Of the numerous operating systems available in the market, three are most popular. Of the three, the Windows and Mac are proprietary, meaning you will need to pay for them before you can use, and the third is open source, and free to use. All of them come in 32- and 64-bit versions, and in CD/DVDs. The Linux operating system has the additional advantage of being available as Live, meaning it can operate from the CD/DVD itself, without being installed on the system hard disk.

Installation of a computer operating system or OS, on a clean hard disk, could be taken up with or without partitioning the hard disk. All the three OSs mentioned, contain their individual tools for the partitioning job. Windows 7 is the latest of the Windows Operating Systems. It will give ample choice for partitioning the hard disk before installation, if you were to select the custom mode. The minimum configuration necessary to install a Windows 7 OS is a 1GHz Intel CPU and 1GB RAM, along with about 20GB of free hard disk space. In case you have data on the hard disk, it is wise to keep a backup. Installation is quite simple and straightforward. With the installation disk placed in the CD/DVD tray, reboot your system, and follow the instructions. You will be asked to enter your name and password, and after the installation, you will be asked for the product key.

For Installing the Mac Operating System X, much the same procedure is required. For partitioning with the Mac OS, they provide a Disk Utility. The minimum configuration necessary to install a Mac OS X is a 1GHz Intel CPU and 1GB RAM, along with about 5GB of free hard disk space. The hard disk space here is the minimum requirement for the OS alone; other applications will require additional disk space. Again, different versions of Mac OS are available. They have varying capabilities and their prices differ. Installation, in general, consists of booting your PC with the CD/DVD in the tray, and following instructions. You will have to keep an internet connection during installation. Here the product key is asked before installation can proceed. The username and password are required at the end of installation.

For the Linux Operating System, you have a choice of either using your OS straight from the Live CD/DVD, or transferring the OS to a flash disk and use without ever touching your hard disk. If you so wish, you can also install on your hard disk. The hard disk partitioning tool is named GParted, and is very easy and intuitive to use. The Live disk has the capability to select the OS from your hard disk or use the one on the CD/DVD. After the operation from the CD/DVD is completed, you have the choice of making a Live Flash disk or install on the hard disk. If you install on the hard disk, you will be asked for a username and password.

Without a computer operating system, a computer is an absolute piece of junk. There is a large variety of OS’s in the market today. The three main competitors in fray are Macintosh, Windows and Linux. Each of them has their own merits and demerits, and their own variants. Of them, Macintosh was the first to gain public acceptance mainly due to its simplistic approach of a Graphical User Interface, meaning operating with pictures rather than typing commands. Next in line was Windows, who followed suit and made GUI available to users. The last and latest entrant Linux has been making steady inroads into the market place and capturing the bastions once enjoyed by Mac and Windows.

As a computer operating system, installation of Linux is one of the easiest and less painful. This is mainly due to the selfless and tireless effort of countless community developers who make Linux what it is today. Linux is an open-source operating system, meaning, it is available entirely without any cost and can be used without the fear of infringement of any copyright, as long as the internal code is not tinkered with. On the other hand, Mac and Windows are proprietary and to acquire and use the OS, you have to pay for a license.

Linux is available in many flavors. The most popular of them are RedHat, OpenSUSE, Slackware and Debian. Some offshoots have grown for various reasons, and are also available as CentOS, Ubuntu, and Mint. The total Linux distributions number more than 500.

Linux Mint is a an offshoot from Ubuntu and currently the fourth most used desktop OS after Mac, Windows, and Ubuntu. The purpose of Mint is to provide the user with a modern, elegant, and comfortable operating system. Installation of Linux Mint is done from a Live DVD. The image of this DVD can be downloaded free of charge from the Mint servers. After downloading, it is wise to check the quality of the download by comparing the MD5 sum of the download with the one on the site. If both are matching, the image can be burned into a blank DVD. Next we look into how to install the operating system.

The DVD with the Mint image on it should now be inserted into the DVD drive and the computer booted from the DVD drive. Normally, this facility is switched off in the BIOS of the PC. Therefore, you may need to enter in the BIOS settings when starting up and make the necessary changes to allow the computer to boot up from CD/DVD drives along with the hard disk.

After the computer starts to boot up from the DVD, the opening screen asks you to select if you want to boot up from your hard disk or the DVD, or if you would like to repair your system, or you would like to do an OEM install. Since we would like to install, we may choose to boot up from the DVD. Depending on your RAM size, you will ultimately see the screen light up with the Mint Desktop. Mint Linux is now running on your system but only from RAM. An option on the Desktop will ask you if you would like to install to your hard disk. Choosing to do so, Mint will proceed to install itself.

Not much intervention is needed, except at the starting, when you will be required to inform if you want to partition the disk automatically, or manually. Automatically is preferable unless you want Linux to cohabit with another OS. Another question that you may need to answer is the file system you would want. Here ext4 file-system is the most appropriate because of its stability. The rest of the installation is rather painless, till your are again asked for your name and password. This done, you are advised to remove the DVD from its drive, and reboot.

This in a nutshell, is how to install the operating system Mint Linux on your computer.

You have designed a great website and taken a lot of pain to make it really attractive. However, if the search engines are not able to locate your web-site and index it, then no one will be able to see your website and there will not be traffic to your website. No traffic to the website will mean no revenue generated, and this will defeat the very purpose of setting up the website in the first place. Therefore, all efforts should be made towards web page search engine optimization making the site suitable for being searched by the search engines.

The navigation system that your website uses should be friendly to search engines. The search engine crawlers should be able to move freely on your web-site and find all the pages. Flash and JavaScript based navigation systems that you place on the websites look good for the human visitors, but search engines do not read them very well, and consequently, will not be able to navigate through your site. Therefore, in addition to the Flash and JavaScript menus have a chain of hyperlinks at the bottom of the page for the search engine to find. Navigation systems using HTML frames are also best avoided, since they can cause problems with indexing.

Some web-sites contain dynamic web-pages, which are often characterized by question marks on the URLs followed by lengthy strings of letters or numbers. Search engines have trouble in moving beyond the question marks, and stop indexing further. In such a case, URL re-writing or building a site map helps in search engine optimization.

A site map page which links to other pages in the website is a great help to the visitor, in quickly locating what he wants. It is also of help to the search engine crawler, especially if you have a big site, with many pages. You can use the innumerable free tools available on the net to create XML sitemaps that can be used by the search engines to index your site. Look at Google Webmaster Central to find a huge number of tools to help you get google search engine optimization, and make your ranking higher.

You should develop your web-pages to focus on each of your target keywords. All the web-pages on your site should preferably focus on a specific keyword or target keyword. Do a bit of research on what people use to search with, when looking for your business. You can take help from the Google Insights. All web-pages on your site may not be fully optimized for search engine promotion, but for each of these pages, try to tweak them for the specific keyword.

Fine tune each page with careful search engine optimization, especially the home page, by making a series of small changes and minor-adjustments. Check the change in ranking using software like WebPosition. Check your current ranking and compare against ranking of your top competitors. The Page Critic Tool of WebPosition provides an analysis of each part of your page, with a search engine’s preferred statistics. It also provides recommendations of what minor change to make. To improve your ranking with search engine optimization, Bruce Clay’s SEOToolset is also useful.

Your computer runs on an Operating System. This is the first program which runs when the computer starts up. It runs in perpetually the background as long as the computer remains powered up. The OS makes the resources of the computer available to the user and the programs he is running. It schedules the tasks that the CPU has to do, and keeps track of the memory usages by the different programs. In short, the OS is what keeps the computer running and usable.

If one OS can do so much, why run them in multiples? A simple answer – just because you can. However, there are several reasons why you would want to run multiple OS together. Each OS has several programs or applications written for it. For example, you have word-processor programs for Windows Operating System, for Linux Operating System and for Macintosh Operating Systems. Most programs meant to operate on one OS will not operate on others. You cannot run Microsoft Word on Linux. But times are changing. Various programs are now available, which can run on multiple platforms or OS. But there again, the same package will not do. Open Office running on Windows, will be a different package than the Open Office for Linux. This is because different OS will be handling background activities differently.

Some packages leave their mark on the users. Users get so accustomed to some packages, they seldom want to change. For example, the Desktop Publishing world swears by the Macintosh Operating System. The Adobe packages running on Mac OS remain unchallenged. Microsoft Office is used by many on the Windows Operating System, and very few prefer to use other. Similarly, the Linux Operating System is so secure, that people nowadays prefer it over others.

Some other reasons why multiple OS may be required are during testing of program development. When a program meant to operate on several platforms is under development, testing for all the platforms at a time can reduce the development time.

The products which allow multiple OS to run together are called virtualization programs. They are available for all the three major platforms. The Windows Operating System has VMware, the Macintosh Operating System has Parallel and the Linux Operating System has VirtualBox. Of course, all have versions, which operate on the other platforms too, except Parallel.

The virtualization programs take advantage of the tremendous computing power of the modern CPUs and their capacity to address huge amounts of RAM. Most CPUs have dual and quad cores and can address excess of 2GB of RAM. The virtualization programs operating under any one of the OS, here called the host OS, create a virtual space, favorable to the OS which will run there. The second OS is called the guest OS and it gets its resources from the virtualization program. Physical resources like CD/DVD drive and networking are shared between the host and the guest via the virtualization program. All functionalities are available to both OS, and they operate independent of each other, as would be seen if the two Operating Systems were to operate in independent computers.

Just as in a human all sorts of ailments crop up when affected by an attack of virus, so it does for a computer, with an attack of computer viruses. The ailments of the human are, to a greater extent, more complicated than that of the affected computer, but then, the computer is not as complicated a piece of machinery as a human. However, an ailment is always nasty, and for proper and continued functioning of the machinery, the attacking virus has to be expunged from the system as early as possible, to keep the computer clean.

An attack of virus or malware, as it is also known, can destroy the hard disk, or corrupt data, or spy on you, or hand over the control of your system to another person. However, there is no reason for anxiety. There is no need to assume that the whole hard disk is to be wiped clean. When trying to clean the computer, there may be some data loss. But, you may not necessarily lose all the data.

First and foremost, it must be ascertained if you really have an attack of computer virus. Some vital symptoms are sluggishness of operation, inability to access files, browser going off to an unrecognizable site, etc. On the other hand, the hard disks may spin unnecessarily; your computer may act strange or may even lock up.

If you suspect an attack of computer virus, the best process would be to run anti-virus software to clean the computer. Some viruses are clever enough to stop anti-virus software from functioning. For such cases, running the anti-virus from a CD/DVD or a flash drive may be necessary. Investing in good anti-virus software and keeping it enabled in your system always, is prudent.

At this point, it may seem that if anti-virus software is so good, why not have two? This may not be a good idea, since anti-virus software uses up quite a bit of computing power, and two of them might slow your system down to a crawl. Also, most anti-virus programs are not mutually compatible and one may claim the other to be a computer virus!

Anti-virus software is an unavoidable requirement if you are using a Windows Operating System. Good and safe habits can help avoid computer virus attacks, but then people who make their living writing computer virus programs, are always on the lookout to finding new methods of attacking computers. There are several of the security tool virus removal programs available in the market. While some are free to use, others have to be purchased. Most of the free programs will not have the entire capability of the purchased versions.

With the anti-virus software, you will have a choice to select for cleaning up a computer if a virus is discovered. This may range from deleting the infected file, to quarantine it in a safe place, to try and repair the file. The best option would be in a sequential manner to try to repair the file, if possible. Failing this, to quarantine the file for a later try at cleaning it, and ultimately, if all else fails, to delete it from the system.

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Spyware is one of the most  dangerous software to give risk in our internet activities. An infection with a spyware can be harmless but the overall damage to the computer user can be very high. Here are some questions and answers about spyware.

• What is spyware? Spyware is a software that can collect information about the computer, its usage and computer user. It sends information to another computer. It is usually difficult to tell the computer is infected with spyware. Some of the most common spywares are WeatherBug, BearShare and Kazaa and they are used to share information between users. Most spywares are installed to our computer without our permission.
• How does Spyware affect the Performance of Computer? The infection of the spywares can vary but the most common symptoms are very slow system performance in the internet browsing, changing homepage on its own, excessive pop-up appearances, redirected websites or forced spyware removal installation notices.
• How can I get rid of Spyware? There are many useful spyware removal software available in the internet. Spybot Search and Destroy or Adware are the most powerful and free spyware removal software. You can also try McAfee antivirus software to have better internet and computer security.

It is always great to monitor the internet activities and performance while browsing the internet. Someone may watch you from over the shoulder if you don’t be cautious. It is also important to install the trusted software. For more information on better internet and computer security, you can check out more at CleanPC.org.

Whenever we visit a website, we are constantly in process of downloading items from the websites we are visiting. The items that we download are images, scripts and html codes. The website may also be infected by the malicious programs such as malwares, spywares, viruses, etc. These programs can learn your passwords, social security number, acquire your credit card information, monitor your internet activities, listen your internet phone conversations and create growing number of identity theft complaints .in the internet. We prepare important tips for better online security to make sure that you minimize the potential of online security risks.

1- Check popularity of website you visit. The search engines gives rankings to websites, Ranking can usually be realized by the search results. More reputable websites appear in the search results first.

2- Update your antivirus software. It is important to keep updating the antivirus program that you use to protect your computer to be up-to-date for the latest viruses. If you are interested, you can check online whether you are infected with any viruses.

3- Obtain/update spyware removal software. Spywares are small programs used for tracking your surfing habits so advertisers know which targeted ads to send you. This is also considered as invasion of privacy and spyware removal software have become an essential tool for our computers.  It is important to install a spyware removal software, update it and check the computer regularly to make sure that your computer doesn’t have malicious programs.

4- Set the security level of your internet browser high. By setting the security level in your internet browser, you can eliminate the risks of accepting the malicious cookies  from the website you visit.

5- Don’t click the pop-ups. Pop-ups are the new advertising way to drive traffic. Meanwhile, they don’t show what url you visit and they may send you a website that you do not intend to. It is always good to know which website you visit.

6- Monitor firewall activity. Firewalls are new security programs that protect our computers from outside malicious attacks. By monitoring the firewall, you can learn which software have access to communicate outside of your computer. By doing this, you can detect and block unauthorized usage of information from your computer if it is infected by a malicious software.

These are some important tips and you can extend this list yourself by being a street smart and not browsing websites that may contain malicious programs. For more information, you can visit ShopDomainforSale.com to obtain information on internet, computer and website security,

For better internet security, we will continue discussing internet security with new shopping tips.

1- Never shop from Bargain Travel Website if your trip may change. If you are not sure the area that you travel, you may get surprised with the hotel you booked online. For instance, I booked a hotel online for my Florida trip by using Priceline.com. When I see the hotel, I decided to cancel my reservation. The hotel manager told me they can’t refund my money because Priceline is responsible for the cancellation. I called Priceline and the representative told me they can’t cancel my reservation too. According to Priceline, I needed to stay in the filthy hotel and battle with the ants in the bed by bearing with the smell. I didn’t and it cost me extra $170. The new hotel that I stayed at that night was cleaner and nicer. They even gave me a bargain for the rest of the trip. So, be aware with the bargain website. They can take your money.,

2- Never shop from Travel Booking Website. If your travel can change, it is a good idea to arrange the travel via airline company. Once I booked my flight with Orbitz and I had to come back early. I called Orbitz and they asked me for additional $150 penalty for the cancellation. The same rule applies to a change in the reservation as well. Fine prints seems to be the biggest earning income for Orbitz. You can have bonus when Orbitz representative asks you whether “anything else” she/he can help you with. So, you need to be careful.

These are today’s shopping tips. For more shopping tips and internet deals, you can read more at CleanPC.org, ShopDomainforSale.com and CouponsDeals.net respectively.

As we use internet everyday in our lives, here are some recommendations to have a safer internet usage.

1- Never give password someone you don’t know. Some spammers may send you pretentious emails asking you to verify your identity. Most companies don’t send such emails and you need to be careful where you submit your email address and password. Checking the correctness of the url may give you a hint whether the email is aimed to get your identify. If you accidentally submit your identity, contact immediately with the bank or email company to reset your password.

2- Don’t give important information in MSN or Chat. MSN and chat softwares can easily be hacked and your identity can’t be stolen easily. To prevent the identity theft, never give your social security number, password, or such critical information on MSN. Someone may steal those critical information and can cost you thousands of dollars to recover the potential damage.

3- Never send your pictures to a person in chat. Ideally, you can’t know whom you are chatting on the internet. Sending your personal files/pictures is not secure decision. The person who acquire your pictures can use those images to claim that he/she is you. The same rules applies to MySpace members. Having pictures publicly available on MySpace can give you a lot of potential damage. You can not know who is looking at your pictures.

4- Don’t send money overseas. Sending money overseas to claim a prize is not wise thing to do. After sending money, there is no return. You need to be careful whom you are dealing with. Ideally, if an opportunity looks like a life time opportunity, most probably it will appear as a scam later on. Ask for business title, tax number when you are dealing with people. Also, use credit card when you a big purchase instead of debit card. If something goes wrong, you can have a chance to get the money back with credit card while you can’t with debit card.

For more information for computer security and other practical knowledge on computers, you can visit CleanPC.org.