Networking 101

How does a computer get to the internet?

I have been asked this several times. We have to fill in some gaps before I can explain the whole thing.

What is an IP address?

For your computer to run on a TCP/IP network (Internet Protocol) you need a few things on your computer. First and foremost is a network interface card or NIC for short. A network cable plugs into the NIC. It looks like a phone cable but has 8 wires inside it with a bigger connection. The other end of the cable plugs into your router, cable modem or DSL modem. That is the physical connection to the internet. Now for the complicated stuff.

Internet Protocol requires the following. An IP Address, Gateway, Netmask and DNS Servers. I like to use a little analogy when explaining this. Think of your house. Your ip address usually looks something like 192.168.1.100 The first part the 192.168.1. is your street name the last .100 is your house number. (this is only an analogy keep this in mind. It DOES NOT really mean your street) your gateway is the entrance ramp to the highway and your DNS servers are like a phone book.

If you are trying to get to another computer on your own network (another computer in your house) you would stay on the same street. So your other computer would be like 192.168.1.101 Your computer can just talk down your network home network to the 2nd computer.


The moment you want to get out on the internet you have to know the name of the place you want to go. Let's say google.com for example. When you type in google.com in your browser. Your computer looks this up in DNS (phone book) Steps 1,2,3 DNS says googles IP Address is 74.125.127.100. Steps 4,5,6 Your computer does not know where this is. So it goes to the Gateway (the on ramp for the highway.) Your gateway is your router, cable modem or DSL modem (most of the time) for this example we are going to say it your router. Step 7 So your computer asks the router if it knows where 74.125.127.100 is. Your router then looks at its IP Address. This will not be a 192.168.1 number since your router lives on a different street.. it live on your internet providers network. Your router checks with your ISP's gateway and says do you know where 74.125.127.100 is and so on until the request makes it to the correct location. Steps 8,9,10 For the google page to load the google web server has to send the data back in the exact same way it came. Although it may take a different path (road) to get back. It all depends on what routers answer first. Steps 11,12,13 and 14



I know this can be a lot to take in. It was very difficult to try and squeeze it into 1 blog posting. We do offer FREE computer classes where we can take a little more time to explain.

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Spyware and Anti-Virus

What is spyware:

Spyware is software that installs itself onto your computer and captures data about you. It could be something as mundane as sending the websites you visit to someone or sending your credit card or bank information to someone.

What is a virus:

A virus works just like a virus that a human would contract. It is a piece of software designed to infect your computer and spread itself to other computers. Lots of Spyware is spread by virtuses. Viruses usually have something bad that they do. Either delete files or they can be used to attack websites from your computer or something similar.

What is Malware:

Malware is all the above. It is software that either you chose to install or that tricked you into installing it or worked like a virus to install on your computer.

How did I get it?

Most people seem to think that the only way to get a virus is to surf the net on "those" kind of websites. This is untrue. If the website you are visiting has a flaw in it. People can change the site to infect you. Most of the time something comes up on the screen and you have click to install it. Sometimes this is not the case. I cannot tell you how many times I hear "oh my kids must have downloaded something" or some other kind of blame displacement. Everyone can get infected. Statistics show that a computer connected directly to the internet (no firewall) can get infected within 10 minutes of being connected. It takes many times longer than that to download the latest patches. two of the BIGGEST issues I see with most of the computers I work on are. 1 The computer has not had the latest Microsoft patches installed. The little yellow shield that is blinking at you every day is telling you something. 2. no antivirus software or it expired over a year ago. 3. Limewire is installed. Every computer I see with limewire installed is infected with many viruses. This is a GREAT place to get infected.

I have antivirus so I am ok!

NO! Antivirus programs can only detect viruses that it "knows" about. If your antivirus is not up to date. It cannot know about the new viruses. Even if it is up to date you are still at risk if you were infected with it before it updated. Many viruses can hide from antivirus or just turn them off. If your antivirus quits working that is a big sign you have a virus. Also your antivirus should be set to run a full scan every night. Most of them are not setup to do this automatically. You have to go into the software and tell it to do so.

What the heck are Cookies?

Some people will argue this but to me cookies are a problem of the past. A cookie is a little file that gets created when you access a website that uses them. Cookies can contain all sorts of data. Used correctly they do not keep any personal data. Back in the day companies were keeping usernames and passwords and even credit card info in cookies. So if you went to a malicious website they could read the cookie and get your information. This flaw was so big and so widely used that now it is almost obsolete to hear of anyone getting information from a cookie. Some other hazards are that malware can get on your computer and look at cookies to "see" where you have been surfing. The last thing I will say about cookies is this.. NO DELETING COOKIES WILL NOT SPEED UP YOUR COMPUTER. I have had hundreds of people tell me they deleted their cookies and their computer is running slow.

What are the chances I have a virus or spyware infection.

If you have a windows computer connected to the internet. You have a HIGH chance you are infected. It is VERY VERY rare that I hop on a computer that is not infected with something. I am not just talking about computers that customers bring me to fix. This is ALL computers.

How do I get rid of them?

A great program for malware is malwarebytes. You can obtain it from http://download.com you do not have to purchase it. You can use it for free to remove malware. If your computer is already infected with lots of malware. You may not be able to even get on the internet to download it. This is were I come in ;) A great antivirus program is Avira Antivir personal edition. This is also free at http://download.com make sure you get personal edition. There is a popup that appears 1 time a day that asks you to pay for it. If you want the popup to go away you can purchase it for something like $30. Avira is very good at finding viruses, keeping off viruses and it is also really fast. ALL antivirus programs will slow down your computer. Some way more than others. I have found Avira to be very fast.

If you have any questions about this subject. We can be found at Insta-TEK.com

What is Linux and why should I use it?

Linux is an Operating system for computers. Just as Microsft Windows is. There are many differences in it but we are going to keep this on a beginner level.

Linux the quick history:
Linux is an offshoot of the Unix operating system developed mainly by Linus Torvalds back in 1991. Unix was an operating system that you had to pay for much like Windows. Linus developed Linux and gives it FREE the community. Not only is it free as in you don't pay for it. It is Free in the computer world meaning you can get the source code for it or "open source". This means if you are a programer you can download the source and create your own version of Linux. Windows is considered a closed source operating system. This means you cannot access the source code.

Why is Open Source good?
Open source programs are good for a couple reasons. The main one is that the code is able to be viewed by anyone. That in turn means you have thousands of developers looking for "Bugs" in the software instead of just 1 team of people. This does not mean that bugs are never there. Although when found they are correct very quickly.

My History:
I have been a systems administrator for many years. I have worked on Windows servers and Unix servers. Back in 1998 or so I started playing with the idea of running Linux as a home operating system. Linux has always been known as a "geek" freindly operating system. Meaning the normal user (my mom) would not be able to use it. Over the years I would try more and more versions or flavors of Linux. About 3 years ago I came across a version called Ubuntu. Pronounced ooboontoo but everyone seems to have their own pronunciation of it. Ubuntu was the first Linux version I found to be out of the box usable. You can download the install cd (for Free) burn it to a cd and boot your computer off of it. You can even boot into a mode that allows you to try it out without installing it (although REALLY slow since it is running off cd instead of Hard Drives). I attempted once again to make the switch. At first I ran a dual boot system. That means I could boot my computer into Linux but for anything I "Needed" I had Windows as an option to boot into also.

Why Ubuntu over the others?
As I said before. Ubuntu is usable out of the box. Mark Shuttleworth (the software programer that paid the russians to put him on the International Space Station) has spent Millions of dollars developing this software and GIVING it away. Read up on him at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Shuttleworth After the 15 or so minut install that asks you only 5 questions. You have a fully usable operating system. It even has Office.. Of course it's Open Office which does allow you to open and save Microsoft .doc files. If you want to add software you click on the add remove software button and search for a program. You click on the check box and click apply. Ubuntu will download and install the application for you.

Can a normal user use it?
I did an experiment with Ubuntu about 1.5 years ago. My neighbor's parents had me fixing their computer on a normal 6 month basis. The computer was always so infested with viruses and since they did't have anything else on it. It was easier to reload than to fix it. I decided to switch them to Ubuntu. They have been running it for 1.5 years now and have never even noticed they are not on Windows. All they do is email and surf the web and play online games. They noticed it looked different but never even asked about it. My mother in law has never used a computer. I put her on Ubuntu about 6 months ago. After the first couple days of showing her how to use the internet I sent her on her way. She has never had to call me for any problems since.

Is it secure?
You could already be running Linux and not even know it. Many things run linux. Like your GPS some Cell phones and most Routers you use to connect to the internet. As far as I know there has never been a virus released for Linux. This is due to the way it is written and the fact it is open source. Don't buy into the incorrect statement that the only reason there is not a virus is because no one uses it. That is 100% not the case. As I said your router that your computer connects to the internet is probably Linux!

I am ready to switch now what?
Before you go jumping the gun here a few things to know.
Linux IS NOT WINDOWS!! I cannot say that enough. Many times I have seen people switch then switch right back saying this program won't work or that program won't work. You are CORRECT! It's not going to work. It was made for Windows not Linux. Most of the programs you use on a day to day basis have a Linux EQUIVELENT. It's not the same program but it will do the same thing. Photoshop has The Gimp, Outlook has Evolution and Office has Open Office. Yes there is a learning curve with them Open Office is VERY close to Microsoft Office 2003 though. If you are a gamer Linux is not for you. Then again if you are a gamer you probably already know this. Linux has a program called WINE that allows you to run windows programs but it does not run everything. You also have to install WINE after you install Ubuntu.

What do I recomend?
If you are the kind of person that gets on the internet and surfs the web and sends emails and things like that. Ubuntu can restore life into that aging computer. If you keep getting viruses and spyware on your computer Ubuntu can resolve that issue. I only run Ubuntu at home and in my office. Mainly since I can have the latest software and features for free but also because I spend enough time at work removing viruses from other peoples computers that I don't want to do it on mine. My wifes computer is Windows. She works from home and the software she uses is written in Microsoft .NET Hopefully soon the developers will get Mono the .NET emulator working well enough to switch. But for now. It's Windows for her.

As always you can find us at Insta-TEK 1414 Whipple Ave NW Canton Ohio 44708 or online at http://Insta-TEK.com If you have any questions about Linux and want to stop in and talk. I am always willing to help you out. If you have a small business and want to know how I run 5 desktops, 3 servers, Cash register and accounting software for $0.00 I can show you.

Netbook vs Notebook

If you know me. You know I am an avid hater of notebooks. Most people purchase one thinking they are going to take it with them where ever they go. It usually ends up sitting on a desk 99% of the time. For the same price you could purchase a REALLY nice desktop computer.

Netbooks are a different monster. I acquired one about 6 months ago that was broken. I figured for free what the heck. I tore it apart and installed a new hard drive and got it up and running. I must say. I love the thing. It's small enough to truly carry with you where ever you go. I have the extended battery so I get about 6 hours of use out of it. I am running Ubuntu Remix on it. It is designed 100% for netbooks. For its size the thing is screaming fast and does just about everything I need it to do.

The down side:

The problem with the netbook is the same as the good things about it. They are small. VERY small. If you want to use it as your main computer and do more than just surf the net. You are going to be upset if you purchase one. The screen size is ok for surfing the net, reading ebooks, or watching a movie in bed. If you plan on writing a school paper on it. The small keyboard is going to kill you. The thing is big enough to do small projects on but for 100% of your work.. I would not recommend one. If you just want to use it to surf the web and things like that. They are PERFECT. As a little side note. If you want one because they only cost $250-$300 you can plug and external keyboard mouse and monitor into it. This allows you to use it as a normal computer. Although slower.

There are 2 main designs of the netbook. The main difference is type of hard drives. The less expensive kind has a normal laptop hard drive in it. The more expensive kind has a SSD or Solid State Hard Drive. Think of a flash memory card. The SSD drives are more expensive and a lot smaller.. most are 32gb or under where the HDD versions have around 160gb drive. Why would you want the SSD that is smaller and more expensive? The answer is battery life and no moving parts. No moving parts means less chance of data loss. But in my opinion. You should NEVER have that much personal important data on a netbook or laptop! They are too easy to break or get stolen. If you are worried about data loss.. save your money on the SSD drive and BACK IT UP .

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Windows 7 without the spin

I am NOT a Microsoft fanatic. In fact I have not been running windows at all for the last 3 years. I am an IT guy so I still use xp and vista every day though. People keep asking me if they should upgrade to Windows 7. Here are my results.

Over the last few weeks I have been testing windows 7 on several machines. We have run tests on the following:

A new Asus laptop with Intel core2duo and 4 gb of ram and a decent video card
Older Dell Dimension desktop with AMD Athlon 3800 x2 with 4 gb of ram and Nvidia 7950 video card.
Old home built Pentium 4 with 768mb of ram with a low end Nvidia 5200 video card.

Here is what we have found.

1. If you have the RAM your computer will run the same as it did with XP. RAM seems to be the key. On all machines the tests we ran were about even with XP and Windows 7. Vista with SP1 was slightly slower. If you have 1gb or more of ram you should be ok. Windows 7 will not even install with less than 512mb of RAM. The low end computer runs ok at 768 mb of ram.

2. Windows 7 seems "snappier" than Vista. When you click on things they seem to launch smoothly and run smooth.

3. One thing that REALLY surprizes me is what IS NOT there. When I load a windows XP machine the first thing I do is start uninstalling all the usual MS junk. Outlook express, Messenger things like that. Windows 7 they are not even installed. You have to get the "Live" package from Microsoft.com to get this.. That includes Windows Movie Maker. This is what REALLY surprised me. I am not sure why it's not included. There is a DVD Maker but it is VERY limited to what it can do. It almost looks as if Microst gave up trying to force everyone to use thier stuff and let them decide what they want to use. (maybe result of all the monopoly lawsuits?)

4. UAC or User Access Controls. Vista users know this as the annoying window that pops up 5 times anytime you try and do anything. Windows 7 is better but not quite what they have in Linux. I will explain for the comparison. With Ubuntu Linux. You only need to type in your password (windows equivilent is the ok button) when doing anything to the core install. If you are just installing something under your user account there is no need to elevate your privilages. Also if you need to elevate several times in a row. Ubuntu seems to know this and only asks you 1 time. If you don't do anything else for 10 minutes or so. It will ask you again but if you continue to modify it will not ask you again. Windows 7 is much better than Vista but I still see some issues with it. Like having to evelvate my privs to copy something to my Desktop?

5. Home network sharing seems pretty cool and easy to use. I have not really configured it and used it. From the looks of it. You simply tell it to share your documents and it does (with a randomly generated password) not sure how usefull this is going to be to the home user.

6. If you are at all familliar with Vista. You will be able to navigate around like a pro. For once Microsoft chose NOT to re-organize the entire interface. We thank Microsft for this!!

7. Although I WAS TRYING to break Windows 7. I was able to get on the internet and click around and get virus infected within 15 minutes of installing it. The UAC is still clunky and I can imagine my mom just clicking ok on every window that pops up. I have argued till I was blue with people that say "It's the users fault" yes it is!!! but the user is NEVER going to change so Microsoft should come up with something better. In Ubuntu a BIG window pops up that says new updates are available and shows you a list of everything it's going to update. This is a lot harder to ignore than microsft xp's little yellow shield in the corner that is flashing on every computer I am fixing.

8. You CANNOT upgrade from XP to Windows 7. You will have to do an entire reload of your system and HOPE that everything you have is compatible. From what I read the upgrade from Vista to Windows 7 is pretty painless.

My thoughts.

Microsoft's "End of life" on XP was April 24th 2009 and will stop security patches in 2014. If you have a lower end XP machine and Don't have to have the latest and greatest. STAY ON XP! If you have the RAM and the drive to upgrade. It's not a Bad operating system. If you are on Vista. I say upgrade. With Windows 7 out so fast after Vista. I do not see much down the road in new features for Vista. I may be wrong but it's a gut feeling. Most people think they have to have the latest and greatest computer and software. Take a look at what you do on yours. If your processor is not running at 80% (and not virus infected) at all times. Your computer is probably enough for you. Small upgrades are way cheaper than a new computer.

We can be found at http://Insta-TEK.com