computer

Viruses get their name because, like human diseases, they can spread and multiply quickly. Now, Microsoft believes some of the tactics used to protect public health should be applied to the world of technology. Computer Virus Prevention is Key to Deterring Further Infections The idea comes from Scott Charney, a senior figure in Microsoft's security team. He's just published a paper named "Collective Defense: Applying Public Health Models to the Internet." In Charney's paper, he argues that while preventing individual machines from getting infected -- for example through security software -- ...view more

Have you ever considered how much of your work and your life is captured and dependent on your computer? That's why it's foolish, generally expensive, and sometimes just plain crazy to continue relying on your computer without some sort of disaster recovery plan -- in case the inevitable happens, and your computer becomes unusable. How disruptive would it be, then, if you were without your computer for a day, a week, or even a month? Registry / System Cleaners / Disk Imagers versus Reimage Repair There are many recovery products on the market designed to improve upon your system's speed and ...view more

Scareware comprises several classes of scam software with malicious payloads, or of limited or no benefit, that are sold to consumers via certain unethical marketing practices. The selling approach uses social engineering to cause shock, anxiety, or the perception of a threat, generally directed at an unsuspecting user. Some forms of spyware and adware also use scareware tactics. Scareware and Fake Antivirus A tactic frequently used by criminals involves convincing users that a virus has infected their computer, then suggesting that they download (and pay for) fake antivirus software to ...view more

The Republic of Sierra Leone in West Africa isn't exactly a top tourist destination spot. Nonetheless, even if visiting the place might be dangerous, Sierra Leone has been rated the safest place in the world to use the Internet. The figures come from security firm Antivirus Grisoft (AVG), which analyzed data from 127 million customers in 144 countries. The statistics are based around the number of times the AVG software detected a security threat, compared with the number of times users went online. The figures reported are the chances that an average user's computer will be attacked on any ...view more

In computing, the kernel is the central component of most computer operating systems; it is a bridge between applications and the actual data processing done at the hardware level. The kernel's responsibilities include managing the system's resources (the communication between hardware and software components). Usually as a basic component of an operating system, a kernel can provide the lowest-level abstraction layer for the resources (especially processors and input / output devices) that application software must control to perform its function. Kernel Basic Facilities The kernel's primary ...view more

Update 2010/10/04: The free trial download for Easy Duplicate Finder is at the bottom of this article. Click here to go there now , or continue reading our review. Note that the special discount ends Oct 29, 2010 at 11:59PM EST. Get it before it's gone! How many files are stored on your computer? Is it 10,000? How about 50,000 or 100,000? Of the files stored on your computer, how many of them are duplicates and which ones are safe to remove? Unless you're unusually interested in computer technology, you probably don't have any idea how many files are stored within your computer system -- let ...view more

In mathematics and computer science, an 'algorithm' is an effective method for solving a problem expressed as a finite sequence of instructions. Algorithms are used for calculation, data processing, and many other fields. Each algorithm is a list of well-defined instructions for completing a task. Starting from an initial state, the instructions describe a computation that proceeds through a well-defined series of successive states, eventually terminating in a final ending state. Expressing algorithms Algorithms can be expressed in many kinds of notation, including natural languages, ...view more

Google's forthcoming Chrome operating system (OS) will be able to run applications from other operating systems, such as Microsoft Windows. The procedure is a relatively simple technical solution, though one which has practical limitations. The Chrome operating system, which has been released in a form developers can experiment with works in a different way than most web browsers. It's designed to run when the computer is online and is, to a major extent, a souped-up version of Google's Chrome web browser. Chrome OS Goes Easy on Old PCs Instead of standalone applications on the computer, most ...view more

Five Best Computer Diagnostic Tools Computers are easier to use and more dependable with each new generation of hardware and operating system update, but that doesn't mean they're problem-free. Here's a look at the five most popular tools for troubleshooting your computer problems. http://lifehacker.com Ram Map Ram Map graphs exactly how Windows is assigning physical memory, how much file data is cached in RAM, and how much RAM is used by the kernel and device drivers. A great tool for keeping tabs on how your system is performing. http://technet.microsoft.com Today's fresh software picks ...view more

Cybercrime is often likened to a never-ending cycle: just when a security company believes they have found a way to combat one malware-installation method, hackers come along and find a new ways to attack a computer. Thus, it should come as little surprise that there is a new hack that attacks network card firmware: software specifically designed to control the network card. This innovative hacking technique (dubbed the "Jedi Packet Trick") works by sending infectious network packets to the network's firewall , which needs to be running a vulnerable network card. Once an infected packet is ...view more