Computer Security and Availability [computer security availability]
As people become more comfortable using computers, it seems that people's lives are being stored virtually on hard drives. Yet many people still do not take rudimentary actions to protect and back up their data. Having a backup for an emergency or securing your computer from intruders does not have to difficult or time consuming.
Think about all the music, text files, pictures, financial records, videos and other files that you have created or collected that is stored on your hard drive. What if that hard drive failed? Would you be able to recover those files? Would you want to? There is simply no reason not to have an external hard drive to back up your sensitive to. An external hard drive can make daily, weekly or monthly backups. You can set it to make backups on only those new files added to your computer or full backups every time. The software that controls the backup process is typically easy to use and very flexible. Do not be one of those people who suffers a hard drive crash only to realize that they did not have adequate copies of their files stored externally. Plan for the worst.
The protection of your data from unwanted intruders are accomplished with firewalls, virus protection and routers. Windows XP systems all have a built in firewall that should be turned on before the computer is connected to the internet. It is simply an On/Off button reached through the Network Properties Advanced tab. This built-in feature is not the most robust firewall available, but it is certainly better than not having one at all. [computer security availability]
Virus protection is to be used to strengthen your computers defense against viruses, worms, adware and spyware. Viruses and worms can come from email and web sites. Adware and spyware typically come from web sites. Most viruses and worms can be thwarted simply by not opening email attachments or downloading a file that you are not 100% sure is legitimate. Spyware and adware can be a little more tricky to rid your computer of simply because so many websites are now using tracking software to get information on their website visitors. The more malicious of these programs can cause system degradation and even crashes. Always running virus protection and using software to periodically rid yourself of spyware and adware will help in the defense of your computer.
A more advance technique to protecting your computer is to use a router to reach the Internet. The Internet connection from your provider will be "routed" through the router. All your computers will then be connected to the router via wireless or wired connections. From an unwanted outsiders view they will only see the one public Internet address of the router, which in effect masks the addresses of the computers attached to it makes them virtually invisible.
You have spent a lot of time creating and collecting the files that are stored on your computer. It would be a shame to lose them simply because you did not take the necessary precautions to back up and protect all your data.[computer security availability]
by christopher morris
Monday, December 10, 2007
IP Addresses: What is Thier Purpose?
IP Addresses: What is Thier Purpose? [computer forensics ip]
An IP address (Internet Protocol address) is a unique number that is assigned to each computer or other electronic device that is connected to the Internet. The express purpose of an IP address is to identify each individual machine that is online. It can be compared to a street address or phone number. Particular electronic devices use these unique numbers to communicate with each other through a network. The typical IP address is configured in this manner: 127.72.16.137.
Thanks to IP addresses, your computer can be easily identified in particular situations. For example, most Internet Service Providers (ISPs) have a database in which they store each of their client's IP addresses.
This practice, however, begs the question: If your IP address can be identified? how is your privacy protected? Do ISPs infringe on your personal rights and invade your privacy in this manner? There are many who regard it as an invasion of privacy, and thus consider the use of IP addresses to identify individual computers is morally and constitutionally wrong.
On the other hand, IP addresses qualify as a necessary evil because not only do they identify each unique computer, but can also track certain activities that are being carried out on the internet. In this sense, they help prevent or even stop incidences of cyber-crime.
The spread of computer viruses is a case in point. They present an increasingly large problem to the internet community. These viruses can and do inflict irreversible damage to computer systems, and ruin hard drives on which important data has been stored. Through the use of IP addresses, the origin of a given computer virus can be easily tracked and the person who wrote and released the virus script can be brought to justice. [computer forensics ip]
Another useful use to which IP addresses are put is in the creation and use of wikis. These are websites that can be directly changed or edited by anyone. Wikipedia is the most popular of the existing wikis. Without the use of IP addresses, wikis would never exist. Given the fact that anyone can delete or edit an article on a wiki, vandalism would otherwise be a huge problem. However, by tracking made possible by IP addresses, a wiki administrator can block a certain IP address from accessing and editing any material on the wiki.
IP addresses have become an essential tool for the operation and security of today's Internet community. They provide a means of identification among computer users, and a means by which to track events and incidences that occur on online networks. We sacrifice a measure of anonymity for the security that IP addresses afford us.[computer forensics ip]
by Dianna Monda
An IP address (Internet Protocol address) is a unique number that is assigned to each computer or other electronic device that is connected to the Internet. The express purpose of an IP address is to identify each individual machine that is online. It can be compared to a street address or phone number. Particular electronic devices use these unique numbers to communicate with each other through a network. The typical IP address is configured in this manner: 127.72.16.137.
Thanks to IP addresses, your computer can be easily identified in particular situations. For example, most Internet Service Providers (ISPs) have a database in which they store each of their client's IP addresses.
This practice, however, begs the question: If your IP address can be identified? how is your privacy protected? Do ISPs infringe on your personal rights and invade your privacy in this manner? There are many who regard it as an invasion of privacy, and thus consider the use of IP addresses to identify individual computers is morally and constitutionally wrong.
On the other hand, IP addresses qualify as a necessary evil because not only do they identify each unique computer, but can also track certain activities that are being carried out on the internet. In this sense, they help prevent or even stop incidences of cyber-crime.
The spread of computer viruses is a case in point. They present an increasingly large problem to the internet community. These viruses can and do inflict irreversible damage to computer systems, and ruin hard drives on which important data has been stored. Through the use of IP addresses, the origin of a given computer virus can be easily tracked and the person who wrote and released the virus script can be brought to justice. [computer forensics ip]
Another useful use to which IP addresses are put is in the creation and use of wikis. These are websites that can be directly changed or edited by anyone. Wikipedia is the most popular of the existing wikis. Without the use of IP addresses, wikis would never exist. Given the fact that anyone can delete or edit an article on a wiki, vandalism would otherwise be a huge problem. However, by tracking made possible by IP addresses, a wiki administrator can block a certain IP address from accessing and editing any material on the wiki.
IP addresses have become an essential tool for the operation and security of today's Internet community. They provide a means of identification among computer users, and a means by which to track events and incidences that occur on online networks. We sacrifice a measure of anonymity for the security that IP addresses afford us.[computer forensics ip]
by Dianna Monda
How to Use Windows XP "System Restore"
How to Use Windows XP "System Restore" [window computer restore]
Well, we all have been there. We turn on our computer (boot up) getting ready to type that school report, or business presentation and guess what, our computer just does not want to work today. Whether it's the word processor, spreadsheet, or financial package that isn't working, most people do not know that Microsoft Windows XP has a built in feature that just may come and save the day. That feature is called "System Restore."
Basically, System Restore is like a little hound that runs behind the scenes taking "snapshots" of various parts of the Microsoft Windows XP operating system. So, if a part of Microsoft Windows XP stops working one day, the System Restore utility is able to reference one of the "snapshots" it took and restore your system from a previous day (a day when your computer worked). It's kind of like going back in time to a day when your computer worked. All your current data (Microsoft Word files, etc.) are still retained, so you don't have to worry about losing any present day files. [window computer restore]
In order to restore your computer just follow these simple steps:
1. Close any open programs.
2. Click on the Windows "Start" button (normally located on the bottom of your computer desktop)
3. Click on "All Programs"
4. Click on "Accessories"
5. Click on "System Tools"
6. Then click on "System Restore"
7. At this point the System Restore wizard will launch. You will have two options:
a. "Restore my system from an earlier date"
b. "Create a system restore point"
If you just need to restore your system and get it working correctly again, just select option "a" and click "Next."
8. On this screen you can select a date from the calendar that you would like to try and restore from. So, if you knew that your computer worked fine two days ago, just pick that date on the calendar and click "Next."
9. The next screen is the confirmation window. Just verify the information on the screen and click "Next." Windows XP will then reboot and try to restore your system with the settings from the date you selected.
The System Restore process can take anywhere from 10 to 30 minutes depending on how much reconfiguration Windows XP needs to do and how fast of a PC you have. When System Restore is done, a screen will popup with the results of the restore. If it was successful, you can then log into the system and start using the computer again. Any quirky issues that you were having are now hopefully gone. [window computer restore]
Now, on step 7b above, I mentioned the "Create a system restore point" option. This option is for when you want to force Windows XP to take a snapshot of your system just before you install a program or alter any system settings that you are not sure of. It is like a safety net for when you install any internet programs (sometimes riddled with spyware) or system drivers (video, audio, etc). If you want to revert back to a virgin state just create a restore point "before" installing any software. This way, if your machine starts acting weird, you can just restore your settings from the selected point.
With a little practice, the System Restore utility is easy to use and a great way to help ensure the safety of your computer.
by Anthony Thomas
Well, we all have been there. We turn on our computer (boot up) getting ready to type that school report, or business presentation and guess what, our computer just does not want to work today. Whether it's the word processor, spreadsheet, or financial package that isn't working, most people do not know that Microsoft Windows XP has a built in feature that just may come and save the day. That feature is called "System Restore."
Basically, System Restore is like a little hound that runs behind the scenes taking "snapshots" of various parts of the Microsoft Windows XP operating system. So, if a part of Microsoft Windows XP stops working one day, the System Restore utility is able to reference one of the "snapshots" it took and restore your system from a previous day (a day when your computer worked). It's kind of like going back in time to a day when your computer worked. All your current data (Microsoft Word files, etc.) are still retained, so you don't have to worry about losing any present day files. [window computer restore]
In order to restore your computer just follow these simple steps:
1. Close any open programs.
2. Click on the Windows "Start" button (normally located on the bottom of your computer desktop)
3. Click on "All Programs"
4. Click on "Accessories"
5. Click on "System Tools"
6. Then click on "System Restore"
7. At this point the System Restore wizard will launch. You will have two options:
a. "Restore my system from an earlier date"
b. "Create a system restore point"
If you just need to restore your system and get it working correctly again, just select option "a" and click "Next."
8. On this screen you can select a date from the calendar that you would like to try and restore from. So, if you knew that your computer worked fine two days ago, just pick that date on the calendar and click "Next."
9. The next screen is the confirmation window. Just verify the information on the screen and click "Next." Windows XP will then reboot and try to restore your system with the settings from the date you selected.
The System Restore process can take anywhere from 10 to 30 minutes depending on how much reconfiguration Windows XP needs to do and how fast of a PC you have. When System Restore is done, a screen will popup with the results of the restore. If it was successful, you can then log into the system and start using the computer again. Any quirky issues that you were having are now hopefully gone. [window computer restore]
Now, on step 7b above, I mentioned the "Create a system restore point" option. This option is for when you want to force Windows XP to take a snapshot of your system just before you install a program or alter any system settings that you are not sure of. It is like a safety net for when you install any internet programs (sometimes riddled with spyware) or system drivers (video, audio, etc). If you want to revert back to a virgin state just create a restore point "before" installing any software. This way, if your machine starts acting weird, you can just restore your settings from the selected point.
With a little practice, the System Restore utility is easy to use and a great way to help ensure the safety of your computer.
by Anthony Thomas
Tuesday, December 4, 2007
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