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Quick Access InfoBar is a cool little tool that transforms your Windows Task Manager into a source of information about the processes that are running on your PC. The program comes from UniBlue (the makers of WinTasks Professional ), which has ... always been one of my trusted sources for process information. From processlibrary.com: " As many as 20 to 30 processes may be running invisibly, silently in the background on your PC. Some hog system resources drastically slowing down your computer; others are a threat to security and privacy; others may be harmless. The Windows Task Manager ... (view more)

On Friday, March 31st, Toshiba released the first-ever high-definition DVD (HD-DVD) player to Japanese consumers. The company said the new units would sell for an equivalent of $936 USD. (Source: digital-lifestyles.info ) Toshiba plans to release ... units in the US later this month with a cost of approximately $799, depending on features. HD-DVD is the next generation DVD format that stores data at greater densities needed for high-definition movies and television. There are two kinds of HD-DVD's: a 15GB single-layer disc, and the 30GB dual-layer with twice the capacity. In comparison, ... (view more)

Have you ever seen those dreaded "Yellow Question Marks" when you are inside of Windows Device Manager ? A Yellow Question Mark usually implies that a device attached to your system has an incorrect driver or is malfunctioning. If the device uses ... the PCI bus, then a program called "Unknown Devices" is one of the *very* best ways to resolve the issue by attempting to search for drivers. Unknown Devices: How it Works Just like Belarc Advisor , "Unknown Devices" provides information about a device. By right-clicking on on any information it finds, your web browser will launch and search for ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader Windy H. writes: " Dear Dennis, I keep important information (such as credit card numbers) stored on my PC. The sensitive information, however, is disguised in such a way that if someone were to 'break in' to my PC, they would ... never realize that it is my credit card number. Question: I always go back to my repository program to cut and paste my credit card number into order forms when I make a purchase online. If there was a stealth Keylogger installed on my system, would it be able to detect the numbers I am entering? " My response: The short answer is "yes ... (view more)

In computing, the Windows registry is a database which stores settings and options for the operating system for Microsoft Windows 32-bit versions. It contains information and settings for all the hardware, software, users, and preferences of the PC. ... Whenever a user makes changes to "Control Panel" settings, or file associations, system policies, or installed software, the changes are reflected and stored in the registry. As time goes on, an aged Windows installation can have a very large registry database. This can slow down the computer's startup and has led to frequent criticisms that the ... (view more)

Synopsis: What's the ultimate research engine? Answer: MetaProducts Inquiry! If you need a fast and easy way to save and analyze web pages for later offline browsing, then MetaProducts Inquiry is just what the doctor ordered! With MetaProducts ... Inquiry you can collect, organize and view information from the web quickly, easily -- and with little effort. MetaProducts Inquiry comes fully integrated with Microsoft Internet Explorer (IE) as a service toolbar, plus it offers right-click context menus for IE, Mozilla, Netscape, and Opera Browsers. Coupled with an unparalelled ability to grab almost ... (view more)

The term Internet fraud refers to any type of fraud scheme that uses email, web sites, chat rooms or message boards to present fraudulent solicitations to prospective victims, to conduct fraudulent transactions or to transmit the proceeds of fraud ... to financial institutions or to other connected with the scheme. Identity theft schemes Most Internet fraud is done through the use of stolen credit card information which is obtained in many ways, the simplest being copying information from retailers, either (online or offline). There have been many cases of hackers obtaining huge quantities of ... (view more)

Fraud Alert! I just wanted to alert everyone of the latest email fraud / phishing scam that claims to pay eBay / Paypal customers $20 dollars for answering a supposed eBay-related survey. On the reward-survey.com, the page states that you must ... "enter your credit card information linked with your eBay and/or Paypal account ... [and then they] will deposit the $20 cash back directly to your account within three business days of your next purchase." Of course, nothing of the sort will happen -- and quite the opposite, I might add! At the time of composing this article, the reward- ... (view more)

In computing, phishing (also known as carding and spoofing) is the act of attempting to fraudulently acquire sensitive information, such as passwords and credit card details, by masquerading as a trustworthy person or business with a real need for ... such information in a seemingly official electronic notification or message, such as an email or an instant message. It is a form of a social engineering attack. The term phishing comes from the fact that Internet scammers are using increasingly sophisticated lures as they "fish" for users' financial information and password data. With the growing ... (view more)

Synopsis: Looking for a way to optimize Windows without a lot of technical know-how? Look no further! Advanced System Optimizer v2 (ASO) is the most comprehensive system-tweaking utility ever created! ASO includes more than 30 tools for ... supercharging your PC's performance, plus more than 200 tweaks for customizing Windows and improving its performance! New features in version 2 include a Spyware detective, an email checker, icon manager, an ultra-fast emailer, and a comprehensive backup tool for Outlook and for files and folders. You can back up the registry and restore it if it's damaged by ... (view more)