Chrome is up in the air, in the clouds, literally

Posted on November 8, 2010 by wjimenez275

By Paula Rooney | November 8, 2010, 7:59am PST

Google has teamed up with three major airlines to make Chrome and the Internet available free on flights through the holidays.

On Monday, the web services giant’s browser team said it has deals in place with AirTran, Delta and Virgin American to provide Gogo inflight Internet access at no cost to passengers from Nov. 20 through Jan 2, 2011.

The service — which will reportedly allow passengers to check e-mail and surf the web –n will be available on more than 700 planes.

I’d give this a 9.5 on the PR campaign scale. Business passengers have dreamed of in flight access for years and consumers are now just as hooked. Nearly every surfer knows about Internet Explorer and Firefox (the reincarnated Netscape Navigator) and Chrome has made a huge dent over the past year. This will only heighten awareness of the open source browser.

http://www.zdnet.com/blog/open-source/chrome-is-up-in-the-air-in-the-clouds-literally/7738?tag=nl.e550

 

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Computer Security for Teens and Their Parents Too.

Posted on September 19, 2010 by wjimenez275

Ran across a nice, free, security e-book from Microsoft that is written for teens, to keep them safe while on the internet but it is a great e-book for parents to read as well. You can download it here.

“Help teens ‘own their space’ online. Whether you are a parent, caregiver, or educator, you can keep up with the latest computer and online safety issues and help kids learn to avoid them. In partnership with security expert and author, Linda McCarthy, we offer a free downloadable version of her new book, “Own Your Space – Keep Yourself and Your Stuff Safe Online.” Written for computer and Internet savvy “tweens” and teens specifically, this book is also a useful resource for the adults they rely on.”

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/en/details.aspx?FamilyID=87583728-ef14-4703-a649-0fd34bd19d13&displayLang=en

Filed under: Instructional, PC Tips and Tools | 1 Comment »

Recuva – Remarkable

Posted on September 2, 2010 by wjimenez275

What a day. In front of me was a computer that was booting to nowhere. It was just a continual loop back to the statement that there were not boot files available. Then, as I got closer, I heard the tell-tale clicking of the hard drive. The good news was that it was still spinning. The bad news was that there were some critically important files on the drive that hadn’t been backed up (no, it wasn’t my drive). Option #1 – call in a data recovery company to recover the data, at a cost of about $1000. Option #2, plug it into an external enclosure and hope. The first couple of computers I plugged the drive into didn’t see it at all. Not looking good. Finally found one that recognized the drive. Looking better. Looked at the properties of the drive. 120 GB drive, 120 GB available. Really not looking good.

Enter Recuva. Recuva is software from the same company that puts out ccleaner, one of my favorite clean-up programs. So, I downloaded Recuva and ran it against the drive. Well, lo and behold, after a couple of hours, I was able to recover the critical files. Not all files were recoverable, but it did a great job, was easy to use, and did I mention that it is free? Some the features of Recua:

Undelete files on your computer

Deleted a file by mistake? Recuva brings lost files on your computer, USB drive, camera or iPod.

Recovery from damaged or formatted disks

Even if you’ve formatted a drive so that it looks blank, Recuva can still find your files on it.

Recover deleted E-Mails

Emptied your email trash and need it back? Recuva’s got you covered with full support for Microsoft Outlook Express, Mozilla Thunderbird, or Windows Live Mail.

Recover deleted iPod music

Deleted music from your iPod or MP3 player? No problem, Recuva will get this back for you along with any additional track data.

Restore unsaved Word documents

Did Microsoft Word crash or did you forget to save that important Word document. No problem with Recuva! As it can intelligently rebuild Word documents from their temporary files.

Quick-start Wizard

If you need your files back right away without fiddling with options, Recuva’s Quick-Start Wizard is the answer.

Deep Scan

Recuva can find most files within a minute. Or, set the Deep Scan to look for more deeply-buried results.

Securely delete files you want to erase forever

Want to protect your deleted files? Recuva also allows you to permanently erase any traces of deleted files.

Portable Version

Take Recuva with you wherever you go with the portable version.

Full OS support and many languages

Recuva has support for every modern version of Windows and 37+ languages.
Download it here – http://www.piriform.com/recuva

Filed under: PC Maintenance, PC Tips and Tools, Uncategorized | 1 Comment »

iTunes – Authorizing and Deauthorizing

Posted on August 20, 2010 by wjimenez275

Ran into a situation where I had to install a new hard drive in my computer. When I went to authorize iTunes, I was told that I had reached my limit of 5 authorizations. I realized that over the past couple of years, I had authorized several computers that I no longer had. Since I couldn’t authorize my new installation, I had to find a way to deauthorize  some of the other ones.  I found that I could log into the iTunes Store and Deauthorize All my systems and then reauthorize the one’s I’m actively using.

To deauthorize a computer

  1. Open iTunes.
  2. Choose Store > Deauthorize Computer (In earlier versions of iTunes, access this option from the Advanced menu).
  3. Select “Deauthorize Computer for Apple Account” and enter your Apple ID and password.

Make sure you deauthorize your computer before you upgrade your RAM, hard disk or other system components, or reinstall Windows. If you do not deauthorize your computer before you upgrade these components, one computer may use multiple authorizations.

To deauthorize all computers associated with your account

If you find you have reached 5 authorizations, you can reset your authorization count by clicking Deauthorize All in the Account Information screen.

  1. Click iTunes Store in the menu on the left side of iTunes.
  2. If you’re not signed in to the store, click the Account button, then enter your account name and password.
  3. Click the Account button again (your ID appears on the button), enter your password, and then click View Account.
  4. In the Account Information window, click Deauthorize All.

Note: You may only use this feature once per year. The Deauthorize All button will not appear if you have fewer than 5 authorized computers, or if you have used this option within the last 12 months.

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Mozy vs Carbonite – Off-site Backup Thoughts

Posted on August 13, 2010 by wjimenez275

In the past, I’ve recommended options for backing up your important files, since we all know that at some point in time, your computer or hard drive is going to die. One of the options I’ve mentioned is backing up your data to an off-site location. The reason for this is that in the event of catastrophe, your files will be available to you from where ever you might be.

Two off-site companies are Mozy and Carbonite. Recently I’ve had to experience the restore capabilities of both companies and I found out that there is a world of difference between the two.

A couple of years ago, a friend of mine, who was using Carbonite, had to restore her files from the vendor. Several days after the restore started, she was still having problems getting her files. Many calls and e-mails to tech support later, her files were finally recovered. Not having experienced Carbonite before, I wasn’t sure whether this was an isolated incident or not. Well, come to find out that it wasn’t. A couple of months ago, another friend, also a Carbonite user, had to purchase a new computer and went to restore her files from the vendor. Several days later, she was still trying to recover her files from the vendor. Many calls and e-mails later, she had her files but the frustration felt by both individuals was incredible.

Just recently, I lost my hard drive. I use Mozy for backup needs and when I needed to restore my files, I logged onto the site, chose the files/folders to restore, waited an hour while Mozy processed the request, clicked the download button and within a couple of hours, my files were on my new hard drive. It was incredibly easy, pretty quick, and very painless. Additionally, Mozy allows you to duplicate the off-site backup to an external hard drive that is attached to your computer so restoring your files would be even easier.

Having backups of your critical files is extremely important. Being able to restore those files in a timely manner is also important. Before my most recent experience with the restore functions of these two vendors, I’d say that they were pretty comparable. After experiencing the restore functions, I’d say Mozy is the better program hands down. My recommendation – Mozy. If you’re using Carbonite, switch.

https://mozy.com/
http://www.carbonite.com/

Filed under: Instructional, PC Maintenance, PC Tips and Tools | 2 Comments »

The curse of popularity: Hackers love Apple’s iPad, iPhone, too | ZDNet

Posted on August 4, 2010 by wjimenez275

As the popularity of the iPhone and the iPad – both of which run iOS – has gone mainstream, hackers are tapping iOS. And surely, they’re counting on users – who have long known about vulnerabilities to computers – to be naive about the vulnerabilities that are possible in the mobile world.

Today, Gizmodo posted an unsourced report about a security breach in iOS products that are being pushed through PDF files and the Web pages that load through the Safari browser. Gizmodo calls the vulnerability “easily exploitable” and explains that unsuspecting users who could be giving “total control” of their iPhones, iPod Touches or iPads to hackers. The blog reports:

It just requires the user to visit a web address using Safari. The web site can automatically load a simple PDF document, which contains a font that hides a special program. When your iOS device tries to display the PDF file, that font causes something called stack overflow, a technical condition that allows the secret ninja code inside the font to gain complete control of your device. The result is that, without any user intervention whatsoever, that program can do whatever it wants inside your iPhone, iPod touch or iPad. Anything you can imagine: Delete files, transmit files, install programs running on the background that can monitor your actions… anything can be done.

via The curse of popularity: Hackers love Apple’s iPad, iPhone, too | ZDNet.

Filed under: PC Security | 1 Comment »

The Proper Care and Feeding of Your HDTV, Phone, and Camera

Posted on July 22, 2010 by wjimenez275

One of the things I’m asked quite frequently is how to clean the screens of computers and laptops. There are specials cleaning materials you can purchase at office supply stores that will clean both your computer screens and your TV screens. You can also make your own cleaning solution by mixing distilled water (make sure it’s distilled) and white vinegar in equal proportions into a spray bottle.

To clean your screen, start with a dry, microfiber cloth. Move it in circular motions. Be gentle, but apply slight pressure on particularly stubborn spots.

If that doesn’t clean the screen, use your cleaning solution. Turn off your laptop. Spray the cleaner lightly onto the, not onto the monitor. Wipe as described above, then wait ten minutes before booting up.

You can find additional tips on cleaning your other electronics by clicking on the following link.

The Proper Care and Feeding of Your HDTV, Phone, and Camera.

Filed under: PC Maintenance, PC Tips and Tools, Uncategorized | 1 Comment »

Windows XP zero-day under attack; Use Microsofts “fix-it” workaround | ZDNet

Posted on June 16, 2010 by wjimenez275

Just five days after Google researcher Tavis Ormandy released details of a critical vulnerability affecting Windows XP and Windows Server 2003, malware authors have struck, exploiting the flaw to plant malware on Windows machines.The attacks, described by Microsoft as “limited,” are being distributed on rigged Web sites drive-by downloads.“Windows Server 2003 customers are not currently at risk from the Win Help issue based on the attack samples we have analyzed,” according to Microsoft’s security response center.The attacks,  are only targeting Windows XP computers with the HCP protocol enabled.

ONE-CLICK FIX-IT

In the absence of a patch, Microsoft is recommending that affected Windows customers use this one-click Fix-It tool to unregister the problematic “hcp://” protocol.

This can also be manually done by following these simple directions:

  1. Click Start, and then click Run.
  2. Type regedit, and then click OK.
  3. Expand HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT, and then highlight the HCP key.
  4. Right-click the HCP key, and then click Delete.

Impact of Workaround: Unregistering the HCP protocol will break all local, legitimate help links that use hcp://.  For example, links in Control Panel may no longer work.

via Windows XP zero-day under attack; Use Microsofts “fix-it” workaround | ZDNet.

Filed under: Instructional, PC Security | 1 Comment »

Adobe reports critical flaw in Flash, Acrobat | Security – CNET News

Posted on June 8, 2010 by wjimenez275

Adobe has issued a security advisory about a “critical” vulnerability in its Flash Player and Adobe Reader and Acrobat products that it says could let attackers take control of peoples computers. The company said late Friday that there had been reports of the hole actually being exploited and that an official patch was not yet available. Affected software includes: Adobe Flash Player 10.0.45.2, 9.0.262, and earlier 10.0.x and 9.0.x versions for Windows, Macintosh, Linux, and Solaris, Adobe Reader and Acrobat 9.3.2 and earlier 9.x versions for Windows, Macintosh, and Unix. The company said that the Flash Player 10.1 Release Candidate does not seem to be vulnerable and that Adobe Reader and Acrobat 8.x are confirmed not vulnerable. Adobe didn’t say when an official fix would be released, but according to the company, computer users can mitigate the Flash issue by downloading the release candidate mentioned above. The Acrobat and Reader issue can be addressed by “deleting, renaming, or removing access to the authplay.dll file” that ships with those products, Adobe said. This will, however, cause a nonexploitable crash or error message if a user opens a PDF file that contains SWF content. The .dll file is typically located at C:\Program Files\Adobe\Reader 9.0\Reader\authplay.dll for Adobe Reader or C:\Program Files\Adobe\Acrobat 9.0\Acrobat\authplay.dll for Acrobat, Adobe said.The complete security advisory is available here.

via Adobe reports critical flaw in Flash, Acrobat | Security – CNET News.

Filed under: Instructional, PC Security | 1 Comment »

HP Expands Recall of Notebook Computer Batteries Due to Fire Hazard

Posted on May 21, 2010 by wjimenez275

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, in cooperation with the firm named below, today announced a voluntary recall of the following consumer product. Consumers should stop using recalled products immediately unless otherwise instructed. It is illegal to resell or attempt to resell a recalled consumer product.Name of Product: Lithium-Ion batteries used in Hewlett-Packard and Compaq notebook computersUnits: About 54,000 70,000 units were previously recalled in May 2009Importer: Hewlett-Packard Co., of Palo Alto, Calif.Hazard: The recalled lithium-ion batteries can overheat, posing a fire and burn hazard to consumers.Incidents/Injuries: Since the May 2009 recall, HP has received 38 additional reports of batteries that overheated and ruptured resulting in 11 instances of minor personal injury and 31 instances of minor property damage.Description: The recalled lithium-ion rechargeable batteries are used with various model series of HP and Compaq notebook computers. The chart below includes all notebook model numbers associated with batteries recalled to date. The computer model number is located at the top of the service label on the bottom of the notebook computer. Not all batteries matching the bar codes are being recalled.

via HP Expands Recall of Notebook Computer Batteries Due to Fire Hazard.

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