It's no big secret that the way we listen to music has changed vastly over the last few years.

The emergence of bigger and better mp3 players has led to a surge in music downloads, even going so far as to shape the way music charts are compiled.

More of us now have access to a broadband connection, and many bands are now tapping into the online market in order to get their voices heard and records sold.

Record companies are making use of a wide variety of media and retail in order to get their artists heard - and now music is available to download from a range of different outlets - from your own PC to high street record shops.

Free downloads, offers with broadband packages and exclusive tracks are just some of the ways in which music corporations and independent artists are attempting to make our ears perk up and take notice of their material.

Social networking sites have also played a huge part in making music more widely available to the masses. Unsigned bands can now post material to pages which are viewed by thousands each day, offering the chance to download new material after hearing a short preview.

Such influence is now spreading to the mass media, with radio stations and indie television shows that specialise in undiscovered talent seeing increasing viewing and listening figures.

As the software and price war continues in the world of mp3 players - consumers now have access to a wide range of players of differing sizes (both in the player itself and how much data it can store)

Music stores have played a huge part in making downloadable music available to the consumer, with some predicting that receiving music down a broadband line could eventually signal the end of the physical CD single, normally available in the shops themselves.

And with many joining forces with the record companies in order to offer exclusive content on a range of bands, music fans and consumers alike appear to be going through a boom time.

As the world of downloadable music continues to grow, consumers could soon find themselves able to download that exclusive track from your favourite band during your weekly shopping trip in future.

Let's face it, junk e-mails are extremely annoying. Promising us everything from medication for larger body parts to free software, these irritating little messages are usually just deleted and cast back into cyberspace.

However, some spam messages contain malicious software or viruses, which pose a great threat to any data you might have.

Broadband providers are now coming under increasing pressure to take action and do more to stop these spam messages getting through in the first place.

Anti-spam groups are calling for tougher regulations on providers in order to prevent malicious messages getting through. One suggestion is to close the port through which spam has to travel in order to have an effect.

Some companies utilise this method already, but there are many who argue that more should be done. There are many who will also argue that the spam will just adapt to get through the new methods employed by anti-spam software or techniques.

With more of us now owning a broadband line and relying on the Internet to conduct our business and personal lives, spam is still viewed by many as a major threat to the safety of our computers.

One of the most malicious aspects of spamming is the use of 'botnets' - networks of machines that have been accessed from outside by hackers, which are then used to send junk e-mails containing malicious software that can take a computer down in seconds.

If you've an inkling that your computer is affected by some aspect that is causing it to run slowly, run a broadband speed test to check if there is a problem with your phone line.

Be sure to seek help from a computer specialist if you suspect there might be malicious material on your machine - but the main piece of advice for avoiding such situations is to not open any suspicious e-mails and the attachments that come with them.

Perhaps you've heard the buzz about new Verizon FiOS. You may have heard it's an all-fiber-optic Internet service. Perhaps you've heard it's an all-digital television service far superior to cable. Which is it? Yes. Verizon FiOS is an Internet access service, and also 100% digital television.

"100% Digital" means that Verizon FiOS TV brings fiber-optic, digital television signal all the way into your home. While many cable providers brag about "fiber-optic connections", no one but Verizon brings fiber-optic all the way into your home. Cable companies only provide fiber-optic to the curb. As you can imagine, a truly 100% digital connection brings you much better picture and sound in your home theater system than cable.

Verizon FiOS TV brings you HD television over its fiber-optic network, providing the absolute best quality. You've invested in the best television and home theater equipment; it only makes sense to subscribe to the best television service, as well. That means Verizon FiOS, for 100% fiber-optic digital signal.

You will enjoy the On-Demand television selections from Verizon, which allow you to watch what you want, when you want. With your busy schedule, Verizon's On-Demand service will help you keep up with your favorite shows and spend your free time the way you want. On-Demand also means you can watch movies from home without the expense and aggravation of going to the theater, and enjoy the hottest new feature films any time.

You'll also enjoy a dual-tuner Digital Video Recorder (DVR). Telelvison networks have a knack for scheduling great shows back-to-back. Now you don't have to choose. You can record one show while watching another, and play your DVR recording back whenever you want. No more fussing with a VCR or trying to find a blank tape; with DVR from Verizon FiOS you'll easily record and play back your favorite shows.

Verizon FiOS offers the best premium channels available, of course, and you will enjoy access to your favorite premium series and new movies. Whether you're a fan of Dexter or prefer the latest movies, you'll find the premium channels you love with Verizon.

If you love watching shows from across the world, Verizon FiOS is for you, with a wide variety of international channels available right within your FiOS subscription. Keep in touch with what's going on "back home", or just enjoy a bit of culture from around the planet. With Verizon FiOS, it's easy.

If you're currently paying for cable or satellite television, you'll be amazed at the difference when you switch to Verizon FiOS. You'll love the high-quality picture and sound that do justice to your television and speakers. You'll enjoy having the best television and movies available at the click of a button with On-Demand services. You'll wonder how you lived without the dual-tuner DVR, as you record one show while watching another-without fussing with VCRs and searching for blank tapes. And you'll find the variety of content available from international networks and premium channels staggering.

Usually known as Cat 5, the Category 5 cable is basically a set of 4 twisted pair copper wires which are insulated by an outer jacket. These 24-gauge copper wires terminate in an RJ-45 jack. By and large these cables are unshielded but shielded are available too. It is designed for high signal integrity and mostly used for cabling the computer networks like Ethernet. That is why it is also sometimes referred to as the Ethernet cable. It can also be used for some other signals like ATM, Token ring and basic voice services. Today for all kinds of telephone and network wiring, Cat 5 cable is the most preferred industry standard defined by EIA/TIA - Electronic Industries Association and Telecommunications Industry Association.

The outer cover of Cat 5 cable comes in different colors. The most common being blue. There is also a standard color scheme for the plastic that protects the twisted pairs inside. Orange, blue, green and brown wires are twisted except at the termination point where the connections are made. This twisting basically preserves a high signal-to-noise-ratio by reducing any kind of interference and crosstalk. It can handle frequencies of up to 100 MHz. You can buy this cable of any length that you desire. Standard lengths with an attached RJ-45 jack are also available.

The wire pairs have two main variants. They either have a stranded or a solid core. Stranded cables are suitable for short distances. For example for patch cables needed to connect computer network card to the network jack terminus a stranded core is used. Solid cables can work with longer distances. For runs from the wall termination back to the network patch panel, solid core is used.

One variant of Cat 5 cable is Plenum Cat 5 that has a special outer cover that does not produce any toxic fumes if it burns. These are mainly used to meet fire codes of buildings.

The earlier Cat 3 cable supported data speeds of only 10 megabits per second. While Cat 5 cable can carry data speeds of up to 100 mbps. The enhanced version of Cat 5, is the Cat 5e specification that supports data speeds of 1000 mbps (Gigabit Ethernet). Despite its performance it is only recommended for shorter distances that run for a maximum of 100 meters. So it may not be suitable for longer distances for Ethernet networks. Cat 5e is backward compatible with the standard Cat 5 cable.

A more recent cable technology is the Cat 6 cable that has more stringent specifications for system noise and crosstalk. It is expected to support 10 gigabit Ethernet standards, with some limitations on the length.

Today technology is changing at a very fast pace and so are the networking options and cabling standards. Whether your requirement is as small as connecting your printer to the computer, or as big as wiring your entire office, you need the right cables for it to function properly. Its not just the length that you need to decide, rather a whole lot of factors need to be taken care of including the connectors, the quality of the cable, specific features, performance etc..

You need to select the right cable, but when you hear of terms like coaxial cable, fiber optics, shielded twisted pair, unshielded twisted pair Cat-3, Cat 5/5e Cat 6 cables you are sure to get confused. Before you purchase your network cables you should be aware of a lot of things and this article will serve as the right guide to help you take your decisions.

Firstly you need to decide whether you yourself want to handle all the details of the cabling infrastructure or hire someone to do so. For handling it all by yourself, you should have sufficient knowledge of the different cables available like cat 5, cat 5e, cat 6 etc. While outsourcing this work may involve a lot of expenses and may be a huge burden for a small company.
If you wish to select the cables yourself, you should keep in mind some important points.

1. To start with you should analyze your requirements to understand what you should look for in the cables. Cabling for a network with a few computers is an entirely different story from cabling the entire enterprise network. Identify the speed and the bandwidth required in the network to select the right category of the cable. For higher speed applications such as 10 Gbps you require a robust cabling system. Cat 6 supports 10 Gbps for small distances.

2. Make sure that the specifications of the cables should be equal to or above the specifications of the existing equipments. If you use Cat 5 cables to expand your network that is currently running on cat6 standards, the performance of this section will be limited to Cat 5 Cable.

3. Use Plenum rated cables if your cables run through places like above-ceiling air-handling spaces. These cables emit very less amount of toxic fumes when burnt.

4. Cables, such as cat5e cable, usually have a life of around 10-15 years. You should predict your future network needs and implement a cabling system that will be able to support your system till that time rather than those that are inexpensive. If in future your network requirements exceed the system's capacity it will not only be inconvenient but also expensive to replace your cables. On the other hand if you put a high performing and robust system in place from the start, it is sure to support your needs for a longer period.

UK Broadband Providers have emerged in many numbers. They enable people to choose from among the various service providers. The broadband service providers offer various schemes to customers under which people can avail the best services of broadband companies.

The users of broadband service make the best use of this technology to connect to people and also download movies, videos, songs and games. The same is true for uploading, as now users can upload and share photos and videos. These photos can then be blogged on different websites.

Broadband has resulted in the evolution of services like VoIP. These services have made online telephony a high-end experience. It can be accessed at lower cost price and the user can make calls to distant places of earth. Internet telephony is normally kept free but it is dependent on the schemes of the service providers.

The users find it very commendable to make use of this technology to connect to people anywhere in the globe. Moreover, broadband can also be accessed wirelessly. The wireless technology can be accessed from any place of the world. The users usually prefer laptops in order to access broadband telephony.

As the UK market is full of broadband providers, so there is heavy competition in the market. As these service providers continuously compete with each other so there is stiff competition in the market. Some of the service providers charge for a one-time setup while other service providers do it for free. However, the users do need to sign in a connectivity contract that comprises of either a 1.5 year contract or other terms.

These contracts are further divided on the basis of plans. The plans enable people to access low capacity limits, mid capacity limits and Unlimited downloads. The first option is where the users can download upto 2-5 GB files. In mid-capacity the user can make use of 10-40 GB of space. The unlimited option obviously means unlimted downloads. But one thing that is common to all the plans is that with high speed internet access, downloading is also very fast. Thus it can be said that UK Broadband Providers have given a new definition to the world of internet telephony.

Business continuity and disaster recovery are two of the most talked about challenges facing enterprises today. As disasters hit, whether man made or natural, many businesses have fallen short with recovering in the aftermath. It has been reported that two out of five businesses that experience a disaster will be out of business in five years. While businesses can't predict every disaster, there are certain measures that can be initiated to lessen the impact and reduce unnecessary losses.

Satellite internet service providers offer organizations the ability to quickly and cost effectively access the internet, send and receive communications and access network information in the event of an emergency, disaster or even for everyday communications. Whether fixed, occasional or to address mobile communication needs, satellite internet services bridge the gap between no service and maintaining communications.

Enterprises today can leverage fast satellite network access, increasing productivity and efficiency. When addressing the challenges associated with business continuity, satellite network access offers enterprises the ability to maintain mission critical communications, especially during times of inclement weather, disaster recovery or infrastructure outages. Finding a satellite internet provider that can address the needs of scalability as well as multiple, remote and offsite locations is crucial to your organization's success.

In situations where terrestrial communications may be disabled or nonexistent, being able to maintain production schedules, provide support and continue the sales process is often only possible through satellite network access. Organizations can leverage more bandwidth for a fraction of the cost and even consolidate all your communication needs (phone, internet, video, voice and fax) through one seamless and reliable provider.

The advantage of satellite internet services is the ability to streamline communications through a viable solution for businesses communicating among multiple office locations. This is particularly important when recovering from a disaster. Satellite network access brings the power of communication to a whole new level and ensures that a disaster recovery plan can actually be carried out and communicated to all personnel.

Many providers offer reliable connections, but few have the service or staff available to handle large scale deployments across numerous continents. Leading satellite internet providers have top notch quality and support teams that offer 24x7 assistance. As businesses expand and increase in mobility with e-mail, instant messaging, text messaging and cell phones, the challenge for IT departments to provide a communications infrastructure that meets the growing demands can be easily managed by housing much of the communications support through satellite network access.

If you have offices across the world, you will want to find a global business satellite internet provider that can leverage the bandwidth needed for all of your locations and communication needs. Ensuring the ability to communicate is a necessity when dealing in the aftermath of a disaster. Harnessing the power and mobility of satellite internet services can help address many of the challenges associated with small, medium or large businesses worldwide.

Apparently Intel swears by it, but does anyone else really care? We are already surrounded by several technology mediums that will allow us to stay connected: pre-4G LTE (UMTS Rev 8), 3G (UMTS), 2G, (EDGE, GPRS) and WiFi - do we need yet another technology (yawn)?

What advantages (if any) would WiMAX have over our existing technology base?

1) WiMAX is NOT more expensive to develop than LTE. In fact, with the recent creation of the Open Patent Alliance and the goal of capping WiMAX royalties at 10%, LTE deployments will be significantly more expensive due to higher costs of base stations, and device manufacturers will have much higher development costs (LTE is targetting 15% royalty model).

2) Intel commitment to WiMAX means that every device running an Intel chip will be capable of running on a WiMAX network . With this large potential device ecosystem, WiMAX has a very legitimate shot at being successful .

3) For those who claim that LTE is an evolution from 3G while LTE is an alternative technology - that is just nonsense. Aside from some minor differences at the MAC and PHY layers, WiMAX and LTE are strikingly similar (SAE Gateway in LTE = CSN Gateway in WiMAX, PDN Gateway in LTE = ASN Gateway in WiMAX, both use OFDM transport, similar scheduling models, QoS models, etc). There will be no backwards compatibility for LTE to legacy 3G technologies - they are using different radio technologies (3G are CDMA or TDM, not OFDM), and therefore cannot be deployed on the same spectrum. This is why AT&T and Verizon have both heavily bid at 700MHz spectrum - for LTE deployment.

4) WiMAX is not really a replacement for T1 or DS3 Bandwidth. 3G is better suited to that. Quite frankly, if you are trying to replicate a deterministic bandwidth model (TDM) using a technology meant for burstiness (IP), you will spend a ton of money building a network that is built for SIGNIFICANTLY more capacity than it will ever see.

5) For those who are claiming that the span of time between production WiMAX networks and production LTE networks is shrinking - that is a very US-biased viewpoint. WiMAX networks exist today, LTE does not begin device certification until end of 2009. There are 3 issues that I point to that cause me to question LTE's time-to-availability:

a) With HSPA+ appearing, there will be significantly less incentives for European operators to migrate to LTE when they can leverage their existing spectrum, existing BTS, and existing handsets (backwards compatible) while still providing higher-speed data services.

b) With the telecom mentality that the LTE vendors have historically worked under, they develop for the next evolution of technology, not 3 evolutions down the road. So, with most worldwide operators deploying 3.6Mbps HSPA, there is still a roadmap to 7.2Mbps HSPA, 14.4Mbps HSPA, and finally HSPA+ (3GPP R7).

c) 3GPP R8 (official standards track of LTE) is slated for Stage 2 freeze in mid-2008 with official radification of Stage 2 planned for Dec 2008. WiMAX 802.16e was radified in 2005 and we still do not fully see an interoperability standard between vendors. This points to 2010-2011 before we will reasonably see anything similar in LTE.

Finally, anyone who claims that the move to 2.5GHz from the 900MHz and 1.9GHz of 3G means that the CAPEX model for 3G is significantly better than that of WiMAX - I think that is VERY highly imprecise. There is ALWAYS a tradeoff between capacity and coverage. If you want to attain the same coverage model for WiMAX as for 3G, you are right - you will need more towers. HOWEVER, if you are looking to create the same coverage AND increase capacity, regardless of the frequency used, you will need to create smaller cells with large overlap, meaning that the size of a 1900MHz cell providing high speed data services and the size of a 2.5GHz cell providing high speed data services will be roughly equivalent. You never get something for nothing.

Many people have recently complained about broadband speeds, but could it be that our expectations are too high? When people realize the cost of implementing new systems, slower speeds may suddenly become acceptable.

There has been an array of research conducted to compare the costs of installing the new fibre optic cables capable of providing the broadband speeds everyone wants and the cost of it all. It might cost up to £10 billion to dig up all the roads necessary and lay down all the fibre optic cables required. There is an alternative option which involves taking the cables to the local exchanges which costs a mere £5 billion.

The problem customers are having are based around their broadband speeds and as we use the internet even more for activities such as watching films and television, we need speeds to be as quick as possible. Programmes such as the BBC iPlayer and channel 4's On Demand, allow customers to catch up on their favourite programmes online but require fast speeds to get the most out of them.

Whether customers are happy with their speed or not, it is something that they might have to put up with for the moment as the government and experts decide whether it would be money well spent. Some customers may not be receiving the fastest speeds available to them so the broadband speed test is a good thing for them to take which allows customers to see the speeds they should be receiving in their area.

If the plan to increase speeds came to fruition and the money was spent, we would almost certainly pick up the bill, so is it worth it? Some people will be in favour and some will be against but it will be interesting to see what happens. For the moment though, customers can compare broadband deals from the leading providers to ensure they get the best possible deal available.

With so much information flying around about broadband, it is not surprising that users are becoming slightly confused about what they should expect from their deals. Here are a few answers to the most commonly asked questions.

One of the most common questions is why speeds do not match up with the speed they were promised when they signed up to the original deal. The answer is simple, connection speeds will vary considerably depending on the time of day you use it. Evenings are the busiest times as this is when most home users will be on the internet downloading and uploading.

Speeds will also vary depending on the item that you are downloading. Films require a lot longer to complete than a song would for example as the file is larger. As more people use their broadband to call friends and family abroad VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) which includes Skype has become very popular but takes longer and needs fast connections to use.

Tidying up your computer will also help improve the speed. As you surf and download your way through the internet, many files and viruses can find their way into your hard drive and simply erasing these can improve your connection speed. Many people compare broadband speeds but it is important to give yourself every chance of having those speeds and eliminating your computer of viruses is a must. You may want to get an expert to come and do this for you to ensure it is done thoroughly.

It is very frustrating for customers when the speeds they receive do not match the speed quoted to them by the operator. Asking the provider what the maximum and minimum speeds possible will give you a better indication as to what to expect from your broadband. The broadband speed test allows you to get an idea of the connection speeds in your area and once you know that, you can start to compare the various deals.

With the arrival of new technologies, to remain ahead in the race of online operations, it is essential to make use of ways that help in providing easy flexibility and speed in work. To facilitate an easy online operation, media converters help in improving the networking flexibility through pluggable optics providing media conversion along with optical transport facilities.

For all those who are looking forward to advantages provided by media converters, these converters are useful as support connections from and to hubs, switches, routers along with servers. Media converters help in providing the advantage of speed, security and bandwidth to network managers. Some of the basic advantages of media converters include advantage of long distance with the use of multimode or single mode fiber with the integration of copper network that comes along with optic fiber cables. Media converters easily help in incorporating numerous added devices such as hubs and switches without any connector restrictions. Media converters also provide efficiency where high bandwidth optic fiber feeds the low speed cables and fiber through desktops or workgroups. This facility of media converters makes it extremely useful where it provides network flexibility as a main stream solution that too at reduced cost.

To think that one's network is complete without any added physical expansion and connection is a hyper reality as all these add ups are normal part of networking solution where one has to maintain the speed of the operations without compromising on the overall work. So, for all those who are looking for an easy alternative that helps in providing easy accommodation in networking, media converters can be a handy solution as it easily converts the data signals of cabling medium into another medium that can be easily transported. With the help of media converters, one can easily manage networking without jeopardizing with work. Media converters provide enhanced network flexibility as it can be plugged anywhere in network. Presently, the most common media converters used are twisted pair fiber connections that are meant for quick, cost efficient and reliable operations without delay. In media converters, the new technology used is SFF connectors that enhance media conversion easily and efficiently while maintaining and building cost efficient networking. This new technology is far better than the previously available ST and SC connectors in terms of termination and port density. The new and improved SFF connectors come with small size where one can plug more ports in a single device. In comparison to ST and SC connectors, one can use double the number of SFF connectors. With the help of SFF connectors, one saves a lot time in installing the cables.

Additionally, the use of Ethernet, Gigabit Ethernet and Fast Ethernet helps in enhancing the network flexibility that comes with media converters. With increasing availability of choices in media converters, one can go for switches with multi ports that help in solving the network flexibility. So, get your FDD and avail huge saving and network flexibility with media converters.

Streaming HD videos from your computer or a media server to your TV without using cables may sound like a brilliant idea, but getting the 1080p bandwidth-intensive signal across a home wireless network has been impossible up until now - the 802.11 b/g (aka Wi-Fi) networks could simply not handle the data.

If you're one of the early adopters facing this problem, perhaps it's time you upgrade to a Wireless N device.

Wireless N (or 802.11n Wi-Fi) is a new extension to the Wi-Fi standard. It has multiple-input and multiple-output (MIMO) antennas for extended coverage - in fact, that is the easiest way to recognize a Wireless N device - they usually have 3 antennas instead of just one. Using more than one antenna for receiving and transmitting enables the device to better handle obstacles such as walls and people and also allows higher data rates, as each antenna can be used for transmitting different data at the same time.

Most Wireless N devices also boast 2.4/5GHz dual-band capability. Since the 2.4GHz band does not require special licensing, most civilian communications devices transmit at that band, and as a result it is now extremely crowded (microwave ovens, Bluetooth devices, cordless phones... the list goes on and on). On the other hand, transmitting on the 5GHz band requires licensing, and so it is much less crowded, and so the Wireless N device operating on that band will hardly suffer from interferences.

If you would like to look up information on an unknown email address, you may be wondering if free reverse email lookups exist. The answer is yes. There are a number of different websites that offer free reverse searches in regard to e-mail addresses, but before you attempt to find any of them, there are a few things you need to keep in mind before you set your hopes to high.

The first thing you need to know is that the vast majority of free reverse e-mail searches will not be able to help you find much information regarding the owner of the address you are searching. The reason is because their technology and database is extremely limited. This is due to the number of e-mail providers that exist, and because electronic mail users are permitted to opt-out of their web mail provider's directory. As a result, most free directories are incomplete and unhelpful, since they will only be able to return information if it can be found within their database.

Secondly, you need to realize that there are currently numerous email providers, and millions of e-mail subscribers, so you cannot assume that all free reverse search sites will include every subdomain in their databases. Therefore, you should find out if the site you are using includes the web mail provider you are investigating (I.E. aol, hotmail, yahoo, etc.), because if it doesn't your search will be unsuccessful.

When all is said and done, if you want to find information for free about an email address owner, you will need to use a premium lookup that uses web 2.0 technology. This technology delves deep into the World Wide Web to retrieve the information associated with the electronic address you are looking up. Like other free searches, simply enter the email into the provided query box, and check for results.

However, unlike other free lookups, premium searches take time and it could be an hour or longer before all details are found. The good news is that the search will continue even if you close the site or turn off your computer, so all you need to do is check back later.

Nevertheless, it is important that you know that free web 2.0 reverse email address searches are difficult to find, even when you lookup "free web 2.0 directory" in a general online search. Moreover, these premium sites will only be free for a limited time. Eventually, you will be required to pay a nominal fee per search or pay for a membership if you wish to use these services.

Finally, despite the fact that you will likely not have luck finding out any details with the average non-premium search, this doesn't mean you shouldn't try conducting an investigation with regular free reverse email lookups, because you may find something, and all it costs is your time.

At some point, anyone who has an email address is bound to receive messages from a sender they don't know or receive spam emails. This will occur regardless of the safeguards they have set up to protect their account and keep it clean of junk mail. Although in most cases spam emails are relatively harmless because they are easy to spot with their ridiculous subject lines, some are not. Certain spam messages are craftily designed to trick an email consumer into opening them by giving the recipient the impression that the electronic message is personal.

Opening a spam email can put your computer at significant risk, as many of these frustrating messages are riddled with viruses, spyware, malware, and other problems you don't want. Moreover, in some cases, scam artists create phony e-mail addresses that closely match those of other businesses and financial institutions, for the purpose of trying to con you into providing some of your personal information. However, not all questionable emails have malicious intent, because sometimes what appears to be a suspicious message is your friend playing a practical joke on you.

Since you cannot chance trusting that a strange email address is harmless, you need to find out who the address belongs to. Discovering whether or not an e-mail is spam, is simply a matter of determining if the email is "real". You can find out more about the message sender through one of these methods:

Email headers - Retrieve the email message headers for the electronic mail in question. This can be achieved by searching for the instructions on how to find message headers in the email client you are using. The headers can provide you with different details including the owner's actual e-mail address, which may not have appeared in their sender information that is displayed in the "From" box of the message.

IP Trace - Message headers can also provide you with the senders IP address, which is essentially a computer's online identity. You can enter their IP into an IP address trace to find out their computer's geographical location (I.E. country, city, state or region, etc.). An IP tracking service will not be able to give you the sender's exact location, but it will give you a general indication of their whereabouts. These details may be enough to tip you off on who may be responsible for sending the emails (I.E. a friend).

Conduct a general web search - look up the email address in a search engine to see if any information is returned. If nothing is found, try searching suspicious email sites to see if the address you are investigating matches any of the spam emails in the list.

Reverse email lookup - Access a reverse email address search and enter the e-mail into the designated search box to try and find out the identity of the sender. It's a good idea to try more than one lookup, as not every site features the same emails in their databases.

Remember that even if you are unable to find out who an email belongs to, if you ever doubt the integrity of a message, delete it, because it is better to be safe than sorry.