As more and more people become aware of the benefits internet banking and purchasing, there has been a steady increase in the number of people using it. Little doubt exists that doing things on-line is time-saving and very convenient. Many, however, are concerned about whether online banking and purchasing is safe. And, given the ever- increasing rate of cybercrimes, this is a very important question to consider. In this article, I will address these issues and also provide some tips that you can implement to make your online banking and purchasing safe and profitable.
 
Beware of Phishing Attacks
 
One common method used by individuals and crime syndicates that attempt to scam on-line users is to first obtain the victim’s online banking credentials, credit card details or any other login information. This is generally through e-mails, and by designing duplicate web pages that may look similar to your online banking page. These fraudulent e-mails and websites can be identified with a little awareness. No bank will ever ask their customers for login information via e-mail. Never click on the link provided in an e-mail asking to enter your login information. Always type the URL provided by the bank in your browser or through a bookmark created by you to login into your online banking account. Even if your bank sends you e-mail, don’t access the website through the e-mail. You can read the email, but then close it and go to the next email in your inbox. No need to link from your inbox to your bank website. You can do your banking after you read your email.
 
Observe Details on the Login Page
 
First make sure your banking website looks normal. If you don’t think it looks like it usually does, call your bank and make sure the URL (web address) is correct to the letter. Next, banking and secure online stores are always done through a web page that encrypts your information to keep it safe from unauthorized people viewing it. An encrypted webpage should have two elements: a small lock icon in the address bar, and a starting URL of https:// rather than http://. These are two signs that your data is securely encrypted and cannot be accessed by anyone else.
 
Buy and Bank at Home
 
If you want to be super secure with online purchases and banking then don’t bank or buy at the library, your friend’s house, work or Starbucks. You should ensure that you do your on-line banking and purchasing at home on a secure WPA network that is password protected. Not on public networks or your workplace where you have little control over your computer and network settings. Information accessed or typed on public networks can be accessed by others. At your workplace, there might be server settings in place to monitor your online activity which also makes your information susceptible to others.
 
It is fairly easy to stay cyber-safe regarding on-line financial transactions. Often it is the negligence of these little things that makes us vulnerable to cyber-fraud. A little bit of caution will definitely make your on-line banking and purchasing rewarding, convenient, and above all safe.
 

With a smartphone, clicking and transferring pictures is an easy task! Just keep clicking and when done transfer them to your computer. Only how to do it?  Transferring pictures from a Smartphone to computer can be done in a number of ways . . . here are the most popular below.

Send As Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS)

Ever texted someone a picture?  You just used MMS. Smartphones have an option to send images via MMS usually just by touching the image you wish to send and following some simple menu commands. To send the image to your computer, instead of filling the cell number, you will need to fill your Email in the send section. Once sent, you can login to your email and quickly download the photo, which comes as an attachment.

USB Cable Method

All Smartphones should come with an USB cable, which connects to any computer directly. If not you can call your cell phone provider and request a USB transfer cable.  Your phone needs to be ON, when you plug the cable into your phone and computer. A new drive will come up (or populate in the “my computer” window of your PC where your other drives can be accessed), then search your phone for images right from your computer.  You open the files in your phone, just like you would open a flash drive — two quick left clicks. Then drag and drop pictures wherever you store your photos on your computer.

Memory Card Method

Most smartphones have an internal memory card called a micro SD chip; check if your phone has one by removing the back cover and looking for a small chip with a memory designation such as “2gb” on it. If you need help you can visit your cell phone provider and they will help you for no charge.   Pictures which you would like to transfer can be plugged directly into your computer usually SD to Micro SD adapter which can be purchased for about $10 almost anywhere with an electronics department.

Sync Method

Sync your phone and computer and the photographs will be automatically transferred to the computer. If you have syncing enabled on your phone once you plug your phone to your computer it will quickly prompt the computer to open the specific photo application that displays the pictures on the Smartphone. Select to upload photos and place them in your photo folder on your PC>

Bluetooth Method

Activate the Bluetooth of your Smartphone. It is usually found in Settings or Control. Ensure that Bluetooth is turned ON in your computer. Bluetooth settings are usually in the system tray of tiny icons in the bottom right hand corner of your taskbar.  With Mac’s it is located on the upper toolbar, ride side. Open the pictures gallery in your Smartphone and select send or copy option. Next choose the Bluetooth option. After confirming that you intend to enable Bluetooth, you will find the menu usually pops up automatically. Click ‘look for devices’ and select your Computer name or ID from the list. A request will be immediately sent requesting communication from your computer and phone.  Then simply then simply drag your pictures to the appropriate folder on your computer.

Here at my shop in Louisville, KY I have lots of people call with a “slow computer” complaint. Any person who owns a computer knows that the speed often slows over time. While some can easily overcome these problems, many cannot. My computer, because of my heavy use, often requires daily maintenance. Thankfully for me this is almost always only a software issue (I did upgrade my ram when I purchased my laptop and I have upgraded my Internet Service twice). However, hardware can also be causing a problem. Below I have listed some of the reasons your computer might be running slowly and some tips on how to fix it.
 
Your Computer Is Out of Tune
 
Computers have a habit of getting “out of tune” I call it as time goes by. By this I mean that your computer becomes bogged down by fragmentation, partial uninstalls, software glitches and conflicts, registry errors, temporary file buildup, toolbars, browser add-ons and other clutter and problems. Windows has built-in utilities to solve some of these problems but others require aftermarket utilities and some computer know-how. For starters, pay attention to your browser and make sure toolbars haven’t been installed inadvertently (I avoid most toolbars altogether). Look in your control panel and uninstall software you’re not using anymore or any that looks suspicious. If you don’t know what a program is “Google” or “Bing It.” Run the free utility CCleaner from Piriform to fix your registry and clean up your temporary files. It’s also a smart idea to take your computer to a qualified repair shop for a tune-up on an annual basis. The computer repair professional should be able to give you insight on how you’re doing with keeping your PC in good running condition and should be able to tell you, based on examining your machine, how often you need to bring it in for a tune-up in the future.
 
You Don’t Have Enough Mbps (Megabits Per Second) From Your Internet Service Provider
 
Ever been in a situation when you are trying to catch up on your favorite soap, online documentary or YouTube Video and all you get is “buffering.” It’s frustrating isn’t it? Do you have endless “hour glassing” every time you try to do something on the web? You might not be getting what you’re paying for from your Internet Service Provider. Or you might not have enough service for your computing needs. For example, it takes about 3-6 Mbps service to stream a YouTube Video without buffering. Today’s busy households require, in my opinion, at least 10Mbps Service. Once you upgrade your service you also need to test your Internet Speed to make sure you are getting it. You can do this by going to speedtest.net and using the free on-site utility. And you shouldn’t have to download anything to do it. Simply hit “begin test.”
 
You Need More Random-Access Memory (RAM)
 
RAM is a type of data storage in your PC which directly affects speed. When you launch an application or software on your computer, RAM is responsible for running the software. If you do not have RAM your computer might not be able to open and run multiple applications or meet the demands you place on it. This problem can easily remedied by purchasing and installing additional RAM for your computer. When you purchase RAM, it is important to check with the salesperson which type of memory is compatible with your PC. If you don’t know how to upgrade your RAM call a qualified computer repair shop in your area.
 
Your Processor is Out of Date
 
Another hardware component closely related to computer performance is the processor. As new programs and software are created and take more and more updates, they requirements to run them increases. Often, people are trying to run newer or resource intensive applications on older machines with a processor that can’t handle the new software efficiently.
 
You Have Infections
 
People are often shocked to learn that computer viruses are almost inevitable. And, you can even get them while browsing on sites that you think are safe. I can’t tell you how many times people are stunned when I tell them they have over 100 infections on their machine . . .or I tell them I can see infections from across the room. They have no idea they have computer viruses. The best way to prevent this is to use anti-virus software with “real time” protection and research articles on “How to Prevent Computer Viruses.” There is an article on the blog about this subject and also many articles online about virus prevention. Learning better, safer, web browsing habits on a regular basis is nice addition a computer user’s skillset. And definitely a skill you will want to master if you want your computer to run better . . . and faster.
 

Nearly 100% of all computer virus infections and scams come from internet activity – nowhere else. Malicious software doesn’t magically install itself on your computer nor does it usually enter though a flash drive or disk. It comes in through the internet. Where else, right? There are many ways that you can improve security when it comes to your online activities. It is imperative to develop these habits now as doing so will help protect you from increasing problems with unsecure utilities, software and viruses that might seriously affect your security and computer health in the future.

Monitor Browser Health

Your web browser is your gateway to the internet world. Therefore its health and security is your first line of defense against threats coming in from the internet. There are three common web browsers that most people use today. MS Internet Explorer (IE), Mozilla Firefox and Google Chrome. IE comes with your OS and can’t be uninstalled. It should be an adequate browser if kept clean and free of corruption and infection. From the menu or command toolbars you can check your add-ons and see if anything unexpected is ominously lurking in your browser. Oftentimes people inadvertently install add-ons (usually toolbars) while downloading utilities they think might be useful. These add-ons can seriously compromise browser security and affect browser performance, as well. To see if you have add-ons go to: Tools >Manage Add-ons >Toolbars and Extensions. Here you can disable the add-ons and then remove them from the control panel. If you see many add-ons that you do not recognize you should reset IE completely. To do this go to: Tools >Internet Options >Advanced >Reset. It is easy to do and you do not lose your bookmarks/favorites. Afterward remove unwanted software from the control panel.

Be Aware of Phishing Scams

Phishing schemes commonly delivered in the form of email is a type of scam where you are potentially tricked into downloading junk utilities or software (which often asks you for money later) a virus, or providing sensitive information. These messages are made to look as though they have originated from your bank, social media or payment sites such as Paypal or other legitimate people or companies. The phishing message often contains a link that will then lead to a counterfeit version of the site or ask you to open an infected attachment or download an infected utility. Or it might contain an attachment that it says you should open to continue. Don’t allow your curiosity to kill your computer. Delete all unsolicited mail. Never click links in emails or open email attachments unless you recognize the sender. And don’t give your credit card information over the internet unless you do it directly on a website (not from your email Inbox or a pop-up message) and you’re sure you trust the company.

Avoid Most Free Utilities

It’s very tempting to install that snazzy fish tank screen saver you see flashing on the sidebar of your favorite social site. DON’T DO IT! These types of free utilities usually come with a catch. In order to use them you give up something . . . usually your browser health or internet security in return for the favor. Video players, music converters, game toolbars, chat applets, screen savers, pc optimizers and cleaners and the like are all very tricky utilities to use without getting toolbars and viral infections. Next time you want to get that utility that makes your Facebook like an Electric Light Orchestra concert . . . .think twice about it. . .

Run a Malware Removal Tool Regularly

Even though you may think you’re protected because you have antivirus software you’re not. It is about as effective as a safety on a gun – not very effective at all. Especially where people are not adequately trained on computer systems or there are multiple users on a single machine. In this case, I often find that the computers have multiple virus infections present. It is important to run a virus removal utility such as AdAware or Malwarebytes (both of which are free) on a regular basis in addition to updating your Antivirus Software. Antivirus software alone is not enough. Yes you read that right. The antivirus software that you are relying on to protect you from virus infections is inadequate to protect you in all circumstances. Therefore I recommend you use separate virus removal software for removal on a regular basis. Caution: Be careful when installing a malware removal tool that you do not install another full antivirus suite. If you have any question uninstall the malware removal utility when finished. For more free information on computer repair topics you can visit my website here or blog called PC News.

There are many anti-virus programs that you can download or purchase at BestBuy, Staples, Office Depot, Amazon, Ebay or anywhere else you shop. As with cars or any other personal property there is always a lively debate about which is the best.  And, that is always a matter of opinion, right? Nevertheless, here are five free antivirus programs that are arguably just as good or better than the paid stuff.
 
Avast is a popular anti-virus program designed for Microsoft Windows, Mac and Linux computer users.  It is available in 41 different languages and has won awards for 100% detection of viruses.  This software specializes in blocking viruses and spyware and has the ability to secure your personal information and all of your stored data as well.
 
AVG is highly popular software available to download onto your computer. Many people use AVG not only on their PC’s and laptops but also on their mobile phones.  It detects malware, viruses and other infections and attempts to stop them before they populate on your machine or device. An added feature of AVG is that it also claims to keep your banking and shopping records safe and untraceable so no one can get access to your credit card information or banking logins.
 
Avira is a nationally known and family owned business that specializes in anti-virus software and protecting your computer with its services.  They have over 100 million customers and are ranked at number six on the list of the largest anti-virus vendors worldwide.  The free system runs background checks on each file stored in your computer and updates itself automatically when the system has new updates.
 
Comodo is an anti-virus protection software that includes anti-malware protection, personal firewall, sandbox and intrusion prevention.  It can be installed on Microsoft computers and Linux systems as well.
 
Microsoft Security Essentials is perhaps the easiest and best free antivirus solution out there.  It is from Microsoft itself.  Unlike the old, pared-down “Defender” antivirus program this is a fully functional antivirus software suite that provides “real time shields.”  It protects against computer viruses, spyware, Trojan horses and even rootkits. It can be run on Windows XP, Windows Vista and Windows 7.  It is light and does not slow down your computer by draining system resources like some of the other products on this list.  This is my personal favorite as it is light, effective, and does not try to get users to upgrade to the pro-paid version every time they look up.