October 2009 Archives
Oct8

How To Remove Security Tool For Fre...

Posted at 6:58 PM • One Comment

Background:
Security Tool is another program that reports false security threats. The program is created to mislead the infected users into purchasing the fraudulent program.

How It’s Installed:
The program has to be installed manually, but launching any application or file that contains the virus will do that automatically for you. The threat is common in a lot of corrupt songs downloaded from Peer 2 Peer files sharing networks, such as Limewire and Frostwire.

How To Remove:
Step One: Boot your computer into Safe Mode (If you need help with that, click here)
Step Two: When in Safe Mode, Click Start > Run
Step Three: In the run box, type regedit
Step Four: Navigate to and delete these following registry keys:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Security Tool
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run “4946550101″

Step Five: Exit the registry.
Step Six: Next, navigate to the following files:

%UserProfile%\Application Data\4946550101
%UserProfile%\Application Data\4946550101\4946550101.bat
%UserProfile%\Application Data\4946550101\4946550101.cfg
%UserProfile%\Application Data\4946550101\4946550101.exe
%UserProfile%\Desktop\Security Tool.lnk
%UserProfile%\Start Menu\Programs\Security Tool.lnk

Step Seven: After that, I would recommend running some sort of Antivirus tool to remove any remaining traces!

Oct8

ABC Sells Windows 7 Before Set Rele...

Posted at 5:34 PM • No Comments

The shelves has been stocked and stores have been awaiting the much anticipated Windows 7 launch, scheduled for October 22, 2009. The deal is simple… If you are selling computers with Windows 7 preloaded, you are to wait until the 22nd of this month to sell them. This same rule applies for everyone, everyone but ABC Warehouse. Today, I was able to witness first hand the “great deal” that ABC Warehouse promises to deliver. An entry level computer, with Windows 7 preinstalled, sold before the set release date… That sounds like a great deal! I’m just not certain that Microsoft will offer the same “great deal.” Unfortunately for ABC Warehouse, Gordy can be expecting an unflattering fine in his mailbox soon (if you are unfamiliar with Gordy and ABC Warehouse, I added a video below). I am aware that companies have done this before, a few in which are getting fined for with Windows 7, but never have I witnessed this first hand.

Oct7

Google Barcode Frontpage

Posted at 6:33 PM • No Comments

While at work earlier today, I was doing my daily “Googling” for one of the many strange questions I need answered a day. When I pulled up the Google homepage, I discovered that Google was celebrating the invention of the barcode. How fun! Well, since I work at a place that has a Point of Sale terminal, I decided to print out the Google homepage and scan the barcode. The barcode that was scanned did, to my surprise, produced the error that ,”The Item Google Is Not On File.”

Oct6

Twitter Lotto Current Jackpot

Posted at 2:47 PM • No Comments

This is where I will be posting the current Twitter Lotto Jackpot. If you don’t have any idea as to what the Twitter Lotto is, click here. Keep checking back for updates as to what the jackpot is up to!

Starting Jackpot: $0
October 6, 2009: $162.10

Oct6

Win Money Using Twitter

Posted at 2:20 PM • One Comment

That’s right, you can actually have a shot to win money using Twitter. There’s no form you need to fill out, no entry fee or anything! The only catch is you have to follow a particular user. That’s it! After that, you don’t even have to RT or write any posts… You just sit back and wait for the drawing.

Yes, I said the drawing. It is actually a lottery service for twitter. The Twitter Lotto is having an actual drawing for one follower to win the jackpot. As it stands now, the jackpot is at $162.10, and it is sure to grow by the time the winner is picked. The lottery ends Christmas Day (December 25, 2009), and for one lucky Twitter user, you will be receiving a very nice Christmas present.

The jackpot is actually determined by the worth of The Twitter Lotto’s website. As the website grows in popularity, the jackpot will grow as well. When the winner is selected he or she will receive a paid flight to Calgary, AB to collect his or her winnings in the form of a certified check. A handsome Christmas gift and a free trip to Calgary for just following somebody on Twitter… Not bad at all!

If you have a Twitter account and you feel like taking a chance on winning some cash, click here and follow The Twitter Lotto! Make sure that you check back with You’re The Geek for the official jackpot amount! Good luck to everyone!

CLICK HERE FOR THE UPDATED TWITTER LOTTO JACKPOT!

Oct5

Conserving Your iPhone Battery

Posted at 12:51 AM • No Comments

We all love our iPhones, and for most of us, it has become a huge part of our daily life. I can’t even begin to think what my life might be like with a phone that did half as much as the iPhone does. The problem that I have, and many others that would agree, would be the iPhone’s battery life. I am an avid iPhone user, and if I don’t charge the battery in between use, I would have no phone after breakfast… Well, I put together a list that everyone can follow to conserve your battery life!

EMAIL SETTINGS: Changing a few email settings for Push email can really increase your battery life. If you find yourself checking your email every hour, it might be more beneficial to change those settings. To do so:

Settings > Mail, Contacts, Calendars > Fetch New Data > Push (On or Off) > If on, possibly change the settings to Manually or Hourly


SCREEN BRIGHTNESS: I keep this feature around 50 percent. If you are looking to conserve your battery life, you may want to think about lowering the brightness of your screen. Also, it is here you can toggle the settings of Auto Brightness (I keep it On). Adjust the settings to meet your preference. To do so:

Settings > Brightness > Use the Slider Bar until you meet your liking

AUTO LOCK SETTINGS: If you aren’t using your iPhone, I would recommend you keeping the Auto Lock feature on. For starters, you will increase your battery life, and you won’t have to worry about anyone being called/texted by mistake. My settings are set to One Minute. To do so:

Settings > General > Auto Lock > One Minute

LOCATION SETTINGS: Diable it! This setting is a big battery drainer. Don’t worry, if you are needing to access an App that requires Location Services (Any GPS App for example), you will be prompted. To Do So:

Settings > General > Location Services (On or Off)

ACCESSORIES FOR BATTERY LIFE: There are a few accessories made available for purchase that will conserve your battery life. Look around, they are everywhere! One of my favorites would have to be the Juice Pack Rechargeable Battery Case by Mophie.

If you have any other ways to conserve your battery life, feel free to comment!

Oct4

Mouse Cursor Jumps Around Screen

Posted at 10:18 PM • No Comments

Does your cursor seem to jump around the screen when in use. A lot of times, a simple cleaning will do the trick, but that’s not always the case. Here is a simple fix for the issues that I have been coming across.

Navigate to your Control Panel
Double click on ‘Mouse’
At the top, click on the ‘Hardware’ tab
Select the mouse that you are using (for me, it’s HID-compliant mouse)
Click ‘Properties’
Select the ‘Driver’ tab
Choose to ‘Roll Back the Driver’

That seemed to fix the issues that people were having with their “leaping mouse.” If you have any questions, feel free to Comment and I will get back to you with answers!

Oct4

Keep Your Computer Virus Free

Posted at 10:02 PM • No Comments

Viruses aren’t something anyone enjoys seeing on their computer. They can steal the most valuable of information and use it for fraudulent purposes. They create headaches with the annoying pop ups that never seem to go away, and leave a brand new computer behaving like a computer from the early 90s. Nobody wants them, but not everyone is aware of how to prevent them. Here are a few tips that I put together that will help you to stay away from the expensive term that is a virus.

USE A GOOD ANTIVIRUS! There are many different products out there that offer protection from viruses and spyware, but choosing the right one will help you prevent paying out the pocket for virus removal. Kaspersky Antivirus is the product that I would recommend. This antivirus updates hourly to guarantee the best protection for your computer. Another decent, and cheaper, antivirus to help protect your computer would be Norton. If you aren’t looking to spend any money to protect your computer, there is free software available to help you. Avast and Microsoft Security Essentials are probably your two best bets.Make sure that when using these products that you configure your antivirus to update and scan daily!

NO ILLEGAL DOWNLOADS! I know it seems near impossible, but if you want to stay virus free, you should stay away! For one, downloading copyrighted material is illegal. Also, it opens up many doors for people to hide viruses. You may think you are downloading some new music from your favorite artist, but the possibility is that you could be downloading a virus.

MAKE BACKUPS ROUTINE: It is always good to perform routine backups of your computer. If you have any pictures, documents, or any other information you would like to save, I would recommend keeping a backup. You can use multiple devices to perform backups of your information. CDs, DVDs, USB Drives, and External Hard Drivers are the common ways to perform backups. This really won’t protect you from viruses, but it is a good step in case you have to reformat your operating system!

BE SAFE: I cannot stress this enough. If you are going to use the internet, please be safe. If you cannot fully trust a website, I wouldn’t recommend downloading anything or clicking on any links it may have to offer. Watch the advertisements! If the site doesn’t look safe, who is to say that the ads on the site will be safe. If you are using an antivirus, please scan any downloaded files before opening them. Feel free to make use of online virus scans to help in keeping you safe! If you question it, question it again… If you have any doubts, don’t risk it!

LIST OF ONLINE VIRUS SCANS:

Oct3

How To Remove Personal Antivirus

Posted at 2:46 PM • One Comment

Background:
Personal Antivirus is a program that reports false security threats in hopes for unknowing users to purchase the fake application.

How It’s Installed:
The program has to be installed manually, but launching any application or file that contains the virus will do that automatically for you. The threat is common in a lot of corrupt songs downloaded from Peer 2 Peer files sharing networks, such as Limewire and Frostwire.

How To Remove:
1) Boot your computer into Safe Mode (If you need help with that, click here)
2) When in Safe Mode, Click Start > Run
3) In the run box, type regedit
4) Navigate to and delete the following registry entry:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run\”PersonalAV” = “C:\Program Files\PersonalAV\pav.exe”

5) Then, navigate to and delete these following registry keys:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Environment\AVUNINST
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Environment\AVAPP

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\[RANDOM CHARACTERS]

6) Exit the registry.
7) After that, I would recommend running some sort of Antivirus tool to remove any remaining traces!

Oct1

How To Install Windows On To A USB...

Posted at 11:46 AM • One Comment

If you have been searching for an easy way to get the Windows operating system on to a USB drive, you’re in luck. From Windows XP to Windows 7, there is an application out there allowing you to install it all! The application is WinToFlash.

WinToFlash is a software for transfer your Windows XP, Windows 2003, Windows Vista, Windows 2008, Windows 7 setup from CD or DVD to USB in some mouse clicks. It is perfect for any netbook user, or anyone else who doesn’t want to go through the trouble of formatting their USB drive to support an operating system.

Click here to download WinToFlash