Top signs that someone is stealing data from your computer as well as some tips for how to avoid viruses.

 

Battery Drain

If your device is unknowingly running malicious software in the background, this will use your central processing power. This software may be spyware or viruses. If your battery life seems to be much shorter, it often is a sign that your device is infected with malware or that someone is crypto mining with your processor. In addition to your laptop discharging much faster than normal, it may also feel hot to touch.

Program Crashes

Hackers sometimes try to collect data by placing code into your apps so that it can steal your personal information. This malicious code can cause your apps to act up, run slower, and frequently crash. The best way to protect yourself is to try not to put your financial data, like credit cards, into apps and if you do have to, be sure to use a strong password and two-factor authentication.

Hackers are always looking for new ways to collect your data. They can put code into your apps to make them collect all the needed information. This can make an app run slower, act up, and crash a lot. To protect yourself, try not to put your financial data like your credit card numbers or codes into apps, and always create a complicated password.

If you have a new computer and it is suddenly running very slow, it may be infected with malware software like a worm or Trojan horse. Often this software is disguised as a legitimate download but once installed will consume a lot of your processor’s resources, causing your device to run much slower.

WebCam Recording

If your webcam suddenly starts recording, or the microphone turns on by itself, someone could be spying on you. In addition to stealing your data, they could be recording your voice and taking photos. It is recommended to frequently change passwords, cover your camera with tape and turn off your microphone when not in use.

Blinking Lights

If someone has taken control of your computer, the send and receive lights may be blinking when you are not using it. Spy malware and other viruses can cause data to be uploaded and downloaded in the background, without you even realizing it.

Frequent Pop-Ups

When surfing online, you may have accidentally clicked on a suspicious banner ad. These can inject your laptop with an advertising virus that sends constant pop up ads to your screen. While it is annoying, more concerning is that the virus can allow hackers to access your data.

Browser Redirect

When searching on Yahoo or Google, if you are being redirected to a suspicious website instead of being served search results, this is a sign of being hacked. A Trojan virus may be installed on your device. To verify, you can check the extensions of your browser to search for anything suspicious.

Restrict access to hard disk on Window

 

1. Log on to the computer with an Administrator account.
2. Click "Start," type "Control Panel" (without quotes) and then navigate to "Control Panel > User Accounts" (Control Panel\All Control Panel Items\User Accounts).
3. Click "Manage another account."
4. Click "Create a new account" or " Add a new user in PC settings" (in case of Windows 8/10) and fill in the required username, password etc.
   
   On Windows 8/10, the process to add a new user to PC is slightly different. Add a new user following the steps below: 
•  Navigate to Control Panel\All Control Panel Items\User Accounts
• Click on Manage Another Account
• Click on "Add a new user in PC settings"
• In the PC Settings > Family & Other People > Click "Add someone else to this PC"
• Windows will attempt to let you enter Windows / Outlook account details of the person you want to add. If you have, well and good. Otherwise, click on " I don't have this person's sign-in information".
• Windows will then tell you to create an account for the user. If you want Windows / Microsoft account, go ahead. Otherwise, click on "Add a user without Microsoft Account"
• Fill in Username, Password and Password Hint if required.
• Then click on next and proceed as per the instructions.
5. If the user account already exists or you have created a new user account, then open Windows Explorer. 
6. Right-click the name of the hard drive or hard drive partition you want to restrict access to and then click "Properties."
7. Click the "Security tab" in the "Properties" window that opened. Click "Edit..." and "Add..." in the "Select Users or Groups" window that opened.
8. Type the name of the user account on your computer with which other users will login with (existing account or the one newly created). 
9. Click "OK." Uncheck the boxes against ALLOW of any options that you DO NOT want available to the user. Also check the "DENY" boxes for "Full control". It should be disabled or unchecked.
10. Click "OK," "Yes" and "OK." Close any open windows. 
11. Log off the administrator account that is signed in currently and then log on as the other user to test the settings applied.
12. After you are logged in as the other user account, open Windows Explorer.
13. Double-click the name of the hard drive or hard drive partition you restricted access to. A window indicating that "Access is denied" is shown. The user is denied access to the hard drive or hard drive partition henceforth.

The steps above will successfully restrict or deny access to a hard drive or hard drive partition from other users.

Excel - Getting List from Other Spreadsheet for Display with Data Validation List

You can create your own pull-down list or combo box by using the data validation feature in Excel but the main problem is the list has to be in the same spreadsheet as the combo box that you want to use. What most of us will do is just create a list somewhere else in the same spreadsheet and then hide it either by hiding the columns or rows of the list or change the font colour to white so it is invisible.

You can actually make use of the range name for the list that is in other sheet tabs and there is no need to copy it to the spreadsheet that you want to put the combo box.

Here's how...

1. Select the list that you want to use (it could also be from the table array you use for VLookup or HLookup. If it is, just select the list excluding the header which is the column one for VLookup table array or row one for HLookup table array). It is best if you can first sort your list in ascending order because the list taken in data validation will follow your actual list without sorting them for you.
   
2. With the list selected, click in the name box located to the left of the formula bar and type a name (the name has to be unique and shouldn't be separated if it consists of more than one word) and then press Enter.

1. Return to the other spreadsheet and select the cell(s) you want to create combo box.
2. With the cell(s) selected, go to Data tab and select Data Validation from Data Tools group (for Excel 2003 or earlier, go to Data menu and select Validation...).

1. On the Data Validation dialog box, go to Settings tab.
2. Select List from Allow combo box.

1. Type the name you have given for the list in step 2, starting with the equal sign (=) in the Source field (I used FruitList for my example).

Click OK or you can continue setting the Input Message and/or Error Alert tab if you want to.

You can combine the usage of this combo box with any lookup function or use it alone.

Create Email Template-Outlook

Sometimes, you may find that you will be sending emails of the same content again and again (maybe to send monthly report, etc...) and you'll find that you have to type same sentences for these emails again and again.

Try saving the email message as a template and later you can reuse it.

1. Compose new email as you usually do with normal emails. Put in the subject and if you are going to always send to the same recipient, you can put the recipient email addresses in the To, CC or BCC field.
2. Once complete, click the Office Button and select Save As

1. In the Save As dialog box, change the Save as type: to Outlook Template.
2. Name the file and select your file location if you want to save it in different location or just leave it in the default template location as it is.

For earlier version users, you must first disable the Use Microsoft Office Word 2003 to edit e-mail messages feature found in Tools > Options menu under the Mail Format tab of the Options dialog box.

Follow the steps 2 to 4 as stated above (slight difference in step 2 where you should click File menu instead of Office Button).

To use the template (same process for Outlook 2007 or earlier):

1. From Tools menu, go to Forms and select Choose Form... .

In the Choose Form dialog box, select User Templates in File System from Look In: combo box.

1. Select the template listed or click the Browse button if the template is in other location.
2. Click Open.

Now you can continue to add attachment(s) or amend the template as required.