Customers needing 3G pay as you go Internet access from service providers in SA such as Vodacom and MTN need to make sure their home PC or laptop has the correct modem installed and if not, need to purchase one. The units are then bought from shops, outlets or even paid for with cellphone banking in much the same way as you would buy airtime for a mobile phone. The units are usually charged for per MB (MegaByte) and cannot be carried over from month to month. In other words, whatever you pay for this month, you need to try and use this month, otherwise it just falls away and you will need to top-up your MB again for the next month.

Users with fixed ADSL lines at home or the office who need this service instead of signing a contract will also need a modem, or router for access to the web. We cannot list the names of companies that offer the prepaid service for using the Internet in South Africa as there are just too many and there is not enough space here. A simple search in the major search engines will help you find the provider that can offer a package to suit your budget. Many business men and women who spend a lot of time travelling with a laptop are using 3G pay as you go broadband Internet access to check and reply to emails and surf the web these days.

One tip to consider when purchasing second hand laptops is to check the outer casing for any signs of bumps or knocks. Often people will trade in a machine if it has fallen off the table or desk and has not been working properly since! Knowing exactly how well the previous owner used and looked after the notebook you may be interested in buying can be virtually impossible, even the dealer may have no idea as to how the previous owner looked after their machine which is another reason it is important to make sure you are covered with a guarantee should anything go seriously wrong after your purchase.

Spend as much time as you can in the computer shop going through the workings of the model you may be interested in purchasing and not only look for cracks and marks on the casing but also for any damage on the screen display. We are of the opinion that if you can manage to fork out the extra money and buy a machine that has not been used by somebody else then that is your better option. That is simply our advice based on one or two unpleasant experiences and some knowledge about PC dealers around SA but if you do decide to consider the second hand laptops available at a shop near you then place importance on having a warranty with your purchase and you are covered.

If you receive an email from what looks like ABSA bank and it seems to be official but reads something like the following, do nothing except delete it. You can phone the bank as well to be 100% sure.

Dear ABSA Bank customer,

This email was sent by the ABSA Bank server to verify your ABSA Internet Banking account. You must complete this process by clicking on the link below and entering your account information. This is done for your protection, because some of our members no longer have access to their online access and we must verify it. To verify your e-mail address and access your account, click on the link below.

https://ib.absa.co.za/ib/ib.jsp

Please fill in the required information.
This is required for us to continue to offer you a safe and risk free environment.

Thank you
Accounts Management
Copyright © 2009 ABSA Bank

This is just one example of many variations these online criminals are using. There are others and some of them pretending to be from other major SA banks such as Standard Bank, Nedbank and FNB and in each instance you can phone your local branch but they will all tell you the same thing, do not click on the link and delete the email. Sadly many people are caught out by these types of scams online and identity theft, in particular with the ABSA bank phishing scam methods used as there have been so many of them.

Essentially these phishing scam criminals are sending emails to large numbers of people and a surprising amount of victims do actually fall for it and get tricked into submitting personal details. The reason being that some of the mails are very professionally created and look exactly like they have been sent by the major South African banks such as FNB, Nedbank, Absa and Standard Bank. What these criminals do with your personal details once they have them varies according to the types of crimes online they are involved with.

Some of them may phone you if you have provided them with your telephone number and may pretend to be a bank official trying to con you into supplying more of your personal details such as PIN numbers etc. If they get a hold of your bank account details they may contact you to pretend they have deposited a certain amount of money into your account by mistake. You are then requested to pay the money back to them only to find out later that the deposit they claimed to have made was in fact fraudulent even though it may have reflected on your account! These are just a few brief and common methods criminals use after sending out the latest phising scam, there are many others.

Perhaps the biggest Windows Vista problems experienced by users who want to fix things quickly are the drivers and the compatibility of many of the new applications. Many hardware components have no drivers for this operating system and even if they do, the quality is very poor. Applications such as the popular iTunes has been labeled as a common problem for Vista users with many having their iPods corrupted and requiring a complete restore. iTunes text and graphics also have display issues with older versions of iTunes and the latest operating system from Microsoft.

General useability is complained about by many users who experience problems in their Outlook email programs and other little glitches too numerous to mention here. In all fairness, new operating systems are always going to have a few bugs and compatibility conflicts here and there and most can be fixed within a few minutes by people who have some technical computer knowledge. Our advice is to use one of the available repair programs to download and help identify problem areas and get tips on how to solve them. Using the correct software to help you fix your problems with Windows Vista quickly can have your system operating smoothly and efficiently again.

Having said that, pink laptop computers and accessories such as keyboards or a mouse can be purchased for reasonable prices here on the Internet and with a little research can be bought at very reasonable prices. Some even come with accessories included such as a nice bag or case in which to carry your new style gadget. Notebook stands, mice, keypads and cables are among some of the popular accessories for sale that come in various shades of colour other than the usual black and can help to brighten your life.

The only trouble with choosing light and bright colours for gadgets and items that you work on regularly is keeping them clean, which is especially the case if you decide you want a pink keyboard, although many people do work with white which is perhaps worse. Obviously the lighter shades show the dirt and dust more easily than other colours and may not be as practical as the darker ones. Amongst the computers we had a good look at around the web we really liked the offerings from dell as well as the Apple ibook if you happen to be an Apple fanatic. Have a good look around if you are in the market for a trendy gadget like this and you will see that there are quite a few different shapes and sized pink laptop computers for sale as well as a wide range of trendy accessories.

Another advantage to the South African chat rooms available is that they are free, so you don’t have to pay anything other than your Internet usage when chatting. So if you are for instance in Johannesburg and some of your friends have gone to Durban for a holiday break and have access to the Internet then you can talk to them online and stay in contact while they are away. Of course, these things can also be done with cellphone messenger services in South Africa such as MXit these days as well, nice to have a choice and depends which you may prefer.

Using applications like MXit may not suit everybody either as you are restricted to the one small cellphone window. Many people like to get on a computer and have several conversations going at once in different windows which can be done easily on a PC especially if you are running more than one monitor on your system. Do a little research and hunting online and you will come across some of the best South African chat rooms available for you to sign up for and use.

Most people looking for a way to unblock a Facebook or MySpace account are working on a pc at school or a computer in the office at work. Many schools and companies put these blocking filters on their systems to prevent students and employees from accessing social networking websites and spending time chatting to friends and exploring when they are supposed to be working or studying. This is a very common occurrence happening everyday and all over the world and is seen as a big problem for schools colleges and companies.

Very simply, it is quite possible to do this and these basic programs simply attempt to hide your computers IP address. So in essence the usual IP address of the computer you are using is marked as blacklisted by the website you cannot enter but the program hides your address and allows you to surf the web anonymously. This means that you should be able to then surf the web and visit any site on the Internet. So in actual fact these types of programs do not unblock Facebook or MySpace but merely hide your true identity from them.

Getting hold of the latest Mxit download for use on a computer involves visiting the official website and following the given instructions to begin downloading. You need to be aware that before going ahead with the downloading process you have to be a registered member of the mobile version. Those that have used the service for some time should have no problems installing the computer version on their system and for newer members there is installation instructions to follow if you are having any problems. Once you have been able to install the latest version on your PC you will be able to communicate and chat with all your friends and family from the comfort of your home or office system.

Once you are up and running you can also personalise the messaging interface using one of the free skins available. No doubt they will be bringing out more skins and making them freely available to users in the near future as they seem to be growing in popularity on a daily basis with members from around the world signing up regularly. If you are looking for a great way to stay in touch with and chat to friends online from your workplace or at home then be sure to check out the latest Mxit download for PC users as a great Instant messaging option.

When using DVD software to copy movies and music concerts to another disc it is wise to read the copyright laws that apply to that which you intend on copying. A lot of movies are protected and it may be against the law to make copies so just be a little bit careful. Some DVD’s are actually encrypted making it virtually impossible for just about anybody to duplicate. Many people just want to duplicate a disc as a back up so that if anything happens to the original it saves them the money of having to go out and buy another, just tread with caution before using any program to duplicate your favourite movies or music.

Some of the free program downloads that allow you to duplicate discs are actually excellent applications which can produce high quality video resolution and audio performance reproduction. These days there are also applications available that will allow a person to copy VHS video tape content to DVD disc or even duplicate content from a disc to the popular iPhone. Check out all the available options for you to download at no cost before you rush out and buy hardware or software to copy DVD’s from your computer.