PC Memoirs

I have recently published a post about Ultrasurf, a program that enables you to surf the Net anonymously and securely, but now I have found something even better: the XeroBank Browser. Previously called Torpark, the XB browser is an open source browser that works similar to other ‘anonymous’ browsers, but it may be even better. Open source means it’s free.

XB browser not only allows you to hide your IP address and identity/location details, but it’s safe against spyware and pop-ups. In addition, it’s fully portable, so you can run it from a USB stick and you don’t have to install it on your hard drive. It also doesn’t store a cache or cookies on the hard drive. It’s simple to run and there’s no need to configure anything. It is actually very similar to the Firefox browser.

So if you don’t want your ISP to know what sites you visit, then hide your tracks with XB browser. No one will be able to identify you or collect data about you on the Internet.

The only downside seems to be that it can slow down your Internet speed, but if you have broadband, I don’t think this will be a problem.

Download the latest version of the XeroBank browser here.

Are you annoyed by the fact that there are so many scams on the Internet? Don’t you hate it when you receive an email that asks you to update your bank account or credit card details? Or when someone sends you hot tips about the share market? Or when you sell your old PC on eBay, and the buyer wants you to send it to Nigeria! No kidding! This happened to me!

I have seen many Internet scams over the last 10 years, most of them trying to get your personal information, bank account details or make you buy some fake product or service, just so they can take your money. Such offers usually come via unsolicited email.

If you do get such emails, do not respond and do not click on any links. Just delete the email.

Here are some of the major scams you should protect yourself from:

Update or confirm your account information – I have received many of these in my hotmail account. Luckily it always goes into the junk email folder. However, a few years ago, Hotmail didn’t have the junk email filter and I had to read these. Basically, some fake bank asks you to provide your bank details so they can update your account. Never, ever provide your bank account information over the Internet!

Read the rest »

Few days ago I was thinking about how we lived our lives before Internet came along and how many changes Internet brought, especially in the last 10 years or so. Do you remember the good old times? We used to go out more and play games there instead on our PCs and game consoles, we used to write letters and call people at home to talk with them, read the news in the papers or watch them on the TV, and actually drive or walk to the shop to buy something.

Some things have been lost and some ruined with the introduction of the Internet, some stayed the same, but great things have also arrived with it. I have attempted to list the best ones in this post. Have a read and tell me if you agree.

By the way, for this list I have ignored any business use of the Internet. I am thinking more in terms of private use.

Email and Instant messaging – It saves time and money and it completely replaced physical mail.

Online shopping – eBay and Web shops enable you to find things that may not be available in your city or country and it can save you money.

Online dating – Some people are totally against this but it has brought many people together and while not every relationship works out, some people stay together and marry after meeting online.

Find lost contacts – You can find highschool and long-lost friends without having to hire a private investigator. Facebook is useful after all 🙂

Many news sources – Now you don’t have to wait for the evening news to hear what’s going on. You can read unbiased online news from sources all over the World.

Read the rest »

While visiting a fellow blogger’s website Freewaremission, I stumbled upon this great software called Ultrasurf.

Created by UltraReach Internet Corporation, Ultrasurf is a free program which lets you hide your IP address and access Web sites that may be blocked by your server. It connects to the Internet through proxy servers, like many similar programs, but with Ultrasurf you can view websites that require flash and javascript (something other programs can’t do). Ultrasurf also makes it possible to download and upload files.

By using Ultrasurf you can access webmail, Youtube, Myspace and Facebook in places where this is usually blocked. And of course, no one on the ‘other side’ will know your real location or identity. Ultrasurf also provides excellent security features and lets you clean browser history, cookies and temporary Internet files. This is very useful for me, because  I haven’t been able to access Facebook and webmail at work before.

Instructions:

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This is what my friend said when he called me to help him out with a new computer problem. He recently upgraded to Windows 7 and reconnected his SATA burner after he had used IDE for a while due to another issue. Now, with a new operating system and brand new hardware and drivers, everything was supposed to run smoothly. But it didn’t.

Suddenly, he wasn’t able to burn anything. Whenever he tried to burn a data DVD in Nero, the burning process failed and the “Invalid Block Address” message appeared. He tried to burn with a free burning program called Ashampoo, but that failed too. He thought he had some spyware so he scanned the system and he even tested his old IDE burner, but the same error appeared.

I suspected that some program was blocking the burning process. A simple search in Google confirmed this. Many people complained that antivirus and Internet security software interfere with burning programs, especially Kaspersky. And what a coincidence: my friend had installed Kaspersky Internet Security only a few weeks earlier.

Read the rest »