Computer 911-3.28.09:”4 W’s”

“Who, What, When, and Where?”

These days, security is the main topic of interest when it comes to your Pc.  That’s why today, we offer up some tools that will help you keep tabs on your system, and provide peace of mind.

KidRocket

KidRocket is a FREE Kidsafe Web Browser with new Kids Email, TimeLock time limiter, Password-protected fullscreen lockdown mode to protect your desktop from curious and click happy children. Your child can save and email their artwork from the Art doodle section, Interactive Math Flashcards, Puzzles, Games and more. A fun and free internet filter that offers many fun, educational and interactive activities for children and parents alike.. Keep your children and your desktop safe with Kidrocket.  Protect your kids from the internet and your computer from the kids! TM

Net Nanny

Net Nanny does everything a parental-control utility should do. It also offers unique features like secure Web-traffic filtering and ESRB-based game control. Balancing privacy and security, it can record IM conversations only if they seem dangerous. E-mail alerts and full remote configuration let you manage wherever you are. Net Nanny remains our Editors’ Choice for parental control.

All In One Keylogger 3.1.

The Keylogger allows you to log all keystrokes and passwords that have been typed, all windows and applications that have been launched, clipboard, chat conversations, all Web sites that have been visited, e-mails sent and received. You can set it to take screen snapshots every few seconds or on each mouse click, just like a surveillance camera. It can also record Microphone sounds and restrict the access to specified Web sites and applications.

The Keylogger automatically activates itself when Windows starts and is not shown in Taskbar, Task Manager and System tray (Runs in complete stealth). It also supports HTML reports.
Now you can find out what is happening on your computer while you’re away, maintain a backup of your typed data or monitor your kids and spouse.

Imonitor Employee Activity Monitor is an all-in-one employee monitoring software for real-time network computer monitoring, employee activity monitoring, content filtering and employees’ work time tracking

• Log email, instant messages, keystrokes, print Jobs
• Monitor FTP file transfer, websites visited, applications used
• Centralized Network Monitoring and Content Filtering
• Monitor employees computer usage and internet usage
• Monitor file copy, delete, rename actions
• Monitor USB stick, MMC/SD Card, CD/DVD usage
• Stealth and undetectable monitoring and surveillance

If you’ve just bought a new computer or plan to upgrade your operating system to Windows Vista, reviews recommend trying Windows Vista Parental Controls before buying standalone software. Reviewers say that Vista’s controls are easy to use and difficult for kids to circumvent. The Vista operating system offers most of the major features of standalone software packages, including time-limit settings, adjustable levels of site and application blocking, IM blocking and usage logging. The lack of annual fees is a major competitive advantage. However, reviewers note that Vista doesn’t allow parents to customize time limits as well as some other programs, and doesn’t offer remote management.

Windows Vista Parental Controls software is reviewed in depth by three sources — CNet.com, WinCustomize.com and NetSweeper.com — which all go into great depth about the virtues and liabilities of this program.

Tags: Radio Show, safety, security, Vista, Windows

Computer 911-3.21.09:”Defrag”

What is Defragmentation?

One term that is thrown around quite often is “defrag,” short for defragment, but what is it?

Think of your hard drive as if it were a library, and all your information (files), as books in that library.

Remember the Dewey decimal system? Oh, I know you do. I remember going to the index card drawers and looking up the location of books for many an English report. You know how it works. Look up the “address” of the book, now knowing the exact location amongst thousands of books, you can go retrieve your chosen title quickly, and with minimal effort. Unless of course, the last person to pick up that same book walked to the opposite end of the library, and misplaced it on a shelf there. Some good decimal Dewey is for you now! If you really need that book, you’ll have to go though each and every book until you find the one you need. Think about this…… In a large library, that could take months!!

Well your computer structures the storage of your files much like that of a library. We’ll call it the “binary decimal system” (I know you can”t have a binary decimal, but it’s an analogy). Each file has it’s proper assigned place. When a program “checks out” a file. It is expected that it will be returned to the proper place when the program is finished with it. As long as things work the way they should, the next time your computer needs to access that file, Bam! right to it, no problem.

BUT…little Ms. Windows has a sense of humor. Since were on analogies, let’s say Ms. Windows is the class prankster. Every once in awhile, with no provocation, Windows pulls the freeze alam, all programs are instructed to freeze, and drop whatever files they have. All running programs are evacuated (reboot), with no thought given to the fact that hundreds of files are out of place. Now, I know Windows pretty good, and she loves this prank. We’ve all seen it countless times. Think of how many times you’ve rebooted your pc from a lock-up, had to leave quickly and shut down improperly, or hit Ctrl-alt-Delete. What seems harmless at the time, has a devastative consequences down the road.

The next time a program goes to check out a file, It looks up the location in the “binary decimal system”, and proceeds to the location it expects the file to be. Except that, the file isn’t there. You see windows (feeling bad for her prank), did the best she could to tidy up all the files that were dropped earlier. Only Windows is a bit of a lazy girl. So she just puts the files in the nearest open spot. Just like the unsuspecting person the library, your computer knows nothing of the misplaced files. Until, now.

Let’s say that Acrobat wants to read a PDF file. There is apparently some fantastic information that it’s trying to show you….. But the file isn’t where it should be. Now Acrobat has to look at each and every file until the proper one is located. This…… is…… where…… the ……speed…… is……..lost.  Each file, one by one is read by acrobat until it finds the one it needs. And Acrobat, being a good sport, puts the file right back where it found it. NOT where it should go. This process is repeated until you reorganize your “library” and put things back where they belong.

When you defragment your hard drive, you are in effect telling Ms. WIndows to go through each file and put it in the proper place. That’s the meaning of defragmentation, to reorganize. When everything is returned to normal, your computer spends much less time looking for files. Thus, your computer suddenly responds much faster, and your computing experience is much less frustrating.

With regular defragmentation, your computer will operate much more efficiently. The easy way to access this free utility is to open the “my Computer” shortcut, highlight your hard drive (typically the C: drive) right click, when the menu pops up select properties, then tools, and finally defrag. Highlight your drive and defragment. (Windows XP)

I hope that helps. I’m off to continue upon the PC Medic quest to “ fix the world, one computer at a time“. Thanks for reading. If you have any questions you would like me to write an artice on, or comments about this one, please feel free to give us a call at Pc Medic anytime, and we’ll be happy to help you out!

Tags: defrag, hardware, Radio Show, Windows