How To Recognize The Telltale Signs Of Spyware

Spyware is the software that collects information about your online activities and preferences. The information is then sent to another computer with the intention of selling it to online advertisers.

Spyware and adware can enter your computer through e-mail, downloads or instant messaging. This is a frightening prospect for anyone, who uses the net frequently or constantly downloads products and services online. It is upsetting to think, that someone may be watching your every move, when you are online.

What is Adware?

Adware is software that displays advertisements like banners and pop-ups on your computer. It may also track the preferences of the user without his knowledge. If ad ware keeps building up, on your computer, you may face a deluge of pop-ups, banners and search tool bars, making it difficult for you to work.

Adware infection may change your homepage repeatedly. Mysterious toolbars may appear on your browser. Your computer may run at a noticeably slower speed or there may be other mysterious changes on your computer.

What Are The Signs Of Spyware?

If your computer shows any of the following symptoms, spyware or some other malicious software may have infected it:

* Spyware and other malicious software may add additional toolbars to your browser, which you don't want. Even, if you delete them, they will appear again, each time you restart your computer.

* Pop-up advertisements may appear whenever the computer is turned on, even when you are not online. Some of them may be for adult or other objectionable sites.

* The computer's settings may change mysteriously. Even if the user changes the settings back to the earlier settings, they may revert repeatedly to the new settings. Malicious software may change your homepage or search page settings.

* Spyware and other malicious software are not designed to be efficient. The process of watching a user's activities and displaying advertisements may noticeably slow down, the functioning of a computer or even makes it crash.

If spy ware or ad ware infects your computer, don't despair. You can use any of the free or paid spy ware or ad ware elimination software products, available to detect and eliminate them.

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Click to find a daily updated blog of articles and news about spyware ! Get advice and information about how to protect your computer from attack, and disinfect it.. Click http://www.spyware-101.com/

About the author:

Philippa Smith runs a home business in los angeles. The constant attacks on here computer caused her to learn all about spyware & viruses, and how to deal with them.

What is Software Piracy?

There are several kinds of software piracy. The bottom line is when software is pirated, the developer does not receive compensation for their work.

Effects of Software Piracy

When software is pirated, consumers, software developers, and resellers are harmed. Software piracy increases the risk consumer's computers will be corrupted by defective software and infected with viruses. Those who provide defective and illegal software do not tend to provide sales and technical support. Pirated software usually has inadequate documentation, which prevents consumers from enjoying the full benefits of the software package. In addition, consumers are unable to take advantage of technical support and product upgrades, which are typically available to legitimate registered users of the software. Pirated software can cost consumers lost time and more money.

Developers lose revenue from pirated software, from current products as well as from future programs. When software is sold most developers invest a portion of the revenue into future development and better software packages. When software is pirated, software developers lose revenue from the sale of their products, which hinders development of new software and stifles the growth of the software company.

Kinds of Piracy

End User Piracy - Using multiple copies of a single software package on several different systems or distributing registered or licensed copies of software to others. Another common form of end user piracy is when a cracked version of the software is used. Hacking into the software and disabling the copy protection, or illegally generating key codes that unlocks the trial version making the software a registered version creates a cracked version.

Reseller Piracy - Reseller piracy occurs when an unscrupulous reseller distributes multiple copies of a single software package to different customers; this includes preloading systems with software without providing original manuals & diskettes. Reseller piracy also occurs when resellers knowingly sell counterfeit versions of software to unsuspecting customers.

Indications of reseller piracy are multiple users with the same serial number, lack of original documentation or an incomplete set, and non-matching documentation.

Trademark/Trade Name Infringement

Infringement occurs when an individual or dealer claims to be authorized either as a technician, support provider or reseller, or is improperly using a trademark or trade name.

BBS/Internet Piracy - BBS/ Internet Piracy occurs when there is an electronic transfer of copyrighted software. If system operators and/or users upload or download copyrighted software and materials onto or from bulletin boards or the Internet for others to copy and use without the proper license. Often hackers will distribute or sell the hacked software or cracked keys. The developer does not receive any money for the software the hacker distributed. This is an infringement on the developer's copyright.

Another technique used by software pirates is to illegally obtain a registered copy of software. Pirates purchase the software once and use it on multiple computers. Purchasing software with a stolen credit card is another form of software piracy. Unfortunately there are many kinds of software piracy that has hampered the software industry.

These types of software piracy have hampered the software industry. For the software industry to prosper and further develop useful software for consumers please support and pay for software. This results in better software for all.

To Report Piracy :

Software Information Industry Association

About the author:

Sharon Housley manages marketing for NotePage, Inc. http://www.notepage.net a company specializing in alphanumeric paging, SMS and wireless messaging software solutions. Other sites by Sharon can be found at
www.softwaremarketingresource.com

Email Recovery-Good Software can fix your lost mail trouble

Emails are an essential medium of communication in the fast track world of today. Be it for our personal or for business purposes, emails are indispensable. Loss of emails can bring about anything from a minor loss to devastation, depending on the need of the user. Hence, data recovery vis a vis emails is an absolute must, especially if emails are essential communication tools for one’s business. Data recovery softwares are a viable and dependable option when it comes to effective email recovery. Data recovery softwares function differently for different types of files, which are:

1) Outlook PST Files

2) Outlook Express DBX Files

3) Web Mail

1) Outlook PST Files

PST Files are very complex. So, once data is lost from these files, it is important to recover the data as well as repair them. To recover data the files themselves, these softwares are very helpful. Good software is equipped to repair and restore data from damaged or corrupted Microsoft Outlook file.

Microsoft Outlook stores email messages, contacts, notes and folders on the local drive as a .pst file. The Outlook recovery software scans the damaged .pst file and extracts and saves information in a new usable .pst file, enabling PST Recovery.

The key features of good PST files recovery software are:

* Providing PST Recovery from folders, calendars, contacts, tasks, notes.

* Repairing even the password protected files

* Restoration of formatting from RTF and HTML messages

* Recovering data from encrypted files

* Providing support to repair .pst files.

* Recovering deleted email attachments.

2) Outlook Express DBX Files

Good recovery software can scan, extract and save emails form .dbx files in which Microsoft Outlook Express stores messages and folders in the local drive. It should also be allowed to retrieve accidentally deleted messages from the ‘Deleted Items’ folder in Outlook Express. The .dbx files also need to be repaired so as to enable smooth functioning subsequently.

The key features of good DBX files recovery software are:

* Providing Mail Recovery from Outlook Express dbx files.

* Providing deleted email recovery of dbx files from corrupt media, such as floppy disks, Zip disks, CD ROMs, etc.

* Provides Mailbox repair of dbx files.

* Support to repair dbx files within a size limitation.

* Recovering deleted email attachments.

* Enabling the recovered messages to be opened directly in MS Outlook Express.

* Enabling recovered messages to be saved in the

*.eml file format on any (including network) disks visible by the host operating system.

* Enabling message source view.

3) Web Mail

In order to access a web based email program like Yahoo or Hotmail, one has to use the Internet Browser to log onto a remote computer which stores the emails. When mails from it are deleted, they cannot be recovered. Hence, data recovery software is required to retrieve that data. It is a very complicated procedure, and only messages that have been opened already can be retrieved using a good software.

As the old and clichéd adage goes, prevention I better than cure. So, it is advised that a lot of care be taken. After all, loss of important mails can spell disaster for your business.

About the author:

Emails are an essential medium of communication in the fast track world of today. Be it for our personal or for business purposes, emails are indispensable. Loss of emails can bring about anything from a minor loss to devastation, depending on the need of the user.

Do You Know How To Remove Spyware From Your Computer?

Spyware is rapidly becoming a major problem for Internet users. It is estimated that 9 out of 10 computers are infected with spyware or ad ware or both. Spyware may be responsible for 50 % of all computer crashes. Spyware runs silently and you may not be aware that your every move on the Internet is being observed and recorded.

If a user does not detect and remove spy ware from his computer, all his files may get infected and it may stop working. All his passwords, credit card numbers and other personal information may be stolen before he can realize what is going on. Once spyware has been removed, the computer will run much faster. It is worth while you to find and use the best spyware removal software available.

Features Of Good Spyware Removal Software A few features to consider, while searching for spyware removal software products, are:

* It should offer complete protection from spyware, key loggers, remote acess Trojans (RATS), browser hijackers and ad ware.

* A good spyware program will offer automatic updates, to provide protection from the latest spy ware threats.

* The spyware product should offer technical support, so you can call or e-mail someone, if you have a technical problem.

* A good customer service back up also shows that the manufacturer can be trusted to look after the needs of the customer in the long run.

How Does It Work?

It is very difficult to find and remove spyware software from a computer manually. Spyware protection software detects and removes spyware and ad ware from your computer automatically. It can also protect your computer from data thieves, hackers, malicious e-mail and other threats. There are many free spyware protection software products available. These programs can be used to detect and remove spyware and adware that is already present in your computer. Many types of spyware, install themselves on your computer again, after you have deleted them. Free spyware removal programs can help you to assess the problem. A permanent solution may be to get the best spyware solution product available.

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Click to find a daily updated blog of articles and news about spyware ! Get advice and information about how to protect your computer from attack, and disinfect it.. Click http://www.spyware-101.com/

About the author: Philippa Smith runs a home business in los angeles. The constant attacks on here computer caused her to learn all about spyware & viruses, and how to deal with them.

How To Use Spyware Elimination Software

Spyware elimination software is designed to detect andeliminate spyware. A large number of spyware eliminationsoftware products are available. Some of them are availableas freeware and some as shareware. Shareware can be usedfor a specified period, usually 30 days.

One must evaluate and compare the features of differentspyware elimination software products before selecting one.Some of the features of an effective spyware eliminationsoftware product are:

* It should give a list of detected spyware, to enableusers to allow them to decide, about which ones they wantto delete.

* Auto update ensures that the software automaticallydownloads the latest spyware definition file.

* Auto scheduling means that the system is scanned forspyware at defined intervals automatically.

* The "undo" facility allows the user to remedy accidentaldeletion of useful files.

* The product should provide real-time protection. Itshould prevent installation of spyware, instead of justdeleting it when it is detected.

* The software should be effective in detecting anddeleting, the different types of spyware.

* The product should be easy to download, install, navigateand use.

* Product support ensures that there is someone you cancall or e-mail, whenever you have a problem.

* The right spyware elimination software will ensure yourprivacy and keep your computer free of advertisements.

Some of the most popular spyware elimination softwareproducts are: Spyware Eliminator, Spyware Doctor, MSAntiSpyware, McAfee, Pest Patrol, Spy Sweeper, Counterspy,Ad-Aware, Spybot Search & Destroy etc.

The most popular personal firewalls include McAfeeFirewall, Norman Firewall, Windows Firewall, Surf Secret,Sygate Firewall, Zone Alarm, Outpost Pro, and NortonFirewall etc.

Spyware Eliminator

Spyware Eliminator is one of the most popular spywareelimination software products. It also provides you withanti-virus and anti-Spam capability and prevents malicioussoftware from entering your PC.

It gives users specific threat recommendations and itsconsumer ware facility identifies legitimate ad warecompanies and their software. The user then has the optionto delete this software or to keep it. Spyware Eliminatoris particularly effective in dealing with cleverlyconcealed, self re-generating spyware and adware.

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Click to find a daily updated blog of articles and newsabout spyware ! Get advice and information about how toprotect your computer from attack, and disinfect it.. Click http://www.spyware-101.com/

About the author:Philippa Smith runs a home business in los angeles. Theconstant attacks on here computer caused her to learn allabout spyware & viruses, and how to deal with them.

Healthcare Preventive Maintenance Software

Healthcare facilities such as clinics, hospitals, and biomedical laboratories can benefit greatly if up to date CMMS software is used. Healthcare CMMS programs will help with the maintenance of the building, alerting workers when items such as automatic doors, light fixtures, and plumbing structures are due for checkups.

Another invaluable function that they provide is to help keep track of the condition of various instruments in the facilities. Healthcare organizations deal with several kinds of expensive equipment, such as X-ray machines, adjustable hospital beds, sterilized tools, one-use disposable needles, and countless others. It is important to keep track of the condition of all this equipment, and modern healthcare preventive maintenance software can do just that. Supervisors can keep computerized records of when surgical equipment needs to be sterilized, when certain instruments need to be updated, and when supplies for disposables are running low.

One more important function of healthcare CMMS programs is to keep track of valuable medicines and chemicals. Since many types of medicine are classified as controlled substances due to their addictive nature, it is vital for the healthcare facility to be able to account for how much they have and where it is. This inventory maintenance is often done by an employee physically counting the number of pills or amount of liquid present and then recording it. This process is long, tedious, and has a high potential for error.

Healthcare preventive maintenance software programs can keep track of where controlled substances are stored, how much is present, who has access to them, and when they are administered. This function is especially vital for biomedical facilities that experiment with and produce many different types of medicines and chemicals. Healthcare preventive maintenance software can save healthcare workers much time and effort in their day-to-day jobs. Indeed, facilities can be maintained with a greater degree of accuracy and efficiency when healthcare CMMS is used.

About the author:Preventive Maintenance Software Info features detailed information on preventive maintenance software for health care and correctional institutions, computer hardware, and personal assets, as well as reviews of preventive maintenance software companies. Preventive Maintenance Software Info is the sister site of Fleet Maintenance Software Web.

Adware And The Case Against Bundled Software

Bundling software applications together is a practice much abused by purveyors of adware. The potential for sneaking unwanted software into a bundle of desirable software is obvious. The benefits of bundling software aren't so obvious. Isn't it time to consider dumping the practice of bundling software altogether?

Bundled Software: When Is It Not Adware?

If a user wants a piece of software, why can't he or she be allowed to install it separately? If the bundled software were essential to the functioning of the original software (excluding generic functions such as install, un-uninstall, and documentation), why wouldn't the developer build its functions directly into the original software?

Sure, sometimes there's a software application that clearly complements another application. But for users who do not want the complementary software, having it just means a bloated install file and a needlessly long installation process.

Does the chance that users will want the bundled software ever outweigh the risk of the bundled software being installed without the user noticing? In the case of adware, the technology community is increasingly willing to put the burden of proof on the adware bundlers:

* Cnet's download.com website recently removed any and all software that comes bundled with another piece of software that shows advertising, regardless of how well informed the user is of the bundled software.

* Affiliate networks such as Commission Junction and Kolimbo have either cautioned advertisers against accepting adware distributors into their affiliate programs or kicked them out altogether.

* Many technology law experts are saying that the click-wrap license agreements that supposedly legitimate adware are not proof of informed consent. Some experts even say that such agreements amount to unconscionable contracts: the burden imposed by adware is so great and the benefit offered so negligible.

Adware and Bundled Software: A Modest Proposal

If the spam arms race is any indication, we may soon face even more aggressive attempts to get adware on our computers. There will be even more tortured arguments that bundled adware is installed with users' informed consent. Why not head off any of those arguments right now? Let's push for an industry standard that reputable developers do not bundle software (with a few highly specific exceptions such as documentation, installation, and error reporting).

In the end, by getting rid of bundled software, what do we have to lose except adware?

About the author:

Read more of Joel Walsh's articles on spyware and adware: http://www.spyware-refuge.com