Try to imagine yourself being annoyed while waiting for your computer downloading. Isn’t it very irritating if your internet connection has been slowing down over and over again? However you try to finish your task on time, but you are always interrupted, it will really hinder the smooth workflow and will eventually affect your productivity. Yet, you know that your are provided various options when subscribing a dsl internet connection on your PC: from 384 kbps,  512 kbps,  768 kbps, to 1mbps. But 1 mbps is the most appropriate speed for every computer used at home. Let say, you subscribed the standard speed which is 1 mbps; however, you are still experiencing troubles from loading. Calm down! Don’t ever make a harsh action calling the internet provider. Read this article which helps you make your internet faster without bothering yourself to find a technician to fix for you. You can do it yourself.

1. Check your computer registry.

     Every time you visit a website, it will be stored or cached in the registry which is the primary role of Windows – to automatically save data. So, it makes it easier for you to open once you need it. Nevertheless, one of the reasons that computers slow down is because there are some files or data that are corrupted due to viruses or misuse. If damaged or corrupted, it tends to spend lots of time to read it and also makes you wait. And you come up with the idea that your internet runs so slow. To solve this problem, you need to activate your antivirus software every now and then.  However, if all are functioning properly, there might be wrong with the loads.

2. Check the load of your files. 

     Another reason that makes your computer slow has something to do with the load of your hard drive or the performance of your processor, i.e. they might be overloaded. Clean your registry regularly. Removing memory resident programs that are not necessary must be the first step to make your internet faster. They interrupt loading. Free up your computer. Delete temporary files. Buy your registry cleaner software that automatically detects any problems more particularly on viruses. This cleaner is responsible more for detecting errors and immediately repair damages such as crashes and freezes.

     Isn’t it easy to fix your own computer? It is as easy as ABC. You don’t need to spend money for a repairman or need not to call the internet provider to complain. If you do these regularly, your computer works better and the internet connection runs faster than what you thought.

    Keeping the blog running is every blogger’s dilemma, especially if you’re in the middle of important unrelated chore while in the effort of maintaining your avid readers. Before I was having same problems until I’ve discovered the following solutions:

Connect your blog to your social networking accounts

     Believe me, keeping your readers updated with what’s going on through short posts on Facebook and Twitter does enough work. As long as your posts are interesting and heavy enough, you won’t need to post a 1000-word article. According to statistics, readers like it short, simply because almost all of us are in always on the run. Just install a widget of your Facebook page or any widget connected to your most used social networking account. Now, if you’re really busy to extent that you cannot even open your computer, connect through your social accounts using your cellphone. This should solve all your worries. Otherwise, try out the following one.

Install RSS feed widget of daily quotes or tips related to your blog

     Simply find a blog offering daily quotes or tips related to your niche. Then, click the orange button inside the address bar, next to URL of the blog of daily tidbits.  If you couldn’t find the button, don’t sweat it (The site is not available on XML file, therefore it has no feed). Find another blog with the orange button in the address bar. If you’ve find a blog offering daily tidbits with an orange button on its address bar, click the button. Just make sure that when you push the RSS button you have signed out to all sharing and bookmarking websites.  This is to avoid the automatic switch of address in the attempt of your good pal pc to bookmark or share. Once you’ve clicked the orange button, you’d arrive in a page showing all the daily quotes or tips that you wanted for your own blog. Copy the URL of the page. Use the copied URL in making your feed widget. Just go to a website that offers free feed widget like Feedwind. Finally, customize the appearance of your widget, copy the corresponding code, and paste it on your website. You’re done! You wouldn’t have to worry whenever you’re too busy to update your blog.

     If you couldn’t find a blog offering relevant daily tidbits for your blog, another option is to create a program that automatically does the time-based switching of predetermined messages. However, this takes a lot of time than the other two that was discussed earlier. Still your readers deserve your best. If not, then why do they have to follow your blog?

     Most of the time opening files from unknown sources or browsing a doubtful Webpage may lead to a system problem or worst damage to other files or programs of your personal computer. You must be careful and take precautionary actions to prevent serious issues which may arise from negligence or carelessness. Remember, when opening files at your disposal you must be very careful and check the source and origin of the file from where it come from to avoid risks and future hazards before you do any clicking. If you are uncertain or suspicious about a certain file, the best thing to do is to park it first and do investigative tasks to further check the real status and authenticity of the file. It is better to prevent viruses or malicious wares to infest your PC before it create an instant failure and overall damaging effects on your system.

     Now, to make sure that you are always on track on each files that you are about to download or accept, you need to follow 3 simple rules for a safer file management.

1.       Update your software regularly

     Before downloading any files, take note that most electronic mail accounts do have an option or feature which are used for attachment scanning before the system accept the running program on each file. The special features of an e-mail program to safeguard your system are; malicious ware blocking, to caution you on programs which are risky and hazardous to your computer, and pre-download screening measures.

2.       Web research 

     You may adhere to easy-to-do procedures when a webpage you are surfing pops-out a message of request stating that something needs to install but you are skeptical to follow instructions. All you have to do is make web searches on the software’s name, authenticity, and security before reading results that you have gathered on the beginning. You may repeatedly do terms and name searches if the results you have acquired still seem to be vague. Most importantly, you may do website and software name record keeping tasks as well as gathering information about the software if doubts arise.

3.       Trust your software

     The options to guarantee the security of the software you are downloading are listed on the menu for Advance Options where you’ll be able to choose certain files to scan. You may do scan section navigation after opening the control panel of the security software. Remember that before making any file transfer to your personal computer from a medium, usually, your anti-malicious ware or antivirus program is able to do verification of the file before you open it. To check if the software is safe to download, you may view the window where the symbol of the file is located; for showing the context menu, you have to right-click the icon; and for scanning initiation, you may click the entry because the software security may have Scan file labeled or something nearly the same.

     Serious damaging effects on your computer will be avoided if you learn how to regularly update your software, do Web research, and trusting your software.

WiFi or Wireless Fidelity was first used commercially in August 1999. 802.11 is the technical code for the WiFi protocol. The term ‘WiFi’ is often used as a synonym for IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) 802.11 technology.

Many people, especially techies use WiFi to connect to the Internet. By allowing this access almost everyone can share, communicate and transact business using the net without plugging a single cord.

What equipment is needed?

1. Cable or DSL (Digital Subscriber Line) modem

Have a high speed modem for faster internet access.

2. Wireless router

A wireless router or WAP (  Wireless Access Point ) acts as a passageway to the main internet access point. It has various ports wherein the modem is plugged in and distributes internet access to multiple users through its antenna.

3. Wireless enabled gadgets such as mobile phones and laptops

Latest laptop models have built in wireless cards making it WiFi ready but in older models you would have to use a wireless adapter. This adapter. This adapter emits radio signals that are needed in wireless networking.

How does WiFi work?

           

To connect to a WiFi netwoe\rk, you must first find a hotspot. A hotspot or service is a location where you can find the strongest WiFi signal. The wireless signal can reach at about 300 feet and lessens as the distance between the router and the electronic device increases.

A WiFi connection functions through a wireless router, which is usually connected to a DSL or cable Internet connection. The router’s antennas will send-off radio signals while the wireless cards or adapters of cellphones, laptops and other similar devices receive it. the router or WAP serves as a bridge that ties a group of  wireless devices to a wired Local Area Network, or LAN connection. Once connected, users can freely surf the Internet, play games and share files and information. The process also works in reverse with the router receiving information from the Internet, translating it into a radio signal and sending it to the computer’s wireless adapter.

The average range of a signal is 300 feet. The connection speed slows down as the distance between the computer and the router increases. Walls and other physical barriers present in the area may impede the flow of radio waves.

Why is WiFi essential?

WiFi provides mobility to your life. You can move from one place to another without being disconnected to the network. Plus, you can access the Internet without having too many cables and wires scattered around your workplace or while shopping in the mall.

WiFi is best suited for individuals who are always on-the-go. Since WiFi is gradually becoming ubiquitous, users can already work, be entertained, and be informed everywhere and anytime they please. However, it also has its drawbacks. WiFi network is very sensitive to signal strength that you must ensure all computers and gadgets receive adequate signal strength at all times otherwise, connection will terminate. It is also affected by climatic conditions such as thunderstorms.

Helpful Tips

1. Secure your WiFi connection using WPA (WiFi Protected Area).

WPA is a program developed by the WiFi Alliance to prevent hackers and Internet crimes from happening. When using WiFi, refrain from entering sensitive data such as bank account information and social security numbers.

2. Do not connect to an unknown or unsecured wireless network.

Hackers often target travelers by creating replicas of existing legal networks or websites of airlines and hotels. Always use the access keys provided by the airline or hotel to ensure that you are protected.

3. Be a responsible internet user.

Avoid entering and downloading from unsecured websites. Most viruses come from obscene sites and freeware software. Remember to disconnect to wireless network after use.  

For computer users, there might be a time that you’ll be experience certain problems in your computer that might look complicated though it’s not. One of the most common problems of users is when their computer won’t turn on or just display a blank screen. Below are some tips which can help you resolve these kinds of problems.

Check your power connector – Always check first if your power connector is properly inserted to your power supply because most of the time, it is just a loose connection. Always check your connections from time to time to prevent short circuits because of loose connections.

Check your power supply – The power supply is the main source of power for your motherboard. If you’re experiencing automatic restarts, automatic shutdowns or even a blank screen, your power supply might be the issue. Open your case and check if the fan of your power supply runs after pressing the power button. If not, it is clearly a faulty power supply.

Check your RAM – Check your memory if it is placed properly, some computers won’t display anything on your screens if there is no RAM or an improperly placed RAM is inserted on the slot. It might be helpful if you get a pencil eraser and clean your RAM. This also works most of the time. If your RAM might be the problem, replace it immediately.

Check your VGA cable – If your computer turns on but a blank screen is still an issue, try checking your VGA cable if it is also properly placed. Check both ends of the cable, the connection from your computer and the connection from the monitor. If it still won’t work, try replacing your cable and test it again. If you think that your monitor is the problem, try using another monitor for this case. If it runs on other monitors, your monitor might be the source of the problem.

Check your video card – If after another monitor and it still doesn’t display anything, it might be a problem on your video card. In this case, try using the built in video card if you are using a dedicated video card. If that resolves your problem, your video card is defective but if after using the built in video card and it doesn’t display anything, it might already be your motherboard.

The said tips are only the basic steps in troubleshooting a computer that won’t turn on. This might be helpful for beginners but always be careful especially in opening your system unit.

Computers were present for decades already and it has affected our lives in many ways. Almost every person in this world knows what a computer is and how to operate it. It is not new that computers aren’t that cheap and that’s why we need to take care of it to avoid paying thousands of pesos for repairs. I’ll be sharing some tips on how to maintain and to prolong your computer’s life.

Clean your computer once in a while – Cleaning a computer isn’t that hard; you can use a blower and a brush to clean it. You can clean it even once a month to avoid dust accumulation. Dust is one of the main causes of CPU overheating in computers because it accumulates especially on CPU heat sinks and fans which can cause heat buildup.

Place your computer on a cool but dry place – It is recommended to put your computer in a place where the temperature is cool to avoid overheating. Never put your computer near windows to avoid direct sunlight and rain. If possible, air conditioned rooms are advisable for heavy users or gamers.

Avoid eating and drinking near your computer – Eating and drinking near your computer must be avoided to prevent liquid spillage and also to avoid tiny bits from entering your keyboard especially in laptops.

Allow your computer’s to rest – All things when abused are not good and can even cause damage. In computers, shut them down for a couple of hours specially for gaming computers. You might have a good cooling system but it is still advisable to allow them to rest for a while. In laptops, it is a big NO to use your laptops 24/7 because it can easily overheat due to its small parts. If you are also at home, it is advisable to remove your laptop battery and connect it directly to the power supply to maximize your laptop’s battery life.

Immediately replace defective parts – Replace defective parts immediately to avoid causing much more problems in your computer. It can even cause a critical system failure when a specific defective part is not replaced immediately.

Taking care of a computer is easy; just make sure that your computer is in its best condition all the time. The life of a computer really depends on the user. If the user knows how to take care of it, it can last for a long period of time. But if the user doesn’t care much about their computers, it can shorten the lifespan of your computer.

     I am sure you have heard about the need for certified IT professionals or the latest news on Information technology. But, have you learned about other practical ways of making money online for those with or without IT expertise? Yes, you got that right; it’s the Search Engine Optimization or SEO.

     Nowadays, you can hardly find any business that does not have their own website, correct? However, it does not stop from you building your own page; it has to meet specific criteria for it to be displayed by search engines as one of the results matching the information being looked up relevant to your website or business.

     More so, it also needs to have that ability to drive traffic to your site meaning, being able to draw more readers and visitors. It was for those reasons that SEO has now more than ever become popular than it was before.

     Search engine optimization (SEO) has been around since the introduction of the Internet.  Although, it was only during these times that it has gained more solid ground given the fact, that businesses have now acknowledged its tremendous marketing potential. They have realized its unique capability in promoting their companies and products in the world market. Such awareness led these business people to employ web designers, developers and even bloggers or content writers to get the job done. In effect, it brought opportunities for both IT professionals and non-professionals making SEO knowledge a plus factor for those seeking employment.

      These people are challenged by these companies to create and develop a webpage that will introduce their business and products through the web. It entails making it attractive, easy to navigate and reader-friendly.

     That being said, Google, the largest and most popular search engine being used has pointed out parts of your website that should be given attention to help improve or increase its chances of being included in the list of results or organic search and capture user interest. They are as follows:

1.)    Title page – this describe the content of your website to the search engines and your users. You can include the business name, location and its current offerings or promotions. Also, be able to come with titles and a brief description for each page.  These distinctions allow the search engine to treat that page as unique or different from the other ones depending on the keyword/s used or the information being looked up. Thus, it will present more of your site’s various or linked topics.

2.)     Meta tags – this gives a synopsis of what the site is all about. These are usually composed of a few sentences or paragraphs. It usually appears just below the title page once the search engine displays the results or matches it has found about the topic. It must sum up focal points on your page.

3.)     URLs – user-friendly and site relevant words are to be used for URLs. It is advisable that you use one URL for structuring and linking the pages on your site.

4.)    Site navigation – Make sure that you make it easy for your users to navigate through your page in search of information from general to specific. It suggested the use of text links for site navigation to enable search engines to easily crawl on your page.  The guide cited the use of "breadcrumb" technique in navigation.  It is a line of links located at either the top or bottom part of the site allowing its users to go back to the previous or home page.

5.)    Content – It is important to always bear in mind that the website was created for your users and not the search engines. Therefore, It is better to use user-friendly and easy to follow texts, words that can be used by visitors as potential keywords in search of information relevant to your site; place divisions or breaks to organize topics on your page to make navigation easier for your users, and content has to be up to date and unique offering what other sites cannot give.

6.)    Anchor text - is the link that users can click leading to pages on your sites or external ones. In any case, a good anchor text will make it less difficult for users to navigate and search engines to crawl on your page.

7.)    Heading Tags – this provides a structure or outline of your page from main subject to sub points.

8.)    Website promotions - creating blogs, and reaching out to similar or social networking sites are good practices to grab attention and draw more visitors on your page. Although, internet is widely used to endorse businesses worldwide let us not do away with offline promotions as this method can still help support such purpose.

     For detailed information you can download, Google’s Search Engine Optimization Starter Guide in Adobe format. This article aims to aid business owners and web developers in creating their own webpage, increasing its ability to be searched and making it appealing for readers to visit.

     Different people blog for different purpose: journal, news and business. Add on to that, blogs are categorized into niches or the topic blog is all about. Since 2007, there are more than 100 million indexed blogs in the internet. Sadly, 90% of these blogs are unread or unvisited.

     Now if you’re decided to have your blog, you need to remember the most important thing: “a blog with no visitor is dead”. Whether you are writing a dairy of your daily activities, share your expertise online or create your online portfolio for possible careers online, you need to have what we called “blog traffic” so that your blog will rank high. This is also your proof that more and more people read your posts, but more importantly a successful blogger. In this article, I will be teaching you tips on how to drive more visitors and potential readers or customers into your blog.

1. Write Remarkable Content – “content is king”, this is the rule of the thumb for every blogger. Apart from related to your blog niche, write content that will amuse, educate, inspire, motivate, or gives a direct solution to your readers problem. If you blog about your product, write content that best describes your product (without lying of course), if you blog about a dairy of yourself, make it more interesting through sharing stories. You may also leave some questions at the end of each post allowing readers to leave comments in response to the question or reaction to your content.

2. Keep it Short and Simple – also when writing blog post, always remember the KISS motto: Keep it Short and Simple. Based on surveys, Web surfers (potential readers and customers) tend to get overwhelmed with blog posts that are very long thus leaving away your blog (and never come back). Keep your blog posts around 500 words.

3. Keep you Blog Updated – a blog with no updates is also considered dead. Also search engines like Google might remove your blog in their index if it is inactive for a long time. In addition, the more posts you have, the more content you readers will read. Update at least twice or three times a week is ideal.

4. Submit Blog to top blog feed and blog directory sites– there are numerous blog directories like blogcatalog.com and technorati allowing bloggers to add their blog and generate more traffic.

5. Convince your readers to subscribe to your blog posts – aside from your high quality and interesting blog posts; you can also have additional “gimmicks” on your blog attracting readers to subscribe to your blog like offering a free e-book or audio book about blogging, newsletter, whitepaper etc.

6. Comment Back – always remember that you are not alone in the blogosphere. In fact there are million other blogs generating more visitors than your blog. You can leave relevant comments on other blogs together with your link. Also if someone leaves comment on your blog post, always answer their comments. Readers most likely return to your blog knowing that your blog is very interactive.

7. Be Active in the Blogosphere – this is one of the most important tasks for bloggers: to be active and get involved in the blogosphere. Read other’s blogs, leave relevant comments, join discussions etc.

8. Promote your blog on social networking sites – If you created a blog post, don’t hesitate to announce it on social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter. Your friends will know about your post, read it, and if they like it, they will eventually share the post on their networks.

9. Purchase your own domain – potential readers and customers trust blog having their own domain rather than blogs hosted on free platforms like blogger.com and wordpress.com. For beginners, you may look for cheap webhosting services with limited features. Upgrade them later once your blog is already stable.

10. Submit Blog on different search engines – lastly, and the most important task; submit your blog link to different search engines like Google, Yahoo, Bing, AOL, and more. Most web surfers use search engines to find what they want to search.

     In computer technology, troubleshooting is a term used to repair or fix a certain computer problem / error. This is normally done by a computer technician who has the sufficient knowledge in solving computer related problems. But not all problems needs a computer expert, some problems can be fixed by you to avoid spending some money on a very small problem. Troubleshooting a computer is not a hard process if you are interested in computers. If you want to fix the problems on your computer, below are some tips on how to search the possible cause of your problem and solutions for your computer.

For error related computer problems – The best thing to do is to write down the said error and search the internet for the possible solutions. Troubleshooting needs a bit of patience and hardwork. If you have this two, you have a bigger chance in solving your problem. A registry cleaner might also do the trick. Just run the cleaner and it will automatically repair the errors.

For virus related problems – The first thing you must do is to run a virus scan on your computer. A malware scanner or a spyware scanner might be helpful in this stage. Run the said kinds of programs to help you remove specific viruses. This might remove some virus though it is not assured. If you think that your computer is still infected, run your task manager and search for processes which may be a virus. Search the net if you doubt that a certain process is a virus. If problems still occur, the last option is to reformat your computer but make sure to backup your important files first. In restoring your files, make sure that you have an effective antivirus first before unpacking your recovered files.

For computer slow down problems – This might be caused by too many running programs that are unnecessary. The best thing to do is to remove some start up entries which are not really important to you. You can also run a registry cleaner which can help you boost your computers performance by removing unnecessary files and errors. Another thing is to defrag your computer to fix some blocks in your hard drive which can make your computer faster.

The said tips are the basics in troubleshooting. Just follow the tips and it can help you remove certain computer related errors and problems.

Computers were made for good objectives, but some with bad intents use its capabilities in taking advantage in harming others or gaining self interests. Here are the major treats in computers and its users:

Scams. Bullies are roaming around the World Wide Web. All of them with different schemes and plans drafted from internet’s loop holes to lure you into giving them what they want even at your expense. They are often called “cyber criminals”. Some of them thrive on people’s need for employment and business, while others use promos, freebies, or even on raffles and lottery. Got now the point? They use what people crave for as bait. Avoid getting fooled by becoming wary with offers that are too good to be true. Don’t be tricked with their tongues. Be particular with details such as name, addresses, contact numbers, company, and the likes. Make sure of your contacts’ credibility or much more if they even exist.

Spams. Are you constantly receiving emails from same entity you don’t deal with or you don’t even know? These are termed as “spams”. They can be from business entities promoting services and products, or persons wanting you to get annoyed. Prevent getting spammed by being particular of entities you give your contact details including your email. If you really need to provide your email to people you don’t know, set your email’s filter so you can easily get rid of junk emails. For greater protection, create a separate email account.

Viruses, Malwares, and Spywares. These three were grouped as they have all in common. They are all foreign injected programs not welcome in your computer. Viruses damage computer system by altering its designated commands. So if your computer suddenly does a task without a command or with a different command, suspects it is infected.  Viruses are the most notorious foreign program because they are contagious. They spread easily with file transfers and computers linkages.

Unlike viruses, malwares are not infectious. These are programs used for malicious intents such as destroying computer system or program, spying, and others. Malwares for the intent of spying are called “spywares”. Spywares are created to obtain confidential information including passwords, user names, and the likes.

The damages these harmful software cause vary from unable to access email account to loss of bank funds. Prevention is indeed better than cure. Thus, be cautious of downloading, receiving unexpected files, and accessing infected websites. Delete as soon as possible any suspicious file. Download anti-virus software from reliable sites and scan your computer for errors as much as possible, so your computer is always on its tiptop shape.

Gone are the days when people’s best friends were dogs, as the new era of technology swarms through the globe. From office works, entertainment, to socialization, computers make tasks easy and convenient. With the continuous development of software and hardware, expect the limits and boundaries hurdled as computer advancement promises infinite possibilities. However, comes with its development are the treats. Hence, being aware of these treats and how they occur is critical.

     Just this morning, a relative came in my house. She seeks assistance as his husband is bed ridden. No one, even their own children couldn’t afford to send him for medication. I’ve seen how the couple strived for their children’s education. Unfortunately, these “brats” didn’t appreciate their parent’s sacrifices. During school hours they were often seen outside school premises, having fun with fellow jerks. Of course, as a result, they failed and later halted their studies.

     I can still picture her teary eyes. Huh….. What a cruel payback for their kindness and hardships.

     Most studs these days pay attention on how they could be “in”-wear trendy outfits, hold on latest gadgets, befriend the most popular fellow studs, and join the most fun activities in and out the school. While these guys are having fun; the crowd outcast, so called “nerds”, work hard in aiming for high grades. They often suffer social discrimination just because they’re viewed of being “straight”.

     What’s wrong with doing the right thing? Is this what had come into our youth’s mind? Doing your obligation makes you an outcast, and being a jerk will make you “cool”?

     There’s nothing wrong with having fun. It only becomes unjustifiable when you push aside your studies because of it. Socialization isn’t bad, as long as it doesn’t do you harm. True friends are those who take concern on your wellness and success, not on how much time you’d spent with them in fun. Avoid people who will drag you to negativity. They’ll bring you in a lot in trouble and later on your failure.

     Think of your future. What do you want in life? Would you want to suffer poverty? Would you want to rely on your parents forever? Create a good foundation for your future and study hard. Set aside things that aren’t important. There are ways of having fun without compensating your future. Take pride on aiming for excellence in education. Once you had the taste of good grades, you’ll feel more satisfaction. Indeed, it’s a long and hard road to take on. Nevertheless, what waits on the end of this road is your true happiness and well-being.

     Have in mind that not all “happy things” will lead you to goodness. Hard taken endeavors like studying will lead you to success. Don’t be among those who had regrets. Be among the few who have great career out of perseverance.

     To save your computer from online threats, installing an antivirus program is a necessity. Though, following some basic tips can prevent virus invasion. This article will suggest some basic tips to keep your PC safe and protected online.

     Increased usage of the Internet in every field has also increased the threats related to it. Nowadays, not only threats from malicious software, but online fraud are equally prevalent. There are several antivirus programs that provide enhanced protection from online threats, including hacker attacks, virus infection, etc. You can download an antivirus program online for free from several websites that allows you to examine the features of that particular antivirus program. But, you can enjoy its numerous features only by installing the paid version.

Though, installing latest version of antivirus program is a necessity, but following some basic tips can prevent virus invasion:

1. Install latest version of an antivirus program.

2. Remove spam. Avoid opening and replying to it.

3. Be cautious while clicking a dubious link in an e-mail messages or instant messages. In spite of this, you can use your online bookmarks.

4. Be careful about giving your personal information online. Avoid filling out forms in e-mail messages that ask for personal information.

5. Install latest security updates and turn on to automatic update feature.

6. Ensure computer's firewall is turned on and get the latest updates for your antivirus program.

7. It is always recommended to take back up of your data regularly. In case, the data and files have been erased or corrupted, a recent backup is the only way to recover it.

8. Always install only from the genuine CD.

9. You can subscribe to Windows Live OneCare.

10. If you computer is installed with Windows operating system, it is recommended to use the default security settings in Microsoft Office which helps to protect your programs and data from viruses.

11. Keep your computer updated, by turning on the security features in the Microsoft Windows Security Center.

Note: To find the Windows Security Center in Microsoft Windows, do the following:

 If you are using Microsoft Windows Vista, click Start, type security center in the Start Search box, and then press ENTER.

 If you are using Windows XP Service Pack 2, click Start, navigate to All Programs, hover to Accessories, point to System Tools, and then click Security Center.

Recommendations

Not all antivirus programs are equally effective, therefore before installing any security software, it is recommended to examine its features by installing its free version available online.

Avoid installing multiple antivirus programs, which could introduce problems. It could happen that an antivirus program may take other programs virus definition as virus and displays false results for the presence of malicious software.

It is always recommended to install the paid version of an antivirus program to enjoy its numerous features.

Limitations

Before buying a paid version, it is always recommended to check the compatibility of an antivirus program by installing its free version, available online.

     Computer viruses may seem to be only a nuisance to the casual computer user. If you see the bigger picture, though, just imagine how governments, schools, and businesses were affected when certain viruses attacked and crippled their systems.

     These viruses spread even faster than a cold virus, thanks to the global network of computers known as the Internet. With computers disabled, imagine the organizations depending on those machines to operate and provide services. This virus attack would result in millions, even billions of dollars in damages and losses. Though not all of these malicious computer programs are massively destructive, there are still some that have caused a lot of damage. Here are the top ten most destructive computer viruses of all time.

1. ILOVEYOU a.k.a. Lovebug/Loveletter Virus

     The ILOVEYOU virus was a computer virus that many consider to be the most damaging virus ever written. It spread itself by email in 2000 through an attachment in the message. Once opened, it loaded itself to the memory, infecting executable files. When a user received and opened the email containing the attachment “LOVE-LETTER-FOR-YOU.txt.vbs”, the computer became automatically infected. It then spread itself by infecting executable files, image files, as well as audio files like MP3s. After that, the virus sent itself to others by looking up the addresses contained in the MS Outlook contact list. The virus was written by a Filipino programmer who was still a college student at that time. He said the release of the virus was only “accidental.” This virus spread throughout the world in just a day, infecting computers of large corporations and governments, including the Pentagon in the United States. It caused billions of dollars in damages. The actual “damage” occurred during the removal of the infection from computers, as email servers and computer networks had to be shut down before the virus could be removed.

2. CIH a.k.a. Chernobyl Virus

     This virus was considered one of the most dangerous and most destructive viruses ever because it had the ability to remain undetected in a computer’s memory, infecting every application that was run. First released in 1998, the CIH virus infected executable files of the operating systems Windows 95, 98, and ME. This virus also was accidentally distributed by a software vendor, contributing to the massive infection of computers. What made this virus dangerous was that it had a trigger date. Once that date was reached, it overwrote the files on the hard drive and completely destroyed its contents. It also had the ability to overwrite the BIOS of the computer to prevent it from booting up. This virus was also known as the Chernobyl virus because some variants were set to destroy data in computers that coincided with the nuclear power plant accident.

3. Melissa Virus

     Released in 1999, the Melissa virus was another mass-mailing malware that was said to have infected up to 20 percent of computers worldwide. This included the networks of Microsoft, Intel, and other companies that relied on MS Outlook as their email client. Email servers around the world were forced to shut down in order to prevent the virus from spreading, as well as to remove the virus from their system. The virus came through email including an MS Word attachment. When opened, it emailed itself to the first 50 people in the MS Outlook contact list. It also overwrote the document files in the infected computer with quotes from the famous cartoon TV series “The Simpsons.”

4. Code Red

     The world had not yet recovered from the damage caused by the ILOVEYOU virus when Code Red was released in mid-2001. Unlike other viruses, this one only targeted certain computers running the Microsoft IIS (Internet Information Server) Web Server, exploiting a bug in the software. Once a computer was compromised by the virus, it would modify the handled website, displaying the message “Welcome to http://www.worm.com! Hacked by Chinese!” Then, it would later seek other computers running the web server software and do the same thing. After about two weeks of infection, the virus was programmed to launch DDoS (Distributed Denial of Service) attacks on certain websites, including the server of the White House.

5. Bagle

     Bagle was another classic type of mass-mailing malware, but was quite complex. First detected in 2004, it infected users through an email attachment, and also used email to spread itself. Unlike previous mass-mailing viruses, Bagle did not rely on the MS Outlook contact list to make a list of where to send itself. It harvested email addresses from various document files stored in the infected computer – from plain-text files to MS Excel files. The danger of this virus was that its design opened a backdoor where a remote user – probably the author or a group of hackers - could gain access and control of the infected computer. It could download additional components to either spy and steal information from the user or launch DDoS attacks to certain networks and computers. Though the original Bagle virus was designed to stop spreading after January 2004, hundreds of variants today are still out there, spreading.

6. Blaster

     The Blaster virus was a complex malware that spread itself not through email, but through a vulnerability in both the Windows 2000 and Windows XP machines. This malicious software was detected in mid-2003 and by then had infected hundreds of thousands of computers. Once a computer was infected, it displayed a message box indicating that the system would shut down in a couple of minutes. It was also programmed to launch a DDoS attack to a server run by Microsoft by April 2003, but was already contained by that time. Discovered in the code was a hidden message to Microsoft founder Bill Gates saying “Billy Gates, why do you make this possible? Stop making money, and fix your software!”

7. Sasser

     Sasser was another complex computer virus that crippled thousands of computers, and was written by a 17-year-old German student in 2004. Sasser did not spread through email, and did not require any human intervention to compromise computers. It infected computers by exploiting vulnerability present in both Windows 2000 and Windows XP machines, known as the RPC (Remote Procedure Call) exploit - the same vulnerability used by the Blaster virus. Sasser successfully infected and shut down thousands of computer networks in just a matter of days. After infecting a computer, it is programmed to access the Internet to search for other vulnerable machines so that it can infect them. Sasser also displayed a notice indicating that the system was shutting down.

8. MyDoom

      Another mass-mailing virus that caused a lot of damage was MyDoom. Though it was primarily written to spread through email, it also successfully infected computers by infecting programs stored in the shared folder of the Peer-to-Peer software KaZaA. Detected in 2004, MyDoom slowed down global Internet access by ten percent, and caused some website access to be reduced by 50 percent. Upon infection, it looked for email addresses from contact lists and sent itself to any addresses it found. It was said that during the first few days, one out of ten email messages sent contained the virus. It was only stopped from spreading after about a month. (For tips on eradicating mass mailing viruses, read Email Scanners - Protection from viruses and malware)

9. Sobig.F

     Computer users were still recovering from the damage caused by Blaster in 2003 when another mass-mailer known as Sobig.F attacked. This computer virus caused billions of dollars in damage by stalling or completely crashing Internet gateways and email servers, resulting in the merciless slowing down of global Internet access. It harvested email addresses from various documents found in the infected computers. The virus then sent itself to these addresses. It was able to send over a million copies of itself within just a few hours of the outbreak. By September of 2003, it had deactivated itself, having been programmed to do so. It then ceased to be a threat.

10. SQL Slammer

     SQL Slammer is the least damaging virus in this list. It still caused a considerable amount of damage, though, by overwhelming routers, causing them to shut down. The target of this virus was web servers running a vulnerable version of Microsoft SQL Server. Only computers that ran this server software were infected, but it caused the slowdown of Internet access around the world. In just under ten minutes, it was able to infect thousands of servers center away. Upon infection of a server, the virus generated random IP addresses through which it attempted to further infect other computers.

Conclusion

     The main reason why these computer viruses caused so much damage world-wide was because most people were not aware of such threats and were not protected against them. Today, there are still thousands of computers that remain infected or are continuously being infected by old and new viruses. To avoid this, it is very important to keep a good anti-virus software program running and frequently updated. Other safety precautions include having firewall software (Learn how to set up a firewall), and updating the programs that you use to access the Internet, including email clients, server software, and Internet browsers.

     Now that you know the worst that viruses and their ilk can do to your computer, it’s high time that you learn how to get rid of computer viruses, computer adware and Email SPAM.