Firewall Configuration in Windows XP

Role of Firewall
Microsoft Windows XP Service Pack 2 offers firewall. Firewall inspects and restricts the information that is exchanged between a computer and Internet. Windows firewall is a security tool that protects your computer and its confidential data against anyone who has evil intentions and want to access your personal detail without your permission. It gives you full control to block suspicious software and worms and provides a mean to log security events.
It helps to defend your computer by blocking unsolicited traffic. Unsolicited traffic means any attempt to connect with your machine over a network connection that was not specifically requested by applications running on your system. Therefore, firewall configuration is an essential part so that your applications like Microsoft Internet Explorer and Outlook Express etc can work successfully without any pain.

Firewall configuration is not a heavy task. This blog describes how to configure firewall on a single machine.
Firewall configuration
STEP 1: From the Windows XP SP2 desktop, click Start, and then click Control Panel.
STEP 2: Next, in Control Panel, click Security Center.
.
STEP 3: Windows Firewall general settings allow you to configure these options:
On (recommended). This is the default setting (with Don’t allow exceptions not selected).
Don't allow exceptions. When this option is ON, the firewall is placed into ON with No Exceptions mode which blocks all unsolicited requests to connect to your system.
Off (not recommended). Turning OFF Windows Firewall might make your computer more vulnerable to damage from viruses, worms or intruders.

Read More

Latest Devices and the Operating Systems

Do you think that it is you who are in-charge of controlling a computer? Think again! There is the trustworthy computer mouse, which you can move anywhere on the desktop, evoking up your music library or Internet browser at the slightest wave. You feel like a director while using your desktop or laptop but there is a lot going with in the computer and the the real man who handles all the task is the operating system.

Most of the desktop or laptop PCs come pre-loaded with Windows operating system. Macintosh computers come pre-loaded with Mac OS X operating system which is developed by Apple. The first thing loaded into the computer system is the operating system because a computer is useless without the operating system.

More recently, small computers have also started using the operating systems instead of any other software. Like Microsoft has launched different versions of Windows Mobile which is being used in mobiles such as Apple's iPhone, Microsoft's Zune and many more. If you like to experiment with electronic devices, you must be well aware with the facts that that operating systems are now available on many of the devices which we use every day like cell phones, wireless access points, digital players etc. The small computers used in all these daily use electronic devices are so powerful that they are now capable of running an operating system and all those applications that are used on a computer. The modern cell phone is now more powerful than a desktop computer, so this improvement makes sense and is a natural development.

The operating system organizes and controls hardware and software to make that device behave in a pliable but predictable way. For devices, an operating system creates the capability to:
serve for different purposes
interact with users in more complex ways
keep up with requirements that change over time

Read More

Economics and Software Piracy

The copyright violation of computer software which is usually known as software piracy involves the unauthorized copying of computer software. This kind of software piracy is very common. Many companies have copyright laws which applies to software, but the degree of control varies.

If computers software were inexpensive, would people pirate less? Lowering the prices of software would be an effective solution if profitable factors were the primary cause behind piracy. Software developer companies can lower the price of their software by producing it in large volume.

Experts in these disciplines ranging from economics, sociology and psychology have observed the motivations behind software piracy carefully. There is no internationally accepted explanation for software piracy. But experts in multiple disciplines have given a number of reasons that contribute to a person's decision to steal software.

It is true that most of the people steal software because of its cost, but let us forget the money issue for now. If the price is higher for a person then what he/she is willing to pay, that person might pirate the software. A common explanation for software piracy goes something like this: The software company is large and makes billions of dollars. One stolen piece of software would not effect the economical conditions of an organization. In other words, since the organizations can not feel the loss so, stealing from them isn't wrong.

A research into this concern suggests that most of the software pirates steal programs regardless of the software's price tag. A study suggests that most of the people view digital property differently than physical property. They don't place as great a value on software as they would to a physical object like a vehicle or a House. People think that stealing a software isn't the same as stealing a physical object because the software is being copied rather than taking a physical object. In short, stealing a software is not a crime because they feel software to have less value than physical objects.

Read More

Dell Computer Troubleshooting

Dell Support Website
1. Every Dell computer comes with a unique seven-digit service tag number. With this service tag number and an Internet connection, you may be able to find the answer to your question at Dell's support website (see Dell Support).
Dell Computers maintains an extremely comprehensive support website for Dell customers all over the world. It includes a knowledge base, forum, online chat with technical support, and driver downloads not only for the products Dell manufactures, but for all products that were originally installed in Dell computers.
System Restore
2. If you are unable to connect to the Internet, you still may be able to solve your problem without reinstalling the operating system. First back up any data you can, disconnect all peripherals and restart your computer.
If you suspect that your computer has a problem other than heavy virus infestation, Microsoft's System Restore program solves many Windows XP and Vista-related problems. From the Start menu, select "Accessories," "System Tools" and "System Restore." The program will ask you to choose a date and time to which to restore your system. After it finishes running, reboot your machine and reconnect your peripheral devices.
PC Restore
3. Dell recommends that computers which are known to be heavily virus-infected should run the PC Restore program instead of System Restore.
Back up data, disconnect peripherals and reboot as described above. When you see the Dell splash screen, hold the "Ctrl" key while pressing "F11." When "Dell PC Restore by Symantec" appears, select "Restore." Next, press "Confirm" to verify your understanding that all your existing data will be erased. A progress bar will appear. When the program finishes, if the PC Restore operation was successful, you can reboot, reconnect your peripheral devices and restore your files to your computer.
Reinstalling the Operating System
4. If none of the steps described above solved your problem, you will need to reinstall Windows from CD. Afterward, you will need to visit Microsoft Windows Update and the Dell support website and download the drivers appropriate to your system, as well as all service packs and critical updates. At that point you will be able to reinstall your saved backup files to your computer.

Read More

Dell sales via Twitter leap more than 100% to $6.5m

In June PC firm Dell revealed it had made a total of $3m from activity on the micro blogging service. Of that $2m was made directly and another $1m was accounted for when traffic to Dell.com was factored in.

The $3m included both 2007 and 2008 when there was minimal Twitter activity, but the 2009 figure shows real growth that has come during the year the number of people using Twitter within the Dell organisation has increased to somewhere between 100-200.


Some of the strongest growth Dell is seeing is coming from emerging markets. It highlighted Brazil as one area it was doing particularly well.

Dell's operation in Brazil via its @DellnoBrasil Twitter account has generated $800,000 in eight months of activity.

Richard Binhammer a spokesman for Dell, said the growth in Brazil showed the social web was not just a European or US phenomenon, but a global one.

"That's interesting not only from an emerging market perspective, but from a social web perspective as well as it shows the spread of services like Twitter."

Another market Dell highlighted was its @Delloutlet operation in Canada.

"DellHomeSalesCA went onto Twitter because a number of Canadian Twitter users and bloggers were asking us why isn't Dell on Twitter in Canada. Now it is," Binhammer said.

Since it began operating on Twitter @DellHomeSalesCA has generated $150,000 in sales. As has happened in other markets where the social web is used, the market itself has helped inform a business what its customers want as much as what they don't want.

In addition to generating $6.5m in sales revenues via Twitter, social networking in a wider sense has allowed Dell to make what it says are 3.5 million social connections from sites such as Facebook, Google's Okut, Slideshare, Flickr, YouTube as well as Twitter, Dell's own Direct2Dell online community forum and its crowdsourcing project IdeaStorm, which has 60,000 members.

"These are people who are fans or followers of Dell on social networks. There are more besides this as we are not counting the many bloggers we listen to and engage with," Binahmmer said.

The crowdsourcing of IdeaStorm is proving to be a valuable part of Dell's social media operation. Thousands of ideas come to Dell via this site from users suggesting changes and modifications. Hundreds of these have been acted upon.

Binhammer cited Dell's launch of a product for aids charity (Red) that came from user suggestions; expansion of its Linux product offering for consumer PC and laptops; and a change to keyboard design for its Dell Mini netbook range as another.

"Users had a problem with where the apostrophe key was located on the Dell Mini's keyboard. They were finding it hard to use because of the reduced size and so we changed it. That was a crowdsourced idea.

In a post on the Dell blog, Lionel Menchaca, chief blogger at Dell, said that looking to the future Dell would be taking steps to tackle what he described as "the big issues on the horizon like profile collaboration".

He said for Dell (or any company), isolated social media efforts would not lead to long-term success and said the PC maker would be focusing on three key areas:

1. Streamlining its presence in social media networks and creating meaningful content for customers and continue to increase its connections in those places.

2. Focus on building a tighter integration between Dell.com, Support.Dell.com, its Dell Community sites with its presence in social networks.

3. Continue its focus on scaling support of social media initiatives into the Dell business units.


source: http://www.brandrepublic.com/News/972507/Dell-sales-via-Twitter-leap-100-65m/

Read More

Dell reinforces storage focus

With increased focus on the storage segment, Dell is now concentrating on beefing up its offerings for the storage services segment in India. Dell’s Service Portfolio includes ProConsult, ProManage and ProSupport which offer automated discovery and well defined engagements, Services delivered through the cloud and Support tailored to a business environment. Dell’s Storage consulting Portfolio is also structured around three key points of view namely Storage Consolidation, Storage Optimization and Data Protection. These address the key Storage pain points that the customers are facing.

“The top priority for CIOs is to cut costs and yet achieve maximum storage flexibility and scalability. Data is a strategic asset that must be protected against a wide range of risks and threats, so data protection has become a high-priority objective for enterprises” said Paul Kaeley, Director for Global Storage (Data Management) Consulting Practice, Dell Inc.

According to Gartner findings, nearly 40% of midsize businesses indicated they would like to have 100% of their servers virtualized within three years while 70% believe that they can virtualize all their servers within five years.

There are advantages of Storage Consolidation which include:

• Increased Staff Productivity - Storage Administrators can manage more terabytes of storage in a consolidated environment
• Optimized Availability - SANs provide high data availability for access to business-critical data
• Improved Utilization and Scalability - Disk and Tape utilization can be increased through centralization
• Improved Manageability - Administrators can gain control of the growth of their data and respond to changing business needs.

source: http://www.expresscomputeronline.com/20091123/market13.shtml

Read More

Welcome to Dell Support Blog

Hello and most welcome to the new Dell Support Blog, the source for information, coming, and updates about Dell Support for Dell Computer, Dell Laptop Trouble-Shoot, Ways to enhance the Dell Computer performance.

The blog Dell Computer support weight on tips & tricks, advices, reviews, news, registry tweaks, secret hacks, latest stuff on the Net, technology news, software reviews, tips to optimize and enhance computer performance & Dell Support.

We thought now was the correct time to open the door and start a conversation with the Web community about what’s occurrence with Dell and the future of the Dell Laptop Computer.

We mean to use this blog to:

- Provide genuine messages about Dell Product and their query’s for our volunteer community.
- Highlight enhancements, both current and future.

Additionally we want to hear from you.

What do you think about Dell Support and Windows OS and Hardware problem? Why do you use it or what edge do u find to use them on others? Is there something you would like to see fixed? When you’ve been around as long as we have, some people are bound to have great things to say, while others might have a few choice words based on their personal experience. Either way, we want to hear it
Cheerss!!!

Read More