S-A-D

You know it’s great when all that crap you learn in school actually has a practical purpose. The only problem is that I tend to compartmentalize academic theory separately from practical applications. If I’d paid attention in class, I would know when one of my projects is doomed to fail because of poor planning. Well, maybe they’re all doomed, but at least now I’ll know why. <<more on this later>>

Rough Term

It’s been a rough term for me, but I’m finally nearing the finish line. Only two more  months to go. I’ve decided to build a little playground where I can put some of my new skills to good use. We’ll see how that goes.

Check it out at www.nettedesigns.com. If you looking for a free website, just mention you saw this post on my blog, and I’ll try to get one built for you. Practice makes perfect, and all that. This is supposed to be a learning experience for me, so I’ll taking on a handful of small, but interesting projects.

Back to prepping for the GRE…

–Nette

Avoiding Viruses Like the Plague

Protecting your computer can be easy if you follow a three simple steps.

The most important thing you can do to protect your computer
is to make sure you know the reputation of the software production company
before you install any software on your PC.
Here are some other dos and don’ts to help you get started.

1. Know your computer.

DO

• Keep hard copies of important software, especially the system restore and productivity software that come with your computer and your device drivers.
• Be sure to keep track of the product key, which might be required if you have to reinstall the software.
• Make a list of the programs you have installed.
• Check the Add/Delete programs list frequently to make sure you recognize everything there.
• Remove software you don’t recognize or don’t use.
• Watch for unusual behavior such as slow processing, excessive popups, and frequent crashes or freezes.
• Maintain your PC by using the system tools that came with Windows.
• Back up your data.
• Clean your hard drive.
• Defragment your hard drive.
• Create frequent system restore points.
• Empty your temporary internet folder regularly.

DON’T

• Allow malware to remain on your PC any longer than necessary. It will probably install more harmful software.

2. Be aware of threats.

DO

• Read the End-User License Agreement (EULA) before clicking “I agree” to install new software.
• Use Google and other search engines to check a company’s reputation.
• Visit trusted and knowledgeable sources like bleepingcomputer.com and cnet.com to get information on common computer solutions.

DON’T

• Recklessly download files from the Internet even if they seem fun and useful.
• Click on questionable screens, not even to close them. Instead right-click on the Windows Taskbar or use Windows Task Manager (ctrl+alt+delete).
• Download these common types of adware unless you trust the source: auto-completers (wallets), games, calendar/clock functions, news/sports tickers, search bars, screensavers, toolbars.

3. Protect yourself.

DO

• Use more than one approach.
• Try combining the following elements: virus protection software, spyware protection software, registry scanners, and pop-up blockers.
• Update your protection software frequently.
• We strongly recommend creating automatic updates.
• Consider changing your browser settings not to allow downloads.
• You can always remove the restriction when you want to download something.
• Add dangerous websites to your “restricted sites” in the security menu of your Internet browser.

DON’T

• Use software from a company with a questionable reputation.

Definitions

Adware

spyware that often comes bundled with freeware or shareware and generates popups and other advertisements even when you aren’t using the software that it originally came with

Driver

software that allows hardware to work with your operating system (ex. the cd that came with your printer)

Firmware

semi-permanent instructions that come with a piece of hardware (ex. it came already installed on your digital camera)

Freeware

shareware you aren’t expected to pay for

Hardware

a physical device (ex. speakers)

Malware

(short for malicious software) designed for the specific purpose of harming your computer or performing functions you don’t want

Operating System

installed before any other software, this program manages all of the other programs and controls how they work together (ex. Windows)

Shareware

inexpensive software designed by private individuals

Software

a set of instructions that perform a complete and specific function, a computer program

Spyware

collects information about your computer and your user habits and sends it to another computer

Toolbar

a set of buttons that perform a function without your having to use the program’s menus

Trojan

harmful software that comes hidden or bundled with seemingly useful software

Virus

software that copies itself and spreads to other computers through file sharing and usually hides inside another program

Widget

(short for windows gadget) usually located on your desktop, and performs a useful function like providing weather updates or sports tickers

Worm

software that copies itself and spreads through network connections and the Internet but doesn’t usually hide inside another program

RSS ~ Really Simple Syndication

What is RSS?  RSS stands for “really simple syndication.” The RSS data feed allows you to manage content from many different websites in a single location. First let’s imagine that every television show has it’s own channel. They’re always broadcasting, and you can watch any show, anytime you want if you can find it among the thousands if not millions of channels. Before long, it would be nearly impossible to follow all of your favorite shows.

Now imagine the convenience of being able to direct all of your favorite shows to a single channel and tune in to that channel whenever you want. RSS acts as a web content syndicate to group information from all of your websites into a single location. Most RSS readers will bring in new content from your favorite websites several times a day. Although the traditional RSS feed contained only text information, many websites currently use the RSS designation for all kinds of content including text, sound, video, or other data.

How do I sign up to receive an RSS feed?  A few years ago, it was necessary to have a special computer program dedicated solely to managing this stream of content. You can still do this using a program like Feed Demon and many others, but there are two easier methods. (1) Sign up using your home computer. Most of the time, you won’t need to do anything more than click a single button. (2) Sign up using a web-based feed reader. You will need to create an account, but this option allows you to access all of your favorite feeds from any computer that has Internet access.

1. Find the link to the RSS feed. Look for this logo: , the word subscribe, or simply the letters RSS.
2. Try clicking on it. If nothing happens, try looking for something “clickable” nearby.
3. After clicking on the link, you might be taken to another page with information about the rss feed and an invitation to click a link below.
   

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   1. Use your web browser to manage the RSS feed
   2. With Internet Explorer 7 and later, clicking on this link will automatically add the RSS feed to you Favorites.
   3. In other browsers, you will need to bookmark the RSS feed page.

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   1. Use an online service to manage the RSS feed
   2. You will need to have a “login” with Yahoo or another online RSS reader service.
   3. Go the address bar of your browser window and copy the web address by highlighting it and pressing Ctrl+C.
   4. Visit my.yahoo.com and click + Add Content. An interactive menu will open.
   5. Click Add RSS Feed.
   6. Paste the address of the RSS feed (you copied it in a previous step) into the space provided.
   7. Click Add. You can keep repeating the same copy, paste, click method above to add as many RSS feeds as you want.
   8. Click “I’m Done” to indicate that you are finished adding feeds.

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4. If still can’t find a link to an RSS feed, keep in mind that a large number of websites don’t publish an RSS feed, so your favorite site might not offer this service.

Hard-Hitting RAM ~ How much memory do I need?

When it comes to RAM, the amount and type you need depends on your computer and your performance expectations. If you’re interesting in boosting the performance of an existing PC, then adding RAM is the way to go. First, let’s recognize that the combination of your hardware and your operating system will limit the amount of RAM you can use. For example, the average new computer running Microsoft Windows Vista will need between .5 GB and 3GB of RAM.

Vista wants to use 1GB of RAM just to manage your software systems, so I would recommend a minimum of 1GB of RAM. Any less than that and you will experience lots of stops and starts in processing. 2GB of RAM is ideal for the average user. Increasing the RAM to 3GB will make your computer seem a lot faster because you’re essentially doubling the amount of memory that your programs can use.

How do I know if I need 2GB of RAM or 3GB?  It depends on two things: (1) The type of programs you want to use and (2) The number of programs you want to run at the same time. First, complex programs that show lots of moving graphics, like video editors and some games, will need more memory to operate than your average document editor (Microsoft Word) or web broswer (Internet Explorer). if you plan to use these complex programs, 3GB of RAM is a must-have. Also, computers use more memory when they have several windows open at one time or are running several programs at once. Keep in mind that programs that are running in the background are still using resources. So, how much RAM do you really need? 2GB for most users, but 3GB is desirable for high-power users.

Hey! I’m an extremely active user. Do I need 4GB of RAM? If you’re running the standard “out-of-the-box” version of Vista (with 32-bit processnig), you probably won’t notice any increase in speed by adding more than 3 GB of RAM because Vista will only recognize about 3GB of RAM. Having 4, 8, 16 or even 99 GB of RAM won’t do you much good if your computer has decided that it’s only going to use 3GB.

I’m using Windows XP. How much RAM should I have?  Windows XP doesn’t require nearly as much RAM as Vista. I would recommend about .5 GB or 512 MB of RAM for XP.

Meeting Your PC Match

 

Need some help figuring out which PC is right for you? You’ve come to the right place. Here’s are the three main things to consider before you make your purchase.

1. How much do I want to spend?
2. What do I want my computer to do for me?
3. Where will I use my computer?

1. How much do I want to spend?   It’s important to set a budget first so that you can maximize options within your price range. Remember: There is always something bigger, badder, and pricier out there. Avoid falling into the trap of buying more than you need by setting a budget and sticking to it.

2. What do I want my computer to do for me?   Do any of these activities sound familiar to you? Email, the Internet, reading and printing documents, games for the kids… The list goes on. If so, then you’re in luck. Just about any new computer you buy can do these activities right out of the box. Of course, you’ll need an Internet connection (more on that later). In fact, you’d be hard pressed to spend more than $400 on a basic computer that performs all of these tasks with ease.

3. Where will I use my computer?   Computers come in all different shapes and sizes these days. Knowing where you plan to use your computer will determine what size to choose. Go for a full-size “desktop” model if you will rarely move your PC. While a “laptp,” or notebook computer provides ultimate portability, you will pay more for the same level of performance as a desktop. When it comes to notebooks, LESS (size) IS MORE (money).