It is never a question of a hard drive crashes and breaks down – instead, when it going to do it. No hard drives hold forever. This is something I repeat all the time, to teach people to take backups of important files. A hard drive holds not forever. They wear out pretty hard when the discs rotate around in, usually, 5400-7200 revolutions per minute when they work.

I checked my hard drives and one is in bad shape. It has kept on for a long time, so I was not particularly surprised by the result. I have long time planned to replace it, but it has not been done. Here is part of my digital photos with all my pictures of apartments, villas, plots, luxury properties and sold properties, (which I obviously have proper backups on). Often, unfortunately, that you do not change the disk until it actually collapses and can not be used more …

With the free software CrystalDiskInfo, you can find out how your hard drive is feeling. Is it okay, or is it starting to be worn? It is rather a rule than the exception that some areas of the disk are unusable. As a user you do not notice this, because Windows and the file system are smart enough to handle it in silence. CrystalDiskInfo watching among others at these things. A health status is presented and warns if your hard drive starts to crumble. I found this hint at Tkj. Thanks Tommy.

A good photo highlights really a web page or a blog post in general. But it is not all who can take good pictures, or have time to do it. Therefore, are sites like Xpress Photo splendidly to have a bookmark on. Here do you find over 346,000 digital photos you can download and use freely. The images are very high quality and are available in high resolutions. I have found many great photos of Marbella, luxury villas and apartments complex for our blogs.

It costs nothing to register as users of PhotoXpress. As normal user, are you limited to download maximum three pictures per day. You can increase this amount by filling in more information about yourself. Unfortunately, it apparently requires that you also send a text message, with a confirmation-code that this information has gone through.

Another option to get more credits to download the photo, is telling your friends about the site. You do this via a form that appears if you click Want more?  in the box that containing your credits.

The virus “Downadup” continues to spread. According to security company F-Secure had the virus round the 20 January 2009 already infected 8.9 million computers. Many believed that there was the peak. But that is not the case. The virus has continued to spread, to mutate to the other versions. Therefore, it is difficult for antivirus programs to end the misery.

“Downadup” spreads by exploiting a security hole in Windows. Have you the function “Automatic Updates” turned on, closes the security hole automatically.

The best way to avoid “Downadup is so clearly to having a really good antivirus program, which ensures that the virus does not install itself on your computer. However, if the misfortune is arrived and one of the versions of Downadup – or Conficker and Kido, which they also is called – infecting your PC, there is still opportunity to save the system.

Security company BitDefender has for safety’s sake, has developed a software to remove Downadup – from an infected computer. Downadup Removal Tool can be downloaded free on the website BDTools.

If you are worried about the infection, you can easily check it with the boot a ‘Quick Scan’ via the website bdtools.net

In LifeHacker did I found a fun post that lists a wide range of background images to Windows, based on known and classic video games. The pictures are not only screenshots but is designed and really smart. I chose one of the  wallpaper to a Super Mario-inspired image to show you one of them. Altogether, these are 21 background images that are all in widescreen format.

Original Post is taken from Life Hacker, where you also find all the pictures. Are you looking for other background images in the widescreen format, I have previously published some surfing tips with beautiful pictures. I going to use some of the pictures in my other blogs, Marbella property and Marbella apartments. 

MSN is a popular for conversation, chat with friends, but this has its rear surface.

One of them is that virus spread via the service, I am sure you have encountered to your friend sent you a link to an “image”, which in reality is a virus, a Trojan.

These viruses spread through links, or sometimes sends the files directly through MSN. When you open them, that installs a trojan on your computer, without you know it. All this is usually in the background. Now start the troja virus sending the links to your contacts, and that is how they spread saithe. And you have not seen the fun pictures from the party …

To avoid this, must you be attentive. When a friend sends you a message and a link to you in English,Spanish or other languages, must you reflect. If you are a troubled (which you should always be!), Ask your friend if he have sent it. If not, inform him that she / he has a virus in his computer.

An very important thing is to always have an updated antivirus. It is so incredibly important. Also have a antispyware program. If you accidentally click on the link, so it is good to have a protection against the virus.

You should never think that “It can not happen to me…”, because that is exactly what happens! The risk to get viruses today is TERRIBLY great.

AVG Antivirus is a smart and free antivirus software, which can be complemented with Ad-Aware spyware software. You can find many more good Antivirus program free download in my blog “Free antivirus“.

To Keep installed programs on your computer updated is very important. Software developers release new versions not only for function and finesse, but also in most cases, for the safety sake. The programs usually not tested thoroughly before they release, but it is by people using them as bugs and security hole is discovered. It is to fill these holes as new versions come to. Ignore you in the update, so expose you your computer for so-called “Exploits” and all sorts of atrocities that are online. You dont want that malicious people or hackers to exploit gaps and vulnerabilities in some of your software to hack in to the system?

I have a list of 6 excellent tool that manages the entire automatically. The following tips are for Windows users.

1. UpdateChecker

It is totally free and fast! It scans all programs on your computer, check the versions of them and then sends this information to FileHippo.com then see if there are any newer versions. The result is shown nicely for you on a list of links to download the update.

It is also available in the form of a Firefox extension which Software Update Checker.  The addition put a new menu in Firefox, which displays the available updates for the software is installed in your computer.

2. Appupdater

It automates updates and installations of software in your computer. As soon as a new version is available, load it down and install the software automatically.

3. Appsnap.

It is a download and installeringshanterare for the program. It manages the most part. Like UpdateChecker above keeps it the track of your software versions and download and install new versions released automatically.

4. AppGet

AppGet is a nice tool that automatically updates all the free programs on your computer to the latest version. Like AppSnap and UpdateChecker above, the program scans your system for programs that are installed and create a reference list. This list is then compared with the program that is AppGet database to see if updates are available. Programs that need to be updated are shown in red. Then you can allow the program to download / install the updates.

5. QWinArt

QWinApt can be considered as Windows answer to Linux Synaptic. It can do the same job for you in Windows that Synaptic does, for example, Ubuntu users. It is a package for Windows that makes it possible to download, install and update a large number of software applications. Like Synaptic has QWinApt a user-friendly interface. And just as Synaptic are all programs categorized for easy searching and downloading. All programs are managed via Synaptic is free or has open source.

6. Secunia PSI

Also a nice service that automates the search for bad and programs with vulnerabilities and replacing them with new updated versions. Secunia find the latest software and patches your computer needs and install them. In this way you can avoid the vulnerabilities exploited to take over your system.

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My favorite among all these is probably Update Checker, perhaps because it is the one I have used the longest. But then it is very good and easy to use. The other, I have also tested and they are also excellent. Then, it is about taste and liking. Most importantly, however, to keep your software up to date so that the security hole in the can not be used to get into the computer.

It’s fun to find some nice, cool pictures and background images here and there on the Internet, and it is a bit special when you find good images taken by photographers from all corners of the world.

Or beautiful images that you can use as wallpaper or background. In my case, it dosen´t matter, I still do not see the background for all directories, files and shortcuts that fills my desk, but given it is nice when you can still glimpse some neat behind all working!

There are those who are masters at manipulating images to amazing results, and then would you like to have such as Photoshop to achieve in any case, something similar, but I am satisfied with all the Web tools that are available to add some effects and freshen up their photos or photo. But it’s fun to see what some may find the pictures, nothing short of fascinating.
 Here are some topics that I’ve found that presents beautiful images.

23 Stunning Examples of Digital Art & Manipulation – There are lots of articles on the Internet about the manipulation of images. In this article from Smashing Apps presented pictures that probably makes you look more than once. 23 incredible images of digital art and manipulation of extremely talented designers who created these works of creativity.

50 Stunning and Beautiful Desktop Wallpapers – A beautiful wallpaper can be nice and maybe even inspire you. Six Revisions present 50 incredibly gorgeous background images which you can download for free. You can never have too much of beautiful pictures and it can be nice to change sometimes for a change.

65 Very Creative and Funny Photoshopped Images – 1stwebdesigner presents 65 creative photo jumped images that stand out from the crowd. Some of the pictures are so well made that it believes that those are real pictures, or maybe it is? Take a look you

Or beautiful images that you can use as wallpaper or background. In my case, it dosent matter, I still do not see the background for all directories, files and shortcuts that fills my desk, but given it is nice when you can still glimpse some neat behind all working! This article did a found on a fantastic blog ZtrixQ.se.

I found a list of 300 free programs for virtually all purposes by winAddons, which is a tremendous resource for anyone who wants to find good useful software to install on their computers. Of course, it would be too huge to install any programs, although, anything is possible, but you can certainly find some good programs you can use this.

The list is divided into different categories such as Office, Internet, Security, Networking, Pictures, plus a lot of other categories, and I must say I found at a lot of pearls which I going to try out. A lot of programs in the list do I already use or have tested earlier.

In a way, it is a bit unfortunate that we can not use all the programs, but may sometimes try to forward to find the best program for their purpose, and sometimes it may be quite difficult. But a good idea is to search for information on the Internet or on various forums to form an opinion on what other people think.

 
For those of you who want to look at the entire list can do this in winAddons and hope you find any program that you can have good use of! I selected a few programs from a few categories:

Foxit PDF Reader – PDF reader (Office)

Maxthon – Browser (Internet)

Avast Home Free – Antivirus (Security)

JAlbum – create web photo album (Pictures)

TaskSwitchXP – Alt-Tab tool (System Tools)

 This was just a small selection of the list containing 300 free programs to download. winAddons is a site we on Sundream Estate usually visit on a regular basis to keep watch if new programs turns up, just a tip for you who may also want to keep track ..

There are many free programs to your computer. But which are really good program. A site offering a lot of free programs is Filehippo.com. I lists in this article, which programs are the most popular and which are the most downloaded right now today 09.04.30.
Filehippo is a very good side to find good programs to your computer. Most of the programs that can be downloaded at Filehippo are completely free, which is the best in the whole.
Personally I and my company use CCleaner and Adobe Reader, which I can recommend. Here is the list from Filehippo most downloaded programs.
1. Number 1 on the list was Flash Player 10.0.22.87 (IE).
2. Is Adobe Reader 9.1.
3. In third place you will find Windows Live Messenger 2009 (14.0.8064).
4. Fourth most downloaded program is Internet Explorer 8.0 (XP)
5. Fifth, take the WinRAR 3.80.
The list includes a good free program for you to just download and install. Try and see if there is any program that you may have used for. Download your program of Filehippo.com