Microsoft’s free consumer antivirus is now available. So far, I like it. It’s lightweight and does not seem to change any performance with my computer.
You can find it at http://www.microsoft.com/security_essentials/
Scenario: You have too many passwords you have to remember for tons of web sites. Let’s face it, just about everyone uses the same password or couple of passwords because it is too hard to remember passwords for so many web sites. The problem with using the same password for multiple web sites is that some web sites are better at securing your data like your passwords than others. If "Joe Hacker" discovers your username and password at "someblog.com" he or she might try to use it at bankofamerica.com, chase.com or every other online banking institution to gain access to whatever bank account you might own.
Enter Password Maker! Best used with Firefox, Password Maker securely uses one password you pick and creates a password using your master password and the web site domain name you want the password for. This allows you to have a different password for all your online accounts without having to remember a different password. I find this tool works best as a plugin for Firefox, quite possibly the world’s best web browser because it creates a button and does all of the work for you. Basically, you click a button, enter your master password, and copy and paste the password created.
I have tested the firefox plugin in in Windows Vista, OSX 10.6, and Ubuntu 9.04 and it should work on XP and Windows 7. For more information go to: https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/469 or http://passwordmaker.org/
Security Tips for using this program:
1. You Master Password should not be the same as any of your usernames for your web sites.
2. Don’t save your master password in the program. Enter your master password every time for added security.
3. Use longer passwords, the default is 7 in Password Maker but there is nothing stopping you from having a long random password that is 20 characters, accept a poorly designed web site requiring short passwords.
4. Add an additional password only you know in addition to your created password from Password Maker. This should not be the same as any usernames or your master password. For example, if the password generated for your bank account is "09rl-sle" add a word or phrase in front of behind it making your password something like "goodpassword09rl-sle."
5. Never share your usernames, passwords, or master password with anyone.
Since the cost of sending email is pretty much free, especially when bots do it for you on compromised machines, spam email will continue to be a nuisance. According to MAAWG, the Messaging Anti-Aubuse Working Group, in a study they did called "A Look at Consumers’ Awareness of Email Security and Practices or "Of Course, I Never Reply to Spam – Except Sometimes," 1 in 6 people are interested in the offers they receive from spam.
1 in 6 is more than enough people keep the spam coming. Spam is here to stay!
For the full report go here: http://www.maawg.org/about/publishedDocuments/2009_MAAWG-Consumer_Survey-Part1.pdf
In my opinion, anti-virus programs are not good enough to prevent you from getting a virus, but they do tell you when you get one usually. If you want to prevent viruses, keep Windows up to date via windows update, you should have a router between your Verizon modem and your computer(s) (in some cases the modem and router are the same device which is usually good enough), and ask yourself and your children if you really need to install something from a web site. Lately, people are getting viruses by being tricked into installing something from a web site they think they need. When that annoying alert message pops up asking you to approve a software installation, it is potentially preventing something malicious from installing. Even though it is annoying, it is a good idea to get into the habit of reading it and asking if you really need to do it.
Here is a good example of how most kids get a virus:
They get an email or message from Myspace or Facebook from a friend or someone they don’t know that says something along the lines of “Hey, I caught you on video tame last night here is the video”
Most people have to check out what is on the other end of that link. They click it and it takes them to a site that looks like Myspace or Facebook but it is not. The site then says, “you need to download the latest flash player to view this video” which is pretty common because flash player is constantly needing updates. What the unsuspecting victim does not know is that they are really downloading a virus.
If you fall under this scenario this is how I would handle it. First I would ask myself if I really need to watch the video. If I do, I would then think who makes the flash player. I know that is Adobe. I would then go to Adobe.com and download the flash player there and get the latest player. Doing this I know I will have the latest player and if i go back to that same site with the video and it still says the same message, then I know it is nefarious.
With that said, if you want to get an antivirus, I suggest nod32 from eset.com. The reason I suggest them is because they supposedly look at what you do in real time. Most antiviruses wait for updates from the mothership and then do a computer scan which does not help you if you have already unintentionally installed the virus and the virus disabled your antivirus. There will always be risk because the antivirus must know about the virus and today there viruses are being changed and created at an alarming rate.
With all this said, in my opinion, if you think you have a virus. I would no longer trust the machine with or without antivirus. The only way to guarantee you are virus free is to reformat the computer and reinstall windows. This is why it is very important to keep your Windows Recovery Discs or use a utility to create them if it is included. With Recovery discs you can install a fresh copy of Windows on your system. Just don’t forget to backup your data first!
I hope this helps.
1. Do not download anything from the internet unless you absolutely must!
2. If a web site says it needs to download something in order for the site to work or for you to get what you need to get, ask yourself if you really need to do it? If you can get by without it, do it. If you need a player, go to the web site where the player originates. For example, go to Adobe.com for the most recent version of Flash.
3. Don’t open any attachments in email unless you are expecting them and they are from people you know.
4. Don’t click any links in email. Go the web site in question via your web browser by typing the web address yourself. Turning off html email will solve this.
5. When you get a “pop-up,” use Task Manager to close it.
6. Back up your data to more than one medium. It’s only a matter of time before your hard drive fails.
7. Keep Windows up to date by allowing auto update to run.
8. Don’t install any software you don’t really need.
9. Don’t trust web sites. Stick to big consumer web sites to buy things like BestBuy.com instead of JoeSmoElectronics.com.
Tools
1. Turn on your Firewall.
2. Use a router.
3. Have an up-to-date and antivirus.
4. Use Windows XP or above.
5. If using WiFi, make sure to use WPA authentication with AES encryption and a strong password that is not guessable or a single word.
Just wanted to take some time to say the HP CM1017 Multifunction Color Laser printer is a really great choice for small businesses and homes. This printer is not for someone who needs amazing photo prints and is not for someone who needs microscopic scanning but it is a really affordable workhorse for any small office. I’m not going to go into the details like print speed but rather point out a few facts that is essential for my office:
One thing that is missing is a fax machine but in my case, I would rather not receive spam faxes all day. You should also know the scanning bed is only for 8.5 x 11″ scanning.
I purchased my printer on March 14, 2008 and the toner cartridges are about 75% full after going through a ream of paper. This printer is made for a small business or home, not for a big business, and not where you will be printing over 100 pages a day.
I hate messy cables everywhere when it comes to electronics or anything else that required cables to be strung about everywhere. There seems to be no solution because you take so much time and effort to put your cables in order only to have to do it over when adding more gadgets and devices.
One solution is the Signum cable management system from Ikea. The idea is to screw a shelf like device underneath your desk where you can weave your cables through. Considdering the price, this is the best cable management system I have used. I bought two because I have a large desk but all is holding up fine and my cables are out of the way.
If you are looking at a quick, easy, and cheap solution to managing your cables, Check out Ikea’s Signum cable management system. http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/50035115
Many people don’t realize how easy it is to block porn and other negative things from the Internet on your computer. A little service called Open DNS will do this not only for free but also with amazing functionality. I am not going to take the time to explain how to set it up because it is well documented on opendns.org but I would like people to know what you can do.
First, this system is a group system where thousands of people can vote or request certain web sites to be banned or put in a particular category. When you pay for a service that actively blocks all porn web sites, they are bound to miss a few but with a community, it makes it much harder. Porn, nudity, file sharing, movie downloading, instant messaging, and many more are all categories of sites you can automatically block by the click of a button. If you need to get to a certain web site in a category, you can enable that site instead of allowing that category of sites through or you can just block sites you want.
Second, you set it up in your router so it makes it pretty hard for your kids to figure it out. Don’t give them the password!
Third, you can look at stats and see where people try to go. This is a really nice function but you are unable to tell what computer did it. Also when you go to a site that is blocked, you get a web page that says the site is blocked and tells you why.
Finally, a really cool shortcut feature allows you to program web site shortcuts. For example, if you go to a web site with a really long URL frequently, you can make it be a name or even letter! Whatever you want. So if you go to areallylongurl.com you can make it so you type "a" in the address bar hit enter and it will take you to that site.
I really recommend Open DNS. Given the recent dns spoofing flaw, I decided to try it. I am really amazed. I would even pay for a service like this. Open DNS says they get their money by adds on searches or on the page that says you are being blocked from a restricted site. The adds are not annoying and I only notice them when testing bad web sites. Open DNS is used by many big businesses to keep their employees off of numerous types of web sites.
I decided to over-clock my new Q9450 Core 2 Quad processor from its native 2.6 GHZ to 3.0 GHZ and the result of running 
prime95 to check my temperature scared the pants off me. With the stock cooler my CPU went up to an average of 74 degrees Celsius using Speedfan, CoreTemp, and RealTemp. I understand that no program I use will cause my CPU to get to that temperature but I would rather keep it cooler so I purchased a Zalman UltraQuite CNPS9700 LED CPU cooler. The immediate result after running prime95 for 2 minutes was around 65 degrees Celsius. Currently at idle speeds I am around 51 degrees Celsius. Although I would like to be much cooler, this is below the threshold of 70 degrees so I am happy.
Assuming I applied the thermal compound correctly, I guess this is as low as I am going to get without going to water cooling. I would love to do water cooling but out of the two systems I have owned, the both sprung a leak and one resulted in the total destruction of a motherboard.
A couple of cool things about this CPU cooler is it comes with a variable speed control switch and a blue led in the fan. Also included is thermal compound which comes with a "nail polish like" bottle with a brush applicator making it pretty hard to screw up applying the compound.
The temperatures I gave were an average of all 4 cores and for some reason, the first core was hotter by roughly 10 degrees than the rest always. I do have a case airflow issue and am upgrading the case to something with better circulation. If anyone has any ideas as to cooling my computer down more, please let have your suggestions. Also note, Zalman says it may take about 200 operating hours before best cooling is achieved.
When I first saw Macally’s G-S350SU, I had to have one! I am certainly not a Mac lover but I will admit, Apple is amazing when it comes to hardware design, it looks and feels like an Apple product. This little enclosure is the perfect addition for anyone’s computer but especially if you have a Mac Pro or MacBook Pro. The brushed aluminum case matches a Mac Pro perfectly and even has a cool blue led power button.
With that said, I still have good and bad to point out about the features of this drive enclosure! Not only does this drive plug in to your computer via USB, it also has an eSATA plug which will give you speeds as fast as having an internal hard drive. Seriously, if you have a computer with eSATA and transfer a lot of files, use it because the data transfer is much faster than USB. Ok now the bad… I would like a little internal fan. This drive enclosure gets a "+" because there are air holes for air flow, but a "-" because there is no fan to cool down the drive. Given the fact that most external hard drive enclosures are sealed with no air holes and no fan, this drive enclosure is still better than most. Heat is the number one reason for hard drive failure. By the way, if the eSATA part did not give it away, this drive enclosure is for SATA drives only. Overall, I feel this external hard drive enclosure is superior to most, in fact, I liked it so much I bought two. The base price for this guy is $50 but amazon.com lists it here under 3.5" Sata Case