What to Do Once You Are Infected with Spyware, Ad-ware or Viruses

What to do once your PC is infected with spyware, ad-ware or viruses

So you've been running a virus program. Or you haven't. (Check my previous article on keeping your computer at top speed by using Avast). Either way, your PC is now infected by spyware/ad-ware, or even worse, a virus. What DO you do?

The easiest method, is, of course, to format. Should you turn on your PC and the infestation is so bad (and some of them are) you need to format, simply slide a windows xp cd you've either bought or burned into your rom drive, re-boot, and go through windows installation. Don't forget to enter your BIOS/CMOS and change your boot sequence so your cd-rom drive boots before your hard drive.

If you've just got a small problem; your computer still runs fine, then you can just clean up your hard drive with any number of programs. There are many out there, but the ones I suggest would be Spybot: Search and Destroy, Lavasoft ad-aware, and Avast Anti-Virus.

All of these programs are free and can be downloaded off download.com . Likely the most user-friendly program would be Avast or Ad-aware. Spybot is a little more of an advanced program. It is still one of the best, but if you have trouble understanding PC problems, you might have troubles understanding how Spybot works. (You could always read the readmes or their forums, however). Microsoft has also released a new program too, which can be downloaded from download.com as well, or whatever your favorite download portal is.

Anyways, once you have one of these programs, start a scan and attempt to remove the infestation. Most of these programs can also schedule a boot time scan. This means your computer will reboot and scan before you load windows. This can help remove most infestations because most spyware/ad-ware/viruses can manifest themselves in windows so well that they cannot be deleted unless you delete them before windows loads or from safe mode.

A boot-time scan is recommended as the first course of action to remove your infestation. Should you continue to experience slower PC speeds, you could try using a virus scanner to not only scan your hard drive, but prevent your PC from getting more spyware. Usually with spyware, once you have even a few files infected, they spread like a virus and attempt to propogate themselves. It's important you have a virus scanner to not only delete old spyware, but prevent new spyware from popping up. Avast is great for this.

Anyways, good luck and good hunting. Use a format as your last course of action. Besides, it's good for your PC at least once a year to format. This re-aligns your partition tables and eliminates corruption as well as fragmentation.

I am a young, aspiring computer engineer into Internet Marketing, hardware, software, web design, SEO and just about anything related to computers. Please come check out my growing PC forum at <a target="_new" href="http://www.markspcforum.com">http://www.markspcforum.com</a>

Selecting a Laptop

Small Can Be Beautiful

When purchasing a new computer, you may be better served by a laptop than a traditional desktop computer. Recently, laptops with capabilities similar to desktops can be purchased for a comparable price. Laptops are convenient because of their small size and ability to run from a battery. Except for the power cable to recharge it, a laptop doesn't have any external wires, so it won't be contributing to a cable mess.

When looking at laptops, consider how often you will travel with it. If you plan to travel only infrequently, get a model with a larger screen and lower price. If you are a digital nomad, you should be concerned mainly with the laptop size, weight, and battery life. For maximum portability, get a laptop that weighs less than 3.5 pounds, has a 12&quot; or smaller display, and a minumum 4-hour battery life.

Unlike desktops, laptop computers can be difficult and expensive to upgrade. When you purchase a laptop, consider that any internal features such as CD-ROM or hard drive may be difficult to replace. Laptops can be upgraded externally with USB, FireWire, and the PC Card slot. Because each of these methods is external, however your laptop will become less portable if you need to carry around the external devices.

Take One Tablet...

A Tablet PC is a custom laptop that allows you to write on the screen to save notes and work with programs. Tablet PCs are typically smaller than laptops and feature a specialized processor that is extremely battery-efficient. Some Tablet PCs do not have a built-in keyboard, but can connect to an external keyboard. These are ideal for people who use the Tablet PC mode most of the time and need to use the keyboard occasionally.

If you have little need for a portable computer, a "desktop replacement" may be for you. A desktop replacement looks like a laptop, but is much larger and priced competitively with desktops. Whatever kind of laptop fits your lifestyle, gone are the days when laptops were expensive and less capable than traditional desktop computers.

About The Author

Deryck Richards is the founder and managing partner of Desktronix. With an extensive educational background in computer information systems, Deryck currently manages hosting and data center operations for Desktronix. He also provides system administration and technical support directly to small businesses as he has since 2000. His areas of expertise include networking, Windows, Linux, and Macintosh systems and he is the author of The Guide to Technology for Small Business. For more information on Desktronix, visit <a href="http://www.desktronix.com" target="_new">www.desktronix.com</a>.

Understanding Transistor Data and Replacement

If, for some reason, you can't get an exact replacement for the transistor that you want to replace, you can refer to one of the transistor substitution guides or book, and try to identify a &quot;near replacement&quot;. Beware, however. A substitution guide will sometimes list a replacement for your part, even though the two parts are not very similar. The most commonly used transistor substitution guides is the Philips ECG semiconductors Master Replacement Guide. Selecting the right transistor parameters or specifications for the equipment you repair will avoid callbacks from customers. Callbacks or repeated repairs due to wrong transistor substitution will cost you extra money and a waste of time.

Some important transistor parameters are:

Maximum collector-to-base voltage (VCBO) ? The replacement part should have a VCBO rating equal to or higher than the original.

Maximum collector-to-emitter voltage (VCEO) ? The replacement part should have a VCEO rating equal to or higher than the original.

Maximum emitter-to-base voltage (VEBO) ? The replacement part should have a VEBO rating equal to or greater than the original.

Maximum collector current (IC) ? The replacement part should be able to handle as much (or more) collector current as the original.

Power dissipation (PD Watts) ? The replacement part should be able to dissipate as much (or more) power as the original part.

Gain (hFE) ? The replacement should have a gain equal to or better than the original and it should be as close to the original specification as possible.

Gain-bandwidth (fT) ? the replacement should have a transition frequency equal to or faster than the original and it should be as close to the original specification as possible.

Below is a table of application requirement and important specification that you can use for guidelines when comes to transistor substitution.

Application Requirement and Important Specifications

1. General purpose low level amplifier and switching transistors. Spec- hFE, IC (max), fT, VCEO

2. Power switching applications. Spec- VCEO, VCBO, hFE, IC (max), PD (max)

3. Low level IF/RF amplification. Spec- IC (max), fT, VCEO

4. Audio amplification. Spec- IC (max), PD (max), hFE, VCEO

5. High voltage transistors. Spec- VCEO, VCBO, IC (max), fT

Remember, the replacement transistor should not run hot and if problem still persist, try another replacement number or get the original number if possible. Do not overlook that the surrounding components also may caused the transistor to run hot even if original number is used.

Jestine Yong is a electronic repairer and writer. For more information about electronic repair please visit his website at <a target="_new" href="http://www.noahtec.com">http://www.noahtec.com</a>

The Printer Cartridge Wars: Generic or Remanufactured Cartridges Right for You?

Overview

As "generic", "remanufactured", and "new compatible" inkjet printer cartridges and laser toner cartridges creep deeper into the printer accessories market, the choices become varied and often confusing. It is estimated that by the year 2004 the aftermarket share of the inkjet and toner cartridge market will exceed 11% of the estimated 12 billion dollar printer accessory market [source: CART magazine, March 2001] Here's a look at what all these terms mean, and an examination of the upside and downside of using non-"brand name" printer cartridge products in your printer.

Terminology

First, let's examine the terminology. When shopping online for a new inkjet or toner cartridge for your printer, you'll likely encounter these terms:

OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) or brand name products

A "brand name" inkjet or toner cartridge is just that - it's a printer cartridge that carries the brand name of the manufacturer on it, usually the same as the printer manufacturer, for example, Epson, Canon, Hewlett Packard, etc.

New compatible, off-brand or generic products

A "new compatible", "off-brand" or "generic" inkjet or toner cartridge is manufactured by a company other than the original printer manufacturer. There are a large number of these "new compatible" manufacturers, and it's quite true that the quality of their product can vary (more on that a bit later). In the case of inkjet cartridges, "generic" cartridges are completely new. In the case of toner cartridges, to qualify as "new compatible" the toner drum must be replaced with a brand new drum, as well as all major parts serviced and replaced as needed.

Remanufactured products

A "remanufactured" inkjet or toner cartridge, by definition, is a cartridge which has been serviced, cleaned, refilled with toner or ink and possibly had a few component parts repaired or replaced. In many cases, remanufactured toner cartridges do not have new drums; they instead refurbish the original drum and send it out for another cycle.

An Important Note About Toner Cartridges

The relatively unknown truth is that almost all laser toner cartridges, including most of the original brand name "new" cartridges, have been remanufactured to some extent. The defining point is to what degree they have had component parts repaired and/or replaced. For example: check the box for a brand new Hewlett Packard Laser Jet 4000/27X. Brand new, right? Well, it is. But check the fine print, which says: This newly manufactured product may contain parts and materials recovered from the HP planet partners recycling program. This means that the product, while "new", is possibly not completely new; it's quite probable that components of this cartridge have been used before, and have been recycled.

Quality vs. Cost

It's a fact: the cost of brand name inkjet and toner cartridges can be exceedingly high in comparison to generic or remanufactured inkjet or toner cartridges. In many cases, new compatible inkjet cartridges can be as much as 70% less than the cost of brand name cartridges. New compatible or remanufactured toner cartridges on the whole tend to be as much as 50% less in cost than their brand name counterparts. For example, an Epson T013201 black inkjer cartridge, used for various Epson Stylus printers, sells for $17.09 direct from Epson. The same cartridge, compatible, at an online retailer, Abacus24-7 (http://www.abacus24-7.com), sells for $4.95. The difference....70% in savings.(Prices as of August 2005)

What's the catch?

Well, there really isn't one, if you find a quality off-brand product you can purchase from an online merchant you can trust, one who stands by their product in those rare cases that generic or remanufactured products don't perform as well as you expect. Brand name cartridges cost much more than generics primarily because of the marketing and advertising budgets most OEM manufacturers spend in promoting their products; a cost most smaller manufacturers don't have. And then there's the issue of your printer warranty - we'll discuss that issue a little bit later.

Inkjet Cartridges: Performance

Generic or new compatible inkjet cartridges are in general highly reliable and perform as well as, or nearly as well as, brand name cartridges. Latest technologies and adherence to ISO 9001 codes (internationally recognized standards for quality assurance) by most producers of generic cartridges has increased the overall reliability of these aftermarket products in relation to your typical brand cartridges. In particular, Epson and Canon new compatibles are highly reliable, as the technology required to duplicate the performance of their cartridges is minimal (with the exception of the very latest Epson cartridges with the "computer chip"). In terms of print life (how many pages they print) generics stack up pretty well - usually within plus or minus 5% of the life of your typical brand name cartridge.

High quality photographic printing is the one area where generic cartridges are occasionally suspect. The quality of the inks used by the manufacturer play a significant role here - lower grade ink which doesn't have the same density or brilliance and consistency of color can produce inferior results in the most high-demand cases. Although most manufacturers of generics have moved away from inferior inks, we recommend you ask your online merchant about the quality of the inks used by their supplier, if you are doing this kind of high-quality photographic printing. In particular, the inks should be made in the U.S.A.. With good ink your results should be just fine.

Remanufactured Inkjet cartridges are another subject. Primarily you will only find remanufactured Inkjet cartridges for Hewlett Packard, Lexmark and Dell, as these companies have meticulously patented (and subsequently filed suit against anyone who tried to duplicate) their inkjet cartridge designs. There are no true "generics" for HP or Dell inkjet printers.

Remanufactured cartridges are a huge cost value over new cartridges - usually over 50% less - and for every day printing work just fine. The failure rate of remanufactured cartridges is slightly higher than new product, however, and so it's important your online merchant guarantees their product to cover the occasional return. For typical printing, remanufactured inkjet cartridges can be the right choice over new ones. Lately, Dell computers and printers are increasing in popularity. Dell's popular models include the Color 720, and All-in-One a920, a940, and a960 models. Direct from Dell, one can buy an OEM cartridge, for example the color cartridge (X0504) for the Dell a940 printer for $34.99 from www.dell.com. The same cartridge, yet remanufactured, sells online for $23.95 at Abacus24-7 (http://www.abacus24-7.com).(Prices as of August 2005)

Laser Toner Cartridges: Performance

As with generic or new compatible inkjet cartridges, new compatible toner cartridges are for the most part highly reliable and provide a noticeable cost savings over brand new toner cartridges. Again, ISO 9001 standards have greatly increased the consistency and reliability of the aftermarket toner product in recent years. Further, many new compatible toner manufacturers increase the volume of toner in the cartridge, providing for a longer print life. Quality new compatible cartridges will have new or replaced mag sleeves, wiper blades, and magnet tips.

Remanufactured toner cartridges in general have a less stringent set of criteria applied to them, and as mentioned before may not contain a new toner drum. Be sure to ask your supplier. It is our humble recommendation that you go with toner cartridges that have a new aftermarket drum, as opposed to a refurbished or recycled drum. Lastly, ask if the new drum is "high density". You want that.

Color laser new compatible toner cartridges are just coming to market, and although early feedback seems to indicate a positive outlook, an evaluation of these cartridges is premature at this time.

Good for the Country, Good for the Environment

If you care about recycling or the good of the Country's economy, consider these facts:

- 99% of new compatible toner cartridges are manufactured in the USA; most "OEM" brand cartridges are manufactured overseas

- Nearly 40,000 tons of plastic are saved from our nation's landfills each year, by remanufacture of inkjet and toner cartridges

- It takes on average 2 quarts of oil to manufacture a Brand New Toner cartridge but less than half of that amount to manufacture a new compatible toner cartridge

Your Printer Warranty and You

A legitimate concern of many people is whether using generic or remanufactured cartridges in their printer voids the printer's warranty. The answer is no. The following is a partial quote of the text of the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Improvement Act, which deals with this exact question:

MAGNUSON-MOSS WARRANTY IMPROVEMENT ACT

United States Code Annotated

Title 15 Commerce and Trade

Chapter 50 Consumer Product Warranties

15 Section 2032

... (c) No warrantor of a consumer product may condition his written or implied warranty of such product on the consumer's using, in connection with such product, any article or service (other than article or service provided without charge under the terms of the warranty) which is identified by brand, trade or corporate name; except that the prohibition of this subsection be waived by the commission if:

1) The warrantor satisfies the Commission that the warranted product will function properly only if the article or service so identified is used in connection with the warranted product, and

2) the Commission finds that such a waiver is in the public interest.

In English, this means that no warranty may be voided by use of aftermarket products unless the manufacturer acquires a waiver that clearly shows such voidance would be in the public interest, or that their product will only function properly if the specified manufacturer parts are used.

There is one catch, however: the manufacturer (in this case your printer manufacturer) is not compelled to repair their product under warranty if damage done to the product occurred as a direct result of using aftermarket parts. In other words, using generic cartridges is fine, and if your printer ever fails under conditions which have nothing to do with the cartridge you are using, no problem. However, if the damage is directly caused (however unlikely) by the use of a generic cartridge, the warrantor may elect not to repair it, although the warranty would remain in effect for all other warranty issues.

Conclusion

In general, aftermarket generic and new compatible or remanufactured printer cartridge products are an excellent way to cut significant costs from your every day small business or personal printing expense, while maintaining quality printing results. Those who need extremely high quality printing (such as photographers and artists) can, with a little trial-and-error testing of different generic cartridge products, find a product which provides the quality results you need.

In all cases, be sure to buy your cartridges from an online supplier who 100% guarantees their product without question, and isn't afraid to answer your questions when it comes to the quality and reliability of their products.

Written by David Amerman also published by <a target="_new" href="http://www.About.com">About.com</a>

Cisco CCNA Certification: Why You NEED Hands-On Practice !

CCNA and CCNP candidates hear it all the time: &quot;you have to get some hands-on experience to pass the exams&quot;.

Candidates tend to think that's just so they can solve the simulator problems, but that's only the more obvious reason.

First, I want to make it clear that I'm not bashing learning from books you have to learn theory before you can really know what's going on in the first place. The key is that to truly understand routing and switching processes, you've got to have that hands-on experience.

So if the simulator questions are the more obvious reason to get hands-on experience, what are the less obvious reasons?

Glad you asked!

You see what happens when things don't go according to the script. One of the biggest problems with learning your skills on software programs such as &quot;router simulators&quot; is that with simulators, things go pretty much as planned.

I have news for you: that doesn't always happen in the real world. While Cisco routers and switches are highly reliable devices, every once in a while you're going to get an unexpected result from a command. Maybe it didn't work after you typed it in maybe it has an effect on your prior configuration that you didn't expect. Maybe you don't know what happened ? you just typed in that command and the router went nuts!

Sooner or later, that's going to happen to you in the real world. And as I tell my students, it's actually a good thing to have happen to you in a lab.

You don't learn to troubleshoot or fine-tune a configuration when everything works perfectly. You don't learn much at all when things go perfectly. And you're practicing to learn!

I often say that great chefs don't learn to cook on cooking simulators they learn in the kitchen, and they burn a lot of meals on the way to greatness. You need to screw up some configs on the way to greatness, and you can't do that on a computer program. You have to be on the real thing.

You build confidence by working with real Cisco routers and switches. Would you want the Super Bowl to be the first football game you ever really played in? Of course not. Then why would you take router configuration exams and be nervous about having to create a VLAN, or troubleshoot an OSPF configuration?

You cannot walk into the testing room a nervous wreck. You must have the attitude that you are already a CCNA or CCNP, and you're just there to make it official. I can tell you from firsthand experience with many students that the way you develop than confidence is to work with the real deal.

You can't buy that confidence, and you can't simulate your way to it. You've got to work with real Cisco routers and switches. By working with the real equipment, you develop the real skills and real confidence you need to pass the CCNA and CCNP exams.

Chris Bryant, CCIE #12933, is the owner of The Bryant Advantage. The Bryant Advantage sells the world's best CCNA Study Guide in PDF format for only $15 and is the ONLY company specializing in CCNA and CCNP rack rentals, allowing candidates for these certifications to gain vital hands-on experience with full racks of Cisco routers and switches with labs and prices designed just for them. There are also plenty of FREE CCNA and CCNP tutorials! Visit his site at <a target="_new" href="http://www.thebryantadvantage.com">http://www.thebryantadvantage.com</a> today!

3 Easy Step To Locate A Real Bargain On Laptop Batteries

Looking for a real bargain on laptop batteries? How do I know the batteries are running good as advertised? Which merchants are offering quality rechargeable cells? Where can I get the bargain? Where to buy?

Many of you have some of these questions? Certainly!!. We surely want to saving our hard to earn $$ and only buy quality cells.

Here are the simple 7 ways to to locate the real bargain.

1. Shop online Why?

Most of suppliers/distributors are now targetting retail consumers themselves. The online store overheads are much less than retail stores. No store leasing, No utitlity bills and much less employee payrolls. With all these, they can pass the big savings to customers. Importantly, they have the same guarantee and warranty as retail stores..plus...it's convenient!!! Quailty merchants offer FREE shipping!!

2. Find the saving coupons

This is the beauty!!...."saving coupons"....Online marketting is highly competitive. They are million of stores out there. Merchants want to get noticed, they want sales...they issue saving coupons for marketting.......buying your laptop batteries using "online saving coupon" is double savings.

how to find?...here we go....

go to your favorite search engines "laptop battery coupon" as an example. you will find many coupons from many merchants.....now what...which one to buy?? ....let move to the next step.

3. Find the quality merchants (ONLY)

Now we found many merchants selling online and offering saving coupons. Let buy...?? Nope...not yet.....please make no mistake - buy from the cheapest possible stores is NOT a real bargain. We also want quality. laptop batteries need to meet or exceed the original battery specification. Merchants need to own the following qualities...

<ul>

<li>Free shipping

<li>Free handling

<li>Free customer support

<li>Well established in battery industry

<li>30 days return policy

<li>Full manufacturer warranty

<li>Guarantee to meet or exceed the original specification

<li>100% fully compatible with your laptops

<li>Online FAQs for yor battery inquiries

<li>Optional express shipping How do we know?.....Let brainstorm!!!!...Let hear from others!!!....Review customer comments....Most quality merchants are listing their customer testimonials, customer ratings from 3rd party rating system such as BizRate, epinion,Pricegrabber or Dealtime.

</ul>

You can normally locate the Bizrate reviews at the merchants' homepages. Simply click on the links they provide to review previous customers' comments.

Simply follow these 3 easy steps, you will find the real bargain comparing to local retail stores. Have a pleasant online shopping experience!!

About The Author

Jim publishes the laptop battery resource including tips, knowledge and information on cusomter reviews and merchant raintgs @ <a href="http://www.laptop-battery-resource.com" target="_new">http://www.laptop-battery-resource.com</a> Join the newsletter - subscribe today <a href="http://www.laptop-battery-resource.com/laptop-battery-newsletter.html" target="_new">http://www.laptop-battery-resource.com/laptop-battery-newsletter.html</a>

<a href="mailto:support@laptop-battery-resource.com">support@laptop-battery-resource.com</a>

Laptop and Notebook Theft Prevention

Laptops or Notebook computers are an expensive personal and business asset that are highly sought after by both small time thieves and large complicated theft rings. Keeping your laptop and notebook computers safely in your possession should always be in the back of your mind. Not only are these extremely expensive, they can contain very private personal information or business secrets that can hurt you if the information was ever brought public, or worse yet, sold to a competitor!

Physical theft prevention should be your primary concern when you use laptops, and really most of the information is just common sense. Don't brag, or advertise that you have a laptop in your possession, try to carry your laptop in non-traditional laptop bags that make it obvious you have one. If you can fit it in your briefcase, or in a shoulder bag you are far better off from getting targeted.

Asset tag your electronics devices and peripherals with permanent markings or engravings, large markings that make your laptop unique make your device less attractive because it will become harder to sell.

Always be mindful of where your laptop is at. If you are using the washroom, or a payphone, don't leave it on a table, counter, this includes while you are at restaurants! If you are traveling in rental cars, try to get a car with a lockable trunk, that doesn't have access or a viewable trunk from the outside such as SUV's or hatchbacks. Don't leave items in plain sight that will entice people to steal from your car!

If you are staying in hotels, try to use locking cables to permanent metal settings to secure your laptop if you go out, or ask the hotel to lock it up in their safe if you won't be using it for an extended period of time.

In the event that your laptop has been stolen there is many different organizations that offer products and services that might help in a quick recovery or tracking of the device. Some products install a "call home" feature if the laptop is ever reconnected to an internet connection, or having serialized components that make tracking and recovery easier. Additionally there is some really interesting products that have movement and proximity alarms installed. For instance, you wear a device on your belt, and if your laptop is more than a certain distance from you an alarm will sound loudly. This is used in hopes of stopping criminals who snatch and run with your device!

It's always a very good idea to install some sort of encryption software on your laptop, such as a PGP that will help keep your data private in the event it is stolen. It's always a good idea to plan for the worst and hope for the best!

Remember, physical security mainly consists of using common sense to protect any attractive item that you may own. Be discreet, be mindful of your devices and you should be relatively safe!

Ken Dennis
<a target="_new" href="http://KenDennis-RSS.homeip.net">http://KenDennis-RSS.homeip.net</a>