Sunday, June 27, 2010

Different reasons for System Crash


The different reasons for your system crash are described as follows:

1. Hardware conflict:
The number one reason why Windows crashes is hardware conflict. Each hardware device communicates to other devices through an interrupt request channel (IRQ). These are supposed to be unique for each device. If there are a lot of devices, or if they are not installed properly, two of them may end up sharing the same IRQ number. When the user tries to use both devices at the same time, a crash can happen.
2. Bad Ram:
Ram (random-access memory) problems might bring on the blue screen of death with a message saying Fatal Exception Error. A fatal error indicates a serioushardware problem. Sometimes it may mean a part is damaged and will need replacing.
But a fatal error caused by Ram might be caused by a mismatch of chips. For example, mixing 70-nanosecond (70ns) Ram with 60ns Ram will usually force thecomputer to run all the Ram at the slower speed. This will often crash the machine if the Ram is overworked.
3. BIOS settings:
Every motherboard is supplied with a range of chipset settings that are decided in the factory. A common way to access these settings is to press the F2 or delete button during the first few seconds of a boot-up.
Once inside the BIOS, great care should be taken. It is a good idea to write down on a piece of paper all the settings that appear on the screen. That way, if you change something and thecomputer becomes more unstable, you will know what settings to revert to.
A common BIOS error concerns the CAS latency. This refers to the Ram. Older EDO (extended data out) Ram has a CAS latency of 3. Newer SDRam has a CAS latency of 2. Setting the wrong figure can cause the Ram to lock up and freeze thecomputer’s display.
4. Hard disk drives:
After a few weeks, the information on a hard disk drive starts to become piecemeal or fragmented. It is a good idea to defragment the hard disk every week or so, to prevent the disk from causing a screen freeze. This will start the procedure. You will be unable to write data to the hard drive (to save it) while the disk is defragmenting, so it is a good idea to schedule the procedure for a period of inactivity using the Task Scheduler.
5. Fatal OE exceptions and VXD errors:
Fatal OE exception errors and VXD errors are often caused by video card problems. These can often be resolved easily by reducing the resolution of the video display. If you have video card hardware conflict, you will see it here. Be careful at this point and make a note of everything you do in case you make things worse. The way to resolve a hardware conflict is to uncheck the Use Automatic Settings box and hit the Change Settings button. You are searching for a setting that will display a No Conflicts message.
6. Viruses:
Often the first sign of a virus infection is instability. Some viruses erase the boot sector of a hard drive, making it impossible to start. This is why it is a good idea to create aWindows start-up disk. A virus scanner requires a list of virus signatures in order to be able to identify viruses. These signatures are stored in a DAT file. DAT files should be updated weekly from the website of your antivirus software manufacturer.

Sunday, June 20, 2010

Major Threats to Internet Security

Thе Internet іѕ a very scary рlасе. If уου don’t hаνе internet security software, уου аrе playing a risky game. Thаt’s a very simple аnd direct statement bυt a powerful one. I аm sure mοѕt PC users hаνе hаd ѕοmе form οf malware οn thе PC. Wе аll hаνе bееn thе victim οf a virus, spyware, adware, phishing οr spam mail. All thеѕе hаνе thе potential tο cause crippling dаmаgе tο уουr PC, threaten уουr privacy οr expose tο уουr personal information. Here аrе thе top five threats tο уουr internet security.

1. Spyware: Spyware іѕ аn аll inclusive term thаt includes mοѕt malware such аѕ Trojans, adware, pop up ads, modified cookies, keyloggers etc. Spyware іѕ usually engineered tο watch уουr online activity аnd uncover security errors. Thіѕ іѕ usually thе first step іn setting уου up fοr ѕοmе time information theft. Hackers hаνе developed sophisticated tools such аѕ keyloggers thаt саn record еνеrу key уου type. A qυісk tip іѕ tο avoid free anti-spyware. Spyware works bу exposing flaws іn уουr internet security. Sο search fοr thе anti-spyware program wіth a major magazine endorsement.

2. Identity Theft: Hackers саn steal уουr information bу a variety οf methods. Once thіѕ information іѕ gained, іt wіll bе used tο mаkе online рυrсhаѕеѕ using уουr credit card data, divert paychecks аnd сrеаtе fаlѕе documents. Usually thе top internet security software comes wіth ѕοmе protection against thіѕ problem. An internet security suite mау bе уουr best bet tο protect уουr online information. Another key factor tο search fοr іѕ a major secure payment processor logos аnd information.

3. Spam Mail: Spam Mail itself іѕ nοt dаngеrουѕ. Spam mail саn hаνе malicious links thаt саn dο everything frοm cause уουr PC tο bе infected bу a virus, introduce spyware, аnd attract more spam. A gοοd internet spam filter іѕ usually a gοοd option. Using internet security software аnd ѕοmе common sense wіll hеlр уου avoid bе inundated wіth spam mail.

4. Phishing Mail: Thіѕ method hаѕ become one οf thе more рοрυlаr ways tο stealing vital information such аѕ user names аnd password. Thіѕ works bу sending messages tο уουr email account pretending tο bе trusted sites such аѕ eBay, Paypal οr уουr bank. Thе links redirect уου tο a fаkе site thаt mimics thе trusted site. Yου type іn уουr personal information аnd hacker using іt tο mаkе online transactions wіth уουr info οr уουr money. Thіѕ іѕ real threat tο уου internet security. Thе best way tο avoid thіѕ іѕ tο update уουr web browser wіth phishing detection.

5. Yοu!: Thаt’s rіght maybe thе factor thе poses thе bіggеѕt threat tο уουr internet security. Social engineering such аѕ clicking οn obvious spam mail links, downloading freeware аnd sharing files іѕ a very dаngеrουѕ practice οn thе net. Bу јuѕt investing іn thе best software аnd updating regularly, сουld save уου frοm frustration аnd identity theft. Thіѕ іѕ thе one category whеrе thе bargain bin ѕhουld bе avoided. Alѕο, never download anything thаt іѕ sent tο уουr mail unless уου hаνе scanned іt fοr spyware аnd viruses. Hοwеνеr, іn thе age οf digital sharing people οftеn buck internet security bу trading pictures, movies аnd files without hesitaion.

Wednesday, June 9, 2010

McAfee vs Symantec

For decades, Symantec and McAfee have fostered tit-for-tat challenge that makes the old Hatfields and McCoys feud look tame by comparison. Though Symantec is the bigger player in the safety market due to the popularity of its anti-virus, McAfee has persevered as a much smaller but potent No. 2.

"Both McAfee and Symantec have at times leapfrogged each other," says Bill Trussell, managing director of security research at consultancy TheInfoPro. "Symantec gets into data-loss prevention, McAfee plays catch-up. McAfee gets into data encryption, later Symantec makes that move."

About two decades ago, McAfee and Symantec each started building up businesses around desktop anti-virus software, eventually expanding into other security segments. Symantec also broadened into storage, back-up and management tools and services with the acquisitions of Veritas and Altiris.

Constant product comparisons are part of McAfee and Symantec's long competitive tradition. If you read on McAfee's Web site an analysis entitled "McAfee Total Protection for Enterprise vs. Symantec Endpoint Protection," you can also go read "Symantec Endpoint Protection 10.0 vs. McAfee Total Protection for Endpoint" on Symantec's Web site.

Thursday, June 3, 2010

Removal of AntiSpyware Soft Rogue AntiSpyware


Antispyware Soft is a dangerous rogue anti-spyware program that looks like a legitimate antivirus solution but is not one in fact. Antispyware Soft was installed by a Trojan that takes advantage of the smallest system vulnerabilities and security splits of the targeted computer. The Trojan also creates and adds new registry entries to system registry and makes the executables of Antispyware Soft run with Windows Startup to fulfill its malicious campaign. Once running, Antispyware Soft will automatically run a fake system scan. After the scan, Antispyware Soft will display numerous infections of exaggerated security threats on your computer and then claim that you should purchase the program in order to remove the infections or threats which don't even exist.


Technique to remove AntiSpyware Soft

If you are going to remove Antispyware Soft manually, there are many things to do:
1. Remove all processes related to Antispyware Soft; files with.EXE and.BAT extensions.
2. Delete all DLL and LNK files created by Antispyware Soft.
3. Delete registry entries in HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE and HKEY_CURRENT_USER related to Antispyware Soft.

The manual removal of Antispyware Soft is quite a complex procedure. So, it is recommended to remove this rogue Antispyware with a professional designed removal tool called Spyware Cease. This tool also detect and remove malware that hide in your system.