Hackers jump on newest IE7 bug

Once again users of Microsoft's Internet Explorer (IE) web browser are exposed to hackers. Most hackers target IE because of its widespread use. This article is from ComputerWorld today and can be found at this link.

I have IE7 installed on only one machine, and that is because I need to have a machine for understanding what you folks are up against. I have IE6 installed on my other machines, and have long recommended against all of you installing IE7. I have even included a post somewhere below this one that instructs on how to remove IE7 and return to IE6.

Still, I recommend against any of you using IE at all, whether IE7 or IE6, except in those cases where it may be required.

I recommend the Firefox browser, but there is nothing wrong with Netscape or Safari. All three are fine browsers and are a lot safer than any version of Internet Explorer.

Lavasoft AdAware

I have rarely run AdAware in the past few months, but thought I'd give it a try the other day just to see if it might find something the others didn't.  In the process of updating the definitions file (I thought), Lavasoft downloaded a new version of the program which was, as I recall, The Anniversary Edition, or something like that. It was still free, but I found the user interface to be even more complex than AdAware had been, and it never was the best. I ran it and it found several very trivial files it recommended I not bother deleting. Strange. I interpreted this to mean that they found nothing, but felt  they had to say something after taking up so much of my time. Ridiculous.

Bottom line, I have uninstalled Lavasoft AdAware and will not use it again. There is simply no need to use this superfluous product when my top three spyware products are all free and do a better job.  Actually, a far better job.

Good news for VT computer users

Goodwill in Williston offers FREE computer recycling


Is your dead computer collection crowding out your Foosball table? Wish you had room in your closet for clothing rather than CPUs gone kaput? Load it all up and bring it to Goodwill (329 Harvest Lane, Williston, 879-0088; Mon-Sat 9-5; Sun 10-5), which will accept any brand of computer for free! Here's what you can bring:

CPUs, monitors, laptops, cords, keyboards, mice, scanners, printers, fax machines, and computer parts.

This is an on-going program developed in partnership with Dell.

FileHippo.com Update Checker

This is a slick (and free) small application that once installed does its job quickly & thoroughly. I like it a lot and have used the information it provides to update some of the pograms on my laptop.

If you decide to try it, remember that you don't have to upgrade every program identified. As one example, I would not upgrade my copy of Internet Explorer 6.

The contents of the web page is displayed below, or you can simply click here to see it on the FileHippo web site, where you will be certain to see the latest information.

 FileHippo.com Update Checker

 

Welcome to the new FileHippo.com Update Checker!
We're currently beta testing this exciting new addition to our website and have released it as a public beta for everyone to download.

Update Checker v1.030 FHSetup.exe (153kb) Download nowNote: If you wish to download the standalone version without an installer then click here.

What is it?
The Update Checker will scan your computer for installed software, check the versions and then send this information to FileHippo.com to see if there are any newer releases. These are then neatly displayed in your browser for you to download.

But it gets better...
The client is FREE, just over 100kb to download and only takes seconds to run! In fact on our test machines the process is complete in under 2 seconds!

What are the requirements?
The Update Checker works on any Windows PC running Vista, XP, 2003, 2000, ME or 98.
It requires that the Microsoft .NET Framework 2.0 is installed, which you may download directly from here, or the installer will prompt and download it automatically.

Changes
Version 1.030
Compatibility fixes and better proxy support.
Version 1.029
Minor bug fixes and Google Chrome support.
Version 1.028
Fixes for non-English systems and permissions changes.
Version 1.025
Various bug fixes and performance improvements. Plus new internal scanning features.
Version 1.023
Fixed bugs in ignore list and improved speed. Plus many internal improvements.
Version 1.022
Adds better Internet connection support, advanced options and bug fixes.
Version 1.021
Adds system tray icon checking in the background. (Simply run the new installer or use the "/background" command-line parameter.)
Additionally you can now ignore updates and programs that you don't want to be informed about!

Privacy Policy
The Update Checker will not send any personal information back to FileHippo.com. The only information collected is a list of programs and their versions, along with the operating system details to help with processing. Additionally none of this is linked to your IP address and the logs are deleted after processing.

Windows XP SP3

I have finally gotten around to installing Windows XP SP3. I just installed it on my Acer TravelMate 4220 laptop. It installed without any hitches, and the system seems to be running fine. I imagine this will be the last service pack for XP, support for which will end in 2014. While I expect XP to last just fine until then, the real trick will most likely be keeping the hardware going that long!

I have not heard of any problems installing XP SP3 since its early days when there was a problem on HP PCs that had AMD microprocessors. If I had one of those machines now, I'd check the HP web site to make sure there are no remaining issues before I installed SP3.

I still see no reason for installing Internet Explorer 7 or subsequent releases. I am happy with Mozilla's Firefox for now.

HOSTS File - Post # 5

Register for HOSTS File Update Notices

The author of the HOSTS file you just installed maintains the file and updates it with current information. I get every new updated HOSTS file and install it immediately. The reason is simple: to protect my system against the latest threats, and I know of no better tool than this one.

When updates are made available you will get an e-mail informing you of the latest. The e-mail will contain a link to download the latest guess what?, hosts.zip file!

To register to get the update e-mails, simply send an e-mail to:

winhelp2002 at comcast.net (you should use the @ sign with no spaces)

In the subject field simply put mailing list and click on Send.

That is it. You are now protected by the latest HOSTS file and will be notified when the next update is released.

Please write me with any questions you may have at pcdoc at brpcdoc.com

HOSTS File - Post # 4

There are a couple of more steps to go. In this post we will do only one of them to keep things simple. When you read post # 1 and read the web site linked to, you saw the section about disabling DNS Services. Here is how to do that in XP:

1) Click on START, then RUN, then key in services.msc and click on OK.

2) In the Services window that comes up as a result of 1 above, scroll down until you see  DNS Client. Highlight it by clicking on it just once.

3) Now right click on it and select Properties. In the resulting window, change the Startup Type to DISABLED.

4) Click on APPLY and then OK.

5) Restart your system.

HOSTS File - Post # 3

If you have already followed steps 1 and 2 below, than you now have an icon on your desktop that looks something like this:

 

Next I want you to right click on that icon on your desktop and select "Open With". Then select "Compressed (zipped) Folders". You will then see a window appear that looks like this:

Okay, getting close! What you are looking at is the contents of the zipped (or compressed) folder. The files within it, all 5, are also zipped (compressed). Here is what I want you to do. Click on two of these files, one at a time, and drag them to your desktop. The two files are HOSTS and mvps.bat.

The dragging process will take longer than you'd think because the files will be unzipped in the process. Be patient. Once you click and drag the HOSTS file to your desktop it might take a minute before the HOSTS file, uncompressed (unzipped) will appear on your desktop.

Now you have these 2 files, HOSTS and mvps.bat unzipped and sitting on your desktop. You can close the hosts.zip folder window now.

Double-click on the mvps.bat icon on your desktop. In just a second you will see a window looking like this:

Simply hit your Enter key and the window will close. You now have a new HOSTS file and you are protected.

Stay tuned for the next, and last post in this process.

There are a couple of other things to do before you are finished, but do breathe a sigh of relief because you have the HOSTS file in place and it is working for you right now!

While waiting for the next post do a little cleanup. Delete the 3 icons on your desktop: hosts.zip, HOSTS, and mvps.bat. You no longer need them.

FileHippo.com Update Checker

I frequently use FileHippo.com as a download site, especially when I want an older version of a program, and not the most current one. Yesterday I was on their site and noticed that they have a FREE utility program called FileHippo.com Update Checker. I read a little about it and decided to try it. Once downloaded you can run it at will and it will scan your system and let you know of any programs you have installed that may be out of date. I ran the program and learned that my versions of CCleaner, SuperAntispyware, Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware, and Spybot were all out of date, i.e., there was a newer version available. The program will let you downoad the latest version, and for these 4 that is just what I did.

I had others that were out of date, bue elected not to upgrade them for various reasons. Those of you who follow this blog know very well why I updated the 4 programs mentioned above.

As always, when downloading and installing programs, PLEASE read each page before clicking on Next. Be sure you aren't also downloading a Yahoo Toolbar or other such worthless programs. These companies have deals whereby one will support, and try to get installed ($$), useless add-ons from the other company.

 FileHippo.com Update Checker

HOSTS File - Post # 2

Okay, by now if you are interested in following along, you have read the "assignment" in Post # 1.

About a third of the way down that page you should see the following:

To view the HOSTS file in plain text form. (610 kb) (opens in IE)
Note: The text version also makes a terrific reference for determining possible unwanted sites
Download: hosts.zip [right-click - Select: Save Target As] [Updated January-08-2009]

You are now ready to move forward. I want you to download the hosts.zip file. Download it to your desktop or at least know where it is going when you download it.  All you have to do is click on the blue hosts.zip which is just to the right of the word Download. Remember for now all I want you to do is SAVE it on your desktop (or elsewhere). Do not attempt to open it. Once you download it successfully, keep it there and look for post # 3.

HOSTS File - Post # 1

I have blogged a lot about the need for using a HOSTS file as an integral and important part of your security package protecting you from the bad guys out there. Until now I have not posted any blog entries explaining what a HOSTS file does, how to get one, and how to maintain it so that you get protection that is up-to-date.

The reason for this is that this is a pretty technical topic, and normally I just get to install a HOSTS file on your computers when you are a customer and I have access to your machine. It's probably best that you have a pro install and explain this to you and also to perform a couple of related steps.

However, for those of you out there who are technically competent and who would like to try to install your own HOSTS file, I will post a series of posts on the subject, and hence the title of this post as being # 1.

This is one thing that a HOSTS file can do for you: prevent web sites that are named in the HOSTS file from being accessed.  This is BIG, because many of the viruses and rogue programs out there are downloaded by you through your web browser. So, if there were a central clearing house for identifying those bad sites and if it would also include all of them in a HOSTS file, wouldn't that be great? Well, it turns out there is, and this is really good news for us all! Another piece of good news: it's free!

I will do two things: First, I will make a special offering to my customers to install a HOSTS file for you over a remote connection, meaning I will take control of your PC while you watch and listen (over a phone), and I will install and explain the HOSTS file to you. I will charge a flat fee of $75 for this service.

Second, for those of you who feel pretty good about your level of competency in the technical aspects of Windows XP (yes, it works in Vista too, but I plan to start with XP users), I will post this series of items explaining how to DIY.

If you wish to proceed on a DIY basis, or if you'd just like to follow along, here is your first assignment:

Read everything on this page, http://www.mvps.org/winhelp2002/hosts.htm,  and read it again!

After reading, take a look at the current HOSTS file provided on this page by displaying it in your browser. You can do this by clicking here: http://www.mvps.org/winhelp2002/hosts.txt

This might be an overstatement, I am just not sure, but I have come to believe that the use of this HOSTS file is the most important factor in preventing my systems from becoming infected with any of the rogue programs currently wreaking havoc on many of your systems.

Don’t Pay for It!

Alomst all of the software I recommend is free. Don't pay for it! I realize that many companies offer a "Professional" version of the recommended software, but you don't need it. Just get the FREE version, and make sure that what you are downloading either has the word FREE in the title or otherwise specifies that it is free.

If you have any questions about this, please write.

PLEASE!

Even in Test Form, Windows 7 Leaves Vista in the Dust

To me the real good news in this article is that those of us who have managed to avoid going to Vista will be able to bypass it completely. The most interesting comment to me in this Walter Mossberg article is this: "In many respects, Windows 7 isn’t a radical shift from Vista, but is more of an attempt to fix Vista’s main flaws." I guess we can't expect more than that from Microsoft, which is not known for moving fast!

Even in Test Form, Windows 7 Leaves Vista in the Dust

Hail to the Chief!

Three Ways to Make iTunes Run Faster

This comes to us from PCWorld's web site. I am somewhat surprised to see that most of my customers' machines have iTunes installed, so maybe this will be helpful? I have not heard any of you complain about iTunes performance, but I guess that's because I am usually addressing more serious matters on your computers.

article written by Rick Broida

Jan 15, 2009 2:03 pm

I think I'm safe in saying that iTunes is the single slowest application on my PC. It not only takes a week or two just to start up, but also seems to pause indefinitely on simple tasks like switching between different sections of the iTunes Store.

Fortunately, there are a few ways to goose iTunes, to make it a little less pokey than usual. I'm not promising a dramatic speed increase, just somewhat more efficient operation.

First, turn off Genius by clicking Store, Turn Off Genius. (Note that doing so will delete all collected Genius data.) It's a neat feature, but I've noticed that it seems awfully "busy" at times. Anything that's demanding iTunes' attention is also hurting its performance. I never thought it was that smart, anyway.

Second, click Edit, Preferences, Sharing, and then disable Look for shared libraries and Share my library on the local network. Whenever there's ongoing network activity, you can count on a performance hit. Of course, if you are sharing your iTunes library, skip this step.

Finally, switch over to the Apple TV tab and disable Look for Apple TVs (unless you have one, of course). It's another case of superfluous network activity that can only hurt performance.

Have you found any other ways to give iTunes a kick in the pants? Or have you kicked it to the curb? As an iPhone user I'm kinda stuck with it, so I sure wish Apple would do some fine-tuning. Sorry, but I ain't gonna buy a Mac just to get a better-optimized iTunes.

The above article can be found at:

Three Ways to Make iTunes Run Faster

Another Spyware Guard 2008 rogue incident

Yesterday I spent quite a few hours removing yet another incident of Spyware Guard 2008 (see December 18 blog post below). This is one of the family of vicious rogue programs that is wrecking systems all over the place.

In this case I was pretty much able to tell that it was acquired from a rather bad web site. If you have kids in the house who just don't understand the dangers that are lurking out there, you need to talk to them about the risks they are taking by visiting web sites they should not be visiting.

It took my whole arsenal of weapons to get rid of it. I needed Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware, SuperAntispyware, Spybot, AVG Free Anti-virus, MSCONFIG, CCleaner, and a couple of other tools that I don't recommend for general users, like HijackThis and Tune-Up Utilities. For future defensive reasons on this particular customer system, I downloaded and installed Windows Defender and the HOSTS file I preach about so much.

As for the latter, I will soon post an item on how to get, install, and use the HOSTS file. This is a very important and integral part of what should be your defense against the bad guys out there.

In the meantime, be careful of the places you go and the things you download.

Hate Microsoft Outlook? Top 10 annoyances and how to fix them

Do you process your e-mail with Microsoft's Outlook? Outlook is a part of Microsoft Office. Microsoft's Outlook Express is a freebie that comes with Windows XP, and this excellent column from ComputerWorld addresses Outlook, not Outlook Express. Furthermore, the article addresses Outlook 2007, and many of you who use Outlook may not have upgraded to this latest version.

For those of you who have Outlook 2007, like me, and for those of you who like technical challenges, this article will be very helpful. I have not been through all 10 areas covered, but was impressed by those I have looked at.

Hate Microsoft Outlook? Top 10 annoyances and how to fix them

Windows 7 Review from ComputerWorld

There has been a lot of noise lately about the replacement for the Vista operating system from Microsoft. To date it has been dubbed Windows 7. I have no interest in it at this time, other than to follow its progress, but thought that some of you may be hearing about it and wondering.  It is in Beta test now, and it's possible we will see it delivered in 2009, but I see no reason for anyone to be anxious to use it. I am sure if Microsoft has its way, Windows 7, or whatever they ultimately name it, will be installed on machines in time for Christmas.

Anyway, ComputerWorld has a nice review of it in the linked article appearing today on their web site.

Windows 7 Beta Review

Managing the Health of your Flash Drive(s)

I use several flash or thumb drives, and I use them a lot. I have learned over time that it pays to treat these drives like other disk drives, meaning you need to worry about their health, and treat them to a defrag once in a while. If you have never done this, try it and see how badly (or not) fragmented it is, and defrag if you see lots of red.

Because flash drives are smaller, this takes very little time and protects your data and the health of your flash drive. I also recommend running a Check Disk (chkdsk) on these as well. They take a real beating and can develop problems just like a hard drive does. The chkdsk is only two phases and also is much quicker than a hard drive chkdsk.