How Spammers Get Your Email Address

E-mail spammers don’t get your address because you're on the distribution list of legitimate email

publications. These days, it is a very rare mailing list that is completely open. That is not to

say that there aren’t any secure mailing lists, but it is very easy to get a hold of email addresses

these days.

So where do these spammers get your address you may be wondering? The number one place

that people used to use were posts on internet forums, and message boards. Newsgroups are

"publicly" readable; whether you post your message on your local ISP or on a major service of

some other kind, your message is typically spread worldwide by Usenet in a matter of hours,

and it; as well as your email is quickly picked up by advertisers.

The current most-common place to get your address is from actual web pages. If your e-mail

address is listed on a web page anywhere on the internet at all, such as from a contact section

especially if that page is listed in a search engine or directory, spammers will find it. To know if

this is possible all that you have to do is trying searching for your own e-mail address in Google.

If you can find it there, spammers can too. Spammers get a hold of fresh addresses by going to

web sites and scanning for e-mail addresses anywhere on the site.

Anti-Spam Filters

There are so many anti spam programs on the market today that it can be nearly impossible for

you to choose the right one for you. Many people are opting to use spam filters. These days,

there are few tools that are more important to an efficient workplace than an excellent spam

filtering service.

The down side here is that online junk-mail marketers are becoming more numerous and

insidious by the day. Because of this, it is more important than ever to stop e-mail spam.

Did you know that the average employee who spends only a few minutes a day reading and

removing spam email will waste more than 20 billable hours a year? If you actually multiply that

by the number of employees who receive these emails and you have yourself a major

productivity problem on your hands. It is time to fight back, and reclaim your employees' time.

Of course, with the ever-growing sophistication and available technology of today’s spammers,

anti-spam programs have often become so complicated that they're almost not worth the time it

takes to install them. A few of the top companies, however, have managed to solve that

problem.

They do this by simply sending all of your email through these companies' filters; spam can be

pre-filtered so that your server never has to deal with it in the first place. That would certainly be

How File Sharing Causes Spam

File sharing has become an epidemic of its own in the past few years. The idea of getting

something for nothing is simply too appealing to most of us. File sharing programs like Kazaa,

Morpheus, and Ares are very popular as means of getting just about any music CD and DVD

that is out there. Of course, you are basically just waiting to get stuck with some spam when you

sign up with these. It’s a very simple process.

These free file sharing programs often make their profits and provide these services because

they make trades or sell their registration lists (which include email addresses) to other

companies etc. this is how they are able to provide you with all of that stuff you so like to

download from them. Not to mention the fact that they do not monitor the programs that are

being shared which may also contain problems in them.

Every time you register with the free file sharing programs your email address is sent to any

number of people. The next thing that you know, you are getting thousands of spam in your

inbox and have no idea how these people got your email address in the first place. Well, now

you know. That is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to these programs. They are chalk

full of things that can ruin your computer. And it all begins the moment that you register for

Why Stop Spam?

When it comes to the safety of your computer, one of the best ways to ensure that you don’t get

one is to avoid getting and opening spam emails. Spam emails often contain viruses, worms,

Trojans, and spyware that can potentially damage your computer to no ends or simply make

using your computer extremely frustrating. There are however many different ways that you can

combat spam and that is what this article is about.

If you are interested in stopping spasm from ripping your computer to shreds, you can start by

getting some general information on spam in the first place. You should also realize that there is

more than one way that you can get trapped by spam. You can get much information about

spam on the internet. This makes sense since it is through the internet that spam attacks you.

Peer to peer file sharing is probably one of the best ways to obtain any song you could ever

want quickly and for FREE or cheap and it is also a great way to get a lot of spam. When

thousands of people are connected to one file sharing program, the odds of finding any song

are extraordinarily high. The music lover within you won't be disappointed nor will the movie

lover either. Of course, the spasm that can come with registering for these programs is

astounding. If this is something that you are interested in using any of the peer to peer programs

you should do a lot of research on them first. Ares, and lime wire are relatively good programs

that do not include much spam.

What Programs Help Prevent Adware/Spyware?

Anti spyware programs are going to be the most effective and beneficial tool for you to use in

your fight against all things spyware. In most cases, it will remove most of the spyware and

adware from your computer.

Some types of spyware can pose a larger problem and often be difficult to remove.

Nevertheless, there are some excellent tools available to help most computer users to combat

the threat of spyware.

Programs Available

There are many programs on the market that can be helpful in removing spyware. While we are

not advocating for any one program here, there are several that must be mentioned in order to

learn what these are, what they can do and just where they came from.

One such program is that of OptOut. This program was designed by Steve Gibson and really

became one of the founding tools in the fight against spyware. It was one of the first tools to do

this and therefore was the foundation for other programs that were to come along.

Some of the most popular tools include Ad-Aware which was designed by Lavasoft. Another

program is that of Spybot-Search and Destroy which was created by Patrick Kolla.

These programs have helped many to fight. In fact, they not only removed spyware but they

worked at helping to stop the download of them, too.

You can also look at Microsoft for some help. Just months ago, they began working on a

program to help with this type of protection. The program was for Windows XP, Windows 2000

or Windows 2003, and was a free downloadable program that expired in July in its beta version.

It was called Windows AntiSpyware beta.

Backing Up Your Data

It is important any computer user to remember to always back up their data. Although

technology is continuously improving, hard drives still fail and data is still lost. They operate at

high speeds, spinning at around 7200 rpm. There are many things that can happen to a hard

drive that can result in irreparable damage.

Because of the nature of all storage devices, it is important to back up any important data you

may have. There are many ways you can unintentionally lose information on a computer. A

power surge, lightning, fire or equipment failure can all cause data loss.

If you regularly make backup copies of your files and keep them in a separate place, you can

easily get at least of your information back in the event something happens to the originals on

your computer.

There are several programs that handle regular backups of your hard drive. Windows XP

includes its own Backup Wizard. Whatever program you choose, you should be able to set it to

copy the essential portions of your hard drive at a set time, usually in the middle of the night

when nobody is using the computer.

Data Recovery Services

When the mechanical portions of your hard drive fail, it is impossible for you to operate the drive

in order to recover your data. In this case you may need to contact a professional data recovery

service. If you were careful, you would have made backups of your important data. In this case

it becomes simple to replace the data on a new drive. If you do not have any backups then you

may be in trouble.

A data recovery service is a company that retrieves files from hard drives that have been

damaged. While data recovery software can be used to recover information that has been

deleted or from hard drives that have been corrupted, if there is physical damage to the drive,

you will probably need to call a data recovery service. One way to tell if there is physical

damage to your drive is if there are unusual sounds coming from it, especially clicking, buzzing

or scraping noises.

For a non-functioning drive, the information may still be on the drive, but just inaccessible to

you. A technician may be able to recover the data. There are many companies out there that

offer data recovery services.

How such companies usually operate is that you send your drive to them via courier. They will

then try to repair the drive in their clean room, which will prevent dust and other contaminants

from further damaging your drive. If successful, they will either send the now functioning drive

back to you, or in the case of data recovery from a completely inoperable drive, they can send

just the data in any form you desire.

When looking online for a data recovery service, you will want to be wary of companies who

cannot offer some guarantee about their work. Check to see if company can store your data

after recovery, in order to give you a chance to make sure that it is properly and completely

installed on your own system.

Data Recovery Services

When the mechanical portions of your hard drive fail, it is impossible for you to operate the drive

in order to recover your data. In this case you may need to contact a professional data recovery

service. If you were careful, you would have made backups of your important data. In this case

it becomes simple to replace the data on a new drive. If you do not have any backups then you

may be in trouble.

A data recovery service is a company that retrieves files from hard drives that have been

damaged. While data recovery software can be used to recover information that has been

deleted or from hard drives that have been corrupted, if there is physical damage to the drive,

you will probably need to call a data recovery service. One way to tell if there is physical

damage to your drive is if there are unusual sounds coming from it, especially clicking, buzzing

or scraping noises.

For a non-functioning drive, the information may still be on the drive, but just inaccessible to

you. A technician may be able to recover the data. There are many companies out there that

offer data recovery services.

How such companies usually operate is that you send your drive to them via courier. They will

then try to repair the drive in their clean room, which will prevent dust and other contaminants

from further damaging your drive. If successful, they will either send the now functioning drive

back to you, or in the case of data recovery from a completely inoperable drive, they can send

just the data in any form you desire.

When looking online for a data recovery service, you will want to be wary of companies who

cannot offer some guarantee about their work. Check to see if company can store your data

after recovery, in order to give you a chance to make sure that it is properly and completely

installed on your own system.

Data Recovery Software

There are many data recovery software packages out there. Some are shareware, and some

are even freeware, but the majority of quality programs do have a price attached. Some

commercial packages will offer to attempt to recover your data for free, but then you need to

purchase the software if it is successful. At this point you need to determine how much your

data is worth to you. It makes sense to spend a certain amount of money of data recovery

software if it means your business is not disrupted or your precious holiday photos are not lost

forever.

Two main techniques are used by data recovery software to retrieve files. These are

consistency checking and surface scanning. Consistency checking involves scanning the

logical structure of the disk and checking for any errors or missing data. It then tries to repair

the logical structure so that the data can be retrieved. Examples of programs that use

consistency checking include scandisk and chkdsk for Windows, disk utility for Macs, and fsck

for Linux. Surface scanning is slower, but works for drives with more heavily damaged logical

structures. Here the software attempts to recreate any data it can find. It uses a system of

rules to determine which data is part of which file, and the writes the collected files to a new

drive. Surface scanning does not repair a damaged file structure, but it can recover the data

that is on it so that the drive can be reformatted.

Before you try running data recovery software, you should make sure that the program will not

attempt to do any changes to your drive without being able to undo them. The last thing you

need is for your data recovery software to make matters worse by permanently erasing the data

you are trying to recover.

Types Of Data Loss

Perhaps the most common cause of data loss is through the accidental deletion of files. This is

correspondingly the easiest problem to fix. Most deleted files are not actually removed from the

hard drive. The space they occupy is simply marked as being able to be written to by new data.

Given the size of modern hard drives, it can be a considerable length of time before new data is

written to that space. This is how recovery software works. They are able to track down what

data is stored in sectors labeled as blank and recover the desired information.

There are numerous types of mechanical failures that can cause physical damage to storage

media. Old style floppy disks and CD-ROMs are susceptible to damage – floppy disks through

magnetic fields and CD-ROM’s by having their metallic substrate scratched off. Hard drives are

complicated pieces of machinery with moving parts that operate at speeds like 7200 rpm.

Physical damage always causes at least some data loss. Often the logical structures of the file

system can be damaged. Before any data can be recovered, the logical structure must be

rebuilt. Unfortunately, most of us are incapable of repairing any physical damage to our hard

drives, and thus must consult with a data recovery service

Data recovery is not limited to hard drives. With the proliferation of digital recording equipment,

from cameras to PDA’s to MP3 players, the use of data recovery techniques on such things as

Flash cards is growing. Also, many organizations find that they have important information

stored on older technologies like tape drives or zip disks. These forms of media may have been

damaged over the years, and most companies probably do not have the skills or equipment to

recover data from them. There are data recovery services out there that specialize in this type

Data Recovery

It seems that all of the work we do these days is stored on computers. For a business, the files

that we create can have a real, monetary value. For the individual, their computer may be filled

with pictures, correspondence and other personal memories. Occasionally this data can be lost,

either through a computer malfunction or the accidental deletion of files. The techniques used

to find missing files are known as data recovery.

Data recovery does cover a wide variety of services, depending on the cause of the data loss.

Microsoft’s Recycle Bin and Apple’s Garbage Bin can be though of as the first step in the

recovery of deleted files. For bins that have been emptied, and Linux systems, there are

various utilities such as undelete which can retrieve deleted files.

Another reason for data loss occurs when something damages the file system, causing

incomplete data to be written to the drive. This can be a result of a power surge or failure, or

some types of computer crashes. In this case, the logical structure of the file system is

damages, and must be rebuilt before the files can be accessed.

When data recovery software cannot retrieve the missing files, a data recovery service may be

the only solution. These companies specialize in the recovery of data from damaged storage

devices.

Data recovery can often be incomplete. It is usually done in an emergency situation. Complete

data recovery can often only occur when a back up copy has been made. By storing all of your

important data in multiple locations on different storage devices, you can best protect yourself

Data Recovery - Continuous Backup

With the increasing reliance on computer based systems to manage all aspects of our lives,

more emphasis is being placed on the development of backup systems as a necessary tool to

promote rapid and reliable data recovery. All computers and systems have the possibility of

failure. Planning for that failure can reduce the impact it may have on your business operations.

Traditional backups have usually consisted of tape-based systems that backup data and

transactions on a daily basis. For applications that require a higher degree of security, like

credit card transactions or systems that process a large amount of data each hour, a daily back

up may not be sufficient protection in the case of disaster. Fortunately, continuous backup

solutions exist. Here data is automatically copied to a backup system every time a change is

made to that data. This is in essence how the Unix file system works by saving multiple

versions of the same document. Continuous backup allows the user or a system administrator

to restore the data to any point in time.

There are many technologies that are designed for continuous backup. There is considerable

effort being done right now to create some sets of standards for continuous backups. The key

to continuous backup is the ability to record all data changes as occur, and to time-stamp them.

This means that one can reset the file to any point in time, rejecting any changes made after

that. Windows XP implements a form of continuous backup with their system restore function.

However the idea of full continuous backup is a much more powerful concept.

It is important to differentiate between continuous backup and what is known as taking

snapshots. Unlike snapshots, continuous backup does not store complete images of the drive

taken at given intervals. It just records the changes made to files. Snapshots generally require

far more storage space than a continuous backup solution.

Continuous backups are quite a bit different from traditional backups. Traditional backups can

only restore data to the point at which the backup was taken. With continuous backups, there

are no schedules. When data is written to disk, it is also written to a second location. This

eliminates the need for nightly scheduled backups.

Near continues backup is a variation of continuous backup where the data is backed up on

regular, those discreet, intervals. A typical length of time for a near continuous backup interval

is a couple of minutes. This reduces the demand that a continuous backup system requires,

while still providing a high level of data protection against unforeseen occurrences.

It is important to note that some backup systems are called continuous even though they only

perform the backup every hour or so. In essence, they are actually a snapshot system, and do

not offer the full flexibility of a continuous backup system.

Data Recovery - The Importance Of Backing Up Data

It is important any computer user to remember to always back up their data. Although

technology is continuously improving, hard drives still fail and data is still lost. Hard drives are

an amazing piece of mechanical engineering. They operate at high speeds spinning at around

7200 rpm. Although they have been engineered to withstand considerable levels of jarring and

vibration, problems can still occur that result in irreparable damage to the drive.

Because of the nature of all storage devices, you should back up any important data you may

have. There are many ways you can unintentionally lose information on a computer. A power

surge, lightning, fire, equipment failure and malicious or innocent tampering with your computer

can all cause data loss.

If you regularly make backup copies of your files and keep them in a separate place, you can

easily get at least of your information back in the event something happens to the originals on

your computer.

Deciding what to back up is highly personal. Anything you cannot replace easily should be at

the top of your list. Before you get started, make a checklist of files to back up. This will help you

determine what to back up, and also give you a reference list in the event you need to retrieve a

backed-up file.

Things to back up include the following:

?? Digital photos

?? Personal documents

?? School or work projects

?? Music collection

?? Address book

?? Email archive

?? Downloaded software

There are many ways to back up your personal computer. The cheapest is often just to

purchase a CD or DVD burner and a collection of blank disks. Another way, which can add

another level of security to your data, is to purchase storage space on an offsite server, and

update your files there on a regular basis.

You can individually select the files you want to back up each time, or you can use a back up

utility. There are several programs out there that are suitable for regularly copying the essential

portions of your hard drive. Windows XP includes its own Backup Wizard. It comes preinstalled

on Windows XP Professional, but you will have to install it yourself of the Home edition. Once it

is installed, you can find it by going to the system tools folder in the start menu.

Backing up your data regularly can prevent the need of a difficult data recovery process in the

event of a system failure. When you consider the time and the effort you have spent acquiring

or producing the data and programs on your computer, it makes sense to spend just a little bit of

time each week ensuring that you do not lose it

How To Remove Adware/Spyware?

There are several ways to remove spyware from your computer. If you have knowledge of

viruses, then you can easily understand most of these methods and how they are potentially

beneficial to you.

Spyware can be detected in many of the same ways as a virus can. A scan of your computer

can relieve many types of spyware and adware and help you to safely remove them from your

computer.

The worst case scenario for the computer user that has a large amount of spyware and adware

on their computer is to have to have their computer’s system reinstalled. In this case, it will take

professional help, in many cases, to back up the data on the computer and then to fully reinstall

the operating system for the unit.

But, that’s not the normal case and it’s not the first step for you to take, either. There are

several other things that you should do first. There is much help out there but it takes a bit more

help and knowledge to get you to the point of knowing what program is a potential benefit and

which is likely not to be.

It’s Gotten Bad

It’s important to realize that spyware is no longer something that happens to the other guy. You

have to consider this a strong risk as you would a virus. You don’t have to make a mistake in

downloading it to your computer to be a victim to it. It can just happen.

In that, there are countless products on the market that claim to be able to provide you with the

very best resource for removing spyware and adware from your computer. Some are very

much capable while others can even be spyware programs lurking themselves.

Data Recovery - Evidence Recovery

The use of computers to commit crimes, has given rise to the field of forensic computing. Here

experts analyze computers and other forms of digital communications in order to find evidence

of a crime. This consists of identifying, preserving, analyzing and presenting digital evidence.

It has been estimated by experts in the legal industry that between 30 and 40 percent of all

documents used in the process of litigation were found through forensic investigations of the

relevant computers. If you suspect your company’s computers have been tampered with or

used in the commission of a criminal offense, then you need to protect the integrity of your

computer system. Whether the cause is a disgruntled employee who wiped out his computer

before leaving or individuals trying to hide evidence of fraud or embezzlement you will want to

do as little as possible to those computers until an expert can determine when information is on

them.

The first step in forensic computing is to find and recover any evidence that may be useful for

law enforcement or for prosecutors. The techniques for evidence recovery are similar to those

for data recovery. One difference is that the data may have been deliberately deleted, and

criminals with varying degrees of sophistication can be more successful at removing tracing of

incriminating evidence.

If you believe that you have a computer that that contains electronic evidence of a crime, do not

use it any further. Attempting to access the computer in any way may change the data

contained in the drive. Continuing to use the computer can overwrite the evidence making it

permanently unavailable.

A forensic computing expert is needed to properly analyze a computer and check for evidence

on it. An untrained user may accidentally delete important evidence. A trained and certified

expert can ensure that the data remains intact, and thus applicable to a court of law.

There are many crimes for which evidence may be found on the computer. Besides the usual

white collar crimes of money laundering, embezzlement, fraud and stock manipulation, there

can also be email records indicating sexual harassment or threats preceding a violent crime. By

mishandling a computer that you suspect to contain evidence of a crime, you could even be

found guilty of hindering prosecution.

Besides evidence of criminal offences, there may be evidence of professional misconduct on

your office computers. A forensic computer expert can help you determine whether an

employee is stealing from the company, or using company resources in an improper manner.

They may be able to hide their activities from you, but they will not be able to hide them from a

forensic expert.

There are many companies offering computer forensic expertise and evidence recovery. A

search on the internet should be able to find one near you.

Data Recovery - Insurance And Disasters

When your business is hit by fire or flood, insurance should be able to handle the monetary

costs of resuming operations. However, damage to your computers can result in the loss of

critical information that money alone cannot replace. Rebuilding customer files and financial

records can be extremely time-consuming, if not down right impossible. If in the unfortunate

case that you have not backed up your data in an offsite storage facility, you may still be able to

recover your data from damaged or destroyed equipment. Recovery of data from a hard drive

can be critical after a fire or flood. Data can be recovered from many drives even if all of the

plastic components have melted.

Many drives that have been completely blackened by fire still have intact insides. A data

recovery service may be able to rebuild any damaged electronics to read the data stored on the

drive. However, if the fire was too intense, and the platters within the head assembly have

begun to melt, then there in no chance that a successful data recovery can occur. This will not

be known until a data recovery company has the chance to open the drive within a clean room

and inspect the damage.

If the hard drive has been submerged for a relatively short period of time, it is possible that the

water has not made its way inside the drive. However, if water has penetrated the drive, it is

important to act as quickly as possible. The drive should be kept wet, as the process of drying it

out, when not done carefully, can cause more damage. This is because the water will probably

not be pure, and will leave behind dirt and other minerals that can prohibit data recovery.

What ever you do, do not attempt to run computer equipment that has been damaged by fire or

water without a computer technician checking it out first. Running power to a damaged drive

can completely erase any chance in being able to recover the data from it. What you need to do

is ship it to a data recovery service in its current condition as quickly as possible. Any delay can

decrease the probability that your data can be salvaged.

Make sure you select a data recovery service that has experience dealing with hard drives that

have been damaged by fire or water. While some of the techniques for disaster recovery are

the same as for other data recovery, the chances of successfully recovering your data are

usually less after a disaster. By selecting an inexperienced company to handle your recovery

needs, you run the risk of losing data that a more experienced company may have been able to

save. Data recovery is usually a one time shot. If you make a mistake, you do not get a second

chance.

Insurance will usually cover the cost of data recovery services in the case of fire or a natural

disaster. This is done as data recovery may be the quickest way to get the company up and

running normally. And the faster your company is back to normal, the happier everyone, from

the insurance company, to your clients, to yourself, will be.

Data Recovery Services

A data recovery service is a company that specializes in retrieving files and information,

especially from computers that have been damaged or destroyed. While data recovery software

can be used to recover information that has been deleted or from hard drives that have been

corrupted, if there is physical damage to the drive, you will probably need to call a data recovery

service. There is most likely physical damage to your drive if there are unusual sounds coming

from it, especially clicking, buzzing or scraping noises. Data recovery software will probably not

be able to recover information lost to a damaged drive, and may make it harder for a data

recovery service.

All hard drives contain both mechanical and electronic parts. The mechanical parts can wear

out over time, rendering the drive inoperable. The information is still on the drive, but is

inaccessible to you. It takes a professional technician to recover the data. A hard drive cannot

be opened in a regular environment, because any dust can damage the surface of the disk. A

reputable data recovery service will operate a clean room where they can safely disassemble

your drive, free from dust or electrostatic discharge.

Data recovery services are also needed if the drive has been severely damages by fire or

water. The skills needed to coax data from such a drive are beyond those of a typical computer

technician. There are techniques for retrieving files in these cases, however, and a data

recovery service should be able to help you.

There are many companies out there that offer data recovery services. Just do a Google

search for data recovery to find one near you. Different companies will offer different levels of

service, with a corresponding difference in price.

When shipping your drive to a data recovery service, you will want to wrap it in an anti-static

material. A freezer bag is sufficient if there is nothing better. If you still have the original

packaging you should use that, otherwise find a sturdy box about twice as large as the drive.

Use foam padding or bubble wrap to protect the drive inside the box. Do not use Styrofoam

peanuts as they attract static electricity. If your drive has suffered water damage, it is important

that you do not attempt to dry it. The drive needs to be dried under sealed conditions within a

clean room. You should include a damp sponge with the package in order to keep the drive

from drying out enroute.

When looking for a data recovery service try to find one that can offer some levels of guarantee

about their work. Some firms will first try to clone your drive and repair the clone, leaving your

damaged drive untouched. It is also nice when the data recovery company will store your data

for a period after recovery to ensure that a backup exists until you are confident you have

replaced the data on your system.

Data Recovery In Windows

With Microsoft Windows being, in one incarnation or another, the most dominant operating

system on PC’s today, data recovery solutions for it have been well developed. There is a

myriad of software packages out there that can recover lost files. However, there are quite a

few steps that one can take without having to find and install third party software. If the files

have simply been deleted, the obvious solution is to visit the Recycling Bin to recover them.

However, if there has been a drive failure, more drastic steps must be taken.

More often than not, the cause of the apparent disk failure is due to a corrupt Master Boot

Record (MBR) or Partition Table, which often results in a non-booting drive. The most common

response to this is to panic and purchase a new drive, or even a new PC in some cases!

With Windows XP, you can check the partitions and file systems by running the Computer

Management program. To run this utility, select the My Computer icon, and then right click.

From the list of options select manage. This will open the Computer Management window.

On the list on the left side of the window select Disk Management. Windows will display a list of

the hard drives and CD or DVD drives on your computer. For each hard drive, Windows will

specify the file system and the partition structure, as well as the status of the drive. The file

system is how the data and free space are organized so that it the computer can read and write

data to the drive. The primary file systems used by windows are FAT-32 and NTFS. FAT

stands for File Allocation Table, and FAT-32 refers to the use of 32 bit storage elements. Older

versions of Windows, from 95 and earlier, used FAT-16. NTFS, or NT File System, is now the

most common Windows file system, as it is the one primarily used by Windows NT and

Windows XP. Operating systems can generally use older file systems when necessary,

meaning you can install that old hard drive from your Windows 3.11 machine into your new,

Windows XP machine in order to recover any data from it.

Both FAT and NTFS use a master boot record, or MBR, and a partition table in their file

structure. These are always located in the first sector of the drive. An error in the MBR or

partition table will cause Windows to not be able to read any of the files located on that drive.

There are some utilities included in Windows that can sometime fix problems with the partition

table. These are scandisk and chkdsk. The former is used on older Windows platforms, while

the latter is used on Windows NT and XP systems. These applications usually run while

Windows is booting up in order to detect problems caused by an abrupt shutdown. They can

also be run from a floppy disk or your Windows installation CD if your computer is unable to

boot up. You should always start with these utilities when trying to repair errors to your file

Data Recovery Software

Data recovery software can be used to correct errors in hard drives that result in data loss.

There are many brands of data recovery software on the market today. Some are simple

shareware utilities, while others are full commercial products.

It should be noted that you should never attempt to use a data recovery program if you suspect

your drive is broken. If there are unusual noises coming from the drive, you will want to take it

to a professional to attempt data recovery. The more you use a malfunctioning drive, the more

damage you can do to it.

Data recovery software typically uses two main techniques to repair errors to file systems that

cause files to be inaccessible. The first is known as consistency checking. Here the program

will scan the logical structure of the file system for missing or unexpected results. Examples of

utilities that follow this reasoning are the Linux fsck and the Microsoft equivalent chkdsk and

scandisk. Fsck refers to file system consistency check, and generally runs when the system is

booting up in order to detect errors caused by an incorrect shutdown. Consistency checking

does not work if the file system is too badly damaged.

In the case of severe file system damage, another type of data recovery software can be used.

These programs ignore the file system structure and attempt to read whatever data they can

from the drive. The program then attempts to recreate files using a set of preprogrammed

rules. This type of data recovery does not attempt to repair the file system. Instead, it tries to

recover any files that it can, and then save them to a functioning drive. The damaged drive can

then be either reformatted or replaced, depending on the cause of the damage. This technique

is noticeably slower than consistency checking, can recover data even when the logical

structures are badly damaged.

If your boot drive has crashed, you may be unable to start up your operating system in order to

run your data recovery software. In this case you have a couple of options. You can try booting

up your computer from a CD-ROM, you can purchase a new hard drive and install your

operating system on it, or you can remove the hard drive and install it in a different, functioning

computer. All three options have their advantages and disadvantages.

One thing to consider when selecting data recovery software is whether is has an undo option.

You should never perform data recovery on a drive without the ability to undo any changes you

are making. If you are unable to retrieve the missing data with this software, you want the ability

to try again with another program or to use a professional data recovery service. By following

these tips hopefully you will be able to safely recover your missing files, and hopefully next time

you will have backed up all your essential data.

Data Recovery - Restoring Deleted Files

So you have accidentally deleted those pictures from your vacation last summer, and the

recycle bin has been emptied. Are your files gone for good? They may not be. While Microsoft

tries to tell you that emptying the recycling bin permanently deletes your files, the truth is that

Windows simply marks the file as deleted, and treats the space that it occupies as free. The

data is not actually removed from the drive at this time. Thus until a new file is written onto that

space, you have the chance to recover the deleted files.

It is important to differentiate between steps for recovering deleted files and partitions and the

steps you need to take if there is physical damage to your drive. If your hard drive has is

making strange noises, shaking, rattling or smoking, then there is no software fix that will

resolve your problems. You need to turn your computer off immediately, remove the hard drive

and call a data recovery service if your files are vital.

Whenever you realize that you have lost data, the first thing to remember is not write anything

more to the hard drive. The more data that is written to the hard drive after the accidental

deletion of files means that there is a greater probability that the lost data will be gone forever.

The first step is to visit the recycling bin to see if the missing files are there. If that is the case, it

is a simple procedure to move the files from the recycling bin to the main portion of your file

system. If you were careful with your computer set up, you may have installed a program like

Norton SystemWorks to protect yourself from viruses. Programs like this often include

automatic backups. You will need to check with the software documentation to see how to

recover any files from the backup archive.

If Windows cannot help you find your missing files, you will want to consider using data recovery

software. There are many packages out there. Some are shareware, and a couple are even

freeware. At this time we will not begin to review the many data recovery software solutions that

exist. Suffice it to say that quality data recovery software can retrieve at least part of your

missing data with a comparatively high frequency. It will also include utilities for searching for

and organize the missing data, so that you do not need to wade through a list of everything that

has been deleted from your computer since you purchased it.

A more serious problem results when a partition containing needed files has been deleted. You

do not want to attempt to create a new partition. Your data is probably still there. Creating a

new partition will wipe it out completely. Data recovery software may be able to recover files

lost when a partition was deleted. You can either run the software on another partition, or in the

case of a complete hard drive wipeout, you will want to either install another hard drive or

remove the problem drive and reinstall it in another computer.

Data Recovery - Viruses And Malware

If the specter of fire, floods and just plain computer failure is not enough for you to consider how

to protect your data, you should also be aware of the potential for malicious destruction of your

data caused by viruses and other malware.

A computer virus is a self-replicating computer program that can copy itself and then transmit

these copies to other files, programs or computers. It is called a virus because it behaves

similarly to a biological virus. Viruses are one of the several types of malware, or malicious

software. Viruses can be destructive in that they can contain overtake the computer system and

use up valuable resources. They can also be designed to delete files and affect partition tables.

Other types of malware include worms and Trojan horses. A worm is similar to a virus in its

effects. The difference is that a worm is self contained, and does not need another program for

propagation. A Trojan horse is a piece on malware that is hidden inside a legitimate program.

Some malware can be very dangerous as they can delete files, or steal personal information

and transmit it to the programmer. Malware has the potential of wiping out complete file

systems, beyond the reach of data recovery software.

In order to protect your data from viruses and worms you will want to install anti-virus software

that can detect and eliminate known viruses. These programs work by examining the contents

of the computer's memory and checking for known viruses. Some anti-virus programs will also

scan all files as they are downloaded to help ensure that no virus has the chance to enter your

computer. You will also want to regularly update your anti-virus software and operating system.

Microsoft Windows, because of its dominant position in the market, is often the target of attacks

by viruses. Microsoft frequently issues patches and updates to fix any vulnerabilities found by

malware.

In addition to anti-virus software, common sense can be a useful tool when combating viruses.

So not download anything from the internet from sites that you do not have confidence in. Do

not open attachments on emails from people you have never heard of. In fact, it is usually a

good idea to avoid opening any unexpected emails, as some viruses can access your

colleague’s computers and email themselves from their accounts.

And finally, the best way to protect your data from viruses is simply to back it up. A malware

attack, like a fire or natural disaster, can occur despite all your precautions. By backing up your

data you can recover it in case your originals are lost completely.

Data Recovery - What Is It?

Data recovery is the process by which information that cannot be accessed normally is

retrieved. This includes files that have been deleted or lost in partitioning changes. It also

includes recovering data from storage devices that have been damaged, either electronically by

corruption or viruses, or mechanically through break down or disaster. There are many

techniques for data recovery. The correct one will depend on the reason for the data loss.

Perhaps the most common cause of data loss is through the accidental deletion of files. This is

correspondingly the easiest problem to fix. Most deleted files are not actually removed from the

hard drive. The space they occupy is simply marked as being able to be written to by new data.

Given the size of modern hard drives, it can be a considerable length of time before new data is

written to that space. This is how recovery software works. They are able to track down what

data is stored in sectors labeled as blank and recover the desired information.

There are numerous types of mechanical failures that can cause physical damage to storage

media. Old style floppy disks and CD-ROMs are susceptible to damage – floppy disks through

magnetic fields and CD-ROM’s by having their metallic substrate scratched off. Hard drives are

complicated pieces of machinery with moving parts that operate at speeds like 7200 rpm.

Physical damage always causes at least some data loss. Often the logical structures of the file

system can be damaged. Before any data can be recovered, the logical structure must be

rebuilt.

Unfortunately, most of us are incapable of repairing any physical damage to our hard drives.

Thus a number of companies have been formed that specialize in the recovery of data from

damaged or destroyed hard drives and other storage devices. A hard drive is a sealed system.

If any dust is allowed to settle on the disk surface, it can cause more damage. Clean room

facilities are needed to reliably repair damaged drives. A reputable data recovery service will

have onsite a Class 100 clean room. They will also have all the specialized tools and

experience necessary to recover lost data. It can be surprising the amount of data that can be

recovered from a drive that would appear to most of us to be destroyed. There are data

recovery companies out there that can salvage disks that have been through fire and the

subsequent water damage.

Data recovery is not limited to hard drives. With the proliferation of digital recording equipment,

from cameras to PDA’s to MP3 players, the use of data recovery techniques on such things as

Flash cards is growing. Also, many organizations find that they have important information

stored on older technologies like tape drives or zip disks. These forms of media may have been

damaged over the years, and most companies probably do not have the skills or equipment to

recover data from them. There are data recovery services out there that specialize in this type

ZoneAlarm Internet Security Suite For Antivirus Protection

When the Internet first made its launch, no one really could know the magnitude of viruses that

would be created to infect a person's hard drive. Viruses were only one part of the equation.

Now there are: Trojans, worms, spyware and adware to ad to that list. They are grouped

together and singled out as malware software meaning it is malicious software.

According to an article in Computer Economics, financial losses due to malware worldwide were

$14.2 billion in 2005, a decline since 2002. Even though this news is a blessing to computer

users, it only means that attacks were covert. They focused on being overt in the beginning.

Why does this worry some? Because malware can cause unexpected amounts of damage and

with the change could make it harder to find.

To keep malware at a "safe" distance away from a computer system is no doubt a difficult task.

There must be a strong security system in place along with an antivirus program to achieve

minimal "hacks" in the computer system.

One such protection is from Checkpoint Software Technologies Ltd called Zonealarm Internet

Security Suite 7.0. This software has proven itself time and again, receiving numerous

certifications from independent testers and computer publications. This software has got the

most number of recommendations from reviews than any other suite that provides Internet

security.

What does ZoneAlarm do?

ZoneAlarm provides the ultimate PC protection as a firewall, antivirus software, spyware, instant

messages and home network protection.

The firewall capabilities have full stealth mode features which makes the computer completely

invisible to outsiders. It protects both the inbound and outbound information and it stops any

suspicious activity before it can do damage.

The antivirus and anti spyware technology can recognize new virus within two hours. The spy

spite blocking features will halt any programs from visiting a spyware site. People will be alerted

by the identity theft protection when their credit card number appears online.

Layers upon layers of security can block cookies and scripts and clear out the computer's

cache. There is also anti - spam and phishing features as well as parental control measures.

Norton's Internet Security software puts a load on a computer system. For this reason,

ZoneAlarm out beats Norton.

ZoneAlarm's newest version 7.0 adds the following features to its product:

- Antivirus engine with signature updates done on an every hour basis. It has expanded

coverage and detects viruses quicker.

- There is an AutoLearn feature, which ZoneAlarm can configure the computer's security system

and deals with threats by way the damage that can do.

- There are network and program firewalls with added layers of security.

- Improved firewall for the operating system.

- Protects person's identity by stopping pre approved credit offers and detects thefts by

monitoring the person's credit card lists.

- Antispyware improvements lead to harder to find spyware and persistent spyware to be

removed.

Even though it has a lot of features, ZoneAlarm is very easy to use and install. It is the best

software solution for security and antivirus programs. It can protect a computer form the cyber

threat facing users today.

The Spyware Threat

There are many threats to computer users nowadays. Worms, viruses, Trojan horses among

many other things. Yet, two threats that are known but not well known are Spyware and

Adware. These two programs are thorns in the side of computer users.

Spyware and Adware programs strike at any computer that is online at any time. They become

a huge hassle, leaving a big mess behind and damages computers in many ways. For this

reason, there are removal tools designed to guard computers from these kinds of threats and

then keeping it protected from additional damage.

Often times, people use the words synonymously but there is a line to be drawn when

describing a malicious program as adware or spyware.

With adware, this is typically a legit alternative that is accessible by software businesses to

users who generally do not want to shell out for a software product... Zonealarm, AVG AntiVirus

Software among some of the many others. Adware is capable of being circulated in game or

software utility programs as freeware.

In certain cases and some programs, there are those that although freeware still have features

that are blocked until you pay for the full version. most freeware allow for all the features to work

but user will have to deal with the sponsored ads that can come along with the program.

These ads will run in a smaller part of the software or it comes as a popup ad box. Should you

stop using the software, either for a bit or for good, the ads "should" wane.

When you least anticipate it to, some ads will popup even when you are doing vital work on your

computer. This is usually when people will get upset becomes it is a pain and a major hassle.

No matter how hard you try, there is no way to stop them and keep them from bothering you.

One of the worst parts of this is that fact adware programs will try to overrun your computer with

the ads even though you do not want their products. It seems you have lost control of your

computer to these ads and may not be able to do the job you need to do on the computer

because of it. This is what makes adware such a nuisance. It is just this reason that a removal

tool is necessary.

Spyware is similar to adware only it is typically a separate software program. Functions of the

spyware software are no doubt malicious and is done without the user's knowledge. It can

wreak all kinds of problems by posing as something the user sees as useful. Once the program

is downloaded, it will then find its way through your computer and start its disaster deeds.

Spyware typically watches your online activity, transmitting it to the "end user". Some programs

will be forced onto your computer without your consent. Some even go as far as recording the

"keystrokes" so the criminals can find out your sensitive data like passwords, e-mail addresses

and credit card numbers.

The worst kind of spyware is so malicious it can cause severe damage to a computer's hard

drive. They can snoop around the contents, spread into other computers, damage the

computer's internal system and even change software or download software.

A computer should always have an effective removal tool for spyware just to get rid of these

sneaky, pesky and malicious programs.

How Does Adware/Spyware Spread?

One of the most important things for you to understand is just how spyware spreads. How does

it get from its source to your computer?

By understanding this fact, you’ll know how to better protect yourself from future invasion.

It’s Not A Virus

One thing to know is that spyware and adware are not viruses and don’t spread in the same

way as a virus would. With a virus, the infected computer system is used to spread the virus

from one system to the next. It is actively looking for the next victim. Spyware gets into your

system by deception. In most cases, you download it to your computer.

You’ve Installed It

Most commonly, spyware enters the computer when the computer user installs it. Of course,

you wouldn’t know that you are doing that. What happens is quite a bit more worrisome.

You visit a website and find a piece of software that you would like to have. You download it.

Little did you know that the software that you just downloaded had spyware piggybacked onto it

and now you’ve got both the desirable software and the spyware lurking on your computer. You

may not even know it’s there for months!

Or, you may have the spyware trick you into downloading it. In this case, you may be asked to

perform an operation that is “required” to complete the download. When you do, you are

actually downloading the spyware or adware onto your computer.

Why Free Spyware Removal Tools Are Offered

Most people in society today are under the impression that there is nothing in life in that is free.

They believe that everything has a price. That no matter what the deal is, a free something

comes with some kind of payment. In some ways, this is not far from the truth.

Why is this? It is because the products available today are offered with little or no financial

costs. No payments or cash up front. Yet, there is a catch. They do require something from

people in return for the free software. Remember, that life has purpose and even nothing has a

purpose. Should a company offer up free software removal tools, there must be something they

have in mind to be doing this.

Why would a company offer removal software for free?

- Promotional purposes - Companies will entice customers with free items for a way to boost

their profit. Companies think that by offering the free removal tools to the public, it will

accomplish two things:

A. Promote spyware tools - Companies use a common tactic called beta testing. They will

release a new piece of software commercially in order to promote it by releasing a free version

of it. Those who enjoy the product are liable to purchase the full version once it has been

released.

B. Promotes another product - Some companies will entice people to buy their products as

they include the spyware removal software as a freebie. Doing this, can and does attract

customers to the company. A manufacturer's intention is for the customers to see the virtues in

the product. When enough people are enticed to sit up and take notice, the company could then

start to charge for it.

- Education purposes - the spyware removal tools are distributed as the purpose to increase a

person's knowledge. Whose knowledge? It can be either the manufacturer's or the user's

increase in knowledge. How can their knowledge be different?

A. Manufacturer - they release the tools to find out more about the people who would use

them. They want to learn more about the kinds of things people look for in a great spyware

removal tool. Sometimes, these companies will offer the software in exchange for an user

evaluation. By letting the user test it free, manufacturers can always find kinks in the software.

B. Users - By sampling a free spyware removal tools, users can learn many things too. By

using the free software, the user can learn just how much spyware was able to get into their

computer. Through this, they can learn the importance of the protection by using the free

spyware removal software. This will also allow them to be educated in the various ways hackers

scam into their computer by installing spyware in their system.

- Spyware Introduction - Some spyware moderators will disguise their software as a software

"removal" tool but when people download this "program", they are indeed downloading a

spyware program that can do harm and not good. Hackers prey on these people who want to

get rid of spyware by making them have more spyware. People become an unwilling victim of

these hackers.

People should understand and hopefully this article will teach the reality behind the costs of free

spyware removal. Is there anything in life that is free? Maybe, maybe not. But maybe

understanding what the companies are offering in the beginning will persuade people to be

more aware about getting something for free.

What Is Malware?

The most common things that people recognize for malicious software programs are spyware

and adware. While these may be more commonly known, there is another just a vicious.

Introducing another "ware" program that is a big culprit of computer viruses by hackers...

malware.

What exactly is malware?

The name goes from the combination of "malicious" and "software". How does malware get its

name? It actually gets it because it focuses more on intent rather than the software itself. A

program cannot be thought of malicious on its own unless it is being used for those purposes.

As most people know, a software's purpose is all dependent on the person who created it.

There are three types of malware that people who connect to the Internet need to be concerned

about and watching out for. They are:

1. Infectious - This malware type mainly virus and worms in it. These are the more common

known malware. When the word virus is used this day in age, most people think immediately

computer rather than a physiological virus. Virus and worms will differ in how they operate and

distribute themselves.

- How does a virus get spread? Usually by going through floppy drives disks. The virus will

replicate and attach itself to a executable file and will run whenever the program is activated or

the disk is opened.

- When was the worm introduced? This computer malware was first seen when the Internet was

first used. The malware scans many networks for those vulnerable, unprotected systems and

then it will copy itself to them. From there, it starts the process all over again, except it uses the

new network.

Though the two are distinct in nature, they are often times used to describe one or the other to

explain malware.

2. Concealers - This type of malware is designed to "conceal" itself from the user. There are

two concealers used. They are:

- Trojan Horse - Today's Trojan horses have various appearances. It can disguise itself as a

computer utility and can "encourage" a person to use it to improve computer systems. When the

person downloads the program, it then makes way for other malware and software to be

"installed" onto the computer.

Creators of viruses use the Trojan horse to cause a widespread virus outbreak. When a

computer has a Trojan horse on it, it is subsequent to spread the virus to many other networks.

- Backdoors - This is used to create another way to get into your computer system. Typically

used by hackers, it helps them to avoid security systems that people have installed onto their

computer. Hackers can then "hijack" a computer to do with what they please.

3. Profit Malware - Some companies use malware to increase their profit margins. How they do

this comes in the form of a dialer. What is a dialer and exactly how does it affect your computer?

A dialer is the type of malware that will mess with your computer's Internet speed connection by

rerouting your existing line through an even more expensive phone line, which then increases

the bill you would not have normally paid.

When a person is infected with this malware, it forces them to pay a larger amount of money for

a service they have no real need for. Should a person be infected with this malware, they should

go flush the wallet in the toilet because this is essentially what you are doing until this malware