A unique identifier for a site. For instance, anything that ends in .com or .net or .org, etc. The address "microdome.net" is a domain name.

Category: Web & Internet

Use the following instructions to assign a specific Start or Home URL/web address to go to when you launch your Web Browser Applications. For Internet Explorer 4.x 1. Open Internet Explorer (you do not need to be connected to the Internet) 2. Go to the View menu 3. Select Options 4. Click on the General tab. 5. See the Home page section. Address - You can enter the complete URL/web address of a specfic web site. You can click on the "Use Current" button to select the page you are currently on. -or- You can click on the "Use Defaut" button to select the page that was selected by IE. -or- You can click on the "Use Blank" button to launch IE without having a page load during start-up. For Netscape 4.x 1. Open Netscape (you do not need to be connected to the Internet) 2. Go to the Edit menu 3. Select Preferences 4. Click on the Navigator folder. 5. See the "Navigator starts with" section. Select the option you want your Navigator to start with: Blank Page - or Home Page - or Last Page Visited 6. See the "Home page" section. If you have selected- Blank Page The Location entry area will be grayed out. Home Page - For the Location entry you: You can click on the "Use Current Page" button to select the page you are currently on. -or You can browse your files for a specific file location - or You can enter the complete URL/web address of a specfic web site. Last Page Visited The URL/web address of the last site you visited will appear in the Location entry area.

Category: Web & Internet

This is a common error message that you may experience while using Netscape. There is a similar Internet Explorer Error Message and the same resolution may be tried with similar results. An occasional Illegal Operation error is nothing to worry about. Most of the time you can restart Netscape and it will run for a considerable time with no problem. If you are getting Illegal Operation errors on a regular basis there are some steps that you can take to remedy the problem. Please keep in mind that you will get a variety of error messages in Netscape including Illegal Operations if you are trying to run it on a computer that does not meet the Minimum System Requirements. Step 1: Try clearing your Cache, History Folder and Temporary Internet Files. When you visit a web site all of the information (pictures and HTML) are downloaded onto your hard drive and stored for future use. Depending on the Web Browser you are using these files are called Cache, History or Temporary Internet Files. When you visit a web site your browser will check your hard drive to compare the files on the site with those on your drive to see if it needs to download them. If you notice that browsing the Internet is becoming more sluggish or you are receiving an unusual amount of error messages you might want to consider clearing your Cache. If you have a limited amount of hard drive space or frequent sites with large graphics you should consider doing this on a fairly regular basis as preventative maintenance. Step of Last Resort: Uninstalling and Reinstalling Netscape or Internet Explorer Most of the time clearing the Cache will solve the problem. If the problem persists you may want to try reinstalling the software.

Category: Web & Internet

There are many ways to find things on the web, but the best and most popular way is to use search engines and there are many search engines out there to use. Search the Web by using Google: www.google.com

Category: Web & Internet

There are many places that offer free email accounts; MSN(hotmail), yahoo, and many more.

Category: Web & Internet

These errors are usually caused by a bug in software, where two applications (or drivers) try to use the same part of your memory. For the most part, these are intermittent errors, and aside from the annoyance, they can be ignored. If, however, this is happening frequenty, it can be caused by anything, including bad RAM, buggy drivers, and disk errors (run SCANDISK to correct). The best strategy is to try to figure out how to reproduce the problem, and then contact the manufacturer of the offending product. Write the message down, but keep in mind that all of those numbers (memory addresses) are absolutely useless to you; don't bother recording them unless a technician specifically asks you to do so.

Category: PC&Windows Troubleshooting

Here are the top five things you can do to eliminate the risk of getting a virus over email. Note that installing antivirus software with an autoprotect feature will not protect you in all circumstances! (Rather, it will only give you a false sense of security.) 1. Don't open unknown email attachments. 2. Don't open unknown email attachments. 3. Don't open unknown email attachments. 4. Don't open unknown email attachments, no matter how appealing the message may be. If you're certain you want to open an email attachment, scan the file manually with your antivirus software before you open it (don't rely on the auto-scan). 5. Back up your computer often.

Category: PC&Windows Troubleshooting

Most likely, one or more of your drivers is not allowing itself to be unloaded. This, supposedly, is less of a problem in Windows 98 and Windows Me than in Windows 95 (most drivers are no longer unloaded when you shut down), but it still seems to trip up Windows from time to time. Try hitting Enter when it hangs to "wake it up." Try holding Shift while clicking Ok in the "Shut Down" dialog - this might allow you to shut down faster, and bypass whatever is causing your system to hang. This can also happen if the sound file for Shutdown becomes corrupted. Double-click on the Sounds icon in Control Panel and remove or change the sound event for Shutdown.

Category: PC&Windows Troubleshooting

Do you get an error message telling you that Windows cannot find a certain file every time you try to start any program? It may be the result of a virus, or even (ironically) the result of a misconfiguration in an antivirus program. Note: this is NOT the same as getting a "not found" error when trying to start a particular program. Use the following solution only if you get the message when you try to start any program. The cause of this problem is an invalid entry in the HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\ exefile\ shell\ open\ command Registry key. The correct data for the (Default) value should be "%1" %* Of course, given the nature of the problem, you can't run Registry Editor (regedit.exe) to fix it directly. Note the following workaround: although you can't launch any programs directly (e.g. Notepad.exe), you can launch them by double-clicking on an associated document (e.g. readme.txt). Another example: you can't open a web browser directly, but you can select Run from the Start Menu, and then type "http://www.annoyances.org/" (without the quotes), and a browser will open! The solution is to use our little patch: 07-102.inf. (Click the link to download.) If your browser asks you what it should do with the file, instruct it to save it to your desktop. If, instead, your browser simply displays the contents of the file in the browser window, select Save from the File menu, and save the file to your desktop. Next, right-click the new 07-102.inf file, and select Install. The fix should take effect immediately. Note: although this fix will restore your ability to launch programs, it won't remove the cause of the problem. You should install antivirus software. Note: A common cause of this problem is the SirCam virus. This virus is transmitted via email attachments, usually accompanying a message that reads, "I send you this file in order to have your advice." IMPORTANT: you will elminiate the risk of infecting your computer and helping to spread the virus if you don't open unknown email attachments.

Category: PC&Windows Troubleshooting

If the gameport is built into your sound card, The drivers should already be installed with your sound card drivers. To check this, open control panel, double click system, click device manager, go down to sound,video and game controllers, click plus sign, and see if list includes Gameport joystick. If it is there, then your gameport drivers are installed. If not, you can install it from control panel, add new hardware.

Category: PC&Windows Troubleshooting

There's at least 4 ways to install software. None are better than any others, just consider them options. Most of the time when you install software, you'll be prompted to close other applications. From my experience, this isn't a critical thing (Unless you're upgrading software like OFFICE Suite, in which case you HAVE to close them), but to be on the safe side, go ahead and close everything down but Windows. You'd paid the bucks for the software, you may as well give it your undivided attention while to install it. Option 1 Open CD-ROM, insert Disk and if you have "autorun" on (this is usually a default setting), what for the installation wizard to come up. Follow the directions and you're on your way. You can during the installation process change exactly where you want to load the software, but expect to be prompted to load to your "C" drive. This in most cases is fine. Unless you're getting low on hard drive pace on the "C" (in which case you've got other issues to address), let it load where it wants. Option 2 Open CD-ROM, insert Disk. If autorun doesn't start the installation process, then you can go into Windows Explorer and look for either a setup.exe or install.exe file on the CD itself. Double - click that file and you're on your way. Option 3 This option works whether loading software from a floppy or a CD. Hit you start button and slide up to the RUN line and click it. In the pop-up window you'll have the chance to browse a drive for the setup or install files mentioned above. Find that file, click on it and you'll be back to the RUN pop-up windows. From there just hit OK and let it load. Option 4 Double click on My Computer. Double click on Control Panel. double click on ADD/REMOVE programs. Click on the install button and you get a pop-up windows asking for you to insert the floppy or CD into the drive. Hit the "next" button & your system will look on both CD-ROM and floppy drives for a file to start loading the software. When it finds it hit finish and it will load. Installing software is pretty easy. The makers of the software design it so it's easy to load for a reason They want you to be happy with their product and they don't want you to have to jump through hoops to load their software or you may not feel good about it being on your hard drive and won't use it.

Category: PC&Windows Troubleshooting

There are basically three proven ways to successfully remove software you don't need anymore. But the most important thing to remember is DO NOT just delete folders unless your positive that's exactly what you want to do. There may be many reasons why you'd want to take software out, freeing up hard drive space is the most common reason. But there are right ways, and wrong ways to accomplish this. Version 1: Double click on My Computer. Double click on Control Panel. Double click on ADD/REMOVE Programs. >From here you'll be able to pick and choose from a list of install software what you want to delete. Just click on the desired software and hit the button add/remove. Version 2: Click on your start button. Slide up to programs. Slide over to the software listed you want to uninstall. Look for an option to uninstall right there and click on it. Follow directions from there (since they can be different). Version 3: Buy and install the program Uninstaller. After installation, open the program and click on the button REMOVE. From there you'll be able to again pick and choose which software you want to get rid of. This option is the most preferable, IMHO, of all these since this program is designed to clean all files associated with the software as long as you don't protect them within Uninstall itself...including registry entries which is VERY important. The biggest concern is the way software is loaded when installed. I refer to this as an "octopus effect" where files are thrown all over your hard drive (and your registry) for the program to work. This is needed for the software to run at it's peek performance level. The main difficulty when uninstalling a program is it's difficult to remove all files that were loaded unless you make a concerted effort to go after them. One final note, after uninstalling a program, go ahead and run a defrag (or disklite if on Windows NT) to get you hard drive cleaned. Uninstalling can leave major openings in your hard drive that will have a negative impact on the performance of the entire computer if left unchecked. Defrag fixes that.

Category: PC&Windows Troubleshooting

Your symptoms are classic case of low resources. First, Rightclick My Computer, click properties, perfomance. Check Resources in this window. If less than 85%, you have too much running in background. Before running scandisk, press Ctrl,Alt,Del to bring up Close Programs. (DoNot press Ctrl,Alt,Del twice in a row, or system will reboot). In Close Programs, end task on all items except Explorer and Systray. Set screen saver to none, and then run scandisk. To tune your Resources to maximum, type msconfig in Run line, click startup tab, and uncheck all items except System Tray, Scan Registry, Task Monitor, Load Power Profile. Click OK, and Re-start computer. Check resources when booted up again, and they will be above 90%. You can go back into msconfig, startup later and enable any items you find you cannot live without.

Category: PC&Windows Troubleshooting

Yes, everyone that has a computer is capable of getting a computer virus.

Category: Computer Viruses

The best option would be to scan your system with an up-to-date AV(Anti-Virus program).

Category: Computer Viruses

A COMPUTER VIRUS is a computer program that can infect other computer programs by modifying them in such a way as to include a (possibly evolved) copy of itself. Note: that a program does not have to perform outright damage (such as deleting or corrupting files) in order to to be called a "virus". Many people use the term loosely to cover any sort of program that tries to hide its (malicious) function and tries to spread onto as many computers as possible. Be aware that what constitutes a "program" for a virus to infect may include a lot more than is at first obvious - don't assume too much about what a virus can or can't do! These software "pranks" are very serious they are spreading faster than they are being stopped, and even the least harmful of viruses could be fatal. For example, a virus that stops your computer and displays a message, in the context of a hospital life-support computer, could be fatal. Even those who created the viruses could not stop them if they wanted to; it requires a concerted effort from computer users to be "virus-aware", rather than the ignorance and ambivalence that have allowed them to grow to such a problem.

Category: Computer Viruses

A TROJAN HORSE is a program that does something undocumented which the programmer intended, but that the user would not approve of if he knew about it. According to some people, a virus is a particular case of a Trojan Horse, namely one which is able to spread to other programs (i.e., it turns them into Trojans too). According to others, a virus that does not do any deliberate damage (other than merely replicating) is not a Trojan. Finally, despite the definitions, many people use the term "Trojan" to refer only to a *non-replicating* malicious program, so that the set of Trojans and the set of viruses are disjoint.

Category: Computer Viruses

Generally, there are two main classes of viruses. The first class consists of the FILE INFECTORS which attach themselves to ordinary program files. These usually infect arbitrary .COM and/or .EXE programs, though some can infect any program for which execution is requested, such as .SYS, .OVL, .PRG, & .MNU files. File infectors can be either DIRECT ACTION or RESIDENT. A direct- action virus selects one or more other programs to infect each time the program which contains it is executed. A resident virus hides itself somewhere in memory the first time an infected program is executed, and thereafter infects other programs when *they* are executed (as in the case of the Jerusalem) or when certain other conditions are fulfilled. The Vienna is an example of a direct-action virus. Most other viruses are resident. The second category is SYSTEM or BOOT-RECORD INFECTORS: those viruses which infect executable code found in certain system areas on a disk which are not ordinary files. On DOS systems, there are ordinary boot-sector viruses, which infect only the DOS boot sector, and MBR viruses which infect the Master Boot Record on fixed disks and the DOS boot sector on diskettes. Examples include Brain, Stoned, Empire, Azusa, and Michelangelo. Such viruses are always resident viruses. Finally, a few viruses are able to infect both (the Tequila virus is one example). These are often called "MULTI-PARTITE" viruses, though there has been criticism of this name; another name is "BOOT-AND-FILE" virus. FILE SYSTEM or CLUSTER viruses (e.g. Dir-II) are those which modify directory table entries so that the virus is loaded and executed before the desired program is. Note that the program itself is not physically altered, only the directory entry is. Some consider these infectors to be a third category of viruses, while others consider them to be a sub-category of the file infectors.Category: Computer Viruses

A STEALTH virus is one which hides the modifications it has made in the file or boot record, usually by monitoring the system functions used by programs to read files or physical blocks from storage media, and forging the results of such system functions so that programs which try to read these areas see the original uninfected form of the file instead of the actual infected form. Thus the viral modifications go undetected by anti-viral programs. However, in order to do this, the virus must be resident in memory when the anti-viral program is executed. Example: The very first DOS virus, Brain, a boot-sector infector, monitors physical disk I/O and re-directs any attempt to read a Brain-infected boot sector to the disk area where the original boot sector is stored. The next viruses to use this technique were the file infectors Number of the Beast and Frodo (= 4096 = 4K). Countermeasures: A "clean" system is needed so that no virus is present to distort the results. Thus the system should be built from a trusted, clean master copy before any virus-checking is attempted; this is "The Golden Rule of the Trade." With DOS, (1) boot from original DOS diskettes (i.e. DOS Startup/Program diskettes from a major vendor that have been write-protected since their creation); (2) use only tools from original diskettes until virus-checking has completed.

Category: Computer Viruses

A POLYMORPHIC virus is one which produces varied (yet fully operational) copies of itself, in the hope that virus scanners (see D1) will not be able to detect all instances of the virus. One method to evade signature-driven virus scanners is self-encryption with a variable key; however these viruses (e.g. Cascade) are not termed "polymorphic," as their decryption code is always the same and thus can be used as a virus signature even by the simplest, signature- driven virus scanners (unless another virus or program uses the identical decryption routine). One method to make a polymorphic virus is to choose among a variety of different encryption schemes requiring different decryption routines: only one of these routines would be plainly visible in any instance of the virus (e.g. the Whale virus). A signature-driven virus scanner would have to exploit several signatures (one for each possible encryption method) to reliably identify a virus of this kind. A more sophisticated polymorphic virus (e.g. V2P6) will vary the sequence of instructions in its copies by interspersing it with "noise" instructions (e.g. a No Operation instruction, or an instruction to load a currently unused register with an arbitrary value), by interchanging mutually independent instructions, or even by using various instruction sequences with identical net effects (e.g. Subtract A from A, and Move 0 to A). A simple-minded, signature-based virus scanner would not be able to reliably identify this sort of virus; rather, a sophisticated "scanning engine" has to be constructed after thorough research into the particular virus. The most sophisticated form of polymorphism discovered so far is the MtE "Mutation Engine" written by the Bulgarian virus writer who calls himself the "Dark Avenger". It comes in the form of an object module. Any virus can be made polymorphic by adding certain calls to the assembler source code and linking to the mutation-engine and random-number-generator modules. The advent of polymorphic viruses has rendered virus-scanning an ever more difficult and expensive endeavor; adding more and more search strings to simple scanners will not adequately deal with these viruses.

Category: Computer Viruses

The term "SPARSE infector" is sometimes given to a virus which infects only occasionally, e.g. every 10th executed file, or only files whose lengths fall within a narrow range, etc. By infecting less often, such viruses try to minimize the probability of being discovered by the user.

Category: Computer Viruses

A COMPANION virus is one which, instead of modifying an existing file, creates a new program which (unknown to the user) gets executed by the command-line interpreter instead of the intended program. (On exit, the new program executes the original program so that things will appear normal.) The only way this has been done so far is by creating an infected .COM file with the same name as an existing .EXE file. Note that those integrity checkers which look only for *modifications* in *existing* files will fail to detect such viruses. (Note that not all researchers consider this type of malicious code to be a virus, since it does not modify existing files.)

Category: Computer Viruses

An ARMORED virus is one which uses special tricks to make the tracing, disassembling and understanding of their code more difficult. A good example is the Whale virus.

Category: Computer Viruses

BSI = Boot Sector Infector: a virus which takes control when the computer attempts to boot (as opposed to a file infector). CMOS = Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor: A memory area that is used in AT and higher class PCs for storage of system information. CMOS is battery backed RAM (see below), originally used to maintain date and time information while the PC was turned off. CMOS memory is not in the normal CPU address space and cannot be executed. While a virus may place data in the CMOS or may corrupt it, a virus cannot hide there. DOS = Disk Operating System. We use the term "DOS" to mean any of the MS-DOS, PC-DOS, or DR DOS systems for PCs and compatibles, even though there are operating systems called "DOS" on other (unrelated) machines. MBR = Master Boot Record: the first Absolute sector (track 0, head 0, sector 1) on a PC hard disk, that usually contains the partition table (but on some PCs may simply contain a boot sector). This is not the same as the first DOS sector (Logical sector 0). RAM = Random Access Memory: the place programs are loaded into in order to execute; the significance for viruses is that, to be active, they must grab some of this for themselves. However, some virus scanners may declare that a virus is active simply when it is found in RAM, even though it might be simply left over in a buffer area of RAM rather than truly being active. TOM = Top Of Memory: the end of conventional memory, an architectural design limit at the 640K mark on most PCs. Some early PCs may not be fully populated, but the amount of memory is always a multiple of 64K. A boot-record virus on a PC typically resides just below this mark and changes the value which will be reported for the TOM to the location of the beginning of the virus so that it won't get overwritten. Checking this value for changes can help detect a virus, but there are also legitimate reasons why it may change (see C11). A very few PCs with unusual memory managers/settings may report in excess of 640K. TSR = Terminate but Stay Resident: these are PC programs that stay in memory while you continue to use the computer for other purposes; they include pop-up utilities, network software, and the great majority of viruses. These can often be seen using utilities such as MEM, MAPMEM, PMAP, F-MMAP and INFOPLUS.

Category: Computer Viruses

It sure can. Your AV program is just that - a program, just like any other program that you might have on your system. It is not immune to infection.

Category: Computer Viruses

Even if you have a boot sector infector, reformatting the hard drive is an absolute LAST resort. Regardless of what you may have been told, it's VERY unlikely that you will EVER need to do this. Most viruses can be removed by AV programs, or by replacing the infected files with clean, reliable backups. A far cry simpler than reformatting the hard drive and then re-installing all your software.

Category: Computer Viruses

The only way to make your computer completely hacker proof is to turn it off or disconnect it from the Internet. The real issue is how to make your computer 99% hacker proof. An unprotected computer connected to the Internet via broadband (cable, DSL) is like leaving your car running with the doors unlocked and the keys in it which a thief might interpret as "please steal me". Locking a car, using a "club" or installing a security system makes stealing a car more difficult. A broadband Internet connection is easier to hack because it is "always-on" and often has a static IP address. This means that once a hacker or script kiddie finds your computer, it is easier to find it again. Most 56k dial-up Internet connections use a new IP address each time you connect which makes it much harder to find your computer again unless a trojan horse has been installed which can phone home each time you connect. Using personal firewall, anti-virus, anti-trojan and privacy software will protect your computer and data from most, if not all, script kiddies, commercial data collectors and malware (virus, worm & Trojan horse) if you install them correctly and keep them updated. If you are connecting two or more computers to the Internet, you should also use a hardware router with firewall features. These products provide adequate protection because most "attacks" are impersonal. That is, the attackers are not targeting your computer but are looking for any easy mark connected to the Internet. If you make it difficult for them to find and gain entry to your computer, they will most likely leave you alone. If a real hacker decides to attack your computer, you can make it difficult for him/her but if he/she is good, they will likely find a way in. That is why large organizations have computer security staff and consultants working 24/7 to protect their computer networks. Unless a hacker has some reason to make a personal attack on your home or SOHO computer, you should not worry too much about a direct assault. Telecommuters are a special case because they are working at home but are also connected to their organization's network. If you are a telecommuter or thinking about becoming one, contact your computer security staff for advice.

Category: Anti-Hacking

Many people are shocked at how many incoming and/or outgoing security alerts they get after installing their first firewall (depending on its features) because they had no idea of what was going on around them. So this is perfectly normal. The good news is that if your personal firewall gives an alert, your computer is usually protected.

Category: Anti-Hacking

See our Computer Viruses FAQ for more information on viruses, worms, and trojan horses.

Category: Anti-Hacking

Protecting your computer from intrusion (scanning or attack) by hackers or script kiddies while it is connected to the Internet.

Category: Anti-Hacking

YES!...to make your computer as secure as possible you need all three(a firewall, anti-virus, and anti-trojan software).

Category: Anti-Hacking

It's a service offered by a few broadband Internet service providers that puts a firewall into your modem.

Category: Anti-Hacking

It sits between your modem and your computer or your network. It is hard to hack your computer or a network when it is hidden behind a hardware box.

Category: Anti-Hacking