October 19, 2011
NoScript Anywhere has arrived, supporting Firefox mobile on Android-based smart phones and tablets. The plug-in, which protects against click jacking, Javascript highjacking and other browser security risks, would be the first of its kind for Android. As tablets and smart phones are increasingly attacked by malicious hackers, this development should significantly increase security for web surfers that install the new plug-in.
NoScript was originally developed for computers using the Firefox browser, and since has received several awards for security and a grant to keep their research and development moving forward. NoScript Anywhere can be downloaded at their home page at: http://noscript.net/nsa/
October 16, 2011
New technology that relies on the same compound found in table salt will allow hard drives to quintuple storage capacities. The most recent hard drive put out by Seagate is 4TB in size, so we can expect 20TB hard drives using this new method. Researchers claim the increase in size is because of further enhancements in data density technology.
These improvements will allow users to store massive amounts of music, videos, pictures and more, but the main improvement will be for data-heavy businesses, such as hosting companies, cloud-based storage, professional media editors and producers as well as musicians. Lower costs and much larger storage will continue to lower overhead while increasing productivity.
Desktop hard drive platters and heads.
It used to be that to store such a large volume of data, one would need a server with many, many hard drives tied together. With single drives offering the same capacity storage can be moved from the server directly to the workstation, providing a significant improvement in the speed at which data is accessed — all at lower costs.
Users may have to wait a few years before they can get the new drives, however, as the development and production processes kick in to full gear.
October 14, 2011
Hard drives are the most common component to fail in computers. Portable computers are more vulnerable to these problems, because of the smaller-sized drives storing high densities of data, the lack of ventilation and minimal shock cushioning available to the drive. Most often hard drives fail because of overheating, physical shock or wear and tear. Occasionally manufacturer defects play and physical shock a role as well.
Many times a hard drive failure will present itself subtly and over time. Sometimes you may notice that your computer or external drive is running slower, giving unusual error messages or freezing up during periods of heavy activity. Other indications can include the drive sounding like it is clicking, winding down and spinning back up or problems booting in to your operating system or loading certain programs.
The kind of problem you experience depends on how badly the drive is damaged and where the damage is located. If the hard drive has sustained any kind of direct damage, such as suffering from a fall or other shock, the severity of the trauma can be more severe.
Interior of a partially disassembled standard laptop hard drive.
As an example, if you have damage in the part of the hard drive that stores your web browser, you may find the browser is not loading properly or misbehaves (more than usual). If the damage is in your boot sector, which tells the computer how to interface when the drive is the boot device, you may find the operating system doesn’t load.
Most of the time, as long as a potentially failing hard drive is examined by a professional quickly, important data can be retrieved before the drive fails completely. If you suspect your hard drive is failing and you would like some help, please contact Arlington Virginia Computer Repair for a free estimate. We’ve helped thousands of customers with failing hard drives and we’re happy to help you, too.
October 13, 2011
Screen savers used to be important for preventing burn-in on older CRT monitors. They were originally implemented before automated power saving was available. Unfortunately these days running a screen saver can actually shorten the lifespan of your screen and if it is graphically intensive (3D or otherwise) it may also cause your computer to work hard during periods of relative inactivity.
Computer LCD screen
The best bet is to have either a blank screen saver or none at all and instead leverage the power saving functionality of your system to turn off the screen when idle. This will help improve the lifespan of your screen and it can also reduce the wear and tear on your computer when it is not being actively used.
September 28, 2011
How often do you see an application update for Flash or Java and ignore it? It’s easy to pass off these update notifications as an annoyance, but the truth is that many application developers release updates to address security problems. In the past year, Adobe Acrobat, Adobe Flash, Oracle Java, Microsoft .Net and Silverlight have all had serious vulnerabilities — and they’re not alone.
Artistic rendering of PC downloading software over the Internet
Next time you see an update notification search for the application online and download the latest version from the vendor’s website. This way you can be sure you’re getting the application directly and minimize the chance that the update notification was a rogue pop-up. Also always remember to run updates from the operating system vendor (Windows, Mac OS X, Linux, etc) as they are crucial for your operating system’s security.
Updates are integral to a secure and stable user experience. Installing them is usually pretty straightforward, but if you need a hand we’re happy to help.
September 18, 2011
Are older computers worth repairing? The answer is often yes. Many computer problems cost less to resolve than buying a new system. It’s important to have a diagnostic performed first to ensure that there aren’t any other problems, but if the system only has one or two major problems and they aren’t cost prohibitive to resolve, many times it can be resurrected without having to shell out $600.00-1,500.00 on a new computer.
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September 15, 2011
Often times Macs are touted as being immune to viruses, hackers and other security threats. The truth is that out of the box Macs are quite insecure, with no firewall enabled, no anti-virus software installed, a web browser that can be compromised by Javascript attacks and bluetooth enabled and discoverable by other parties.
While Macs used to attract almost no attention from the world of virus writers, these days with their growing market share, they seem to be the target of many attacks. We have seen Macs that were fully compromised to the point of an unauthorized third party having remote control of the system, siphoning data off the hard drive and more — and we fully expect this type of activity to increase.
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