Why does my computer randomly reboot without warning?

My computer likes to turn itself off and restart itself of its own free will. I do have virus and spyware protection. It doesn't present any error message, it just shuts itself off and reboots no matter what I am doing on it.

Ho, Ho, Ho: Credit Card Fraud Not A Holiday Killer. Unless You Get Hit.

A recession is when your neighbor gets laid off. A depression is when you get terminated. With credit cards, fraud is not a big deal. Unless it’s your number that’s for sale, online.

A Symantec report says the underground economy is booming. The total value of goods and services was “more than” $276 million. The most popular stuff: Bank account credentials and credit cards that have CVV2 security codes with them.

What Not to Buy in 2008

No question about it, this will be a holiday buying season unlike any other. In PC Magazine's fourth annual look at the products and tech to avoid, possible buy, and definitely make part of your holiday season, they help make sure you're blowing your somewhat smaller holiday budget in just the right way.

NoScript Add-on for Firefox

The best security you can get in a web browser!
Add-ons extend Firefox, letting you personalize your browsing experience.
Allow active content to run only from sites you trust, and protect yourself against XXS and Clickjacking attacks.

Google gives online life to Life mag's photos

Google Inc. has opened an online photo gallery that will feature millions of images from Life magazine's archives that have never been seen by the public before.

The new service, available at http://images.google.com/hosted/life, debuted Tuesday with about 2 million photos. Eventually, Google plans to scan all 10 million photos from Life's library so they can be viewed on any computer with an Internet connection.

Can Two Security Suites Co-Exist?

Are two security suites better than one?For example: Trend Micro Internet Security as added spyware protection, along with Norton 360. Answer: They don't play well together.
Read more...

BugMeNot

This Firefox add-on solves the problem. Go to a Web site, right-click in the user name or password field, and select BugMeNot. A valid user name and password will then be entered into the form. You can then use the site without having to register. The add-on works in concert with the BugMeNot Web site, which has many user names and passwords for multiple sites.

A Parent's Guide to Safe, Simple Kid-Friendly E-Mail

The Internet can be a dangerous place for children, but it's an increasingly necessary evil. Here's how to set up e-mail for your young'uns while maintaining parental control.

Antivirus vendor AVG prevents booting up

From: Windows Secrets Nomewsletter • Issue 175 • 2008-11-13

AVG's antivirus software is causing problems for Dutch, French, Italian, Portuguese, and Spanish customers by flagging a key Windows file as a virus and blocking computers from booting.

AVG flags an essential Windows file, user32.dll, as a Trojan. If you agree to Heal or Move to Virus Vault, your computer then shows a Blue Screen of Death (BSoD). Subsequent attempts to reboot either end in BSODs or in endless rebooting cycles. But if you don't "heal" the file, your computer should be OK.

AVG posted a fix on its support site (enter 1575 in the Search in FAQ box to locate the specific download). Follow the instructions on the AVG site to get your broken PC back into working condition.

HOW TO SUBSCRIBE to "Windows Secrets": Anyone may subscribe to this newsletter by visiting our free signup page.

UK couple in real-life divorce over virtual affair

A British woman is divorcing her husband after discovering his online alter-ego was having an affair with a virtual woman in the fantasy world of Second Life, media reported on Friday.