The Tragic Death of the Flip

This is indeed a very sad piece of news - at least to me. The Flip video camera has been a constant companion of mine for several years now, and I love it. It was inexpensive, is small and light, very easy to use, has a direct USB connector built-in for easy downloads to a PC, and it takes extremely high quality videos. See my September 21, 2010 blog post for earlier comments. I will continue to use mine as long as it lasts and then look for an alternative. I imagine there will be scrambling to buy the remaining inventory of Flips online and in stores until they are gone.

The Tragic Death of the Flip by David Pogue of the NY Times

"Day before yesterday, my jaw hit the floor, and I still haven’t managed to get it back up again. 

Cisco is killing the Flip camcorder.

 Let’s see if I can get this straight. Only two years ago, Cisco bought Pure Digital, the company that made the Flip, for $590 million. Then, on Tuesday, Cisco announced that it’s shutting down the whole division and laying off 550 people.

We humans are a rational species. Our instinct is to find reasons, to seek patterns where none may exist. In this case, everybody’s first reaction is: “Oh, it’s because of smartphones. Everybody’s shooting video with iPhones nowadays—nobody’s buying Flip camcorders.”

Or, as Gizmodo puts it, “Cisco just axed Flip, yeah, but the blame should be aimed squarely at the smartphone in your pocket.”"

More....................

Gartner: Tablet Frenzy Cuts into PC Sales

No surprise here, I guess. People I know who have tablets really seem to love them. I would like to try one, but I am not about to shell out $800 for a well-configured model. This comes from Maximum PC.

"The sky isn't falling, the world isn't about to end, and PCs aren't dying. Why, then, is market research firm Gartner bugging out? Call it an overreaction or a temporary blip as tablets settle into the marketplace (or a little of both), but according to Gartner, worldwide PC shipments totaled 84.3 million units in the first quarter of 2011, a 1.1 percent slip from the same period one year ago. Doesn't sound like much, but Gartner says the shipment results are indicative of a potential sluggishness, not just a normal seasonal dip."

More.............

Patch Tuesday

I just finished installing 27 updates to my Windows XP laptop that were downloaded over night! I think that is a record for me. It is very unusual to see so many. I am happy to say that all 27 installed successfully and only needed a system restart to get them all doing what they were meant to do. The number of updates any one user gets will vary depending on your own software environment.

One of these, as expected, was the April 2011 issue of Microsoft's Malicious Software Removal Tool. As always, I recommend that you run a Full Scan of this tool as a little extra insurance that all is well with your system. (START/RUN/MRT/OK) and then select the Full Scan. Let it run while you continue to use your machine for other things.

What is rogue security software?

I have been warning you all about rogue programs for some time now. Here is some basic information about rogues from Lavasoft that you might find helpful.

"Rogue security software is an application that appears to be beneficial from a security perspective but provides little or no security, generates erroneous alerts, or attempts to lure users into participating in fraudulent transactions. Some products defined as "rogue" simply fail to provide the reliable protection that a consumer paid for. Others are far more sinister, masquerading as legitimate security software, and using deceptive tactics to con users into buying the product."

More.............

The Long and Wireless Road to a Home Router

That is the title of a New York Times article you can find here. I am hopeful that you won't need a subscription to their digital service in order to get to and read this particular article.

It kind of comes as a surprise to me that this is even an issue worthy or writing about, but I did read the article and they make some good points (they have to if they want to get paid!), and do provide answers to several questions a buyer of a router may have. If you are in the market for a router and have questions, just write me and I will recommend a specific router to suit your needs. It really is not rocket science.

Internet Email Alerts and the Facebook Hacking

This is an excellent blog post from callthatgirl.biz. You will find this post at http://www.callthatgirl.biz/blog/.

Posted by callthatgirl on April 6, 2011

"Wow this was an exciting week with fake email alerts folks! We have received tons of client emails asking about these and yes, they are fake as all get out!

Best Buy, US Bank, Target, Ameriprise (and more) got hit . Apparently it was just email accounts that were compromised, but welcome to the world of the Super Information Highway (circa 1997). How long has it been since you have heard that term? A very long time I am sure. I say Super Information Highway because Facebook hacking and these email hacking intrusions are becoming very prevalant in today’s world. And no, antivirus protection will not help you with this, it’s all done on the inside and sitting cozy in your inbox when you wake up.

Are we safe? Probably not. Will my email get hacked even though I have it on a Go Daddy secure server called “secureserver”??? At some point I guess. What can I do about it? Not much, it’s the internet. I think in a few years our whole internet experience will be changed completely. I do think that we will have something called “an internet account” that is run by some large company and every single thing we do is run out of it. Almost like a Zuckerberg idea of sorts, but very secure with physical requirements to log in…unlike Facebook right now. Speaking of Facebook, the calls are still coming in on a weekly basis about people’s facebook accounts getting hacked. Don’t fret, the techs at Call That Girl are sniffing and testing these “I photoshopped a picture of you” chat logs and private messages. So far, our programs are keeping out the intruders. Want to know what we have? Call us for more info 952-681-7969

Moving along…What should you do if you get an email from a well known company that you service with that looks like trouble?

• Delete the email–who cares (I did that with my US Bank email)
• Call your bank if you are worried, scared or nervous
• Never click on links in these types of emails
• Call us for a virus spot check if you did click on any links

While we are not surprised by what is going on, we are trying to watchdog it and alert our fans, friends and subscribers of this information. Always delete, ask questions later!

Lisa"

Security Baseline

From time to time I refer to my security baseline. My security baseline is merely a list of programs I use (all free) and recommend for anyone to use to keep their systems secure. This applies to YOU if you use Windows XP, Vista, or Windows 7.

Remember, all of these products are FREE, but will do as good a job as any fee products you may use. I make that statement based on many years of experience.

1. Microsoft Security Essentials - V2 now available. If you have V1, upgrade now  (FREE!)
2. Windows Firewall
3. MVPS HOSTS File - download the current month's version and update monthly
4. CCleaner - check for newer version than you may already have. Run weekly.
5. Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware - run bi-weekly
6. SuperAntiSpyware Free Edition - run bi-weekly in the off week after #5
7. Spybot Search & Destroy - run monthly just before downloading new HOSTS file

Questions?  Comment below or write me, pcdoc at brpcdoc dot com

MVPS Hosts File Download Available

The March update to the MVPS HOSTS file is available now.

This is a good time to run an up-to-date Spybot and then download and install the new HOSTS file. You can find it here:

March MVPS HOSTS file download

This should be an integral and very important part of your security baseline.

Adobe Update Time

So true. Have you noticed? :-)

 

Thank you graphjam.com

The Browser Wars?

Much is being made these days of "The Browser Wars". I think that's funny because I find some of my customers if asked "what browser do you use?" would probably reply "what is a browser?".

Internet Explorer is the  browser that most everyone knows, mostly because it comes installed on every Windows machine. I switched to Firefox years ago because of all of the security issues with Internet Explorer. Firefox is still my browser of choice. I have tried the others, but see no reason to change. I see one reason NOT to change to Chrome, and that is their refusal to include something as simple as a left sidebar for listing all of your Favorites or Bookmarks. Why? I haven't a clue. I see no good reason to switch to Opera or Safari.

All browsers are free, and that is good.

Maximum PC recently published their review of these 5 browsers, with Firefox coming out as the winner. If you are at all interested, it is a good article, and can be found here: Browser Battle 2011: Who Is the New King of the Web?

FYI, I have installed Firefox 4 on my 2 Windows XP machines. The install was fast and simple, and the differences are barely noticeable. You can read about these in the above-referenced Maximum PC article.

Asus Launches Eee Pad Transformer Tablet with Keyboard Dock

Well, this looks interesting! I wonder what the price will be locally. This comes from MaximumPC.com.

Posted 03/25/2011 at 8:15am | by Paul Lilly

Asus is calling its new Eee Pad Transformer "an innovative tablet with an expandable keyboard dock," but could this also be the netbook evolved? A physical keyboard isn't something that comes with any other major tablet, however it sits front and center on the Eee Pad Transformer, when you want it to. When you don't, simply detach the head and you're rocking a portable tablet PC with up to 9.5 hours of battery life (up to 16 hours with the dock).

Let's take a look at the feature-set. The Eee Pad Transformer sports a 10.1-inch IPS panel with LED backlighting (1280x800 resolution), 10 finger multi-touch support, scratch resistant Corning Gorilla Glass, Nvidia's Tegra 2 chip, 1GB of memory, 16GB/32GB of storage plus unlimited Asus WebStorage, 802.11b/g/n, Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR, 1.2MP front-facing camera, 5MP rear-facing camera with auto focus, microSD card slot, internal microphone, headphone and mic jacks, two USB 2.0 ports, G-Sensor, Light Sensor, Gyroscope, E-compass, GPS, and an optional 3G radio.

All this comes wrapped in Google's Android 3.0 (Honeycomb) platform with Asus' Waveshare UI. By all means, Asus has come out swinging. Looking at the spec sheet alone, the Eee Pad Transformer is portable, it's powerful, and it transforms into a netbook on the fly.

Asus said the first shipments are already underway, but didn't reveal a price or release date. Bummer.

Asus Launches Eee Pad Transformer Tablet with Keyboard Dock

Avoid Japan disaster relief scams - & many others!

If you receive e-mails soliciting funds for Japan disaster relief, be very wary. The best way to donate is to go directly to the web site of reputable organizations, and to key in their address in your browser's address bar yourself. Don't rely on links, especially those embedded in soliciting e-mails. There is much scamming going on through fake websites that are created to look just like those of reputable organizations.

There is an excellent web site that will give you additional detail on all that is going on in this, and other, matters. It is called ScamWarners. Once at the home page (address below), check out their FORUM by clicking on their FORUM link.

ScamWarners

More on Skype

If you are not yet a Skype user and would like to learn more, Kim Kmando has a nice writeup here:

Free video calls with the whole family

SKYPE

Late to the game I admit, but I have quickly become a big fan of Skype. Most laptops today have a built-in video camera, so making video calls is a piece of cake. Not surprisingly I guess, based on the popularity of Skype, many others already have Skype userids and conducting video calls with them is really easy. Also, even if you don't have a video camera, you can use Skype to make free voice calls if you are calling someone else using Skype (internet user to internet user). So many of my customers have told me that they use Skype to talk to relatives overseas. It saves a ton f money if one has a son or daughter in the military in the Middle East or elsewhere, or perhaps a relative living overseas for other reasons.

The Skype program is free and very easy to download and install.

Write me if you have any questions.

Microsoft Windows 7 Service Pack 1

Or W7/SP1 for short, if I may.

My W7 laptop, an Acer, is not heavily used and contains little data. I have known that SP1 has been available for some time, but I had read some bad things about it. However, at this time and since I have little to risk, I thought I would give it a try.

I didn't pay particular attention to the download and installation process, but it went smoothly and I'd say it took about an hour overall. There were no errors in the entire process, and when I finally rebooted when it was completed, the system came up just fine. No issues. No problems.

If you want to install SP1 on your W7 machine, I urge you to backup all of your data beforehand, and, as always, you should have an understanding of how you would reinstall the operating system if necessary.

While doing this I noticed that my machine has only 2GB of RAM. This was sufficient when W7 first came out, but the best minds nowadays recommend 4GB as a minimum for W7. While not one of the best minds, I nonetheless encourage you to upgrade to 4GB if you are still sitting with 2GB or less.

I learned in this process that my machine can be upgraded to 4GB. I really never explored that before, but nowadays you can get 2GB on one memory module, so I can install 2 of these, if I choose to spend $68, for a total of 4GB.

The Crucial Memory Tool is a good way to check on the RAM capabilities of your system (crucial.com)

You can click on those pictures for a larger size for easier viewing.

From Maximum PC:

"Internet Explorer 9 is finally available in final form to the general public, and we’re pleased to say that it represents a big leap forward for Microsoft’s web browser. We know that many of you Maximum PC reader’s have gotten turned off to IE in recent years (and understandably so) but Internet Explorer is suddenly a lot more competitive, and worth a look.
We recommend you try it for yourself (sorry XP users, Vista and Windows 7 only), but in case you’re still on the fence, we’ve prepared a visual guide to our 10 favorite new features in Internet Explorer 9."

Notice the phrase in RED above. This is good news for those of us still using XP. This means no more pressure to upgrade IE. I do recommend that XP users upgrade to IE8 if you are not already there. IE8 is much more stable and reliable that IE7, for those of you who may be using IE7.

For those of us who have W7 machines, I would suggest you wait a while, at least 3 months, before installing IE9. Give it a chance to stabilize.

The 10 Best New Features In Internet Explorer 9

Microsoft's Windows Malicious Software Removal Tool

It is that time of the month again. Served up with the usual Tuesday Windows updates was the March 2011 version of Microsoft's MSRT or MRT for short. If you have installed the March updates, then you now already have the March MRT tool available to you. In the pictures below note the :"March 2011" in the application banner (top of the windows).

 You may click on any of the 3 photos below to view a larger version.

 

Microsoft Launches IE6 Deathwatch

There was a time not too long ago when I held on to IE6, figuring I'd go with it until its end, but I threw in the towel and upgraded to IE7, which was really horrible, and then IE8, and IE8 seemed to be a reliable product with enhanced features vs. IE6.

That being said, however, I never use IE at all unless I am forced to do so. Firefox is still my favorite browser. I really thought Google's Chrome would be the ultimate browser, but when I tried it, release after release, and saw that Google apparently refuses to include a most basic feature - a Bookmarks list on the left side of the screen - I abandoned it. So for me it's Firefox.

However, I know that there are some of you who are planning to stay with Windows XP and IE6 until the end, which is still 2014. To you I say GOOD FOR YOU! Do it! I still run XP on all but two of my machines, which have Windows 7.

Perhaps the most important line in today's PC World article is this: "Microsoft has promised to support IE6 until April 2014."

Microsoft Launches IE6 Deathwatch

 

I'm starting to get the iPad itch! How to justify yet another expensive toy?

This review comes from PCMag.com.

Apple iPad 2 Hands On: Faster, Thinner Than the Original

Rogue Gallery

A link I saw on Kim Komando's web site pointed me to what I consider a valuable resource. In the past I had recommended Bharath's Security Blog as a web site to visit to check on rogue programs, but Bharath has not been updating lately, so I was very happy to see that Lavasoft has taken up the effort to keep us informed on the latest rogue programs. 


I was particularly interested because Lavasoft used to make a fine adware detection and removal program called Ad-Aware. It was always on my list of baseline security programs. However, at some point Lavasoft decided to abandon that small and simple program in favor of a much larger all-in-one security package. I thought, this morning, I would check out their free offering, but when I saw the download file size of 117MB I quickly decided against it. Having discovered Microsoft Security Essentials, the last thing I need is yet another anti-virus program in an all-too-big "Internet Security" bundle.


Anyway, Lavasoft's Rogue Gallery looks good and I recommend it to you as a reference site worth bookmarking.

Lavasoft's Rogue Gallery

A Parent’s Struggle With a Child’s iPad Addiction

This is from David Pogue's blog. He is with the New York Times.

"I think my 6-year-old is addicted to the iPad.

He asks for it constantly. He wants to use it in the car. He wants to use it at every unscheduled moment at home.

He brings it to the dinner table.

When I tell him it’s time to shut off the iPad and head up to bed, or put his shoes on, or head out to the bus, he doesn’t hear me the first three times I ask. Sometimes, he gets bizarrely upset when I say I have to take it away now — out-of-character upset. That’s what makes me think he’s addicted."

More............

Xoom Vs. iPad: The Real Tablet Wars Begin

From PC World:

Motorola couldn't have chosen a worse time to start selling the Xoom, the first real Apple iPad competitor. Just as the Xoom went on sale on Verizon, Apple dropped an iBomb in the shape of a press invitation next week to the unveiling of the next generation iPad (let's call it the iPad 2).

But even with the iPad 2 looming, Motorola's Xoom will have to go head to head with the original iPad. If you can't hold on a bit longer without a tablet, here's how the Xoom and iPad stack up against each other.

Xoom Vs. iPad: The Real Tablet Wars Begin

A Patrol for the Web’s Playgrounds

From the New York Times:

A company’s nationwide network of moderators aims to keep Web sites free of cyberbullies.

A Patrol for the Web’s Playgrounds

Tell us how you really feel!

This comes from the Call That Girl blog:

Reasons why we do not recommend AVG 2011

"…Or any of their products for that matter. Put simply, viruses, spyware, and malware get right through most antivirus programs. And AVG 2011 is no exception, it’s one of the free products that we see most often when we remote into a computer that has viruses on it. Not only is AVG 2011 a bad and heavily bogged down product, but it is just not worth the download, free or paid. (And in our opinion AVG 8.0 used to be one of the best). But just like with Norton (we consider AVG Norton’s little brother) or Symantec products, they both took a once good product, weighed it down, and ultimately just ended up ruining it. Sometimes it’s just right to leave things well enough alone."

 Your humble PC Doc, me, agrees 100%. I strongly recommend Microsoft Security Essentials (MSE) for all, although there was a time, pre-MSE, when I was AVG Free's number one fan!

Spybot Time

A quick reminder that the MVPS HOSTS file for February is available now.

http://msmvps.com/blogs/hostsnews/archive/2011/02/18/1788355.aspx

The Tablets of MWC 2011: Watch Your Back Apple

Yesterday I wrote about how the world of tablets is expanding. Here's some data to back that up - from PCWorld.

"Mobile World Congress 2011 was the launchpad for tablets from tech heavyweights LG, Samsung, HTC, Toshiba, Acer, and ViewSonic. Here is a roundup of what debuted.

Apple sold over 14 million iPads so far, a huge head start on these tablets introduced or first demoed at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona this week. The iPad is attacked from all sides: smaller screens, more multimedia blitz or port bonanzas. Can these upcoming tablets show Apple who has the last word in the tablet wars?"

Top 10 MWC Tablets Challenging The iPad

What a tough time to feel a need to buy a new laptop. The world of tablets is expanding every day with new brands and models, all claiming to be one better than the other guy. I'd love to have a tablet, but just can't justify the extra expense at this time.

Most netbooks (like the ASUS 1215n which I own) are cheaper than a tablet. Most notebooks (laptops) are priced the same or higher than most tablets, so the tablet fits right there in the middle between the two.

If however, you feel the need for a new laptop, you might find some useful information in this PC World article.

When Should You Buy a New Laptop?

E-cycling begins with you

This is a good site if you want to recycle some computer components. Tip: In using the site I found that I had success by clicking on a state name on the map. The "Pick Your State" drop down menu at the bottom of the page didn't work for me.

http://www.ecyclingcentral.com/

IBM's Watson Ties for Lead on Jeopardy Despite Some Missteps

From maximumpc.com:

"As fans of technology, it was easy rooting for IBM's Watson supercomputer in last night's first of a three-day Jeopardy segment pitting man versus machine. Watson's going up against two former Jeopardy champions, Ken Jennings, who in 2004 won 74 games in a row earning over $3 million including tournaments, and Brad Rutter, Jeopardy's biggest money winner of all time with over $3.2 million. Tough competition, but in the opening round, Watson held its own."

More........

Netbooks Lose Status as Tablets Like the iPad Rise

Anyone want to buy a good used Netbook?! :-) This comes from the New York Times.

"Remember the Last Big Thing in computing? You’ll be forgiven for having forgotten it was the netbook — a small notebook computer with a slender price tag, about $300.

Today, tablets are all the rage, including the iPad from Apple and a host of new entries starting to come from rivals like Dell, Hewlett-Packard, Research In Motion and Samsung. But less than two years ago, in 2009, netbooks were seen as the earth-shaking force in the industry, potentially changing the economics of the business and undermining the technology leaders, Intel and Microsoft.

Things didn’t work out that way. Netbook sales were meteoric in 2009, jumping eightfold in the United States, to 7.5 million devices, and tripling worldwide to 34 million. Yet the torrid growth stalled last year."

More...........

XP Desktop Resurrected

Okay, I did it. I have moved into our new home in Acton and I decided to see if I could get my old faithful IBM desktop to come alive after a rather longer than planned hiatus due to the sluggish real estate market, but that's another story.

My good old desktop, running Windows XP SP3 is alive and well. I have committed to it as my main computer, so my laptop usage is limited to web browsing and web mail, whereas my desktop at home has my Outlook and other serious software applications.

I have decided that I see no reason why this machine, and XP on my other machines, should not be able to carry me through to 2014, the announced termination of support date for XP. For those of you who have also made that commitment, good for us all. I do have a Windows 7 laptop. I need that for supporting customers with W7. Otherwise, XP on my desktop is it!

I have yet to come to grips with what to do about my investment in a beautiful Apple MacBook Pro 17. It is truly a great machine, but you know, it just ain't XP.

This evening I downloaded another 9 important XP updates. Included among them was MSRT. I shall now run MRT and call it a day.

PRIVACY: Remove your data from public directories

This comes to us from the Kim Komando web site, a site worth checking daily for tips.

"Whether you like it or not, your information is available publicly. And this information is freely available online. Marketers and advertisers have teams dedicated to finding this information. They use it so they can sell you thing you likely don’t want.

There are many online directories. Some of these compile listed phone numbers. Others might also include your address. And still others serve up more personal information as sales leads. They scour public records for your information.

Public information can include records from courts, real estate registrations and voter registration. It can also include hunting permits and marriage or driver's licenses.

However, online directories aren't out to get you. In fact, they typically offer a way to opt out of their listings. But you have to find the exit.

I've already done some searching for you. Here are the opt-out pages for a few major directory sites:

555-1212.com
www.555-1212.com
Look near the bottom of the list on this page. Click on Opt-out or Change Request Policy for further instructions.

Anywho
www.anywho.com
Remove your phone number online or by mail.

Acxiom.com
www.acxiom.com
You can opt out of both ad tracking and the online directory from this page. Opting out of the directory requires that you fill out and mail in a form.

Network Advertising Initiative
www.networkadvertising.org
This site lets you opt out of a long list of advertising databases and trackers. Simply select all the sites you wish to opt out from. Then click Submit.

Intelius
www.intelius.com
You must fax documents proving your identity to remove listings. Detailed instructions are in the section labeled, "How to Remove your Information."


US Search
www.ussearch.comYou'll have to mail in a form to turn on PrivacyLock and block your listing."

Today Show January 1994...What is the Internet?!

How far we have come in just 17 years!

Blue screen of death and what it means

Today's blog post comes from the "Call That Girl" blog.

"So you get the “blue screen” or “blue screen of death”…what do you do now?

If you call someone, you may get this answer, “It’s your hard drive”

Or is it…???

I’ve troubleshooted many of these errors. Sometimes simple troubleshooting is all you need to do. Sometimes it’s a bad Windows update or a software glitch that caused the blue screen to happen. 2 calls this week in the shop proved that it was a Windows problem and we quickly resolved it by doing some magic in the shop, cost to the client? An easy $40 fix. Didn’t take much more than 30 minutes for us to repair it.

Here are a few tips for you to try yourself at home before bringing it into our shop.

• Start by turning off your computer
• Then unplug all your cords including monitor
• Let the computer sit for 20 minutes
• After 20 minutes, only plug in the power for the computer and monitor and turn it back on
• If it turns on and goes to the Windows start up screen, you may have a bad keyboard, mouse or USB external port issue
• Once it comes back on, if all seems ok…turn it back off
• Plug back in the keyboard and mouse. Turn it on again

If it blue screens, it’s more than likely your mouse or USB port. If the end of your mouse has a circular end, it’s probably not the issue. If it has a 1/2″ thin metal end, it’s a USB mouse and could be the issue. Try another mouse if you have one.

If your computer turns on fine again, then test your USB plug-ins. (camera, webcam, printer, etc) If then all seems ok, go in and back up your information/data right away.

Again….if anything at this point fails, it could be a hard drive or a software issue. I don’t always think it’s a bad drive if it blue screens. Sometimes your computer just has a bump in the road and needs to be “reset”.

The troubleshooting tricks above often help figure out what may be causing the issue."

10000!

The hit counter for this blog just went over 10000! Thank you for looking!

10,000

Spam Scam

Wow, look at this e-mail I found in my Inbox this morning. It got through Google's spam filter and Outlook's junk mail filters. It sure looks simple, to the point, and legitimate, but NEVER EVER reply to something like this. No company will EVER ask you to send this level of information, nor would they ask it of you over the phone.

NEVER SHARE YOUR ACCOUNT INFORMATION WITH ANYONE!

"From: Amazon.com [mailto:amazone@live.com]
Sent: Thursday, January 27, 2011 12:18 AM
Subject: Amazon Alert

Dear Amazon Customer,

Kindly note that we are carrying out a routine check up on

all our account holders. This process is vital. For your account to be verified,

Kindly reply to this email by providing your Account Email, Account password,

Account Debit/Credit Card details and Card Security number (cvv).

Tracy Colemann

Customer Care Manager"

Kaspersky: Fake Antivirus Scareware on the Rise

From Maximum PC:

"Fake antivirus software masquerading around as the real deal is quickly becoming one of the oldest (and most used) tricks in the malware manual, and for good reason. It's easy to dupe less savvy computer users, especially as these bogus programs have become adept at looking the part. The latest one making the rounds is a false AV scanner called Antivirus 8.

"Over the last few days, we received numerous reports of computers infected with fake antivirus (scareware)," Roel Schouwenberg, senior antivirus research for Kaspersky, wrote in a blog post. "The name of this particular culprit is Antivirus 8."

According to Schouwenberg, fake pop-ups related to the bogus application were appearing on users' systems while not actively using their PC. Instead, they were running as soon as ICQ began fetching/displaying new ads. As Schouwenberg explains it, malware writers went through the trouble of setting up servers that appear to be related to actual retail products, so to outsiders (like Kaspersky) looking in, it appears the 'store' was simply the victim of an attack and the dirty ads keep rolling.

"By making it look like their server got compromised, the criminals can claim it isn't them who's responsible for distributing the malware," Schouwenberg explains. "But rather someone else who hacked their server to spread malware. The ad distributor is very likely to simply give them a warning, which gives these criminals at least one more shot at infecting more machines."

How it works isn't really important here, as none of this is going to matter to inexperienced users in the first place. Instead, now might be a good time to remind family and friends -- the ones who seem to ring your number every couple weeks with a new computer problem -- not to fall for fake AV scams.

"

Are AOL Subscribers Dense?

Okay, that post title is not mine, even though many of you know that I have nagged enough of you about this. How or why anyone could still be paying AOL the monthly subscription rate is beyond me. Okay, I do realize that there are still some of you who are dial-up and maybe have no other option (still hard to believe), but read the dollar figures and look at the percentages in this Maximum PC article posted at their site today. I also don't understand why anyone would use AOL at all, subscription or not, but that's just me.

"First and foremost, you might be surprised to learn that people still subscribe to AOL, the once popular ISP that fell from relevance about the time broadband came into its own. But get this -- according to The New Yorker, some 80 percent of AOL profits still come from its subscription business. It gets even better.

The New Yorker describes these subscribers as "older people who have cable or DSL service but don't realize that they need not pay an additional $25 a month to get online and check their email."

We're not talking about a small fraction of users, either. BusinessInsider said it spoke with a former AOL exec who said that AOL's "dirty little secret" is "that 75 percent of the people subscribe to AOL's dial-up service don't need it." When you consider that AOL raked in $244 million from 4 million customers in the third quarter of 2010, you can see where this could be troubling."

Reposting: Recommended Security Baseline

From time to time I have and will refer to my security baseline. My security baseline is merely a list of programs I use (all free) and recommend for anyone to use to keep their systems secure. This applies to YOU if you use Windows XP, Vista, or Windows 7.

Remember, all of these products are FREE, but will do as good a job as any fee products you may use. I make that statement based on many years of experience.

1. Microsoft Security Essentials - Version 2 now available
2. Windows Firewall
3. MVPS HOSTS File - download the January 2011 version
4. CCleaner - check for newer version than you may already have
5. Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware
6. SuperAntiSpyware Free Edition
7. Spybot Search & Destroy

Questions?  Comment below or write me, pcdoc at brpcdoc dot com

Have a wonderful weekend!

Worldstart.com

I'm not sure how I first stumbled upon this web site,WorldStart, but I have to say I have come to like it very much. I have been visiting it every day for a month or two. At first I wasn't too impressed, but then all of a sudden it seemed to change and offer what I view as smart, practical small tips that just might help you.

I usually just look at the 5 tips that are right there front and center on the home page. Many are quite simple, but I have found a few that really amazed me. I recommend a bookmark for this web site. Visit it occasionally or daily or more. You may just find a tip that can really help you. By the way, I have not bought anything form this web site, and I have not created an account, so don't feel you need to do those things. Also, their search window will search their archives for tips relevant to your search argument.
 
After looking at the tips, scroll down and take a gander at all of the links offered for other ideas. WorldStart.com is a neat, handy, and valuable bookmark to have on your system.

WorldStart

Tablets, Compared

These devices can't be ignored, and they probably won't go away, so if you want to invest in one, and they are getting to be an investment (iPad from $500 to $800), you might want to know about your options. Be wary of add-ons you might need, like a carrying case for example.

This New York Times article does a nice job of comparing some of the available products, but nearly every day you can read about another new tablet "to be announced soon".

FYI, I do not own one (yet). If someone were to give me one, I'd be glad to use it, but at this point I am not ready to invest in one. 

Tablets, Compared

While you are at it, you might enjoy this brief video:

http://www.wimp.com/fingerpaintingbeyonce/

Microsoft Security Essentials (MSE) Version 2.0

Microsoft Security Essentials or MSE Version 2.0 is now available. I have installed it on my everyday laptop. As my readers know, MSE is Microsoft's free anti-virus program. As my readers also know, I was an outspoken advocate for AVG for many years, but I have left AVG and migrated to MSE. I got tired of AVG's marketing ploys, constantly pushing their fee product and, in fact, they pushed so hard that some of my customers actually thought they had to upgrade and did so. Sad, but one more reason to check this blog once in a while!

I believe MSE to be a superior product all around when compared to other free anti-virus products. The principal reason I believe this is because Microsoft, more than anyone else, has the ability and knowledge to integrate their product with their own operating systems.

For those of you currently using MSE Version 1, Version 2 will be rolled out over time through Automatic Updates, but you don't have to wait for that and can download it and install it just as you did Version 1. And, you will NOT have to uninstall Version 1. Microsoft will take care of that for you as a part of the Version 2 installation procedure. You can get it, as I did, here: http://www.microsoft.com/security_essentials/.

I encourage you to do so, and if you do not already use MSE, I recommend it to you without reservation. If you have another anti-virus you will need to uninstall it first.

Enough from me, or perhaps too much, but I am excited about this new version. You can read a real pro's review of MSE Version 2.0 online. Fred Langa's Beefing up Microsoft Security Essentials
will lay out the technical details for you. Check it out.

Security Updates

I see the MVPS HOSTS file for January is available today. Also, the January MRT was one of this week's Microsoft Updates.

This is a good time to run a complete scan with MRT. Then update, immunize, and run Spybot. Finally, download and install the new HOSTS file.

I will cover this tomorrow, but there is also a new version, Version 2.0, of MSE, and this is very good news.

And now a word from our sponsor

Actually, I am the sponsor. One of my little ventures is called Boothbay Region For Rent By Owner or BRFRBO. I guess the name says it all, but let me add that the Boothbay Region of Maine has become a very special place for our family. We purchased a small summer cottage back in 1974 in an area known as Ocean Point , which is in East Boothbay which is in Boothbay. On this web site we have listed several rental properties including some year-round but mostly summer cottages. Boothbay, as you may know, is on the ocean. I honestly believe that if you go there once for a long weekend or a vacation, you will want to return. Please check it out. Click on the photo or link below the photo to see our web site.

Visit the BRFRBO web site

How to Switch from a PC to a Mac

As reported here a little more than a year ago, I purchased a MacBook Pro 17" laptop. It sits around virtually unused. I have no calls from customers looking for support, either because they don't need any (can Macs be THAT good?) or because they wouldn't think to call a "PC Doctor" when they have issues with a Mac. Well, here's a confession: I need help with my Mac. No, as far as I know there is nothing wrong with my new Mac, it's a user issue.

To show that I am serious about using this machine, I recently purchased Microsoft's Office for Mac 2011. I had figured from the start that this was a necessary prerequisite for me to ever get serious about using a Mac as my primary computer. I also intend to buy, shortly, the new iLife product which includes a newer and enhanced version of iPhoto. I had heard so much about iPhoto and really wanted to use it to organize and edit my large library of photos. I began using a digital camera in 2001 (thanks to my 4 sons) and have accumulated nearly 40,000 photos, not one of which I would ever want to lose.

And now that my wife and I are about to move into our new home outside of Boston, I will have room to set up my MacBook in a place where it may well become my new "desktop" computer. Up to now, since moving from Vermont, we haven't had the space in our tiny rental home in Wayland. At least, that is my plan, and time will tell how well this will work out.

I will continue to use my Windows XP and Windows 7 laptops to make sure I stay current and can address any PC problems that may come up. I have yet to decide if I will resurrect my good old desktop machine, after we retrieve it and 99% of our home furnishings from a Waltham storage unit.

So this article from today's pcmag.com website is very timely indeed for me. If any of you has a desire to learn more about the world of Macs, I think you will find this a very helpful article, written for us PC users.

How to Switch from a PC to a Mac

I still haven't made the leap, mostly because I am cheap, to the world of Blackberry, iPhone, or any of the other very pricey offerings out there, but I sure have been tempted. And now that Verizon is getting into the 4G game, the temptation will be even greater. Verizon, as my cell phone provider, seems to cover all of the areas I travel with decent signal strength.

This is Walt Mossberg's take on the Verizon move to offer 4G. I usually avoid such articles, not wanting to be tempted any more, but not this one.

In 4G Race, Verizon Pulls Ahead With Pricey Speed

Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer (MBSA)

Here is another free handy dandy tool I stumbled upon today. It is from Microsoft and is called the Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer (MBSA). It can be downloaded here: http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/security/cc184923

Go to that link and click on the blue text just under Download Now in the upper right corner of the window. On the next window click on Download to the right of the version you want. There are two English versions, one for 64 bit operating systems and the other, labeled as for X86, is for 32 bit systems.

This tool is really meant for organizations and their tech support people, but I found it was very much worthwhile for me. After the download run the program to install MBSA and after the install run it. I just took all of the defaults on the first screen and did not change a thing.

Two issues were found on my XP laptop. One, they have finally gotten me to leave good old IE6 behind and upgrade to IE8. I have been very stubborn and have resisted this change for a long time now, but there are security issues with the older version that really I should not be risking, so I installed IE8. The second issue found was that the GUEST account was enabled on my machine. This is viewed as a security exposure, and I have never even thought about it before. Also, I never knew that the GUEST account could be disabled, but it can, and I have done just that following the instructions given.

After making these 2 changes and on the third try, MBSA gave me a clean bill of health as shown here.

Security assessment:
Strong Security (The selected checks were passed.)
Computer name: HOME\ACERTRAVELMATE
Security report name: HOME - ACERTRAVELMATE (1-6-2011 9-57 AM)
Scan date: 1/6/2011 9:57 AM

What’s In Store for Technology in 2011

This is an article by Walt Mossberg in the Wall Street Journal.

"It has been a big year in personal technology, from the debut and early success of Apple’s iPad, to the rise and continuous improvement of Google’s Android smart phone platform, to the continued surge in social services led by Facebook and Twitter.

So I thought I’d take a look at the challenges and opportunities facing some major players in consumer tech in 2011. As with all my columns, this one is focused only on products and services provided directly to consumers, rather than to businesses. Also, as usual, this column isn’t meant to offer investment advice or to evaluate the management skills or financial condition of companies. It is a look at the products and competitive positions of the key contenders as they enter the new year."

Read the article here

How to choose strong passwords

This is not a recommendation, but rather just some food for thought. Be sure you have strong passwords.

How to choose strong passwords

Happy New Year!

I wish you all a very happy & healthy 2011.

Tom

Happy New Year everyone!  Time for my last post of the year, but...

Looks like this is the time of year for Top 10 lists! Kim Komando posts a very good one at the link below.I suspect we can all learn SOMETHING from it.

Top 10 Privacy Tips of 2010

10 Ways to Get the Most Out of Technology

This is very interesting. It sure made me think about changes I can make, and I may do some of them. Not all apply, at least not to me, but maybe you can get one or 2 good ideas and try them out. Also, I don't necessarily agree with all of them. Followers know that my free antivirus program of choice is Microsoft Security Essentials (MSE), but I also confess I know nothing of Avast and have nothing against it.

This is from the New York Times and was written by SAM GROBART. Good food for thought.

10 Ways to Get the Most Out of Technology

PC Repair Rip-Offs: Don't Get Gouged by Fix-It Services

A worthwhile article to read from pcworld.com.

"Computers don't always work as they should. Components fail, and operating systems fill up with crap that hinders performance and occasionally brings the whole machine to a halt. Savvy users know that they can fix most PC problems themselves, and use sites like PCWorld.com to find solutions to their tech problems. Those who lack confidence in their tech skills, however, often fall prey to the rapacious tactics of online and local repair shops."

Read more here...

We celebrate the birth of Jesus

Merry Christmas

Kim Komando's Top 10 Cool Web Sites of 2010

These are the top 10 cool web sites of 2010 per Kim Komando as posted on her web site today, 12/21/2010. 

"There are literally billions of Websites. That can make it difficult to find the ones that will really help you or entertain you. Every day I bring you the best the Internet has to offer. It could be a game or a helpful service.

Here's a look back at this year's most popular Cool Sites:

1. Quotes to inspire you
Sometimes it is hard to get inspired. That's when reaching for a favorite inspirational quote can help. This site has you covered.

2. Fun online jigsaw puzzles
Jigsaw puzzles are fun, but they take up a lot of room. Do hundreds of jigsaw puzzles online instead.

3. How much is your home really worth?
It's been a rough couple years for real estate. Is the value of your home finally recovering? Find out now!

4. Get free birthday treats
Presents are a Birthday staple. But why stop there? There are tons of places that will give you stuff for free.

5. Match current geography with the Bible
Geography knowledge can help us understand historic events. Get geographic information for Biblical locations.

6. Digging up dirt online
What do you really know about the people around you? Learn more about them for free.

7. Play old video games online
Miss the good old days of 16-color graphics and 8-bit sound? Thanks to the Internet, you can still play the games of yesteryear.

8. Great cleaning tips
Cleaning is a fact of life. But what do you do when cleaning isn't working? Visit this free Website to get the solution.

9. Get crime reports for your area
Even safe neighborhoods have crime. Get crime reports for your area. It will help you keep your family safe.

10. Find real car prices before you buy
Buying a new car can be stressful. How do you know you're getting the best price? This site can help you find out."

Bloatware

When you buy a new computer you will likely find many programs installed that you did not want. Many of these will be for trial periods of fee-based programs. In this case I am talking specifically about McAfee antivirus. It will have been installed and running just fine, but after some trial period like 30 or 60 days they will require you to PAY to keep their product working.

I will limit my comments about bloatware here, but I have to say it infuriates me.

In this case, a customer wrote: "I'm hoping you can help with a problem on my new computer. I'm trying to download AVG on my new computer now that the free 30 day McAfee has expired and the installation message is that it requires the internet and to list my server and port. Any suggestions? Super Anti Spyware installed with no problem. Thanks much!"
 
This is my reply:

"I do not recommend AVG anymore. Instead, I strongly recommend Microsoft Security Essentials. It too is free and has less overhead than AVG, has no marketing gimmicks or pressure on you, updates automatically, and, as far as I can see does an equal or better job of protecting you.

You will need to uninstall McAfee before installing any other antivirus program.

The first thing you should do is download Microsoft Security Essentials (MSE). You can do that here:

http://www.microsoft.com/security_essentials/

When downloading MSE you will need to specify whether you have a 32 bit system or a 64 bit system. I assume you have Windows 7? The stickers on your keyboard should indicate which you have.

See my blog entry here for my recommended security baseline suite:

http://pcdocsblog.blogspot.com/2010/11/my-recommended-security-baseline.html

Before installing MSE you need to uninstall McAfee. If you like doing this stuff on your own, follow the instructions here:

http://service.mcafee.com/FAQDocument.aspx?id=TS100507

Be sure to reboot after a successful removal of McAfee.

Now install MSE.

If you don't want to do this yourself, I can do it for you online with a remote control session. Or, if this is a laptop you can take it back to Best Buy (or wherever you bought it) and tell them to remove the McAfee. They should do that at no charge."

Windows Updates

14 updates today for my XP system. One of them, as usual, was the Malicious Software Removal Tool (MSRT).  I just started a full scan as a part of this monthly activity. If you do this too, be sure that the program is the December version. START/RUN/MRT/OK.

Keep Your Credit Cards Safe From Skimmers

This timely article is from PCWorld.com. It's kinda scary. There are very few good tips to prevent this criminal activity, so beware!

"Credit card skimming is a major threat to credit and debit card users. Here's what you need to know about this increasingly common form of financial fraud.

You're in a restaurant, enjoying a deep conversation. Peripherally, you see the waiter take your credit card and return a few minutes with a slip for you to sign. You think nothing of it until a few hours later when you receive a call from your bank: Someone is racking up serious debt on your credit card, mostly for electronics purchases. Is it you?

Skimming, a form of high-tech financial fraud, is on the rise worldwide. It relies on sophisticated data-reading electronics to copy the magnetic stripe information from your credit card or debit card. It can capture both your credit card number and your PIN. And it's happening not just at restaurants but at neighborhood gas pumps and ATM machines."

Read the entire article here

Hard Drive Diagnostic Rogue Program

A customer from my VT past wrote to say that her system had been infected by what I think is a new rogue program called "Hard Drive Diagnostic". I had not heard of it before. I see the folks at bleepingcomputer.com have heard of it and , no surprise to me, they say that the fix for it is Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware, the free program contained in my base security recommended list of (free) programs. 

Should you get bitten by this rogue, I would recommend you start your system in Safe Mode and run a full scan using Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware.

http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/virus-removal/remove-hard-drive-diagnostic

Also see http://pcdocsblog.blogspot.com/2010/11/my-recommended-security-baseline.html 

HOSTS File

The December MVPS HOSTS file is available today. This is a good day to fire up Spybot, update it, run immunize, and then run search and destroy. Afterwards, download the HOSTS file and install it and rest easy for the next month!

Speaking of AVG...............

This comes from technibble.com

"Yesterday AVG sent out an update that conflicts with 64bit Windows 7 systems. The conflict causes a “blue screen of death” when the system starts with the following message:

STOP: c0000135 The program can’t start because %hs is missing from your computer. Try reinstalling the program to fix this problem.

The makers of AVG have since removed the bad update (3292) and will be releasing a fix program in the coming days.

In order to repair the problem now, users can go into safemode and do a system restore back to a date before the update was downloaded. If users cannot get into safe mode, it is also possible to go into “Startup Repair”, “Repair Your Computer” and choose “View advanced options for system recovery and support” once it finishes scanning.

AVG has also posted additional repair details here if the above does not work."

If you found the previous two posts of interest, you should read this third part of the package. This article is more generic than the previous 2, but does include product specific information about the top products in each category (fee & free). Many of you may be interested in reading this. This is part 3 of 3 and again comes from pcworld.com.

Also of interest to me is how AVG, my old favorite free antivirus, has apparently fallen out of favor and not kept up with the competition. Also note while you read that both AVAST & AVIRA, like AVG Free, include annoying marketing messages trying to move you up to their fee-based professional versions.

Free vs. Fee: Free and Paid Antivirus Programs Compared

Top 5 Paid Antivirus for 2011

As a complement to yesterday's post about free antivirus programs, here is a similar list but this time of the fee-based antivirus programs. I try to avoid having to pay for software whenever I can, so I am no personal friend of any of these products, but I know there are plenty of people out there who like, and stay with, their fee-based programs. Keep in mind that for most, if not all, of these fee-based antivirus programs, the fee is an annual one. That's right, you have to pay every year to get the latest version. Check into each one if you are interested, to see exactly how their fee structure works. I am no expert in this.

As was yesterday's post, this review comes from pcworld.com

The specific article named above can be found here: http://www.pcworld.com/reviews/collection/5927/2011_paid_av.html 

Top 5 Free Antivirus for 2011

This is very interesting, perhaps especially to me. I am happy to see my recommended free antivirus program, Microsoft Security Essentials in what appears to be a virtual tie for second place. I am happy to see MSE ranked so favorably. It is, after all, a fairly new product. I have never thought that an antivirus program alone can do it all for you, and that is why I have a recommended security suite, and not just an antivirus program.

It will be worth your while to check out this web site and the results, provided by pcworld.com.

The review can be found here: http://www.pcworld.com/reviews/collection/5928/2011_free_av.html

If any of you reading this uses Avast, I would be interested in your comments about it. You can comment to this post below or write me at pcdoc@brpcdoc.com.

Christmas Food Court Surprise

Amazing! Enjoy

Happy Thanksgiving!

Thank you for visiting my blog. I hope from time to time you find something you can use.

Have a great Thanksgiving!

Is It Big Brother or Just an Algorithm?

This is a very interesting blog post from David Pogue of the NY Times. He wrote:

"A reader just wrote to complain. In Gmail, he wrote, “I have attached photo,” but then clicked Send without actually attaching anything. A message popped up: “You wrote ‘I have attached’ in your message, but there are no files attached. Send anyway?”

The reader was dismayed, saying he felt as if Big Brother was watching him.

My take is a little different. It’s this: “Wow, how smart of Google’s completely automated, robotic software algorithms to scan for the words ‘I have attached’ and flag me if I actually forget to attach the file! It saves me time and embarrassment, and of course isn’t anything at all like Big Brother because it’s a completely automated, robotic software algorithm!”

Man. This reminds me of the furor when Gmail first came out, offering 1,000 times the storage of rival Web e-mail services, but featuring little text ads at the side of the screen related to the contents of each message. There was the same Big Brother hysteria even though then, too, it was a completely automated, robotic software algorithm “reading” your mail.

Trust me, folks. If you’re worrying about Google reading your e-mail, you’d also better worry about Verizon and Comcast and Stop ‘n ‘Shop and Visa and your local library peeking into what you’re saying or watching or eating or buying or reading.

Now is a tad too late to worry about the privacy of your mundane life, methinks."

Visual tour: 25 years of Windows

This is interesting, particularly for someone like me who has lived through all of this.

"Twenty-five years ago, on Nov. 20, 1985, Microsoft introduced its first version of Windows to the world. Not many people outside the technical press or the tech industry took notice. Product launch events that cost hundreds of millions of dollars were still years away.

What's changed in Windows in the last 25 years? Plenty. In this image gallery, we take a look at the various faces of Windows over the past couple of decades and clue you in to what happened at every stage of the operating system's development.

1985: Windows 1.0

Screenshot courtesy of Microsoft.

Windows started in 1981 as a project called Interface Manager and experienced a series of delays getting out of the gate. When it was finally released in late 1985 as Windows 1.0, it made a ripple, not a splash. It had to be run on top of DOS, few applications were written for it, and application windows couldn't be overlapped (they had to be tiled).

Still, the OS allowed for multitasking of Windows apps (not DOS ones) and, even though few knew it at the time, it would eventually become the foundation for the Microsoft empire.

Windows 1.0 shipped with a handful of apps, including the Notepad text editor, a rudimentary calendar and the long-lived graphics painting program Paint. The operating system required MS-DOS Version 2.0, 256KB of memory and a graphics adapter. It could be run either from a hard disk or on two floppy disks running simultaneously -- in other words, you couldn't swap the disks in and out of a single drive."

Editorial comment: A hard drive was pretty rare then, and most people couldn't afford two diskette drives!

MORE......

Facebook e-mail?

Oh brother, here we go!


http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2010/11/15/gmail-beware-facebook-unveils-e-mail-service/

Windows XP: Looking back, looking forward

I subscribe to the Windows Secrets weekly newsletter. You can do so by donation. There is no fixed fee. I like the service and have over the past couple of years read many very worthwhile articles. The newsletter is always there in my Inbox folder on Thursday mornings.

This week's newsletter has an article titled Windows XP: Looking back, looking forward. I have provided a link to that article below. For those of you, like me, who still run XP on one or more machines, this is an outstanding reference article you will want to hang on to for the next 4 or more years.

As stated many times before, Windows XP will be supported by Microsoft through 2014, so there is no rush to migrate upwards if you don't have a need to do that.

Windows XP: Looking back, looking forward

MSRT

I just installed a half dozen or so Microsoft updates on my XP system, and saw that Microsoft's Malicious Software Removal Tool (MSRT) was included in the list.

I have just clicked on START/RUN, keyed in MRT (not a typo), and clicked on OK to start the MSRT tool running. I noted that the window indicated the NOVEMBER 2010 version (up on top) and selected FULL SCAN, and it is now running and will finish while I am asleep.

This should be a routine by now for you all, I hope.

A Fall Guide: How to Pick Your Next Computer

Walt Mossberg's annual report from the Wall Street Journal's All Things Digital web site. This may come in handy for those of you considering a Christmas gift for yourself or someone else.

A Fall Guide: How to Pick Your Next Computer

MSRT

A very observant and astute follower asked if Microsoft's Malicious Software Removal Tool should be included in my security baseline.

Very good question. To be truthful, I think she was correct to ask and I frankly forgot about it.

MSRT, as has been posted here more than once, comes out once a month along with the usual monthly Microsoft updates. When that happens, I am all over it and run a FULL SCAN with the new MSRT. I have said I view it as insurance, and free at that. I also found out that Microsoft only runs a quick scan when the update is installed, so I figured why not run a full scan once a month just as extra added protection?

I don't know if I should include MSRT in the security baseline. I won't, for now at least, but I thank the reader who brought this to my attention, and I strongly encourage all of you to do as I do and run a monthly full scan.

My Recommended Security Baseline

From time to time I have and will refer to my security baseline. My security baseline is merely a list of programs I use (all free) and recommend for anyone to use to keep their systems secure. Over the next week, as time allows, I will make some comments and advice and instruction on each of these 7 products. If you are interested in making a change on your system(s) to this baseline or to some of it, please give me the chance to elaborate on these products over the course of the next week, and then make your decisions. This applies to YOU if you use Windows XP, Vista, or Windows 7.

Remember, all of these products are FREE, but will do as good a job as any fee products you may use. I make that statement based on many years of experience.

1. Microsoft Security Essentials
2. Windows Firewall
3. MVPS HOSTS File
4. CCleaner
5. Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware
6. SuperAntiSpyware Free Edition
7. Spybot Search & Destroy

Something completely different

These aerial photos are so fabulous I just had to share them with you all:

http://justpaste.it/3ky

More housecleaning

The MVPS HOSTS file, October edition, was made available yesterday. You can get it at http://www.mvps.org/winhelp2002/hosts.htm.

Prior to installing it I recommend a monthly running of Spybot. When you start up Spybot remember to Update, Immunize, and then Search & Destroy. If you have been following my recommendations for a security baseline, then you should see this afterwards:

 

Although it might seem like a waste of time, I find it comforting to see that window once a month. My security baseline is different from most in my profession, but it works, and my system remains clean.

As a review, the reason for running Spybot only once a month, and just before installing the latest MVPS HOSTS file is that a part of Spybot's immunization process is to append thousands of extra lines to your existing HOSTS file. It is my belief that these are redundant and unnecessary as long as you install the MVPS HOSTS file. Remember, your HOSTS file is loaded into memory when you boot your machine, so you want an effective file but not one that is larger than necesary.

Security Firm Warns of Increase in Holiday Themed Malware Attacks

From maximumpc.com

"GFI Software, a security firm specializing in various software for small to medium-sized business, says to be on the lookout for Halloween-themed malware attacks.
The company's dedicated malware research center, GFI Labs, has been busy analyzing data from its ThreatNet monitoring system that retrieves real-time stats from tens of thousands of PCs running VIPRE antivirus software. What they found was an increase in the number of Trojans making the rounds in the days leading up to Halloween compared to last year."

More

Monday morning housecleaning

Lately I have tried to develop a routine of doing a little housecleaning on my laptop every Monday morning. I run a selection of tools including CCleaner, Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware or SuperAntispyware (alternating weeks), and Tune-up Utilities (Registry Cleaner, 1-Click Maintenance,  Gain Disk Space, and Configure System Startup).

The only program I have in my system startup list is Microsoft Security Essentials. The reason I look at this every week is that some programs (Adobe Reader & Java) seem to reinsert their update managers in the list on a regular basis. I have MSE set up to run a full scan every night around midnight.

Then, once a month, right after seeing that there is a new MVPS HOSTS file available, I run Spybot S&D and then install the HOSTS file.

It is important to keep all of these programs up to date, so before I run any of them I check for the latest updates just to be sure.

Paypal Phishing Scam

Doesn't this e-mail look legitimate? Please be sure never to fall for anything like this. If you do what they say, you'll wind up giving them your Paypal account userid and password, and from there they will have access to your bank account and probably your credit card information.

I have removed the link where it says "click here.....".


The e-mail came from paypal@service.com, which is to me a clear indicator that it's a phony address.

Information Regarding Your account:

Dear PayPal Member: Attention! Your PayPal account has been limited! As part of our security measures, we regularly screen activity in the PayPal system.We recently contacted you after noticing an issue on your account.We requested information from you for the following reason: Our system detected unusual charges to a credit card linked to your PayPal account. Reference Number: PP-259-187-991 This is the Last reminder to log in to PayPal as soon as possible. Once you log in, you will be provided with steps to restore your account access. Once you log in, you will be provided with steps to restore your account access. We appreciate your understanding as we work to ensure account safety. Click here to activate your account We thank you for your prompt attention to this matter. Please understand that this is a security measure intended to help protect you and your account. We apologise for any inconvenience.. Sincerely, PayPal Account Review Department

Copyright ? 1999-2010 PayPal. All rights reserved. PayPal Ltd. PayPal FSA Register Number: 226056.

PayPal Email ID PP059

Office for Mac Isn’t an Improvement

This comes as a disappointment to me. I was hoping for a rich Office product for my MacBook Pro. I even figured I would have to spend $200 on it because I use Outlook for my e-mail. Now I am not so sure.

From David Pogue of the New York Times:

"Last week, though, Microsoft released Office 2011 for Mac, the first new version in several years. The Home version ($120) comes with Word, Excel and PowerPoint; the Business version adds the Outlook e-mail program (formerly called Entourage), which goes for $200. Much of the work Microsoft has done is to make the Mac version of Office look and work more like the Windows versions.
The new Office suite has gotten rave reviews from my colleagues at other publications. Clearly something must be wrong with me; I think that, in day-to-day usability, Office 2011 is a big step backward."

Read the whole article here

Bharath has been absent for a while, and I for one have missed his blog posts that address new rogue programs. Today he is back, and boy did he come back strong. I didn't count them, but he has identified a bunch of new rogues, some of which one or more of you might encounter. For most of these he provides a link to removal instructions. This site is definitely worth visiting once in a while, just so you can stay one step ahead of the bad guys.

Bharath's Security Blog

 As good a resource tool as Bharath's web site is, remember that the best defense is a good offense, and if you practice what I preach, you shouldn't have these problems.

Please take heed and secure your system now!

I did this, per the article's instructions, and would have sworn that I saw a good improvement on my home network, but a couple of days later I am not really sure. However, I trust Fred Langa implicitly, so I feel I have improved my network performance. Unlike Fred, I had no benchmarks to measure before and after performance, but the change Fred recommends is very quick and easy and can be reversed just as quickly and easily. Fred's article will describe his benchmark test and the performance improvement that resulted. This is for Windows 7 users.

Simple change in settings pumps up Win7 networks

Is that noise coming from the computer bad?

This is a post form the blog of Call That Girl. It contains some very good information and I have not posted something like this, so please read on for some good tips on keeping that old computer running.

"Probably, but should you do anything about it is the question. I had a client yesterday that told me that her computer has been making noises for a long time. I asked how old it was and she said it was from 2005. Well, it’s five years old now. In computer life, that’s about 80 years old. Just like dogs live every 7 for our 1, computers have even shorter lives that dogs. If an average desktop computer runs 7 years without major malfunction (which most can, if taken care of right), then at age five, the computer is showing signs of aging.

Should this client get it looked at? At this point, it could be a simple fix, or an expensive fix. Would I put the money into it to see if it would last? Probably not too much with it being five years old. I just don’t see it worth it when the next thing that will probably go wrong, it the hard drive. And with labor and new hard drive, that’s approx $150 and up. New desktops that are “average” are $300-$400 brand new. But if you are concerned and want to see if it’s a simple fix, you can try a few things.

The computer may be running hot with processes and programs, so the hardware is working harder. A computer cleaning would maybe help that. During a Call That Girl computer cleaning, we also do a few system/memory checks and help you back up your data, just in case that computer does just shut down one day. (Which is worth it’s weight in gold if you’re not backing up or doing it properly!)

We can also walk you through helping you dust out the inside of the desktop unit or blow out the laptop air vents. Many times, the vents just need a good dusting! Or the desktop computer has TONS of dust in it from years of sitting around. I have seen miracles happen with a can of Dust Air.

If you want to try dusting out the computer yourself, here are some simple ways to do it.

• Unplug all of your cords from the desktop computer/laptop.
• Take the computer outside
• Take off the cover of the computer. For a desktop, there are usually “thumbscrews” (bigger ones) that are on the back side where all the ports/plugs are. Unscrew those 2 big thumbscrews and the cover should now come off, you may need to slide it off.
• Then take a paper towel and grab all the larger pieces of dust you can see.
• Take the can of Dust Air and start spraying at all the areas that are covered in dust. You may not want to be too close, dust will fly everywhere! Make sure to not get the nozzle too close to parts, just close enough to get out the dust. Get all the nooks and cranny corners while you are in there too. Do not get out a wet towel to clean any parts, all you need it Dust Air.
• For laptops, take the can of Dust Air and spray about 4 inches away to the vents. You will see small pops of dust come out. For those that have a lot, continue to spray until the dust it about gone.
• Remember, don’t spray too close and don’t over spray it. Just get the dust out."