Popular Windows Security Downloads

Written on by Kay

Everyone knows that you run the risk of having your personal information stolen when you use the internet. There are millions of hackers out there just waiting to get there hands on your information by using spyware, malware, Trojans, and other forms of viruses in attempts to get at your PC to cause trouble. Their intentions are never good and usually will try and steal your personal information for malicious purposes.

Windows systems are a major target for these hacker attempts because of the fact the majority of online users have some form of Windows operating system, so there is more exposure to the internet and hackers are given more opportunity to practice their methods.

The good thing is that there are a number of high quality, powerful Windows software applications that can be used to protect your privacy and ensure your security during your online experiences.

There are number of programs that can be used to protect your PC. Listed here are some of the more popular tools available to internet users of today.

One software program that is gaining popularity throughout the security world is Secunia Personal Software Inspector.

When you download new software programs onto your PC, you run the risk of also downloading harmful programs along with those applications, which is more common than you may think. This is one popular method that hackers will often use to get into your computer to steal your information or do other harmful deeds. Piggy backing application downloads in order to install malicious software is becoming a more and more popular activity performed by hackers.

This software is used to track software vulnerabilities and issues so you know what the current issues are with programs that you are going to install onto your machine. It’s basically a really good tool for making sure programs are up to date with the latest security patches and fixes.

Another program, SendShield, is used to maintain the integrity of your private and personal information by reviewing the documents that you have created to determine if they contain potentially private information. It then gives you the option of hiding that data so that nobody else can see it.

There are a number of antivirus programs out there that you can pay for and download onto your computer, but these programs are often resource hogs and tend to take up a lot of space and processing power on your computer.

One alternative to these programs is Avast Antivirus software which comes from ALWIL Software. This program is a fraction of the size of most of the others, and is very easy to use, and can do everything that you need it to when it comes to protecting your system.

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Understanding Windows XP Mode in Windows 7

Written on by Kay

Overall, it appears that Windows 7 is outperforming Vista quite substantially, even though there are still some older systems that do not work with the new operating system. This is because the drives needed and the updates required to work with Windows 7 are not yet available. For those that never converted to Vista, there exists a greater possibility of having programs and applications that are not compatible with Windows 7.

To ease the troubles experienced with the transition, Microsoft create XP Mode, which essentially takes the XP operating system and places it in a virtual mode on the new operating system so you have an opportunity to use the best of both worlds. This gives you full access to the XP system and you can use USB drives to access information and perform many different interactions with the virtual environment such as using old programs that may not be compatible with the new operating system.

You already have the bulk of the necessary components need for this virtual mode because they are included with the Windows 7 system, buy you do need the virtual PC and XP modes to be downloaded in separate instances. Those that are running the Home Premium addition cannot use the XP mode, but they still have the freedom of creating their own virtual environments.

One other pitfall is that have to have hardware that supports this type of setup, which can cause an issue especially if the older programs that you want to preserve in XP Mode require hardware that is no longer supported and is not available on the new Windows 7 system. If this is the case, then you’re going to end up having to buy a whole new system anyway.

If you meet all of the requirements, then you can get XP mode and begin to enjoy all of the benefits that it has to offer. Windows Virtual PC can be used to operate a number of different environments all under one roof, which is great if you have to support a number of different systems at once. The only problem with this type of set up is that it can be a little if you’re managing multiple environments in the same session.

Theirs is no arguing that Windows XP mode is very effective and it performs the same and is very easy to work with as far as getting it setup and configuration goes. So when you get Windows 7 for the first time only to realize that a lot of your applications form your XP days no longer work, don’t worry, you can still use them by utilizing Windows XP mode.

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Fixing Un-Bootable Windows

Written on by Kay

It’s hard to stop the fear and frustration from bubbling up when you realize that Windows won’t boot. Whatever the obscure cause of this misbehavior, the thought of your precious data being lost is too much to bear. If you’ve never been in this situation before, it’s hard to know what to do. But you can bounce back spryly from this nightmare scenario by having the right tools at hand.

It’s a rarity nowadays for users to transport data to and fro from a floppy diskette. Remember floppies? They came equipped with low capacity storage compared to today’s behemoth storage devices, and, worst of all, floppy disks weren’t too robust: I can’t count the number of times I lost data because of a defunct floppy, but I do recall crying a lot.

Keep your Windows Boot Discs Handy

If disaster strikes your PC un-bootable, quickly locate one of the discs that came with your PC, popping it in and perusing the menus. Take heed not to inadvertently select an option that’ll demolish your data, as you’re searching for emergency tools to cure your ailing PC, a better option than resorting to a clean install.

If you’ve a full Windows CD or DVD—a disc loaded with a full version of XP, Vista, etc., as opposed to an upgrade version—then you’re in luck; the full versions of Windows come with helpful repair utilities that can help resurrect a dead system.

If you’re a bit squeamish about working from a console—a text-based environment—you may feel a little bit uncomfortable when navigating through the console menu. If you don’t have a real Windows disc, see if you can borrow one, but a word of caution: it’s not a good idea to install Windows from a borrowed disc, but if the installation disc contains the same version of Windows as yours, then you can use the repair tools on the disc to fix your PC.

When booting from an XP disc, pop it in and press the R button when greeted with the welcome screen; doing this will place you into the Windows’ Recovery Console screen. The Recovery Console will allow you to access many of the repair and recovery programs, giving you peace of mind in the process.

Select “Repair your computer” when booting from a Vista disc, and you’ll be presented with the System Recover utility; this program lets you rectify boot errors, fix memory problems, perform a system restore as well as other administrator options.

Linux: Giving Windows the Boot

Microsoft has a stranglehold on the desktop operating system market, but a small minority of users have made the switch to Linux, an alternative OS that rivals and beats Microsoft’s Windows in many categories for everyday computing tasks. Not only does Linux provide a wonderful replacement for Windows, but a Linux boot disc can also help you recover your data from an un-bootable system. Technically, a Linux boot disc contains a compressed image of Linux, the operating system that controls your computer’s hardware. When you boot your Windows PC with a Linux boot disc, Linux loads into memory and allows you to access your hard drives, letting you backup your data from your un-bootable Windows computer. Puppy Linux, one of the many distributions of Linux, was created for the sole purpose of booting an un-bootable system and safely backing up its precious data. With a USB flash drive in hand, Puppy Linux will afford you the opportunity to gracefully recover from a potentially disastrous data lose scenario.

When faced with a bratty Windows that refuses to boot, breathe easy, all is not lost; you’ve still got several options for recovering your important files by using either a Windows or Linux boot disc.

Posted in Tutorials, Windows 7, Windows Vista, Windows XP | Comment Now!

More Advanced Security In Windows 7

Written on by Kay

Many companies have decided to make the change to the Windows 7 operating system, and with that major change has come the challenges of trying to become familiar with all of the security features that are available in this new Windows environment. There are a number of new features that IT security folks are now having to learn about in order to make use of the.

Some options include storage devices that can be encrypted, and more friendly UAC, more support for cryptographic ciphers, an better protection against spyware, malware, and more.

There are so many changes with regard to security that one can barely begin to understand all of the new capabilities without getting lost in a world of information. One of the biggest security changes is user account control, which has been changed quite a bit to give the user a little more control, which is exactly the opposite as what Vista did. You may still encounter control issues with some programs depending on what type of role you are in when logged in. Admins generally have the broadest spectrum when it comes to control, and normal users naturally have less access than admins.

When you need to disable the user access control feature for whatever reason, you can still do so in just a few simple steps. This may be necessary in times when you have to login as a user that may not necessarily need as high privileges, but should not be locked out of any programs.

Keeping your security level at the highest possible setting when it comes to user access control is always a good idea because it will keep them from accessing items that may be very risky and could potentially be harmful to your PC if accessed.

BitLocker Drive Encryption is another new feature in Windows 7 that allows encryption of removable storage devices so you know that the data being transmitted back and forth between those devices is secured.  This is an important security feature to have because of the fact that removable storage devices are becoming more and more common with the drop in prices of these types of products.

Also new in Windows 7 is the ability to have more improved cryptonography, and there have been numerous improvements with just about every aspect of this end of the spectrum of PC security. You’ll find that in general, then overall security levels have been improved and that Microsoft has worked to create a very secure and efficient Windows Operating System.

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Make Your PC Look Like Windows 7

Written on by Kay

If you would like to upgrade to Windows 7 but just don’t have the money to do so, then one option that you have is to at least make it look sort of the real thing. There are a number of tools that you can make use of to give your XP or Vista machine a little bit more of a Windows 7 look.

One handy tool that you can use to give your machine a little bit newer look is called AeroSnap, which is a utility that can make screen maximization on your older machine act the same way that it does on the new operating system released by Microsoft. It basically takes your screen and fills have the window which is much more conservative when it comes to the entire workspace.

Another utility called Seven Remix XP is a package that you can use to make buttons, icons, and just about any other image on your XP computer look like the ones that you will find on a Windows 7 machine.

If you like the Windows 7 feature that allows you to rearrange the icons on the taskbar simply by dragging them and dropping them anywhere you please, then you can have the same ability on your older machine with the utility call Taskbar Shuffle.

One nice thing about Windows 7 is that it provides you with a number of different shortcuts that can be placed on your keyboard. These shortcuts can be used to perform a number of different activities including opening and closing windows, focusing on the desktop, sorting between windows, and more. Now you can have the same functionality in your Vista or XP machine by using the Windows 7 Shortcuts utility.

Winshake is another great utility that you can use to make windows transparent in order to be able to see through the current screen to be able to see what lies beneath it. This tool is great in the situations where you have multiple windows open and want to flip quickly between screens.

Here are some simple utilities that will help to keep your computing experience more efficient.

It’s important that you keep up with your regular Windows Updates, and it’s also important that you keep your installed applications up to date, but it may not always be so easy to do so. One great tool that you can use to check for updates for any of your installed programs in Ketarin.

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