The Mystery of DLL Files Solved

Here’s one for you: You’re pretty savvy with computers, right? You can do a few fancy things, you know what’s what, you can even help others. So, tell us what DLL files are for.

Hmm. Still waiting.

Don’t feel bad. Even though DLL files are crucial to our computer use (virtually all of our programs use them and won’t work if they’re missing), most of us are unaware of them. And for good reason: DLL files run in the background usually, unseen and not causing any problems.

Until they do. Until they go AWOL or get corrupted. This can happen for a variety of reasons. Maybe you’ve deleted a program, running the uninstall software correctly, and it deleted a DLL file that was common to more than one application.

Or maybe you installed an update and it wrote over the old DLL files, somehow corrupting them.

Worst of all, it’s possible that some sort of malware has attacked your PC and deleted DLL files, making it easier to do its nasty work.

At any rate, a good DLL search program can be a handy piece of software to keep around. To keep tabs on your DLL files, and to know when something goes wrong.

RegCure Can Clean Up The Mess

I have a drawer in my kitchen devoted to owner’s manuals. That’s what it’s for. All the owner’s manuals I…own. Including some for appliances I no longer have.

Not to mention power cords, accessories, plastic ties and even packaging. The stuff we want comes with stuff we don’t, which is junk and can clutter quicker than a small child after a big birthday party.

The same thing can be said for our computers, which is where a product like RegCure Registry Cleaner comes in. The folks at Paretologic who created RegCure know that we accumulate junk, the residue of programs we don’t use anymore and sometimes don’t even have. RegCure Registry Cleaner, a free download, goes after your computer’s registry, that kitchen drawer that holds the junk that comes with every program.

When the registry gets crowded with old and unnecessary entries, your computer can slow down. Sometimes way down, along with acting up in other unpleasant ways. A registry cleaner can not only bring it back to speed, but also just do basic maintenance, keeping your PC running smoothly while you go about your business.

Which might be accumulating more junk. Another reason for RegCure.

Spyware Remover For The Spies Among Us

I can’t help but see the world sometimes through the eyes of my little kid. Not my child: Me, way back when. For example, if you’ve told me back then that I’d use passwords every day, I would have imagined a much cooler job.

How about spyware? Better yet, spyware remover? That conjures up all sorts of images. What would you use a spyware remover for, my inner child wonders. Something that zaps invisible ink pens and miniature cameras out of the pockets of the bad guys? Sigh. Childhood.

There are still bad guys, though, which is why we can only laugh so much when it comes to spyware, and why spyware remover has become an essential part of the arsenal of every computer user. Spyware does exactly what it says: It peers at your information from behind a corner, looking to snatch your password or credit card numbers, even your identity. A spyware remover goes right after the evildoers, catching them before they have a chance to walk off with your stuff.

Again, it’s fun to pretend I’m a kid again, dazzled by all of our cool futuristic gadgets. When I come back to the future, though, I’m glad to have help.

Why Spyware Isn't A False Alarm

The boy who cried wolf. We know all about the story, and we understand the reference, and what does this have to do with spyware?

Because we hear a lot about it. We get warnings every day about all sorts of computer virus threats, often warnings that are false. So after a while, who can blame us if we stop paying attention every time we hear about spyware?

Here’s why. In a nutshell, too. Spyware can be annoying, absolutely. It can also be minor. But as opposed to the (often mythical) virus that are supposed to erase our hard drives, destroy our computers and mess up our kitchen while they’re at it, some spyware has a very definite purpose.

To steal.

To steal your identity. To steal your passwords. To hijack your computer for all sorts of bad things, and maybe most of all, to steal your hard-earned cash.

Not to mention your time. Spyware can suck up lots and lots of time.

Sure, we hear about it all the time, and sure, it can start to sound like a broken record, but this is not crying wolf. This is real, and worth paying attention to.

What Antispyware Really Means

Look: Let’s be upfront about this. When you hear or read the word “antispyware,” you might be tempted to get nervous, particularly when you think about those warnings that swoop across the online world. “This will destroy your hard drive and wipe out all your information!” they often shriek, and often in capital letters.

Now let’s think about antispyware some more. You know about it, and you know what it’s for: To prevent spyware from landing on your hard drive.

Here’s why this is important: Spyware doesn’t want to erase your hard drive. No matter what those warnings like to terrorize us with, most of the spyware, viruses, keyloggers, Trojan horses and just general malware wants your computer to stay functional. Because that’s when they can do damage.

Spyware wants to steal your stuff. Spyware wants to bombard you with pop-up ads, sometimes masquerading as real messages from Windows. Spyware very well might want to take your identity, your credit card numbers, your passwords. Your MONEY.

This is why an antispyware program is so important for all of us to have. Not to prevent our hard drives from dying; to prevent them from working for somebody else.

The EXE File Extension? Be Very Careful

You don’t have to be a computer expert to be familiar with the exe file extension. EXE or .exe or however you want to write it, the exe file extension is the big boss of modern computing. It stands for, and is often referred to as, executable, meaning this is the main application file, the one that “executes” the program. Even if you don’t see file extensions in your Window Explorer, whenever you see the description “Application” you know that’s most likely an exe file extension.

Which comes is good to know, and also often is invisible and unnecessary to look at. Double click and you’re on your way.

Here’s the problem, though: Not all applications are the same. By which I mean that some applications are dangerous, and sometimes very, very dangerous.

Ah, viruses. Malware, spyware. Keyloggers, Trojan horses, etc. You know all about those. And you probably have some sort of virus protection.

But all it takes is a double click, which is why paying attention to exe file extensions is very important. You should never – NEVER – click on an EXE file you get in an email, for example, unless you’re sure you know what it is. Better safe than sorry.

File Extensions Can Get Scary

File extensions? Sure, you remember those, if you’ve spent the years I have messing around with computers. These days, though, file extensions almost seem archaic, a remnant of the distant past. The Windows operating system has automated so many tasks we used to have to stop to think about. Click and you’re on your way, without really having to think about what the software is doing in the background.

Until you come up against a file extension Windows doesn’t know what to do with, and that’s when it can get hairy. File extensions today are associated with very specific programs: Media, word processors, spreadsheets, and vast and various combinations of those and others.

This is where Paretologic comes in, and makes searching for the right program for a specific file extension easy. Sure, we can, most of us, figure out that a .doc or .docx file is for Word, while a .jpg is a picture and .wmv is a video. If you’re stuck, though (and particularly if Windows is stuck), it can be real handy to have a nice reference.

File extensions are necessary but often invisible to the casual user. We get used to not thinking about them. When we have to, though, Paretologic has come through.