Anti-Viruses and Firewalls Explained

We've all heard the term Anti-Virus. Most of us have heard the term firewall. What do they mean? Perhaps you think that an anti-virus will do what a firewall will or vice-versa. This statement is true in the sense of software bundles but the two program types are completely different.

An anti-virus scans files real-time and scheduled. The files are checked for specific code that relates them to viruses. Anti-viruses keep a database of know virus code that it uses to check files against. This is what you are downloading when you download "Virus Definitions", without the definitions your anti-virus would be useless. Anti-viruses scan, clean, quarantine and delete the files you download/install. Firewalls are completely different.

Firewalls monitor the traffic in and out of your computer. Your computer is constantly talking to servers and receiving data back. Programs update all the time, reports are sent out if you are part of programs plans etc. this generates data going between your computer and the internet. Firewalls protect you by monitoring the traffic and making sure that it is approved. When you first set up your firewall you will be asked if different traffic is legitimate. Usually you know that the windows updater and iTunes updater are good traffic and should be allowed. When the firewall detects that you are sending out information that doesn't normally go out, it issues an alert to the user and asks for confirmation. The firewall can then block the traffic and stop the data. The firewall also monitors incoming traffic, if it detects data coming back that was not requested by the user then it will issue a warning.

In literal terms its pretty simple. The firewall is like a bouncer at a club, he checks IDs to make sure you're on the "list" and will stop you from getting in. If you upset the club owner the bouncer may also keep you in. In the same sense an anti-virus can be applied in the same way through a different person. An anti-virus is your bartender, they give you your drinks or in this case data. They know its clean they poured it, they also monitor your drinks for you while some more effectively than others they notice when someone has slipped you something. They may pour out your drink and warn you of the danger. The bartender also watches you and makes sure you don't get too drunk, you are at their will as to whether you are ejected from the the club or not. For both of these situations the person is data, bouncer a firewall, bartender the anti-virus. Without both of these the club does not function correctly, it may work for a little while but eventually there will be a problem.

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Obtaining Your IP Address

Working in the IT field, technicians will always try to fix a problem remotely first. The one question that is asked 9 times out of 10 is usually "What is your IP address?". Internet Protocol Address, or IP for short, can tell the technician alot of things. An IP address is comprised of 4 numbers ranging from 0-255 and seperated by a period. EX: "192.168.1.254" This number can tell technicians how or if you are connected to the internet, in work situations it may allow the technician to connect to your machine. After about 15 minutes with some users you might be able to get an IP address from them. It's not because the users are illiterate or stupid its more about the gap that exsists between the technician who asks that question 30 times a day and the end-user who actually looks up their IP only when the PC is down. In this Techreally! we'll show you the simplest most easy way to obtain your ip address and some other key information.

Obtaining IP address in Windows XP:

Step 1: click Start

Step 2: click Run

Step 3: In the Run dialog box type "CMD" with no quotation marks and click "OK". This will open a black window.

Step 4: At the prompt(it usually says something like "c:\>") type "IPCONFIG" with no quotations, it does not have to be capital but there are no spaces. Press "Enter"

Voila! Your IP address, Subnet Mask, and Gateway are all there.


Obtaining IP address in Windows 7/Vista:

Step 1: click Start/Windows Logo

Step 2: in the search box type "CMD" and press "Enter". This will open the black command prompt window.

Step 3: At the prompt(it usually says something like "c:\>") type "IPCONFIG" with no quotations, it does not have to be capital but there are no spaces. Press "Enter"

Voila! Your IP address, Subnet Mask, and Gateway are all there.


Another thing you can do is type "IPCONFIG /all" for all of the information about your adapter and internet connections.

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One PC Two Anti-Viruses Might As Well Be Infected...If Its Not Already.

The old school saying "Two is better than one" is not so prevalent in the security realm when it comes to anti-viruses. Real time scanning or on access scanning finds viruses when they are opened. This means that the files are scanned when you open them. This usually happens so fast you don't notice. As for having two real time scanners enabled at the same time, they both try to jump on the file and can cause loops, which cause system slowdowns. Anti-virus programs traditionally use a lot of system resources when scanning or updating. Your computer may be running slow due to the fact that you have 2 or more Anti-Viruses running. Your risk of infection sky rockets when you put two Anti-Viruses on your PC. Think of it like condoms, you don't double-up on condoms because you have a higher risk of tearing them both. Yeah I know I just compared babies to a computer virus, forgive me.


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Get Great Deals on Computers

I was asked last night about cheap computers. So hell why not do a write up on some of the best deals around. well i've got a couple of sources for you. Honestly you'll hate you paid what you paid for your PC now once you see the prices.

FYI: I am not endorsed, sponsored, or paid in anyway by these two companies.

First off lets start with CedarPC.com, this site was brought to my attention by a young computer guru about 3 months ago. I personally have not ordered anything from this site. This kid is sharp as any seasoned IT pro out there and I trust his opinion. Now most of these PCs are refurbished by CedarPC and arent "Cutting Technology". If you want a decent machine that isnt gonna break the bank and works great then this is the site for you. They have complete descriptions of the PCs so make sure you read what you are getting. Read the defects and make a conscienceous decison. Alot of the operating systems are Ubuntu, which is a flavor of Linux. Ubuntu is a fun OS just not what you are used to seeing when you have a Windows machine. When visiting their online store, i've been told to use the Chantilly store. Lets take a look at the prices and you'll see for yourself. You can scoop up a Dell optiplex Slim Form Factor PC with Windows Vista, a gig of ram, and a 3.4GHz processor for 152.00! Now there is no keyboard, mouse or Monitor. You can pick up a keyboard from them for 15$(which is a little high, there are cheaper ones though), a mouse for 6$, and an LCD Monitor for 99$(Cheapest). So you just spent 272$ for a complete computer system with no shipping charge, you can factor that in for yourself depending on your location. Thats pretty good especially if youre on a budget. The site also has all kinds of other electronics and if you're savvy enough to build your own PC, the parts are the cheapest around. Newegg.com is a great site for computer parts...but this site makes Newegg prices look like they are meant for the rich.

The second site is more of a commercial and if you like dealing with manufactures rather than outlets this one is for you. Dell's outlet store, which is accessible from this link Dell Outlet. These are scratch and dent PCs, refurbished PCs, and PCs people ordered but canceled. They are marked down 100s below regular price. They also have electronics, monitors, printers and servers. Free shipping is included as well. As far as pricing goes you can get a nice Inspiron 15R laptop(15 inch screen is what that means) with 3 gigs of ram, a 2.1 dual-core processor, and Windows 7 for 399.00. This comes with support and warranty and all the other bells and whistles. For desktops, get a Inspiron 537 mini-tower with 2 gives of ram a 2.20GHz processor with Windows 7 Home Premium for 279.00, this has key board, mouse, support and warranty. Monitors for these systems do have to be purchased separately. You can grab a 18.5 inch Dell HD wide-screen monitor for 99$...that's a great deal.

Now I know what you're saying...Dells suck. To this I say no Dells are great computers and their support rocks, I've never had a single problem. Yeah Dell is a big name company but so is Apple and everyone loves their iPod. CedarPC sells all kinds of computers not just dells. In the end its up to you, take a Dell for an incredible price or shell out more for a different name.

I hope this helps save you a little cash in this strapped market.

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Smart Phones: Please Stop Making Me Feel So Dumb. Part 2

So we have the very popular, easy to use, not so consumer friendly iPhone. Now im going to post a little about the Android. I personally love the Android platform, when used right it can be amazing. People ask “do you have an Android do you have a Droid?” I reply “no I have a phone that runs the Android Operating System”. The Android OS is pretty awesome, with so many customizable widgets, screens etc. Generally there are two manufactures of Android devices they are HTC and Motorola. The Android is easy to use, customizable; there are many FREE apps (Most of the apps are free). It’s made by Google so of course it works great with Gmail, has free navigation through Google maps, and the rest of Google’s toys. Androids are available through every wireless carrier and have many different specs. If you would like to buy one of these devices I suggest you check out the specs. A friend asked me “Get the Droid 2 or the HTC Incredible”. So for this post ill use this as a good example. After looking over the two I said get the incredible the only differences were the manufacturer and the Incredible has an 8.0 megapixel camera. Of course the Droid 2 has a slide out keyboard…but let’s face it, this is a touch screen world and keyboards are going the way of the 3.5 floppy. Both have 512MB RAM and 1GHz processors. The rooting/hacking community is geared toward the HTC phones to be honest with you. The phones both have 8 gig internal memory with microSD slots to expand the memory up to 32 gigs. Android devices also let you remove the battery to replace it with an extended life battery or even just replace a defective one. Okay, yeah I know lots of pros you want to know the cons. The battery life of many Android devices leaves something to wanted. I constantly charge my own device. Then again if you can put this thing down and stop playing with it then the battery might last a while. You can also install task killers to save battery life. It won’t sync with your ITunes but you can still put a hell of a lot of music on it. I’m trying not to be biased here but hell what can I say? The Androids are just as good if not better than the iPhone. You can’t get the same apps on the Android devices as you can get for your iPhone…but most developers are programming games that are compatible with both platforms. Bottom line, if you don’t want ATT’s service but you still want a phone capable of doing everything an iPhone does without the iTunes, but with Google integration and more customization Androids are for you.

So Androids and iPhones are covered what about Blackberries? Blackberries have been around before either the iPhone or Android. They are the staple of businesses and geek gurus and people who want email anywhere. RIM, the maker of Blackberries, has just released its OS6 platform its more iPhone/Android like. It’s pretty cool and would be amazing if it were released a year or two ago. Everyone that gets these devices loves the capability of the BlackBerry Messenger that’s cool but I can do the same thing with free programs…or hell who doesn’t have unlimited texting anymore? Blackberries are nice, they are slightly customizable and you can get a few good apps. They have a removable battery; have lots of different models for you to choose from and are reliable. Typically these phones are slower than the iPhone or an Android device and not all phones run the new OS. The saying “a little too late” comes to mind here. Personally, I see RIM going the way of Palm and have no doubt its only a matter of time until they are selling to someone. The last Blackberry I had was the Storm it was great when it first came out but just couldn’t hang with iPhones and other devices. Bottom line, a Blackberry is reliable, slightly customizable, a lot of businesses still use them, and it will play music, takes pictures and great with email. Though they are lacking in development are everything but cutting edge and in my opinion the company will be going out of business soon.

So there you have iPhones, Androids, and Blackberry, all smart phones that can make you feel dumb. I hope this post has given you a little clarity on the subject. When you get your next phone take this stuff into consideration techie, Trekie, or straight smart phones are here to stay so you might as well embrace them.

For more information, questions, comments, concerns, hate mail, bashing, etc email me at TechReally@gmail.com

This has been a TechReally technology post. I hope this review has been helpful and informative.