Symantec antivirus software update crashes some PCs

"A recent update to Symantec's antivirus software rendered some Windows-based PCs inoperable, the security software maker disclosed Friday.

An update earlier this week to Symantec Endpoint Protection 12.1 antivirus software for businesses caused some Windows XP-based computers to crash repeatedly with a "blue screen of death," the company revealed on its Web site.

"On July 11th, 2012 Symantec Security Response started receiving reports of customers experiencing blue screens after applying the July 11th revision 18 definitions," Orla Cox, of Symantec Security Response, wrote in the post. "Machines may continue to blue screen after they reboot. This problem only appears to occur on Windows XP machines.""

More.........

Will your internet work on Monday? Take the test to find out if you have malware

The following text has been copied from the Call That Girl blog.

"Although the FBI has been urging consumers for months to check if their systems have been affected by DNSChanger, about 275,000 computers are still at risk of not having Internet access on Monday, July 9.

The good news is that it’s easy to see if your system has been infected and fix it if needed. The DNS Changer Working Group (DCWG) launched a check tool (Click on the link below to test your internet)
http://www.dns-ok.us/

— if you click on the link and the box is green, your computer is clean (If the box is red, your Internet will be dead)."

New MVPS HOSTS File Available

Tue, Jul 3 2012 9:58

MVPS HOSTS File Update July-03-2012

The MVPS HOSTS file was recently updated [July-03-2012]
http://winhelp2002.mvps.org/hosts.htm
Download: hosts.zip (145 kb)
http://winhelp2002.mvps.org/hosts.zip
How To: Download and Extract the HOSTS filehttp://winhelp2002.mvps.org/hosts2.htm
HOSTS File - Frequently Asked Questionshttp://winhelp2002.mvps.org/hostsfaq.htm
Note: the "text" version makes a great resource for determining possible unwanted connections ...
http://winhelp2002.mvps.org/hosts.txt (588 kb)
Get notified when the MVPS HOSTS file is updatedhttp://winhelp2002.mvps.org/updates.htm

20000

20000 hits passed overnight. Thank you faithful readers.

Tom

Happy 4th

Wishing you and yours a very special and happy 4th of July!

Fraud Ring In Hacking Attack On 60 Banks

All I can say is I m glad I am not a high-roller!

"Sixty million euro has been stolen from bank accounts in a massive cyber bank raid after fraudsters raided dozens of financial institutions around the world.

According to a joint report by software security firm McAfee and Guardian Analytics, more than 60 firms have suffered from what it has called an "insider level of understanding".
"The fraudsters' objective in these attacks is to siphon large amounts from high balance accounts, hence the name chosen for this research - Operation High Roller," the report said.
"If all of the attempted fraud campaigns were as successful as the Netherlands example we describe in this report, the total attempted fraud could be as high as 2bn euro (£1.6bn).""

Read whole article here

Microsoft Surface tablet hands-on

Microsoft’s mystery event is finally over and considering the flurry of leaks that piled up ahead of this evening’s press conference, we can’t say were entirely surprised by the announcement of the company’s first own-brand tablet. BGR was on hand reporting live as Microsoft took the wraps off the Surface tablet, a 9.3 millimeter-thick magnesium slate intended to set the stage for Windows 8 and Windows RT. We managed to fight our way through the crowd for a quick hands-on look, and Microsoft’s new tablet shows some serious promise. Hit the jump for more and be sure to check out our hands-on photo gallery linked below.

Read more here

MSRT for June 2012 available now

This is a repost of last month's MSRT availability.

Microsoft's Malicious Software Removal Tool (MSRT) became available with this week's Microsoft Automatic Updates. If you received this week's updates and installed them all you have MSRT. Microsoft updates this tool every month, and we have all just installed the May version.

I encourage you all to do as I do. Once installed, run a full scan on your computer. It'll take a while, but I view this as free insurance. The MSRT tool has never found a problem on any of my machines, and I am glad of that!

Be sure you have installed this week's updates and then do the following: Click on START then RUN and then key in MRT and click on OK. On the second screen click on FULL SCAN and let it run.

Note: in the above paragraph, MRT is not a typo. I don't know why Microsoft didn't set this up so we would run MSRT, but they chose to name the program simply MRT!

Time Out

Summer, and I realize it is not even here yet, has already gotten the best of me. I need some time off. I am not sure how long. I hope you understand.

I will, from time to time, post items of general interest here.

Tom

Seniors connecting with Internet technology

Hooray for us! And Seniors don't forget if you need help you can get it right here from your PC Doc, whether an in-house call or over the internet, the chances are pretty good I can help you out.

This article comes from the Washington Times.

"It’s the ultimate challenge in Internet dating - getting senior citizens hooked up with the Web. Connected Living is one company trying to teach seniors, many with limited Internet experience, how to log on, use social media and connect to families and the outside world.

The Massachusetts-based firm is going into senior group homes across the country to teach residents how to surf the Internet, send emails, share photos and videos, and play games online.

These basic computer tasks - second nature for many who have grown up with smartphones - can be life-altering for senior citizens who have never used a mouse or even logged on to a computer."

Read more here

Scams on Craigslist

If you ever get to selling an item on Craigslist, be very careful.

Craigslist will always warn you of the dangers with something like this:

** CRAIGSLIST ADVISORY --- AVOID SCAMS BY DEALING LOCALLY

** Avoid:  wiring money, cross-border deals, work-at-home

** Beware: cashier checks, money orders, escrow, shipping

** More Info:  http://www.craigslist.org/about/scams

The part about dealing locally is quite important. I finally sold my MacBook to a buyer in my home town. However, prior to that I had at lease 10 inquiries from THIEVES (scammers), all of whom wanted me to ship the MacBook  and after that I would get my money. Each and every one of them wanted me to ship the machine to Nigeria. These two items: ship before being paid, and ship the item to Nigeria are two very definite indications that you are dealing with a THIEF!

In addition, note in my final note to a scammer and his/her final note to me, his/her grammar leaves a lot to be desired. I am sure that over time their English will improve, but there are just so many telltale signs that this person is a crook.

I marked their e-mail inquiries as scams to Craigslist and also wrote to spoof@paypal.com. PayPal is the phony method the "buyer" says they want used for them to pay you.

Don't you just love the last sentence of the thief's note: "Thank you and God Bless."

My last note to the thief after receiving the one in red below:

"This note of yours and all the others you have sent have been forwarded to spoof@paypal.com. I hope they can put a stop to you and your ilk.

Tom"

   
"On Thu, May 17, 2012 at 2:21 PM, xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx wrote:

Hey ..I am not happy at all to hear all this from you..because i have
already told you that the item is urgently needed and i told my son
that the item will get to him soon...you are telling me another story
now.I think i have to inform FBI and my lawyer about the and they will
also need to inform the police...And you will get arrested for
scamming people online the internet..So i will wait to hear back from
you with the tracking number of your shipment as soon as you get the item ship out but if you don't...i think u will need to go to jail because you are trying to scam me.i have paid for the item and the money has been deducted from my account..I will stay on my computer to read back from you..Thank you and God Bless..."

I never heard another word!

MacBook Pro Sold

I have sold my MacBook Pro 17", a beautiful and powerful machine. I bought it thinking I would branch out in my PCDoc business to support Macs once I learned more about these different machines. Between moving from Vermont to Massachusetts and spending less time in Maine in the summers, that part of my business never really took off, and I was left hanging on to this very expensive MacBook that generated no income. I never got to use it much. The bottom line is that it simply wasn't running Windows, and hate Windows if you will, I was used to it, could keep it up and running, and it was where my PCDoc business was. I just could not get myself to like OS/X or Leopard or Lion enough to commit to the MacBook, so it sat mostly gathering dust, and it just made no sense for me to keep it.

So I listed it for sale on Craigslist, and boy did I learn something and quickly at that. I had so many inquiries from scammers who wanted the machine, sight unseen, to be shipped to Nigeria. That was one issue, but the real issue was that they wanted me to ship it and only THEN receive payment! Something is basically wrong with this business model of theirs. I just feel so bad for people who are taken in by these scammers and lose their valuable assets in the process.

I finally sold it to a family in my new hometown, and am happy about this, and particularly happy that the new owner tried out my machine for a day and found it was just what they needed for their business. They already had a lot of Mac experience, and that is what this machine needed. I would not have wanted to sell it to someone with no Mac experience.

I have to say, speaking as an experienced Windows user, the Mac is NOT as user-friendly as the Mac users world would have you believe. I can see a youngster cutting his or her teeth on a Mac and getting to love it and swear by it, but it simply is not a lot of fun for a Windows user to make the transition.

MVPS HOSTS File Available online now

I hope you are using this valuable tool. You can now download the new version as of today.

winhelp2002 has made a new post at Hosts News
MVPS HOSTS File Update May-23-2012


The MVPS HOSTS file was recently updated [May-23-2012]
http://winhelp2002.mvps.org/hosts.htm
Download: hosts.zip (145 kb)
http://winhelp2002.mvps.org/hosts.zip
How To: Download and Extract the HOSTS file
http://winhelp2002.mvps.org/hosts2.htm
HOSTS File - Frequently Asked Questions
http://winhelp2002.mvps.org/hostsfaq.htm
Note: the "text" version makes a great resource for determining possible unwanted connections ...
http://winhelp2002.mvps.org/hosts.txt (590 kb)
Get notified when the MVPS HOSTS file is updated
http://winhelp2002.mvps.org/updates.htm

Shredding a hard drive?

I recently experienced one of those "now I have seen everything" moments. The town of Acton, MA has just implemented a program to shred hard drives. Yes, you read that right. I have been in the computer business for 44 years and did not know that such a thing as a Hard Drive Shredder existed!

A company named SEM in Westboro, MA makes several devices for this purpose, but the Town of Acton decided upon the SEM 0300. I have seen it, touched it, and used it to shred several of my own old hard drives.

Why would someone want to shred a hard drive, and what does that mean? Well, first of all if you think of all of the possible Government uses for such devices, the list would be endless. And how about us, the residents of the Town of Acton (and elsewhere)? The answer becomes more obvious every day if you read the papers or listen to the news or browse the web. Privacy. Security. Identity Theft. These probably ring a few bells.

Before you toss out that old computer, and the Town of Acton makes this easy to do at the Town's Transfer Station, think about the data that might still be on your hard drive, and if you have the least amount of concern about this, as I think most of us do or should, then shredding your hard drive is the answer.

The Model 300 will easily and quickly devour your hard drive and turn it into lots of unusable and very small pieces (see attached photo). It really is quite amazing and so easy to do, and works for 2.5 inch (laptop PC) and 3.5 inch (desktop PC) hard drives. I would encourage all residents of Acton to take advantage of this new Town service. Where, you might ask?

The answer is at the gate house at the entrance to the Town of Acton Transfer Station, just off Route 2. Stop at the gate house, complete a brief Hard Drive Destruction Release Form, and pay the attendant $10 for the service (these machines are VERY expensive as you can see from the SEM web site and the Town wishes to have the machine pay for itself). Please note: as I write this the form is not yet online. If, when it goes online, it is located in a different web location, I will update the link. My thanks to John Bailey at the Transfer Station (pictured below) who is holding a handful of shreds (former hard drives) and posing next to the SEM 0300 (yes, it is a small machine and surprisingly quiet too!).

For any technical questions regarding how to remove your hard drive from your computer, please contact me at 781-898-4060 or pcdoc@brpcdoc.com.

Comparing Intel Core i5 vs i7

This pcmag article is of great interest to me, and perhaps for a few of you as well. I am very interested in the Core i7 processors that can be found in many new desktops, and I guess even some laptops. I believe the Intel Core i7 processors to be the fastest available.

"For many consumers shopping around for a new desktop or laptop PC, one of the biggest considerations is the type of processor, and two of the two processors most often in contentio are the Intel Core i5 and Core i7. Discounting Core i3 (mainly found in budget systems) and AMD processors (another article entirely), the difference between Intel Core i5 and Core i7 can seem daunting, especially when the prices seem so close together once they're in completed systems. We break down the differences for you."

More here

I received 2 e-mails from Google, warning me that someone in JAPAN had tried to access my e-mail account. At first I thought I had received a phishing e-mail from someone who would want me to divulge my password (NEVER do that!). Upon further reflection and upon receiving the second warning (below) that included the Japan reference, I figured maybe someone had my password already and had tried to sign in. Even if they didn't have my password, I decided that I would change my password, and I did. This is a very nice Google Mail (GMAIL) feature. I am impressed. By the way, I changed my password in the traditional manner by signing into Gmail and then selecting the CHANGE MY PASSWORD option. I would not recommend following any links in e-mails such as these. They could be fakes, phishing for my password and sending me to one of their own sites! Geez, who can you trust these days online?

Microsoft Gives Windows a Clean Sweep

This is really good news. If/when I sell my Apple Macbook Pro 17, I think this is how I shall buy a replacement laptop. This comes from Walt Mossberg at the Wall Street Journal.

"For a long time, some Microsoft officials have privately griped that PC makers don’t present Windows in its best light. They clutter desktops with icons that are often little more than ads for third-party products; include confusing utilities that duplicate functions already in Windows; require lengthy setup; and configure PCs in ways that slow them down.

One consequence, in the eyes of these Microsoft executives, is to confer an advantage on the company’s main operating-system rival, Apple."

Whole article and link to Microsoft site here

DISH Introduces Commercial-Free TV With "Auto Hop"

I wanted to call this post "It's about time:, but I didn't want to steal any of the thunder from Dish Networks. For the same reason I am including the entire article from http://press.dishnetwork.com/press-releases/dish-introduces-commercial-free-tv-with-auto-hop--nasdaq-dish-0885876

I can only speak for myself when I say that I sure get annoyed at all the commercials on TV these days, and since I use a multi-roon DVR for most programs I am interested in, this article sure hit home!  So, IMHO it's about time and I am very glad to see Dish take the lead on this. I have had experience with Comcast, Verizon FIOS, and Time-Warner. None of these has such a feature and it is my hope that these will follow with their own "Auto Hop" feature.

"ENGLEWOOD, CO--(Marketwire - May 10, 2012) - DISH (NASDAQ: DISH) satellite subscribers will now get the feature viewers have been waiting for since the beginning of television -- the choice to automatically skip over commercials. The new "Auto Hop" capability for the Hopper whole-home HD DVR system is being activated today, and it allows customers to skip all commercials for most recorded primetime HD programs shown on ABC, CBS, FOX and NBC when viewed the day after airing.
"Viewers love to skip commercials," said Vivek Khemka, vice president of DISH Product Management. "With the Auto Hop capability of the Hopper, watching your favorite shows commercial-free is easier than ever before. It's a revolutionary development that no other company offers and it's something that sets Hopper above the competition."

DISH is the nation's third-largest pay-TV provider, delivering TV service to millions of families nationwide. DISH launched the Hopper whole-home HD DVR system in mid-March, giving viewers the ability to record up to six shows at once while playing back HD content in up to four rooms.
"Auto Hop" is an extension of the Hopper's PrimeTime Anytime™ capability, the exclusive feature that allows viewers, with one click, to record all of the primetime TV programming on ABC, CBS, FOX and NBC in HD -- the networks that deliver some of the most popular shows during primetime.
The Hopper automatically stores these shows for eight days after they have aired, creating an on-demand library of approximately 100 hours of primetime TV shows, and making it easy to access episodes from last night, or last week.

"The magic of PrimeTime Anytime is that it allows DISH subscribers to catch up on all primetime shows, including episodes recorded over the past week and recommended by friends, family, and co-workers after they've already been broadcast," said Khemka. "With Hopper, you have access to all primetime HD programs broadcast by the four major networks. Now you can watch many of those shows commercial-free, with Auto Hop."
Auto Hop, using patented technology, works with most shows recorded using PrimeTime Anytime (patent pending). A viewer can watch a show with the Auto Hop option commercial-free starting at 1 a.m. ET, after a show has been recorded to the Hopper's PrimeTime Anytime library. Prior to that, The Hopper's 30-second "hop forward" feature continues to work for same-day viewing.
Auto Hop does not work on live broadcasts.

Lauded by reviewers as the best whole-home DVR for its intuitive user interface, never-before-seen features and reasonable pricing, the Hopper whole-home HD DVR system makes it easy to enjoy HD programs in multiple rooms. PCMagazine named the Hopper an "Editor's Choice" among DVR products and calls the award-winning and innovative Hopper "one of the best DVRs we've ever seen."
ENGADGET has similar praise for the Hopper and the PrimeTime Anytime feature "because it allows us to discover shows anytime after they first aired, so if you learn of a great new show while wasting time at the water cooler, it isn't too late to go home and watch it or choose to save it for a later viewing. It's a step towards a future where we can watch whatever we want without having to plan in advance or consult a list to make sure our shows will be recorded. What else can we say? It just works."

For more information about the award-winning Hopper and Joey by DISH, including technical specifications, please visit www.dish.com/hopper.
Hopper and Joey images are available at http://press.dishnetwork.com/Press-Center/Photo-Library.

About DISH Network
DISH Network Corporation (NASDAQ: DISH), through its subsidiary DISH Network L.L.C., provides more than 14 million satellite TV customers with the highest quality programming and technology with the most choices at the best value, including HD Free for Life. Subscribers enjoy the largest high definition line-up with more than 200 national HD channels, the most international channels, and award-winning HD and DVR technology. DISH Network Corporation's subsidiary, Blockbuster L.L.C., delivers family entertainment to millions of customers around the world. DISH Network Corporation is a Fortune 200 company. Visit www.dish.com."

Phishing scams

BE VERY CAREFUL OUT THERE!

I see a lot of spam these days, more and more it seems. Much of it comes in to my small business e-mails, like my PC Doc e-mail or my BRFRBO e-mail. Many of these are "PHISHING" e-mails, meaning someone is trying to fool me into making a payment when no payment is due, and of course the payment will go to the criminal and not the legitimate business. I posted an example of a fine looking e-mail from Verizon on this web site just a few weeks ago. Today I got one from a "PAYPAL" address. It was clear to me that it was a phishing attempt, and for Paypal I know that they have an address, spoof@paypal.com, where one can forward suspected phishing attempts. I did that and got the following reply:

"Hello pcdoc,

Thanks for forwarding that suspicious-looking email. You're right - it
was a phishing attempt, and we're working on stopping the fraud. By
reporting the problem, you've made a difference!

Identity thieves try to trick you into revealing your password or other
personal information through phishing emails and fake websites. To learn
more about online safety, click "Security Center" on any PayPal webpage.


Every email counts. When you forward suspicious-looking emails to
spoof@paypal.com, you help keep yourself and others safe from identity
theft.

Your account security is very important to us, so we appreciate your
extra effort.

Thanks,

PayPal"

MSRT

Microsoft's Malicious Software Removal Tool (MSRT) became available with this week's Microsoft Automatic Updates. If you received this week's updates and installed them all you have MSRT. Microsoft updates this tool every month, and we have all just installed the May version.

I encourage you all to do as I do. Once installed, run a full scan on your computer. It'll take a while, but I view this as free insurance. The MSRT tool has never found a problem on any of my machines, and I am glad of that!

Be sure you have installed this week's updates and then do the following: Click on START then RUN and then key in MRT and click on OK. On the second screen click on FULL SCAN and let it run.

Note: in the above paragraph, MRT is not a typo. I don't know why Microsoft didn't set this up so we would run MSRT, but they chose to name the program simply MRT!