How to prevent viruses disabling your PROTECTION !

There are many viruses written out there today that are very smart indeed. Some poeple have alot of spare time on their hands.

Some viruses block antivirus sites by altering the hosts file. You can locate this file at C:\Windows\system32\drivers\etc in XP. To fix it, double click and open the hosts file in notepad. Delete any line referring to an antivirus site. Or delete the whole file. Windows will recreate a fresh one automatically again.

Now browse to an online virus scanner to check your hard drive and remove the virus. I used Panda ActiveScan at http://www.pandasoftware.com/products/ActiveScan.htm (email reg required). It also requires active x to run so run it using internet explorer.

Keep your defences unblocked by changing the extension of any utilities executable file from .exe to .com. If a file blocked registry access, select start, run, type command, then press enter. Type ren c:\Windows\regedit.exe regeedt.com and press enter. Then type regedit to launch the registry editor.

You can further regain control of your PC by changing the system configuration utilities executables file from msconfig.exe to msconfig.com. In XP, this file is in the C:\windows\pchealth\healpctr\binaries folder. Right click and choose rename adding the .com file extension.

Javascript code "ADD TO FAVOURITES" for IE etc

Heres a clever little piece of code to allow you to add a link to your website. It allows your visitors to add your site to their favourites so they can come back for regular updates etc.

A similar example of this is Google. Google allows you to add them as a homepage so that it is displayed each time the browser is opened. The link to do it is at the bottom of their search engine page. You can view this example at http://www.google.com/

But for now we will look at the javascript code that allows our visitors to add our site to favourites. And here it is (as a picture so blogger doesn't carry it out):

REMEMBER ! You must personalise this text to add in your own website address and title. You can also personalise the message.

Any problems with implementation, just leave a comment! :)

Error “Invalid Update Control CTF File” When Updating AVG Anti-Virus 8.0

After some time when updating AVG 8.0, you may receive the error "Invalid Update Control CTF File". The error can be fixed easily using the solution posted here at http://scotty-computer-tips.blogspot.com/

It doesn't take much working out that there are invalid CTF files in the update folder on your hard drive. You should do the following:

1. You should remove the CTF temp files in C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Avg8\update\download (just highlight and delete)

2. NOTE: You will have to type the above path in exact to get the hidden update files to show up.

WINDOWS VISTA USERS! Vista users should type in the following path C:\ProgramData\avg8\update\download

Do you need antivirus and/or antispyware?

I have many people asking me this question daily. Most pc users only have antivirus installed and most of the times it is not regularly updated. You should always have a good antivirus AND antispyware installed at all times. This will maximise protection against many forms of threats. Remember we recommend AVG 8 or above AND Adaware 2009 or above.

AVG link:http://free.avg.com/
AdAware:http://www.lavasoft.com/products/ad_aware_free.php

Security Tools namely ZoneAlarm

ZoneAlarm has been proven and tested. It's makers Zone labs have been in the firewall business for longer than most so the product is fully tested and trusted. During installation there will be a little configuring to do, however when it is fully active it does literally show quite dodgy looking processes. ZoneAlarm works away discreetly in the background to protect your computer. It has many more features that Windows firewall and best of all it's FREE. Remember to go to the bottom right and look for the free version.

And heres the link: http://www.zonealarm.com/security/en-us/home.htm

How do i permanently delete files?

Simple File Shredder

Delete a file from your hard drive and it isn't really gone. Using the right tools you could get them back. If you need to make sure a file is deleted in such a way that it can't be got back then you need a program to overwrite it.

Simple File Shredder does exactly that, overwriting the file with random bytes to ensure that even with a recovery program the contents are worthless. A log is produced to show what's been deleted. The program can also be used to shred free space on a drive to ensure that any previously deleted files are destroyed. This is particularly useful if you are disposing of an old PC and want to make sure there's no personal data left on it.

You can find this file shredder at http://www.scar5.com/

Free VOIP calls and phone service, free line rental

In this day and age where things are always possible, i was recently thinking about a phone service that would cost next to nothing. I decided to search for a VOIP (voice over internet protocol) servive and tried one out.

I now use the service regularly because:

• Free line rental (set up through router)


• 300 minutes free per month (10 per day)


• Amazingly cheap international calls


• Free calls to other VOIP customers incl (skype)


• Free 0844 phone number with income local rate charges to call


• Nationwide calls to landlines from 1p


• Pay as you go


• Internet website to monitor calls and billing

Here is the website where you can sign up to a service called freespeech http://www.freespeech.co.uk/home/index.html

Mozilla firefox Vs Microsoft Internet explorer

It has to be said that i personally like elements of both, however i do have to admit that i have always been a Microsoft fan so my favourite is always Internet explorer. Firefox is very good also and has many plug ins to enable you to do really cool stuff such as download streaming videos.

Many say that Firefox allows automatic updates, faster browsing, better pop-up blocking, tabbed browsing, an integrated search bar, and live bookmarks.

I will provide links to both browsers, try them out and see what works best for you as this is the important thing.

Firefox: http://www.mozilla-europe.org/en/firefox/

Internet Explorer: http://www.microsoft.com/windows/products/winfamily/ie/default.mspx

What is the best Antispyware to use?

It's sometimes hard to choose a good antispyware/adware for personal or business use. Many people that i know like to use Ad-Aware software which is great apparently. So i decided to use it for a month to evaluate it and what did i find?

• Very very easy to use


• Friendly and attractive interface


• Free updates


• Impressive infection removal


• Great customer info website (Lavasoft)


• Last but not least it only costs £0.00

I think you'll want the link so here it is http://www.lavasoft.com/home.php

What is the best Antivirus to use?

An antivirus nowadays is a must have, especially when programmers and hackers are always looking for a new challenge. Sure we can all update our computer but still there is a great need for antivirus software.

Don't know about you but i love getting things for free, not any old thing though. It's nice to get a quality antivirus for free with all future updates.

A great FREE antivirus that i recommend is AVG 8 or above.

And heres the link http://free.avg.com/

REMEMBER: Scanning your computer regularly helps keeps it immune to virus and attacks.

Clean you PC to improve your computers performance

Cleaning your computer on the regular basis will improve air flow and increase performance. This will ensure the computer is in great working order.




How to get from this!






To this!

• Your computer components could get damaged if you do not keep it clean on periodically basis, because dust is the main cause to heat up your system and heat links to hardware failure.
  
  
• Keep your computer off the ground, always use computer table or shelf for this purpose.
  
  
• To clean computer case first unplug your PC from the electrical outlet. Remove all cables and connectors from the back side of your computer.
  
  
• Now use an air blower to blow the air around all the hardware components and keeping away your blower nozzle 4 to 5 inches away from main board components. You can use vacuum cleaner also for this purpose but compressed air is the better solution to clean a system.
  
  
• At the end using lightly dampened cloth or spray any cleaning fluids on the computer case and use paper towel to dry it.
  Never clean inside computer components or other circuit board with damp or wet cloth.
  
  
• Always be careful to eat or drink around the computer.

Office word 2007 mouse won't click and freezing!

This is a common issue and can easily be fixed by doing the following. It occurs due to a dodgy registry file.

You must delete the Microsoft Word Data registry key Most of the frequently used options in Word are stored in the Word Data registry key.

A common troubleshooting step is to delete the Word Data registry key. The next time that you start Word, Word rebuilds the Word Data registry key by using the default settings. To view these options in Word 2002 or Word 2003, click Options on the Tools menu. To view these options in Word 2007, click the Microsoft Office Button, and then click Word Options.

Note When you delete the Word Data registry key, Word resets several options to their default settings. One such option is the "most recently used file" list on the File menu. Additionally, Word resets many settings that you customize in the Options dialog box. To delete the Word Data registry key, follow these steps:

• Exit all Office programs.


• Click Start, click Run, type regedit, and then click OK.


• Locate the following registry subkey, as appropriate for the version of Word that you are running: • Word 2002: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\10.0\Word\Data • Word 2003: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\11.0\Word\Data • Word 2007: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\12.0\Word\Data


• Click Data, and then click Export on the File menu.


• Name the file Wddata.reg, and then save the file to the desktop.


• Click Delete on the Edit menu, and then click Yes.


• Exit Registry Editor.


• Start Word. If Word starts and works correctly, you have resolved the problem. The problem was a damaged Word Data registry key. You may have to change several settings to restore your favorite options in Word.

File Hippo - Great for free software !

http://www.filehippo.com/

This website has super fast servers. You can use it to search for free software such as AVG antivirus and Adaware antispyware. You can pick up firfox and loads loads more for free through this website.

The download speeds are amazing so no more waiting around for that download.

Check it out folks and let me know if you like it - leave a comment !

:) laters

Where can you get free web hosting?

If you need free website hosting, I have discovered a company called http://www.freehostni.co.uk/

They provide good bandwidth and loads of web space for big sites and I think the admin can disable any ads the user doesn't want which is nice.

More info can be given through comments to anyone interested.

Computer running slow or sluggish?

Sometimes your computer will run slow after a certain amount of time. It's just never as good as it was the day it came from the shop.

The most common causes are:

• The hard drive becoming overloaded with files


• Viruses and spyware


• Innovations in web technology which require more R.A.M (memory) and processing power.

To find out how much R.A.M your computer is using you should press ctrl + alt + del on the keyboard. When the task manager comes up click the performance tab.

The usage of R.A.M will be displayed under PF USAGE. If this amount or R.A.M is more than you have installed on your system then you need an upgrade.

Go to http://www.crucial.com/ and scan your system. This will tell you exactly what memory you need and hey it's cheap!

You should also clear unessesary files from your hard drive.

Also you should regularly scan your drives for viruses and spyware.