Computer
& Windows How to Guides:
Reference
Other
What is Spyware?
Quoted from
http://www.webopedia.com
(n.) 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 that can be
downloaded from the Internet; however, it should be noted that the
majority of shareware and freeware applications do not come with spyware.
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.
Spyware is similar to a
Trojan horse in that users unwittingly install the product when they
install something else. A common way to become a victim of spyware is to
download certain
peer-to-peer file swapping products that
are available today.
Aside from the questions of ethics and privacy, spyware
steals from the user by using the computer's memory resources and also by
eating
bandwidth as it sends information back to the spyware's home base via
the user's Internet connection. Because spyware is using memory and system
resources, the applications running in the background can lead to system
crashes or general system instability.
Because spyware exists as independent
executable programs, they have the ability to monitor
keystrokes, scan files on the
hard drive, snoop other applications, such as
chat programs or word processors, install
other spyware programs, read
cookies, change the
default
home page on the
Web browser, consistently relaying this
information back to the spyware author who will either use it for
advertising/marketing purposes or sell the information to another party.
Licensing
agreements that accompany software downloads sometimes warn the user that a
spyware program will be installed along with the requested software, but the
licensing agreements may not always be read completely because the notice of
a spyware installation is often couched in obtuse, hard-to-read legal
disclaimers.
For more info &
history Spyware - Wikipedia,
the free encyclopedia
Just download
Lavasoft's Ad-Aware program, it does an
efficient job in removing spyware, malware & adware.
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What are the best
settings for Windows XP Services?
This all can be answered in our
Configuring Windows Services Page.
What are " Cookies?
A Cookie is:
A very small text file placed on your hard drive by a Web Page server. It is
essentially your identification card, and cannot be executed as code or
deliver viruses. It is uniquely yours and can only be read by the server
that gave it to you.
A Cookie's Purpose is:
To tell the server that you returned to that Web page.
How a Cookie Helps You:
It saves you time.
If you personalize pages, or register for products or services.
Next time you return to a site, it shows you the information you requested.
Or, when you register for another product or service. Of course, if you
never register or leave personal information, then the server only knows
that someone with your cookie has returned to the Web site. But the more you
tell about yourself, the more a site can help you find information or
products you want.
If you're using Internet Explorer 5.0:
1. Choose Tools, then
2. Internet Options.
3. Click the Security tab,
4. Click Internet, then Custom Level.
5. Scroll down to Cookies and choose one of the two options.
If you're using
Internet Explorer 6.0:
1. Choose Tools, then
2. Internet Options.
3. Click the Privacy tab,
4. Click Advanced
5. Choose your options.
How to See Cookies You've Accepted:
If you're using Internet Explorer 5.0 & 6.0
On your task bar, click:
1. Tools, then
2. Internet Options.
3. Under the tab General (the default tab) click
4. Settings, then
5. View Files.
How do I get the taskbar & desktop back when "
Explorer
crashes?Every once in a
while,
Explorer (Windows "shell" is responsible for the taskbar, desktop, and Start
Menu) eventually crashes for some unknown reason, all of the sudden the taskbar and all your desktop
icons are GONE! All is not lost, there’s a built-in safeguard in Windows XP that relaunches Explorer automatically if such a crash is detected, but
if it
doesn’t relaunch, There is a way to get it back without rebooting.
-
Press Ctrl-Alt-Del.
-
In the Windows Task Manager application that
appears, select New Task (Run) from the File menu.
-
Type Explorer and click Ok.
One of the reasons why Explorer crashes
and doesn't relaunch
is here in the following example: if you have enabled the option (in Control
Panel -> Folder Options -> View tab) "Launch folder windows in a
separate process" and the taskbar disappears, Windows will sometimes open
another Windows Explorer window instead of relaunching your taskbar and
desktop.
I
accidentally disabled Remote Procedure Call and I my computer won't boot
correctly! How do I fix it?
Boot into safe mode and install this
registry patch. It
will place the RPC service back into automatic allowing your PC to boot normally.
When the patch is ran the following information is applied
to your registry:
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\RpcSs]
"Start"=dword:00000002 |
After you download and unzip the contents, double click
on the registry file to apply the patch.
I accidentally deleted the "Show
Desktop" Icon from the Quick Launch area on Taskbar, How do I restore it?
Open Notepad and enter
the following text:
[Shell]
Command=2
IconFile=explorer.exe,3
[Taskbar]
Command=ToggleDesktop
Save the new file as Show Desktop.scf then drag and drop the
icon on the Quick Launch bar or whatever location you want the shortcut to
appear.
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I
enabled & forgot my password for the "Content Advisor" in my Internet
Options, now I can't access most or all websites!
Don't worry not all is lost! The patch I have
provided for download (below) will reset this setting, at the same time
clearing any passwords that was created in the content advisor.
When the patch is ran the following information is applied
to your registry:
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\policies\Ratings]
"Key"=-
"Hint"=-
"FileName0"=- |
After you download and unzip the contents,
double click on the registry file to apply the patch.
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