How to Avoid Viruses

In the recent years, the intensity of Virus Attack has just doubled. The severity of those attacks keep on changing depending on the ability of the virus to penetrate our networks and PCs and utlilize their  resources.
           Not all antiviruses are able to detect and prevent these viruses or trojans or bots at their arrival. Most go untraceable and undetectable and only after major loss of data, the viruses are detected.
         We cannot kill the viruses before the Antivirus Softwares release the patches, but we could prevent those attacks by following a few steps :

1. Be sure to install updates for Microsoft® products
Using Microsoft Update with automatic updating is a strong – and simple to implement – first line of defence against security threats. The Microsoft Update site scans your computer and gives you a list of updates that are relevant to your computer and its configuration.

 2. Install the latest versions of Adobe Reader and Flash Player
The viruses like Gumblar takes advantage of common Adobe Reader, Adobe Acrobat, and Adobe Shockwave Flash Player vulnerabilities, which lead to the download of additional malicious files. Keeping these programs up-to-date can help ensure you’ve got the latest and most secure versions available.

3. Create and maintain strong passwords
Keeping and using strong passwords, and changing them regularly, is a very important step in keeping your online accounts, computer files and personal information secure.  Ideally, passwords should be long and use the entire keyboard, not just the letters and characters you use or see most often.

4. Invest in quality antivirus and antispyware protection
While it isn’t a 100% guarantee of security, your risk of virus infection is significantly lower when you use a comprehensive antivirus protection program. Without some sort of protection, you are virtually guaranteed to become a victim of viruses, spyware and spam.

5. Don’t click on unknown links or attachments
Never click on any unfamiliar links embedded in an e-mail, or open attachments from unknown senders. And check for anything unusual even in links you do recognise; slightly altered domain names could indicate that a site has been hijacked.

6.  Download files only from trusted sites 
You should only download files from known, well-established sources. Never download anything if you’re not certain what it is. When in doubt, don't download the file to your computer at all: download it onto an external drive or USB stick, and then check the files with antivirus scanning software.

Gumblar - The latest Global WebThreat

The newest virus to attack the networked Computers  is the "Gumblar” or “Geno” virus which is the latest high-profile virus to infect computers.

According to the IBM Internet Security Systems website, Gumblar is a botnet that infects traditionally non malicious web servers so as to infect the computers of users who have visited infected websites. Gumblar computer virus attacks PCs through vulnerabilities in some versions of the Adobe’s PDF reader and Flash player software.

MODUS OPERANDI :

This virus is a particularly insidious one, with a multi-phased attack. After infecting a machine, Gumblar installs a series of malware programs, including a small application capable of stealing FTP credentials. It can gain control of an entire website and freely operate it.

Gumblar steals FTP passwords from web designers and site manager, then uses them to connect to website servers, and edit .html .php and .js pages. Plus add a few extras too. It targets index files as well as creating files in image directories, and even modifies webalizer and awstats files given the chance. These are likely to be the backdoors. Once Gumblar has infect a webserver, the website on that server becomes a carrier, and spreads the virus to new computers. Anyone browsing to an infected website can pick up the virus. It utilises vulnerabilities in Adome Flash and Adobe Reader so install itself on a pc. 

Once it infects a PC, the gumblar virus silently redirects the victim’s google search results to websites that injects malwares. Reportedly, the gumblar virus targets google users and the updated version is said to have been tweaked to more efficiently infect users of the Google Chrome browser.
Gumblar also monitors the infected user’s online activity, and waits for the user to conduct Google searches. The malware hijacks the search results, replacing them with any link of its choice and further infecting the computer with malware. The virus also installs a fake antivirus program known as "System Security 2009", and disables any legitimate security software.

DETECTION :

Detection of the gumblar malware may be done by identifying malicious scripts. Web pages that are infected by the gumblar PC virus have a script that looks like this:

Infected websites have their own modification of the script but these modifications have common parts that can be identified as the gumblar . cn script.

REMEDY :

US-CERT has already issued a statement about the Gumblar malware and encourages  users to use updated software and antivirus programs.


Unmaskparasites.com provides gumblar remove instructions and recommends scanning for spyware using programs such as the malware removal tool Malware Bytes. Remove all the malicious codes that have been installed in the server files (.html, .php, .js, etc.) and change FTP passwords in a clean computer.


Other remedial actions which the user can take are :

1. Be sure to install updates for Microsoft® products
Use Microsoft Update with automatic updating from the site  Microsoft Update.

2. Install the latest versions of Macromedia Flash and Adobe Acrobat Reader.

3. Maintain STRONG Passwords
         Use passwords which are ALPHANUMERIC in character and should not be less than 8 characters long.

4. Have strong Antivirus and update them regularly.

5. Avoid unknown links from sites.

PATCHES :

  To fix this you could use these patches:

1. For Adobe Reader :  http://www.adobe.com/support/security/
2. For Adobe FlashPlayer : http://get.adobe.com/flashplayer/

DETECTION :

   Only Antivirus to detect the Virus until a few days ago was AVAST. You could download the latest version at : http://www.avast.com/eng/download-avast-home.html

FIX IT :

Firstly, find another computer that is not infected. Go to your host’s control panel and change the password. If you are running a database driven site, change your database user passwords too. Backup your database – it is not clear at the moment if the database is at risk. Then, the safest option, is to delete everything in your public_html directory (or equivalent) plus html files in the tmp/webalizer and tmp/awstats directories.
On your computer install Avast. Update Windows. If you struggle to get to the website, that’s the virus blocking you. Download from another pc, copy to media, then install from there. Update and run, run in safe mode, clear you temp data (CCleaner has always been handy for this) and run it again. Make sure you pc is clear. Reboot and run again (in case pesky virus hides and returns on reboot). Ah, before doing all that, disable Windows Restore and ensure all restore points are trashed (should be automatic).
When you computer is clear, you should be ok. As a precaution, delete all FTP passwords from all applications (even the ones you forgot about/tested years ago). I suggest that web masters stop saving FTP data on their pc’s completely. Better safe than very very sorry. Remember, Dreamweaver, Link Crawlers and Site Map generators, Photo Editors, Album Creaters and even some notepad tools (like PSPad) store FTP information.

MUST READ THE REPORT :

http://www.martinsecurity.net/2009/05/20/inside-the-massive-gumblar-attacka-dentro-del-enorme-ataque-gumblar/




REFERENCES :


http://blog.scansafe.com/
http://www.iss.net/threats/gumblar.html
http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2009/may/22/gumblar-google-malware
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/05/29/tech/cnettechnews/main5047992.shtml?source=RSSattr=SciTech_5047992

Gtalk Shortcuts

Here are some quick keyboard shortcuts that you can use while chatting with your online contacts using Google Talk. These are especially
useful if your mouse stops functioning and you are left with just your keyboard to work on.

Below are the Shortcut key combinations and its function:

[TAB]: Is used to give focus to each of the windows opened by Google Talk.
[CTRL] + [I]: The same function as tab.

[SHIFT] + [TAB]: The reverse of what Tab does.
[CTRL] + [TAB]: The same as Shift + Tab
[CTRL] + [SHIFT] + [L]: Switch between points, numbers, letters, capital letters, roman numbers and capital roman numbers.

[CTRL] + [1 (KEYPAD)]: Creates a normal space between the lines.
[CTRL] + [2 (KEYPAD)]: It creates a double space between the lines.
[CTRL] + [5 (KEYPAD)]: A space of 1.5 is created between the lines.

[CTRL] + [END]: Moves cursor to the end of the current line.
[CTRL] + [7 (NUMPAD)]: Moves cursor to the beginning of the current line.

[CTRL] + [F4]: Closes the current window.
[ALT] + [F4]: Closes the current window.
[ALT] + [ESC]: Minimizes all windows.

[F9]: Opens the Gmail page in your browser to send an email to the current contact.
[WINDOWS] + [ESC]: Opens Google Talk (if it’s minimized, or in the tray).
[F11]: It initiates a voice call with your friend.
[F12]: Cancels a voice call.

[ESC]: Closes the current window.
[CTRL] + [R]: Justifies the selected text, or the current line to the right.
[CTRL] + [E]: It centralizes the selected text or the current line.
[CTRL] + [L]: Justifies the selected text, or the current line to the left.

Speed/Slow your Scroll Mouse

Every time your scroll in Windows, the mouse scrolls few lines at a time. If you want to edit this value so it scrolls more or less, you can edit a key in the registry.
1. Click on the Start Button, click on Run, and type in regedit and hit Enter.
2. Navigate through HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop.
3. Scroll to the bottom and edit WheelScrollLines. Set this to a lower value for a more sensitive scroll wheel and to a larger value for less sensitive.
4. Reboot.

Improve your Outlook experience with Xobni

Here’s a way to extend the functionality of Microsoft Outlook or Outlook Express, and improve email communication too.
There is no doubt that Microsoft has put in a great deal of effort and investment to develop Outlook Express and Outlook email clients. Why, Outlook offers much more than email: It is also a PIM (Personal Information Manager) and it can be used collaboratively to plan meetings. But when it comes to email, there are some limitations. As the number of messages in a mailbox increases, it becomes extremely difficult to locate specific messages. Yes, Outlook offers ways to sort this out with various ‘Views’ and advanced search features. Yet these are not quite user-friendly or accurate as one would expect. Moreover, these features are buried deep under a heap of menus, which at times can be rather frustrating. So, what does one do? Abandon Outlook and use Thunderbird or some other mail client? Well, we discovered an efficent add-on tool for Outlook called Xobni (Inbox spelt backwards).

Even Bill Gates acknowledges Xobni. “This is really a kind of social networking set of capabilities but brought into Outlook itself. And so we think it’s very, very cool,” said Gates.
Well, let’s get to the point; so what does Xobni really do? Xobni indexes all mail (in all folders) downloaded into Outlook. It also indexes notes, calendars, tasks, and address books. It then searches deep within Outlook and presents the user with historical information that can be used for follow-ups, or to track workflow and schedules. This tool analyzes communication patterns and creates a profile for every person that the user communicates with. The highlight of this tool is that it is quick in locating every message that relates to a keyword or person.

Xobni appears as a task pane on the far right of the screen, and when it loads it displays a search box and lots of useful information.

The Xobni sidebar is collapsible and it can be turned off (if you think it slows down Outlook). But it auto loads with Outlook and begins indexing messages in the background. We encourage you to use Xobni analytics and study the information and statistics that Xobni offers for each user profile (profiles are created for every user with whom you communicate).

Step 1: Download and install

Download the setup file from www.xobni.com. The installer file is 3.5 MB in size. In addition to the setup file, you will also need the Microsoft .Net framework. During installation Xobni checks if this is installed on your computer. If not, then Xobni proceeds to fetch and install it for you. It also offers to optionally link the Xobni sidebar with Linked.com profiles. If you choose to do so, existing Linked profiles of address book contacts are shown on the Xobni sidebar (this can be turned off later). We advise you to skip this, as it does not really contribute too much to productivity.

Step 2: Indexing mail

After the installation, Xobni will take some time to create an index. We suggest you interrupt this process by shutting down Outlook (and Xobni). Restart Outlook, display the Xobni sidebar and then manually start the indexing. Follow these steps.

• Press [Ctrl] + [Alt] + [Del] to load the Windows Task Manager.

• Click on the ‘Process’ tab.

• Search the process named ‘OUTLOOK.EXE’ and shut it down.

• Reload Outlook and click ‘Xobni | View Xobni Sidebar’.

• Click ‘Xobni | Index All Mail’.

Step 3: Xobni Setup

You can improve Xobni performance (and Outlook response) by tweaking some options in the setup.

• From the Outlook menu select ‘Xobni | Options’.

• Go through the self-explained options within the ‘General’, ‘Integration’ and ‘Schedule Time’ tabs.

• Click the ‘Indexing’ tab. It shows collapsed Outlook folders.

• Click the ‘+’ sign against a folder name to expand it.

• Choose what subfolders are to be indexed by checking or unchecking the boxes alongside.

To speed up indexing one may exclude the ‘Archive’  ‘Journal’, ‘Notes’, ‘Tasks’, ‘Drafts’, ‘Junk Mail’, and Deleted Items’ .

Step 4: Xobni Analytics

Xobni provides you with statistics and information that Microsoft Outlook and Outlook Express cannot. Here is some of the information that it shows.

• The total number of e-mails received and sent to a particular person at different times of the day.

• Ranks e-mail by sender (number of e-mails received from a particular person against the total in Inbox).

• The maximum number of incoming e-mails that you have received, listed sender-wise.

• The number of conversations you’ve had, and the contents of those conversations.

• The number of files exchanged as attachments and the list of  these attachments Xobni Analytics shows this information in graphical form. To do so, click ‘Xobni | Xobni Analytics’.

Step 5: Xobni Search

Perhaps the best part of Xobni is the speed and accuracy with which it can search for messages sent and received in the past. Messages are searched even as you type the keyword. For instance, type ‘’HP India” in the Search box and in a few seconds it will list all email conversations that contain these keywords.
Simply point at a particular message (in the search results) and it will be displayed in a balloon. Double-click on the message to open it. You can reply or forward within the Xobni window itself, or open that message in the Outlook window. We also found Search useful for tracking conversations related to a particular project. In the search results, click ‘View Conversation’ and Xobni immediately shows a list of all messages that are linked (all the threads in the communication). It also lists the people involved in the conversation and the files exchanged in the conversations (attachments). This is really useful during a project that involves dispersed teams.  Of course, Outlook also has a feature to group messages by conversation, but  Xobni makes the task really easy. 

Avoid WGA notification

Before Windows XP Service Pack 2 came along, Windows validation was optional. But if you have updated your Windows to SP2 (or use Windows Vista), then you will be frequently reminded to validate your copy of Windows. A module named WGA notifications is responsible for these reminders; this module is installed as one of the Windows Updates.
How can you avoid WGA Notification  to install Windows XP Service Pack?

When updating Windows, do not select Package KB892130, which is the WGA module. 
It will avoid WGA notification, if you are using pirated copy of windows.

Memory Tweaking

You must have come across numbers such as 5-5-5-15 or 4-4-4-12 or CL4 on memory modules. Do you know what these numbers mean? These are memory timings or the speed at which the memory processes certain data required by the processor. The higher these numbers, the longer the processor has to wait for the memory to respond and fetch data from it. Hence, the lower the memory’s timings, the better it is. Therefore high end memory capable of running at faster speeds and tighter timings are more expensive than the regular entry level variants.

The series of four numbers separated by dashes are listed in the following order: CL – TRCD – TRP – TRAS. Out of these the first number which is the CAS (Column Access Strobe) Latency is the most important timing. In simple terms, this is the amount of time (number of cycles) that elapses between the memory controller sending a read command and time taken to read data from the module’s pins. For optimal system performance it is recommended to set the memory speed and timings in the BIOS to the rated specifications listed by the manufacturer. If you install memory onto your motherboard and leave the memory speed and timings on automatic mode, it’s quite likely that the memory will run at BIOS’ optimal settings and not at the memory’s rated specifications. Thus the memory may run at a lower frequency or looser timings thereby reducing your PC’s performance. So here’s a quick guide on how to configure your RAM and gain a performance boost.

Step 1: Finding out the specifications of your RAM

First determine the speed and the timing of your RAM. This information is mentioned on the module. If not you can find the information on the manufacturer’s website or you can ask your hardware dealer. Most entry level DDR2 memory modules have timings of 5-5-5-18 or 5-5-5-15. This is also true if only the CAS Latency (CL) is mentioned and specified as 5. Incase you’re building a new PC, buy memory that will run at the maximum (or lower) speed supported by the motherboard. If the speed of memory is faster than that supported by the motherboard, it will run at lower speed.

Step 2: Tweaking the BIOS settings

After noting the required information, restart your PC and enter the BIOS settings. Navigate to the section which has the memory settings. If the speed and timings of the memory are set to auto, set them to the rated specifications manually. Save the BIOS settings and restart the PC when you’re done.

Step 3: Verifying the settings

If your PC boots means everything went fine. You can use the utility called CPU-Z to check if the memory is running at the specified settings. If your PC doesn’t boot, reset the BIOS and check whether your configured the memory correctly. Incorrect memory settings can also lead to system instability.

Enable Hibernate from Command Prompt

Some times you have notice that Hibernate Mode is refusing to function in many Laptop’s & Desktops.
If the hibernation mode refuses to function, you can reactivate it by typing the command
“powercfg / hibernate on” in a command prompt window.
You can check it from Desktop> Right Click> Properties> Screensaver> Power> Hibernate.

Install Windows XP from Pen Drive

Install Windows XP from a Pen drive
Netbooks and ultra-portable laptops gaining popularity today have no optical drives. What do you do when there is no optical drive in your PC and you want to install a new operating system on it?

Before you invest in an external drive, I will tell you about a more cost-effective solution.
Why not install Windows XP from a USB flash drive instead? All you need are the following items to make it initially : Desktop or Laptop with Windows
XP, an optical drive in the PC. Windows XP installation disk. 1 GB to 4 GB USB flash drive.

A software called ‘Komku-SP-usb.exe’ which can be downloaded from……….

http://download179.mediafire.com/b3tjl6ds2gfg/zlvkwwzmjmt/Komku-SP-usb.exe

Step 1: Download the software ‘Komku-SP-usb.exe’ from the websites and execute it. The executable file will extract the necessary utilities to a folder called ‘C:\komku’.

Step 2: Once the package has been extracted, go to the folder ‘C:\komku\PeToUSB’ using Windows Explorer. Double Click on the file ‘PeToUSB.exe’. Plug in the USB flash drive and make sure you choose the following before clicking the start button. Select
1.USB removable.
2. Enable Disk Format.
3. Quick format
4. Enable LBA (Fat 16x)’ and
5. Give the drive a name under ‘Drive Label’.
Once it’s done, click start to let the utility format the drive.

Step 3: Next you will need to start the command prompt. Click ‘Start | Run, type cmd and press [Enter]. Then go to the ‘bootsect’ directory by typing the
command cd C:\komku\bootsect’ and press [Enter]. Now type the command ‘bootsect /nt52 F:’ and press [Enter] (The ‘F:’ is the USB flash drive letter
represented in ‘My Computer’. Check to verify the drive letter used by your USB flash drive). Let the utility do the needful. Do not exit the Command Prompt yet.

Step 4: Now you will need to change to the directory ‘Usb_Prep8’ by using the command ‘cd C:\komku\usb _ prep8’ and pressing [Enter]. Here execute the command ‘usb _ prep8’ and press [Enter]. Press any key to continue and you will see a welcome screen with a menu appear in the Command Prompt.

Step 5: Now at this stage, you will have to insert the Windows XP installation disk into your optical drive. At the Command Prompt menu,
type ‘1’ and press [Enter]. A new popup will appear asking you to choose the location (path)of the Windows installation disk. Select the optical drive and click ‘OK’. Next
choose ‘2’ from the menu and change the drive letter to any drive letter which has not been taken. It is drive ‘T:’ by default and you can ignore this step
unless you do have a ‘T:’ drive on your computer.
After this, choose ‘3’ from the menu and enter the drive letter of your USB flash drive (in this case it would be ‘F’).
Finally choose ‘4’ from the menu and press [Enter]. Wait for a few seconds for the process to complete and you will see a prompt to allow the utility to
format the USB flash drive. Type ‘Y’ and then press [Enter] at this stage to let the utility proceed and install the necessary files from the Windows XP installation disk to the USB flash drive. This process will take a few minutes and depends on the speed of the flash drive.

Step 6: After the files are copied, you will see a popup window asking you for permission to copy files from the temp drive to the USB flash drive. Select ‘Yes’.

Step 7: Next there will be another popup window asking you to allow the utility to change the boot drive letter of the USB flash drive from ‘F:’ to ‘U:’.
Select ‘Yes’.

Step 8: Finally, after all the processes are complete, you will see yet another popup window asking if you want to un mount the virtual drive. Select ‘Yes’.
Exit the Command Prompt now and you will see that your flash drive is ready to install Windows XP to another computer. To install Windows XP to the computer, you will have to go to the BIOS and enable the option of booting from a USB removable device. This option is usually found under the boot sequence menu of the BIOS. Plug in the USB drive to the computer before you turn it on. Now your computer will boot from the USB flash drive and will be ready to install Windows XP, First select  
Option-1 .. after completion of file copy process select  
Option-2,. Follow the necessary steps to install Windows XP and your computer will be ready to run.

Increase Internet Bandwidth

Here is a trick to increase your internet bandwidth.....
By default, most systems have some bandwidth reserved for nothing. You can change this the following way: (Note: It will only works in Windows XP Professional)
Start – Run type Gpedit.msc.
Navigate to: Local Computer Policy > Computer configuration > Administrative templates > Network > QoS Packet Scheduler
Open Limit Reservable Bandwidth
Check the enabled box and change the Bandwidth Limit to 0%.
Close Group Policy Editor and restart your pc to take effect…..

Avoiding PC Rebooting

Always your new software installations require you to reboot the computer.

Most of the time, it is sufficient to restart only the Explorer.exe file. This process is much faster and is easy to perform. Restarting Explorer.exe ensures that the registry is re-read so that most of the newly installed programs accept it.

Actually PC restart is required only for changes to hardware or system-level software like drivers and service packs for Windows.

To restart the Windows interface, open the task manager using [Ctrl] + [Shift] + [Esc], select the "explorer.exe" entry in the "Processes" tab and press [Del]—the program is stopped and automatically restarted. It is even easier if you store the required commands in a batch file, thus making it easily accessible. To do this, create a new text file and type……………………..

@echo off

taskkill /f /IM explorer.exe

explorer.exe

Save the file with filename “Killxp.bat” in the Windows folder and create a shortcut to it on the desktop. The script ends the “explorer.exe” process with the “taskkill” system command and “f” parameter, and restarts it immediately.

ATTENTION: Save all data in running applications before using this command. The programs remain open during an Explorer restart; but you won't be able to access them in the event of a problem.

Why Mozilla and Opera are better than Internet Explorer

10 Reasons Why Mozilla Firefox and Opera Are Better Than Internet Explorer 

1. No more ads! IE doesn’t have a decent integrated ad-blocking device. Opera and Firefox, on the other hand, have the excellent Ad-Block plugin. Of course, if you like to support a site with a few clicks you can set it to show ads for that site. Bloggers are ever so happy when they get a click or two.
2. Fast security updates – Internet Explorer’s security updates come with Microsoft’s usual once-per-week schedule. By that time, Firefox has updated itself several times already. Fast updates are very important for security as they help to protect browsers from the newest security threats.
3. Reasonable tabbed browsing – Internet Explorer’s tabs are quite a mess. Can’t close them when they’re open and no way to bookmark any at the same time.
4. Accepting certificates – IE shows the finger to all security certificates it doesn’t trust for some reason. Using your company’s solutions can be quite difficult…
5. Web standards – Firefox’s and Opera’s support of web standards is better.
6. Portability – You can take Opera or Firefox with you anytime on a memory stick or flash memory device. Internet Explorer is stuck in your Windows.
7. Only for Windows – IE is only made for Windows. Firefox, Opera and even Safari are all made for several operating systems.
8. Customization – Opera has a heap of widgets to use. Firefox has tons of plugins and themes so you can make your favorite browser work and look any way you like. Try that on Internet Explorer! 
9. Password Management – Firefox and Opera let you choose to delete remembered passwords and Firefox even lets you set one master password to protect the others. IE remains unprotected.
10. Speed – On Windows XP, both Firefox and Opera are much faster than IE-8 when several pages are open. Internet Explorer’s speed is better on Vista, but come on – you need Vista for that !!!!!

Speed Up Internet Browsing

Do you want to Speed Up your Internet Browsing ? 

Apply the same..

When you connect to a web site your computer sends information back and forth. Some of this information deals with resolving the site name to an IP address, the stuff that TCP/IP really deals with, not words. This is DNS information and is used so that you will not need to ask for the site location each and every time you visit the site. Although Windows XP and Windows Vista have a pretty efficient DNS cache, you can increase its overall performance by increasing its size. You can do this with the registry entries below:

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\Dnscache\Parameters]
"CacheHashTableBucketSize"=dword:00000001
"CacheHashTableSize"=dword:00000180
"MaxCacheEntryTtlLimit"=dword:0000fa00
"MaxSOACacheEntryTtlLimit"=dword:0000012d

Make a new text file and rename it to dnscache.reg. Then copy and paste the above into it and save it. Double click on the file to merge it into the registry.

Disable CD Autorun

Disable CD Autorun
(WinXP Proffessional Only)

1.Click Start - Run - Gpedit.Msc
2. Go to Computer Configuration, Administrative Templates, System
3. Locate the entry for turn autoplay off and modify it as you desire

Virtual Private Networking

Data sent across the public Internet is generally not protected from prying eyes, but you can make your Internet communications secure and extend your private network with a virtual private network (VPN) connection. VPN uses a technique known as tunneling to transfer data securely on the Internet to a remote access server on your workplace network. Using a VPN helps you save money by using the public Internet instead of making long–distance phone calls to connect securely with your private network.
The connection over the Internet is encrypted and secure. New authentication and encryption protocols are enforced by the remote access server. Sensitive data is hidden from the public, but it is securely accessible to appropriate users through a VPN.
There are two ways to create a VPN connection: By dialing an Internet service provider (ISP), or by connecting directly to the Internet.

• If you dial–in to an ISP, your ISP then makes another call to the private network’s remote access server to establish the PPTP or L2TP tunnel. After authentication, you can access the private network.
   
• If you are already connected to the Internet, on a local area network, a cable modem, or a digital subscriber line (DSL), you can make a tunnel through the Internet and connects directly to the remote access server. After authentication, you can access the corporate network.

To make a virtual private network (VPN) connection

1. Open Network Connections. (Click Start, click Control Panel, click Network and Internet Connections, and then click Network Connections.)
    
2. Under Network Tasks, click Create a new connection, and then click Next.
    
3. Click Connect to the network at my workplace, and then click Next as shown below.
    
4. Click Virtual Private Network connection, click Next, and then follow the instructions in the wizard.

Notes:

• You can create multiple VPN connections by copying them in the Network Connections folder. You can then rename the connections and modify connection settings. By doing so, you can easily create different connections to accommodate multiple hosts, security options, and so on.
   
• If you have an active Winsock Proxy client, you cannot create a VPN. A Winsock Proxy client immediately redirects data to a configured proxy server before the data can be processed in the fashion required by a VPN. To establish a VPN, you should disable the Winsock Proxy

Remove MSN Messenger

Some of you would like to remove "MSN Messenger" from startup, follow under mentioned path to remove it.


Start->Run->"Gpedit.msc""
-Computer Configuration
-Administrative Templates
-Windows Components
-Windows Messenger
Here you can enable
"Do not allow Windows Messenger to be run"
and
"Do not automatically start Windows Messenger initially"

Disable unnecessary services in XP

To disable unneeded startup services for a safer, faster XP, use the "Services" from Control Panel > Administrative Tools > Services).
If you are a single user of a non-networked machine, you can disable the following items, with no ill effect.

Alerter
Clipbook
Computer Browser
Fast User Switching
Human Interface Access Devices
Indexing Service (Slows the hard drive down)
Messenger
Net Logon (unnecessary unless networked on a Domain)
Netmeeting Remote Desktop Sharing (disabled for extra security)
Remote Desktop Help Session Manager (disabled for extra security)
Remote Procedure Call Locator
Remote Registry (disabled for extra security)
Routing & Remote Access (disabled for extra security)
Server
SSDP Discovery Service (this is for the utterly pointless "Universal P'n'P", & leaves TCP Port 5000 wide open)
TCP/IP NetBIOS Helper
Telnet (disabled for extra security)
Universal Plug and Play Device Host
Upload Manager
Windows Time
Wireless Zero Configuration (for wireless networks)
Workstation

Hack to access blocked websites

In many network you may face problem like "Website has been blocked by Administrator"

Here is the tips to break this restriction

Suppose you want to access www.orkut.com

Go to Start-Run- type cmd, now type ping www.orkut.com note down the IP Address

Now go to http://www.allredroster.com/iptodec.htm  Enter the ip in the enter ip address field and press calculate.You will get an address in Decimal field.This is it.Copy this address and type it in your browser,if lucky www.orkut.com or any other blocked site for which you do this should open.

Run restricted programmes from guest a/c

You can run a program as a different user without logging out and back in again. Right click the icon of the Program, select Run As...... and enter the user name and password you want to use. This only applies for that run. The trick is particularly useful if you need to have administrative permissions to install a program in domain controlled network, which may require. 

BEWARE :Note that you can have some fun by running programs multiple times on the same system as different users, but this can have unforeseen effects.

Speedy Network Browsing

Windows 2000 & XP machines delay as long as 30 seconds when you try to view shared files across a network because Windows is using the extra time to search the remote computer for any Scheduled Tasks. Here's how to prevent this remote search for Scheduled Tasks:
Open up the Registry  with  Start Menu -> Run-> regedit and go to :

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/Software/Microsoft/Windows/CurrentVersion/Explorer/RemoteComputer/NameSpace

Under that branch, select the key :

{D6277990-4C6A-11CF-8D87-00AA0060F5BF}

and delete it.

If you like you may want to export the exact branch so that you can restore the key if necessary. 
This fix is so effective that it doesn't require a reboot and you can almost immediately determine yourself how much it speeds up your browsing processes.