Any Questions?

DO NOT put your computer case/box under your desk, on the floor especially on carpets. The computer system fans act just like a vacuum cleaner and will attract all the dust destined to land on the carpet. In return this dust builds up inside your computer accumulating on components which in turn will overheat and fail in due time.

 

DO NOT leave your computer system without proper Antivirus protection. Viruses can infect your computer system via floppy disks, CD’s, DVD’s, email attachments, Internet etc. Viruses or so called Worms can cause serious damage to your system which will cause you a lot of money to fix. Viruses and Worms can penetrate and damage not only software (Programs), but Internal hardware such as: main board, hard disks, memory etc.

 

DO NOT leave your Antivirus software without being regularly updated. Around 10 to 15 new viruses are discovered every day all around the world. If your software is not updated at least once a week, you will not be protected and you are rendering your Antivirus software useless.

 

DO NOT Install or let other family members Install any software programs on your computer unless you know that these are safe to run. Most programs large or small downloaded from the internet I.e.: BEARSHARE, IMESH, LIMEWIRE, etc. contain some form of Spyware that will spy on your computer for advertising purposes. These programs also run in the background most times without your knowledge thus crippling and slowing down the system.

 

DO NOT turn your computer system on and off continuously, this not only does not cut down your electricity costs but Increases the chances of component failure in your system, due to the parts changing temperature too many times too often. The monitor is the component of your system that consumes the most power (Anywhere from 20 to 60 watts) depending on the type of monitor you have. Smaller LCD monitors use a lot less power. To save power and not damage your internal components leave your computer system on, log off instead and set your monitor to turn off automatically after 10 minutes of non use.

 

DO NOT keep installing additional software programs if your system becomes slow to start and run, as this will only make your system slower and slower. Check what programs you may have running in the background that you do not use or need and uninstall these to make room for more Important Software Programs that you will use more frequently.

 

DO NOT leave your computer system unprotected from other malicious users around the world especially if you are connected to the internet via any form of Broadband Internet such as: CABLE or ADSL. Without the use of either a software or hardware firewall, your system can be accessed by anyone who may steal precious information such as emails, usernames and passwords and use your accounts for their purposes while you are paying for this usage.

How Many? There are more than 1 million virus threats currently in existence and antivirus company Symantec estimates that 10 to 15 new viruses are discovered each day.

What is a virus? A virus is any computer program that can be executed or "self-replicate", make copies of itself and spread itself from one machine to another without the help of the user. Viruses are often programmed to carry out other actions separate from replication. These actions, or payloads, vary from the annoying (altering a computer's homepage) to the damaging (deleting files). Because viruses are computer programs, they can do anything a normal program can do, including deleting files, formatting hard drives, and overwriting the Computer BIOS. But though many viruses do carry such payloads, a program does not need to have a payload in order to be considered a virus. Some viruses do nothing at all.

Why do people write and spread viruses? It is difficult to know why people write them. Everyone has their own reasons. Some general reasons are to experiment how to write viruses or to test their programming talent. Some people just like to see how the virus spreads and gets famous around the World. The following is a list from several news group postings and tries to explain why people write and spread viruses.

• they don't understand or prefer not to think about the consequences for other people
• they simply don't care
• they don't consider it to be their problem if someone else is inconvenienced
• they draw a false distinction between creating/publishing viruses and distributing them
• they consider it to be the responsibility of someone else to protect systems from their creations
• they get a buzz, acknowledged or otherwise, from vandalism
• they consider they're fighting authority
• they like 'matching wits' with antivirus vendors
• it's a way of getting attention, getting recognition from their peers and their names (or at least that of their virus) in the papers and the Wild List
• they're keeping the antivirus vendors in a job

How do viruses spread? Viruses can be spread via floppy disks or CDs, email attachments, or in material downloaded from the Web, although the majority of viruses that are currently a threat are spread by email. These viruses are usually hidden inside of attachments emailed to computer users, and the emails are usually labeled with intriguing subject lines -- "I Love You" or "Anna Kournikova Naked" -- designed to tempt users into opening them. When the attachment is opened, the virus is activated, and the user's computer becomes infected.

Often, viruses are programmed to spread themselves by emailing a copy of the attachment in which they're hidden to all the other email addresses in an infected computer's address book. So once your computer is infected, all your friends and contacts are at risk as well.

How do I avoid getting a virus? The best way to avoid getting a computer virus is to never open any attachments (which in today’s world would be almost impossible). Since most viruses are spread via email attachments, refusing to open such attachments will keep you from getting many viruses.

If you must open an attachment, contact the person who sent you the attachment to make sure they sent it. Because viruses often spread themselves via an infected computer's address book, emails from people you know aren't automatically safe.

Also, check the type of attachment before opening it. Attachments that end with the .vbs extension (Visual Basic script) or the .exe extension (program files) pose a real danger and are often how viruses are spread. Finally, make sure to install and update antivirus software. Companies such as Sophos, Trend Micro, Norton, Symantec, and McAfee offer many kinds of Security Software programs, some of which are downloadable from the companies' websites. You can use this software to scan attachments for viruses before you open them.

You can also run an antivirus program that utilizes "on-access" scanning. This type of scanning takes place constantly, automatically checking every file, program, or document every time it is opened or used.

How does antivirus software work? Antivirus software keeps a database of "fingerprints" (a set of characteristic bytes from known viruses) on file. It searches files and programs on your computer for that pattern, and when it finds a fingerprint it recognizes as belonging to a virus, the antivirus software notifies the user that that virus is present. There are also heuristic programs that look for virus like behaviour in programs, allowing the software to detect completely new viruses.

Antivirus software needs to be updated regularly so that it can search a computer for new viruses. Be sure to check with the company that produces your antivirus software package for periodic updates. Any outdated security software is useless and might as well not be there.

What do I do if I suspect my computer has become infected? There could be many reasons for your computer to act strangely. If you think your computer may have a virus, the first thing you should do is find out for sure by running a virus scan of your machine. If you have antivirus software, have it search your computer for the latest viruses. If you do not have such software, many antivirus companies, including Sophos, Trend Micro, Symantec, and McAfee offer free virus scans on their websites.

Once you know for sure which virus you're dealing with, you can find a removal tool for that specific virus on some of these antivirus sites. Follow the instructions on the site carefully. Afterward, you may have to repair whatever the virus did.

It may also be a good idea to disconnect your computer from the Web or from your network once you realize it has been infected in order to keep the virus from sending itself to other machines via your email.

What do these infections mean?

 

VIRUS - A computer virus is a program that is designed to replicate itself and spread from file to file, usually attaching itself to applications. When this application is run, it can infect other files on a user's disk. By definition, human interaction is necessary for a virus to spread to another user's files. This can be performed by downloading files, trading Floppy, CD /DVD Rom Discs with others, copying files to and from file servers, or sending e-mail attachments.

WORM - A computer worm also infects other computers, but it is spread to other computers on a network automatically and without the action of humans. This allows computer worms to spread more rapidly than computer viruses. A worm doesn't alter or delete files but instead they reside in memory, consume system resources, and slow down your computer. To protect against a worm, networked users must keep up with operating system patches and updates and be aware of any suspicious traffic.

TROJAN - A Trojan horse is a program that initially appears useful or benign and fools a user into running it. But while it runs, it could be allowing "back door" access to your computer by hackers or destroying files on your hard disk. For protection against a Trojan horse, users must be suspicious of any unknown program and be sure it is safe before running it.

SPYWARE / ADWARE - Any software that covertly gathers user information through the user's Internet connection without his or her knowledge, usually for advertising purposes. Spyware applications are typically bundled as a hidden component of freeware or shareware programs (such as screensavers) that can be downloaded from the Internet. Once installed, the spyware monitors user activity on the Internet and transmits that information in the background to someone else. Spyware can also gather information about e-mail addresses and even passwords and credit card numbers.

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(This Information has been obtained from professional trusted sources)

What is a computer? A small, relatively inexpensive computer designed for an individual user. In price, personal computers range anywhere from a few hundred dollars to over thousands of dollars. All are based on the microprocessor technology that enables manufacturers to put an entire CPU on one chip. Businesses use personal computers for word processing, accounting, desktop publishing, and for running spreadsheet and database management applications. At home, the most popular use for personal computers is for multimedia, playing music and games.

How did it all start? Personal computers first appeared in the late 1970s. One of the first and most popular personal computers was the Apple II, introduced in 1977 by Apple Computer. During the late 1970s and early 1980s, new models and competing operating systems seemed to appear daily. Then, in 1981, IBM entered the fray with its first personal computer, known as the IBM PC. The IBM PC quickly became the personal computer of choice, and most other personal computer manufacturers fell by the wayside. One of the few companies to survive IBM's onslaught was Apple Computer, which remains a major player in the personal computer marketplace. Other companies adjusted to IBM's dominance by building IBM clones, computers that were internally almost the same as the IBM PC, but that cost less. Because IBM clones used the same microprocessors as IBM PCs, they were capable of running the same software. Over the years, IBM has lost much of its influence in directing the evolution of PCs. Many of its innovations, such as the MCA expansion bus and the OS/2 operating system, have not been accepted by the industry or the marketplace.

Today? Nowadays the world of personal computers is basically divided between PC’s and Apple Macintoshes (Macs). PC’s or Personal Computers/Notebooks (Laptops) mostly run on some form of Microsoft Operating System and make up for around 95% of the market share worldwide. The rest is shared between Apple and others. The principal characteristics of personal computers are that they are single-user systems and are based on microprocessors. However, although personal computers are designed as single-user systems, it is common to link them together to form a network. In terms of power, there is great variety. At the high end, the distinction between personal computers and workstations has faded. High-end models of the PC and Macintosh offer the same computing power and graphics capability as low-end workstations by DELL, IBM, HP, Sun Microsystems and DEC.