Dropbox is a great way to backup important files off site so they are safe and also accessible from any computer.  You can install Dropbox on your computer and then just copy files into your Dropbox folder for safe keeping.  They are automatically uploaded to your online Dropbox Storage account.  Use the link below to sign up and get your own FREE Dropbox account.  Free accounts come with 2 gigs plus a little extra for using the link below.  Then you can refer your own friends and get even more free space.  They also have very reasonable paid accounts for even higher backup storage needs.  Use the link below and check it out.

CLICK HERE TO CREATE YOUR FREE DROPBOX

We have serviced quite a few computers lately infected by Antivirus 2010 Malware.  It started as a simple looking pop up while browsing common websites.

This is a nasty, rogue anti-spyware program that displays totally false security messages to trick users into purchasing a full version of Antivirus 2010 software.  Antivirus 2010 was designed by Russian hackers to steal your money and install even more malware.  Antivirus 2010 is a rogue anti-spyware scanner that can seriously damage your PC.  Once you are tricked into clicking the Antivirus 2010 deceptive ads, you’re taken to a purchase page where you are prompted to download the Antivirus 2010 software.  Antivirus 2010 will hijack your browser, display fake security warnings, and slow your computer to a crawl.

Antivirus 2010 behaviour

• Antivirus 2010 displays fake spyware detection reports
• Antivirus 2010 can slow your computer
• Antivirus 2010 can download and install other malware
• Antivirus 2010 floods internet connection
• Antivirus 2010 displays a fake Blue Screen Of Death (Windows fatel error screen)
• Antivirus 2010 is difficult to remove

We did find some manual removal instructions on the web and they seemed to work.  On the first computer we saw we removed it manually by deleting files and some registry entries as per the instructions we found but then we installed Malware Bytes on the others and did a full scan.  It also seems to have worked.

So if you see any kind of pop up about AntiVirus 2010 Beware!!!  Don’t click it.  Right clicking the icon in the task bar and selecting “close” is a probably good idea so you don’t accidently click anything on that pop up window.

Some tips..

• Surf and download safely. Only go to websites you trust. Free, file-sharing programs are often bundled with sneaky spyware.
• Read all End User License Agreements and Privacy Statements carefully before installing new software.
• Never click “agree” or “OK” to close a pop-up window because that can trigger spyware. Only click on the red “x” in the corner or click on Alt + F4 to close the window safely.
• Update your software regularly to make sure you have all the latest critical and security updates.
• Adjust your browser security settings to Medium or higher (click on Internet Options under Tools. Select the Security tab).
• Do not let other people use your computer.
• Do not open spam e-mail messages or attachments from people you do not know. It is even wise to check with those you do know that the attachment actually came from them.
• Be aware of sophisticated phishing scams via e-mail (messages that actually look like they are from your bank, internet provider, etc).
• Choose passwords with both numbers and letters, or to be even more secure pick a “pass phrase”. Never use birthdays, family or pet names.
• Never log into your bank or other financial accounts from public computers or from wireless networks where login information can be stolen.

Be Careful out there!

Helpful Site Pick Of The Week

There are places on the internet to find all sorts of helpful information.  Finding good computer tips and fixes for problems you may be having is usually not hard.  Now finding one place, that seems to have it all, can be a problem.  Here’s a place that seems to cover just about any PC topic you may be interested in.   This is our Helpful Site Pick of the week!  The How-To Geek.  Check it out!!

The Blue Screen Of Death–Your Computer Has Crashed

By: John Mowatt

Some kinds of computer errors will completely shut down your computer. An error of this kind is called a Stop Error for obvious reasons. There are a number of different kinds of Stop error and one quite well known and feared example is the blue screen of death or BSOD for short.

In the case of a BSOD error you will be shown an error code and a message on the blue screen. The error code and the message will help you find a starting point for correction of the problem. A BSOD problem can be the result of either a hardware or software malfunction. A hardware problem is however the most likely cause.

Examination of the BSOD will show the error description such as KMODE_EXCEPTION_NOT_HANDLED along with a decimal number error code. The BSOD screen will tell you how to undertake some troubleshooting of the problem under the error details.

This troubleshooting process will tell you to

1. Make certain that any new hardware or software which you have recently installed has been properly installed.

2. Remove or disable the newly added software or hardware item to see if this resolves the problem.

This error description will show the eight digit decimal numbered error code. Four more numbers in parentheses will usually be present and give more information about the error.

Here are some ways you may go about repairing the BSOD errors:

A. The first thing you should do is to use your antivirus program to scan and remove any viruses which could be causing your computer problem.

B. To check your hard drive for malware you can use an antispyweare program. There are some free and very good applications such as ADAWARE and SPYBOT which you can find on the internet. These do a good job of scanning for and removing malware.

C. Check the memory sticks in your computer to ensure that your RAM is working properly. If you find any evidence of damage it will be necessary to remove and replace the damaged memory stick.

D. If the BSOD happens soon after you have installed new software try uninstalling the software to see if this resolves the error.

E. If you have just installed or updated a driver use the Device Manager which is installed in your computer to uninstall or reinstall the driver and the update.

Finally if none of the above have corrected the problem there is a good probability that the crash has been caused by a corrupt registry.

The registry is a huge databank which contains all the files used by the operating system to run the computer. Over some time as the computer is used many fragments of data can accumulate in your registry causing it to bcome corrupted. The operating system then has difficulty in accessing the data it requires to run the machine.

The result of this is that the computer runs slow and you need to obtain one of the top registry cleaners which can quickly fix registry problems. You can find several Windows XP registry cleaners available for download on the internet.

A good windows reg cleaner will first offer you a free scan to determine whether or not you actually need to fix registry problems.After you have viewed the report from this totally free scan you can decide if you want to undertake registry repair. Actually it is highly advisable to use the Windows registry repair software to do the job for you. If you attempt it manually and remove just one essential entry by mistake you may disable your computer.

A good PC registry repair application will do the job quickly and easily. This is registry repair the safe way. We obtained and ran tests on a number of the popular Windows XP registry cleaners and found that some of them are better than the others although they all do the work. We found one in particular which provided superior results.

About the Author:

Would you like to have an absolutely free scan of your computer to fix registry errors? Would you like to know which of the Windows XP registry cleaners we found to be by far the best? Check out our website for lots of free information and resources: Computer runs slow

Article Source: ArticlesBase.com – The Blue Screen Of Death–Your Computer Has Crashed

If you are looking for digital photo editing software you know that some of it carries a hefty price. If your doing professional work for the printing business it might be different but if your just looking to edit pictures and create nice images and graphics for the web read on.  Paint.Net is the one we use regularly and feel it’s as good as the high price offerings. This software is Free and has the features you will use all the time. Including layering and transparent backgrounds. Photo effects and adjustments that are easy to use. Resizing and cropping is also a breeze. It features a very intuitive, and innovative, user friendly interface that makes all of it’s features very easy to use. You can download it for free at GetPaint.net and see for yourself.

Windows 7: The Next Microsoft Operating System
By: Martin Brinkmann

Windows 7 is tentatively due to hit store shelves sometime around the middle of 2009 and seems to be a slightly revamped version of what Windows Vista should have been. Key amongst the new features include a pair of Mac OS X features that the Redmond giant is borrowing: the Dock & Multi-touch.

In Mac OS X the Dock serves as both a quick-launch area for commonly used applications and folders. It’s unknown how the dock in Windows 7 will function exactly, but it wouldn’t surprise many if the final product looked and operated remarkably like that of their Cupertino-based rival.

Windows 7: The next Microsoft operating system is also going to support a very Mac-like Multi-touch technology. The precise functionality is not entirely certain but it is very likely that the techniques pioneers on the iPhone and later by OS X are likely to become the industry norm. If that does indeed come true then it’d be reasonable to expect everything from zooming & scrolling to be common in all applications as well as rotational control on anything media-intensive such as Photoshop or even the media player.

Speaking of the media player, Windows 7 is due to receive a fairly major upgrade to various core components including Windows Media Center. The exact enhancements are not entirely clear at this time but gadget integration has been reported by many rumor mills claiming to either have a Milestone 1 (M1) copy or have sources that do.

Windows Explorer is another program due for an overhaul and if the trend of Microsoft attempting to catch up to OS X 10.5 Leopard (and 10.6 Snow Leopard) is true, we might see some attempts to speed Explorer up. Both Paint and WordPad are due to receive facelifts and additional functionality and an entirely new multi-line graphing calculator will finally be part of the package.

Bill Gates has gone on record by saying that Windows 7 will make a big step forward in speech technology and handwriting recognition. The first is not difficult to due as once again this is an area where Vista trails OS X, however the handwriting recognition might prove an opportunity for Microsoft to bring some of their Windows Mobile talent to bear. Microsoft has a much longer history in the smartphone market than Apple does and as a result this is one area where they aren’t lagging as noticeably.

Overall the changes in Windows 7 seem rather cosmetic and nagging technical difficulties that still trouble Vista may or may not have been resolved. We’ll find out in 2009 at the very earliest.

Article Source: http://www.fresh-article-directory.com

Martin helps people learn about the next Microsoft operating system. You can read more about the upcoming Windows 7 operating system like windows 7 Server information on the Windows 7 News website.