7 Common Computer Mistakes You Can Avoid

Using Pre-Installed Free Stuff
Checking your PC for each item you didn’t ask for will probably take you a while. But, this is the only way to make sure you get rid of everything you don’t want. Thankfully, there are some tools to help you with this process. One of these is PC Decrapifier.

This free application helps you identify unwanted junk. Once you run the wizard it shows you a checklist with recommendations. Tick the programs, icons and start-up items that don’t want and then click the Next button as shown in the screenshot below.


For more information please read Tim’s article on how to remove unwanted crapware. I also recommend you check out our Best Windows Software page for a list of useful software.

Default Installations
Everyone loves free stuff! Unfortunately, free software is often ad-supported and in many cases the installer comes bundled with additional products or ad-ware, which can slow down your computer. Thus, anytime you download a free Windows application, you must do a custom install. With a custom install, you can opt out of crapware, say a browser toolbar or another application.


Registry Cleaning
It’s a myth; registry cleaning does not speed up your computer. Unfortunately, the tale that has been spun on the Internet tells a different story. Do not believe the hype. In fact, you may slow down your computer by running a registry cleaner.


Too Much Disk Defragmentation
Windows defragments your drive in the background automatically so most people don’t need to defragment their hard disk manually. You should only defragment your hard drive if it is 5-10% fragmented. And, this is only if it is a magnetic hard drive (HDD). Solid State Drives (SSD) do not benefit from defragmentation, you only end up shortening their life span.


Not Restarting The Computer
Anytime you notice your Windows machine behaving weird for no clear reason, first try to reboot and see if that solves the problem. Rebooting is considered a cure-all of sorts that fixes a ton of problems. A few examples of problems that can be fixed with a simple reboot include; slow running, programs using too much memory, Internet or WiFi connection problems and the Windows blue screen of death.


Failure To Back Up Data
There are many reasons for data loss, but some of the most common include: accidental deletion, hard disk damage or failure, viruses, power disruption and improper shutdown.

If you lost your data tomorrow, would you have backup copies of all your important documents? You need a rock solid backup strategy to mitigate the ever-present threat of data loss. There are several ways to backup your data. You can backup to an external hard drive, use a cloud storage service or a network drive. If using Windows 7, you can make use of the backup and restore feature while Windows 8 has a built-in time machine backup.

For more detailed information, please read our PC Backup and Restore guide. Don’t be one of those people who ignore backups until they lose their files. Be proactive and start creating backups today.


Failure to Keep Your Windows OS & Other Essential Software Up-To-Date
Developers roll out new updates for several reasons. The main ones include; rolling out new features, fixing bugs, patching security loopholes and making the system more secure. Failure to update your OS and essential software leaves you vulnerable to security breaches. The best way to ensure you do not forget to update Windows is to turn on automatic updating.

In Windows 7, go to Control Panel > System and Security >Action Center. Under Windows Update, click Change Settings and select the ‘Install updates automatically’ option. In Windows 8, click or tap Settings > PC Settings > Update and Recovery. Under Recommended Updates select the “Give me recommended updates the same way I receive important updates” check box, and click Apply.


Also, schedule your antivirus to check for updates once a day. Virus databases are updated almost daily to immediately address new risks.

Are you guilty of any of these computing sins? Do you know of any other common computer mistakes? Please share your insights with us in the comments below.

10 Apps and Sites that will save your money

Too many online services claiming to save you money just end up costing you precious time without much in return. Here are 10 free websites and apps that will help you keep more dollars in your wallet. Those who know how to find a deal, whether coupons or rebates or rewards points, know the satisfaction that comes with slashing your bill at checkout. But too many online services claiming to save you money just end up costing you precious time without much in return.

Savings.com
With more than 200,000 coupons and local deals, there’s a good chance Savings.com will help you save money on something you want to buy.
Just search its database for your favorite brands to find coupon codes you can use online. A Local tab uses your ZIP code to surface printable coupons and daily deals for nearby brick and mortar retailers and restaurants.

RetailMeNot
RetailMeNot works similarly to Savings.com, claiming to offer 500,000 coupons from more than 50,000 stores, but what you might really appreciate is its app for iOS and Android devices.
Give it permission to track your location and find nearby deals, bookmark your favorite stores, save coupons for later use, find trending in-store and online deals and sort coupons by category.

PoachIt
Specifically created for online shopping, PoachIt works via a little button you drag to your bookmarks bar that you click once you’re on the product page of something you may want to buy.
Not only does PoachIt offer coupon codes you can use upon checkout, but it tracks the price of your chosen items and alerts you when they go on sale.

FatWallet
As a tool for earning and saving money, this website does what its name suggests.
Not only does FatWallet connect users with coupons, local deals and sales, but if you use it to shop online at other sites, you can earn cash-back rebates that accumulate within your FatWallet account.
Once you’re ready to get paid, FatWallet either sends you a check or transfers the money to your PayPal account.

Cartwheel
Frequent Target shoppers may want this app for iOS and Android. Select from hundreds of discounts mostly 5% off on brands such as Market Pantry and Archer Farms and add them to your Cartwheel barcode, which a cashier scans during checkout at the store.
Depending on how much you share on Facebook, you might like that the app makes you sign in with either your Target account or your Facebook account (with the latter probably being the easier and more popular choice). If you do, however, your friends will be able to see what you’re buying unless you select “only me” when giving the app permission to post on your behalf during installation.

Ibotta
This free app for iOS and Android gives you cash back for consuming or sharing advertising by watching a video, reading facts, taking a poll, getting a recipe or sharing on Facebook.
You can transfer money you accumulate to your PayPal or Venmo account or to various gift cards including Starbucks, Redbox or iTunes.

ShopKick
This free iOS and Android app shows you products and rewards available from stores such as Target, Macy’s, Best Buy, Old Navy, American Eagle, JCPenney, Sports Authority and Crate & Barrel.
With the app turned on, you get points just for walking in the door, as well as scanning or buying products there. Points build up to earn you gift cards.
ShopKick recently announced it has doled out $25 million in rewards to 7 million gift cards since launching in 2010.

SavingStar
Use this website to zap deals on products to the loyalty cards of more than 100 grocery stores and drugstores. When you use your card at a store to redeem a deal, the savings are applied to your SavingStar account.
Once you accumulate at least $5 in your account, you can have it paid out to your bank or PayPal account, an Amazon gift card or the nonprofit American Forests. Earn cash back with SavingStar by using its mall and coupon codes to shop online.
A few special features stand out. Every Tuesday, SavingStar introduces a new Healthy Offer of the Week that gives you money back on designated fruits and vegetables.
Friday Freebies give 100% cash back on a new product every Friday. SavingStar also offers high-value deals that let you save $5 if you buy a certain amount of a particular brand in one or several store visits.

Chippmunk
This coupon search engine lets you search for online coupon codes according to your budget, department, store or type of offer (coupon code, sale or free shipping).
Narrow your results according to delivery area, payment type and estimated delivery date. When you search for a particular brand, Chippmunk also shows you competitor deals. (When you’re looking for Chippmunk, note the double Ps in the name.)

PointsHound
While it’s not a coupon tool, the PointsHound website lets you earn points, miles and even digital currency when you book a hotel room at one of more than 150,000 properties around the world.
It’s worth checking out, since hotel rooms cost the same through PointsHound as they would booked via Expedia, Travelocity, Orbitz or direct booking — yet you can tell the platform to translate the credit from your stay into one of 11 loyalty programs including several frequent flier programs, your My Best Buy account or even into a Bitcoin wallet, where you can accumulate digital currency to use to buy things online or at a growing number of physical stores.

Read more: 10 Apps and Sites That Will Save You Money | TIME.com http://www.techlicious.com/tip/10-apps-and-sites-that-will-save-you-money/#ixzz2u1OMPp4o

Cool websites and tools

Files to Friends: if you want to transfer a large file to someone, you are always restricted by file sizes, and which platform to use. Files to Friends allows you to upload files of up to 5GB (paid account), and 1GB (non-paid account), and then email someone the download link. File links do not expire either.

Paste to Grid: This is a site where you can make a photo collage. Start by selecting a grid. Once you have selected a grid, you just have to paste a picture to the grid. You can drag and drop the picture to the grid if you prefer. Photo collage rendering is better when the picture is large.

Tapiture: Here is a place to discover, share and buy the best stuff online. Whether you are in to tech gadgets, stuff for your home, traveling abroad or just looking good, Tapiture makes it easy to explore and get the best stuff around. You can “Tap” all the great things you find on the web, organize them into collections, and then explore other Taps.

Flappy Generator: The Flappy Bird game may now be unavailable but that doesn’t mean that Flappy is gone forever. Flappy Generator is an app which enables you to make your own version. Replace the image and pipe with your own versions, and off you go.

Docs Quickly: There are more and more documents are making their way to cloud storage, but opening Google Drive to create a new document can be a monumental pain. Docs Quickly is a simple app that saves you a lot of time. Create a Google Doc, Spreadsheet, Presentation, or Drawing directly from your Chrome bar. Just a single click, and you have a new document.

Protect your ID theft

Understanding the link between Social Media, ID Theft and Your Credit

I. Chances are, not everyone on your social media site is someone you would haphazardly hand your credit card to. Yet, many people are treating social media sites like a trusted best friend or even an ATM when they share photos, travel plans, birthdays and addresses publicly with the world. Because of the lasting damage that identity theft can have on credit scores and long-term financial health, it’s important to break the link between social media, ID Theft and your credit.

See more in this short movie:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=2lfT2aF0vTU

II. According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, identity theft is broken down into three segments:
- Unauthorized use or attempted use of existing credit cards
- Unauthorized use or attempted use of other existing accounts, such as checking accounts
- Misuse of personal information to obtain new accounts or loans, or to commit other crimes.

III. Consumers most at risk of identity theft are those who don’t regularly check their bank accounts and credit scores, which are most often children and the elderly. According to a 2012 report from Carnegie Mellon CyLab, children are targeted 35 times for identity theft more than adults, and 15 percent of the victims are under the age of five. Kids that have grown up in the social media environment are not afraid of what they share. They also don’t apply for credit and don’t have as much activity around their bank accounts so it takes longer to see if their identity has been compromised.

However, 12 million Americans fell victim to identity theft last year and they certainly weren’t all children and elderly. In fact, every three seconds, someone in the United States becomes a victim of identity fraud, according to Javelin Strategy & Research 2013 Identity Fraud Report. This means over 5% of all U.S. adults were affected by identity theft in 2012.

Think you’re not at risk? Go to http://protectyourprofile.org/ for a realistic look into what criminals could obtain from your Facebook account. It recently won a 2013 Marcom Gold Award for the realism of the experience.

IV. Social Media’s Role:

Information in social media can let criminals piece together enough of a story to steal identities without being caught. “Hackers can take family names, addresses, phone numbers and use that data to try and figure out passwords. These people can sell your information to other criminals in their network and it’s worth a lot on the black market,” says David Anderson, directory of product at Protect Your Bubble.com.

For example, a Facebook user can be duped into giving up personal information through fake posts asking for likes, votes, or clicks. These messages look legit because they appear to be sent by a friend. The user many not think twice about entering contact details like a phone number to participate in a contest, special or poll. Once they enter this personal information, they become susceptible to identity theft as criminals start to share data that may ultimately result in capturing payment credentials like credit or debit card numbers.

In fact, just this December hackers swooped in to capture login information from over 2 million Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and Google accounts. Facebook accounted for over half of the compromised accounts and left victims vulnerable and uncertain about just how much information the hackers consumed.

V. How to Break the Link:

On social media, consumers must personally self-manage information and stay on top of security settings to keep their credit secure. According to the National Cyber Security Alliance, no individual, business, or government entity is solely responsible for securing the Internet.

Everyone has a role in securing their part of cyberspace because individual actions have a collective impact on making the Internet more secure. What role can you play? Here are five simple steps you can take to unlink your social media account from your credit and from the risk of identity theft.

1. Take the time to review credit card statements each month for fraudulent charges.
2. Remember when you share information on social media, it’s not in a bank vault.
3. Choose a secure password that doesn’t include your birthday or pet name. Make passwords at least 8 characters long, combining uppercase and lower case letters, numbers and symbols.
4. Alternate passwords for different accounts. Using the same password on Facebook as your online banking is a huge risk.
5. Never send money based on a Facebook post or message. If you get a request from a friend that seems out of character, be aware that their account may have been hacked and ask them directly rather than assuming it is a legitimate request.

Don’t let thieves ruin your credit or financial stability. Learn more about keeping your identity and finances safe at http://us.protectyourbubble.com/id-theft. Please take steps to protect yourself and share this information with others to help fight against identity theft.

Phishing attacks affect 20% of Indians

Microsoft has released the results of the third annual Microsoft Computing Safer Index (MCSI) that reveals impact of poor online safety precautions being taken.

The company surveyed over 10,000 consumers in 20 countries including India. Out of these 10,000 consumers, 20 percent of Indians had claimed that they had been victims of online phishing attacks and in a worrying statistic, 12 percent Indians said that they had suffered an identity theft at an average cost of Rs 7,500.

Surprisingly, only 34% of respondents around the world said they limit what strangers see on social networks and the amount of personal information online, while 38% said they adjust their social network privacy settings, the survey revealed. It also noted that only 35% of users use a PIN (personal identification number) or password to lock their mobile devices.

According to the MCSI survey, the annual worldwide impact of phishing and various other forms of identity thefts could be as high as $5 billion. The cost of repairing online reputation is far higher at around $6 billion or an estimated average of $632 per loss. “Internet users can prevent intrusions and thefts by using a unique four-digit PIN for mobile devices and strong passwords for online accounts,” Microsoft India National Technology Officer Prakash Kumar said. He advised that users should perform sensitive transactions over secured networks, which includes paying bills, banking or shopping.

Finally, the software giant also issued tips and guidance on the Internet Safety Day, like using a unique four-digit PIN for mobile devices and strong passwords for online accounts; performing sensitive transactions over secured networks like paying bills, banking or shopping, rather than sharing personal account information over “borrowed” or public wifi connections among others.

India ranked fourth among countries targeted by phishing attacks as per an EMC Report last year.

Flappy Bird fakes are hatching Android malware

Security firms have found Flappy Bird-like applications running malware in a host of third-party Android app marketplaces.

Flappy Bird's take down by its creator has given malware creators a new outlet to exploit unsuspecting users.
According to security firm Sophos, it has discovered several applications claiming to be Flappy Bird in third-party Android app marketplaces. The trouble, however, is that the games in some cases contain malware and in others force users to send a text message to a given number, effectively giving the malware creators all they need to potentially exploit users.

Another security firm, Trend Micro, also chimed in on the issue, saying that it has discovered "a bunch of fake Android Flappy Bird apps spreading online." Every one of those it has discovered so far are "apps that send messages to premium numbers, thus causing unwanted changes to victims' phone billing statements."

Flappy Bird has become a hot-button issue in the mobile world after the game soared to popularity and was subsequently taken down by its creator, Dong Nguyen. That was the opening malware creators needed, the security firms say, to take advantage of users who didn't have a chance to try out the game and want to see what all the hype is about.

Both Trend Micro and Sophos said that users shouldn't attempt to download anything calling itself Flappy Bird, since the original version is "dead." They also warned users to "be wary of apps from alternative markets."

Tools for Creating an Optimized Mobile Website

If you feel like you're behind the eight ball, there's hope. Here are some great solutions to help you quickly and cost-effectively develop a mobile version of your site.

MobDis
MobDis is a service that lets you build websites with a mobile-first approach. Rather than starting from a template or from an experience that originated from your desktop website, the application makes creating a mobile site feel like you are editing a Word or Illustrator document, starting from a plain white page.

Once you've created your mobile site, MobDis gives you every possible option on how to display it. You can host it with MobDis on your own domain or on a sub domain on their website. You can also export your mobile site and move it to your own hosting environment. You can even publish it as an app and submit it to the Apple or Android app stores. Cost is $28 per month.

DudaMobile
DudaMobile gives you two options for creating your mobile site, both of which are super simple. If you're looking for a jump-start on your mobile design, DudaMobile can scan your site and pull content, images, and other information into a template that you can then customize or edit to best fit your goals. Once the content has been converted you can use their drag-and-drop editor to remove site elements that might not be necessary and move around page elements to make an optimal experience for mobile visitors.

On the other hand, if you want to take a more thoughtful, ground-up approach, choose one of DudaMobile's templates and build your mobile site from there. Their advanced site editor allows you to configure template settings, navigation, HTML, CSS, and more. But even users without tech skills can easily make edits with their simple drag-and-drop tool. Cost is just $9 per month.

goMobi
GoMobi gives you a selection of 40 site templates to get you started each of them totally customizable. Create your own menu, build forms, add and optimize video, and display reviews, all with simple click and go integration. And unlike many of its competitors, goMobi also supports e-commerce sites, allowing visitors to purchase directly from your mobile site.

The team at goMobi really seems to understand mobile interactions, and have integrated a ton of features that go way beyond click-to-call and basic mapping functions. You can create special offers, let people leave you a message or request a call back, and translate your site into their language with a single click. GoMobi is available through hosting partners and other Internet service providers.

Landr
Landr is specifically designed to help marketers capture more leads from mobile devices by creating mobile landing pages. That's right: landing pages. It seems to be the only tool available that allows you to build single pages that are focused on getting the conversion. It's built to simplify the mobile experience out of the box so visitors see exactly what they are looking for and nothing more. Landr's "less is more" strategy is a particularly good option for marketers who need the flexibility of creating campaign landing pages without the involvement of IT. You can even run A/B tests with multiple Landr pages. Cost is $12 per month.

MoFuse
MoFuse is another monthly subscription tool that allows you to easily build and host your mobile site. But one option that distinguishes it from the others is that you can hire their team to completely build your mobile site for you. Custom features include a range of design tools, m-commerce functionality, mobile analytics, mobile advertising, GPS-guided store locator, and more. If you are looking for mobile marketing services in addition to a site build, you'll like MoFuse's SMS text marketing package and its search and SEO support.

SproutMobi
Few people would dispute the fact that building a successful mobile site is not just about the tools. You have to have the right strategy, and that's where SproutMobi really shines. For $99 you'll get a dedicated developer/consultant who will help you develop your strategy, identify the right features and functionality for your audience, and build up to 10 customized pages for you. They'll even set up the code to reroute mobile traffic to your mobile-friendly site. Once they build your site, you'll be charged $10 per month for unlimited hosting, support, and access to make your own edits via their content management system.

YoMobi
While many of the tools and services listed here offer free trials, YoMobi takes that a step further with a free standard plan that includes hosting, unlimited pages, and all the bells and whistles. The only catch: your site will display a discrete mobile ad. But for those on a really tight (as in nonexistent) budget, this just might be the best way to get your dedicated mobile site up and running. Have a little money? Spend $6 per month on a custom plan and you get all the YoMobi features without the pesky ads. This plan also allows you more customization options as well as a custom m.domain name. Both plans come with free SMS and email blast capability, click-to-call, and GPS-guided location finder.

Hacking of Social Media Accounts

Desktop Phishing
Desktop Phishing is more advanced method form of phishing attack. In a simple Phishing Attack, attacker convinces the victim to click on a link which contains a fake login page, the victim then enters his credentials such as user names and password in the fake login page that goes to the attacker etc...

In Desktop Phishing, attacker just replaces some text in the hosts file which is located in Windows directory of our victims computer. The attacker does this by sending a executable or a batch file and convinces the victim to click it, Now whenever the victim visits the real website like paypal.com He is redirected to the attackers phishing page But the domain name (paypal.com) remains the same as typed by the victim and the victim doesn't come to know that it is a fake page, thus this type of phishing attack has very good success rate.

Tab-Napping
Tab Napping is quite new hacking trick through which you can't directly hack accounts. But if you use phishing methods combined with tab napping, then you can hack accounts. Actually Tab-Napping is a script which you put into a site/blog and when the user visits your website/blog and reads your articles, plays games or watches videos, then the user goes to other tab in browser which contain other websites like YouTube, Google etc. and comes back to your website then your website will be redirected him to the phishing page and telling them to login with Facebook/Gmail/yahoo account to continue. When the user enters his login information he will be back to your page and user password will be send to you.

Website Cloning
To this method we will need Backtrack 5 platform. In this method we will clone the login page of a website using Backtrack abilities and stealing the user's logins.

Dangerous Smartphone Mistakes

There are two types of dangerous smartphone behavior that stand out, carrying an iPhone into a hot tub with a beer in your hand is one type, while the other is leaving a smartphone and the data on it unprotected from loss or theft.

Despite advances in software and hardware many iPhone and Android owners don’t take the simplest steps to protect the data on their smartphone from theft.

Read on to find out if you are guilty of these 10 dangerous smartphone mistakes and how you can fix them.

Protect Your Bubble is one of the top smartphone insurance options we found last year and they’ve rounded up data on dangerous smartphone behavior. The list below and the infographic shows the Top 10 dangerous smartphone mistakes users make.

1. No password
2. Saving banking login information
3. Taking, sending and saving nude photos
4. Clicking on risky links
5. Posting photos while on vacation
6. Posting photos with location settings turned on.
7. Giving out personal information to random callers
8. Using it without a case
9. Connecting to unsecure WiFi networks
10. No smartphone insurance or warranty

It’s not surprising that a smartphone insurance company lists this as one of the options, but these are all valid items that users should be aware of and take steps to be safe. Check out the infographic to see more about the behaviors and read on to learn how to use your smartphone safer.