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10 Signs You Might Have A Computer Virus

DJ — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 02:00:22 +0000

Having an infected computer can really drive a person insane. An infected computer can be so bad that the computer is practically useless. On the other hand, viruses can be very sneaky and it is hard to tell if the computer is infected. What are some signs that I might have a virus? This is a good question that I am going to try to clear up.

Here is ten signs and symptoms the computer might have a virus.

1. Computer is really slow

Computer viruses tend to eat up a lot of CPU and memory. One way to check this is to open up the task manager and check for suspicious process. If one of the processes looks suspicious or is eating up the CPU, do a Google search of the process. I guarantee you will find some sort of information on the process whether it be good or bad.

2. Random Programs Opening Up

This is very common with all malware infections. When I remove malware from computers, I notice there is a bunch of Internet Explorer processes in task manager. This happens even if the user does not use Internet Explorer.

3. Programs Freezing or Crashing

Again, I use the Internet Explorer Example. If the person does not suspect anything, an error message might pop up and say Internet Explorer service has been shutdown or something along those lines. I get questions about users receiving the Internet Explorer error when they don’t use it. This can be checked by hitting ctrl+alt+del.

4. Pop-ups

This is another common symptom of an infected computer. The user might be browsing the Internet and receiving a bunch of pop-ups or they can receive them when they are not surfing the Internet.

5. Browser Redirects

I have started to see this problem more and more. When the user goes to search something like Facebook, they are redirected to some other site like Yellow Pages. Lately, the infections I have been removing would redirect me to the Yellow Pages (strange and funny).

6. Random Desktop Shortcuts

This has been a common occurrence. I was helping a friend who had a ton of viruses on his computer and he had a bunch of random shortcuts on his desktop. It was actually funny; he had some porn shortcuts that could not be deleted. One was about bestiality and another about gay fetishes (LOL).

7. Computer Sounds Like a Radio Broadcast

I ran into this problem a few times. A couple of people I helped on Yahoo Answers were getting some strange voices coming from their computer. I thought this was creative and I think I would be rather tripped out by that.

8. Windows Task Manager Has Been Disabled

I ran into this problem a lot. When the user tries to access their task manager, they get an error message saying they don’t have the proper privileges to access it.

9. Fake Windows Security Center

This has a lot to do with rogue security applications or scareware. Rogue security applications trick the user into thinking he/she has some viruses. An unsuspecting user might think they have a bunch of viruses and proceed to buy the rogue. I helped this person on Yahoo Answers that actually bought the virus or rogue. He entered all his personal information to include credit card number and was getting charged like $49.99 or $59.99, can’t remember which.

10. Computer Can Only Access Safemode

When the computer tries to boot into Windows it automatically restarts itself bringing you back to the black screen with various options. The user has to access safemode in order to do anything. Fortunately, there are programs that have the ability to run and destroy malware in safemode.

These are the most common occurrences I have seen. Malware creators are getting more intuitive in order to bypass the standard security software. If your computer is infected, I would be glad to assist you in the removal process. Removing viruses have become a hobby of mine and I really enjoy destroying malware. Here is another article that might help you remove any viruses, how to remove viruses for free.

What’s Up With Twitter?

DJ — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 07:19:09 +0000

Over the past weekend when I was on Twitter, I noticed that my tweets were the only ones to show up in my Twitter client Twhirl. I didn’t pay any attention until last night. I’m usually being bombarded with the same people tweeting about a bunch of junk. I lost all my followers and all the people I was following. I don’t know if it was a glitch or what was going on. Over in the help forums, there were a lot of other users that were experiencing the same problems.

Don’t get me wrong, Twitter has the potential to drive traffic to a site and a person can make money too. For instance, I sent out a tweet about giving away a Netbook and in about a ten-minute period, I had 200 new visitors to my site. I am sick of seeing the same tweets repeatedly from the same users. One tweet is see how Cathy turned her teeth from yellow to white in 30 days or something along those lines. I see this one from tons of my followers and from whom I am following.

Another is the one from sofa.tv. This one is annoying because there is one person that just uses the sofa.tv tweet and it’s tweeted about every three minutes. I know what you’re thinking, (why doesn’t he just block the tweeter). To be honest, I have not got around to deleting any of the followers.

I think that Twitter might be overrun with spammers trying to make a quick buck or two. I think I am going to create a new account strictly for the blog and delete my old one. This time I will not tolerate users who are spamming and push my tweets out of the way.

Is it time to get a new Twitter account? Should I just wait until my account gets fixed? Or, should Twitter be out of the question? I appreciate everyone’s feedback on this.

Fun Games for the iPhone

Dee — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 04:13:33 +0000

First off, this is a repost because I wanted to fix a few things. Everyone knows I love the iPhone more than any other electronic device I possess. I have always downloaded game applications and played them. After awhile, like any other game, it gets old and boring. However, I have found two games that have been available online that are now available on the iPhone that I absolutely love, Mafia Wars and Vampires: Bloodlust. These games are created by a company called Zynga. You create a character for yourself and then complete missions in each of the games. After completing missions you use the points to acquire new skills that will increase your skill and level in the game. Once you acquire skill you then can “fight” other members of that game to gain more points.

I know what you’re thinking, “those games are so stupid and a waste of time.” I used to think that too and I never thought I would like an RPG game, but here I am hooked as can be on these two games. I find myself waiting for the time to pass so I can go kick some A$$. I was amazed that after I started playing that a lot of my friends and co-workers had already been playing the game, which of course increased my competitive nature. I usually do not push iPhone game applications, but I found myself downloading this on my boyfriend’s iPhone for him to play too, whether he wanted to or not. I of course had an ulterior motive for this though. If he is a member then I could add him to my mafia and my vampire clan to make my character more powerful. A bit selfish perhaps!

Since I discovered these games on the iPhone I have not played any other games. If you do not have an iPhone you can go play these games online through your facebook, yahoo, etc. Call me a dork, geek, nerd, douche, or whatever other fun word you can think of, but I bet you get hooked too if you go try it.

Free Program for Screen-Sharing

DJ — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 07:30:04 +0000

Crossloop is a screen-sharing program that allows you access to someone’s computer over the internet. I have used Crossloop to help family members in another state to remove malware from their computers. At some point, I am going to add a section to the site where users can schedule appointments with me to help them solve their computer issues. Here is a quick tutorial on how Crossloop works.

My Top Five Free iPhone Apps

DJ — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 06:37:16 +0000

A few days ago, I wrote an article of my top three paid iPhone apps. Now I am going to write about my top five free iPhone apps. Here is the list of my top five.

Daily Finance

There was a time when I was completely obsessed with the stock market. It got to the point where I was checking on my stocks every ten minutes. Daily Finance helped me keep track of my portfolio. It provided real-time quotes, financial news, charts, global markets, gainers, and losers. You can save numerous ticker symbols in the portfolio manager so you do not have to enter a stocks ticker symbol when doing research. You can also save up to 25 different portfolios if you would like. This app really made managing my portfolio so much easier and kept me up to date with the latest news about my stocks.

Facebook

This app is self-explanatory as the name speaks for itself. Get the latest news from your friends, upload and share photos, send and receive messages. If you are, an avid Facebook user then this app is must have. This app has the same functionality as if you were on your computer.

Sporting News (NFL)

This is truly an awesome app. This app is a necessity for all the hardcore football fans out there (me included). Keep up to date with the latest scores, stats, and news around the league. This app also allows you to pick your favorite team and displays the score at the top of the screen. You can also scroll to weeks ahead to see who your favorite team is playing and the time.

Pandora

Pandora is an awesome app that lets you listen to your favorite band or genre of music. You can also program it to play random songs from the various genres. When you enter in the band you want to listen to, not only do you get to hear their popular songs, you hear popular songs from artist in that same genre.

Shazam

Shazam is useful if you hear a song on the radio and do not know who the artist is. When you hear an unknown song, open up Shazam and press the middle button in the screen to find out the artist and song name. You can identify music from the radio, TV, and movies. I have found this app very useful when listening to the oldies channel.

There you have it folks, my list of five free iPhone apps. What are your favorite iPhone apps? Please share with everyone what your favorite apps are. I am always looking for more great apps.