Anti-Malware Software, Microsoft Security Essentials, Out and Yours for Free
A new anti-malware service from Microsoft has come, and it’s free. Microsoft Security Essentials was recently released and is simple and consumer friendly anti-malware software which is free to download. It will run on Windows XP, Windows Vista and Windows 7. Other operating systems like Linux and Mac aren’t capable of running this service as it’s a Windows only service.
Microsoft Security Essentials works like usual antivirus software in which client software will monitor programs and applications on a PC. When processes are being done, such as downloading or transferring and modifying files, the system will check against a list of malware signatures in the client software to find out if the codes and the signatures match that of a known malware. If that happens, it blocks the file from further processes.
If no matches are found, the system will later ping the server based DSS or Dynamic Signature Service to see if there are any updates on new signatures, if there are new signatures, it will remove the malware. The DSS may also request a sample of the code if ever new malware might be in hand, it will use the code to create a new signature. The service updates is database constantly. It also publishes new signatures to Microsoft Update 3 times each day.
The service itself also includes new features that help in protecting you from rootkits, rootkits are programs designed to conceal the fact that your PC has been infected and compromised. It scans the PC whenever it’s idle to conserve memory usage. If an antivirus software is already installed on your PC, then this service may not be for you.
Though the service lacks features like performance tuning, managed firewalls, backup and restore and multi-PC management, the service is still a good download for those who don’t have any antivirus software installed at all. The company mentioned that they don’t see Security Essentials as a top competitor to other free software, they also claim that the audience they are trying to reach are those who have no protection at all.
Overall, Microsoft Security Essentials will prove useful to those who have no antivirus or anti-malware software at all. It will protect your PC from being compromised and infected, and will continue to protect it. It is advised that all Microsoft OS users who don’t have their PC already protected should download the service free. The download is available on Microsoft’s Website.
NXP is Out With the World’s First Triple-Mode PC TV Global Receiver
NXP surprised the entire world with the very first triple-mode PC TV tuner using a low-power half-mini card form factor that allows excellent viewing experience because of the widest-ever access to global content. How is it done? The technology used is the integrated NXP SAA7231 single-chip that has the ability to join the concurrent decoding and capturing of digital and analog TV broadcast signals with refined power managements. These can be done simultaneously with supporting Windows 7 that has Quad-Pulse remote control standards.
Because of the support the NXP SAA7231 renders to combined features of the analog/DVB-T/ATSC or the analog/DVB-T/DMBT-H reception, viewers all over Europe, Asia and North America can now enjoy the better quality high-definition TV content directly while using their notebook PC. The special design of NXP SAA7231 half-mini card meets the demands of users when it comes to advanced functionality and longer battery life. This implies decreased form factor and lesser power consumption but with extended viewing and TV recording right on desktop computers and notebook PCs.
Microsoft has claimed the beauty in using Windows 7 – how it reflects the top priorities as well as interest of its users because of how it simplifies and hastens applications in multimedia use. The NXP SAA7231 tuner is an addition to the beauty of PCs using Windows 7 because of the great viewing experience.
All media lovers are getting worked up as they look forward into going beyond the normal home TV experience. The ability to view whatever content wherever they are is a thing that drives them nuts. The new PCTV platform now gives them the chance to view more content but minus the power consumption. Therefore, there is no worry that the screen of your notebook PC will suddenly go blank while you’re watching your favorite program because it ran out of battery.
The SAA7231 PC base is a hybrid TV reception and capture device that includes with it a full infrared-enabled remote control functionality for its Windows Media Center available in Windows 7 in both RC6 and Quad Pulse standards. This means that it has the perfect foundation for computers that run on Windows 7. The NXP SAA7231 also has other features like 2D noise reduction to improve videos, FM radio reception, color decoding and VBI data capture.
The device can also accept IF signals from three RF tuners for DVB-S, DVB-T and analog TV and also can allow a combination of a couple of broadcast stream signals to be captured and decoded at the same time. What’s more is that the SAA7231 device can also catch signals for stereo, S-video, YPbPR/RGB and CVBS. It can even share one tuner for analog TV and DVB-T reception for applications that are cost-sensitive and space-restricted.
The NXP SAA7231 comes with support from a device driver package for Microsoft operating systems like Windows Vista, Windows 7 and Windows XP.
The wonderful features of NXP SAA7231 are all packed to give viewers the greatest viewing experience ever!
Firestreamer – the Perfect Virtual Tape Library
Cristalink Limited is a company that specializes in the development of applications and device drivers especially for Microsoft Windows. It was founded in Auckland, New Zealand in 2002. Cristalink’s latest software, the Firestreamer 4.0 Release Candidate, is now out in the market.
Firestreamer 4.0 Release Candidate is practically a virtual tape library that is a redesign of the new version that supports a maximum of 8 virtual tape libraries with as much as 255 tape drives and an amazing 60,000 storages slots for every library. It allows your digital video camcorder to turn into a highly-reliable data storage device that can store as much as 12 Gb of file content in a standard mini-DV cassette. Because of the patent-pending technology it uses, Firestreamer has the ability to make the DV recorder appear like a regular tape drivers to the different applications in the PC.
What Firestreamer does is provide seamless integration into the existing backup software that is tape-based. It now has the ability to gain access to a broad range of non-tape storage media that allows long-term and also off-site data retention without having to have tape drives. Firestreamer also comes with a built-in compression of data.
Firestreamer lends support to storage mediums like files that are on any storage device that can be accessible directly, NAS, SAN, external HDDs, Blu-ray, RDX removable disks. HD DVD, DVD, Iomega REV and so many others. The Microsoft Backup Utility is now able to back up by compressing and encrypting directly into the external HDD, Iomega REV, NAS, Blu-ray, DVD, and the rest.
Firestreamer could run on all sorts of 32 and 64 bit versions of Microsoft Windows Server 2003 and 2008. It is compatible with Microsoft System Center Data Protection as well. A free-of-charge fully functional 30-day trial period is available for download at Cristalink’s website: http://www.cristalink.com.
In the installation of the device driver that sets up the virtual tape drive and the control panel, there are three things to pay attention to. You need to know about the welcome screen, the location where you will install the driver and, of course, the End User License Agreement. During the process of installation, the system is scanned for drivers or any filters that would deter the proper installation of Firestreamer. Installation is simple and the uses of Firestreamer are immense. Users would be at awe of the huge amounts of data the PC can now store in terms of videos.