Speed Up Windows 8 With Norton Internet Security

Symantec claims that its elite Antivirus software - Norton Internet Security - can outwit Microsoft's native security solution - Windows Defender - and in turn, provide a better, faster and securer computing experience.

Remember the good, old days back in 2008, when running Norton Security would quench your computer's performance? It was only 2009 when Symantec completely rewound the software and came up with a better and refined version of antivirus software. Since then, with every forthcoming version, it has just improved.

However, the irony is that so have its competitors. In recent times, security suites like BitDefender, AVG or Kaspersky have evolved to provide better user experience, faster performance and robust protection.

However, Symantec has been the catalyst in the transformation process, pushing the performance boundaries with every build. It realizes that performance would be a crucial factor not only for antivirus software but also for operating systems.

On the other hand, Microsoft claims that it has played all cards right this time with Windows 8. It won't slow down after few months unlike most Windows versions and promises an intuitive, easy-to-work-with interface as well.

Though the code for Windows 8 has not been out yet, Symantec couldn't resist itself from asserting that Windows 8 affiliated Norton Internet Security would provide the fastest computing experience. Moreover, it also went on to attest that as per their preliminary tests, Windows 8 PCs running with Norton Internet Security performed 52% faster when compared to the ones running with Windows Defender. These reports have been issued by TechRadar and the integrity of these reports thereby cannot be questioned.

Symantec would provide the functionality to update to newer versions without a need to reboot. Besides that, with an autonomous auto-update feature, you would stay up to date and always be protected from malicious attacks.

Though it is very much obvious that the paid versions of the software perform better than the freeware (Windows Defender is available as a FREE download), it would be fascinating to see how the contemporary software companies like Kaspersky, AVG or Kaspersky would respond to this.

There can also be the following implication: "Norton does not make Windows faster, Windows Defender makes it slower."

We would have to wait for the official release of Windows 8 in order to know what exactly the naked truth is. Having test the new Windows 8 platform, I would venture to say that it may not necessarily speed up the system, but it will certainly help keep it protected.

Jason Greenwell invites you to get the latest tech news, tips, and advice from his company My Tech Team - a leading provider of computer support - at http://www.mytechteam.net/blog

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The Metamorphosis of Computer Viruses

Have you ever heard the saying if someone can make it, someone can break it. Sure, this is a cliché usually reserved for prison escape movies, but it is also true of operating systems. Over the years the PC virus has metamorphosed into something far more complicated, the desire to turn your PC into a drone or bot allowing the virus controller to take control of your computer, sometimes targeting other sites in a distributed denial of service attack, or perhaps just waiting to intercept your Internet banking details.

Prior to broadband connections being widespread, creating large and sophisticated botnets of drone PCs was difficult due to the low speed of the dial-up analog modem. Faster broadband speeds have enabled ever increasingly sophisticated credit card fraud and DDOS (Distributed Denial of Service) attacks.

Today virus attacks can be broken into two categories. Destruction and Purpose. The first type of attack renders your system non functional and is the equivalent of cyber vandalism. The second type of attack is designed as a purpose, whether it is capturing your passwords, transforming your PC into a drone or installing some advertising malware into your browser toolbar, this type of attack is definitely the most dangerous.

Whatever the reason or motivation behind virus infections, what becomes clear is some operating systems are more vulnerable to these attacks than others. Windows based operating systems are definitely the most targeted, since the majority of people run the same operating system. A virus specifically designed to exploit a security loophole in the operating system will quickly spread throughout the infected users contacts and other files, generating infected emails or attaching malicious code with legitimate emails.

The easiest type of infection is with Javascript, which is embedded into almost every web page today. This is the main reason that html images are turned off by default in Outlook and other email clients, it just opens too many backdoor opportunities to hackers and viruses. So why is it that users of Linux and Mac seem to be relatively unscathed when it comes to viruses? The answer lies with the users permissions to execute code. By default users of these systems are not allowed to execute new code, users inherently don't have the ability to execute code as a service or change the runlevel of executable programs.

Coupled with the difficulty of creating and distributing the same virus compiled for different versions of Linux, such an undertaking becomes too much a daunting task for most intent on destruction. Windows makes a much softer target in this regard. Not that Linux servers are immune to such attacks, they all have similar exploits to Windows, however, security patching occurs much faster than with Windows since there are significant more individuals tracking and patching vulnerabilities before exploits are realized by the hacking community.

The Anti Microsoft Sentiment

This is probably the single biggest reason why Windows users are targeted. Hackers feel Microsoft is anticompetitive. Indeed, this is also the motivation behind organizations like Oracle that sponsored open source initiatives such as VirtualBox and Openoffice, which helps even out the playing field, as far as global dominance of office automation products are concerned. As a result of this sentiment, Windows PC's are the targets of more malware, phishing, virus than any other operating systems and as a result keeps virus detection and defense companies gainfully employed.

Firewalls and IPS

As the attacks become more sophisticated, security vendors are tuning their products to help combat the spread of infection. Simple firewall packet inspection rules are not enough on their own to stop a DDOS attack. In fact, the firewall itself may be the intended victim of such an attack. Today, most firewall solutions are coupled with Intrusion Detection and Protection, which allows firewall appliance to drop packets that exceed a certain threshold, such as the number of malformed http request from a particular host, a clear signal that a specific type of attack is being conducted on a web server for example. The firewall security appliance is critical for corporations, however, beyond the remit for most home users, who must rely on software based solution running on their PC.

Virus Defence Companies

Until 2009 protecting your Windows PC required a subscription to a anti-virus solution, virus defence companies sprung up everywhere and increased their services to include packet filtering software based firewalling. However Microsoft decided to provide a free security defence solution called Microsoft Security Essentials, in a attempt to stem the tide of virus attacks across it's products, (yes there are still folks out there who don't have any antivirus solution installed). In fact the upcoming release of Windows 8 will include the solution with the operating system. Can the competing virus solution companies differentiate themselves and hold on to market share? only time will tell.

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In-The-Field Analysis of "Trojan Horse Patched_c LYT" Virus

A long term client, having difficulties with pc problems, recently contacted us. She identified her computer signs and symptoms as follows:

"After Googling something and clicking a link I am hijacked off to a arbitrary website or pop-up".

I carried on by importing the vital analysis and restoration tools to the infected laptop via usb drive - packages included AVG, ComboFix, OTL, and MalwareBytes.

My primary phase comprises performing an AVG diagnostic scan. The outcome of the test pointed out an issue in c: \Windows\System32\services. exe caused by the computer virus "Trojan horse Patched_c. LYT". AVG offers you minimal support against a computer virus aimed towards services. exe - so eradication of the malware by using an anti-virus software program will not be a solution.

The next measure consists of executing a comboFix scan. Keep in mind, I rename ComboFix before upload to the corrupted laptop - because a number of spyware and adware specify combofix. exe explicitly.

Some added points concerning combofix. exe include:

1. Shut down every open web browsers before executing
2. Close and disable any anti-virus or anti-malware
3. Clicking on combofix while it executes may perhaps result in a stall
4. Combofix may interrupt internet connection if terminated prematurely. A system reboot clears this issue.
5. Combofix may dump the error "Illegal operation attempted on a registery key that has been marked for deletion". In this instance, a system restart fixes this issue.

The comboFix log indicates a problem in c: \Windows\System32\services. exe. We need to find a clean version of services. exe to restore the corrupted file located in the System32 folder. I begin an OTL session and scan the laptop for an authentic version. I also take this occasion to locate a clean copy of smss. exe.

/md5start
services. *
/md5stop

Now that we currently have the location of the original systems files we may continue to overwrite the contaminated system files. We could replace a systems executable in various ways- I opt for either a manual restore with software such as ComboFix or use of the System File Check utility. In this instance I fire up ComboFix and manually copy the clean executables:

FCopy::
C: \Windows\winsxs\[location of your services folder]\services. exe | C: \Windows\System32\services. exe
C: \Windows\winsxs\[location of your smss folder]\smss. exe | C: \Windows\System32\smss.exe

This appears to have eliminated the problem. The contaminated computer is now executing splendidly.

At this time I prefer to tie up loose ends by running MalwareBytes. A couple of details pertaining to MBAM:

1. Check for updates before running this application.
2. Quick scan will do in most situations
3. Look at the outcomes of the scan and be certain to select all items, then eliminate all chosen objects.
4. In the case MBAM encounters a difficult file you will be prompted with a couple of dialog boxes. Permit MBAM to complete the procedure and restart the system.

In this circumstance the MBAM diagnostic comes back clean.

Taylor Jacobson writes about actual experiences from our computer repair shop in Encino, CA. For more information regarding these types of computer viruses checkout: Encino Computer Repair Field Docs. If you require assistance repairing your computer we offer free online diagnostics: EncinoComputerRepair.com

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How the VPN Works, and Why Should I Care?

Mostly everyone in the world surfs the Internet, because of that fact; you should know how theVPN works. Before going into more details on how the VPN works let's see what is creating the need for a VPN. In today's society, it is rare when someone does not spend time each day online. Yet many Internet users are unaware that there is no privacy online, and that it takes little effort for hackers to steal their identity. In the last few years, identity theft has risen to an alarming rate, it is estimated that an identity is stolen every six seconds in the United States alone. Hackers have found it easy to buy a part from a local computer store and then go to sites online that teach them how to use the part and hack into websites. Criminals no longer have to buy a gun and rob you that way. They can just sit at a coffee shop and hack wireless users sitting around them. They have discovered that the Internet can be an information gold mine that can pay them big dividends without taking too many risks. It is safer, to steal someone information, than going rob a bank.

The thing is that almost every device can be hacked. It can be a laptop, smart phones, and even tablets. When you are online, someone can steal your information from anywhere in the world if you are not protected. We are facing a real global problem. Due to this major global problem, it is important for you understand how the VPN works, and how you can benefit from its use. We can say that the VPN can be the solution to a global problem.

Well, it's now time to go into the details of how the VPN works. A VPN is a program that offers privacy while on the Internet. For those who are not familiar with a VPN, it stands for a Virtual Private Network. It takes the regular internet, a public domain with numerous inherent security problems, and turns it into your own personal, private internet. A VPN uses software called tunneling protocol to burrow through the unsecure public internet, which hides all of your sensitive data in a 1024-bit encrypted tunnel along with a dynamic IP (Internet Protocol) address. This might sound too technical, but what this really means is that all of your online activity is hidden from prying eyes including your ISP (Internet Service Provider), hackers, neighbors and anyone else who wants to see, manipulate or steal your important data.

That is how the VPN works, the software protects your data and your online privacy. Large corporations often get VPNs established through giant technology companies, which supplies the hardware and software, but that is too costly for typical small businesses, medium-sized organizations, and home users. There are affordable and user-friendly Virtually Private Network alternatives that keep sensitive information of business and home computer users secure.

Wilfredo Orama is a Certfied Information Security Advisor with a vast of experience on how the VPN works, and to find the most affordable and complete VPN solution. For more information please visit:

http://surfsafevpn.com/wp-content/themes/NewSurfSafeVPN/photoshield.php

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Getting Rid of a Trojan Virus - What to Do If Your Computer Is Infected

Removing a Trojan is just like removing any other computer infection, most modern day antivirus programs will rid a computer of Trojans, worms, viruses, spyware plus other threats with ease. People that I have talked to have a misconception that a Trojan is far more serious and dangerous than a virus or spyware, this however is not the case.

The main difference between Trojans and other infections is that a Trojan is much stealthier, it will usually be in the background completing a task, stealing information or presenting itself as something useful, whereas a virus just usually takes over your computer and destroys as much as possible or makes it unusable.

So how do we remove a Trojan? It is fairly simple, if you have ever removed any virus or other infection using a program such as AVG, Avast, Malwarebytes, Combofix etc then you will already be able to remove a Trojan. Two of the best programs available to remove pretty much any infection are Malwarebytes and Combofix, both are free and available to download with a simple Google search.

Firstly you need to download both of the packages mentioned above, install each program in the usual way. Once the software has been downloaded and installed, it is just a case of opening each of them, ensuring that both are updated and then running a full scan. The software will then pick up any infections and provide you with any necessary action that needs to be taken, usually in the form of quarantine or deletion.

To be extra safe, be sure to have a real time antivirus running at all times. There are a number of free ones available that have great detection rates and are just as good as paid versions. Most Trojans, viruses or any infections can be stopped before they even enter your computer, simply by having this protection. It is a must for any machine and with plenty of free software out there there is no excuse (AVG Free, Avast Free, Avira Free, Bitdefender Free).

It is also important to change any bad browsing habits you may have had to contract this infection in the first place. If you enjoy clicking every link you come across and just have to download that illegal movie or click the attachment in every email then its time to re-assess your behavior and start acting better for the sake of your computer safety!

There you have it, a bit of information about Trojans, what you can use to get rid of them and a few extra tips to keep you safe from future infection. Enjoy the web.

For More Computer Guides Please Visit This Link: Backup Registry Windows 7

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Best Way to Remove a Virus From Your Computer

Virus's are almost an inevitable consequence of computer use nowadays. Even the most experienced user with the latest anti virus installed is susceptible to viral infection.
From simple surfing of the net, downloads of any kind, to reading your email, there are literally hundreds of ways for malware to invade your machine.

Usually one is quite aware of the infection; pop up's, redirected web results, rogue programs running etc are the obvious signs of an infection. There are other less obvious signs as well; inability to get online at all, blue screens, sluggish performance, computer freezing up, these can all point to an infection.

Even though the prevalence of these virus's is increasing, and the frustration they cause can be infuriating, there is good news! Most can be removed relatively easily; with a bit of patience and the information I'm about to give, you'll have all you need to defeat these nasty pests.

The first thing you'll want to do is download 3 free programs from the internet (you'll need a virus free computer for this part)

1. combofix
2. superantispyware
3. malwarebytes.

AS I stated earlier, each of these is free and readily available, just do a Google search for each. The next step you'll perform is to save these 3 programs on a usb flash drive; once completed boot up the infected pc into safe mode by pressing f8 while the machine is starting up. Once in safe mode, (these instructions work for all windows os's) go to "run" and type in "msconfig" A window will open with several tabs on top, choose "start up" and choose "diagnostic start up" then reboot into safe mode again. Once in safe mode insert your usb flash drive and run "superantispyware" make sure you set it to perform a "complete scan" Superantispyware will run for anywhere from 30 minutes to well over an hour; once completed you will have a list of the spyware, virus's, malware found as well as cookies, you dont have to delete the cookies, but make sure anything else found is removed.

You will then run malwarebytes and remove whatever it finds. Lastly, run combofix. Combofix will find the tough ones such as rootkits and make the necessary repairs to the operating system. Your computer should now be virus free.

Now your computer is virus free, but that doesn't mean the damage the virus caused is cured! If you notice that your files are missing, or that your desktop no longer has any icons on it, download and run "unhide.exe. If you still can't get online, make sure your proxy settings are correct, (control panel, internet options, connections, lan settings, make sure nothing is checked) If you still are unable to access the internet, from a working computer download lspfix (Google search) and run from the thumb drive.

Once you've completed these steps your computer should be virus free and in working order. There are virus's however that will not be removed with these steps in which case it may be wise to call your local computer services technician. 8 out of ten times though these steps will work. Good Luck.

Dr PC computer repair and services has been providing the Thousand Oaks and surrounding cities quality computer repair, services and support since 2004. We are located at 2764 E. Thousand Oaks Blvd, or you can find us on the web at http://www.drpcusa.com/

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Meritorious Online Services for Panda Support

Panda Security, a stable, speedy, efficient and holistic antivirus protects a computer against viruses, malware and spyware and ensures that your system is fully protected against threats. Panda Security has come up with a range of products that includes Panda Antivirus Pro Edition, Internet Security 2011, Panda Global Protection, and Internet Security for Netbooks. Threats with the usage of computer system are obvious but as a computer user, you need some extraordinary protection that can protect your computer and can stop these threats or viruses occurring in your system. This is where the need of antivirus comes into consideration. An antivirus if capable enough to protect your system can have a great control over the malicious software and viruses. This is why mostly computer users prefer using Panda antivirus to protect their machine against spyware, exploits, malware, viruses, Trojans and other potential threats. Panda antivirus consists of the following features:

Collective intelligence technology

Safer and faster

Minimum impact

Maximum protection

Easy to use

So, have you ever experienced viruses on your system?

Today, internet usage has made our lives dependent and in this condition, if even for a while our system stops working or it has been escaped by a sluggish performance, we get annoyed and are left with only a single option i.e. 'support for antivirus'.

When it is about PC security, all computer users believe in having an effective antivirus in their system. Are you running Panda antivirus on your system and it is not performing, as it should? Opt for third party Panda support that you can grab either from its own organization or from a third-party security provider. Yes, there are many organizations that provide third party technical services online that are not limited to only antivirus rather you can avail their services for any technical issue.

Well, let's continue with online third party Panda help that includes everything related to Panda antivirus issue. Vendor technical support generally offers virus removal with the aid of remote desktop support. There are some of the following issues, you may face while using Panda security product:

Problem in installing Panda Security

Issue in removing Panda Security

Not receiving Panda updates

You're not able to browse the websites due to antivirus

Panda antivirus activation is leading an issue in connecting with the internet

So, now you don't need to compromise with your PC's security and grab the fast services as quick as possible for Panda security. Third-party services provide on-demand paid solutions and get you connected to PC security technical experts. They can provide you with the following benefits for Panda help:

Help you in the installation, removal and upgrading Panda antivirus

Provide you with Panda updates

Provide Panda support for technical issues

The technician follows appropriate troubleshooting steps to provide computer security

Delete all temporary internet files residing in your computer system

Scan your computer with updated Panda antivirus program

Scan your system by spyware removal program

Herry Willson is working as a Technical Content Writer with SupportMart, a 24x7 available technical support company. We offer brand-independent online technical support for computers, its Operating systems & software. Our service includes online PC support for almost every brand such as Dell, HP, Toshiba, Acer, Sony, Microsoft Office Support etc. For more information Call us at 1-8007937521 or visit SupportMart

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Adobe Code Signing Hack: Are We All in Trouble?

Recently, Adobe announced that their internal servers had been hacked back in July and their digital code signing technology compromised. This gave the hackers the ability to distribute malware that appeared to be legitimate Adobe software.

In fact, Adobe is aware of two malware files that contained apparently legitimate code signatures. The files were discovered by a third party that was cleaning up a breach.

In response, Adobe revoking the impacted certificate and published updates for existing software signed with it.

Problem solved?

More or less, for now.

Adobe has revoked the code signing certificate for the time period that they were vulnerable, from July 10th to September 27th of this year. Assuming July 10th is when they were first compromised, that will stop the spread of malware with a falsely applied certificate.

However, Adobe's actions are in response to just two files identified that had in fact breached a firm's security. We do not know if there are more copies of these files, or malware from the same hackers, that have successfully infected computers but have not yet been discovered.

Of course, it is also possible that they have been discovered but the victims have not come forward. Breaches in security often go unreported because firms are reluctant to broadcast bad news and the fear that they will become a target for other hackers.

The bigger problem is that these hackers are still out there. Adobe has referred them as "sophisticated threat actors" engaged in "highly targeted attacks."

These types of attacks are called of Advanced Persistent Threats (APTs). They attack points of weakness that are not critical in themselves but use them to gain increasingly more access and control of computers and networks that they compromise.

One of the two digitally signed malware files is a utility that extracts password data from the Windows operating system. This could be used by a hacker to elevate the security level of a compromised use rid. The second malware file could be used to modify access to and messages from a web server.

How much harm can such hackers cause?

I would group hackers into three categories:

Sport hackers: They do it for the challenge and are generally a nuisance, but do not do anything particular malicious. While not insignificant, they are the least of our problems.Malicious hackers: These are hackers are trying to harm their targets. Some of these have a cause and are making a political statement, known as hacktivists. They can also include foreign governments engaged in the increasingly active art of cyber warfare.Criminal hackers: These are engaged in a variety of schemes and good old fashioned fraud. This includes financial fraud through identity theft, click fraud which inflates advertisement clicks to increase fees paid and the theft of intellectual property.

What should you take away from this?

If you connect to the internet you are vulnerable to attack.

Code signing is a way that scanners and firewalls can verify the identity of the author of an executable file and ensure that the file has not been altered since it was signed by the author.

We all hope that this incident does not indicate that the code signing system is fatally flawed, and I expect that it will continue to be an important tool for guarding against attacks. However, it clearly proves that that the system can be compromised. It may take a rare combination of sophisticated hackers and a company that lets its guard down like Adobe, but when that happens the consequences can be severe.

The lesson for both IT professionals and the average computer user is that you cannot be too vigilant in protecting your computers and networks. If you do not use virus scanning and a firewall, start today. There are some very good free security systems available that can do the job.

In dealing with a breach such as this, you need the most aggressive type of antivirus and malware protection possible. The problem with most antivirus protection is that they only address viruses and exploits that have been identified and added to a"blacklist" of known viruses.

This approach would not have caught the malware in this case.

However, scanners that use a "whitelist" concept and sandbox likely would.

With this technique, program files are compared to a list of valid files and only allowed to run in your system if they are on the list. If the scanner has any suspicions about a program, it is run in an isolated system area called a sandbox where the scanner can determine if it is OK or should be deleted.

Firewalls are easy to setup and there are excellent free anti-malware and firewall suites available. Whether you have a network for a business or just a home computer, you owe to yourself to implement the best available.

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How to Protect Your Computer From The DNSChanger Malware Infection

As of July 9th, 2012, the Internet Systems Consortium will be shutting down the rogue DNS servers utilized by the DNSChanger malware infection. During an FBI sting, agents brought down a hacker ring from Estonia last year under Operation Ghost Click. If your computer is one of the 1 million computers that were infected by the DNSChanger virus, you will lose internet access on July 9th, 2012. The reason you will lose access, is that your computer may be using one of the temporary DNS servers setup by the FBI to retain access to infected computers during the shut down of the surrogate DNS servers used for the hacker ring.

How to Tell Whether DNSChanger Has Infected Your Computer

The FBI has setup a website that will allow you to find out if your computer has been infected with the DNSChanger rootkit. By visiting dns-ok.us you will be able to check and see if your computer has been inected. While the website looks very cheap and almost fake, it is the correct website that was setup by the FBI. If you live outside of the US, you will need to check for alternative websites to check for an infection.

If you computer is infected by the DNSChanger virus, you will unfortunately lose internet access until you have had the malware removed from your computer.

What Do I Do if My Computer is Infected by DNSChanger

Once you've figured out that your computer has been infected by the DNSChanger virus, it's time to start figuring out how you'll get the rootkit removed from your computer. The first thing that you'll need to do is to create a backup of all of your critical files including your personal files, pictures, music and movies. After you've completed this, your safest bet is to completely format your computer's hard drive and perform a complete clean installation of your operating system.

If you would prefer to avoid reformatting your computer, there are tools that can help you remove the rootkit malware and may be able to restore your computer to it's previous state. There are programs that have been released specifically designed to remove the DNSChanger rootkit from your computer. Simply Google DNSChanger or check out Kapersky Lab's TDSSKiller.

If the infected computer is on a network in your home or office, you will need to manually check every computer on the network to ensure that no other computers were infected. You will also want to check your router to ensure that it wasn't infected by the rootkit as well.

Once all of the above checks have been done and you feel you have removed the malware from your computer, recheck everything to ensure that your computer is no longer infected and you should be ready to go on Monday when the servers are shut down. By following the steps listed above you will be able to prevent your computer from losing internet access.

Geeks Anywhere is the number one resource in Baton Rouge, LA for computer repair and business IT solutions.

If you're interested in personal or small business computer repair, feel free to visit our website and check out the services we have to offer.

Baton Rouge Computer Repair

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Let's Find More Bad Guys Online - No Let's Go Find The Standouts and Exceptional Humans

Not long ago, I was talking with a top web designer about the algorithms used to do semantic search, and how the searching of big data throughout the online social media could indeed help root out customers, terrorists, trouble makers, and trend setters. Now then although I've been a critic about the violation of personal privacy, I understand why intelligence agencies wish to tap into big data and use algorithms and search strategies to fish out the bad guys. Yes, that makes sense to me, even if I don't like all the false positives it creates. Okay so let's talk shall we?

There was an interesting article on the Dark Government website recently titled; "AI Monitoring Research Program Bankrolled by EU," which stated; "A five-year research program, called Project Indect, aims to develop computer programs which act as "agents" to monitor and process information from web sites, discussion forums, file servers, peer-to-peer networks and even individual computers. Its main objectives include the automatic detection of threats and abnormal behavior or violence.

If citizens cannot trust the social networks or communicating online, then we created a complete travesty in that the greatest communication device ever created in the history of mankind will longer work for the citizens, business people, and those who use it. In that case it's of no value; it's ruined, hijacked, and manipulated into something that it isn't. Rather than looking for the bad guys, why not also look for the good guys? If we approach this slightly differently, then those who are good would realize that they will be put on a good list, and not necessarily accidentally on a bad one.

The reason I bring this up is as I was talking to the online web developing guru, I realized that such a system to find the standouts and exceptional humans in our society is so viable, and so worth creating, that I decided that perhaps I should be the one to creating it since no one else seems to be trying. What I think happened was that after 9/11 everyone became so paranoid and also upset that the intelligence agencies were not working together which allowed the event to occur in the first place, that everyone wanted to fix the program and find ways to stop future events.

In all this chaos and fear generated intellectual groupthink, everyone started looking in the wrong direction, rather than on a positive note. That's all I'm saying here. Indeed I hope you will please consider all this and think on it.

Lance Winslow has launched a new provocative series of eBooks on Future Internet Concepts. Lance Winslow is a retired Founder of a Nationwide Franchise Chain, and now runs the Online Think Tank; http://www.worldthinktank.net/

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How To Delete Adware Threats That Norton Antivirus Can't Delete?

Before coming down to the crux of the matter, let us understand what 'Adware' is and how does it affect your computer system. In short and simple words, 'Adware' is advertising software, which is considered to be a legitimate alternative offered to consumers who do not wish to pay for software. So, when you use that particular software, advertisement will be displayed on your computer screen in the form of Pop-ups. However, this very adware becomes illegitimate, when it starts keeping the track of your activities that you do while surfing net, and sells your personal information to other sources. And then, this adware turns to 'Spyware', which is harmful and risky, for it leads to a number of threats, such as identity theft, phishing scams, etc. Thus, it should be removed without any further deferral to stay away from the dawning conundrum.

Now, it's quite obviously asked that why so sometimes Norton Internet Security can't delete the adware threats? The most common answer to this may come as that the Norton Antivirus set up has become ineffective due to raging technical follies or it has probably got outdated or expired. But having said that, instead of uninstalling Norton Antivirus, you have to update it and run it as usual, if it lists the adware threats in the summary, pen down their names. Afterwards, follow the mentioned below steps:

Step 1 Click the name of each threat to open a small box that contains the full path to each offending file. Then close Norton Antivirus.
Step 2 Click Start>Run.
Step 3 Type 'cmd' in the text field and click OK. A DOS window will pop up.
Step 4 Type 'cd\' and hit Enter key. This will 'change directory' to the root of your C: drive: C:>.
Step 5 Type 'cd ' followed by the path to the first of the offending files (eg. 'cd WINDOWS\Downloaded Program Files' - note the space after 'cd') and hit 'Return/Enter'.
Step 6 Type 'dir' once you get to the directory. You will see a 'directory' of all files in the folder. Ensure the offending file has been listed there.
Step 7 Type 'del ' followed by the name of the offending file (eg. 'del bridge.inf') to 'delete' the file.
Step 8 Type 'dir' again to list the directory, and then assure yourself that the offending file has gone.
Step 9 Repeat the process from Step 8 until all files are gone, if you have more than one file and the remainder are in the same directory.
Step 10 Repeat from Step 5 if you have more than one file and the remainders are NOT in the same directory.
Step 11 Type EXIT and hit return/enter to close the DOS window when all your files are gone.

A freelance writer and a blogger-to-the core, Namita has got her brownie points by writing for core technical concerns pestering PC users on day-to-day basis. She has been aligned with many technical firms including http://www.pccare247.com/ - a known technorati in IT Technical Support Services including virus removal, peripheral support, windows tech support, network support, data back-up and many more.

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Why You Should Wear Dark-Colored Sunglasses When You Shop at the Grocery Store in Future

The rate of personal technology growth is absolutely out of control, and we certainly live in a very interesting time. It's great to see all these new techno-gadgets, and all the different ways they simplify our life. Our smart phones are now smarter than we are, they know where we are at all times, and they know what we wish to buy something before we've even thought about it.

Are they reading our minds? No, the reality is that humans are somewhat predictable based on past behavior. Something that psychologists have known for a long time, and soon your artificial intelligent personal tech device will know almost inherently.

Not long ago, there was an interesting article in the Wall Street Journal on July 12, 2012 by Emily Glazer titled; "The Eyes Have It: Marketers Now Track Shoppers Retinas." Just when you thought it was safe to go out, the Minority Report with Tom Cruise, that popular Hollywood movie is now upon us. Do you remember when Tom Cruise was walking around a shopping mall, and every time he looked at an advertisement, it changed for his particular preferences? That is interesting isn't it?

Perhaps in the future when you are in a crowded shopping mall with people all around you, those advertisements and marketing screens will change for you, rather than someone else, because you are a more frequent shopper with an unlimited balance on your American Express card, whereas someone next to you who is shopping with only a few dollars in their pocket, and food stamps won't get a second look from the artificial intelligent mini-billboard.

So what is a person to do, as our privacy is being invaded every time we go out in public? Should we hide in our homes, and never go out? Should we never use the Internet, never buy a smart phone, and never use electronic money? Indeed, we wouldn't be able to send an e-mail, visit a website, or even turn on our cable TV. Why, because you will be tracked every time you do anything, and you can never escape this futuristic world which is coming at us so fast, people aren't ready for it yet.

If you are bothered by your local grocery store tracking your eyeballs as you walk down the aisle to see which products you look at based on their color, price, and the type of item, then perhaps you can wear dark-colored sunglasses so that they can't get a good look at where you are looking. Of course, you're still going to give yourself away if you use one of those rewards cards at your local grocery store.

In other words, you may as well face it, they already know more about you, than you may know about yourself. Yes, it's an interesting world, an interesting future which is coming for you, whether you are ready or not. Indeed I hope you will please consider all this and think on it.

Lance Winslow has launched a new provocative series of eBooks on Personal Internet Privacy. Lance Winslow is a retired Founder of a Nationwide Franchise Chain, and now runs the Online Think Tank; http://www.worldthinktank.net/

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Getting Weird Email Ads From Someone Obviously Using Big Data to Track Your Interests

Have you ever surfed around the Internet and noted that there were ads following you, ads having to do with what you had looked up previously perhaps at an e-commerce site? It seems a little spooky, when you get stalked by Internet advertising. But that's not the only spooky thing going on. If you are pretty in tune with the types of e-mails that you get every day, perhaps you are not surprised that big data is also tracking you, and that they have an army of folks using this information, along with personal contacts and personalized marketing to get you to buy their products.

Human sleuths being used by marketing companies to personally send emails to potential buyers who look up the buyer's email address after scouring the social networks for matches of interests and the needs of the marketing company's clients, these sleuths are then paid a small stipend commission when products are bought through the email they send out. Home based workers working for themselves engage in these endeavors to make money.

If you doubt what I'm saying check your own e-mail box some time and consider what you've previously looked at online, and what is popping up, the kind of people who are contacting you out of the blue. It is possible that they are getting a commission if they refer you to a product and you buy something. Often they will put a link in the actual e-mail, and when you click on it, it goes to an e-commerce site page, which also denotes where that click came from, and therefore it pays out a commission to the individual who contacted you and sent you to that website.

Now then consider this, a website is using cookies to find out who you are, then giving that information to someone to look you up on the social networks, get your e-mail address, and contact you. If you buy something they get paid. However this is problematic because they are contacting you perhaps under false pretense, promoting a product through a personal referral without notifying you that they get a commission. In many regards one could consider that a very blurry line perhaps under the heading of manipulative marketing and advertising.

The Federal Trade Commission might call this a "Shrill" tactic, and in reality that's about what it is, do you see my point? Why not keep an eye out for yourself, and when it happens to you then you'll know exactly what I'm talking about. Maybe you can get to the bottom of it. Please consider all this and think on it.

Lance Winslow has launched a new provocative series of eBooks on Internet Safety Topics. Lance Winslow is a retired Founder of a Nationwide Franchise Chain, and now runs the Online Think Tank; http://www.worldthinktank.net/

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