Technical Support News

Five Places Microsoft Gets It So Wrong

November 26, 2008 – 7:58 am
1. Windows For years Windows has been buggy, slow, clunky, unrefined, and rather disappointing when compared to smooth, refined operating systems with stable foundations like Linux and Mac OS X. Bottom line, Windows needs to be rewritten. It may seem impossible, but unless it’s done the OS will never be a contender in user experience. The problem with Windows is that it grew too rapidly, and now Microsoft is stuck in a pile of quicksand as they need to adapt to every PC vendor and their subsequent hardware. The Solution: Microsoft needs to setup a support system for every version of Windows that has been released thus far. This way no backlash will be felt throughout the industry as Microsoft transitions away from the boggy, clunky registry that Windows currently relies on. Next, allocate resources and form an elite braintrust to spearhead the development of the new Windows. And start naming the ...

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Netgear Goes Green With Free Product recycling

November 12, 2008 – 9:19 am
The excitement of buying a new router is unparalleled, but what does a blissed-out geek do with the old one? If your new router's a Netgear, you can pack up its poor predecessor — regardless of the brand — and send it to the company for free recycling. Netgear's recycling website offers a form for printing your own reply-paid address label — on recycled paper, if you'd be so kind. All you have to do then is pack up the old product and place it into the mouth of a postbox. If that sounds like way too much effort, Netgear is also partnering with Australia Post to make pre-addressed pouches available at retailers. So far, so soul-enhancingly wonderful, but don't go overboard; a caveat on the website notes that "the NETGEAR product purchased must be a similar or higher specified product than the one to be recycled". Translation: no fair buying a $10 Ethernet ...

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Dell, Goodwill launch computer recycling program

November 12, 2008 – 9:14 am
Anyone looking to get rid of their old computers in a safe way, both in terms of environmental impact and information security, can breathe a sigh of relief as Dell and Goodwill Industries have come up with Reconnect Texas, a free(!) computer recycling program that ensures that all computers go to one spot for recycling. Consumers can take their computers to any participating Goodwill store, which will then disassemble the computer, destroy the hard drives by either wiping them or drilling holes through them, and then send the parts to Round2 Technologies of Austin, which will recycle the rest of the computer. Source: pegasusnews.com/news/2008/nov/11/dell-goodwill-launch-computer-recycling-program/

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Tips: How to Remove XP Antivirus??

November 10, 2008 – 8:34 am
Beware of scare-ware! Perhaps the biggest and widest spreading virus infection is Windows XP Antivirus or Antivirus XP 2008. Do not allow this program to infest your computer, remove XP Antivirus immediately! If you are not sure your CPU has been infected, then check if your system has exhibited at least one of the following symptoms. • Computer constantly bombarded with “warning spyware has been detected” pop up ads and taskbar notifications begging you to download the XP Antivirus software • Your desktop background settings have been changed and display more fake warnings without letting you change them back. • Joke blue screens such as the “blue screen of death” appear and simulate your computer rebooting while claiming fatal errors have occurred Your browser gets hijacked and redirected to different sites and pop up screens. You begin trying to click out but start panicking when you realize the problem just gets worse. If any of these ...

Posted in Anti Virus, Anti-Virus Software | No Comments »

Complete Internet Security Suite: PC Tools Internet Security 2009 v6.0.0.386

November 10, 2008 – 8:27 am
PC Tools Internet Security Suite 2009 is a complete Internet security suite that offers powerful Anti-Spyware, Anti-Virus, Firewall and Spam protection in one application. It detects, removes and blocks all types of Spyware, Adware, Viruses, Trojans, Worms, Keyloggers and other threats. PC Tools Internet Security includes both anti-spyware and anti-virus protection and has the most advanced update feature that continually improves its Spyware and Virus fighting capabilities on a daily basis. As threats gets more complex to avoid detection, PC Tools Internet Security responds with new technology to stay one step ahead. PC Tools Internet Security is advanced technology designed especially for individuals, not experts. It is automatically configured out of the box to give optimal protection with limited interaction so all you need to do is install it for immediate and proven ongoing protection. We've done the research so you don't have to; the advanced OnGuard technology only alerts you on a ...

Posted in Anti Spyware, Anti Virus, Computer Security, Firewall | No Comments »

HP Compaq dc7900 Convertible MiniTower Business PC

November 10, 2008 – 8:22 am
Much as some of us might wish otherwise, not all computers are for fun and games. Business PCs are a large and important part of the desktop market, and have a different set of requirements to those of the general home user, enthusiast or gamer. Obviously, they don't need to be as aggressively styled or contain cutting edge components, with the most important factors, from a corporate point of view, being reliability, price and security. It's this that makes the likes of Dell, HP and Lenovo key players, since all have the infrastructure to service large companies. Today we're looking at the HP Compaq dc7900 Convertible Mini Tower Business Desktop PC. This is one of the company's high-end models and is priced accordingly at £723 excluding VAT direct from HP. However, it can be found online for £680 (£799 inc. VAT). For this kind of outlay even a business PC should offer ...

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myDocs:Enterprise Email Management on SharePoint

November 5, 2008 – 7:48 am
eMail management has become a high priority for all businesses, both large and small, with most written correspondence being delivered in email form. Businesses can use tools like SharePoint to manage most of their important business documents, but the inability to easily place emails into SharePoint and share those files within a document library is a problem that many SharePoint users have encountered. nSynergy developed a tool called myDocs to integrate SharePoint and Outlook, and finally solve the problem of managing email within SharePoint. With myDocs you can now use Outlook to drag and drop emails directly into specific folders that represent SharePoint document library folders. You can also view, open, create and access documents and emails directly within Outlook. With emails, documents and other files being accessible through Outlook, everyone in your workplace can use Outlook and SharePoint together to create a powerful yet simple document management tool. The ability to ...

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AVG Internet Security 8

November 5, 2008 – 7:33 am
AVG Internet Security 8 is a suite of tools that will keep your PC spam free and safe from viruses or nasty code snippets. The software is easy to use and is not as intrusive as some of the other applications we have tested. A few months back, we looked at Grisoft’s free AVG antivirus offering. While it was a comprehensive application, it did lack some critical security features such as a firewall, anti-spam and anti-rootkit tools. This month we decided to look at what you get if you purchase AVG Internet Security, a comprehensive security suite for home users. Looking at the features list, you will notice that AVG Internet Security 8 offers a comprehensive bundle of tools to ensure that you don’t get any nasty surprises on your computer. Naturally,antivirus is first on the list. As we have come to expect, Grisoft includes their tried-and-tested AVG antivirus engine and it ...

Posted in Computer Security, Grisoft AVG Professional | No Comments »

10 security tips for Microsoft Windows XP

November 5, 2008 – 7:17 am
There are general security tips that apply to all operating systems, of course, but each operating system platform provides its own security challenges. The following tips are tailored to Microsoft Windows XP. Disable dangerous features. Microsoft Windows systems come with a number of features enabled by default that do little or nothing for convenience, but introduce significant security risks. Among these are Autorun, the Guest account, and even Automatic Updates — because letting someone in Redmond, WA decide when changes should be made to your system, when he has no idea what software you’re running and you haven’t tested the updates yet, is a bad idea. Microsoft Windows provides many features that are activated by default and either poorly conceived from a security perspective or, at best, unnecessary for the vast majority of users. Each of these features introduces its own risks, and any that you do not need should be ...

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Anti-Spyware Protection With Anti-Virus Support

November 3, 2008 – 9:28 am
Malware & spyware removal utility that detects, removes and protects your PC from thousands of potential spyware, adware, trojans, keyloggers, spybots and tracking threats. This is the version that includes an AntiVirus module. Did you know that numerous programs tested against Spyware Doctor detected only small fraction of Spyware and completely removed an even smaller amount? Also most of them were unable to effectively block Spyware in real time from being installed on users PC in the first place. Spyware Doctor with AntiVirus has the most advanced update feature that continually improves its Spyware and Virus fighting capabilities on a daily basis. As Spyware gets more complex to avoid detection, Spyware Doctor responds with new technology to stay one step ahead. Spyware Doctor's advanced OnGuard technology only alerts users on a true Spyware and Virus detection. This is significant because you should not be interrupted by cryptic questions every time you install software, ...

Posted in Anti Spyware, Anti Virus, Anti-Virus Software | No Comments »