22/05/2012

5 Tips to help you improve your computer security

Computer security is the process of preventing and detecting unauthorized use of your computer. Prevention measures help you to stop unauthorized users (also known as "intruders") from accessing any part of your computer system. Do you know how to improve your computer secuity? There are five tips that can help you improve your computer security.

 

1.Use Top Anti-Virus Software

 

There are a lot of anti-virus programs out there, but they're not all created equal. In order to catch viruses before they infect your computer, anti-virus software needs to know what the virus looks like-this is called the virus's signature.

AVG, McAfee, and Symantic (Norton) all make top anti-virus software backed by dozens or hundreds of security researchers whose job it is to identify current viruses. Other software might work, but it might also be too out of date to catch today's viruses.

 

2.Use a Firewall

 

When other computers try to connect to your computer, it's the job of your operating system-Microsoft Windows-to handle the connection attempts. But Windows has security flaws. Microsoft tries to fix these flaws as fast as possible, but every time a new flaw appears, hackers can use it to break into your computer.

A firewall changes that. A firewall sits between the internet and your computer, monitoring the traffic going between them. It looks at every incoming Internet connection to see if you requested it. If you did request it, the firewall lets the connection through. But if you didn't request it, the firewall blocks it.

 

3.Use a Router

You probably know that routers let several computers share one Internet connection, but did you ever wonder how they do it? Every time your computer tries to connect to a computer on the internet through your router, your router adds that connection to its list of open connections.

When the other computer on the internet responds, your router then needs to figure out which computer it's responding to, so your router looks at its list and matches the connection to your computer.

But what happens if a computer on the internet tries connecting to you without you trying to connect to it first? The router doesn't know what to do because that connection isn't in its list of connections, so the router simply ignores the connection attempt. That means you router acts like an extra firewall.

But a router is in some ways better than a regular firewall. Routers are dumb, which makes them hard to hack. Even if a hacker finds a fault in your firewall, he'll still need to get past your dumb router, which increases your security.

 

4.Check Running Programs

Some viruses don't require much CPU-like those viruses that use your computer to send spam email. To detect these viruses, you can use the same method you used to find CPU-intensive viruses-press Ctrl-Alt-Delete and check the program list.

In the program list, look for any programs with suspicious names or names you don't recognize. If you find a virus, use the End Program or End Task buttons to kill it immediately. Then find the file that was running and place it in the Recycle Bin so it doesn't autostart the next time your reboot your computer.

 

5.Run A Free Port Scan

The problem with routers and firewalls is that you can't see them work, so you have to trust that they're doing their jobs-or do you?

A free port scanning service will pretend to be a hacker trying to connect to your computer. It won't run any hacker exploits, but it will see if you're vulnerable. The best part is that port scanners need to be run from other computers on the internet, so there's nothing to install on your computer.

09:48 Scritto da: convertofflip in tecnologia | Link permanente | Commenti (0) | Segnala | OKNOtizie |  Facebook

18/05/2012

Top 6 computer mouse tips that everyone need to know

Most computer users don't take full advantage of the computer Mouse. Below are computer mouse tips and secrets that help you get the full potential of your computer mouse and increase your overall productivity while on the computer.

 

Take full advantage of the scroll wheel

 

Today, everyone is fully aware of a mouse wheels ability to scroll up and down on a page. However, this wheel can also do so much more, as shown below.

The mouse wheel is not just a wheel, it can also be used as a button. Pressing down on the wheel will act like a third mouse button. This can be used to open a web page in a tab by clicking the wheel on any link and can also be used to close a tab by clicking the wheel on any open tab.

Quickly Zoom in and out on a web page, word document, excel spreadsheet, etc. by holding down the Ctrl key and scrolling up to zoom in and down to zoom out.

Move forward and backwards while browsing the internet by holding down the Shift key and scrolling up and down. Scrolling down goes back and scrolling up goes forward.

 

Use the right-click

Take full advantage of the right-click any time you highlight text or wish to view the properties of an object. For example, if you highlight a file or text, you can right-click that highlighted item copy it and then right-click anywhere else to paste it.

Tip: If you right-click on any file or text and drag it while continuing to hold the right button, when you let go you will be given the option to move or copy that file or text. This saves you the extra step of having to right-click where you want to paste the item.

Tip: While in a browser pressing and holding Ctrl while clicking on any link will open that link in a new tab.

 

Ctrl key and mouse click or highlight

While holding down the Ctrl key you can left-click to select multiple objects or highlight multiple sections of text. For example, in Microsoft Windows you could hold down the Ctrl key and click to select multiple files at once. If you wanted to highlight different parts of a paragraph or web page, you could also hold down the Ctrl key and select each section you wanted to copy.

Tip: Mozilla Firefox users can also hold down the Ctrl key and individually click on each cell in a table they wish to copy or drag their mouse down a row to select just that row or text without selecting any of the other text in that table.

 

Use the mouse side buttons

Many new computer mice have buttons on the side of the mouse. These buttons can be programmed to do anything, however, by default the left-thumb button can be used to go back on a web page. This makes browsing the internet more enjoyable since you do not need to move the mouse cursor to the browser back arrow button in order to go back a page.

 

Customize your mouse

Finally, if you have a mouse with more than two buttons, installing the included mouse software will allow you to customize the mouse even more. For example, if you don't use the side buttons to move back and forth in a web page change it to something you do more often, such as switching between open windows or opening the calculator.

 

Use the Windows Snap To feature

Take full advantage of the Windows mouse Snap To feature, which will automatically move your mouse to buttons that appear in a dialog box. For example, if you delete a file or close a window you may get a prompt asking you if you are sure you want to perform the task. With the Snap To feature enabled, the mouse cursor automatically moves to the Ok button, so all you will have to do is click the mouse button if you agree. This saves you the time of having to move the mouse cursor over to the Ok button and then click Ok. To enable this feature open the Mouse properties under the Windows Control Panel and check the Snap To check box under the Pointer Options tab.

Tip: While changing this feature we also suggest looking at other available options in the Mouse settings. For example, increasing the Motion speed can also help increase your productivity while using the mouse.

08:49 Scritto da: convertofflip in tecnologia | Link permanente | Commenti (0) | Segnala | OKNOtizie |  Facebook

11/05/2012

JVC Everio GZ-MG21 MOD video camcorder

The first thing you will notice about the JVC Everio GZ-MG21 is that it's small--really small, about the size of a large fist. It's light, too, weighing less than 14 ounces with its battery. We like tiny devices, but the GZ-MG21 just doesn't feel comfortable in large hands. If you have tiny mitts, though, this camcorder will probably fit just right.

Even with its small size, the GZ-MG21 is built like most consumer camcorders: a strap handle on the right side, a flip-out LCD on the left side, the battery pack in the back. The bottom side of the camera holds a tripod mount and a Secure Digital card slot. Since the camcorder uses a hard drive rather than tapes or DVDs, the entire case is solid, with no pop-out door for video media as in most camcorders.

The JVC Everio-G GZ-MG21 hard drive digital camcorder is the entry level hard drive camcorder by JVC. The camcorder sports a 20GB hard drive, large enough to record five hours of DVD quality video. Hard drive camcorders also make it easy to download video onto your computer, making the entire process as simple as dragging and dropping the video files.

The large capacity internal hard disk drive means you can record a high amount of video without a second thought. This clever camcorder is able to carry out high-quality photos and superb video recordings thanks to its sensor CCD of 800.000 pixels combined with the exceptional optical zoom of 32x. The GZMG-21 boasts a sleek ergonomic design, as compared to traditional digital camcorders. The raised compactness and introduction of a broad anti-reflecting 2.5 inch LCD screen makes for comfort and irreproachable use. The GZ-MG21 is also provided with a remote control.

JVC GZ-MG21 Video Quality

The JVC Everio GZ-MG21 is not designed well to handle low light situations. Video shot in darker situations, such as a shadowy room, or outdoors at night often are difficult to see, and grainy when played back. The camcorder does a great job of recording video in bright light situations, and has some pre-set recording modes to help adjust the camcorder to different lighting conditions.

Another downside to the video quality in the GZ-MG21 is the image stabilization. Unlike most camcorders, where the image stabilization softens movements like breathing, and slight hand movements, the image stabilization on the GZ-MG21 does not work very well, making video shot handheld difficult to watch. Video also distorts when moving quickly between camcorder shots.

The Good: Light and tiny; many hours of recording time.

The Bad: Poor video quality; awkward control scheme; image stabilization is a joke; not for big hands.

The Bottom Line: The JVC GZ-MG21 is a nice idea, but its poor video quality and irritating control scheme make conventional camcorders seem a lot more appealing.

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