HughesNet uses satellite internet technology to provide a high-speed broadband service that does not require a fixed line connection, and can be used anywhere in the US that has a clear view of the southern sky. HughesNet offer a number of key features including:

• Coverage in remote areas not connected to DSL or cable Internet access
• Consistent high speed Internet access
• Download speeds of up to 3Mbps
• Windows 2000, XP, Vista and also Mac OS 10.1 compatibility
• Networking capabilities
• No dial up line or modem required
• Cash back promotions
• 30 Day satisfaction guarantee

The HughesNet website is easy to use and full of information about the products and services available, and there is a detailed page listing all of the HughesNet plans and pricing. There are two main plans available, HughesNet Home and HughesNet Elite. HughesNet Home is ideal for domestic Internet use, and has three sub plans:

* Home – 1Mbps (up to 15 times faster than regular dial up)
* Home Pro -1.2 Mbps (up to 20 times faster than regular dial up)
* Home Pro Plus –1.6 Mbps (up to 30 times faster than regular dial up)

HughesNet Elite is ideal for business Internet use and heavier domestic downloading requirements, and has two sub plans:

· Elite - 2 Mbps (up to 35 times faster than regular dial up)

· Elite Plus - 3 Mbps (up to 50 times faster than regular dial up)

HughesNet provide two payment options for the Home and Elite packages. You can choose to lease the equipment and pay an additional monthly charge of $9.99 on top of the service fees, (includes a one off charge of $99 but comes with free equipment installation worth up to $199), or you can choose to pay upfront for the equipment which is around $399, but does include free mail in rebate options of up to $100.

The Hughes website has an FAQ page where you can find answers to the most commonly asked questions regarding the services and technology, and you can also call the toll free customer services helpdesk on 1-866-369-2982 if you have any further queries.:)

Popularity: 12% [?]

Registry cleaning software is easy to download from the Internet, and can help to optimise the overall performance of your computer, by keeping your registry organised and up to date. The registry is the section of your operating system in which key information about all the software and system settings are stored, and having errors such as duplicate or missing entries in the registry list makes it more difficult for your computer to access the information it needs to start up or run programs, which causes poor performance and even serious computer errors.

There are quite a few different registry cleaner packages currently available, some of which offer free mini scans, or free trial periods. Top packages such as Uniblue Registry Booster offers you advanced control over which registry entries are deleted or changed, and also provide a back up function, so that you can restore registry entries just in case something important was accidentally deleted.

When you are looking for a registry cleaning package, you need to make sure the one you choose is compatible with your current operating system. Most of the programs available are designed to be used with Windows XP and Vista, however if you are using an older program such as Windows 2000 or 2003 you will need to make sure the program will run on this, as each Windows edition uses slightly different registry set ups.

To help you find the best registry cleaning program for your computer you can go to http://bestregistrycleaner.com/, where you can find in depth reviews on all of the leading registry cleaning packages currently available, as well as details of any special offers such as 30 days free trial, or money of a year’s subscription.

Popularity: 35% [?]

Error messages are triggered by your operating system, to alert you to specific faults that have occurred in either hardware or software installations. There are a number of error codes for Microsoft systems, and it is easy to find out more about them on the Internet, either through visiting the Microsoft online help pages, or through sites such as Error-message.net.

A common error message encountered by users is code 11, or the bad format error, which is generally seen when installing new software or hardware to Windows systems. This can occur when your system fails to respond to the device/program you are attempting to install, and you will need to remove the device/software loading disk and retry the installation process. You may also need to upgrade your device drivers before you can install a new device, and you should try and download the correct driver from the official manufacturers website of the device you are using.

Many devices also come with CD’s that contain drivers that you can then use to load the correct version onto your system. Sometimes error 11 will occur when you try a play a file with your Windows RealPlayer software, and this is normally because the file you are trying to play is not supported by your current RealPlayer version. For example files created specifically for the most recent 5.0 version of RealPlayer will not be compatible with the early 3.0 versions, and so you will need to upgrade by going to http://www.real.com/products/player/index.html, which is a free service.

Another common error message is code 3, ‘path not found’. This occurs when the device driver has a fault, or the system is running low on overall memory. Try closing some of the other applications on your desktop, and also run a defragmentation scan, which will reduce the amount of fragmented files and organise them in a more sequential order to free up space. If you are still encountering memory problems you could try running a free memory cleaner scan, which will identify any obsolete programs or temporary folders in your system and delete them to free up more space. Ultimately you may also need to upgrade your computer memory by installing more Random Access Memory (RAM) which you can find out more about by following this MS link .

Popularity: 54% [?]

There are loads of cool accessories available for the Blackberry range including cases, car kits, headphones and screen protectors. You will definitely need a case to start with for carrying your Blackberry around, and I bought an excellent Krusell Orbit Flex Case ($39.95) from EverythingBerry.com, for my Blackberry Storm, which I am really pleased with as it is a top quality item and protects my Storm perfectly, and is easy to use with an additional slot for my spare memory card.

I also invested in an extra screen protector, as my phone does get a lot of use and I want to keep it looking nice and tidy. You can get loads of other cases for BlackBerry Storm 9530 as well on this site, from simple body skins through to hard aluminium cases for ultimate protection when you are travelling around.

There are also plenty of other accessories for the Blackberry Storm, and I have upgraded my headphones to the wireless Motorola HT820 Bluetooth Stereo Headphones ($59.95) as I use my Blackberry to listen to a lot of music as I am travelling for work, and these headphones are very lightweight, comfortable to wear for long periods of time and have an easy switch function so you can quickly switch over to answering calls when you need to.

I also bought a extra Storm battery as well because I watch a lot of videos and surf the Internet when I am away on business and it really eats into the battery life, and this means I don’t have to worry about the battery running low when I need to make some calls before I can get a chance to recharge it.

You can also buy accessories for other Blackberry models as well on the Everything Berry site, and there are some great BlackBerry Bold cases including fully water and UV resistant cases to keep your multimedia phone in top condition.

Popularity: 52% [?]

LANguard has been one of the leading security software packages for a few years now, and in 2007 was the Winner of the Best of TechEd award, and also highly commended in the Secure Computing Monthly Magazine (Europe) awards in 2008. The company behind LANguard have been recognized for their dedication to customer support, cutting edge technology and also competitive prices, and the most recent version of LANguard aims to continue this high quality service.

Version 9 improves on the LANguard software package, but like the previous versions aims to provide a complete computer security solution to small and medium sized businesses by combining scanning, evaluating and patching tools in one single package. LANguard enables the administrator to run complete diagnostics of network systems using both automated and manual scans, which helps to identify and solve any security vulnerabilities.

LANguard Network scanner is ideal for small businesses as it is easy to use and does not require a dedicated staff resource, and simple routine scans can be run automatically with minimal input from administrators. The user-face feature has been updated and improved in Version 9, making it more accessible for all skill levels, and the improved diagnostic software guides users step by step through the process of setting up patches and solving various security problems.

Version 9 is also ideal for those businesses that want a more comprehensive overview of their security systems, and the software can provide audit information on all the main network elements including memory, storage devices and processors. Version 9 can also alert the administrator to all new and unauthorised network installations, and also uninstall any potentially damaging devices and programs where necessary.

GFI are currently offering a 30 day free, no obligations trial of Version 9 on their official website, and you can also find out more here about this software package and its features. If you already use LANguard but are interested in upgrading to the new Version 9, then you can get more information on the website, which also has a helpful FAQ and forum page where you can find answers to common LANguard issues, and a support centre where you can ask any technical questions.

Popularity: 55% [?]

Microsoft Operating systems utilise a number of executable (exe) files that can run basic routines and applications without the need for user interaction, and these perform a variety of important tasks including running the processes needed for initialising and maintaining stable Internet access.

However although these types of files are necessary, the fact that they can run without the intervention of the user makes them an effective method for running malicious programs on your computer without your knowledge. For example the file agent.exe performs a vital updating function in your computer, and is used to automatically check the Internet at regular intervals for updates to key software applications such as Corel Draw, Articulate and also the Avira Internet Security Suite, which protects your computer against spyware, virus and Trojans.

Although this program is important to the secure and stable running of your computer it can also be utilised by hackers, who use the cover of its legitimate file name to mask a malicious programs. To discover whether an agent.exe program is a legitimate Windows process or a virus you will need to check which directory locations the program is running from on your computer. You can do this by going into the ‘search all files and folders’ function in your computer and typing in ‘agent.exe’. The computer will show you all the files of this name, and where they are in your directory. Any files that are not running from the program folder, such as ‘C:\Program Files\Common Files\InstallShield\UpdateService’ are likely to be malicious programs and should be deleted from your system immediately.

Another exe file that runs in the background of your computer is discover.exe. This file is associated with a part of the processes that install new programs, modify existing programs and also create directory values. Because it has the ability to modify existing programs it is a vulnerable to being exploited by hackers, as it can take over any existing processes and effectively hijack them for other malicious purposes. As with agent.exe files you can check the legitimacy of the discover.exe files in your computer by confirming where they are on your directory. Any discover.exe files that are not running from the program folder C:\ \Program Files\DISC directory are most likely to be viruses and you should take steps to erase them from your computer as soon as possible.

Popularity: 59% [?]

This is another post from our series of posts helping you understand various computer file extensions and their applications.

It is important to understand what file extensions are and how they work as they can tell you what type of format the files on your computer saved are in, and what they are used for. File extensions are the coded suffixes placed at the end of a saved filename, and indicate what type of file it is, and what programs/devices you need to open it. Today we will talk about 3GP and Lnk file extensions.

File extension 3gp indicates a multimedia file that is used on devices such as 3G (and sometimes 2G and 4G) mobile phones. The 3GP file is designed to reduce data such as video and music for storage and playback on mobile phones, and is a simplified version of MPEG-4 files, which are used to compress AV digital data for streaming and archiving. 3gp files can also be transferred to a computer and viewed with a variety of operating systems including Windows, Mac and Linux and are compatible with common applications such as Media Player Classic, RealPlayer, and QuickTime.

Filename extensions can also be used to increase the security of your computer, as they can alert you to those files that are more likely to contain harmful executable programs that can infiltrate your hard drive and run routines without your knowledge, such as exe files. These types of files are very useful as they can run standard schedules and programs without you having to activate them, but they can also be used as a delivery method for viruses or other malicious programs. You must always ensure that you isolate any exe files you receive via email or through websites, and scan them with an up to date anti virus program before opening. You also need to be aware of lnk files, as they are shortcuts that point to an exe file on your system. If you click on a lnk file it is the same as clicking directly onto the exe file it is associated with, and the program will open and start to run. These lnk files are also used for legitimate exe programs but can often suddenly stop working, and this is normally because there is a problem with the associated exe program, such as the registry becoming corrupted.

Popularity: 56% [?]