Computer Firewalls

A firewall is a computer software that provides protection from hacking attempts from the Internet. It is very important to install a suitable firewall software to protect the computer from spyware and virus infections. A large number of security companies have developed firewall software. Some of these software are free for personal use.

A firewall software is basically a "packet sniffer". Data that gets transferred via the Internet moves in the form of packets. The firewall software intercepts these packets, analyzes its contents and determines if it is harmful to the computer. If the packet contains malicious content, the firewall blocks it from accessing code on the computer, thus preventing damage to the computer.

Most spyware, malware and virus programs can be prevented by installing a suitable firewall. Firewalls can also prevent software from accessing the Internet and transmitting information without the user's knowledge. Thus even if a virus program gets installed on the computer, it still won't be able to access the Internet and transmit sensitive information like credit card numbers, etc.

The latest version of Microsoft Windows i.e. Windows Vista has an inbuilt firewall in it. This means if you are using Vista, you don't have to download and install additional firewall software. However, if you still want to install a third party firewall, you can do that for added protection.

For maximum protection, it is advisable to invest in an "Internet Security Suite". This is a software bundle that combines a virus scanner, email scanner, spyware protection and a firewall. By installing such software, you can get complete protection from all sorts of malware programs that spread via the Internet.

More information: Free spyware removal

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=John_Browning

My Email is Missing - What Happened?

Let me tell you about my own experience with disappearing email. After rebooting my computer one day I went into my email program and discovered that all of the existing email folders, Inbox, Sent Items, Deleted Items, and other local folders I had created had just disappeared. I suspected that I may have downloaded some software which had caused the problem.

    

You see, I was trying to protect my system from spy ware infiltration and so I had downloaded one of the more popular "freeware" solutions, a certain "anniversary" version, to ensure my system was protected. I had been using the same program for a long time, but one of the "automatic update" processes prompted me to upgrade to the newest free version.

Assuming the software to be safe, I downloaded the upgraded version and installed it on my PC. Within a day or two I had the major problem with my e-mail program, somehow the local files containing emails from the Inbox, Sent Items, etc. were all wiped clean! Not only that, but my email program was no longer configured to connect to my internet service provider's POP server. I also noticed that my web browser home page was changed to the default!

Fortunately I'm somewhat of a computer geek and I was able to recover most of my missing emails (after a lot of work and research!), but after a couple more reboots it happened again!

Since the only thing that had changed about the PC was this "upgraded" anti spy ware software, I immediately uninstalled it and decided to buy some anti spy ware software instead. I'm sure glad I did, the new program discovered some things on my PC that had gone undetected by the other program. I haven't experienced an email loss or browser page alteration ever since! While this may or may not be the cause of disappearing emails on your system, you should consider what new software you may have recently downloaded from the internet as one of the possible causes.

JMDC has been a programmer for over 4 years, specializing in web-based applications. To avoid the hassle of having your email disappear, make sure you're running the right anti spyware by visiting Premier Antispyware for more information. If you'd like to know more about better spy ware software, click here.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Chuck_Ronson