You are currently browsing the monthly archive for February 2010.
First of all you will need to Check if You Have The Windows XP Service pack 2 Installed.
The Windows Firewall only appears in the Windows XP and later versions of the operating system.
For the purposes of this article, we will be using Windows XP Service Pack 2 when we refer to the Windows XP firewall.
Service Pack 2 gave the Windows Firewall something of a face lift, grouping all of the security features into one
Window called the Security Center.
The name of the firewall also changed with Service Pack 2, it became the Windows Firewall where previously it had been referred to as the
Internet Connection Firewall or ICF.
If you are a Windows XP user you can identify if Service Pack 2 has been installed by following the steps below:
1. Click Start and right-click on My Computer. Left-click on Properties in the pop-out menu.
2. When the System Properties dialogue box appears click on the tab marked General.
3. Look at the information that appears under System. If Service Pack 2 is installed the words Service Pack 2 will appear here.
4. If the words Service Pack 2 aren’t listed, visit http://www.microsoft.comand click the Download button.
Users of Windows XP Service Pack 2 and Windows Vista and Now Windows 7
enjoy increased protection with little effort from themselves,as the default setting for the firewall in newer versions of
Windows is ‘ON‘.
However, it pays to check that the firewall is active, especially if you have been installing or uninstalling
anti-virus software or third party firewalls.
Here’s how you can check that the firewall is protecting your system:
In Windows Vista, click Start> Control Panel>Security> Windows Firewall > Change Settings.
In Windows 7, click Start> Control Panel> System and Security> Windows Firewall >Check Firewall Status.
In Windows XP, click Start> Control Panel> Security Center > Windows Firewall.
When the Windows Firewall dialogue box appears
click on the button marked ON (recommended).
Click the button marked OK.
That’s it, your computer is now protected. On a simple level at least. Your firewall will now work quietly away in the
background, blocking any traffic that isn’t received by a direct request from your computer. However, if you find
yourself experiencing problems with certain programs, then you will have to manually configure the Windows firewall to
allow these programs access to the Internet.
To Manually Configure the Windows Firewall.
The Windows Firewall is very easy to configure, both in Windows XP and Windows Vista/7 and it’s quite simple to
create exceptions that will allow programs creating and generating unsolicited requests access to the Internet.
Follow the steps below to create an exception:
In Windows Vista, click Start > Control Panel > Security> Windows Firewall > Change Settings.
In Windows7, click Start > Control Panel >System & Security> Windows Firewall >Allow a program or feature through the windows firewall.
In Windows XP, click Start> Control Panel> Security Center > Windows Firewall.
Click the tab marked Exceptions and look at the list of programs it contains. To create an exception for a
program, click in the box next to its name.
If the name of the program does not appear in the box, then click the button marked Add Program.
Another box will appear that contains a list of all the programs installed on your Pc.
Highlight the program you wish to add to the list and click OK.
In the Exceptions tab, place a tick next to the program’s name and click the button marked OK.
If you are still experiencing problems with a valid program or application getting blocked by the firewall,
then you need to open the port manually. To open the port manually you need to know the port number that the
particular program uses and whether the program is using UDP or TCP protocol. To find out which port the program
uses and its protocol, contact the software manufacturer via their website or search the Microsoft Knowledge Base
at http://support.microsoft.com/search/?adv= 1
How to manually open ports
In Windows Vista, click Start> Control Panel > Security> Windows Firewall > Change Settings.
(Make sure you are not viewing the Control Panel in Classic View).
In Windows7, click Start > Control Panel >System & Security> Windows Firewall >Advanced settings>inbound rules>new rule>ports>specific local ports>Allow the connection>next.
In Windows XP, click Start> Control Panel > Security Center > Windows Firewall.
Open the Control Panel from the Start Menu and switch to Classic View by clicking the link in the top left corner of the Window.
In Classic View locate and click the icon marked Windows Firewall.
Click the tab marked Exceptions then click the button marked Add a Port.
Type a simple name into the box marked Name.
Type the number of the port you wish to open into the box marked Port Number.
Choose either TCP or UDP and click the button marked OK.
Repeat this process for every port that you wish to open.
Most firewalls allow you to unblock programs via their security alerts and the Windows Firewall in XP/Vista/7 is no exception.
When the firewall detects Internet -based activity from a certain program, it will notify you and ask if you want to allow or deny this activity.
CPW Computers guide to cleaning your computer.
Once again it is that time of the year,when spring cleaning is coming around and it is a good time of year to be giving your poor old pc some T.L.C by giving it a good cleaning.
Yes folks, This means that you have inside your computer,as well as the outside. (not if you have a laptop, but we’ll touch on that later).
What is meant by “Clean inside my computer?”
Most people do not even know what the inside of their computer even looks like?
If you are interested in seeing what’s going on and how much dust and muck can accumulate in there take a look at a couple of these pictures that have been posted on the internet……… 
So Lets begin by taking off the cover and remember if you have pets, expect A LOT of dust and fur.
But first things first UNPLUG FROM THE MAINS.
1. Unplug all Cables! This machine must not be connected to any power.
2. Remove all peripherals such as the mouse and keyboard.
3. Take your computer outside
Usually there are a couple of screws or clips on the side that you undo to gain access and that allow you to slide off half the case, it’s not quite as easy as opening a box, but it will slide open,it may be a little stiff but persevere it will come off, Sometimes half the cover comes off, other times the whole thing will come off and then you will be seeing the insides of your computer completely bare.
I have seen Many people cleaning out their computer, who just get a vacuum and suck all the dust and muck out. (Occasionally even I do that )But…there are some concerns with that approach.You really have to be careful as an Electric static charge can zap your computer and fry some of the components and So for you the Average user I would just recommend picking all the larger pieces out by hand or with Tweezers but be careful not to touch any of the components on the motherboard.Then after you have removed all the big pieces, get a can of “Dust Air” and start spraying air on all the dirty components.
You will especially want to get the back area where the power fan is, and where you plug in your network cables, monitor, etc. Those get very dusty as they are the closest to the fur and dust in your house.
After you get it all clean and good to go,replace the cover and plug it all back in.
Your computer may or may not run faster or better, but I have seen some really nasty insides in some computers and I realised that all this fur and muck is causing untold amounts of damage to your computer and also shortening its lifespan.
Here is a of photo of the above pc after it was cleaned out.
LAPTOP USERS
You can’t just take laptops apart and dust them out, well you can but it’s a right pain to put it all back together correctly,but you can clean the keyboard and screen I do recommend that.
Why? Because the keyboard is a part of the “machine” unlike a regular computer that has it detached. Keeping your keyboard clean will help keep your laptop working. Just get a can of compressed air duster and give it a good “spraying” and then check for big lumps of fur and stuff. A biscuit crumb can cause key’s to stick and give you hours of Stress so just check that out on occasion and you’ll be in great shape!
If you have any questions about this or want CPW Computers to do a regular computer cleaning and show you how to dust out your computer, call 07704772032 or leave us a message at contact us for an appointment.
Its that time again,when i get on my high horse about the merits of backing up your data,
only this time i have a special little program to tell everyone about..
Its called Windows live Skydrive and it may be accessed from this link. http://skydrive.live.com/
What is Skydrive.
Windows SkyDrive is a nice online storage spot to upload some of your files you’d like to be able to grab anytime, anywhere. It is open to Windows Live customers all it takes is a simple visit and login and you’re up and running They’re offering 25GB of space which is a large piece of storage to dump all your important files of all types.
Getting Started
To get started, point your browser to http://skydrive.live.com/and sign in.
You have to have a Windows Live account to use this service but most people will have one of these and if not it only takes a minute or two to sign up for one. Once you have sign in and accepted the EULA, you will be able to get started uploading some of your important backup files.
The SkyDrive Dropbox
The SkyDrive dropbox is easy to navigate and look at with all the shortcuts at a simple glance. Here is an image of the frontpage.
The personal folders have a default setting of not sharing their contents. This is of course the security level that most users are going to want to stick with. One nice feature is the “Public Folders” section whereby you can upload anything and make it visible to the world or just a select few of your contacts. The default for the “Public Folders” is obviously, viewable to all.
As a matter of fact, each folder gives you that explicit ability….to add/remove anyone from your contact list or just by email as a reader or viewer of your documents.
Uploads
Uploading content to SkyDrive is as easy as uploading to any other upload site.
Just point your “Browse” button to any file on your hard drive or network drive and SkyDrive will take care of the rest.
The only drawback to this service is that you’re locked into only 50MB uploads per file,but this should not cause too many problems for most users.
Skydrive is an excellent free resource that will more than suffice for the backup and storage of most home users documents and files.
Try it out You may like it and it may just save you the hassle of losing your valuable data.
