Do you have a frozen Zune 30?

Posted on January 1, 2009 by wjimenez275

Zune 30’s all over the world locked up during the night and will not turn back on. Microsoft is aware of the problem and has this to say at the “official Zune” (http://www.zune.net/en-us/support/zune30.htm) site:

My Zune 30 is frozen. What should I do?

Follow these steps:

  1. Disconnect your Zune from USB and AC power sources.
  2. Because the player is frozen, its battery will drain—this is good. Wait until the battery is empty and the screen goes black. If the battery was fully charged, this might take a couple of hours.
  3. Wait until after noon GMT on January 1, 2009 (that’s 7 a.m. Eastern or 4 a.m. Pacific time).
  4. Connect your Zune to either a USB port on the back or your computer or to AC power using the Zune AC Adapter and let it charge.

Once the battery has sufficient power, the player should start normally. No other action is required—you can go back to using your Zune!

My Zune 30 has been working fine today. Should I be worried?

Nope, your Zune is fine and will continue to work as long as you do not connect it to your computer before noon GMT on January 1, 2009 (7 a.m. Eastern or 4 a.m. Pacific time).

Note: If you connect your player to a computer before noon GMT on January 1, 2009,  you’ll experience the freeze mentioned above—even if that computer does not have the Zune software installed. If this happens, follow the above steps.

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Ten Tips for Hassle-Free Tech Merchandise Returns

Posted on December 30, 2008 by wjimenez275

Retailers often play by different rules in accepting electronics returns. Here are some tips to help you navigate the tricky world of returns, exchanges, and warranties.

Erin Biba, PC World

Tuesday, December 23, 2008 08:00 PM PST

http://www.pcworld.com/printable/article/id,140902/printable.html

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Spam, Spam, Spam, Spam, Spam …..

Posted on December 22, 2008 by wjimenez275

Spam, Yuck. Well, okay, that Spam too. However, the spam that affects us daily is worse. Some stats from this past year from Symantec:
Top Trends in 2008
Spam: In 2008 the annual average spam rate was 81.2 percent, meaning a little over 81% of all email sent/received in 2008 was spam. An increasing proportion of spam originated from reputable web-based email and application service providers.
Viruses: The average virus level for 2008 was 1 in 143.8 emails, down from 2007 where levels averaged at 1 in 117.7 emails. The decline can be attributed to the transition to spreading malware using malicious content hosted on websites and drive-by installs rather than favoring email as the primary means of distribution.
Phishing: The number of phishing attacks was 1 in 244.9 (.41 percent) emails across 2008, compared to 1 in 156 emails in 2007.

With all of the spam and phishing emails coming into your inbox, wouldn’t it be nice to have a program that filters it out before you see it?
If you use Microsoft Outlook or Microsoft Outlook Express for your email program, I’d recommend a program called iHateSpam from Sunbelt Software. It’s an inexpensive program that filters a large majority of your incoming spam to a spam folder, where you can delete it without even touching it.

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Major Web Browsers Fail Password Protection Tests – ZDNet

Posted on December 16, 2008 by wjimenez275

http://blogs.zdnet.com/security/?p=2305

That nifty password management feature in your favorite Web browser could be helping identity thieves pilfer your personal data.

That’s the biggest takeaway from the results of this test which shows that all the major Web browsers — including IE, Firefox, Opera, Safari and Chrome — are vulnerable to a total of 20 vulnerabilities that could expose password-related information.  Among the problems are three in particular that, when combined, allow password thieves to take passwords without the user’s knowledge.  They are:

  1. The destination where passwords are sent is not checked.
  2. The location where passwords are requested is not checked.
  3. Invisible form elements can trigger password management.

Google’s shiny new Chrome browser was among the worst offenders.   According to the study,  Chrome’s password manager contains multiple unpatched issues that “form a toxic soup of potential vulnerabilities that can coalesce into broad insecurity.”

Read the entire article here

See my blog article on Password Programs here

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Personal electronics websites too good to be true

Posted on December 12, 2008 by wjimenez275

12/2/2008

Calgary, Alberta – The Better Business Bureau is warning consumers of a number of websites purportedly selling personal electronics, but failing to deliver product after receiving payment by wire transfer.

The outfit, most recently operating as Qbelam.com and Circuitown.com, advertises a variety of personal electronics including PS3s and laptop computers at discounted rates, and the website gives a number of options available for payment.  However, when interested parties try to check out, they are sent a message stating that the only available method of payment is wire transfer.

“Anytime you’re being asked to pay for something by a wire transfer service, that should be a huge red flag,” said BBB Serving Southern Alberta and East Kootenays spokesperson Daniel MacDonald.  “Once money has been sent, there’s no way to get it back – using a credit card to pay for items online provides a great deal more security.”

According to verbal complaints to BBB, which have all been lodged from the United States, the products ordered may never be delivered.  Further, the organization seems to change its name and URL frequently: in recent weeks it has appeared as Bargain Town, Qbelam, Circuitown, and now Cesa Room with a Calgary address.

A BBB staff member posed as a customer and contacted the organization under the guise of buying a laptop – she indicated she wished to pay using a credit card, and received a message back indicating that “due to high rate of fraudulent activity” they would only accept a wire transfer from consumers outside of Canada.  As the BBB operative had indicated she was a Canadian resident, it appears that the return message was automatically generated, intending to dupe citizens of other countries.

BBB recommends consumers research companies they intend to solicit online, and to never send money to an unknown recipient.  And, of course, if an offer sounds too good to be true, it probably is. (http://calgary.bbb.org/WWWRoot/SitePage.aspx?site=154&id=83aca452-4703-433a-a1d4-db2dfc0e5bef&art=8073)

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Gadget trade-in services that pay off – CNET News

Posted on December 7, 2008 by wjimenez275

Posted by Elsa Wenzel December 3, 2008 8:45 AM PST

Web sites that promise to pay for your old gadgets look bright around the holidays, when every extra dollar can count toward new gifts or even utility bills. But are the services worthwhile? How much can you earn?

We examined nine services that pay for your unwanted digital wares. These are among the newest options to help keep electronics waste out of landfills, while uncluttering your closets.

We looked up what each service said it would pay for working iPods, PDAs, laptops, gaming consoles, and more, with cables but lacking their original boxes. For dead devices, some offer a pittance, or will connect you with willing recyclers and charity recipients. Our chart (at right) shows what each site claims it pays for specific equipment. Keep reading for highlights of the trade-in services.

To read the entire article, click here (http://news.cnet.com/8301-17939_109-10110288-2.html?tag=nl.e433)

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Keep Your Laptop From Being Stolen

Posted on December 2, 2008 by wjimenez275

With laptops being such an important part of our lives, and many times businesses, it’s important to know how to protect them from being stolen, or if they are stolen how to get them back quickly. The following are a few ways to do so.

Laptop Alarm for PC’s. Laptop Alarm will emit a loud alarm whenever someone tries to steal your laptop. It sounds when your power cable or external peripherals are disconnected or when the mouse is moved.

Security Cables. Most laptops have built-in slots that accommodate a security cable. These cables come as key based locks or as combination based locks and allow you to physically lock your laptop to a table or desk, so if you need to leave it for a few minutes it’s actually locked in place.

Lojack For Laptops. Computrace® LoJack® for Laptops is a software-based computer theft recovery service that tracks and recovers lost or stolen computers. If your computer is stolen, their recovery team uses the software to track the stolen computer and provides local police with information they need to get it back and apprehend thieves. There is a small subscription cost for this program but it starts at just $39.95 per year.

Laptops are easy to steal. It’s important that you keep your important data backed up on an external drive so if your computer is stolen, you have a good copy of it’s data. Additionally, these options will help in either keeping it from being stolen, or if it is taken, in getting it back.

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Christmas Lures Being Distributed Via Spam

Posted on November 29, 2008 by wjimenez275

Websense® Security Labs™ ThreatSeeker™ Network has discovered that malware authors are already using Christmas themes this year as a social engineering tactic, in an effort to gain control over compromised machines. This campaign uses email messages in the form of e-greetings, leading to supposed animated postcards. These actually lead to a Trojan backdoor that has been distributed in previous malicious spam campaigns.

The email messages, spoofed to appear as though they have been sent from postcards.org, display an animated Christmas scene. A URL link within the email leads to a malicious file called postcard.exe hosted on various servers.

Once executed, a backdoor is created by the malware author enabling access and control over the resources of the compromised machine. During the install process an image called xmas.jpg is displayed to the user as a distraction technique.

Example of malicious email:

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Thanksgiving

Posted on November 25, 2008 by wjimenez275

I’d like to give thanks to all of you who have honored me by following my tips here on my blog. Today’s entry will be a little different…It’s all about Thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving Trivia

Here are some interesting facts about Thanksgiving that each of us should know about:

  • The first Thanksgiving celebration can be traced back to the Plymouth Pilgrims in the fall of 1621.
  • The first Thanksgiving feast was held to thank the Lord for sparing the lives of the survivors of the Mayflower, who landed at Plymouth Rock on December 11, 1620. The survivors included four adult women and almost forty percent children.
  • The Wampanoag chief Massasoit and ninety of his tribesmen were also invited to the first thanksgiving feast. Governor William Bradford invited them for helping the Pilgrims surviving and teaching them the skills of cultivating the land.
  • The celebration in 1621 lasted for three days and included games and food.
  • The president to proclaim the first ‘National Day of Thanksgiving’ in 1789 was George Washington.
  • Sarah Josepha Hale, a magazine editor, campaigned to make Thanksgiving a National Holiday in 1827 and succeeded.
  • Abraham Lincoln announced Thanksgiving to be national holiday in his proclamation on October 3, 1863.
  • The ‘wishbone’ of the turkey is used in a good luck ritual on Thanksgiving Day.

The President’s Pardon

The animal lovers determined to counter the animal sacrifice introduced the custom of letting a turkey, pardoned by the President of the United States, free to live a natural life comfortably in a zoo at Herndon. This pardon is given at the last minute before the execution of the Turkey in a ceremony at the White House. Here we reiterate the words of the official pardon:

“By virtue of this pardon, (Turkey of the year’s name) is on her way not to the dinner table but to Kidwell Farm in Herndon, VA. There she’ll live out her days as safe and comfortable as she can be.”

It is said that this tradition was first observed in 1947 and was conceived by Harry Truman. After the Turkey gets the Presidential Pardon, it is transported to Kidwell Farm, a petting zoo at Frying Pan Park in Herndon, Virginia to be welcomed as the chief guest along with the President in a Turkey ‘Roast’ celebration. Here, the Turkey is not ‘roasted’ in the oven but through humor and turkey jokes.

And then, there’s the most important site of all on Thanksgiving – Butterball’s website – (http://www.butterball.com/tips-how-tos/tips/thanksgiving-guide), for when you need help with what’s going on.

However, when things go wrong with the food, you can find some quick fixes at http://www.chefrick.com/thanksgiving-food-first-aid/

Enjoy your Thanksgiving, and thank you…

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Avoid Online Scams When You’re Shopping for the Holidays

Posted on November 21, 2008 by wjimenez275

From Trend Micro TrendSetter

Every year we see staggering new statistics about how many people are buying gifts online instead of braving traffic, long lines, and parking nightmares at brick-and-mortar stores. During the holidays, many online retailers will also offer breaks on shipping costs—so the advantages of less physical hassle, no sales tax, and potentially free or cheap shipping make online shopping pretty appealing. However, the risks involved in online shopping are persistent as ever. Here are a few key ways you can protect yourself.

1. Use a virtual account number. This is a service that most credit cards now offer. Here’s how it works: Log onto your credit card account and with one click you can generate a random credit card number that makes it virtually impossible for anyone to steal your account number while shopping online. When your virtual number is generated, simply enter it into the merchant’s form and complete your purchase without revealing your actual card number. This virtual credit card number is only valid for a short period of time-long enough for the retailer to process your transaction, which will be charged to your real credit card account. But if a retailer stores that number and a hacker later breaks into their system, the number will be useless. Please note: Virtual account numbers cannot be used for purchases that require you to show your credit card at time of pick-up (e.g., movie tickets, etc.), because the account numbers will not match.

2. Make sure you’re shopping on a secure site. Look for the padlock icon or a URL that starts with https://. That means your transaction is encrypted.

3. Don’t trust emails from “retailers” claiming you need to verify your credit card information. This is almost certainly a scam. Every year millions of emails go out from hackers pretending to be eBay or PayPal customer service and asking consumers to provide information that the actual service already possesses. If you’re worried that a retailer really has failed to process your order, go to the site and look up your account or contact their customer service center—don’t click on a link in email that could redirect to a dummy site.

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