prosperity's Blog

Peter T. Rosenblum

It's late in the evening and you're at home, using your computer to update a document you need for work the next day. You make your final changes, save the document, and submit it to print. You turn to the printer, only to find nothing there. You print the document again, and again get nothing. Thinking that maybe there's something wrong with the printer connection, you decide to reboot your computer. But you're getting error messages that you've never seen before. After clicking on two or three dozen "Okay" buttons, your computer finally starts booting up again, and you sigh in relief. Until you start getting error messages stating that certain files are out of date or can't be located. Eventually your computer comes back up, but it seems that everything has gone wonky. Programs load with errors, or don't load at all. Utilities that worked fine last night lock up when you try to launch them, including your virus-scanning software. In short, something's very, very wrong.

Ordinarily this would mean taking your computer into a repair site and have a tech look at it to determine the problem. The fix could be as simple as running a few utilities on the computer, or as complex as rebuilding the hard drive from scratch. Even the simpler solution can be expensive. But if you are running Windows XP as your operating system, you may not need to go into a blind panic. A utility included with Windows XP called System Restore allows you to recover your hard drive from a previous point in time. In effect, you're turning back the clock to a point in the past where your computer was working properly.

Give Me a Reason

Why would you restore your computer to, say, yesterday afternoon's settings? There are plenty of reasons why you might want, or need, to do so. The incident described above could be caused by a virus that got through your computer's firewall and installed itself on your computer. Remember the new game you installed on your computer late last night? It could have overwritten system files in the operating system, replacing them with older files, or deleting required files altogether. Maybe somebody got a little trigger-happy with the mouse when selecting files to erase from the system, deleting required system files. Then there's always the possibility of an "act of God", like a power outage or power surge, which may have corrupted system data on the computer.

Convinced? Good. So how does System Restore work? Let's take a look.

Start at the Beginning

When Windows XP is installed on a computer system, the System Restore utility is turned on by default, so you don't have to do anything to start the process. System Restore also automatically creates "restore points", points in time you can select for restoring your computer. They're usually created when a new program is installed, or updates to the existing system are implemented (generally through the Internet). Good news. Unfortunately Windows XP isn't consistent about the frequency of creating these restore points. You might go two or three days before an incident occurs where the operating system feels it's necessary to create a restore point. Not-so-good news. However, you can go in yourself and manually create a restore point any time you want, say, just before you install a new program. If you'll do this on a regular basis, even once a day, you'll have a good number of points from which to restore if you ever need to.

A Good Recovery Place

You may want to create a restore point of your own, or need to find a restore point to recover your system. In either case, you start the same way. In the menu bar at the bottom of the desktop, click on Start, then Help and Support (the blue question mark icon). Under "Pick a Task" in the right column of the window that appears on your screen, select the option marked Undo changes to your computer with System Restore. This launches the System Restore utility, bringing it up in a new window.

If you want to create a new restore point, select the second option in the menu and click Next. You can enter an appropriate description for this restore point, and then click on Create. Windows XP automatically attaches your description and the date and time from your computer system to the restore point and adds it to the calendar list. Click on Close and that's it - you've created a restore point. You can go on with your work (or play) now.

When You Need Some Restoration

If you need to restore your system to an earlier date and time, in the System Restore menu select the first option in the menu and click Next. You can use the calendar on the left side of the window and the restore points described on the right side of the window to pick the particular restore point you wish to use. Once you've selected the desired restore point, click on Next, and then Next again to start the restore process. Don't power down your computer during this process, as you could end up with some serious issues if the restore process doesn't complete properly. (Helpful hint: Don't do a restore if there's a possibility you might have a power outage, such as during a thunderstorm!) Once the restore is done, the computer reboots, you log in, and there you are - your system is the way it was at the date and time of the selected restore point.

Helpful Hints

You'll avoid a lot of grief if you follow a few guidelines when using System Restore.

Regularly create manual restore points. It only takes a few minutes to create a restore point. Even if you only do this once or twice a week, it gives you that many more options to choose from when you need to select a restore point.

ALWAYS create a restore point before adding anything new to your computer! Whether you're adding a new printer, installing a second hard drive, or upgrading your favorite software program, create a restore point before starting the process. If anything happens and problems develop, you can restore your computer to the way it was before the installation started.

Save important data before starting a restore. Remember that anything that has changed on your computer between the time of the restore point and the time you begin the restore will be reset to the way it was at the time of the restore point. If your restore point is from ten days ago, every program and data file you have added to your computer in that ten-day period will be gone. Files that were on the computer at the time of the restore point and that you have deleted since then will be back on the computer after the restore. So if you have files on the computer that you want to keep, copy them to diskette or RAM stick, or burn to a CD, before you start the restore process.

Not Bad for a Freebie

There are commercial programs available, such as Norton's Go-Back, that perform this function much more smoothly and have many more features. But if you don't want to pay the $50 price tag for Go-Back, or don't expect to have to recover your computer on a regular basis, then XP's System Restore utility will work just fine for you - and may end up saving you both time and money in computer repair costs!

Check this out:

Peter Rosenblum has been in Information Technology for 25 years. He has worked on everything from COBOL programming early in his career to Computer repair as of late. His website gives tips and tricks for repairing computer, http://www.computer-repair-online.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Peter_T._Rosenblum http://EzineArticles.com/?Computer-Repair---Windows-XP-Tips-Part-1&id=875821

By Sanjay Kak

Whenever you notice that your computer is working slower than normal, that it is taking longer to shut down or reboot your computer or is simply taking longer to connect to the Internet, you more than likely have a spybot on your computer. The reason why your computer will run slower whenever there is a spybot on it is because your bandwidth is being wasted, while the spybot sends its own information.

The usual experience of pop-up problems, slow network efficiency, or download files from peer-to-peer networking sites can lead to having spyware on your computer.

Besides having problems with how your computer is operating, there are some other signs that your computer may have a spybot on it. For instance, a new toolbar may install itself, a new desktop shortcut may appear or a new default home page that you did not set will appear. You may also discover that you have a spybot on your computer whenever you try to find something on a Search Engine and the spybot returns results to you that had nothing to do with what you were looking for. Plus, your browser may also be hijacked whenever a 404 page should have been displayed. When a spybot has this, you will simply receive a page that is full of ads that you are unable to close.

As you can imagine, a spybot can seriously mess up your computer. In fact, it may even make your computer barely functional. So, as soon as you notice that a spybot is on your computer, you will more than likely want to get rid of it. You can do this with the help of an anti-virus utility or Spyware removal program. While these programs will remove the spybot from your computer, you will still notice traces of the program in different parts of your computer's registry. You will need to clean this with free Spyware Adware removal software.

There is popular software called "Spybot - Search & Destroy "also known as "Spybot-S&D". This software is popular for removing malware, spyware and adware programs, which works with window operating software. The objective of Spybot - S&D is to scan and remove spyware, adware, malware and other viruses on your computer. The spyware software is designed to create a user profile which can be used for marketing companies to direct right ads to people on their browser.

The information accumulated on users can be sold to advertising companies. Now you can see how spyware becomes dangerous software for you, not only it slows computer, eats band width but also creates your marketing profile and sends this information one or many advertising companies. Practically your taste, liking, shopping interest are known to advertisers.

Features of Spybot - Search and Destroy

1. Detect and removes Spyware, Adware, malware.

2. Spybot helps in cleaning web usage tracks.

3. It can also help in fixing registry; user needs to be advanced in computer skill.

4. Software allows latest update direct to local system.

5. Spybot fixes tracking cookies.

6. Helps in resolving browser hijacking.

7. The software has anti spyware code which blocks spyware getting installed on your system.

8. Spybot is available for all versions of Windows from Windows 95.

This software comes from German software engineer named Patrick Michael Kolla and spybot is distributed by Kolla's Irish company "Safer Networking Limited".  Currently spybot - Search & Destroy is released as freeware software. The licensing rights are still with Safer Networking Limited for any commercial use. http://www.spywareantivirus.info

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Sanjay_Kak http://EzineArticles.com/?Spybot---Search-and-Destroy&id=844852

Computer Viruses - The Real And Present Danger

Author: Niall Roche

If you've never been the victim of a computer virus, you may think that all of the uproar over these nasty little programs is making much ado out of nothing. You may even be thinking that computer security experts and anti-virus companies are using scare tactics to sell anti-virus software. After all, the bigger the problem, the more software people buy. Today, the anti-virus business is worth several billion dollars and it shows no sign of slowing down.
 
So, with all of this money at risk, you are certainly justified in wondering whether computer viruses really are as big a problem as the industry says they are.
 
Unfortunately, the answer is that they absolutely are. If you get a virus, you could actually lose your money, your identity and your computer's hard drive. With new viruses being developed constantly, the problem continues to grow. While many viruses are more annoying than destructive, even a "harmless" virus can use up valuable resources. The worst viruses can spread worldwide in a few days and wreak unbelievable havoc. The damage from one infamous virus can mean billions of dollars in lost business opportunities and damaged equipment.
 
With all of this bad news, is there any good news for computer users? Take this quick risk quiz:
 
1. Does your computer have antivirus software installed on it?
 
If you can say yes, you are much less a risk than people that don't have antivirus software. If you say no, than it is only a matter of time until you find out about viruses personally.
 
2. Does your computer have a firewall installed on it?
 
If your response is yes again, you can relax a bit. You're doing all you can do software wise to keep your computer safe from a deadly virus. If you say no again, you are leaving your computer wide open for an attack.
 
Despite all of the media attention paid to antivirus software, people still have the "It can't happen to me." mentality. They laugh off warnings to protect their computers and say that they are working just fine. They think that because they never actually initiate a file download or send and receive files with friends, they are safe. A few months go by and suddenly they can't get their computers to boot up forever and then when they finally do start, they plod along at a snail's pace.
 
To make things worse, quite a few of these computer users who leave their computers unprotected are actually taking classes for computer related careers. They are completely at sea when they have to try to repair the damage caused by a virus filled computer. Perhaps a basic class on computer care and repair is in order!
 
You are probably wondering how viruses develop anyway. Hackers are the people creating these nasty bugs, right? Actually, while some hackers may decide to create computer viruses, most of them spend all of their waking hours attempting to break in to the most secure and top secret systems they can find. People who write viruses are people with an ax to grind. They want to send a wake up message or show people that they are superior to them. Today, many people are concerned that computer viruses could be used as a terrorist weapon.
 
If you do get a computer virus, will you lose everything on your hard drive? It actually is rare for this type of virus to spread very fast or far. Annoying viruses that stop you from starting your computer or using windows or those that mail spoof emails to your entire email address book are much more common. The hard drive is usually recoverable when the computer has one of these viruses.
 
What about your financial and personal information? Are viruses really likely to swipe them from the computer. Absolutely. This is a common reason that viruses are created and spread.
 
Is there any way to keep your computer virus free? While no anti-virus software is foolproof, installing one of these programs can provide some protection. While there are anti-virus software programs that provide better protection, any of them will help somewhat. Even free anti-virus programs are actually able to ward off at least some viruses.
 
After reading this information on viruses and anti-virus software, you have probably resolved to get protection for your computer right away. If so, you won't be sorry. Dealing with viruses after you are infected is frustrating and time consuming. It is so much easier to keep a disaster from happening instead of trying to reconstruct a ton of missing data and worry about identity or financial thefts after the fact.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/computers-articles/computer-viruses-the-real-and-present-danger-257345.html

About the Author:
Does your computer have a virus? Dozens of new viruses appear every single day and if you're not using antivirus software your identity and data is at risk. Find out what the  best antivirus software  is by visiting