Q:
What exactly is a hijack and are there different kinds that I should look out for when I’m using my computer?
A:
That’s a wonderful question! I’m actually quite surprised that we’ve never gone over this in a tip before. With that in mind, now is the perfect time to do so. Like any virus or piece of spyware that invades your computer, a hijack is similar. They work in just a little different way though. So, let’s tackle this subject and continue to keep you and your computer safe!

Basically, a computer hijacker is any type of software that messes with your Web browser. They begin by resetting the preferences you have chosen and they then point that information to other Web sites. For example, a hijacker may work to reroute the information you have set in place, along with any Web address requests that you make. The hijacker will point that information to some sort of unseen site and with doing that, they are able to capture all of that material. If something like this happens, your Web browser may still work the same, but it will react much slower.

There are a couple of other types of hijacks as well, including search and homepage hijacks. A search hijacker will change all of the search settings you have chosen and a homepage hijacker will change your preferred homepage to a completely different site. I’m sure you’ve all had experience with a homepage hijack before, am I right? You choose a site to be your homepage and then the next time you open your browser, it has changed.
How frustrating!
Hijacking has been known for awhile now, but it’s still pretty popular. It may not be as scary as a virus, but it still has its downfalls. If you ever get caught in a hijack, there are some pretty simple ways to fix them. See, what the hijackers are doing is messing with your registry keys. They go in and change certain settings so you’re unable to do what you intended to on your computer.
So, to fix the search hijack,
open Internet Explorer and go to Tools, Options, Programs tab.
You will see a listing of some of your Internet services. Look past those and in the bottom left hand corner, there is a button that says “Reset Web Settings.” Click that and the registry keys will be renewed. Click OK when you’re finished.

A new folder appears on your Desktop. While the name New Folder is still active, type in the name you want - like ‘Motoring’.
If your PC won’t allow you to do this, then RIGHT click on the folder and select Rename and type in ‘Motoring’ or whatever. You can fill this folder with anything already sitting on your Desktop by LEFT clicking on an existing object or folder and while keeping your finger depressed, drag it across into the new folder. Then release the button.
 

Easy Peasy, but here’s the cool part …
Click your mouse pointer over the new folder and hold the LEFT mouse button down.

Now drag the folder to the edge of the screen.
Magically it turns into a taskbar with all the individual folders, ebooks or whatever on display!
Every time you place something into that folder it will appear in your new taskbar.
When you get fed up with it, just RIGHT click anywhere on the toolbar and click the CLOSE TOOLBAR command, or uncheck the toolbar name.

computer tutorial Folder Toolbar

Downloading - This is moving a file that’s on the Internet (or over a network) onto your computer. For most of
us, downloading is just a matter of clicking a download link on a Web site and saving the file to a disk.
Uploading - This is actually the opposite of downloading. With uploading, you take a file from your computer and send it to a computer on the Internet (or a computer/server on a network). This is usually done with an FTP client, but some Web sites will allow you to send files to them via your Web browser.
Installing - This is often confused with downloading, but it’s a different animal. When you install something, you basically “put” the program on your computer so you can use it. Normally, this is done via a setup program (or wizard) to make the installation easier. Once you’re finished installing a program, you can usually run it from your Start menu, Programs area.

Cool, huh?!

Computers Beginners Downloading Installing Uploading

Your files make up programs, as well as “stand-alone” bits of information. A file can be a document you’ve typed to a friend, a scanned image of a photograph, or a web page you download from the Web. It can be a graphic on a web page, or a spreadsheet.

Folders are used to organize files. They may contain lots of different files, and may contain other folders as well.
Folders are also called Directories. Just like the phone book is a directory of names and numbers, so a folder may be a directory of information about a particular subject or topic.
You can give folders long names including spaces. In the old days, you could only name a folder with 8 characters. Pretty limiting. Now, you can stretch that to well over 200 characters.
Instead of “Ltr2tnc.doc” you can have “My fan mail to The Newbie Club.doc.”

Objects are not confusing unless you’ve been exposed to techiespeak without a proper introduction.
The word “object” is meaningless unless you put it in the proper context. Within the Windows context, an object is something that
can be expected to behave in a particular manner. The icons on your desktop are objects, and you know how they behave.
You double click, and a program loads. Everytime. You know what to expect when you perform the double click.

 Objects are representations of other programs or parts of programs. For example, an object may be an icon, folder, file, a
disk drive, a printer, or even a network connection. When you double click on an object, you can expect a certain response from
it.
Objects generally have properties associated with them. You can modify many of the characteristics of an object. Just use the
Properties sheet for behavior modification. Freud never had it so good!

A “property sheet” is just another way of telling you that you can make changes to an objects behavior. Many objects, when right
clicked, will display a menu with the word “Properties” on it. Click the Properties item and you’ll be treated with some customization options for the object under scrutiny.

Why is it there? Allow me to explain!
The two bumps are there to help you position your hands on the keyboard in the correct places without having to look down. All you
have to do is feel around for those two bumps and your right and left hands will be in the right spots. I’m sure you already know this, but the
correct way is to place your left index finger on the F key and your right index finger on the J key. You then just line up the rest of your
fingers on the other keys to begin typing.

So, the little bumps are there just to make sure your hands are in the correct position for the ultimate typing experience! And if you think
about it, they can help you to start typing without looking down as well. Just feel around for the right spots and before you know it, you
won’t have to look at your keyboard at all when you type. All it takes is a little practice and the bumps are there to help you right along.

Try it out today!

If you go to FILE menu (above) and click PRINT,

you can print out this page for future reference.

tips keyboard computer

In the shutdown menu, click restart, click OK and then press and hold the CTRL key.
When the Microsoft Windows 98 startup menu appears, enter the number for Safe Mode and then press enter.

tips computer Defrag

http://www.firstgov.gov is the US government’s front page to federal resources.

The Librarian’s index to the Internet – http://www.lii.org has a vast searchable subject directory of Internet resources.

Check the Federal Highway Administration at www.fhwa.dot.gov/trafficinfo for the latest traffic and weather
information throughout the country. www.beaverbear.com
 Highway Navigator has similar data for Mac users.