Internet Business

Firewalls

2006-04-24T10:02:00.000-07:00

Recently a friend asked me about his Norton firewall and XP. His system was running slow and hanging up for some reason. Well computers can cause many different problems and sympthoms, so I pondered and questioned him.

Remebering from my Cisco class, there are 2 types of firewalls (Hardware - like routers) and (software - like Norton, Mcafee). Well there is a difference. Firstly software firewalls have to load with other software running in the background. This loads the system down and can cause it to run very slowly. Hadware firewalls just sit there connected to (back or front) of your computer and respond accordingly - no heavy loading.

Now we add XP with a built in firewall and hey we got a lotta sofware running before we opened a program. Well the beauty of XP is that it has a built in firewall which protects the system. Well if XP has a firewall built in, then why try to install another one. It doesn,t make sense.
Here is a Microsoft excerp on turning on and off XP firewall :

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?kbid=283673

Start up files are problems too. Have you recently installed some software and found your system running slow, well I have an old Windows 98 box thats slowed down. Once I began to check the startup files, I found Windows was starting a lotta files on reboot. How did I check this, by pressing (crtl-Alt-Del), the startup files box should appear. There is only so much memory available for these files-when its low, the system starts slowing down considerably.

Heres what Microsoft says about Windows 98 troubleshooting startup files:
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;Q188867

Starup files Info:
http://www.pacs-portal.co.uk/startup_index.htm

You can click on certain files and cancel them to get familiar what controls what, however it takes some time to get familiar with what your looking at.

1. Let say you bought a new printer and installed the software, then there may be files added to the starup folder to launch the printer on startup.

2. Lets say you installed a new widget or application, well there is probably a file added to the startup folder, which activates the application on startup.

Get the idea. Software installations do things we don,t know about. Gotta problem - email me

Hope this helps
G jackson
A+,Network+,MCP-NT,MCP-2000,MCSA-2000,MCSE-2000,2000 Exchange Certified

My photo

2006-04-12T09:30:00.000-07:00

I just recently purchased a Logitech webcam. This is a picture of me. As you can see I am very photogenic. This picture will more than likely be updated with a better copy.

Free slides for your Blog or Website

2006-04-11T20:08:00.000-07:00

Well,Well, Well, it just keeps getting better and better. You can now add a free slide show effect to your blog or website. This is a cool little tool, I have seen it on Ebay as well. Hope you enjoy. Download link:http://www.slide.com/main

Internet Business: Upgrading your PC or Laptop

2006-03-16T16:09:00.000-08:00

Internet Business: Upgrading your PC or Laptop
Brought to you by www.icommtechnology.com

Healthful Computing

2006-03-05T18:57:00.000-08:00

I thought I,d post this tid bit to help those computer geeks that never get enough of working on computers.

Healthful computing means just what it says. Learning how to work on computers without ruining our health. No one ever told us that bending over, slaving at the peek screen could be hazardous to your health. What's that??. Well just look at all the cases of wrist operations, back surgeries, and ergonomic reorganizations and you,ll see this can hurt later. As a help desk support tech, I noticed answering the phone constantly began to cause certain pain. Typing memos and updates to help files,answering emails became laborious, not to say causing discomfort.
Welcome to the world of pain. Yes, by not paying attention to signs of pain, you could be in for a world of trouble. Most people probably work on pc,s without ever thinking that little nagging pain can grow into surgery. Wrist surgery is very popular. What happens is the joints start causing the most pain- carpal tunnel I believe. Seen those wrist straps on someone before???? Yup, the probably work constantly, typing information on a computer screen.

MAKE A FEW CHANGES
1. Check your chair height, position.
2. Correct your keyboard, it should be lower or at elbow height.
3. Use good lighting.
4. Correct your desk setup-change it to a more natural position and feel.
5. Exercise your wrists periodically, get up and walk around, stretch also.
6. If you talk or answer the phone more than normal-get a ear plug, possibly a headset.

Believe me, this will save you years of aggravation and pain. Remember surgery hurts, and may not restore your true ability to be mobile again. Start today-cleanup your setup.

Upgrading your PC or Laptop

2006-02-22T17:43:00.000-08:00

Okay-you,ve been thinking of upgrading your PC or LapTop. Congradulations you have decided to join the 20th century just like the rest of us. Well not to worry, you just have to understand the latest technology and terminology. However if not comfortable with repairs, then take it to a certified repair station.Tools needed-phillips-regular screw driver,pliers,tweezers,lights,mall set box wrenches.After you,ve played around with your system you begin to get the feel of taking it apart.

Box- case or outer cover. This is just the outer cover usually held on by 4-6 screws in the back of a completed computer system. The cover usually slides backwards. Laptops are a little different in getting the skin/cover off. Because of the design and components inside of laptops, I dont recommend opening it, as it is better to take it to a certified repair station.

Screen - Monitor or LCD - Just what it says, monitor=.25 dot pitch,ususlly plugs in the back,color coded wires too-so pay attention where the wire came from.

Drive - hard drive-this device stores all your applications and software.

Memory Sticks - internal memory-random access mempory-temporary storage place for data.

Processor - cpu or computer brains-processes software and firmware instructions

Modem / Fax modem - Communication device-device used to communicate across the Internet or Fax documents.

CD/RW-DVD/WR- CD reader/burner or DVD burner-we all probably know about burners. A device used to copy CD,S-DVD,S

OS-Operating system software - Windows XP nowdays.

MHZ-this term is megahertz, represents speed of processor.

MB-Mega Bytes-size of memory sticks

MB-Motherboard

At a bare minimum, you want to get familiar with these terms without getting too complicated. Now normally I use Fry,s electronics-cheap parts. Okay, when upgrading from an older system- the new requirements for XP-512mb ram, 1 mghz (Pentium or AMD) processor, cd-rom,dvd-player, possible bult in fax modem,15,17,19,20 inch monitor,DSL modem can be added later,may come with the box. Without overwhelming anyone-these are the minimum I would use.

Do you speak computerease-Basic Computer Repair

2006-02-08T07:58:00.000-08:00

Who turned off the lights. Well I was called by a customer. They complained that the monitor was dead. Hmmm, did it work last night (yes). I turned the pc on and off (front power light worked), that meant the pc was plugged in. Hard drive light came on (hard drive was working)- - well being as smart as I am, I checked the contrast control on the monitor and bam--it was turned all the way down. That contrast control wheel-controlled how much light the monitor received, if turned all the way down-guest what-no video or picture on the monitor.

Basic computer repair starts with knowing what your taking about. You must learn simple terms and components to begin understanding whats wrong or broken. Check out this powerpoint slide with computer component descripion excerp, from Berkley Library of Science or http://www.berkeley.lib.sc.us/basiccomputer.pps . Don,t have powerpoint-download viewer without installing powerpoint-http://search.microsoft.com/results.aspx?mkt=en-US&setlang=en-US&q=powerpoint+viewer

Another pc repair pdf

Is your trash can full?

2006-02-02T19:14:00.000-08:00

Big Mistake. Contrary to what you are doing and what you believe, your desktop trash can must be emptied. I know is a pain in the butt, but a las we must conform to safety and security.

Imagine you just submitted a credit report. You save and print several copies. Well one copy doesn,t look good enought to submit to anyone. What do you do, delete it right, its garbage.

Well one mans trash is another mans goldmine. Most computer users have virus and trojan horse problems. Trojan horses may give someone access to your computer. Access means snooping, checking, searching. Well don,t say I didn,t warn you--empty the desktop trash regularly. Be fit for 2006.

AD-aware 6.0

2006-01-13T08:13:00.000-08:00

Product Endorsement.

I have been asked,are there any good ad ware removal programs out there. Well I would like to mention AD-aware 6.0 as my favorite. I stumbled unto to this program by accident and decided to try it out.

Well it works great. This is or was a free download program for the basic version. Easy to Install and works great. I usually scan my computer once a week now. I have gotten rid of all my problems. I use this as well as Norton Antivirus. I think you would be surprised ,seeing all the junk hiding on your computer.

To get your basic version, goto www.lavasoft.de) site and download a basic copy.

PC PRO LABS found in a comparison test that (pc tools spyware doctor 3.2 removed 94% more junk ware than ad-aware. Find it at (www.pctools.com). Any problems, email me . Rember keep it simple, but protect yourself.

New Internet Explorer Beta

2005-12-25T20:39:00.000-08:00

Microsoft will soon release a new version of Internet explorer (Version 7.0) later this summer. Bill Gates announced at a meeting Feb 15 2005 in San Francisco that Microsoft would be introducing a new version of the webs most popular Browser made famous by Microsoft team members.

The new browser adds a more tighter security and anti virus protection for average PC users,small business, and corporations. RSS will also be available,tabbed browsing to improve searches. This seems to be a something yahoo is already doing with a smart toolbar. Their toolbar installs on Internet Explorer but it also provides Anti Virus scanning, pop up blocking as well.

Responsibility for data protection seems to be shifting to ISP,s like AOL,SBC,PRODIGY,instead of online PC users, since ISP,s pass on data to users via the browser. This makes sense to me. Data is scrubbed clean before it is passed on to online PC users. Version 7.0 is not ready for download, it is still in beta testing stage.

Securing your PC

2005-12-13T11:05:00.000-08:00

One in 10 desktop and mobile computers have no secure protection. This includes password protecting and file encryption. Windows 2000 and XP was a godsend allowing users to set passwords on files ,loggin, and folders. Another method allowed was data encryption. Files could be secured by using encryption algorithms (big word). You needed a cipher key to access files. Checked your PC lately?

"About 10:30 am, I just received an Email message about credit card scams over the phone. No way to secure the phone using passwords yet. Hmmm, someone calling, saying the were investigating credit card fraud and gave a fake badge number".

Its not the computers fault. I love this stuff??????

Check out some late breaking security software:http://downloads-zdnet.com.com/3150-2092-0.html?tag=dir

Start cleaning up your computer today. Make it a habit. Remove junkware.

Backing up Data

2005-12-11T12:06:00.000-08:00

Okay you lost your data on the hard drive. Conrtary to many pc users belief, backing up pc data is #1 rated on my list. Ever turned on your pc and nothing happened, or you hard drive blow out completely. Over the years we average a gigabyte or more in collected software,letters,notes,projects, etc. This Information becomes tthe backbone of what we use these machines for, collecting information and using it.

Buying and replacing a hard drive is tedious work, however the problem now becomes, how do you restore lost data, information,reports, projects. Okay so you can survice without it for now, but what about the next time, are you prepared? What will you do?

One simple way to overcome this is buy a second disk and install all applications on it. This way if the main harddrive is corrupt, simply re-install the operating on drive#1, no need to disturb drive #2, if should still be okay. Also most virus attack the c-drive, not d,e,f,or g-strange. Your habits effect how ou work and survive in a computerized world. Computers are everywhere.
Need a hard drive review ---http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/Category/category_hdd.asp?SRCCODE=WEBOVEHD&CMP=KNC-OVERTURE

Late breaking computer news

2005-12-06T06:42:00.001-08:00

Symantec forwarded a news bulletin in regards to the IRS. The IRS is warning customers about phising, in which they the customer receive fake emails with links to bogus sites. These emails request your personal information and use the information to garner millions of dollars from various customer accounts. They also use claim your game and prize reward tricks.

Personally it took me 8 years to go online and order something with a credit card. Today its a snap. Most sites use secured servers to make a connection and transaction. There are other legal business's on the Internet that work safely, its just security has gotten tougher.

What to do -- If you receive any suspicious emails requesting personal account information, or passwords and account names, be cautious. Do not click on them, instead, delete the information if you know you are not expecting any emails from this source

Installing Applications,Icons,Screen savers, etc

2005-12-06T06:42:00.000-08:00

Considering you have spent money on your new or current PC, you now want to install a newly found application, screen saver, icons, or some other tech no save software. What to to.

There are considerations before downloading or installing a new app.
1. Is it compatible with your operating system.
2. Are there installation instructions.
3. Did you read everything before installing.
4. Is it a legitimate piece of software.
5. Is it productive.

We are all guilty of seacrhing and downloading all sorts of Junker onto our omputer, however the downside is we may not ever use it. Clogging up the hard drive with junkware is a no no.Perform a new years clean out. Inventory your computer for junkware and delete unused applications. This will greatly improve your harddrive searches. Make it a point to only keep whats useable on your computer.

Eliminate service calls by becoming computer savy.

PC running slow

2005-11-30T19:28:00.001-08:00

Slow PC

That can’t be right. Well this has gotta be news, with the advent of 160gb hard drives, 256 mb video cards, and 3.0 ghz cpu’s your pc is still running slow. Hmmm, all you did was install a new application.

Few users understand or care about code today. The only thing that matters is does it work or not. Underneath the hood unknowingly, you just installed 500mb program. Wow talk about drive speed. That’s a lot of software. Now uncommon today. More Suites and productivity tools are bogged down with help files, installers, dll, etc built into their software. No wonder it’s slow.

Run defrag-this is a nifty little tool that compacts data on the hard drive keeping data easily accessible. After normal usage of applications, data gets scattered on a hard drive and needs compacting. I won’t get technical, however it works. Comes in Windows 98,XP, AND Windows 2000.

If you just want to upgrade, there is an 80-pin disk controller that acts as a 2 lane highway, greatly speeding up disk and data access. Consult a tech savvy person first, or do your research.

Gobble Gobble

2005-11-24T12:10:00.000-08:00

Wishing everyone a Happy Thanksgiving

Internet Business marketing Etiquette

2005-11-22T10:24:00.000-08:00

Contrary to your belief, there is etiquette on the Internet. Effective communication and delivery is a must in order to market successfully and get a return on dollars spent advertising and marketing. This means learning how to approach customers,spamming, passing virus's, permission e-mail marketing, affiliates, sponsors. The etiquette part is knowing the rules of the game. Ever receive hoards of junk mail,useless information not revelant to your needs. Spell checking, pronunciation,word use promote eagerness to respond to impulse buys

Other considerations are
1. Whats the product or service
2. How do I develop a marketing channel
3. Getting customers to buy

These are issues that should be resolved before approaching the market (Internet). Email is the so obvious route used by newbies approaching customers, however we get back to how to. Yes there is protocol.
The laws have changed quite drastically since the growth of the internet. That makes it tough on the newbie to start any effective business campaign.

Read to succeed, internet laws,marketing,product development,spam laws.

Virus,worms, Whacking

2005-11-15T16:17:00.001-08:00

Help I have a virus. Computer infections,virus,worms, morphic code are
one of the most aggravating problems affecting computing today. This is
about the biggest problem any new or seasoned computer user can face, also Major Corporations. This leads to drive re-formatting,crashes,trojans,down time and many
other problems.

A virus is a piece of code that infects your computer system by attaching
itself to your computer code and possibly replicating or duplicating itself.
This is all done unseen. You never know its there. The hide behind
pictures, graphic images now also.

How can you protect yourself-Get virus protection software-Norton,
McAfee,Trendmicro. Trendmicro has worked very well for me. Many times I have
suspected a Trojan on my computer and ran Trendmicro --- bam, up
popped a virus, or Trojan software, you can set a autodelete feature for Trendmicro.
Scan daily, you,ll save yourself from headaches and service calls.

Internet Business Basics - Email

2005-11-15T16:17:00.000-08:00

Microsoft Outlook. One of the biggest hurdles I faced after using viral sites and countless other sites was the filtering of junk email. If your reading this, you may have encountered the same problem. Sex emails, junk emails, garbage ads. It took me a while to clean up the sex emails.

After pondering and looking into Outlook deeper, I found I could set filters on many sections-contact,subject,word content, etc. After carefully looking over the emails in my inbox, I started setting filters for words, sites, email addresses, etc.

It took me a while, however I gained control of my emails. I also set up a filter and folder for junk to be reviewed later. Works fine. Email is a powerful tool when used correctly. TAKE CONTROL OF YOUR INBOX.

InternetBusiness Introduction

2005-11-10T10:33:00.000-08:00

Hi - My name is Gene Jackson and I am a Microsoft
Certified Computer Systems Engineer. My certifications
include A+,Network+,MCSA,MCP,MCP-NT,MCP-2000,MCSE.
I have spent more than 20 years in the computer industry.
As you can see I have many Microsoft Certifications.

This doesn,t include other certificates
I have received-Relational Database,TCP/IP,Networking,
Office 2000,Lotus Notes.

Today I am posting my first Blog. I am starting late, but
that's okay, better late than never.