Useful Information

Click on the following links to display that information:
Email Spoofing
Upgrade your Memory to Improve Performance
The Truth About RAM - Why it Pays to Go for a Gig!
Five Minutes and a Small Investment Make a Huge Difference in Performance
What's Out There?
The Advantages of Dual-Channel
Spyware, Trojans and Browser Hijackers
Simple Guide to Burning a CD
Information about Windows Vista Compatible PC
Information about Windows Vista Premium Ready PC
About Laptop Batteries
Changing Screen Resolutions

» Email Spoofing:

Question/Problem - What is email spoofing? Can I prevent it?
Answer/Solution - If you're receiving bounced (returned) emails that you have never sent that have your own domains as the return address, and aliases that never existed, then almost always, this is a case of header forgery, aka "Spoofing".

This is how it is done.

1. Spammer finds an email address or a valid domain. (Spammers spend their days looking for these.)

2. Spammer sends off a large email campaign using this domain, and various email tools that prohibit easy tracing of the origin. These tools cloak, scramble or remove the header entirely, removing them from initial blame, because most people just assume the mail actually came from the address it was "sent" from.

3. Innocent domain owner gets mail-flooded with bounce messages from the email addresses that weren't valid, or have blocking capabilities.

4. Spammer gets shut down by his/her ISP inside of a week, due to excessive bandwidth, complaints from people who figured out who actually owned the email, etc.

5. Spammer moves onto the next domain.

As you can see, this is incredibly hard to trace, and unfortunately, the general suggestion to get around this is to ignore the problem. You can create clearly defined/unique aliases, and use only those aliases. Then, set the catch-all to trash anything else. This narrows the possibility of your email box being flooded by returns, while the spammer is finished using that domain.

This is possibly the most frustrating abuse issue to deal with, simply because it cannot be stopped. Spoofing is similar to hand-writing many letters, and signing someone else's name to it. You can imagine a situation like that would be almost impossible to trace.

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» Upgrading Your Memory to Improve Performance:

As programs get more complex, you’ll discover that your trusty PC may not be working as quickly or efficiently as it used to. While your impulse might be to purchase a new, more powerful computer, you can dramatically improve performance simply by upgrading your memory. For far less than what you’d pay for a new computer, a memory upgrade will often have your PC working faster and more efficiently than ever before.

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» The Truth About RAM - Why it Pays to Go for a Gig!:

Beefing up your PC’s memory is an inexpensive and surprisingly simple way to give yourself a huge boost in performance. Besides, today’s complex software and graphics-intensive games chew up your memory almost as fast as you can add it on. Therefore, it’s best to prepare for the immediate future by loading on as much memory as you can.

To give you an example how things are changing in the memory game, Microsoft advises that you need at least 128 MB of memory to run Windows XP, but the more the merrier, with 512MB ideal and 1GB even better. Back in the “old days” (circa 2000), the Redmond, Washington-based giant required only 64MB to run Windows 2000. So, you can see that memory requirements change rather quickly.

Many industry experts today recommend that you upgrade to at least 1 gigabyte (1GB) so you can be ready for the challenges ahead of you. With a gigabyte of memory your PC will be able to run multiple programs simultaneously and give you excellent speed.

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» Five Minutes and a Small Investment Make a Huge Difference in Performance:

Two of the great things about upgrading your PC memory are the fact that it’s cheap (especially when you consider dramatically a significant memory upgrade will improve your performance), and it only takes about five minutes to drop in another memory card. And when you’re done you will be able to keep more programs running, ramp up your speed on memory-eating graphics programs and play games like never before. Plus, your PC will handle like a precision machine.

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» What’s Out There ?:

Get the Fastest Memory and Opt for Dual-Channel
Most of the newer PC systems accommodate 184-pin DDR (Double Data Rate) DIMMS (Dual In-Line Memory Module) clocking in at various speeds, such as DDR333 or DDR400. You will also see memory expressed by its bandwidth such as PC2700 or PC3200. PC2700 corresponds to DDR333 and PC3200 matches DDR400. The memory you choose depends on the motherboard and CPU you use. You should always choose the fastest memory module that’s compatible with both the board and processor. DDR2 memory, a faster version of DDR is now available. However, you can only use DDR2 on systems equipped with the latest Intel chip sets.

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» The Advantages of Dual-Channel:

Before you grab the best dual-channel memory make sure your motherboard supports it. But if you can, don’t pass up this great performance-enhancing technology. Dual-Channel memory kick starts performance and keeps it optimized by hiking the data reading and writing speed. Word of caution - it only works when you install matched pairs of RAM modules. Some of the early incarnations in dual-channel motherboards had only 3 sockets.

Don’t Buy Second-Class Memory and Buy Everything You Need. It may seem shocking, but not all memory is identical. You’re going to see a dizzying array of prices they go up and down like escalators - but don’t let yourself be tempted to buy memory just because it’s cheap. Look toward a solid company with an excellent reputation. It’s also a good idea to buy all the memory you think you’ll need, rather than shopping later when you realize your system isn’t running up to par with the memory you have. Although memory from different manufacturers can work together, you really shouldn't count on it. It’s safer and saner to keep your memory from the same product family.

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» Spyware, Trojans and Browser Hijackers:

They are now a greater threat than viruses. They are harder to get rid of, affecting the performance and operation of computers more. They are software that is installed, running in background--without your knowledge. With two or more of these on one machine, it can be impossible to get any work done. How much of an impact can spyware's, trojans and hijackers have on system performance? Infected systems can slow to a crawl or stop functioning completely. This increases operating costs across large networks by diverting time and attention to dealing with this scourge. Spyware's and hijackers are expensive, stealing time, energy and costing money for workers and home users alike.

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» Simple Guide to Burning CDs:

There are two types of recordable CD Media CD-R (CD-Recordable) and CD-RW (CD-Rewritable. While prerecorded CDs are pressed from a mold, recordable compact discs are actually burned with a laser, which is why the process of recording to CDs is known as burning. CD-R disks can only be recorded once. Once you create a CD using a CD-R disc you cannot add, delete or modify. CD-RW's can be erased and rewritten to, but you cannot add information without erasing the contents first.

The Basics of Burning

1. If you have a new PC with Windows XP burning CDs is incredibly easy. It's simply a matter of performing “save as” or “drag and drop” file operations like you would save files to a floppy or the hard drive. Using Windows XP, when you first insert a blank CD into your CD recorder drive, XP opens a dialog box asking you if you want to open a writable CD folder. With the folder open, you can drag and drop files and/or directories into it. Windows XP makes a copy of these files in a special staging area until it is time to burn the CD, and displays a list of the contents waiting to be recorded.
   
   For further information, just read your user manual or access your PC's help section for step-by-step instructions. If you're working with a Mac or an older computer Windows 95/98/2000/ME you'll have to use special CD burning software. Once you have CD burning software, creating your own CDs is an easy process, although the technology involved is quite complex. Simply follow the manufacturer's instructions and observe the following tips.
   
   First decide what you want to burn and what kind of disc you want to use. Since CD-R discs can only be recorded once, we recommend you use them for making music CDs, sharing videos and large files, and archiving your files. A CD-R disc can be played in most CD-ROM drives as well as most home and car audio players. You can erase and record CD-RW discs up to 1,000 times. This makes them great for backing up files that you continually update or want to change. A CD-RW disc can be played in CD-RW drives and multi-read drives, but aren't readily readable beyond your PC. Standard CD-ROM drives and many home and car audio players cannot read them.
    

1. Check your hard disk for errors and defragment it regularly. This will help your drive send data to the CD burner at the required rate and avoid buffer underruns.
    
2. Free up enough hard drive space for the files you want to burn to CD. Generally, you're going to have to copy the files to your hard drive before burning.
    
3. It's a good idea to shut down all programs but the ones you need to finish your task.
    
4. If you discover you're having problems burning discs without getting errors, try recording at a speed that's slower than what your drive and media are certified for. This won't radically slow down the burning operation.
   
    
5. After you finish burning your CD, it's a great idea to use a label kit to design and organize your library.

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» What is a Windows Vista Capable PC?:

 A PC that carries the Windows Vista Capable PC logo or meets the Windows Vista Capable requirements below can be upgraded from Windows XP to Windows Vista. All editions of Windows Vista will deliver core experiences such as innovations in organizing and finding information, security, and reliability. All Windows Vista Capable PCs will run these core experiences at a minimum. Some features available in the premium editions of Windows Vista-like the new Windows Aero user experience-may require advanced or additional hardware. You will need to purchase the edition of Windows Vista that you want to install on your Windows Vista Capable PC.

A Windows Vista Capable PC includes at least:
- A modern processor (at least 800MHz)
- 20GB Hard Drive with 15GB Free
- 512 MB of system memory
- A graphics processor that is DirectX 9 capable
- SVGA (800 x 600)
- CD-ROM

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» What is a Windows Vista Premium Ready PC?:

To get an even better Windows Vista experience, including the Windows Aero user experience, and run Windows Vista Home Premium, Business or Ultimate versions you need a Windows Vista Capable PC that is designated Premium Ready, or choose a PC that meets or exceeds the Premium Ready requirements described below. Features available in specific premium editions of Windows Vista, such as the ability to watch and record live TV, may require additional hardware. You will need to purchase the edition of Windows Vista that you want to install on your Windows Vista Premium Ready PC.

A Windows Vista Premium Ready PC includes at least:
- 1 GHz 32-bit (x86) or 64-bit (x64) processor
- 1 GB of System Memory
- A graphics processor that runs Windows Aero
- 128 MB of graphics memory
- 40 GB of hard drive capacity with 15 GB free space
- DVD-ROM Drive
- Audio output capability
- Internet access capability

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» About Laptop Batteries:

Everyone who buys a notebook wants to know how long its battery will last. The brief answer – it's highly variable depending on how your use your laptop. Batteries for laptops come in three main types: nickel cadmium (NiCad), nickel metal hydride (NiMH), and lithium ion. You can recharge each of these batteries with an AC adaptor. In most cases, it will give you between one and two hours of computer use, depending on a number of factors.

Following are five tips to help you get the longest battery life possible

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» Changing Screen Resolution:

First right-click on the desktop and then left click on Properties from the menu that appears.
The display properties dialogue box will appear. Click on the settings tab at the top right of the box.

Screen Resolution
This slide bar is what you use to change the resolution, the options you have will depend on your graphics card and monitor, but the standard options are 800 x 600, 1024 x 768 and 1152 x 864.
Normally the default is set to 800 x 600 which means the display will be 800 pixels wide and 600 pixels high.

Changing the Resolution
To change your resolution simply slide the bar along to the resolution of your choice and then click the Apply button.
After clicking Apply your screen will resize to the new resolution and you will be presented with a confirm dialogue box (see left), if you are happy with the way your screen looks then simply click Yes , if you would like to try a different resolution click No.
When you have finished simply close the Display properties box.