How To Disable The SmartScreen Filter In Internet Explorer

Over the past few weeks we have got clients calling wondering about what this SmartScreen application is that popping on their screen is about; therefore, I decided to put together some info on what this actually is and how to turn it on and off.

The so called SmartScreen Filter has been added to Internet Explorer 8 by Microsoft. The filter has been designed to warn the user in case unsafe websites are accessed in the web browser. Unsafe websites can for instance be phishing websites or sites that distribute malware. The SmartScreen filter will first check the visited website against a list of “high traffic website addresses” stored on the computer system that are believed to be legitimate by Microsoft.

Any address that is not in that local list will be send to a Microsoft server where it will be compared against a database that contains unsafe and suspicious websites. Standard computer information and the SmartScreen Filter version number will also be transmitted in the process.

The SmartScreen Filter is a security addition to Internet Explorer that warns the user if known malicious or dangerous websites are visited. It is therefore usually recommended to keep the filter activated.

Some Internet Explorer users on the other hand might prefer to deactivate it. Either because they are using a security software that checks the websites for them, like Web of Trust for instance or a security software that integrates in the web browser and checks the accessed websites, or because they do not want to transmit information about the visited websites to Microsoft.

The SmartScreen Filter can be disabled in the Internet Options of Internet Explorer. Open the Internet Options by clicking on Tools > Internet Options and switch to the Security tab.

Select the Internet Zone and click on the Custom level button. This opens a new window with lots of configuration options. Scroll all the way down until the Use SmartScreen Filter setting which is Enabled by default. Selecting Disable instead and clicking on OK will disable the filter for general Internet usage.

You need to confirm the changes. This will disable the SmartScreen Filter in Internet Explorer 8 so that no visited websites and computer information will be submitted to Microsoft.

It is also possible to turn of the SmartScreen Filter by clicking on the Safety link in the Internet Explorer toolbar and selecting SmartScreen Filter > Turn Off SmartScreen Filter. This menu can also be used to check websites manually and report potentially dangerous websites. The last two options can be performed even if the SmartScreen Filter has been deactivated in Internet Explorer.

Today’s blog is on ease of use, and the attitude of ability…

I found it overwhelming at first to take in all the capabilities Tailwind has the capacity to do. For every prospect there is another question that I’m searching for an answer and 9 times out of 10 or even 19 times out of 20 the answer is always “YES WE CAN”

For years I’ve done very basic demonstrations utilizing my resources, and making do with what I can manage working from home. The past week I was challenged to dig deeper and utilize my sales skills as well as my ability to learn quickly. I found myself telling myself “YES I CAN!” the more I said it the more I believed it. I ignored my concern for doing it right, and found that the company I work for all believe in me too. They all stood behind me and were willing to help. This deepened my drive to sell what I know we have- which is a strong product and a strong team!

As I learned how to demo for a large group of people I discovered that as vast as all the capabilities are within Tailwind they are designed to be easy to use. This gave me the confidence to say “hey if I can do this so can you” thus will improve my ability to sell and put me one step closer to being a better team player.

I am fortunate to have such a strong team behind me! Tailwind is more than a software system it’s a system of powerful minds working together to help everyone’s lives run easier and more efficient.

An Insight Into Client/Server Applications

A client/server application is a piece of software that runs on a client computer and makes requests to a remote server. Many such applications are written in high-level visual programming languages where the user interface, forms, and most business logic reside in the client application. Often such applications are database applications that make database queries to a remote central database server.

A client is a machine, typically a personal computer (or mobile device, desktop or laptop) that is equipped with network software applications. These applications are designed to request and receive data over the span of the network. In the case of the internet, which is kind of like an obscenely large network, the possibilities of sending and receiving data are endless.

A server is like an enormous warehouse, one that has more memory, bigger disk drives and more super powered central processors, as compared to client machines. A server is a storehouse of files, folders, databases and even more complicated applications. A server is more powerful than a client and can support and process the requests of a large number of clients, at times by networking together many servers in a cluster. The servers can support an enormous amount of clients without being overwhelmed by the load. A server does not necessarily require a display and is usually a separate machine from the client. However this is not a rule.

Client/server describes an application architecture in which “the client” requests an action or service from the provider of service, “the server”. Consider a Web browser and a Web server. When you enter an address (URL) in the browser window, it (client) requests a page from a Web server. The server returns an html page to the client, which parses the page (data) and displays it on your computer. Similarly, the system on which the Tailwind’s CMS application is running becomes the client. When we click on any tool/feature/option in CMS, it sends a request to the linked server. The server accesses the corresponding database and grabs the data according to the request received. Lastly this data is sent back to the client as a result of the request.

A client / server application can be cross platform (different computer operating systems) if it is written in a cross-platform language, or it can be platform specific, such as being written specifically for a computer running Windows XP. In the case of a cross-platform language, there is an advantage that the application can potentially provide a user interface that is native in appearance to the operating system or platform environment it is running under.

Source www.howstuffworks.com , www.wikipedia.org

Protect Yourself From Spyware

Allow me to elaborate.
Computers on the Internet are almost constantly bombarded with viruses and other malware so users employ antivirus software to protect themselves. Email inboxes are constantly flooded with pathetically useless spam- so users employ anti-spam programs and techniques to protect themselves. As soon as you think you have things under control you find out your system has a myriad of spyware and adware programs silently running in the background monitoring and reporting on your computer activity. Hence, "if its not one thing, its another."

The more benign spyware and adware simply monitors and tracks your the sites you visit on the web so that companies can determine the web-surfing habits of their users and try to pinpoint their marketing efforts. However, many forms of spyware go beyond simple tracking and actually monitor keystrokes and capture passwords and other functions which cross the line and pose a definite security risk.

How can you protect yourself from these insidious little programs? Ironically, many users unwittingly agree to install these programs. In fact, removing some spyware and adware might render some freeware or shareware programs useless. Below are 5 easy steps you can follow to try to avoid and, if not avoid, at least detect and remove these programs from your computer system:

1. Be Careful Where You Download: Unscrupulous programs often come from unscrupulous sites. If you are looking for a freeware or shareware program for a specific purpose try searching reputable sites like tucows.com or download.com.
2. Read the EULA: What is an EULA you ask? End User License Agreement. It's all of the technical and legal gibberish in that box above the radio buttons that say "No, I do not accept" or "Yes, I have read and accept these terms". Most people consider this a nuisance and click on "yes" without having read a word. The EULA is a legal agreement you are making with the software vendor. Without reading it you may be unwittingly agreeing to install spyware or a variety of other questionable actions that may not be worth it to you. Sometimes the better answer is "No, I do not accept."
3. Read Before You Click: Sometimes when you visit a web site a text box might pop up. Like the EULA, many users simply consider these a nuisance and will just click away to make the box disappear. Users will click "yes" or "ok" without stopping to see that the box said "would you like to install our spyware program?" Ok, admittedly they don't generally come out and say it that directly, but that is all the more reason you should stop to read those messages before you click "ok".
4. Protect Your System: Antivirus software is somewhat misnamed these days. Viruses are but a small part of the malicious code these programs protect you from. Antivirus has expanded to include worms, trojans, vulnerability exploits, jokes and hoaxes and even spyware and adware. If your antivirus product doesn't detect and block spyware you can try a product like AdAware Pro which will protect your system from spyware or adware in real time.
5. Scan Your System: Even with antivirus software, firewalls and other protective measures some spyware or adware may eventually make it through to your system. While a product like AdAware Pro mentioned in step #4 will monitor your system in real time to protect it, AdAware Pro costs money. The makers of AdAware Pro, Lavasoft, also have a version available for free for personal use. AdAware will not monitor in real time, but you can manually scan your system periodically to detect and remove any spyware. Another excellent choice is Spybot Search & Destroy which is also available for free.

Source: About.com