Can’t wait to see “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince”? Thinking about downloading a pirated copy? Think again, as it could contain malware.
Cybercriminals are pushing “blackhat” search engine optimization tactics to target the most popular file sharing and P2P networks, pursuing those interested in upcoming movie releases and in particular taking advantage of the sizeable Harry Potter fan base wanting to download the movie in advance of its screening.
Fans are baited with text like: ‘Watch “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” online free’. What appears to be a legitimate looking website then redirects you to a video offer which prompts you to download and install the additional “streamviewer”. The streamviewer, however, is installing malware. Suddenly, missing out on a sneak peek is the least of your worries!
The general answer to this is yes. Every manufacturer has their way of competing with each other. It is therefore important to know what you are buying. If you don’t understand this technology it may be best to do some research or ask somebody that knows what is going on. The Internet has a wide range of information available also.
If you try to play a Blu-ray disk in a CD or DVD player it will not work. Their physical size is the same however. They are not backwards compatible. That is to say you can not play new media or technology (such as Blu-ray) on older players such as CD or DVD players. Most manufacturers make Blu-ray disks compatible with all CD, DVD and Blu-ray formats.
As far as Resolution is concerned Blu-ray Disks contain the highest at this time. (1080p) Prices are starting to drop and are costing $150 to $500. They are somewhat higher priced than DVDs and other previous technology.
Blu-Ray Disks can be played on Sony’s PlayStation 3 game consoles. The number of notebooks and desktop computers that can accept these disks is rapidly growing.
Not all Blu-ray players have the same features and in fact there are three different standards at this writing. Some have PIP (picture in picture) and/or Internet connectivity and other do not.
It should be noted that you may pay a premium for movies that are Blu-ray.
A little history may be in order here. The reason Blu-ray was invented was due to the need for better and better quality pictures on the upcoming TVs and Computers. High definition was the thing of the future at that time. A DVD recorder will let you record standard definition TV programs.
The competing product fro Blu-ray, known as HD-DVD, lost the war on High definition readers and writers. Movie maker now produce their movies on DVD and Blu-ray. HD-DVD is no longer produced. However, some manufactures still make players available the can read these disks because some people have the HD-DVD movies. This may eventually go the way of eight track tapes.
If you want to play or record Blu-ray movies on a computer you need a Blu-ray disk. These are a little pricey but should come down in price as demand increases. Many types of players and recorders have been produced to be used on the new High Definition televisions. You must have the proper cables (HDMI) for these to work with your equipment.
Equipment needed to play and record can get very complex and very expensive. It is better if you talk to somebody that understands what is available and what you “really” need.
The transition to Blu-ray is constantly changing. If you do buy a Blu-ray disk or player it could become obsolete over night. For this reason I recommend waiting at least for an awhile until the final format is decided on. Standard DVD format is still the best at the time of this writing.(June 2009) It is also much cheaper.
Do a little research if you haven’t already purchased the printer. Some printers do use more ink than others. If you don’t want to do the research either have somebody else do it or ask somebody. Be sure you tell them what you plan to use the printer for.
Types of printers
There are many types of printers. The biggest difference is if they are ink jet or laser jet. Dot matrix is older but some still exist. I am not going to deep into that difference but it does make a difference. If you want permanent copy at a cheaper price you MUST take a laser jet printer. The ink in the Ink jet printers can smear and the cartridges are usually expensive. Although the initial cost is high for Laser jet cartridges the cost per copy is much lower. You also don’t need to change them as often. In fact, if you remove the cartridge and shake it you can extend the life of the cartridge by quite a bit.
How to adjust my settings
Unfortunately every printer has a little different set up. Here is how you can do it if your particular printer has the capability. In Windows XP, click on start. Go to Control panel. Select “Printers and other hardware”. Now select Printers and Faxes. Find your default printer. If you have more than one selection it’s the one with the check mark behind it. Now right click that icon. Click on properties. When the screen opens it should be on the general tab. On the bottom of that screen you should see “Print preference”. Click that box. Another screen appears that should have several tabs. Find the selection that says “Print quality” on the “paper/Quality” tab. Pick the level that you prefer. You may have selections such as: Fast draft, fast normal, normal etc. It should be noted that the location of these setting and types of settings may very according to the particular printer you have. Once you have selected the setting you want click OK and return to the desk top or file you want to work with. Now test the printer to see if it is what you want.
Are there other ways to save?
Yes! Ask yourself if you really need to print the page or picture. If it is one picture it might be ok. If you need to print a lot of pictures take it to a service in your area. Wal-Mart (as an example) can print pictures at a very cheap rate. The reason it is so expensive is because it takes a huge amount of ink to do even one picture. Color cartridges can be very expensive. Very rarely does any body read an email more than once. Instead of printing it just read it. If you do have to keep it, store it in a file within your email program or on disk or USB drive.
One way to save costs is see if you can find a refill kit. They are normally available in stores and on line. Some stores (such as Walgreen Drug stores) now refill at least the major cartridges. This is usually much cheaper than any other method. They will also test the cartridges for you. If you refill the cartridges yourself It can be time consuming and very messy. Be sure you wear rubber cloves and old cloths that you don’t mind getting dirty.
Vista settings are similar. This also applies to previous versions of Windows.
admin | 
Computer Repair, Computer information, Spy-ware, Trojans, Viruses, Worms | 
05 29th, 2009| 
Leave a Comment »SPAM is junk mail. Certainly it is mail you don’t need or want. It is an attempt by the sender to get your attention at all cost to you. It may be trying to get you to buy something or even sell something. It offers deals to good to be true. It may attempt to get your personal information. In fact this is now the number one threat. It may (and often times does) carry a virus or spyware program that can damage your computer or obtain your personal information.
How do I get these to start with?
There is no one good answer to this. However, e-mail is the number one way. If you enter a so called “bad site” (one that is infected) you may get a program that generates these unwanted visitors. What is worse is you might spread them to others through email and/or infected files that are passed from one person to another. This is especially true if you are networked together like many are in small and large companies. In larger companies the Virus or spyware program may reside on the server and infect every computer on the network and cause a large amount of damage before it is even detected. These “bad guys” cna be time to happen at anytime under any cercumstance.
How can I protect myself?
Stay away from sites that may contain infections. These are normally sites that contain unacceptable or even illegal materials. Don’t open e-mails that you don’t recognize. Don’t send jokes or chain letters. These are known to carry these unwanted programs. The main thing is to buy the best anti-virus and anti-spyware program you can afford. Many companies combine these two types of programs.
Is there anything I have to do with anti-virus programs?
Yup! You need to make sure they are always up to date and activated. If you let your program expire it will not protect you. This is exactly what the virus writers are hoping for. By keeping your program current you protect yourself against the latest threats. You need to totally replace the program as often as you can. Each program has updates that will help you protect your computer. Be sure to scan your computer at least once per week and check for updates to the program. Don’t let the cost of the program be a road block to protection.
How do I know if I am infected?
You may start getting a lot of unknown and unacceptable mail. Normally you also get a lot of pop ups. It might even drive you crazy. The computer usually slows way down. It might be hard to get any work done because of this. If you can not send or receive mail or get into the internet you may be infected.
What is a SCAM and how is it related to SPAM?
Normally SPAM is a SCAM. SPAM is the vehicle of transport. The writer is secretly trying to get you to do something you don’t want to. They can obtain information they can use to commit identity theft or other illegal activity. They may be trying to gain access to your money by planting a virus in your computer that will gather your personal information and then send it to the sender at a given time and place. Entire bank accounts have been emptied using this method.
Some SCAMs have claimed that they are seeking money so they can get to the US etc. They play on your sympathy.
You should report any SCAMs you think are real rip offs to your local authorities.
This refers to a digital camera. In the days of the film cameras nobody worried about this.
In digital imaging, a pixel (or picture element) is the smallest item of information in an image. Pixels are normally arranged in a 2-dimensional grid, and are often represented using dots, squares, or rectangles. Each pixel is a sample of an original image, where more samples typically provide more-accurate representations of the original. The intensity of each pixel is variable; in color systems, each pixel has typically three or four components such as red, green, and blue, or cyan, magenta, yellow, and black.
The word pixel is based on a contraction of pix (”pictures”) and el (for “element”).
When you take a picture the elements of light (Red,Green & Blue) are stored in a form of media. This media is normally an SD or other card. These are very small and can store quite a few pictures. The number of pictures that can be stored on the card depends on the storage size and the resolution (explained below) the camera is set on for that picture.
The number of resulting pixels in the image determines its “pixel count”. For example, a 640×480 image would have 307,200 pixels, or approximately 307 kilopixels; a 3872×2592 image would have 10,036,224 pixels, or approximately 10 megapixels. The higher teh megapixals the sharper a printed picture will be. In earlier camers that were only 2 Megapixal you could only print picture 5×7 if you wanted them to look sharp. In today’s cameras (10 or more Megapixels) you can easily print very large pictures. If you would have printed a larg picture with hte old cameras the picture would be “pixelated” and would be very blurry.
The pixel count alone is commonly presumed to indicate the resolution of a camera, but this is a misconception. There are several other factors that impact the resolution. Some of these factors include sensor size, lens quality, and the organization of the pixels (for example, a monochrome camera without a Bayer filter mosaic has a higher resolution than a typical color camera). Many digital compact cameras are criticized for having excessive pixels. Sensors can be so small that their ‘buckets’ can easily overfill; again, resolution of a sensor can become greater than the camera lens could possibly deliver.
It should be noted that the higher the resolution the more storage it will take up both on you storage media and on your computer. You should know what you plan to use the picture for. As an example: if you plan to use it for a web site you can take it at a very low resolution. If you plan to publish the picture in a magazine (or other printed media) you need to have it as high as possible. Keep in mind that if you have your camera set at a high resolution you will not be able to store as much on your media card.
Media ports are now available on many computers and printers. You don’t have to use the hardware that came with your printer in that case.
As you can see this can become very complex. You can easily go to a search engine to find out mor information about this subject.
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