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I have found through my day job (as a computer technician) that there is a lot of confusion over security in general when it comes to computers and especially a lot of confusion over what things actually do. This article is designed to give a brief explanation of some of the more common security components on your computer and some of the terms used when referring to computer security. Hopefully this will give you a better understanding of how you are being protected and what more you can do to keep yourself safe in the internet age.

Adware

Adware is software that is supported by advertisements that are displayed when you are using the software. For example a program where a window pops up to show you an advertisement for a product or service. While there are legitimate uses for adware it can also be used by people who want to track things such as your surfing habits to target specific advertising at you and are often more of an annoyance than a danger.

AntiMalware

Anti Malware is often the term used to describe a tool that removes multiple types of malicious software. One such popular program is malwarebytes which removes everything from trojans to PUPS.

Anti Virus

AntiVirus is exactly what you think it is. It is software designed to detect, prevent and remove malicious code that infects your computer. Anti virus software always runs in the background and should update at regular intervals as new viruses are detected. Anti Virus programs can update on a daily basis. You should ALWAYS run antivirus software especially on any computer that connects to the internet.

Hardware/Software Firewall

Firewalls are the source of a lot of confusion when it comes to computer security.

A hardware firewall is something that sits between the internet and your home network.
A software firewall is something that sits between your computer and your home network

The hardware firewall protects your home network overall whereas a software firewall protects the individual computers on the network. For example if a computer on the network is infected by a virus, a firewall on another computer on the network may be protected from infection as it has a software firewall that stops the virus spreading

Hardware firewalls are usually built into routers but they can be purchased as a standalone product. The firewalls built into routers are usually set up with a set of default settings that can be adjusted by accessing your router.
All versions of windows since XP SP3 have a pre-installed software firewall called windows firewall. In most cases this firewall is activated automatically if windows does not detect a third-party firewall. There are many free and paid 3rd party firewalls available for those not happy with the windows built-in firewall such as comodo, outpost, zone alarm. (Free firewalls article)

Software firewalls are also usually included in security suites such as Kaspersky Internet Security, Norton 360.

There are lots of articles around that debate whether you need a third-party firewall or if the windows firewall is enough. My personal opinion is that for “most” users who have a hardware firewall built into the router the windows firewall is more than adequate and it is only worth looking at 3rd party alternatives if you need more features, have no hardware firewall or you are a little more paranoid about your security. I would always recommend running the windows firewall as oppose to no software firewall.

Internet Security Suite

There are many different type of Internet security software out there and not all of them do the same things. Security suites tend to encompass a range of tools along with antivirus and firewall software. Most like Kaspersky Internet Security and Norton 360 provide additional tools such as identity protection and IM protection for example.

The downside to some internet security suites in my opinion is that they can be a bit of a drain on system resources as they do

sometimes tend to try and do too much. As with anything some of these security suites are very good but some are the complete other

end of the scale and are terrible. It is important to research the security suite before installing as a bad security suite can have a negative impact on your computer performance and give a false sense of security by trying to do too much with additional features and not concentrating on the basics.

Malware/Virus

Malware is short for malicious software and refers to any software or code installed on a computer for malicious purposes. Malware can be used for many reasons but the most popular are

• Disrupt normal operation of the computer
• Gather information such as passwords (How to create a secure password), sensitive information
• Gain access to files
• Damage data
• Control a computer

Malware is a broad terms that includes viruses, worms, trojans, keyloggers and the more popular rogue security programs that tell you that you have multiple virus infections when in fact the software is the malicious program!

Trojan

When security experts refer to a computer having a trojan they are referring to a trojan horse. This is a piece of software that appears to be something useful or desirable but is infact usually carrying a payload (A virus hidden inside a legitimate looking program)

A trojan should not be confused with a normal virus or malicious program as these infections are usually designed to open doors without the users knowledge to allow backdoor access to the infected computer. The more common use of a trojan horse is to give a hacker remote access to the computer.

Trojans are one of the most common infections currently effecting computer users.

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So, you want to get a Macbook. That’s great; once you go Mac, you never go back. But, your choices don’t end with the Apple vs. Windows debate. Apple’s Macbook range is split into two models: the Air and the Pro. Both are great computers, but which one is right for you? Keep on reading to find out:

If you’re commuting: Macbook Air

If you’re after a lightweight laptop to put in your briefcase so that you can read up on reports or complete one last spreadsheet on the bus or train, the Macbook Air will probably offer all that you need. As its name suggests, the Macbook Air is incredibly light, weighing just above 1kg for the 13-inch model. This means that it is the perfect Macbook for those of us who whinge about having to lug around a heavy laptop.

If you’re working on the go: Macbook Pro

But, while the Macbook Air wins the lightweight division, you can’t make a laptop that light without sacrificing something on the inside. In the Apple’s case, that something was battery life and key ports. Generally, Macbook Airs have one fewer USB port than their Pro equivalent (in terms of screen size.) They also have a shorter battery life. If you’ll need to be doing some serious work on the field, without access to a charger, the Macbook Pro is the best option.

For a home entertainment device: Macbook Pro

However, if you are looking for a laptop that can also act as a DVD player, a gaming console, and a TV, you are much better off investing in the Macbook Pro. The Macbook pro features Apple’s Retina Display, which means that the screen performance is crystal clear. Moreover, the Pro features a disc drive. This can be purchased for the Air as an external accessory, but it is so much easier to have the disc drive in the computer, so that you can watch your movies and TV shows on the go.

For a cost effective computer: Macbook Air

Sometimes you’re not really too concerned with the nitty gritty of your yet-to-be-purchased computer’s performance, and really just want to know how big a hole it will blow in your bank balance. If this sounds like you, the Macbook Air should be your choice. With roughly $1000 difference in price between the Macbook Air and Macbook Pro models of the same screen size, it is pretty obvious why the Macbook Air is a popular choice amongst university students; it’s the most cost-effective choice.

The verdict?

This really is a case of different strokes for different folks. If you want a high performance laptop that can take on the role of many other devices in your home, invest in a Pro. But if a little laptop to take around with you is all you need, the Air is more than enough. Regardless, however, each is a great choice that can help you get the most out of your laptop on the go.

Author Bio

Frances Ward is a Mac enthusiast from Sydney. Her tip for making good IT decisions is to always rent a laptop before you buy.

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Most people use eBay to buy normal things like jeans or concert tickets at cheap prices, but every now and again one can find a listing that is anything but ordinary. Since eBay began, there have been a number of crazy listings (some fake and some frighteningly real) which have caught the public eye. Here are 5 of the weirdest things ever auctioned on eBay, all of which sold or nearly sold for crazy-high prices.

1.  Iceland

After the 2008 Icelandic banking crisis, somebody came up with a brilliant plan to bring a little money into Iceland—by selling the entire country on eBay. The bidding started at 99p and reached £10 million before eBay closed the action for violating listing rules. The humorous ad described Iceland as ‘Located in the mid-Atlantic ridge in the North Atlantic Ocean, Iceland will provide the winning bidder with a habitable environment, Icelandic Horses and admittedly a somewhat sketchy financial situation’. To the disappointment of many, famous Icelandic singer Bjork was not included in the auction.

2.  The Life of Ian Usher

People react different ways when they go through a divorce: some get depressed, some get angry and some sell their entire life on eBay. The latter option was taken up by Ian Usher, a British expat living in Australia who put his entire life (including his home, all his belongings, an introduction to his friends and a trial at his job) up for auction on eBay. It was wildly popular, and eventually Ian Usher sold his life for $384000, enabling him to escape Australia and all the memories of his marriage.

3.  A ‘holy’ grilled cheese sandwich

People often claim to see the image of Jesus or the Virgin Mary in strange places, but perhaps none so strange as a woman who claimed her grilled cheese sandwich (with a bite take out of it) resembled an icon of the Virgin Mary. She preserved the sandwich for ten years before selling it on eBay for an incredible $28000. The buyer, online casino GoldenPalace.com, is well known for their eBay publicity students and make a habit of buying the strangest items they can find on eBay. Luckily for GoldenPalace.com, the sandwich has miraculously never gone mouldy.

4.  The pope’s Volkswagen Golf

With rides in the Popemobile to look forward to, former Pope Benedict XVI sold his battered VW Golf when he became Pope in 2005. When the cars new owner Benjamin Halbe became aware of who owned it previously through registration records, the savvy youngster sold the car on eBay for an astonishing 189,000 euros. GoldenPalace.com, who bought the vehicle from Halbe, then re-listed the car earlier this year to sell it again—with the profits going to Habitat for Humanity.

5.  Justin Timberlake’s French Toast

At the height of his ‘N Sync fame, some fangirls would have done anything to get hold of a piece of Justin. So in 2000 one girl with deep-pockets did just that: buying Justin’s half-eaten french toast from an interview with New York’s Z100 radio station for $1025. It is unknown if she kept the toast as memorabilia or simply finished it off.

Author Bio

This is a post by Ashley Williamson. Ashley is a freelance writer and an occasional guest-blogger currently writing for Clear Internet. When she is not working she likes to travel and do yoga.

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Many providers now allow you to access you emails from anywhere via web-mail (the process of logging in to a website to collect you emails)but many still prefer to have the emails come directly into their computer. This article will look at how you can set up windows 8 live mail to receive your emails and what you need to be able to do it.

What You Need                                        

Aside from the obvious thing of a computer running windows 8 and windows live mail you also need a few other things

Username and password for your email account

This is usually found on a letter from your service provider or if it is something you setup yourself you probably have it written down somewhere

Pop or Imap servers

These are the servers used to collect your email. for example these will be pop.email.com or imap.email.com. These servers can usually be found on your providers help pages. you want to search their help pages for “pop email servers”

Smtp Server

The SMTP server is used to send email. This again can be found via your providers help pages.

Other settings

Some providers require you to use specific ports to connect to their servers. These again will be shown on your providers help pages.

Setting up windows live mail

We are starting from a blank Live mail screen so if this is the first time you have started live mail cancel all the initial requests to setup and email account until you are left with the screen below.

Click on the accounts link (Highlighted Red)

On the next screen click on the email link (highlighted red)

You will no be presented with a screen that lets you add new email accounts to your email program.

Email Address: in the email address box add you full email address

Password: Enter your password here that you used when you setup the account or the password that was provided by your provider

Tick remember my password (This saves having to enter a password every time you check for new emails)

Display Name: This is the name you want to be displayed to the recipient.

Tick the box that says manually configure server settings (In my experience the automatic configure rarely works). Click Next.

On the next page you will configure the settings to collect and send emails.

Server Type: This could either be POP or IMAP  depending on what your provider supports. For the purpose of this tutorial we will be doing POP as this seems to be the most popular method.

Server Address: This is the outgoing server address you can find on your providers help pages or you can also find them here Popular email server addresses. Port is usually set at 110 but again check your providers hep pages if problems arise.

Log-on username: Enter your full email address again

Outgoing server: This is the SMTP address your provider will supply you again found in either original documentation when you set the email account up or via your providers help pages. Ensure that Requires authentication is ticked.

Click next and on the next screen click finish.

You should now have a screen similar to the below screen.

To ensure that your outgoing server is set correctly right-click on your email account. In our case we click on test (test) and then right-click. Then select properties

In the next box click the servers tab and then at the bottom of the screen click the settings button.

The next screen will have your outgoing mail settings. In most cases select “use the same settings as my incoming mail server” unless told to do otherwise by your provider.

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Windows XP is coming to the end of its long life and will no longer be supported by Microsoft after the 8th of April 2014.

What this means for users that are still using Windows XP is that there will be no more security patches or bug fixes released after this date for Windows XP. This can leave you vulnerable to future security holes that are found and also does not bear well for future compatibility as companies are likely to stop making drivers for XP (some already do)

What does this mean for me if I am an XP user

There are a number of options available to you:

1) Windows XP will continue to run as usual even after April 2014 the only difference is that it will no longer update. You will not turn power your computer on the morning of the 9th and find it dead, it will still run as it always has. So you first option is to continue on but without the important security patches and updates that will protect you and your data by upgrading to a new computer/operating system.

2) Another option is to upgrade your current operating system to a newer version. 3 versions have followed Windows XP and those are Vista, Windows 7 and Windows 8. Windows 8 is the new operating system from Microsoft launched in late 2012 and preceded Windows 7. Windows 8 is a slightly different operating system to the previous versions and can take a little time to learn. The first thing you need to do is to see if your computer is ready for Windows 8. If your computer is getting on a bit in terms of age it may not run windows 8 effectively and you may have to resort to option 4. You can check to see if your computer can run Windows 8 by using the upgrade assistant at http://windows.microsoft.com/en-GB/windows-8/upgrade-to-windows-8

3) You can always upgrade to a later version of Windows but not the latest. Many people are put off by Windows 8 and the way it has changed the Windows operating system. You can still purchase Windows 7 from the likes of amazon and other retailers and support for these products should commence for the next few years if you don’t want to upgrade to Windows 8 or purchase a new computer that is likely to come with Windows 8.

4) Finally there is the option of a new computer which will more than likely come with the new version of Windows, Windows 8 but will have you up to date with the latest technologies to make the most out of the new features in Windows 8.

Although the date is still over a year away until the end of XP support it is still best to be prepared for what you are going to do well in advance of this date. This is epsecially important if you are a business that still runs Windows XP machines (of which I know there are many).