Best way to protect your children from viewing pornography (web protection).

K9 Web Protection:

If you have tried all softwares that provide web protection and if you are not satisfied with it, here’s the solution.  There’s free software named K9 Web protection which provides an easy interface to filter the contents that you need to allow or block. If you have disabled your computer from accessing adult websites using this software, nobody can access any sexually–related websites from your computer. You can disable chat/instant messaging or set time for your children to chat etc. 

You can disable the user from viewing steaming videos as well. You don’t even have to create a new user account. It also protects your computer from accessing websites that contain malware or spyware. You can set filter for all type of websites. It works great. Check it. 

The link to the website would be www.k9webprotection.com .
 
Disadvantage:
 

Recently I found that the internet browsing speed is affected after using this software as scanning each links against its database takes time.

My Porn Blocker:

            The above disadvantage with the K9 Web Protection is eliminated in this software. It's because most of the softwares check the URL of the requested page with its database and so the database need to be updated regularly. This method is not effective because 100s of websites are launched every day!

 The My Porn Blocker software check and double check the actual content that is being loaded with its intelligent engine and so the speed is not affected.  This software have excellent features like stopping illegal file sharing, runs silently and completely hidden from task bar, secretly take screen shot's every x minutes for later use.

Read more about this amazing software from their website www.mypornblocker.com

Steps to fix the liveupdate issue of your antivirus.

You can do the following steps if your antivirus liveupdate is not working.

1. Check computer’s date and time.

2. Check the Language settings (should be English).

3. Check whether you are able to visit secure websites like www.symantec.com

4. Reset web browser, reset winsoc , flush the DNS, remove unwanted entries from the host file if present and remove temporary files.

5. Check DNS poisoning in TCP/IP properties.

6. Check whether proxy is enabled.

     7. Check whether there’s any third party firewall program.

     8. Disabling router firewall and enabling DMZ.


1. Check computer’s time and date.

If you have a live update issue, the first and foremost thing you need to check is the date and time of your computer. If the date and time of your computer is not correct the live update will fail, because the computer will not be able to synchronize with the live update server. It will show that no updates available or the live update finish quickly when you run it but you will see red mark or an alert or exclamation mark on your antivirus program interface.

Click here if your computer date and time is changing always. 

      2. Check the language setting. 

The language settings of your computer should be English. If the language setting is not correct the antivirus will fail to synchronize with the live update server. To check the language settings, 

o Go to Start>Control panel>Regional Language settings (Vary depends upon Operating System).

o In the region and language settings, click on the Administrative tab. 

o Click on “change system locale”.

 

o If it’s not English, then change it to English. 

      3. Go to secure websites like www.msn.com or www.symantec.com.

If you are not able to visit the actual page when you visit any secure websites, it’s sure that your computer is affected. This issue is caused due to website redirection virus. You will be redirected to some other websites or web pages if you have website redirection virus. Some redirection viruses can be easily removed and some others are difficult to find. 

Click here to know the basic steps that can be done to fix the redirection virus.

4. Reset web browser, reset winsoc, flush the DNS, remove unwanted entries from the host file if present and remove temporary files.

Click here to see the instructions to reset web browser, to reset winsoc and to flush DNS. You will be able to know about the host file and how to remove unwanted entries from it aswell.

5. Check DNS poisoning in TCP/IP properties.

If you have a virus infection, it can change the settings in the TCP/IP properties. In the run box (press windows and R key to open) type as ncpa.cpl and then press enter. A window will open. Right click on the Local Area Connection (your Network Interface Card) and click on properties. Double click on Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPV4). If you didn’t set any DNS or proxy settings manually, it should look like below,

If you see any values over there you need click on “obtain IP address automatically” and “obtain DNS server address automatically”. This will remove the DNS IP address added by the virus. Some antivirus like Norton antivirus helps to connect to internet through their DNS servers. You can configure their DNS settings as well which is safe. To know more about it follow this link http://nortondns.com/faq/ and http://nortondns.com/ .

6. Check whether proxy is enabled.

If you are connecting to internet through a proxy server, you need to configure the same proxy settings in your antivirus program. Otherwise live update will fail. To check whether you are connected through a proxy server, click on the below link http://www.lagado.com/proxy-test .

           In some cases due to virus infection the proxy settings will be enabled and you will not be able to access websites. Your email client may work or you may be able to contact the technical support of your antivirus software but you will not be able to access internet. This is caused because of the proxy settings. 

To fix this, follow the below steps, 

o Open Internet Explorer browser.

o Go to Tools>Internet Options>Connections>LAN settings. 

o You will see 3 small boxes. Uncheck the second and third boxes if checked.

o Check the box which says “automatically detect settings”. 

o Click on OK button. 

o Now the proxy is removed.

You can check whether you are able to connect to internet. If you have removed the proxy by following the above steps you can check whether the live update is working.

      7. Check whether there’s a third party firewall program.

Installing two antivirus or firewall on a computer is ineffective and one will block the activities of other. So check whether there’s any antivirus programs installed on your computer other than the antivirus software that you are using for your computer.

8. Disabling router firewall, enabling DMZ.

This is the final step you can do. You can do this if you need to run the live update urgently and if you don’t have any other way to get the update. Here we are going to allow direct connection without firewall for your router which is not safe. But after running the live update you can reconfigure it back to the previous settings. Below are the steps to disable firewall and enable DMZ for Linksys router,

· Log in to your router page. Click here to know how to login (you will see the command to know IP address of your computer aswell).

· Click on the security tab and disable SPI firewall.

· Click on Application and Gaming and then click on DMZ.

· Click on enabled and give the IP address of your computer. 

· Now close the router page and run live update. 

If you aren’t able to run a downloaded file as it says the publisher of the software cannot be verified or “unknown publisher”, the live update will also fail. The live update will show as if it has downloaded the update completely, but the last few KB of the update will not be downloaded and so the live update will fail while installing the update. You will see the error message as “failed to install some updates”. You will have to change the router if this issue is persistent.

In this case, you need to remove the temporary files first. The unknown publisher issue will fix if you could connect your computer to another network (in your office or the internet connection at your friends home). What you can do is you can download the update separately. Check under “For dial up” below to know how to download the update separately. Sometimes running live update again and again will fix the live update issue. 

Note:

The live update won’t work if you disable the DMZ. 

For dial up:

If you have dial-up connection you will not be able to download the update completely as the download may stop any time due to interruption in the connection. Most of the antivirus provides a page from where you can download the update. For example, Norton provides a page to download the update. Check this link 

http://www.symantec.com/business/security_response/definitions/download/detail.jsp?gid=n95

You can download the update separately from another computer that has high speed internet connection. Then you can import or copy it to your computer using a USB or flash drive or CD. Then install it on your computer. You can do this if you have installed a fresh copy of antivirus and running live update for the first time. After installing the update you can run live update from your computer that has dial-up connection.

How to reset BIOS?

You will have to reset the BIOS if,

• You are not able to login to your computer as you forget your BIOS password (not windows login password).  

• If there’s any virus in BIOS. 

• Some times when you insert a new RAM

The virus on the BIOS will start functioning after installing on the hard disk. In some cases the hard disk will be working most of the time even though you are not using any program on your computer (and if the antivirus idle scan is not working) or you can see the red light for the hard disk is glowing most of the time. Some people reformat the hard drive and install the operating system from scratch or change the hard disk but soon they will know that the issue is not resolved.

To fix this issue we need to reset the BIOS. The steps involve removing and reconnecting the CMOS battery back after 10 minutes.

               

To reset the BIOS and BIOS password:

1. Turn off your computer or unplug the power supply to the computer.
2. Open your computer case.
3. Remove the CMOS battery which looks like below.

 
     4.  Wait for 10 to 15 minutes.
     5.  Place the CMOS battery back to the same place from where you removed it.
     6.  Now the BIOS is resetted.

Note:

The 10 minutes time is to completely discharge the voltage in SMPS. For some SMPS it will take 30 minutes to 1 hour and so it’s recommended to wait for an hour after the third step. If you don’t have time and need to reset it quickly, remove the power supply to motherboard from the SMPS and remove the CMOS battery. Wait for 1 minute. Place the CMOS battery back to the motherboard and reconnect the power supply from SMPS to the board. Then you can restart your computer.

Alternate method:

This is an easy and best method if you could find the 3 pin jumper which is near the CMOS battery (the position depends upon the type of mother board) and the BIOS will reset without fail,

1. Turn OFF the computer.
2. Remove the jumper from its default position (1 and 2) and place the jumper to the 2^nd and 3^rd position. 
3. Turn ON the power button which is at the front of your computer case.
4. Now wait for 1 minute.
5. Again turn OFF the computer.
6. Place the jumper back to its default position i.e., 1 and 2.
7. Turn ON the computer.
8. The BIOS will be resetted.

Note:

           Your computer will not restart properly if you have wrong jumper settings.

Why my computer date and time is changing always?

If your computer time is automatically changing every day or anytime, the CMOS battery of your computer needs to be changed.  You can replace it by opening your computer case or ATX cabinet and you will see the CMOS battery as below

 

It will look like a big watch battery. You can remove it and replace it with a new one. The voltage value and other values of the battery will be specific and so you can take the battery to the store or watch shop where you wish to purchase it. After replacing the CMOS battery, restart your computer and if your computer shows any error restart the computer again. Now you need to set the date and time.

Note:

 Replacing the battery will reset your BIOS as well which is good. Click here to know how that happen.

 

How to reset the modem and router?

Sometimes we need to reset the modem if we have the following issues like,

•     If you are unable to connect to internet after trying all other options and if you understand that the issue lies with the router configuration. 

•   Website redirection which can be caused if unwanted DNS values are present.

•   If the firmware upgrade for the modem was failed it won’t let you to connect to internet.

•   If the internet connection configuration is changed and more.
 

Troubleshooting steps:

The first thing you can do is unplug the power for the modem and router (router will be there if you have a wireless connection otherwise you only have a modem).  After 1 minute you can reconnect the power back and restart your computer. In most cases this fixes the issue. If you have a cable or DSL connection, you can do the same or you can reset your modem by pressing the reset button which will be at the back of the modem. You need to press the reset button for about 30 seconds and modem will be resetted. In some cases upgrading the firmware will fix the issue. To do this you need to download the latest firm ware and then you can upgrade the firmware for your router by logging in to the router page. 

Note: 

• Don’t connect the power adapter for router to modem and vice versa after disconnection.
• You can use a pen or something to reset the modem but don’t press the reset button hardly as reset button will jam.
• You may not need to reset the router if your email client is able to access internet and if you are unable to access internet through your web browser.
• It’s better to back up the configuration before upgrading the firmware. Don’t turn off modem while upgrading the firmware as the flash chip in the modem will be damaged.

If the above didn’t fix the issue you need to contact your Internet Service Provider (ISP). They will reset the router after accessing the router page and correct the internet connection configuration.  

If you have a ZTE Modem, below are the steps to reset it, modem model: ZXDSL 831ALL

To reset the router we need to do three steps.

1-      First restart the router in its factory settings.

2-      Configure the internet connection settings based upon the settings provided by your Internet Service Provider.

3-      Restart the router in the configuration that we have applied.

First we need to open the router page. 

To open command prompt and router page:

1-      Turn on the modem. 

2-      Go to Start>All programs>Accessories>command prompt or press windows key and then press R button on your key board without releasing windows key. The “Run” window will open.

3-      Type cmd in the run box. Then press enter. The command prompt window will open.

4-      Type in ipconfig. You will be able to find the IP address given for your router. You can check it IP given for the default gateway and it will be the IP address of the router. It’ll be 192.168.1.1.

5-      Open your internet browser. In the address bar, type in http://192.168.1.1 . It will ask you to provide the user name and password to login to the router page. You can provide the user name and password as admin.  The router page will open. 

To restart the modem in factory settings:

1-      Click on Admin tab which is at the left bottom of the page.

2-      Click on Reboot 

3-      It will ask you to reboot router with listed configuration files. 

4-      You can select the configuration from which you need to reboot. Usually there would be two configurations 

a.       Last

                  b.      Factory

      5-     You will see the configuration as “Last”, you need to click on the drop down arrow and select “Factory”
      6-      Click on Reboot.
      7-      Now the router will be rebooting in its factory settings.
      8-      Wait for some time and you will be able to understand that the router is restarted.

To configure the internet connection settings: 

     1-      Now click on the configuration tab. 

     2-      Click on Internet Connection and if you see the connection that is active. “Usually the last configuration under the PVC name will be the active connection” (There are some protocols that you can use depending upon the type of connection. If the protocol selected is PPP over Ethernet (PPPoE) you will  see the disconnect option under PVC name and in this case this is the active connection) 

     3-      You can delete this configuration. 

     4-      Click on Add. 

     5-      You will be asked to configure ATM PVC. You need to select a port number. You can provide the VPI as 0 and 35 for VCI. 

     6-      Click on next and select bridging which helps to connect to internet after dialing. i.e., you will be connected to internet only if you dial the connection with your user name and password and won’t be connected to internet automatically as soon as the router is up. 

     7-      Then click on next and again next and then click on apply. 

     8-      Now we have to restart the router with the settings that we have configured.

Important: The above configuration is for BSNL.  You need to call your ISP to know the value of VCI (Virtual Channel Identifier) provided by them as it may change according to your location.

To restart the router in the configuration that we have applied: 

     1-      Click on the Admin tab again, select Reboot and then select the configuration from the drop down as “Last” if it’s not so. Then click on reboot. 

     2-      Now the modem is resetted. 

     3-      Try to connect to internet, for testing purposes you can use the user name as bbtest and the password is bsnlmp (for BSNL users)

Basic steps to resolve website redirection virus.

If the website address of a particular website is changed, you will be redirected to the new address. If only one website is redirected, it’s may not be a virus. If many websites are redirecting when you click on the links, that you got after doing a Google search, then your computer will have redirection virus. If you have website redirection issue, the basic things you can do are as follows

1.      Remove the temporary files.

2.      Reset  your Internet browser:

3.      Remove unwanted entries from host file.

4.      Reset winsoc to default settings and remove unwanted DNS entries.

5.      Install a new web browser (temporary fix).

1. Removing the temporary files:

          To access the temporary folders easily you need to open the Run window. To open Run window press the windows key and then press the R button without releasing the windows button or you can open it by clicking on,

a.  Start>Accessories>Run  (Windows Vista and Windows 7)

b.  Start>Run (Windows XP)

     

          Type the command temp and then press Enter button. Remove the files that are in the temp folder. Do the same for %temp%, prefetch and recent.

Note:

• Removing the temporary files will delete the web history and saved login username and password for websites (it will not be deleted if logins are saved using a third party add-on).

• Removing prefetch and temporary files will improve the speed of the computer if its running very slow and deleting prefetch will not cause any issues. 

2. Resetting your Internet browser:

Remove personal settings as well when resetting Internet Explorer.

• To reset Internet Explorer follow the steps in this link

          http://support.microsoft.com/kb/923737

• To reset Mozilla Firefox follow the steps in this link

          http://support.mozilla.com/en-US/kb/resetting+preferences

3. Removing unwanted entries from host file:

This is one of the important steps that need to be done for this issue. Open C drive.  Then go to Windows>System 32>Drivers>etc. After opening the etc folder you will see a file named hosts.  

 

Double click on the host file and a window will pop up, asking you to use a program to open it.  Select Notepad from the list of programs.  After opening the host file with notepad you will see as following (the host file shown below is for Windows 7)

 There is a small alternation in the host file for Windows XP, Windows Vista and Windows 7. But it’s almost the same.  If you see any other entries below the following you need to remove it

#       127.0.0.1       localhost

#       ::1             localhost

You need to remove any entries below this in the host file and then save the file in the same format i.e., you need to select the save as type as “All files” while saving otherwise the file will be saved as text file which is not valid. Sometimes you will not be able to save the file in the same format. It’s due to the permission given to the etc folder. In this case you can move or drag the file to desktop. Then save the file after removing the unwanted entries. The file will save in its format and then you can move it back to the etc folder. 

4. Resetting winsoc to default settings and remove unwanted DNS entries:

If your computer is affected by a malware the winsoc settings can become corrupted. Resetting the Winsoc or Windows Sockets Application Programming Interface to default settings can fix the internet connection issues as well.  

The DNS resolve cache will save the DNS information about a website and will help to access a website faster if you have visited the website once.  But it also saves the DNS information of the websites which have temporary issues and so when you try to access the website again after it’s up, the browser will open the page that was opened when the website had issues and this is due to the DNS cache.  So the cache needs to be removed.

• To remove the DNS cache:

 Go to Start>All programs>Accessories>Command prompt (For Windows Vista and Windows 7, you need to right click on the Command Prompt and then click on Run as administrator and if you see a pop up click on Yes). When the command prompt window opens type in ipconfig /flushdns (there’s space after ipconfig and /. There’s no space between / and flushdns) and then press the enter button. It will show that the DNS cache is flushed.

• To reset winsoc:

 In the same command prompt window type in netsh winsoc reset catalog and then press the enter button.  Then restart the computer. 

           These are the basic steps that can be done to fix the website redirection issue. If the issue is not fixed after trying the 4 steps above you need to contact a technical support.

5. Install a new web browser (temporary fix):

You can install a new web browser if you need to access a particular website urgently. For example you need to access you bank website urgently but its redirecting to another website created by hackers. In this case you can install a new web browser i.e., if you are having website redirection issue in Internet Explorer, you can install Mozilla Firefox.

You can download Mozilla Firefox from the link
http://www.mozilla.com/

 If you have issues with both browsers you can install Google Chrome.   

The link to download Google Chrome would be http://www.google.com/chrome

You will be able to access the bank website through the newly installed web browser. This is a temporary fix as the website redirection virus will soon affect the new browser installed and so you need to contact a technical support to fix the issue.

Note:

• Do not login to your bank website if you got an email which is asking you to log in to your bank website by clicking on the link that came with it.

• Do not provide any personal or Credit Card details if you receive an email that is asking you to provide it because your bank won’t ask you to provide any personal details through email. If you click on the link on an email, it will redirect you the webpage created by the hackers or it will install the key logger program automatically. When the website is redirected to the website created by hacker, the login and other details that you are entering will be sending to the hacker who created the website. If the key logger is installed, it will copy all the information that you are typing using your keyboard and will send to the hacker. 

In-game character voice not working.

This issue is caused because of the following reasons

1) The audio driver is not up-to-date.
2) If audio driver is up-to-date this is caused as your sound settings will be configured for surround speakers but you have 2 or 2.1 speakers.

If you have a 5.1 or a surround system you will hear the voice. To correct this you need to configure the audio software installed on your computer to work for 2 speakers.

In Windows Vista and in Windows 7, if you haven't installed any audio driver and if the audio driver is installed automatically, the speaker configuration could be set for surround speakers. In this case you will not be able to see the option to configure it for 2 speakers when you go to audio settings in control panel. The Realtek audio manager, which will be installed automatically if you haven't installed any audio driver will not be up-to-date.

The steps to fix this issue :

For Windows Vista and Windows 7.

• Update the Realtek audio manager and you will see the option to configure the settings for 2 speakers. 

1. Go to http://www.realtek.com.tw/downloads/ 
2. Click on High Definition Audio Codecs (Software) and after accepting the agreement you can download the Vista, Windows7 Driver (32/64bits) Driver only (Executable file). The file size would be above 70 MB. 
3. After download is completed, install it.  
4. Go to control panel.
5. Click on Hardware and Sound. 
6. Then click on Sound. 
7. In the playback tab select Speakers and click on configure.
8. You will be asked to setup the speaker and you can select stereo and then click on next and finish it. 

Now you have configured the speaker settings for 2 or 2.1 speakers. Run the game and check the character voice. It should work fine.

Click on the screen shot below

Note : If you have a different sound manager other than Realtek, you can configure it to run for 2 speakers.