How To Protect Against a Computer Virus

 

By Jeremy P Stanfords

When the trusty computer starts slowing down, there could be a number of reasons why. You may need to defragment the hard drive, or have too many programs or apps, but not enough memory. However, it could also be a virus or spyware wreaking havoc on the system. If it is the latter, there are virus removal methods to consider before the damage becomes irreversible.

What is a Virus?
A virus is a software program that reproduces and causes tremendous harm to a computer's files or programs. The harm could result in extensive damage to the hard drive, which could cost hundreds to replace. Therefore, taking proper virus removal steps is something computer owner should consider.

What are some signs of a computer viral infection?

• The computer runs much slower than usual.
• You get a barrage of pop-up ads, or programs constant restart randomly.
• The computer crashes or freezes for no apparent reason.
• You type in one website URL, but are constantly redirected to another.

Sometimes, the damage is minimal, to where it just alters the desktop picture. In other cases, you may get numerous pop-up ads. However, some viruses can erase information or even shut down the computer, while severe ones may also create a security loophole, resulting in identity theft anytime you shop online. Fortunately, there are steps that can stop any of these things from happening.

Get an Antivirus Program
The first step in defending your computer is downloading a good antivirus program. This acts as a safeguard against any malicious software or websites that could cripple the computer. Some programs offer a free trial, then a paid subscription when the trial expires. However, if you just need basic protection, free software exists, and monitors for potential threats. Make sure the program also protects against spyware, which can cause just as much trouble. If it does not, you may need to download an antispyware program as well.

Run a Security Scan Periodically
While antivirus software checks for possible threats, scan the hard drive on a regular basis, usually about once a week. The scan will likely take about half an hour minimum, but will still allow you to perform other computer tasks like surfing the internet or playing a game.

Do Not Open Unfamiliar Emails
Many harmful viruses come attached to emails. As soon as you open the attachment or click the website link, it begins working on your system. If you do not recognize the sender's name, proceed with caution. Email clients should include a "Junk" folder that filters out any suspicious emails that come to the inbox.

Author writes about a variety of topics. If you would like more information about virus removal, visit http://geeksonsite.com/.

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Ten Worst Viruses Witnessed in History

 

By Alexs Smith

With hackers and spammers making use of more sophisticated technologies, there has been an increase in the number of malicious software, Trojans, computer viruses and worms that are created for their own selfish reasons. Moreover, identity thieves have devised new ways to steal information which can be used to empty users' bank accounts as well as disseminate electronic havoc. History has a record of the 10 worst computer viruses that did not just beat the best anti-virus software, but gave nightmares to many security experts as well.

· The Morris worm

This was created back in 1998 and was named after a university student, Robert Morris, the same student who created the worm. This worm infected 10 percent of all the computers that were linked to the internet and there were about 60,000 computers connected to the internet at that time. The worm brought all the systems to halt.

· The Concept virus

In 1995, the Concept virus was shipped on a CD-ROM accidentally, which was provided by Microsoft. This was the first virus that harmed the Microsoft Word documents. Within a few days, this virus became the most disseminated virus ever.

· CIH

Triggered each year on April 26, CIH was designed to wipe data from the hard drives of the victims and to overwrite the computer's BIOS chip that transformed the computer into a plastic lump. Its creator was Chen Ing Hau.

· Anna Kournikova worm

It was back in the year 2000 when the Anna Kournikova worm dispersed across the globe which offered images of the famous tennis player. It infected Windows computers with an email worm. This virus was written by Jan de Wit who was a fan from the Netherlands.

· ILOVEYOU

In May 2000, internet users received ILOVEYOU messages and they were sent to everybody who was in the contact list of the user. This one was designed to snip the internet access passwords.

· The Melissa virus

Melissa is recognized as a fast-spreading macro virus which was circulated through an e-mail attachment. This virus was created by David L. Smith and was a successful email-ware.

· The Blaster Worm

Blaster worm was created in 2003 as a denial of service attack against the Microsoft's website. The impact of this worm was seen on millions of PCs across the world. The author of this particular worm was never discovered.

· Netsky and Sasser

Netsky and Sasser worms were discovered by Sven Jaschan, a German teenager. He was held responsible for about 70 percent of all the malware that were circulated over the internet. Later on, he was hired as an ethical hacker by a security company.

· OSX/RSPlug Trojan

It was back in November 2007 when the OSX/RSPlug Trojan appeared as an example of a financially-motivated malware which mainly targeted Mac users. Its launch raised concerns among Mac users which thought that Apple's platform might get infiltrated.

· Storm worm

The Storm worm was originally perplexed as a bad weather breaking news affecting Europe. Actually, this virus was in the news in 2007 and influenced millions of PCs. Hackers circulated spam and stole millions of identities.

Author is a computer professional and blog writer who basically writes on various computer security topics. He brings many interesting reviews about the latest anti-virus software and inform readers about the best free antivirus download for their computer protection.

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5 Characteristics of an Excellent Logo

By Terrence Lewis

You may be cracking your head trying to come up with a good logo and don't know what to do. Well before you reach a dead-end, consider the five points that you are about to read. These will help you compare your logo and see if you are on the right track or not. With everybody starting up a company these days, there are is stiff competition and everyone wants to stay on top one way or another. How you make you logo makes a statement for your company. Here then is how you will know if your logo is good enough to surface at the top.

Simplicity: As the quote goes, 'Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication'. Keeping it straightforward is the best thing you can ever do when designing a logo. Go directly to the point and you will just see how well it will work for you. When a logo is simple it is absolutely easy on the eye and this allows for the message to get through way better. If the logo is very busy, those that you intend to look at it will see so many things happening and what a logo should do is catch attention making way for focus.

Memorable: Whilst on the topic of being simple, memory follows closely. When something is simple and straight to the point, it is more likely to stick in the mind. As long as a logo is memorable, you can be assured that whenever anyone sees it, it is recognized even form a mile away. This is actually the sign that your brand is going to fly high. So long as you keep your logo in people's minds, you will not have to worry about attaining lasting accomplishment.

Beyond time: When a logo is engraved in people's minds, it will go way beyond time. These are the logos termed as 'ageless'. Your logo will never fade not even one day. However this only stems from simplicity and memory. If a logo is timeless, this is how you know it is effective too. You clearly identify some of the timeless logos out there. This is because they have put in place the above principles to practice and achieved success and will remain strong even in the future.

Adaptable: If you want to know that your logo is effective, check if it can work across an array of mediums and applications. This you will attain if your logo is designed in vector format to make sure that it is scalable to size. If it cannot work both in horizontal and vertical formats then it is certainly not effective. A logo should be completely efficient, no doubt about that.

Appropriate: Make sure your logo speaks right for what it represents. If it is about toys and children, don't design it with dull colours and serious fonts. It should just be playful.

Use the above points to make a great logo to your success!

Logo designing has been a keen interest of business owners and organizations as its the smallest graphic that speaks about your business. Top Mississippi logo design companies can assist you with this. Leading Mississippi web design Companies like Exact Precisions are experts with designing logo that make your business identity stand out of the crowd.

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The Story of Amazing Grace

By A R White

"Amazing Grace" is hymn well known and loved by Christians everywhere. The inspiring lyrics speak for themselves but become even more meaningful when you understand the story behind them.

A movie called "Amazing Grace" directed by Micheal Apted came out in 2006. The film shed some light on the story behind this song. The movie is mainly about William Wilberforce who was a member of Parliament that dedicated his life to abolishing the slave trade. The film does a wonderful job of depicting the many personal sacrifices that noble men and women have to make when fighting for the cause of right. There was a minor character in the movie named John Newton who was a blind old preacher who Wilberforce went to for support.

As depicted in the movie, the lines of "Amazing Grace" were actually composed by a preacher named John Newton to accompany a sermon he was planning as he sat in the attic of his home in 1772. This was common for him as he often wrote a hymns to supplement his sermons. He delivered the sermon and hymn to his congregation on New Year's Day, 1773. At that time, hymns were more like religious poetry that could be chanted or set to a variety of tunes that fit the meter of the lyrics. "Amazing Grace" was set to many different tunes over they years. It wasn't until 1835 that William Walker published the lyrics with the "New Britain" tune which is how it is sung today.

Newton was not always a religious man. Surprisingly, he was a rough character as a young man and worked in the slave trade for many years. One night the ship that he was on was hit by a terrible storm. Fearing for his life, Newton prayed to God for mercy. That impressionable experience eventually led him to leave the slave trade and pursue of life dedicated to serving God. He studied theology and was ordained a priest in the Church of England.

To help Wilberforce with his efforts, Newton later wrote Thoughts Upon the Slave Trade which was a pamphlet recounting the horrors that he saw when he was a slave trader himself. This pamphlet helped to make others aware of how horrible the slave trade was. It helped Wilberforce gain the support he needed to be successful.

Obviously, these lines held great personal meaning for Newton: "Amazing grace! How sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me. I once was lost, but now am found, was blind, but now I see." Additionally, these are words that all of us who are sinners that have turned to Christ can relate to. All of us have different struggles in life but Jesus is there for all of us.

Remind yourself that Jesus saves by keeping this song close to your heart. Wearing an Amazing Grace ring or necklace is a great daily reminder to maintain a worshipful attitude. Use these to also represent the great sacrifices that other Christians have made to inspire you to stand up for what is right.

A R White is an employee for eChristian Jewelry. She has a BS in English Language and minors in Editing and Family Life.

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Learn Blues Guitar - Two Important Aspects of Playing Blues Guitar

By Dan Denton

Many people set out to learn Blues guitar once they realize that much of Rock music has its roots in the Blues. As Jack White -- best known for his work with the White Stripes -- put it in the recent guitar documentary "It Might Get Loud:"

If you dig deep enough into rock 'n roll, you're on a freight train headed straight for the Blues.

The Blues is a musical style established by African-Americans in the early 20th century. By the mid to late sixties, when modern Rock guitar was undergoing its crucial formative years, many guitarists of the day were drawing heavy inspiration from the Blues. Such guitarists included: Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix, Jimmy Page, Jeff Beck, Keith Richards and many more.

Though the Blues is a complex subject, both in terms of its history and its musical subtlety, there are a couple characteristics of Blues guitar that are fundamental. If you can develop a solid understanding of these aspects of the music, you will be in a much better position to learn Blues guitar.

The first important aspect of the Blues is its associated musical scale. The Blues Scale is a six-note scale. The intervals are: root, minor third, fourth, flatted fifth, fifth, and minor seventh. More typically, this would be written as: 1, b3, 4, b5, 5, b7. If you are familiar with the Pentatonic Minor Scale, you may well recognize the Blues Scale as the Pentatonic Minor Scale with the addition of the b5 interval. The inclusion of this interval results in three chromatic notes: 4, b5, 5. For example, the E Blues Scale consists of the notes: E, G, A, Bb, B, D. In comparison, the E Pentatonic Minor Scale includes: E, G, A, B, D -- i.e. everything except the Bb. Because of the unique and defining musical characteristics of the flatted-fifth note (the Bb in the above E Blues Scale), this note is often referred to as the "blue note."

Characteristic chord progressions are the next fundamental component of the Blues. There are number of basic Blues chord progressions. However, the one that anyone familiar with the Blues should know is called the "12-Bar Blues". Though these chord progressions embody a wide number of variations, they all share some basic points of commonality.

First, as the name implies, all versions of the 12-Bar Blues involve a pattern that repeats every 12 bars. Because of the nature of this pattern, musicians often think of the pattern being grouped into three, four-bar sections. Second, the chords in the progression are derived from the I, IV, and V chord of the Key (using standard Roman Numeral notation for the chords). Third, each bar is restricted to a single chord. And finally, the chord to be used in each bar is predetermined -- albeit some bars have a couple choices.

Often, but not always, these progressions use 7th chords - dominant 7th to be precise. The following is a typical 12-Bar Blues chord progression with 7th chords:

I7 I7 I7 I7

IV7 IV7 I7 I7

V7 IV7 I7 V7

In the Key of E (a common Blues Key) this progression would look like:

| E7 / / / | E7 / / / | E7 / / / | E7 / / / |

| A7 / / / | A7 / / / | E7 / / / | E7 / / / |

| B7 / / / | A7 / / / | E7 / / / | B7 / / / |

This article reviewed two of the most fundamental components of Blues music: the Blues scale and the 12-Bar Blues chord progression. If you can become proficient in these two areas, you will be in a great position to play a lot of great Blues music.

The Blues is a complex subject. This article really just scratches the surface. For more information on the Blues, please visit our Learn Blues Guitar page and read our Blues Guitar Review.

Dan Denton is a guitar enthusiast with over twenty years experience. He especially likes Rock and Blues-based music.

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Tips on How to Become a Better Photographer

By Maggie Kesch

Are you becoming frustrated with the photos you have taken? Cheer up. You can still become a better photographer if you really want to. You can have lots of readings from different media about photography where you can get tips on how to capture perfect photos.

• Maintain eye contact. Like in the real life, direct eye contact is also important in taking pictures. To let loose the power of captivating gazes and compelling smiles, position the camera at the subject's eye level. If you take pictures on children, stoop down to their level. Your subjects don't have to stare at the camera. The eye level contact generates a special and tempting feeling that draws you into the picture.

• Choose the right background. Avoid distracting backgrounds that shows like something dangling in your subject's ears. Might as well choose a plain background that allows you to show off your subject.

• Use flash. Don't use your flash when taking pictures outdoor on a sunny day, is a myth. Turn flash on even under the sun. Bright sun produces unappealing deep facial shadows. The flash lightens your subject's face and makes them show up. Much more during cloudy days, flash is a need. Sometimes, you can do it without a flash because low lights may provide pleasant results.

• Move closer. When subjects are small, a step or two nearer will do better. Fill up the picture area with your subject. But never too close, pictures will become blurry. Remember that focusing distance is three feet away from the camera.

• Not all subjects need to be in the center. Taking pictures especially with nature or views in the outdoor should be moved away from the center. In as simple as moving subjects away from the center of the picture, your subject will come to life.

• Don't forget to lock the camera's focus. Putting your subject at the side of the picture requires you to lock its focus for sharp pictures. Auto-focus cameras focuses on anything that is in the center, so never forget to lock the focus.

• Check your camera's flash range. Taking pictures further than the camera's flash range is a common mistake. Resulting to pictures that are too dark. You can find your camera's flash range in its manual. If you can't find it there, don't take chances. Never go further than ten feet away from the subject.

• Be the director. Be on the look out of the pictures that you have taken. See whether you have improved or not. Being the director, take charge of the location, props and arrangement.

These simple tips can help you to become a good photographer. Who knows someday, a hobby can become a profession.

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These Techniques Will Spice Up Your Guitar Playing

By Dale Schmidt

Learning these four simple techniques can take your playing up a notch and add style and feeling to the music you make.

First up is the slide. When playing a melody, scale or lead line, slide from one note to another. When? Whenever you feel it. Sometimes, just one slide at the right time can change the feel of the music. Use them sparingly with just the right touch. Slides are a great way to help you move up and down the neck in a smooth and musical way.

The hammer on. A hammer on is when you play one note then "hammer down" a finger (of your left hand) to create another note. For example, play the fourth string on the 2nd fret then hammer down the same string to the 4th fret to create a new note. Hammer ons are used a lot in all kinds of music. You can even include a hammer on when you're strumming a chord or playing a simple scale. Just make sure both notes you create sound clean and clear.

The opposite of the hammer on is the pull off. As you may guess from the name, you play a note (string) at the 4th fret for example, then "pull off" your finger to play the same string open. You only pick (with your right hand) the string one time. The pull off creates the second note. This takes a little practice (and a little strength) to play clearly but pull offs sound great both on electric and acoustic. Practice them every day to make them part of your style.

Last is the bend or "bending" a note. Although you hear string bending a lot in Rock and Blues, you can make it work with any kind of music. You'll find that it's easier to bend notes (strings) on electric than an acoustic, but keep at if you're an acoustic player. You don't have to make huge bends to add some spice to what you're playing. A slight little bend at the right time can sound great.

Some music, particularly guitar tablature, often shows you "how much" to bend a string. You might see a ¼ bend (bending the note so it sounds one quarter of a step higher) to a full bend where the note created by the bend is one whole step higher (a C to a C# for example). Some players bend the string up while others bend the string down. You can do either and still get the same effect. However, you can't bend the first string down or the sixth string down as you would be pulling them off the neck of the guitar so learn to bend the first string up and the sixth string down.

Add these four techniques to your bag of tricks and you'll become a better guitar player in the process.

Dale Schmidt is a guitar teacher in Washington state and author of Your Private Guitar Teacher. For more information: http://www.yourprivateguitarteacher.com

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