Superior Gate Security Systems and More

August 17, 2009 — Mrs. Mecomber

Got a business large or small, a mini-mansion, or are perhaps fencing off portions of your property such as a ranch? Unless you want to hop or pole-jump over the fencing every time you need to enter or exit, you’d better think of installing a gate! Gate opener technology has come such a long way with technological advances. Today, automatic gate operations can be controlled by radio receivers, telephone entry, microchips, and more. The technology is extremely sophisticated to make exiting and entering both safe and secure.

One of the leading companies in the United States for reliable and affordable automatic gate systems and parts is Access Control Distributors of Texas, and they have a website at GateOperator.net. Their product lines, quality of sales and service, and systems they offer is very impressive. And they are having an End of Summer sale on various gate systems– be sure to check out the website for their sales and other promotional offers.

Access Control Distributors of Texas offers a unique and versatile product line– automatic gates that are electric and solar; are suited for driveways large or small, for security access locations, and for any of the smaller barrier needs; are perfect for the homeowner, corporation, or small business; and more. The gates are in various styles for every need and taste: swing gates, slide gates, wrought iron, metal, and more. The selection is tremendous!

Access Control Distributors of Texas has headquarters based in Houston, TX. They proudly produce some of the best gate openers in the world, manufactured and made in the U.S.A. They offer sales and service around the world! And they promise to offer you superior customer service. Should you need help or service for your gate choices, you can go to their website and get a Custom Gate Operator Quote from a specialist; or you can call their office toll free at (877) 688-4283.

Access Control Distributors of Texas are members of the Texas Fence Association and the American Fence Association, and have been in the automatic gate business for over twenty years. Be sure to check them out for all your automatic gate needs.

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Posted in business services, security programs, technology. Tags: , , , . 1 Comment »

Top-Rated Anti-Virus Program

June 30, 2009 — Mrs. Mecomber

Continuing my series on various anti-virus programs, here’s another I’ve found, newly released: VIPRE Antivirus Software. This one caught me by surprise; I hadn’t heard of it until the good folks at Sunbelt asked me to take a look at it. I’m familiar with Sunbelt programs, having the old Kerio/Sunbelt Firewall on one of my other computers. (Kerio was going to discontinue the firewall, but Sunbelt snatched it a few years ago and renamed it Sunbelt Personal Firewall).Sunbelt has been busy, chugging out some high quality software recently.

The VIPRE software is a suite– a combination anti-virus/anti-spyware. Such combos are becoming more popular, but not every company can get it right. Judging by Sunbelt’s record of reliable software, I’d say VIPRE scores big. There’s a free 15-day trial, and then the software is about $30. VIPRE promises not to slow down or bog down your PC (like the notorious Norton and McAfee programs do). And it was rated 5 out of 5 stars by Download.com (my primary software-download website). Very impressive!

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Go to the Sunbelt website; there you’ll see a plethora of screenshots, FAQs, lots of other information, and the link to download your free trial.

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Posted in anti-virus, security programs. Tags: , , . 3 Comments »

Compare Your AntiVirus Programs

May 21, 2009 — Mrs. Mecomber

Here’s a great site that has a terrific comparison table of the various antivirus software programs out there: AntiVirusWare.com. The comparison table gives a very readable breakdown of all the various features for the most popular antivirus programs, including Norton Antivirus, Kapersky, BitDefender, Avira, and more. I don’t know about you, but I like to be able to compare the various software programs, especially if there are a lot to choose from– and with antivirus programs, there ARE a lot to choose from. I’d been using AVG for years, but now that I use Windows Vista, I’ve had updating problems and a lot of false positives in the virus vault lately. Right now I am using Comodo’s free antivirus program, but I’m still staying on the watch for other programs. And I also like to know what’s what with them all. :D

Anyway, if you have a hankering to know everything there is to know about antivirus issues and software, check out the AntiVirusWare.com website. They also offer the ability to download the antivirus programs, including the newly released Norton AntiVirus 2009 download. There are also great articles at the site, like “What is a Computer Virus,” “How to Avoid Infecting Your Computer,” and a history of viruses. Great site!

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Posted in anti-virus, Internet, security programs. Tags: , . 3 Comments »

Securing Your Home’s Contents

April 29, 2009 — Mrs. Mecomber

Know the best way to deter a thief from robbing your home? Own nothing of value! Hahahah! Yeah, that used to be funny…. hmm. Times have changed. Back in our “starving years” when the most valuable thing in the house (besides my baby daughter) was the portable cassette player, we didn’t worry much about home security. Now, I think differently. There have been a few robberies even in my sleepy little town, and sometimes I have been roused from sleep to check on the house– thinking that I’ve heard someone moving around. It is a very very creepy feeling. It’s a good thing I’m a firm believer in Psalm 91! Even so, I do lock my doors at night and I am very much in favor of getting a security system.

But basic security systems aren’t as fool-proof as you’d think– thieves have figured out how to slice and disconnect wires, disabling the wired security systems. So the new trend has been toward wireless security systems. Certainly one of the best companies with the best wireless security system is the Protect America system by GE Home Security. The “Copper Package” is going at a phenomenal rate– the upfront cost is FREE right now, with a monthly monitoring rate of under $30. The Copper Package is probably GE’s most popular, as it covers 3 entry points (most homes have 2-3) and includes:

  • Talking Control Panel
  • 1 Motion Detector
  • Internal Siren and Door Chime
  • Battery Backup (very important)
  • 3 Window Decals
  • and more…

Visit the website here, or call toll-free 877-470-2751 for more information. If you call the toll-free number, you also get 2 keychain remotes with your order. I think this is a bargain, and it’s by one of the finest security system companies in America. Check it out for more details.

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Posted in crime, security programs, technology. Tags: , . Comments Off »

Malware Killers Software

April 6, 2009 — Mrs. Mecomber

Continuing my series on securing your computer, I’ve talked about the importance of a good firewall, an anti-virus program, and now I’m going to address the necessity of good malware and spyware programs. While a firewall and anti-virus are absolutely necessary for a computer on the Internet, you can live without a malware/spyware protection. But I guarantee you that at some point you will need one. As you surf the Internet, your computer collects loads of small files (cookies) and other files (tracking files, etc). And your computer also may pick up a worm, trojan, or virus. Spyware and malware programs detect these files and the good ones will wipe them out.

All the ones I mention here are free as of this writing:

MalwareBytes
a-Squared Free
CrapCleaner
Lavasoft Ad-Aware
Spybot Search and Destroy

There are many more. And programs like WinPatrol and Spybot’s TeaTimer monitor your computer activity for changes in the registry.

Unlike firewalls and anti-virus programs, where you can only have one software program running– you can have multiple spyware/malware programs installed and running on your computer. In fact, it is recommended. Some programs are better than others at finding bugs and threats. I have five various programs installed on my computers. Always check for updates before scanning your computer.

In the next few posts, I’ll be addressing the issues of safe surfing, safe email handling, and other things you can do to protect your computer from harmful threats.

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Posted in anti-virus, firewalls, free programs, security programs. Tags: , . 2 Comments »

The Conficker Problem

March 31, 2009 — Mrs. Mecomber

Kim Komando has a very informative article about the Conficker worm, due to strike April 1st. Conficker is a worm lying dormant on an estimated 2 to 12 million computers. It’s programmed to recruit these infected computers and do something unknown (as of yet) on April 1st. Most of the infected computers are in China and Russia.

Kim posted a 60 Minutes video about the nasty worm. 60 Minutes does an “ok” job but they leave a LOT of details out about the situation (for example, no one knows if Conficker is going to steal bank information, but the video makes you think that’s what happened to one lady here). (P.S. Also notice in the video how Google is so arrogant. GRR!).


Watch CBS Videos Online

The 60 Minutes program is sensationalist and a little fear-mongering. They make it sound like the world is going to implode, no matter what. The Conficker worm is not the end of the world! Here are some things you can do.

  • Use Open DNS for your router settings. According to KimKomando, OpenDNS has a list of all the sites Conficker contacts. OpenDNS blocks these sites. I blogged about OpenDNS here.
  • Make sure you have security systems in place: have a firewall (do NOT use Windows firewall– it’s totally useless), an anti-virus, malware scanners, and have all the latest software updates.
  • Make sure your Windows computer is updated.
  • Do not surf to obviously suspicious websites (porn, videos, games, music). Do not click on links in emails without confirmation from the person that he/she did indeed send it.
  • Download the Windows Malicious Software Removal Tool. Conficker blocks computers from getting through the Windows Update, so you can find it and download it manually here.

If you are in absolute terror and think you may be targeted, well, here are some other things you can consider:

  • Reformat your computer. I do it regularly every year or so, anyway.
  • Unplug your computer from the Internet April 1st. The worm can’t phone home if there’s no phone, right?

You can read more about the Conficker worm at the Wikipedia page about it and the Microsoft page about it. The BBC has a timeline of the worm.

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Posted in computers, security news, security programs. Tags: , . 4 Comments »
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