They slow your computer down, they ask for your money annually and they rate no better than various free products when compared by AV-comparitives.org. If you have an ongoing relationship with Norton or McAfee, it’s time to break up. Happily, both companies provide free software for doing just that. Most people who have Norton or McAfee found the software on their computer when they bought it. That’s not necessarily a bad...

It is a well known fact that a high percentage of identity thefts are done by family, friends (I use this word loosely) and acquaintances.  We’ve all heard the cases where someone who the victim knows gets a hold of their personal information somehow and wreaks havoc with their credit.  This can be done several ways including getting a hold of credit card offers (or other personal mail), snooping in purses or wallets, and even...

The Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) is the how computers on the World Wide Web communicate with each other.  It is used by all of today’s websites.  Although it is not constrained to using TCP/IP, the Internet Protocol Suite is its most popular implementation.  However, HTTP’s emphasis on reliable communication means it can be used on any other protocol or network. HTTP uses a message-based model where a client...

Tinkernut is a great site for how to videos on everything in PC land. They make quality videos with simple language. Anyway, they recently got hacked and decided to share how to make things secure so it doesn’t happen again. You need to spend time protecting you PC from hackers and other nasties. Believe me, its time well spent. It is always a matter of when, not if you get hacked. Have a look at this video for some straight...

Take a moment and think about all of the sensitive data kept on your computer.  Account passwords, addresses, phone numbers, access to bank accounts and other financial services, and maybe even your social security number.  Almost every aspect of your identity is kept on this little machine.  Now imagine you want a new one.  So, you go out and buy a shiny new laptop.  What do you do with the old one?  Just toss it,...

Everyone gets stung at some point. Some more than others. And for some, it does much more damage. How can you protect yourself whilst shopping online? Here are some tips and some stories that help build the picture. I have recently been stung twice in a matter of weeks. Before I tell you this, I have shopped online for 15 years. One of those people who said who cares, this is cool, all those years ago. In that 15 years I have been...