Files and File Extensions

Hi!! Understanding Files and its extensions will make opening those files with the programme that identify with it a real snap!!
All the documents, pictures, music or games that are stored in computers are files. Files can only be activated by programs that recognize them and are able to use it. Like, for instance, you cannot use a music program to open a letter document. Each program on your computer understands what type of file it can or cannot use by the fact that every file has a filetype given to it. These filetypes have a few extra letters added on to its name after the full stop. For example, 'mycomputer.doc' is a file, named 'mycomputer' with the filetype '.doc', meaning that it can be opened by only a program that understands doc or document files like Microsoft Word.

There are many different filetypes. The following are the common Filetypes opened by the appropriate programme.

• .avi - video file. Open with Windows Media Player
• .bmp -image. Open with Paint
• .cfg - configuration file.
• .dat - data file.
• .doc - document file. Open with Word
• .exe - program file. Double-click to run
• .gif - image file. Open with Paint
• .htm - web document. Open with Internet Explorer
  
• .html - web document. Open with Internet Explorer
• .ini - text configuration file. Open with Notepad
• .jpeg/jpg - image file. Open with Paint
• .mov - movie file. Open with Quicktime
• .mpeg/mpg - video file. Open with QuickTime
• .mp3 - audio file. Open with Windows Media Player
• .pdf - secure document file. Open with Adobe Reader
• .pps - slideshow presentation. Open with PowerPoint
• .ppt - presentation file. Open with PowerPoint
• .sys - system file.
• .txt - text file. Open with Notepad
• .wav - audio file. Open with Windows Media Player
• .xls - spreadsheet file. Open with Excel
• .zip - compressed file. Open with WinZip

If a file does not appear to have a filetype extension, open the folder it is stored and click Tools from the menu, then Folder Options. Click on the View tab and un-tick Hide extensions for known file types. Read more Entry>>

Understanding Files And File Extensions

Hi!! Understanding Files and its extensions will make opening those files with the programme that identify with it a real snap!!
All the documents, pictures, music or games are stored as files in computers . Files can only be activated by programs that recognize them and are able to use it. Like, for instance, you cannot use a music program to open a letter document. Thus, each program on your computer understands its file types . File types are the few extra letters added on to a name after the full stop. For example, 'mycomputer.doc' is a file, named 'mycomputer' with the filetype '.doc', meaning that it can be opened by only a program that understands doc or document files like Microsoft Word.

There are many different file types. The following are the common Filetypes opened by the appropriate programme.

* .avi - video file. Open with Windows Media Player
* .bmp - image file. Open with Paint
* .cfg - configuration file.
* .dat - data file.
* .doc - document file. Open with Word
* .exe - program file. Double-click to run
* .gif - image file. Open with Paint
* .htm - web document. Open with Internet Explorer
* .html - web document. Open with Internet Explorer
* .ini - text configuration file. Open with Notepad
* .jpeg/jpg - image file. Open with Paint
* .mov - movie file. Open with Quicktime
* .mpeg/mpg - video file. Open with QuickTime
* .mp3 - audio file. Open with Windows Media Player
* .pdf - secure document file. Open with Adobe Reader
* .pps - slideshow presentation. Open with PowerPoint
* .ppt - presentation file. Open with PowerPoint
* .sys - system file.
* .txt - text file. Open with Notepad
* .wav - audio file. Open with Windows Media Player
* .xls - spreadsheet file. Open with Excel
* .zip - compressed file. Open with WinZip

If a file does not appear to have a filetype extension, open the folder it is stored in and click on Tools from the menu, then Folder Options. Click on the View tab and un-check Hide extensions for known file types.

That's it!


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Guide to sending Money Online.

Hi again comp noobys!! Online money transfer is one of the easiest and quickest ways to send money via the Internet!Here's a simple guide to send money online!!

With the world shrinking into a global village, with the advancement in technology and with the extensive use of Internet, sending or receiving money online is just a snap! There are times when we need to send money, and send it real fast. What do we do? Send money order online. They are quick, cheap, convenient and safe and can be sent to anywhere in the world. There are two options for online money order, by bank and by Internet.

What is online money transfer by bank?
Online money transfer is the electronic transfer of money from one bank account to another. The recipient should also have a bank account and the money is transferred electronically within minutes direct into a bank account of the recipient. By this bank-to-bank account transfer, no actual cash is exchanged, but the electronic balances are adjusted accordingly in their respective accounts.

What if one does not have access to a bank account?
A cash wire transfer is possible. The money is paid at the bank and the recipient produces identification at the time of disbursement of funds. Cash wire transfers are expensive and has certain drawbacks. During a purchase transaction a seller can provide false information to the sender of the cash wire transfer,collect the cash at the receiving end under the false ID, and vanish without delivering the merchandise.

What is online money transfer by Internet?
There are popular reliable financial providers like Western Union, which does not require you to have an account with them to transfer money online. It has outlets worldwide and money is transferred electronically between these outlets. A person can pay the transfer fee and money at a Western Union and the recipient can collect the fund from the nearest Western Union branch within minutes. The advantage of this method is that there is no need for Internet access or bank.For either transfer by bank or by internet,the only criterion is to provide the name of the person or firm the money is being sent to and the recipient's account number, the address and phone number of the bank.

Other reliable companies like PayPal, E-gold, and Xoom also offer the option of transferring money on line in a matter of seconds from one email id to another. Pay pal is the world's largest online payment service which allows people from all around the world to buy and sell off the internet. All one needs is an email address. The fees for such transactions may be a percentage of the money being transferred or a fixed fee, irrespective of the amount being transferred.

Ultimately,there are the nationalised Bank's International Credit and Debit cards like Visa and Mastercard ,as well as ATM cards which enable online money transfer within minutes.Whenever these cards are swiped at a retailer,wire transfer is authorised from the bank account of that card to the retailer's bank account.

Online money transfers are quick paperless transactions and furthermore,as precaution, during money transfers, details like the name of the country, bank,regional location and customer account number are facilitated by use of the IBAN that is,International Bank Account Number.

Hope this was sort of clear! :)

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What is Downloading and Uploading?

What is Downloading and Uploading?

When you receive a file to your computer, you download the file or bring it down to your computer and when you send a file from your computer, you upload the file or send it up.

Downloading

Every single thing that is done on the web like accessing a web page and browsing is some sort of downloading as you are actually downloading the text document and all the connected graphics from a web server.

Downloading Files

Downloading files mean that files are saved locally on your computer's hard disk. When you download, you copy a file from another computer to your computer. When you download a program from the Internet, it is delivered to your computer. The program you download is a bundle of files. Each file makes up the entire program you download. A program can be anything - software, an electronic book, or a game. There are many useful free or inexpensive programs found on the Web.

How do you download a file?

The process of downloading files is fairly easy. First you connect to the Internet and start your Internet browser like Internet Explorer, Firefox etc. Then locate the file that you want to download.

· If you are using Internet Explorer, click with the RIGHT mouse button on the hyperlink and choose “Save Target As”.

· If you are using Netscape, click with the RIGHT mouse on the hyperlink and choose “Save Link As”.

The browser normally prompts you for a folder to which to save files, and it provides a default filename. You can change the folder and filename if you wish. Make a note of the location and name. Once the file is downloaded to your hard drive it can be viewed by double clicking in Windows Explorer.

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What is a URL?

A URL, or Uniform Resource Locator, is the location of a file on the Web. The Web has a huge collection of electronic files stored on millions of computers all around the world and the URL is the address used to locate the files. Every URL is unique and identifies one specific file. Therefore, it is the address of a web page and is also known as a - web address .URLs are also used to link one page to another. It gives you the ability to skip from one web page to another with just a click of your mouse. It is usually pronounced by sounding out each letter but, in some instances are pronounced as "Earl".

• A URL usually has no spaces.
• A URL always uses forward slashes (//).
• URLs aren't case sensitive. So typing in upper and lower case letters takes you to the same page.
• If you type a URL incorrectly, your browser will not be able to locate the site. Always make sure you spell the address correctly.

The URL is typed into the address bar, as in the following case of Google’s web address..

A URL is made up of several parts and the format of a URL is -

Protocol://site address

Whereas, the site address consists of the host computer name, the domain name and the domain type.

• Protocol: http
• Host computer name: www
• Domain name: google
• Domain type: com

For example, the URL of Google site is :
http://www.google.com/

The domain is generally the name of the organization or company. The following are the different types of domains.

.com - commercial institution

.net -commercial institution (addition to .com)

.edu -educational institution

.org -not-for-profit organization

.gov -government institution

.mil -military

.int -international institution

.biz -commercial institution

.info -unrestricted use

Domain types can also be different for different countries. For instance, an educational site can have the domain name www.school.ac.uk in the United Kingdom. Thus ac (academic) is used instead of edu. Similarly com is represented as co for Indian domain names.

The country code too differs from one country to another. Some country codes are given below:
in: India
de: Germany
ca: Canada
jp: Japan
uk: United Kingdom

For instance, Google India or MSN India will be www.google.in or www.msn.co.in

Thus, when you type the address of a Web page into your browser, you are typing a URL.

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How Credit Card Phishing Scams Work

Credit card scams which are called Phishing is akin to Fishing - fishing for password .The basic concept is, bait is thrown out with the hope that someone will bite it. Phishing is when a criminal tries to obtain sensitive information like credit card numbers in an illegal manner. The scamsters set up bogus websites that is a replica of legitimate sites like banks, credit card companies and even Microsoft, in an attempt to trick consumers into giving up their credit card numbers. The modus operandi of these criminals is usually to spam out authentic looking e-mails with duplicate addresses, as well as pose as customer service representatives and request the customers for their online password. The e-mail subject headers warn the recipient of a problem with their account which needs to be updated or, in the case of Microsoft, the need to install still another patch. Furthermore there is a form attached to the email to fill out personal information, or a link to update personal information. By either filling the form or clicking the link the recipient is taken to the bogus site where the personal information is used for stealing the credit card numbers.

Lack of awareness about such fraudulent practices has made phishing successful. There are anti-phishing softwares or client-based anti-phishing programs that identify the phishing content contained in websites and e-mails and these programmes are now integrated with most of the email clients as well as web browsers like Internet Explorer, Firefox , Netscape and Opera.

However, here are a few pointers to bear in mind so as to avoid phishing scams.

1. Banks never send email asking for password or any other sensitive information.
2. Never ever follow a link in an e-mail .Instead, go directly to the valid company's site and then log on from there or call the company directly.
3. Always type the URL directly into the address bar of your browser. Confirm the URL's authenticity by looking for the security padlock icon in the browser's toolbar, which signifies a secure site.
4. Never use the same password for all of your online accounts.
5. Never store online account information and passwords in files on your computer.
6. Monitor your online accounts. Make sure all transactions are valid. Never send personal or financial information to any one via email.
7. People getting such mails should immediately check with the bank or company concerned.
8. Banks never start the mail with "Dear Customer".

Awareness and understanding of how this scam works, is the most efficient protection against credit card scam. If you are a victim of phishing scam, you can report it to the Anti-Phishing Working Group which is a global law enforcement association whose objective is to eliminate and curtail this insidious threat to e-commerce.

Copyright © 2008 Laila Rajaratnam. All Rights Reserved

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