The security threat behind a false positive is not the actual detection of something that is “not a threat” but the consequences of following through with the proposed fixes to these problems.  Most of these false positives will recommend removal through free software (which will lead you to download more infections) or software that charges small to large fees to get control back of your computer.

If you’ve ever seen a false positive or think you might have one, read further about the dangers of false security reports and how to deal with them.

The dangers of false security reports is the window it opens up for other infections.  It can allow other programs to download and install onto your computer, such as a key logger, which will log the keystrokes you type on your machine and send them back to a 3rd party to be used at the disposal of the creator.  Have you ever done some online shopping?  File your taxes on the computer or send some sensitive data for work on your last login?  Be prepared to be at a significant identity theft risk if you give into these security threats.

Be careful when a separate website tries to convince you that your computer is infected…it is separate and cannot see your main hard drive so how can it tell you that your PC is infected?

I highly recommend daily scanning from free alternatives such as AVG AntiVirus or Malwarebytes Anti-Malware.  If you are questioning whether any result that pops up from surfing on a website or something that comes up on your computer screen…seek help before you take action.

If you still need convincing, try this article on for size.  Let us know what you think.

I can’t stress enough how important it is to have an Anti-Virus on your computer at ALL times, especially if you are on multiple networks where you are not familiar with their security.  I’m a bit puzzled how you could manage to use a computer that is unprotected and highly suggest you look into something more permanent for your machine.  An infection can occur in the blink of an eye and you should have something that has the ability to warn and protect you.

As for online scanning, there are many options out there, but I have a list of some of the best.  Online scanning does not replace a good anti-virus but they can be useful as a “second opinion” or a scan on the go in your case.

I’ve compiled a list of the top 6 online virus scans that I recommend.  They are in no specific order and should not replace a stable and installed version of an Anti-Virus.

Kasperksy and ESET offer products in the Anti-Virus area which I do like as permanent choices.  The last of the scanners is an individual file scanner.  If you are file sharing on these networks, it can be highly useful to scan the files online first before you open and run them on your own work machine.

Kasperksy and NOD32 are some of the best Anti-Viruses out there along with SuperAntiSpyware for the best combination of protection.  For your specific situation, I could not be more adamant in saying you need it.make it your next purchase before it’s too late!

I’ve always been an advocate for using the appropriate wattage for your PC.not that you need more, but you need less.  Most people “overbuy” on their power supplies and spend money on that component and short themselves on other parts in the PC.

The importance behind determining the amount of power needed for the computer is taking into account how much your processor demands.  The graphics card varies its power consumption as well but we’ll look at some charts on how much it usually uses on full load.

The GeForce line is a very stable and solid line except it actually uses more watts then the Radeon HD graphics cards.  You are right where the lack of power can hurt your PC (mainly you will experience a random sequence of reboots and power downs) but that’s mainly if you have under a 250W PSU with the graphics card you are running.  The only systems that need such large power supplies are ones that have quad-core processors with dual SLI video cards.

Using a guide made by Tomsharedware, we can look at the power consumtion of your grahics card to be:

GeForce 8800 GTS: 51.1 W   136.0 W  11.3 A

The first number is for a 2D Desktop and the second represents what it would be in 3D on full load.  The last is how many currents (in amps) it uses simultaneously.

If you’re gaming, you can add on a bit more on that middle number to determine the amount of watts being used but as you can clearly see its no where near what most people thing.

If you further read up on that same guide, you can look at the amount of watts the processor uses and calculate how big/small of a PSU you truly need.

I recommend you really take a look at how much you really need as I think the 650W PSU you have right now seems to be a bit too much!

Being a state that is the leader in technology development this is a great initiative and the rest of the country is watching very closely. Schwarzenegger is quoted in the San Jose Mercury News saying… “California is home to software giants, bioscience research pioneers, and first-class university systems known around the world. But our students still learn from instructional materials in formats made possible by Gutenberg’s printing press,”…

Now ditching the printing press may not be the end all be all, checking out E-Booksdirectory.com is a good start. They are an online resource that contains links to freely downloadable eBooks, technical papers, and documents, as well as user-contributed content, articles, reviews, and comments. The service is free for students, educators, researchers, and eBook lovers. With this site, Wikipedia, and other web 2.0 websites, there are various ways schools can start cutting costs.

How are eBooks a great start? Instead of having to check in/out textbooks every year a librarian or teacher can spend more time working with the students. Districts would no longer have to worry about replacing torn and marked up books and lost and forgotten texts can easily be downloaded again with no cost at all. And all of those parents who complain about 50-60 pound backpacks… Well a digital file has no weight other than the media it is stored on, say a thumb drive… Which is probably less than an ounce.

However the future still looms for some digital text. Google Books, announced in 2003, Google’s plan is to digitize the worlds books and have information become searchable, indexed, and displayed on the Internet. However lawsuits are holding back this project. You can though, check out the books that have been allowed to be digitized over at books.google.com.

Once again the Internet is changing our way of life. This time it is in the classroom. And it could not be at a better time. Green is the new future and digital textbooks are a good start. If you have any ideas on ways to help cut classroom costs post them in the comment section and maybe you will see an article about it!

All Windows machines with XP or better have the feature to Standby (Sleep) or Hibernate.  These features are heavily underrated and extremely useful for saving power and energy while preserving the longevity of your machine.  If you are someone who likes to have their computer ready at a moments notice throughout the day, these features are definitely for you.  Read ahead and determine which one suits your daily needs.

Standby/Sleep: Many computers have the feature to sleep or standby.  While this does not shut down the computer, *as in do not unplug the cord or battery from the machine*, it typically uses a fraction of the required power to keep the machine powering only the memory; about 1W on a mobile PC and 3W on a desktop PC (Windows 7).

When you put your computer in sleep mode, it can be powered on by a flicker of the mouse or random button on your keyboard.  It resumes instantly to your previous state, but keep in mind this does not keep you signed on any type of Instant Messenger or similar service.  This setting is perfect for users who do not need to have their machine signed on to any type of program, while having the ability to access their machine within a matter of seconds at any given moment.

Hibernation:  Personally, I recommend everyone to start using this feature as it saves tons of power while preserving the image of your desktop at any given point.  To break the hibernation feature down to simple terms, it writes an image of your RAM to your hard disk and then turns the computer off completely so you can unplug the power source or battery from the computer itself and not lose your desktop.  When you turn on the computer (as you would when you power it off) the RAM image is reloaded and you are back to where you left off.  This will save any Word document, Internet page you were surfing…etc.

The major advantage to using Hibernation rather then Shut Down for your computer is that it resumes faster then a normal reboot, plus you can keep your old desktop image to resume work on.  I recommend using the Shut Down feature every so often to “clean out” and “wipe” the old images that may be stores in your Hibernation folder.

Explore these two options and see which you like better.  Send us a comment if you found one of these two to be a better alternative then you might’ve been using!

Check out a guide below on what the best size monitor is for you and how to dump your old display!

First, assess your needs. Are you someone who only uses your computer for email or are you a heavy gamer. For those of you who use your computer for business needs, have you ever considered a dual monitor setup? Studies have shown that office professionals who have a dual monitor setup show a 20% increase in productivity.

For email/web surfing users: For users who only surf the web and use the computer for email, you can stick with a 19″ LCD. I personally feel a 17″ screen is a bit small and anything bigger would be unnecessary for your use. A decent screen can be found for around $99 bucks. Check some sites like Passwird for some deals online or for some local bargains.

Gamers/Home Office users: Anyone who has invested in a more powerful PC or who might be doing online trading/large excel spreadsheets should look at a monitor in between the 20-24″ range. Don’t be shy to look at the wide screen models; they do wonders for office documents and financial reports. Expect to pay around $150-199 for a decent screen. For those of you who are looking for the utmost performance, focus on a fast response time, but do not try to find a screen with a massive contrast ration. After a basic ratio that most screens have, the human eye cannot even pick up on the increase in ratio.

Most local dumps and salvation armies will accept old CRT monitors so long as they are in good working condition!

Happy hunting, let us know which screen you decide to go with and how many pounds you’ve lost!

Welcome to a whole new world of fitness and dieting; computer wellness. Here, exclusively on What The Tech, we’ll provide you with some new tips and tricks every so often to show you cool features built in on your computer, software online and even new hardware changes to trim the fat of your old machine and keep it running in top shape.

Check out some of the features we’ll be focusing on:

1) Hardware: Your computer is physically heavy or lacking some muscle carrying around all that dead weight.  We’ll include some articles on important upgrades and hot deals to bulk up, tone and get your machine ripped.

2) Software:  Some of the pre-installed things that came on your machine are resource hogs.  Find some other alternatives that let your machine breathe a bit easier and stay at a lighter load level.

3) Overall system performance and check-ups:  Your machine needs some down time maintenance and routine check-ups in order to make sure it does not have any infections, bad files or errors on some of its crucial hardware and software components.  These may be the most important scans and diagnostic tips we offer!

Most importantly, please feel free to ask any questions (**using the ask question located at the top right**) about your computer and its health.  Think of us as your computer’s personal trainer.  We’re here to help.  Surf healthy and young!