Windows Vista Just a False Sense of Security

Microsoft has endowed Vista's kernel with highly restricted access, in a bid to improve security in its new operating system. This extra security has succeeded in locking out hackers, malware purveyors and has apparently locked out security software as well.

Competing security software manufacturers say Vista's security system alone is not enough to protect users from threats. Security firm, Webroot Software reported in January that its security testing of Vista revealed significant holes in its security shields. The tests showed Vista to have ineffective blocking capabilities and weak antivirus capabilities in the default anti-spyware and antivirus components within Vista. Webroot also found problems in Microsoft's Live OneCare security suite.

Webroot said Windows Defender failed to block 84 percent of a testing sample set that included 15 of the most common variations of existing spyware and malware. On top of this, Windows Defender did not perform at the level of many third-party security applications.

Five Important Functions of Antivirus Software for MAC

A system which is a constant need to be connected to the Internet is not always secure. The internet is a breeding ground of viruses, malware, Trojans and other malicious codes. These threats do not only have the capability to slow down computers or alter the way computers work but they also have the capabilities to hack users' information and worse, totally make a computer system crash. MAC computers, despite expensive, have a strong number of followers due to its resistance and capacity to withstand virus attacks. However, as complex MAC's system is, hackers are always attempting to invent new codes that could keep up with MAC's complexity, thus the need to install effective and efficient antivirus software that is completely compatible with MAC.
Choosing The Appropriate Mac Antivirus Software

Using A Computer Without Antivirus Software

There are a few tips that you should know when it comes to using a computer without antivirus software. If you have inter-office computers that do not connect to the internet then you can use them without installing antivirus software on them. These computers will be safe from hackers, viruses, malware, adware, and Trojans.
If you have a computer at home that plays only the games that you buy on disc you do not have to put antivirus software on it. Make sure that this computer does not have any connection to the internet just in case you buy a disc that has a malware on it.
If you are a school that teaches computer skills to children and the machines cannot be connected to the internet then you do not have to have antivirus software installed on them. These computers will be safe from all threats.

Avast Antivirus Support

Spyware Removal Support

How to Find Cheap Antivirus Software Online

Usually the word cheap implies that the item in question is somehow questionable. That cheap car you bought, the cheap nail polish you tried or the cheap meat you thought you would taste. Luckily, there's nothing defective/lacking about cheap antivirus software.
There is a growing trend towards free software and antivirus programs are no exception. As more and more PC users see the value of keeping their most confidential information private, software developers are catching on to the fact that lower prices means success in this competitive industry. This article will explore the difference between cheap antivirus software and free antivirus, and help you choose the best to suit for your needs.
Free vs. cheap antivirus software

Does All Antivirus Software Perform Malware Removal?

All antivirus software performs malware removal, to a degree. All malware is not recognized by all antivirus software so the answer to this question is yes and no. There is no way to protect your computer one hundred percent from attacks of malware unless you never connect your machine to the internet.
The antivirus programs, and antispyware programs, are all designed to recognize as many of the known threats that are on the internet as possible. The problem is that today there may be two thousand known threats that the antivirus programs know how to stop, and tomorrow there may be three thousand that the antivirus software has never heard of.
The unknown viruses get past the antivirus that is installed on your computer. If you keep your antivirus program updated there is a good chance that at some point it will learn to recognize the bugs that are in your system. As soon as it sees the bug as a threat to you it will eradicate it.

I Have a Slow Computer - Do I Need a New Antivirus?

A slow computer is one of the surest signs that you have picked up a bug. If you already have an antivirus installed on the machine there are several reasons why it might have missed the particular bug that you have.
Antivirus software is not capable of recognizing every single Trojan, malware, spyware, virus that is currently circulating around the internet. To be honest with you, the people that make the bad things like the viruses are staying ahead of the people who make the antivirus cures for them. You can compare it to a super bug that has become immune to antibiotics.
Whenever these superbugs get resistant to the antibiotics that were normally used to treat them, the doctor's try to new medicines, until they find one that works. There is not one antibiotic than can destroy every infection that attacks the human body. There is not an antivirus available today that can eradicate every malicious computer virus.
The manufacturers of the antivirus software programs work constantly to be able to identify more potential threats and find solutions for more malware attacks. They release updates for their software applications so the customers that already have their software will benefit from the latest things they have learned to stop. If you are not updating your antivirus software then you are making it unable to do the job it was designed to do.
When you install a new version of antivirus software it seems that it automatically finds some things the other software did not eradicate. This does not necessarily mean that the new program is better than the old program. It means that the new system did recognize something as a threat that the old software did not. Once again, updating the software that you have will allow you to better protect from attacks.
You should note that when you have problems with your computer that do not seem to be recognized as malware by your antivirus you might have to go to a professional technician and have computer repair done. The professionals often have different malware removal tools and they charge you a slight charge to remove anything they find infecting your system.
Whenever there seems to be no other alternative you can remove the operating system from the computer and reinstall an operating system that you know is not infected with a virus. This is a last resort effort to save the machine.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/7942042

Get a Better Understanding of Cloud Antivirus Protection

The cloud antivirus is becoming an increasingly popular option. By learning about this program, you can decide if the cloud antivirus is right for you.
For computer users who are not extremely tech-savvy, the term "Cloud" can be very confusing. Many people that hear about cloud antivirus software wonder how it differs from standard antivirus software and why it may be helpful to their systems. By better understanding cloud-based antivirus programs, you can make an informed decision regarding whether or not this service is right for you.
Defining the Cloud
A cloud is a remote server that contains data which is not stored within your computer. Instead, this data is kept in a host server on the Internet so it can be easily accessible, regardless of where you and your computer are located. A cloud can also allow for the sharing of information amongst users in your network. A cloud service also has three characteristics that separate it from standard hosting:

The Importance of Antivirus

Internet - This was a word equated with the term 'boon' in the year 2000 and its early years of inception. But as always, human minds are in a race to prove their dominance and smartness over technology. As evidence to this, they have found their way around the Internet. This workaround unfortunately does not add benefit to the end user, instead makes their data vulnerable. There are different vulnerabilities identified with the Internet. They include hacks, malware like viruses, backdoors, key loggers, etc. These are only the manifestations of the vulnerabilities. There are categories and layers of security issues with the internet.
The destructive ability of computer viruses has multiplied over the years. In the 80's, the kind of computer viruses were less destructive, but the kind to get multiplied on their own to affect the code. The effects included malfunctioning, minor errors, repetitive errors, etc. However, over the years, the extent of harm and destruction has rapidly increased, making this a cause of worry

Buying a Refurbished HP Printer - A Dealer's Perspective

As an authorized dealer for HP and Lenovo, I still have to pay for the equipment that we use in the home and office. Even though I get dealer pricing (it's really not much lower than non-dealer pricing), I still have to shop for the best deal and look for the very best way to spend our limited resources.
Even though I'd been in the business for a while, I had never personally experienced buying a refurbished HP printer until a couple of years ago. My experience began with the box arriving at the office with the help of the FedEx lady. My expectations began to get higher and higher as I examined the neat, clean, and nicely appointed box itself. It was clearly marked a refurbished printer and the factory seal had not been broken; so, I knew it hadn't been opened by anyone else. When we opened the box,

HP P1606dn Printer and CE278A Toner Cartridge Reviews

Having a printer at home or in the office is an absolute necessity if you don't want to run to the library or to a professional printing and copying service every time you need printouts. The HP Laserjet Pro P1606DN is a monochrome laser printer that can print duplex single sheets or mass printouts if you need them. With a print speed of 26 pages per minute, you won't be wasting time waiting for the printer to spit out your pages. The quality of the pages is also decent for the basic job the system needs to do. Both the horizontal and vertical optical resolution is 600 dpi.
This HP P1606DN laser printer requires CE278A laser toner cartridge.

Get Your HP Printer Working Again With Updated HP Printer Drivers

HP printer drivers that are corrupt or outdated will cause havoc when you attempt to print documents. Either your printer won't print, or it'll spit out a whole bunch of gobbledygook.
Even worse, you might have to deal with the notorious Print Spooler error. Fortunately, there are a lot of ways you can update HP printer drivers without too much fanfare.
What About Hardware?
Strangely enough, a lot of printer problems are actually caused by malfunctioning or poorly connected hardware. You need to ensure that you've connected your printer cables properly.
Next, open the printer and check to see that you've properly installed cartridges.

HP Printer Problems and HP Printer Support - For Instant Troubleshooting

As we have known that there are so many printer manufacturers out there, but only several manufacturers that have high quality products. One of them is HP printers, they are well-known because of their durability, toughness, high quality picture and less ink consumption that is why they are very reliable for working hard. HP manufactures several printing devices such as, HP Photosmart series, HP Laserjet series, HP Color laserjet series, HP All in one series or HP Multifunction series.
If you have plan to purchase a HP printing device for your office or home, it will be better for you to ask your self some basic questions like:

Fix HP Printer Problems: Solve Print Quality, Printing Speed, and Driver Issues

Oftentimes, problems with our HP inkjet printers appear repeatedly. It's the same scenario every time; jammed papers, spotty printing, error message, etc. These are common problems which can easily be fixed and should not be a reason for delays. It is quick and easy to fix HP printer problems. Here are some tips which can help the next time you are faced with these situations.
Paper jams. This is by far the most common problem encountered when printing. Reasons for this include using crumpled papers, and printer roller problems. Once your paper is jammed, stop the printing operation, turn off your printer and pull the paper in the direction of the printing path; pulling it backwards might damage your printer more. Make sure there aren't any pieces of paper left inside the printer, and turn it back on. This should work properly by now.
However, if the rollers seemed misplaced or broken, you will have to buy a replacement roller for your printer model and ask your technician to replace it. Or you can go to the HP service center for assistance.
Low Print Quality: White lines along the paper, blotchy and spotty printing. There are two reasons from this problem: empty ink cartridge, and clogged Print Heads, the tubes that transfers ink from the cartridge to the paper. With the first, you simply have to replace the ink, and clean the Print Heads with your system; this is usually included in the printer window appearing when you put in a new cartridge. End it in a test print. Otherwise, you will have to clean your Print Heads with the use of cotton swabs and alcohol.
Printer is refusing to print. If you're getting error messages when trying to print, or your documents simply does not print, check the cable connections of your printer and computer, the cables should be plugged firmly in the proper ports. Also make sure that both your devices are getting enough power supply.
In addition, check printer settings to make sure that you have selected the proper device for document printing. You can do this by clicking on Start > Devices and Printers, and select your default printer. If it still doesn't work, you need to open your printer and check if something is blocking the rollers, the ink cartridges, or any other part of the printer. Dust can also cause this printer malfunction.
Ghosting or Slipping. If your printer produces an image with a much lighter copy, or overlapping pictures in a page, and you are certain you did not change your printing settings or image quality prior to printing, this should be caused by insufficient power supply. You might have to connect it to another outlet. However, if your printer is old, some parts may already need replacement, and such causes this printer problem as well.
Printer suddenly does not work. If you have recently changed your windows version, most probably, your computer has set new default driver software. It is the driver that makes your device work, in this case, the printer driver. If you have installed a new application, the default driver might also change. You can solve this by downloading the proper printer driver for your printer model online. Remember to key in your correct printer model and operating system when searching, for installing the wrong driver will not make your printer work. You can add efficiency by downloading from reliable sites which also offers drivers for other hardware, or searching programs that will look for the right driver for your device.
Printers generally last for 8 to 15 years. Observe proper maintenance: check the ink cartridge and the print heads, clean and dust off your printer occasionally, and stick with the ink brand and name that comes with your printer. Keep in mind to use the proper driver software all the time and install updates. Next time you encounter the above-mentioned problems, you can quickly fix your HP printer.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/5678214

The Hostory Behind HP Printer Ink Cartridges

HP or Hewlett Packard is probably one of the world leading manufacturers of consumer electrical items and their peripherals. The company based in the USA in the silicon valley area of Palo Alto near San Francisco was formed by the mutual partnership of Bill Hewlett and Dave Packard in a small garage in Palo Alto, their fist product actually being an audio oscillator, a test device that was put to use by Walt Disney during the production of the film Fantasia.
Those humble beginnings in 1939 have seen the company, formed more out of friendship than any thing else, rise to be a highly recognised brand with a great reputation for the quality of their products.

Optimize Your HP Printer's Performance With Updated HP Printer Drivers

With a little bit of patience and the right software, you can update HP printer drivers in a matter of minutes. When HP printer drivers become outdated, it becomes impossible to produce high quality documents and photos from your printer.
Since HP represents the paragon of quality when it comes to printers, you need to make sure that you get what you pay for. Let's go over some of the best ways to repair HP printer drivers so you can use that incredible printer again.
Look Over the Spooler
First of all, it's important to check your printer to make sure you everything is properly plugged in and connected. You'd be surprised how easy it is to overlook a loose input, jammed feeder, or missing cartridge.
You should open your printer and check to make sure the spool is working properly.

HP Printer and Printers Shared on XP Workgroup - An Insight

Printer and Printers Accessories are required in almost every place. Nearly all offices, shops, and industries require printers for some reason or the other. A Printer is basically an output hardware device that prints texts or image tasks assigned to it from a computer. Present day operating systems offer many options for customizing a printer. You can also use advanced features like Printer Sharing that enable you to use a single printer over the network, i.e. from a number of computers. Many offices use the Sharing of Printers to make operation more economic.
This article would be helpful if you want to share a HP Computer Printer in windows XP professional workgroup network. Following are the steps you can use for Printer Sharing:
The whole process can be divided into two basic steps:
Step 1: Sharing the HP Computer Printer

Does Webroot Window Washer Really Wipe and Clean PC Internet Tracks

Webroot Window Washer is one of the most popular privacy control software applications.  The purpose of privacy control software is to clean, wipe, and eliminate internet and operating system history such as address bar history, program history, cookies, cache, pictures, videos, and more.  I put Window Washer to the test to see how well it stacked up against other competitive market products such as Cyberscrub, Evidence Eliminator, and Webwasher.  I was surprised as to what the end results were.  Below are my findings:

Usability & Safety Rating:  A

WebRoot Window Washer is one of the easiest programs to install and use. The newest version 6.5 has a updated interface that is very user friendly and visually pleasing.  Additionally, Has file protection option which is built-in safety features to help prevent you from accidentally removing important files.

Webroot Antivirus and Its Main Features

With the growing use of computers & Internet, computer security issues are popping up and so are mushrooming antivirus solutions in the market. Everyday a new antivirus product is launched in the market with a thousand promises to safeguard a customer's computer.

Webroot is one of the oldest and trusted antivirus products in the Worldwide PC Security Market. Its latest Webroot SecureAnywhere Antivirus is an advanced antivirus solution and proclaims the features of an antimalware too. It scans for virus and worms trying to harm the user's computer. It also keeps an eye upon the internet traffic to the user's system as also warns the user against malicious sites containing spyware and worms which may prove to be futile for the computer. Moreover, Webroot Technical Support is there to help the customers in any instance of problematic issues.

Benefits of Availing Norton Technical Support Services

Norton Antivirus has been developed and distributed by Symantec Corporation. It offers protection from malware and removes it during the period of subscription. It utilizes heuristics and signatures to detect viruses. Its other attributes comprise phishing protection and email spam filtering. It operates on both Microsoft Windows and Mac OS X. Its new and latest version 12.1 is the only version that is fully compatible with Mac OS X Lion. While using this product, its users are greatly helped by Norton technical support.

Understanding what is Norton support

Norton support generally deals with the configuration, upgradation, activation, updating, installation or, un-installation on the computer. But, there are certain other problems that cope up while using this. This could be the post-installing issue and it creates a link among the smoother surfing, internet accessibility, downloading and updating the Windows and software. Norton technical support helps you to resolve your e-mail and internet based issues. It even provides you with troubleshooting services to repair the Windows Firewall settings, e-mailing, creating connections with the internet, etc. All these help to run the online domain safely, efficiently and smoothly. Norton installation support comes handy when you opt for the support services of this software.

Spyware, Viruses, and Malware - Threats to the Online Identity

It can be quite disappointing if a computer which used to run very fast suddenly starts running like a snail, restarting and freezing frequently. It can get more dangerous if you cannot remember what went wrong with the PC. All that you can remember is that while surfing the Internet you have clicked on some ads, which suddenly appeared on the screen of your computer. If that is the case, then your computer must be infected with spyware or a virus. But you do not need to be afraid at all, as there are a number of sophisticated virus removers available online which can keep the threat away from the PC and make it faster within a few moments. 

What Norton Technical Support Can Do For You

Thanks to the tremendous popularity of the Norton antivirus software, it has found a way into the PCs and laptops of millions of users all over the world. The software has earned a name for itself for its sheer efficiency and effectiveness. It has the capability to eradicate vicious malware, spyware, and Trojan horses which can prove to be extremely harmful for your computer resulting in the crashing of the system, loss of important data, and so on.

Kinds of antivirus problems: Though Norton antivirus is surely a force to reckon with where virus infections are concerned, but there are a number of factors which the proper functioning of the software depends upon. For instance, if the antivirus is not installed properly, rather than doing any good to the computer, it can cause a lot of harm. Other than installation there are a lot of other issues that might surface due to a variety of reasons. There could be problems of compatibility, configuration and so on.