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How To Delete Digital Footprint?

Sarv007 — Fri, 03 Dec 2010 14:23:11 +0000

What is a Digital Footprint?

A Digital Footprint is the data trace or trail left by someone activity in a digital environment. Digital Footprints are the capture in an electronic fashion of memories and moments and are built from the interaction with TV, mobile phone, World Wide Web, Internet, mobile web and other digital devices and sensors.

What most people do?

Go to a website. Send an email. Make a purchase with your credit card. All of this data is stored on your computer. It’s considered your Digital Footprint. Did you delete it? Clear out your web history? Empty your recycle bin? THE DATA IS STILL ON YOUR COMPUTER! Deleting it, clearing your web history or emptying your recycle bin DOES NOT get rid of it.

Traces of your data are maintained on your hard drive. These traces are called metadata. Metadata can be pieced together to recreate your history, your habits and even your personality. Hackers and other bad people can easily get this information from your computer. Learn how to remove this sensitive data everytime after you are done with your work.

How to remove Digital Foot-Print?

Every move you make on your computer leaves tracks behind. These tracks contain information about which web sites you visited, which programs you used, which files you opened and much more. Cleaning all of these tracks can be done manually but is a tedious task. An automatic solution is the best method. Here are two most used and free softwares you can use for removing your digital foot print purpose:-

1.Advanced Privacy Cleaner

This simple tool cleans your tracks with a single click. The program deletes only the types of tracks you select. After your tracks are clear, your privacy will be more secure and your browser will run much faster.

2.CCleaner

CCleaner is the number-one tool for cleaning your Windows PC. It protects your privacy online and makes your computer faster and more secure. Easy to use and a small, fast download.

Tip:Make sure that you save any data that you cannot do without onto another source – external hard drive, memory stick, etc.

Uncommon File Type Errors And Best Ways To Handle Them.

Sarv007 — Mon, 29 Nov 2010 16:04:06 +0000

Various files on the basis of their usage and popularity can be divided into two categories: known file types and unknown file types.

Known file types, include file types that are extensively used, such as the .doc or .xml file type, whereas unknown file types are those files about which not much information is available and are used sporadically. Our efforts in this article are focused on the latter, as we introduce you to three file types which fall into the unknown file type category. Plus, we also discuss in detail how to resolve file errors that you may come across while using files of such type.

.mpg file extension – This file type is primarily used for distributing multimedia content over the Internet. So you may come across .mpg files while downloading a movie from the web. Most media players, including Windows Media Player, Apple QuickTime, Roxio Creator, and CyberLink PowerDirector support the .mpg file format.

.cfg file extension – The term ‘cfg’ is short-form for configuration. .cfg files are thus configuration files that are used by numerous software to store configuration and settings data. Typically, you can view .cfg files using a text editor program, such as Notepad.

.lnk file extension – .lnk files are only used on a Windows computer. These files contain a link to a program, file, or directory and are used by the Windows operating system to quickly access these entities.

Steps to resolve errors related to unknown file types

The most common file type error message that you are likely to encounter with an unknown file types is: ‘Windows cannot open the file’.

Common causes of this error are:

The program required to open the file is not installed on the system.
One or more file openers on the Windows system are damaged.

To resolve the issue, either install the required program or use a reliable file opener program to open the desired file. One advantage of using the latter is that it allows you to fix issues pertaining to damaged or corrupt file openers on a Windows system.

In addition to the above error, you may also encounter file type errors while using the associated software.

This behavior may occur due to missing or damaged application files, or malware infection. To fix the file type error, perform the following steps:

Uninstall and reinstall the software with which you are receiving the error

If the error is occurring due to missing or damaged application files, the issue can be fixed by uninstalling and reinstalling the associated software. The reason being, when you reinstall a software all its files are saved and registered again.

Run a malware scan

Malware infection is the biggest cause of application errors – a fact said often but understood rarely.

To fix file type errors occurring due to malware, run a malware scan on your Windows computer using a robust and compatible antimalware software.

Launch Programs Quickly With Launchy For XP

Sarv007 — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 18:24:55 +0000

A few quick keystrokes is all Launchy needs to fire up your programs.

Launchy (free/donationware) makes it easy to quickly launch programs. Hit Alt-Space to bring up its tidy little program window, and type in the name of a program in your Windows Start menu. Launchy closes, and brings up the requested program.

Launchy is a free cross-platform utility designed to help you forget about your start menu, the icons on your desktop, and even your file manager.Launchy indexes the programs in your start menu and can launch your documents, project files, folders, and bookmarks with just a few keystrokes!

Some included plugins extend the utility’s out-of-the-box capabilities, such as one that can handle basic calculator tasks, and another that allows for opening your Internet Explorer and Firefox bookmarks as you would a program. Reading Firefox bookmarks requires taking a quick step to enable bookmark exports (the steps are described in Launchy’s help document, which is accessible online or from Launchy’s start menu folder).

How To Keep You Cool When Faced With Annoying Computer Problems

Sarv007 — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 11:24:38 +0000

Yes, computer errors can be annoying. They may also cause you to lose your temper, especially when you have an important deadline to meet. However, it is not going to do you any good to get angry. This may only make matters worse.

So, keep your cool and try to find out why the error has occurred. Most of the time, it may be just a tiny glitch that you can resolve in no time. Here is a list of some simple tasks that you can perform to deal with computer errors.

Step 1: Check for a solution on the Internet: When the error occurs, the first thing that you need to do is to write down the error message and search for a solution on the Internet. There are several online help websites and message forums that comprise rich data on how to deal with different types of errors. 9 out of 10 users find solutions to their errors on these websites. You just need to implement the solution provided to fix your problems.

A note of caution – do not download any software claiming to fix your errors, unless it is available on the official website of the product or you are completely sure that it is legitimate. Many times, such fixes are laced with malware infections that can cause more harm to your PC.

Step 2: Replace any missing files reported in the error message: Many computer errors, especially DLL errors, such as missing framedyn.dll or the missing d3dx9_27.dll error may occur when a required file goes missing. These errors usually occur when the file reported in the error message becomes corrupt, gets overwritten with another version, or is actually deleted from the system. Reversing the action after which the error started occurring usually resolves missing file errors. You can also obtain the missing files from a legitimate source and replace it in its location on the computer.

Step 3: Update your software: If you don‚Äôt take steps to update your software, errors are bound to occur. You can use tools, such as the Automatic Update feature in Windows, live update in security software and update option in other third-party applications to perform this task. For device drivers, it is best that you obtain and use a reliable third-party driver update tool that can automatically search, download and install the latest driver updates.

Step 4: Scan and eliminate malware: Virus, trojans, adware, and spyware are common causes of several computer errors. To combat this issue:

Obtain and install efficient spyware and virus scanner tools.
Update the tools with the latest signatures.
Ensure that live update is enabled for future updates.
Perform a thorough PC scan to detect and remove all infections.
Schedule the scan to run automatically at regular intervals in future.
Ensure that the real-time protection feature is enabled so that your PC is secure at all times.

Step 5: Scan and clean your registry: All software including your operating system, device drivers, and other third-party software add entries in the Windows registry. Over time, a large amount of unwanted data makes its way into the registry causing it to bloat up to a very large size, become unstable and generate errors. As a vigilant user, you must take care to use a reliable registry tool to regularly scan and clean your registry and keep it compact and free from any problems.

How To Keep Your Cool When Faced With Annoying Computer Problems

Tools For Upgrading To A New OS

YoPapa — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 14:40:20 +0000

We Present top tools in categories that can help you upgrade your PC to a new OS, say Windows 7¬† or you can create a backup of your Data.

SecurAble: Shows, whether hardware virtualization is possible.
Quickly determine, display, and explore the availability and consequences of the state-of-the-art security-related features available in the system’s processor.
[Download Here]

VirtualBox: starts XP on a Virtual PC.
VirtualBox is a powerful x86 virtualization product for enterprise as well as home use. Not only is VirtualBox an extremely feature rich, high performance product for enterprise customers, it is also the only professional solution that is freely available as Open Source Software under the terms of the GNU General Public License (GPL). See “About VirtualBox” for an introduction.
[Download Here]

Driver Collector: Displays all existing Drivers.
Driver Collector finds and collects the installed driver files for the hardware you select on your PC.After it collects the files, the program copies to your hard drive, in a specific folder.
[Download Here]

Outlook Backup Assistant: secures all settings.
Outlook saves its data in different and hard to access Locations of your Windows-System. The exact memory locations and formats differ from system to system basing on the Office and Windows version being used. A simple manual backup of all important Outlook data is hardly possible.
[Download Here]

TBBackup(Thunderbird):saves mails and contacts.
With the help of TBBackup you can protect and backup the following Thunderbird data:
* E-Mail folders * E-Mail- and News-Accounts (POP3, IMAP, NNTP, RSS)
* Virtual folders * Signatures * Addressbook and collected addresses
* Firefox Bookmarks * Internet Explorer Favorites
* Password files * Spamfilter
* Themes * Sunbird Calendar
* Program settings * Message views
* Appearance settings * User dictionaries
* Certificate
[Download Here]

MozBackup: Preserves all firefox settings.
MozBackup is a simple utility for creating backups of Mozilla Firefox, Mozilla Thunderbird, Mozilla Sunbird, Flock, SeaMonkey, Mozilla Suite, Spicebird, Songbird and Netscape profiles.
[Download Here]

Personal Backup: transfers personal data.
The essential personal backup software for experts and beginners alike. Featuring easy point and click file selection, quick select common folders, save file versions with ‘archive backups’, powerful backup scheduling, backup and restore logging, zip compatible compression, password protection, simple file restore functions, disk spanning and much more. Backup to almost any location including Hard Disk, Network, CD-R/RW etc…
[Download Here]

Now Proceed to the track and find out which OS you can upgrade to.

Put An End To Frustrating Printer Problems

Sarv007 — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 14:20:46 +0000

These days it is easy to outsource your work as well as work-related problems. This can be easily accomplished by a phone call or a few mouse clicks. However, outsourcing a job which you can do yourself costs you money and makes you dependent on others. Moreover, you remain largely ignorant about the cause of the problem and its solution. Therefore, you must weigh the costs and benefits of outsourcing before you go ahead and delegate your problem to someone else.

When it comes to computers and their peripheral devices like printers, many of us do not have the slightest idea about these systems function. So, we assume that it must be difficult to resolve problems and find it less painful to seek assistance from computer professionals. Nothing could be further from the truth. A majority of printer problems can be solved with the help of adequate information and a few reliable tools. This article introduces you to reasons behind a host of printer problems and then guides you on how to put an end to them.

A large number of printer problems are caused by computer application errors like DLL errors. DLL or Dynamic Link Library Files are an integral part of your Windows operating system and are integral for the smooth running of several applications including your printer. Some common DLL files are hcwutl32.dll, hpzimc09.dll, and picsdk.dll. Some of the common causes of printer-related DLL errors are:

If an outdated printer driver is installed on your computer.
A newly installed application is interfering with the functioning of printer-related DLL files. One such error is the hpslpsvc32.dll file error which causes unusually high CPU usage when there is a problem in Hewlett Packard All-In-One printer‚Äôs driver. In case of DeskJet printers, this may cause an error in the file named hpzimc09.dll.
In yet other type of problem, a particular DLL file may be missing leading to file not found errors. An example of this error message is found in Epson printers, ¬†where you may see: ‚ÄúThis application has failed to start because PICSDK.dll not found.”
A virus infection may also be the reason for DLL file errors that also cause printer problems.

Solving DLL-related Printer Problems

In order to solve DLL-related printer problems, you must first ascertain the type of problem that has occurred. If it is a missing DLL file, you must look for it in the Recycle Bin. You may have unknowingly deleted it. If that is not the case, try running an anti-spyware and anti-virus tool to ensure that it is not one of these programs that are preventing your computer from detecting the file. These files may also detect a healthy DLL file as malware and quarantine it. Once you rule this out, you may be tempted to download the file from the Internet, but it is recommended that you be very careful of the source of the files.

A better course of action which is also applicable for other printer related DLL problems is to uninstall and then re-install the printer software. To do this, you will require the services of the Add/Remove Program tool or the built-in Device manager utility. You can also use an efficient, third-party driver scanner tool to perform the task.

When you uninstall the driver, it may leave behind some entries in the registry. This is why to ensure complete removal of the driver you uninstall, make sure to clean your registry with the help of a reliable registry cleaner tool.

Steps To Resolve Recurrent DLL Errors

Sarv007 — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 18:13:41 +0000

A common problem that all computer users face in due course is DLL file errors. DLL errors have an uncanny ability of popping up and interrupting you while you are doing something important on your system.

In this article, we begin by understanding what DLL files are and why they are so important.¬† DLL stands for Dynamic Link Library. ¬†A DLL file contains code that allows it to perform a specific task. A particular DLL file can be called upon by different applications to perform a specific function. This approach is obviously better than having similar files for different applications.

DLL files are present in great numbers on any PC and it is not surprising to come across DLL errors now and then. Unlike the common belief, DLL errors are usually not complex in nature and can be taken care of with a little knowledge and understanding.

There are several reasons why DLL errors may occur. You may receive DLL errors if any shared DLL file is deleted during the uninstallation of an application. Another reason behind DLL errors is the overwriting of a new version of a DLL file with a previous version. Faulty hardware, such as a faulty hard drive or memory can also cause DLL errors. You may also receive DLL errors if the DLL files present on your system are deleted by a malicious program, such as a virus or spyware or if the entries related to DLL files in the registry are invalid or corrupt.

In order to fix DLL errors, you need to first determine the source of the error. All DLL errors can be safely categorized into two categories ‚Äì errors due to applications or errors due to malicious programs, such as virus, spyware, adware and so on. Both of these categories are discussed below:

Errors Due to Application

It has been observed that the majority of DLL errors that are caused by an application can be fixed by restoring the original DLL file. To restore the DLL file, you will need to check to see if the manufacturer has released any patch or new version of the application. If you find a new patch has been released, then install it by following the given instructions to fix the DLL error. If this is not possible, then you can repair DLL files by downloading the missing or corrupt DLL files from the Internet.

For certain DLL errors, such as the msvcr80.dll error you may need to uninstall and then reinstall the application that generated the error.

Errors Due To Malware

The other major reason behind DLL errors is malware infections. It is important for you to protect your PC from malware programs, using a robust security tool. You must also keep your security tool updated with the latest updates and security definitions. Finally, run regular full system scans to ensure that your system stays clean and free from viruses.

It is also recommended that you use an advanced registry cleaning tool to scan and remove any invalid entries added to it by malicious software. A good registry cleaning utility helps you get rid of invalid DLL entries from the registry and enables you to maintain a clean and compact registry. A clean registry significantly reduces the number of errors on your system and also improves its overall performance.

Dealing with Video and Media Related Errors

Sarv007 — Thu, 14 May 2009 15:00:22 +0000

Computers are increasingly being used as multimedia tools that allow us to watch videos, listen to music and create multimedia presentations. We are also using computers to communicate with family and friends and share videos, photos and music. Computers, with the help of the Internet, are merging into a combination of TV, radio, music player and PC all rolled into one.

In order to achieve all or some of these functions, your computer needs to be loaded with the required hardware specifications, as well as requisite software applications. These various hardware components and software programs put a burden on computer resources and at the same time increase the probability of an error. It is commonly noticed that video and media related errors are often related to problems in the executable or EXE files.

Out of these problems, the most common issue is with high CPU usage by EXE files, such as qttask.exe (QuickTime player), wdfmgr.exe (Windows Media Player), and ati2evxx.exe (ATT video card). By default, these files are configured to load at system startup. However, you don‚Äôt actually need them until you start working with the application they belong to. The best way to deal with these problems is to disable the programs from loading during system start. You can easily search for and disable these programs by using the System Configuration utility that you can launch by running the msconfig command. If you find this utility a bit complicated, you may use a reliable, third-startup programs manager tool to disable unwanted startup programs.

Many times, media and video players generate errors and cause system slow downs if you fail to update them. This is because these updates incorporate new features and patch up any bugs that make your software more efficient and secure.

Although it is essential to update, many users report errors soon after they install an update. If this happens, you may have to remove this update to resolve the issue. If you want to uninstall a Windows Media Player Update, open Add or Remove Programs, select the Show Updates checkbox, select the update you want to uninstall and then select Remove.

It is also important for you to maintain a malware-free computer. These malicious programs infect your application files and make them behave erratically. If your audio/video driver files or if the files of your media applications are infected with a virus, you may encounter errors. This is the reason why it is a good idea to run an antivirus and antispyware scan on your computer to ensure that they are not behind the errors. To be ready to combat malware, you must ensure that you have the latest antimalware tools and you must keep these tools updated with the latest definitions.

The Windows registry also plays an important role in the smooth functioning of your media applications and drivers. Any problems within the registry may cause these applications to malfunction and generate errors. To prevent issues caused by registry problems, it is imperative that you scan and clean your registry on a regular basis. Although you can do some amount of registry maintenance by using the Registry Editor (regedit) tool, it is best that you use a good registry cleaner tool for the job. Registry cleaners are recommended by many experts because of their ease-of-use, efficiency, and speed in detecting and fixing registry errors.

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How To Optimize Your PC And Steer Clear Of Errors

YoPapa — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 16:44:04 +0000

Computer slow down problems and errors are one of the major causes of concern for computer users around the globe. These problems usually occur unexpectedly and affect not only your work, but also cause unnecessary frustrations. ¬†The good news is that you can easily prevent most PC problems if you take care of your computer with regular PC maintenance tasks, which can be easily performed with the help of some easy-to-use tools.

Let us have a look at some of these tasks that will enable you to optimize your PC and steer clear of errors.

The first and most essential maintenance task is to get rid of all unwanted information from your PC. This unwanted information usually comprises the following:

Programs you don‚Äôt use
Undesired registry entries
Temporary deleted and other such files that your don‚Äôt need
Malicious data planted by malware, such as virus and spyware

Most of the time, getting rid of this junk data enables you to prevent a lot of computer problems and also enhance PC performance.

Unwanted programs usually comprise programs that were preinstalled with your PC.¬† These may have been programs that you needed at one time but don‚Äôt need any longer, and spyware programs that install themselves without your knowledge. For example, you may want to uninstall the Tcsd_win32.exe file that belongs to NTRU Cryptosystems, which comes preinstalled on Dell computers. To get rid of such programs that you don‚Äôt need, you may use the Add or Remove Programs utility that is included with Windows operating systems. If the program is stubborn, corrupt or very large, you may also opt to use a reliable third-party program uninstaller tool.

If you are facing nbservice.exe and ekrn.exe high CPU usage problems, but you don‚Äôt want to physically remove these programs from your system, then you may just disable them from loading at system startup. If you are wanting to know how to disable nbservice.exe and other programs you don‚Äôt want running all the time, your answer is the System Configuration utility. You can launch this utility by running the msconfig command.

Another major cause of PC problems are unwanted entries in the registry.¬† There can be many causes of unwanted registry entries. Some of the most common causes are:

Frequent program installation and removal.
Inappropriate methods used to uninstall programs.
System crashes.
Malware infections.

These unwanted entries cause registry bloating and make your registry unstable. An unstable registry gets corrupt and damaged easily and starts generating errors. To resolve these registry problems, you need to scan and clean your registry on a regular basis. As the registry is quite complex, any incorrect changes to it may cause severe damage to your PC, so it is recommended that you use a reliable registry tool to perform these tasks.

To get rid of unwanted files stored on your hard disk, you may use the Disk Cleanup tool. This tool is a one stop solution to get rid of all unwanted files from your computer. After you are done with disk cleanup, you may use the Disk Defragmenter tool to rearrange fragmented data on your hard disk and make it contiguous. Defragging also helps in optimizing your hard disk for fast and error-free performance.

Lastly, to get rid of viruses and spyware you need to have efficient antivirus and antispyware tools. You must keep these tools updated with the latest definitions and perform regular full system scans to ensure that your PC is protected against the latest malware at all times.

Now Proceed to the race track and find out which programs can boost your Windows from zero to a hundred in the least time.

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Understand And Prevent EXE Errors On Your PC

Sarv007 — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 16:17:33 +0000

Understand And Prevent EXE Errors On Your PC !!!

While there may be some computer problems which are best left for the experts, most common computer errors can be solved by the users themselves. One such category of errors that is quite commonly faced by PC users all over the world and can be resolved without the help of computer experts is EXE errors. Some of the problems that you may face due to EXE files are high CPU usage by pcscnsrv.exe, which is a PC-Cillin 7 file, and audiodg.exe beeping problem that may occur at any time without any reason. Also, some EXE files, such as braviax.exe, are viruses that can cause several problems on your PC.

The first step in dealing with EXE errors is to understand the causes behind these errors.

What are EXE errors?

EXE errors are caused due to problems arising in EXE files or the files that are executable. The executable files are responsible for running an application, installing a program or accomplishing a particular function. EXE files are one of the reasons why computing has become a pleasant experience for users all over the world and have become so popular among all software manufacturers.

All applications that are installed on a computer use several exe files and if you were to add up all the programs on a computer, you would see that several thousand exe files can reside on a single system. The overwhelming number of exe files increases the probability of some of these files becoming damaged, corrupt or infected over a period of time.

The causes of exe problems are numerous but they can be mostly categorized in three main categories:

Malware: Virus and Spyware infections are one of the main reasons why computers face EXE errors. In addition to causing damage to the files, these malware also make changes to settings in the windows registry.
Conflicting EXE files: Many exe files from different third-party software manufacturers are not compatible, and result in manifestation of exe errors.
Incomplete downloads: At times, exe files or other program files of an application are not downloaded properly and cause errors while installing or running an application. This problem is mostly attributed to slow or bad internet connections.

Preventing EXE errors

While it has been noticed that completely eliminating the chances of an EXE error may not be a realistic option, due to the sheer number of these files, the frequency of these errors can be greatly reduced by using the following preventive steps:

Prevention against Malware: Despite the huge threat posed by viruses and spyware, over 40% of computer users do not have adequate protection against them. To prevent and remove braviax.exe and other viruses you need to have good antivirus and antispyware software. You should make sure that these tools are updated and are used to perform thorough searches at periodic intervals.
Following Good Computer and Internet Practices: Avoid accessing unreliable websites and opening dubious emails. Install a firewall to protect against intrusions. Always use a good internet connection to download big programs and finally install only those programs that you absolutely need.
Use a Windows Registry Cleaner: A registry cleaner tool is a quick and popular method to sweep out any discrepancies in your registry that can cause exe as well as many other annoying computer errors. This is important as roots of many exe errors can be found in the registry keys that have been altered due to virus and spyware infections.

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