How I passed my A+ Certification

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How did I pass my Core 1 and Core 2?

If you haven’t read about my journey in to getting my A+ certification then you really should go back and read from the beginning. It all started in Sept and it took me a Month to get it. After the first failure, I thought to myself will I even be able to get a good grade on my Core 2? That was the really a good question in my mind. Could I get a passing grade in the Core 2, or would I fail that one also. I did some preparing for Core 2 and that seemed to help. I was sure I was going to fail but I went to take my Core 2 even though I failed my Core 1. You can take Core 2 even if you fail your core 1, I found that helpful to know that you didn’t have to pass the tests in order to get your certification.   It can be quite frustrating to get worry about getting the exam done and getting the certification.   I am sure I am not the only one who had this stress.

So How did You pass the 2 time around with Core 1?

I’ll tell you what I did but I knew I didn’t have to study as much as most because I’ve been doing computer repair for years and I understand some basic concepts well before I even took the CompTIA Tests.   I knew about it due to my life long experience about 10 to 20 years and that is just the beginning on how I didn’t expect to fail the first time around.   The other part depends on your first score was it really low or did you just barely miss the 675 or 700 points needed to pass?   My first score for Core 1 was just shy with 37 points needed to get a passing on the core 1.  You can pretty much do the math but it was 638 was my first score.   So I knew I only had to study  a little bit those with lower scores will probably need to study even more. You can go back and find out how I prepared for the Core 2 but I wanted to pass my core 1 test for sure so I went into depth even more just to be sure.   Here’s how I prepared to take the Core 1:

Even though this is very little I did differently, it obviously did help with my grade as I went up by almost a 100 points after take the Core 1.   If you really need to get your score this is definitely a good step to do to get your points you need to get your certification.   I know this isn’t going to be for everyone but I did learn a thing or two.  Know how you learn is how you get the good grades and this is the first step at getting grades you want in college and even in exams.   I can’t emphasize this as much as I should because people just don’t understand that their way of learning is far different than those that learn a different way.

How did you pass your Core tests?

I’d really love to know how others have passed their core tests.  Why not leave a comment and tell me what you did to help others to get the grades they need to get their certifications.  I am finally certified in A+ and that is a big accomplishment for me.   I worked really hard at it and now I have something to show to employers who might require that to get a job.

Have a good Tuesday everyone.

List of malware sites for Sept 1, 2009

personalantivirus3

Well with it being the end of the month it was to be expected here is a long list of sites.   So please read these carefully.

[intlink id=”4403″ type=”post”]Personal Antivirus Scareware Site and How to Remove them:[/intlink]

  • live-virus-scanner9.com
  • tryantivirusscan.com
  • antispyware-scanner2.com
  • bewareofvirusattacks2.com
  • antivirus-scanner6.com
  • valueantivirusshop1.com

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  • adjudg.info
  • atwain.info
  • caretz.info
  • gaudad.info
  • krapen.info
  • nevils.info
  • outliv.info
  • penvie.info
  • stampo.info
  • ticedu.info
  • unwept.info
  • gelded.info
  • dolchi.info
  • figgle.info
  • botled.info

[intlink id=”3977″ type=”post”]Rogue Antivirus scareware sites[/intlink]:

  • securepcshield.com
  • myprotectedzone.net

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How to know if the scareware warning is real or not:

I got an email from someone who wants not to be named asking how do I know if these sites that I have talked about like Defenderpageblock.com, Spywaredomainlist.com, adwaredomainlists.com, badwaredomainlists.com, browserdefenderlist.com,  malicioussitesblock.com, and browserliveprotection.com are fake warning sites because of how the site handles the URL presented.   Let me give you a few example urls to see what I mean:

http://defenderpageblock.com/block.php?id=2006-54&url=http://paulstechtalk.com/scareware-adviser-from-defenderpageblock-com/

http://browserliveprotection.com/block.php?id=2024-4&url=http://paulstechtalk.com/2008/12/microsoft-readys-to-layoff-around-15000-workers.html/

http://malicioussitesblock.com/block.php?id=2006-54&url=http://paulstechtalk.com/2009/08/list-of-malware-sites-for-aug-24-2009.html/

http://spywaredomainlists.com/block.php?id=2018-2&url=http://paulstechtalk.com/2009/08/scareware-adviser-from-spywaredomainlists-com.html/

http://adwaredomainlists.com/block.php?id=2031&url=http://paulstechtalk.com/2009/04/pc-speedscan-pro-a-bad-idea.html/

Now as you can see al these have an identification number probably like an affiliate link and then the url of the site that is supposed to be bad or have malicious in some way.  So what do you do when you see these types of warning pop up and you would like to know if this real.   Here are some things to try to see if it is real or not:

 

  • change the url it is going to, try Google or some other site that you know isn’t malicious and see what happens.   You will notice it will say the same exact same thing.
  • Check out Stopbadware.org —  Google uses this service for there search results so this would be more reliable and check out the warning domain to see what it says then also check out the domain and website in question.
  • Check out Phishtank.com —  Firefox likes to use this resource for reporting fraud, fake, or Phishing sites and also for sites that are dangerous to  the people who use Firefox.

 

Most of the time, you will see this happen when you are search for the site like Defenderpageblock.com it will use a key word and pop up because they don’t want you to remove this scareware or sometimes called badware.   So if you do a search for the site that keeps popping up and you click on a link the site in question will sometimes try to prevent you from figuring out how to remove it.    All these sites mentioned are associated one way or another to Personal Antivirus Scareware Site and should be removed.

So if your getting these types of warnings, I would recommend downloading:

AVG 8.5 Free Version Best on my system

AVG Free 8.5

Pcworld has a released there top free Antivirus software picks.     Now let’s be clear on this, I am an a average user, and have tested these products out on my own laptop plus others and here is what I find.

According to Pcworld, Avira Antivir Personal is the top pick and claims to block 98.9 percent of samples:

Such less-than-friendly default behaviors make Avira AntiVir Personal a better choice for tech-savvy users who know how to muck about in the settings. If you’re willing to put up with a somewhat clumsy interface and the recurring pop-up ads, in return you’ll enjoy top-notch, free protection against malware. It’s not a bad trade-off by any means.

[Via Pcworld : Avira Antivir Personal Antivirus]

[ad]Now with Pcworld saying it isn’t a bad trade-off to have the Pop-ups and the default behaviors of this program, it doesn’t make me want to use this program since I am a gamer and the pop-ups would interfere with playing online games, not to mention if your not that tech savy person you’d have a lot of head scratching to  figure out this program.

Then we go to the Second pick and Avast Antivirus Home in this pick Pcworld claims to blocking 98.2 percent of samples tried with this program:

Avast Antivirus will do a decent job protecting a PC from malware, but if you’re willing to put up with a less-than-perfect interface (and some ads), you’re better off going with Avira’s top-notch blocking.

[Via Pcworld : Avast Antivirus Home Edition]

Now unless you want to be scratching your head on this product you have to go through the Tutorial that pop-ups after installation to walk you through how to use this product.   Then there are some more ads that popup during the day that reminds you that this is a free program and suggesting you pay for it.   Also you will have to register with Avast  to get a personal free license to be able to keep this program running on your system.  The interface of this Antivirus makes you think you will be playing music, which can cause some confusion when it comes to understanding this product.

Third place was AVG 8.5 Free edition according to PcWorld.   With there being no pop-ups reminding me this is a free product.   Also the easy to understand interface also makes this very user friendly.   I also like the Linkscanner and blocked 95.8 percent of the samples meaning it is still rather good to use for the daily user who wants a less intrusive  pop-ups or ads.   AVG has not yet done a pop up with me but it is far less annoying than the others because of the interface and the ads that are shown in the main program.

Now if you want to add even more security to your system and keep it cheap as possible I would suggest Downloading and using  SUPERAntiSpyware and Malwarebytes.  These with AVG 8.5 Free edition to better protect your system and these don’t interfere with AVG and actually helps boosts the removal of virus, Trojans, and Malware.

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If your current antimalware software let an infection through, you may want to consider purchasing the PRO version of SUPERAntiSpyware or Malwarebytes License to protect your computer in the future. SUPERAntiSpyware Professional or Malwarebytes License features highly advanced Real-Time Protection to ensure protection from installation or re-installation of potential threats as you surf the Internet (Both are trusted Vendors by CCSS Forums).

Buy Lifetime Subscription SUPERAntiSpyware For $30, save $8.90 if you order now. This is a special offer from this website.

List of Fake AV sites for Aug 22, 2009

personalantivirus2If you know anything about the Malware writers they are always registering new domains and here is the newest ones they are using:

[intlink id=”3607″ type=”post”]Personal Antivirus Scareware Site[/intlink]:

  • antispywarebestscanner.com
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  • professionalvirusscanv3.com
  • professionalcomputerscanv2.com
  • scan-your-pc-now.com
  • professionalspywarescanv8.com

[intlink id=”4217″ type=”post”]Internet Antivirus Pro Scareware[/intlink]:

  • hopest.info
  • suffic.info
  • cressy.info
  • unowed.info
  • inclin.info

[intlink id=”3977″ type=”post”]Rogue Antivirus scareware sites[/intlink]:

  • securitytoolsite.com (Fake Scanner)
  • webscansecurepc.com (Fake Scanner)

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