Elmo’s Blogblogan!

Sa mga gustong magpakabit ng DSL at a very low price, inquire kayo sa Digitel DSL services nila. Lalo na sa mg budget-concious diyan, this maybe the right for you.

I woke up this morning, turned on the PC and surf the internet. I went to this site and download a package wallaper. The file size was just 5Mb and it may take up to 10 minutes on my 128kbps ADSL connection. As I look at the progress bar, I saw the speed from 960kbps to 260kbps download speed. I was surprised, it took only 2 minutes to download a 5 Mb file compare it to 10 minutes on a 128kbps. Later, I tried it again, donwload a 6Mb file and thinking that maybe it was just a glitch in our ADSL’s main office. I’m not dreaming, it’s real. I check my router configuration and there it is, the download stream indicated a 256 kbps and a 96 kbps upload stream. Astig!

We never asked for this nor thinking this could happen. I think this was the upgrade Digitel customer service was talking about. We do save a lot of money on what had happened. I mean, we only pay 900 pesos a month on Digitel’s ADSL service and our agreement was a maximum donwload speed of 128kbps. Compare it to other internet service provider that took 2000+ pesos just to acquire a 256kbps download speed. It was so cool, I can stream online radio stations from around the world, watch streaming TV…just using the new version of winamp, and it’s free.

So what are you waiting for, pakabit na!

Below are only my opinions/reactions based on mine and other people’s observations.

Groups dissapeared!

Why did my groups that I joined in dissapeared? –> That was my question sent to the customer service of Friendster.com. After they had released their new look and added features, Friendster users flock to this group named "Friendster Custom Profile Mods".

This group primarily aims to teach and share CSS and HTML codes to those users who want to change their profile page. It includes a discussion forum wherein non-members and members of this group share their ideas, their codes and reactions of designing and tweaking the friendster profile. The group members grew to thousands, I think 500+ members registered a day. A minimun of a hundred message post per day from those members who post their questions, share their codes, nonsense messages, etc. I’m able to join in and post a message to this group. I share what codes I have to those people who need it, answer some questions from those I never met before. Majority of the members speak tagalog, meaning Pinoys. But along the way, the forums get slower and slower, even the start-up page where you log-in had been crippling just to load it’s graphics. "It must be the group", that was causing this slowdown, I think. I mean, the discussion forums had been bombarded by hundreds of messages, maybe the server of Friendster had a difficult time in responding to such many requests. It’s like a DoS (Denial of Service) attack. During that time when I browse my page, the Friendster maintenance page appeared when I click a link. Ahhh, I think they’ll fix the slowdown. But when I try to click the link "Home", the maintenance page was gone and was redirected to my Friendster home page.

The following morning, I discovered that my groups that I joined in were gone. I tried to click the link "more groups" and surprise me with an 404 error, that the page cannot be found blah blah blah. "Sabi na nga ba eh, the groups were to blame. I didn’t have proof that it was to blame. So, not contented enough, I went to their Help section and send them the question that I was telling you about on the first paragraph of my article. The reply was quick saying that on some countries, the groups page were temporarily shutdown. They said that they will decide if they re-activate  again the groups or not. Eh?!

I mean, what? They can’t handle the power of Pinoys? Hehe.

More scenarios: Do it the Pinoy way!

Since the launch of Friendster, it has been a trend that plagued young Filipino’s and convinced them to join in. It’s easy to use, be able to communicate with friends and loved one’s even those people abroad, share photos, meet new people… just like email, photo sharing software…makes life easier.

Creating a Friendster account

Correct me if I’m wrong but based on my experience and some hearsay from some Friendster users, a typical Pinoy Friendster user has at least more than one account, all on their behalf. I myself has 3 accounts, one for me and the two were the name of my town. Hehe.

For example, a user named Juan has a Friendster account who likes to add other users he knows and don’t know. When his account nearly reached the maximum number of friends, he creates another account and named it like Juan II or sometimes Juan FULL, Juan DOS, etc just to indicate that that is his second account. Then, on his original account, he adds his newly created 2nd account. After approving, on his second account, he views his original account and create a testimonial for it. The message: "Here’s my second account, please add me. heres my email add blahblah@blah.com". Not contented enough, he log-out and logged-in to his original account, post a new bulletin that informs his friends that he has a 2nd account. Now, some of his friends will add his 2nd account…the same people who were friends of Juan’s 1st account. Wahhh! It happens all the time. I, mean I’m an active member of Friendster and I saw many instances to that particular scenario. It’s funny just imagining that but it happens.

Adding friends

I’ve noticed most Filipino Friendster users add other users even if they didn’t know them. It has been a trend that If you have many friends, you’re popular. Just add and add, especially if the picture on it is very attractive, not knowing if that is their real appearance.

Bulletin boards

Here’s another funny scenario, even I had done it before. Bulletin boards are the source of special announcements from your friends on your account. That way, you can be informed of what’s happening with your friends. Let’s take Juan again for an example:

One day, Juan has a new mobile number. He wants his friends to know his number so he log-in to Friendster and post a bulletin. Instead of posting one message for the annoucement, he creates 10 posts in the bulletin board. Why did he post such many messages? He believes that maybe his post will somehow not be seen by his friends. Because maybe at that time some of his friends posted an annoumcement, plunging his message down so others at a later time will not see it. (Note: when you post a message in the bulletin, it will appear first on the list. The most recent goes first and it is based on the time of posting. Since Friendster shows only 4 bulletin messages on each Friendster member start page/home page, your message will at some time never be seen by your friends if at a later time more than 4 of your friends posted at the same day, gets?)

Others post more than 10 to ensure their messages be seen even though some of his friends 1st degree friends posted more messages at the same time. This result in message flooding. Most pinoys do that. I think it’s not a good thing for the Friendster server if you multiply that to number of messages to the number of users doing it. Also, some important bulletin post may not be seen because of message flooding. Still, Friendster had been keeping up with the huge amount of demand users placed upon them.

Another thing, some users use the bulletin boards to post their anger/hate towards another friendster user, use it as their private communication tool , post song lyrics (which I do sometimes), and anything what their brains told them to post. Hehe.

Aside from all of these, even though some that I discussed above behaviors and/or habits of Pinoys may seem to be negative, there’s nothing to be ashamed of. That’s what Pinoys are today, we are unique in some ways. We should be proud of.

"Pinoy, ikaw ay pinoy. Ipakita sa mundo kung ano ang kaya mo. Ibang-iba ang pinoy. Huwag kang matatakot, ipagmalaki mo. Piny ako, pinoy tayo!"

                                                          - Pinoy ako by Orange and Lemons

Bwahahaha! After a few days since Friendster.com launched their new look and their added features, I have made a shocking makeover of my profile.

At first, I was able to cope up with the code requirements of Friendster. I’ve experienced designing websites these past few years and CSS ain’t no stranger to me. So, I have understood and have a clear idea on what to tweak and if possible if I could hack it. Hehe. The problem that time is determining the "class and other elements" which corresponds to the different parts of the profile. Knowing them is important in designing your CSS codes so you can have an idea on what particular table, link, box margins, etc, for you to change it’s values.

I have to use Firefox web browser to know the source code of the profile page. First, I log-in to Friendster and view my own profile. Then, I decided what part of the page I will start to tweak on. Select them by clicking and dragging so the contents will appear highlighted. Right click and choose "view selection source". A pop-up window will reveal the codes and I must take a look on some elements that can possibly be modified by CSS codes. After an hour of tweaking, only the upper navigation and the background image works.

The next day, I join this group named "Friendster Custom Profile Mods" that involves customizing your profile. There is a particular post that caught my eye and that taught me on how to do it. "Aha!", I said after seeing the only method on how I can further change the way my profile looks. It’s just a simple URL address, that’s it. The rest is on my brain cells. Hehe.

I made it. I changed my profile just what I want it to be. Then I continue discovering other codes that made the Friendster logo disappear as well as change them to another logo or image. I posted the codes on the Friendster Custom Profile Mods group. Later that day, my profile views increased dramatically and received a dozen of messages from other Friendster users that I never met before. They all ask questions on how I did it and what the codes to put, etc.Normally, I replied some of the messages. That was a busy day for me. At least after that, I never received a message but for the mean time only.

What I did later to my profile is to organize my codes and the images that I embedded to it. I copied the codes from Friendster CSS customize that I typed into and paste it in notepad. I saved it as miming.css and upload it to my geocities account so I can import that to my Friendster profile. So what’s left in my code? only @import(URL of the css). That way, I can easily made changes to my profile.

The growing number of members of Friendster Custom Profile Mods proves that some Friendster users are into changing their profile. Some envy those who created ans changed their profile so they too changed theirs. That’s why access to Friendster.com has dramatically been slow at some times since the days after the Friendster makeover.

I want to thank Christopher for the post and the suggestions he posted on the groups. That single idea is worth a thousand codes. O diba?! Hehe.

Sa wakas, I have my very own SmartMoney Card

At last, mga naiipon kong pera ma-ssave ko na sa SmartMoney. Although my bank account naman at ATM ako sa ibang bank pero mas maganda ito kasi you could control it via your cellphone eh. Ang astig kasi dito, you could use it to pay for your purchases sa mga restaurant, bookstore, clothing ang accessories shops at marami pang mga merchants na nag-aacept ng SmartMoney. Once you pay, may pipirmahan ka lang then a text message will inform you about the payment. Since issued ito ng Banco de Oro and had been licensed by MasterCard International, you can use it to purchase goods from the internet. Kaso medyo natatakot me kapag gusto ko itry na bumili. Internet kasi, maraming gumagalang mga hacker. Ewan.

Brief history of SmartMoney

Matagal na itong service ng Smart. I think they created this when Smart launched SuperSim. Akala ko nung una eh papatok ito pero parang hindi. Pero sa akin, convenient to eh. Before SmartLoad, Autoload at Expressload debut, meron ng SmartMoney. Actually, dito nakuha ang idea para i-launch nila ang kauna-unahang SmartLoad that won different international awards abroad. If you want to know more about SmartMoney click here.

Benefits of having a SmartMoney Card

1. Gaya nga ng sinabi ko, you could use it to purchase goods on selected merchants that accpets "electronic Master Card" and/or SmartMoney.
2. You can use it too like a SmartLoad. You can load your own number or another smart, talk n text and addict number.
3. Kung may bank account ka at enabled ang (MBS)Mobile Banking Service mo, you could use your cellphone to access your bank account. You can transfer money from your back account to your SmartMoney so you can use it to purchase online, withdraw cash from ATM machines or make a face-to-face purhcases.
4. Secure ito kasi you use two or three passwords, one for the ATM pin which you enter if you want to withdraw in an ATM Machine. Yung isa ay wPIN that you use while you make a transaction of SmartMoney and  finally yung pin mo sa Smart’s Mobile Banking Service(MBS) which is given by your bank issuer. Ang pin ng MBS mo ay binigibay ng bank issuer mo evry month pero iba-iba kaya secure ang account mo.
5. Kapag nawala mo naman yung card mo or ninakaw, don’t panic! Ang systema ng SmartMoney at MBS ay "electronic". Meaning, kahit mawala mo yung card, hind  mawawala ang pera na inilagay mo. May record sila nun, then you have to report it sa Smart wireless center kung saan mo nakuha yung SmartMoney card mo. Then babayad ka then the will give you another card. Un lang then you could continue using your SmartMoney na parang walang nangyari. Galing no?!

New look of Friendster

Aba, ang lupit naman ng web designer at developer ng Friendster. Eh, ngyon ko lang talaga na-appreciate yung design at ease of navigation lalo na sa home page at sa profile. Wala ako masabi, thumbs up na lang.

Anung meron?

Well, base on their features, they added sound and video to your profile page. Astig di ba? I tried it and it work thanks to the Media tips link on what website where I can go to get offsite music resources. At that time, di ko makita yung player pero I hear the sound when I viewed my own profile. Nakalimutan ko na I’m using the beta version of Firefox. Kaya yung mga plug-ins like Windows Media Player, Quictkime eh hindi makita sa browser. So I have to use Internet Explorer para makita ko. Cool, galing. Kaso video yung nilagay ko and that will took minutes before it will play. Kung broadband yung connection mo like me, mabilis mo mai-sstream yung video. Kaso, majority ng mga visitors eh slow lang ang connection kaya I created na lang a code then upload ako ng 24 second music sa file manager ng geocities pra dun ko i-link yung i-pplay na file. Tutal 189kb lng nman at least at a small amount of time while reading my profile eh maririning niyo ung music. Buti na lang they have included HTML and CSS capabilities so that you can control your profile designs. Kaso di ko muna ako maglalagay ng CSS (Cascading Style Sheets). I have  to use Macromedia Dreamweaver pa para i-tweak ko kung anung mga dapat ilagay ko and at the same time makita ko ung changes in realtime. Then pag satisfied na ako sa nagawa ko, yun ung time na ilalagay ko na ang code sa profile ko.

Overall, mas maganda siya ngaun kesa dati.

Mozilla announced that the company’s web browsers had released the beta version of the upcoming next generation Firefox 1.5 due later this year. Firefox 1.5 Beta, codenamed Deer Park, is made available only to Mozilla developers and software testers for error checking and compatibility testing.

NOTE: This version of Firefox is in beta release. Meaning, errors could arise while using it on your system. Use at your own risk. I and the Mozilla foundation will never be held liable and/or responsible if system instability and/or problems occurred in your computer after installing and using the beta version. You have been warned!

Firefox has released their release notes containing more information about it’s beta software. Click here.

I myself is not a part or a member of their development team nor a skilled software tester. So why did I download this? Well, I want to experience testing software products, that’s it. Besides I have another PC where I test software’s that I like and download them first on it. If all works well, then I’ll proceed with and install it on my primary PC.

The Test: Installing and using Firefox 1.5 Beta for the first time.

1. I installed the beta software in my test PC with the following PC specifications:

• Test PC: 500 MHz Pentium, Windows XP SP1, 192 MB of RAM, 10 gigabytes of hardisk.

• Result: Installation is a breeze.

2. After installing, I opened Firefox and begin my usual browsing routine.

• Result: I found out that this beta release of Firefox memory usage has jumped for about 30 plus megabytes. For me, that’s a lot of consumption. The consumption increases while Firefox renders pages. Still, I’d never experience slowdowns or system instability on my test PC.

INFO: After many tests, It seems like that Mozilla has indeed improved some of the functionality of the Firefox browser. Faster speeds, increased security and a new look at the options box under the tools menu. Although huge memory consumption is still an issue and most extension will not work because it is still in Beta.

Firefox Beta 1.5 Beta Features Review

A. Speed

I notice an increase in browsing speed especially if your going back to the previously visited websites. Using "back" and "forward" buttons in Firefox are the ones that do the trick. Improved compatibility and page rendering issues on websites that previous versions of Firefox renders incorrectly.

B. New Tools > Options Window

They change the look of the options window. Previously on earlier versions of Firefox, icons are located at the left side. Now, it is placed on top. They also added a new category icon named "tabs".

Below are the icons and their corresponding settings:

General - still the same with the previous versions of Firefox. Used to set the homepage location and loads it every time you start Firefox, check to see if Firefox is the default browser and the connection settings.

Privacy - the areas/options here are categorized in tab form

1. History - where Firefox remembers visited pages for a specific number of days. You can also clear the browsing history.
2. Saved forms - whether you want to save information you’ve entered in forms or search. Also, you can clear saved form data.
3. Passwords - Firefox can remember log-in information for web pages so that you do not need to re-enter your log-in details everytime you visit. You can set your master password that protects all your passwords.
4. Download History - keeps track of recently downloaded files as well as view  and or remove them.
5. Cookies - they are pieces of information stored by sites on your computer. They are used to remember log-in information and other data.
6. Cache - pages you view are stored in the cache for faster viewing later on.

Content - where you set some rules whether you turn on or off the pop-up window, enter which websites you want to install software, turn off/on java and java-script and settings for the different font sizes as well as their colors.

Tabs - new addition to the beta release. Includes settings for controlling tabs, force links that open in new window to open in a new tab or the same tab/window as the link.

Downloads - specify the location or address on your computer where you want to place your downloaded files.

Advanced - includes accessibility options, browsing preferences, language settings, how updates are delivered and installed on Firefox and security protocols.

C. Tabs

The developers of Firefox Beta 1.5 have made changes to the famous tabs. You can re-arrange the tabs by clicking and dragging them.

Elmo’s pick of the week: Firefox extensions

1. Adblock - this extension in Firefox also works in the new beta release. It blocks website advertisements so you can load the page quickly. If a particular ad had never been blocked, you can right click the image or animation and select "adblock image". Tip: an "adblock" indication that appears below the ad image or flash animation. This means that you can click that to block the advertisement.

2. No-script - this is the best extension I ever had. This plug-in prevents all java and javascript from websites. Some viruses and spywares uses this to exploit your browser and infect your PC. No-script has some kind of an "auto-sense", determine what sites are to allow java and javascript to run on a PC. If No-script blocks the site you believe is trusted, then you can add the site to the allow list.

3. Forecast Fox - this extension puts a weather forecast update that represents cloud icons and radar images of today and predicted weather forecast for the next 3 to 5 days. You can set where it will be placed by going to it’s options menu. You can place it beside Firefox menu or in the status bar. Note that this extension is not compatible with Firefox 1.5 Beta.

Below are some of this month’s websites.
click the images below for a larger view

Meralco (www.meralco.com.ph)

Meralco, as we all know, is one of the leading provider of electricity here in the Philippines. This company is majority owned by the wealthy Lopez’s.

This website contains useful tools like MAC(Meralco Appliance Calculator) that let’s you know the estimated amount of consumption of electricity for a particular appliance. You cant set the no. of hours in a day, no. of days in a week and no. of weeks in a month. If a particular appliance is not listed there, you can manually enter the wattage of that specific appliance. Through this tool, you are able to plan or strategize on how you can conserve electricity as well as reduce the cost and save money.

Meralco also includes an online status inquiry of your electric bill. This is useful if you want to track your upcoming bill before the meralco agent hand over those orange paper bills. This is also helpful for those of you who have lost the copy of their bill. A duplicate bill is already available for you to print out. To avail of this service, you must register an account by clicking the link "register" from the website. The form will ask your meralco service ID number located on your meralco bill as well as your email address. Enter the desired information and then your done. For those of you who have more than one meralco account and under one name, you don’t have to register another inquiry account. Just log-in with your present account through the website and then click the link "Billing History" > Options > "Enroll another Service".

Other meralco services includes electricity safety, how to read the electric meter and much more.

Happy Tree Friends (www.happytreefriends.com)

This is one of my top entertainment website since it aired on MTV (now they’re gone from the airwaves, I wonder why…). Once on the site, you’ll be welcomed by it’s kiddie theme. Thinking that this site is for kids only and not for mature people. Stop!, don’t leave yet. Looks can be deceiving, but once you got to know the site, this ain’t for children. This website includes mini flash short films/episodes with cuddly, cute looking cartoon characters. So why prevent kids from watching and visiting this site? The only answer, it’s too BRUTAL. Episodes here includes brutal scenes of characters being killed by another with blood spilling everywhere, heads blown out, eyes popped out, bodies cut in half with their organs popping out…such brutality and definitely not for kids. But for me and those who seek adult entertainment, this website maybe for you.

Try to visit the site and have a peek at least one episode. If you can handle enough all the brutality, then order their DVD movie. I haven’t seen the DVD ‘coz I don’t have money.

How Stuff Works (www.howstuffworks.com)

For me, this site is for everyone. An educational and truly an informative website that focuses on HOW stuff works. Stuff, whether it may be science, technology, health, politics, etc. This site can provide those answers. What I like most about this site is the computer stuff. Ever wonder how a memory card works or how laser printer displays and prints text on paper using a laser. There are tons of articles and know-how’s that will fill your brains up with useful information.

This website is excellent for students especially on their researches, reports, science projects, studies, proposals and many more.

Apple Movie Trailers (www.apple.com/trailers)

Do you know what’s the next movie attraction and when will it hit the big screen? Well, for those of you peeps out there loves to watch movies, this website is for you.

Trailers are short film preview of upcoming movie releases. This is shown as a commercial in theaters before the current movie rolls in. Apple trailers, on the other hand, has come up with a convenient way of watching trailers without ever going to the cinema. By going to their site, you will see thumbnail images of the upcoming movies as well as some movie links. The movie links are categorized under the company who made or release them.

To watch a trailer, you click the image or the link and you will be redirected onto the movies website. NOTE: You must have the Quick time plug-in installed on the browser your using. A notification on the website will inform you if you have the plug-in or not. Otherwise you’ll have to click the Quick time icon there to download the plug-in. Choose whether small, medium or large. If you have a slow connection, the preferred choice is the small size( if you choose medium or large, it will take very long before you can actually see the trailer). For larger sizes, you must have a faster Internet connection like DSL, cable.

Trailers here are high in resolution and the sounds are fantastic!

If you have any corrections on my blog article, please do post a comment. Thank you!

My blog disappeared, again! I think it’s the error that also plagued my blog a few weeks ago, making it inaccessible. You can only see a blank page and then nothing. I had reported this issue to the staff of friendster support last time and they replied back. Stating that they had encounter a problem with their blog provider TypePad. Then the blog came back online. Today, another problem with my blog. I hate it when that happens. This is the only personal blog site I ever had.(sigh!)

*the following morning, the technical support replied providing all of the necessary solutions to the problem. The blog came back online again and I’m happy.

These are my reactions on the devastation brought by Katrina on New Orleans as well as the action taken by the US government.

I always watch CNN and BBC, one of my top favorite international news media organization. Whether it’s politics or weather, I always want to be informed about what’s happening around the globe.

Now, this past week, my eye was glued to the television on the news about Katrina before and after the storm hit the Gulf coast and the Big Easy. Since the pre-impact of the storm, I watched every live reports on CNN and BBC and their recent developments on the storm. There are rumors( I think it’s not ) that some scientists and their computer models had predicted years ago that if a storm with a Category 5 hurricane hit the Gulf Coast, it will bring havoc to those states near the coast.

New Orleans is situated 6ft(I hope I’m right) below sea level. The only protection protecting the city from flooding due to overflowing mississippi river and some storms was the levee that sourrounds the city. It’s like a kinda "dike" thing like that on Pampanga. Unfortunately, the engineers and the government itself never expected or I think predicted that the levee will be breached. That brought a huge amount of water into the city, flooding as much as 80% of the city. Imagined that, water on the major city streets with buildings where glass windows where blown out by the ferocious winds, looting, thousands believed to be dead….I don’t know what to say, I mean I can’t describe the chaos that dwells in the city. Unthinkable and unimaginable…happened!

Let’s focus now on the relief efforts of the government. VERY S-L-O-W! Based on the statements of the survivors on the television. What was that? It took days before reliefs get into the city and people are getting starved with lack of foods, no shelter, no medicine. What was wrong with the relief efforts? It wasn’t quick enough.

I wonder why. US is the most powerful and influential country on earth. They have the state of the art equipment on protecting almost all of it’s territory. Their military is unmatched whether on combat and on community services. Then what’s wrong? Bush deploy thousands of troops in Iraq quickly. Plans made to Iraq are almost done, fast enough. It seems that Mr. Bush’s first priority ain’t his country. Is racial discrimination the issue? If he let the troops stay on his country, then they can be used to assist the people of New Orleans as well as restore peace and order in the city. Through that, rescue missions are deployed fast enough. Sus ginoo!

The city will shutdown and all of the people living there must be evacuated. Floodwaters will be pumped out on the rivers and it will took 3 or maybe 4 months for the water to recede.

God Bless the people of New Orleans!

*Above images were excerpted from CNN.com

If you want the full coverage on Hurricane Katrina and it’s aftermath, I provided this links:
www.cnn.com/international
www.bbc.co.uk

Gumawa ako ng bagong article about keeping your PC protected against viruses, spyware and hack attacks. Importante kasi sa isang PC ang protection lalo na kapag ginagamit mo ito more on surfing the net and playing online games. A typical PC today must have at least an updated anti-virus software, anti-spyware (at least 3), at mahalaga rin ay ang paglalagay ng firewall. Hindi pwedeng walang firewall ang PC lalung-lalo na kapag naka-konek ito sa internet or while you’re playing an online game. Study shows that 8 out of 10 computers will be infected under an hour while connected to the internet kapag wala kang firewall at anti-virus software.

Ano ba ang tamang gagawin? I provided some tips below to arm you with these tools/programs that will help you protect your PC at least against some common threats posed from the internet.

Prevention is better than cure!

Tip #1: Sa mga bagong reformat ang PC or yung mga bagong bili na PC

1. Before connecting to the internet, INSTALL FIRST YOUR PROTECTION
2. For me, install first an anti-virus software. Kung ang anti-virus na ii-install mo ay may kasama nang firewall at anti-spyware, eh di mas maganda kasi kompleto na.
3. Kung wala namang firewall na kasama, install ka ng independent firewall program/software.
4. Install mo naman ang mga anti-spyware programs mo.
5. After you install all the software, you must update them.
6. Connect to the internet. Open each program that you recently installed and find the update link or button. If you don’t know how to update those programs, punta ka lang sa help section ng program. It includes How-to’s on how to update your software.

RECOMMENDED SOFTWARE COMBINATIONS:

• Norton Internet Security 2005 with anti-spyware - eto kumpleto na ito. It includes Anti-virus, firewall, anti-spyware, Spam protection and many more.
• Norton SystemWorks 2005 + Zone Alarm Pro (firewall) + Anti-spyware (Ad-Aware, Spybot Search and Destroy, SpySweeper) + Spywareblaster (optional)

REMEMBER: Please read all the tutorials and help files on those softwares to have a better understanding on how that particular program works at papaano mapoprotektahan ang iyong computer pati na rin ang mga helpful advice. Also visit  their website for more information

NOTE: Avoid Installing TWO different anti-virus or TWO different firewall in one PC kasi maaaring magkaroon ng conflict. Malamang ayaw niyo mangyari iyon.

WEBSITES/RESOURCES:

1. Norton - www.symantec.com
2. Zone Alarm - www.zonelabs.com
3. Ad-Aware - www.lavasoft.de

Tip# 2: Sa mga PC na na-infect ng virus or spyware/adware at wala o kulang ang protection

1. Una, HUWAG MATARANTA!
2. Sa mga PC na wala pang proteksyon, INSTALL niyo na kaagad. Read the Tip#1 kung ano ang ii-install niyo.
3. Ganun din sa mga kulang ang mga protection software, Install agad.
4. Open your anti-virus software and DO A FULL SCAN of your system.
5. Kung may virus na nakita, delete or quarantine ( kung sa tingin mo ay hindu virus or important ang file na iyon ) ninyo para safe.
6. Kung wala naman, open your anti-spyware software. Perform din a FULL SCAN. Mas maganda kung meron kayo at least 3 different anti-spyware programs. Iba-iba kasi ang mga scan engine ng mga ito. Ung iba marami nadedetect, ung iba konti lang.
7. If you found some spyware, follow the recommended solution from the anti-spyware software.

REMEMBER:

• Update your Operating System. In WindowsXP, open up Internet Explorer. Go to Tools > Windowo Update. Follow the on-screen instructions and your set to go updating your software.
• If your copy of Windows is pirated, you cannot update your PC starting this month of September 2005. Microsoft has implemented the anti-piracy program. The windows update website can detect if your copy of windows is illegal or not. Kung pirated ang windows niyo, sory na lng kayo.

OTHER USEFUL TIPS FROM ELMO

• Kung dial-up ka, mas prone ka sa virus at spyware attacks at madali ka ring ma-hack kapag wala kang firewall. Ang Windows XP firewall is not sufficient enough to protect you against these threats. In Service Pack 2 of XP, they have provided an update to that pero mas maganda ,sa pananaw ko, ang mga firewall software na subok na.
• Mag-ingat sa mga binibisitang website. Ang dami nang naglipanang mga website na may virus at anti-spyware. Once na napuntahan niyo ito at wala kayong proteksyon, the threats could enter your PC and install and infect without you knowing it. Most common websites are porn sites, sites that offer free software like screensavers, useless products and the like.
• Iwasan din ang pag-ddownload ng mga software na hindi mo alam kung safe lalo na kung free ito. If you want to make sure, search the program you want to download on for example on Google Search, followed by the word virus or spyware. Then open links and find of majority of the results based on some websites if they believed that it is safe or indeed a spyware.
• If you want to download mp3’s, use limewire (www.limewire.com). Subok ko na ito. It has no spyware and virus. I’ve been using it for months na. Remember, kahit na safe eto you must still have some firewall and anti-virus installed just to make sure. Malay mo.
• Change your password often lalo na yung sa mga email accounts niyo. NEVER GIVE OUT YOUR EMAIL PASSWORD. If you had to, change it immediately after your friend use your account. Importante kasi ito. A typical person has only one or two passwords. Kung may nakakuha ng email password mo, malalaman din niya ang password sa iba mo pang accounts like another email account, bank account, password mo sa online gaming accounts, at marami pang iba. Here’s another critical tip! When entering your username and password, look out for the checkbox that says "Remember my username or password". Be sure to uncheck the checkbox. Lalo na sa mga internet cafe diyan. Para sa ganon, kahit username lang ang alam, at least hindi yung password mo.
• If you want more protection while you surf the net, I recommend you download and use Firefox web browser. Click here to get it. Mas secure kasi ito kaysa sa Internet Explorer. Pwede mo siya i-customize, add some plug-ins, extensions and themes  available to download at their website. Free pa itong i-download pero I assure you safe ito. Recommended by millions of users worldwide. Eh umabot ba nman sa 10% ang share nia sa web browser market. Dati kasi 100% talaga ang status ng domination ng Internet Explorer, this 10% increase proves to be a major impact. Firefox came from the original Netscape.

NOTE FROM ELMO: Di naman sa nagyayabang ako, pero alam niyo ba na bihira na lang atakihin ng virus or ng spyware ang dalawang PC ko. Hindi na rin ito na-hahack for some time. For the past months when I perform FULL Security scans sa two PC’s ko, palaging walang makitang threats. JUST BY FOLLOWING THOSE TIPS ABOVE! I always read more articles on the web regarding this kaya siguro informed ako sa mga ito. Pero hindi ito 100% effective kasi everyday maraming mga bagong threats ang kumakalat. Maybe in the future ma-infect ito. Pero at least you have protection to contain them and remove them from your system. Ang problema ko lang naman is hardware. Mahina ako pag sa hardware, software lang talaga ako.
I just want to share it to those serious about protecting their PC at sa mga makakabasa nito. I hope these could help you on the fight against those threats. Abangan niyo pa ang mga iba pang upcoming tips and useful articles na ippost ko.

Chao!

-elmo