Increasing Broadband Connection Speed

Today I will provide some tips that will help ADSL/Cable Modem users to increase their broadband connection speed in Windows XP
Broadband connection tweaking process incorporates the enabling of a special buffer in the computer's memory to better deal with Network Interface Cards (NIC) or the USB modem.
I recommend this tweak to users having 256 MB RAM or above due to some technical reasons.

Step #1 - Identify the IRQ used by the NIC/USB modem:

Follow these steps:

Open the System Information tool by running MSINFO32.EXE from the Run command.
Expand System Summary > Hardware Resources > IRQs.
Look for the listing made for your Network Interface Card (NIC) and note the IRQ next to the specified line.
In case of USB modems you will first need to find the right USB device used by your modem.

Then follow these steps:

Open the Device Manager tool by running DEVMGMT.MSC from the Run command.
Scroll down to Universal Serial Bus controllers and expand it.
Right-click the USB Root Hub and select Properties. Note that you might need to do so for all listed USB Root Hubs (If there is more than one) in order to find the right one.
In the Power tab, look for your USB ADSL modem. In the Resources tab, look for the assigned IRQ. This is the IRQ we are looking for

Step #2 - Modify the system.ini file

Follow these steps:

Run SYSEDIT.EXE from the Run command.
Expand the system.ini file window.
Scroll down almost to the end of the file till you find a line called [386enh].Press Enter to make one blank line, and in that line type IrqX=4096
where X is the designated IRQ number we found in Step #1.
Click on the file menu, then choose save.
Close SYSEDIT and reboot your computer.
After doing this, you will notice Speed Improvement.

Securing Your Computer System

Now-a-days, more and more people are using their computers for everything from communication to online banking and investing to shopping. As we do these things on a more regular basis, we open ourselves up to potential hackers, attackers and crackers. While some may be looking to phish your personal information and identity for resale, others simply just want to use your computer as a platform from which to attack other unknowing targets. Below are a few easy, cost-effective steps you can take to make your computer more secure.

1. Always make backups of important information and store in a safe place separate from your computer.
2. Update and patch your operating system, web browser and software frequently. If you have a Windows operating system.
3. Install a firewall. Without a good firewall, viruses, worms, Trojans, malware and adware can all easily access your computer from the Internet. Consideration should be given to the benefits and differences between hardware and software based firewall programs.
4. Review your browser and email settings for optimum security. Why should you do this? Active-X and JavaScript are often used by hackers to plant malicious programs into your computers. While cookies are relatively harmless in terms of security concerns, they do still track your movements on the Internet to build a profile of you. At a minimum set your security setting for the “internet zone” to High, and your “trusted sites zone” to Medium Low.
5. Install antivirus software and set for automatic updates so that you receive the most current versions.
6. Do not open unknown email attachments. It is simply not enough that you may recognize the address from which it originates because many viruses can spread from a familiar address.
7. Do not run programs from unknown origins. Also, do not send these types of programs to friends and coworkers because they contain funny or amusing stories or jokes. They may contain a Trojans horse waiting to infect a computer.
8. Disable hidden filename extensions. By default, the Windows operating system is set to “hide file extensions for known file types”. Disable this option so that file extensions display in Windows. Some file extensions will, by default, continue to remain hidden, but you are more likely to see any unusual file extensions that do not belong.
9. Turn off your computer and disconnect from the network when not using the computer. A hacker can not attack your computer when you are disconnected from the network or the computer is off.
10. Consider making a boot disk on a floppy disk in case your computer is damaged or compromised by a malicious program. Obviously, you need to take this step before you experience a hostile breach of your system.