Computer Issues & Tips

Spruce up your Holiday Pictures

Tired of the same stale holiday photos year after year? Try the tips in this article to make your holiday photos truly unique.

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Facebook Beckons to Businesses, Who Beckon to Users
Little Facebook is all grown up. The social networking site is making a bid to become a complete Internet portal, allowing users to shop with friends. 
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Download the free Autmn colors screen-saver collection
Celebrate the season with this collection of screen savers from MSN.
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Fortress Mac is Gone
The Mac's legendary security prowess seems to be mortal after all, as a Trojan, the first Mac-targeted malware exploit to be spotted in the wild, circulates.
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10 Things You Should Know About Intel vs. AMD
The chip builders are compared so often it can seem like they are interchangeable equals. Here are 10 counts where they differ.
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10 Tips for Maintaining a Healthy Home Network
Once your network is up and running, it's up to you to keep it healthy.
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E-Mail Do's and Don'ts
Here's a refresher on e-mail best practices based on hard-earned lessons. 
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Fall 2007    Issue 10

Avoid Peer-to-Peer Downloads, Protect Your Identity 

Millions of people use peer-to-peer software for downloading music or video files. You could be handing criminals the keys to your computer. In peer-to-peer file sharing, people download software allowing them to connect to networks such as LimeWire, Kazaa, Soulseek, eMule and Morpheus, which gives them access to every other laptop or PC that is part of those networks. Robert Boback, an industry expert on peer-to-peer risk management says that people engaged in peer-to-peer file sharing "don't realize what they are sharing is their entire hard drive."

This all comes in the wake of the arrest Gregory Kopiloff of using the information to steal peoples identies, then buying tens of thousands of dollars of electronic equipment and selling fo less than it's worth. He is believed to be the first person in the U.S. to be arrested for using peer-to-peer software for the purposes of identity theft.

Shopping Over the Internet Without Intrusions

Shopping on the internet is a remarkably convenient way to roam from store to store from the comfort of your own home, selecting and purchasing items and arranging for shipment with just a few clicks of the mouse.

It is becoming safer to pay for your on-line purchases because of standards  like Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) Encryption and Secure Electronic Transactions (SET). Even with these standards, it is still very important to be a smart shopper and enjoy the convenience of e-commerce without sacrificing your security. Here are some tips;
- Inspect Privacy Policies;
- Look for safe shopping logos
- Watch for secure server icons (Padlock icon)
- Research on-line sellers.
- Deal only with known and reputible retailers. 

So Many Choices

Consumer electronics and personal computing gear are topping a lot of people's holiday gift wish list this year - for giving and for receiving! So many new HDTVs, cell phones, video games -- where to start and what to buy? Even Santa has troubles keeping up! That's why PCWorld.ca has assembled this comprehensive report on Holiday Gift Picks. See the report here.

Set up and share a wireless Internet connection in Windows Vista

Some of the best behind-the-scenes improvements in the new Vistaoperating system involve networking: With Vista networking is both easier to set up and more stable. Learn more