The Internet has a way of lulling you into a false sense of anonymity. After all, how can anyone know your true identity in a virtual world? The truth is that simply by connecting to the Internet, you share information about your computer, your geographical location and even about the Web sites you visit.

The goal of anonymous Web surfing is to circumvent the technologies that track your online activity and may potentially expose your personal information to others. By surfing anonymously, no one knows who you are, where you're connecting from or what sites you are visiting.

When people think of surfing the Web anonymously, they automatically associate it with extramarital affairs, malicious hacking, illegal downloading and other sordid behaviors. That's not necessarily the case. In fact, there are many legitimate reasons why someone would wish to remain anonymous online:

* Your employer or school has strict Web surfing policies and filters your access to the Internet.

* You're a staunch free speech advocate and don't want the government or anyone else to censor your activities.

* You believe that the Internet is the perfect forum in which to express your opinions freely without fear of being harassed or tracked down by people who don't agree with those opinions.

* You believe the Bill of Rights and the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights empowers you to conduct your private business without outside intrusion.

* You live abroad and want to access streaming video content that's only available to people living in your home country.

* You don't like the idea that search engines are collecting information about your queries.

* You don't want online advertisers to know where you live or what products you buy.

* You want to participate anonymously in Internet forums, perhaps to speak to other people about a private medical condition or to discuss.

As you'll see in the next section, surfing the Web anonymously isn't as easy as erasing your browser history.

Learn more about computer networks and IP addresses and how they can expose your identity.

IP Addresses and Cookies

Every machine connected to the Internet has a unique Internet Protocol (IP) address, including your computer. You may have a static IP address or it may change each time you go online. Either way, you are tagged with a unique identifier every time you surf the Web.

An IP address is necessary for the Internet to work. It is literally the address of your personal computer on a vast computer network -- like a single house on a crowded street.

The only way a Web server can send the contents of a Web page to your browser is if it has your computer's address on the network.

IP addresses, in and of themselves, do not contain any personally identifiable information about you. However, if you're signed up with an Internet Service Provider (ISP) -- which is the way most of us get our Internet service -- then your ISP can easily link your IP address with your name, home address, phone number, e-mail address and even credit card information.

Don't get paranoid just yet: In general, ISPs have fairly strict privacy policies. They won't give out your personal information to any random person who asks for it. However, under laws like the U.S. Patriot Act and through subpoenas from the police and federal agencies, an ISP may have no choice but to supply personal information related to an IP address.

Cookies are another way for an outside source to track your Web surfing habits. Cookies are tiny text files that are saved in your Web browser when you visit a Web site. The file might contain your login information, your user preferences, the contents of your online shopping cart and other identifiers. These cookies make your Web browsing experience more personalized and customizable. They're designed to save you time when you visit your favorite sites. They're also designed to help advertisers tailor their messages to your personal preferences.

First-party cookies are cookies left on your browser from Web sites you visited. Third-party cookies are files stored on your computer from advertisers and other parties that have information-sharing agreements with the site you visited. Many people find third-party cookies to be a particularly egregious breach of privacy, since you have no control over who collects information about you.

In the next section, we'll taker a close look at how scam artists can use an online data trail to piece together your identity.

Piecing Together Your Online Identity

Cookies and IP addresses alone may not give away your personal information, but when these clues are combined with other Web surfing data -- like your search history -- you could unwittingly disclose your identity to hackers, scam artists or government investigators.

Search engines routinely store search queries associated with your IP address. Google stores search queries for nine months and MSN stores them for 18 months [source: Privacy Rights Clearinghouse]. By examining hundreds or thousands of search queries from the same IP address, it's possible to deduce someone's identity, particularly if they have done map searches on their home address or entered their Social Security number.

Another threat to online privacy involves Web e-mail accounts. If you use the same Web site for both your e-mail service and Internet searches, you might be leaving a very clear trail for hackers and cybercriminals to follow when you go online.

For example, if you use Google as your e-mail provider, then you need to log in to Gmail.com for each e-mail session. Any Google Web searches you conduct while logged in to your e-mail account will be associated with the same IP address as your e-mail account. From there, it would be easy for a hacker or other third party to associate your searches with your e-mail address -- and to use this information to send you customized spam or other e-mail scams.

The simplest and most direct way for someone to track your Web surfing is to view the history on your Web browser. Your Web browser keeps a chronological list of every Web site you visit. Most Web browsers will save your browsing history for at least a week by default. If someone wanted to monitor your Web surfing, all that person would have to do is open your browser and search your history.

If you're surfing the Web from a work computer, your boss doesn't need to physically turn on your computer and check your browser history. Since you're working on an office network, your employer has the right to monitor what sites you are visiting.

In the next section, we'll talk about anonymous proxy servers, one of the most effective ways to hide your identity online.

Anonymous Proxy Servers

Every time you type a URL into your Web browser and click Enter, your computer sends a request to a Web server, which then delivers the Web page back to you. To do this, the Web server needs to know your IP address. So much for surfing anonymously, right?

Not necessarily: One way to avoid revealing your IP address to every Web server you contact is to use a proxy server. A proxy server is a machine that sits between you and the rest of the Internet. Every page request you make goes through the proxy server first.

An anonymous proxy server is a special kind of proxy loaded with software that erases your IP address from any page requests and substitutes its own. When the page is sent back by the Web server, the proxy server then forwards it along to you free of any additional software scripts that might compromise your identity.

The most popular kind of anonymous proxy servers are Web-based proxies. All you have to do is go to the Web site of the proxy service, enter the desired URL in a special address box and the service will relay the request to the Web server anonymously.

There are some downsides to anonymous proxy servers. Because each incoming and outgoing page needs to be processed by the proxy server, this can often result in slow page loading times. And since the proxy server attempts to delete or bypass any suspicious elements on the returning Web page, a lot of pages will load with errors.

Make sure that you use a recognized Web proxy with a clear privacy policy. There have been cases of malicious hackers who have set up phony anonymous Web proxies to collect information from unwitting clients. When you use a proxy server, the information often travels unencrypted, allowing hackers to see things like usernames, passwords and other sensitive information [source: WhatIsMyIPAddress.com].

You should also avoid so-called "open proxies." These are proxy servers that claim to have been abandoned and accidentally left "open" for one reason or another. Many of these proxies are booby traps set up by malicious hackers who want to steal personally identifiable information. Some open proxies are actually living on the computers of unwitting users who have been infected by a computer virus.
Now that you know how to hide your IP address online, it's time to check your Web browser settings.

Privacy Settings in Your Browser

Anonymous proxy servers are a great way to mask your IP address online, but there is still plenty of information about your Web surfing habits stored on your computer. Luckily, it's easy to control your privacy settings directly in your Web browser.

One of the simplest ways to cover your online tracks is to manually delete your browser history. All Web browsers -- like Internet Explorer, Firefox, Safari or Google Chrome -- allow you to delete your Web surfing history.

Follow these instructions to delete your browser history:

* In Safari, go to the History menu, scroll all the way down to the bottom and click "Clear History."

* In Firefox, open the Preferences box from the Firefox menu. Choose the Privacy tab. Go down to the section on Private Data and click "Clear Now."

* In Google Chrome, go to the Tools menu, select "History," select a recent Web site and click "Delete history for this day."

* In Internet Explorer 7 and 8, this process is a little more complicated. Go to support.microsoft.com and follow the directions there for assistance.

Note, however, that any network administrator -- at the office or even at your ISP -- can access your surfing history on the network level, even if you erase it on your computer.

You can also control how your browser handles cookies. The default setting on most browsers is to accept cookies from all sites. You can either block cookies entirely -- which might prevent you from using certain online banking and shopping sites -- or you can choose only to block third-party cookies.

Since anonymous Web surfing is becoming more and more popular, the latest versions of Internet Explorer, Firefox, Safari and Google Chrome include special settings for surfing without a trace. By enabling these settings, your browser won't save your surfing history, search queries, cookies, download history or passwords.

Here is how you activate anonymous surfing in some the more popular Web browsers:

* In Internet Explorer 8, open a new tab and select "Browse with InPrivate."

* In Safari, under the main Safari menu, you can check a setting called "Private Browsing."

* In Google Chrome, click on the page icon next to the URL window and select "Open New Incognito Window."

In the next section, we'll talk about ways to get around the thorny problem of Web sites that force you to register.

Anonymous Registration

Many free and subscription Web sites require you to register before using their services. This usually requires three basic things: an active e-mail address, a username and a password.

Aside from the security risks of giving your e-mail address and other personally identifiable information to a random Web site, a lot of people simply don't want every Web site they visit to know who they are, and certainly not how to contact them.

For security purposes, experts recommend that you don't use the same username and password to access all of your Web sites and services. The danger, of course, is that one of these sites will -- either maliciously or accidentally -- hand your information over to identity thieves who will use your universal username and password to access your online bank account or other highly sensitive Web services.

Another annoyance is that many Web sites have no problem with selling your information to third parties who will then load your inbox with spam. Some sites allow you to opt out of receiving e-mails from partners, but it isn't always clear which boxes to check or uncheck.

If you don't want to give your real e-mail address to every Web site that requires registration, you can always create multiple e-mail accounts using free services like Yahoo! Mail or Google Mail. For most Web sites, the only real purpose of the e-mail address is to confirm registration, so it's OK if you never check the e-mail account again.

However, if you register with many different Web sites and want to keep track of all of your different usernames, passwords and e-mail addresses, don't create an Excel or Word file and save it on your computer. If someone is able to access that file, they'd have more than enough information to steal your identity.

A better solution is to use a secure, Web-based service like ShopShield or Anonymizer. These services automatically generate temporary e-mail addresses with unique usernames and passwords for any site you wish. Whenever a new e-mail message is received at one of these temporary accounts, it is scrubbed for viruses and spam and then forwarded to your real e-mail address. You can also delete unwanted accounts with a click of a button.

Another clever solution is a Web site called BugMeNot.com, in which users post free usernames and passwords for shared access to popular Web sites like newspapers and video sharing sites. If a username and password stops working, it is voted down the list.

It may be hard to imagine, but just a mere 20 years ago, the Internet was nothing more than a novelty -- a way for incredibly smart college professors and researchers to share information, and for a few people to network across the newly developed World Wide Web. E-mail was nothing like it is today. The primitive e-mail systems found at universities or even through accounts offered with the first Internet service providers (ISPs) such as Prodigy and America Online were often difficult to use.

Fast forward to 2009 and things have changed significantly. Back in the day, you paid for Internet access by the minute. That's not the case anymore. Like virtually every technology, changes occur quickly and often for the better. On top of that, the technology becomes cheaper and easier to use. The Internet has certainly gone through this transformation. The most recent advance in digital communication is wireless internet or WiFi. Found in coffee shops, libraries and airports throughout the world, WiFi has made using the Internet almost as common as using your cellular phone -- which in itself is technology that exploded over the past decade. Unfortunately, unsavory activities inevitably find a way to enter even the most benign settings like the Internet, and that's (probably) why you're here.

Chances are you're reading this article because you suspect someone is piggybacking or using your WiFi without your permission and you want to learn how to determine if you're correct. When wireless squatters steal your WiFi, they slow down your bandwidth and what's worse, they can even steal information off your computer or infect machines on your network with a virus. Fear not, this article will give you the ammunition to fight back. Let's begin by taking a quick look at what makes up your WiFi network so you can prepare yourself to take control of the Internet connection you pay for.

Understanding Your WiFi Network

Before you can detect if someone is ripping off your wireless Internet connection, it's important to understand some basic computer networking lingo. For more information on how to set up a wireless network, take a look at How WiFi Works. Now, let's look at a few of the areas in a wireless network that will give you a baseline for determining if your WiFi signal is being sapped unexpectedly.

A wireless network is comprised of a broadband Internet connection from a DSL, cable or satellite modem. You attach the modem to the wireless router, which distributes the signal and creates a network.

This is what's called a local area network (LAN). This LAN is where you set up computer peripherals such as your desktop or laptop computer and printer. Your router will have what's called a dynamic host client protocol (DHCP) table. In essence, your DHCP table is your guest list of every allowed piece of computing equipment.

Each device has its own media access control (MAC) address. Think of this as its signature. MAC addresses are assigned by the manufacturer, but can be changed by users, if they know how. Your router uses these addresses to assign each machine on your network an Internet protocol or IP address.
The MAC and IP addresses of your equipment will be useful in a moment when we look at ways to detect whether or not someone is stealing your WiFi.

If you're confused by some of this computer rhetoric, don't be. What's important is that you know what to look for when we get ready to diagnose your WiFi connection. Speaking of which, let's get to it in the next section. After all, that's what you came here for.

Detecting Wireless Piggybacking

Okay, it's time to get down to it. Is your wireless network running slowly? Do you have intermittent losses in Internet access and you can't figure out why? Chances are, you've already detected a WiFi squatter and didn't even know it. If you regularly experience these problems, maybe you have something wrong with your wireless connection. But if you're suddenly having intermittent problems with your Internet performance, especially at the same time each day, it's a red flag that someone is piggybacking off your wireless connection and it's time for you to diagnose your WiFi network.

The first and simplest thing you can do is check out your wireless network connection and see if it's secure. When you install your router, you're given the option of setting a wireless encryption protocol (WEP) key. Basically this is a password-protected method for you to log on to your own wireless network. If you don't have one, you're operating an open network. That means anyone within range can use your wireless for free. While it's not hacking, it is debatable as to whether this is actually stealing. In any case, if you don't have a WEP key, you're vulnerable to WiFi squatting and certainly not deterring squatters.

Even if you have a WEP key, that doesn't necessarily mean your neighbor hasn't bypassed it. To determine if he or she is logging onto your wireless network, you can do so by checking your wireless network log. The exact steps vary depending on your computer's operating system, but in general, if you look at your network and see more devices connected than you have allowed on your network, you have WiFi thieves.

A similar method to determining the status of your WiFi user list is to check your router's DHCP client table. Much like viewing your network, your DHCP client table will list the machines on your network. If the number exceeds what you've set up, you have someone stealing your WiFi.

Nobody wants to be taken advantage of. What's more, you certainly don't want illegal information flowing through your wireless network. That's why you need to take matters in your own hands. The final section will give you the power to thwart off Internet thieves and protect your wireless connection. Are you ready to fight back? Turn the page to learn how.

Stopping Digital Thieves

A WEP key is an absolute must for any wireless network; however, even those are vulnerable. While WEP protection will stop the guy parking in front of your house, it may not stop a more determined user like your neighbor. In that case, you can use a security protocol such as WiFi protected access (WPA). This route is more secure but can still be hacked by a determined WiFi thief.

You can also use manual DHCP assignment. To do this, simply set your router's DHCP to the manual setting and enter in each of your computer's physical addresses. This will restrict your network to allow only those computers recognized by the router.

If the manual DHCP route isn't comfortable for your level of computer expertise, you may want to consider generating a MAC access list which usually can be created through the browser interface of the router. Unfortunately, MAC address lists can also be bypassed by savvy WiFi thieves; nevertheless, when used in conjunction with other security methods, they're probably enough on a small home network.
Internet monitoring software is also a viable option.

Monitoring software will walk you through some of these methods and is user friendly for those who aren't as comfortable setting up wireless security methods. In addition, monitoring software makes it easy to see what is going on with your wireless connection. Your WiFi router may have some built-in software that will help you monitor your network. Explore the user guide and help section to see if there's a built-in application that will help.

Finally, turn off your router's SSID broadcasting. This effectively makes your network invisible. It's much harder to steal WiFi from a network that doesn't appear on anyone's radar.

Next time you suspect WiFi theft, peek out the front window and see if an unfamiliar car is parked in front of or close to your home. If so, you'll probably find someone in the car sapping your Internet. It sounds simple, but it could be just that easy to determine if someone is stealing your WiFi.

Identity theft is a modern problem, a crime facilitated by the use of checking accounts, credit cards, ID numbers and computerized banking systems. The incidence of identity theft has grown exponentially since the 1990s. A Federal Trade Commission survey revealed that 3.7 percent of all Americans became aware that they had been victimized by identity theft in 2005 [source: FTC]. That works out to more than eight million Americans in a single year -- and those are just the people who realized they were ID theft victims.

The effects of identity theft can be devastating as well. Victims may directly lose hundreds or thousands of dollars out of pocket, spend hours rectifying the situation, and suffer from damaged credit scores. Even worse, some people spend years suffering the effects of identity theft without realizing it, losing job offers, being denied loans and other opportunities because someone else is running up bills in their name.

Unfortunately, there's no single, simple way to protect yourself against identity theft. There are many avenues that thieves use to gather your information, and they come up with new methods all the time. To really secure your identity (and your financial future), you need a comprehensive plan and a paranoid mindset when it comes to personal information.

In this article, we'll learn how identity thieves steal or scam their way into your financial life, and outline the best ways to keep it from happening.

What is Identity Theft?
Identity theft is a crime -- specifically, it's a fraud. The criminal uses another person's personal information to either create a fake identity or use the victim's identity in fraudulent ways. Most of the time, the goal of the thief is financial. He may use the victim's Social Security number to apply for a credit card, then spend freely and never have to worry about the bills, because they're linked to the victim. Sometimes, stolen information is used to create fake paperwork for illegal immigrants, allowing them to live and work somewhere even if they are not allowed to do so legally.

The simplest form of ID theft is the theft of a credit card or check book. The thief then uses the card or writes checks on your account to make purchases, hoping the clerk doesn't carefully check the signature or ask to see photo ID. This is the oldest form of ID theft, and it requires a thief to physically steal an item from you.

Other thieves use information to make fraudulent credit card purchases without actually stealing your card. The waiter at a restaurant might jot down your credit card number and your name. Later, he looks up your address, then goes online and makes several purchases on your account. Or the thief might use your information to sign up for cell phone service.

The most nefarious identity thieves can infiltrate the victim's financial life completely. The thief obtains a fake birth certificate, uses the victim's Social Security number to open new credit accounts in the victim's name and even obtains loans and mortgages with the stolen identity. The thief might even use the victim's identity if she is arrested, causing an innocent person to gather a lengthy criminal record.

Up next: the basics of protecting your identity.


Know Your Credit

The first thing you need to do to protect your credit is to be vigilant about it. Look over all bank and credit card statements carefully, and look into any suspicious charges. Track down even small charges you don't remember making, because sometimes a thief will make small purchases at first to see if the account is still active. Be wary if a bill doesn't show up when it ought to - someone might be stealing your mail to read your account numbers.

It's also very important to check your credit score at all three of the major credit rating companies (Equifax, Experian and TransUnion) on a regular basis. Some experts suggest checking them every three months (source: Abagnale). The Federal Trade Commission requires each of those companies to provide you with one free credit report every 12 months.

Looking at your credit report isn't the same as understanding it. The credit rating companies don't intend for that information to be viewed by consumers -- their business is providing credit reports to banks, merchants and employers. The information contained in a report can be a little difficult to comprehend. The first part contains your personal information, like your address, Social Security number and so forth.

The second part shows your credit history. Each credit account you have is known as a trade line, and it might be represented by a string of numbers or a recognizable name.

The same account might show up multiple times if you've changed addresses. The account will also be accompanied by an R number that looks like this: "R3." The number basically means the number of months late you usually are in paying that bill. R1 is on time, R2 is occasionally late, and anything higher than that is a black mark on your credit rating (R0 means they don't have enough information about your account yet). The bottom line is, this is the part to pay the most attention to. Make sure there aren't any lines of credit listed that you don't know about.

The last part shows all the times a check has been run against your credit report, either because you applied for a loan or because a merchant or employer initiated the check. Look this part over for any abnormal patterns that might indicate someone other than you has been applying for credit in your name.

In the next section, we'll tell you how to keep your identity safe online.

A Den of Identity Thieves
The Internet is a great place for identity thieves. It offers them avenues of obtaining personal information never thought possible in the days before the Web. Scammers and hackers are always developing new methods of getting the info they need. But the first step in avoiding their traps is simple: Don't give your information away.

Whether you're posting on a message board or blogging on your personal Web site, don't publish your address, phone number or, most importantly, your Social Security number. That might seem obvious, but it doesn't stop there. Identity thieves can make use of all kinds of personal info, such as your mother's maiden name, where you went to school or the name of your pet.

Beware of phishing. Phishing is a scam in which you receive a fake e-mail that appears to come from your bank, a merchant or an auction Web site. For instance, the message will inform you that your bank's Web site has been upgraded, and they need you to update your information, with a link directing to a Web form. There you can fill in your name, account numbers and other vital data. The info is collected by the scam artists and used or sold. Phishing scam e-mails can look so authentic that even savvy Internet users can be fooled. Watch for misspelled words and poor grammar, and for blocks of text that are actually images, which can be used to disguise links.

Use a credit card when you go shopping online. A debit card offers no protection if your account number is stolen and used. Credit card companies limit your liability on fraudulent purchases, and you can dispute false charges.

Also, make sure any Web site you use for purchases is secure -- most Web browsers have an icon that lets you know whether or not a site uses encryption to keep your information safe. Never make purchases or check online accounts on a public computer or public wireless network. And stick to shopping on reputable sites.

While phishing is a somewhat passive scam (in that the scammers are trying to fool you into giving them your personal info), there are more aggressive attacks. Many computer viruses, worms and trojans are designed to install malicious software onto your computer. Some of these include key loggers that can record your bank password as you type it. Keep your anti-virus software up to date, and use a Web browser that blocks code, such as JavaScript, from being executed on Web sites. If you have a wireless home network, use a secure encryption method, such as WPA2. Perhaps most importantly, use strong passwords on sensitive accounts.

Next, we'll look at some other identity theft scams to watch out for.

Scams to Watch Out For

Mail is a major vulnerability for identity theft. Bills, account statements and (especially) credit card offers are some of an identity thief's favorite things. Make sure your home mailbox is secure. When you send mail, use secure, opaque envelopes so no one can read account numbers or spot checks just by holding them up to the light. Note any sudden drop in the amount of mail you receive -- a thief may have put in a fraudulent change of address at the post office.

The ATM presents other opportunities for identity thieves. Only use ATMs in secure, well-lit locations, and don't use the machine if someone is standing too close or looking over your shoulder. Be aware of changes to your usual ATM, or signs directing you to another nearby ATM. Scammers have been known to use fake card scanners or even fake ATMs that gather your account information when you swipe your card.

Take a look at the machine, too. Identity thieves have been known to install card readers at the card intake slot and cameras over the keypad to record your personal identification number as you type it in.

Home break-ins are a particularly unpleasant source of identity theft. Not only do you have to deal with the break-in itself, but if sensitive financial information was left available for the thief, your misfortune is just beginning. Use a paper shredder to destroy old documents. Keep old bills, tax information and other financial papers locked in a secure place. Treat them as though they're more valuable than cash -- to the thief, they are.

Don't ignore unusual phone calls or mail notices. If you suspect a call or letter is a come-on for a scam, contact the FTC. Don't give them any of your information. If you are contacted by a merchant or collection agency about an unpaid bill that you know you shouldn't be charged for, don't just hang up. It could be your first clue that someone has already stolen your identity. Get all the information about the fraudulent purchase you can, so you can dispute it formally.

We'll talk about what to do if you discover you're a victim of identity theft in the next section.

How to Report Identity Theft

If you find that you've been victimized by an identity thief, the process of dealing with it can seem overwhelming. Take heart: The median identity theft case, as reported by the FTC, results in fraudulent charges of just $500, and the victim usually doesn't have to pay for any of it. The median amount of time spent dealing with the situation was four hours. There have been a few cases where victims were left on the hook for tens of thousands of dollars and spent years trying to repair their credit, but they're exceptional.

Your first step should be to call one of the credit bureaus and put a fraud alert on your credit. The bureau is then required to call the other two primary bureaus. The fraud alert prevents anyone from opening a new credit account of any kind in your name. You'll also get a free copy of your credit report -- check it and stay in contact with the credit bureaus until they correct any fraudulent charges or accounts you find there.

Next, close your accounts. For many people, this is a huge inconvenience, but it is the only sure way to shut down a thief who is charging up debt in your name.

File a complaint with the FTC through their online complaint form at ftccomplaintassistant.gov. Then, file a complaint with your local police department. Keep records of everything that happens pertaining to your case. Keep a copy of every bill, phone record, statement and credit report in a safe place in case anyone needs to see it.

Once in a while, you just can't beat a game. You may be king among fraggers and Froggers but you'll eventually run up against a game that stops you in your virtual tracks. Maybe it's the game's fault -- poor game design can make some tasks impossible to complete. Whatever the cause, you may come to the conclusion that there's only one way you'll ever finish the game: you'll have to cheat.

Cheating in video games has been around almost as long as video games themselves. After all, video games are really just lines of programming code. If you know what you're doing and have the right equipment, you can insert a few lines of code and make a challenging game a breeze to complete. But not everyone has the skills to alter code while at the same time making sure the game stays playable.

It's important to remember this, too: Not all cheats give the player an advantage in the game. Some cheat codes actually make games more challenging by making enemies tougher or reducing a player character's resistance to damage. Others give you unusual skills not normally found in the game such as the ability to fly or walk through walls. And some create unusual -- and often hilarious -- cosmetic changes to the game world.

There are many different ways to cheat in video games. Not every method works with every game. Cheating in a console game can be very different than cheating in a computer game. Online play adds an entirely new set of challenges as well as ethical questions. If you're cheating at a single player game, you're really only affecting your own experience. Cheating online means you could be impacting other players. Most online game communities aren't very fond of cheaters.
The word "cheat" carries with it a stigma. It makes us think of lazy people who aren't willing to put in the hard work necessary to succeed. But that's not the case with every person who cheats in a video game. Let's take a look at the different approaches to cheating in video games.

Cheating with Video Game Codes
Some game developers build cheats directly into their video games. There are several reasons for doing this. One reason is that it can simplify the quality assurance (QA) phase of game development. The QA phase is also known as game testing. Testers try the game out to make sure it's playable and that there are no glitches in the game's code.

If a game is particularly long or has many levels, items and characters, game testers may need a shortcut to test particular scenarios. For example, a fantasy role-playing game might allow characters to wield dozens of different weapons. Walking around the game's world and gathering these items might take several hours of playing. But if the developer builds in shortcuts, the game testers can get their virtual hands on these weapons without going through the effort of finding them. Sometimes these shortcuts stay in the game all the way through to publication.

Other game developers include cheats to encourage players to keep playing their games. No game developer wants a player to become so frustrated with a game that he or she abandons it. Cheat codes give players who have trouble with the game's mechanics a chance to complete the game. Codes can also increase a video game's replay value -- you've gone through the game once as a normal player, now, with the proper cheat code, you can play it as a godlike unstoppable force of nature. And some developers may include cheat codes simply because players expect to find them in modern video games.

Players may discover the secret to unlocking a shortcut by chance or by word of mouth. Some might try to scour the video game's code in search of shortcuts. Eventually word of the shortcuts spreads to sites like GameFAQs or IGN. All you have to do is search those sites for the game you're playing to see if there are cheat codes available.

Cheating with codes is usually pretty simple. Some games have a designated screen into which players can enter codes. Others require the player to pause the action and enter a sequence on a game controller. It might take a try or two to get the rhythm down, but before long you'll be able to turn your hapless character into an invincible warrior.

Cheating with Game Hacks

Not every computer or video game supports cheats upon release. These games make cheating a little trickier. If you're a hacker, you may be familiar enough with computer programming languages to take a close look at the video game's code and find ways to tweak it to create cheats. But for the rest of us, we have to rely on the skills of knowledgeable hackers to create shortcuts for us and make them available somehow.

Hacks come in as many different variations as there are games. Video game hacks are better known as trainers. Some trainers allow the player to make changes to the video game character they control, making it stronger or invincible. Others make changes to the video game world itself. You may have to run a secondary application along with the game to activate the trainer. Some trainers will alter the game's code and become part of the game permanently. From that moment on, loading the game loads up the trainer, too.

Lots of Web sites host trainer codes designed to help you cheat at games. You need to be careful if you plan on downloading a trainer -- some game hacks are really computer viruses in disguise. Look for user comments and reviews for the trainer. It also helps if you can find the trainer in different locations on the Web and read multiple reviews -- that will help you weed out malicious software. And even a legitimate hack can sometimes freeze a video game or make it otherwise unplayable.

Cheating with Game Hardware

There are lots of game trainers for computer games but not as many for video game consoles. Most video game consoles are closed systems. To take advantage of hacks on a video game system without making physical changes to the console itself usually requires an extra piece of hardware for cartridge-based systems or a special CD for CD-based consoles.

Cartridge-based game consoles are traditionally difficult to hack. Game developers hard coded the video game onto a physical game cartridge. The video games are in read-only memory (ROM) format, which means it's very difficult to alter the code without special equipment and a keen understanding of programming.

That's where devices like Game Genie come into play. A company called Codemasters designed the Game Genie line of cartridge cheat devices. To use a Game Genie device, you simply plug a game cartridge into one end of the Game Genie and then plug the Game Genie into the game console. Codemasters made Game Genie cheat systems for several different game consoles.

The Game Genie intercepts the communications between the game cartridge and the console. The player has to enter a specific code upon startup to activate a specific cheat function. The Game Genie then alters the information coming from the game cartridge to produce the desired effect. In other words, the Game Genie acts like a hack. And best of all, since the Game Genie isn't altering the data on the cartridge itself you don't have to worry about ruining the game code.

Consoles that use compact discs instead of cartridges are a little different. For these systems, you normally use a CD that loads a few lines of code into the system's memory before removing the disc and replacing it with the actual game disc. A few systems also require the player to use a solid-state memory stick in conjunction with the cheat CD.
There's less of a need for hardware cheats today, since most game developers include cheat codes within the programming of the game itself. So far, the cheats we've talked about mainly focus on a single-player experience. Even someone who thinks cheating is bad would say you're really only cheating yourself if you use these techniques. But what about when you cheat against other human beings?

Online Video Game Cheating

Cheating against a computer is pretty harmless but what about cheating against other people? Online games are very popular and have a wide audience. Some of the people in that audience are cheaters. But how do you cheat online?
Some cheaters use hacks and codes similar to game trainers. A fairly common manifestation of this is an auto-aim hack. An auto-aim hack is an application that helps players aim at opponents in first-person shooters. You might not be able to hit the broad side of a virtual barn on your own but with auto-aim you can be a crack shot.

Another tactic is to create scripts of commands called macros to automate tedious tasks. Some online games -- primarily massively multiplayer online roleplaying games (MMORPGs) -- allow players to improve character skills by performing certain tasks repeatedly. A player skilled at creating macros might be able to create an automated looping routine for his or her character. It's considered cheating because the game developers intended players to build character skills organically by playing the game instead of setting up an automatic schedule.

Some players try to avoid the time and effort required to build up a character by paying someone else to do it for them. They farm their character out to someone else who plays the game normally, building up that character's stats and abilities. Once the character reaches a certain level, the player resumes control.

Several online games allow players to trade weapons and other objects. Many have an in-game economy that supports exchanges within the game itself. But some people have taken the practice out of the game, selling virtual objects for real money on sites like eBay. While this isn't as big a problem as it was when MMORPGs first debuted, you can still find people trying to sell video game objects for real cash if you look hard enough.

Most online games have administrators who have a very low tolerance for cheaters. Others rely on the community of players as a whole to police the game and report instances of cheating. Either way, if you cheat online you risk getting suspended or banned from the game.

In some instances, cheating doesn't have to be a bad thing. It can keep you engaged in a game when you might otherwise have given up. It can also give you a new reason to play an old game, increasing the return on your investment. But keep in mind while the computer doesn't care if you cheat, real people may not feel the same way.

A lot of computer users have a misconception that fixing PC errors is a tedious and time-consuming task. While it is true that it may take a lot of time in resolving a few stubborn errors that just won’t go away, most of the errors can be dealt with in a short period of time. This is specifically true of software and application related computer errors, which are also one of the most frequently encountered computer problems. These errors can be solved in a fraction of time as compared to getting on the phone, explaining the problem to the expert and waiting for him or her to check your computer.

So in case you have been outsourcing all your computer problems to technical experts due to a lack of time, perhaps you should revisit your strategy and first analyze whether the problem can be resolved quickly at your end. Let us look at one such type of PC error known as DLL errors that may harass you and look quite intimidating but that are actually quite easy to fix.

It is important to understand that DLL files or Dynamic Link Library files are no ordinary files. They were created by Microsoft, the manufacturer of Windows Operating Systems, to serve a special purpose. The aim was to make things efficient and simpler by creating files that comprise codes and functions that can be shared among multiple applications. Since DLL files are often critical for the smooth operations of an application, any DLL error can disrupt the functioning of the whole application.

People often misconceive that DLL files have strange names which do not make any sense. However, most of the DLL file names give some indications about its origin. For instance, you may encounter error in the DLL file connapi.dll and you may not know where to start. In order to fix connapi.dll errors, you must begin by searching for origin of the file. On searching, you will find that this process belongs to Connectivity API of Nokia.

DLL errors are frequently caused by:

Missing or deleted DLL file.
Virus or malware infecting the DLL files.
Overwriting a good file with a rogue DLL file which is actually a malware. For example, a rogue dimsntfy.dll is often downloaded by users.
Registry or hard disk problems.
Problems with drivers or hardware.
Conflict between applications or DLL files.

In order to fix your DLL error, you must use the following steps:

Identify the DLL file involved and then ascertain the cause of the pc error.

If it is a missing or corrupt file, you may either try to download the file from a genuine source or try reinstalling the application involved.

In case a DLL error takes place during an application installation, you must immediately abort and uninstall the application. That should take care of the problem.
Often, DLL errors are a result of malware infection. If you suspect this, you must immediately sweep your computer with the latest anti-virus and anti-spyware to eliminate this possibility.

Finally, many DLL errors can be difficult to get rid of and therefore need a thorough registry scan and repair which can be quickly accomplished by an automatic registry cleaning tool.