Thursday, April 30, 2009

Do Not Want That Update? How To Stop A Nag

IE 8 is an "Important" Update, Yes, But I Don't Want It

Sometimes we need to tell Windows Update to stop prompting us to install a particular Update.
Ups_avail

When Microsoft has released important and/or critical Updates (aka "patches") for us, Windows has various ways of letting us know, including a System Tray icon.

I am a big fan of Updates. I (almost) always install them the moment I become aware of them. I use Secunia's Personal Software Inspector to keep an eye on all my installed programs' update state.. and I recommend you do too. Updates are 'good' and you want them.

Tip of the day: Manage Windows Updates prompts.
Currently, Microsoft Update is annoying me be continuously nagging me that there are Updates available. And when I click on the icon to see just what these updates are...
Hide_Update

.. and I see that there is just one Update Microsoft wants me to install (the others only rate "optional") -- Internet Explorer 8.
Now, I understand why Microsoft wants us to be using a more secure browser (and I understand why it's considered "important") and I will upgrade from IE7 on most of my machines -- but not all. Not yet.

So I right-click on the Update I don't want to be nagged about and then click on "Hide update".

That's it. I'm done. Windows Update will no longer prompt me to install this 'hidden' update. At a later date, to see Updates that I've hidden, I just click on "Show hidden updates". I can undo my change.

Note: This technique can be used on troublesome Updates that cause incompatibility issues such as BSOD. If a Windows Update install causes you trouble, and you need to uninstall it, the "Hide" tip won't help you (it's too late). Please refer to the 3rd answer in this article, IE’s Menu bar, Taskbar icons, and bad Updates*, to see how to remove Updates.
After you get that Update uninstalled, use the Hide feature to prevent Windows Update from re-Installing it on you.

Today's free link: Panda Cloud Antivirus - Free Cloud Protection
Panda Security has launched a brand new type of antivirus, and Security blogger Bill Mullins has this excellent write up.
"FREE, antivirus thin-client service for consumers which is able to process and block malware more efficiently than locally installed signature-based products."

Today's free download: Adeona is the first Open Source system for tracking the location of your lost or stolen laptop that does not rely on a proprietary, central service. This means that you can install Adeona on your laptop and go.

Copyright 2007-9 © Tech Paul. All rights reserved.jaanix post to jaanix
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Wednesday, April 29, 2009

Firefox Quick Tip – Deleting Old Passwords

images Most web browsers offer to “remember” the  user name and password combination you use to log into certain websites (such as Hotmail, or your bank, etc.) which allows for faster access when you return to the site. Firefox is no exception.

If you should need to change the remembered login on your machine – say, if you “remembered” an incorrect combo, or if you changed the login using a different machine (it is highly recommended that you change your passwords several times a year..) – the following steps will allow you to delete the ‘bad’ ones.

Tip of the day: Manage your login passwords in Firefox.

1) Open Firefox, and click on “Tools” from the menu bar at the top.
2) From the Tools menu, click on “Options…”
3) A new window will open. Click on the “Security” tab.
FF_Opts

4) Now click the “Saved Passwords” button.
5) Now a new window will show you all of the “remembered” logon combinations that Firefox is storing for you. Simply click on the troublesome/obsolete item and then click “Remove”.

This deletes the entry. Now go to the website in question. You will be asked to log in. Then Firefox will offer to “Remember” this password – click Yes.

That’s it. You’re done.

Today's free link: For those of you who may like to learn what constitutes a good password (and, what does not) please read, Strong passwords, hidden Admin

Today's free download: Portable Glary Utilities. Folks, I have mentioned the wonderful, free, Glary Utilities program here before. It contains a safe Registry scanner, Privacy sweeper, anti-spyware sweeper, temp file deleter, and more. Now you can carry this tool around on your thumbdrive by downloading the "portable" version. I suggest using the first link; te "self-installer.

Copyright 2007-9 © Tech Paul. All rights reserved.jaanix post to jaanix

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Monday, April 27, 2009

Official Gmail Blog: PowerPoint and TIFF file viewing

Official Gmail Blog: PowerPoint and TIFF file viewing

Have You Gone Virtual Yet?

One of the hot topics in the IT industry is virtualization. Basically what this is, is software that creates an environment — on an existing PC — into which you can install (and run) another operating system [OS]; in short, running a PC on top of your PC.. which gives you two PCs. This “on top of” machine is called a “virtual machine“.

Tip of the day: Get more out of your PC by using a virtual environment.
(I must take a moment to state that it is the power of the newer generations of PCs that allow us to take advantage of machine virtualization. VM “shares” resources (CPU, RAM) with the existing install… so if you’re barely clunking along as it is, forget about VMs and click here to read my article(s) on when it’s time for a new machine.)

How can this benefit you? One of the main advantages is when you are thinking about a dual-boot install, or would like to do away with an existing dual-boot set up — say, for security reasons. Instead of partitioning your hard drive, and using FAT32 to run (boot to) either Windows 98 or XP, format your drive in NTFS, install XP, and run 98 inside the virtual environment. (I am using Windows 98 as an example. You may want to run a Linux distro, and learn about Open Source. The fact is you can run any OS that you have a license for… except Vista.)
If you do this, and create a shared folder for the VM on XP, you will be able to switch back and forth between the two and share files with both OS’s.

Another advantage of using a VM is, it loads much like “mounting” a disk image. You can make multiple ’snapshots’ of your VM, and load the one of your choosing. This is an absolutely fantastic method for dealing with security issues. I know several geeks who run an XP VM on their XP machine– they use the VM version for their daily surfing and usage, and as a “sandbox” for testing downloaded programs and patches/Updates. At the end of the day, they just close the VM, and when they open it again (unless they take a ’snapshot’ and Save those changes to the VM) their pristine VM loads: no browsing history, no spyware, no trace of yesterday’s activity… just a brand-new XP machine.
By keeping a copy of the VM snapshot in another location, they always have a full system backup on hand. (And all my readers know about the importance of recovery backups!)

These are just two uses and applications for virtual machines (VMs). You may be able to think of others. You are not just limited to one VM, either — but each VM (unless it is an Open Source OS, like Linux) does require a valid Product Key/license. This is not a way to cheat.

Today’s free download(s): The most popular virtual machine software is put out by VMware. The free offerings are VMware Server (don’t worry about the use of the word “server”) and VMware Player (which is a web browsing sandbox). Not only is this a flexible (highly compatible with your particular hardware) program, but VMware offers several pre-configured Open Source ’snapshots’, called “appliances”, that you can download and run without going through an OS install process.

Microsoft also offers free virtual machine software, that some people argue works better with Microsoft OS’s. From website: “Virtual PC 2007 is a powerful software virtualization solution that allows you to run multiple PC-based operating systems simultaneously on one workstation.”

Either way you decide, you are not making fundamental changes to your hard drive or currently installed operating system. This is just a program, like Excel or Word is a program. Simply uninstall it if you find you don’t like or need it.. but I doubt very much that you ever will– it’s just too useful and safe.

Copyright 2007-9 © Tech Paul. All rights reserved.jaanix post to jaanix

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Sunday, April 26, 2009

The Internet Is Not Disneyland

Folks, the Internet is not Disneyland. Most knowledgeable people refer to it as the “wild, wild, West”, (a reference to sheer lawlessness) but I like a different analogy better.. think of it as going into the Big City, and going down to the docks/warehouse district, alone, and at night.
You can do it, but you best be careful.

What you can do to have protection:

1: please read Top 10 things you should do to your computer. It is a checklist, and provides you with the How To’s for a (more) protected_computersecure computer, as well as providing links to important (free) security downloads.
2: enable an anti-phishing filter, which can help alert you to poisoned websites before you go there. All modern browsers have a filter built in, and all you have to do is turn it on. Or you can add an anti-phishing toolbar/plug-in such as Link Scanner Lite, McAfee’s Site Advisor and/or - the excellent WOT.
3: make sure ALL the programs on your computer are patched and up-to-date. The easiest and most effective way to do this (IMHO) is to download and install the PSI (Personal Software Inspector) from Secunia.
4: Never respond to e-mails asking for personal information. Legitimate businesses never contact you about “important issues” via e-mail. But criminals love to go phishing!
5: Be PARANOID on the Internet. (Use common sense) Think someone can’t trace back to you? Guess again; your browser reveals a wealth of information by default.
Sound too good to be true? It is. There’s no such thing as a “free iPod”… and, no, you did not win the Irish Lottery.
Is looking at sexually explicit material simply irresistible? Go to one of those video rental shops that has a back room instead of clicking links and images.

A malware infection can cost you all your data and/or several hundred dollars in cleanup.. and/or many hours of your time..

[note: almost all of these things referred to above are "set it, then forget it" simple. You do not have to be an über-geek, or devote hours, to implement them. An ounce of prevention really is worth a pound of cure!]

Today's free link: What’s On My PC… FREE Layers of Protection!

Today's free download: K9 Web Protection is a  free Internet filtering and control solution for the home. K9 puts YOU in control of the Internet so you can protect your kids.

* Orig post: 2/4/09

Copyright 2007-9 © Tech Paul. All rights reserved. post to jaanix

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