Adware is similar to Spyware, a malicious software/programs installed into your computer without prior notice.
It happens when you install a software contains an adware, downloaded some files such as free games, free software, free music, ringtone, videos and more. An adware can also installed into your computer together with a free software that you previously installed.

These malware is rapidly growing and infecting many computers from around the world.
Compared to a spyware, an adware is harmless. It only generates popup banners and advertisements on your computer.
Although it is harmless, but for some people it is annoying.

How to prevent an adware ?
Avoid downloading softwares from untrusted sites, avoid downloading games, videos, musics from an untrusted vendors.
Read the user agreement when installing software, particularly a free software.

Cleaning up your computer from an adware.
First, you need to have an anti-adware programs. You may download from many trusted vendors such as AVG Technolgoies, Kaspersky, Symantec, and many more.
Second, install the software by following the installation wizard. Third, perform a complete scan on your computer.

After all the steps above completed, you need to recheck the security level on your computer. It should at least set into medium level to protect your computer from unwanted downloads.

Spyware is a malicious software or some people call it malware that placed into your computer without you even realize of its existence. You would probably wondering how can it get inside your computer.
Well, this can be happen when you visit an online game site or a website that offers a free softwares, videos or musics. When you’re done downloading, the spyware also gets downloaded into your computer.

These days, spyware have infected millions of home computers. Spyware is tracking your online habits. What sites are you visiting, what products are you searching through the internet. Some spyware also capable of logging the keystrokes that you have made, every bit of information you enter to fill out a form, for example your name, address, credit card information. Then, the information collected by this spyware is sold for a business purpose, or even worst it can lead to an identity theft. Another problem with a spyware inside your computer is that it slows down the performance of your computer.

To remove a malicious software you need to have an anti-spyware prorams, many trusted vendors provided this programs free of charge, such as AVG Technologies with their AVG Free Edition, Spybot – Search and Destroy, and many more.
You can simply download the programs, install it on your computer. After all the installation steps completed, then you may proceed to scan your computer. You may need to double scan your computer using a different anti-spyware program just to make sure that your computer is clean.
Once the scanning progress completed, you should reboot your computer, and perform scanning once more, just to make sure there are no “ticklers”. Ticklers is a mini program that can reinstall a deleted file.

The best way to prevent spyware is to download only from a trusted vendors, avoid opening an unsolicited email, when downloading software read the agreement carefully.
Sometimes when you download a free software the agreement will state that they are also installing a software that acts just like a spyware, this way you will have the full control whether to allow or deny such software to operates in your computer.

A windows registry is a database that stores settings and options for windows base operating system.
It stores information and setting for all of the hardwares, installed softwares, user settings on your computer.
Every time user makes changes on their Control Panel settings, make a new file associations, create a new or edit an existing system policies, or installed a new software, then all the changes stored in the registry.
Windows registry is actually a file that keeps a lot of settings.

The first windows version, which is windows 3.11 used a registry called Reg.dat. The next version, which is windows 95 and windows 98, used a registry called User.dat and System.dat. Then, Windows ME released with registry file called Classes.dat, User.dat and System.dat.
The newest version of Windows, such as Windows NT, 2000, 2003 & XP stores the registry files in this folder :
%SystemRoot%\System32\Config\, there are several files called Sam, Security, System, Default, Userdiff.
There’s one more file that separated in different folder, that is NTUser.dat. It is stored in the users profile folder under the Documents and Settings.

There are several benefits of windows registry :
1. The machine configuration separated from the user configuration. Everytime user logs into windows base operating systems such as Windows NT/XP/2003, user settings are merge with system settings.
This method will keep each user configurations, and at the same time they can also keep setting that can be used for all users.

2. Group Policy on a windows based computer network allows administrators to manage centrally all the programs and policy settings.
This feature can not be use in a home edition operating system. It can only be use in corporate edition operating system where a dedicated server exist.
But why ? It’s because the registry is accessible through a special Windows API that available to scripts and remote management using WMI (Windows Management Interface).

Besides the benefits, windows registry also has weakness :
Damage to the registry can cause windows system fail to boot. In a certain extreme case, the only way to repair is to perform full reinstall windows.
This is the main reason that we need to use registry scan and repair utilities.

By using a registry scan and repair utilities, we can easily make backup registry, and restoring is as simple as clicking buttons. We can also check on the registry whether it contains an entries that haven’t been deleted while we perform an uninstallation over a certain software. Once the utilites catch entries that no longer needed, we can clean the registry to increase the performance of the whole system.

What is Wi-Fi ?
Wireless Fidelity, commonly known as Wi-Fi, is a set of networking technology that using radio wave as a media for transmitting data. Wi-Fi comes from WFA (Wi-Fi Alliance), a global non profit group of companies with their primary goal is to promote wireless networking technology based on 802.11 technology.
A networking product that has been tested is labeled with Wi-Fi Certified Logo.

In earlier times, the term Wi-Fi was only use with the device that meets the 802.11b standard which operates in 2.4 GHz frequency. It became rapidly famous with many access points service across the United States.
Then, these standards is spreading around the world, allowing users with wifi capable device such as laptops, PDA’s, Cellulars to connect anywhere that provides Wi-Fi access point.

There are three standards which represents the connection speed.
802.11a works in 5 GHz frequency with 54 Mbps maximum data rate, 802.11b works in 2.4 GHz frequency with 11 Mbps maximum data rate and 802.11g works in 2.4 GHz frequency with 54 Mbps maximum data rate.
All of these Wi-Fi standards are fast enough for a broadband connection.

These days, Wi-Fi has become one of the most important thing that support the growth of industry.
Many electronic vendors have equipt their new products with Wi-Fi. Lots of office workers using Wi-Fi to support their work such as transferring data, sending and receiving emails, online conference and many more.

No Strings Attach is probably what most people will say about this technology.

How secure is Wi-Fi ? I believe this question will come across in your mind.
Well, Wi-Fi continues to have security issues. WEP (Wired Equivalent Privacy) is used in the physical data link layer. It will secure the data transmitted from one point to another point.
Even though it is protected with WEP technology, it still vulnerable because it uses radio waves as transporting media and become easier to capture. Especially for the equipment that uses shared keys for a long time. As it can get into other hands that trying to use it with a wrong motive. So, it is necessary to change the key periodically.

source :
www.wi-fi.org
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wi-Fi_Alliance
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wi-Fi

Doing a computer maintenance is something that is often overlooked by computer users. One of the easiest ways of doing computer maintenance is to perform defragmentation. This is one of the basic thing that not known by the owner of the computer.

Defragmentating your hard drive is one important thing if you don’t want your computer’s performance decrease along together with the increasing of your data on hard drive.
Windows operating system users should not be worry about this matter. As windows has been package with this handy features.
It’s as simple as clicking buttons because this feature is very user-friendly. This tools can present the exact evaluation for user whether the hard drive needs to be defragmented or not.

Eventhough the user interface is different between each windows versions, they all have the same function. You can simply click on the Start menu, choose Accessories, System Tools then click on Disk Defragmenter.
Once the interface is open, you may choose to analyze the hard drive that connects to your computer.
The analyzer will soon present an evaluation whether you need to perform disk defragmenting or not. If the analyzer recommend you to perform defragmentation, all you need to do is select the hard drive from the list and press Defragment button then this tool will do the rest.

Over time computers scattered data across the whole length of hard drive, this makes accessing data become slower and takes more time to accomplish.Disk defragmenter tool does an important task.
It’s “regrouping” all files that are scattered across your hard drive into one “block” of the hard drive which makes it easier to read and write on your hard drive.

Defragmenting a hard drive usually takes a long time depends on the size of your hard drive. The speed of your processor and the amount of RAM you have also plays a role. When performing disk defragment, it could take up almost all of the resource of your computer, so you won’t be able to do any operations until disk defragment process is completed.
So, i suggest you to do this operation while you are not using the computer.