Get Familiar With These 7 Serious Computer Security Tips

         We have security systems in our homes and alarms in our cars. Why would we not be as cautious about our computers - places where we store tons of personal information - as we are about every other aspect of our lives? Using a computer can leave you exposed to a number of security concerns. Here are some things you can do to ensure your data is never compromised.

Install and Update an Antivirus Program

Antivirus programs play a huge role in your ability to protect your computer. They'll block spyware, malware, adware, and any other virus aimed at stealing your information and causing damage to your PC. The trick is to make sure you are updating your antivirus program on a regular basis. Many will update automatically to ensure you are protected from the latest virus releases.

Monitor Your Email

Take special care when opening your email each day. Don't open attachments from senders you aren't familiar with or from anyone who is sending an attachment you didn't expect to receive. Doing so could put you at risk of setting a virus loose on your computer. Don't click on links from strangers, either.

Avoiding the Hype

Have you ever heard of the Koobface virus? People on Facebook talk about it all the time. The truth of the matter is that the virus isn't actually spread by Facebook. It's spread by fear. Individuals who hear about the virus will go online and search for a "removal" program. Unknown programs that promise to remove certain unknown viruses are the targets - things hackers hope you'll download so that they can access your real information.

Change Your Passwords Regularly

We all do the same thing - we set our passwords and then we forget about them, operating on auto-pilot each time we have to type it in. Make sure you are updating your passwords on a regular basis. Despite being a pain in the rear, doing so will ensure that anyone who does access your information doesn't have it for long.

Install a Firewall

Firewalls are great tools and can often be purchased a part of an internet security suite - packages that offer antivirus programs and other pieces designed to protect you from online threats. Firewalls act as barriers, preventing internet threats from breaking through your virtual door to access your computer.

Don't Ignore Security Patches

Windows and other programs and operating systems are constantly identifying holes in their systems - places in which hackers or viruses have entered and which may pose a security threat. As such, these companies regularly release "patches" that you should be downloading in order to ensure your computer is safe from harm. The patches are free and easy to download. Ignoring them can be detrimental to the health of your PC.

Choose the Right Internet Browser

Many people think that Internet Explorer will leave their computers open to harm. The truth is that hackers and those who want to compromise your computer aren't only targeting IE - they're targeting all browsers. The best thing you can do is choose a browser that functions the way you like and then turn off your JavaScript capabilities. Doing so will leave you less susceptible to intrusions.

The internet is a vast and sometimes overwhelming place but you can keep your home computer as safe as anything else in your life. Take some time to take a few precautionary measures and you'll be able to continue enjoying your computer without having to call a computer repair tech.

Speeding Up A Windows 7 Computer

          Everyone wants a fast Windows 7 computer. This is especially true of people who play games. So the question is what makes a Windows 7 computer fast? How can you speed up your Windows 7 computer without paying an arm and a leg to increase the speed.

      Several things make a computer fast. The most important is keeping it clean. A new Windows 7 computer is like my 2 car garage in 1985. At that time it help 2 cars no problem. Today is holds no cars. There is no room because other stuff has been stored there.

       The same is true of most computers today. When they were purchased they were fast because they were empty of software. Over time software accumulated in the computer. The most egregious software is memory resident software. Often we use programs for a short time and then never again. However, these programs often have memory resident components that slow down the computer. A clean computer is a fast computer. How to clean is computer is the focus of another article.

        In this article the focus is on what makes Windows 7 fast. So the first step is to measure Windows 7 speed. There are benchmarks and diagnostic programs that measure performance and speed. While they do a good job, they are not the measure on what a computer user considers fast. To me fast is responsive. Windows 7 has a responsive measurement tool called the Windows Experience Index. It is a measurement scale ranging from 1.0 to 7.9 currently. Newly purchased computers typically score in the range of 3.4 to 4.5.

       To find the Windows Experience Index, click on START, then point to COMPUTER, click the right mouse button (the other mouse button), and use the normal mouse click to open PROPERTIES from the bottom of the menu. the overall rating is displayed smack dab in the middle of the display. A click on the Windows Experience Index to the right of the overall rating number should reveal the rating for each of the Windows Experience Index categories.

       The Windows Experience Index measures Processor speed, Memory speed, Graphics card desktop performance speed, graphics card 3D gaming and business performance, and hard disk transfer rate. It rates the overall performance of the computer as the lowest score in any of these categories.

       Many computers today have quad-core processors running at 2.5 to 3.2 GHz with DDR3 memory. Such systems typically score in the 6.9 to 7.2 range for CPU and memory speed. Generally, CPU and Memory are not a major consideration in making a Windows 7 computer fast. My laptop running an Inter i3 dual core 2.13 Ghz CPU and memory performs in the 5.9 to 6.1 range.

       Disk drives in computers are Serial AT Attachment (SATA) drives. They rotate at 7,200 rpm. This is typically twice the 3,000 rpm at which automobile engines cruse. Laptop drives may run at 5,400 rpm. High performance drives operate at 10,000 rpm. So why the focus on rpm speed. A large part of disk performance is the time it mechanically takes to move the disks read/write mechanism. Part of that mechanical performance is the rotational speed of the drive. So 5,400 rpm drives are slower than 7,200 rpm drives. Most SATA drives have a Windows Experience Index of from 5.6 to 5.9.

        What remains is the graphics card performance. That is the area which makes the Windows experience index run in the 3.4 to 4.5 range.

       How do we make our Windows 7 computer more responsive? Changing processor and memory are costly. They are likely the fastest components already. Changes there make no sense. With Windows XP, increasing the computer's memory size from 256 MB or 512 MB to 3 GB or 4 GB noticeably improves performance. Most Windows 7 computers today come with 3 GB to 6 GB of memory. Windows 7 64-bit Edition can use more than 6 GB. My computer has 16 GB of memory. However, application programs mostly are written to use no more than 4 GB or memory. So most of the 16 GB memory is unused. Right now my computer seems to be using 10 GB of memory. Increasing memory size in a Windows 7 computer is not likely to result in a noticeable improvement in responsiveness.

         It is possible to improve responsiveness with a faster disk drive. This requires disk drive replacement. Two drives can improve performance: 1. Solid State Drives (no moving parts) and 2. High RPM drives (10,000 rpm). Both types of drives are expensive with Solid State Drives (SSD) being the most expensive. Solid State Drives also wear out over time (several years) depending upon use. The smaller the SSD, the quicker it wears out. SSD are the fastest drives because there are no mechanical parts.

          One disk drive strategy is to get a small 128 MB SSD that only holds Windows 7 and the application programs and place the remaining data on another larger SATA drive. The Windows supports the Windows paging files and temporary file area. These areas are constantly used by Windows to store and retrieve data while you are working on the computer. Making that storage and retrieval process faster makes Windows more responsive. Word, Excel, Pictures and Music files stored on another slower drive do not make the Windows 7 computer less responsive because we expect some delay every time we retrieve one of those files. My computer uses a 128 GB SSD for Windows. It has a Windows experience Index of 6.8. All my data is stored on 1TB SATA drives with a Windows Experience of 5.9. I have not tested 10,000 rpm drives as yet to determine their Windows Experience Index. The Windows Experience Index is not published for any drives because it depends in part on the motherboard and CPU to which the drive is attached.

         The last area is the graphics cards. Because their Windows Experience Index score is low they offer the greatest potential for improvement. Graphics cards are advertised with high performance chips (chip sets) from ATI or Nvidia typically. They have graphics memory on the card. Fast graphics chips and more memory on the card can speed up and make games more responsive. They should make the 3D business and gaming graphics Windows Experience Index higher.

        In contrast a card with a high 3D performance and a low desktop performance our computer may not make our computer as responsive as we hope. Also how we use our computer can be important. In my case I run four (4) monitors each with 1920 by 1200 resolution. So having two Digital Video Interface (DVI) connectors on a graphics card is important because I need two graphics cards to support the four monitors. Configuring the cards for responsive performance requires that the motherboard of the computer have graphics card slots (Peripheral Connect Interface Express - PCI Express connectors) that run at the highest PCI Express speed (16X speed) from both slots simultaneously.

         The final consideration is the graphics card memory interface. The interface can be 64-bit, 128-bit, 256-bit or higher. Here the larger number is better. If you are a gamer and get the best performing chips (chip set) on a graphics card that only has a 64-bit interface you could find the gaming performance less than expected. Not being a game player (except for Solitaire) I may be incorrect here. In the case of four monitors, a $100 card that has a 256-bit memory interface produces a Windows Experience Index rating of 6.8 for both Windows Desktop and 3D Graphics performance. Finding a good performing and moderately priced graphics card requires a look a the specifications and specifically the memory interface. Cards with a 320-bit memory interface or higher can be very expensive. Actually, some cost more than my motherboard, CPU and 16 GB of memory.

Email Clients - Understand Everything You Need to Know

           It is without a doubt that email clients are a much easier and better way to access your emails. Even though some people say that they prefer checking their emails by logging on to the web, this statement comes more from ignorance than experience. Firstly, let us understand what an email client is all about.

Understanding Email Clients

          An email client is a class of software that is solely dedicated to managing your email. By using this software, you can store all your emails on your computer's hard drive and view your mails even when you are not connected to the internet. It is also used in the better organization of your mails as well as for the ease it brings to accessing your emails.

Why Should You Use Email Clients?

             As mentioned before, email clients bring about a certain ease when viewing your messages. Let us first understand all the points which make it necessary for you to stop using web mail and pick up the latest version of Windows Live Mail or Microsoft Outlook -

1. You can Log on Directly - Whatever client that you use, you would have an icon on the desktop of it. All you need to do is to click on the icon and check the box which will allow you to log in directly. From there on, all you need to do is to double click the email client icon to check your emails.

2. Better Email Management - Email clients provide a better view of your emails, i.e. their presentation is better. Also, you can beforehand categorize as to which email should go into which folder; thereby providing you better management of your emails.

3. Helps You Stay Organized - Most people, especially the ones in business have multiple email addresses from different providers. With a mail client, you can bundle them up in the same place and configure them in the same email client. This not only results in ease of access but also saves time. Last but not the least, it helps you stay organized.

4. Offline Checking of Emails - Even if you are not connected to the internet, you can still check your emails if you use Windows Live Mail, Mozilla Thunderbird, Outlook Express, Outlook or any other client. This in itself is one of the biggest reasons why people, especially the ones who travel a lot depend so much on these mail management applications.

Which are the Most Used Email Management Applications?

The following are the most used mail clients, worldwide -

1. Microsoft Outlook

2. Outlook Express

3. Windows Mail

4. Windows Live Mail

5. Mozilla Thunderbird

          Abhinav Vats leads the technical support team of a leading computer support company; Techieworks. He has been providing support for almost all email clients including Outlook Express, Windows Mail, Mozilla Thunderbird, Windows Live Mail and all versions of Outlook.

         Techieworks is the leading computer support provider in the United States, Canada, Australia, United Kingdom and New Zealand. The company provides support to individuals as well as small and large businesses.

Fundamentals of Outlook Express - Get to Know Your Email Client Better

         The introduction of Outlook Express has changed the internet world by offering a new platform of email services. It is a free email client that is in direct competition with Mozilla Thunderbird and other email clients. Thunderbird, even though it is free like Outlook express, still has a long way to go if it wants to compete with this hugely popular email client which comes complete with a very interactive user interface.

The Advent of Windows Mail and Live Mail

             It has been even included with several versions of Microsoft Windows. It is known that windows mail succeeded Outlook Express and after sometime Windows Live Mail succeeded Windows Mail. This scenario was a part of Windows Vista version. In the case of Windows Mail Live succeeding Outlook Express was an initiative for a creation of separate software.

Different Code Bases for Both Email Clients

          Most of the people who have little knowledge about windows or related topics may often get confused as Microsoft Office Outlook and the Express version to be same. However, both of them are two separate and they do not have common code base. Well, it can be said that their architectural philosophy is similar to certain extent. The similar names of the two can sometime give a notion of their same origin.

Removal of Spam Filtering Feature

           When the Outlook Express 5 was introduced, in its beta version, there was a complicated spam filtering feature. Considering its intricate structure, the feature was soon removed. The reason for its deletion was its lesser effect on mass market. Further on analyzing the working of this email client, it is known that to store the information related to contact, Windows Address Book. This information is further integrated with it tightly. When a user is using Windows XP, he will note that the contact information is integrated with Windows Messenger too. The basic similarity between Outlook and Outlook Express is that both of them have been developed by Microsoft, just like Windows Live Mail. Moreover, they consist of essentials pertaining to Internet mail.

Final words on the Most Used Email Client

              Outlook Express still remains one of the most used software which helps people all over the world gain access to their emails. It provides them a way to quickly and easily send and receive emails on their computer without the hassle of logging onto their web mail and go to the tedious process of signing in and out. You can put your username and password to automatic and sign in quickly by just clicking on the outlook express icon on your desktop.

               Abhinav Vats leads the technical support team of a leading computer support company; Techieworks. He has been providing support for almost all email clients including Outlook Express, Windows Mail, Mozilla Thunderbird, Windows Live Mail and all versions of Outlook.

               Techieworks is the leading computer support provider in the United States, Canada, Australia, United Kingdom and New Zealand. The company provides support to individuals as well as small and large businesses.

Top Ranking Pro Flight Simulator

           Is Pro Flight Simulator as great as people say? Have you ever dreamt of soaring through the clouds feeling the warm sun on your face sat in the cockpit of a 1940s fighter plane? Feeling your blood pumping through your vein's as your heart is pounding as you search of your next chase? But then reality hits and your back on planet earth knowing this bream is only for the select few both past and present. Well, dream no more as with this new software your dreams can come true well not fully but hey a very close second.

       Pro Flight Simulator is one of the best software I have ever tried, it's so realistic its untrue, the features for this Simulator are fantastic just looking at the landing sites if you choose to fly a commercial aircraft or a combat aircraft you can take off from a standard runway with all the building features or an aircraft carrier which is some feet in itself. This Pro Flight Simulator was designed as an alternative for pilots to train on, it's that good not only are the 120 aircraft available fantastic but the terrains and planetary alignment are in a world of their own. Finding the best flight simulator may mean getting the one with the greatest advantage for you over the other programs in the market. Checking some features can help you a great deal in finding the best flight simulator you need.

Comprehensively checking the market is very helpful for you. You should be able to check whether

1. The program allows for add-ons.
2. It will require online support.
3. It has realtime appliances.
4. Whether or not the add-ons are chargeable.

         For me the 2011 version is superb the graphics have improved 100%, game response is instant with no spluttering, there is more aircraft options and better fright site graphics. Midair refuelling is brilliant but as mentioned before you must read all the manual before you fly. The virtual controls are based on realistic controls with real life flight and all undertaken from the comfort of your home the planetary features plot the sun, moon and stars to perfection. Some other features include;

    Over 20,000 airports
    Over 120 aircraft
    Realistic instruments
    Air to air refuelling
    Auto pilot
    Realistic lighting features.

          The down side to the game for me is: This down side starts at the downloading stage; I had to attempt to download the game three times before a little help from a friend. If you want to get the simulator out of the box and start to fly straight away you will be very disappointed, not only do you need some gadget add no's to aid in flying (although you can do without) but you will need to read a lot of the instructions provided and study the control settings before you even sit down with your leather flying helmet and goggles. If you want to purchase these extras to aid in improving your flying abilities and give you a form of realism, then you can visit the simulator web site were you can purchase all the equipment that you need to fly like an ace. So the conclusions of Pro flight simulator is in my opinion its worth every penny Andy Fowler.