Boot Error-- "Unexpected Interrupt In Protected Mode"

If you turn on your computer and Windows fails to load to your Desktop, but instead displays the following error message, Unexpected Interrupt In Protected Mode, there are a couple of things that might be happening. Here are some troubleshooting steps which you can try to get your machine up and running again.

First, try rebooting your machine. If that doesn't "cure" it, keep reading.

Causes: causes for this particular error message may be hardware-related: a failed or failing motherboard, or failing (or over-heating) CPU, or it may be related to a corrupted BIOS. Since the hardware issues most likely will require replacement parts and/or a trip to the shop, lets first tackle the BIOS possibility.

What is a “BIOS”? Your computer’s BIOS is a very basic set of instructions that tells your machine where to look for a keyboard and mouse and an operating system. It runs when your machine is first powered on. To make changes in the BIOS, you’re going to interrupt the boot process before Windows loads, so you need to use a keyboard that is plugged into the PS/2 port on the back of the machine, and not a wireless one. 

1) Reboot your machine, and get ready to act quickly. Very early you will see a little bit of text that says, “hit F2* to enter setup.” (*Different manufacturers use different keys-- F2 is the most common, but it may be the Esc key, Del, or F10. Refer to your computer builder's website if you cannot determine which key to press.) Rapidly hit the suggested key several times, and enter “Setup” — this is your BIOS control panel.

2) Look to the bottom of the screen for Setup's menu choices. Now look for the Function Key choice that will reset the BIOS to its default configuration. This is frequently the F5 key, but it may be F6.. In the screenshot above, look to the lower right: for this BIOS, it is F5 we want. "Setup Defaults".

3) Save and Exit the Setup utility, and reboot. (In the sample BIOS, that's the F10 key. But you may have to hit Esc, an then answer "Yes" to the Save? question. It varies.)

If resetting the BIOS to its defaults does not restore Windows functionality, I recommend you take your machine in to a qualified tech who can determine the hardware issues.
If it did restore it, you want to ask yourself what caused the BIOS corruption? Usually the answer is a recently installed program, or malware-- be sure to run an antivirus scan.

Today's free link: DriverScanner from Uniblue. Scan, backup, and Update your PC's drivers. Folks-- I have not yet used this new tool, but I learned of it from Bill Mullins, who is as reliable a source as I have ever run across. To read his review, click here.

Copyright 2007-8 © Tech Paul. All rights reserved. post to jaanix

Text Messaging Lingo-- Help!

Folks-- business obligations require a reposting today, but I did have time to update it.

I have an embarrassing confession to make--I don't always know how to translate what someone has text-ed into English. I need a Text-to-English dictionary. This is just one more fact, added to an already long list of facts, that tells me I've gotten 'old'. We didn't have 'texting' when I was a teenager.

At first, I thought texting (aka "lingo") was simply X-treme Abbreviation. And then I thought it might be a combination of Vanity License-plate Language and X-Abbreviation. This thinking allowed me to read some of what I saw, but not all. I could decipher "gr8" and "l8r", but not "bb4n". It didn't help that I wasn't a "texter" myself (Use a cellphone and give myself ear cancer? Not this fella!).

And then it dawned on me-- these kids are using an Adult-proof secret code. They don't want me to decipher it. The world suddenly made a lot more sense. My friends and I had used code too.

Fortunately, there are resources available for those of us who are "lingo"-handicapped. If you see "A/S/L", but don't understand what it means, you can find out (age/sex/location?) -- and if you are a parent concerned about your child and what they're doing and saying on the Internet and in chatrooms -- I suggest you do.
If you're like me, and just want to try to increase your "hipness" quotient (or just avoid some terrible faux pas), you will also find these translation resources useful and interesting. My favorite is below, as the day's free link.

Parents (particularly parents of teenagers) it seems to me, are almost forced into learning texting, (What is the deal with teenagers anyway?) and a survey by Samsung has produced results that claim that text messaging is improving relationships between parents and teens. (Can you hear my skepticism?)
WiredParentPad has an interesting take on this, Do You Use Text Messaging to Stay Connected with Your Teens?

[a brief aside: has anyone else noticed a return of the "smiley"? What's up with that? They're lame, and I was glad to see them fade from popularity. Seriously. But.. it seems.. they're back. What's next, the Peace Symbol? :-D ]

Free link of the day: Lingo2Word. "Lingo2word is devoted to demistifying the new Internet shorthand language of Text messages, Chat rooms and Emails. We are devoted to the fun of text messaging in all forms, there is a whole new fun language out there just waiting for you!"

Copyright © 2007-8 Tech Paul. All rights reserved. post to jaanix

Proper Disposal of Old Computer Gear-- eWaste

One of the great things about tech is there's always something new coming out; and Moore's Law tells us that the power of computers doubles every 18 months-- tech is ever evolving and advancing.

What is not so great about that is our gear becomes obsolete, and winds up gathering dust on a closet shelf or taking up room in our garage. What did you do with that huge CRT monitor when you got the nifty flat-panel LCD?

Our old tech equipment contains many materials and chemicals that are quite poisonous -- lead, mercury, cadmium, and arsenic, to name a few (aka "e-waste") -- and they must be properly disposed of so they won't cause an environmental disaster and poisoned water supplies, like it's currently doing to China, India, and Pakistan.

So, how do you get rid of that old stuff the right way?
Essentially, there's two good ways to dispose of your old tech gear-- recycling, and donation.

Recycling: We know that we can't just toss our old stuff in the trash, so what do we do with it?
1) You may not know this, but when you purchased your item, you may have also paid a "disposal fee" as part of the purchase price, and the manufacturer will take the old item off your hands (this is standard practice these days). Contact the device manufacturer and ask how to recycle their item.
Dell, for example, will take any Dell product in for recycling at no charge.
2) Your town may accept e-waste for a fee (this covers the cost of properly separating out the toxins), and a Internet search (or the Yellow Pages) will point you to the nearest drop-off point. Also, where I live, there are special "amnesty days" once a year, and toxins can be turned in at no cost.
3) Another form of recycling is donation, where your old tech can be put back to beneficial use.

Donation: I am a big fan of donating tech and getting more life out of it. Two factors must be considered when thinking about donation: the age of the device, and whether it's in working order. If the device is of a fairly recent vintage, it probably can be put to use whether it's currently working or not-- but no matter how well it's working, nobody's going to want Pentium II computers, 10 Mbps co-axial networking gear, and daisy-wheel printers (okay.. maybe somebody would.. but good luck finding them!)
1) Your old tech may actually be worth a few dollars. Repair tech's like me sometimes acquire old equipment for replacement parts. If you've an inclination, you may want to list your old gear in the classifieds, and/or on sites like eBay and Craig's List. It won't make you rich, but you might be surprised at the interest you get.
2) Donating non-working gear can actually assist job training, and so just because it's not working doesn't mean you can't donate it. You may want to check with schools near you and see if they will accept your stuff (I'm thinking High Schools and Adult Schools, but..?) Also, you may want to consider contacting the Free Geek community.
Recycles.org is a Website that specializes in helping you locate a place willing to accept your gear.
3) Get a receipt. Your donations may (probably) qualify for tax credits.

* A word of caution: When getting rid of any device that has storage memory-- such as a computer's hard-drive, or cellphone's Flash-- you must take special precaution and thoroughly eradicate the 1's and 0's: simple deleting is NOT ENOUGH. Your data can be retrieved. Please read Delete does NOT erase your data*– preventing recovery and follow the advice there before allowing the device to leave your control.

Copyright 2007-8 © Tech Paul. All rights reserved. post to jaanix

Extracting text from Web pages*

Today's quick tip was inspired by a reader question. The gentleman used to use an old technique to "print" webpages to text files so that he could edit and incorporate the text into his documents, and he wanted to know if he could still do this, but in a more modern way.
I would like to take a moment here to remind my readers that I do answer questions sent to me; and also that if I believe the question-and-answer will benefit "everyone", you could very well see it posted here.

Q: How do I copy the text on a webpage to my document?
A: There is actually a couple of different ways to do this, including the old "print-to-file" method that DOS users remember. The trick is to get just the text and information you want, and not all the advertising and hyperlinks and graphics/logos that most webpages incorporate.

1) If all you need is a small portion of text from a webpage, the easiest way to get it from your browser to your word processor is to 'highlight' the sentence (or paragraph) on the webpage, press Ctrl+C to Copy, click on the place in your document that you'd like to insert the text and hit Ctrl+V to Paste the selection into your document (you may have to change the font and text size to match the rest of your document's format).
Sometimes, it can be a little tricky -- working in the browser -- getting your cursor to change from an arrow (navigation) to the vertical bar and selecting the page's text. But rest assured that you can 'select' the text on a webpage. Usually you have to get the point of the arrow very close the edge of the first letter, and make small, gentle mouse movements until the cursor changes. You could also try clicking in an easier part of the text, and use your arrow keys to move the cursor to where you want it.
(As a writer, I simply must express my hope that you will pay some mind to the concept of Copyrights, and original work, and properly attribute your "borrowed" material.)

2) But if you want all the information on the webpage, and you want it to be available as a file you can reference at your leisure, the Copy>Paste method is not the best and another technique will serve you better.
Some people prefer to download the webpages in a method called "Offline webpages", which is a whole 'nother topic. Offline gives you the whole webpage -- logos/graphics, links, ads -- as if you were connected to the Internet, and this is more info than we need for today's topic... we just want the text.

In Firefox and the older Internet Explorer 6 (Please, folks; IE 6 is quite probably the most hacked program ever written-- update to IE7, or use an "alternative" browser), you can click on the "File" menu on your browser's toolbar. IE7 users (who haven't re-enabled the old Menu bar) should click on the "Page" button. Whichever manner you used, now click on "Save As".

Now the Save As window will open, and here is where we will make our important decisions.

As usual, you will be presented with the ability to select the "where" the file will be Saved, and give it a name. But the primary thing is to select the "Save as type", so that we will have a file we can use as we want to-- in this case, a text file (.txt).
Once the webpage is Saved as a text file, you will be able to Open it with any word processor. And you will be able to edit it to your heart's content.. and it will be available whenever you need it.

*If you decide to Save the webpage as one of the other options in the "file type" (or, made a mistake here) selection, and Save the page as an *.htm,*html file or even a "archive", you will still be able to Open it with a word processor [by default, it will open with your browser] and edit it... it will just contain a whole bunch of junk-looking code, as well as the text you want.

Today's free link: I am not a real big fan of free all-in-one "optimization" programs, but I do have one that I like and can recommend. Advanced WindowsCare Personal. From publisher: "is a comprehensive PC care utility that takes an one-click approach to help protect, repair and optimize your computer. It provides an all-in-one and super convenient solution for PC maintenance and protection." (Vista compatible.)

Copyright 2007-8 © Tech Paul. All rights reserved. post to jaanix

Where Did My Icons Go?

A very upset person called my shop convinced that their machine had been "hacked", probably had "spyware", and they wanted me to "fix it".

There was nothing terribly unusual about that, but their answer to one of my basic questions was unusual-- what is happening that makes you think your machine has been hacked?
A: "When I turned on my machine, several of my icons were gone."

That answer (and a few others) told me that, yes, my client's machine had been altered, but not by a hacker or spyware infection. Their machine had been altered by a "helpful" Windows feature called the Desktop Cleanup Wizard.

The Desktop Cleanup feature keeps track of your usage of the icons on your desktop and periodically (every 60 days) offers to remove the icons you have not recently used. Sometimes it will run when you aren't looking.. which is what happened to my caller.

The icons are not deleted, they are moved to a folder and you can put them back on the desktop if you want. The folder is C:\Documents and Settings\UserName\Desktop\Unused Desktop Shortcuts.
It will also place a shortcut to that folder on your Desktop, as shown.

Tip of the day: Turn off the automatic aspect of the Disk Cleanup tool, and avoid those pop-up balloons and "missing" icons.
1. Right-click a blank spot on the desktop, and then click Properties to open the Display Properties dialog box, click the Desktop tab.
2. Click Customize desktop to open the Desktop Items dialog box.
3. Click to clear the Run Desktop Cleanup Wizard every 60 days check box.
Click OK twice to close the dialog boxes.

* To run the Wizard manually, click Clean Desktop Now on the Desktop Items dialog box. You can perform a manual cleanup at any time, even if you have disabled the wizard.

Today's free link: Stickies for Windows lets you put yellow sticky notes on your Windows desktop, much like the popular Mac OS application. It is very simple and very customizable. (Far better than the Vista Sidebar widget.)

Copyright 2007-8 © Tech Paul. All rights reserved. post to jaanix

Paris Hilton video -- infection spam alert

The latest wave of spam includes videos or links to videos and usually includes Paris Hilton or Brittany Spears in the title.

Clicking the link WILL infect your computer..

Is Your (inner) Child Addicted to the Internet?

Two recent events have reminded me to ponder the social implications of Internet Addiction-- one, the power (once again) went out for a lengthy duration here at T4E Headquarters; and, two, my nephew's father wanted to take him for his first fishing trip.
At a lake.
Out in the boondocks.
Where there is no Internet. (Thus, no Swords & Dragons Quest Guild Wars*) My nephew is 12.

We use our computers, and the Internet, for lots of different purposes (see Why We Compute) and some of us, like me, even conduct our businesses online. For us, service interruptions can seem minor inconveniences, or disastrous business events.
12 year-old boys (well, my nephew anyway) use computers, and the Internet, to play games, and an interruption seems like the END OF THE WORLD.

Dr. Orzack, PhD, a licensed clinical psychologist specializing in the treatment of cyber-addiction, and member of the Harvard Medical School faculty, lists the Symptoms of IA:

* Having a sense of well-being or euphoria while at the computer
* Inability to stop the activity
* Craving more and more time at the computer
* Neglect of family and friends
* Feeling empty, depressed, irritable when not at the computer
* Lying to employers and family about activities
* A child's grades fall and the teacher notes that he/she is falling asleep in class

When I lose my Internet service, not only am I unable to assist clients with Remote Sessions, but I experience a good dose of #5 on that list. I joke with friends that I experience Internet "withdrawal" (and I show them my trembling hands). But I am not an addict, not like some of the people who have appeared in the headlines-- I have not lost my wife/house/job/friends.

And, honestly, I don't think my nephew is that bad off either.. he did go on the fishing trip.
But I am concerned. I know that these MMORPG's are designed to be addicting, and that they take hundreds of hours to play enough to "advance" in. I know that my nephew spends far too much time with his online games (like, all his free time).
And I know that his behavior (getting home from school and going straight to the computer) is considered "normal" these days.
(And mom can keep an eye on him.. and he's not out doing risky things like skateboarding, climbing tall trees, riding motorscooters, or running with sharp sticks..)

I am not an expert. I cannot tell you if you, or your child is an Internet Addict. I cannot predict the future, and see how my nephew is "going to turn out". I can only tell you that Internet Addiction is real, and that it is a subject worth consideration. And, there's an online addiction assessment test you can take if you have suspicions.
It is a problem very similar to Pathological Gambling or Compulsive Shopping.

If you think you (or your child) is an addict, there is a large community of help available. Enter "Internet Addiction" into a search engine, and start seeking it.

* A game name I made up.

Photo courtesy of WiredParentPad, What Every Parent Ought to Know About World of Warcraft.

Copyright 2007-8 © Tech Paul. All rights reserved. post to jaanix

I want to party all the time...

There’s just something about Fridays that you gotta love.

We humans simply must have some light at the end of the tunnel, or we will flag, sag, and eventually quit trying. Friday (for most of us) is that light — the end of the work week is not only in sight, it’s mere hours away!
And Friday for a lot of us (me too… when I was younger) means that we will “go out”; we will “celebrate”; we will eat, drink, and (maybe) dance with friends, co-workers, and complete strangers. We will make merry. A joyous break in the routine.

Friday means the weekend is here. Isn’t that a magical word? “Weekend”. (I smile just thinking it.)
Sure, the weekend isn’t all fun-and-games.. there’s lawns to mow, and cars to wash-and-vacuum, and a “Honey-Do list” a mile long, and grocery shopping.. there’s church, weddings to attend, children’s birthday parties, friends-who-need-help-moving-to-a-new-apartment and,.. have you cleaned out your gutters yet?
Weekends are never long enough.

Tip of the day: Weekends means tackling some household chores and so I am going to remind you that your computer needs an occasional cleaning too. (Nice transition, eh?)

1) Get rid of the dust and lint: Dust and lint can reduce your computer's performance, cooling efficiency, and even cause fatal short-circuits.
* For desktop PCs, unplug your computer's powercord from the wall and open your computer's case so you can see all the kewl circuitry inside. How, exactly your case opens will vary with make/model, but it is usually a side panel, and the side panel is held in place with two thumb-screws (the manufacturer's Website will have instructions, also).
Once the case is open, use the techniques I described in my recent printer maintenance article to remove the built-up dust bunnies. Pay special attention to air venting areas (and screens), such as by the power supply. (And, be careful and be gentle.)

* For notebooks, your cleaning is going to be a little different: you will want to get all the debris from out from under your keyboard keys, as I describe in this article. And you'll want to wipe down your screen with an anti-static cloth (which may may require the slightest [just a drop or two.. in one corner..] moistening with plain water.

2) Get rid of disk clutter: Empty the trash that accumulates on your hard drive for a leaner, meaner file system. Fortunately there's a one-button tool for that in Windows, http://techpaul.wordpress.com/2007/11/07/more-than-you-wanted-to-know-about-the-disk-cleanup-tool/

So let's not be "all party", let's also get busy and do some "Spring Cleaning" and give those machines the attention they deserve.

Today's free link: Sandboxie is a tool that creates a "sandbox", or virtual environment, in which you run other programs (namely, your web browser) and those programs and the data they access can't write to your hard-drive. This is an excellent way to prevent poisoned websites from downloading malware.

Copyright 2007-8 © Tech Paul. All rights reserved. post to jaanix

Empowering the Blind-- Assistive Technology

Folks, I am a bit timid writing today's article because there's simply no way I can write it without showing my ignorance. I am not blind, nor otherwise physically impaired. I have no first hand knowledge what agencies or organizations are operating in your area, nor what the pertinent laws are.
I hope you'll bear this in mind as you read this.

A few days ago I received a call at my online Tech Support biz from a gentleman who wanted me to look over his computer and make sure it was "up to snuff" and working optimally, because, he said, "hopefully, Ill be using it for a job."
After answering a few of my routine questions, he had a question for me-- was I familiar with JAWS?

I said I'd never heard of it. He told me "I can't use my computer without it. I'm completely blind." (He had a very old version, and there were some issues: thus, his call.)
We talked about life as a blind person for a while.. what impressed me most was this man's desire to work.

Later on, I did some research, knowing that there may very well be a Tech--for Everyone topic there. It turns out that JAWS is the premier screen reading AT program.. and the most expensive-- $895 for the Standard version.

[A screen reader is a software application that attempts to identify and interpret what is being displayed on the screen. This interpretation is then represented to the user with text-to-speech, sound icons, or as braille output. Screen readers are a form of assistive technology (AT) useful to people who are blind, visually impaired, illiterate or learning disabled, often used in combination with other AT such as screen magnifiers.]

My client was caught in a classic "catch-22". He wanted to work so he could "be a man" and have some money. He needed the software to work. He could receive some financial assistance to pay for the software, if he was employed (and could prove the software was vital to that employment).
Sigh.

What is available: If you, or someone you know needs access to assistive technology-- here is what my research has uncovered.

Built-in AT: Recent versions of Microsoft Windows come with the rather basic text-reading Narrator, while Apple Mac OS X includes VoiceOver, a more feature-rich screen reader. The console-based Oralux Linux distribution ships with three screen-reading environments: Emacspeak, Yasr and Speakup. The open source GNOME desktop environment includes Gnopernicus and now Orca.

Free/Open Source:
For Windows
* NonVisual Desktop Access (NVDA) is a free, open source, portable screen reader for Microsoft Windows. The project was begun by Michael Curran  in 2006. Although development progress has been rapid, it should still be considered alpha software.

Those listed above are it: the rest are commercial products, and range in price. All are a significant investment. Wikipedia has posted a list/comparison chart of screen readers that is a very good place to begin looking at your options.
Also, the Website Disabled World has a list, complete with short reviews.

My compassion and empathy were stimulated by speaking with my client, and grasping his catch-22 dilemma. I wanted to help him be a productive member of society, but felt powerless.
Maybe something can be done.. but what?

Copyright 2007-8 © Tech Paul. All rights reserved. post to jaanix

Side Jacking-- Now Secure is not secure

If you use Gmail and haven't yet taken advantage of a feature Google recently provided to prevent hackers from hijacking your inbox, now would be an excellent time to do that. (click here, and read Tip #1.)

A security researcher at the Defcon hacker conference in Las Vegas demonstrated a tool he built that allows attackers to break into your Inbox even if you are accessing your Gmail over a persistent, encrypted session (i.e. using https://, which you might recognize as the "gold lock" icon).

Here is a video demonstration of how an attacker would use an automated tool to hijack your login. The music may strike you as offensive, and there's no narrative, so feel free to mute the sound.

Surf Jacking Gmail demonstration from Sandro Gauci on Vimeo.

While it may seem like Gmail is being singled out here, you should realize that other websites are vulnerable to side-jacking and cookie stealing too.. notably Facebook (I mention it because it has so many users), but Gmail is one of the few that allows you to thwart this attack method.

So how do you prevent this? Here are some simple but, inconvenient, solutions you can use to protect your data.

• If possible, avoid using public or open wireless networks.
• If you need to use a public wireless network, do not access Web sites that require personal information.
• Always use the "logout" feature when finished with a Website that requires a login ID/password.
• For Gmail, click the link in my first paragraph and set the "Always use" option.
• When you need to provide sensitive data in forms, such as if you are doing online banking, open a new instance of your browser and complete your transaction; logout, and close that Browser. Do not open any other websites in that browser.

Folks, the Internet is broken.. and it is the hunting ground for criminals. Please.. let's be careful out there (and by careful, I mean "paranoid").

Today's free link(s):
* Because the Internet is not safe, Please look over, Top 10 Things You Should Do To Your Computer.
* AbsoluteShield Internet Eraser. Yes, this is a repeat, but if you don't have it, click the link and read the page. Look for the link for the free version.

Copyright 2007-8 Tech Paul. All rights reserved. post to jaanix

News Items: Death of Web Radio, ISP Spying

A couple of recent tech headlines have caught my eye, and because of their dire implications, I thought I should pass them on to you.

Loyal readers may remember that a year ago now I wrote about the "day of protest" and the Internet Radio Equality Act which was vital to the future of free, public Internet radio and webcasters. (to read my article, click here.)

Today's title is premature, but not by much. The Copyright Royalty Board ruling that we were warned about is set to take effect. This is all about DRM and "protecting artists", and so an obscure Federal judge is going to change our current ability to listen to music. Forever.

"Pandora is one of the nation's most popular Web radio services, with about 1 million listeners daily. Its Music Genome Project allows customers to create stations tailored to their own tastes. It is one of the 10 most popular applications for Apple's iPhone and attracts 40,000 new customers a day. Yet the burgeoning company may be on the verge of collapse, according to its founder, and so may be others like it.

"We're approaching a pull-the-plug kind of decision," said Tim Westergren, who founded Pandora. "This is like a last stand for webcasting." "
To read the rest of this Washington Post article, click here.

Your ISP is spying on you:
The second headline probably really won't surprise anyone -- there's a lot of people watching our surfing habits, and developing profiles on us (for the purposes of bringing us "more relevant" ads). I almost ignored it, as the lead paragraph wasn't all that shocking..
"Cable One last fall conducted a six-month trial of a network-based technology that tracks consumers' Internet movements in an effort to amass refined data on Web-surfer habits that can be sold to advertisers at premium rates."

But I was intrigued.. what did they mean by "network technology"??? Then I did get shocked and alarmed.

Someone has decided that the firewall technology known as DPI ("deep packet inspection") may as well be used for full data mining of the traffic flowing through the service provider. Evil, evil someone.

You see, DPI is a method that can see through encryption. It is used for security purposes as it can read every word going over the wire and look for viruses and malware, and sensitive corporate data.

Basically, those Cable One customers had every word they typed read and recorded.. every website they visited.. and any attempts they made at maintaining their privacy (using proxies, anonymizers, or encryption) were foiled at the wire.
To read the whole article, click here.

It's for better advertising! Yay!
[Attention advertisers: Haven't you figured out that we ignore you? What do you think the mute button is for? The TiVo? AdBlocker software? Stop wasting your money! You've all been duped into believing a huge fallacy.]

Today's free link: is a repeat, it's the word "Pandora", above.

Copyright 2007-8 © Tech Paul. All rights reserved.
post to jaanix

Modern Nightmare

It's like we woke up inside a horror movie-- we are under attack by zombies.

Yes. It's true. Real life is imitating art (if you're willing to call Night of the Living Dead "art"). We really are under attack by zombies-- only our zombies aren't trying to eat our flesh, they are trying to sell us bootleg f@rmacuticals and Vl@gra, fake Rolex watches, and steal our identities. [note in the photo how the zombie is reaching for the wallet?]

In real life, our zombies can't claw at us directly and they don't have teeth. Our zombies are computers. Our computers. And they attack via e-mail and the Internet. Like the zombies in Night, they spread the zombie disease by infection. Also, our zombies aren't mindless, they're controlled by villains (aka "cyber-criminals").

Yes. Your computer may be a zombie.

If it isn't a zombie (yet), it is constantly under the attack of infection via the Internet. An unprotected computer, connected to the Internet, will be infected within 8 minutes.
90 to 95% of all Internet traffic traveling the wires (using "bandwidth") is zombie-generated junk e-mail that's either a fraud attempt or (and?) loaded with malware-- the "attack".

How did this happen? Well, part of it is the Tech Industry's fault (see, How the Tech Industry is Failing You), either unintentionally, or through lack of foresight, or through willful negligence and the rush to market. Security either wasn't considered, or it was too expensive.
Nobody predicted the nerdy hackers evolving into organized, well-financed, criminal gangs of today.
And they put too powerful, fully capable machines into the hands of the unwashed masses-- us. The rest of it is our fault.

* We let our antivirus expire and everyday close the warning.
* We think we've just won the British Lottery.
* We still run Window 98 because we're "comfortable with it".
* We cannot resist 'free' pornography.
* We cannot be bothered with those REALLY ANNOYING little windows that pop open at the worst times and tell us that a "new version is available."
* When someone tries to tell us about our machines, they start using big words in a funny language and we 'tune out'.
* We believe that everything computer-related should be free, so we download cracked (aka "pirated") software, bootleg music and video, and we don't care who or where it comes from.

I could go on and on and on.

Yes.. we are our own worst enemies. But, you don't have to be a part of the problem. And you don't have to learn a big word-filled foreign language (aka "Geek speak") to avoid the zombie attack.
Today's free link: I have put together a list of proactive steps every computer user should know.. a checklist. In it you will find links to free, safe, and effective methods for protecting your computer, and keeping it safe. Please look over, Top 10 Things You Should Do To Your Computer. And then do us all a favor, pass the list on to your friends who have computers.

Copyright 2007-8 © Tech Paul. All rights reserved. post to jaanix

How to retrieve old copies of files- Ultimate style

From time to time Vista creates 'snapshot' copies of your files with a service called "Shadow Copy".  This allows you to retrieve older versions from files you accidentally delete or alter.

To go back to a prior version of your file/document, you simply right-click on the file and select "Restore previous versions".

Using the Shadow Copy service is a far easier way to recover your files than opening a backup you've made, and can get you out of some nasty jams. (For more on recovering deleted files, click here.)

Shadow Copy is enabled on all versions  of Vista, but Microsoft grants user access to these copies only in Ultimate, Business, and Enterprise editions. (Clearly as a method to try to sell more copies of the pricier Ultimate Edition. Shame on you Microsoft; backup and recovery should be free.)

Tip of the day: Users of the "Home" editions of Vista can use Shadow Copy too.
The odds are pretty durned good that if you bought a new computer, and it came with Vista, it came with Vista Home Premium. I say that because if you walk into a store selling computers, I dare you to find the one that has Ultimate Edition on it. It seems to me that they all come with Home Premium!

Remember how I said Shadow Copy was "enabled" on all versions? Yes? Well, for owners of Vista Home Premium and Vista Home Basic, the service is running, but you need a way to "interface" with it (sometimes called a "front end"). To do that, download and install ShadowExplorer, and gain some of Ultimate Edition's functionality. This cool piece of software is free, but donations are accepted.

Today's free link: People who are using Windows 2000 or XP can get an almost identical file functionality with FileHamster from Mogware. This program is designed for people whose talents lie in the Creative Arts, so you don't ave to be a geek to use it. There's helpful user forums, too.

Please note: This ability is by no means a substitute for regular system backups. This is for small "oopsies", not recovery/restoration.

Copyright 2007-8 © Tech Paul. All rights reserved. post to jaanix

Facebook (& others) Sued for Privacy Invasion

from Anistasia Ustinov, in the San Francisco Chronicle

"Facebook, the world's largest social networking site, is facing a class action lawsuit charging that its controversial advertising program violated online privacy and computer fraud laws.

A group of plaintiffs filed the suit in U.S. District Court in San Jose against Facebook and several other companies, including Blockbuster, Fandango, Overstock.com and Hotwire.com that participated in the unpopular advertising service, which shared information about users' activities with the social network...."

click here to read rest of the article.

post to jaanix

Results of Olympics Survey

This week I ran a survey of Tech--for Everyone readers asking if the fact that the Olympic Games were being held China.
(Basically, I was sort of wondering if I was the only kook who was boycotting the games this year.)

As promised, here are the results. (click on picture to see full size)

My thanks to all who took the time to answer.

Copyright 2007-8 © Tech Paul. All rights reserved. post to jaanix

How To Install Backup on XP Home

If you have photographs, and/or a music collection, and/or important documents on your computer, you simply must make backup copies or risk losing them forever.

Windows users can take advantage of the built-in Windows Backup utility. I have published a detailed How To for using it to automatically make backups and keep them up-to-date here http://techpaul.wordpress.com/2007/07/02/automate-your-backup-and-get-some-peace-of-mind/.
(Apple users can make an image backup using the Disk Management applet, which I describe here.)

That said, it should be noted that for some inexplicable reason, the Backup utility is not (usually) included in the default installation of Windows XP Home Edition. To use Backup, you have to install it manually.
Don't worry, it's a quick and easy thing to do; the files are on the XP CD-ROM in the "Valueadd" folder.

Tip of the day: Manually Install the Backup Utility

1. Insert the CD which came with your computer into your optical drive. Close any windows that open.
2. Open My Computer and right-click on the CD/DVD drive (usually "D:\") and navigate to CD-ROM Drive:\VALUEADD\MSFT\NTBACKUP
3. Double-click the Ntbackup.msi file to start a wizard that installs Backup.
When the wizard is complete, click "Finish". You will now find Backup in All Programs >Accessories >System Tools.

*4. Now, scroll up and click the first link to read how to use the Backup Wizard and set your machine to run automatic incremental backups.

BonusTip+Today's free link: Make another backup using another backup tool.. of which there are many different types. You might wish to use an "imaging" tool like Norton Ghost, Acronis TrueImage Home, or the free DriveImage XML (Bill Mullins talks about this program in a recent post, to read it, and see the appropriate download links, click here.)

Copyright 2007-8 © Tech Paul. All rights reserved. post to jaanix

Patch Tuesday | Cyber-warfare | Vista hacked

This week has been particularly fun for watching misreporting in the news*.

There have been several instances of dire, Chicken Little The Sky is Falling! type headlines.. followed shortly by, "Oh. Wait. The data doesn't support the conclusion" headlines.

Many, many years ago now, I took Journalism classes in college. Every instructor I had, had these funny things called "Rules". The top, Number #1 rule was "Verify, Verify, Verify". The second rule was "There must be three independent and unrelated sources before you can consider a 'tip' a 'fact'."
We were told that we reporters would have people, called "Editors", whose sole mission was to double-check our "facts" and verify our "sources".

We students quickly figured out why these instructors were teachers, and not actual newsmen (and newswomen, ahem)-- they weren't living in reality: in reality, there's the word "allegedly", and sentences like "is reported to have said".

And we young people knew that "Facts" are about as much fun as a date with the Encyclopedia Britannica. Sensation sells. Duh.

Contrary to this weeks headlines:
* Russia did not launch all out cyber-warfare against neighboring Georgia. It was, in fact, hackers -- on both sides -- joining in the fun and using their botnets to shut down  a few websites.
See Kids, not Russian Government, attacking Georgia's Net.

* Vista's security features were not rendered useless by hackers, as "announced at BlackHat" (This one caused quite a stir!) In fact.. well, read what one of the "hackers" has to say:
See Alarmed about Vista security? Black Hat researcher Alexander Sotirov speaks out.

* And finally (for today), this Month's "patch Tuesday" did not cause "widespread disruption". At least.. here at T4E Headquarters it didn't. Unless you call having to reboot "to complete installation" some kind of disaster.
Yes, there were more Updates than usual, and more of them were marked "Important".. but that is actually a "good" thing-- those Updates close holes.
But if you DID experience trouble (or, ever do) after installing an Update, click the link below and scroll down to the bottom answer.
See IE’s Menu bar, Taskbar icons, and bad Updates*

*(more accurately, "infotainment".)

Today's free link: is in the link directly above.

Copyright 2007-8 © Tech Paul. All rights reserved. post to jaanix

Stop the Security Center's nagging

If you've turned off automatic updates, the Windows firewall, the Vista UAC, or just are otherwise not using the "recommended" settings, Windows will annoy you with messages about checking your computer security via a shield icon in your Notification Area.. and pop-up balloon messages.

Now, normally, I would say this is a "good" thing.. and for the non-geeky (aka not a "power user"), I suggest you stop reading here (be sure to come back tomorrow, though!). Those notices are your friends-- don't ignore them just because you can still check your e-mail, or play online Texas Holdem.

But, if you are an "advanced" computer user, (aka "Uber-geek") you may very well have substituted a stronger firewall for the one built into Windows (I highly reco this for XP users, btw). You may have configured Update to "check and prompt", but not to auto-Install. You may be using an antivirus program that the Security Center doesn't recognize.. etc., and today's quick tip will kill the nag telling you what you already know.

Tip of the day: Advanced users who have customized Windows can disable the Security Center's "alert" notifications.
* Open the Windows Security Center. (Start >Control Panel >Security Center)
* Click the link "Change the way Security Center alerts me".

A new window will open offering three 'levels' of alert notification...

The bottom one is my preferred selection. That's it. You're done. No more pop-up balloon alerts. Close the windows you opened and get on with your life.

Survey: I am a bit curious as to how Tech–for Everyone readers are feeling about the Olympic Games being held in China, and so I’ve created a very brief (one question) survey.
Click Here to take survey.  (I will post the results Friday.)

Today's free link: Posting your photos to the Web and sharing them with friends and family seems to be a popular thing to do these days. There are many sites which allow you to this, and usually all you have to do is "join" (provide a legit-looking e-mail address.. such as nunof@your.biz). One of the lesser-known of these sites is the Kodak Gallery. It offers all the ammenities you'd expect.. and a few more. Check it out.

Copyright 2007-8 © Tech Paul. All rights reserved. post to jaanix

Olympics survey

I am a bit curious as to how Tech–for Everyone readers are feeling about the Olympic Games being held in China, and so I’ve created a very brief (one question) survey.
Click Here to take survey

* I will post the results Friday.

Tips for better searching in XP*

There have been occasions when I was not paying attention, and I saved (and/or downloaded) a file to some location I didn't intend. What's worse, I wasn't watching closely enough to notice what and where that location was, and the file was effectively gone. Of course, my misplaced file wasn't really gone ... I just had to find it again.
That's when a desktop Search tool comes to my rescue.
Sometimes, though, the search comes up 'empty', or otherwise produces unhelpful results, and that's what I want to address today.

Tip of the day: Find that file by using the proper search tool, properly. Windows comes with a built-in search tool, and there are "better" tools available (usually as free downloads) as well. But let's start with the tool you already have. Windows Search is located in your Start menu (Start >Search) and is the magnifying glass icon. If you cannot see a Search/magnifying glass: right-click on a blank area of your Taskbar and select Properties. Now click the Start Menu tab and click on the "Customize" button and select the Advanced tab. Scroll down and place a check in the box marked "Search", as shown below.

Launch the Search tool and click on the "All files and folders" option in the "What do you want to search for?" area, and then -- and here's the trick -- click on the "more advanced options" down arrow, and place a check in the top three checkboxes.

There are several "hidden" folders in the Windows filing system and it's possible your file was moved into one of these (particularly downloaded emails) and if that happened, it will not show up in a "normal" search. Selecting the subfolders option ensures that your search is as thorough as possible. Now enter the file name and click the "Search" button and enjoy the cute antics of the animated 'search puppy'.

Bonus tip of the day: Often, I cannot remember the exact, or complete, name of the file, and that's when the use of the wildcard symbol becomes very useful. Windows uses the "*" to represent "any".

Let's say, for sake of example, that I found a neat picture of a rose on the Internet (not copyrighted, of course!) and downloaded it. The actual file name is "DSCredrose16.jpg", and being the incredible complex and super-busy human that I am ... I download it to someplace other than where I expected. Searching for "rose.jpg", in this case, produced no results (sometimes it will). If I use wildcards, I don't have to worry about an exact match. Typing in "*rose*.jpg" (no quotes) will find it, because I told the search to 'match' any letters before the characters r-o-s-e and any characters after them as well, and to show me only pictures.
If I'm not certain the picture was a JPEG, and that it might be a GIFF, or a TIFF, or a PNG, or a Photoshop picture (.psd), or a bitmap (.bmp) ...I substitute a wildcard for .jpg, like this: "*rose*.*".
If I type *.* into the search for box, I will get a list of every file on my machine -- because I told it to 'match' every file name, and every file type.

Today's free link(s): If you want a faster/better/more capable desktop search tool than the one built into Windows (and if you spend a lot of time searching for files on your machines, you may), the top three downloads are Microsoft's Windows Desktop Search, Google Desktop search, and Copernic. I must warn you that there are some privacy and security issues revolving around Google Desktop that may or may not remain valid -- the debate still lingers. I can also tell you that Copernic is the geek's choice.

* Original post: 7/26/07

Copyright © 2007-8. Tech Paul. All rights reserved. post to jaanix

Marketing the Microsoft Way--"Mojave"

Have you seen the buzz? Maybe, noticed the little ads appearing on web pages? Microsoft's new ad campaign for Vista -- called Project Mojave -- has cause a bit of a, well, stink.

What Microsoft did was take a group of Vista Bashers -- folks who are "sticking with XP", and talking bad about Vista (in print)-- and invited them into a room for a "sneak peak" at a "new" operating system. A "blind taste test", so to speak.

Of course, they really liked the new Windows. When could they get a copy?

Of course, what they were looking at was Vista.

Now.. I don't know how smart it was for Microsoft to use this strategy. Out here in California, we have an expression for what Microsoft did to these folks-- "clowned" them.
(Exposed them for the clowns that they are.)

Part of me says these folks deserved it. How can you look at a Vista machine and not say, "Hey! You're trying to pull a fast one.. This is Vista!" unless they're completely unfamiliar with it.
If they're unfamiliar with it.. what business do they have bashing it?
Hey, they just joined the bandwagon-- bashing Vista is popular hobby.

I am treading on dangerous ground when I state, I like Vista and I recommend it without hesitation (on new machines.. not "upgrades" on old and underpowered machines).
I open myself to the hundreds of people who seem to have nothing better to do than to post Comments attacking anyone who doesn't hate (and fear) Microsoft. I can already see the comment that accuses me of being in MS's pocket. Hah! Microsoft doesn't even know I exist.

My point is this-- Microsoft is merely proving that the vast majority of negative "lore" about Vista is being produced (or passed on) by people who don't even recognize Vista when they're touching it.
Has all this Vista bashing you've read or heard made you hesitate to try Vista?
Why? It's being written or regurgitated by clowns.

Regardless if Microsoft's rebuttal advertising campaign was smart.. or just plain mean.. it has come too late (IMHO). The Mojave experiment will not change the public's perception of Vista; and frankly, that perception is not good. And that's too bad.

Copyright 2007-8 © Tech Paul. All rights reserved. post to jaanix

More security for Gmail

Your email account contains a lot of personal information, from private, personal letters to business documents. Email that you (probably) don't want other people to see.

If you are anything like me, you probably sign in to your Inboxes from multiple computers. I, for example, occasionally sign into my e-mail accounts from a friend's computer, or when traveling, a public computer. As a security paranoid kind of guy, I am sure to sign out before I leave... but every once in a while I wonder if I really did.

Thanks to a new feature in Gmail, I no longer have to wonder about that particular account; with this, I can now track my recent sessions and sign myself out remotely if I somehow forgot to do so.

At the bottom of your inbox page, you'll see information about the time of the last activity on your account and whether it's still open in another location.

By glancing at this from time to time, I can see if something "doesn't jibe"; like, my account was accessed 15 minutes ago, and I haven't logged on yet today (that would be a pretty good indication that someone has gotten hold of my logon, and is reading my mail!).

To really see what's going on, I click on the "Details" link.

And here I can see my activity history, the IP Addresses that accessed my account (a "*" indicates a match to my current IP), and what type of connection was made. This info can help determine if (and who) unauthorized access is occurring.

But what I like best is the "Sign out all other sessions" button. Clicking this will disconnect any other machines which are logged on by remote control... say, if I did walk away from a session without logging off.

This feature, and the "always use https" setting featured in yesterday's article, may make security-conscience Hotmail and Yahoo Mail users consider the switch to Gmail. (It has more storage, too.)

Today's free link: 5-Star rated DriverMax is a powerful free utility which helps you download, backup and restore the drivers installed on your Windows Vista or Windows XP computer and check if newer versions are available. This tool can save you a lot of time when reinstalling Windows, especially on older computers for which the original CDs containing the drivers have been lost. You no longer have to track down old driver installation CDs, or spend hours searching for drivers on the Internet. DriverMax is also able to display a detailed report about all drivers (versions, release dates) installed on your system. And will help identify unknown devices in your computer.

Copyright 2007-8 7copy Tech Paul. All rights reserved. post to jaanix

Secure Gmail, repair Internet Explorer

A couple of quick tips to start the week, which were stimulated by reader questions.

Tip(s) of the day: How about that? Two for the price of one!
Tip 1) In response to public demand, Google has added a feature to its Gmail service which will force it to always use SSL encryption when you logon (https). This is particularly beneficial to those of you who use wireless, public computers, and/or public 'hotspots'. All you need to do is turn it on.
[note: a secured session is not the same thing as encrypting your individual messages. For my How To on that, click here.]

To turn on the "always use" feature, log on to your Gmail account, and in the upper-right area, find, and click on the "Settings" link.
Now, scroll down to the bottom, and in the "Browser connection" option, click on the "always use https" radio button, and then click on "Save Changes".
 
That's it. You're done. Now your connection to the mail server will be encrypted and you'll be protected from packet sniffers.

Tip 2) Sometimes programs get "corrupted" and just refuse to work right, and usually the way to repair them is to uninstall them (Add/Remove Programs), and then re-Install a fresh copy.
One of my more popular articles has been how to repair the hyperlinks function in IE when clicking on a link doesn't open a new page (if that's your issue, click here), and this tip goes a little further than that. (To see all my articles on Internet Explorer, click on "IE 7" in my Categories widget.)

You can resolve many troublesome IE issues by "resetting" it (which also re-registers .dll's).
For IE 7:
Click on "Tools" and then "Internet Options".
On the Advanced tab, and then click the "Reset" button.

For IE 6:
[note: I highly, sincerely, and ardently, urge you to stop using IE 6, and switch to 7, or Firefox 3, or Avant, or whatever. Please? It's only the most hacked piece of software ever!]
a: Click Start, click Run, type "%systemroot%\inf" (no quotes) and then press Enter.
b: Find the Ie.inf file that is located in Windows\Inf folder.
c: Right-click the Ie.inf file, and then click Install.
d: Restart the computer when the file copy process is complete

Today's free link: In one of the tips above, I mentioned Windows' Add/Remove Programs tool (found in your Control Panel) which is the standard method for uninstalling programs from your machine. Long-time Windows users can attest that this utility doesn't always work as it should, and completely remove all traces of the app you want gone. To really remove a program, you may want the power of a 3rd-party uninstall program, and the one that's most recommended in the Geek community is Revo Uninstaller (also available in a portable version).

Copyright 2007-8 © Tech Paul. All rights reserved. post to jaanix

Add a Vista machine to your XP network

Today's article was triggered by a client who wanted my assistance troubleshooting a file sharing problem on a Windows network. The answer to their troubles turned out to be a very simple one, and you can avoid their headache quite easily.

Most of us have a home network (called a "SOHO LAN", Small Office/Home Office Local Area Network) of several computers connected to a router by Ethernet cables and/or to a WAP (Wireless Access Point) by "WiFi" radio signals.
This allows us to 'split' our Internet connection to all our machines; and allows us to "share" files and folders between machines.. so that I can 'access' the music on one machine, and play it on another, for example.

Tip of the day: Set your machines to the same Workgroup.
SOHO LAN networks, such as ours, are what is called "peer-to-peer" (aka "P2P"), and what you need to understand about that is: for the machines in a P2P network to "share resources" ('talk' with each other) they must all be members of the same workgroup.

My client's troubles were caused because they were using the Windows default workgroup, and had not set their own workgroup name, and this had worked fine for them.. until they brought home a shiny new Vista machine.
* The default workgroup name in XP is: MSHOME
* The default workgroup name in Vista is: WORKGROUP

See the problem? MSHOME is not the same workgroup as WORKGROUP, and so XP won't 'talk' to the Vista machine, and visa versa.
The solution is to change the Vista machine's workgroup to "MSHOME".. or change the XP machines to "WORKGROUP".. or better yet, change all your machines' workgroup to your own, custom workgroup name.
My SOHO workgroup is "THEWIZKID"... because I am a wiz, and I once was a kid.. but you can pick any name you want.

Step 1: On the PC you want to change the workgroup membership/name on, right-click on My Computer (just "Computer" in Vista) and select "Properties".
 
Step 2 (XP)*: Click on the "Computer Name" tab. Here you will see, and can modify, your computers name, description, and workgroup membership (as you will note, mine is already set to THEWIZKID, yours will probably say "MSHOME"). Click on the "Change" button, and enter the name of the workgroup you want to join (or create).

Step 3: Reboot your computer. When Windows starts again, your machine will now be a member of the proper workgroup and will be able to "talk" with your other machines.

Step 2 (Vista): Click on the "Advanced system settings" link...
 
and answer "Continue" to the warning. Then do the same as the XP step 2 above.

That's it. Reboot for the changes to take effect. The trick is simply to make sure your machines are all members of the same workgroup.

Note, if you do this, and your machines still aren't "talking"/sharing with each other, temporarily turn off your firewalls and see if that resolves the issue (it almost always does). If so, you need to configure your firewall to allow file sharing on your network, which is a whole 'nother article, and my fingers are tired.. another day.

Today's free link(s): If you have installed the "new" Firefox 3 Web browser, you might want to read 12 must-have add-ons for Firefox 3, and maybe choose a few to download.

Copyright 2007-8 © Tech Paul. All rights reserved. post to jaanix