The Quinternet Spyware/Virus Guide

There are many programs out there to deal with spyware and viruses but many come with a hefty price tag and the added annoyance of renewing a subscription every couple of months. Programs that deal with malicious entities on your computer can serve one or many purposes.

Detection programs will search your computer for malicious content but will only be able to remove a limited range of infections if any. They may remove visible signs of a virus but do not get to the root of the problem. Many online scans and trial programs are strictly detection.

Removal programs scan your computer and remove any instances of spyware or viruses and in some cases immunize the computer from further similar attacks. If a virus is stubborn and keeps returning after being removed several times your software may not be able to remove this specific attack. If this is the case some viruses have removal tools (small program) written solely for the purpose of removing that one virus. Do a google search of the name of the virus that keeps popping up in your scanner to find additional information on that particular attack.

Removal and detection programs are best implemented in conjunction with a Protection program. This will block malicious content before it reaches your computer. It is imperative with protection programs as well as detection/removal programs that they are kept up to date. All three types of programs rely on virus/spyware definitions to track and remove the latest attacks. Be sure to update your program as well as run full scans of your computer on a regular basis.

Here are my choices for cheap alternatives to expensive subscription protection plans. The first is a spyware detection/removal program from Safer-Networking call Spybot! Search & Destroy, available for download here. Next is a program with a free trial version that includes free updates, detection and removal called Anti-Malware from the people at Malwarebytes, available for download and purchase here. Upgrading to the full version allows for real time protection. (well worth it!) Last but not least is the popular AVG anti-virus. AVG free version comes with real time protection along with scanning and updates and is available here. Full version includes firewall, instant messaging protection and a whole slew of goodies.

Remember to always keep your software up to date and be careful out there!

Searching Your Computer

Losing track of files on your computer can be a real pain. Not being able to find the song you just downloaded or pictures that have just been uploaded via camera, can be impossible to find if you don't know what to look for. Finding temporarily lost files on your computer is quite easily done using the search option under the start menu and selected All Files and Folders. Here are a few strategies to track down all sorts of different file formats hidden away on your hard drive.

Most every song on your computer is more than likely saved in MP3 format. Want to find them all at once? Typing *.mp3 into the search box tells the computer to find every music file, no matter what the song name. The prefix *. means the name of the file is irrelevant, the suffix of the search is merely the file format you are searching.

*.mp3 - Searches all songs in mp3 format.
*.jpg - Searches all pictures in jpeg/jpg format
*.avi or *.mpg - Searches all videos in avi or mpg/mpeg format

Knowing the file format of the file you are looking for is very helpful. But say you recently downloaded a file and have forgotten where you saved it. Type in *.* in the search box (*.* means to search any file name and any file format) and under Date Modified select an appropriate time period that covers when this file was downloaded. This search will bring up all files that have been changed or created in the last day,week,month, etc.

Search can also be useful in clearing away hard drive space. Type *.* into the search box and under the Size tab go to specify size and type in something around 40000 kb (40mb) - bigger than your average MP3 but smaller than a full length video. This will bring up all files stored on your computer bigger than 40mb. You can sift through these files and see where large chunks of your hard drive space are being used up. Be cautious when deleting files you are unfamiliar with, some larger files are crucial to the operating system and installed software.
Hope you find what you are looking for!

Solution: How Do I Record Audio From YouTube

This is in response to an email I recieved:

Dear Quinternet, I need a music file from a YouTube video and I know there's a YouTube downloader that does this, which one should I use and how do I use it?

Recording audio from YouTube is surprisingly easy with the use of the freeware program Audacity. Audacity is a small audio editing program with many features and functions but I'm only going to detail the recording from the web functionality today. First things first, download Audacity here. Once installed open Audacity as well as whichever YouTube or online video you would like hi-jack in a browser. Here are some screen caps to help you through the process.


Now the audio of the video you just played in your browser will be saved in MP3 format to your computer. Hopefully this answers your question, let me know if this tutorial was helpful for you.

Update - After some trial and error I have found Stereo Mix may not be a selectable option for everyone in which case choose the Wave Out or Wave Mix option. Also in order to encode in MP3 format you will need to download the LAMEMp3 codec from the LAME website here.

WinRar

You have probably come across the file type .rar when downloading larger files or installation packages. The RAR format is used to compress large files, say a movie (700mb) into many smaller files (45 files x 15mb). When you download something and it is in RAR format (a group of smaller files) you have to extract these files to recreate the single large file. A great program to achieve this is WinRar. WinRar will let you extract rar files as well as let you make your own out of any large file. WinRar is a pay product but the trial version comes complete with all the features you will need and does not run out. Check out the WinRar site and download the trial version from here. Select the grapgic and command line download. Once installed simply navigate to where that pesky set of rar files you just downloaded is, right click on one of the files and choose "Extract Here". Winrar is also great for use with zip files and iso's.

Quinternet Short-Cuts

Here are some quick keyboard short-cuts to make your daily computer use that much more efficient. I've included some older more well known shortcuts along with some that don't get as much time in the limelight. These short-cuts are mostly meant for Windows XP/Vista but can be converted to Mac's by replacing Ctrl or Alt with the Apple button.

Ctrl+C - Copy selected text in a document or browser, or copy selected files on your hard drive.
Ctrl+X - Similar to Copy but permanently moves text or files from point A to B.
Ctrl+V - Paste what is currently cut or copied, applies to text and files.
Ctrl+A - Select all text in a document/browser, selects all files or folders in an explorer window.
Ctrl+N - While using your internet browser this will open a new browsing window.
Ctrl+F - Search for words or phrases in a document or website.
Shift+Left Click - Hold shift and click on a link to open the link in a new window.
Ctrl & -/+ - Increases/decreases the size of text and images on a website. Basicaly zoom in/out.
ALT+Tab - Cycle through all currently opened windows.
ALT+F4 - Closes currently opened window, if no windows are open it will bring up the Shut Down Menu

The Quinternet Alarm Clock

Here's a trick for those of us who hate waking up to "WHAN WHAN WHAN WHAN" or the latest awful song on your local radio station. How bout have your computer wake you up with any song you choose from your music collection. Click on the "Start" button then choose Programs>Accessories>System Tools>Scheduled Tasks. A new window will open up, under the "File" menu select New>Scheduled Task, a new icon will appear. Double click this icon (for now it is labeled New Task, but you can rename it if you wish) and under the "Run" text box click "Browse". A browsing box will open, under the drop down menu "Files of Type" select "All Files". Now simply navigate to where the song you want to wake up to is stored on your computer. Once you choose a file, click "OK" and then click the "Schedule" tab. Here you can set the song to play one time only or set it to play daily, weekly, monthly etc. Choose the time you wish the alarm to go off and click "Apply" and then "OK". You may be prompted for your password, this is simply the password you use to log onto your computer. Be sure your volume is at the desired level for waking up and remember to leave your speakers on. You can set multiple alarms for certain days playing different songs etc. don't be afraid to experiment with different settings. Good Night!

Meebo

I'll step away from the freeware world for a second and mention a great website to access all your IM clients in one easy stop. Meebo.com is an open site where you can log in to your live messenger, myspace, facebook, AIM, ICQ and yahoo! accounts all at once. You can choose to use the clients individually or sign up for a meebo account for one umbrella account to easily log in to all your IM clients with a single username and password. So check out Meebo here, it's a great way to get around computers that block IM clients or don't allow new software installations.

Ifranview

Here is another lightweight freeware program, used for viewing any and all image formats in windows. Irfanview is a small download but is very large on features. You can rotate, crop, color correct, resize and create slideshows all with relative ease. It also comes complete with a full range of editing options for those familiar with using MSPaint. Changing image file formats is a fantastic feature, Irfanview can save in over 20 image formats including windows icons if you are looking to spruce up your desktop. Irfanview is the best program out there for navigating through large collections of images and editing them to your hearts desire all on the fly. Say goodbye to windows image viewer and hello to the freeware world of Irfanview, available here.

Ask The Quinternet

I am always looking for new ideas for tutorials and programs that you would like to know more about. I am also offering 24/7 support for all your bugs/errors and tech problems so shoot me an email at quinternet@live.ca The Quinternet will tackle all your tech needs. Shut Down!

Ipod Song Recovery

Here's a neat little trick I picked up for use with your Ipod that just won't give up all those pesky songs it has stored on it. The Ipod uses some pretty shoddy security to keep you from accessing your songs stored on the hard drive so here's a quick software-less way to retrieve them. Plug your Ipod into your computer and navigate to it in windows explorer. Now in the top menu of the explorer window choose Tools drop down menu and select folder options. Now under the View tab make sure "show hidden files and folders" is checked and click OK. You will now see there is a new folder on your Ipod. Inside this once hidden folder is a list of folders that contain your songs. There is one catch - the Ipod does not save the files to its hard drive under artist and song name. All songs are listed as random characters, FX9W4 for example. Your best bet is to copy all the songs from the Ipod onto your computer and load them into iTunes or another audio playback program and change the artist/song info once you listen to them. So there it is, you've officially "hacked" your Ipod and can finally retrieve that long lost B44 album you've been missing.

Open Office Productivity Suite

Quid pro quo: Do you want an office suite that allows you to type documents, construct spreadsheets and create imaginitave presentations for free or would you rather pay 100+ dollars? Im going to go ahead and assume you chose free and introduce you to the greatness that is Open Office. Open Office is an office suite much like Microsoft Office but with one miniscule difference: ITS FREE FREE FREE. This office suite brought to us by the fine people at Sun Microsystems comes complete with everything you would find in the most jam packed version of MS Office and then some. Word processing , spreadsheets, databases, slideshows, graphic design and calculations are all possible within the realm of Open Office. Now, there are some haters out there who believe Open Office is a bit of a resource pig but I have not experienced any problems (slow downs, crashes, memory dumps) while using this magestic suite. I think in the era of quad cores and 4gb+ ram systems Open Office is not only an afforable choice (duh free!) but a safe one. Open Office will also be able to read and edit any documents you already have no matter what program was used to create them. It really is the only choice in office suites. Download your copy of Open Office here. Now theres no excuse for not having those TPS Reports on my desk by Monday.

VLC Media Player

Nothing gets peoples blood boiling like sitting down to watch the latest episode of their favorite show or the newest movie release only to find they get audio only or a garbled video. Well there is now a cure for this boiling of blood - VLC Media Player. VLCMP is an open source (freeeee) program that is stocked to the brim with all the latest a/v codecs you will ever need in your lifetime. No format is out of the question for this mammoth program, it will even play DVDs and VCDs while still being on the lower end of system resources. Be sure to check off all video formats to be affiliated with VLCMP during installation to ensure optimized playback with all formats, VLC should be the only program you use for video. Say goodbye to the memory hog that is Windows Media Player and hello to crystal clear divx, xvid and dvd playback. Oh, did I mention its available for Mac aswell? Be sure to grab the greatest video player on the planet (for free) right here.

Quinternet Ultimate Guide To Torrents

It is the year 2009 and if you are not using torrents for your downloading needs then you should probably step away from your computer immediately. Torrents basically follow the same rules as Napster or Limewire in that you connect to several computers at once to download what you are after (videos, music, software etc.) Torrents can be found at any number of websites and are then saved to your computer (as a very small file) or opened on the fly. This small file is basically a set of instructions of all the places your Torrent client (program used to open and download torrents) should be connecting to in order to download your desired files. Torrents operate on the classic seed/leech format. Where seeds are all the people currently online who are sharing the certain torrent you are looking at and leechs are the people who are downloading it. When deciding which torrent to download, look for one with a good ratio of seeds to leechs. The higher the ratio, the faster the download will be.

My torrent client of choice is the freeware program UTorrent, available here. It is small, with no popups or adware and its not too draining on your system resources. Once you have the client installed you must find a place to download torrents. My site of choice, torrentz.com is a conglomeration of all the major torrent sites around (mininova, piratebay etc.) I guess this is a good time to point out I do not condone or use torrentz.com or any other torrent site for illegal activity including piracy and copyright infringement. Now with that out of the way I have compiled a set of screen caps to help you download torrents quickly and safely. Be warned, the internet is a dangerous place with viruses and adware creeping around every corner. If you are unsure what your downloading is safe then don't risk it. Always be sure to read the comments listed on a torrent site about that particular torrent. Download at your own risk.




There you have it. The copying and adding of the list of address is not necessary for your torrent to work. The list is merely additional places that are hosting the torrent therefore providing more connections and a faster download rate. For those real newbies out there try and remember where you save your downloads if you somehow forget where they are set to download, right click on an existing download and choose open containing folder, the download folder will be opened. Some other tips and tricks possible with UTorrent: You can choose which files in a particular torrent you wish to download letting you choose specific episodes or songs in a compilation. Once the download starts you can also choose the priority of individual files in a multiple file download, making one file under high priority download quicker than the rest. It is also a good idea to run a virus scan on any newly downloaded files before opening them. Even though a file may open and run as you expect it to, trojans and adware can be terrorizing your computer in the background without your knowledge. Also pay attention to how many torrents are active at one time. Try and not have more than 5 actively downloading at a time to conserve system resources and bandwidth. So there it is, everything you need to lead a fast and productive (and law abiding) downloading life.

TVersity

Oh TVersity how much I love thee. This is a great program that I use to turn my PS3 into an audio/visual dreamboat. TVersity (available free of charge from the TVersity website) allows you to stream photos, music and videos through your home network making them readily available for your wireless-ready Playstation3. Once the program and various codecs are installed simply open the library and choose what media you wished to be shared on the network. Photos and music stream perfectly across my own home network with only minor hiccups here and there due to heavy usage on the network (7 users on 1 router!). Videos can get glitchy with heavy traffic but if your ps3 and the host computer thats streaming the video are the only users connected to your network, video playback should be fine. Be sure to install updates for Tvsersity whenever they become available to ensure optimal performance. Enjoy!

Sopcast

This is a gem of a program designed to let you view live streaming tv broadcasts (mostly sports) from around the world on your computer without the need of additional hardware. This is a free download from the Sopcast website that will let you watch sports events (soccer, hockey, tennis, MMA) from around the world. The program comes with some built in channels most of which are foreign language but there is the added bonus of finding your own channels and live feeds and opening them in Sopcast. Also look out for free streams of certain MMA pay-per-views, they are the Ultimate in Sopcast goodness. To find additional programming and event schedule simply do a quick google search for Sopcast or P2PTV schedule. Happy free tv watching!

This Is The Quinternet

Welcome to the Quinternet, the one stop shop for the answers to all your tech related questions and inquiries. This site will be updated at my discretion with tips, tricks, d0-dads and general computer and tech awesomeness. I will offer tutorials, information on must have programs and instructions on making your tech setup Quinternet optimized.