PC Memoirs

I spent the last weekend trying to solve a problem for a friend. He called me to clean a virus from his PC. I thought this would be a quick and easy job…

My antivirus program found several infections and proceeded to remove them, but then the PC suddenly rebooted in the middle of the cleaning process. This happened when the spyware scanner accessed the userinit.exe file. After the restart it was even worse: no one could log into their account. As soon as I typed in a password and clicked on Log on, that user was automatically logged off. I tried several accounts, all with the same result. My next idea was to start the PC in Safe Mode, but not even this worked. This is where I realized it’s a serious problem.

I went home to look for some solutions on the Internet. I found several and I tried (almost) all of them:

• First, I found some help here. This guide will most likely solve your problem. You’ll see that there are hundreds of comments from people who are thanking the writer for his help. The instructions are quite easy to follow and it shouldn’t take you long to restore your Windows system.

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Perhaps you have seen this problem while working on your PC: You are surfing the net, writing a document or listening to music when suddenly a new window pops up warning you that your virtual memory is too low. You are asked to close some applications or you won’t be able to continue using your PC.

This happens usually when you use several programs at once and your computer’s performance goes down. If your PC is old and slow, this message shouldn’t come as a surprise. The computer is using up all the RAM (memory used to run some programs such as Microsoft Office) and all the extra space on your hard drive that is made available by the Windows system. This extra space is called virtual memory and it’s used when there is not enough physical RAM available. Without it, your computer would freeze constantly.

There are two solutions to fix this problem:

1. Increase the virtual memory size:

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Do you have important electronic files that you want to keep but don’t know how to back them up? Is the conventional storage such as DVDs and external hard drives just not good enough?  Maybe you want to ensure that your files are 100% secure against damage, theft or unauthorized access and your home simply doesn’t provide that kind of protection.

In this case, you need something like a bank – an online storage solution. There are services that offer storage for electronic files on the Web, such as Microsoft’s OneDrive, where you can store up to 5Gb of data for free, or 50 Gb for $2.00 a month (or even 1TB for $9.00 a month)! If you want to find a safe place for your digital photos, videos, important documents and sensitive data that no one except you should see (and people you select), then OneDrive is the ideal solution. It’s great for everything that you have to store safely and cannot leave at home.

OneDrive works like a safe deposit box, but for electronic data instead of physical items. To use the service, all you have to do is sign up (as you would when you open an email account) or use your existing Windows LIVE ID, upload your files for safe keeping, and that’s it. From now on, you can access them through the Internet, wherever you go. No need to carry USB memory sticks or DVDs when you travel if you have access to the Internet.

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If you want to secure your bank, email and other important online accounts, then you need a strong password that cannot be easily cracked. Of course, you need a firewall and antispyware programs for extra protection, but a strong password is needed too if no one except you should gain access to your accounts. There are password cracking programs that can disclose your password, but you should definitely try to make this as hard as possible.

To create the strongest password you can, you can follow my tips. Unfortunately, I cannot guarantee that it won’t be cracked, as no password is 100% secure, but at least you’ll know that you don’t have a ‘weak’ password. And who knows, if you are ever a hacking victim, maybe the hacker will give up if he/she sees it’s not a quick and easy job.

Here are some points to consider when you create a password:

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After I selected top 10 antispyware and top 10 antivirus programs previously, the next logical step is to select 10 best personal firewalls. After all, a reliable firewall is just as important as antispyware and antivirus programs, if not more. A firewall can block intruders such as hackers and malicious software like spyware, viruses and everything else that is not supposed to gain access to your PC. Firewalls can prevent serious damage!

Sure, you may have your Windows firewall and there is nothing wrong with that, but it’s also wise to look at other options for better security.

My top choices are:

1. Zone Alarm Pro 2010  – buy for $39.95
2. Outpost Firewall Pro – $59.95
3. eConceal Pro – $34.95
4. Norman Personal Firewall – $29.95
5. Online Armor – $39.95
6. Comodo Firewall – FREE
7. McAfee Personal Firewall – now part of McAfee Internet Security
8. Prisma Firewall – $29.50
9. NeT Firewall – $49.95
10. Injoy Firewall –  $60

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