Monday 22 July 2013

What really happens to that deleted file?

YOU know that file you deleted from your computer before your significant other had a chance to find it? 
 
What if we told you that file never really disappeared?
That's right, just because you move a file to the trash doesn't mean it has actually been deleted.
And even once you empty the trash, the space inhabited by the file isn't actually emptied. When you hit "delete" that file doesn't disappear. It is simply marked as empty.
Michael from YouTube channel VSauce explains that "the file's home becomes available real estate but the file itself hasn't actually moved out. Only the pointers have gone away."
What are pointers, you ask? Pointers are a kind of data that point to places in your computer's memory where the file you are referencing can be found.
Deleting a file is the equivalent of turning to the contents page of a book and marking a chapter as empty, even though the actual chapter still exists.
Which is why you need to "overwrite" the file. Overwriting the file is the equivalent of turning it into Frankenstein's monster. You keep adding new data to it until it becomes unrecognisable.


However, overwriting doesn't always work. Some people have overwritten files more than 35 times and even then hackers and cyber criminals have been able to piece the information back together.
So the next option is shredding - physically taking apart your computer piece by piece and maybe putting it through some high powered magnet for good measure.
But much like shredded pieces of paper can actually be put back together, so too can shredded computer parts.
The video explains that cyber criminals have been able to find classified files from the US government in digital dumping grounds in Ghana.
So basically, nothing is permanently gone. And the best way to keep your data safe is to keep the hard drives of your old computers before ditching, donating or selling it, because you never know where your data can end up.
And then take a hammer to it making sure you destroy the platters.
Watch the video above for a more detailed explanation.

Saturday 20 July 2013

Protect your PC from Viruses & Hackers

secure your Computer How to Protect Your Computer From Hackers! 
Computer Security is extremely important for all computer users. Here is how to protect your computer against hackers and viruses. Now days everyone fears hackers and  all your computers, weather it be PCs, Laptops, or servers have to be secured and protected against attacks like Spyware,trojan horses,phishing,viruses,malware and hackers.


 
 
 Protect your Computers.

1 > Install Anti-Virus Software.
Make sure that your Computer has a resident  and up-to-date  AV running.
 
2 > Up to date Operating system.
Keep Your Operating system up to date with latest patches.
 
3> Java Security Issues
 If you have to use Java, make sure you are using the latest Java (at time of this post Java version(s): 7.0, 7u21),  not old versions of Java or running applet code that is not signed from a trusted Certificate Authority. More info on Java from Oracle.

4 > Install Anti-Spyware Software.
Use Anti-Spyware it protect from spyware,malware and trojan horses.
Already discussed in earlier posts. Malware Spyware - what is my best form of protection?

5 > Install Firewall Software.
Make sure the windows firewall is enabled  or Install a personal firewall and keep it up to date.In internet world there are many free firewall software out there.  Free Software Tools

6 > Scan Computer fortnightly.
Scan your Computer Hard Disk Weekly it will make better performance of Computer.

7 > Don’t Open Spam E-mail.
Don’t Open unknown E-mail or spam mail.

8 > Use Strong Passwords.
Use Strong password not use your birthdate,nickname or mobile number.
use alphabets,numbers and special symbols in your password.
Like GhU*&45H and also make it long.

9 > Secure Your Wi-Fi.
Secure your Wi-Fi connection with strong password. If your router supports  WPA / WPA2-PSK rather use that  as it has better encryption then WEP. The problem with WEP is not the bit length of the key but rather the simplistic math used to create it. WPA, WPA2 have better techniques and thus better security

10 > Don’t Use Dictionary words in your Passwords.
Never use Dictionary word in password.

Wednesday 17 July 2013

Windows 8.1 now with Quiet hours for notifications

Windows 8, like Android and iOS, features an apps notifications function, alerting you when you receive new messages, calendar events and email. Unfortunately, Microsoft offered users scant options for silencing those notifications. You could either shut them off for a few short ours, or turn them off entirely. Thankfully, Microsoft has rectified this omission, adding a new Quiet Hours function in Windows 8.1 that lets users schedule when notifications should be active and when they shouldn’t.

 
 search for 'notifications' from start screen  select it then select '
notification settings'

When enabled, Quiet Hours ensures your notifications don’t make any noise or cause the screen to light up when your Windows 8.1 device is in sleep mode. Your notifications will automatically be restored whenever you start using your device or Quiet Hours are over.


Tuesday 16 July 2013

Best ADSL ISP in South Africa: survey

Mybroadband’s June 2013 broadband survey results showed that Afrihost was the top rated ADSL Internet Service Provider (ISP) in South Africa, followed by Axxess and FNB Connect.
The survey was successfully completed by 4,329 South African broadband users, which included over 2,800 ADSL subscribers.
The surveyed ADSL subscribers rated their ISP on price, network quality, billing, support and overall satisfaction.
This survey tested ADSL users’ satisfaction with their ADSL ISP and their perception of the service, rather than the actual performance of the service. The results therefore show how happy users are with their ADSL ISP.
This survey used a token system where only users who formed part of a random sample could do the survey. This ensured more accurate results.
The survey results show that Afrihost was rated as the top ISP, followed by Axxess, and FNB Connect.
The following table provides an overview of the ADSL ISP survey results. It should be noted that only ISPs with a high enough number of ratings are listed.
ADSL ISP Price Network quality Billing Support Overall satisfaction Average
Afrihost 7.86 7.37 8.56 8.33 7.96 8.02
Axxess 7.57 7.14 8.29 8.07 7.76 7.77
FNB Connect 8.71 6.71 8.38 7.29 7.24 7.66
Web Africa 7.21 7.21 8.14 8.08 7.64 7.65
Openweb 7.27 7.20 7.67 7.32 7.45 7.38
Internet Solutions 6.48 7.77 7.80 7.15 7.44 7.33
Vox Telecom 7.00 7.75 7.08 6.36 7.42 7.12
MWEB 6.25 6.55 7.42 7.37 6.88 6.89
Cybersmart 7.15 6.08 7.23 6.16 6.47 6.62
Telkom Internet 5.40 5.24 6.12 5.38 5.43 5.51

Saturday 13 July 2013

Quickbooks ~ Error sending invoice via email in PDF format using the send button

Quickbooks Error sending invoice in PDF format using the send button on win7 64bit OS


this  seems to be a win7 64 bit OS issue

Solution

Close QuickBooks
Go to Devices and Printers
Double click on Amyuni PDF Convert/QuickBooks PDF Converter
Cancel all the processes go back
Delete it
Right click on QuickBooks Shortcut icon
Select open Location
look for Install.exe
(click Install using recommended setting, if get prompt)
Go back to Devices and Printers
rename Amyuni PDF Converter as "QuickBooks PDF Converter"
(to do this right click on Amyuni PDF Converter printer icon select printer properties - change the name in the first field text box)
Click the Ports tab.
Click Add Port.
Select Local Port and click New Port.
Enter QBD_PDF in the Enter a port name field, click OK, and click Close.
Verify that QBD_PDF is selected in the Port column of the Properties window.
Click Apply and click OK.
Go to task manager (by pressing ctrl+alt+del or right click task bar start task bar manager)
look for "splwow64.exe" and end it if its running
In search box look for any instances of qbprint.qbp
open their location and right click to rename - Right-click qbprint.qbp and select Rename.
Enter qbprint.old and press Enter.
open QuickBooks
open any invoice or any report
go to file> click on save as PDF
you may receive an error(-20 activation error) Close the error and try it to save it again
now you should not get any error.

 IMPORTANT >>>> Restart PC
you will now be able to send PDF Invoice via your default email program using the send button in Quickbooks.


Thursday 11 July 2013

Fix many common PC and device problems automatically

Fix it Solution Center finds and fixes many common PC and device problems automatically. It also helps prevent new problems by proactively checking for known issues and installing updates. Fix it Center helps to consolidate the many steps of diagnosing and repairing a problem into an automated tool that does the work for you.





Fix it works with older versions of Windows as well as Windows 7. The complete list of compatible versions includes:
  • Windows XP SP3
  • Windows XP Pro (64-bit) SP2
  • Windows Vista
  • Windows 7
  • Windows Server 2003 SP2
  • Windows Server 2008
  • Windows Server 2008 R2

Monday 8 July 2013

Display Windows Desktop Background on Start Screen Win8.1

The Start screen feels completely alien in Windows 8. Press the Windows key and you’re whooshed from your desktop to a completely different environment with a completely different background that’s separate from your desktop background. If you want to set a custom background for your Start screen, well, you can’t — you can only choose from among the handful of weird Start screen backgrounds that Steven Sinofsky decided to give you.
Windows 8.1 deals with this by providing an option to “Show my desktop background on Start.” It sounds like a small change, but using the same background on your Start screen makes it feel much less out of place. When you go to the Start screen, it will look as if the tiles (or list of installed apps) are hovering over your desktop rather than existing in a different environment.

 Below: example of desktop background set on start screen

 

  
To enable this option: right-click the taskbar, select Properties, click the Navigation tab, and check the “Show my desktop background on Start” option.


 Below: example of desktop background set on start screen



Boot directly to Desktop in Windows 8.1

Windows 8.1 includes an option that lets you boot to the desktop so you don’t have to see that tiled interface anymore. You don’t have to install third-party software or mess around with complex hacks involving the Task Scheduler just to boot to the desktop.

To enable this option, right-click the taskbar, select Properties, click the Navigation tab, and check the “Go to the desktop instead of Start when I sign in” option.