Friday, January 29, 2010

Hands on with the Apple iPad

The Apple iPad was finally announced this week and the industry is all abuzz about it. I am providing a link below to a high level review of the iPad from a guy who got is hands on one on announcement day. I am sure we will get far more detailed reviews of it in time as we learn more about it, but I can't just ignore it at this point. There had been so much press in anticipation of the announcement.


Thursday, January 28, 2010

Reliability & Service: Technology's Most Reliable Brands

From this article at pcworld

Reliability and Service rankings for Desktops, Laptops, and Printers. Click on any image below to see a larger version. Also included in the article, but not here: Cameras and HDTVs.



  

 

Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Rogue Programs

Rogue programs continue their relentless attack on our systems. Read this note (which I edited for the sake of brevity) that I received yesterday from a customer, and then read my comments below it:

Hi Tom:

A new attack on PC's has arrived.

Late in the day I received a notice that an update was available from Windows and that my machine had many high risk viruses. I was then prompted to scan which supposedly revealed the files that were infected. Again, this appeared to be a Windows program and offering. When I queried about removal, a message said that for $49.95 I could receive the software upgrade. Been there, done that, not twice fooled.

The name of the software is Internet Security 2010.

AVG obviously missed this, but perhaps the fee-based version would not have. I proceeded to use CCleaner and then Malwarebyte's Anti-Malware. The latter picked up a lot of problems.

I also ran SuperAntiSpyware and picked up an additional virus (Trojan.Agenct/Gen-InternetSecurity[Fake]. Process).

All of my previously reported issues have been corrected and the machine is working close to optimal.

I hope this helps others.

I am very grateful that this customer sent me this note. You should note, and can probably tell, that this man is a very technically competent PC user, and managed  (1) to avoid falling for the scheme and did not pay any money, and (2) recognized it for what it is - a scam - and immediately took corrective actions to rid his system of the rogue.

Security is an ongoing process. In my case I choose to use free programs to protect my systems. These are all well documented in this blog. Start out with my blog post of December 21, 2009, which can be found here: http://pcdocsblog.blogspot.com/2009/12/securing-your-pc-revisited.htmlhttp://pcdocsblog.blogspot.com/2009/12/securing-your-pc-revisited.html

One of the most valuable tools I recommend is the MVPS HOSTS file. In January 2009 I wrote a series of 5 (I think it was) posts on the HOSTS file. The first can be found here: http://pcdocsblog.blogspot.com/2009/01/hosts-file-post-1.html

If you do not make use of the HOSTS file, you should. Even if you do, remember that you are responsible for updating it. Frequent updates are available for this. Check out this site for the latest news on the HOSTS file: http://msmvps.com/blogs/hostsnews/ and visit it once a month or so and then download and install the latest update. Don't forget to disable the DNS Client service as instructed.

As you can see from the customer's note above, there are constantly new bad guys coming after us, so it is important to keep up to date, and it is YOUR responsibility to do so if you want to run a clean system free of problems.

Monday, January 25, 2010

Kim Komando Tip: Dump Internet Explorer for Firefox

The following comes from the Kim Komando web site. I like to check out Kim's site every day, and find the Tip of the Day to be the part I like best. The following was Kim's Tip of the Day on 1/23. Those of you who follow my blog know that I am a Firefox user, and have been for a long time. Firefox is free and virtually fully-compatible with Internet Explorer. My favorite download site these days is FileHippo.com, and you can download Firefox there.

"Internet Explorer is the default Windows browser. It’s also the most popular browser in the world. In fact, you may be using it right now.

But it’s plagued with security problems. And as recent news from China makes clear, they’re dangerous.
The Chinese found a flaw in Internet Explorer. They used it to wriggle into Google’s system and grab dissidents’ e-mail.

Microsoft quickly patched the flaw. But it is only the latest in a long list. Germany, France and Australia have recommended that citizens switch browsers. I second that.

My favorite is Firefox. You can get it right off my site. This switch is easy. You can keep your stuff—bookmarks, history and stored passwords.

When you first launch Firefox, it will automatically run the Import Wizard. Under “Import Options, Bookmarks, History, Passwords and other data from:” select Microsoft Internet Explorer. Click Next.
Decide whether to import your home page. You have two options. The first, labeled “Firefox Start, a fast home page with built-in search,” is the default home page. The second is “Import your home page from Internet Explorer.” Choose one, and click Next>>Finish.

You’re probably most worried about importing your bookmarks. All are transferred. But some may be in different places. Bookmarks stored in the Favorites Bar will not be moved to Firefox’s Bookmarks Toolbar. You’ll find them under Bookmarks>>Links.

The Import Wizard might not appear automatically. No problemo. Launch it manually. Click File>>Import.
The first window is the same as above. Under “Import Options, Bookmarks, History, Passwords and other data from:” select Microsoft Internet Explorer. Then, click Next.

You’ll get a list of items that can be imported from IE—Internet Options, Cookies, Browsing History and Favorites. Check the box next to each one you want. Click Next>>Finish."