by: Maria Marsala
Yes, it's true. You may have inadvertently invited a spy into your computer. This spy is known as "spyware, adware, or trojans", and once it is in your computer it starts taking statistical information as you travel the Internet. In some cases, it may send you pop-up ads and slow down your computer. A wired.com article, mentions it "could even collect your credit card information".
How did you invite the spy?
Maybe you visited a website you knew and enjoyed only to find that it was recently purchased by a pornography site. The new company has imbedded "spyware" into the home page and now, in many cases without your knowledge, it is on your computer.
Maybe you downloaded a free or paid program and as part of the package you were provided with an added secret bonus ? a ?spyware? program. Spyware may also be placed on CD?s you purchase, too.
Maybe you agreed to it! You could have downloaded a program and checked the box to allow the program to take statistics from you "for their own use".
Maybe someone sent you spam, especially porn spam, and that spam created the spy.
Spys can easily be placed, without your knowledge, in pictures or HTML email.
What you can do?
Purchase a firewall program and it should let you know if a program is about to download from the website you are at. Note the word "should".
Or you can learn all about spyware, download an anti-spyware program, and schedule time in your weekly calendar to run an anti-spyware program.
The first time I conducted a ?clean up?, on my 18-month old computer, I found
2 porn and 42 other spyware programs. Then a week later, I had 4 new spyware files appear.
To further reduce the amount of spyware that ends up in your e-mail Inbox, create a "rule" or "filter? that will move any e-mail containing "certain adult words of your choosing? directly to your delete or spam folder.
Norton and MacAfee the virus protection specialists, have added anti-spy programs to the list of maintenance programs they sell. However, according to information I?ve seen on email lists, they?re not as anywhere as good as the Ad-aware program from Lavasoft.
Just a note: If a few people use your computer and each has their own log in password, when you run LavaSoft program, you need to run it under each password.
Example: Let?s say Katie and Molly have passwords on your computer.
Log in as Katie and run Lava Soft.
Then log out of Katie, and log in as Molly and ?run the program again.?
I?m sure, you?ll find additional spys under each log in name ? just like I did last weekend when I cleaned and updated a friend?s computer.
Use the resources below to help you learn more about Spy?s:
Learn about protecting your computer from spam and spyware
Check for spyware on new software before you download it.
Free anti-spyware program.
Use it at least monthly and don?t delete the items you really want! http://www.lavasoft.de/
Opt out of double click ads
http://www.doubleclick.com/us/corporate/privacy/privacy/ad-cookie/default.asp
Removing your e-mail, address and telephone numbers from lists.
http://www.dmaconsumers.org/consumerassistance.html#mail
Anti-Spam Tools
http://www.webattack.com/freeware/comm/fwspam.shtml
BONUS:
Opt-out of credit card marketing mail
The three big credit-reporting companies provide your information to ?resellers? or ?vendors?.
To curtail this abuse, call toll free 888-567-8688.
Listen to all the options before hitting a key. #3 is the best option to remove you "forever" (well till you change your phone number).
Remember to get your cell phone number removed, too.
Once you call them they will mail you a confirmation letter for you to mail back to them.
© 2004 Maria Marsala, Business Growth Strategist. Bringing women-owned service businesses our Wall Street expertise. Your bottom line is NO accident. If your income has been hovering or flat lining the past year or so, if you are working more than 35 hours per week and have no passive income stream, we need to talk.
http://www.coachmaria.com You have nothing to loose and everything to gain!
About The Author
Elevating Your Business. Since 1998, Maria Marsala, a former Wall Street Trader, has worked more than 1000 women (and men) who own service business to increase their profits, save time, and live rich, fulfilling lives. Visit www.ElevatingYourBusiness.com to request your 2 business reports and join our business building newsletter or forum.
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Health Risks Due To Long Hours At Your Computer
Health Risks Due To Long Hours At Your Computer
by: Hege Crowton
Did you know that spending long hours at your computer can put your health at serious risk?
Most people does not even consider that possibility, but t does, Working at a desk is extremely hard on your body, and I would like to share this with you so maybe you can avoid some of the most common health risks.
The most common of them all is back pain.
BACK PAIN: Its Types and Treatments
Are you fed up with taking all the treatments for your back pain which you feel do not work? Are you a constant patient of physical therapists, chiropractors? Is your back pain causing you distress and trouble because you can not do the activities you wish you could do? Have you been advised surgery to correct your back's structural abnormalities?
Back pain may be classified into two types: acute or short term, and chronic. It the low back pain is short-term, it is most probably due...
Health Risks Due To Long Hours At Your Computer
Computer printers > Health Risks Due To Long Hours At Your Computer
Protect Your Computer From Adware & Spyware
Protect Your Computer From Adware & Spyware
by: George Williams
Are you annoying of adware and spyware every time you open any websites? They have now reached epidemic proportions. They are every where in the cyber world. Here are four methods to remove or simply avoid adware and spyware without spending a dime on the latest "anti-virus" software.
1. Do not use Internet Explorer. Internet Explorer is like Swiss cheese. It is open to the world by default. Microsoft is continually releasing patches to fix all the flaws in the Internet Explorer 6.X and lower versions of the browser. Although it can be "secured" by increasing the security it may loose much of its functionality once set to maximum security with certain exploitable features off.
2. It is highly recommended you should use Firefox. If you don't use the Internet much, than perhaps you don't know much about Firefox. All you need to know is that it is a browser that works REALLY...
Protect Your Computer From Adware & Spyware
Computer printers > Protect Your Computer From Adware & Spyware
Computer Performance Tips
Computer Performance Tips
by: David Mahler
Introduction
In this article I will clearly spell out the most effective steps you can take in order to increase the performance of your computer and enhance your computing experience.
More Memory (RAM)
If your computer has less then 256 MB of memory you may want to consider adding more. If you don?t know how much memory you have: right click my computer, go to properties and look towards the bottom of the dialog box.
Memory is where the computer stores open files or programs in order to give the processor quick access.
To put it simply more memory means more speed and stability.
You can buy memory online or visit your local Best Buy where they can install it for you if you don?t feel comfortable doing it yourself.
Defrag your computer
Imagine a filing cabinet that is out of order, you would have to look harder for your files just as a computer would...
Computer Performance Tips
Computer printers > Computer Performance Tips
Another Kind of Computer Game
Another Kind of Computer Game
by: Allan T Price
The term computer game might have one more meaning than you realize.
You are familiar with one kind, games that run on computers? They are set in eras from prehistoric and Roman times up to the present, and into various wonderful and depressing future worlds.
There are also games in the physical world, played with pens and paper and imagination which involve the characters doing things in the virtual world of the Internet.
Players, and the referee, sit with pen and paper pretending to be using computers. Instead of clicking a mouse to make a computer barbarian use his sword, these gamers roll dice to have their character ?Google? their enemy?s name, or hack into their computer.
Yes, this seem ludicrous even to me, and I?ve done it.
Remember, paper-and-pen role-playing games have evolved since their invention, just like personal computers and computer games. So, while...
Another Kind of Computer Game
Computer printers > Another Kind of Computer Game
3 Simple Ways To Save A Bunch Of Money When Buying A New Computer!
3 Simple Ways To Save A Bunch Of Money When Buying A New Computer!
by: Kris Bickell
Looking to buy a new computer?
Overwhelmed by all of the options available to you?
Stressed by the high cost of computers today?
For most people, buying a new computer does not have to be as stressful as buying a new car. Nor does it have to be as expensive. If you?re like most people, and you have a limited budget for buying a computer, then you need to try to get as much computer for your money as possible.
Here are 3 simple ways anyone can save money when buying a new computer:
1) Shop around for best deal.
Sounds pretty obvious. But many people don?t realize they don?t need the fastest, most expensive computer with the most ?extras?. In fact, if you are already using an older computer, even the least expensive new computer will be a big upgrade. If you don?t know a lot about computers, you can learn a lot by shopping around...
3 Simple Ways To Save A Bunch Of Money When Buying A New Computer!
Computer printers > 3 Simple Ways To Save A Bunch Of Money When Buying A New Computer!
Health Risks Due To Long Hours At Your Computer
Health Risks Due To Long Hours At Your Computer
by: Hege Crowton
Did you know that spending long hours at your computer can put your health at serious risk?
Most people does not even consider that possibility, but t does, Working at a desk is extremely hard on your body, and I would like to share this with you so maybe you can avoid some of the most common health risks.
The most common of them all is back pain.
BACK PAIN: Its Types and Treatments
Are you fed up with taking all the treatments for your back pain which you feel do not work? Are you a constant patient of physical therapists, chiropractors? Is your back pain causing you distress and trouble because you can not do the activities you wish you could do? Have you been advised surgery to correct your back's structural abnormalities?
Back pain may be classified into two types: acute or short term, and chronic. It the low back pain is short-term, it is most probably due...
Health Risks Due To Long Hours At Your Computer
Computer printers > Health Risks Due To Long Hours At Your Computer
The Right Amount Of Computer Time
The Right Amount Of Computer Time
by: Steve Hall
In a country that settles each night in front of the television, it just seems strange that more and more people are finding the allure of the computer screen sometimes more important. There is no doubt that children do as their parents do. They enjoy exploring the vast world of the Internet. They are excited to get that new computer game. But, how much time in front of the computer screen is the right amount of time?
There is no doubt going to be a number of people that come out and say that children are spending far too much time in front of the computer. They may end up telling us that their eyes will go back or something. Regardless of what they will say, we know now that it is important to limit the amount of time children use the computer. We know this because we know that it just makes sense that children who play on the computer too much loose the physical aspects of life along with the...
The Right Amount Of Computer Time
Computer printers > The Right Amount Of Computer Time
Computer Motherboard Guide
Computer Motherboard Guide
by: Peter Stewart
The heart of any computer is the motherboard. It is that big board inside the computer that everything is connected to. It performs the role of traffic lights and policemen, directing flows of information to where they are needed, when they are needed.
Choosing the right motherboard does not have to be a huge issue, even though there is a lot to consider. I will start off with the most major parts and move onto the the things that are less important or non-essential.
Firstly is the socket type.
The socket is the place where the processor (CPU) connects to the motherboard. There is no compatiblility between sockets, so it has to be the right one. The socket connection needs to match the connection of the processor you have or the one you intend to buy for the computer.
Most older Intel Pentium 4s utilise socket 478. Newer ones use socket 775. AMD chips utilised socket A for a long...
Computer Motherboard Guide
Computer printers > Computer Motherboard Guide
Computer printers
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