Downloading free programs

I recommend http://www.filehippo.com/ for downloading free programs.

http://filehippo.com/download_ccleaner/ is their page for downloading CCLEANER. Once there, click on the green bar in the upper right corner of the window to get the latest version..

http://www.filehippo.com/download_malwarebytes_anti_malware/ is their page to download Malwarebytes. Once there, click on the green bar in the upper right corner of the window to get the latest version.

Above are two free programs I recommend to all Windows users.

Questions, use the Comments feature of this blog. At the end of this post, click on Comments. Then sign in using your Google account or sign in as Anonymous. If you use Anonymous, please add your name at the end of your comment.

Apps to Manage Passwords So They Are Harder to Crack Than ‘Password’

More on password strength, this time from the New York Times.

"It became official again this week: We are awful at passwords.

Year after year, studies show that many people still rely on passwords that are so weak that even a 5-year-old could crack them. According to a study released this week by SplashData, a developer of password management software, consumers continue making the riskiest choices with passwords by consistently using overly simple ones.

The highly unimaginative “123456” and “starwars,” for instance, were among the most commonly used passwords of 2015, SplashData said.

Now for a confession: I am no better than the rest of you. The password management app Dashlane recently ran a security audit of all my passwords — and what it found was ugly. It revealed that out of my 70 passwords, I had reused the same one 46 times. Twenty-five of the passwords were flagged as being particularly weak, or easy for a hacker to crack.

In my shame and embarrassment, I put together a guide of best practices for passwords and tested some tools that would help manage them. Here’s what it boils down to: To have the safest passwords protecting your digital life, each password should be unique and complex. But since memorizing 70 unique and complex passwords is nearly impossible, we also need password manager programs to keep track of them all.

 

Jeremiah Grossman, the founder of WhiteHat Security, a web security firm, says he memorizes only a few passwords, including one to unlock his computer, and another to unlock an encrypted USB drive containing a file with a list of all his passwords for dozens of services. None of his passwords are memorable because they are random.

“I select them quite literally by banging on the keyboard a few times like a monkey,” Mr. Grossman said in an interview, adding, “My setup is a bit more paranoid than the average person.”

The rest of us need password managers, a type of app that locks passwords in a vault and allows access to them with one master password. I tested three popular password management services — LastPass, Dashlane and 1Password — for several days. All were similar, with 1Password standing out as the most cleanly designed (and least annoying) password management tool.

To put the password managers to the test, I began by cleaning up my password hygiene. I spent two and a half hours logging in to all 70 of my Internet accounts and changing each password, one at a time. Following the advice of security experts, I created long, complex passwords consisting of nonsensical phrases, lines from movies or one-sentence summaries of strange life events, and added numbers and special characters. (Samples: My favorite number is Green4782# or The cat ate the CoTTon candy 224%.)

Then I turned to the password managers, which store your passwords and make them accessible with a master password. Naturally, your master password should be rock solid. So for each of the three apps, I created a complex master password and jotted those down on a piece of paper. After a few days I memorized those passwords and threw away the paper.

I recommend 1Password for several reasons. The app consistently and automatically detected whenever I logged in to websites or created new passwords to ask if I wanted to add a password to the vault.

When logging in to a site, I clicked on the 1Password icon in a computer browser or opened the app on a phone, entered my master password and selected the service I wanted to log in to in order to plug in the password. (1Password can be set up to require the master password after a certain amount of time, say five minutes, if you don’t want to keep entering it; on iPhones it can be configured to unlock the vault with your fingerprint instead of the master password.)

Of the password managers I tested, Dashlane was the most frustrating because it nagged me with too many questions. After I used Dashlane to log in to TicketWeb to order movie tickets, the app asked if I wanted to save a copy of the receipt inside its vault. In the process of doing that, it froze the browser and I lost access to the web tickets for a moment. Also, whenever I created a new password, Dashlane sent notifications asking if I wanted the app to automatically generate passwords for me — which was not my preference.

Dashlane said the app was proactive about notifications partly because it was designed for users who may not be technically savvy.

“With password management becoming something that mainstream consumers care about, the simplicity of the product needs to be completely different,” Emmanuel Schalit, Dashlane’s chief executive, said in an interview. “We tried to build a solution that a not sophisticated user could use.”

The third app, LastPass, was less annoying than Dashlane, but in multiple instances it did not detect when I was logging in to a website to add the password into its vault. That required me to manually create a new password entry to add to the vault.

Each of the apps offers the ability to share password vaults across multiple devices, like smartphones, tablets and computers. Wireless synchronization for passwords is a necessity: You don’t want to be locked out of a service on your smartphone because you left your laptop containing all your passwords at work, for instance.

What distinguishes the password management apps is how they share your passwords among different devices, and how much they charge. Dashlane is initially free and hosts its own cloud server to share passwords across your devices, but it costs $40 a year to use the cloud service. LastPass is also free up front; it offers the ability to share passwords across devices for $12 a year.

The app 1Password came out on top because it offered the most value for the money. For a one-time payment of $50, you get a license to use 1Password on a computer. You can use the core features of 1Password on iPhones or Android devices free — if you want to unlock extra features, like the ability to store serial numbers for software licenses, it costs $10.

The downside is that AgileBits, the developer of 1Password, requires users to set up their own cloud syncing with third-party services like Dropbox or Apple’s iCloud, which are free to use. Fortunately it’s not difficult to set up password synchronization over the cloud. There is also an option to synchronize your password database over a Wi-Fi network, but that’s not as seamless.

Mr. Grossman of WhiteHat Security, who does not use a password management app, said he preferred LastPass for its security features. LastPass supports multi-factor authentication, meaning that when you log in with your master password, you will receive a newly generated code on another device, like a smartphone, that you have to enter to unlock the vault. It’s an extra layer of protection.

“We’ve been very popular among security professionals and I.T. folks,” said Amber Gott, a marketing manager for LastPass.

There is always a risk that password management companies themselves will get hacked. LastPass reported last year that its network was breached and that hackers gained access to user email addresses and password reminders.

To avoid that, you may want to skip password managers. If that’s your preference, Mr. Grossman said there’s always a low-tech way to keep track of passwords: Jot them down on a piece of paper and keep the list in a safe place. The best part about that approach? It’s free.

World's Most-Used Passwords Are Still Awful, According To 2015 Data

Get smart folks! Found this on Huffington Post:

You already know this: passwords are the first line of defense against cyber criminals, who are only getting smarter and more devious with each passing day.

So why do people still insist on using easy-to-crack passwords? According to SplashData’s annual “2015 Worst Passwords” list, it seems some folks just never learn.

The list, which ranks the most commonly used passwords by Internet users, reveals just how terrible many people’s password choices are.

“‘123456’ and “password” once again reign supreme as the most commonly used passwords, as they have since SplashData’s first list in 2011, demonstrating how people’s choices for passwords remain consistently risky,” wrote the password management applications company on its website.

Other awful passwords in the top 25 include “qwerty,” “welcome,” “letmein” and “monkey;” “starwars,” “princess” and “solo” also made this year’s list:

1. 123456 
2. password 
3. 12345678 
4. qwerty 
5. 12345 
6. 123456789 
7. football 
8. 1234 
9. 1234567 
10. baseball 
11. welcome 
12. 1234567890 
13. abc123 
14. 111111 
15. 1qaz2wsx 
16. dragon 
17. master 
18. monkey 
19. letmein 
20. login 
21. princess 
22. qwertyuiop 
23. solo 
24. passw0rd 
25. starwars

The list, compiled from more than 2 million leaked passwords last year, indicates that “many people continue to put themselves at risk for hacking and identity theft,” SplashData wrote.

The company said it hopes its list will be a wake-up call for people to start using more secure passwords.

“We hope that with more publicity about how risky it is to use weak passwords, more people will take steps to strengthen their passwords and, most importantly, use different passwords for different websites,” said SplashData CEO Morgan Slain in a statement.

Most experts agree that strong passwords are random (no obvious words and combinations); long (more than 12 characters); and use a mix of numbers, letters and symbols. Also be sure to change your passwords periodically.

Using random password generators and password managers can also be useful. 

Malwarebytes - Final Decision

It is a little over a month now since I last wrote about Malwarebytes.

I have been continually nagged by the company to renew my Premium license, but as I said on 11/19, I would probably not renew.

I have decided not to renew. I have uninstalled the Premium version and installed the Free version. If you are inclined to install the free version, and I do recommend that you do, you can download Malwarebytes Anti-Malware 2.2.0 from the good old reliable download site, Filehippo. The url is http://www.filehippo.com/download_malwarebytes_anti_malware/

Click on the green box in the upper right hand corner to download the latest version.

Here is why I decided to go with the free version: in the year that I had the premium version installed on our 3 machines, it never found one problem on any of the 3 machines. This was a surprise to me. I have been singing the praises of Malwarebytes since was back, maybe 7 years or more. In a year 2008 blog post I stated "I have learned that Malwarebytes Anti-Malware is better than SuperAntispyware."

Check out this ancient blog post at http://pcdocsblog.blogspot.com/2008/11/learning-teacher.html

So the bottom line is still that I love Malwarebytes. I will run the free version weekly on our machines, and I recommend that you do too. I just can't recommend the Premium ($) version. The Free version does the trick for me.

I feel I must add that I have used Microsoft's free anti-virus program for years now, and it is my first line of defense against viruses and malware, and it does a fabulous job. Net, I do not pay for an anti-virus either.

Microsoft's free anti-virus had been known as Microsoft Security Essentials, but Microsoft changed its name to Microsoft Windows Defender. Believe me, DEFEND it does.

Happy New Year to all!

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas everyone!

CCleaner

I still cannot say enough about CCleaner. In my opinion it should be installed on every Windows system.

It is still free, but be forewarned  that the company, Piriform, now offers two versions that come at a cost. I do not use either of the fee-based programs - I should say YET! In some cases when I have downloaded the latest version I am reminded of, and encouraged to buy, one of the fee versions. To date I have not succumbed to the temptation!

This program used to be called "Crap Cleaner" until they gave it a less offensive name of CCleaner. That is what it dies, it cleans the crap from your system, and that is good. It is small and very fast. If you run it once a week it will probably take 30 seconds (after your initial run which will likely be longer) . 

I encourage all Windows users to get CCleaner. I can only recommend the free version because I have no experience with the fee versions.

You can download the free version here: http://www.piriform.com/ccleaner or on my favorite web site for downloading stuff:  http://www.filehippo.com/.

If you do not use this tool and if you do download it and have any problems or questions, write me at pcdoc@our4sons.com.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Windows 10 - Again

I finally figured out how to get the "Get Windows 10 APP", visible to the PC user by the icon in the system tray, on my desktop. These icons started to appear on our systems back in (about) June or July 2015. However, it did not appear on my desktop PC. It did appear on our two laptops, and W10 was subsequently successfully installed.

So this week, after puzzling over this for many moons, I did a manual Windows Update and selected an Optional update to install Internet Explorer 11. I restarted my system afterwards, and the Get Windows 10 App icon immediately appeared in my system tray! Very strange I thought.

Anyway, I went ahead and installed W10 replacing the W7 installation already there.

The installation of W10 went very well and without any hitches.

I really do like W10, and that is why I decided to leave the older systems behind.

I recommend W10 wholeheartedly and without hesitation for most users. I would say that IMHO you should have 8 GB of RAM. This is not required, but based on my experience I would not recommend W10 until/unless you have at least 8 GB of RAM.

I worked on a customer's machine that had upgraded to W10 but had only 4 GB of RAM. It works. It doesn't complain, but I believe W10 will be much happier with a minimum of 8 GB of RAM.

BTW, my PC Doc e-mail address has changed, and it is pcdoc @ our4sons.com (drop the 2 spaces).

Malwarebytes Premium

I received this renewal notice from Malwarebytes this morning. I wrote herein a year ago that I had bought their Premium version. It covered 3 systems (what we have) and was only $23 at the time. I thought it was a good investment. I still do, but I think I will take a pass on renewing. It's not the $24, it's the idea. I have always hated paying for software and avoided it with very few exceptions.

I will let the current version stay installed and see what happens when it expires. I do expect several more notes pleading for my renewal, but I shan't renew. I expect they will turn off the realtime monitoring but hope they will continue providing me the updates free of charge. If not, I will uninstall and download the free version if it is still available. If it is not I will rely on good old Super Antispyware which is still, I hope, free.

Happy Thanksgiving all.

Your old PC Doc

Hi Tom,
Your Malwarebytes Anti-Malware Premium order, Reference # 82752772, is set to automatically renew itself on December 19, 2015, for $24.95.

Thank you for your support. Just a reminder that Malwarebytes Anti-Malware Premium protects you against zero-day malware, ransomware and other threats 24/7/365. Automatically and without hassle.

We look forward to continuing to crush malware on your behalf.
If you would like to manage your subscription, click here. To update your payment, click here.
 
Cheers,

- The Malwarebytes Team

P.S. Questions? Need help? Head over to our Help Section.

SOS Online Backup

I continue to use and favor SOS Online Backup. All of my priceless family photos and videos, along with documents important to me, are reviewed weekly by SOS and if there are new files that have been added since last week or files that have been changed, they all get backed up to the SOS servers.

I have been a customer for maybe 5 years now and have never had a problem. Occasionally I will select a file on the SOS servers and download it just to make sure all is well. Having an SOS Online Backup account is like having a safe deposit box for all of my computer files. I hold the key and can go there anytime I wish to doubecheck that everything is as I expect it to be.

I have set up my account to run weekly  backups automatically, and the system works like a well-oiled machine. I started out having these auto runs on a daily basis, but as my confidence grew with SOS I have found weekly runs are just fine. Each week I get an e-mail reporting the weekly activity, so I know things are working smoothly.

If you have computer files you would rather not lose, you should be backing them up.

I use and recommend SOS Online Backup.

I did it again

I installed W10 on my wife's laptop last night. It is so satisfying to me to have now installed W10 twice without a single problem. Microsoft has done it right!

I started the install just before I went to bed last night. When I got up this morning, it had finished. I have no idea how long it took, and I don;t know what sort of magic they have included,but it sure worked like magic.

Windows 10 & the MVPS HOSTS File

I have to say that I really like W10 so far. I am only using it as a staight replacement for W8.1 so far, and it performs flawlessly.

I also just installed the August 2015 MVPS HOSTS file. It went in with no problem at all.

Don't be shy people. I think you will like W10.

I did it and it was easy!

I am now running Windows 10. It was a very easy transition. I am able to easily do the things I have been doing, and there is so much new stuff to explore.

The upgrade from 8.1 to 10 was flawless. No problems at all. I can't really say how long it took because I started it and left the house for a few hours and it was done when I returned.

When can I upgrade to Windows 10?

I received this as an e-mail from Microsoft this morning.

Learn about upgrading, Windows 10 features, and more Home | Upgrade FAQ's | Windows 10 | Latest Devices

	When can I upgrade to Windows 10? We want to give every customer a great upgrade experience, so we’re rolling it out in an organized way to manage high demand and to make sure that the upgrade is right for your device. After July 29, when Windows 10 is ready for your device, it will download in the background. You’ll then get a notification to schedule your upgrade right away or at another time that’s convenient for you. Here are some common questions about the upgrade process. Click on the links for answers.      How long does it take to install the upgrade?      What if I have more than one Windows device – can I upgrade them all?      What edition of Windows will I get as part of this free upgrade?      Will my PC or tablet be compatible with Windows 10? Should you need any help or have any additional questions after upgrading, a Microsoft Answer Tech will be available to assist you.

Independence Day 2015

Irony alert: Password-storing company is hacked

"No one's safe from hackers -- not even LastPass, a company that stores people's passwords."

It's true. Putting all of one's eggs in one basket may not be the prudent thing to do.

Story here 

The secret behind why Windows 10 is so good

"Microsoft listened to you. More than anything else, that's why Windows 10 won't be another Windows 8 or Vista."

In conversations with CNNMoney, top decision makers at Dell, Hewlett-Packard (HPQ, Tech30) and Toshiba noted that Microsoft requested their input throughout the process of creating Windows 10. They said Microsoft listened to their feedback -- and, vicariously, PC customers' feedback -- and made a better operating system as a result.

Responding to customer demands. The PC makers said that process was vastly improved from the way that Microsoft (MSFT, Tech30) conducted its business ahead of the Windows 8 launch. They said Windows 8 felt forced on them while Windows 10 felt like more of a conversation.

"It's pretty cool how responsive Microsoft has been to feedback," said Mike Nash, HP's head of product strategy. "We were right there in the room planning Windows 10 with them from very beginning."

"There's a new dawn at Microsoft," said Allison Dew, Dell's marketing chief (and a former Microsoft employee). "What we've seen in terms of development and cooperation with Microsoft this time around is unlike what we've seen in past years."

Windows is good again. The result, they say is a much more refined operating system that customers will get excited about. That's a very different experience from Windows 8, which literally had customers calling their PC companies in droves wondering how to get to the desktop or turn their PCs off.

"We're more excited about this launch than we have been in a really long time," said Dew. "I've been through amazing windows launches and some that weren't quite as amazing. This has the feel of something amazing."

"Windows 8 was a difficult out-of-the-box adjustment to consumers," said Jeff Barney, head of Toshiba's U.S. PC business. "Windows 10 has good features and is generating some buzz -- that's enough to get people back to the PC market.

Whole article including video here

MVPS HOSTS File for June available now

Okay, I sound like a broken record, but this is important!

The MVPS HOSTS file should be an integral part of your Windows security. It will keep you, or anyone using your machine, from going to known problem web sites. A new version comes out once a month and I always try to make sure I have the latest. Did I mention it is FREE?

You can download it from here: http://winhelp2002.mvps.org/hosts.htm

The current version became available on June 4. On the above page, right click on hosts.zip and select Save Link As and download it (I recommend downloading to your Desktop because you will use this file and delete it after you install the current version). Once downloaded to your desktop, right click on the zipped folder and select Extract All. This will create another folder named HOSTS. Open up that folder by double-clicking on it and then right click on the file MVPS.bat, and select "run as administrator". The new HOSTS file will then be installed, replacing our old HOSTS file (yes, you will always have one, even on a new machine, since an empty and useless HOSTS file already exists on your system). The blue window that next appears will inform you that the new file has been installed.

Lastly delete both of the HOSTS folders on your desktop. They have served their purpose and are no longer needed..

IRS Using 13-Yr. Old Microsoft Software

Oops! This is hard to believe.

By Gerri Willis

Published June 01, 2015

FOXBusiness

 

From foxbusiness.com:

"IRS computers are still running the 13-year old Microsoft (MSFT) Windows XP operating software which Microsoft stopped supporting a year ago with security updates. Even the agency’s fraud-catching software is two decades old. The outdated software may have played a role in the breach the IRS announced last week in which thieves hacked into the agency’s online service and gained access to more than 100,000 taxpayer accounts.

The criminals used personal data obtained from other sources, including Social Security numbers, street addresses and dates of birth to get into the IRS’ “Get Transcript” service. The service was subsequently shut down. The thieves gained access to tax returns and other tax information on file with the IRS.

During an IRS budget hearing in April before the House Financial Services and General Government Committee, the chairman, Rep. Ander Crenshaw, questioned why the agency had been so slow to upgrade to Windows 7. “Now we find out that you’ve been struggling to come up with $30 million to finish migrating to Windows 7, even though Microsoft announced in 2008 that it would stop supporting Windows XP past 2014,” the Congressman said. “I know you probably wish you’d already done that.”

IRS Commissioner John Koskinen has said budget cuts have kept the service from upgrading, telling Congressional members that “we still have applications that were running when John F. Kennedy was president.”

The news comes as cold comfort to the tens of thousands of Americans who have had their identity stolen as a result of filing their taxes. And, the breaches can be no surprise to the IRS itself which has been warned repeatedly by the Government Accountability Office over limited  security controls. In the most recent report, the GAO found 69 potential problems, including weak employee passwords.

The tax reporting agency is embroiled in several scandals. The agency used its powers to delay or deny non-profit status applications by groups with “tea party” and “patriot” in their names, an overreach of power that has led to a criminal investigation by the agency’s inspector general.  Further, its aggressive hounding of small businesses, including seizing bank accounts of businesses the agency suspects of involvement in criminal activity was halted because of complaints late last year."

Windows 10

Here we go! Starting down the road to Windows 10. I reserved my free upgrade.