Microsoft Operating systems utilise a number of executable (exe) files that can run basic routines and applications without the need for user interaction, and these perform a variety of important tasks including running the processes needed for initialising and maintaining stable Internet access.

However although these types of files are necessary, the fact that they can run without the intervention of the user makes them an effective method for running malicious programs on your computer without your knowledge. For example the file agent.exe performs a vital updating function in your computer, and is used to automatically check the Internet at regular intervals for updates to key software applications such as Corel Draw, Articulate and also the Avira Internet Security Suite, which protects your computer against spyware, virus and Trojans.

Although this program is important to the secure and stable running of your computer it can also be utilised by hackers, who use the cover of its legitimate file name to mask a malicious programs. To discover whether an agent.exe program is a legitimate Windows process or a virus you will need to check which directory locations the program is running from on your computer. You can do this by going into the ‘search all files and folders’ function in your computer and typing in ‘agent.exe’. The computer will show you all the files of this name, and where they are in your directory. Any files that are not running from the program folder, such as ‘C:\Program Files\Common Files\InstallShield\UpdateService’ are likely to be malicious programs and should be deleted from your system immediately.

Another exe file that runs in the background of your computer is discover.exe. This file is associated with a part of the processes that install new programs, modify existing programs and also create directory values. Because it has the ability to modify existing programs it is a vulnerable to being exploited by hackers, as it can take over any existing processes and effectively hijack them for other malicious purposes. As with agent.exe files you can check the legitimacy of the discover.exe files in your computer by confirming where they are on your directory. Any discover.exe files that are not running from the program folder C:\ \Program Files\DISC directory are most likely to be viruses and you should take steps to erase them from your computer as soon as possible.

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This is another post from our series of posts helping you understand various computer file extensions and their applications.

It is important to understand what file extensions are and how they work as they can tell you what type of format the files on your computer saved are in, and what they are used for. File extensions are the coded suffixes placed at the end of a saved filename, and indicate what type of file it is, and what programs/devices you need to open it. Today we will talk about 3GP and Lnk file extensions.

File extension 3gp indicates a multimedia file that is used on devices such as 3G (and sometimes 2G and 4G) mobile phones. The 3GP file is designed to reduce data such as video and music for storage and playback on mobile phones, and is a simplified version of MPEG-4 files, which are used to compress AV digital data for streaming and archiving. 3gp files can also be transferred to a computer and viewed with a variety of operating systems including Windows, Mac and Linux and are compatible with common applications such as Media Player Classic, RealPlayer, and QuickTime.

Filename extensions can also be used to increase the security of your computer, as they can alert you to those files that are more likely to contain harmful executable programs that can infiltrate your hard drive and run routines without your knowledge, such as exe files. These types of files are very useful as they can run standard schedules and programs without you having to activate them, but they can also be used as a delivery method for viruses or other malicious programs. You must always ensure that you isolate any exe files you receive via email or through websites, and scan them with an up to date anti virus program before opening. You also need to be aware of lnk files, as they are shortcuts that point to an exe file on your system. If you click on a lnk file it is the same as clicking directly onto the exe file it is associated with, and the program will open and start to run. These lnk files are also used for legitimate exe programs but can often suddenly stop working, and this is normally because there is a problem with the associated exe program, such as the registry becoming corrupted.

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Whether you are starting an online business or creating a personal or hobby website, one of the first issues you will have to deal with is how to find affordable web hosting. Although, initially, it may seem a simple case of comparing the price charged by each hosting company and selecting the cheapest, there are a variety of other considerations you should take into account.

When choosing affordable web hosting, there are three things to spend your time researching.

Firstly, you want to know the cost per month. Included in this assessment is whether or not the company provides you with a free domain name (or multiple free domain names), rather than forcing you to buy a domain name separately and transfer it to your webhosting. Not only should you look at the cost of buying the domain separately, often for around $8, you must also factor in the cost of transferring your domain name to your host.

Secondly, you want to know the bandwidth allowance. Although probably not as important for personal or hobby websites, this is of extreme importance to an online business. Bandwidth allowance is essentially a measure of how many people can access your website, the higher the number the more traffic can reach you and consequently the greater your e-business’ potential revenue. Some hosting plans provide unlimited bandwidth which means there is no limit on the number of people who can access your site. It is always worth checking before purchase whether it is possible to upgrade from one plan to another. This provides you with a degree of flexibility, and is particularly important for the internet entrepreneur.

Finally, you want to know if there are any further issues with the hosting, in order to check whether it is affordable. Are there any advantages to buying from this host, such as free website creation and forum creation software? Spam and virus filtering? Multiple email accounts to match your domain? If you are new to the field of web hosting and website creation then it may also be worth checking if the host has good support, for example 24-hour technical support via online messaging services.

After having researched these three areas fully you will be able to make an intelligent and informed decision in order to choose affordable web hosting, tailored to meet your needs.

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Whilst your system is on, there are many things running in the background. This can include things which are in your Task Bar located on the bottom right hand corner of the screen, such as AntiVirus Protection. There are, however, other things running on your system, which you are probably not aware of.

To get a complete list you can press Ctrl+Alt+Del simultaneously, in order to bring up the Windows Task Manager. By selecting the ‘Processes’ tab you will be able to see a full list of the processes running in the background and how much CPU and Memory Usage is occurring as a result of them running.

One of the things running in the background may be wmiprvse.exe also known as ‘Windows Management Instrumentation’, which is a network process used by developers for monitoring purposes such as providing Windows users with information on important network, file or application events. This process should not be disabled.

hkcmd.exe is another file process which may be running in the background of Windows on systems containing Intel multimedia devices. The hkcmd.exe process allows such devices to be configured and for diagnostic operations to be performed. Unlike wmiprvse.exe, this may be disabled as it is a non-essential process, but it is advisable that you do not do so unless it becomes a large drag on system resources (i.e. if the numbers under the ‘CPU’ and ‘Mem Usage’ columns in the Windows Task Manager are very high). There are various 3rd party softwares available, which can provide you information about each running program and help you take decision whether to close or not.

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This is another post from our series of posts helping you understand various computer file extensions and their applications.

For the newbies - ‘Computer file extensions’ is the term used for the suffix that appears at the end of file names and these are used to identify both what format the file has been saved as, and also tells your operating system which program to open this file with. So, for example, an .avi file extension tells your operating system firstly that it is a video file, and secondly that it should be opened with your default video program such as Windows Media Player.

There are many different file extensions such as ‘.exe’ and ‘.jpg’. Whilst you are no doubt familiar with many of them such as .mp3 you may not be aware of what the .hqx and .map file formats are.

The file extension HQX is a file format exclusive to the Macintosh operating system. It is known as the ‘BinHex Encoded File’ and denotes Macintosh binary files encoded into ASCII files, containing only printable characters. Because all systems are able to handle ASCII files, the ‘BinHex Encoded File’ is useful when transferring files across different platforms such as sending an email to a Microsoft system.

Another file format is the file extension MAP, known as the ‘Image Map’ file. Image Mapping is a form of hyperlink where, instead of having clickable text which, when selected, redirects you to another website, people are able to access new sites by clicking a certain picture or area of a picture. For example, an image map may be a clickable country on a world map. The ‘Image Map’ file format saves the ‘hot spots’ on the image and the hyperlink destination. Although this is the primary use of the .map file format they are also associated with various other programs such as computer games.

Popularity: 20% [?]

If you are into all the latest new and cool gadgets then Gadget Advisor is the site for you. It features loads of hand picked information on all the new product releases, across a huge range of gadgets including software, hardware and electronic devices.

Recent gadgets featured include a new universal remote control from Logitech, which can bring together and support up to 15 different devices at once including televisions, satellite or cable boxes, DVD players, video recorders, game consoles and even home PCs.

Gadget Advisor also features the latest news across the industry, including technological advances, Internet upgrades and previews of new websites and operating platforms. For example news about events such as the launch of Amazon’s new ‘Video on Demand service’ is featured, with information on the service and also pricing and subscription options. Also there are in depth reviews featured on the news pages, such as the extensive review on online backup services. This can help you understand which back up software is available for home level use, and gives you a pick of the best software based on a criteria that includes data transfer speed, software features and service capabilities.

Each article on the website is the best of what is currently on offer, so that you do not have to sift through a load of irrelevant news before you get to the interesting bits. You also have the option of viewing articles by preference either into featured items, items that are most popular and also items that have comments attached to them, which is useful to help you focus your search through the site. Currently one of the most popular items is an article about the new network media player from DViCo (M-6500A model) and Gadget Advisor provides plenty of information on the capabilities and benefits of the player, as well as some pricing guidance.

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