Blanca’s Visions

Spyware is a parasite in your computer that does just what the names suggests: spies on you as you browse the web. It records the sites you go on, our keystrokes, and your personal information. Many advertisers use spyware to track which websites you visit to send you targeted ads in the form of annoying pop-ups. The biggest danger of spyware by far is collecting personal information such as credit card numbers, social security numbers, and bank account numbers. It's very easy to get and very hard to get rid of. Some free software you can download may help you get rid of some of the spyware on your computer, but may not get it all.

Spyware uses hidden processes to not only slow your computer and serve you pop-ups, but it can also disable your anti-virus and anti-spyware programs, leaving you all the more vulnerable to all the latest infections out there. Spyware is extremely hard to get rid of because it installs itself in so many folders that if you try to uninstall it, it can reinstall from other files.

Anti-spyware programs combat spyware in two different ways. Some provide real time protection against the installation of spyware on your computer. While your surf the net, the programs checks all incoming and outgoing signals to prevent spyware from getting into your computer. It blocks anything that may be suspicious. Other programs search your hard drive to remove any spyware that may already be there. You can schedule periodic scans of your computer to make sure it's clean of spyware.

You should always make backups of important information on your computer. Putting them on a DVD or remote hard drive will protect the information from being corrupted, remove it from you computer's hard drive if necessary, and won't be accidentally lost. You should also set up a firewall for your computer. A firewall acts as a barrier between your computer and the internet. It only allows information in from trusted sources. You can buy a hard drive version of a firewall or install a software version. Some browsers come with one built in, but you may still want to buy a more advanced one for your personal security.

You need to do everything possible in order to protect yourself from spyware. Identity theft is very real, and for some spyware programs, not very hard to do at all. Protecting yourself with an anti-spyware program ensures that you will not become a victim, and it also keeps your computer running smoothly. Spyware uses the host computer's memory space to run, slowing the computer by a lot if infected.…

Many home business owners maintain very organized computer filing systems. They're able to find their computer files with just a few keystrokes or clicks of the mouse. Other home business owners aren't as organized. They just save their documents to the desktop or documents folder without having any real organizational system for their computer files. This can lead to lost files, accidental deletion of important files, and an increase in the amount of time it takes to find files on your computer. This article will give you tips on how to organize computer files so that you don't need to spend time wading through groups of files every time you need to locate a document.

Cleaning Computer Files: Before You Begin

Before you begin cleaning computer files, make sure you have enough time set aside to make a dent in what needs to be done. Depending on how many files you have, it may take anywhere from fifteen minutes to several hours to get them under control. If you have a big project ahead of you, break it down into several short sessions to make organizing computer files more manageable. You may also want to jot down some ideas for file categories before you begin creating folders and moving files.

Organizing Computer Files: Cleaning Up Desktop Icons

If you're not paying attention when you install new programs or download files from your e-mail, you could end up with dozens of unused desktop icons that cause computer clutter and make files hard to find. Start your mission to organize your computer files by reviewing all of your desktop icons. If they are shortcuts that you never use, you can delete them. If they are documents that you downloaded, move them to the appropriate folder. Pictures could go in your My Pictures folder and general documents could go in your My Documents Folder. When you're finished, you'll have a clean desktop that will motivate you to continue with organizing computer files.

Cleaning Computer Files: Develop a File System

When you're cleaning computer files, you need to come up with a filing system that works for you. There are a lot of great articles about computer filing systems, but they will not do you any good if you are unable to stick with them. Think about how you typically access files. If you have a home business, you may want to have folders for client work, expenses, and personal projects. Create new folders for each of these topics so that you can easily file your documents.

Organizing Computer Files: Renaming Documents

Sometimes, downloaded documents take on funny names such as ~111.temp.doc. Your files should all be named so that you can quickly find what you are looking for when you search for a file. Take some time to rename your documents according to the file system you set up. A file formerly named "invoice.doc" might be changed to include your client's name or the date of the invoice. Once you have gone through all of your documents and renamed them as necessary, you can move on to the next step in learning how to organize computer files.

Cleaning Computer Files: Filing

Now all that's left for you to do is to move all of your renamed files into your new folders. Client information would go into a folder marked "Clients." Spreadsheets that detail your business expenses, along with scanned copies of expense receipts, would go into the folder marked "Expenses." Continue filing all of your documents until they are all properly categorized.

Once you have cleaned your computer files, resist the temptation to just file your documents anywhere. File them in the proper folders as you save or download them, and you will save a lot of time and frustration when you need to find important documents.…

Transferring files to and from computers often becomes a daunting and tedious task depending on the data’s characteristics (i.e. file size, number of files, file type, compressing files, etc.). Fortunately for Mac users, there is a plethora of methods to accomplish file transfers. This article will delve into the various categories of file transfers, beggining with the most rapid method and finishing with the slowest method. Despite the speed, each method has its own inherent advantage.

1)Direct Wire/Cord Transfer (i.e. USB Cables, Firewire 400/800, Ethernet, etc.)

Conventionally, taking an ethernet cord and connecting two or more adjacent computers, proves to be the fastest transfer method. Depending on the type of Ethernet cable, it can transfer data from 3 Megabytes/sec – 10 Gigabytes/sec (all of which is variable). The next fastest cord is Firewire 800 which transfers around 800 megabytes/s. Following this is the Firewire 400 cable which transfers data at a rate of approximately 400 megabytes/s. Finally the slowest of the modern computer cables is the USB cable. The USB 2.0 cable is capable of transferring up to 480 megabytes/s. All of these connections require a cord that has a dual sided USB, Firewire, or Ethernet connector so that one end may connect from the host computer to the receiving computer.

Once the cords are connected between the two computers, there are several ways in which the data can be transferred. Perhaps the best method is by booting the receiving computer up in a different manner. Begin by having the receiving computer off and the transferring computer on and running (with the cable of choice connecting the two computers). Boot the receiving computer, and hold down Apple Key + T until the computer has started up. The computer is now in an accessible mode where the host computer can hastily transfer or take files from the newly booted computer.

The file transfer can take place between two regular booted macintosh computers with the use of a third party (FTP or P2P) program. Programs such as Mac Orchard will detect the connection between the two computers and bring up a comprehensive overview of file transfers between the two computers. The advantage of the direct connect method is speed. This proves to be very useful with large files or a variety of files (such as music). The only disadvantage is that the computers can only be as far apart as the cord will reach.

2) Wireless (i.e. Wireless a/b/g/n Router Network, Bluetooth, Online Storage Sites, etc.)

This is the next fastest method of transfer and is quickly overtaking the speed of the direct wire transfer as new technology has been invented. Perhaps the easiest method is connecting two wireless computers onto the same wireless network or signing online from their individual wireless networks. A useful program is AOL Instant Messenger (AIM) where you can create a screenname and sign on, and rapidly transfer data between two computers. Once you have created a screenname and logged in, simply select File–>File Transfer and select the proper files to send to the designated user. The speed of wireless routers varies upon range and type (a/b/g/n) but has a typical range of 50-300megabytes/s. If computers both happen to have bluetooth capabilities, then the transfer can occur within a 30 foot wireless range and a speed of 1 megabyte/s. With Macintosh computers a search for the program within applications or clicking on the Bluetooth Icon in the upper right corner will allow the user to transfer between computers. The advantages of these methods are ease of access, as the wireless methods do not require any connection of cords or transfer of data to any other physical media.

Additionally, many file hosting websites are available online where data can be uploaded and saved to access at a later point in time. Examples of these websites are MediaFire, FileHosting, and RapidShare. The advantages of the online website are when a computer cannot be transported to a different location, the data can be retrieved from another computer via an internet connection.

3) Physical Media (USB Storage Key, CD’s, DVD’s, External Hard drive)

These methods require either a port (USB) or an encoding device (also known as “burner”) to write the media to the disk. USB keys range from holding 40megabytes – 2 Gigabytes, CD’s can hold 700 megabytes, DVD’s can hold 4 Gigabytes – 18 Gigabytes (depending if the DVD and burner has dual layer technology), and external harddrives (typically connect via USB) range from several gigabytes – 3 terabytes. Dual layer technology allows DVD’s to hold almost twice as much data, if your computer is capable of burning dual layer DVD’s. The best reason for this is portability as these devices are typically small or flat and also capable of playing through different media systems besides computers (i.e. DVD player). The only disadvantage is that the storage can be limited and your computer must have the technology to do so.…