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I am planning to buy my first Windows-based notebook computer. Budget in the $1200 range. There are lots of choices and a lot of confusing info out there about desirable specs/components. Would greatly appreciate recommendations from FReepers knowledgeable about computers. Will be for home interent use, running Photoshop, MS Office Suite, taking work home from the office from time-to-time, and similar tasks. Need something sturdy, reliable and with a bright, sharp display. Your recommendations on specs to equip it with, within my price range, are also much needed. Thanks.

Need examples of why spyware is so insidious? Headlines from the last few months are full of them, said Richard Stiennon, VP of threat research for Boulder, Colo.-based security firm Webroot. Spyware probably contributed to the data thievery companies like Lexis-Nexis, BJ's Wholesale Club and Bank of America suffered, he said. That's the big point of a new report Webroot has released on spyware activity for the second quarter of 2005: Spyware pushers are shifting their focus from pay-per-click advertising to identity theft. And they're quickly expanding their network of infected machines in the process. "The big marketing opportunity for...

Speaking at the Intel Developer Forum on Tuesday company chief executive Paul Otellini said the industry is on a new "performance per watt" course that will deliver powerful Intel-based computers that are increasingly smaller, sleeker and more energy-efficient. During his keynote address at San Francisco's Moscone Center, Otellini unveiled the company's next-generation, power-optimized micro-architecture for future digital home, enterprise, mobile and emerging market platforms -- and low-power products aimed at a new category of converged consumer devices. In the second half of 2006, Otellini said Intel will introduce the micro-architecture, which combines the strength of the company's current Intel...

(Excerpt)PHOTOS as it happened: SlideshowMore Photos: SlideshowUPDATED: 8:08 p.m.Chaos erupted this morning at the Richmond International Raceway as thousands of people stampeded through the gates in a rush to buy used iBook laptop computers for $50 each.There were several minor injuries and one person was taken to a hospital with a leg injury, fire Battalion Chief Steve Wood said during a 1 p.m. news conference. In all, 17 people were treated, the majority for heat- or diabetic-related problems, he said.Thousands of Henrico County residents and/or taxpayers stood in a half-mile-long line as dawn broke while others waited in cars parked...

"500 software companies active in Iran" Monday, August 01, 2005 - ©2005 IranMania.com LONDON, August 1 (IranMania) - There are 500 software companies in Iran, reported ILNA quoting statistics released by the Secretariat of the High Council of Information Dissemination. The report indicated that the software market has grown by 41% per annum over the past two years thanks chiefly to state support. The total value of Iran?s software production and services market reached $400 mln in 2004. The government, said the report, plans to boost software exports. There are also plans to increase software exports to $100 mln a...

I just got Cox high speed internet and when getting the email from Outlook Express 6, I get a pop-up that says: "Your current security settings prohibit running ActiveX controls on this page. As a result, the page may not display properly." Normally, I use Netscape email program as I use the Netscape browser. What if anything, should I do about the ActiveX settings in my OE program?

WASHINGTON (Army News Service, July 28, 2005) – The Army Office of Information Assurance and Compliance is educating Soldiers about the importance of safe Internet practices in a new campaign utilizing cartoons. The cartoons will help Soldiers realize the necessity of computer security and responsibility and what precautions they should take by developing a message format that is quick and easy to view and understand, according to Col. Stephen Jurinko, OIA&C Director. “Soldiers don’t look at computers as something malicious,” said Ted Dmuchowski, the former Information Assurance and Compliance director. “It helps them do their job… and makes the day...

CHICAGO -- The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation -- the New Deal-era government agency designed to restore confidence in the Great Depression-shattered banking system of the United States -- is now providing guidance to banks to protect themselves and their customers from spyware, the latest threat to the integrity of the banks, experts told UPI's The Web. Millions of Americans, banking at institutions such as Wachovia and Bank of America, have had their private financial information stolen by hackers through spy software, downloaded unknowingly from the Internet. By Gene Koprowski

LONDON, July 27 (UPI) -- A London man has admitted hacking into the U.S. military computer system to prove the existence of UFOs and point out security loopholes, his lawyer said. Gary McKinnon, 39, was fighting extradition from Britain to face claims he illegally accessed 97 U.S. government computers and caused $645,000 in damage during a year of hacking. Attorney Karen Todner said McKinnon's main aim was to prove that UFOs exist. "His motivation was firstly in relation to that, and secondly in relation to exposing the lack of security in relation to the American system," Todner told Sky News....

A WEST NYACK, N.Y. MAN was found dead at his computer apparently the victim of trying to keep up with too many professional forums. Childress H. Wanamaker, 54, an account executive at a New York-based new media company, died of starvation according to the West Nyack coroner's office. Wanamaker's emaciated body was found by Loraine, his wife of 26 years, who told MediaPost she had been bringing her husband meals on plastic trays for weeks, but that he never took the time to eat them. "He was glued to his computer 24/7," she said tearfully. "He was so afraid he...

Attackers are also focusing on Web browsers and media players, SANS says JULY 25, 2005 (REUTERS) - Flawed backup software has emerged as the latest target for hackers looking for corporate secrets, according to a survey released today. The survey by the nonprofit SANS Institute found new holes in widely used software products, even as computer users are getting better at patching some favorite hacker targets. Attackers are now focusing on desktop software, like Web browsers and media players, that may not get fixed as frequently as Microsoft Corp.'s Windows operating system and other software widely used by business, the...

Excerpt - SAN FRANCISCO - Apple Computer moved up a notch to become the No.4 seller of personal computers in the United States in the second quarter as Macintosh sales soared by one-third, according to two reports. Lenovo, the Chinese company that owns the IBM personal computer brand, lost share. Apple won 4.5 percent of the market to trail Dell, Hewlett-Packard and Gateway, the market research company IDC said Monday in a report. IDC's rival Gartner put Apple's share at 4.3 percent. [snip]

WASHINGTON — Free speech advocates are frustrated with a host of American companies they say have been collaborating with oppressive regimes in countries like China, Iran and Saudi Arabia, to help them filter and monitor the Internet activity of their citizens. Big technology names like Microsoft, Yahoo! and Cisco have been criticized roundly in recent years for providing foreign governments with the tools they need to crack down on Internet use, but critics say they have not been able to do much more than complain. "These companies' lack of ethics is extremely worrisome," said Lucie Morillon, the Washington representative of...

A Karaganda resident will be tried for a computer virus A trial will soon begin in Karaganda district court, the likes of which have never before been seen in our city. Twenty-three year-old Valeriy Vodnev will be tried for selling a diskette containing a computer virus. The transaction's circumstances are unique, since the harmful program was requested by a young man who, after a fight with his wife, decided to pull a prank on her - wrecking her home computer by 'infecting' it with a virus. IMPERATIVE REQUESTS In his free time, Valeriy Vodnev helped his relatives in their tiny...

VERDEN, Germany - The teenager who created last year's Sasser computer worm was convicted Friday of computer sabotage and given a suspended sentence, a court official said. Sven Jaschan, 19, also was found guilty of illegally altering data, said Katharina Krueztfeld, a spokeswoman for the court in the northwestern town of Verden. He was given a suspended sentence of one year and nine months. Prosecutors had been seeking a suspended two-year sentence for the German teen who admitted he created last year's "Sasser" computer worm, court officials said. In closing arguments Thursday, prosecutors asked that Sven Jaschan be found guilty...

A German judge on Friday handed down a suspended sentence of one year and nine months to the teenager who admitted he created last year's Sasser computer worm. In addition, 19-year-old Sven Jaschan has to complete 30 hours of community service while on probation, the court in Verden, Germany, said in a statement. The sentence marks one of few successful prosecutions of a virus writer. Authors of malicious code have typically proven difficult for law enforcement to track and catch. Jaschan was found guilty on four counts of altering data and three counts of computer sabotage. During his trial, Jaschan...

The Internet has become a part of life for a growing number of people around the world. But many people don't realize that hours spent online could be a symptom of Internet addiction. The disorder is affecting a growing number of people, mainly children and teenagers, who are spending increasing amounts of time playing games and chatting on the web. In an effort to tackle this problem, China has now opened its first clinic to help treat Internet addicts. Quitting can be hard (AFP) Prague, 1 July 2005 (RFE/RL) -- Many working people spend hours every day in front of...

Run Fast, Run Naked Alternative Approach to Internet Security Sometimes the best way to win the game is not to play it at all. What has all the net security programs, spy ware blockers, pop up blockers, firewalls and the like gotten you? In many cases, slower net browsing, a whole lot of configuration headaches and time to maintain all those programs. Running naked may be the answer for you. Running naked on the internet means running completely open with no spy ware protection programs, no pop-up blockers, no anti-virus software. Just a simple open connection. Before you go into...

I have had three computer-related disasters just this last week. Any help would be appreciated, even such advice as to cut my losses and buy a new computer. First problem: My HP notebook computer does not work anymore. All I get when I turn it on is the screen showing the HP logo with the words "F10=Enter Setup." When I press F10, it changes to "Entering Setup" and then nothing else happens no matter what I do. I've already tried putting in the Windows XP CD that came with the machine, but still nothing. Nothing happens with this computer no...

I have a 1.8 GHZ XP 2500 with two hard drives on the primary IDE channel and a DVD writer and CD writer on the secondary channel. The DVD writer is the master and the CD writer is the slave. I burned data to a CD on a CD-RW media and my CD writer doesn't see anything on the CD, I put the CD in my DVD drive and it sees the files on the disc. Of course, the data doesn't show up on other CD players that I've tried on separate computers either, it just shows up on the...