internet
Archived Posts from this Category
Archived Posts from this Category
Posted by admin on 31 Jan 2008 | Tagged as: proxy, internet explorer, internet
Cannot connect to Internet? Well, don’t get hyper because more often than not it’s just an overloaded network server that is responsible for this. However, you have every right to try out your own things because although quite common, an overloaded network server is not the only thing that can make Internet inaccessible to you.
You may not be aware, but there are plenty of other reasons as well such as a badly configured firewall setting or an inappropriate entry in the proxy settings of your Internet connection. Sometimes, it has also been noticed that a dysfunctional Internet connection has been the result of malicious software codes such as viruses, Trojans, worms, spywares etc. Some of these unwanted software codes can take complete control of your system and when this happens, it might make Internet inaccessible to you.
So, if you cannot connect to Internet, I would recommend that you first try to find the root cause of the problem. Your first step should be to run a virus scan on your computer using an effective anti-virus software program. For best results, you need to turn off the “System Restore”, before you actually click on the Scan button. System Restore continually keeps creating backups of your system and if you do not turn it off during a virus scan, chances are high that the virus might resurface after some time.
If a virus-scan fails to improve your situation, you should move on to other issues such as your firewall and proxy settings. The easiest thing to do here is just reset all the settings to their default levels. You should make further changes only when the default settings fail to give the desired results. If none of this works, then I must admit that you will have no other option but to pick up your phone and call your Internet service provider. That’s the last and final remedy in case you cannot connect to Internet.
Posted by admin on 14 Nov 2007 | Tagged as: javascript, configuration, error, windows, internet
There are many kinds of login services, but some of the most problematic are those that involve connecting to a network or to an ISP for an Internet connection.
What is the point of a login service? Well, it goes beyond simply entering the correct username and password. In fact, a large portion of login service errors have nothing to do with the details. They’re caused by a failed connection or a loose configuration setting.
Of course, that’s not to say that you should rule out the possibility of a mistaken password or username altogether. Always check the details that you enter, making sure that the caps lock is turned off to prevent a system misinterpreting what is essentially the same combination through the use of different case. And check again just to make sure.
If you’re still having trouble with the login service, it’s probably down to the connection. If you enter the correct details, you will be granted access by the login service. If you enter incorrect details, obviously you won’t be. But if you enter the right details without having a working connection, you’ll receive a potentially misleading error. You must be connected to the login service to be able to reach the verification mechanism. Without verification, you’ll be locked out. Correct details or not.
If you are using the Windows Login Service and your password isn’t being accepted, you may have been the victim of a virus attacking the core of the system. Some viruses are capable of altering a system user or password to cause maximum damage and lock a user out of the operating system.
The best way to avoid such circumstances is to use the trusted road of anti-Virus protection. Always protect your machine from third party software and malicious hackers. You should have a firewall in place at all times when using the Internet, and preferably a commercial scale anti-Virus suite too.
It’s possible to reset the Login Service password by accessing your Windows registry and changing the key information. But this can be problematic if the virus has locked you out completely. A complete scan of the system with both a cleaning utility and a registry scanner will eliminate the threat of harmful viruses.
If you are having problems with the login service of a remote ISP, there could be many different causes to blame. First and foremost, check the connectivity of your hardware devices. This involves resetting modems, checking network wires and removing the static from plugs if necessary. If you can’t use the login service, it doesn’t necessarily indicate a problem with the software. You could be suffering from a hardware detection issue which happens to terminate at that particular time.
Some login services require the enabling of additional technologies. For example, web based Login Services might require JavaScript to validate details against the authorized list. In these cases, ensure that scripting is enabled in the Advanced tab of your Internet Options.
When logging in to any local network, ensure that the relevant cable is attached and working. If this isn’t correct, you might not even see a login screen. A “Page Cannot Display” message is quite common in scenarios where the login service can’t initiate – whether it be through a faulty Internet connection, a network hardware issue or even a system virus.
Posted by admin on 14 Nov 2007 | Tagged as: malware, spyware, internet explorer, internet
Contrary to popular belief, anti-virus software is only protecting you from half of the malicious content that you’re likely to find on the Internet. The other half comes in the form of Malware; an umbrella term for spyware, adware and several other disruptive applications.
It was only just recently that the top anti-Virus suites implemented scanning software to tackle the new problem. But despite the improvement of actually recognising the issue, it’s still important to have anti-Malware software installed if you wish to effectively wipe out the threat.
Viruses, understandably, take much of the media’s attention with their ability to spread like wildfire and cause severe disruption on a global scale. Yet Malware is much more common and can have a similarly disastrous impact on an operating system’s ability to function properly.
Even with the latest version of Internet Explorer, Malware makes it possible for other web users to hijack your browser and re-direct your every request to a third party website – usually one which sells an affiliated virus removal package.
Indeed, almost all Malware instances point to a commercial product which the user is trying to sell. They have several ways of succeeding. One of the most common is to include spyware with download packages.
An unsuspecting user might initiate a download without reading over the small print in the terms and conditions. When they install the program on their system, it will unpack several other applications. Some of these will operate in the background and the user won’t even know that they’re there. They can gather information about the user’s browsing habits, the sites that they visit and even more worryingly – bank details.
Other adware threats are less discrete and will spring up pop-ups on your desktop. You’ll even see your browser toolbar overtaken by commercial icons if you’re particularly unlucky.
One of the most popular tactics for Malware hackers is to spring up an alert box which states that the system is under attack from a deadly virus. The pop-up is dressed to look like a standard system warning, but it acts as an advertisement which will take the user to another third party website. As you can see, affiliation schemes are a popular target for the hackers.
The solution to all this, as you’ve probably gathered by now, is to protect your system with anti-Malware software. Most anti-Virus programs are extremely well designed to keep out the threat of Trojans and worms, yet they do little to fight off spyware which a user willingly installs without a second thought.
Anti-Malware products work in a similar fashion to virus protection software. They sit in the background and run a discrete check on the files that you download. If known instances of spyware or adware are detected, you’ll be confronted with an alert message and an option to either eliminate the threat or continue.
In most cases, eliminating the threat will simply mean not downloading a certain product. When software is packaged together, it becomes almost impossible for an Anti-Malware utility to sift out the good from the bad.
When you install the program, however, you should receive notification of the third party content that you might not have noticed in the zip.
By far the most popular form of Anti-Malware software is the “Search and Destroy” utility. This tool doesn’t prevent all new occurrences of malicious content, but it will scan your hard drive and sniff out the bad files. You can then opt to place the programs in quarantine and have them immobilised from operating on the system.
Inevitably, having spyware and adware running on a computer will decrease the performance. After rebooting with the files destroyed, you should notice that things run a lot smoother. It’s also a good idea to look out for recurring threats.
Some Malware programs are designed specifically to re-install themselves when a system restarts. They can be hard to remove and even with the top Anti-Malware software on the market, your best hope is to enter Safe Mode and remove the threat from there.
You’ll find that Anti-Malware software is cheaper than the better known Anti-Virus varieties. It’s now possible to get sufficient support for Malware removal through the likes of Norton and Symantec. But there are also several free utilities available on the Internet, and these can be efficient for most spyware and adware instances.
Don’t assume that just because you have virus protection, you’ll be safe from Malware. It’s a very different problem and one which the major companies are only just beginning to address.
Get a Free Online Diagnostic Scan with RegCure PC Optimizer (Download Takes 2 Mins)
Posted by admin on 14 Nov 2007 | Tagged as: antispyware, anti spyware, malware, spyware, internet explorer, browser, internet
Have you opened up Internet Explorer only to find that your browser re-directs and sends you off where you don’t want to be visiting?
If the answer is yes, the chances are high that you’ve been attacked by the notorious about:blank homepage hijacker. It’s likely that if you’ve been affected by the virus, you’ll know it as the Cool Web Search utility that appears on the desktop and in your web browser.
Make no mistake; there are many different homepage hijackers in circulation. They are used for several reasons, most notably for hackers to send traffic to websites of their choosing. Sometimes this’ll be to steal advertising revenue, other times it may be to fool a search engine. And of course, there are those occasions where the pesky hackers will attack for the sake of attacking.
You may have heard the about:blank problem described as a symptom of the HomeOldSP hacker. There is a simple reason for this, and to find it you only have to look as far as the Windows Registry where you’ll find the following key:
HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main,HomeOldSP = about:blank
While you might think that it’s possible to get rid of the about:blank virus by simply deleting the registry entry, it’s not quite as simple as that. Deleting the entry will temporarily disable the virus, but the infestation is designed to undo any attempt to delete it permanently. This means that within moments, you’ll be suffering from the same about:blank problems.
The good news is that the threat isn’t severe. It won’t render your system useless, although the same can’t be said for Internet Explorer which becomes extremely difficult to use with any variation of the Cool Web Search virus in place.
The DLL file at the root of the problem can be found hidden away at the key below:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\
WindowsNT\CurrentVersion\Windows\\AppInit_DLLs
Once again, it’s not worth deleting the DLL because it will simply re-spawn. To remove it effectively, we need to download a copy of HijackThis and a comprehensive registry cleaner.
A good registry cleaner will scan and remove the about:blank hijacker. But it’s well known that the virus is capable of avoiding deletion across some anti-Virus platforms. Booting in safe mode is a good way of ensuring that you get to the root of the problem when you run your removal software.
It’s also possible to go in and correct the problem manually, if a little problematic to do so. You will need to use the Windows Registry Editor to locate a key named AppInit_DLLs. In its value entry, you will find the corrupt hidden DLL file that needs to be removed. The only problem is that you won’t be able to remove it unless you go through the Windows Recovery Console and rename the file first.
Before you can delete the file, you will need to lift the read-only protection that the hacker has placed on it.
Open up command prompt, find the stray DLL, and enter the following:
ATTRIB -R *file-name-here*.dll
Once the attribute has been changed, go ahead and delete the DLL file. Reboot the system and load up Internet Explorer. You should find that the about:blank problem is fixed.
We would strongly recommend that you purchase, or download, a sufficient spyware removal tool. There are many which sit in the web browser with the sole purpose of preventing intrusions such as the about:blank homepage hijacker.
Get a Free Online Diagnostic Scan with RegCure PC Optimizer (Download Takes 2 Mins)
Posted by admin on 30 Oct 2007 | Tagged as: malware, trojan, spyware, browser, internet explorer, internet
As the world’s most popular web browser, Microsoft’s Internet Explorer is used by over 80% of users on the Internet. This puts it way out in front of every other browser, but it also means that the software is required to reach out to the newest and obscurest of technologies.
While Internet Explorer is certainly the most popular, it’s not always the most reliable browser on the market. Each browser is different, and we’re going to look at some of the problems you could face while using Microsoft’s popular interface.
The biggest issue, and the source of most criticism directed at Internet Explorer, involves the danger of infecting your system through spyware and adware. There is no absolute way of eliminating malicious content from the web, but Internet Explorer is somewhat exposed to the dangers – more so than its rivals. This is due to the way that the program is structured, making it easier for hackers to attack your system.
It’s quite common to find the browser lagging - or even not working at all – after enabling an ActiveX control which isn’t as it seems. Whenever you load an ActiveX control in Internet Explorer, you’ll be given a warning about the content. It could seem completely innocuous, but after accepting, it’s possible for a malicious user to execute a “drive-by download” and effectively spam your computer without you so much as batting an eyelid.
Yes, this is still possible using Mozilla Firefox or any other browser. The difference is that Microsoft’s product is much more discrete about letting you know that you have a problem. Sometimes it won’t even tell you at all. The only way you’ll know for sure is by running a scan of your computer, or by using good ol’ common sense when the browser freezes up or overflows in third party advertisements.
A good spyware removal utility should clear up any issues related to the third party corruption of your browser, and believe us, there can be many. If you’ve been browsing the Net for a month without sufficient anti-Virus protection, the chances are that you’re harbouring some kind of malicious content.
It’s also good practice to delete your temporary Internet files on a regular basis. Every time you visit a website, a cookie is downloaded on to your computer. As you allow these to mount up, they can clog the system and ruin what was once a fresh browsing experience. They’re also very important when it comes to maintaining privacy in the websites that you’ve accessed.
Sometimes you’ll access websites and click on links which fail to load. This isn’t usually a trait of Internet Explorer, but of a toolbar that’s attached to it. Check to ensure that you have pop-ups enabled, since some sites will use the target=”_blank” key to open a page in a new window.
Other problems such as failed applets and scripting malfunctions can often be a sign that you’re Internet Options have been adjusted. Try going to Tools then Internet Options and under the access permissions, make sure that the three scripting boxes are checked. If they’re not, JavaScript will not run in the browser. This, as you can probably imagine if you have a web background, can cause a lot of difficulties.
With the release of Microsoft Internet Explorer 7, many of the security issues have been taken care of. But that’s not to say we should neglect the likelihood of opportunist attacks on the web. Be sure to browse safely with anti-Virus protection and clean your system regularly.
Posted by admin on 21 Oct 2007 | Tagged as: privacy, security, software, internet
I would like to share some scary information about internet privacy with you.
Please don’t panic, but take this seriously, absorb it, think about it - and consider your options.
Every move you make on the Web leaves footprints which consume valuable disk space and put your privacy and identity at risk.
Every move you make on your computer, including all of your email and Internet activity, is being recorded whether you realize it or not.
If someone else has access to the computer you use, such as a friend, a boss, a co-worker or a spouse, they can see every single thing you’ve done on that computer and they don’t even have to know much about technology to accomplish such a feat. By simply using one of many common software applications available online, almost anyone can retrace every computer move you’ve ever made.
Basically, a person can look at every single website you’ve ever visited, every email you’ve ever sent or received, and every movie or music file you’ve ever watched or downloaded.
Please also consider this: Your Personal Data can be used against you, in scams such as:
- Online Phishing
- Identity Theft & Fraud
- Spyware, Adware & Viruses.
If this is a cause for concern, you might want to take action right now.I recommend you check the link below for Evidence Eraser software.It will scan your entire computer and will show you all of the emails, chat logs, Internet histories, audio and video files, deleted files, search histories, clipboard data, cookies, password files, image files and other information you probably never even realized was on your hard drive.
Once you’ve seen all the privacy-invading footprints stored on your system, the software will enable you to erase them from your hard drive forever and then not only will your privacy be protected, but your computer will run better as well.
Posted by pcfix on 21 Aug 2007 | Tagged as: malware, activex, active x, browser, internet explorer, computer, security, java, internet
An ActiveX Object is a module that has been created using the guidelines of Microsoft’s Component Object Model (COM). This is just another one of the many COM-based technologies that have been created by Microsoft. Sure, what we just said may sound real nice, but what exactly does all that mean?
ActiveX has been around for a while now, and may even be considered an old technology to many developers. Generally ActiveX Objects are written in Visual Basic 6 and are Microsoft’s approach to client side components. Other methods such as AJAX are starting to replace ActiveX Objects. An ActiveX Object is a module that is run on the computer system of the web browser rather than the web server that is hosting the web site. ActiveX was Microsoft’s answer to JAVA applets and this technique is similar to the method of using JAVA applications. The main purpose is to remove the burden from the web server and make the client side responsible for running the ActiveX Object to perform a certain procedure before returning the results back to the web server.
The use of ActiveX Objects in this way was intended to enhance the experience of the client side user on a web site using this technology, but hackers found a way to put malicious code into ActiveX Objects, which has turned the use of ActiveX Objects into a potential security risk. To help address the issues created by these malicious ActiveX components, modern web browsers have incorporated settings so that the web browser can allow ActiveX components, warn the client side user about ActiveX components or block ActiveX components from running. These components will have a digital signature attached to them so that the web browser can verify the author of the code and then present a window with information about this to the end user so that they may decide what to do.
These ActiveX Objects have also allowed the use of Windows Tools such as buttons, text boxes and labels. This means that a developer could place these items into a form in their website to show to the end user without actually knowing any HTML. This means that if you are a Visual Basic 6 programmer for example, but knew absolutely nothing about HTML, you could potentially create an entire website that looked and felt like Windows.
ActiveX Objects have given a web site developer a way to access a person’s computer so that their website performance is related to the hardware that the user has in their computer. However, with the advent of AJAX and CSS, ActiveX components in a website are being used less often by web site developers.
ActiveX Objects and ActiveX controls are found all around the internet in many different forms. Chances are you have used programs that use these methods recently. Some examples of programs people use every day that are using these ActiveX technologies include Adobe Reader, Adobe Flash Player, Apple QuickTime Player, Microsoft Windows Media Player, Real Networks RealPlayer, and Sun Java Virtual Machine.
Posted by pcfix on 23 Jul 2007 | Tagged as: program, registry, registry cleaner, registry fix, browser, internet explorer, computer, software, windows, internet
Scan, Repair and Optimize your PC!
This is the optimistic tagline of RegCure, one of many registry cleaning software packages vying for our attention in a very competitive market. But where other utilities come ridden with spyware and ad junk, RegCure sets itself apart as a legitimate contender.
Available to download for free from the RegCure.com website, the utility packs quite the unexpected punch for such a lightweight app. At just over 1mb in size, it certainly won’t be clustering your hard drive to the hilt. But good things can come in small packages, and RegCure proves it so.

First things first, we should note that while RegCure is free to download, it isn’t strictly free to use. You will need to register before you can fix the sizable chunk of errors that the program is likely to report. The trial version allows a maximum of five errors to be fixed. And unless you unwrapped your copy of Microsoft Windows in the last five minutes, this is going to leave some of the problems untreated.
The utility is simplified to cater for absolute beginners with its “one click to a finish” system. But while beginners will be able to make use of the software, so will the computer gurus at the other end of the market. RegCure is excellent at what it does, so what does it do?
It gives a remarkable boost to your PC performance. The application tackles all issues related to corruption of the Windows registry. Anybody who has spent a reasonable amount of time looking in to Windows problems will be aware that many of the errors we encounter are down to an untidy registry, corrupted or otherwise.
For a typical user to go in and reverse the necessary changes to restore a healthy registry, you could set aside a day or two. Errors are a pain to fix, and you really have to know what you’re doing as a bad edit could lock you out of the system completely.
This, of course, leads us to the benefits of RegCure. The utility is designed specifically to automate the process of cleaning a Windows registry. It will fix the outdated entries, remove the invalid data, and clean out anything and everything that you don’t need. Just follow the simple three step process and you will be left with an overview of the errors that RegCure detected.

Once you’ve selected the problems you wish to fix, it’s another one click process to let RegCure take care of the bad registry entries.
To label the utility as a one trick pony would be easy, but let’s not forget some of the additional services that RegCure offers. You will find a comprehensive registry back-up and restore feature. This winds a system back to a saved registry, and allows you to protect your current system in the event of corruption.
There is also the ability to adjust the programs that run when you launch your operating system. More experienced users will be aware that this is configurable through the Windows system itself, but RegCure presents the options nice and clearly for those who haven’t encountered the start up wizard before.

Many would argue that there’s no such thing as a totally clean Windows registry, and they’d be partially correct. But with RegCure you can ensure that your registry is kept and looked after. This in turn will produce a noticeable boost to your system performance. If that’s your goal, head on over to the RegCure website and take a look for yourself. We recommend the software highly.
Next Step:
Download RegCure PC Optimizer
Posted by pcfix on 12 Jul 2007 | Tagged as: http error 404, error 404, 404, error, browser, internet
A Javascript error can be handled a few different ways. Most of the time, it is up to the web browser you are using to decide how to handle a Javascript error. Although they usually do a good job of handling the Javascript error, none of them do a good job informing the user of the error or help them get past the error. An error can affect a web page from functioning altogether, so deciding how to handle an error smartly should not be something left to the internet browser alone. Using the window.onerror event, you can deal with Javascript errors in a much better manner when users encounter them while using your Javascript programs.The most commonly supported method for handling Javascript errors is the window.onerror event. You can use this event to tell an internet browser how to handle an error should one be encountered. You can tell the internet browser to run a specific section of your program or code in the event of an error. You may decide to have the internet browser ignore the error, or send the user to a error webpage. It will be your choice as to what is best for your webpages. Besides informing you of syntax errors, the window.onerror event is also an excellent way to deal with errors that occur when the internet browser attempts to display a picture.Suppressing the Javascript error is a good idea on web pages that do not rely on Javascript to display and operate correctly. For example, if you are using Javascript to make your links change color and shape when the mouse is placed on them, then it is not necessary to display an annoying error message if this feature is not working. You will just be likely to annoy the webpage visitor causing them to leave your web site. To suppress Javascript errors, just write a function that does nothing and point the internet browser to this code each time an error event occurs. If your webpage needs Javascript to run properly, this is not going to do any good.The easiest way to deal with a Javascript error is to redirect the web site visitor to an error page similar to a 404 error page. This will allow you to display a descriptive error code for the user, or suggest alternate locations on your site that they can find the information they are looking for. You also may have a simpler HTML web site that you would like to redirect the visitor to if they are having trouble with your more interactive Javascript version. No matter what you decide to do, be sure that you thoroughly test your code and error handling functions. To do this, you may want to intentionally make an error in the main part of your Javascript program so that you can test its error handling abilities.
Get a Free Online Diagnostic Scan with RegCure PC Optimizer (Download Takes 2 Mins)
Posted by pcfix on 12 Jul 2007 | Tagged as: http error 404, error 404, 404, error, internet explorer, browser, internet
If you receive an HTTP 404 error it means that the web browser was able to connect to the server, but that the server could not find the web page that has been requested or that it was set up to not respond to the request and give no reason why.When communicating with a server using the HTTP protocol, a server must send back a response to any request that it received. If there is an error on finding the web page requested, this response will consist of a numeric error code and a MIME message. These errors can be modified on a web server so that they provide more useful information to the end user. In Internet Explorer, however, these customized error codes will not be displayed to the visitor unless they are more than 512 bytes unless the web browser’s option to show friendly HTTP error messages has been unchecked.The most common cause of an http 404 error is a web page that has been moved or deleted from a server. If it has been moved, a more useful error code would be a 301 moved permanently error. A server can be set up to display this error code by modifying some configuration files. Because these additional settings have to be inputted into a configuration file, most web servers will just stick to the default error codes.There are countless different types of http 404 error messages that can be found all over the internet. Some pages will use the default http 404 error messages but there are also basic versions that include a search box for the server you are connected to. A more graphically appealing version is also sometimes used on larger web sites.
There are a few steps that you will need to take if you want to create your own custom http 404 error messages. First off, you will need to create or modify a file by the name of .htaccess. If you add the line “ErrorDocument 404 /notfound.html” then the web browser will display your notfound.html file each time an http 404 error is encountered.
Now that you have the web server set up to use the notfound.html file each time an http 404 error is encountered, the sky is the limit. You can write you very own web page code in the html file to display pretty much anything that you like when the error is encountered. There are a few things that are recommended, however, such as a link back to your home page, a search box for your website and any other tools to help the visitor find what they are looking for.
Like all things, once you have set the custom http 404 error the way you would like it, be sure to run your web server through a few tests to make sure that it displays your custom error page the way you intended it to.
Get a Free Online Diagnostic Scan with RegCure PC Optimizer (Download Takes 2 Mins)