3/19/2008

WindowsXP Service Pack 3 (SP3)

Microsoft has confirmed that XP SP3 will be released for download on Monday March 24, 2008. If you have WindowsXP you should download and install this Service Pack. Please note that you will most likely be required to have SP2 presently installed.

3/17/2008

Vista SP1

Many expected that Vista Service Pack 1 (SP1) would be made available on Patch Thursday. However, due to the many "Critical" updates that were necessary through the patches, this was not considered. On March 13th I was told that SP1 would be released in a week or two for the public. A recent posting by Amazon.com states that they will be making SP1 available for customers download on March 19th. This has not been confirmed. Although, I am able to say that I do have a copy of Vista Ultimate with SP1 included. So, the wait will be short I am sure.

2/1/2008

Neanderthal IE6 or Modern Man IE7?

A brief alert. If you are one of those brave souls still running IE6 or, crikey, IE5, next Tuesday will be your day. Microsoft has discontinued offering IE7 as an upgrade option. On Patch Tuesday, IE7 will be rolled out as a patch. The only way to avoid having the upgrade performed is, do not install the patches. However, this will negate some of the other patches that are needed. Next month it will still be there waiting for you. In the end, sooner or later, thy patch be done.

2/1/2008

The IRS sent you an email to notify you of a refund!

Guess what? NOT! The Collection Department does not have your email address. They don't want your email address. They do not need your email address. If they need to contact you, the IRS will use snail mail to notify you of what you need to do. Hopefully, not to come to the office with your papers. Think about this. If you received an email from the IRS requesting you to make a payment, would you respond? While I am at it, your bank probably has your email address. However, they will never send you a message with a link to verify your data. Best bet is to "login" to your account and check for messages. The only email you receive from your bank should be informational.

1/1/2008

Digital TV coupon program starts January 2nd

Washington (DC) - Owners of analog TV sets can send off their application for a free converter box beginning tomorrow, to prepare for the digital switch over that happened in February 2009. Two coupons will be sent to each person who applies. Each one is worth $40 off a digital converter box. The devices, which are expected to cost around $60 each, will transform an analog signal to a digital one that will work with the new standards. No such device exists in the retail market now. The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) will open up for the program tomorrow. Consumers can apply via 1-888-DTV-2009, or online at DTV2009.gov. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Stores are expected to begin selling the boxes in February. Accordingly, the government will start to mail out coupons on February 17, 2008. All major big box retailers including Best Buy, Circuit City, Target and Wal-Mart will sell the converter boxes.

12/12/2007

*NEW Improved Version* What's loading at startup?

If you liked "Process Explorer", our first recommendation from this source you should like this one as well. If you have yet to use Process Explorer, you do not know what you are missing. This time, we are introducing "Autoruns". To find out what programs are loading on your PC at startup, you can run the Windows-resident system configuration utility called MSCONFIG. But there's another free utility called "Autoruns" that does the job better. MSCONFIG entries tend to be rather cryptic, for example, but Autoruns includes a line of description for each entry in plain English. Autoruns also lets you Hide Signed Microsoft Entries, which allows you to quickly narrow your focus to third-party programs. Disabling or deleting entries requires just one click (so you'll need to be real careful!). "This function really saved my sanity when my system was breached by a scrap of regenerative malware" said one user. I would suggest spending some time exploring the various Tabs and the help screen before proceeding though. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Autoruns is one of the Sysinternals utilities developed by Mark Russinovich and Bryce Cogswell. Somebody at Microsoft must have admired their work, because Microsoft bought the company last year and now touts these utilities from its own web site. Just copy and paste this link into your browser and mark it as a "Favorite". I am sure you will want to return. There are both, usable and unusable utilities. It all is dependant upon your need in the hierarchy of computer user world. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * http://www.microsoft.com/technet/sysinternals/default.mspx

http://www.microsoft.com/technet/sysinternals/utilities/Autoruns.mspx

11/10/2007

It is FREE! And, it does not cost anything!

Okay, I know! It is redundant. But I did get your attention. Please give this a look-see................A food-linked word game put on the Internet a month ago has proved a runaway success and has already generated enough rice to feed 50,000 people, the United Nations World Food Programme said on Friday. FreeRice offers participants multiple choice definitions to the meaning of a word, with each correct click generating 10 grains of rice for the WFP. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>> The brainchild of American online fundraising pioneer John Breen, the Web site (www.freerice.com) relies on advertising revenue to underwrite its rice campaign. "FreeRice really hits home how the Web can be harnessed to raise awareness and funds for the world's number one emergency," said Josette Sheeran, executive director of the Rome-based WFP. "The site is a viral marketing success story with more than one billion grains of rice donated in just one month to help tackle hunger worldwide," she added. The day it was launched on October 7 just 830 grains of rice were donated. But the Internet community quickly caught on, and on November 8 alone 77 million grains were donated -- equivalent to more than seven million correct clicks. This is a safe site and does not ask for any information whatsoever. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>> It only took me a few minutes to add 100 grains this afternoon.

www.freerice.com

11/8/2007

How Slow is Fast!

Many of us have graduated to "Broadband" for our internet needs. And, I am sure, there is the question about whether or not you are getting what you are paying for. Bear in mind that when you contract with a provider, the price you pay determines the service speed. In all cases, the provider states an "Up-to" connection speed. Seldom is the high end of the contracted speed ever attained. Many of us use one or more of the services available for testing our actual results. Some do not bother. If you are in either camp, there is one testing service that I have found to be the easiest to access and use. Give it a try. Better testing, less fussing.

http://www.speedtest.net/

10/15/2007

Task Manager on Steroids

Over the years, I have found the Windows Task Manager to be a valuable member of the system operations. When an application hangs and stops responding, a quick trip to Task Manager can easily close the application and avoid the interminable delay of waiting for it to make up it's mind. More vexing is the display of "Processes". Do I need all of them? Which application are they associated with? Is this process a "Sneaky Snake" set by a Trojan or Virus? Finding answers from Task Manager alone is a near impossible chore. There are numerous downloads that will help to make all the listings show their origin. However, Microsoft has a solution that works just great. The problem is finding out that there is one and where it may be obtained.............Enter "Process Explorer". I have been using it for a week and have found it to be highly useful and informative. Process Explorer is an advanced process management utility that picks up where Task Manager leaves off. It will show you detailed information about a process including its icon, command-line, full image path, memory statistics, user account, security attributes, and more. When you zoom in on a particular process you can list the DLLs it has loaded or the operating system resource handles it has open. A search capability enables you to track down a process that has a resource opened, such as a file, directory or Registry key, or to view the list of processes that have a DLL loaded. Check it out for yourself!

http://www.microsoft.com/technet/sysinternals/ProcessesAndThreads/ProcessExplorer.mspx

9/13/2007

Really? Something good from AOL you say?

Many, if not all, are aware that I am not a fan of AOL. However, there is one little application developed at AOL that I have found useful. Additionaly, there have been many favorable revues for: **** AOL Active Security Monitor**** Not being the aforementioned big fan of AOL in general, I was initially leery about downloading and using this free tool. But this simple, straightforward application looks at the security of your PC, reports on what it finds, and makes recommendations. It checks to see if you have antivirus software installed and, if so, whether the definitions are up to date. Then it does the same for antispyware, tests whether you have a firewall enabled, and checks for peer-to-peer software that could pose a danger. The monitor doesn't have any protective capabilities itself, but it warns you if you need some. But, FYI: the software doesn't work with Windows Vista. And take its suggested upgrades with a grain of salt: It recommends the for-pay AOL software such as the AOL Privacy Wall over free software that may be better. Still, if you're looking for some quick security recommendations, it's worth the download. Just click the link.

http://premiumservices.aol.com/asm_download/