How to print vibrant colour images

The professional term for ensuring colour prints look their best, is colour management. Colour management involves different steps, but the most important one is to use a colour profile per paper you intend to use.

Most inkjet photo printers come with the ability to print your photographs using the printer's built-in settings. These settings are hard-coded in the printer's firmware, and they often produce very nice results if you don't mind getting results that are nice, but not the best your printer and paper is capable of.

In order to get the best performance out of a printer, you need to allow the image editing (or DTP) application to decide how the colours will look. Programs like Photoshop, InDesign and Illustrator, and their siblings like Photoshop Elements and iPhoto, all enable you to set up a colour management workflow.

Setting one up is usually a simple affair, but if you have doubts, there are a few simple guidelines that will put you in pole position. The first is to choose AdobeRGB as your working colour space. If you don't have AdobeRGB, then use another large enough colour space. sRGB and your monitor's colour space are too small. Setting the working colour space simply involves selecting the profile with the name "AdobeRGB (1998)".

Then carefully read your program's instructions on choosing the right colour profiles for prints. Usually, this will amount to setting up your printer dialogue so that the image is printed using a colour profile that matches your printer AND the paper you're using. And here is something that you can do to dramatically improve the output...

The manufacturer of your printer will have included a whole bunch of colour profiles, but the truth of the matter is that those generic profiles will again not deliver you the best results in terms of colour brilliance. To obtain the best, you will have to create a colour profile for each printer/paper combination you're going to use yourself. That's one of the reasons why professional photographers can print such vibrant photographs. They use a profile for every different paper they use with their printer.

Creating such profiles is a bit difficult, and very expensive because you'll need specialist equipment to do it. Fortunately, there are a number of service providers who will create profiles for your particular papers and printer. You will have to send them a test chart that you forst printed on the printer/paper combination you want to use, and they'll process your target and send you back a custom profile.

If you want to learn more about how colour profiles can improve your photo printing, visit my online magazine. It contains a large database of information on the topic: IT-Enquirer.com

Combating Viruses with Security Software

Help, I was sitting in front my computer and it starting acting strange! Pop-ups were on my screen and I was not even surfing the web. My home page was changed somehow and so did other web settings. My programs are at a crawl and overall my computer is just not working the way it should be.

If this sounds like your computer, chances are you have been infected with some type of malicious software. Several types of software can infect your computer; some of these are spyware, a virus, a Trojan, and a worm. That is why you need security software.

Below is a brief and simple description of the software that can infect your computer and cause poor performance.

· Spyware is a program that gathers information about the user through the internet without their knowledge. It monitors your web activity and passes this information to another party without your knowledge. Spyware is designed for commercial gain, thus when it is installed in your computer you will probably receive unsolicited pop-up advertisements. It can also gather your email addresses, passwords, and credit card numbers stored on your computer.
· A virus is programming code or a piece of code that loads onto your computer without your consent. A virus is also self-replicating by inserting copies into an executable code or documents. Any virus is dangerous as it uses up memory and brings your system to a halt.
· A worm is much like a virus in the fact that it is self-replicating but differs in the fact that it does not need another program to do so. A worm can spread itself without any action from the user. A worm can attach itself to you address book and send a copy to everyone in it, then attaches itself to the receivers address book in addition, send it out to everyone in that address book. Worms are dangerous and in the end can cause networks to crash.
· Trojans are designed as legitimate software that you can download onto your computer. Once installed though, they can be annoying and/or malicious. Annoying activities of a Trojan would be changing your desktop around or silly icons appearing. Malicious damage from a Trojan is capable of deleting files on your computer and allowing personal and confidential information to be collected without you being aware.

Preventing spyware and other malicious software from infecting your computer through security software is lots easier going online and finding a reputable online scanning site after the fact. Sometimes if your computer is infected, you may not even be able to get online. Therefore, prevention is better than fixing.

You can protect your computer from malicious programs in many ways. Here are a few tips to consider.

Always have the latest version of anti virus and anti spyware technology on your computer. You will also need to keep the program files up to date in order to protect against newest threats.

Only download files from a trusted source. If you are not sure, run a virus scan on the file before downloading it or saving to your computer.

There are limitless resources on the internet offering anti spyware and antivirus programs. Many sites offer free online scans, and provide instructions for removal of any malicious programs on your computer. Once you have selected a well known, (well-known being the optimal word) follow the instructions for installation carefully to ensure that the scan will work properly. Below are the most common and well-known virus and spyware removal programs.

McAfee (mcafee.com) virus remover features up-to-date protection from the latest viruses and web activity threats for the user. They have three main anti-virus and anti-spyware programs that you can choose perfect for home and business uses.

Microsoft has an anti spyware (microsoft.com) removal tool that you can use to scan your computer. This functions mainly by reviewing and checking your files for unwanted software contents, and once found can be selected and removed depending on the procedures indicated on the program. Just follow the tools and guides on how you can remove the infected files.

Ad Ware Personal provided by Lavasoft.com features scanning and fixing infected files and drives, detection of known and unknown but potentially damaging software with its Code Sequence Identification (CSI) technology. This program also has a spyware removal and capabilities of removing other damaging programs in your system.

The above sites are just a few of anti spyware and anti virus removal programs that are available on the web. Take the time and do the research and you will find the right security software for your needs. Once again, it is imperative that the site you select for your computer security is credible.

Voice Changers: Mission (not so) Impossible

Among all the latest gadgets Ethan Hunt and his team of secret agents lavish out in their latest Mission Impossible III, I am most interested in, perhaps, one of the less flashy technologies, voice synthesization. Within a half minute reading out a short note, the omnipotent villain Owen Davian has his voice programmed into a fine chip that, when attached to Hunt's throat, modifies the latter's vocal qualities to perfectly match his.

I come to appreciate the software engineers at Media Morpher or Audio4Fun or Voice Cloak for the galore of voice changer software products they have developed over the years as much as I am amazed at the extreme speed and precision of the Impossible technology. It is these tools that make real-time voice changing a Mission not so Impossible to an average person in the netizen community.

The Mission Impossible voice synthesization technology I adore above is more professionally known as voice comparator or voice changer. A voice comparator is a feature of voice changer software that, in effect, compares the vocal qualities of two parties and transmits the digital waves to the voice morpher. The latter then morphs one voice into the other's. A voice changer software allows users to perform the seemingly complicated task in real time within split seconds, while voice changer hardware could morphs one's voice over telephone lines or audio recordings.

Beyond synthesizing one's voice to match a particular other’s, voice changer programs could well help users customize their voices according to almost all sorts of preference, age, gender, and even non-human sounds. This is not done in a half minute, but instantly, or as soon as users are satisfied with the settings. In addition, voice changers are friendly to even dummy netizens as many include a library of pre-set vocal outputs for ease of use. That reduces the task of voice changing to a seamless process of clicking and speaking.

Don't take me wrong; I am not at all demeaning Hunt's gadgets with all these voice changer softwares. Mission Impossible III technologies are simply nothing less than futuristically awesome. What I'm saying throughout this article is that seemingly impossible tasks are not that impossible to us after all, if we care to look, beyond our little selves, into the world of friendly expertise around us.

About the Author:
Josh Nowell is a press correspondent for Media Morpher. He is an observer of technology trends and is keen on analyzing how technology could enrich the human life.

He could be contacted at media@audio4fun.com (Attention to Josh Nowell).

How To Build A Mortgage Calculator For Free in Microsoft Excel

One of the really cool parts aspects of Microsoft Excel is the functions Microsoft has created for you to use. This means that rather than have to develop a function from scratch you can use pre-built ones to do a plethora of tasks like Building your own Mortgage Calculator. The Mortgage Calculator or PMT function is just one of many Financial Functions available.

Okay, so how to build a mortgage calculator…

The first thing we have to do is to start by setting up a few basic headings. So lets begin by starting a new workbook and clicking in the first cell A1. Enter into cell address A1 the heading - Monthly Loan Repayments. Next off, enter into cell address A2 - Amount of Loan, cell address A3 - Interest Rate, cell address A4 - Length of Loan and then in A6 - Monthly Repayment.

In example mortgage calculator, we will take the Loan Amount, Interest Rate and Length of Loan and calculate your Monthly Repayment. Okay so in the corresponding field B1 enter the value of $200,000 and make sure you format the field as a currency. In cell B2 enter a value of 9.25% and format the field as a percentage and then finally enter in a value for the Length of the Loan as 25. The value you enter into the Length of the Loan field is in years.

Now its time to create the formula that will do your calculation for the Monthly Repayment. The function we will use for this calculation is called the PMT function. The PMT function always returns a negative number so one of the things we will need to do is to convert it into a positive number, but a little on that later.

There are three arguments we will use for this formula and they are -

= PMT(Monthly Interest Rate, Number of Payments, Amount Borrowed)

So to work out the Monthly Interest Rate we simply take the value in B3 and divide it by 12 - B3/12. The PMT function works on the basic of the number of payments you are going to make, so if we are going to make monthly payments on our mortgage we simply take the number of years in cell B4 and multiply it by 12 - B4 *12.

This means that to calculate the Monthly Repayment for our mortgage we need to enter the following formula -

= PMT(B3/12, B4*12, B2)

Now as I said before, the PMT function always returns a negative value, so to turn this into a positive value we simply type the PMT function with the Absolute Function encapsulating it as shown below -

= ABS(PMT(B3/12,B4*12,B2))

Simply type the formula above into the cell B6 and press the enter key. You must now format the cell address B6 as a currency and you can do that by simply pressing the Dollar Symbol on the Formatting Toolbar. As soon as you enter the formula and press enter you should get a result of $1712.76. If you do not get this answer, simply go back and make sure that you have entered the formula correctly.

The cool part about this Mortgage Calculator is that you can go back and change any one of the values in B2, B3 and B4 which are the Loan Amount, Interest Rate and Length of Loan to work out what your monthly mortgage repayments will be.

The cool part about this simple tool is that it tells you really quickly whether borrowing massive amounts from the bank is worth it and whether you can really afford that mortgage. Why not check out what your repayments will be if your interest rate went up by 2 or 3%, it can be really interesting to see the impact on your budget.

Simple tools like this can save you thousands of dollars and can also help you see what changes interest rates will have on your own budget. It is certainly worthwhile building yourself a Budgeting Spreadsheet and the mortgage calculator to work out just what you really can afford especially in these uncertain times.

Distribution Software: What Can It Accomplish For You?

Distribution software is loaded with excellent opportunities for you. First, consider the methods that you are using now. Are they the most effective? Do they supply you with accurate information in a moment's notice? Do they provide for you the most efficient and cost effective way of managing your business? If you have doubts, then the purchase of a distribution software is something that you should consider.

Here are some things distribution software can do for you:

• Most all of the software programs that you will find out there will provide for you an order processing and management application. This alone can organize you effectively.

• You will find that inventory control is also available and can offer you not only good quality inventory but also reliable numbers that you can count on.

• You will find that distribution software can handle just about all levels of accounting as well.

• Purchasing is usually included in it as well.

• Do you need help with customer service? Distribution software may include help for that as well.

• In management forms, it can handle finance management, warehouse management as well as supply chain management through effective and reliable methods and applications that you can call on any time.

• Sales are managed as well as allowing you to know what is happening with your business, up or down within seconds of requesting this information.

Although there are many various options available to you that may or may not include these elements in them, you are sure to find the distribution software that you need rather easily. In fact, you can often find those options that combine the elements that have the most effect on your business as well. In order to choose which is the right option for you, simply consider the features and applications they offer along with other factors such as price and ease of use. The most effective distribution software programs are those designed with the user in mind.

How To Buy The Right EMR Software For Your Practice

Implementing an Electronic Medical Record (EMR) software in your office can be one of the most beneficial things you can do for your practice’s success. Unfortunately, buying the wrong EMR can be disastrous. To buy the right EMR you need to be able to see past the smoke and mirrors. Relying solely on your EMR vendor to make the right hardware & implementation recommendations can be a big mistake. Here are some tips you can use to help ensure a successful EMR implementation.

Set realistic goals. What do you wish to gain out of an EMR? Many offices purchase an EMR in hopes that it will provide them with all the benefits that were promised to them automatically. EMR can help you reduce your number of staff, reduce your expenses, reduce medical errors and reduce documentation time. To realize all these benefits you need to set milestones and implement the right plan.

Perform a cost-benefit analysis. All offices work differently and have different inefficiencies. It’s important to have realistic expectations of what type of Return on Investment (ROI) can be expected. It’s important to look into these items before you begin looking at vendors so that you have an idea of what type of budget you will have available for your EMR as the cost of EMR can range between $1000 and $45,000 and there is no silver bullet.

Seek out unbiased sources of information. Distilling fact from fiction in the medical software industry can be difficult. Even many of the awards that are given to the different vendors for their products are often very biased. The internet offers many unbiased information sources on EMR. You may also want to consider bringing in the expertise of an IT Company or EMR consultant to help guide you through the process of selecting the right vendor.

Leveraging hardware to improve your EMR functionality. It’s a great thing when you have technology on your side to manage your patients’ records and become more efficient. To do this it’s imperative to select the right hardware based off your office’s needs and user experience. Involve the right IT company from the beginning to ensure a successful implementation.

Log File UNIX Commands

One of the biggest parts of my job is managing website log files. Our business is very “marketing-centric”, so missing log file data isn’t expectable. There have been a few situations were log files have been split or broken. Below are three nice little commands which have helped tremendously.

Removes all log files with no data
find /home/httpd/logs -size 0 -type f -print0 | xargs -0 rm –f
This is a simple little command which helps keep things neat and organized. Once files rotate I’ve found a bunch of empty files on the folder. This really confuses some of the marketing people.

Converts log files extention into logical month.
for i in `dir /home/httpd/logs/*-access_log.1|sed s/\.1$//`; do mv $i.1 $i.feb; done
A little more complicated. Again, the overall goal here is to make the log files more friendly for marketing people connecting into the FTP server. I am converting the *.1 extension file created by the log rotate into *.month. I use this single line to change the extension on 300+ files. Works fantastic!

Combines log files with extentions .1.1 -> .1 and creates a new logical month.
for i in `dir /home/httpd/logs/*-access_log.1|sed s/\.1$//`; do cat $i.1.1 $i.1 >$i.mar; done
Here is the big daddy. One month because of a mistake the log files rotated mid-month. This would have been a nightmare to manually concatenate each file. This script above takes the files and combines them. Try to do this in windows!

For the most part I’ve learned to hate access logs. They are a big, always changes, difficult to backup, and from a technical perspective somewhat useless. These little few commands above however make life a little easier.

Access Your PC Remotely From Anywhere in the World

Control your computer securely and reliably from anywhere in the world no matter how many miles away you are going.

Many travelers set up their desktop computers to accept connections with Remote Desktop program built into latest versions of Windows only to find out in a hard way that they can’t control their PC from where they are. This is a very common problem because of the complexity of modern networks and the Internet itself. Just about anything can prevent you from controlling your desktop remotely: a firewall securing your network, an Internet provider blocking everything except Web pages and images, or any of the numerous reasons that exist in different segments of the Internet. These are all important and valid causes of connection problems, but the number one reason is much simpler and has nothing to do with the complexity of the Internet.

Depending on the ISP, your home PC can get a different IP address every once in a while. This type of addresses is referred as 'dynamic', and is a common practice among practically all ISPs, except if you pay extra for a 'static', thus permanent, IP address. But even if you secure a permanent Internet address for your computer, the firewalls will still stand in the way of establishing a successful connection between your PC and your location while on the go.

Anyplace Control by http://www.anyplace-control.com offers a revolutionary new approach to bypassing all the obstacles and remotely accessing your computer from anywhere in the world. Leave your heavy desktop PC at home while you are traveling! No need to carry even a notebook! Gain immediate control over your desktop and its files while on the go with Anyplace Control!

Accessing your computer remotely works in a few very simple steps and does not require complex setup or expert network configuration whatsoever. You simply create an account with Anyplace Control, and assign a name to your computer. When you need to access your PC from a remote location, you simply enter your computer name into the small and lightweight client application, and Anyplace Control manages the rest. No need to configure network settings on the remote PC, and no need to worry about the firewalls and other obstacles!

With Anyplace Control you can see your computer’s desktop and control your PC with mouse and keyboard as if you were there, or use Drag and Drop operation to transfer files between your computers. Anyplace Control uses state of the art encryption and latest security approaches to protect your home PC from remote attacks. Finally, Anyplace Control saves your bandwidth by consuming minimum traffic, allowing the fastest response times even on very slow connections.

While travelling, especially to developing countries, you may find that their PCs are not the same state-of-the-art PCs you are used to see at home. Internet cafes may have old, slow computers running operating systems as old as Windows 95. If you were using Windows Remote Desktop application to access your home PC, you’d be out of luck!

Anyplace Control does not use Windows Remote Desktop, and hence is compatible with all Windows systems, not just those supporting the Remote Desktop Technology. You can run Anyplace Control on Windows 95, 98, 2000, XP, 2003 Server, and Vista.

Get ready for your next trip! Download your free evaluation version of Anyplace Control now from http://www.anyplace-control.com/, and control your computer remotely from anywhere in the world!

Free Anti Spyware programs available for direct download

My search for free spyware programs I can download began when I decided to protect my computer and my privacy from malicious Spyware programs. I already knew that there were things called Spyware and Adware out there on the Internet, and that I really ought to protect myself from them by installing one of these for free spyware programs I can download. But somehow I kept putting it of and never really got around to start searching for free spyware programs I can download until two weeks ago when a particularly annoying piece of software lured itself into my precious computer and began to harass me constantly by changing my Start Page to the page of some bogus search engine. It was also impossible for me to do a normal web search. Each time I tried to access one of the larger search engines, I was promptly redirected to this fake search engine. This is when I realised that I could no longer keep putting the search for free spyware programs I can download off.

Spyware programs can cause a lot of harm, and even when they stick to relatively harmless mischief such as displaying those irritating pop-up commercials I still view it as a large intrusion of privacy that someone might be gathering and storing information about me, without my knowledge or consent. I therefore set out on my online journey, trying to find free spyware programs I can download. It thought it would be a piece of cake. I mean, we have all seen those blinking banners about free anti-spyware programs, haven't we? Well, it turned out to be much harder to find free spyware programs I can download than I first expected.

When I did a little research I quickly found out that a lot of the so called Anti-Spyware programs heavily marketed in banner advertisements online are actually fake Anti-Spyware programs. They are promoted as free spyware programs I can download, but are in reality created by the same persons that gain from the Spyware programs. All these fake free spyware programs I can download will not protect my computer at all. Instead, a majority of them will even install new Spyware on the computer! When a computer user scans his or her computer, the fake program will claim that all Spyware have been removed. In reality, the Spyware is still there and can continue to send out personal data each time the computer is connected to the Internet. So, I had to be very careful in my quest for free spyware programs I can download.

I also clicked on advertisements for several pages that claimed to provide free spyware programs I can download; only to find out that those programs was not free at all. When I read the fine print, some kind of fee always turned up. Another problem that I encountered when searching for free spyware programs I can download was that some programs are only free for a limited period, sometimes as little as a week. I know from experience with other types of software that one week is not enough to find out whether I feel comfortable with a program or not. Besides, I was looking for really free spyware programs I can download, not semi-free ones. I want to be able to switch to a new program if a program doesn't suit me, or if I new program is released that is much better than my current one. If I use Anti-Spyware programs that come with a large fee, I'm not able to do this without seriously over-heating my credit card. How ever, after almost giving up hope I found several free spyware programs I can download. I am currently using one of them, and will try out another one next month. So, my advice to all of you out there is to take your time when searching for free spyware programs to download. I finally found several free spyware programs I can download, and so will you. But be careful, always read the fine print and only download Anti-Spyware programs from reputable sites.

Home Inventory Software – Why Do You Need It?

"An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure" is a commonly quoted saying, but how many of us procrastinate taking actions we know would save us much headache? Making a home inventory of your home is one of those "ounces of prevention" every homeowner should insist upon doing.

Why should I take an inventory?

Imagine for a moment a tragedy you’ve heard about recently – hurricane damage, flooding, wildfires – and think about the damage done to the homes involved. We all consider important to install things like fire alarms and smoke detectors, and home owners insurance is a must, but have we considered all the money we’ve spent on the possessions inside our homes? Consider now what would happen if your home was destroyed.

Many of us assume our home owner’s insurance would cover all of our possessions, but this is where people are mistaken. An appraiser would have to take a guess – using averages – at the value of the contents of your home, should a catastrophic disaster happen to your home. From the charred remains, would you trust an appraiser to accurately estimate the value of your possessions? That’s why making a detailed list of your possessions is essential for protecting the money you’ve spent.

But it will take so much time…

It’s true: going through your house and making an accurate list of all your possessions would be a tedious task indeed. This is where home inventory software comes to the rescue. By simply taking digital photos of the rooms of your home and uploading them to your powerful home inventory software, you have an instantaneous record of the possessions of your home. Using the software you can easily detail the cost and value of each item in each room, saving yourself much time and effort. An average-sized home can be inventoried in a few hours. Then store a copy of the inventory with a trusted friend or in a safety deposit box.

But how do I keep the home software inventory up to date?

Keeping the software up to date is easy. Simply take time to add photos and update the inventory record as you buy new items or dispose of old ones. Make it a part of your routine, like monthly paying bills, changing your smoke detector batteries or bi-annual spring and fall deep cleaning.

Realize the monetary value of using home inventory software.

You already spend a lot of money on home owner’s insurance, but if you do not have proper documentation of the items you own, you have no assurance you will recover the money you have spent decorating and furnishing your home. Spending a small amount on versatile home inventory software will significantly increase the value of your homeowner’s insurance.

That sounds like a great idea! I’ll do it later…

Don’t procrastinate! Just like you wouldn’t let your homeowner’s insurance lapse, take advantage of the awareness you have right now. My Edge Software is a quick and easy solution to home inventory challenges. Simply go to My Edge Software, purchase and download the software right now, and schedule a time to take inventory of your possessions.

Software Bringing Computers Closer

Computer software is that essential equipment that makes this critical office and home tool available to us – let’s face it, there are few of us with the skills and knowledge to know what to do with one without it! Just as a pen is only a shell without the ink to allow us write, so a computer without software is a large and expensive paperweight.

And the most important software of all is probably the one we use most often, namely word processing software. We don’t have to be professional writers to employ some type of word processing suite on a daily basis; from making shopping lists to composing letters, this is the one type of software we can’t do without.

Since the dawn of time, man has been recording his thoughts using some kind of annotation. Though writing itself is not as old as we are – the term ‘prehistory’ specifically refers to that time before writing existed, allowing us some kind of access to a written chronicle of events – this creative and expressive form of communication has been around since the time of the ancient Sumerians.

Throughout history, man has invented newer and better ways to record his thoughts and communicate them to others using the written word. The important combination of writing tools – what would evolve into pen and paper – became more and more advanced as the years progressed, culminating in the invention of the typewriter. And while this offered a more efficient way of marking down thoughts and observations, even it, these days, seems antiquated in comparison to the computer software that we use today.

The use of many features, once novel, of word processing software have become second nature to us now. We cannot consider typing any length without the ability to delete at will, to cut and paste, to make mistakes and move along. And that is perhaps the dichotomous pleasure of word processing software – that we can, at the drop of a hat, save our words or delete them forever.

For that is the real gift of computer software. It is the medium between us and our computing tool, helping us make use of technology we do not necessarily understand, and allowing us to express ourselves precisely as we wish.

Image Editing for Web Designers

Professional image editing tools like Adobe Photoshop or CorelDraw are perfect when you are deep into picture editing. Digital photo enthusiasts and professional artists enjoy some of the features offered by these and similar products. But what if your needs are different? If you are a Web designer, you mostly need to create small images: buttons, navigation, menu items, banners and backgrounds. These images are so small that you need to pay close attention to every pixel, but don't need photographic-quality color profiles or 3D color spaces. So why paying hundreds of dollars for a tool that you won't utilize even a little bit, and why wasting your own time learning these complex tools while you're not going to use most of the features anyways?

Get a dedicated small-image editor for your Web graphics! IconLover http://www.aha-soft.com/iconlover/index.htm is a perfect tool for making buttons and banners, creating navigation and backgrounds. Create and edit icons and cursors, extract icons from icon libraries and executable files, draw shapes of any form and complexity with powerful translucency and shadow effects with the perfect gif editor!

IconLover is a perfect gif editor for drawing small, Web-based images. Create buttons with drop shadow, make buttons with variable opacity, apply smoothing, negative, grayscale, and colorization effects to your Web graphics, rotate, roll, and mirror your images with IconLover.

IconLover saves your Web graphics in ICO, BMP, JPEG, ANI, CUR, GIF, PNG, TGA, TIFF, WMF, WBMP, XPM, XBM and Adobe Photoshop PSD image formats. Make gif buttons with shadow effects, draw translucent hovering menus, apply smooth gradients and stunning visual effects to the smallest graphics - all within one inexpensive, easy-to-use tool!

IconLover sits right in the middle of image editor crowd. Not as monstrous or expensive as Adobe Photoshop, and not as deliberately simplistic as Microsoft Paint, IconLover fits as a perfect gif editor for Web masters. There's no better way to create buttons and make banners for the Web than IconLover!

Microsoft Has Stunted Innovation

Creativity is what spurred the growth of the computer industry and technology. Challenges were met and new frontiers conquered through sharp-edged innovations and competition. Sadly, over the years small companies like Microsoft grew into giants and then lost their thirst for adventure. They deliberately hid their proprietary source code and this stunted innovation. Like a drug peddlers they have created a “Microsoft” addiction among computer users. And, then used the dependency to charge exorbitant prices.

Since Microsoft does not believe in promoting open source technology even with intellectual property protection it hampers the faster development of technology and discourages others from even attempting improvements or changes. In blunt terms , Microsoft functions like the Chicago thugs did early this century. It maintains a strangle hold on PC users and sellers and creates strategies that prevent hardware manufacturers from using systems like Netscape.

Time and again the company has held other businesses and computer users at ransom with it monopoly on Widows and the Intel platform. In fact a court ruled that Microsoft illegally stunted innovation and did injustice to consumers. The company however always maintains that its practices are just competitive behavior.

In fact a few years ago, the EC found Microsoft guilty of harming the market and consumer by producing less choice and higher prices. For abusing its monopoly Microsoft was fined 497.2 million pounds.

Trapped in its early ways of thinking, Microsoft is still to understand and embrace the new world order. The dependency on its old successes, Windows and Office, lingers and any innovations are snuffed out as they germinate if they are perceived as threats to the old monoliths.

When examined closely one finds that it is not lack of imagination or effort but the corporate culture and business practices that drag innovation to the ground. However a glimmer of hope emerges from the statement made by Bill Gates, that Microsoft plans to open source both Windows and Office in keeping with present day trends.

Also on the net are what are perceived to be “pr stunts” memos by senior Microsoft leaders expressing concern over loss of technological advancements and market leadership and that the company sucks at innovation. Being a monopoly with insatiable hunger for money the company has had a narrow vision over the years. Its dealings have created great mistrust among users as well as business partners. There is no admiration or trust amongst techies and, Microsoft has become its own enemy.

While Skype introduced phone calls over the web, Apple moved with the pace of the cyber world and created downloadable digital content, and Google improvised internet search and developed a new online advertising model. Microsoft stagnated bogged in its own success. And, the truth is that Live Software cannot be termed as innovation, it is a revamp at best.

Microsoft needs to take a closer look at itself, shed its inhibitions and shackles to innovate, to lead, to embrace the future.

Why Pay When You Can Get Free Anti Virus?

I’m sure you have heard this from a friend before, even some of your computer literate friends; but what I want to warn you of is that this is a dangerous question to be asking. You for sure know about viruses and that anyone today is vulnerable to them if they haven’t taken appropriate efforts to protect themselves, but other than that (if you are like most people you don’t really know what is out there (lots more than just viruses) and how to really protect yourself properly. In the next few paragraphs I want to tell you some critical information to save you lots of time and money and tears.

So viruses are, just like their biological counterpart, parasites in that they use a host to exist and more importantly to replicate. A virus is made up of computer code that is written in such a way as to insert itself into existing code of (most often) an executable file that already exists on the host computer. It uses the internet mostly to travel but can and has been transferred by removable forms of media like floppy disks, smart cards, etc. Like viruses, worms use the computer as a host, but only in order to use the hardware, as they do not need the host computers software to replicate. Trojan Horses are another example of malicious software or malware that use techniques that evade the natural and built up defenses on a computer. The point is that there is more than just viruses that you need protection from and not all anti virus software (especially free anti virus software) provide the comprehensive coverage that you need.

The sad thing about free anti virus software is that it lulls computer users into complacency and they end up as bad or worse off than when they were virus free. The companies that offer these freebies are doing it more or less as an advertising ploy, bringing more traffic to their sales page.


Now there is a caveat to this that I would like to explain and that is that free anti virus software is better than having nothing at all. So, if you are too poor to purchase your own security software package than by all means get it on your computer. However I seriously doubt that if you are able to purchase a computer you would not also be able to get anti virus protection. Consider it nothing more than a necessary maintenance cost, kind of like putting oil in your car every once in a while.

Freebies – Free Antivirus Software

In this world where money plays an important can you imagine getting something for free? Do not panic today you can find many outlets that give away stuffs for free. No, they are not doing any social work. But yes they are giving different freebies. These outlets provide you free stuffs with best possible bargains and absolutely free. To find out who they are just perform a short search online and you can find a list of such sites.

There are number sites that give away absolutely free goods, completely free of no cost, but sometime you may have to pay for a shipping charge which is nominal. Other most popular way to get real free freebies is to fill a short survey and send your feedback about the companies’ newest product. Among the best giveaways are "the crazy frog free ring tones, cash for surveys, cinema tickets, quality beauty freebies, and car cash back offers. The list is endless. There are hundreds of places where you can get legitimate freebies. One of such free stuffs that you can find online is free antivirus software.

If your computer is getting frequent virus pop ups, it’s the time you start thinking about free anti virus software. With hundreds more viruses being created every month, all computers should have some form of virus protection. There are number of sites where you can find a round up of the Web's best freeware anti-virus checkers and cleaners, which stop all kinds of "dodgy" files from entering your PC. You'll no doubt be pleased to hear that the majority of programs listed here provide comparable protection to most commercial packages.

Getting good antivirus software is critical for the health of your computer, which is as good as getting a vaccine for your body when you are down with viral infection. Fortunately enough, this is a well-developed industry and there are many good anti-virus products on offer.

How To Install And Setup Noah's Classifieds

In this article I will explain the basic Noah's Classifieds features, show you how to install this script and how to setup it to run properly. First of all let's mention that Noah's Classifieds script is written in PHP can be used for free. Noah's Classifieds is one of the most popular classified ads tool on the Internet. Using this great script you can create unlimited categories and subcategories, upload images for the categories and the advertisements, define variable fields for the advertisements per categories etc.

Web hosting requirements for Noah's Classifieds

Before you start the installation process, ensure that your web host offers PHP support (Php4 script module is necessary) and MySQL database. If you are not sure which version of PHP your web hosting provider currently uses, contact their help desk and ask them first.

How to install Noah's Classifieds

In the first step visit developers website and go to download section. Even thought there is a "Prices" section on their website you can download the script for free. You pay only in case if you need script customization. Download the *.zip or *.tgz archive and extract it on your hard disk. Use your favorite ftp program (Total Commander will do) to upload these files to your web host. Now point your browser to install.php file. The installation process will start. Follow the step by step instructions on the screen. The script will ask you for mysql username, password etc. and will create MySQL tables. The installer will try to make necessary changes in your config.php file. In case your web host doesn't allow this you have to open config.php in your text editor, edit it manually and then upload to your web host.

Another and easier solution how to install this PHP script is to sign up for a quality web hosting service which offers pre-installed PHP scripts. Then easily go to your control panel, find the section with pre-installed scripts and select Noah's Classifieds. The installer will do all the job for you. All you need to do is to choose the script you want to install.

How to setup Noah's Classifieds

OK, let's suppose the installation process was successfully finished. You can access your admin interface now to do all necessary settings. The most important step will be setting up categories and subcategories. In the beginning you will see four default categories. You can edit them or delete and create a new one. When done you can consider to change the lookup of the script. Go to "i" folder and replace the Noah's Classifieds banner (the banner image is called headpic.gif), edit header and footer, css styles (edit and upload the style.css file to apply changes) or create brand new template. There is a file called template.php. Edit this file to give your site new, more attractive look.

When you are satisfied with the result you can start to promote your new website. Make a few forum posts about your new project, add your website URL to directories and exchange links with related sites. Over the time your traffic will increase. I wish you a lot of success with this script and many visitors!

Some Ideas For Creating Your Own Slideshows

Creating your own slide shows can be fun and entertaining, and easy to accomplish. Almost every digital camera now comes with some sort of software to manage your images. Some have more features than others. Some will allow you to create slideshows. Some will add transitions, and allow image durations to be adjusted. You can also use most video making programs to produce slideshows, which is one way to have more control over the outcome. For example, Windows XP offers MovieMaker, which has many of the functions of a full-blown video producer program. The program allows you to set the duration of each picture, the transition between each picture; offers various effects to apply to individual pictures, and allows you to overlay an audio track.

To start, I have found that most digital images need a little adjustment for viewing on monitors. If your program allows it, I recommend increasing both the brightness and contrast just a few notches. Also, if you can, sharpen them slightly. A note about color: colors come in two categories: transparent and opaque. When you prepare images for printing or for viewing on a monitor you must consider how colors interact with each other. Printed colors, when mixed together, go towards black. Projected colors, when mixed together, go towards white. Printed images are usually produced on equipment with a much higher resolution capability than your monitor, so they will appear richer and sharper in print. Most cameras are preset for printing, and that’s why it’s a good idea to sharpen, brighten and increase the contrast on images to be viewed on the pc.

Selecting your images and ordering them are the next important step. It is best to try and tell a story, to have a logical sequence to your images. Don’t show people going in the house before the shot of them getting out of the car. When you are taking pictures, remember that you may make a slide show, and try to take pictures that will present well in that style; for instance, in a room full of people , start at one side and take many pictures as you swing across to the other side of the room. When presented as slides, it will give the effect of creating the complete environment. Vary the duration of the slides; don’t make them all 3 or 5 seconds, make some shorter and some longer. If there’s one person in a picture, shorten it; if there are many people then lengthen it so people have a chance to look at every face.

Once you have assembled the slideshow and applied transitions and effects, you can put the crowning touch on by adding a narration. You can simply choose some favorite or appropriate music, but to really personalize it, a narration is best. Not everyone is a natural speaker, nor does everyone have the most recordable voice for such a purpose. Here’s where you can take advantage of a program like AV Voice Changer Software to create a separate track, or you could use AV Movie Morpher 2.0 to overdub the production. (You can go to http://mp3-player.audio4fun.com/free-audio-software.htm to download the software for free trials). In that case you will have to output the slideshow first and then open it inside the Movie Morpher program. The nice thing about both of these programs is that they can alter the sound of your voice to make it more entertaining. It can deepen or enrich it, or make it faster or slower; it can even change a male voice to a female-sounding voice. It can add special effects for emphasis or dramatic effect. You should work out either a written narrative or an outline of what you will say, practice it, and then record it. The final outcome will be an entertaining, creative, and personal record of part of your life, whether it’s a party, a graduation, or a simple family gathering, you will have created a cherished memory to be shared for all time.

BIO:

Wayne Rice is a freelance journalist, copywriter, photographer and artist. He currently resides in the United States.

SSL ensures the protection of personal and sensitive data.

Since the advent of Information Technology there is an enormous change in the world of practical functioning. Internet is the highly advanced and quick paced means of communication that gets you connected around the globe instantly. This has been the major contribution of the IT development and has revolutionized the working strategies of the varied industries including government, educational, information technology, and corporate industry. SSL is an essential component that ensures the safety and security of your personal and private data on the Internet. It has been proved as the most secure tool for both the government and public sector data privacy.

SSL stands for Secure Sockets Layer and it is a protocol that is developed by Netscape in order to transfer confidential documents and official data via internet. It helps in transferring the data on secure server by setting up a connection between the client and server. It is a digital certificate for your website that verifies its authentication and encrypts the information data sent using SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) technology. This encrypted data is transferred to the server in a non-readable format and is deciphered later by an appropriate decryption key.

SSL certificate acts as an e-passport that acknowledges an online identity of your website verifying its data transfer while conducting business online. When you transfer some confidential data or file on internet to a web server, your web browser gets an access to the digital certificate of the server and forms a secure connection.

The SSL certificate contains the general information including the name of the certificate holder, certificate serial number, expiration date, copy of public key of certificate holder, and digital signature of the authority issuing certificate.

SSL certification has been a boon for business organizations in ensuring the protection and privacy of personal and sensitive data. This has been necessary with the rise in outsourcing industry. Most of the nations that have expensive work labor problem get its work outsourced from countries where labor charges are cheap which saves a lot of money. Almost every business activity whether it is related to the data transfer or official discussion is conducted via Internet so SSL certification helps by allowing the secure platform for transferring the data confidently in an encrypted form which only client can decrypt with the use of key.

SSL certificate has entirely changed the working strategies of government institutions as well in many ways. E-governance has become the latest term for the government transactions taking place online. Government has upgraded its working efficiency with the introduction of high technology and e-transactions of data, documents and files in order to achieve higher performance goals. SSL has been instrumental in secured transfer of information regarding government policies, control and coordination of the various government offices and tax filing and vote or polling via effective communication system.

Spyware - Eradicate It Now

Spyware removal has become a tedious work. As the spyware threat has worsened, a number of techniques have emerged to counteract it. Among these are

• programs designed to remove or to block spyware
• educating the users in such a way that spyware removal no longer is needed
• user practices which reduce the chance of getting spyware on a system.

Spyware remains a costly problem even with all new technology used to combat them. If a large number of spyware programs have infected a Windows computer, the only way to save the computer may be to back up user data, and fully reinstalling the operating system.

Anti-spyware programs

One of the markets most popular anti-spyware programs, Adwarealert will help you find and ultimately rid your computer of unwanted spyware software.

Many programmers and some commercial firms have released products designed to remove or block spyware. Steve Gibson's OptOut, , practially invented a growing category. Programs such as,

• Adwarealert
• Lavasoft's Ad-Aware SE
• Patrick Kolla's Spybot - Search & Destroy

rapidly gained popularity as effective tools to remove, and in some cases intercept, spyware programs.

Recently Microsoft bought the GIANT Anti-Spyware software, renaming it as Windows AntiSpyware beta and releasing it as a free download for Windows XP, Windows 2000, and Windows 2003 users. The renamed software for now exists as a time-limited beta test product that will expire at the end of July 2006. Microsoft is continuously developing and updating this product.

Antispyware protection, removal and antivirus

Major anti-virus firms such as Symantec, McAfee and Sophos have come later to the table, adding anti-spyware features to their existing anti-virus products.

In the beginning, anti-virus firms did not want to add anti-spyware functions, citing lawsuits brought by spyware authors against the authors of web sites and programs which described their products as "spyware".

However, recent versions of these major firm’s home and business anti-virus products do include anti-spyware functions. The spyware is treated differently from viruses though.

Symantec Anti-Virus, for instance, categorizes spyware programs as "extended threats" and now offers real-time protection from them (as it does for viruses). The drawback with these programs is that they are very complex and in many cases produce more hurdles to jump over then you as a user really need.

Like most anti-virus software, anti-spyware software requires a frequently-updated database of threats. As new spyware programs are released, anti-spyware developers discover and evaluate them, making "signatures" or "definitions" which allow the software to detect and remove the spyware.

If a spyware program is not blocked and manages to get itself installed, it may resist attempts to terminate or uninstall it. Some programs work together: when an anti-spyware scanner (or the user) terminates one running process, the other one starts up the killed program again, making it virtually impossible to clean the computer.

Some spyware will detect attempts to remove registry keys during the spyware removal and immediately add them again. Usually, booting the infected computer in safe mode allows an anti-spyware program a better chance of removing persistent spyware.

The most extreme way of cleaning is to move the hard drive to another computer, boot on the normal boot disk that computer has, and then clean the infected disk. You can also mount the infected disk over the local network and scan & clean it to remove as much spyware as possible.

It doesn’t matter what way you choose to clean your computer, but using a good spyware removal program will make your life much easier …

Advanced Anti Spyware - now totally free for the home user!

Spyware is a diverse group of software programs that are undesirable for the computer user, since they transmit information to the Spyware owner without the computer user's knowledge or consent. The easiest way of keeping your personal computer free from spyware, is to visit one of the many websites that offers free spyware removal for home use. Since the programs are available for free, you can feel free to try out several free spyware removal for home use before you make up your mind. Since all users have their own personal needs and requirements, you might have to try more than one free spyware removal for home use before you find the one that is perfect for you. You can also browse through some of the many online guides where consumers have rated different free spyware removal for home use. Do not choose a free spyware removal for home use if it is complicated to download or install. There are several free spyware removal for home use available that are very easy to obtain and manage, so you don't have to tolerate a lot of hassle just because the program is free. A free spyware removal for home use should not only be able to scan your computer and remove any detected Spyware, it should also alert you every time an attempt to install a spyware program on you computer is made. You should also be able to set the program to automatically block such attempts without bothering you.

As of 2005, a vast majority of the persons who use a computer at home are running one of the Microsoft Windows operating systems. Home users are therefore typically more vulnerable to Spyware infections, since almost all Spyware programs have been developed to target computers using Microsoft Windows operating systems. If you are currently using any of the Microsoft Windows operating systems on your home computer, you will benefit a lot by downloading and using free spyware removal for home use. Attacks on Linux or other UNIX platforms are much more uncommon. There is however a few Spyware programs designed to infect UNIX platforms, so even a UNIX user can benefit from free spyware removal for home use.

Programs that offered free spyware removal for home use began to appear in 2000. Steve Gibson of Gibson Research was the pioneer that created the first free spyware removal for home use - OptOut. He was soon to be followed by Lavasoft and a programmer named Patrick Kolla that created their own free spyware removal for home use. The public began to notice the problem with spyware and the need for free spyware removal for home use in 1999, when a very popular game, Elf Bowling, turned out to be a form a spyware. Elf Bowling had spread rapidly among Internet users who appreciated the humorous game, and now they abruptly found out that Elf Bowling had actually been sending private information about them back to the creator of Elf Bowling, Nsoft. The interest in free spyware removal for home use grew, and eventually several other companies, such as Webroot and Sunbelt Software, launched their own free spyware removal for home use. Today, there are numerous variants of free spyware removal for home use available online from the pioneer companies as well as from newer companies and private programmers. Many of the old Anti-Virus producers, like McAfee, Symantec and Sophos, are today offering free spyware removal for home use as a part of their Anti-Virus solutions.

Deleting Browsing traces from Windows Media Player

You’ve been browsing the Internet or opening and closing media files, and you notice that you’ve left your fingerprints all over your operating system. You would think that media files that you downloaded, viewed and deleted are gone: But they’re not entirely.

If you opened up your media in "Windows Media Player", it has also made note of what videos that you have watched. (This is similar for most players; however, Windows Media Player is the most common so I will only provide an example for it).

Removing Traces from Windows Media Player
- Open Windows Media Player
- Go to "Tools" - > "Options..." in the menu bar
- Select the "Privacy" tab.
- Select "Clear History" and "Clear Caches" at the bottom right (You might even want to turn this feature off by un-selecting the checkbox by: "Save file and URL history in the Player")
- Press "Apply", and "Ok"
- Go to "Library" or "Media Library" depending on what version you are using.
- Click on "all Video"
- If the list is empty then you are fine, chances are will be a list of recently watched videos. You can either individually select videos that you wish to remove, or you can press "Ctrl+A" (Select All), and then press "Delete" to remove them all at once.

- Done!

*Note
Use at your own risk - These steps are to be used as a guide, and have been proved effective under normal scenarios. Paul Ryan is not responsible for any malfunction or any other problems that occur from this tutorial. They have been tested and work, but in case something goes funny with your current configuration, he is not liable.
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You may copy this article to use on your ezine provided that all links and biography information is left in tact.

Virtual CDs Protect Your Game Discs from Careless Kids

Remember audio tape?

Sound quality was muffled and dark. Play time was limited, cassettes wore out quickly if they weren't consumed by the deck, and, like kudzu in Mississippi, tapes and cases took over entire sections of the car as collections grew.

Once we caught on to MP3s, there was no turning back. All those audio cassettes were unceremoniously retired to the family yard sale, where they sat in the sun with nary a sniff of interest from even the most tech-challenged buyer.

MP3s offer clear advantages over the analog medium they replaced. Now we play music for hours at a stretch. We create custom play lists, search for favorite tracks, and take our music wherever we go. Best of all, we don't have to lug around all those music titles on tape or disc, because MP3s are electronic files that can be stored on something as handy as a USB key.

For mobile music lovers, things have never been better. They take their music with them, and leave their discs at home. Parents of young children, however, continue to struggle with the problems caused by all those OTHER discs: the CDs and DVDs still required to run PC games and disc-based applications.

Once touted for their "durability," CDs are remarkably fragile: hairline scratches or even a few smudges can render them unplayable. Originally designed to be portable, they're not all that easy to transport, but incredibly easy to lose.

All too often, shared discs are treated badly. Left out their jewel cases and exposed to kids and pets, game discs are quickly mutilated. Traveling disc collections are soon scattered to the winds: volume 2 of a set may be forgotten in a motel room, volume 3 at a rest stop down the road. The disc-based software that accompanies you on every family trip, whether or not you're aware of it, frequently comes back ruined -- if it comes back at all.

MP3-LIKE CONVENIENCE FOR DISC-BASED APPLICATIONS

Virtual CDs are to PC games and applications discs what MP3s are to music CDs. They bring MP3-like ease use and portability to video games, CD-ROM clip art collections, educational software, and other disc-based applications. They're a perfect disc management solution when you're sharing disc-based games and applications with members of the family or transporting CDs and DVDs from place to place.

You'll need a CD emulator to convert your physical disc into a virtual CD, or a file that runs directly on a computer's hard drive. Since it's nothing more than an electronic file, a virtual CD can be stored on a laptop computer or just about any digital storage device.

A virtual CD plays just like a physical CD, only with a much reduced load time. In fact, there's no need to load the physical disc at all -- you simply click on desktop shortcut to launch a favorite game or application. If you're so inclined, you can have several virtual CDs running simultaneously in one of several virtual drives, which look just like physical drive in Windows Explorer. It may seem like a silly notion to keep multiple virtual CDs loaded, but gamers in particular like to hot swap between titles or volumes.

Although it emulates, or "acts like" a physical CD, a virtual CD operates directly on the hard drive, improving playback times by as much as 200% and eliminating wear and tear on the CD-ROM drive. It can be shared over a network, customized to contain multi-disc sets and expansion packs, and organized with other virtual CDs in a searchable library with a Windows-like directory tree.

CHOOSING THE RIGHT CD EMULATOR

Most commercial CD emulators cost between $30 and $60 -- a bargain compared to many game titles, and well worth the price of admission if you're able to spare just a few of your discs from abuse. But while nearly all CD emulators have certain basic features in common, not all offer the same usability and disc support.

You should also be aware that while a CD emulator is a great tool for most PC games, educational software, and unprotected DVDs, any legal CD emulator will not work with a CSS protected DVD. In other words, don't expect to transform your Hollywood videos into a virtual DVD library.

If you'd like to purchase a CD emulator, you might want to download an evaluation version first. Try to determine which product works best with the discs in your collection. Decide which brand gives you the best value for your money and offers ongoing technical support.

FarStone Technology makes a solid CD emulator in the form of VirtualDrive (http://www.farstone.com/software/virtualdrive.htm), which weighs in just under 30 dollars. An evaluation download is available at www.farstone.com.

CD EMULATOR RESOURCES

FarStone VirtualDrive

http://www.farstone.com/software/virtualdrive.htm

General Emulator Listing

http://www.thumbshots.net/webguide.aspx?cat=Computers%2FHardware%2FStorage%2FOptical%2FEmulation

Use A Spyware Remover Now

If you use the internet, “There is over 90% chance your computer is infected with spyware” - Source CNN.

Just think about it. You probably have at least one, if not more computers in your home. Most computers today have internet access. And if you receive email from others and surf to a couple of sites can you be almost completely sure you have some kind of spyware installed in your computer.

How dangerous are spyware?

Let me give you a short list of things spyware can do,

• Spyware can run completely hidden on your computer
• It can slow down your computer a lot
• It can spy on you and send everything you type to someone else
• It can record everything you do, allowing someone to see it later
• It can spy on you and send account information, passwords, credit card numbers and similar to a third party
• It can “steal” files, pictures, videos and more from your computer

Some spyware will do just a few things and others everything from the list above, and more.

You must keep your computer clean from spyware or risk loosing personal information, financial information and even your private photos or family videos.

Run a spyware scanner regularly to clean out any spyware that may have sneaked their way into your computer. Do note that antivirus software (even the most expensive ones) have problems to keep spyware out. So get a good anti spyware software and use it!

No matter what the spyware's purpose really is, the bottom line is that at the very least it will cause you countless hours of problem solving and slow downs on your computer.

Scan your PC now to make sure it is clean. If you find anything, avoid using any credit cards or visit your online bank until the PC is cleaned with a top anti spyware software.

There are many different types of software that can harm, cripple or just reside quietly inside your computer. Beside virus, the most common types are Spyware, Adware, Malware, Trojans, Backdoors, Bots and Dialers. They all have different agendas but will to a degree change the way your computer function and how well it works. This beside the obvious threath the program itself impose.

How to Fix Your Windows Registry

Windows registry is a vital portion of the Windows 95, 98, XP and NT operating systems. It is a database of sorts, keeping the configuration settings and .dat files together. A program installed in the computer is jampacked with information that is automatically transferred to the registry. What are these pieces of information? They can be about the hardware, the memory and other Windows applications.

The registry is made up with a lot of folders and more subfolders. "Hives" or keys also constitute a registry. These hives are the following:

HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT. You know why Windows know that a .doc file is from a MS Word document? It's because of this registry key.

HKEY_CURRENT_USER. This key records the information of the user currently using the computer.

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE. This contains hardware, security accounts manager or SAM, security, software and system information.

HKEY_USERS. This key registers information on all the recognized users.

HKEY_CURRENT_CONFIG. This computer registry key contains more hardwore information.

HKEY_DYN_DATA. This is under the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE key that deals with Plug and Play devices.

When you are in the registry, you will also come across with these files: the string value that enables you to add a version number, the binary value for specific attributes, and dword which bears a semblance with binary value.

Is windows registry important? Of course, yes. Take note: if you uninstall a program, the registry conks down and needs immediate troubleshooting to get back in shape. Once your computer slows down, you may chalk it up to the registry. But never worry, because we've got lots of solutions to keep your windows registry in first-rate condition.

Here are some ways to fix windows registry:

1. Utilize System Restore.

When something has been done to computer registry, there is one way to fix it quickly and effortlessly: System Restore. System Restore makes it possible to undo all the changes and to go back to the system's original condition.

2. Use available software for backup.

Every computer user must know that backup is not an option, it is a mandatory step. There are utilities that can be used to backup your registry files.

3. Use Registry Checker.

Windows is equipped with Registry Checker to scan registry problems. Registry Checker will be optimized if you reboot regularly.

Software It’s Us Against Them!

Some people are of the opinion that computer software was designed to help us make the most of our computers, those wonderful tools invented to help us store and access masses of data and to generally make our lives easier. There are some among us, however, who have cottoned on to the truth of the matter, and are quietly, patiently waiting for our time to strike. We are growing in numbers every day, and the subtle swell of our voices can be heard everywhere you go. Who are we? We are the only sensible ones left – we know that computer software was designed to confuse us!

So we don’t pretend to understand the machinations of the computer even before the software is added, but surely there has to be a simpler way to navigate this all-hallowed tool? It’s not that we’re lacking in the brain department; we manage to weave our merry way through our daily lives without incurring too many trials and tribulations, we feed and clothe ourselves, and prevent ourselves from smelling bad. Hey, we can even make a piece of toast if we have to – so why can’t we use our computers for ten minutes straight without running into some kind of problem of another?

Perhaps it’s the geeks way of getting their own back on us. We’ve pointed and laughed for years while they’ve pressed their noses further into their books. Books we could manage, so to keep all the really important information to themselves, they had to invent something really tricky. So they came up with computer software.

Haven’t you noticed how quickly they can fix any problem you encounter? At the first sign of a software error message, they emerge from the woodwork, click a few things and there you go – back into your document or spreadsheet without a clue how you got out, or got back in. They seem to have written all the software in some strange language that only they can understand, and they probably have weekly meetings, where they go and laugh at how they got one over on us.

But we can let them have their day. We have worked out just what they’re up to with this software business and we are compiling evidence against as we speak. At least I think we are. Hey, what’s that error message say?

Validating for 21 CFR Part 11 and Calibration Management Software

The whole process of purchasing a software package, figuring out the auditing logs, purchasing a validation protocol purchasing training on the protocol, hiring help and filling out the 500 – 1,000 page document for 21 CFR Part 11 compliance is as tedious as it is mind-numbing. On the fun things to do list working on validating software for 21 CFR Part 11 falls somewhere between getting a root canal and walking on broken glass. All that said, as with any other torturous activity, validating software can be made easier and relief can be found given some tips.

Choose the Right Calibration Management Software
If the software being validated has already been purchased then ignore these next paragraphs and move on, otherwise read on.
The task of finding the best fit software for any given company is a whole dissertation in itself. see the article entitled Software, Software, Everywhere Software, published in Callab Magazine, by Brad Price, President, One Red X Software, Inc. for a detailed process for finding the best software. The importance of finding acceptable, robust and stable calibration management software cannot be stressed enough. Too often companies rush into a software choice that will most likely be replaced in a couple years because of new technology or bad design.
Briefly, here are the main points from “Software, Software, Everywhere Software” for choosing calibration management software:
Evaluate the environment that the software will be run on and make sure that you have the hardware available for the software.
Before seeking a software package sit down and develop a simple work process flow chart of your facility, starting from the time you contact the customer through the time you return the equipment to the customer.
The next step is to determine what operating system and style platform you want to run on.
Lastly, ask the right questions. Find out everything you can about the software company, references and what features the software offers. Is the software flexible for the long run and will technical support be available when needed? Ask the questions and record them to decide which software vendor is going to satisfy the needs of the company best.

Understand the Software
Before beginning the validation, it is prudent to actually know the software, so you will be able to speak intelligently with the vendor and coworkers optimizing the validation procedure. The 21 CFR Part 11 compliant software should have an auditing log and electronic signature function that would be important to find and understand well. Some basic understanding of the software will help immensely especially since the software has to be validated by the customer themselves. When the validation protocol is being executed, this basic understanding comes in handy as the user moves through the software validating functionality. The point is: time will be saved no matter how you look at, if you simply experiment with the software or have some basic knowledge of how the software works before going through the validating long haul.

Setting up the Environment
Before starting the validation process verify that the business practices for the software are in place and all the customizations have been completed for the software. Software packages usually have a lot of settings, customizations, workflow processes and reports that are set-up specific to a companies requirements. Make sure everything is customized correctly and ready for use before validating the software, this decreases the chance of returning to patch up things that change later. Talk with the vendor, validation experts and anybody else that may have experience preparing for a validation for that software.

Schedule the Completion
Create a deadline for the validation to be completed. Ask the software company how long approximately it takes to complete the validation document and schedule accordingly. Find out if the document can be completed by more than one person and if so the work of executing scripts may be split up between two or three persons. Have a validation expert review the document often to verify that the proper steps are being taken to make sure the document is being completed right the first time.

Begin using the Document
Start at the beginning of the document. This may seem obvious, but it is important to complete whatever prerequisites that the document specifies first before continuing in the document. The prerequisites often require that the system requirements are met and the environment is set-up correctly.
The document should be straight forward and easy to use. So if something seems not quite right, something probably needs to be adjusted and calling the software vendor or validation expert is suggested.
Here are some general rules as one goes through the validation process:
Consider the option of testing the software on a copy of the software’s database, thus eliminating the chance of damaging real data or adding a slew of play data from the testing.
If something seems hard or confusing, stop and call the vendor or have a validation expert review the document.
For customized systems, the scripts in the document may not read exactly the same as it is in the software itself. Amendments may need to be made to the document to match these software customizations. So, if something can’t be found or is drastically different in the document verify you have the right document version for the software and that the software hasn’t been customized differently from the COTS (commercial off the shelf) system.
If the software has a backup option, backup often! Who knows what kind of mess will be caused as the software is tested for all sorts of angles, that way you always have a stopping point to return to.

In Conclusion
The validation process is not fun but maintaining consistency in completing it and staying in contact with the software vendor and validation experts will ensure a speedy validation. Good Luck!

How to recognize a Phishing email message

Phishing is the practice of sending fraudulent email messages supposedly from a legitimate company or organization in order to trick someone into giving out personal and confidential information. This information could include a user ID, password, credit card number or even a Social Security number. At its most basic level, Phishing is a form of identity theft. It is one of the fastest growing cyber crimes, and there are estimates that 1 in 20 people who receive a Phishing email will respond to it with their personal information. Since the criminals who send out these Phishing messages are good at what they do, it’s important to be able to recognize a Phishing email so you won’t respond to their request and become a victim of identity theft. Here are a few signs that the message you have received might just be a Phishing expedition.

• The email message is generic. Phishing emails are sent out in bulk to thousands of people, so you’ll see a generic greeting like ‘Dear Valued Customer’ and not directly addressed to you by name.

• The message gives a false sense of urgency. Phishing emails are developed and designed specifically to push the recipient to immediate action. If there is no compelling reason to respond to the message, you won’t. But if there is a fear of some kind of consequence for not providing the requested information you might just be motivated to act quickly.
This fear, urgency or even panic created by a Phishing email begins right with the subject line. Here are a few examples from actual Phishing messages:
‘Online Alert: Online Account is Blocked’

’Fraud Report’

’Credit Card Declined Notice’

’Unauthorized Account Access’

The text of the message builds upon the initial sense of urgency. A message may state that your account will be closed within 24 hours if you don t verify your information. Sometimes the messages state that there has been suspicious activity on your bank account, or your credit card has been charged by an undesirable web site.


The criminals who send out Phishing emails have taken their scam to a new level. Now people are getting Phishing messages that offer a reward for responding to the message. The newest Phishing scam is a message that states you ve won a gift card somewhere (JC Penney, Circuit City and The Sports Authority have been recent ones), and you need to click the link in the email to provide the information where the gift can be sent. Other Phishing emails offer free enrollment in a fraud protection program by clicking the link and providing the requested information.

• The message states specifically “this is not a scam”. How does that saying go if it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck, it probably is a duck. Legitimate messages don’t need to state the obvious.

• A request is made to verify your information, and a link provided for you to do so. Phishing emails will use some tactic in order to trick the recipient into providing confidential information. This request is often tied in with the false sense of urgency created in the message. The link will take you to a very authentic looking site and ask you to fill in certain personal information. If you recognize you’ve made a mistake and you try to go back to a Phishing web site you probably won’t find it. The average lifespan of a Phishing web site in December 2004 was 6 days.

The link that is included in the email message for you to click and provide information might look legitimate, but it isn’t. Often the criminals will create a web site that has almost the same name as the original web site. They might add the word “verify” or use some other word along with the company name. You should never click a hyperlink in an email, especially if you don’t know who sent it to you.

Knowledge can be power when it comes to protecting yourself from identity theft and Phishing scams. Be aware of the tricks a criminal might do to steal your information, and don’t fall prey to them.

New to gaming, all you need to know about Flash gaming sites

Whew! According to Computer Gaming World, there are 80 gazillion free Flash games sites in the cyber world.

Popular sites are:

• www.games.yahoo.com -- this has card games, word games, arcade games, as well as puzzles. The number of violent games is limited so the site appeals to the “old-young” –those who are young at heart.
• www.shockwave.com -- a popular site with original games as well as PopCap ones. One can do a jigsaw here everyday.
• www.addictinggames.com – has free games that are updated every week—Friday. The site has action, arcade, puzzle, as well as sports games.
• www.arcadetown.com -- has Flash games, java games, downloads and more.

Since Flash offers many advantages to developers as well as players, many games are designed using Macromedia Flash. It is by far the best game platform and has incredible features.

In an industry that’s evincing exponential growth, Flash has become the universal and popular choice for multimedia intensive web sites. Flash, singly crosses most barriers—

• It supports complicated and wonderful graphics.
• Allows download of files via the Internet.
• And is compatible with playback devices.

In the world of Flash enabled games the hosting system is the web server itself. Flash enables web sites to host animated as well as interactive movies and games. There is no paraphernalia required. All that is needed is to download the game itself. The costs are minimal and not recurring.

To play on the web all that is required is: a web browser, a Flash player, and the Internet. Flash is the universal plug in needed to play games. It is installed on every PC with Windows XP and Mac.

Playing online can be fun and most games can now be played by many players from all round the world. Just keep in mind:

• That there are players who cheat at games. Look for PunkBuster software on the server, this detects cheats who try and gain unfair advantages.
• Play with others who have credibility and are accountable for their actions. Many online sites need verified log ins, they are actively managed gaming environments. This is a better choice for safe gaming.
• Create a select group of friends and use the broadband server to host a private gaming server.
• Do your research thoroughly. Seek safe and high quality gaming sites.

Gaming is in its golden phase and is set to reach new heights. Innovation, new business models, and unprecedented growth is expected to open new avenues in gaming.

NEW FRONTIERS OF REMOTE ACCESS - COMPUTER NETWORK HELPING HAND

How many times a day does an admin wish he had an opportunity to watch a live color image of what is going on at any network computer in real time? An adminstrator of a corporate network certainly has his hands full. Giving a helping hand to the employee who is having a failure at any given moment is probably one of the most important demands of being an admin, and the most time consuming. So anything that makes the job of remote troubleshooting easier and more effective will probably be welcomed. One technological enhancement that fits that bill is a new software system called Anyplace Control (http://www.anyplace-control.com). Developed by Anyplace Control Software Inc., the program allows a network adminstrator to monitor and control any remote PC in a network giving remote access computer with no need to stand up and walk to the physical location of the specific PC.

The system consists of Admin and Host modules that should be installed on the local computer and a remote one. The product requires both computers to be hooked to each other via the Internet or a LAN. The connection between these PCs can be established in two ways, either via an IP address or a DNS name or over the Internet using an account name and a nickname. In the latter case, the account type of connection allows bypassing routers and firewalls automatically granting remote access computer. Moreover it isn't necessary to open any ports on the firewall that allows to keep a considerable security level. So there is no need neither for users nor for system administrators to tweak network tuning at all which makes the program an easy to implement one.

After installing the program, administrator just goes about his everyday activities without doing anything special. At any moment, he can start Anyplace Control to get an easy remote access computer in a network, and if there is a need to help a remote user, takes control over remote computer, with his mouse and keyboard as if he were sitting in front of it. admins can move the necessary files between PCs, install new software, restart and shut down remote workstations and do anything else that one would normally do at the local workstationcomputer.

SPHERES OF PRODUCT APPLICATION

Anyplace Control is a reasonable alternative to Virtual Private Networks (VPN). Corporate computer networks which are located in the same or different countries can be consolidated into a single common network. Company employees can have full remote access to the necessary PCs of the other branch through the secure communication channel provided by Anyplace Control.

A special helpdesk edition of Anyplace Control enables help-desk specialists to provide remote tech support via the Internet or LAN to the customers who cannot resolve technical issues on their own. A technician can have easy remote access to the customer's desktop and fix any issue on the remote machine rapidly (reducing the general cost of the help-desk services to the end user).

Corporate networks aren't the only sphere of product use. White collars may find Anyplace Control useful while going to the business trips and taking part in presentations. Such unpleasant situations as missing PowerPoint presentations happen not so rarely as one may think. But issues of such nature are far less annoying when using Anyplace Control. Keeping the laptop open, click on the Anyplace Control icon and get full remote access to the home or office PC established over the Internet. Remote desktop displays the data as you left it, so it is pretty easy to browse to the folder where the presentation is saved, copy the missing file to the laptop using the file transfer option in Anyplace Control or simply start the presentation on remote desktop and let the others watch it on the laptop screen.

Using Anyplace Control, an individual can help relatives and friends to resolve computer issues without leaving the comfort of home chair. The product is also a tool for sharing files with friends. Transferring music, photos or documents directly to the friend's computer is easy with Anyplace Control.

With Anyplace Control each user, either a home or a corporate one, can find the product meeting to only one's requirements but budget as well.