download