http://malektips.com/computer_basics_help_and_tips.html General computing help, including tips on file extensions, electronic mail, using the Internet, and general hardware tips. en-us Wed, 1 Jul 2009 18:19:56 GMT Wed, 1 Jul 2009 18:19:56 GMT http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Custom webmaster@envprogramming.com (Andrew Malek) webmaster@envprogramming.com (Andrew Malek) http://malektips.com/graphics/logo_88x30.gif http://malektips.com/computer_basics_help_and_tips.html 88 30 http://malektips.com/software-assigned-internet-ports.html View a list of software packages that access assigned Internet ports.

Since not everyone on the Internet knows this information, I'll re-mention it. If you administer multiple computers connected to the Internet, or even if you have just one desktop with a firewall complaining about software trying to access a certain port, it may be useful to learn which software packages are supposed to access which ports. This can help determine whether a requested port use is valid, questionable, or a possible hack attempt or result of a spyware or other malware infestation.

To view assigned port numbers, visit this page from IANA (Internet Assigned Numbers Authority):...

Read more at MalekTips.]]> Thu, 21 May 2009 15:52:06 GMT http://malektips.com/software-assigned-internet-ports.html http://malektips.com/7-things-before-installing-beta-operating-system.html Before installing an operating system or update that has not been officially released, heed this advice.

When it comes to computer operating systems, many people only want to use tried and tested software. After a new operating system release, they wait months if not years for others to find bugs, patch security exploits, and update driver software to support most hardware. These individuals won't even think about upgrading before the release of a Service Pack or other major patch.

And then there are those who like to live "on the wild side". These people love testing and tweaking the next big thing before the mass public gets their hands on it. Nothing makes them happier than knowing they were running the latest and greatest software months, if not years, before an official release....

Read more at MalekTips.]]> Fri, 8 May 2009 15:02:59 GMT http://malektips.com/7-things-before-installing-beta-operating-system.html http://malektips.com/binary-number-system-definition.html Briefly explains the binary number system and its importance in computer technology.

As mentioned elsewhere in MalekTips, a bit is the smallest unit of memory a computer can hold. Bits can either hold a value of 0 or 1, on or off, yes or no, etc.

While a single bit holds very little data, bits are strung together to represent larger pieces of data. As these bits represent larger numbers, a system of numbering, binary, was adopted....

Read more at MalekTips.]]> Thu, 2 Apr 2009 17:05:47 GMT http://malektips.com/binary-number-system-definition.html http://malektips.com/wireless-internet-wep-wpa-security.html What are the differences between WEP and WPA security in a wireless network?

By default, most routers are configured to offer virtually no security features, allowing anyone to access your network. Unfortunately, this allows others to use packet sniffing software to record your traffic, potentially including the names of sites you visit, electronic mail texts, and the passwords used to access non-secure webpages.

If you are setting up a wireless network at your home or business, in your wireless router configuration you may have come across the option to use either WEP or WPA security to help encrypt your data. What are the basic differences between the two?...

Read more at MalekTips.]]> Fri, 6 Mar 2009 21:04:11 GMT http://malektips.com/wireless-internet-wep-wpa-security.html http://malektips.com/purchase-new-computer-do-five-things-security.html Increase your computer security and reduce potential headaches later by doing these five things as soon as you purchase a new computer.

Have you just purchased a new desktop or laptop computer? Congratulations, and hopefully you will get plenty of use out of your new machine, whether it is for business, finance, research, multimedia, or purely entertainment (or a little of all the above).

But wait - don't open the boxes, plug in the cords, and try to start surfing the Internet just yet! Take a few minutes and follow these 5 steps that can help increase your computer security and possibly remove some potential headaches down the road. ...

Read more at MalekTips.]]> Wed, 4 Mar 2009 20:42:10 GMT http://malektips.com/purchase-new-computer-do-five-things-security.html http://malektips.com/7-reasons-switch-web-browsers.html A variety of reasons people may encourage you not to try a different web browser when surfing the Internet.

When you purchased your computer or installed a new operating system, more than likely it came bundled with a web browser such as Internet Explorer or Apple Safari. While this browser seems to offer all the features you need when surfing the Internet, other alternatives exist such as Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome, and Opera, options that can potentially increase your security and provide new ways of accessing information online.

Many people, however, stick with the installed web browser not because they don't know about other browsers but for the reason that they think problems will occur when using different applications. This article lists seven of those reasons:...

Read more at MalekTips.]]> Wed, 4 Mar 2009 18:58:44 GMT http://malektips.com/7-reasons-switch-web-browsers.html http://malektips.com/why-purchase-desktop-over-notebook-pc.html With the added mobility one gets with a laptop PC, is there any reason to still purchase a desktop?

People are always "on the go" these days, and the convenience of a laptop computer fits with our busy schedules. Thus it makes sense that depending on several analyst reports, more people worldwide choose to purchase laptops instead of desktops.

With today's popularity of netbooks, tablet PCs, and digital media players that also substitute as Internet browsers and miniature computers, why should one purchase a desktop over a laptop PC?...

Read more at MalekTips.]]> Tue, 3 Mar 2009 17:28:31 GMT http://malektips.com/why-purchase-desktop-over-notebook-pc.html http://malektips.com/computers-slower-older.html Seven reasons why computers seem to run slower the longer you use them, including drive fragmentation and faulty software uninstallers.

It never fails - awhile back, perhaps it was a few years, perhaps it was only a few months, you bought a new super-fast, top-of-the-line desktop or laptop computer. At first it ran fantastic - there were few software crashes, browser pages visually popped onscreen, and games ran smoothly at high frame rates.

Unfortunately as the computer got older, problems started occurring. Crashes became more frequent, web pages took longer to load, games appeared slightly jerky, and the overall computing experience lost its luster. Why did this happen? Is there a conspiracy among computer and software manufacturers to make computers run slower so you'll give up and buy a new machine? While conspiracy theories are questionable, here are seven valid reasons why your computer may start to run slower as time passes:...

Read more at MalekTips.]]> Tue, 3 Mar 2009 15:45:59 GMT http://malektips.com/computers-slower-older.html http://malektips.com/online-account-security-question-dangers.html Many online services require security questions as well as passwords when creating accounts - read how these can actually reduce your security.

If you access web-based services such as social networking websites, message forums, or online banking applications, you've probably had to register for a user account. This sometimes drawn-out process required you to enter a login name as well as a password (or get one assigned to you), providing some sense of security when accessing the service.

Since good passwords (not the words 'computer' nor 'secret') can be almost impossible to remember (such as a ten character combination of letters, numbers, and punctuation), many services now use a "security question" you can answer in case you forget your username and/or password and need to retrieve or reset them. By offering a security question, these services can help ensure it is really you when a request is made for your login information....

Read more at MalekTips.]]> Sun, 1 Mar 2009 23:46:35 GMT http://malektips.com/online-account-security-question-dangers.html http://malektips.com/pros-cons-free-electronic-mail-providers.html Thinking of using a free e-mail provider to handle your personal or business e-mail? Read this first.

Nowadays, more Internet users are turning away from software-based e-mail programs run on their own computers such as Outlook and Windows Mail and towards web-based e-mail services like Yahoo! Mail, Google's Gmail, and Microsoft's Hotmail. Some sign onto free e-mail services just for their personal accounts and access software-based e-mail at the office, yet others rely upon these websites for professional use as well.

While these free services offer many benefits, people trust them to very important e-mail without realizing any possible security and privacy ramifications. Thus, if you are considering migrating from software-based e-mail to one of these web-based providers, or even if you currently use these services, be sure to consider the following pros and cons carefully. ...

Read more at MalekTips.]]> Fri, 27 Feb 2009 04:17:59 GMT http://malektips.com/pros-cons-free-electronic-mail-providers.html http://malektips.com/file-extension-reg-registry.html Provides details of the .REG file format in Windows used by the Registry Editor.

The Windows Registry is the main repository of configuration information for Windows and most applications. For Windows users, the .REG file extension represents text files that can be imported to change settings in this repository. In some cases this bypasses the Control Panel and other means of configuring program and application settings, and in other cases this provides ways of changing information that cannot be changed (or changed easily) through graphical interfaces.

Beneficial .REG files and registry changes can solve problems such as applications not letting you customize their toolbars, Windows not letting you change the desktop wallpaper, or removing an extraneous link to your computer manufacturer's website from the "Start" menu....

Read more at MalekTips.]]> Wed, 25 Feb 2009 17:57:08 GMT http://malektips.com/file-extension-reg-registry.html http://malektips.com/emb0022.html Find out whether that e-mail you just received is actually an urban legend.

Many of us have received e-mail from friends, family members, or coworkers that seemed too shocking, funny, or weird to be true. Will private cell phone numbers soon be provided to telemarketers, causing you to pay for everything from aggressive insurance sales calls to credit card companies asking you to perform balance transfers? Is Apple, Google, or Microsoft giving away huge sums of cash to people who can forward the most e-mails? And is every e-mail discussing a political candidate's background, beliefs, or former colleagues true?

Unfortunately, many frequently distributed e-mails can be categorized as "urban legends". Urban legends are myths, non-factual information presented in such a way, usually with a small bit of factual information, making the entire story seem plausible. They can take on an air of truth when forwarded enough times by reputable people, and also when covered by media professionals or bloggers looking for a hot story but failing to perform enough background research. However, due to changes in technology or someone attempting to create a "copycat crime", some urban legends have actually become true....

Read more at MalekTips.]]> Wed, 25 Feb 2009 05:21:22 GMT http://malektips.com/emb0022.html http://malektips.com/make-coasters-old-cds-dvds.html Recycle your used CDs and DVDs into drink coasters.

Tired of throwing away all of your old CDs and DVDs such as:

* CD and DVD burns that didn't work quite right...

Read more at MalekTips.]]> Tue, 24 Feb 2009 17:27:57 GMT http://malektips.com/make-coasters-old-cds-dvds.html http://malektips.com/emb0011.html Be VERY careful about electronic mail attachments - even if the sender seems to be a friend or family member! You need to read this tip.

Did someone you know just send you an electronic mail attachment that you weren't expecting? Perhaps it's a picture to go along with a joke, a song they want you to hear, or a program that displays fireworks on your screen. Surely your co-worker checked the file out first? Of course your mom would not send you a file that would harm your computer, right?

Nowadays, no matter who you think sent an e-mail attachment, you MUST be safe. Before opening a surprise attachment, why not first ask your friend, coworker, or family member in a friendly e-mail if they really meant to send you the file?...

Read more at MalekTips.]]> Fri, 20 Feb 2009 19:01:35 GMT http://malektips.com/emb0011.html http://malektips.com/get-your-electronic-mail-email-read.html Help prevent your electronic mail from getting automatically tossed into spam folders.

While e-mail is an extremely important tool that helps friends, family members, and coworkers communicate, the rampant spread of unsolicited commercial e-mail has made this communication medium less useful. Depending on which security researcher you believe, spam now accounts for 85-95% of all e-mail traffic on the Internet.

Due to so much junk clogging our inboxes, more users, e-mail software programmers, and Internet and e-mail providers have become extremely aggressive in using filters to help trap spam. While good filters can prevent a large chunk of spam from entering e-mailboxes, they may also trap legitimate commercial and non-commercial e-mail as well....

Read more at MalekTips.]]> Thu, 19 Feb 2009 19:05:37 GMT http://malektips.com/get-your-electronic-mail-email-read.html http://malektips.com/cd-dvd-explain-finalize.html Explains what it means to finalize a disc, as well as multi-session recording.

Many CD and DVD recorders, including those used with computers and stand-alone devices, support multiple session recording. This means that if you perform a recording that does not fill the entire media, you can finish the current recording and still add information later.

Unfortunately, some CD and DVD readers have difficulty reading multi-session media. Some may not be able to read the media at all, or like some earlier versions of Windows with certain drives, may only be able to read the first session of a multi-session DVD. Thus, data recorded on these disks may seem lost if you play them on an incompatible player....

Read more at MalekTips.]]> Thu, 29 Jan 2009 19:58:45 GMT http://malektips.com/cd-dvd-explain-finalize.html http://malektips.com/aif-aiff-audio-files.html Explains .AIF / .AIFF files - audio files most often used on the Macintosh platform.

Files with the .AIF or .AIFF extension normally contain audio data (AIFF is short for Audio Interchange File Format). These types of files are common on Macintosh computers, especially with professional-quality audio recording and editing software.

AIFF files normally contain uncompressed audio data, meaning these files contain better quality sound than .MP3 music files, but they can take up a large amount of space. However, a separate AIFF-C compressed format exists....

Read more at MalekTips.]]> Wed, 28 Jan 2009 05:04:33 GMT http://malektips.com/aif-aiff-audio-files.html http://malektips.com/cd-dvd-odd-shaped-media-slot-loader.html Inserting odd-shaped media into slot loader CD and DVD players can cause damage.

While many CD and DVD drives load media via a tray, some devices are called slot loaders in that you insert media into a slot in the front of the CD/DVD player/writer.

Slot loaders can have a problem dealing with odd-shaped CDs and DVDs. These may be distributed for promotional reasons such as CD business cards, or these may be made just for variety so a particular CD or DVD sticks out from the rest. While these types of disks are readable on most all CD/DVD devices, it is recommended not to insert these into slot loaders....

Read more at MalekTips.]]> Mon, 19 Jan 2009 23:17:20 GMT http://malektips.com/cd-dvd-odd-shaped-media-slot-loader.html http://malektips.com/electronic-mail-words-to-avoid.html When sending e-mail, there may be some words you should avoid that can label your e-mail as spam.

In today's world where 80%, 90%, or higher of all electronic mail is spam, many people, companies, and organizations employ the use of e-mail filters. These can help reduce the deluge of spam to a mere trickle.

While spam filters use a variety of techniques to determine which e-mail is unsolicited, containing malware links, etc., one popular technique is the scanning of e-mail subjects or messages themselves for various keywords and phrases. The more a particular e-mail message uses these words or phrases, the greater the chance the e-mail is spam and may be either automatically deleted or moved to a 'spam' folder....

Read more at MalekTips.]]> Wed, 14 Jan 2009 00:27:45 GMT http://malektips.com/electronic-mail-words-to-avoid.html http://malektips.com/mailing-list-plain-text.html Respond to mailing lists in plain-text to avoid angering members.

Have you considered joining a discussion-based e-mail list? There are many lists available for meeting people, sharing ideas, or general chitchat about particular subjects. While many lists are open to everyone, one rule you should follow is to always post in plain-text format.

Many e-mail programs such as Microsoft Outlook default to HTML mail, meaning that you can post in color, different fonts, bold text, etc. However, many mailing lists contain members that either don't have such functionality or choose not to use it. Posting mail your normal way might result in some angry messages, or worse yet, getting you banned from the list....

Read more at MalekTips.]]> Tue, 18 Nov 2008 16:53:02 GMT http://malektips.com/mailing-list-plain-text.html