Anti Virus / Malware Protection - The Big Question.

I am frequently asked by my customers what anti-virus program I recommend. My answer tends to surprise most people because there is no clear-cut answer. The truth of the matter is, no security is going to be effective unless you let it do its job.

Many people assume that the big security suites like Norton 360 and McAfee Security Suite are the top-of-the-line because they offer so many value-added features such as a Firewall, Spam Protection, Parental Controls, Identity Protection and the like. Some of the more advanced suites even offer maintenance utilities such as defrag programs and registry cleaners as part of their package.

The problem with these "full featured" security solutions is twofold:

1. They provide a false sense of absolute security that tends to leave users feeling like they don't have to use any common sense at all. Users of these programs often feel like since they paid for a full featured security program, they should be able to click on whatever they want with total abandon. Unfortunately, this is far from being the case - no matter how much you pay for your protection, it can only do what you tell it to do. - More on this later.
2. They become TOO restrictive and users disable functionality or ignore warnings. Like the boy who cried wolf, if users get a warning every time a legitimate program tries to do something they tend to start ignoring the notifications and when an actual problem occurs, they may disregard it assuming it is another false positive.

Why does my computer still get infected even though I have anti-virus protection?

Many malicious programs install like a normal program, so the computer (and security suite) treat it as a normal program. These are known as MALWARE as opposed to a virus because they trick you into performing a legitimate installation. If you choose to install a program and just click past the normal warnings (Windows User Account Control, Are you SURE?, etc.) the computer assumes that you know what you are doing.

Most anti-virus programs only stop actions that are being taken without approval from the user. That is where anti-malware programs become effective, but only if they are used properly. Most free anti-malware programs only run when the user initiates a scan. If the user does not regularly scan for malware, the computer can become increasingly infected over time. Some paid versions of anti-malware programs such as Malwarebytes and AdAware Pro run in real-time and are much more capable of detecting known threats, but no program can be 100% effective without also hindering the user experience.

More protection is NOT always better!

One thing that many users fail to realize is that running multiple security applications can actually detract from the safety of your system. If multiple anti-virus programs are running, not only is it likely to drastically decrease the performance of your computer, they may actually conflict with one another's ability to remove threats.

If, for instance, one program is trying to move an infected file to quarantine and another program detects the threat during the process, it may deny access to the file from the first program and thus leave the threat untouched where it can continue to infect your system.

So what is the best Security Solution?

User common sense and safe surfing habits is the ONLY way to guarantee a secure internet experience. That being said, there are several free programs out there that can help: 

Anti-Virus

1. Microsoft Security Essentials
2. Avast!
3. Avira
4. AVG Free

Anti-Malware / Spyware

1. Malwarebytes Anti-Malware - I HIGHLY recommend purchasing the full version of this for real-time malware protection. It really is one of the best programs out there and I have been using it on my personal computers for several years.
2. Ad-Aware
3. Spyboy Search and Destroy
4. CCleaner

Do NOT use more than ONE of any of the programs from each category at the same time! This is very important. It does not matter which ones you use (Though my preferences are Microsoft Security Essentials and Malwarebytes Anti-Malware) but do not use any other programs in conjunction with them. It will only hinder your computer's ability to protect itself.

IRS Phishing Scam

Today I received an email supposedly from the IRS. I want to show everyone how I knew it was a scam and tell you what to do if you get a similar message:

Click for full size image.

#1 The From address is NOT a .gov domain, much less an irs.gov domain... it is vnsl(dot)com.
#2 Personal information like this would never be mass mailed, the government does not use mailing lists, so the multiple recipients are a dead give away.
#3 Colloquialism in the greeting, "Good day," - This is not the start of an official document.
#4 The website it linked to, on mouseover produced another site that was not a .irs.gov domain (in fact, even more telling that it was dangerous was the fact it was an "ftp" (file transfer protocol) site meaning when clicked it was going to try to access a file:

#5 Knowing that I have good protection and that I can handle anything it throws at me, I clicked the link (I DO NOT RECOMMEND THIS) and immediately was greeted with this:

#6 Colloquialism in the salutation, "Yours faithfully" - Not a professional salutation.
#7 Finally, the official name of the IRS is backward, officially it is:

Department of the Treasury Internal Revenue Service

Sh*t My Customers Say (Random Advice)

Folks, this may come as a surprise to you, but just because you don't understand how a computer works, does not mean that your tech guy doesn't either. Lying (misleading) the person trying to help you is, at best, going to cause any fix to take longer (costing you more money). If you don't know what happened, just say so. If you do know, tell us! Guessing can be just as bad, your tech doesn't know your level of expertise and may go on a wild goose chase because of your guess. If nothing else tell us what you were doing when the problem occurred! Any tech worth their salt has seen it all before anyway and is not interested in judging you. Some things to consider:

Computers are not magical.

Computers do not have minds of their own, they can only do what they are told to do.

No matter what you hear in chat rooms or on Facebook, computers don't just "go wild" and start acting up for no reason (or to get you to buy new software).

This is not to say that hardware doesn't go bad from time to time and stop functioning properly, but I can tell you this:

1. Your computer will not download porn onto your system for no reason. There are some viruses that download porn, but they pretty much went extinct with Dial-up Internet. The reason being, they would dial toll-based numbers and download nasty porn thus making the company money on the toll, and making you too ashamed to do anything about it short of taking a sledge hammer to your hard drive.
2. There is no magical button you can accidentally press and make horrible things happen (that usually takes pressing at least 2 buttons at once [har har] ). The majority of problems with computers that do not involve being romantically entangled with a dirty Intarweb connection are caused by lack of user patients.
3. Windows Update is on YOUR side! I can't believe how many times I have been told that a computer was working fine until Windows Update ran and then *poof* the computer became a boat anchor. We have all seen the horror stories on the Internet, and it *does* happen occasionally (I can recall two documented cases in the past 10 years, both on XP), but when it does, it is not to a single individual, it is to all users of a particular piece of hardware or software. Most of the horror stories you read involving Windows Update leave out an important piece of information such as: "I thought the update was taking too long so I powered off my computer mid-update".
4. When it comes to Virus Protection, more is not always better. Everyone wants to have good virus protection. There are millions of malicious websites out there that, if given the chance, will infect you faster than *insert unprotected sex metaphor here* but do yourself a favor; choose ONE anti-virus program and stick with it. Not all antivirus programs are equal, but they all offer the same basic protection. What makes one "better" than another is usually the resource usage, how often it bothers you, or it's special features (such as IM protection, e-mail protection, or a firewall). Once you find one that you like, or that at least fits your needs, use it and ONLY it. DO NOT INSTALL MORE THAN ONE ANTI-VIRUS PROGRAM ON YOUR COMPUTER AT A TIME! Multiple anti-virus programs can fight with each other and actually render each other useless.
5. In most cases, the average home user has no need for any firewall other than Windows Firewall. Almost every anti-virus manufacturer out there has some form of 'premium' service that includes a software firewall. Unfortunately, the majority of these firewalls are way too aggressive at blocking legitimate things and become an inconvenience to the user. When this happens, the user has two choices; create an exception for each legit program it blocks, or just disable the firewall leaving themselves completely unprotected. Windows Firewall gives a great basic protection that, in most cases, will not block legitimate programs form communication with the Internet.
6. NO program will make your computer faster than its hardware limitations. You see ads all over the Internet advertising tune-up programs, registry cleaners, spyware removal, etc. While most of these programs are legit, they can only do so much, and like the anti-virus software mentioned above, almost all of them are equal. Regardless of how convincing the ad, your computer is limited by two major things: The hardware (actual computer parts) and your Internet connection. Generally what these tune up programs do is tweak the settings a bit to make the hardware or Internet connection run more efficiently... sort of like putting Premium gas in your car; it's not going to become a top-fuel dragster. Beware of any utility program that claims to make your computer "faster than new" because to substantiate that claim, they typically disable uncommonly used system services that you may need now or in the future. These programs were great back in the days when RAM was measured in Megabytes, but anyone with a GB or more of RAM won't even notice a difference.

I would love an opportunity to answer some direct questions people have; feel free to e-mail me and I will answer your questions in my next blog post.

Hackers: Cyber Scapegoats

Hackers are everywhere. If we do not keep constantly vigilant against them they will hack into your computer, steal your identification and credit card numbers, place child porn and bestiality pictures on your hard drive, melt down your CPU, and impregnate your household pets. Right?

In reality, Hackers are rarely involved in most of the things people think they are. People tend to use Hackers as fall guys. Whenever something happens to a computer or a user's information and the user (or their well meaning friends) don't know the cause, it is usually attributed to Hackers, viruses or viruses planted by Hackers. The truth is, the culprit is usually:

1. The user's own carelessness
2. Assholes exploiting #1

The absolute most common reason for computer problems is user error. The problem is, users are often so sure that they know what they are doing that they are unwilling to admit they made a mistake. One thing people seem to forget about the Internet is that there is no police or government, the Internet is almost total anarchy.

Enter the assholes. Because of the recent boom of the personal computer without an equally strong education in adapting to the new technology, opportunists (assholes) have found a new way to trick people into buying things they don't want or need, giving out personal information, and relinquishing control of their computers. These assholes are NOT Hackers, however, they are capitalists. About 75% of the malicious internet-born activity around today is created by people looking to make money. Another 20% is people just being assholes to make themselves feel smarter than everyone else. Only about 5% is actual Hacker activity. To prove my point, look at the picture below... the actual download link is not even on that screen, but further down on the page:

The fake ones look pretty convincing huh? They are meant to hijack your clicks and trick you into downloading Spyware or Malware, or at least force you to read some more ads. This kind of trickery is especially prominent on social media sites such as Facebook and My___.

THIS is how Facebook accounts become compromised, NOT from Hackers.

That kind of deception is not the work of a Hacker. It is the work of normal people trying to screw other people with the full knowledge that they can not be held accountable.

This is not to say that Hackers can not be dangerous or do not use viruses to gain access to exploits, but it is MUCH harder than most people realize. Hackers believe that all information should be free and find it a challenge to gain access to that information. A Hacker by the name of Tim Berner-Lee created the Internet; and to this date, Internet access is 100% free. The fee you pay every month for internet access is not paying for the Internet, but the means to reach it (data lines, overhead costs for keeping servers running, etc). The Internet itself is free to access, download and use at your leisure.

That being said, the average person's credit card information and computer files are not worth a Hacker's time and effort. Newer operating systems with access control and built-in firewalls are difficult and time consuming to gain unauthorized access to. Unless you have very sought-after information or personally pissed a Hacker off, chances are they have no interest in you.

Outdated Windows advice that may actually harm your computer's performance. (Part One)

As a computer technician I get a lot of advice from customers. For some reason, people tend to believe everything they hear or read on the internet, especially when multiple nut-jobs confirm it. Then, in an attempt to show me how much they know, they let me in on the secrets.

For the most part, the advice is either half true, used to be true, or relatively harmless and a matter of preference. Some of the advice floating around out there, however, is at best harmful to your computer's performance, and at worst, can actually damage your computer's hardware.

Deleting Cookies, Browser History, Temporary Internet files, etc.

The Theory: Cookies, browser history, and temporary Internet files will slow down your computer and / or give away personal information to other people on the Internet.

The Truth: These files are put in your computer to speed up your internet experience. Unless you have a very small hard drive or do not want someone else that physically uses your computer to know what you have been doing on it, the files are harmless and removing them will actually slow down your browsing experience.

More Info: The misconceptions about these files are that if they are left on your computer, outside sources will be able to track your internet usage and / or steal your personal information.

• Browser History - In truth, only a person that physically uses the same computer that your history is saved on has any access to your history. The files are not accessible from legitimate 3rd party programs. If you have spyware or other malware infecting your computer, on the other hand, this may change. The solution is not to get rid of the browsing history, but rather to get rid of the malicious software accessing it. 
• Temporary Internet Files - these files are ones that your browser downloads to your computer such as images or sounds that are used in displaying the website. Most browsers automatically delete these files after a preset time if they are not used again or take up more than a preset amount of space. Users that play any form of browser game; such as Facebook games, Runescape, online poker, etc. will actually cause their games to load and run slower by deleting these files.
• Cookies - Oh the dreaded cookie... the bane of Internet users since the dawn of time (or early 90's, whatever). Ever since people discovered that websites stored cookies on computers there have been horror stories and conspiracy theories about the evils of the deliciously-innocent sounding file and what they are doing to your computer. But what are cookies if not demonic mini-viruses hell bent on destroying your happiness? They are text files. Plain text files. 

So if a cookie is just a text file, it must contain all of your personal information right? Everything a hacker needs to steal your identity and give your puppy worms? If not, why else would everyone "know" cookies are bad?

The anti-cookie campaign sprung up about the same time as Windows 98, which came with Internet Explorer pre-installed. Users found that these tiny files were saving information about your visit to the website and all kinds of big-brother theories exploded into life. It is all part of the anti Microsoft / anti Internet Explorer rhetoric we still hear about today. So what does a cookie actually contain?

Here is the actual cookie that this blog puts on my computer when I log in. What you can tell from reading this cookie is:

1. It is for this blog.
2. I was on Facebook before I cane here. (for website statistic purposes)
3. My username and password for the site is stored in an encrypted file on my computer, and my browser should retrieve it if not over the expiration time for the cookie.

For more information on the truth and fiction about cookies, there is a great article on Life Hacker about them HERE.


Registry Errors and Broken Shortcuts

The Theory: You need to scan for and fix Registry Errors and Broken Shortcuts regularly and if you have them often, there is something wrong with my computer.

The Truth: Registry Errors and Broken Shortcuts CAN slow down your computer over time, but are perfectly normal.

More Info: Programs that scan for and "fix" registry errors are a bit misleading. What they actually do is read the registry entries and make sure all of the files they refer to actually exist. The program has no idea if the values in your registry are as they should be, it only knows if an entry refers to a file that is no longer there. The same is true with the broken shortcuts, only the name is slightly less misleading; the shortcuts are not broken (and thus not fixed) they simply refer to a file that is no longer there and are removed. Most broken shortcuts occur in "recent files" lists after a file has been deleted.

These errors are perfectly normal and occur almost any time any file is moved or deleted. In extreme cases, the registry entries may slow down your computer's start-up or the launching of a program because the registry refers to a file that is no longer there, so your computer takes a few milliseconds to look for it before moving on. In the days of Windows 95, 98, and even some in XP (pre Service Pack 2), a missing file in a registry entry could make the computer come to a halt altogether. With newer OS's, the computer is smart enough to just skip that entry and move on after a few milliseconds... but they can add up. This is the registry errors after about 8 hours of active use on my computer since the last cleaning:

Bottom line, registry repair programs do help, but are not miracle cures. Finding errors (even hundreds at once) does not mean there is something wrong with your computer. It's like tossing a bunch of stuff into a drawer; when you see something that is not useful, you toss it to the side and keep looking... registry repair programs remove the useless stuff from the drawer so you can find the useful stuff faster.


Disk Defragmentation

The Theory: Disk fragmentation can slow a computer down to a crawl. Complete defragmentation should be performed on a regular basis and as a preventative measure.

The Truth: Disk fragmentation CAN slow down your computer any time it seeks information off the hard drive. How much? Well that depends, but excessive defragmentation can be FAR more harmful to your computer than you may think.

More Info: If you use an older computer like Windows 95 or 98 that uses the FAT32 file system the decrease in performance can be very significant. Windows XP introduced the NTFS (NT File System) to home users and its indexes are much more capable of handling moderate fragmentation without as much performance loss making defragmentation somewhat less important.

Windows Vista and Windows 7 automatically defragment in the background dynamically as it is needed (during down time such as whenever the screensaver is on) and virtually eliminate the need for users to run Disk Defrag.

How could defragmentation possibly be harmful to your computer? Defragmentation puts more stress on the hard drive than any other operation you could possibly perform. The heat and wear incurred on the drive during the process make it paramount that you only defragment when absolutely necessary.

I had a customer that came to me complaining about how his hard drives kept dying on him, like about every 6-months to a year. He was pissed off and assuming it was Windows' fault (even threatened to switch to a Mac "because they don't need defragmented" *False statement, but not going to get into it on this post*). After talking with him a bit, he told me that he defragmented his hard drive EVERY DAY. There is no wonder his drives died out fast, that is more use put on a drive in a week than most users put on a drive in a year! He was even running Windows 7 which straight out tells him...look man, you don't need to defragment this drive... but if you REALLY want to... I guess I will. His reason for doing it is because some "computer guru" told him to. The only real-world parallel I can think of is if you drove your car everywhere with the emergency break partially on so that you stop faster... then wonder why your brakes wear out fast.

One more piece of advice on Disk defragmentation: If you use a 3rd-party defragmentation program, use the same one ALL THE TIME. Defragmentation programs differ in what they consider to be fragmentation, as well as what levels are acceptable. While writing this, I used two programs to analyze my drives and see if they needed defragmented. The first, was Windows 7's built in Disk Defragmenter (Top) and the other is TuneUp Drive Defrag (Bottom).

See the difference in the supposed fragmentation between each program? If I were to run one, then the other back and forth for eternity, they would never agree.


In part two of this series I will be discussing the need for 3rd party firewalls and WiFi Encryption plus whatever else I think of by then. If you have any questions, suggestions, or comments; please post them below or on my Facebook page!

Computer Terms: How not to feel like a dummy (Part 2)

This post is a continuation of my last blog entry on computer hardware terminology. What follows is a brief index of commonly used computer function terms that may help explain to the service technician what the problem is or when it occurred.

Upload and Download

The terms I hear misused most commonly are Upload and Download. For the most part, uploading and downloading refer to transferring data to and from the Internet.

These terms can be a bit confusing, however, because they can also be used to describe the transfer of data on a network subjective to the user's hierarchy on the network. Downloading is when you transfer data from a computer that is higher than yours on the hierarchy. Uploading is when you transfer files to a computer that is higher than yours.






Cut, Copy, Move, Burn, and Rip

 When something is "cut" or "copied", it is sent to the "clipboard" which is a temporary space in the memory (RAM) until it is "pasted". The difference between cutting and copying is that when you cut, the original is removed and when you copy the original remains. Whenever something is placed back onto the computer or media from RAM it is known as "pasting". It is impossible to paste without first copying or cutting.


Dragging and Dropping are also forms of using cut, copy and paste. When dragging and dropping a file from one physical media to another, the data will be copied. When the process is performed and both the original location and destination location are on the same physical media, the data will be moved (cut and pasted).


For the most part, data is "copied" from one device to another  as long as the original device retains the original file. Moving data is almost the same as copying, but the data no longer remains at the original location.


CD and DVD-ROMs are what's known as optical disks. Optical disks have their own terminology due to the laser that is used. Writing data to an optical disk is known as "Burning" because the laser physically etches ones and zeroes onto the surface of the disk. Transferring data from an optical disk is often referred to as "ripping". This is not to be confused with the installation process that happens when you insert an optical disk and run a program from the disk itself.

Installing, Uninstalling, and Deleting

Installing and Uninstalling is when a program is put onto or removed from your computer. This differs from copying and moving in that most installation and un-installation processes involve moving files from multiple locations.  

Think of it as luggage. When you come home from a trip, you may have several items in your luggage, but they don't all go to the same place. Some may go to the dresser, others to a closet, toiletries to the bathroom etc. Installing a program is the same concept. There are files that may need to go to Program Files, others to the system folder, and others to the desktop. That is installation, and during the installation a record is kept of what was put where.


When you uninstall that same program, you use that list of where everything was put to find those items that you put away, but instead of putting them back in the luggage, you throw them away. 

On the other hand, if you just try to delete something, you may throw away a few drawers of stuff but forget the toiletries in the bathroom. Those items that are left over are taking up unnecessary space at best, and at worst could cause a lot of confusion for your computer.


Part three of the terminology will cover internet colloquialisms such IM, email, bookmarking, favorites, RSS feeds, Twitter, toolbars and search providers.

Computer Terms: How not to feel like a dummy.

One of the most common things I notice when talking to customers that aren't technically savvy is that they are unsure what to call different parts of their computer, how to explain what their computer is doing, or what questions to ask. This is going to be a bit of a techno-term lesson for those that don't want to risk being taken advantage of.

Some less than scrupulous repair technicians feed on customer misinformation to sell them stuff they don't need. They hear the customer misuse terminology and see dollar signs, knowing they can talk over the customer's head and sell them more parts or services than they really need.

Please understand this is not meant to be condescending, but an informational lesson.

Standard Components

The Tower

The main component of the computer is the tower. It may be referred to as the CPU, but that is incorrect as you will see. This is the main, all inclusive component of the computer. Everything not contained in this box is considered a peripheral component.

This empty shell is referred to as the case. The case holds all of the major components of the computer. The wires you see are connections for the various lights and external ports on the case. They will be connected to the motherboard. The case type is determined by they type of motherboard it can support. (Ex. AT, ATX, MicroATX)










The Motherboard (Mainboard)
This is the major base component for the computer. The Motherboard (or Mainboard) is what everything plugs in to. It ties all of the components of the computer together and is arguably the most important part of the computer. The motherboard controls what components can be used with the computer so it ultimately decides how upgradable the computer is.

The Central Processing Unit (CPU, Processor)

The Central Processing Unit (sometimes called the CPU or Processor) is the "brain" of the operation. The CPU processes all information into and out of the computer. The CPU's processing ability is one of the most important functions of the computer. There are several types of processors and most motherboards can only support one type of processor (usually determined by the number or arrangement of pins on the CPU). The CPU plugs into a "socket" on the motherboard. This is measured in speeds such as Megahertz (MHz) and Gigahertz  (GHz); typically the larger number the better (More on that in a later post).

The CPU Heat Sink and Fan

On top of the CPU is a heat sink and fan. The Heat Sink draws heat away from the CPU itself and allows the fan to disburse the heat. It is important that the fan and heat sink are installed properly and are clean so that the heat can efficiently be removed from the CPU. An overheating CPU can cause your computer to shut off at random.

There is typically a layer of Thermal Compound, or paste that helps the transfer of heat from the CPU to the heat sink. The more heat transferred to the heat sink, the cooler and more efficient the CPU can run.





The Power Supply Unit (PSU)

The Power Supply Unit provides electrical power to the motherboard and all of the other components contained inside the tower. The motherboard and components will determine the type and size of power supply required. Typically the PSU is measured by its type and maximum output in Watts. (Ex. 350 Watt ATX power supply)






Random Access Memory (RAM, memory)

Random Access Memory or RAM stores the information that the CPU is manipulating in real time. Also known as volatile memory, the information stored in the RAM only exists temporarily and disappears when the computer is shut off.

RAM is a major factor in determining the speed of a computer as having too little can cause a bottleneck. As the CPU manipulates information it is loaded from storage media into the RAM, while in the RAM, the CPU can manipulate the information as needed, and then the information is written back to storage media. Modern computers can use part of the hard drive to create a "swap file" or "virtual memory" in case the computer is lacking on physical RAM, but manipulating information in the swap file is MUCH slower than in RAM.
 RAM is typically measured in capacity (Megabytes (MB) or Gigabytes(GB) and larger is usually better (more on that in a later post).

Hard Disk Drive (HDD, Hard Drive)

The hard disk drive is also known as storage media or non-volatile memory. The hard drive stores all of the programs, pictures and music on your computer. Unlike RAM, the information stored on the hard drive remains until overwritten, even if the computer is shut off.

Hard drives are typically rated by type, speed, and size. (Ex. 7200RPM SATA 500GB)






Optional Components

Video Graphics Adapter (Video Card)

The video graphics adapter (video card) is an optional part of a computer. Some computers have on-board graphics on the motherboard. Unfortunately, the on-board graphics have to share resources with all other aspects of computation and are limited by what ever resources are left.

As operating systems, programs, and games become more graphically intense, the lack of a dedicated video card can cripple an otherwise fast system. The dedicated card takes care of all aspects of the graphics processing and sends the finished information to and from the CPU in a high speed connection called a bus. The graphics card is limited to the port types available on the motherboard and typically have their own built-in RAM used for video only. Common video card types are PCI, AGP, and PCI-e.

Sound Card

Most modern motherboards have built-in sound  capable of 5.1 or better surround sound.  If not, your computer may have a sound card that plugs into the motherboard and provides sound output.







Dial-Up Modem

If you have an older computer or still use dial-up internet, you likely have an internal modem. The modem allows the computer to communicate with other computers over an analog telephone line.








Network Interface Card (NIC)

If you have broadband internet (cable, DSL, Fiber Optics), chances are you have a network interface card. In many cases these too are integrated into the motherboard, but if not there may be a card as shown on the right. These typically connect to an external modem (below left) or router (below right).

Monitor (display)

No computer is complete without the monitor. Most people know what a monitor is, so this is just an explanation of the common monitor types.

Cathode-Ray Tube (CRT)

The most common monitor type is the Cathode-Ray Tube monitor (CRT) these are the big, desk hogging monitors that look like TVs. They are capable of extremely high resolutions but consume much more power than their LCD counterparts.




Liquid Crystal Display (LCD)

The Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) monitor is not able to reproduce the extremely high resolutions that a CRT can, but they are increasingly common because of their ability to display widescreen aspect ratios, lower power consumption, and small footprint.










Part Two of my computer terms will explain procedure terminology such as upload, download, install, uninstall, burning, ripping, and formatting.