Software

Archived Posts from this Category

Trendmicro Housecall

Posted by admin on 08 Feb 2008 | Tagged as: HouseCall, Security, Software

Housecall.com basically refers to the link housecall.trendmicro.com, which offers users one of the most effective online scanning tools, named “Housecall”. This online scanning tool checks your computer for all types of malicious software codes such as viruses, Trojans, worms, and spywares. It effectively identifies them and removes them from your computer. The tool also identifies other loopholes that can easily be used by malicious programs and hackers to gain unauthorized entry to your computer. It also explains the problem and suggests remedial measures that can be used for resolving the issue.

You can bet that Housecall.com works quite effectively because it has been designed and developed by Trendmicro, a reputed name in the computer security business. The best part is that it works well even with a slow dial-up connection, although the whole process then takes a lot more time. I tested Housecall.com myself and found out that it was quite effective in identifying and removing viruses and spywares.

Using Housecall is also quite easy because all you need to do is visit housecall.trendmicro.com and click on the “Scan Now” button. When you do this, you will see a new window in which you just have to click on the “Launch House Call” button. Housecall will then automatically download the necessary files and start scanning your computer soon after. The time it takes to scan will depend on the type of files you have on your computer and also on the storage capacity of your hard drive.

After the scanning is over, Housecall.com will prompt you to take appropriate action such as “Ignore” or “Delete”. In case of detected vulnerabilities, Housecall will provide you links that might have more information on how to fix those issues.

Housecall.com may not be a replacement for a fully functional antivirus security program, but since it is quite good at providing basic level protection, you can always rely on it. By the way, don’t forget that it is complete safe and completely free.

The term “micro housecalls” basically refers to the process of scanning your computer for viruses, using the online scanning tool named ‘housecall’. The tool is designed and developed by TrendMicro, a reputed name in the computer security business. As such, you can rest assured that housecall will quite effectively identify and remove all types of malicious software codes from your computer. Since, the tool also identifies security vulnerabilities present in your computer and tells you how to fix those, you will easily be able to ensure that your computer remains protected in the long term as well.

Using housecall is quite easy because all you basically need is a broadband Internet connection. Housecalls also works fine with dial-up connections, but since the whole process then takes a lot more time, I would recommend that you avoid using dial-up connections while using Trendmicro’s housecall. For using housecall, you just have to visit housecall.trendmicro.com and click on the “scan now” button. After this, you can just sit back and relax while housecall downloads the required files and scans your computer for viruses, Trojans, worms, spywares, and present security vulnerabilities.

Get a Free Online Diagnostic Scan with RegCure PC Optimizer (Download Takes 2 Mins)
Download Now

Defragmentation Programs

Posted by admin on 03 Feb 2008 | Tagged as: Defragmentation, Operating System, Program, Software, Windows

On the World Wide Web, you will find a wide variety of Defragmentation Programs, all claiming to be the best in business. Some will promise you faster speeds whereas others will claim to increase the storage capacity of your hard drive. To top it all, most of them will ask you to shell out top-dollars for using their Defragmentation programs. Apart from these paid defrag programs, you will also come across many freewares and sharewares, all in the same boat obviously because they usually do nothing more than promise you the moon.

So, which is the most appropriate Defragmentation program that I should opt for? Well, personally I would recommend that you look no further than the Disk Defragmenter that already comes installed along with Windows Operating System. I say this because most of the so called Defragmentation programs available on the Internet do nothing more than link you to the Disk Defragmenter that is already available in Windows. So, if you pay up for a defrag program, it would simply mean that you are paying for a something that is nothing more than a mere shortcut. Not many users are aware of this and this is why these companies are making hay while the sun shines.

As for most freewares and sharewares, the basic issue is again the same, i.e. they too just link you to the Disk defragmenter in Windows. With freewares, there is also the problem of computer security because you can never tell whether the software you are downloading is really a utility or just a store house of malicious software codes such as viruses, Trojans, worms, spywares, etc. Most freeware and shareware defrag programs are thus a complete waste of time and effort and should be avoided.

The most cost-effective and safe is the Windows Disk Defragmenter and for home users, it has always been the best choice. For using the Windows Defragmentation program, you just have to click on Start > Programs > Accessories > System Tools > Disk Defragmenter. I would recommend that you start right away obviously because defragging is a long drawn process and is not something that can be completed in seconds.

Adobeacrobatreader

Posted by admin on 29 Jan 2008 | Tagged as: Adobe, Software

Adobeacrobatreader is one of the many free products that have been made available by Adobe Systems for users worldwide. Over the years, Adobe Systems, the company, has developed many useful software applications such as Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Dreamweaver, and Adobe Flash Player, but none has become as popular and as widely used as Adobeacrobatreader. One reason for the popularity might be that it is free, but you cannot deny that it is in fact a top-class software application.

The Adobeacrobatreader is a class software utility because it provides a common platform for users to share any type of document data over the Internet. Since the utility is completely free of cost, it provides an excellent alternative to conventional and costly documentation software systems such as Microsoft Word. More popular as the PDF file format, Adobeacrobatreader has some very useful features such as the two-dimensional documentation option that makes it possible for you to include everything from text to images, graphics, and much more in your PDF document.

However, not everyone is pleased with Adobeacrobatreader and of late this software utility has come under fire from Internet security experts who believe that the software has vulnerabilities that can be misused. One such claim is that the latest Java Support as provided in the newest version of Adobeacrobatreader can be used for embedding malicious codes that will run automatically as soon as the document is opened. Adobe systems however refutes these charges saying that the software has the option of disabling Java controls, which can be used if the user suspects a PDF file to contain malicious codes. And this is not much to ask from users, considering that one always needs to be careful while surfing the Internet.

In spite of these allegations, Adobeacrobatreader continues to remain the most popular document sharing utility for computer users. With new features constantly being added, the utility is set to become even more popular in the days to come.

Get a Free Online Diagnostic Scan with RegCure PC Optimizer (Download 2 Mins)

Error 1612

Posted by admin on 14 Nov 2007 | Tagged as: Program, Software, Uninstall, Windows

“Error 1612. The installation source for this product is not available”

This is an error which you may receive when you try to install duplicate copies of standalone Microsoft products. The main affected applications are as follows:

  • Microsoft Access
  • Microsoft FrontPage
  • Microsoft Publisher

The error usually occurs, but isn’t restricted to - the 2002 versions of the products. You will typically receive the error when trying to install SP1 of Microsoft Office XP. It stems from having more than one copy of the designated programs installed on the system. This sounds like a silly thing to be suffering from, but when you consider how Microsoft loves to sell its programs in bundles, it isn’t such a rare issue after all.

Thankfully, Microsoft has released a fix which deals with the clash and cleans up your system files. The fix is known as the Microsoft Windows Installer CleanUp Utility.

To download this small utility, you will need to go to the Microsoft website. There’s plenty of information and support to get you up and running, and the application is easy to use.

Once you’ve installed the utility, go to Start. Click across to Programs and locate Windows Install Clean Up.

You will see a list of all the Microsoft programs that you have installed on the operating system. Click on each of the programs, check the box and click Remove.

Each program comes with a slightly different removal procedure, but none of them should be too complicated to follow. Pay attention to the instructions and complete the uninstall process. Finally press exit to close the utility.

Assuming that you received the error while attempting to install Microsoft Office XP SP1, you should now be able to complete that particular setup. Once Office has been updated, you can safely track back and reinstall the standalone applications which were causing the 1612 error.

There are some instances where you may be receiving the 1612 error WITHOUT the mentioned programs being installed on the system. While they might not be present in the operational sense, some uninstalled software can leave behind files and registry entries which later cause problems.

This is a natural problem for PCs which have been used for months on end without a regular system clean-up. Have you noticed how the performance begins to drop, even after you’ve uninstalled all of the extra programs to leave yourself with the default configuration?

This is because most uninstall procedures leave behind traces of files, and unnecessary entries to the Windows registry. While they might not cause too many noticeable errors, it’s possible that such traces could lead to a 1612 error when you don’t actually have the Microsoft programs installed at the current time.

To get around this issue, we would suggest that you run two cleaning utilities. The first being a standard Windows cleaner, to get rid of loose odds and ends. The second being a more detailed Windows registry utility. Ridding the registry of redundant files will clear up a lot of errors and performance related issues, including, you guessed it, the 1612 error.

Get a Free Online Diagnostic Scan with RegCure PC Optimizer (Download Takes 2 Mins)

« Previous PageNext Page »