|
|
 Need Computer Help? Newsletter |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Greetings!
Please enjoy this month's newsletter, this month we will educate you on
Please feel free to forward this on to friends, family, and associates. Great referrals are more than welcomed. Thank you :-) |
|
First Malware, then Spyware now Scareware.
by: Rob Moss
What are the odds of coming home to find your front door broken down and 112 robbers in your house removing the contents? Pretty slim is my guess.
Similarly, what are the odds of your anti-virus software, or any genuine anti-virus software, waking from a snooze and suddenly announcing to you that you have 82 new viruses? Slim to vanishingly small I believe.
Any software that tells you that your PC has a host of viruses is trying to scare you. Hence the name Scareware. They may try to sell you their services. "Give us $25 and we will clean these pesky intruders for you." This is tantamount to holding your PC hostage.Your anti-virus will never do that to you.
If you find yourself faced with a warning that appears out of the blue and tells you that you have lots of infected items then you need to turn the system off and call for help. It matters less who you call for help. Shutting down is the best option. The sooner the system is shut down the better the odds of cleaning it successfully.
As of the time of this writing the cure rate for systems infected with Scareware is very high.
The only other thing I need to mention is that although your current anti-virus software will never hold your PC hostage, it may well go to sleep on the job if you don't renew your subscription. The software will probably keep working but it will probably also not update the files that make it aware of new viruses. Imagine going to the doctor with a headache and he prescribes a course of leeches to be attached to your head to cure the headache.
Your anti-virus can become out of date very quickly without those updated files.
There is no current solution to the Spyware, Malware, Scareware issue. The software is being written too quickly for the anti-virus vendors to keep up. All we can do is be mindful about where we go on the Internet, keep our anti-virus updated and be aware of the possibility that something may get past our defenses.
If your system does become infected try not to obsess too much over how your system became infected. Today you can download an infection pretty much while surfing from point to point on the web. The term for this is "Drive-By Download". This said, there are places you want to stay away from. Freebie download sites and kid's game sites for instance suffer from higher infection rates than normal.
In summary, enjoy your time on the web, be mindful of where you are going on the web and don't panic if you do suddenly get a warning of an infection.
|
Lightning Fast Computers Tune Up Class.....
 If you're waiting more than a minute to boot your computer, you're waiting too  long. That's just for starters. Virtually every computer including new ones can be sped up by 25% and ones that are two years old or older can be sped up by 50% or more. You don't need to buy a new computer to get the speed you desire. After this class, in about one hour, you'll be able to optimize and speed up any computer, Mac or PC. We will review various free computer utilities to help you speed up and maintain your computer at an optimal speed. Please click HERE to register for one of our future classes. Leisure Learning Unlimited and Need Computer Help? have teamed up to offer this inexpensive class for only $69. Here are the up and coming dates. Wednesday 6:30 - 9:30pm September 21st For additional information please visit http://www.llu.com/
|
|
Who Invented the First Computer?
The answer to this question depends on your definition of a computer.
The first known counting devices or tools were Tally Sticks from about 35,000 BC.
The Abacus was then invented by the Babylonians in 2400 BC.
In 1837, Charles Babbage, a British professor of mathematics described his idea for the Analytical Engine, the first stored-program mechanical computer. The Analytical Engine was designed to be powered by a steam engine and was to use a Punched Card for programming looms. What made the Analytical Engine unique was that it was designed to be programmed.
 | | A Tally Stick |
It was because of this and the fact that it would be more than 100 years that any similar devices would be constructed, Charles Babbage, would be considered by many as the "father of computing".
In 1939, John V. Atanasoff and Clifford Berry developed the Atanasoff-Berry Computer (ABC) at Iowa State University, which was regarded as the first electronic digital computer. The ABC was built by hand and the design used over 300 Vacuum Tubes and had capacitors fixed in a mechanically rotating drum for memory.
The ENIAC (Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer), constructed in the US in 1943, is widely regarded as the first functionally useful electronic general-purpose computer. Influenced by the ABC, it was a turning point in the history of computing and was used to perform ballistics trajectory calculations and used 160 kW of power.
The UNIVAC I (Universal Automatic Computer) was the first commercially available, "mass produced" electronic computer manufactured by Remington Rand in the USA and was delivered to the US Census Bureau in June 1951. It used 5,200 vacuum tubes and consumed 125 kW of power. 46 machines were sold at more than $1 million each.
The microprocessor eventually led to the development of the microcomputer, small, low-cost computers that individuals and small businesses could afford.
By the 1990s, the microcomputer or Personal Computer (PC) became a common household appliance, and became even more widespread with the advent of the Internet.
Thank You
Rob Moss
(832) 533-2304
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
