Dennis Faas

Infopackets Reader 'Kim' writes: " Dear Dennis, I am studying photography and I need an easy to use external harddrive (HD) to store lots of memory. Could you please suggest a good exterior hard drive. By the way, what is the difference between ... eSATA, Firewire and USB external HDs? " My Response: There is an easy answer to your question, but let's first break down the basics to better understand what your options are. Acronyms: eSATA, USB, and Firewire: What does it mean? USB stands for Universal Serial Bus. eSATA stands for Serial Advanced Technology Attachment. Firewire is not an acronym ... (view more)

Spam is the abuse of electronic messaging systems (including most broadcast mediums, digital delivery systems) to send unsolicited bulk messages indiscriminately. People who create electronic spam are called spammers. Geographical Origins of Spam As ... of this writing and according to experts from SophosLabs, 28.4% of global spam comes from the U.S. In second place is South Korea, bringing 5.2% of global spam. Following the list are China (including Hong Kong): 4.9%; Russia: 4.4%; Brazil: 3.7%; France: 3.6%; Germany: 3.4%; Turkey: 3.%; Poland: 2.7%; United Kingdom (specifically Great Britain): 2 ... (view more)

Description Looking for a space shooter that will surprise you? AstroAvenger features cool graphics, excellent sound effects and a groovy sound track. The game employs an advanced upgrade and power-up system that allows you to buy new types of ... weapons, ammo, armor and batteries as you advance from one level to another. Fighting takes place in five distinct and expansive galaxies, with over 25 different enemy ships types to combat. Key Features Twisted Missions And Cool Weapons Beautiful Effects And Explosions Over 25 Different Enemies An Insane Space Shooter! Requirements OS: Windows 98/Me, ... (view more)

In computing, an executable file causes a computer to perform indicated tasks according to encoded instructions, as opposed to a file that only contains data. Files that contain instructions for an interpreter or virtual machine may be considered ... executables, but are more specifically called scripts or bytecode. Executables are also called "binaries" in contrast to the program's source code. Binary Files A binary file is a computer file which may contain any type of data, encoded in binary form for computer storage and processing purposes. For example, a computer document file that contains ... (view more)

Solapplets SolApplets is a collection of Windows utility programs that run on the Windows Vista, XP or Windows Server. Utilities include: cert system store viewer, process watcher, service watcher, folder watcher, web server, win tree, compound file ... viewer, hex viewer, zip file viewer, and an IP adapter addresses watcher. http://www.antillia.com Bb Flashback Express BB Flashback Express enables you to record the screen, sound, webcam and save the files as Flash or AVI. http://www.bbsoftware.co.uk Today's fresh software picks were provided courtesy of Bob Helmer at Shell Extension City. Please ... (view more)

Description Love Star Defender 3? Want more missions with crueler enemies? Then here you go! It's Star Defender 4, with 8 gigantic new missions, better weapons, uglier aliens and more! Jump right in as the battle heats up with a new war raging in ... the Galaxy! Pilot your way through more than 100 breathtaking levels filled with black holes to explore, strange spacecraft to attack and annoying insects to destroy! If you're longing for real war, then Star Defender 4 is for you! Key Features Tons Of Cruel Enemies And Spacecraft! 8 Gigantic Missions, Each With A Boss! More Than 100 Breathtaking ... (view more)

Malware (a portmanteau of "malicious software") is any software program developed for the purpose of causing harm to a computer system, similar to a virus or Trojan horse. Malware can be classified based on how it is executed, how it spreads, and/or ... what it does. The classification is not perfect, however, in the sense that the groups often overlap and the difference is not always obvious, giving rise to frequent flame wars. Overuse of the term 'Virus' Because viruses were historically the first to appear, the term "virus" is often applied, especially in the popular media, to all sorts of ... (view more)

A kill switch (also called an e-stop) is a security measure used to shut off a device (usually in an emergency situation) in which it cannot be shut down in the usual manner. Unlike a normal shut down which shuts down all systems naturally in a ... progressive manner, a kill switch is designed to completely abort the operation at all costs. Often, kill switches are used to protect people from sustaining an injury or being killed, in which case damaging the machine may be considered to be acceptable. Physical World Applications Treadmills often use a safety key (essentially a kill switch) that the ... (view more)

Infopackets reader 'NCombs' writes: " Dear Dennis, I have Windows XP. Do I need to download Service Pack 3? " My response: Yes, you should download Windows XP Service Pack 3 and install it immediately as it contains cumulative / major updates to the ... operating system. Without updating your PC on a regular basis -- whether it's a service pack or a hot fix, your PC is vulnerable to exploits (hackers, worms, Trojans, botnet, spamming, etc). In fact, Service Pack 3 includes a patch for Conficker worm that we've been talking about. Microsoft Recommends Backing Up Service Packs are a major update to ... (view more)

A Service Pack (SP) is a collection of updates, fixes and/or enhancements to a software program delivered in the form of a single installable package. Many companies (such as Microsoft) typically release a service pack when the number of individual ... patches to a given program reaches a certain (arbitrary) limit. Installing a service pack is easier and less error-prone than installing a high number of patches individually, even more so when updating multiple computers over a network. Service packs are usually numbered, and thus shortly referred to as SP1, SP2, SP3 etc. They may also bring, ... (view more)