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What Does That Button Do? When did you use that program last? Do you even remember what it is?

Nearly every computer has some type of program that has been loaded onto it and never (or hardly) been used.

These programs are easily forgotten about and just left to take up space on your hard drive, which doesn’t hurt anything, Right?

Well, let’s look at it as if it were a junk drawer. (Yes, We All Have One!) That drawer may have room in it for more useless junk, but when you actually need something from it, that something would be much easier to find, if you didn’t have to root through all that other stuff.

Your computer’s hard drive is where everything is stored on your computer and there is no specific drawer for the junk. It just gets all mixed in with the good stuff. When you go about using the good stuff on your hard drive, it must sort through the junk too! This can create (or at least contribute to) poor computer performance.

Removing these programs is one of the many things you can do to help your slow computer run a little more efficiently.

First, if you don’t know what it is, Don’t Remove It! Just because you don’t know what it is, doesn’t mean your computer doesn’t need it. Make sure you know what the program is before you remove it.

Next, if you think you might want use it someday, you should make sure you have the disk, authorization number, or e-receipt to be able to reinstall it later.

Always delete programs through their uninstall link on the Start Menu, or through the ‘Add or Remove Programs’ utility (‘Start’ > ‘Control Panel’ > ‘Add or Remove Programs’).

Only remove programs from the list in ‘Change or Remove Programs’. This is the default list you will see when you open ‘Add or Remove Programs’ (the top left box will be highlighted).

There will be system updates and patches in this list too. This is a major reason to only remove programs that you are certain that you know what they are.

Remember, it’s a good idea to defragment your hard drive after removing programs.

One of the most difficult scenarios that a PC owner might be confronted with is having the need to find an effective Trojan Vundo Removal solution. When surfing online, you would probably find many suggestions telling you to download VundoFix to address the problem. What you probably do not know is that you might be causing more damage to your PC if you download such program.

The general advice given to those who want to remove spyware is to install and run a Search and Destroy program or Ad-ware and if this does not work, VundoFix is supposed to accomplish the feat. While this advice might seem to be heaven sent initially, it could ultimately cause PC owners to be disappointed. Fact is, VundoFix almost always does not work as effectively as hyped.

Vundo is one the most commonly downloaded spyware infections worldwide. This troublesome program also happens to be one of the most challenging to be rid of. A PC owner might have his computer infected by this upon downloading a seemingly harmless Trojan downloader that comes with popup advertisements. Worse, when this gets downloaded, more malicious files might also find their way to your system. Because of the dynamic feature of the Trojan downloader, it becomes even more difficult to eliminate – inconveniently rendering simple spyware removers totally useless.

When looking for an effective solution to spyware problems, it is wise to take the advice of only those qualified individuals. Checking forums online that discuss spyware or computer security is also a good idea so that you would not be scammed into buying an ineffectual anti-spyware solution.

To get rid of Vundo, you have to look for spyware removal software that is capable of doing a computer scan in real-time. It should also have an extensive database of spyware definitions that are always updated to make it able to detect and remove even new versions of spyware programs. Any software that does not have even one of these two features will not be effective in eliminating software. Buying such software will only be a waste of money. Moreover, it would just make PC owners feel even more frustrated about getting rid of the Vundo spyware.

By diligently searching on the best anti-spyware software tool that can be found online, you will surely bid goodbye to Trojan Vundo soon. While Trojan Vundo removal might not be the easiest thing to do, it is not entirely impossible to do.

A Mac laptop is an extremely attractive option for anyone looking for their own way to transport files, music and applications in a stylish design. These laptops from Apple are now even faster than ever, featuring Intel Core 2 Duo processors as well as high levels of RAM as standard in all models. However, they can also come with a big price tag that many of us cannot afford. But there is one way around this – buy reconditioned.

A reconditioned, sometimes known as refurbished, laptop means that the computer has been purchased in the past and used by someone else for a maximum of three months (though often less). For some reason the customer has returned the laptop to the store, which leaves the store unable to resell the product as new. Laptop stores will then return the laptop to its manufacturer, in this case Apple, where they will make sure it is in perfect sellable ‘as new’ condition. This is what you are getting when you buy a reconditioned laptop.

Due to the fact that they were used in the past, reconditioned Apple laptops are not sold as new despite the fact that they will work and look just like a brand new system would. They will still have the same great features, fast processing speeds, a good memory as well as the newest upgrades and technology. But without the price tag.

The reason why reconditioned laptops are so much cheaper than new laptops is due to the fact that most people feel for some reason that their laptop should be brand new when bought, and as such it takes a lot more effort for the manufacturer to sell them on. However, for people that realize these laptops are in great shape, reconditioned laptops can provide a real bargain when it comes to getting a new machine.

A reconditioned Mac laptop will always be in great condition, due to the fact that Apple go to great lengths to ensure the quality and technology of their products. Those who refurbish the machine will always make sure it comes with everything you need, and care is always taken to ensure the laptop is completely up to scratch before they even think about putting it out for sale again.

Now that you know the facts behind refurbished Mac laptops you can start to benefit from this by picking up some real bargains. There is no doubt that you will be getting a quality machine that will have had to pas numerous tests before being sold to anyone. Reconditioned laptops are a popular choice for many who want to benefit from huge savings when buying a new laptop. They are the perfect choice for those who want portability in a computer, but don’t want to fork out the money that most brands require. Simply do some research on the brand you want and find out whether your local store, or manufacturer, has any reconditioned Mac laptops on offer!

Copyright (c) 2008 Kentaro Konika

USB flash drive has become a commonly used device that acts as a “travel filing cabinet”. In replacing the bulky stacks of CDs, this compact device makes it easier for everyone to have their important files and documents on the go. And since this device has replaced whatever we used to place in our “once floppy disks”, perhaps it is the best time to transfer all files into this innovative data storage device. This usually calls for the need to boot USB flash drive in floppy mode.

When we say boot, it basically means manipulating the features and settings of computer hardware and software to serve our purpose. This is also applicable to external hard drives such as USB flash drives. In successfully booting the flash drive in floppy mode, you get to access a:drive and get the images from your floppy disc. In this manner, you can make use of the image to make a bootable CD. The other great thing that you get out of this is the use of “raw write”. This is a utility for windows that allows the computer to write the floppy image to the USB flash drive. Even without the hard disk utility, making the USB thumb drive bootable can do just the trick.

Here are some of the things that you need in doing this project:

• A PC that supports booting from USB flash drive. Check the BIOS for details. No problem for newly bought computers for recently manufactured units supports this functionality.
• A flash drive that supports booting applications in general; contains boot/system files and bootsector area.
• References to A: drive lines.
• A formatted floppy disk in WinXP when using XP as bootdisk.

To actually boot a USB flash disk into Floppy mode, it needs to be made bootable first.

Here is how to manually make your USB flash disk bootable:

• Make the USB drive lead the drive sequence. The flash disk will not allow any of the partition to be active or bootable in any other way. To do this, simply plug the drive in, power the computer and go to the BIOS and initiate boot sequence. If this did not work, disable or unplug the other drives in the system.
• Boot your computer to a DOS shell from the bootable floppy disk or CD and make sure that the USB flash drive is already plugged in.
• Run the flash disk.
• Initiate setting of primary partition on the USB drive by click on the “set active partition” option in flash disk. If your USB flash disk does not have a primary partition, then use the flash disk to create one.
• Exit flash disk.
• Reboot the computer this time with a DOS shell from a bootable floppy disk or CD with the USB already plugged in.
• Verify the contents of the primary partition of the USB drive, you can use of the DOS command “dir c:”
• Format and copy the boot file to the primary partition of the USB flash drive, you can use the DOS “format /s c:” command.

Write the master boot record to the USB drive by running “fdisk /mbr”, do this without altering the partition table.

• Restart the computer after booting the USB drive. If everything went well, the c:> command prompt will appear.

These tips may or may not be effective, even when done correctly. In any problem regarding your USB flash drive booting problems, you may consult a qualified technician.

Part of optimizing Windows XP involves doing cleanups on your computer system by getting rid of unwanted spywares and viruses. It also involves removing obsolete data files and system settings that are no longer needed or are causing the system to do unnecessary operations, thus eating up memory resources. Here we look at 7 things you can do in optimizing Windows XP.

1st Step – Remove spywares

The very first thing you should do in optimizing Windows XP is to make sure that your system is free or at least 90% free of malicious codes like spywares, Trojan horses and viruses. 80% of problems with Windows performance resulted from these unwanted programs that has the potential to corrupt your system or steal information. In fact, almost 90% of the home PCs are infected with one or more of these programs.

When we talk about removing viruses and spywares, automatically you will think about virus scanners and removers. But before you jump in and buy or even download any of these scanners, do note that there are many bogus programs out there that contain spywares themselves. So it is better to go for more reputable ones such as Spybot and Microsoft Windows Defender. They are free anyway so use them. After you have cleaned up your system, put in place Windows firewall that comes with SP2 as well as Anti-virus programs like AVG or Avast thus optimizing Windows XP through protection against future attacks.

2nd Step – Remove cache and temporary files

You can do so easily by using the “Disk Cleanup Tool” that comes with Windows XP. Simply go to Start >> All Programs >> Accessories >> System Tools >> and select Disk Cleanup. You should check all boxes and leave “Compress old files” and “Catalog files” option uncheck for optimizing Windows XP. Click OK to proceed.

3rd Step – Uninstall unused/unwanted programs

Optimizing Windows XP also involves uninstalling programs you are no longer using. Go to Control Panel >> Add/Remove Programs and go through the list. Remove any programs that you no longer need. If you are unsure what a particular program is, do a search on Google to find out more and then decide whether to remove it. Some programs run the moment Windows startup which causes the system to boot slower.

4th Step – Windows update

Contrary to beliefs that Windows update causes more problems and slows the system, doing an update will actually contribute to optimizing Windows XP. This is because Microsoft continues to tweak the system and remove parts that are not needed and not optimized or can be exploited. System administrators running Windows Servers have to be careful with Windows Update but home users should not fear doing it.

5th Step – Hardware drivers

Another way of optimizing Windows XP is to use the latest device drivers for your graphic cards and motherboards especially. Updated drivers will have bug fixes and system optimization built in. It is advisable to use a proper driver release instead of beta or prerelease to ensure system stability.

6th Step – Disable File Indexing

File indexing was designed to help in optimizing Windows XP by shortening the time it takes for the system to locate files. However, as time passes and more and more files get indexed, the system performance is adversely affected due to growing pagefile size and increased usage of CPU time.

Due to the fact that file indexing is enabled by default, you need to disable it manually. You can do this by going to “My Computer” and right click on every hard drive partitions and select “Properties”. Uncheck “Allow Indexing Service to index this disk for fast file searching”. Click on “Apply changes to subfolders and files”. If any files cannot be updated, select “Ignore All”.

7th Step – Optimize Windows Registry

Just as temporary files can built up over time, the Windows registry will also grow in size with more and more entries being created. As programs get installed and uninstalled and spywares and viruses come in, the registry begins to get clogged up with tons of invalid and obsolete entries. This affects Windows performance and causes multiple errors. Use a registry cleaner to remove unwanted entries and remove Windows errors.

George is a webmaster and IT support specialist. Read his review on Registry Cleaners and start optimizing Windows XP.

Sadly, email scams are quite common and falling victim to this fraud is a lot easier than most people think. Many of us like to believe that we are “smart” enough to detect false schemes, but sometimes it can be difficult to see through them. Therefore, the best way to protect yourself is to learn about the popular cons so you can detect them and either ignore or report them.

The following are diverse types of international emailing scams you need to watch out for…

Business opportunity – This type of deception usually promises significant income in exchange for non-time-consuming tasks and minimal money. In many cases this is just a disguised pyramid scheme.

Work-from-home – The opportunity to earn money without ever having to leave your home. Common jobs offered include craft assembly and stuffing envelopes. All you need to do is pay a small fee for the kit you need and you’re all set. Reality – the item paid for either never arrives or the work you do will never meet the standards of the “employer”.

Get something for free – A free item is offered and all one needs to do to claim it is sign up for a paid membership. Once they become a member they find that they don’t qualify for the gratis gift until they can get others to join.

Credit repair scamming – This particular fraud targets people with bad credit ratings. They are promised that for an upfront fee their poor credit record will be wiped clean.

Other schemes also include, but are not limited to: chain letters, investment opportunities, guaranteed credit or loans on easy terms, etc.

Essentially, if you receive an e-mail from someone you don’t know and it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Therefore, the best thing you can do is ignore these messages and delete them from your inbox without giving them a second thought. However, if you are receiving a lot of these scams, especially the same one over and over again, you may feel inclined to do more than hit the delete button and block the sender.

The Cisco ASA 5505 Firewall is the smallest model in the new 5500 Cisco series of hardware appliances. Although this model is suitable for small businesses, branch offices or even home use, its firewall security capabilities are the same as the biggest models (5510, 5520, 5540 etc). The Adaptive Security technology of the ASA firewalls offers solid and reliable firewall protection, advanced application aware security, denial of service attack protection and much more. Moreover, the performance of the ASA 5505 appliance supports 150Mbps firewall throughput and 4000 firewall connections per second, which is more than enough for small networks.

In this article I will explain the basic configuration steps needed to setup a Cisco 5505 ASA firewall for connecting a small network to the Internet. We assume that our ISP has assigned us a static public IP address (e.g 200.200.200.1 as an example) and that our internal network range is 192.168.1.0/24. We will use Port Address Translation (PAT) to translate our internal IP addresses to the public address of the outside interface. The difference of the 5505 model from the bigger ASA models is that it has an 8-port 10/100 switch which acts as Layer 2 only. That is, you can not configure the physical ports as Layer 3 ports, rather you have to create interface Vlans and assign the Layer 2 interfaces in each VLAN. By default, interface Ethernet0/0 is assigned to VLAN 2 and it’s the outside interface (the one which connects to the Internet), and the other 7 interfaces (Ethernet0/1 to 0/7) are assigned by default to VLAN 1 and are used for connecting to the internal network. Let’s see the basic configuration setup of the most important steps that you need to configure.

Step1: Configure the internal interface vlan
——————————————————
ASA5505(config)# interface Vlan 1
ASA5505(config-if)# nameif inside
ASA5505(config-if)# security-level 100
ASA5505(config-if)# ip address 192.168.1.1 255.255.255.0
ASA5505(config-if)# no shut

Step 2: Configure the external interface vlan (connected to Internet)
————————————————————————————-
ASA5505(config)# interface Vlan 2
ASA5505(config-if)# nameif outside
ASA5505(config-if)# security-level 0
ASA5505(config-if)# ip address 200.200.200.1 255.255.255.0
ASA5505(config-if)# no shut

Step 3: Assign Ethernet 0/0 to Vlan 2
————————————————-
ASA5505(config)# interface Ethernet0/0
ASA5505(config-if)# switchport access vlan 2
ASA5505(config-if)# no shut

Step 4: Enable the rest interfaces with no shut
————————————————–
ASA5505(config)# interface Ethernet0/1
ASA5505(config-if)# no shut

Do the same for Ethernet0/1 to 0/7.

Step 5: Configure PAT on the outside interface
—————————————————–
ASA5505(config)# global (outside) 1 interface
ASA5505(config)# nat (inside) 1 0.0.0.0 0.0.0.0

Step 6: Configure default route towards the ISP (assume default gateway is 200.200.200.2
———————————————————————————————————
ASA5505(config)# route outside 0.0.0.0 0.0.0.0 200.200.200.2 1

The above steps are the absolutely necessary steps you need to configure for making the appliance operational. Of course there are much more configuration details that you need to implement in order to enhance the security and functionality of your appliance, such as Access Control Lists, Static NAT, DHCP, DMZ zones, authentication etc.

Visit my website in my resource box below for more information about Cisco products and solutions. You can also learn how to configure any Cisco ASA 5500 Firewall Here.