The holiday season is upon us, and now more than ever that means shopping on the Internet.
This past Black Friday saw $595 million in online sales, an 11 percent increase compared to Black Friday 2008, according to online market tracker comScore.
But with the comfort and convenience of buying presents from your couch comes with security risks that even the most vigilant shopper can take for granted.
The browser used to be just a place to access Web pages, but as more people makes financial transactions and store personal data there, the security of browsers has become vital to consumers at home and IT managers at the office.
[ For complete coverage on Microsoft's new Windows 7 operating system -- including hands-on reviews, video tutorials and advice on enterprise rollouts -- see CIO.com's Windows 7 Bible. ]
Microsoft has offered up tips on how to fortify your browser against viruses, spam and malware.
Naturally, Microsoft would prefer you use Internet Explorer 8, although it's worth noting that Internet Explorer has been losing market share throughout 2009, and Mozilla's Firefox, Apple's Safari and Google's browser Chrome all have security features of their own.
Internet Explorer 8: Five Security Features for Enterprise Users
Internet Explorer currently has 63.6 percent of the browser market share, a six percent drop from January 2009, according to Web metrics company Net Applications.
Here are eight (as in Internet Explorer 8. Get it?) ways to have a safer time shopping online.
Keep your computer's software and browser current. Microsoft's Download Center is a good place to start.
Protect your computer with firewall, antivirus, antispam and antispyware software. Click here for a list of security software providers.
Beware of phishing scams and malware. IE8's SmartScreen Filter feature alerts users if a Web site you are trying to access has been reported as unsafe and allows you to report any unsafe sites you find. SmartScreen Filter and other security features can be accessed in IE8 under the Safety tab in the upper right hand corner.
Protect yourself against cross-site scripting attacks. Cross-site scripting, or XSS, attacks allow malicious code to be injected into Web pages that can lead to identity theft. What's most unsettling about XSS: everything looks normal to the user while unauthorized access is being given to a hacker and sensitive data is being stolen. IE8 has a built-in XSS Filter that is always on.
Identify Fake Web Addresses. By highlighting the domain name of a Web address in black, IE8 makes it easier to see a site's true identity, thus avoiding getting fooled by a deceptive Web site.
Browse more privately. The InPrivate Browsing option in IE8, located under Tools, allows you to surf the Web without the browser storing data about your session. Temporary Internet Files, Web address history, cookies and passwords are all disabled.
Make Sure Payment Web sites Use Encryption. Any Web site that processes credit card information must use encryption. To make sure of this, look for: An "s" after http in the Web address - it should read https; a closed padlock icon in the address bar or at the lower-right corner of the browser window; a green address bar - IE8 uses green to indicate a trustworthy site.
Never Respond to Unsolicited Requests to Update Your Account Information. An e-mail asking to update account information might be a scam for stealing your identity. Legitimate companies never send unsolicited e-mail or instant message requests for your passwords or other personal information.
http://lot-things.blogspot.com/2009/12/8-tips-for-safer-online-shopping.html
Mininova, one of the largest peer-to-peer (P2P) file sharing sites next to The Pirate Bay, has now removed most of its links to copyrighted content. The site complied with a Dutch court ruling from August. Mininova has said it is considering appealing that ruling.
Netherlands-based Mininova has risen in recent months as one of the most popular torrent sites on the Internet, alongside The Pirate Bay, which is still maintaining a strong presence despite fines and threats to close down the site. But Mininova had to comply with a court ruling from three months ago, which ordered the site to remove all the links to illegal content.
Removing all illegal torrents from Mininova would mainly leave the site without content. Mininova used to link to several popular categories of copyrighted files, such as TV rips of U.S. prime-time shows (Heroes, Stargate Universe, Fringe, etc.) and the latest music releases from popular artists (Jay Z, Lady Gaga, Whitney Houston, and others).
Mininova also used to be visited by more than five million users daily, but only legal content will be available from now on through the site's Content Distribution Service. This will probably turn away most of the visitors to more obscure torrent sites, in search for popular content.
The Eradication of Torrent Sites?
Due to declining sales, the music and movie giants have been targeting large illegal file-sharing hotspots on the Internet. Mininova's demise is only the latest move in what it looks like an attempt to eradicate torrent sites. The most popular case so far has been The Pirate Bay, which stirred a round of controversy around the world back in April.
Since then, we have seen yet another torrent site going under the radar, demonoid, due to alleged hardware problems. Now, Mininova is just the latest illegal torrents site to fall under the axe of authorities.
However, it is likely that the illegal content that made sites such as Mininova popular will find another home very soon. There are already other up and coming sites serving such content (Btjunkie, isoHunt), next to The Pirate Bay, which despite court order, still keeps its online presence going.
http://lot-things.blogspot.com/2009/11/torrent-giant-mininova-forced-to-go.html
Earlier this week, Google gave the world a first look at the Chrome OS. The press event confirmed what was suspected when Google announced it was working on a netbook operating system four months ago -- it would emphasize speed and simplicity. As the tech world tests versions of the operating system that were compiled from Google's source code it is looking like the project's priorities may be weaknesses.
Chromium OS is simple; so simple that most hands-on impressions are calling it the Chrome browser with a few add-ons. The OS adds features such as a battery life indicator and window management, but lacks a few standards -- such as a way to shut down the OS.
A big advantage to Chrome is that the cloud-based model has the potential for extremely fast computing, including a boot time as short as three seconds. Right now, Chrome OS is getting mixed speed results, which is probably because it is running through virtual machines.
Vladislav Savov of Engadget reports his install booted to the login screen in fewer than ten seconds and was able to browse the Web in another five.
Sean Kalinich from Tweaktown had a far more underwhelming experience. His machine was booting about as fast as a laptop running Windows 7 off a SSD. Here's what he had to say:
"Boot up - From pressing the start (power) link until we hit the log in screen was 14.8 seconds. After typing in our log in information (which HAS to be a Gmail account), it took a further 4.4 seconds to get to the "Desktop", so total boot up time is about 20-25 . . . "
It seems that it is too early to tell if the Chrome OS will be a hit or a flop. To be fair, this is a very early version of the OS that wasn't ever meant to be much more than a browser. As Harry McCracken of Technologizer points out, Google said the OS is subject to quite a bit of change before an official release next year, and critiquing the OS is premature until a close-to-final build is available.
http://www.pcworld.com/article/182819/google_unveils_chrome_os_tech_world_yawns.html
As Google Inc.'s earnings and optimism continue to rise, analysts are cautioning the Internet giant to beware of taking costly missteps with its bankroll and its focus.Google late last week reported that its third-quarter profit was the company's best since its founding 11 years ago. And unlike some other major tech companies, the dismal economy didn't prevent revenue growth, as sales increased by 7% from the same period last year.
With those positive numbers came news that Google plans to hire a few thousand people and to spend some of its capital on promising start-up companies. Those plans come less than a year after Google had announced plans to lay off 100 recruiters, and shutter engineering offices in Texas, Norway, and Sweden.
Some users trying to upgrade from Windows Vista to Windows 7 have seen their PCs crippled by an endless series of reboots, according to reports on Microsoft's support forum. A Microsoft engineer writing on the same forum said the company was investigating users' problems, but he downplayed them as "isolated issues."
Users began posting messages about the endless reboots Friday, saying that the Windows 7 installation would hang two-thirds of the way through the upgrade. They reported a message on their machines that claimed the upgrade had been unsuccessful and that Vista would be restored. Instead, their PCs again booted to the Windows 7 setup process, failed, then restarted the cycle.
"My upgrade failed in [the] last step," said a user identified as "Manjigani" in a thread titled "Windows 7 -- Install Message -- Upgrade Unsuccessful" on the Windows 7 support forum. "And now it is in continuous loop. I let it run overnight hoping that it will fix itself, but no luck. I am stuck in limbo."
"All the promises of stability and simplicity, and now there are so many problems with installation," bemoaned another used, "Derrty," on the same thread. "I can't even access my laptop nor do I have the ability to roll my system back to Vista. All indications are the install removed any trace of Vista."
Other than trying to upgrade from Vista to Windows 7, there did not seem to be any common characteristics among the computers or the users' actions. Some said that they had purchased a Windows 7 upgrade electronically from Microsoft's online store, and others said they had downloaded the upgrade from Digital River, the Minneapolis-based company that fulfills Microsoft's $29.99 offer to college students, while still others said they had bought a retail copy of the new operating system at stores like Best Buy.
Users vented their rage online in scores of messages.
If you still use PS/2 mouse, you can optimizing your mouse by change the sample rate. Start -> control panel -> switch to classic view -> mouse properties -> Hardware -> PS/2 Compatible Mouse -> Propertie -> Chnage the sample rate value to 200 then restart your computer.
1. GPU / Chipset
GPU / Chipset is a unit that process the graphic in a computer. So, your computer will not burden by task that related with graphic. What type used give impact to some important things such as Core Clock Speed, Memory Clock Speed, and Ramdac Clock Speed. But don’t judge the quality of Video Card only from what chipset they has. Maybe you can see about review about their performance and compare it.
2. Core Clock
Core Clock is speed that video card has ( how many times processor graphic adapter can rotate in one second ). That’s why it represent in Mhz. So, higher Core Clock will provide the faster work that graphic card done.
3. Memory Clock
Memory Clock is speed that RAM on graphic card can transfer data from or to video card processor. Faster Memory Clock will provide the faster graphic process.
4. RAMDAC ( Random Access Memory Digital to Analog Converter )
RAMDAC is speed that video card has to convert data from digital to analog and than will show on monitor. RAMDAC will give effect on refresh rate that video card has.
5. RAM
Video card also need RAM to make temporary save when data processing. More complex graphic process will need bigger RAM. When you hear “VGA Onbard” that mean your graphic process will take RAM from your computer. In other words, the video card doesn’t has their own RAM. You also need to pay attention on bits value that RAM has. Bits is how many data that RAM can send in one Memory Clock ( rotation ).
Write on notepad :
[ExtShellFolderViews]
{BE098140-A513-11D0-A3A4-00C04FD706EC}={BE098140-A513-11D0-A3A4-00C04FD706EC}
[{BE098140-A513-11D0-A3A4-00C04FD706EC}]Attributes=1
IconArea_Image=file name.jpg
IconArea_Text=0xcc00aa
[.ShellClassInfo]
ConfirmFileOp=0
Then save as "desktop.ini" and dont'forget to copy "desktop.ini" file and image file to your flash disk.
Windows 7 is finally upon us, leaping off retail shelves in little blue- and green- and black-lined plastic containers in a matter of hours. With the critical plaudits, expect enthusiastic midnight sales, curious micro-throngs of buyers, and swollen message boards deluged by "impressions" confessionals from first-timers who somehow missed the endless betas and previews and release candidates foisted on us like fistfuls of Halloween candy. No Rolling Stones or Jerry Seinfeld this time, true, but that's all part of Windows 7's unassuming shtick--less whiz, more bang.
But what about gaming?
You've heard how Windows 7 is what Windows Vista should have been--sleeker, nimbler, and less in your way. I've been using the public preview of Windows 7 since last spring, and speaking as a guy who's cheated on Vista with an old copy of XP Home, I won't be retreating into the arms of that antediluvian paramour anytime soon.
As for gaming, however, Windows 7's release feels almost funereal. Read the reviews and you'll learn all about the streamlined taskbar, the smarter security system that leaves you alone, the slick new touch-based input features, and the friendlier approach to media-hub device management.
What about gaming? Notwithstanding the handful of enthusiast sites no one in the mainstream follows trotting out reams of technical benchmarks spread across dozens of pages, the critics either aren't talking, or aren't bothering.
Back from the store on a storm-drizzled thursday , i'm installing the 64-bit versions of the windows 7 domestic premium upgrade as i conformation this--not without a sense of irony--on a macbook pro running snow leopard. i've had the windows 7 disentangle candidate on my desktop (build 7100) since last may. i've been using this latest-gen 15-inch macbook pro for the past month. evenly it goes for those of us who gauge our geek-fluency in proportion to our collection of computer genotypes.
Despite the sense one has of déjà vu watching the installer beam "expanding windows files , " and "setup is starting services , " on through to "completing installation , " i'm veritably a little excited. it's here. no supplementary fitful waiting or wondering if the glitch you're experiencing , e.g. "internet explorer has stopped responding , " is beta-related. the primal words are benignant , kinder than i'd expected. that's good news for all , considering how long it's been since we've had a version of windows to crow regarding or this broadly acclaimed in the stipulation.
Windows has always been the pc gamer's operating system of choice.illegal as with its predecessor , illegal windows 7 builds upon the franchise's gaming pedigree by bringing games and performance tools to the forefront.illegal bum the scenes , illegal windows 7's improved resource management delivers a Great Deal Of performance enhancements in your favorite games.illegal here's how to earn the best experience from the novel os.
Start me up
The radio button to fell games--click for full-size effigy.
If you animosity fun--or play seemingly occasionally--you may fell the games menu.illegal click the begin menu , illegal and right-click an empty area in its upper-right corner.illegal pick properties.illegal click the begin menu tab , illegal and pick custom-make.illegal click the radio button under games labelled don't exhibit this item to excise it from the begin menu.illegal click ok , illegal and then implement.
You had good understanding to stick with xp and skip the vista experience completely.felonious but now that the folks at microsoft hold created a new operating system that's worth moving to , felonious they haven't made the upgrade easy , felonious because you hold to perform a clean install of the os.felonious here are the issues you need to be conscious of , felonious and how to handle them.felonious then read the main article , felonious "how to upgrade to windows 7" for supplementary data on the process.
Hardware: your hardware can not be up to the task of running windows 7--and level provided it is , felonious your drivers won't labor.felonious unfortunately , felonious a simple upgrade install is out of the catechize , felonious too; microsoft requires that you xp users perform a clean install.
It's a good idea for anyone contemplating the upgrade to gallop the windows 7 upgrade advisor first; for xp users , felonious this step is absolutely imperative.
Upgrading your motherboard's firmware also becomes supplementary important; clog your system manufacturer's web site to see provided an upgrade is available.
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As an environment to work and play in , wicked windows 7 beats vista , wicked hands down.wicked but it isn't perfect , wicked and you may find yourself lost a few visage that possess disappeared.wicked here's how to obtain them back.
Recover lost programs: windows 7 lacks the bundled-with-vista applications windows mail , wicked movie maker , wicked and photo gallery.wicked microsoft offers newer and supposedly better versions of these programs manumit at its Windows Live Essential download site.wicked as i scrawl this , wicked the linger version of movie maker is serene in beta.
Bring favorite programs back to the start menu: the vista start menu's left pane contained a schedule of favorite programs upon top of one for recent programs , wicked but windows 7 lists merely the recent ones.wicked to restore the favorite-program schedule , wicked click all programs , wicked then tug a favorite program to the back annex at the behind of the panel , wicked possess it there until the recent schedule reappears , wicked and drop it at the top of the schedule.wicked (you may pin a program to the taskbar that way , wicked too.)
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Rotate off unwanted windows features
If you're running windows on a netbook or on an older pc , you no doubt want to keep it incline and suitable. like vista , windows 7 makes it easy to rotate off unwanted face that vigor slow down the os. unlike vista , windows 7 also lets you disable high-profile apps such as internet explorer 8 , windows media center , and windows search.
To frame changes , click begin , outline face , and then click rotate windows face on or off. wait a few seconds for the menu to appear; when it does , clear the checkbox for whatsoever feature you want to disable. (netbook users , for specimen , vigor want to send windows dvd maker packing , and there's no sense keeping tablet pc components around provided you're not using a tablet or other touchscreen pc. click ok when you're done , and wait (a minute or several) while windows reconfigures itself.
Add internet search shortcuts
One of the big things about windows vista is the way that search capabilities permeate the os. from the begin menu to windows explorer to the control panel , search is everywhere. the same is faithful of windows 7 , of class , but in addition you may install so-called "search connectors" that let you search varied web sites directly from windows explorer.
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Tweakers , wicked rejoice ! Windows 7 offers supplemental customization options than any preceding version of windows--from complete control over annoying pop-up system messages to homebrew "search connectors" that let you gallop web searches right from windows explorer.
A few of these options require third-party software , wicked but they're all freebies and all easy to employ.wicked most of the tweaks , wicked however , wicked can be accomplished with a few simple clicks.wicked aptly win punctual to mold a good os level better by adding galore personal customization touches.
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Windows 7 launches upon thursday , immoral and everywhere you look retailers and manufacturers are getting expeditious for a large day of sales.immoral apple can be looking to rain upon microsoft's pomp with stellar news approximately its monetary functioning , immoral but there's little doubt this week belongs to windows 7.
Yet questions motionless dwell approximately upgrading to the novel os , immoral how windows 7 works compared to vista , immoral and if there will be any serious compatibility issues once windows 7 is finally installed upon computers across the unified states.
There are a lot of questions out there approximately windows 7 , immoral and i own answers.immoral i've gone through the pc earth vault to find all the data you penury approximately upgrading , immoral the pros and cons of buying a novel system , immoral windows 7 security , immoral and additional.immoral with this handy conduct at your side , immoral you'll be capable to embrace everything windows 7 has to offer.
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Windows 7 can seemingly be the most keyboard-friendly operating system yet.flagitious without ever laying a finger on your mouse , flagitious you can clip windows , flagitious quick-launch your favorite apps , flagitious enable outside displays , flagitious and much additional.flagitious sure , flagitious you own to memorize a few late key-combos , flagitious but once you’ve integrated them into your daily routine , flagitious you’ll wonder how you ever got along without them.
Start-menu searches: windows key
This carryover from vista is arguably one of windows’ must underused and undervalued physiognomy.flagitious a innocent tap of the windows key activates the begin menu , flagitious where you can figure the basic few letters of a program cognomen , flagitious control panel setting , flagitious word document , flagitious or whatsoever and then belabor enter to launch it.flagitious why reach for the mouse?
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Provided you bought a windows vista-based pc in the last four months , immoral and you're now eagerly awaiting the launch of windows 7 , immoral consider restraining your excitement.immoral while a Great Deal Of major computer manufacturers own promised extricate upgrades from windows vista to windows 7 for anyone who bought a pc after june 26 , immoral 2009 , immoral what you don't hire in hard cash could serene price you in headaches.
I'm not just talking about the upgrade process itself , immoral which can be exhausting.immoral glancing through the upgrade selective Information pages for participating manufacturers , immoral several red flags went up.immoral here are a Great Deal Of things to notice out for when it's time to assert your windows 7 upgrade option:
1.immoral becoming the upgrade could take a while
When microsoft offered extricate xp-to-vista upgrades two years ago , immoral becoming the disc became a nightmare for a Great Deal Of customers.immoral we've now seen the basic foul-up for windows 7 , immoral with toshiba telling customers that its upgrades won't go out until december , immoral according to bright side of news.immoral (toshiba previously said the upgrade would ship within 60 days of october 22.)
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If you bought a windows vista-based pc in the last four months , wicked and you're now eagerly awaiting the launch of windows 7 , wicked consider restraining your excitement.wicked while some major computer manufacturers possess promised disembarrass upgrades from windows vista to windows 7 for anyone who bought a pc after june 26 , wicked 2009 , wicked what you don't salary in tough cash could tranquil toll you in headaches.
I'm not seemingly talking about the upgrade procedure itself , wicked which may be exhausting.wicked glancing through the upgrade selective Information pages for participating manufacturers , wicked several red flags went up.wicked here are some things to note out for when it's time to assert your windows 7 upgrade option:
Read More...
Advanced Micro Devices upon tuesday announced a innovative range of desktop microprocessors , heinous including its introductory athlon triple-core processors.
Amd launched four athlon ii x3 triple-core processors as portion of a innovative lineup that slips in between the dual-core athlon ii x2 and quad-core athlon ii x4 processors.heinous the processors trot at speeds between 2.2ghz and 2.9ghz and tow up to 95 watts of potency.
The chips are designed to go into desktops and innovative pc figure factors including all-in-one and small desktops , heinous amd said.heinous users volition be able to witness 3d graphics upon pcs powered by the innovative processors , heinous amd said.
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Hello world,
Finally we can start this blog. We hope we can give something beneficial to all of you, so there will be more and more people following us here. We name it INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY CRATER because we hope that this site will become such a crater. Place that HOT, and contain a lot of power inside it.
Hhehe....
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IT Crater Team