From PcWorld.com:
"These laptops can do it all and are a great choice for most notebook users. Ratings and rankings can change due to pricing and technology changes, so check back frequently for the latest info".
http://www.pcworld.com/reviews/collection/1657/top_10_allpurpose_laptops.html?&tk=hp_fv
Friday, June 18, 2010
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Q & A: System Mechanic vs. Tune-Up Utilities
A customer writes:
"Hi tom thanks for the link to your blog re Tuneup Utilities. Guess I overlooked it - too quickly scanning the titles of the blogs.
Maybe I should switch to that program and stop the System Mechanic - are you familiar with that set of utilities, and the differences? I do have trouble being patient waiting for it to load - abysmally slow. Thanks for your input."
Answer:
"xxxxx, there are so many options out there, so many people vying for our money, that as much as I might like to be familiar with them all, I am just one person and can't be. I know nothing about SM. I just went to their web site and would agree that it is probably the same as TuneUp Utilities. It also looks to be priced at about the same level.
If you have a newer version of SM I'd suggest you stick with it and learn about each of its components, find which ones seem important (registry cleaner and registry defrag are two) and get to be somewhat of an expert on a few of its components and use them regularly (once a month or so).
I suggest Googling "System Mechanic reviews" or other variations of that to do a little research. Here's one, but whenever you do this note the date of the review and realize these are sometimes out of date relative to a newer version.
http://www.zdnet.com/blog/gadgetreviews/review-iolo-system-mechanic/826
Tom"
"Hi tom thanks for the link to your blog re Tuneup Utilities. Guess I overlooked it - too quickly scanning the titles of the blogs.
Maybe I should switch to that program and stop the System Mechanic - are you familiar with that set of utilities, and the differences? I do have trouble being patient waiting for it to load - abysmally slow. Thanks for your input."
Answer:
"xxxxx, there are so many options out there, so many people vying for our money, that as much as I might like to be familiar with them all, I am just one person and can't be. I know nothing about SM. I just went to their web site and would agree that it is probably the same as TuneUp Utilities. It also looks to be priced at about the same level.
If you have a newer version of SM I'd suggest you stick with it and learn about each of its components, find which ones seem important (registry cleaner and registry defrag are two) and get to be somewhat of an expert on a few of its components and use them regularly (once a month or so).
I suggest Googling "System Mechanic reviews" or other variations of that to do a little research. Here's one, but whenever you do this note the date of the review and realize these are sometimes out of date relative to a newer version.
http://www.zdnet.com/blog/gadgetreviews/review-iolo-system-mechanic/826
Tom"
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
MSRT Follow-up
This post is a follow-up to my June 9 post about Microsoft's Malicious Software Removal Tool (MSRT). MSRT is a program distributed monthly, with updates, from Microsoft through their Automatic Updates.
I have long recommended that you should manually run a Full Scan each month with this tool because I had a suspicion that by default the program was run with a Quick Scan in the background as a part of the monthly distribution.
It turns out I was correct. Microsoft will have MSRT only run a Quick Scan, so my recommendation to manually run a full scan stands.
However, the method I recommended was the long way around the barn. After you run the monthly updates from Microsoft, you can start MSRT by simply clicking on START/RUN and enter MRT and click OKAY. Go ahead and try it now. MSRT will start up. Take note of the date up at the top of the MSRT window that opens up. It should say June 2010 at this point in time.Next month it should say July 2010, etc.
Then start a full scan. Do this each month for a little bit of extra and free security for your system.
I have long recommended that you should manually run a Full Scan each month with this tool because I had a suspicion that by default the program was run with a Quick Scan in the background as a part of the monthly distribution.
It turns out I was correct. Microsoft will have MSRT only run a Quick Scan, so my recommendation to manually run a full scan stands.
However, the method I recommended was the long way around the barn. After you run the monthly updates from Microsoft, you can start MSRT by simply clicking on START/RUN and enter MRT and click OKAY. Go ahead and try it now. MSRT will start up. Take note of the date up at the top of the MSRT window that opens up. It should say June 2010 at this point in time.Next month it should say July 2010, etc.
Then start a full scan. Do this each month for a little bit of extra and free security for your system.
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
What You Need to Know about Office 2010 Starter
For those of you who just can't wait to learn more about the latest MS Office product, here is an article from maximumpc.com
Mary Jo Foley over at ZDNet is pleading with readers to do their homework before jumping on the Office 2010 Starter bandwagon, and with good reason. Microsoft's Office 2010 productivity software goes on sale tomorrow and while it's true that the ad-supported Starter edition will be free, you might be getting less than you bargained for.
It's hard to argue with free, but it's worth noting that Microsoft gutted the Starter edition to only include basic document viewing and editing of Word and Excel. The goal is not to give Office away, but to entice users to upgrade, which some point out sounds a lot like trialware.
"Incorrect messaging of Office Starter 2010 may discourage your customers from purchasing a full Office suite and could also lead to customer dissatisfaction and confusion," Microsoft wrote in a note to its OEM partners. "Market research shows that many people confused Office Starter 2010 with a full Office suite, and were then dissatisfied because they believed they had received a full Office suite."
In other words, be weary of OEM system builders advertising Office Starter 2010 -- a practice Microsoft is discouraging -- and know exactly what it is you're getting (or not getting).
Mary Jo Foley over at ZDNet is pleading with readers to do their homework before jumping on the Office 2010 Starter bandwagon, and with good reason. Microsoft's Office 2010 productivity software goes on sale tomorrow and while it's true that the ad-supported Starter edition will be free, you might be getting less than you bargained for.
It's hard to argue with free, but it's worth noting that Microsoft gutted the Starter edition to only include basic document viewing and editing of Word and Excel. The goal is not to give Office away, but to entice users to upgrade, which some point out sounds a lot like trialware.
"Incorrect messaging of Office Starter 2010 may discourage your customers from purchasing a full Office suite and could also lead to customer dissatisfaction and confusion," Microsoft wrote in a note to its OEM partners. "Market research shows that many people confused Office Starter 2010 with a full Office suite, and were then dissatisfied because they believed they had received a full Office suite."
In other words, be weary of OEM system builders advertising Office Starter 2010 -- a practice Microsoft is discouraging -- and know exactly what it is you're getting (or not getting).
Monday, June 14, 2010
Q&A: How do I backup my My Documents folder?
A customer writes:
"Dear Tom,
When you worked on my computer (remotely) on March 15, I had you back up my "My Documents" from the "C" drive to my External "F" drive.
My "F" drive now has an entry entitled "My documents backed up on
3-15-2010". I need to do that periodically.
I'm embarrassed to say, I can't remember how you did that, and I can't figure it out by myself. Is that something you can briefly explain to me? Thanks."
Answer:
Not too briefly! :-)
Be sure your external drive is attached to your PC & powered on.
Click on Start and then My Computer (or just Computer in Windows 7).
Double click on the icon shown for your external drive.
Click on File, then New, then Folder
Immediately key in "My Documents backed up on 6-14-2010" and hit Enter
This should have created a new folder with that name. Look on the right half of the screen and you should see the new folder you just created. It is probably at the bottom of the list. Okay? Good, skip the next step. If not, do you see a folder named New Folder? If you do, be sure it is empty and then right click on it and select Delete.
Repeat the above two steps until you get it. Many users do not pay attention to the word "Immediately" above. All I am stressing is that you should key in the name of the new folder WITHOUT hitting your Enter key first!
Okay, you now have the new folder within which you will be backing up your My Documents folder.
Now, within the same window, scroll up to the top and on the left side of the screen you should see your My Documents folder. Yes? Good go to next step. No? Bad! Try again, restarting by closing the window and right-clicking on Start and select Explore.
Do you now see My Documents at the top of the left side of the screen? If not, I must have messed up. Please write me again and tell me where you are in the above steps.
Okay, when you see your My Documents folder displayed, click on it once and then on the right side of the screen you will see all of the contents of your My Documents folder. You will likely see many folders you should recognize and below them, perhaps, some stragglers - files that probably belong in one of your folders.
Click on Edit and then Select All, and all of the folders and files on display on the right side of the screen, the contents of My Documents, should be selected and highlighted (in dark blue on my PC).
Click on Edit again, and this time select COPY TO FOLDER.
In the next window that pops up, scroll down until you see your external drive, expand it if necessary (by clicking on the + sign to the left of the drive designation letter, and below it you will see (among others) the new folder you created. Select the new folder, clicking on it once, and click on OK down below.
This should start the copy of your My Documents to the new backup folder.
When done, compare the contents to make sure that everything was copied successfully.
As I write this I am on a W7 machine, so there may be some slight difference if you are on XP or Vista, but the general procedure is the same. Write me if any problems, pcdoc at brpcdoc dot com.
"Dear Tom,
When you worked on my computer (remotely) on March 15, I had you back up my "My Documents" from the "C" drive to my External "F" drive.
My "F" drive now has an entry entitled "My documents backed up on
3-15-2010". I need to do that periodically.
I'm embarrassed to say, I can't remember how you did that, and I can't figure it out by myself. Is that something you can briefly explain to me? Thanks."
Answer:
Not too briefly! :-)
Be sure your external drive is attached to your PC & powered on.
Click on Start and then My Computer (or just Computer in Windows 7).
Double click on the icon shown for your external drive.
Click on File, then New, then Folder
Immediately key in "My Documents backed up on 6-14-2010" and hit Enter
This should have created a new folder with that name. Look on the right half of the screen and you should see the new folder you just created. It is probably at the bottom of the list. Okay? Good, skip the next step. If not, do you see a folder named New Folder? If you do, be sure it is empty and then right click on it and select Delete.
Repeat the above two steps until you get it. Many users do not pay attention to the word "Immediately" above. All I am stressing is that you should key in the name of the new folder WITHOUT hitting your Enter key first!
Okay, you now have the new folder within which you will be backing up your My Documents folder.
Now, within the same window, scroll up to the top and on the left side of the screen you should see your My Documents folder. Yes? Good go to next step. No? Bad! Try again, restarting by closing the window and right-clicking on Start and select Explore.
Do you now see My Documents at the top of the left side of the screen? If not, I must have messed up. Please write me again and tell me where you are in the above steps.
Okay, when you see your My Documents folder displayed, click on it once and then on the right side of the screen you will see all of the contents of your My Documents folder. You will likely see many folders you should recognize and below them, perhaps, some stragglers - files that probably belong in one of your folders.
Click on Edit and then Select All, and all of the folders and files on display on the right side of the screen, the contents of My Documents, should be selected and highlighted (in dark blue on my PC).
Click on Edit again, and this time select COPY TO FOLDER.
In the next window that pops up, scroll down until you see your external drive, expand it if necessary (by clicking on the + sign to the left of the drive designation letter, and below it you will see (among others) the new folder you created. Select the new folder, clicking on it once, and click on OK down below.
This should start the copy of your My Documents to the new backup folder.
When done, compare the contents to make sure that everything was copied successfully.
As I write this I am on a W7 machine, so there may be some slight difference if you are on XP or Vista, but the general procedure is the same. Write me if any problems, pcdoc at brpcdoc dot com.
I received this e-mail the next day (6/15/2010)
"Dear Tom,
Thank you so much. I followed the instructions on the blog and
everything went very well. I am now in the
regular-backing-up-business. I had been getting so nervous because I
had not been backing up my C drive"
Friday, June 11, 2010
Laptop Security
This is a result of sheer stupidity.
From Facebook:
WAYLAND, MA POLICE DEPARTMENT Two vehicles were broken into while parked at the Sandy Burr Country Club during the day on Monday. The side windows were smashed and two laptop computers were stolen. Police detectives are investigating the incident. If you have any information, please call the tip line (508-358-1726). Never leave valuables in plain sight, take a minute and lock valuable items in your trunk.
From Facebook:
WAYLAND, MA POLICE DEPARTMENT Two vehicles were broken into while parked at the Sandy Burr Country Club during the day on Monday. The side windows were smashed and two laptop computers were stolen. Police detectives are investigating the incident. If you have any information, please call the tip line (508-358-1726). Never leave valuables in plain sight, take a minute and lock valuable items in your trunk.
Thursday, June 10, 2010
7 Sites With Laptop Teardown Guides & Other Laptop Repair Resources
Okay, this is a bit much for most of you who don't really want to mess around with hardware, but for those of you with a laptop who may have wondered what is going on under the covers, and who may want to attempt a repair on your own, this will prove most helpful.
A word of warning: when disassembling a laptop it is entirely possible that one small slip could make the whole thing impossible to put back together again, so be very careful and follow directions if you ever want to attempt any of these repairs.
This comes from our good friend from way down under at http://www.technibble.com/.
"There is a huge percentage of Computer Technicians out there know how to fix both laptops and desktops. However, the problem with repairing laptops is getting them apart. There are often screws hidden under stickers, special clips that need to be squeezed in a certain way and usually the laptop needs to be disassembled in a certain order.
Of course, it helps if you have a Service Guide to show you how to get the laptop apart; but they are sometimes difficult to get. For example, Apple only allows their service manuals to be viewed by AASP certified businesses/technicians and other brands guard their service manuals fairly closely as well.
Because of this, I have created this small list of sites where you can obtain Laptop teardown guides.
Official Sources
These are some of the manufacturers that actually share their tear down guides. The majority do not.
Many of these links contain other information about the laptop (drivers, specifications etc..), so look for either the “Maintenance Guide” or “Service Guide” on these pages.
Dell Laptops
HP & Compaq Laptops
Toshiba Thinkpad Laptops
Other Sources
Tims Laptop Service Manuals – Large list of laptop repair manuals. Scroll about 1/4 down the page to see the manuals.
Inside My Laptop – Guide on how to replace various laptop parts.
EServiceInfo – A large (somewhat unorganised) archive of service manuals.
IFixIt – IFixIt has teardown guides for Apple computers, PCs and many other consumer electronics.
Of course, if you want to know how to repair laptops (brand unspecific) then I highly recommend Podnutz’s Laptop Repair Videos.
It is difficult to get service guides for many brands so if you know of any other resources, please post them in the comments below."
A word of warning: when disassembling a laptop it is entirely possible that one small slip could make the whole thing impossible to put back together again, so be very careful and follow directions if you ever want to attempt any of these repairs.
This comes from our good friend from way down under at http://www.technibble.com/.
"There is a huge percentage of Computer Technicians out there know how to fix both laptops and desktops. However, the problem with repairing laptops is getting them apart. There are often screws hidden under stickers, special clips that need to be squeezed in a certain way and usually the laptop needs to be disassembled in a certain order.
Of course, it helps if you have a Service Guide to show you how to get the laptop apart; but they are sometimes difficult to get. For example, Apple only allows their service manuals to be viewed by AASP certified businesses/technicians and other brands guard their service manuals fairly closely as well.
Because of this, I have created this small list of sites where you can obtain Laptop teardown guides.
Official Sources
These are some of the manufacturers that actually share their tear down guides. The majority do not.
Many of these links contain other information about the laptop (drivers, specifications etc..), so look for either the “Maintenance Guide” or “Service Guide” on these pages.
Dell Laptops
HP & Compaq Laptops
Toshiba Thinkpad Laptops
Other Sources
Tims Laptop Service Manuals – Large list of laptop repair manuals. Scroll about 1/4 down the page to see the manuals.
Inside My Laptop – Guide on how to replace various laptop parts.
EServiceInfo – A large (somewhat unorganised) archive of service manuals.
IFixIt – IFixIt has teardown guides for Apple computers, PCs and many other consumer electronics.
Of course, if you want to know how to repair laptops (brand unspecific) then I highly recommend Podnutz’s Laptop Repair Videos.
It is difficult to get service guides for many brands so if you know of any other resources, please post them in the comments below."
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Microsoft Update
Last night before bed I noticed the system tray icon indicating there were updates ready for me to install. I looked into it and found there were 17 updates. 8 of these were for MS Office and 8 were for Windows 7. The 17th was the monthly Malicious Software Removal Tool (MSRT). I installed all 17 updates, rebooted, and then went immediately to download the June MSRT so I could run it full scan, a practice I have gotten into lately. As of this moment I am not really sure this isn't a waste of time, but I view it as a painless and free extra bit of security (an ounce of prevention as it were).
This morning I found the usual window indicating no problems were found, so that makes me feel good, but this month I intend to read up on MSRT and see if what I do is worth it. In the meantime I continue to recommend that you do his too.
This morning I found the usual window indicating no problems were found, so that makes me feel good, but this month I intend to read up on MSRT and see if what I do is worth it. In the meantime I continue to recommend that you do his too.
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
Is Microsoft Considering Buying AOL?
Oh boy, I hope so. I detest AOL and feel so sorry for people who still use it, especially those who seem not to have gotten the word that AOL is free and are still paying for it. There are many of them, believe it or not. My hope is that MS does buy AOL and charts a course for current AOL users to get the heck free of it and maybe migrate to a MS product. Not that MS has anything so good that all should rush into it, but nothing is as bad as AOL. But then, why should I complain? I have made a lot of money charging people to fix their AOL problems over the years.
I have a hard time believing that AOL still exists. Maybe the end is in sight? I sure hope so. If any of you reading this is an AOL user and wants to get off of it, I'd be glad to help ($$$) :-)
Thanks for this maximumpc.com: Is Microsoft Considering Buying AOL?
I have a hard time believing that AOL still exists. Maybe the end is in sight? I sure hope so. If any of you reading this is an AOL user and wants to get off of it, I'd be glad to help ($$$) :-)
Thanks for this maximumpc.com: Is Microsoft Considering Buying AOL?
Monday, June 7, 2010
The smart paranoid's guide to using Google
Written just for me, except for the 'smart' part! Thank you computerworld.com.
Seriously, if you use a lot of Google's stuff (offerings) as I do, this is must reading.
Seriously, if you use a lot of Google's stuff (offerings) as I do, this is must reading.
The smart paranoid's guide to using Google
Saturday, June 5, 2010
Make your passwords unbreakable but memorable
Some good ideas on how to create strong passwords. This is becoming an increasingly important topic.
From the Kim Komando web site:
From the Kim Komando web site:
Make your passwords unbreakable but memorable
Thursday, June 3, 2010
MVPS HOSTS File for June Available Now
This is the last time I will post such a reminder. Those of you who are now using the MVPS HOSTS file should know that a new version is made available on a monthly basis, and these days you need to go look for it. I suggest you bookmark this web site, http://msmvps.com/blogs/hostsnews/default.aspx and go check it out near the beginning of each month until you see the new version available. You can download it right from this site.
The MVPS HOSTS file is an integral part of my recommended security suite and, as with all the other pieces of that pie, this is free.
The MVPS HOSTS file is an integral part of my recommended security suite and, as with all the other pieces of that pie, this is free.
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
Google to Release Chrome OS in Fourth Quarter
from pcworld.com:
"Google plans to release its Chrome operating system late this year, initially targeting laptop users, the head of the project said Wednesday.
The Chrome OS "will be offered to users in the fourth quarter," said Sundar Pichai, Google's vice president of product management, during a speech at the Computex electronics exhibition in Taipei.
The statement appears to push back earlier talk of a third-quarter launch for the OS, which is expected to compete with Microsoft's Windows 7 as well as other OSes.
The Chrome Web Store will open at the same time so people can download Web applications that can be installed on the Chrome OS, he added.
"For Chrome OS, we are focused on laptops for this year," he said at a news conference later in the day.
The company designed Chrome OS for clamshell devices with touchpads, keyboards and screens between 10 inches and 12 inches across, he said, clarifying that anything, including netbooks, that fits the hardware specifications will have an easy time gaining Google certification.
Certification by the company is meant to ensure hardware makers create a quality device for users.
Initially, Chrome OS will limit certain customization such as user interfaces that some Taiwanese laptop makers are planning, but over time more customization will be allowed. "So, yes to UIs, but later," he said.
The Chrome OS "will be offered to users in the fourth quarter," said Sundar Pichai, Google's vice president of product management, during a speech at the Computex electronics exhibition in Taipei.
The statement appears to push back earlier talk of a third-quarter launch for the OS, which is expected to compete with Microsoft's Windows 7 as well as other OSes.
The Chrome Web Store will open at the same time so people can download Web applications that can be installed on the Chrome OS, he added.
"For Chrome OS, we are focused on laptops for this year," he said at a news conference later in the day.
The company designed Chrome OS for clamshell devices with touchpads, keyboards and screens between 10 inches and 12 inches across, he said, clarifying that anything, including netbooks, that fits the hardware specifications will have an easy time gaining Google certification.
Certification by the company is meant to ensure hardware makers create a quality device for users.
Initially, Chrome OS will limit certain customization such as user interfaces that some Taiwanese laptop makers are planning, but over time more customization will be allowed. "So, yes to UIs, but later," he said.
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Opinion: RIP PC - Apple is on top, and the time of the PC is ended
An opinion piece from computerworld.com:
The PC: August 12, 1981 -- May 26, 2010. RIP.
The powerhouse of the computing revolution was born when IBM released the first IBM PC in August 1981. It died when Apple took the market lead from Microsoft.
Yes, of course, there were PCs before the IBM PC. I used Zilog Z-80-based microcomputers running CP/M back in the late '70s. But it was the IBM PC that moved PCs from things that only computer fans would use to essential parts of most business offices.
Computerworld - On May 26, Apple's market capitalization stood at $223 billion. That took it, for the first time, higher than Microsoft, which had a market cap of $219.3 billion. Apple, not Microsoft, not Google, was at the top of the technology business mountain. And that marked the end of an era: The PC is no longer the center of the computing universe.
The powerhouse of the computing revolution was born when IBM released the first IBM PC in August 1981. It died when Apple took the market lead from Microsoft.
Yes, of course, there were PCs before the IBM PC. I used Zilog Z-80-based microcomputers running CP/M back in the late '70s. But it was the IBM PC that moved PCs from things that only computer fans would use to essential parts of most business offices.
Monday, May 31, 2010
Memorial Day 2010
 |
|---|
| "...gather around their sacred remains and garland the passionless mounds above them with choicest flowers of springtime....let us in this solemn presence renew our pledges to aid and assist those whom they have left among us as sacred charges upon the Nation's gratitude,--the soldier's and sailor's widow and orphan." |
The "Memorial" in Memorial Day has been ignored by too many of us who are beneficiaries of those who have given the ultimate sacrifice. Often we do not observe the day as it should be, a day where we actively remember our ancestors, our family members, our loved ones, our neighbors, and our friends who have given the ultimate sacrifice:
- by visiting cemeteries and placing flags or flowers on the graves of our fallen heroes.
- by visiting memorials.
- by flying the U.S. Flag at half-staff until noon.
- by flying the 'POW/MIA Flag' as well (Section 1082 of the 1998 Defense Authorization Act).
- by participating in a "National Moment of Remembrance": at 3 p.m. to pause and think upon the true meaning of the day, and for Taps to be played.
- by renewing a pledge to aid the widows, widowers, and orphans of our falled dead, and to aid the disabled veterans.
"This weekend I am going to do something different. I am going to buy some carnations each day and go to one of the nearby cemetaries and walk through the sections for soldiers. When I find a grave that has no flowers, I'll leave one and say a prayer for the family of that person, who for some reason could not bring their soldier flowers. I will pray for our country and all who serve or have served. For their families, who also serve by losing precious days, weeks and months spent with their loved ones who are off serving, preserving peace and the freedom we have in this country. I'll pray for the families who paid the ultimate price, who's loved ones died, or were taken captive and never returned. I'll pray for anyone who may still be held in captivity and thinks perhaps they are forgotten. I do NOT forget. I'll say a prayer for every person on the Internet who takes a moment from their time to come to sites like yours and be reminded of what this holiday really means. And I'll say a prayer of thanks and ask God's richest blessings on you.No, Thank you and God Bless you, Sylvia. May more follow your example. In fact, wonderful people in other nations sometimes show more of the true spirit and mission of the U.S. Memorial Day than we do here. For example, a 2001 US Memorial Day Guestbook entry from a citizen of the Netherlands states:
Thank you again.... and God bless!
Sylvia Mohr"
"Hi, In 1999 I laid flowers at the grave of a young U.S. fighter pilot who was KIA in my village in 1945. In the Netherlands I know of schools 'adopting' graves of Allied servicemen, keeping those graves in excellent condition ! Does anybody know of adopting graves in the U.S. by schools ?More schools in the U.S. could follow the lead of the Netherland schools. Let us take a few moments this Memorial Day to reflect on the meaning of the day, to observe the day and be mindful of the sacrifices of others before we go and
Sincerely,
Paul Patist <patist@wanadoo.nl>
Castricum, The Netherlands - Tue May 15 04:50:29 2001"
Friday, May 28, 2010
Ever Suffered Cell Phone "Bill Shock?" You're Not Alone
I guess this Maximumpc post applies to nearly all of us now.
"It's a good idea to closely monitor your monthly cell phone usage, especially if you're on a family or some other kind of shared plan. Otherwise, you could end up with "bill shock" at the end of the month. As the FCC tells it, one out of every six Americans has been caught off guard with a higher-than-expected cell phone bill.
This stat comes as part of an FCC-commissioned study in which it was discovered that some 30 million Americans have been surprised at their phone bill. Out of those, 33 percent said their bill was $50 more than what they were expecting, while 23 percent said it was more than $100.
The FCC wants put into place new rules in the mobile phone industry that would prevent bill shock from happening, such as requiring carriers to notify customers when their cell phone bills start to get out of whack. In the meantime, treat the study as a reminder to keep tabs on how many minutes you and your family are chewing through every month."
"It's a good idea to closely monitor your monthly cell phone usage, especially if you're on a family or some other kind of shared plan. Otherwise, you could end up with "bill shock" at the end of the month. As the FCC tells it, one out of every six Americans has been caught off guard with a higher-than-expected cell phone bill.
This stat comes as part of an FCC-commissioned study in which it was discovered that some 30 million Americans have been surprised at their phone bill. Out of those, 33 percent said their bill was $50 more than what they were expecting, while 23 percent said it was more than $100.
The FCC wants put into place new rules in the mobile phone industry that would prevent bill shock from happening, such as requiring carriers to notify customers when their cell phone bills start to get out of whack. In the meantime, treat the study as a reminder to keep tabs on how many minutes you and your family are chewing through every month."
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Rogues
Those of you who have been bitten by a rogue program, and others as well, may enjoy this web site. It is essentially a "rogues gallery", kepy up to date and containing a lot of very useful information.
Bharath's Security Blog
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
And the answer is...............
TuneUp Utilities.
I do not like to pay for software any more than I have to. I avoid fee-based software as much as possible. My recommended security suite consists of all free programs, and that is what I use. Please see Please take heed and secure your system now! to review the programs in my recommended security suite.
TuneUp Utilities is a fee-based program. I just checked at their web site and the going retail price today is $49.95 for a copy that may be used on 3 systems. I don't like this one bit, but I have to tell you that it is worth it, especially if you are a hands-on, fairly technically savvy user. Two pieces of good news: one, they seem to be always having sales and you can buy it for less if you watch for sales, and two, you can download and install the full package with full functions absolutely free for 30 days.
Whenever I work on your systems either at your home or at mine, I use TuneUp Utilities to clean your registry and I use many other of its functions. You see, this is not a one trick pony. TuneUp Utilities does many things and does them all well. Before you decide to purchase TuneUp Utilities, you should also know that this German company has of late been coming out with annual versions, and they charge you again, but at a much lower rate (like maybe $19.95) to upgrade from one version to another, for example the 2009 version to the 2010 version. However, it is not all bad news: the differences from one year to the next might not be dramatic, and the old version will continue to do its thing as long as you have it. It's just that somewhere down the road you might want to invest in an update to get enhanced features.
Okay, Ive already gone on too long. Send me a personal note at pcdoc at brpcdoc dot com if you have questions.
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Complaints Board
Kim Komando was really lambasting RegCure in today's Tip of the Day column titled "A Bad way to fix your registry". She seemed quite upset, so I thought I'd do a little investigating. She referred to a web site I had not heard of before but which I find very interesting. It is called Complaints Board. Check it out and maybe you will also find it useful.
I am aware of the fact that some of you use RegCure. If you go to this Complaints Board web site and search on RegCure you'll find 719 complaints (as of this writing) from people who don't like it!
I also don't like it and have never used it for the simple reason that their trial version has limited capability, meaning usually that they will do a teaser scan saying you have so many problems, but if you want to fix them you have to pay their fee. I personally consider this a scam, and would not buy it for that reason.
If you really want to try a registry scanner, tomorrow I will name one that I use on all of my customer calls. You can download their full-function version for free usage for 30 days! Now that is a trial I can live with. In fact I liked it so much that I bought the product. Tune in tomorrow for my registry cleaner recommendation.
I am aware of the fact that some of you use RegCure. If you go to this Complaints Board web site and search on RegCure you'll find 719 complaints (as of this writing) from people who don't like it!
I also don't like it and have never used it for the simple reason that their trial version has limited capability, meaning usually that they will do a teaser scan saying you have so many problems, but if you want to fix them you have to pay their fee. I personally consider this a scam, and would not buy it for that reason.
If you really want to try a registry scanner, tomorrow I will name one that I use on all of my customer calls. You can download their full-function version for free usage for 30 days! Now that is a trial I can live with. In fact I liked it so much that I bought the product. Tune in tomorrow for my registry cleaner recommendation.
Monday, May 24, 2010
Email “Spamming” and Email “Spoofing”
I found this interesting. Many of my customers ask about spamming and spoofing (although they may not be familiar with the term). This article should clarify what each is and the difference. I found this at http://www.anti-abuse.org/email-spamming-and-email-spoofing/
Within these days of massive communication via e-mail, it comes to be quite important for anyone to be familiar with the following two terms: email “spamming” and email “spoofing”.
Sometimes email spoofing is used for what is known as “phishing”, which aims to trick the recipient into revealing passwords or other information. For example, you get an email from what appears to be the PayPal’s account verification department, or from your ISP, asking you to go to a Web page and enter your password, or change it to one of their choosing.
Remember that although your email address may have been spoofed this does not mean that the spoofer has gained access to your mailbox.
Tip: Internet Headers are best read from the bottom up, as they are added to as the email passes through the system.
Within these days of massive communication via e-mail, it comes to be quite important for anyone to be familiar with the following two terms: email “spamming” and email “spoofing”.
- Email spamming refers to sending email to thousands and thousands of users – similar to a chain letter. Spamming is often done deliberately to use network resources. Email spamming may be combined with email spoofing, so that it is very difficult to determine the actual originating email address of the sender. Some email systems, including our Microsoft Exchange, have the ability to block incoming mail from a specific address. However, because these individuals change their email addresses frequently, it is difficult to prevent some spam from reaching your email inbox.
- Email spoofing refers to email that appears to have originated from one source when it was actually sent from another source. Individuals, who are sending “junk” email or “spam”, typically want the email to appear to be from an email address that may not exist. This way the email cannot be traced back to the originator.
Malicious Spoofing
There are many possible reasons why people send out emails spoofing the return address: sometimes it is simply to cause confusion, sometimes it is to discredit the person whose email address has been spoofed: using their name to send a vile or insulting message.Sometimes email spoofing is used for what is known as “phishing”, which aims to trick the recipient into revealing passwords or other information. For example, you get an email from what appears to be the PayPal’s account verification department, or from your ISP, asking you to go to a Web page and enter your password, or change it to one of their choosing.
Dealing with a Spoofed Email
There is no way to prevent receiving spoofed emails. If you get a message that is outrageously insulting, asks for something highly confidential, or just plain doesn’t make any sense, then you may want to find out if it is really from the person it says it’s from. You can look at the Internet Headers information to see where the email actually originated.Remember that although your email address may have been spoofed this does not mean that the spoofer has gained access to your mailbox.
Displaying Internet Headers Information
An email collects information from each of the computers it passes through on the way to the recipient, and this is stored in the email’s Internet Headers.Tip: Internet Headers are best read from the bottom up, as they are added to as the email passes through the system.
Virus spoofing
Email-distributed viruses that use spoofing, such the Klez or Sobig virus, take a random name from somewhere on the infected person’s hard disk and mail themselves out as if they were from that randomly chosen address. Recipients of these viruses are therefore misled as to the address from which they were sent, and may end up complaining to, or alerting the wrong person. As a result, users of uninfected computers may be wrongly informed that they have, and have been distributing a virus.
If you receive an alert that you’re sending infected emails, first run a virus scan using a full-featured locally installed anti-virus program (e.g. Norton Anti-Virus, McAfee, Nod32, AVG, BitDefender, etc). If you are uninfected, then you may want to reply to the infection alert with this information:
“Your virus may have appeared to have been sent by me, but I have scanned my system and I am not infected. A number of email-distributed viruses fake, or spoof, the ‘From’ address using a random address taken from the Outlook contacts list or from Web files stored on the hard drive.”
But keep in mind that a virus alert message is quite often auto generated and sent via an anti-virus server and so replying to the original email may not elicit a response.
Alternatively, if you receive an email-distributed virus, look at the Internet Headers information to see where the email actually originated from, before firing off a complaint or virus alert to the person you assume sent it.
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