Monday, November 26, 2012

Troubleshooting Video problems in Windows XP


In some PC’s, when you are running videos or when you play a game, video problem occurs and you receive a message saying “Display Problems. This Program Can’t Continue”. Flickering of the display, uncomfortable and unusual resolution setting and difficulties in monitor installation are the common problems with computer hardware related to display and graphics. In the scenario where video problems occur, the best bet is a video troubleshooter or a hardware diagnostic tool. The video troubleshooter runs a lot of video tests on the system and compares the results to its comprehensive list of video problems, associated symptoms and logical resolutions. Tech Support forums and websites can help you with the available video troubleshooters.
If you are facing any video problems in Windows XP, and are planning on solving it, here are some instructions that will take you along the bridge.

Instructions
1. Click on the Start button resting on the taskbar at the left bottom corner of the screen. In the Start Menu, click on the 3rd option from the bottom, Help and Support.
2. The Windows XP Help and Support center will appear, in which a lot of sections, topics and options will be displayed. Click on the 2nd option ‘Music, videos, games, and photos’ and open it.
3. In the next page, click on the ‘Video’ link to expand it and then click on the link ‘Fixing a Video problem’.
4. In the right pane, click on the link ‘Display Troubleshooter’.
5. In the next page, the troubleshooter will present you with a lot of options asking “What Problem are You Having?
6. Select the option that resembles the closest to yours and then click on the Next button.
7. The troubleshooter gives you some advice. Try using the method suggested by the troubleshooter and solve the problem. If the method works, you are fine. If not, you have to continue the procedure in the troubleshooter to solve the problem.
8. In case none of that works, problem maybe with your video card driver.
9. Right click on My Computer and click on the option Manage. In the Computer Management window, click on the Device Manager link in the left pane.
10. In the middle pane, you can see a list of devices. Under the Display Adapters option, right click on the adapter and click on Update driver. Windows will update the driver if one is present.
If none of the above helping you, contact any computer tech support professional and request for service.

Wednesday, November 7, 2012

An Expose on Security and Microsoft Help in Browsers


There are many security threats faced by computer users, mostly from Internet. Today every software developer is trying to make their platform and internet applications secure. Microsoft help Websites give you detailed descriptions about the unnoticed daily vulnerabilities left by a user in their computer. The main security vulnerabilities which help others attack your PC are given here.

Security Vulnerability due to Shortcut Command
One among the best traits of the Compiled HTML Help is its ability to execute programs, a concession not seen in regular un-compiled web pages. This property is achieved by the use of the shortcut command, which is only possible through the HTML Help ActiveX Control. A Help topic that contains instructions to open the printer settings dialog is able to provide a shortcut button that allows users to open that dialog with a single click, is an example of using the shortcut command.
Security restrictions are imposed on HTML Help files. These restrictions only allow trusted HTML Help files to use them. However, two flaws, which have recently been identified that allows this restriction to be bypassed. The HTML Help facility determines the Security Zone in a wrong manner and subsequently opens some malware. The second flaw is that it handles these files in a very wrong manner. The Html Help does not care about the contents inside the folder.

Unchecked Buffer
Many functions are exposed due to some faults or misconceptions made at the time of programming. One such function exposed through the HTML Help control is an unchecked buffer. If you can, check any of Microsoft's security bulletins over recent months. Then you can probably become familiar with the term unchecked buffer, since it is the origin of many of the security vulnerabilities being utilized by attackers. In software field, buffer is a kind of space where data is stored temporarily while it is being used. An unchecked buffer is the buffer where the software does not verify the validity of the data being stored for that buffer.
Attackers exploit unchecked buffer to insert hostile code inside a program. It is also used to crash the programs by overflowing the program. There are a lot of means to achieve this, web page hosted on an attacker's site or sent to a user as an HTML mail being the examples. An attacker utilizing this vulnerability will be able to gain the same privileges as the user on the system.
Check Microsoft Help Websites, as they provide support for users to remove these vulnerabilities.