Computer problem
Computer problem

Computer problem

Free resources for beginners & intermediate computer users

Computer problem solving tips, tricks and solutions

Our first free computer tip is right here in the first paragraph! Press the F11 key on your keyboard. That looks better doesn't it? Pressing the F11 key, allows you to view the full page without the Windows menus and other toolbars at the top and the bottom of the page. You see more of the page and do less scrolling. When you have finished reading the page and wish to return to normal view, just press F11 again.....more keyboard shortcuts.
Computer problem

Computer problem - articles about computers

If you are looking for a solution to a computer problem, our web site contains hundreds of interesting articles. They are packed full of computer problem solving tips, tricks and solutions. It doesn't matter what type of problem you have, whether it be a problem with computer hardware, software, the internet or, a problem with Windows, we have covered many topics - everyone should find something of interest on our web site.

Our most popular article

We have written hundreds of articles about computers, but the one that is viewed most by our readers is the one about how you can obtain a FREE UK VPN connection.
Computer problem
Computer problem

             • Genuine Windows? •

Having suffered the little "Windows Not Genuine" notice for so long, after reading your article, I can't believe how easy it was to sort out my version of Windows is not genuine

Maureen K..
Computer problem

           • Skype Sound Problem? •

Thank you for helping me sort out my Skype sound problems. It WAS the sound driver, I followed your instructions and everything is back to normal. Hooray! I can Skype again

Hillary W..
Computer problem

         • Connecting my PC to a TV •

I have tried to connect my PC to my TV and
I just couldn't get it to work. Your step-by-step guide did the trick. I just wanted to let you know that I followed it and I've done it!

Chris T..
Computer problem

               • Slow Computer? •

Thank you for helping me with my slow computer. I followed your instructions and now, everything is back to normal. It is running much faster. A first class service!

Jean F..
Computer problem

              • Virus or, Malware? •

Thank you for the link to the specialist malware removal tool. My problem is no more. It saved me the price of a HDD format and re-install of Windows

Alan D..
Computer problem

              • Gmail and Outlook •

I read your article about configuring Gmail to work with Microsoft Outlook. I followed your instructions and hey presto - Outlook is now working with my Gmail account.

John P..
Computer problem

  • Ask any question about computers •

Browse through our computer articles to search for a solution to your particular computer problem.
We have succesfully built an internet based business by offering the best customer service available - FREE!
We have helped thousands of people (worldwide) with their computer problem - it doesn't cost anything so, why not give us a try!
If you can't find a solution to your computer problem, use any of our quick contact forms to submit a question to us. We will search through our articles and, if one of them answers your question or, solves your problem, we will send it to you FREE!
Alternatively, use this form to tell us about your particular computer software, hardware, Windows' configuration or, any other type of computer problem. We will liaise with you personally and GUARANTEE that we will provide a solution to your computer problem.
Everday, we receive email's of thanks from our customers. Let's see what some of our customers have said about the service that we offer:
Computer problem

    • Ask a question, send a message •

Computer problem

    • Our areas of computer expertise •

Our computer articles concentrate on the most common problems that computer users may experience with their computers.
• Sorting out a computer sound problem
   One of the most common things that our
   readers write to us about is a problem with
   the sound on their computer.
• Connecting your PC to your TV
   Slowly but surely, our TVs are merging with
   our computers, get ahead of the race by
   connecting your PC to your TV.
• Sorting out a problem with Windows
   Some Windows problems are difficult to
   solve. Many readers write to us looking for
   help with a problem that they can't solve.
• The installation and setting up of wireless
   routers

   To the novice user, a wireless router is a
   complex device. Making sure that they are
   secure is very important.
• A problem caused by malware or, a
   computer virus

   One minute everything is OK, next minute, a
   big problem! We help you to sort out your
   computer and offer advice on best practice.
• Troubleshooting a problem with internet
   connectivity

   We explore the most common causes of
   problems with internet connectivity.
• Speeding up a slow computer
   We take a look at some of the things that
   you can do to make your computer run
   faster.
• System and Data recovery and back-up
   Computer crashed - lost all your
   grandchildren's photo's? We take a look at
   ways to get lost files back.
• Sorting out an email problem, configuring
   Outlook Express or, Window's Mail

   Problems with email is another big topic. We
   take a look at some of the most common
   email associated problems.
• Helping you to configure your computer to
   watch LIVE UK TV - from anywhere in the
   world

   Got a good internet connection? It doesn't
   matter where you are in the world, you can
   watch LIVE UK TV. We show you how.
We can also remotely set up, configure, troubleshoot and support, proxy, vpn, ftp and voice over internet protocol servers and billing systems.
Computer problem

               • This week's computer article - 21st August 2010 •

What happens when your computer becomes infected with malware?

It's not going to be easy in the limited space of this column, but this week, I am going to explain to you, exactly how easy it is for your computer to become infected with a malware virus and what happens when it is infected.
Malware (short for "Malicious Software") is a piece of code that infiltrates your computer usually, without your knowledge or, consent, that has been developed and is distributed with the intention of causing harm to your system/data or, for the purpose of using your computer system to carry out certain nefarious activities.
Last weekend saw the discovery of one of the biggest malware attacks from a single source. Industry experts aren't quite sure when the attack first started, but speculate that it could have been as far back as January 2010.
What is certain is that Network Solutions (one of the biggest domain name and website hosting companies) has acknowledged responsibility for the attack and has taken steps to stop further propagation.
No one quite knows how, but one of Network Solution's web widgets (a portable piece of executable code) that is automatically served up to newly registered web sites (parked domains and domains under construction), was infected with malicious code (malware). The web widget has been installed on a minimum of 500,000 domains, but could have been installed on as many as 5 million domains in the last 8 months.
The worrying thing, is that at some point or, another, in the last 8 months, we have all clicked a link that took us to a website that is "Under Construction" or, to a "Parked" domain (a registered website with no content). Well, if you have, and it was one that included Network Solution's malware infected web widget, that's all that you needed to do to infect your computer system. This type of attack is called a "drive-by" attack - you don't have to do anything or, click on anything to become infected!
Prior to its discovery, Virus Total (a web site where you can analyze suspicious files and URLs and a service that I brought to you in a previous article), reports that only 21 out of the 42 main virus programs recognized the attack.
Hopefully, now that the problem has been discovered, whatever virus protection you are running, should have been automatically updated with definitions that will recognize the attack - albeit, after the event, but for you, it may already be too late!
So, what does lsass.exe (the malware) do, once it downloads itself on to your computer system?
First of all, it creates a new user profile for itself then, installs three new components into your "programfiles" directory before adding a new registry key to enable itself to auto start after a computer re-boot.
Any activity in Internet Explorer, Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox and Opera Web browsers is monitored and any searches in Google, Ask, Yahoo!, AOL, and Bing, are automatically re-directed to another website where its own search results are displayed on searches for any of the following keywords:-
cialis, pharma, casino, finance, mortgage, insurance, gambling, health, hotel, travel, antivirus, antivir, pocker, poker, video, baby, bany, porn, golf, diet, vocations, design, graphic, football, footbal, estate, baseball, shop, books, gifts, money, spyware, credit, loans, loan, dating, ebay, myspace, virus, film, ipod, verizon, amazon, iphone, software, movie, mobile, bank, music, cars, craigslist, game, sport, medical, school, wallpaper, military, weather, twitter, fashion, spybot, trading, tramadol, yobt, flower, cigarettes, doctor, flights, airlines and comcast.
It also, searches for directories on your computer to do with any of the main Peer to Peer file sharing/downloading programs - "Winmx", "Tesla", "Limewire", Morpheus", "Emule", "Edonkey", "Bearshare", "Grokster", "ICQ" and "Kazaa". If it finds any of them, it duplicates into the directories and re-names itself with any of 86 'legitimate-looking" file names with the intention of tempting someone to download it from your computer across the Peer to Peer file sharing network - thereby, spreading itself further.
What is the point of all this? The writer of the malware receives payment, in the form of advertising revenue, for generating traffic to the web sites that it displays in its 'hijacked' search results so, if you find that you are being 'mysteriously' diverted to alternative search results - its time to check out your PC!
Computer problem

               • Last week's computer article - 14th August 2010 •

Software to save power and money - for the cost conscious PC user.

At the end of July, HSBC announced to the world that it had saved more than £630,000 in annual energy costs - just by turning off their computers! It seems that their employees are in the habit of leaving their computers switched on when they are not being used.
They achieved this saving by installing a program called "Nightwatchman" onto all their computers. If a computer is left switched on at the end the day or, the end of the week, the program automatically saves data and closes applications before shutting the computer down.
"Nightwatchman" is designed to be used in large organisations with many computers and comes with a centralised reporting system which can be configured to report back to head office in many ways. It's not really designed to be used on a single PC and therefore, may not be of interest to some readers, but the companies' web site - www.1e.com does include an interesting feature which you can run on your PC to calculate how much power it is using and the cost savings to be made by switching it off when it is not being used.
I know that a lot of you leave your computers switched on overnight to download 'FREE' movies and TV programs, but use the free energy cost calculator on the web site to calculate how much this is costing you, and you may discover that it is cheaper to nip down to the DVD shop - especially when you take into account the recent increase in the cost of electricity!
Anyway, this got me thinking so, I decided to have a look around and see if I could find anything else for the cost conscious PC user. It didn't take me long to find another similar, but free piece of software called "Granola" - http://grano.la
"Granola" is a piece of software that improves the energy efficiency of your PC or, laptop. It achives this by shutting down the power hungry components when they are not being used. This results in cost savings and extended battery life in laptop computers.
The software belongs to a company called MiserWare Inc. who has decided to give everyone (up to) five free licences that can be used on both private or, business PCs. "Granola" is the size of an average .mp3 file so, it's quick and easy to download and install and there's an informative video that you watch before you decide whether or, not to give it a try.
Granola says: it "makes computers more energy efficient without slowing them down. Granola is safe, easy to use, and allows your computer to operate with the performance of a Ferrari when speed counts but also with the efficiency of a Prius so you don't waste energy. Help save the world with Granola."
It also has some interesting reporting features. You can find out how much power you have saved, the actual cost savings and how much C02 has NOT been pumped into the atmosphere as a result of the savings. You can also, sign up and track your savings across multiple computers.
There are other similar products in the market place which a search on Google will quickly reveal, but the unique selling point for Granola is that it dynamically and automatically adjusts the power consumption of your computer based on CPU demand.
Think of "Granola" as the equivalent of a dimmer switch for your computer. The program powers back your computer when you are completing a simple task like editing a "Word" document that doesn't need much computing power, but gives full power when you are surfing the web or, checking your emails. The power and cost savings come from the difference between the two.
Computer problem

                          • Computer article - 7th August 2010 •

Microsoft releases an emergency security patch this week

Microsoft released an emergency security patch this week which addressed the critical Window's shortcut problem currently affecting ALL versions of Windows (including the newest versions of Windows 7) If your computer is set to automatically update, you needn't worry but if not, visit: Microsoft Update to manually update your version of Windows.
This is an update that you just shouldn't miss because without it, your computer is vulnerable to attack and can be remotely controlled and exploited by an attacker. If you are in any doubts as to the severity of this problem - an emergency or "out of band" security patch (as they like to call them) is only carried out by Microsoft to address the most serious problems.
Regular readers will recall that a few weeks ago, I informed everyone that support for Microsoft Windows XP (service pack 2) had officially ended. If you are still using Windows XP SP2 and wondered about the significance of this, you should now realise what this means. Users of Windows SP2 haven't received this free security patch and will not receive any future security patches and so, are vulnerable to attack and will remain so - for ever! If you haven't yet done so, now is the time to upgrade to Windows XP SP3.
I know that there are many users who cannot update on the Microsoft site because there is a problem with their version of Windows, but this vulnerability makes remaining with SP2 far too risky to contemplate. If you have tried to update on the Microsoft web site and can't, use the form on this page to drop us an email and we will see if we can help you to overcome this problem - FREE!
To check which Window's service pack you are running - simultaneously press the "Windows" and the "Pause/Break" keys on your keyboard. You will find the service pack number under the "System" heading. You can use the Microsoft update link in paragraph one to update to SP3.
At the very least, all Windows users should be using Internet Explorer 8 which comes with built-in Malware and Phishing protection, and Microsoft Security Essentials which is a free download from Microsoft that offers real-time protection for your PC and guards against viruses, spyware, and other malicious software.
The links to the program's web sites are very long and therefore, difficult to type into your browser's address bar. Rather than include them here for you to copy, if you want to find out more or, download either program, just type the name(s) of the program(s) into Google and to follow the links in the search results.
Computer problem
Popular Article Tags 1
Computer problem
Popular Article Tags 2
Computer problem
Popular Article Tags 3
World Cup email scams
With the start of the World Cup, Internet users should be wary of falling foul of any of the World Cup scams that will be doing the rounds, no doubt. Some of the larger security software companies are already reporting that they have intercepted various forms of.....
...world_cup_email_scam/
Irish clamp down on illegal file sharing
Eircom, an Irish Internet Service Provider (ISP) has been forced by the Irish Recorded Music Association (IRMA) to agree to run a three month trial during which the ISP will enforce a THREE strikes and you are 'OUT' policy or, put more appropriately, THREE strikes and......
...clamp_down_on_illegal_file_sharing/
The 2010 Digital Economy Act anti-file sharing provisions
The independent regulator and competition authority for the UK communications industries (Ofcom) has informed the UK's Internet Service Providers' Association (ISPs) that the anti-file sharing provisions within the 2010 Digital Economy Act (the Act) will only.....
...2010_digital_economy_act_anti-file_sharing_provisions/
Orange and T-Mobile merger
As Orange and T-Mobile merge their UK businesses under the name "Everything Everywhere" and create the UK's largest mobile telephone operator (service provider), it emerged on Tuesday that, they employed an agent to purchase the domain.....
...orange_t-mobile_merger/
How to enable Gmail keyboard shortcuts
If like me, you spend a lot of time using your on-line gmail account, enabling Gmail's keyboard shortcuts in your email account settings will help to reduce the amount of time that you spend reading and responding to emails and organising your email account......
...how_to_enable_gmail_keyboard_shortcuts/
Skype account hacked
On Sunday morning, my telephone rang. It was quite early. I answered thinking, "who the flippin-eck can this be at this time?" I was greeted by Jean (a good friend) who informed me that she had switched on her computer that morning and as usual, logged......
...skype_account_hacked/
VD inflicts misery on the lives of thousands
Techies love to use acronyms and intialisms such as PICNIC (Problem In Chair Not In Computer). Indeed, some consider their use a form of intellectual snobbery or, elitism. Usually, I only use an acronym, or initialism, when repetitive use of a certain phrase, or name......
...volcanic_dust/
Digital Economy Act 2010
As the members of the anti-counterfeiting trade agreement (Acta) sit down to their latest set of talks in New Zealand and the Digital Economy Bill passes its third reading in the UK - now the Digital Economy Act 2010, things are starting to 'hot-up' in the......
...digital_economy_act_2010/
Ed Roberts - The Father of the Personal Computer
This week's TIC Problem Solver article is dedicated to Ed Roberts who died on 1st April 2010 aged 68. If I asked you to deliberate before choosing a product that was best suited to be described as an "Altair 8800" - I may see "hairdryer," "vacuum cleaner," and......
...ed_roberts/
Microsoft Security Patch - Automatic Updates
On Tuesday this week, Microsoft released an emergency security patch to fix vulnerabilities in some versions of Internet Explorer. The patch addressed several Internet Explorer security issues including the 'zero-day' vulnerability which has recently been used to......
...microsoft_security_patch/
Freenet
Following the Aurora attack (www.ticproblemsolver/aurora_attack), in the standoff between Google and the Chinese Government, this week, Google redirected all it's search engine queries from China to its (uncensored) servers in Hong Kong. As big and powerful......
...freenet/
Acta
Databases worldwide contain information that links each of us, among many other things, to our home address. Many number of organisations hold database records that recognise us for various reasons, as being the rightful owner/occupier of our home and......
...acta/
Aurora attack
It really is time to wise up! Hands up, those of you that heard about last month's attack on Google? Now, does anyone know what all the furore was about? I didn't think so! Don't turn the page, this is important! Google was one of many large corporations targeted.....
...aurora_attack/
Easy transfer for Windows 7
I know a lot of people are bringing back 'snazzy' little netbook computers from the UK. After all, they're very small and easily fit between the towels in your suitcase ('nod and a wink!') Problem is, transferring those user accounts, files & folders, program data.....
...easy_transfer_for_windows_7/
RSS feeds
When you are surfing the web, looking at your favourite web sites, have you noticed the small orange RSS icon that appears on an ever increasing number of web sites and wondered, what it is? If like me, you are interested in anything to do with computer software.....
...rss_feeds/
System restore
One of the quickest and most effective ways of correcting a fault with your Windows installation is to do a "System restore". "System restore" is a utility in Windows that continually monitors its usage. Just before any major changes are made to Windows, "System.....
...system_restore/
Is your PC virus free ?
Didier Stevens, a security analyst, placed a Google advertisement which said: "Is your PC virus-free? Get it infected here!" The result was, that, over a six month period, 409 people clicked on the advertisement - strange but true! The people who clicked on......
...is_your_pc_virus_free/
Bloom Box
Have you heard about the Bloom Box? No, I'm not talking about the flower display in your back garden, but if we are to believe K.R. Sridhar - the inventor of the Bloom Box, in 5-10 years time, that's where your Bloom Box will be installed. What is it? It's an......
...bloom_box/
70 ways to hack Windows 7
A quick search on the internet reveals that there are more than seventy ways to hack Windows 7 or, 'illegally' activate a copy of Windows 7. If you are thinking of buying a new Laptop/PC or, getting an existing one repaired/upgraded, make sure that.....
...70_ways_to_hack_windows_7/
Organising files and folders
Everyone has their own favourite layout for their folders and files. When navigating around your computer, you may like to see folders organised as thumbnails (large), tiled (medium), icons (smaller) or, in a list (smallest) with or, without details. You may prefer to have.....
...organising_files_and_folders/
Converting Lps to CDs
Old LPs (remember those), it's easy to leach free music from the internet, but there's nothing quite like having your (paid for) record collection, playable on the latest, fan dangled music equipment and backed up into the bargain......
...lp_to_cd/
Panda Virus
China's national virus response center has warned this week, that there is a new variant of the infamous virus "Panda" on the loose and that the new, more virulent strain is not only harder to detect and get rid of, but poses a more serious threat than the original......
...panda_virus/
Copyright© 2007 - 2009 www.ticproblemsolver.com - all rights reserved
privacy policy
site map