That’s right. Some spam you have in your email right now may have been originally sent to other innocent computers before it came to yours so that it could remain in disguise. If the authorities could track down the original senders of spam, they could crack down on spam itself. Spam senders don’t want that.

Ever heard of phishing emails? Those are the ones that purport to be from your internet service provider or bank. They typically request some information from you, like your credit card number. The problem is, they’re NOT from your internet service provider or your bank. They’re from evil people after your credit card number! Well, these emails are often sent the same way spam is sent, by sending them via innocent computers.

Of course makers of anti-virus software use a variety of methods to combat the onslaught of viruses. Norton, for instance, uses signature scanning, Nachenberg said.

Signature scanning is similar to the process of looking for DNA fingerprints, he said. Norton examines programming code to find what viruses are made of. It adds those bad instructions it finds to its large database of other bad code. Then it uses this vast database to seek out and match the code in it with similar code in your computer. When it finds such virus code, it lets you know!

Nevertheless, “Any web browser potentially has vulnerabilities,” Nachenberg said.

For instance, let’s say you go to a website in IE you have every reason to think is safe, Nachenberg said.

But unfortunately it isn’t. It has virus code hidden in its background that IE isn’t protecting you from. While you’re looking at the site, the virus is downloaded onto your computer, he said. That’s one way of catching a nasty virus.

During the past two years, another prevalent way to catch a virus has been through downloads computer users share with one another, mostly on music sharing sites, Kuo said. On Limewire or Kazaa, for instance, teenagers or other music enthusiasts might think they’re downloading that latest Justin Timberlake song, when in reality they’re downloading a virus straight into their computer. It’s easy for a virus writer to put a download with a virus on one of these sites because everyone’s sharing with everyone else anyway.

Here’s one you might not have thought of. If you use Outlook or Outlook Express to send and receive email, do you have a preview pane below your list of emails that shows the contents of the email you have highlighted? If so, you may be putting yourself at risk.

Some viruses, though a small percentage according to Nachenberg, are inserted straight into emails themselves.

Forget opening the attachment. All you have to do is view the email to potentially get a virus, Kuo added. For instance, have you ever opened or viewed an email that states its “loading”? Well, once everything is “loaded,” a virus in the email might just load onto your computer.

So if I were you, I’d click on View on the toolbar in your Outlook or Outlook Express and close the preview pane. (You have to click on View and then Layout in Outlook Express.)

On a network at work? You could get a virus that way. Worms are viruses that come into your computer via networks, Kuo said. They travel from machine to machine and, unlike, the classic viruses; they attack the machine itself rather than individual files.

Worms sit in your working memory, or RAM, Nachenberg said.

OK, so we’ve talked about how the viruses get into a computer. How do they cause so much damage once they’re there?

Let’s say you’ve caught a classic virus, one that replicates and attacks various files on your computer. Let’s go back to the example of the virus that initially infects your Microsoft Word program.

Well, it might eventually cause that program to crash, Nachenberg said. It also might cause damage to your computer as it looks for new targets to infect.

This process of infecting targets and looking for new ones could eventually use up your computer’s ability to function, he said.

Often the destruction a virus causes is pegged to a certain event or date and time, called a trigger. For instance, a virus could be programmed to lay dormant until January 28. When that date rolls around, though, it may be programmed to do something as innocuous but annoying as splash popup on your screen, or something as severe as reformat your computer’s hard drive, Nachenberg said.

There are other potential reasons, though, for a virus to cause your computer to be acting slow or in weird ways. And that leads us to a new segment – the reason virus writers would want to waste their time creating viruses in the first place.

The majority of viruses are still written by teenagers looking for some notoriety, Nachenberg said. But a growing segment of the virus-writing population has other intentions in mind.

Viruses are pieces of programming code that make copies of themselves, or replicate, inside your computer without asking your explicit written permission to do so. Forget getting your permission down on paper. Viruses don’t bother to seek your permission at all! Very invasive.

In comparison, there are pieces of code that might replicate inside your computer, say something your IT guy thinks you need. But the code spreads, perhaps throughout your office network, with your consent (or at least your IT guy’s consent). These types of replicating code are called agents, said Jimmy Kuo, a research fellow with McAfee AVERT, a research arm of anti-virus software-maker McAfee Inc.

In this article, though, we’re not talking about the good guys, or the agents. We’ll be talking about the bad guys, the viruses.

A long, long time ago in computer years, like five, most viruses were comprised of a similar breed. They entered your computer perhaps through an email attachment or a floppy disk (remember those?). Then they attached themselves to one of your files, say your Microsoft Word program.

When you opened your Microsoft Word program, the virus replicated and attached itself to other files. These could be other random files on your hard drive, the files furthest away from your Microsoft Word program, or other files, depending on how the virus writer wanted the virus to behave.

This virus code could contain hundreds or thousands of instructions. When it replicates it inserts those instructions, into the files it infects, said Carey Nachenberg, Chief Architect at Symantec Research Labs, an arm of anti-virus software-maker Symantec. Corp.

Because so many other types of viruses exist now, the kind just described is called a classic virus. Classic viruses still exist but they’re not quite as prevalent as they used to be. (Perhaps we could put classic viruses on the shelf with Hemingway and Dickens.)

These days, in the modern era, viruses are known to spread through vulnerabilities in web browsers, files shared over the internet, emails themselves, and computer networks.

The power of present day computers is amazing, although they do have their problems and if you don’t know how to fix computer errors when they present themselves you can become very inconvenienced. Computers do require regular maintenance and they need to be periodically upgraded and if you fail to keep up with some easy maintenance you will no doubt experience problems. There are a few simple tasks that can be performed to fix computer errors and help prevent them from occurring in the future.

Tips That Will Help You Fix Computer Errors

If your computers registry becomes corrupt or unstable it will dramatically affect your computers performance in a very negative way. You may notice your computer is running extremely slow and your having to wait for programs to open or it takes awhile to switch from web page to web page. If you use your computer for work or school or maybe just to run the family’s budget, learning to fix computer problems can be extremely beneficial.

When your computers registry has been corrupted you may have error messages popping up on your screen such as “fatal .exe error” or “.dll file error” and these type of errors can cause your system to shut down or freeze up leaving you with a computer that you cannot use. When these type of errors occur it can be extremely frustrating because you may be in the middle of some important work so if your learn how to fix computer errors such as these you can avoid serious down time.

One of the first steps you should take in efforts to solve your problem would be to run your disk defragmenter. Running the disk defragmenter may reduce the occurrence of errors by condensing all the files in need of repair.

To fix computer errors that are related to your computers registry, you should complete a registry scan so that all the unused, old and unwanted data can be detected and removed. To clean your computers registry you will need to buy a good registry cleaner program. I want to emphasize on the word “Buy” because there are a lot of free registry cleaners available but it’s a terrible idea to even try a free registry cleaner. Free registry cleaners will not only just not fix computer errors they will cause damage to your system. When it comes to the free registry cleaners the programmers will put in malicious code and adware and spyware programs that will collect and transmit your personal information and in many cases end up leaving your computer so damaged that it cannot be repaired.

Reg Clean is one of the more advanced registry cleaner programs available as it can perform a variety of preventative maintenance tasks as well as removing malicious spyware and viruses that have infected your registry. When you run a scan with Reg Clean it can fix computer errors as it cleans up your entire registry and it performs a registry backup while it is defragging your system.

There are a number of viruses out there that can really attack your system causing all sorts of problems. Spyware and virus programs can be the cause of a variety of computer errors. They are capable of overwriting program files or deleting necessary file extensions disabling important programs and limiting the functionality of your system. To fix computer errors that are a result of spyware and some viruses you can use updated antispyware and antivirus protection.

Damaged or corrupt programs or virus infections can cause serious damage to your computers boot section, and this will prevent your system from booting up properly or possibly not at all. When you need to fix computer errors related to your system booting up properly you should use your Windows XP Boot CD as this can repair the Windows XP installation which can overwrite computer errors picked up through spyware or viruses.

If the problems that you are having are directly related to your computers memory you will experience some of the following problems; system crashes, system hang or computer freeze, blue screen, constant restarts and crashing software programs. To fix computer errors related to your systems memory there are specific software programs that can help free up some memory space which will help solve RAM related problems. Improving your systems memory which is also known as RAM (random access memory), will improve your computers performance dramatically so I would highly advice you to do a computer memory test. To complete a memory test there is specific software available for such a task, one program that I am aware of that is very effective is called Memtest86, this can help you zero in on your problem allowing you to fix computer errors brought to your attention.

If you have tried all the advice given in this article and your still experiencing computer problems I would do a search on the Internet for information on how to fix computer errors. You will find many websites that focus on computer basics and troubleshooting. I would be very careful though and really check the websites credentials so you can be sure that your getting advice from a reliable source. There is also a software program available that can help you learn how to fix computer errors but again I would be very cautious about any program that needs to be down loaded and run on your computer. Remember preventative maintenance can save you from a lot of unnecessary problems and one of the best preventative measures you can take is to purchase a reputable registry cleaner program and use it periodically.

With the help of this tool, your computer is protected from any virus that enters your computer. When this virus enters the computer, it can replicate itself, may wait for a certain event to occur when it delivers a destructive payload on a disk or just attach itself to files and spread to other parts of the computer and different computers of a network.
Though some viruses may be harmless, there re some devastating viruses; which proves why you have to have a tool like urlaudit installed for protection from this malicious virus. Remember that new computer viruses are created everyday by programmers; so keep your anti-virus software like urlaudit up to date by checking for updates every now and then.
The reason you have to have urlaudit installed in your computer is for protection from viruses that can infect many parts of your computer. You run the risk of your files getting infected either through the computer memory or specific files like Microsoft Word. Viruses also infect parts of the computer responsible for running programs and functions like start up and shut down.
In addition to this, with urlaudit installed in your computer, you need not worry of viruses attacking as disk clusters, batch files and macros or data files to infect your computer files and directories.
Also make it a point to clean your registry every now and then to improve the efficiency of your computer. The registry is the part of the computer where you find files that teach the computer how to run. These files become corrupt over time; so run a registry cleaning software in the computer after you scan the computer for viruses using urlaudit.
There is nothing much you have to do to run your urlaudit software on your computer. Once you pay for it, and download it, all you have to do is to click on it to start scanning your computer to look for not only viruses, but also broken links, irritating pop-up ads and also to check urls of different websites.
With urlaudit and other similar website tools installed in your computer, you are sure of your computer running smoothly and efficiently, and have no fear of viruses hacking your computer.

Spyware is one of the leading causes of a slow computer. These spyware programs are known as malicious programs that attach themselves to the back of your computer, so that its maker can monitor your internet activity. It would definitely help if you could invest in a good anti-spyware program to prevent this from happening. This usually comes with an anti-virus program which scans your system to remove the spyware and all other viruses. Once you have had the software installed, it is advisable for you to scan your computer at least once a week to remove and prevent these unwanted “pests” from affecting your computer and its performance.

Having a cluttered system registry can really slow one’s computer down as it is packed with unnecessary registry files. Registry files are very important to a computer as they contain preferences and settings for your computer. However, unwanted files get added into the system’s registry each time you add a new software or hardware into your computer. Unfortunately, they will clutter your system’s registry even after you remove or delete the software or hardware. This is because they usually remain in your registry long after you remove and delete the programs, and you might not even be aware of its existence. Nonetheless, you can fix this problem by using a registry cleaner software. A registry cleaner scans your computer and removes these unnecessary registry files. When a scan is done, it will generate a list of unneeded registry files for you to delete. This will help your computer run smoother and faster when you run applications and other programs the next time. A registry cleaner can thus help optimize your computer and improve its overall performance.

The last cause of a slow running computer can be found on your desktop. Many find that they love the convenience of having shortcuts on their desktops as well as high-resolution wallpaper and animated cursors. Unfortunately, all of these things can slow down your computer as it uses up valuable system resources. It is better to shut these items off and not use them when you are working on the computer. This will free up some memory space in your computer, letting it run more smoothly and efficiently

If you want your computer to work at its best, it is important that you take the necessary steps to reduce the occurrence of these problems. By cluttering up your registry, leaving spyware embedded in your computer and cluttering up your desktop, you can greatly affect the overall performance of your computer. So avoid them and carefully tend to these three factors to help your computer run like new again.

Also, used computers need not always be second hand computers. They can also be recertified or refurbished computers. Refurbished or recertified computers are those, which are checked for any faults, if any corrected and sold with a warranty ensuring the working condition of the computer to be perfect. Hence, such computers are considered to be the safest form of buying a used computer. Refurbished computers can be bought from many of the online stores at very less prices. Quality computer manufacturers also sell such kind of recertified or refurbished computers. However, certain measures need to be taken while buying such kind of computers.

The prime aspect to be considered while purchasing a used or refurbished computer is to look for a good branded one. There are various companies who sell used computers or refurbished computers. The main reasons for opting for a branded one is that it comes with a warranty and also the buyer can be sure that the parts used are of good quality.

While buying used or refurbished computers related software documents, licenses and paperwork have to be got from the seller as this will avoid stolen computers being passed off as used computers to the buyer. If possible working for some time on the used computer will determine its efficiency. Most of the reputed dealers would allow the purchaser to use the computer for a shorter period to check the quality before purchase.

While checking for the efficiency of the used computer, it is good to check if the booting process is smooth, as most of the problems occur during booting and also to check all the sound drivers, video, graphics, monitor, mouse, keyboard etc. CD drives and hard disks also need to be checked. Another aspect is the support system offered for the used computer whether technical or non-technical, support staff capabilities and the number of support staff which determine the quality of service offered. If the purchaser is not satisfied, he can very well think of another choice.

Largely for this reason, Macs have been the computer of choice for the graphic design industry, the music production industry and the video production industry. This has prompted the software manufacturers to make professional software packages for these disciplines that favour the Mac operating system. Although they have packages supporting the Windows operating system, they are often less capable.

Consequently, if you are engaged in these industries and need your computer for this type of work, you should consider Mac. Mac computers appear to attract fewer viruses and software malfunctions than do Windows based PCs. On the down side, there has always appeared to have been limited software support for Mac systems.

Another decision that may guide your choice is the aesthetics of the computer. If you have limited available space, there is nothing quite like the iMacs or the mini Macs for space saving. iMac’s all-in-one desktop units are compact and complete with all the connectivity you need. However, the look of other brands may be more to your taste, with many models available in compact packages and modern colour schemes to suit practically all dêcor. Now that you’ve made that basic decision, you can start comparing the apples with apples.

The Components of Your Computer

The two factors that determine the price of your computer are size (yes it does matter) and speed. Either or both of these two dimensions are a factor of practically every component that makes up the machine. Naturally the highest price tags go with the combination of biggest and fastest.

CPU

The heart of the computer is the CPU (central processing unit). You need to decide which CPU you want driving your computer. These come from different manufacturers, and the current development of the technology is called Dual Core, which means that there are two processors on the one chip. Dual Core technology delivers more performance with less energy requirements. Intel and AMD are the two leading CPU manufacturers, and they offer different products under different names.

Current processing speeds range from about 1.4 GHz (gigahertz) through to 3.46 GHz. But it is not simply just a matter of speed. There are other considerations. Mac Operating Systems have a different architecture to Windows and will perform many functions faster with a slower speed CPU. A dual core chip at 1.4 GHz will deliver a better performance that a Pentium 4 chip at 1.8 GHz. A 1.4 GH dual core chip running a Mac with OSX Tiger, will perform better than a 2.0 GHz Pentium 4 processor running Windows. You need to decide what you want your computer to do, what your major software requirements are before you decide on the CPU processor.

However, for everyday use, a processor faster than 1.8 GHz will deliver excellent performance. As a rough rule of thumb, choose a Celeron for low cost computing, a Pentium 4 for mid-range budgets, or an AMD Athlon for bigger budgets. You can compare computers based on Pentium, Celeron, Athlon or Dual Core CPUs by searching those specifications on Myshopping.com.au and finding different vendors and brands using different processors.

RAM

This is where bigger definitely means better performance. RAM is the system memory that enables the computer to use its programs and swap data between the hard drive and the program functions. It’s important to match the speed of the RAM of your computer with the speed of the CPU. The more RAM you have available for your programs to work, the faster will your computer run. Most computers today come with at least 256 M (megabytes) of RAM. But memory is a relatively cheap component, and it costs little extra to upgrade to 512 M or greater.

HARD DRIVE

The hard drive of the computer stores your program files and your data. As computers have advanced, so has the need for more capacity to operate programs and store data. People working in media fields tend to work with very large files and require large storage space. Most computers in today’s market come with a minimum of 40G of hard drive space. However, this can be upgraded (usually in 20G chunks) to as much as 200G or more. The effectiveness of your hard drive also can depend on its physical speed (5400-7200 RPM) and the speed at which it can transfer data between the computer’s RAM and the hard drive. Faster means better performance.

REMOVABLE MEDIA

You will want to have a CD-R or (CD-RW) drive installed in your computer, and or possibly a DVD or DVD-R. For reading a CD ROM, all that is required is a CD drive and for watching DVD movies, a DVD ROM drive. However with a CD-R drive, you can record your own data and music CDs, and with a DVD-R drive, you can burn files in a DVD format, allowing you to store movies and data in far greater quantities. The CD-RW (DVD-RW) drives allow you to use re-recordable media. Your decision will depend on what you want to use your media drives for and what you want to store.

Other removable media will possibly include flash card storage, which is usually plugged in via the USB ports on the computer.

MONITORS

The monitor for your computer is integral to its function and aesthetics. If you are working in graphics you may want to stay with a CRT monitor. However most bundle offers these days are supplied with LCD monitors, which have the advantages of smaller space requirements, use lower energy and offer wider screen images. However they generally are more expensive (although prices are dropping everyday), can frequently be not as bright, have limited viewing angles and sometimes require a digital interface connector.

For graphics intensive work, LCD screens do not have the same capacity to render colours in gradients as CRT monitors. Once again, size matters. Bigger screens cost more than smaller ones.

VIDEO AND SOUND

For a detailed explanation of video cards, please see the article on Myshopping.com.au dedicated to Video Cards.

The interface between the CPU and the Monitor is provided by the video card. One of the basic decisions you need to make is whether you require a 3D or 2D card. Video cards come in two different types: those that use an AGP (accelerated graphics port) on the computer motherboard and those that use the PCI bus. Data transfer rate is critical to video performance. Faster video cards use an AGP, and this proves a faster data transfer than PCI cards. Most video cards also have their own video memory installed on the card, a feature that increases a computer’s memory performance. Today, these memories are often 128M or 256M, and can be more in the higher-end cards dedicated to sophisticated video work or gaming. Video cards performance is also affected by what is known as clock speed or clock rate, cards with a faster speed offer faster performance.

Cheaper computers, and laptops and notebooks, have an integrated graphics chip included in the motherboard instead of a discrete video card. This type of configuration is not as powerful or as fully functional as having a separate video card, which can allow more comprehensive gaming, the use of multiple monitors and faster and better rendering of images.

For a computer to reproduce the sounds recorded in games, movies and music products it requires a sound card. Quality of sound can be affected by the sound card your computer has installed. It’s important that you know how you want to use the sound reproduction processes of your computer. If you are a musician and want to record audio, then you will want to be sure that you have excellent connectivity, good midi access and at least 16-bit (CD quality) audio reproduction. Sound cards give you the possibilities of full cinema surround sound, and the many subtle effects employed by high-end games.

Nearly every computer comes with a set of stereo speakers. However it pays to have a good listen to what you’re buying. Make sure you listen to program that you are familiar with (take your own CD along) and compare the sound in a quiet environment. Many speaker systems for computers have poor frequency response and are underpowered. For desktop use that does not involve a quality listening environment this may be satisfactory. But if you want to listen to music and watch movies for the full effect, then you need to consider buying a good quality set of speakers. Use the search facility of Myshopping.com.au to compare specifications and prices of different speaker systems.

KEYBOARD AND MOUSE

The choice of keyboard and mouse are personal choices. Sometimes it depends on what you do on your computer, whether you have formal typing skills or whether you’re a two-finger hack. Serious writers may prefer an ergonomic keyboard. Keyboards frequently have different clicks and responses to others. You may prefer an infrared cordless keyboard and mouse. You may prefer an optical mouse on which you don’t have to clean the rollers. Optical mice have no rollerball, and can be used on most flat surfaces, but they are more expensive.

CONNECTIVITY

Today, connectivity is everything. Your computer can have wireless connections to all of your peripherals: printer, scanner, and other computers. Having an onboard modem will only be really important if you are using a dial up internet connection. Broadband modems tend to be peripherals and you can connect via USB, wireless or firewire. It does pay to consider how you will connect to the internet and other peripherals. It’s not always convenient to get behind your computer to plug something in or unplug it. Some sound cards have a front face panel with all the connections you need. The USB ports on Macs are conveniently located. Many PC manufacturers haven’t caught on to the fact that it’s important for some people to easily access the connections to their computers.

To compare the different bundle offers from different brands, and to compare the different components by their specifications, search the Myshopping.com.au database for exactly the specifications you are seeking. You can compare prices and vendors, and order what you need online with a few clicks.

Today’s eBay powerseller: rogerky
1 FAST DELL PC P4 3.0 GHZ DESKTOP COMPUTER WIN XP 2 PRO

This NO RESERVE auction is for a Lightning Fast Pentium 4 Dell Optiplex GX280 Desktop Computer. This computer has been Refurbished and Upgraded by our trained technicians. It has a HUGE hard drive, TONS of memory and a DVD BURNER, so you can watch DVD movies and create your own DVDs & CDs.

In addition to a fresh install of Windows XP Professional (Dell Restore CD Included) this computer comes preloaded with the following software:

Internet Explorer and AVG Antivirus to surf the internet (internet provider required).
PowerDVD so you can watch DVD movies and Nero to burn CDs & DVDs.
OpenOffice Suite which is compatible with Microsoft Office Excel, Word, and Powerpoint files.
FREE SHIPPING!! (We ONLY ship to the Lower 48 States)

Specifications:
Intel Pentium 4, 3.0GHz Processor
2GB (2048MB) of RAM
80 Gigabyte Hard Drive
DVD-RW Drive (Plays/Burns CDs & DVDs)
8 Total USB 2.0 Ports, 2 in Front
10/100 Ethernet Port

Included in this Auction
NEW Keyboard
NEW Optical Mouse
Dell Windows XP PRO Restore Disk
Hi-Fi Stereo Speakers
Power Cable

This computer comes with a 30 Day Parts and Labor Warranty. If any hardware failure occurs within 30 days we will repair or replace the unit at no cost, we even pay the return shipping on hardware repairs! Software issues are not covered, but if you have a software issue in the first 30 days, such as Virus or Spyware problems, we will still repair it for free. However, in this case the buyer would be responsible for all return shipping fees.

Also included with your purchase will be a 10% off discount coupon for Square Trade Extended Warranty Services. Extend your warranty and peace of mind up to 2 years for a small fee through Square Trade Extended Warranty Services.

We’d like to share his secret for success,and learn how to make the right description for products.

product title: NEW Q2 Designs Laptop Computer 15.4 Inch 2GB 250GB

Buy Now and Save!!!

Make an offer! All offers considered!

Brand New! Laptop computer 15.4 inch 2GB 250GB Vista Intel Dual Core red WIFI webcam

This Ferrari red 15.4 inch widescreen notebook delivers all the value you expect without compromising the features you want. By using Intel’s Dual-Core CPU technology, the T3400 provides breakthrough mobile performance in a Ferrari Red package.

Our custom painted Ferrari red 15.4 inch widescreen notebook laptop features an Intel 2.16GHz Pentium Dual-Core mobile CPU w/ 1MB cache and 667MHz FSB, 2GB of DDR2 RAM, a 250GB hard drive, DVD-RW super-multi optical drive, 103 key full-size keyboard with numeric keypad, integrated 802.11b/g wireless, 1.3megapixel webcam and 4-in-1 removable flash memory card reader.

103-key full size keyboard with numeric keypad

Intel T3400 2.16GHz 1MB 667MHz Pentium Dual-Core CPU

15.4 inch high-resolution widescreen (1280×800) LCD

DVD/RW Super-Multi optical drive

Integrated 802.11b/g Wi-Fi, 1.3MP webcam and memory card reader

Dimensions

width 14.1 in

length 10.2 in

height 1.22 in

weight 5.5 lb

PLEASE READ OUR POLICIES BEFORE BIDDING

NO INTERNATIONAL SHIPPING

ADDITIONAL FEES AND EXTENDED SHIP TIME APPLY FOR SHIPPING TO PUERTO RICO, HAWAII OR ALASKA

RETURNS ACCEPTED WITHIN 7 DAYS OF RECEIPT – CONTACT US IMMEDIATELY FOR RETURNS – RESTOCKING FEES APPLY