What's SMART! And Why You Need To Check?

What's SMART! And Why You Need To Check?

Our system's hardware is not perfect at all and they may failed any time without any S.M.A.R.T. warnings.

 

S.M.A.R.T. (Self-Monitoring, Analysis and Reporting Technology; written also as SMART) is a monitoring system for computer hard disk drives to detect and report on various indicators of reliability, in the hope of expecting failures. When a failure is realized by S.M.A.R.T., the user may choose to replace the drive to avoid unexpected outage and data loss. The manufacturer may also use S.M.A.R.T. to discover where faults lie and how prevent them to designing drives in future. So, SMART gives you some advance warnings, if the hard drive is starting to fail.

 

Windows doesn't equipped an easy-to-use built-in tool, which shows the hard disk's SMART data. So, we should need a third-party tool to view these info; however, it's possible to check SMART status, through your system's Command Prompt.

 

To make a quick SMART check, few commands have to be typed at Command Prompt window.

Press Windows Key, type Command Prompt and press Enter. 

 

When command prompt windows opens type wmic, press enter; again type diskdrive get status press enter.

Now the command prompt window reflects SMART status as OK, which means everything is working properly; if the status is showing other than OK, then assume there were some problems or errors in retrieving SMART info. 

Using a third-party tool will also display SMART status of hard drive in Windows.

Crystal Disk Info is a third-party, open source, easy-to-use program, which reveals not only the SMART status of hard drive, but included temperature, and hardware specifications. If there will be a problem or error, you may identified what exactly is wrong with the hard drive. Make sure to un-check the browser's widget, while installing it. If everything works properly, you may see the status as Good.

However, when using either of the above or other reputable programs, if you found an error that doesn't mean the hard drive is going to fail immediately. But you should assume that the drive is in failing process, where a complete failure may occur in few hours, few days, or few months. How long it takes for complete failure, and you shouldn't trust the hard drive with your precious data. Your data on hard drive should be back-up every time on another media, such as an external hard drive or burned discs.

If a hard drive fails in SMART test, then it shouldn't be reliable, even the hard drive doesn't die completely and may corrupt the portions of the data.

How To Let Someone To Use Your Computer Without Giving Him To Access All Your Stuffs

How To Let Someone To Use Your Computer Without Giving Him To Access All Your Stuffs

If you allow someone to use your computer, then he may access your personal stuffs such as your saved passwords, files, e mails and so on. Instead of sitting behind him and watching over his shoulder, just arrange a guest account on your system and let him to use.

 
Guest accounts are special type of user accounts that designed for the people, who use your computer to log-on infrequently to surfing net, checking e-mails, etc., and ensures they wouldn't snoop your private data, even accidentally.

Computers are intensely personal things, and allowing someone to access via a guest account will make you relax, instead of looking over their shoulder, and not bothering they may accidentally open your email or read an incoming private message. Guest accounts also having limitations on access, and the user could not able to install software or changing system settings.

The ability of logging into multiple user accounts will, even, allow you, not to be log-out and let the guest use your computer. The system will remain running, safely, with your programs in the background and you may log-out the guest account then unlock your main user account's desktop session when the guest finished his work.

To create a guest account in Windows 7: 

Start > open Control Panel. From User Accounts and Family Safety choose and click Add or remove user accounts.

To create a guest account in Windows 8, click Change account type option.

Now click over on Guest Icon to enable the account.

Now Windows asks 'Do you want to turn on the guest account?'. Now click Turn On button to enable guest access.
So, you’ve enabled the guest account, and it will be appeared as a separate user account on your main screen. Now anyone could able to log into the guest account after switching your computer or accessing it when it’s locked. You can log out from your current user account or use the Switch User feature to stay logged in, keeping your programs open and your account will be locked while allowing the guest to use your system. 

Guest accounts are, generally, disabled by default in Windows; so, you've to move the way as indicated in this article to use it. Guest accounts are found on all desktop OS, such as Windows, Ubuntu, Mac, Chrome and other Linux Distributions as well.

What Have To Do If You Get a Virus on Your Computer

What Have To Do If You Get a Virus on Your Computer

In recent days many viruses and other types of malware are simply designed to cause chaos and malware is used for crimes to steal credit card numbers and other sensitive data. If you're notified by a message saying 'a virus is detected' or your system goes slow and unreliable then this article will dealing a process for the infection and to remove the malware.

 
If you alerted by a pop-up message saying 'a virus has been detected', which means the installed antivirus on your system is working properly and likely to remove the detected virus. Now, you should go into the antivirus program to check its quarantine or its virus detection logs to view more info about the virus and what action has to be taken.

If your system doesn't having an antivirus or the antivirus that you've on your system is out-of-dated then the system become slow and unreliable, which means your system probably infected by a virus. So, it is the time to have an antivirus software on your computer or you should have to upgrade the antivirus, which is out-of-dated.
 

Well, you can find variety of free antivirus products over net and download them, including Microsoft Security Essentials. As you know the antivirus should ideally have ability to clean up the viruses then fix the problems after installing it. If the antivirus couldn't fix the infections of your computer, then go further the below section to dealing more troublesome infections. If you mistrust on your installed antivirus program, which properly not detecting the viruses, then you may choose another option from other antivirus products. You should not have to install multiple antivirus programs on your system and running them concurrently will degrade the performance and create conflicts on each other.

However, using multi-scanning concept will create applications, and running multiple engines concurrently as single antivirus engine is not 100% effective against every malware threat. Testing agencies have published results on using multi-scanning that each engine uses different scanning methods and updating their malware definitions at various frequencies, and increasing the chances of catching malware before it can affect a system or network. 

Antivirus venders are usually preparing variety of products such as one-time scanning tools, which doing a quick scan and no long processing of installation. ESET Online Scanner is an one-time virus scan program, which offers a quick scan without a long installation process and allows you to scan along with the antivirus that has already installed on your system.

Sometimes, its necessary to disable virus protection, when installing some major updates from Windows such as Windows Service Packs or updating graphic card drivers and so on. Active antivirus protection may partially or completely prevent the installation to some major updates. 

Anti-virus software can cause problems during installation of an OS, when upgrading to a newer version. However, Microsoft recommends that anti-virus software be disabled to avoid conflicts with the upgrade installation process. Technology solutions often have policy assessment applications, which require an up-to-date antivirus is installed and running. If the antivirus application is not recognized by the policy assessment, then the user unable to access the said technology solutions on his system.

Some types of viruses and malware may dig the system deeply, then spread their hooks, which make you harder to kill. In these situation, booting the system in Safe Mode may help you to remove them. To boot into Safe Mode, restart the system then press F8, while the system is booting-up, choose Safe Mode from boot options menu and press enter-key. Run antivirus in Safe Mode then restart the system after you cleaned up. In Safe Mode, Windows would not load third-party software, including the virus program, so you'll be able to run the antivirus program without interfering in background. If you need Internet access, in Safe Mode, choose Safe Mode with Networking in the boot options menu.

Running antivirus, in Safe Mode, wouldn’t work, then try booting from an antivirus rescue CD. When booting into the rescue CD, the antivirus gets a clean environment to scan your hard drive while the virus lies dormant, making it easier to clean infections that make themselves hard to remove. You can download rescue disks from using Kaspersky, Avira and Bitdefender  to remove viruses from computers.

If nothing will work to remove the viruses properly or the malware is destroyed your system badly and Windows is not working properly after the removal of viruses, then its better to revert the system to its factory state.

Most of the computers come with re-store partitions; to access the re-store partitions, you've to press certain key during the time of booting (to get this key, check related computer's manual or consult the shop, where you bought the system). You may also use Windows installer disk to re-install Windows. But keep in mind that re-installing Windows will delete all the files and programs from your system; so, the important data has to be backed-up before re-installing Windows.

How to Share Files Between Nearby Computers

How to Share Files Between Nearby Computers

In a common situation, if you've several computers, such as your office, and would like to transfer files between them or to print documents from your computer(s) then, you're, usually, using e mail(s) to send them or have to use a USB drive to do these things.

There were also lots of way to share files but through this article we will cover some of the best.

Windows Homegroup is one of the best and easy way to share files between the computers, if you're using Windows 7 or Windows 8 versions. Windows home networking has been extremely complicated to configure in the past, but Homegroup option is easy to configure.

To create a Homegroup: From Start > Control Panel.

From Network and Internet > click on Choose homegroup and sharing options.

A window 'Create a Homegroup'  will open.

Here, you can tick the boxes (of libraries) that you wish to share then press Next. Now you'll get a password. Enter the password on nearby computers as the same way Start > Control Panel > Network and Internet and so on to join your Homegroup.

Tick, also, the boxes (of libraries) on nearby computers, if they need to be shared. Now the files can be accessed by means of sharing when they're on the same network. 

Anyone, is sitting on other PC, will have to choose Homegroup option then browse the shared files and download them on their system. If a guest would like to sharing this network, just provide the password of the Homegroup to join. 

Many peoples are using other cloud storage solutions, such as Google Drive, Sky Drive or Dropbox, to sync and transfer files between their computers. But there will be a drawback while using cloud storage, as the files, first, have to be uploading on the servers of cloud storage, then the same have to be downloading on your computers. These steps are so silly; and syncing larger files, over cloud storage, will take more time, too.

If your computers are on the same network, then why don't you sync the files directly between them?

LAN Sync: Dropbox, a home for all your photos, docs, videos, and files, which offers a LAN Sync option and if you've two or more computers on same network and both having Dropbox, then you may sync files directly each other without hassle of long time of uploads and downloads. Even 1GB file could able to sync quickly to your other computer that running Dropbox, and both computers are on same network. 

So, you can share folders, too, from your Dropbox with other peoples, if they're on the same LAN network as like you. They may also get benefits from LAN sync, which means they may sync files directly from their computers.              

And you should have enough space on your Dropbox account for the files, which will be uploaded automatically to your Dropbox. 

BitTorrentSync is an another option, which allows you to synchronize an unlimited number folders and files of any size across multiple devices via secure, distributed technology and keep files synchronized between your computers.

Install BitTorrent Sync on the devices you want to sync, then Add a folder that you want to synchronize and generate a secret for that folder on one of the devices. The secret is like a key that connects multiple devices into one sync network. On the other devices, choose a folder for sync and enter the same secret.

BitTorrent Sync will run on all devices and able to manage your sync folders via Windows, Mac, Linux and even on mobile. 

Other services like Google Drive or Sky Drive are also good solutions, especially for the small files, to share between computers, even without LAN sync.  

USB Drives: The old and standard USB (Universal Serial Bus) drives doesn't working on wireless connections but it is faster when transferring files and doesn't require the computers to be connected on any network at all. 

These drives can be faster than Wi-Fi, especially when using a flash drive with 3.0 support, which adds a new transfer mode called "SuperSpeed" (distinguishable from USB 2.0 by either the blue color of the port or the initials SS) capable of transferring data up to 5Gbit/s—more than 10 times as fast as the 480 Mbit/s top speed of USB 2.0. USB 3.1 was released in July 2013, providing transfer rates up to 10 Gbit/s ("SuperSpeed+").
 
Many other ways, also, available in transferring files between computers, but the ways posted here are the best.

If your computers are not on the same network, then you may create an ad-hoc Wireless network or connect the computers with Ethernet cables to get advantages of network sharing features.

What's WEP, WPA and WPA2 Wireless Encryption

What's WEP, WPA and WPA2 Wireless Encryption 

Understanding the differences of encryption protocols then implementing them with the advanced features would support your router more secure. Even if you know how to secure the Wi-Fi network, but probably you may not know the encryption acronyms, which is little bit puzzling! 

This post will highlighting the differences between encryption standards such as WEP, WPA and WPA2. 

WEP (Wired Equivalent Privacy), erroneously called as Wireless Encryption Protocol, is a security algorithm for IEEE 802.11 wireless networks. Introduced in September 1999, its intention was to provide data confidentiality comparable to that of a traditional wired network. This is widely used Wi-Fi security algorithm in the world. It is recognizable by the key of 10 or 26 hexadecimal digits, which was the first security choice presented to users by router configuration tools.  

The first version of WEP weren’t particularly strong, because U.S. restrictions on various cryptographic technology led the manufacturers to restrict their devices to only 64-bit encryption. When the restrictions were lifted, it was increased to 128-bit. 

However, the introduction of 256-bit WEP encryption, 128-bit remains one of the most common implementations. Revisions to the algorithm and numerous security flaws were found in the WEP standard, which allow easier exploitation and crack WEP passwords in minutes that deprecate in favor to newer standards. 

In 2003 the Wi-Fi Alliance announced that WEP had been superseded by WPA (Wi-Fi Protected Access), and its configuration is  WPA-PSK (Pre-Shared Key). The keys used by WPA are 256-bit, a significant increase over the 64-bit and 128-bit keys used in the WEP system. Some significant changes implemented on WPA, included message integrity checks with Temporal Key Integrity Protocol (TKIP), a stopgap security protocol used in the IEEE 802.11 wireless networking standard. Later TKIP was superseded by Advanced Encryption Standard (AES), an encryption of specification for electronic data. 

In 2004, with the ratification of full 802.11i standard (i.e. WPA2), the IEEE declared that  WEP have been deprecated as they fail to meet their security goals and WPA has been officially superseded by WPA2. The significant changes between WPA and WPA2 was the use of AES algorithms and the introduction of CCMP (Counter Cipher Mode with Block Chaining Message Authentication Code Protocol), an encryption protocol designed for Wireless LAN products that implement the standards of the IEEE 802.11i amendment to the original IEEE 802.11 standard, which is a replacement for TKIP and still preserved in WPA2 as well interoperability with WPA. 

From this point, you may choose either the best encryption method or the one such as WEP, which is at the top of the list. 

However, following is the ranking list to the Wi-Fi security scheme that available on any modern router, which arranged from worst to best:

• Open Network (No Security)
• WEP
• WPA + TKIP
• WPA + TKIP/AES
• WPA + AES
• WPA2 + AES

Once you arranged your router to WEP, then it's level of security is so low such as a chain link fence, where anyone can easily just climb over it! Deploying to another may enhance the security more powerful and you'll be sitting pretty with a secured Wi-Fi network. 

Is Windows Password Really Protect Your Data?

Is Windows Password Really Protect Your Data?

So, everyone have set a password to open your Windows desktop or laptop and you always sign-out or lock the screen when leave the system alone.
 
Well! This still wouldn't protect your valuable data, if your system is ever stolen and an attacker may physically access your system to gain and the password could not help much.

A Windows password just prevents someone from logging into your user account; however, if the person have the ability to restart the system, i.e., accessing physically, using a Linux Live CD or even through USB drive, he may boot from these devices and access your files from the live environment. 

This is only possible if the system's BIOS (Basic Input/Output System), which is built into the PC, is the first software run by a PC when powered on and is set to boot from removable devices. This is default's general setting. 

Even the BIOS is set 'not to boot' from removable devices, the computer thief may enter into BIOS and changes the setting to enable booting from removable devices. This could also be prevented by setting a password for BIOS; but few users do this. 

And even a password has been arranged for BIOS to prevent the booting from removable devices would not protect your data. The thief may remove the hard drive from the system then attached it into another computer and access your data. An attacker, once, boots your system using a removable device, then he may reset your Windows password, and BIOS settings as well. A Windows password is not fully useless, but you can physically lock-down to prevent the peoples, who mucking on your system. 

If you really like to protect your data then not only rely on a Windows password. You should have to use encryption, which is a software, whose main task is encryption and decryption of data, usually in the form of files on (or sectors of) hard drives and removable media, email messages, or in the form of packets sent over computer networks.  
 
Encryption software executes an algorithm that is designed to encrypt computer data in such a way, which can not be recovered without access to the key. The purpose of encryption is to prevent third parties from recovering the original information. This is particularly useful for sensitive data like credit card numbers and other personal info. So, when you using encryption, the files are stored on your system's hard drive in a seemingly scrambled form.

When you boot the system, you'll be prompted to enter encryption key of passphrase, which makes your files to accessible. The encryption will prevent the thief, even he reboots the system into another OS or removes the HD and plugs into another computer, and appears as scrambled unless he know the encryption passphrase.

Want to use Encryption: There were plenty of free encrypting software available on net; so, you may choose and install as for your requirements.

Bitlocker is an encryption software available in Ultimate and Enterprise versions of Windows 7 and Vista, but requires a Trusted Platform Module (TPM) on the system. It helps keep everything from documents to passwords safer by encrypting the entire drive that Windows and your data reside on. Once BitLocker is turned on, any file you save on that drive is encrypted automatically. Bitlocker has a new feature, BitlockerToGoReader, which is an application that provides users read-only access to BitLocker-protected drives on computers running Windows XP or Windows Vista. For Windows 7, it gives a lockdown treatment to the misplaced portable storage devices like USB drives and external hard drives.

Truecrypt is an open source, free encryption software. It never saves any decrypted data on disk, but stores them temporarily in RAM. Even when the volume is mounted, data stored in the volume is still encrypted. When you restart Windows or turn off your system, the volume will be dismounted and files stored in it will be inaccessible (and encrypted). If power supply is interrupted, files stored in the volume are inaccessible (and encrypted). To make them accessible again, you have to mount the volume (and provide the correct password and/or keyfile). When you use this software, you should have to enter the encryption password each time your computer boots. You could also set it up to store your important files in an encrypted container, and leaving the rest in your computer as unencrypted. The encrypted container would still be protected the important files you stored in it.   
    
FolderLock is a full suite solution letting to keep your personal files encrypted and locked, while keeping an automatic and real-time backup of encrypted files to an online storage. It also offers portable security for USB drives and CDs/DVDs. Folder Lock also lets you lock files, folders and drives; save your personal information in Wallets; shred files and clean your Windows History. Folder Lock works under all flavors of 32-bit and 64-bit versions of Windows 7/Vista/XP and later. 

A Windows password is still useful; but encryption is more powerful and secured. If your laptop is stolen while powered-on, the thief have chances to open the laptop and access the data, which means the system is already in running mode; so he can access. If the laptop was in a lock screen mode then he required a password to log in, and have to restart the system to try to access. And doing so, he would lock himself because the system forgets the encryption key when its power off! 

How To Transfer Files Between Nearby Smartphones

How To Transfer Files Between Nearby Smartphones

There were variety of ways to transfer photos or files between nearby smartphones; but they're not simple and the method of transfers are not interoperable. Android, iPhone, and Windows Phone has their own ways to transfer files.

 

NFC: Any Android device running on 4.1 or later version and included a NFC chip inside then able to send files via NFC using Android Beam, a feature from Android mobile OS.

Android Beam allows the rapid short-range exchange of web bookmarks, contact info, directions, YouTube videos, and other data. Just open the file or photo then press the phones back to back and you'll be prompted for the file or photo will 'beam' to other phone!

This is great and quickly sending photos; but it couldn't send every type of file and having limitations in beaming of YouTube via Android YouTube app or on other platforms of specific data could not be sent as it requires Android Beam on other devices, too. A faster connection is also needed to send a larger sizes of video or photo via NFC as the Android Beam is limited in beaming of photos or videos onto other platforms, which were not currently supported.

iPhone doesn't integrated with NFC; so, they couldn't work on NFC. Blackberry and Windows Phone's are even included NFC but Android Beam couldn't send files with them. But Windows Phone devices could able to send files between each other by NFC.
 

Bluetooth: All the smartphones, generally, has equipped Bluetooth hardware, which could be used to transfer files between nearby devices and working across all smartphone platforms.

Android supports Bluetooth file transfers by setting up Bluetooth pairing between two devices. Both Blackberry and Windows Phone 8 has also been supporting Bluetooth file transfers while iOS and its devices has not updated.

To share a file, over Android, just open the file that you wish to share and view it then tap the share button and then select Bluetooth option. Before sharing, both devices should be to set Bluetooth pairing.
 

E mailing: E mail is, still, most reliable and easy way in sharing your files over smartphones when comparing third-party Apps, which even well developed and sophisticated software.

 

So, e mailing a file is the best way to share a file with anyone using any smartphone. Just open your e mail from smartphone, attach the file and send to other person's e mail address. The other person will get the file in his e mail's inbox on his smartphone.

 

Apple may refuse in supporting some standard methods of file sharing such as NFC or Bluetooth; but using AirDrop, a Wi-Fi ad-hoc service that supports Mac computers running OS X 10.7 or later and iOS devices running iOS 7 or later, will show other iPhone's in your nearby area and allowing to share files, other data between them.

 

Using third-party services: Hardware based methods are so incompatible across devices, and running platforms, too. So, you should rely on some online services to share the files, photos, videos and even links. dropbox, whatsapp, viber and some other services will work excellent. 

 

There will be a wide variety of third-party Apps, available in Apps store, to sharing files over Wi-Fi using any smartphone and generally, you should have to run the same App as the other person using.
 

Above said methods are not ideal for larger files such as music collections, which you wish to copy to a nearby phone.

In these situations, it is preferable to connect your phone to a computer then copy the files on computer; and then connect the other person's phone to computer and copy the files onto the other phone.

Windows XP: Support Terminates In 2014

Windows XP: Support Terminates In 2014

Microsoft is planning to terminate its support for Windows XP on 08 April 2014. In fact, Microsoft supports Windows XP for around twelve and half years and the supports has also been extended on several occasions; but the year 2014 looks like the deadline. 
 

Windows XP is still widely used and, without doubt, it's the second most popular OS next to Windows 7.

The mainstream support of Windows XP is ended in 2009; however, it's extended support still be continued and Microsoft is still creating security patches and sending them to its users via Windows Update services. 

And starting from 08 April 2014, Microsoft wouldn't offer any technical support and security patches for Windows XP; but Windows XP will be remain as vulnerable and the system may displaying the user is a victim and Microsoft may advise you to migrating to Windows 7 or Windows 8 - a smartest move for the people, who still clinging with XP. 

Below is the Life Cycle Supportive sheet from Microsoft for its OS, which can be accessed from: windowslifecyclefactsheet.  

If you're still interesting and need XP on your system, then you've to face more and more security vulnerabilities and further, finding a new hardware for XP machine would also be difficult. As the latest versions from Mozilla Firefox wouldn't support the older Windows OS, such as Windows 98. 

If you still love XP, and your system has the older software then you have to consider to upgrade a modern version of Windows by running Windows XP in Virtual Machine (VM), which is a software based, fictive computer. Virtual Machines may be based on specifications of a hypothetical computer or emulate the computer architecture and functions of a real world computer. The Virtual Machine runs programs in a Bytecode Interpreter (computing).

Windows 7's Professional, Enterprise and Ultimate editions are having a free of charge feature ' Windows XP Mode (XPM)', which is a Virtual Machine package for Windows Virtual PC containing a pre-installed, licensed copy of Windows XP Professional with Service Pack 3, through which you can easily run Windows Virtual Machine.

To acquire XP Mode from said editions of Windows 7, type windows xp mode in the search box then enter.

 

Applications running in Windows XP Mode doesn't has compatibility issues, as they are actually running inside a Windows XP Virtual Machine and redirected using  RDP (Remote Desktop Services) to the Windows 7 host.

As the supportive for Windows 7 will be continued till 2020; so, it's better to migrating your Windows XP to a newer version of Windows. 

Linux OS is an another choice, if you wouldn't find a right one or really upset on Microsoft OS.

How to Know the Version Number for Your Windows Device Driver

How to Know the Version Number for Your Windows Device Driver

Version names or version numbers are a combined process of computer software. Within a given category of version number (major or minor), is generally assigned to increasing order and corresponding to new developments in the software.

A device driver is a computer program, which operates or controls a particular type of device that is attached to a computer. A driver typically communicates with the device through the computer bus or communications subsystem to which the hardware connects. 

Generally drivers are handled by Device Manager. To open Device Manager for Windows OS, press the keyboard combination Win+R, then type devmgmt.msc and press enter. 

This generic method will open the Device Manager window, where you can work for all recent versions of Windows.

Right click on the device to which you want to know the driver version then highlight Properties and click.

Now Controller Properties window will open for the chosen device. Here you've to switch the Driver tab. 

After switching the Driver tab, you can see the Driver Version number as marked below.  

From this step you can also get driver details, updating the driver software and etc.,