Exids IT Solutions

…use “Add or Remove Programs” to remove software completely

The “Add/Remove programs” applet is built into windows to allow you to easily see what programs are currently installed, and to give you the ability to remove them automatically.

I hear a lot of people asking me “how to delete a program” or “how to get rid of a program”.  If I were to go through a computer manually deleting all the files, settings and registry entries that were installed with a program, it would not only take hours, but I couldn’t possible find everything. 

The reason why manually removing software would be so painful and slow is that many programs store information in something called the “registry”.  The registry contains settings and other valuable configuration information many programs need to run properly.  I could delete all of the files for a program on a computer, but the entries in the registry would impossible to remove completely.

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…Right now – without a referral!

Just a quick post to let everyone know that you can now get a Gmail email account without a referral – all you need is a mobile phone that you can receive text messages on.

Visit this like here to get a free Gmail email account now:

https://www.google.com/accounts/SmsMailSignup1

What is Gmail?

Unlike hotmail and other related free email account services, Gmail offers a massive amount of email storage and POP access with your mail client like Outlook Express or Thunderbird.

There has been some controversy over Gmail, as the technology is offered for free but makes money from ads that are displayed in your Gmail profile when you log in.  The ads that are displayed are relevant to the content of your emails and assists Google in collecting marketing intelligence on the types of things being transmitted through email.  The controversy revolves around the fact that automated bots scan your emails to determine what ads are relevant to display to you.

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…And what you can do to keep your computer safe

Here’s a post you should take to heart; especially if you are reading this on Windows computer in Internet Explorer.

The few years of my life I have been up to my knees wading through 0′s and 1′s in people’s computers looking for suspicious processes, process modules, handles, hooks, hidden API’s, Alternate data Streams and all the other geeky areas I may find bits of code designed to run amuck in your system with intentions unbeknown to many users. I am going to share a few spyware facts, and what you can do to keep clean and secure.

I’m talking about Malware (AKA viruses, spyware, adware, trojans, worms). Just so there isn’t any confusion of what I am ranting about, “malware” is a general term to describe all the aforementioned software – it is malicious software; therefore the term: “MALWARE”.

It has become painfully obvious that we are fighting a losing war against individuals and corporations that are hell bent on gathering information about everyone last one of us. One of the reasons adware and spyware is so prevalent is because adware and spyware are designed to collect information about where we visit, what we click on, and what we search for to construct media campaigns that maximize advertisers spending. Of course, this is only one reason why someone would want to infect your system.

I intend to give you some tips on how to stay clean, but before I do I want to share some troubling information about spyware and malware facts: Read the rest of this entry »

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First off let me say that a secure pc requires more than just a quality antivirus program. You want to harden your system with other security components such as a router (hardware firewall), perhaps a software firewall, an anti-spyware solution, regular operating system updates and a great system cleaner. But let’s not veer off topic – you’re looking for a quality anti-virus program.

I’m not here to slander any products, but talking from experience two of the largest security companies out there also make some of the worst software. I’m talking about Norton and McAfee.

Both companies spent a fortune every year in advertising and maintaining a polished image, while dropping minimal efforts into the development process of creating better products. Each year Symantec has developed a more bloated, complicated security suite, putting patches upon patch to secure their own security products. Read the rest of this entry »

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Time and time again I get asked the question “Who can help me with this problem, and how much will it cost?”  “Free, if you want”, I reply.

There’s many places you can get free help when you have problems with your PC or even just to get a “check up”.  One of the most popular places to get free help are sites like this one.  Most people have a specific question, or a specific problem they are looking for an answer to, and sites like this one usually provide the information you need to get an answer to your question or problem.

But sometimes information and articles written about a problem just aren’t enough.  Sometimes you need someone to hear about your problem so that they can interpreter your issues and provide you with a customized response.  Welcome to computer tech forums.

Computer Tech Forums are an excellent resource to find free quality tech support.  Some computer tech forums have some of the best and most brilliant computer technicians in the industry, and they’re all eager to help.

For more information on computer tech forums, visit our “Additional Resources” section on The best Computer Tech Forums and Computer Repair Forums to get answers quickly and when you need them most.

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PC users are the “weakest link” in computer security

IBM has recently suggested that PC users are the weakest link in the security chain in its Security Threats and Attack Trends Report for 2005.

Ironically, this has happened from the fact that computer systems have become more secure, queuing criminals and fraud experts to bypass security in other ways.

Computer Email Scams: Hook, line and sinker

This brings to mind tactics like Phishing, where an individual masquerades as a trustworthy person and sends you an email with a link to click.  This link is supposed to take you to their website, and for all intents that is exactly what it appears to do.  The thing about these computer email scams is that you aren’t taken to the site you think you should be taken to – instead, you are taken to a “clone” site. But the site looks real, perhaps because you have been there before – so you enter in all the personal information that it requires to update, or login to your profile.

What just happened is that you have submitted ALL of that sensitive information to someone, somewhere in the world that is now collecting it and preparing to use it fraudulently. This computer email scam is a very quick method of gathering information, and is usually much more profitable than installing spyware on a computer if the information is used effectively.Watch what you click.  If you click a link in an email, and it takes you to a page requesting personal information, think twice.  Any financial institution, government, or online business should not provide you with a link to update personal information.

What’s the current email scam on the internet that is the most popular?

Two of the most popular phishing scams are for Chase bank online phishing, and Paypal.  These companies will not ask you to update information in an email.  Avoid becoming a victim by learning to identify phishing emails and knowing how to defeat phishing.

So what should you do when you receive a suspicious link?

The answer is simpler than you think.  Type the web address into your web browser manually to get to the web site in question.  This is the only method to beat phishing, and ensures that you are directed to the legitimate company’s website.  There are also other things you can do to help become a victim of phishing, but the method of typing in web addresses manually is currently the only fail safe method. Read the rest of this entry »

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I would imagine that it won’t be long before the pages I have uploaded get indexed by google and the other search engines soon, but there is still a ton of work to do.  Hopefully I don’t get too sidetracked by other projects to finish everything completely and properly!

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