You'll remember a while ago we posted about anti-spyware software. Well this is a follow-up article about some excellent anti-virus software. The one we regularly recommend to clients who want a free anti-virus program is called "Clamwin".

Where can I get this software?

Simply download it to your computer from their official website:

http://www.clamwin.com/

There's lots of instructions on their site about how to use it and install it.

Do I still need anti-spyware software?

Virus' and Spyware are similar in how you get them but different in what they do. So to be sure you are browsing safely it's a good idea to use both an anti-virus program and an anti-spyware program. And it's best to be regular and get into a good habit of checking your machine daily or weekly depending on your usage.

We're all aware of the classic internet scam - someone offering you something great... just fill in this form etc.

Well there's currently one in circulation which is not so obviously a scam. It seems pretty legitimate and if you own a business then it's the kind of thing that you might want to sign up to. We received this email this morning:

----[START OF EMAIL]----

Ladies and Gentlemen.

In order to have your company inserted in the registry of World Businesses
for 2010/2011 edition, please print, complete and submit the enclosed
form (PDF file) to the following address:

WORLD BUSINESS GUIDE
P.O. Box 2021
3500 GA Utrecht
The Netherlands

----[END OF EMAIL]----

I thought I'd investigate, after all if there is a register for businesses then I'm interested! What I discovered on various forums on google was that even though it suggests registration is free, once you've signed up you get an invoice. People are loosing between £300 and £2000 pounds! Now here's the interesting part. Their contract is misleading in that it states at the top that "UPDATING IS FREE OF CHARGE" but when you read the very small print at the bottom of the form it states that "THE PRICE PER YEAR IS EURO
995" and that the duration is 3 years! But apart from misleading contracts (which are illegal in certain countries) they also used spamming techniques to distribute their email in the first place, which is again against the law.

So what's the problem?

The database they hold may well exist and they are in appearance at least a company that exists (offices in Spain and Netherlands). The problem is that a lot of people are subscribing to what they believe is a free service and then finding out that they now are in a contract with a company invoicing them for £thousands.

If you don't mind paying money for a service that doesn't deliver then there is no problem ;).

So what do I do if I receive an invitation email?

The simple answer is ignore it. If you want to you could always counter invoice them for wasting your time with spam.

What do I do if I have already been scammed and have an invoice from them?

We can't give you legal advice, we suggest you look on the links below and make your own judgement. It seems though that no one has been prosecuted by them for non-payment, probably they know it would never stand in court as they are in the wrong. Remember though that you have signed a contract with a company, and it's your fault if you didn't read the small print. Still it seems that you are in the majority and many people are successfully not paying.

How to find out more about this scam

There's lots out there on the forums so simply search for "World Business Guide Scam" on Google. Here are a few useful links I've found about this...

PamsPalm forum discussion

Stop EU Business Services page

Anti-spyware, anti-virus, anti-ageing! What does it all mean?

What is Spyware?

Spyware are a type of computer program, which are secretly installed on your computer. They gather personal information, such as your web surfing habits or which keys you are pressing. The more nasty ones even interfere with your computer, doing things like re-directing your browser or installing other computer programs. Obviously this is not good!

Another type of spyware is something called "adware" which support un-solicited advertising, like popup adverts etc. And another kind of spyware is a thing called a "tracker" which keeps track of the sites you visit and reports it back to an interested party for their profit.

Is Spyware a Virus?

Technically it is not a virus, because viruses self replicate. They are however just as annoying as viruses because they exploit your computer for commercial gain, can inconvenience you, or even put your personal information, like banking details, at risk.

So How Do I get Rid of Spyware?

There are lots of commercial software out there, which make a healthy profit on your fear of spyware and viruses. Some of them are installed on your computer when you buy it, without you getting any choice and then you get popups all the time saying you must extend your licence or you computer will be taken over by aliens!

Well the good news is that there are also good, free and trustworthy alternatives to what some people call "scareware" (as in companies that scare you into buying their expensive  software).

Ad-Aware Free Downloadable Anti-Spyware software:

Ad-Aware is a freely available anti-spyware program made by a company called Lavasoft. There is a professional version which is reasonably priced, but the free version is really cool, easy to use and ideal for home use.

Here is a link that will open in a new window:

Lavasofts - Free Ad-Aware anti-spyware program

This will work on Windows Vista, XP and 2000 pro.

"With real-time monitoring, threat alerts, and automatic updates you can rest easy knowing that you are protected." - Well that's what it says on their website :)

So How Do I Use This Software?

Well, the key word here is "regularly". There are some settings that will do realtime scanning etc. And there is the option to keep it automatically updated, which we recommend.

How Did I Get Spyware in the First Place?

There are several ways spyware gets onto your computer:

Piggybacking other software

When you install software, like for example Kazaa then the spyware is hidden in the install. Much like a Trojan Horse hid the soldiers. So next time you see a popup to install the latest "web accelerator software" ask yourself is this really safe? A good example is the Bonzi Buddy program.

Insecure Browsers

If you are still using Internet Exploder... sorry I mean Internet Explorer, then there have historically been a number of security holes that have been used to get Spyware onto your computer. We always recommend using Firefox as a browser. It's free and basically much better than Internet Exploder for many reasons... least of all is that is is cool.

Here's a link to the Firefox Website:

The Firefox Web Browser site

Worms and Viruses

Sometimes the spyware was put there by a worm or virus. So if you find you have lots of spyware on your computer then you need to check for worms and viruses. We'll post on these some time soon.

Remember the Golden Rules:

1. If it looks suspicious... leave it alone.
2. If you think you've got a problem with your computer, I'd avoid doing any online purchasing or banking until you're satisfied your computer is OK.
3. If you think something may be a problem, then search for it on google and see if other people have reported it.
4. If it seems too good to be true... it probably is - applicable to life in general ;) lol
5. Be happy and remember the fear-mongers make a lot of money out of people by hyping things up, so keep a practical, level head.

Sometimes it is necessary to send very large files to people, say for example a zip file with 100s of photos or a movie file. While email allows files to be attached, there is a limit to the file size that is allowed. And even if you are allowed to attach it, there is no guarantee that the recipient will be allowed to recieve it if it is too big. Luckily there is a way of transfering files called FTP which literally means File Transfer Protocol.

What is FTP?
FTP was created years ago as a simple way of transfering large files between two computers over the internet. They can be anywhere on the planet and it will work!

The FTP Server
One computer is a server, and acts as a central location for handing out files and receiving files. It has a server name, and you may need a username and a password to connect to it.

The FTP Client
Any regular computer such as a laptop or desktop can be a client allowing it to connect to a server and send files to it and recieve files from it.

So How Do You Send a Large File to Someone?
Let's assume they have sent you your username and password and the server details to connect to their FTP server. The first thing you need is an FTP Client - this is a bit of software that does FTPing. By far one of the best and freely available FTP clients is FileZilla. It is friendly and intuitive to use.

Start by downloading it and installing it on your computer.

Download Filezilla by clicking here - this is a safe link to the official FileZilla website that will open in a new window.

Now launch the FileZilla client on your machine and you will see a window that looks similar to the one shown below.

The rest is straight forwards... simply follow the instructions which correspond to the numbers on the diagram below:

1. Enter the server name, username and password into the boxes provided. Leave the Port box blank. Then hit the "Quickconnect" button.
2. You'll see a whole load of text flash by. This is telling you what FileZilla is doing. If there is a problem you will see red text. This might happen if you spelled the username wrong. Once you've connected you'll see stuff in box 4 appear.
3. This box allows you to choose the folder on your computer that contains the file you want to send. Select the appropriate folder.
4. This box allows you to choose the folder on the server where you want your file to end up. Again choose the appropriate folder. You often just leave this as it is.
5. The files shown here are the files on your computer that are in the folder you have chosen (see step 3). Simply click once on the file you want to transfer and drag and drop it into the box on the right marked 6. Alternatively you can double click the file you want to send and it will automatically put it into the box on the right.
6. Once the file has transfered you'll see it appear in box 6. While it is transfering you will see a progress bar in the box below box 5 and 6. Remember the larger the file the longer it will take!

So What About Getting Large Files From an FTP Server?

It's really easy, just follow steps 1 to 4 above, only set the local folder (step 3) to be the one where you want the file to be saved on your computer. Now click on the file on the remote server (box 6) and drag it onto your local machine (box 5). It's that simple!

When You Are Finished...

Once you've finished you can simply close the application down. It's not a good idea to remain connected unless you need to be and many servers will disconnect you after a while if you are not transfering files anyway.

Enjoy FTPing!

Have you ever been on a website and the font is too small to read? Or the font is too big and you wish it was smaller? Well most modern web browsers have a nifty little feature that lets you resize the contents of the web page.

If you are on an Apple Mac:

Simply hold down the Command key [cmd] and press the plus key [+] to make things bigger or the minus [-] key to make things smaller. To get it back to normal press the [cmd] key along with the zero key [0].

If you are on a Windows PC:

For example if you're using Internet Explorer (or Internet Exploder as it's known in the industry) simply hold down the control key [ctrl] and press the plus key [+] to make things bigger or the minus [-] key to make things smaller. To get it back to normal press the [ctrl] key along with the zero key [0].

We recommend using the freely available Firefox browser instead of Internet Exploder.

Have fun resizing.