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Have you noticed no updates? |
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I have not been updating here at all lately as I have been running a blog with computer support tips over at my tech tips blog. If you are looking for any computer info you will see it over there.
Thanks
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Posted by billnad on Saturday, March 10 @ 10:36:05 EST (237 reads)
(Read More... | 266 bytes more | 3 comments | Score: 0)
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Windows 98 No longer supported |
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This is always the story that I look for to probve that support is over for a Microsoft operating system. As you may remember Microsoft continued patching Windows NT long after they said they would stop because they had so many corporate users running their servers on that platform. This time around most businesses are running either Windows 2000 pro or Windows XP as desktops and the server side is still Windows 2000 or Windows 2003, I would be horrified to hear of many businesses running critical apps on a Windows 98 desktop box.
Microsoft Corp. has defended its decision not to patch a critical security flaw in Windows 98.
Support for the operating system officially ends next month on July 12.
The vulnerability exists in Windows Explorer and the way it handles Component Object Model objects, whereby a malicious Web site could force a connection to a remote server where Explorer could fail, executing arbitrary code and giving the attacker complete control of the OS.
Patches correcting the flaw were issued for Windows 2000, XP and Windows Server 2003, but the vulnerability remains unpatched on Windows 98.
Christopher Budd, Microsoft Response Center security program manager, said the upgrades to Explorer's architecture since Windows 2000 has left 98 behind and applying fundamental changes could jeopardize program compatibility.
"Due to these fundamental differences, these changes would require re-engineering a significant amount of a critical core component of the operating system," Budd said.
"After such a re-engineering effort, there would be no assurance that applications designed to run on these platforms would continue to operate on the updated system."
"After extensive investigation, Microsoft has found that it is not feasible to make the extensive changes necessary...to eliminate the vulnerability," it states.
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Posted by billnad on Thursday, June 15 @ 10:34:27 EDT (469 reads)
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Windows Ultimate Boot CD version 3.0 released |
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I missed this news last week about my favorite utility pack being released with a new big release. The Windows Ultimate boot CD has been around for years and what it is essentially is a copy of Windows XP with a lot of utilities that runs off a CD.
I have used this application for years and love it. The CD itself has a lot of utilities for antivirus, spyware and registry editing. It also has a built in CD or DVD burner and tools to fix hard drive problems.
How does this CD help a Computer professional? Well lets say that you have a computer that will not boot into Windows and you suspect that there is a problem with the hard drive, you can boot with this CD and then burn the customers data off or even copy it across the network to another share. If a computer is unbootable because of very bad virus or spyware issues you can boot with this CD and since the operating system has not loaded you will be able to clean off the hard drive and successfully boot the machine back up.
You can download the CD from this page. Windows UBCD Download Page
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Posted by billnad on Tuesday, June 13 @ 23:13:48 EDT (389 reads)
(Read More... | 5 comments | Score: 0)
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Microsoft finds many infected Windows Computers |
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New data from Microsoft reveals that about 1 in every 300 times its scans a PC while downloading security updates an infection by malware is identified, of which the most common type are Trojan horses.
The data, taken from scans using Microsoft's malicious-software removal tool of 270 million computers over a 15 month period, turned up 5.7 million computers that had been infected at some stage.
The malicious-software removal tool is a temporary program that is downloaded with security updates for Windows 2000, XP and Windows Server 2003 and then self deletes.
The majority of infections, according to Microsoft, which released the data at its TechEd 2006 conference, were potentially dangerous Trojan horse bot programs. Increasingly prevalent bot programs, are often used by attackers to gain remote control of computers and use them for criminal activities such as the circulation of spam and spyware.
After Trojans, the next most prevalent and a growing form of malware found by Microsoft was rootkits, software which acts as a cloaking device for malware such as a Trojan. Rootkits were found by Microsoft on 780,000 computers that it scanned during the 15 month period and one in every five computers which was found to have a rootkit also had at least one Trojan.
As some commentators have pointed out, the Microsoft data is revealing insofar as it only addresses the Windows 2000, XP and Windows Server 2003 platforms. Earlier platforms like Windows 98 and Windows ME are generally considered even less secure and Microsoft is in the early stages of ceasing security support for them.
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Posted by billnad on Tuesday, June 13 @ 23:01:03 EDT (349 reads)
(Read More... | 4 comments | Score: 0)
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Windows Vista Public Preview |
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Microsoft has finally released a public preview of Windows Vista so that we can all check out this next beast of the desktop world. I have not yet downloaded the preview of Windows Vista but I am really looking forward to it. If you do try it our make sure that you do try to use it on a non main home machine as it may just stop working and you could lose your data. Another option is to install the Windows Vista beta on a VM created in VMWare. VMware itself is a great piece of software and in my workplace we use it a lot not only for testing but also for production systems sharing applications on servers.
The company kicked off what it called its "Customer Preview Program," a testing period in which the software maker hopes millions of tech enthusiasts will kick the tires on the new operating system.
"Microsoft today kicked off the Windows Vista Customer Preview Program (CPP), providing the broadest access yet to pre-release test versions of Windows Vista," the company said in a statement. Microsoft is aiming to wrap up testing and development of Vista later this year in hopes of a broad launch in January. The company released Beta 2 last month to a more limited group of testers and had promised the broader test would come shortly.
The software maker is still cautioning that Vista is not ready for the average consumer, pitching the CPP as suited for developers and tech workers, as well as hard-core enthusiasts who don't mind a few bugs and have a spare machine for testing. Microsoft also recommends those interested in the CPP run its recently released adviser tool, which helps detect how Vista-ready a PC is.
People can either download the software from Microsoft's Web site or pay a small fee to get it on DVD.
Although Microsoft is looking for millions of testers, it has said it may cap the test program at some point.
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Posted by billnad on Friday, June 09 @ 15:43:24 EDT (365 reads)
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Microsoft One Care Online Support |
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Microsoft's long-awaited entry into the market for all-in-one PC care is shaking up the consumer security field.
A number of companies, including perhaps unexpected ones such as AOL, are readying security and maintenance packages for home computers, following Microsoft's launch last week of Windows Live OneCare.
Security software in*****bents have followed the launch of Microsoft's OneCare with announcements of all-in-one consumer packages of their own.
Bottom line:
Microsoft's entry has shaken up the security software market. The real winners could be consumers, who will likely see simpler, cheaper and more comprehensive products, analysts say.
It's hard to pick an outright winner, but one thing is clear: Health care for your Windows-based PC is getting easier, cheaper and more comprehensive.
"Microsoft's official entry into the consumer security protection market will dampen prices," Gartner analyst Arabella Hallawell said. The Redmond, Wash.-based software giant is poised to take a big chunk of that niche, she said. "Existing vendors must converge their offerings to warrant premium pricing and survive."
The introduction of OneCare is the starting gun for heightened competition for consumers' security dollars, with Microsoft taking on in*****bents Symantec and McAfee. There's a lot at stake. Last year, the worldwide market for consumer antivirus software reached $1.95 billion, up 17 percent year-over-year, according to research from Gartner. Symantec dominated the space, taking a 70 percent piece of the pie.
Microsoft isn't just a newcomer to consumer security; it's also taking a different tack. The OneCare software and service package aims to be comprehensive, whereas Symantec and McAfee have traditionally charged for additional features. OneCare includes the security basics--antivirus, anti-spyware and firewall--found in the products sold by its rivals, but adds backup features and tune-up tools for Windows systems. It's being touted by Microsoft as "a pit crew for your PC."
OneCare
"We believe we're creating a new category," Dennis Bonsall, Microsoft's director of product management for OneCare, said in an interview last week. "It is not about security anymore, but it is about holistic PC care."
Symantec and McAfee have both announced that they are preparing integrated packages to go up against OneCare. The planned releases will incorporate components of their current security, PC optimization and backup products, the companies have said. So far, however, they have shown only product plans, not actual software.
This summer, McAfee plans to ship four products based on its integrated security technology, code-named "Falcon." Symantec's Norton 360, previously known by the code name "Genesis," is set for release by the end of March next year, having originally had a September due date.
The lack of a rival product on the market, or even available in a test version, doesn't bode well for the traditional security players. "Microsoft has the first-mover advantage by having a managed consumer security service ready to go first," Hallawell said.
There are some limitations to OneCare in early comparisons of features. For example, Symantec promises to deliver online backup capabilities in Norton 360, which will let people store their critical data on a Symantec server. Right now, Microsoft does not offer that feature in OneCare, where people can only back up to external hard drives, CDs or DVDs.
Got views on Vista?
Additionally, OneCare lacks spam-filtering capabilities and doesn't offer protection against information-stealing Web sites used in phishing scams. Those features will be part of Symantec and McAfee's PC care suites, the companies have said. Microsoft, meanwhile, offers a phishing shield in its toolbars in Windows Live and in the MSN Search Web browser.
"Symantec will likely have a managed service with more bells and whistles," Hallawell suggested.
But the in*****bents will have to cut their prices, as they face off with Microsoft and one another, analysts said. Symantec and McAfee have not announced pricing for their new products yet, but Microsoft will undercut them, no matter what, Forrester Research analyst Natalie Lambert said.
"Microsoft is going to win on price," she said. And with consumers being very cost-conscious, that's going to be half the battle, Lambert said.
OneCare costs $49.95 per year for use on up to three PCs that run Windows XP with Service Pack 2. That's less than Symantec and McAfee charge for three-user editions of their existing security suites--$119.99 and $129.99, respectively. However, those are full prices for the packages, which don't have as wide a range of tools as the upcoming products and which are often heavily rebated.
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Posted by billnad on Friday, June 09 @ 15:36:53 EDT (436 reads)
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Ballmer say lots left to do in Vista |
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At an investment conference this week, Microsoft's Steve Ballmer said Windows Vista developers have "a lot of work to do" before the OS releases, then blamed the press for concentrating on the Redmond, Wash. company's legal woes.
"[It's] a little early on the Vista feedback, beta feedback, a little early," Ballmer said in response to a question about Vista's release timeline at Wednesday's Sanford C. Bernstein investment conference in New York City. Ballmer was on a swing through Wall Street to update investors on Microsoft's plans for growing revenue.
Windows Vista recently went into broader testing when Microsoft released Beta 2 of the next-generation operating system to developers and IT professionals. It has promised that the general public will be able to obtain Beta 2 sometime in the next few weeks.
"We've still got a lot of work to do. We're prioritizing quality," he added. Unlike during appearances earlier in the week in Korea and Japan, Ballmer refused to be drawn into a discussion of whether Vista would ship in January, the schedule the company set in March when it delayed the OS.
"We've said what we have to say about when the thing will be delivered," said Ballmer. "But I'll tell you, at the end of the day the priority has got to be to complete with good quality."
He also said that the media doesn't appreciate how much Microsoft is juggling, and focuses too much on its legal problems.
"I think right now people just don't understand how much great stuff we have coming. I really don't," Ballmer said.
"There's still a little bit of what I would say over-fascination with all matters legal. They are important, but they are not defining of the company. We have a serious need and commitment to comply in the United States and Europe. But there seems to be, in the press the legal matters somehow get a lot of attention."
Coincidentally, on Friday the Wall Street Journal reported that talks between Adobe and Microsoft over a feature in Office 2007 that would save files in PDF format had broken down. Brad Smith, Microsoft's general counsel, told the Journal he expected Adobe to file an antitrust lawsuit against his company in Europe.
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Posted by billnad on Saturday, June 03 @ 11:16:00 EDT (347 reads)
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Microsoft Dropping PDF support in Office 2007 |
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To appease Adobe, Microsoft is planning to remove from Office 2007 the much-requested “save as PDF” feature found in the suite's most recent beta release, a Microsoft executive said Friday.
Microsoft's confirmation of plans to alter Office 2007's PDF support followed a report in Friday's Wall Street Journal chronicling a breakdown in talks between the two companies about Microsoft's plans to embrace Adobe's PDF technology. Adobe has threatened to take legal actions against Microsoft in Europe, according to the WSJ report.
"Out relationship with Adobe is very important, so we did want to take steps to address their concerns," Microsoft spokeswoman Stacy Drake said about the planned changes to Office 2007.
Microsoft's latest Office 2007 beta includes both PDF and its own rival XPS do*****ent format among the options for exporting data. In talks with Microsoft over the past several months, Adobe expressed concern that Microsoft's PDF and XPS moves would significantly cut into Adobe's market, which includes distribution of its Acrobat products for reading and working with PDFs.
Consequently, Microsoft no longer plans to include PDF export as a default option in Office 2007, Drake said. Users who want it will need to visit Microsoft's Web site and download a patch to restore the functionality.
Microsoft is also giving PC manufactures the option to remove XPS from the Windows Vista versions they distribute on their PCs. If OEMs do choose to exclude XPS, consumers can restore it with a patch from Microsoft. The move is aimed at addressing objections to technology bundling, the practice that has landed Microsoft in so much past legal trouble.
Microsoft's concessions may not let it avoid a legal showdown with Adobe. Microsoft's general counsel told the Wall Street Journal that Adobe has threatened legal action unless Microsoft agrees to charge for the PDF support patch, a step it refuses to take. Adobe's spokeswoman did not confirm or deny to the WSJ that the company is considering legal action.
Adobe representatives did not return calls Friday for comment.
Adobe has in the past positioned PDF as an open standard and allowed other software developers to directly incorporate support for it into their products. Apple's Mac OS X includes native PDF support, and both StarOffice and OpenOffice include built-in 'export to PDF' options.
"Adobe publishes the PDF standard in its entirety and makes it available for free, without restrictions, to anyone who cares to use it," Adobe Senior Director of Public Policy Michael Engelhardt wrote last year in a letter to a Massachusetts state senator. "No one needs permission from Adobe to build their own product with the PDF standard."
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Posted by billnad on Saturday, June 03 @ 11:14:45 EDT (347 reads)
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Using Press Releases and articles to build your business |
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Many different industries are using press releases and articles to build up their businesses online. A computer support business is of course no different. You may be wondering how to do this and I would like to let you know that the process is quick and easy.
First things first. A press release or an article are not very different, in this article I am going to show you the importance of a press release and how to set one up. Think of something that is newsworthy, a problem and also something that you have a solution for. This can be almost anything these days but one thing that I think would work well is a set of five tips for protecting yourself from identity theft, viruses or spyware. Write about an 800 word article on this and fax or email to all of your local newspapers and radio stations as well as posting it to PRWeb.
PR web is a company that does press release distribution and they offer a free service as well as different levels of paid services depending on how much that you want to spend. In the case of a local city computer support business I believe that your best bet is to do a free distribution on PRWeb and then also submit this article to a bunch of directories.
Article directories are going to help you by getting your website more popular. The way this work is that you submit an article to one or more Article Directories and then these directories will allow other people to use this article on other websites. When your article is shown on other websites there is a resource box that is included and in this resource box you will have your contact info as well as a link to your website. All of the search engines keep track of these links and you will then be more important in the search engines eyes and you will there for rank higher and hopefully get more business. My favorite article sites are ezinearticles and goarticles but there are many more if you really go out and look.
Hope these tips help you and now you should get writing and submitting
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Posted by billnad on Sunday, May 28 @ 13:09:18 EDT (406 reads)
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Symantec Antivirus flaw |
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There is a vary dangerous story making it's rounds the last few days about Symantec AntiVirus Corporate Edition 10.0 and Symantec Client Security 3 having a vulnerability allowing hackers to remotely take control of machines.
As you are probably aware I am not at all a fan of Norton AntiVirus and in this case it seems that the flaw only exists in the corporate versions which are marketed under the Symantec name. Home versions are marketed under the Norton name.
The trouble is many companies have an agrrement that home users can use the corporate software if there is a need to access your work files from home.
Symantec says that there is not problem and that the flaw is overblown and are even denying a vulnerability but Eeye which is a very respected security company has released a corporate fix and will not discuss anything else.
My bet is that we see a quick corporate patch next week.
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Posted by billnad on Sunday, May 28 @ 12:49:03 EDT (378 reads)
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