3/15/08

Useful Software - This Could be the Answer to your Problems


The cyber-rulerz team have put this collection of utilities here for your convenience, and in the hope that it may solve a problem or two. The software listed below is FREE and it is tried and tested by many forums. We cannot, however, take responsibility for any problems that arise if you decide to use any of the links below, all we can say is that they are in common use and have been proved to be reliable. If you do have a problem that you can't solve then please feel free to post it in the appropriate forum. All of the software found here is free. Hardware / Software Utilities 1 Belarc Adviser This software gives you a diagnostic of you whole system. 2 MS Windows memory Diagnostic Runs a diagnostic on RAM - tests physical memory 3 PCPitstop checks many things from disk fragmentation to Internet speed tests. 4 Driver Detective will check your drivers and report what updates are available. This program is not free, so we generally recommend people to simply write down their results and then manually get the updated drivers. 5 Ethereal is a troubleshooting and reporting utility for networks. 6 Tweaks Is your PC configured for broadband? 7 Memory Ten This site can scan your Motherboard and tell you exactly what RAM you need and the max for your motherboard. 8 Win Audit Scans your PC and gives a comprehensive diagnostic of the hardware / software Internet Security Keeping your computer secure is your first line of defense against hackers, viruses, trojans, hijackers, spammers, and adware. These programs and sites will help you make the job a little bit easier. A1 Windows Update This is probably the most important thing you can do to help with security of your pc A2 Windows XP Service Pack 2 CD order You can order SP2 on CD so you do not have to download it. A3 AuditmyPC has tests for firewall, spyware, and pop-ups. A4 AVG (free) Excellent AntiVirus that provides regular up-dates A5 Avast Another popular Anti Virus A6 Active Virus Shield Supplied by AOL A7 Trend Housecall This provides an online Anti Virus scan A8 Panda Active Scan Another online Anti Virus scan that is very effective A9 Shoot the Messenger Disables windows messenger service - do not confuse with MSN A10 Setting up Security Zones in IE A11 Microsoft Protect your PC A12 Random Password Generator generate single or thousands of random passwords A13 Hijack Eliminator can prevent worms and hijacking and gives recommendations on your Internet browser settings A14 DirextX Buster Uninstalls DirectX from your system A15 Audit my PC Test your PC firewall and check for Spyware and popups Never have more than 1 AV or Firewall running - they will conflict Free Firewalls B1 Zone Alarm B2 Outpost Browsers It is recommended that you have a second browser on your system so that you can check to see if the problem is unique to your primary browser. C1 Firefox 2 C2 Firefox Add-ons C3 Opera C4 Avant Web-based Virus and Trojan Scanners D1 Bit Defender You may need to install ActiveX Control D2 Housecall D3 Panda D4 McAfee (free) D5 Symantec Security Scan Test your computer's exposure to threats D6 Free Online Trojan Scan D7 Trend CWShredder removes CoolWebSearch D8 Mike Lin's Startup Monitor alerts you if any programs like trojans, viruses, or hijackers register to run at startup Adware, Spyware, Trojan and Hijacker Scanners E1 A-Squared E2 Adaware SE Personal E3 Spybot Search & Destroy E4 Hijack this - direct link Save it to its own folder. E5 Spyware Blaster E6 Ewido Security Suite scanner for spyware, highjackers, worms, trojans, dialers E7 MS Defender Clean up your PC F1 WinPatrol F2 CCleaner F3 EasyCleaner Do NOT delete any DUPLICATE files Registry Cleaners, File Shredders and File Recovery G1 RegSeeker Is a Registry Cleaner G2 Eraser Is a file shredder recommended by many sites G3 Ultrawipe Allows you to wipe sensitive data from your system G4 Active@Killdisk Will COMPLETELY wipe your Hard Drive G5 PC Inspector File Recovery is a File Recovery utility G6 Restoration - file undelete Can recover files after deleting from the recycle bin G7 DBAN Is a floppy-based utility that will completely wipe a Hard Drive

3/14/08

Resume Tips

Resume Tips

A Curriculum Vitae (CV) is the mirror which gives a company complete picture of the candidate. CV is a medium to market yourself.
Most people underestimate the importance of a CV (resume). Many of us put off writing our CV until last moment and do an inadequate job. Others feel that they know it all and treat the job of writing a resume far too casually. Actually, you would be well advised to ensure that both your resume and covering letter are so well prepared that they stand out among a thousand others, not only in content but also in presentation. Any compromises at this stage and you may not be short listed for the interview.

CV -Crucial in getting an Interview

Your CV is your first communication with the perspective employer. It serves as personal advertisement for you and must therefore, be organised in such a manner so as to make it interesting, attractive, brief and informative. Whether the interview is granted or not depends to a large extent on the impression created by the CV. If you wish to be one of the few to be called for an interview, you must ensure your CV is distinct from the hundreds of other CVs of candidates who may be as experienced or as well qualified as you. Today a good 20 to 30 per cent of candidates get rejected because they have not presented their CVs well.
Moreover, your perspective employers do not have the time or the inclination to meet all the people who may be interested in an opening, that makes it more important that among the other thousands of CVs, yours must stand out; not only in contents but also by the way it is formatted.

Essential Information must be Mentioned

There are certain items which must be included in every CV. Other items may or may not be mentioned depending on whether they are relevant or not. The items which must be included are given below:
Personal Information: Name, date of birth, marital status, language known, address, telephone number.
Educational Background: Institutions attended with years, marks obtained, qualifications, achievements, computer literacy.
Employment History: Name of organisation(s), years, designation(s), responsibilities, achievements and training programme attended. Include any part time or summer employment if you do not have any full time experience.

Stick to the Basic Rules

Stick to these proven guidelines for writing a CV:
• The term "Bio-data" is out. Curriculum Vitae (CV) has replaced it.
• Do not make a mistake of beginning your CV with the title "Bio-data" especially if you are applying for the managerial position.
• Before writing your CV sit down and think through what information you want to highlight. Include your achievements, your hobbies and interests, academic qualifications, details of your work experience (if any) and your job objectives. Don't write a final CV without including all these.
• Begin your CV with a section on personal particulars. Exclude family background.
• Write your date of birth and not your age. If your CV were to go in a databank, only to be retrieved 2 or 3 years later, it would be difficult to make an estimate of your age.
• You must give your phone number even if you do not have your own phone. Give a phone number of your friend or a relative who can pass on a message to you quickly. This is very essential as many vacancies have to be filled urgently and interviews have to be set up at a very short notice. Always mention the STD code of your town of residence if applying outside the city and remember to mention country code as well when applying abroad.
• Don't clutter your CV with irrelevant information. Mention your nationality only when applying abroad or when specifically asked to do so.
• Mention your father's occupation when applying for a position at the entry level or a junior level non-management job, or when specifically asked.
• Try and give maximum possible information in minimum space.
• You may include a job objective at the beginning. Your objective should be as specific as you can make it or it can be tailor-made to exactly correspond with the requirements of an advertisement to which you are replying.
• Make sure that the reader is quickly able to assess your accomplishments. If you have had work experience, start with your most recent experience and then the experiences that you have had with the organisations you were previously in. Your most recent experience will be the one most relevant to your new job. So mention it first and your previous experiences later.
• Similarly, start your academic background with the most recent qualification.
• Make sure that your CV is not longer than two pages. It should, at the same time, not be so short that your prospective employer does not know anything about you after going through it. It must be concise and should be informative.

PresentationMake sure your CV looks good. Presentation is of the atmost importance. You must:
(a) Avoid spelling mistakes.
(b) Use good quality paper.
(c) Do not send curriculum vitae with spelling errors corrected by whitening fluid or by hand.
(d) Use proper margins and spend time formatting it properly.
(e) Send the printed laser outputs instead of photocopying. It may cost you more but it says a lot about you.
Don't lie even if it is a small lie. Usually such lies are about achievements, grades and marks or summer projects. The personnel departments in most companies do take pains in verifying claims.

ReferencesYou may include references at the end of your CV. These are names, addresses and phone numbers of two or three people who could vouch for your character, competence and commitment. Ideally, these should be people who have worked with you, or your college professors. Many job seekers starting out in their careers feel that important people's references will impress prospective employers. Nothing could be further from the truth. A big name will communicate that you are a name-dropper who gets by on his father's contacts rather than achievements. An experienced interviewer will be far more impressed with the references of people who know you professionally. In any case, your prospective employer will check with referees, so make sure you ask your referees' permission before putting their names in your CV.
Use one or at best not more than two typefaces while preparing your CV. If you are looking for visual relief and highlighting then you can use block capitals, italics, bold type, underlining, varying font sizes, or any combinations of these. Choose a font that is simple and easy to read. Do not go in for a fancy typeface. It will take away legibility of your CV.
Don't leave gaps in your CV. If you have lost some years between your +2 and graduation or after your graduation, explain the gap.

Special Tips for the Freshers

Even if you have a professional degree from a prestigious institution and are looking for a position at entry level, you need to market yourself effectively to get a plum offer. If you are not from a coveted institution your task becomes that much harder because a number of top recruiters may not even visit your campus.
Your basic task is of communicating the fact that your skills, school and college education work experience, achievements, projects and extracurricular activities - all add up to make you the right person for the job.
Don't underestimate the value of your summer jobs, and your extra curricular activities. These are opportunities to use skills related to the job. They are often more job related than the academic qualification itself. The skills that you can demonstrate through any project or extracurricular activity include leadership skills, an ability to negotiate, plan and organise. In the absence of any direct organisational experience these add real meat to your CV. In other words, they help to differentiate you from the crowd and are often the most interesting part in your CV. Be sure to include all projects that you were in either alone or as a team and anything 'extra' you did.
Let us take a look at some of these in more detail.
Summer jobs: Normally any interview will include questions on summer jobs to test whether you understand the industry, the organisation and area of relevance. You are expected to be an expert in the area directly related to your training.
Extracurricular activities: These usually demonstrate interpersonal, communication organisation liaison, coordination and leadership skills. Were you elected to various offices? Did you organise any college festival? Were you instrumental in organising symposia? Did you contribute to the college magazine? Quite often any projects or extracurricular activities, are the most interesting part of you. If these are presented and defined well these activities can be a useful marketing device to land you with the right job, at right time.
Many companies have standardised application forms on the basis of which they shortlist candidates. Typically, the application form may be required to be filled in two or three methods before the interview and would include a statement of purpose. Many a candidate has slipped up in the interview even when all was going well in the interview. It is simply because what he said during the interview was inconsistent with the application form. Therefore, we would recommend that you keep photocopies of all your completed application forms carefully, especially of the statement of purpose, till the interview.
Allthe Best

List of Technical Abbreviations

Here goes a list of technical abbreviations I found recently while I was using SiSandra Enterprise (actually that doesn't works on my system but I atleast found something useful in it and that was this list of abbreviations, so as such my download didn't go as a total waste)

3DNow! Multi-Media Extensions (AMD)
AC Alternating Current
ACPI Advanced Configuration and Power Interface
ACR Advanced Communications Riser
AE Applications Engineer
AFS Andrew File System
AGP Accelerated Graphics Port
AI Artificial Intelligence
ALU Arithmetic-Logic Unit
AM Amplitude Modulated
AMD Advanced Micro Devices, Inc.
AMD Air Moving Device (aka fan)
AMI American Megatrends Inc.
AMR Audio Modem Riser
ANSI American National Standards Institute
APIC Advanced Programmable Interrupt Controller
APM Advanced Power Management
ASCII American Standard Code for Information Interchange
ASIC Application Specific Integrated Circuit
ASPI Advanced SCSI Programming Interface
AT Advanced Technology
ATA AT bus Attachment
ATAPI ATA Packet Interface
ATDM Asynchronous Time Division Multiplexing
ATM Asynchronous Transfer Mode
ATX AT eXtended
AUI Attached Unit Interface
BBS Bulletin Board System
BCC Block Check Character
BCD Binary Coded Decimal
BE Back End
BEDO Burst EDO
BiCMOS Bipolar Complementary Metal-Oxide Semiconductor
BIOS Basic Input / Output System
BMB Baseboard Management Bus
BNC Bayonet Nut Connector
BPS/bps Bytes/bits Per Second
BSC Binary Synchronous Communications
BSD Berkeley Standard Distribution
BT Base Transmit
BTU British Thermal Units
CAD Computer Aided Design
CAM Computer Aided Manufacturing
CAM Content Addressable Memory
CAM Common Access Method
CAS Column Address Strobe
CBX Common Branch eXtender
CCD Charge Coupled Device
CCITT Consultative Committee of International Telephony and Telegraphy
CD Carrier Detect
CDDI Copper Distributed Data Interface
CDROM Compact Disk Read Only Memory
CGA Colour Graphics Adapter
CHS Cylinder Head Sector
CISC Complex Instruction- Set Computer
CLA Carry Look-ahead Adder
CMOS Complementary Metal-Oxide Semiconductor
CNR Communications and Network Riser
CODEC
CP/M Control Program / Monitor
CPI Clocks Per Instruction
CPU Central Processing Unit
CQFP Ceramic Quad Flat Pack
CR Carriage Return
CRC Cyclical Redundancy Check
CRIMM Continuity RIMM
CRQ Command Response Queue
CRT Cathode Ray Tube
CS Chip Select
CSMA/CD Carrier Sense Multiple-Access /with Collision Detect
CSR Command Status Register
CST Container Security Breach (aka door open)
CTS Clear To Send
DAT Digital Audio Tape
DBI Dynamic Bus Inversion
DC Direct Current
DCD Data Carrier Detect
DCE Data Circuit-terminating Equipment
DD Double Density
DDC Display Data Channel
DDR Double Data Rate
DEC Digital Equipment Corporation
DES Data Encryption Standard
DHCP Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol
DID Direct Inward Dial
DIMM Dual Inline Memory Module
DIN Deutsche Industrie Norm (German)
DIP Dual-In-line Package
DIS Draft International Standard
DMA Direct Memory Access
DMI Desktop Management Interface
DOS Disk Operating System
DP Dual Processor
DPE Data Parity Error
DPSK Differential Phase Shift Keying
DRAM Dynamic Random Access Memory
DRDOS Digital Research Disk Operating System
DRM Dual Retention Mechanism
DS Double Sided
DSP Digital Signal Processor
DSR Data Set Ready
DTC Data Terminal Controller
DTE Data Terminating Equipment
DTMF Dual-Tone Multi-Frequency
DTR Data Terminal Ready
DVD Digital Video/Versatile Device/Disk
EBCDIC Extended Binary Coded Decimal Interchange Code
EC Error Check
ECC Error Check and Correction
ECL Emitter-Coupled Logic
ECO Engineering Change Order
ECP Enhanced Communication Port
ECP Extended Capabilities Port
ECU EISA Configuration Utility
EDO Extended Data Out RAM
EDPT Enhanced Disk Parameter Table
EEPROM Electrically Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory
EFI Extensible Firmware Hub
EGA Enhanced Graphics Adapter
EIA Electronic Industries Association
EIDE Enhanced Integrated Device Electronics
EISA Enhanced Industry Standard Architecture
EMC Electro-Magnetic Compatibility
EMF Electro-Magnetic Force
EMI Electro-Magnetic Interference
EMS Expanded Memory Specification
EOF End Of File
EOL End Of Line
EOS Electrical Over Stress
EPP Enhanced Parallel Port
EPROM Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory
ESCD Extended System Configuration Data
ESD Electro-Static Discharge
ESDI Enhanced Small Devices Interface
FAT File Allocation Table
FCC Federal Communications Commission
FDD Fixed / Floppy Disk Drive
FDDI Fiber Distributed Data Interface
FDM Frequency Division Multiplexing
FDX Full-Duplex Transmission
FE Front End
FEP Front End Processor
FF Form Feed
FIFO First-In First-Out
FILO First-In Last-Out
FM Frequency Modulation
FPGA Field Programmable Gate Array
FPM Fast Page Mode RAM
FPU Floating Point Unit
FRC Functional Redundancy Checking
FRU Field-Replaceable Unit
FSB Front Side Bus
FSF Free Software Foundation
FSK Frequency Shifty Keying
FTP File Transfer Program
FWH Firmware Hub
GAS Gallium Arsenide
GFLOPS Billions of FLOating Point Operations Per Second (GigaFlops)
GNU Gnu's Not UNIX
GUI Graphical User Interface
GXB Graphic eXpansion Bridge
HBA Host Bus Adapter
HD High Density / Hard Disk
HDD Hard Disk Drive
HDX Half-Duplex Transmission
HFS Hierarchical File System
HPFS High Performance File System
HS Helical Scan
I/O Input / Output
I2C Intelligent Controller
IA Intel Architecture
IB In-Bound
IBM International Business Machines Corporation
IC Integrated Circuit
ICMP Internet Control Message Protocol
IDC Insulation Displacement Connector
IDE Integrated Device Electronics
IEEE Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers
IFB I/O and Firmware Bridge
IMP Interface Message Processor
IOAPIC Input Output Advanced PIC
IPC Inter Process Communication
IPX Inter network Packet eXchange
IR Infra-Red
IRQ Interrupt ReQuest
ISA Industry Standard Architecture
ISDN Integrated Services Digital Network
ISO International Standards Organisation
ITP In-Target Probe
JFS Journalised File System
kVA KiloVolt-Amps
LAN Local Area Network
LBA Linear Block Array / Addressing
LCD Liquid Crystal Display
LED Light Emitting Diode
LF Line Feed
LIM Lotus/Intel/ Microsoft' s Expanded Memory Manager (EMS)
LRU Least-Recently Used
LSB/lsb Least Significant Byte/bit
LSI Large Scale Integration
LVD Low Voltage Differential
LUN Logical Unit Number
MAN Metropolitan Area Network
MB/Mb Mega Bytes/bits
MBR Master Boot Record
MCA Micro Channel Architecture
MCGA Multi-Colour Graphics Array
MCH Memory Controller Hub
MCM Multi-Chip Module
MDC Memory Data Component
MDRAM Multi-bank RAM
MEC Memory Expansion Cards
MFLOPS Millions of FLOating Point Operations per Second (MegaFlops)
MFM Modified Frequency Modulated
MHz MegaHertz
MICR Magnetic Ink Character Recognition
MIDI Musical Instrument Data Interface
MIMD Multiple-Instructio n Multiple-Data
MIPS Millions of Instructions per Second
MISD Multiple-Instructio n Single Data
MMU Memory Management Unit
MMX Multi-Media Extensions
MNP Microcom Network Protocol
MODEM MOdulator / DEModulator
MOPS Millions of Operations Per Second
MOS Metal-Oxide Semiconductor
MP Multi-Processor
MPP Massively Parallel Processor
MPS Multi-Processor System
MPT Memory Protocol Translator
MSB/msb Most Significant Byte/bit
MSDOS Microsoft's Disk Operating System
MSI Medium Scale Integration
MTBF Mean Time Between Failure
MTH Memory Translator Hub
N/C No-Connect
NBS National Bureau of Standards
NEMA National Electrical Manufacturers Association
NFS Network File System
NFU Not-Frequently Used
NIC Network Interface Card
NMI Non-Maskable Interrupt
NMOS Negatively doped Metal-Oxide Semiconductor
NOP No OPeration
NRU Not-Recently Used
NSF National Science Foundation
NVRAM NonVolatile Random Access Memory
OAP Outside Awareness Panel (aka window)
OB OutBound
OCR Optical Character Recognition
ODI Open Datalink Interface
OEM Original Equipment Manufacturer
OS Operating System
OSF Open Software Foundation
OSI Open Systems Interconnect
PAC PCI AGP Controller
PAL/PLA Programmable Array Logic / Logic Array
PAL Processor Abstraction Layer
PB Push Button
PBX Private Branch eXtender
PC Personal Computer, Program Counter
PCB Printed Circuit Board
PCI Peripheral Component Interconnect
PCM Pulse Code Modulation
PCMCIA Personal Computer Memory Card International Association
PE Processor Element
PFC Power Factor Correction
PFF Page Fault Frequency
PGA Professional Graphics Array
PGA Pin Grid Array
PIC Programmable Interrupt Controller
PIO Programmed Input / Output
PIROM Processor Information ROM
PLCC Plastic Leaded Chip Carrier
PLL Phase Locked Loop
PM Preventive Maintenance
PME Power Management Event
PMOS Positively doped Metal-Oxide Semiconductor
PnP Plug-and-Play
POST Power On Self Test
PPP Point-to-Point Protocol
PQFP Plastic Quad Flat Pack
PROM Programmable Read Only Memory
PSIPC PCI Super I/O Integrated Peripheral Controller
PSTN Public Switched Telephone Network
PTE Page Table Entry
PXB PCI eXpansion Bridge
PXE Pre-Boot eXecution Environment
QAM Quadrature Amplitude Modulation
QFP Quad Flat Pack
QIC Quarter Inch Cartridge
RAID Redundant Arrays of Inexpensive Disks
RAM Random Access Memory
RAMDAC Random Access Memory Digital to Analogue Converter
RAS Row Address Strobe
RCA Radio Corporation of America
RCC Routing Control Centre
RDRAM Rambus DRAM
RFC Request For Comments
RFI Radio Frequency Interference
RI Ring Indicator
RIMM Rambus Inline Memory Module
RISC Reduced Instruction- Set Computer
RLL Run Length Limited
RMS Root Mean Squared
RMW Read Modify Write
ROM Read Only Memory
RPC Remote Procedure Call
RPM Rotations Per Minute
RTC Real Time Clock
RTS Request To Send
SAL System Abstraction Layer
SAM Sequential Access Memory
SASI Shugart Associates Standard Interface
SCI Special Circumstance Instructions
SCSI Small Computer Systems Interface
SD Single Density
SDLC Synchronous Data Link Control
SDRAM Synchronous Dynamic RAM
SDRAM BDDR II Bi-Directional Strobed DDR SDRAM
SDRAM DDR II Double Data Rate SDRAM
SE Systems Engineer
SEC Single Edge Contact
SECC Single Edge Contact Cartridge
SFF Small Form Factor
SGRAM Synchronous Graphics RAM
SIMD Single-Instruction Multiple-Data
SIMM Single Inline Memory Module
SIPP Single Inline Pinned Package
SISD Single-Instruction Single-Data
SLIP Serial Line Internet Protocol
SMBUS System Management Bus
SMD Surface Mount Device
SMI System Management Interrupt
SMP Symmetric Multi-Processing
SMT Surface Mount Technology
SMT Symmetric Multi-Threading
SNA System Network Architecture
SNR Signal to Noise Ratio
SO/SOL Small Out Line
SOIC Small Outline Integrated Circuit
SPDIF Serial Data Interface
SPOOL Simultaneous Peripheral Operation On Line
SPT Sectors Per Track
SPU Single Processor Unit
SRAM Static Random Access Memory
SS Single Sided
SSE Streaming SIMD Extensions
SSE2 Streaming SIMD Extensions 2
STDM Synchronous Time Division Multiplexing
STN Super Twisted Nematic
STR Suspend To RAM
STU Streaming Tape Unit
SVGA Super Video Graphics Array
TCM Trellis Code Modulation
TCP/IP Transmission Control Protocol / Internet Protocol
TDM Time Division Multiplexing
TI Texas Instruments
TIA Telecomm. Industry Association
TLB Translation- Lookaside Buffer
TPI Tracks Per Inch
TRANSISTOR TRANSformer resISTOR
TSR Terminate and Stay Resident
TTL Transistor-Transist or Logic
TUV Technischer Ueberwachuags Verein (German)
UAE Unrecoverable Application Error
UART Universal Asynchronous Receiver/Transmitte r
UDP User Datagram Protocol
UMB Upper Memory Block
UPS Un-interruptible Power Supply
USB Universal Serial Bus
USL UNIX System Labs
UUCP UNIX to UNIX Copy Program
VBE Video BIOS Extensions
VCR Video Cassette Recorder
VESA Video Enhanced Standards Association
VGA Video Graphics Array
VID Voltage ID
VLB VESA Local Bus
VLIW Very Long Instruction Word
VLSI Very Large Scale Integration
VM Virtual Memory
VME Versa Module Euro-card
VRAM Video Random Access Memory
VRT Voltage Reduction Technology
VTR Video Tape Recorder
WAN Wide Area Network
WATS Wide Area Telephone Service
WD Western Digital
WOL Wake-up On LAN
WORM Write Once - Read-Many
WRAM Window Random Access Memory
WS Wait State
WXB Wide eXpansion Bridge
XGA eXtended Graphics Array
XMS Extended Memory Specification
XOR Exclusive-OR
XT eXtended Technology
ZIF Zero Insertion Force

3/11/08

Top 10 tips to keep ur PC secure

TIP # 1
(Keep your software up to date.)The first line of defense in keeping your computer as secure as possible is through regular software updates and routine system maintenance to help avoid data loss, new viruses, and other potential risks. The top two software applications you need to keep updated are your operating system (ex. Microsoft Windows) and your anti-virus solution. For Microsoft Windows, we recommend that you run Windows Update or the new Microsoft Update. If you are using Windows XP, Windows 2000 SP3 or higher, or Windows Server 2003, we recommend that you activate Automatic Updates. The Automatic Updates feature in Windows notifies you when critical updates are available for your computer. Automatic Updates also allows you to specify the schedule that Windows follows to install updates on your computer. For the new Microsoft Update, please visit http:!!update. microsoft. com/Microsoftupd ate To turn on Automatic Updates, on Windows XP go START -> Control Panel -> Automatic Updates
TIP # 2
(Use a Firewall.)When someone on the internet or on a network tries to connect to your computer, we call that attempt an "unsolicited request." When your computer gets an unsolicited request, a Firewall application could block the connection. If you run a program such as an instant messaging program or a multiplayer network game that needs to receive information from the Internet or a network, the firewall asks if you want to block or unblock (allow) the connection. If you are running Windows XP with Service Pack 2, you can take advantage of Windows Firewall which is a protective boundary that monitors and restricts information that travels between your computer and a network or the Internet. This provides a line of defense against someone who might try to access your computer from outside the Windows Firewall without your permission. If you are using Windows XP and have not yet upgraded to Service Pack 2, Windows Firewall was previously known as Internet Connection Firewall or ICF You do not have to use Windows Firewall, you can install and run any firewall that you choose available through other software vendors. Evaluate the features of other firewalls and then decide which firewall best meets your needs. If you choose to install and run another firewall, turn off Windows Firewall.
TIP # 3
(Use anti-virus software.)This can detect many, but not all, forms of malicious software before they have a chance to affect your computer. Antivirus software is a program that either comes installed on your computer or that you purchase and install yourself. It helps protect your computer against most viruses, worms, Trojan. and other unwanted invaders that can make your computer "sick." Viruses, worms, and the like often perform malicious acts, such as deleting files, accessing personal data, or using your computer to attack other computers. You can help keep your computer healthy by using antivirus software. Remember to update your antivirus software regularly. These updates are generally available through a subscription from your antivirus vendor. Microsoft currently does not offer an anti-virus solution. There are a number of software companies that offer anti-virus applications.
TIP # 4
(Use an Anti-spyware application. )Spyware is a general term used for software that performs certain tasks, such as collecting personal information or changing the configuration of your computer without your appropriate consent and control. Spyware can significantly slow down your computer, make unwanted changes to key settings, and be difficult to remove. Anti-spyware software helps protect your computer from spyware and other potentially unwanted software by detecting and removing known spyware programs. It can be scheduled to scan your computer at times that are convenient for you. A variety of tools that detect and remove unwanted software from your computer are available at no charge Microsoft offers Windows AntiSpyware which can help protect your PC from spyware and other potentially unwanted software This is available from http://www.microsof t.com/antispywar e for FREE for all users of Genuine Windows software.
TIP # 5
(Upgrade to Windows XP Service Pack 2)If you are using Windows XP, we highly recommend that you upgrade to Service Pack 2. Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2) contains a collection of new technologies designed to help keep your PC and your personal information more secure. These new technologies include the Windows Security Center, Windows Firewall, Internet Explorer Pop-up Blocker, and more. More details on the many features of Windows XP SP2 and how to take advantage of these can be found here: http:l/www.microsof t.com/windowsxp/ sp2/howto/ default .mspx
TIP # 6.
(Create a "strong" password.) The purpose of having a logon process is to establish who you are. Once the operating system or website knows who you are, it can grant or deny requests for services. If a bad guy learns your username and password. he can log on as you. In fact, as far as the operating system is concerned, he is you. Sometimes we use simple passwords so it will be easy for us to remember them. Usual passwords include your name, name of your spouse or child, your birthday, your pet's name, your ID number. The problem with these passwords is that anyone who knows you could probably figure out your password given enough time. That is why these are also called "weak" passwords. A strong password is where you create a more complex password using other symbols on the keyboard and use other words which would be harder to guess. Remember that lowercase letters are different from upper case letters. For example... for password" it could be'P@s$wOrD" . Finally, try to adopt a"Pass Phrase" instead. It could be easier to remember, yet more difficult to guess. For example, "MyBirthdaylsOnNov2 2 1979". Just let your imagination fly!
Tip # 7
(Keep your passwords safe.)Your password is as important as your ATM PIN, or your front door key. You need to guard it well, and make sure nobody else gets hold of it.As much as possible. memorize your password and do not write it down Some people not only wnte their passwords down, they put it in prominent places like on a small sheet taped to computer monitor. By doing so, you defeat the purpose of having a password. Remember not to give out your password to ANYONE. It is also smart to change your password regularly. Most people use the same password for all of their internet accounts. This is something we don't advise you to do. Just imagine what would happen if someone got hold of your password for one of your accounts? He or she would have access to all of your internet accounts.
TIP # 8
(Be suspicious of bogus E-Mail.)Anyone, anywhere in the world, can register for an ISP account. and Internet email protocols allow anyone to send a message that appears to be from any other person. Don't assume an email from "Tito Boy" or "Manang Gloria" was actually sent from someone you know, and don't assume that an unsolicited message from user@hotmail. com was really sent by that account. If an e-mail has a very small attachment and the message of the e-mail is practically empty. Just delete it. If the attachment is a ZIP file but it looks too small to contain a photo or document, just delete it. Despite who it seems to come from, chances are it is probably a virus.
TIP # 9
(Be suspicious of scams)Scams are a popular way of getting your personal information. The most common scams are fake login pages and forged emails that ask for your password, credit card number, or other sensitive information. Ignore anything you see that strikes you as questionable or suspicious. If any e-mail asks for your usemame or password, do not respond or reply to these e-mail messages. Always confirm a transaction through your Bank. The intemet is also full of "get rich quick" scams. Just remember that if it seems to good to be true, it probably is. If you received e-mail from anyone claiming they will share with you millions of dollars if you help them out or follow a few simple instructions, this almost always is a scam in which you will gain nothing and could put you in financial or physical risk.
TIP # 10
(Stay Informed)This booklet contains only a few out of dozens of possible tips geared at keeping your computer environment safe and secure. Education and awareness are out best line of defense in the battle against cyber security threats and fraud. Be sure to drop by Microsoft Philippines' Security website at: http://www.microsof t.com/philippine s/security for updates, bulletins, links, and tips on keeping your PC environment safe and secure. At the site, you can also sign up for our free, monthly e-mail newsletter that's packed with valuable information to help you protect your home and work computer. This newsletter provides practical security tips for you, your family, and your officemates, useful resources and links

Some Computer Terms

RTM

Short for release to manufacturing, the version of a software product that is given to manufacturers to bundle into future versions of their hardware products. RTM versions are typically released to manufacturers before they are released to the general public so that the manufacturers can work out any bugs the software may encounter with hardware devices. The release of an RTM version does not necessarily mean that the creators have worked out all the problems with the software; there still may be more versions of the product before it is released to the general public.

OEM
Short for original equipment manufacturer, which is a misleading term for a company that has a special relationship with computer producers. OEMs are manufacturers who resell another company's product under their own name and branding. While an OEM is similar to a VAR (value-added reseller), it refers specifically to the act of a company rebranding a product to its own name and offering its own warranty, support and licensing of the product. The term is really a misnomer because OEMs are not the original manufacturers; they are the customizers.

IHV
Short for Independent hardware vendor, a hardware-manufacturing company that specializes in a specific type of hardware device and not a complete computer system. The IHV typically also provides the software drivers for its hardware devices

Pulling wire


A phrase used to describe the act of running network cable from one location to another.

SURGINET
SURGINET is one of the most well-known e-mail mailing list for General Surgeons that serves as a forum for academic and clinical discussions and knowledge sharing specific to the specialty of General Surgery. While officially the list membership is restricted to Surgeons, members are also from many disciplines, such as nursing, med students, basic scientists, pharmacists, residents, even veterinarians. The SURGINET mailing list is run by list owner Tom Gilas.
BlackBerry
BlackBerry is a line of mobile e-mail devices and services from Research In Motion (RIM). BlackBerry is a complete package that includes airtime, software and choice of BlackBerry mobile device. BlackBerry is currently available in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom.
In the United States and Canada, BlackBerry depends on either narrowband PCS 800 MHz DataTAC networks or narrowband PCS 900 MHz Mobitex networks. In the UK, BlackBerry works over GPRS networks.
BlackBerry's popularity may be attributed to its easy-to-use interface and keyboard.
Bluejacking
Bluejacking allows phone users to send business cards anonymously using Bluetooth wireless technology. Bluejacking does not involve the removal or alteration of any data from the device. These business cards often have a clever or flirtatious message rather than the typical name and phone number. Bluejackers often look for the receiving phone to ping or the user to react. They then send another, more personal message to that device. Once again, in order to carry out a bluejacking, the sending and receiving devices must be within 10 meters of one another. Phone owners who receive bluejack messages should refuse to add the contacts to their address book. Devices that are set in non-discoverable mode are not susceptible to bluejacking
Bluebugging
Bluebugging allows skilled individuals to access the mobile phone commands using Bluetooth wireless technology without notifying or alerting the phone’s user. This vulnerability allows the hacker to initiate phone calls, send and read SMS, read and write phonebook contacts, eavesdrop on phone conversations, and connect to the Internet. As with all the attacks, the hacker must be within a 10 meter range of the phone. This is a separate vulnerability from bluesnarfing and does not affect all of the same phones as bluesnarfing
Bluesnarfing
Bluesnarfing allows hackers to gain access to data stored on a Bluetooth enabled phone using Bluetooth wireless technology without alerting the phone’s user of the connection made to the device. The information that can be accessed in this manner includes the phonebook and associated images, calendar, and IMEI (International Mobile Equipment Identity). By setting the device in non-discoverable, it becomes significantly more difficult to find and attack the device. Without specialized equipment the hacker must be within a 10 meter range of the device while running a device with specialized software. Only specific older Bluetooth enabled phones are susceptible to bluesnarfing
MIN

Short for Mobile Identification Number it is a unique 24-bit number assigned by the wireless service provider (carrier) to each mobile phone it sells or includes in service plans.
Wi-Fi
Short for wireless fidelity and is meant to be used generically when referring of any type of 802.11 network, whether 802.11b, 802.11a, dual-band, etc. The term is promulgated by the Wi-Fi Alliance.
Any products tested and approved as "Wi-Fi Certified" (a registered trademark) by the Wi-Fi Alliance are certified as interoperable with each other, even if they are from different manufacturers. A user with a "Wi-Fi Certified" product can use any brand of access point with any other brand of client hardware that also is certified. Typically, however, any Wi-Fi product using the same radio frequency (for example, 2.4GHz for 802.11b or 11g, 5GHz for 802.11a) will work with any other, even if not "Wi-Fi Certified."
Formerly, the term "Wi-Fi" was used only in place of the 2.4GHz 802.11b standard, in the same way that "Ethernet" is used in place of IEEE 802.3. The Alliance expanded the generic use of the term in an attempt to stop confusion about wireless LAN interoperability.
Moblog
Acronym used to combine the terms "mobile" and "Web log". Where a Web log (also called a blog) is a Web page that serves as a publicly accessible personal journal for an individual, a moblog is a blog which has been posted to the Internet from a mobile device such as a mobile phone or PDA.
3G
3G is an ITU(International Telecommunication Union) specification for the third generation (analog cellular was the first generation, digital PCS the second) of mobile communications technology. 3G promises increased bandwidth, up to 384 Kbps when a device is stationary or moving at pedestrian speed, 128 Kbps in a car, and 2 Mbps in fixed applications. 3G will work over wireless air interfaces such as GSM, TDMA, and CDMA. The new EDGE air interface has been developed specifically to meet the bandwidth needs of 3G.
E-nag
A slang term used to describe a person who nags (annoys or torments persistently) through electronic means such as e-mail, instant messaging, forums or online chat rooms. An e-nagger typically is a person who sends a successive stream of messages without allowing adequate time for a response from the recipient.
Spim
Also spelled as spIM, spam over instant messaging (IM). Spim is perpetuated by bots that harvest IM screen names off of the Internet and simulate a human user by sending spam to the screen names via an instant message. The spim typically contains a link to a Web site that the spimmer is trying to market.
Also referred to as instant spam or the less-intrusive sounding IM marketing.
(v.) To send someone spam through an instant messaging application.
A spimmer is the individual or organization responsible for sending the spim.
Bot
Short for robot, a computer program that runs automatically.
Hammering
The act of trying repeatedly to connect to an unavailable FTP server with little or no time between connection attempts. It can be compared to repeatedly hitting the "redial" button on a telephone when dialing a phone number that is busy until the other phone is no longer busy.
Trading servers have a limit on the number of active connections that may be present at one time. A server cannot process an unlimited number of requests, so when servers are occupied to full capacity they will deny further access until they have free space. Hammering consumes bandwidth, slowing down the server. In addition to already working at capacity, the server has to then send a busy response to the device that was unable to connect every time that device attempts a connection, which further depletes the server's resources and slows the system down in its connections with other devices.
Most FTP sites have policies against hammering and require FTP clients to set retry times at specific intervals, commonly at least 120 seconds between each attempt to connect. Most FTP sites can also monitor for devices that hammer, and once detected the server will ban access to the offending IP address either permanently or for a limited amount of time.
Cuckoo Egg
A Cuckoo Egg is an edited MP3 file that appears to be a copyright protected song being distributed via the Internet without the permission of the copyright owner. The initial portion of the song (first 30 seconds or so) will be of the real song. The remainder of the song however, has been overwritten by something other than the initial song; usually cuckoo clock sound effects or or a series of random sounds and noises which are free of any copyright ownerships. Cuckoo Eggs will have the correct file size and playing time as the original copyrighted MP3 file will have.
Hoax
In e-mail terminology a hoax is a message which is written to deliberately spread fear, uncertainty and doubt.
Cloaking
1) Also known as stealth, a technique used by some Web sites to deliver one page to a search engine for indexing while serving an entirely different page to everyone else. There are opposing views as to whether or not cloaking is ethical. Opponents see it as a bait-and-switch, where a Web server is scripted to look out for search engines that are spidering in order to create an index of search results. The search engine thinks it is selecting a prime match to its request based on the meta tags that the site administrator has input. However, the search result is misleading because the meta tags do not correspond to what actually exists on the page. Some search engines, such as Lycos, Hotbot and Excite, even ban cloaked Web sites. Proponents of cloaking assert that cloaking is necessary in order to protect the meta data, as only the spider is supplied with the meta tags.
(2) In e-mail distribution, cloaking is the act of masking the name and address of the sender so that the recipient does not know who sent the e-mail.
Leech
Slang term frequently used by those actively engaged P2P and unethical file sharing. A leech or leecher is considered to be a user who downloads files and provides few or no uploads in return. Crackers also uses this term to describe those who constantly request sources and information and offer nothing in return.
Flame
A searing e-mail or newsgroup message in which the writer attacks another participant in overly harsh, and often personal, terms. Flames are an unfortunate, but inevitable, element of unmoderated conferences.
Sporn
A slang term used to describe e-mail spam specifically of adult content or of a pornographic nature. Sporn tends to be more aggressively marketed and deceitfully packaged than other types of spam.
Snailmail
Normal postal mail, where an actual physical letter or package is delivered. The term didn't exist until electronic mail (e-mail) became so prevalent that there was a requirement to differentiate the two. Obviously, the term was invented by e-mail aficionados as a small barb directed at the relative slowness of physical ransportation.

Spamdress
Slang term for spam e-mail address, a person's secondary e-mail address, which is used for registering to receive newsletters, discussion forums and for other Web sites requiring sign-ups where you may receive frequent e-mails. The spamdress is used in place of a primary e-mail address to assist in keeping spam out of the primary account. Also called spamaddress.

IMAP
Short for Internet Message Access Protocol, a protocol for retrieving e-mail messages. The latest version, IMAP4, is similar to POP3 but supports some additional features. For example, with IMAP4, you can search through your e-mail messages for keywords while the messages are still on mail server. You can then choose which messages to download to your machine.
IMAP was developed at Stanford University in 1986.
Hard bounce
When e-mailing, hard bounce is used to describe an e-mail that has bounced back to the sender undelivered without having been accepted by the recipient's mail server.
Soft bounce
When e-mailing, soft bounce is used to describe an e-mail that has bounced back to the sender undelivered after it has already been accepted by the recipient's mail server