Top 5 Ways to Keep Your Computer Safe:

 

1. Anti-Virus Program

Remember that it is not enough to simply have an anti-virus program, it is important to make sure it is updated regularly and running scheduled

scans on your computer. Many times you can set these tasks to run at a time when you are not working on your machine (like in the middle of the

night). There are a number of quality programs out there and some are even free.

AVG 8.5 Free Edition – AVG has become one of the most trusted names in Anti-Virus software over the last couple years. This free edition of

their software has most of the features one could want in an anti-virus program such as automatic updating and scheduled scanning.
2. Firewall

Odds are you are protected by a hardware firewall in your router at work or at home, but if you ever use your laptop in a coffee shop or an

airport, it is imperative to have software protection as well. Firewalls control the communication in and out of your computer, allowing only

traffic specified by you and thus protecting against unwanted attacks.

 

3. Malware removal

Try as we may to guard against it, infectious programs and files occasionally find a way on to our machines. There are a number of free tools

available on the internet that aid in removing this malicious content. Like anti-virus software, it is good to be in the habit of keeping these

programs up to date and running them on occasion. Two of the products that we recommend using are listed below, and you can download them both

for free.

Malwarebytes Anti-Malware (Free) – Malwarebytes is a great full feature malware removal program. It was one of the first programs to

successfully remove the pesky Antivirus 2008/2009 programs, and with databases being updated frequently it is able to stay on top of the new

malware being released every day.

Spybot Search and Destroy (Free) – It is another great program for eliminating spyware and malware on your machine. It has been around for

years and they continue to keep their databases current. Use it as a tool to keep your machine running smoothly.

 

4. Windows/Operating System Updates

Microsoft is constantly releasing Security Fixes for its operating system, as well as other updates designed to improve performance. Be sure

that you have Automatic Updates configured on your machine and that you install them when needed. Again, this is something that can be easily

done automatically when you are typically away from your machine.

 

5. Passwords

As we migrate more of our everyday lives onto our computers, almost everything is password protected. It is important to remember a few
password do’s and don’ts.

Do:

Use more than one password, it may be tempting to have one ‘master’ password for your life, but if anyone were to discover it, they would have

control over your entire virtual self (bank accounts, social network sites, e-mail)
Make it hard to figure out. Devise a system for creating passwords for yourself, one that combines both letters and numbers. Use the street you

grew up on and the last few digits of an old phone number eg: Juniper0283. You don’t want to make it so hard you can’t remember, but too easy for someone to guess.

Don’t:

Write it down (or save it in a file on your desktop).
Tell it to anyone, no matter how close of a friend/relative they may be. If you do find yourself in a position where you have given it away, be

sure and change it immediately.
Use ‘Auto-Complete’ features for important accounts. Our internet browsers are always trying to offer a hand by offering to remember our login

information, but if your computer was ever stolen, access to your accounts goes with it.

Computer Tricks to Use Your Computer More Efficiently

Computers can be intimidating. There’s so much to know that no one can ever really know everything about them. There are a number of tricks, though, that everyone should know. These five computer tricks will let you use your computer more efficiently, whether it’s by saving time or introducing better ways to complete tasks.

*Utilize Multiple Displays:

Convergence is one of the themes between devices right now. While connecting a computer to a television was nearly impossible ten years ago, it’s now becoming a standard feature. Many laptops and desktops include HDMI ports for easy connectivity.

The trouble is that there’s not always a clear way to control which display does what. Sometimes you’ll want to use a television as a second monitor, while in other instances you’ll want the laptop screen completely disabled. To toggle these options quickly and avoid a trip to the Control Panel, just press Windows and P. This will bring up a menu of options that you can cycle through.

*Print Screen for Screen Captures:

This is a computer trick that’s pretty well-known already, but it’s one worth repeating. If you’ve ever had an error code come up on screen or wanted to capture what’s on the screen, there’s no need for an external application. Pressing the Print Screen key on Windows will copy the screen you’re on to the clipboard. From there, you can paste it into Paint or another program and save it as an image file. There is an equivalent of this for Mac users. Pressing Command+Shift+3 will save a screenshot, with some snazzy effects for confirmation. For more control over the capture, press Command+Shift+4.

*Spotlight Search in OS X is a Calculator:

This last trick is a bit of a novelty, but it’s guaranteed to save time for people who frequently run simple calculations from their Mac. Instead of going through the hassle of loading the calculator application, you can use Spotlight Search instead. Just type in a basic equation and Spotlight Search will give you the answer. It’s faster and easier than using a dedicated app.

*Zoom with a Keyboard Shortcut:

One of the problems of the web is the lack of standardization. Some websites use large fonts, others use sizes so small that they border on requiring a pair of binoculars. Making matters worse is that increasing or decreasing the text size in most browsers usually involves following a complex hierarchy of menus.

For a faster option, just press the Control key in tandem with the plus or minus keys. The page will zoom in or out accordingly, and the page will even be restructured so that no horizontal scrolling is required. This will save a lot of time for a lot of users.

*Problem Steps Recorder:

Anyone who’s ever fixed a computer knows how difficult it can be to make a diagnosis based purely on a conversation, just as anyone who’s had a computer problem knows how hard it can be to explain. Problem Steps Recorder is a new feature introduced with Windows 7 that aims to end this issue.

Next time you have a problem with your computer, here’s a useful trick. From the Start Menu, type “Problem Steps Recorder” in the search box. It will appear as the first option in the results. Launch it, click the record button and do whatever it is that’s giving you issues. You’ll then be able to email a recording of the issue to whoever is working on your PC.

Virus Protection and Internet Safety Tips.

Arm your computer with the best free Internet security tools available and practice safe computing habits to protect your computer from viruses, hackers and other malicious attacks.

 

Here are nine essential safety precautions for every computer user:

1. Install a free antivirus download, anti-spyware and firewall protection. By downloading Free Antivirus + Firewall, you can make all of these tools part of your computer security strategy with a single installation.
2. Make antivirus scans routine. Run a full virus scan once a week to pick up on any viruses, worms, spyware, or other threats.
3. Keep your virus definitions up-to-date. If possible, opt for your antivirus software to automatically install new virus definitions to your computer.
4. Employ spam blocking or filtering tools to block unsolicited emails or instant messages. While spam can sometimes just be commercial junk mail, spam messages can sometimes contain viruses or worms.
5. Don’t open unknown e-mail attachments or emails from unknown sources. One of the most common ways people wind up with a computer virus is by downloading an infected attachment from an email. Make sure you recognize the email sender and don’t open any suspicious attachments or hyperlinks, regardless of who sent you the message.
6. Avoid peer-to-peer (P2P) file sharing websites to ensure the best antivirus protection. In addition to the possible legal ramifications of sharing copyrighted materials, many of these downloadable files – and sometimes the P2P programs themselves – are infected with viruses, spyware, worms and Trojans.
7. Avoid clicking on pop-up ads. Pop-up ads can install a spyware download or adware on your computer, putting your personal information at risk.
8. Don’t conduct online financial transactions from a public computer or wireless network. Doing your online banking, paying your bills, or shopping online on a publicly used computer or wireless network puts the privacy of your personal information at risk. So, save online financial transactions for your personal computer while using a trusted, secure wireless network.
9. Create strong passwords. To ensure the highest level of computer security, create a password that contains at least 10 characters with capital and lower-case letters, numbers and special characters. The more random the password, the better. Be sure to avoid passwords based on personal information or common patterns or sequences.

 

How To Make Your Windows Computer Run Faster

A lot of people ask; How do I make my computer run faster? This is not really an over-the-top question as a lot of people are constantly wondering how their incredible fast Windows computer suddenly became a junk. Now that you have decided to find a solution to that problem, consider it good fortune to have stumbled upon the post.
6 Easy Steps To Make Your Windows Computer Run Faster
1. Uninstall/Remove Unwanted Programs

Most times we install programs that are of little use to us, identify such programs especially those programs you no longer need, that application that has lasted 2-years on your device without use, that game you played only once. In fact, anything you don’t use anymore, kindly get rid of it. Be careful to 100% certain you no longer need that program or application before attempting to uninstall it.
2. Malware Scan
Malware has been reported to be the chief cause of slow speed in Windows. They are a lot of tools out there that can scan and remove malware from your computer. Microsoft Security Essentials, Malware bytes, and Spy bot have proved to effective. Hint: Use Malware bytes and Spy bot to initiate the scan, uninstall after cleaning, then use Microsoft Security Essentials to prevent further entrance of Malware into your device.

3. Virus Scan

If you have an updated version of either these anti-virus; Symantec, McAfee or Kaspersky, you can perform a virus scan. If your system is not protected, I would recommend Avira Free Antivirus. It is my favorite free version of any antivirus out there.
4. Eliminate Automatically Running Applications and Utilities

One of the ways to speed up of your PC is to disable services of some programs. For example, the popular iTunes has 5 services; Do you really need all those services running on your background? Perhaps the answer would be no.
Almost any program you install these days has some part of it that likes to always run in the background. Auto Run is a handy utility that gives you one screen to manage anything that automatically runs by itself and I recommend it.
Auto run is a fantastic application; it comes with complexity in it self, but I will try to make things simple using the services tabs.
Services – This is the most important tab, view the list and uncheck anything that you no longer use. Hint: Be 100% sure that you do not need that service before you uncheck it, for example those services that reference to your smart phone you once used.

5. Clean Your Hard Drive
CCleaner will get rid of unwanted files in your hard drive. Log files, temp files and junk files would be removed. It also come with registry cleaner. You can also make use of that feature.
6. Defragment Your Hard Drive
Optimize your hard drive by defragmenting it. All Windows OS comes with a default Disk Defragmenter Utility. Get your hands on it and perform the action.
Completed all steps? Now you should be able have a faster running Windows on your device.