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February 06, 2010

Scumware and Scareware Warning and Removal By Ira Wilsker 

 

WEBSITES:

http://www.fbi.gov/pressrel/pressrel09/popup121109.htm

http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/2009-06-09-cybergangs-scareware-hackers_N.htm

http://www.networkworld.com/news/2009/101909-scareware.html

http://blogs.zdnet.com/security/?p=4297

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123976230407519659.html

http://www.malwarebytes.org/mbam-download.php

http://www.malwarebytes.org/mbam/database/mbam-rules.exe

http://www.emsisoft.com/en/software/free/

http://download1.emsisoft.com/a2usb.zip

http://www.threatfire.com

http://www.microsoft.com/security/malwareremove/default.aspx  

 

            Many of you have had the experience of having a popup or window open on your computer that tells you that your computer is infected with a substantial quantity of viruses, worms, Trojans, and other forms of spyware.  Typically, these warning messages, which may appear to be authentic Windows warnings, instruct the user to “click here” to remove the malware.  Upon clicking, another window opens which solicits a fee, typically $29.95 to $49.95 (or more) to purchase software to remove the infection.  The software being offered has an attractive and professional looking interface, and often carries a name that is intended to inspire confidence, sometimes even being similar to reputable product names that we have heard of before.  Trying to close the window often results in the popup reappearing again, almost instantly.  If we choose to ignore the warning or close it, it may continue to reappear whenever we click on a webpage, open our own already installed programs or security software, or randomly.  These warnings may scare us, or become so intrusive that many of us will pay to purchase the recommended software to clean our computers of malware and restore the usability of our machines.  By doing so, at a minimum, we just became the victim of a scam that according to the FBI has duped Americans out of an estimated $150 million. 

If it was only money that was lost, the damage would be bad enough, but the infection and hijacking that produced the popups and warnings in the first place may have also destroyed our existing antivirus software, deactivated our firewall, transmitted our vulnerabilities to unknown miscreants, and made our computers vulnerable to continued attacks.  Purchasing, downloading, and installing this rogue software may possibly also open us up to even worse attacks such as turning our computers into spam sending zombies that can generate massive income for the zombie master.  Other identified hazards of this software may include the installation of keylogging software to steal our usernames, passwords, and credit card information to be sold on illicit websites for criminal purposes including credit card fraud and identity theft.  Simply put, your computer may physically be in your home, but for all practical purposes it belongs to some crook somewhere who in reality has control over it for nefarious and pecuniary reasons.

            This may sound like science fiction or the theme of an action movie, but the scenario is a sad reality that has been repeated on millions of personal computers.  The victims of this scam may have visited websites, often legitimate websites, that have been victimized themselves by hackers who installed the dangerous code that can infect a computer by simply opening a webpage, causing the malware to be loaded onto the victim computer.  In some other cases the infection can occur by clicking on an apparently authentic looking online advertisement, opening an email attachment, or simply doing other online activities.  A lot of the victims clicked on links posted on Twitter, YouTube comments, instant messages, links illicitly planted in search engine results, and ads posted on legitimate websites. Many of these “drive-by” infections are explicitly designed to evade antivirus and anti-spyware software, and once on the computer, may destroy the ability of the antivirus and anti-spyware to provide any future protection.  The authors of this malware are smart, and if the legitimate security software is indeed neutralized, it will still appear to load and even update, as well as display the program icon in the tray by the clock, giving the user a false sense of security that his computer is still protected.  Not just is the computer no longer protected, but some of the malware sends out invitations to other cyber crooks to visit the buffet of purloined computers and help themselves to the bounty of goodies that may be available, as well as allow them to install additional spyware and malware on the victimized computer. 

Some of this illicit activity is done in a multi-level marketing or pyramid model where cyber criminals can pay the master crook for access, and then resell this access to others, who can then sell to others, each paying a fee or commission that is passed up the line to the master crook.  This is not some obscure threat or risk that we face, but a very common occurrence.  According to the security company F-Secure’s senior researcher Mikko Hypponen, one of these master criminals recently ran a contest offering a $36,000 Lexus sedan to the top-selling affiliate.  According to a report in USA Today, in 2008,  SecureWorks researcher Stewart infiltrated a Russian group known as the Baka Software gang. He accessed documentation showing one affiliate earned $146,525 in 10 days by spreading promotions for a worthless program, called Antivirus XP 2008, to more than 154,000 people, and closing sales to 2,772 of them. Another record showed five top Baka Software affiliates earning weekly commissions averaging $107,604.  In another example of the degree of infection, Microsoft reported that its Malicious Software Removal Tool found one specific fake security program on 4.4 million computers!  There are hundreds or thousands of these rogue programs currently infesting countless millions of computers.  This begs an answer to a rhetorical question; would you really want to give your credit card number and security code to a crook that is probably in Russia?  If you fell for this scam, contact your credit card company immediately and tell them what happened; also ask them to chargeback the charges made on your card by the crooks.

            If you feel that you have been victimized there are some free utilities that can likely detect and kill the malware.  Since much of this malware will not be initially detected by the protective software on our computers, and may in fact neutralize the protection that we do have, simply performing a scan with the security software we already have may provide little or no benefit.  It should also be noted that if the user cannot access the websites of the legitimate utilities that can detect and kill the malware, that is a sure symptom that the victim computer is under the control of the cyber crook.

            I am now receiving daily emails and phone calls from people describing a similar problem, complete with the typical symptoms of a scumware or scareware infection.  I have had very good results with a few free utilities that will likely detect and kill the malware, and remove it from our machines.  While there can be no guarantees that they will continue to work well, they do have a proven track record, and so far, have fared well in this cat and mouse game where the cyber crooks keep developing something new, and the security companies have to come up with a way to detect and kill the infection.

            My first choice is Malwarebytes Anti-Malware, available for download from www.malwarebytes.ORG.  I emphasized the .ORG because there have been knock-off websites with other upper-level domains designed to explicitly scam people looking for the authentic product.  Malwarebytes has both a free version and a commercial version.  As is customary, the paid commercial version has more features and capabilities, but the free version is fine for detecting and removing most malware.  Download it (probably from a link redirecting the user to CNet’s Download.com), install it, update it, and perform a scan.  A quick scan will detect malware in the most common locations in just a few minutes, but a full scan will be much more thorough, and may take an hour or two to run.  If the user cannot directly access the malwarebytes.org website, but is redirected somewhere else or totally blocked, then that is a sure sign that the computer has been hijacked.  If this happens, download Malwarebytes to another computer, and copy it to a flash drive or CD, and install it from that media.  It may also be a good idea to manually download the latest updated signature files (called rules), from www.malwarebytes.org/mbam/database/mbam-rules.exe, as access to the update server may also be blocked on the infected computer.  Install the Malwarebytes on the infected computer, and then run the file mbam-rules.exe to update the software.  If there is memory resident malware detected, Malwarebytes may direct the user to reboot the computer, and Malwarebytes will then automatically rerun at boot, killing the malware before it can load.  Update it and rerun it frequently to help keep your computer clean of malware.

            The other utility that I use along with Malwarebytes to detect and kill malware is A-Squared Free, available for download from www.emsisoft.com/en/software/free/.  A-Squared Free has a commercial sister product, A-squared Anti-Malware (www.emsisoft.com/en/) with more features and a memory resident component that provides real time protection in addition to the security software already on the computer.  Both versions also integrate a full featured virus scanner to detect more than most other scanners.  Download one of the versions of A-Squared (the free version is adequate if the user only wants to detect and remove malware and viruses), install it, and update it.  Do a quick scan for a quick clean, and a deep scan to detect more potential threats.  A-Squared also detects fragments, or pieces of code that may be a threat.  Since a detector as sensitive as A-Squared may occasionally detect a file and label it as a threat, but it is really a false-positive, I choose to initially quarantine anything that is found, rather than delete it.  That way, I can recover any files that may have been misdiagnosed.  A-Squared is another product whose website is commonly blocked by malware, in order for the malware to protect itself from removal.  If that happens, the A-Squared software can be downloaded to another computer, and copied to a flash drive or CD, and installed from that.  An alternative designed explicitly for just such an occurrence is A-Squared Emergency USB Stick Files (download1.emsisoft.com/a2usb.zip).  This version, which is kept up to date continuously on the Emsisoft website, is a 67mb download which contains all of the necessary files, is intended to be copied to a flash drive, and installed on the infected computer from that media.

            After the computer is cleaned of malware, the user will often notice a marked increase in performance.  Do not be complacent, because you may still be victimized even though your computer is likely clean.  Since your logons, user names, and passwords may have been compromised, it would be a good idea to change them, and repeat the scanning process on a frequent and regular basis.  It may also be necessary to reinstall your security software, as it may have been destroyed by the malware.  Consider installing another layer of security that works in addition to your security software, and enhances your protection, making a re-infestation less likely.  The paid commercial versions of Malwarebytes or A-Squared Anti-Malware would be good choices, or a freeware product such as Threatfire (www.threatfire.com) would provide enhanced protection in addition to the traditional security software.









  • January 30, 2010

    Downloading and Converting YouTube Videos By Ira Wilsker
     
    WEBSITES:
    http://www.forinside.com – Online download and conversion
    http://www.downloadhelper.net – FireFox Add-on and converter
    http://www.orbitdownloader.com – Automated downloader
    http://www.download-youtube.com -- Online download
    http://www.videolan.org – Free universal video player
    http://www.any-video-converter.com/products/for_video_free/
    http://www.dvdvideosoft.com/free-dvd-video-software.htm
     
                I frequently get emails from readers of this column and listeners of my radio show regarding problems they are having.  While I cannot guarantee an effective answer, I can at least try to help them out, or tell them where they can find a solution.  Some of the more interesting, or more common questions I will occasionally post here under the premise that if a few of you are having a similar problem, then many others are having a similar problem.
     
                Last Friday I was forwarded an email that had been bouncing around one of the departments at Lamar University about how to download YouTube videos and convert them to a format that can be used in PowerPoint.  Some of the faculty have rightly found that there is some useful content on YouTube that is applicable to academic lectures, and they would like to use this information in class.  Fortunately, there are several good solutions.
     
                My personal first choice in downloading YouTube videos and converting them into a format that can play in PowerPoint, or on most video players, is a free add-on for the FireFox browser called DownloadHelper ( www.downloadhelper.net).  DownloadHelper is extremely popular with FireFox users, having been downloaded and installed about 54 million times!  DownloadHelper places a small icon on the bottom edge of the browser window consisting of three colored balls; when the balls become animated, the DownloadHelper menu becomes available by clicking on the icon.  Left clicking on the icon shows the title of the video, and clicking the title downloads the video in YouTube's native FLV format to your computer.  Right clicking on the icon opens the menu which allows the user to convert the video into any of many popular formats.  Alternatively, clicking on the three-ball icon that appears to the left of the video title at the top of the screen opens a one-click menu that offers all of the options.  The one that I use most often is the "Download and Convert" which can download and convert the video in a single action.  For compatibility purposes, especially when embedding the video in PowerPoint, I mostly select the WMV (Windows media format), but sometimes choose the QuickTime MOV, or AVI formats.  For those who do not have FireFox installed, it is available free at getfirefox.com, and does not interfere with any other browser on the computer.
     
                For those using any browser, there are several free online services that will download YouTube (and other) videos to your computer, and some will also convert them to popular formats for you.  Even though its server is frequently busy and located in Brazil, I like Forinside, at www.forinside.com. Forinside is extremely easy to use; all the user needs to do is copy the URL (web address) of the video and paste it into the textbox, and use the pull down menu to select a format.  Clicking the download button will start the process.  Forinside can convert online videos into any of the 10 most widely used formats, and can download videos and audio from YouTube, MySpace, Google Video, and Mp3Tube.  For those who already have videos on their computers that they would like to convert into other formats, Forinside offers that service for free.  Simply click on the orange "File" tab, then "Browse" your hard drive for the file you want converted.  Use the pull down menu to select any of the 10 formats available, click on "Convert" and Forinside will upload the original video to its server, convert it to the chosen format, and then download it to your computer in the new format.  Your original video remains intact on your computer.  As stated above, the Forinside server is often very busy.

                Another service that can download YouTube videos directly to your computer is Download-YouTube.com.  This site is very easy to use from any browser.  Simply open the desired YouTube page, and in the address bar of your browser insert  the phrase "download-" (download hyphen) before the word "YouTube " in the URL, and the user will be directed to the Download-YouTube web page.  On the Download-YouTube page either click on the "Click here to download" link, or right click and "Save Link As" or "Save target as" and the file will be downloaded in the native YouTube FLV format.

                One of the easiest free YouTube downloaders is Orbit Downloader, available at www.orbitdownloader.com. This download tool has some of the highest editor and user ratings on the popular download sites, and can accelerate downloading of not just YouTube videos, but most general downloads as well.  Orbit Downloader integrates seamlessly into Internet Explorer, FireFox, and Opera, and includes a "Get It" button that appears when connecting to YouTube that offers a single click download.  YouTube videos will be downloaded in their native FLV format.
     
                There is a free bundle of video software that can download YouTube and other media, convert them to most formats, and even edit video and audio files.  The software bundle aptly named "Free Studio" contains 23 video and audio utilities, and is a 30 Meg download available for free download from www.dvdvideosoft.com/free-dvd-video-software.htm. According to the publisher of Free Studio, "With this free software you can convert video and audio files between different formats and to iPod, PSP, iPhone, BlackBerry and other portable devices; burn and rip DVDs and audio CDs; upload and download videos and music to your computer, iPod, PSP, iPhone and BlackBerry; perform basic editing of audio and video files."  This bundle, reviewed and top rated by several of the major download sites, may be a worthwhile bundle to download and install.
     
                If there is a need to convert the YouTube FLV videos, or any other video formats, into a more useful format, such as WMV or MOV, a utility called "Any Video Converter Freeware" may be useful, as it supports dozens of video and audio formats, and can easily convert files between these formats.  This software is available for download from
     
    www.any-video-converter.com/products/for_video_free, and according to its publisher, has been downloaded over 25 million times.  The online service CNet gave Any Video Converter Freeware its highest 5-star editors' rating.
     
    If your only need is to play downloaded YouTube videos, there is an easy and free solution that does not require any conversion utilities.  YouTube's FLV format can be played on the universal video player (free) VideoLAN - VLC Media Player (www.videolan.org ).  The VLC media player is one of the most widely used video players in the world, with over 110 million downloads, and has earned a very loyal following.  VLC media Player can play almost every available video and audio format without the need for any plug-ins or add-ons, and is available for free, and will run on almost every operating system.
     
    With these utilities and services, downloading YouTube and other videos and converting them into another useful format is simple.  I routinely use such downloads in class both as individual videos, and as videos embedded in PowerPoint.  There is much that can be done with online videos, and these utilities and services are worthy of a try.


     


     


     


     


     


     


     


     


     

     



     

    January 23, 2010

    More Helpful Tools from Google By Ira Wilsker
     
    WEBSITES:
    http://www.google.com/goog411/
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cN0q8SvlQAk
    http://maps.google.com/help/maps/streetview/
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Google_Street_View
    http://code.google.com/apis/maps
     
    It is no secret that Google is one of the most sophisticated, progressive, and successful technology companies.  What started as a search engine has become much more, as more technology is incorporated on the web.  Google has been very successful by implementing more useful tools and utilities, providing more value to its users.  Some of Google's more interesting features which I have been recently utilizing are its "411" information service, and Google Maps "Street View".
     
         Many of our local phone companies and wireless carriers charge a fee for using the once free 411 directory assistance service to find phone numbers.  In recent years some 411 information competitors have come on the scene offering a variety of directory assistance services either for a fee, or after listening to a mandatory commercial advertisement.  Google has entered the fray with its new, free, GOOG-411 service.  According to Google's 411 website (google.com/goog411), "Google's new 411 service is free, fast and easy to use. Give it a try now and see how simple it is to find and connect with local businesses for free.  Your telephone company may apply usual charges for making a phone call or receiving an SMS. You will not be charged any additional 411 fee."ť  The process of getting directory assistance from Google is very simple three step process: first, dial 1-800-GOOG-411 from any phone; then state the location and business type. Google will then connect you to the business for free.  That is all there is.  I just tried it by calling the 800 number, giving my city and the name of my favorite restaurant, and Google connected me directly to the restaurant!  It was that fast and easy, and it was free.  This 411 service could be very useful not just locally, but while traveling, or looking for a distant phone number.  A non-local phone number connected in this manner is connected without incurring a long distance charge when 1-800-GOOG-411 is dialed from a home phone.
     
    Google Maps has been a mainstay and leader in the online mapping business.  In an earlier column I expounded on how useful Google Maps (maps.google.com) is for generating local and long distance driving directions.  Recently, Google Maps released the latest iteration of its "Street View"ť feature which shows integrated street level photos of almost every street in the United States, as well as most major cities in Europe, Australia and eastern Asia, and is currently generating street level photos in several countries in South America.  As an experiment, I entered the street address of The Examiner into Google Maps, and was presented with the traditional street map by default.  The street map had buttons on the top to display the same area as a high resolution satellite image, a hybrid with streets overlaid on the satellite image, or as a topographic map.  On the top left corner of the image was what Google calls its "Pegman"ť icon, a small orange image of a man that some users say looks more like a wooden clothes pin.  By dragging the Pegman (click on the Pegman icon holding down the left mouse button and moving the cursor) over the chosen location opened a new window on the top half of the image.  This top window was an interactive street level image which could be zoomed in or out, rotated in any direction, and dragged up and down the street.  The location determined for The Examiner by Google Maps based on the street address was off by about one-half block.  Dragging the image a few inches, the Examiner building, parking lot, and cars came into view.  An additional photo of the park across the street from the Examiner was also available, as displayed on the map.
     
    For a second experiment I entered my street address, selected the hybrid satellite view, and dragged Pegman over the image of my house.  When the top street level image opened, I saw that it was actually one house north of my house.  I dragged the image slightly south, and there was a clear image of my house, complete with my white van parked in the driveway.
     
    Google says on its website that these Street View images have a lot of functionality including personal use, business use, and educational use.  With Street View the user can easily explore the world visualizing the selected locations.  Since these images have been taken by GPS and laser range finding equipped Google vehicles driving up and down the streets, a lot more than just buildings have been captured.  Google and several independent websites have posted hundreds of unexpected and interesting Street View images captured by Google including fires, auto wrecks, romantic encounters, crimes, street entertainment, and countless other events captured by Google as they occurred.  For those concerned with privacy issues, Google says, "We then apply cutting-edge face blurring technology, which helps make sure that passers-by in the photographs can't be identified. We will also blur legible license plates."ť
     
    Users who have smart phones or other mobile internet devices can use Street View to view images of specific destinations, landmarks on street routes, parking lots, and other helpful scenes and integrate these with driving or walking directions.  According to Google, these are some of the actual uses that people have posted, including looking for public transit, at a nearby beach, and other points of interest.  Many times the Street View can give better and more useful information that just a traditional street map.  Businesses can use the service to promote their businesses by showing their building facade, nearby buildings and features, and other attractions.  Real estate agents have been using the service to show neighborhoods around their listings, and conduct virtual neighborhood tours.  Some teachers have used Street View to conduct virtual field trips, as well as integrate the images into geography and history lessons.  News organizations have used the service to show the location of news stories, both local and distant.  There are very strong marketing and research capabilities with Street View.  Street View images can be incorporated on a web page by using Google Maps API (code.google.com/apis/maps).
     
    Google has a lot of useful features that are also fun to use.  The Google 411 service and Street Views are but two of the many benefits of using Google.  You should experiment also by entering your street address and dragging Pegman over your house or business, and viewing your location.  Try calling 1-800-GOOG-411 and asking for a business, just to become familiar with the service, and also program that number into your cell phone.  Have fun with and enjoy these services from Google.



     

     

     
     

     

     

     


     

     

     

    January 09 & 16, 2010 

     

    CrimeReports.com – The National Crime Map By Ira Wilsker:

     

    WEBSITES:

    http://www.crimereports.com

    http://www.crimereports.com/files/CommandCentralBrochure.pdf

    http://www.crimereports.com/files/CrimeReportsBrochure.pdf

    http://www.crimereports.com/iphone

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hNX1YTOeU8U    iPhone demo

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wtvKb4bEN9Y    TV Report

    http://www.youtube.com/user/CrimeReportsVideos

     

                At present, over 600 law enforcement agencies are participating in an online service, CrimeReports.com.  Claiming to be the largest crime mapping network in North America, CrimeReports.com gives people the information that subscribing cities was displayed.  Scrolling through the list, I found that my home city was not listed, but does display local registered sex offenders.  The closest participating city to my home is Jasper, Texas, so I clicked on the Jasper link on the pull down menu.  I zoomed in centering on the center of town, and the crime map was very easy to read.  I selected the most recent 14 day period, and the incidents were clearly displayed.  On the left margin of the map was a listing of offenses, which I sorted by date.  Alternatively, clicking on one of the displayed icons displayed the type of crime, the date, the address, time, and reporting agency.

                There is much more information available then just displaying a crime map.  Clicking on the Analytics tab on the top of the web page opens up a detailed crime analysis graphing utility.  On the top of the display the user first clicks on a state from the pull down menu, and then in the adjacent column clicks on a participating jurisdiction.  As with the maps, specific time periods can be easily selected.  The first graph displays the type and number of crimes as a bar graph. The second chart shows a pie chart showing types of crimes as a percentage of total crime.  The bottom of the web page shows crime trends, color coded by type of crime, and charted by date and number.  With the maps and analytical information, residents and businesses can be better aware of the criminal risks throughout an area.

                While all of the information on CrimeReports.com is freely available for anyone to access and use, it also offers several advantages to those law enforcement agencies that subscribe to the service.  The analytics can be used by neighborhood watch and community oriented policing activities to identify problem areas, allocate resources, set goals, and measure progress.  City councils may find the information very useful in terms of ordinances and budgetary planning.  The law enforcement agencies themselves may make use of the service with several non-public analysis tools called Command Central.  This service integrates with any existing CAD or RMS systems, and supports CompStat-style analysis.  While secured, authorized users can access the information online using any web browser.  The integral Roll Call feature can display crime maps and statistics on a precinct or district basis, alerting officers to potential crime patterns.  In researching this column, I found several complementary reviews by law enforcement personnel that explained how the system is used to maintain and disseminate crime reporting information.  A TrendCaster function … ccan be used to evaluate policy changes, beat assignments, and overall crime trends with a heat map that highlights areas where crime is on the rise and decline.

                Agencies can also use CrimeReports.com as a public information tool alerting residents of potential situations.  The website offers free email alerts which will deliver contemporary crime maps directly to the subscribers inbox.

    "Residents can sign up for automated emails that let them know where crime has happened near their home or place of work. All alerts are customizable by location and area. In addition, citizens can choose to receive daily, weekly, or monthly alerts, and they have the freedom to choose which crime types they want to track..  There is also a free iPhone application available for download that offers great functionality. The iPhone app will display crimes by location or address, crime type, and customizable date range; display data on the crime map or in a list view; show national sex offender data alongside crime in your neighborhood; and provide free, automated, email crime alerts.  CrimeReports.com also disseminates information in real-time on social networking services such as Twitter and Facebook.  There is also a free widget which can be installed on the agency website to give residents access to a local crime map without having to leave the agency website.

                Crime is something we all must be aware of and deal with. By using the capabilities of CrimeReports.com residents and law enforcement alike may benefit through increased information about local threats and trends. It is a very worthwhile service. 

    EXAMINER 010810 - CrimeReports.com – The National Crime Map.doc EXAMINER 010810 - CrimeReports.com – The National Crime Map.doc
















     

    January 02, 2010

     

    What You Need for that New Christmas Computer By Ira Wilsker 

     

    WEBSITES:

    http://www.microsoft.com/security_essentials   FREE Security software

    http://www.cloudantivirus.com    Panda Cloud Antivirus

    http://free.avg.com    Free AVG

    http://www.avast.com   Free Avast!

    http://download.cnet.com/ZoneAlarm/3000-10435_4-10039884.html 

     

                Now that Christmas and Hanukkah are past, many of you have opened that new computer and delved deep into its features.  Preliminary estimates are that a huge number of new computers were purchased this holiday season, and a refresher is in order such that you have some idea of what you may need with that new computer in order to maximize your computing security and safety.

                Most new computers came with some edition of Windows 7 installed, which appears to be a vast improvement over the Vista which was installed on last year's holiday computers.  Despite its improvements, Windows 7 still has vulnerabilities that need to be addressed.  Contrary to some allegations floating in cyberspace, I am utterly convinced that some comprehensive security software is an absolute necessity.  Almost all new computers come with a limited trial version of security software, such as Symantec's Norton, or a McAfee security product.  While these trial versions are functional for their short life expectancies, the clear intent is to sell you a paid subscription, often at an un-discounted full retail price, once the limited version expires.  Be aware that it is not the unbiased recommendation of your computer manufacturer that you purchase that particular software, but a crass commercial activity, whereby the computer maker may have been paid to put that trial version on the computer, and may receive a hefty commission in the event that you pay for a subscription.  One major computer maker even offers not to install this commission bearing software on new computers for a $50 fee!  That should be an indication of its value to the computer maker.

                You need decent protective software, consisting, at a minimum, of antivirus, anti-spyware, and a firewall.  While you may be protected for a short time by the trial versions of the security software factory installed on your computer, you have time to shop around for deals on security software, or to try some of the free titles that are available.  Watch the Sunday sale books for the big box electronics stores and office supply companies, as many are offering deals, including high value rebates on major security titles.  As I type this, one big box store in particular has three major comprehensive security suites advertised for between free and $10 after rebates; each package is good for up to three licenses, meaning that you can legally install it on up to three computers.  Two of those three titles are the exact same products that are commonly installed as trial versions on new computers that offer an annual subscription for $40 to $70, but are available almost for free (after rebates) from the big box store.

                Maybe holiday bills are coming due, and you would like to save some money by using some of the free security software that is available.  There are some excellent freeware products available that will do as good a job protecting your new computer from cyber threats such as viruses, spyware, and malware as the expensive commercial software, and sometimes even better!  One such free product is Microsoft's new Security Essentials which is a no frills but competent security product that can protect that new computer from viruses, worms, Trojans, and most other malware attacks.  Fully compatible with Windows 7 (and Vista ), this product can be downloaded for free directly from Microsoft at www.microsoft.com/security_essentials.  Another excellent free product that can protect your new computer from malware threats is Panda's new Cloud Antivirus, available at www.cloudantivirus.com.  Other very reputable free products are AVG's AntiVirus Free Edition (free.avg.com) and Avast's Free Home Edition (www.avast.com).

                You need to have a firewall to protect your computer from intrusions by outsiders, such as hackers and crackers.  Users are often blissfully unaware that while online, inadequately protected computers are very commonly probed or attacked by miscreants looking for weak spots.  A good firewall makes this more difficult as it acts like a guarded and locked gate that greatly restricts unauthorized access from others in cyberspace.  The firewall built into Windows 7 is minimally adequate, and should be turned on unless supplanted by a third party firewall.  Many of the comprehensive security suites include a firewall, and there are several free firewalls available.  The most popular free firewall is ZoneAlarm Free Firewall, available for free download from CNet's Download.com download.cnet.com/ZoneAlarm/3000-10435_4-10039884.html.  With almost 50 million downloads from CNet alone, the ZoneAlarm Free Firewall is probably the world's most widely used free firewall, and it has well earned that distinction.

                One very strong warning is appropriate here; do not, under any circumstances, purchase security software that first appears as a popup window on your new computer and informs you that you are infected with a raft of viruses and Trojans, and that for a fee, you can download its product and forever rid yourself of the threats.  This is a scam known in the trade as scareware or scumware and is often worse than useless, as it often installs even more malware on your computer and protects you from nothing, and possibly even opens up your computer to a wider attack by key loggers, password stealing Trojans, and other terrible threats.

                Something that is often overlooked that is a threat to computers is the electricity that is essential to operate them.  In reality, we do not always receive clean electricity, but instead receive power that varies and has surges, spikes, and other forms of electrical noise.  Bad electricity, mostly in the form of power surges can kill a computer quicker than a bullet can.  Another imperative is a good quality surge suppressor which should infallibly be used between the computer's power plug and the wall socket.  A surge suppressor may look somewhat like a common power strip, but its internal electronics are dramatically different.  Look for a UL 1449 label indicating that the suppressor meets UL standards, and the higher the joule rating and faster the response time, the better.  I carry a small surge suppressor in my laptop case, and have a larger one (actually a UPS or Uninterruptible Power Supply) attached to my desktop computer.  Many surge suppressors also come with connections to protect phone (and fax) lines, network cables, and TV cables, all of which can carry electrical noise and power spikes to the equipment.  Bad electricity can instantly fry sensitive computer components, and a good suppressor offers some valuable protection.  Most of the time the user will never know that a suppressor just saved their precious electronic equipment from certain destruction, as it typically performs its tasks silently.  Suppressors do wear out and need to be replaced periodically, with failure often indicated by an LED showing that the suppressor is no longer protecting the equipment.

                There are other useful items for that new computer that will increase its functionality and longevity.  More memory will improve performance up to certain limits; 32 bit Windows 7 can use up to 4 gigs of memory, and the 64 bit Windows 7 can utilize much more than that.  Memory is readily available and can often be installed by the user, but may not be cheap.  I recently spent about $50 (after rebate; $75 before rebate) for 4 gigs of additional memory for my 64 bit Windows 7 machine, and there was an increase in performance.

                That new laptop really needs a good case to protect it from bumps and physical shocks.  Laptop and notebook computers are often fragile creatures, and need substantial protection from physical harm.  Get a good carrying case for your size laptop, and be sure that it has a lot of padding on all 6 sides and gives the computer adequate protection from all directions.  You may never know when that case protected you from a cracked screen or worse, which would have either been a very large repair bill, or an otherwise useless computer.  Play it safe, and get and use a good case for your laptop.

                My late grandmother Dora had an old-world expression that she said anytime anyone in my family made a major purchase or received a major gift, and I am wishing the same for you and your new computer, Use it in good health! 


       

    December 26, 2009

     

    FREE Online Classes and Lectures from Major Universities By Ira Wilsker

    WEBSITE:
    http://www.academicearth.org

        I have been teaching college classes at Lamar Institute of Technology (LIT) now for almost 33 years.  In my teaching tenure, there have been a lot of technological changes that have impacted education.  One such major change is the availability of online courses that can be taken for college credit or for personal enrichment.  Every semester for the past several years, I have taught at least one online course, and LIT, as well as colleges and universities all over the world are now offering online courses.  It is now very possible to earn legitimate, accredited undergraduate and graduate college degrees online.  There are also many additional courses available online from colleges and universities, as well as other non-traditional sources that offer non-credit training for personal enrichment.  One online resource that I recently started to integrate into my classes at LIT is Academic Earth (academicearth.org).
        Academic Earth offers free online courses and lectures from the professors of such well known universities as
    Berkeley, Columbia, Harvard, MIT, Princeton, Stanford, University of Michigan, and Yale.  These free courses are not offered for academic credit, but are the actual lectures presented by the faculty of those esteemed institutions, and are available in many subjects.  Some of the courses are a semester’s worth of lectures sequentially broken down into individual classes, while others are individual lectures on a wide assortment of academic topics.  About two dozen subjects are currently available, including Anthropology, AP Test Prep, Architecture, Astronomy, Biology, Chemistry, Computer Science, Economics, Engineering, Entrepreneurship, Environmental Studies, History, International Relations, Law, Literature, Mathematics, Media Studies, Medicine, Philosophy, Physics, Political Science, Pre-Med, Psychology, and Religious Studies.  In reviewing many of these subjects, I found the academic level of the content to be appropriate for most college students (after all, they are college lectures), but some content is more appropriate for graduate or professional school students.  A user of this service does not have to be a college student, and while online registration for the website is available, I was able to view the lectures and courses without registering.
        Many high school students are participating in AP or Advanced Placement classes, where successful completion and examination can earn the student college credits.  Academic Earth offers free online AP lectures and courses on several topics including Biology, Calculus (A and B), Chemistry, Computer Science A, Computer Science AB, Physics B, Physics C, and Psychology.  With the academic potential provided by these recorded lectures and classes, the AP student may have a better chance of earning those coveted AP credits.
        I have always enjoyed chemistry, and was enrolled in AP chemistry in high school.  As an undergraduate I took a lot of chemistry courses, and even worked for a while as a substitute chemistry teacher in a local high school.  I found the Academic Earth online chemistry lectures intriguing.  I started with General Chemistry (www.academicearth.org/courses/general-chemistry), as taught by Dr. Kristie Boering, of
    Berkeley. Her series of 42 lectures was a complete semester of lectures on the subject, with each lecture lasting about 45 minutes.  It was like I was a student back in college, but I was comfortably sitting at home on my computer.  This is an excellent way to learn a new subject, or as a refresher.
        One of the courses that I teach each semester at LIT is an economics class.  I teach both live classroom classes and web based classes in economics.  Now that Academic Earth is available, I am going to recommend that my economics students go to academicearth.org/subjects/economics and watch the lectures on relevant topics.  The economics course lectures are presented by faculty from Yale, UCLA, Princeton, Berkeley, and the University of Michigan.  Some lectures are free-standing individual lectures, while others are in a series of lectures from an entire semester.  By watching these lectures and having the ability to rewind in order to repeat an item that was not clear the first time, I feel that student mastery of the subject can be increased.

        The unheralded strength in the American economy is small businesses.  Entrepreneurs create about 70% of all new jobs in our society, and they need all of the help that they can get.  My program at LIT teaches courses in small business management every semester, and courses in entrepreneurship are among the most widely taught college classes nationwide, with almost every college teaching some such courses.  For those interested in entrepreneurship training either as a practical application to hone skills for an existing small business, or as an academic endeavor, Academic Earth can be a valuable adjunct.  By simply going to academicearth.org/subjects/entrepreneurship, the entrepreneur or student can access 129 courses on a variety of small business topics ranging from creativity and innovation, to finance, management, marketing, and product development.  With a resource such as this, the entrepreneur or small business student can freely access a wealth of relevant information.  In addition to a purely academic and entrepreneurial use, I could see this area of Academic Earth being utilized as a training resource by Small Business Development Centers (SBDC), business incubators, SCORE chapters, and anyone else interested in learning more about small businesses.
        With dozens of courses available in medicine (including pre-med), political science, history, literature, religion, and other subjects, there will likely be some courses of interest for almost everybody.
        I personally found Academic Earth to be a most valuable resource for academic pursuits, personal interest, and personal enrichment.  As more courses and lectures are added to Academic Earth, it will only become an even more valuable resource.









     

    December 19, 2009

     

    Download Full Length E-Books for Free or Inexpensively By Ira Wilsker 

     

    WEBSITES

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amazon_Kindle

    http://www.downloadfreepdf.com

    http://www.ebooknetworking.com

    http://www.free-ebooks.net

    http://worldlibrary.net

    http://www.e-booksdirectory.com

    http://www.ebooksdownloadfree.com  

                About a year ago, I wrote about some of the excellent resources available that provide a wide selection of full-length books as free downloads.  Since writing that column I have become aware of some other websites that also offer a wide selection of free and inexpensive e-books.  For those who may not be aware, e-books are books of all genres that are available for download.  A large assortment of titles, are available for a fee that can be downloaded to Amazon’s proprietary Kindle; Amazon claims that over 360,000 titles, including many current best sellers, are available for download.  Barnes and Noble recently announced its own proprietary e-book reader, the Nook, which will be released in early 2010.  Barnes and Noble have stated that it will have over a million titles available for download to the Nook.  While many new releases and bestsellers will be priced at about $10 at both Amazon and Barnes and Noble, there is also a massive library of titles that can be downloaded for free from a variety of sources.  The Kindle and Nook are relatively expensive, retailing for $259 each.  For those not willing to spend that amount, there are thousands of titles that can be freely downloaded and displayed on computer in the universal PDF format.

                In the minutes before typing this column, I downloaded a few titles from two sources that I have not used in the past.  Both required free registration, and both offer a selection of both free and paid content.  The paid content is usually reasonable in price, with one website offering unlimited downloads of paid  content for about $5 per month (free-ebooks.net, discounts available), and another offering unlimited downloads for $9 per year (worldlibrary.net).  The first new website for me was downloadfreepdf.com, where I found a book for one of my daughters who recently had her first child.  I downloaded for free Baby's First Year - What Every New Parent Needs to Know! as a PDF file for my daughter.  I also found and downloaded two free e-books for my wife, "10 Strategies to Improve Your Nursing Care, and Student Nurse's Bible.  Even though they were all free, I had to go through a checkout process as if I was paying for them, being sure to check the button that indicated that they were free.  As soon as I completed the checkout process, the books were instantly available for download as PDF files.  The default is to display the files in a browser window; in order to save the e-books on the computer, be sure to click on the save icon in the browser window (often a floppy-disk icon), and not the File-Save command on the browser toolbar.

                The website ebooknetworking.com has an impressive menu of topics, but many of the topics only offer a small selection of e-books.  I like interesting cookbooks, and this website has four titles available as free downloads, 300 Chicken Recipes, Delicious Diabetic Recipes,Great Sandwiches, and the Big Book of Cookies.

                The website free-ebooks.net offers a limited number of free e-books for download in PDF format (5 per month free), or unlimited downloads for $5 per month or $20 per year.  There is no limit on the number of titles that can be viewed for free online in HTML (webpage) format.  The first category I looked at was Business which contained 166 titles available in PDF format, or viewable online in HTML format, which can be viewed in any browser.  Free-ebooks.net also makes most of its titles available in the Mobipocket format which may be downloaded and read on Amazon’s Kindle, mobile phones, Blackberry, Palm, and several other reader formats.  Another interesting category was the Food and Recipes section, which offered 66 cookbooks.  One that attracted my attention was Cajun Clark’s Cookbook, which contains a free selection of about 80 Cajun recipes, and a link to purchase the entire cookbook of over 1000 recipes.  In the Humor category was a very cute (and clean) Knock Knock... Who's Joking? a collection of hundreds of short jokes and one-liners.  Being a history buff, I found a very interesting e-book in the History category on a subject that I had not seen before, The Big Guns of the Boer War, by W. J. Havenga.  Considering that thousands of people are paying $259 for a Kindle or a Nook, a $20 annual subscription to free-ebooks.net, which provides unlimited downloads, is a relative bargain.  For computer users, finding just one good title a year justifies the expense.

                Another interesting website is e-booksdirectory.com, which lists 2807 free e-books in 399 categories.  The actual e-books are hosted on a variety of websites, including Project Gutenberg, and available in a variety of formats, including PDF, plain text, and a variety of formats compatible with the various e-book readers.  I found the listings comprehensive, and downloaded (for free) several titles on military history, religion, health, law, hunting & fishing, science, and travel.  I found especially interesting Mom’s Home Cooking volumes one and two, which had about 250 recipes each.  There is something here for everyone at a price that can not be beat.

                For those looking for free e-books that are generally highly technical, ebooksdownloadfree.com has a wide assortment available.  The major categories of books at ebooksdownloadfree.com  include medical, computer, sciences, history, and management.  These books are mostly recent publications and require a few mouse clicks to reach the download page, but the results are well worth it.  I downloaded several of the books and while the files were large, often over 10mb, they were the complete books in PDF format, including all of the pictures.  Some of the downloads were in the RAR compression format, but there are several freeware utilities available that can uncompress the RAR format.  Some of the downloads had an attached password text file which included a key to uncompress the files.  A few of the download links opened up popup ads, which I quickly closed.  This site, ebooksdownloadfree.com had some of the best current titles available.

                I like to read and have reference books available.  Free or inexpensive e-books may be the way to go.























     

     

    December 12, 2009

    Microsoft's "Bing Maps" Takes on Google and Yahoo! By Ira Wilsker
     
    WEBSITES:
     
    http://maps.bing.com
    http://www.bing.com/maps
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silverlight
     
                For several years I have been a loyal user of Yahoo! maps (maps.yahoo.com) to get route maps on my local and long distance road trips.  Sometimes I would also check Google's road map utility (maps.google.com) to corroborate what was displayed by Yahoo!, and also to determine if there were any good alternative routes.  I also have used Google Earth (earth.google.com) to display aerial and satellite photographs of areas of interest, as well as view 3-D images of the buildings in an area so I could better understand the area I was traveling to.  Recently, Microsoft has joined the fray with the public rollout of its competitive product, Bing Maps beta (maps.bing.com).

     
                When I first accessed Bing Maps beta using my Firefox browser, I was able to access several of the Bing Maps features, but Microsoft advised me that in order to make use of all of the rich features of the service, I would need to download and install Microsoft's free Silverlight software.  Silverlight is application software that is a 5mb download and enables the display of enhanced graphics, video, multimedia, and animations.  Silverlight downloaded and installed quickly on my computer, and while it adds substantial capabilities to Bing Maps, it is not a requisite to use the basic functions of Bing Maps.  With Silverlight installed, I was able to access very high quality digital images that rival Google's Streetview and Google's free standing Google Earth utility.  Microsoft calls its highly localized street images "Streetside", and offers very sharp and detailed street level and aerial images which can be viewed either as an image, an image overlaid with streets and other features, or as a more traditional street map.  While localized Streetside images are not yet available for the entire country, they are currently available for many major cities.  Bing Maps beta also automatically integrates with the countless images available on Microsoft's Photosynth imaging service, providing high resolution local images.

     
                When first loaded, Bing Maps beta shows the current local weather, a local map, and some thumbnails of local Photosynth images (if available).  Links on the page also display "What's nearby", restaurants, hotels, and current local traffic information if available in that locality.  Clicking on a Photosynth thumbnail starts an animated "trip" which zooms over the region, zooms in on the precise spot on the aerial map, and opens the image.  Once opened, the image can be manipulated, zoomed, and rotated giving a 360 degree image from street level.  In some cities (about 100 so far, according to Microsoft), the downtown areas have been digitized allowing not just the 360 degree Photosynth image, but also a fully interactive and controllable 3-D image of the area, where the buildings and other features can be navigated as if flying through the canyons of structures.

     
                Another interesting feature of Bing Maps beta is real time traffic information, which shows road construction information and current speeds (color coded) on major roads in the larger cities.  This traffic information integrates well into detailed driving directions, such that the traveler can visualize any road construction or other impediments to a speedy trip.  When getting travel directions, the user can have Bing Maps determine the shortest route, the fastest route, and even produce round trip directions.  Multiple way points can be added by clicking on the "add to route" link.  Once a route is determined and displayed, Bing gives the user the opportunity to modify the route by clicking on "See best route based on traffic".  Icons on the bottom of the page allow the user to selectively display live traffic information, email the selected route information, print a detailed routing, see "your places", or implement additional applications.  Gas stations, hotels, restaurants, hospitals, shopping malls, and other points of interest can be selectively displayed on the maps. 

     
    When printed, Bing Maps' travel directions give detailed and graphical directions.  One very helpful feature of the printed directions, typically lacking on competing services, are highly visible landmarks at major points on the map, which can be used to easily determine where to turn.  On the example that I ran, driving from the Examiner offices to the IAH airport in Houston, the printed directions said , "Turn right onto JFK Blvd / John F Kennedy Blvd. Pass SHELL in 0.8 mi" and "Take ramp right for E Belt Dr / E Beltway 8 / E Sam Houston Pkwy N toward Houston / Liberty - Pass VALERO in 4.6 mi".  In this particular case, the Shell and Valero gas stations would be very visible landmarks to visually ease the finding of the turns on the route.  One cute feature was intended to show if you passed your chosen destination; "Arrive at Houston Intercontinental Airport, TX on the right - If you reach Terminal Rd S, you've gone too far."

     
                Bing Maps beta may also be a helpful tool to locate restaurants and other points of interest.  While a map is displayed, clicking on "What's nearby" displays points of interest on that open map at the selected scale.  As an experiment, I selected to show the locations of Genghis Grill in Dallas, one of my family's favorite restaurants.  Placing the cursor over a selected restaurant (or other place of interest), information on that selection is displayed, and a link for "add to directions" appears which will create detailed driving directions to that location. 

     
                To add interest to selected maps, the link to the additional map applications opens a selection of about twenty choices all keyed to the map on display.  These applications connect to neighborhood information, Twitter comments on the neighborhood displayed, a restaurant finder where restaurants can be selected by type of food, businesses by category, local news, hotel information, webcams, roadside attractions, graffiti, murals, signs and billboards, and other highly localized categories of information.

     
                Bing Maps is currently a beta, or pre-release version, and is not totally refined.  As I was using it to compose this column, I occasionally received a popup that said that the service was temporarily unavailable, but usually within a few seconds Bing Maps was functional again.  Bing Maps beta is clearly an unfinished work in progress, but what is currently available is very attractive and useful.  I can also see Bing Maps along with its massive database of local information, a very useful mobile application, which is clearly in the works.  Other than some performance issues, I found Bing Maps beta a very useful service, and will reference it frequently both locally and while traveling.
     
























     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     
     

     

    December 5, 2009

    and

    November 28, 2009
     

    Free Panda Cloud Antivirus Released: By Ira Wilsker
     

    WEBSITES:
     

    http://www.cloudantivirus.com

    http://www.cloudantivirus.com/en/threat-information/

    http://www.cloudantivirus.com/forum/index.jspa

    http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2355828,00.asp

    http://www.pcworld.com/reviews/product/290839/review/cloud_antivirus.html
     

                In early May, 2009, I wrote about a novel idea from Panda Software, a Spanish cyber security company. At that time Panda had released an early beta (pre-release) version of its innovative antivirus program that was substantially different than the other competitive products available at that time.  As a beta, it was not in a polished final form, and had some issues with some users, and some mixed reviews.  In mid-November, Panda released its production version of Panda Cloud Antivirus, version 1.0, as a totally free (for personal use) antivirus program which runs smoothly on Windows XP, 2003, Vista (32 and 64), and Windows 7 (32 and 64).
     
                What is unusual about Panda Cloud Antivirus ( www.cloudantivirus.com) is that it uses a "cloud" or a series of high speed networked computers to carry out most scanning, rather than the client computer that it is running on.  According to published tests, this results in a reduction of up to one-half of the processing time and load on the system, compared to the industry average of antivirus products.  Since Panda Cloud does not use as much computing overhead as its competitors, many users have stated that they have experienced a significant increase in performance, as Panda Cloud does not have as much "drag" on the system, since it only consumed about 3% of the processing power of the computers on which it was tested.  Another unusual feature is that there are no virus signatures to download, as the cloud of powerful networked computers that do the virus scanning are continuously updated, such that there is no periodic updating of the software on the computer.  Panda calls its Cloud product, "the first antivirus without an update button".  This ensures that the Panda Cloud user will always be referencing the very latest in detection capability and digital malware signatures, a feature often lacking when users do not continuously update the conventional antivirus installed on their computers.
     
                To download and install Panda Cloud Antivirus is a very simple process.  The downloaded install file is about 22 megs in size, and downloads quickly on a broadband connection.  Once downloaded the only decision that the user must make is to click on the "Accept and Install" button, and the software quickly installs.  Since there are no large updated signature file to install, Panda Cloud is ready to function immediately without any further intervention of decisions to be made by the user.  This has to be one of the simplest installation processes that I have ever tried.  While I did not need any technical support, Panda Cloud offers free technical support via its online forums at www.cloudantivirus.com/forum/index.jspa.
     
                Panda Cloud Antivirus requires an active internet connection as Panda calculates a digital signature for the files on the computer, and sends that signature to the cloud for instant analysis and feedback.  Once a file has been determined as safe, a process that happens so fast as to be nearly undetectable, Panda knows not to resend that signature to the cloud, unless that file has been changed.  My first full scan seemed a little slow taking longer than usual, as thousands of files were checked and determined to be safe, but subsequent scans were much faster because Panda Cloud did not have to recalculate and evaluate any unchanged files.  According to Panda, its library of digital signature files is over a terabyte in size, a file size that would be prohibitive on a personal computer.  As I type this, Panda  "Collective Intelligence Monitor" is reporting that it has analyzed an aggregate of over 84 million distinct files, and identified which ones were malware, and which were safe.  In the most recent two hour period, Panda Cloud has analyzed over 15,000 new files; the number for all of yesterday was over 166,000 new files.  It should be noted that these are all unique files that had not been previously analyzed by the cloud.  Panda claims that the cloud can instantly analyze over 99% of all new files it receives, but about one-half of one percent requires Panda  staff to manually analyze the new files for threats.  In the past week, Panda Cloud had detected and cleaned over 600,000 computers which were infested with just one or more of the top 10 malware threats, and does not include the computers infected with less common threats that were cleaned by Panda Cloud.
     
                Even though Panda Cloud Antivirus 1.0 has only been available for a very short time, it has already won some accolades.  PC Magazine tested Panda Cloud Antivirus 1.0 and awarded it its coveted "Editors  Choice Award", tying for the best detection rate during real-time scanning.  Panda Cloud outscored the previous top-rated product in the detection of key loggers, the pesky malware that can steal usernames, passwords, account numbers, and enable identity theft.  In its tests, Panda Cloud scored a perfect score in detecting rootkits, those often difficult to detect malware items that may hide in the registry and other hidden locations.  Panda Cloud also tied for the top ranking in detecting "scumware" and "scareware", those fraudulent pop-ups that tell the user that his computer is infected, and that for a steep fee, will clean his computer.  While generally excellent in detecting malware, PC Magazine reported that Panda Cloud had some difficulties in actually removing some malware, including some rootkits.  PC Magazine stated that Panda Cloud was among the best at keeping a clean system free of malware, but was less effective in cleaning an infected machine than some of the other products tested.  Despite these shortcomings, Panda Cloud Antivirus 1.0 won the PC Magazine "Editors  Choice Award".
     
                Another computer magazine, PC World, tested a late beta version of Panda Cloud shortly before the release of version 1.0.  PC World stated, "Among all of the free antivirus software we tested for our latest roundup, Panda Cloud Antivirus was the best app at blocking known malware."  When writing about using the cloud as a detection tool rather than conventional signature files, PC World said, "The approach is intended to take advantage of the latest signatures without the need for signature-database updates–and if its excellent showing at detecting malware in AV-Test.org  zoo of half a million samples is any indication, the approach works. Panda  app produced an impressive 99.4 percent overall detection rate."
     
                If a user has an active internet connection, and needs a top-rated free antivirus product that is excellent at keeping clean systems clean, and has about the lowest drag on system performance, than Panda Cloud Antivirus 1.0 Free Edition would be a wise choice.


     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    November 21, 2009

     

    Black Friday Ads and Online Coupons and Deals for Local Businesses

    by Ira Wilsker

     

    WEBSITES:

    http://dealnews.com/black-friday.html

    http://dealnews.com

    http://dealcoupon.com

    http://www.kohls.com

    http://dailydeals.target.com

    http://www.dealsofamerica.com

    http://www.restaurant.com

    http://deals.yahoo.com

    http://www.jcpenney.com   

                We are coming up to that time of the year when shopping for family and friends are a primary task for many of us.  Based on the perennial crowds at our local stores on the day after Thanksgiving, we are all too aware of what a major shopping day that has become, such that it has earned the name Black Friday.  Traditionally, my family has perused the sale books in the Thanksgiving Thursday newspaper while we plot a military style strategy of attack in order to capture as many deals as possible.  Now that several of the local stores will be opening on Thanksgiving Thursday with their bargains available the day before the traditional Black Friday event, the need for tactical planning has increased.  Getting the intelligence on Thursday may be too late to act, resulting in the potential loss of winning the bargain battle.  Now, for those of us who like to plan in advance, many of the Black Friday (and Thanksgiving Thursday) bargains that will be available in our local stores are now listed online.

                There are several websites that have become masters of compiling the Black Friday newspaper ads before they appear in the Thanksgiving newspaper.  At first, some local retailers objected to the posting of their sale items in advance, but now most at least passively approve, with only a few taking steps to halt the spread of their Black Friday sale books.  Of the major local retailers, WalMart stood out of the pack by being only one of the very few to object, even to the point of having its lawyers contact the Black Friday websites asking them to remove the purloined sale book from premature display, which the reputable websites complied with.  Most of the other retailers acquiesced, under the theory that having their ads potentially exposed to even more shoppers would help their sales in this most economically critical shopping season, rather than hurt them.  Some bloggers have even gone to the point that some retailers may have intentionally leaked their Black Friday sale books in order to stimulate interest in their offerings.  My personal favorite among the Black Friday websites is at dealnews.com/black-friday.html.

                Many of our local retailers and restaurants are suffering because of a general decline in sales, which may in turn lead to even more employee cutbacks or layoffs.  One may ask what the status of our local restaurants and retail stores has to do with a column on personal technology; the answer is simple.  Many of our local businesses have turned to the internet in order to generate additional sales and bring customers into the stores.  Some are accomplishing this task with their Black Friday ads online, while other local retailers post many of their best deals online, in an attempt to bring shoppers into the brick and mortar stores.

                I monitor several of the deal websites that list continuously updated daily deals from the major retail stores and restaurants.  These deals may either be deep discounts on selected items, closeouts and sales, promotions (including rebates), and high value coupons.  In many of the cases the deals are available in-store, or available for pickup in the local store.  Restaurants, both local and national chains and franchises, often publish a coupon that make the meal more affordable, and gets customers into the restaurant. Either way, the promotions bring customers into the stores that may lead to additional sales.

                After I got home on a recent Friday, I turned on my computer, checked my email, and checked the deal sites updates for any local deals.  One of the local big-box home improvement stores, Home Depot, had a very limited time online promotion for deeply discounted LED flashlights at 80% off its regular retail price.  The item was only available for pickup in the local store, which the Home Depot website said had a quantity in inventory.  I printed out the offer and on Saturday morning drove to the big-box store where I purchased a quantity of the deeply discounted flashlights; part of my Christmas shopping is now complete.  Inevitably, under the influence of supermarket psychology, I wandered through the store looking for other items that we did not know that I needed.  I would consider that in micro terms, the store may have considered its online promotion a success as it brought me into the store; while in the store, I browsed the aisles, and made a purchase.  That is now revenue that the store has generated that it would not have generated had they not posted that deal online.

                This trip to the home improvement store was not a unique episode for me, as last week one of the major retail chain stores, Kohl’s, posted on one of the deal websites a 15% coupon good for anything purchased in the store, the coupon being applicable to the entire purchase at checkout, and not one individual item.  Dutifully, I was motivated by the coupon that I printed, to drive to the store, and purchase a cart full of clothing, shoes, and gifts.  The 15% discount coupon, which was in addition to all other promotions and sale prices, made the merchandise a bargain, which stimulated sales.  Again, another local business may prosper, because it posted a coupon online which generated sales.

                Many of us enjoy going out to eat, and there are many sources of legitimate coupons online that can be used for free items, discounts on the check, and even as gift certificates.  I routinely print out the restaurant coupons if it appears that I may use them, and I also forward the links to friends and family who may use them.

                Being specific, there are many websites that list these deals and coupons, in some cases there are aggregators that compile and publish lists, to the businesses themselves that publish the deals.  One aggregator website that I check regularly is dealnews.com and its sister site dealcoupon.com.  Another website that I monitor is Deals of America (dealsofamerica.com). It is on dealnews.com that I found both the flashlight promotion at Home Depot and the coupon for Kohl’s.  As I type this, Dealnews also has deals on shoes, Craftsman Tools, dresses at Sears, and video games at ToysRUs.  Other deals available in local stores, which will likely have expired by the time you read this and have been replaced with other deals, are a deep discount on cell phones at Verizon, camcorders and iPhone gift cards at BestBuy.  Other local stores that have been listed in the past few days were Walmart, Kohl’s, CVS, Walgreens, Lowes, Office Depot, and others.  My experience at Lowes was typical, as an internet only price was listed on Dealnews for a folding aluminum ladder, which must be picked up in-store.  I checked the Lowes website, verified that that model was in stock, and placed the order online.  The next day I went to the store and noticed at the customer service counter a sign that said Internet Order Pickup.  I handed the clerk a printout of my order, and my ladder was brought to the front of the store for me.  Being nosey, I wandered back to the ladder display and found that my internet price was about 30% less than if I would have bought that exact ladder directly in the store.  Still, Lowes was successful in that it brought me into the store where the transaction was completed, and a sale was made for the store.  While not universal, almost all of the local stores listed offer free in store pickup, with no shipping charges.

                Another way of patronizing local stores by taking advantage of online promotions is the daily deal which several of them offer.  A daily deal is when one or a few deeply discounted items are offered for only one day (and while quantities last), and may often be picked up in the local store.  In my experience, most of the local stores will honor the prices of their own online specials if purchased in store and presented with a printout of the special price. Two of the local stores that I monitor for daily deals are Target and Kohl’s.  Target offers a daily email as well as a website with the deals (dailydeals.target.com), and Kohl’s often has a link on its main webpage for its Deal of the Day.  J. C. Penny’s also has daily deals online, which can bring shoppers into the store; this daily deal is linked on the right side of the J. C. Penny webpage, and explicitly states that the deal is available in-store.  These items are at typically least 50% off, and sometimes more.

                Restaurants also need our fiscal help, and they sometimes oblige by publishing coupons or offering deeply discounted gift certificates.  While websites such as Dealnews often publish links to restaurant coupons, there are also specialty websites that sell deeply discounted gift certificates.  While only a few local restaurants are currently listed, there are gift certificates available for thousands of restaurants around the country.  While I have used some of these gift certificates in locally owned restaurants, I also use them extensively when traveling.  As I type this, another consolidator deal site, Deals of America (dealsofamerica.com) is listing gift certificates from another website, restaurant.com.  Today’s deal is a $25 gift certificate for only $2 (normally $10), and a $10 gift certificate for only 80 cents (normally $4).  These gift certificates are very restaurant specific, and can be printed immediately after purchase.  I have used the $10 gift certificates several times at a particular local restaurant adjacent to the mall, which brought others and me into the restaurant, generating additional business.  Regrettably, that particular restaurant no longer participates in the gift certificate program.  The deal sites usually have restaurant.com gift certificates for at least 50% off (a $25 gift certificate, normally $10, for $5) and sometimes up to 80% off.  Restaurant.com also offers an email service by subscription where it announces current discounts on its gift certificates.  Restaurant.com is a BBB accredited business, and I have never had a problem with them or with their gift certificates.

                These are but a very few of the many competitor websites where local businesses promote their goods and services.  One that can be easily configured to display local coupons for both goods and services is Yahoo!’s deal site at deals.yahoo.com.  I have used coupons from this website for local purchases including tires, oil changes, groceries, restaurants, and other goods and services.

                I am proud to support local businesses, but not too proud to use their coupons and shop for bargains from them.  That is a win-win situation for both the customer and the business.  By monitoring some of the local deal websites, and subscribing to daily deals either by email or by RSS feed, one can support local businesses and save a lot of money at the same time.
















     


                    November 14, 2009

    Use Caution When Upgrading to Windows 7: By Ira Wilsker 

    WEBSITES:

    http://social.answers.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/category/windows7 http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windows-7/get/upgrade-advisor.aspx http://www.microsoft.com/windows/compatibility/windows-7/en-us/default.aspx

                A few weeks ago I wrote a column about how to determine if your computer could be satisfactorily upgraded to Windows 7.  I mentioned Microsoft’s Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor, and Windows 7 Compatibility Center, which should be run prior to any installation in order to determine hardware and software compatibility with Windows 7.  I ran both of those utilities on my three month old Vista Home Premium 64 machine, and found that my hardware was compatible with Windows 7, and that some of my software needed to be updated, which I did.  Rerunning both Microsoft utilities after making the recommended changes indicated that my computer hardware and software should run on Windows 7, and that no listed incompatibilities remained.  With peace of mind that I should have no problems upgrading to Windows 7, I eagerly awaited the free upgrade discs that I had ordered under Microsoft’s and my manufacturer’s Free Upgrade to Windows 7offer for eligible computers.

                A few days after Microsoft’s much promoted rollout of Windows 7, my upgrade discs arrived in the mail.  The envelope actually contained two DVDs, one the manufacturer’s Upgrade Advisor, the other Microsoft’s Windows 7 Home Premium Upgrade complete with hologram and product key.  Also in the envelope was a poster sized, multi-lingual, instruction sheet with detailed upgrade instructions.  Knowing from past experience on my older computers (XP to Vista), it may take several hours to complete the upgrade I waited until the weekend when I might have the time to dedicate to the upgrade.

                One of my most frequently used computing expressions is Backup! Backup!, and Backup!.  Prior to installing Windows 7, I made a set of Vista recovery DVDs, and a redundant backup of all of my critical data files.  I can not understate the critical importance of this backup process, and that it is absolutely imperative to have a good current backup.  If you have the software and media to make an image backup, which is a digital image of your entire hard drive that can be restored in the event of catastrophic failure, do it.  This could be very useful, as it can restore the operating system, data, and all programs if necessary.  The fact that I do have good backups may be my savior.  I was heartened by the fact that the computer magazines and blogs were heavy with stories of successful upgrades and the high level of preliminary satisfaction that users had with their new Windows 7 upgrades.

                After ensuring that I had good backups, I then proceeded to follow the upgrade instructions provided with my discs, and first ran the manufacturer’s Upgrade Advisor.  It also ran the Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor (no problems found), and installed some updated Windows 7 drivers for the factory hardware.  When completed, I was instructed to insert the Windows 7 Upgrade DVD.

                The Windows 7 Upgrade DVD ran for a while and detected some factory installed software, mostly games and a few obsolete Microsoft utilities, that I was instructed to uninstall.  The computer then rebooted back to my Vista Home Premium 64, and the list of items to uninstall appeared in a file on my desktop.  I used my Revo Uninstaller, and uninstalled those items being sure to do a complete uninstall including any fragments and leftover registry entries.

                I then restarted the computer and re-ran the Windows 7 Upgrade setup, as directed. The computer ran for several hours, as I occasionally monitored its progress.  There were no difficulties or anomalies so far, and as things were now running smoothly, I felt assured that I would shortly have the new Windows 7 Home Premium 64 installed on my computer.  After running for nearly six hours, and completing an indicated 72% of the upgrade process, a window popped up which said that the install could not continue as my hard drive was full.  That struck me as very odd, and a sense of disbelief came over me, as I knew that I had well over 500 gigs of available hard drive space prior to the upgrade!  I was instructed by the upgrade software to restart my computer, and that my Vista would then be restored.  Other than the annoyance of wasting six hours of my life on a failed upgrade, along with a modicum of disgust, I removed the Windows 7 DVD from the drive, and rebooted the computer.  This is when thing went terribly wrong.

                During the reboot process, I was greeted with a black window with white print that offered two options; repair Windows 7, or restore my Vista.  I selected the restore option, and the computer booted into Windows 7 (not Vista), and as it was loading a popup appeared that said, The computer restarted unexpectedly or encountered an unexpected error, and instructed me to reboot.   I rebooted, selected the restore function, and the same popup error appeared.  I rebooted again, but this time selected the Repair Windows 7 option, and the system loaded identically as before.  I selected a variety of the Windows 7 repair options, ran them, rebooted, and the same error appeared.  I put the Windows 7 Upgrade DVD in the drive, and ran the setup again, only to be greeted with the same error at the same place in the process.   I tried over a dozen permutations of rebooting and selecting options, including a variety of repair options off of the Windows 7 repair menu, but always had the same error when rebooting.  This became an infinite loop.  Despite Microsoft’s claims that Vista would be restored if the upgrade failed, the system would not restore my Vista, and the Windows 7 failed to install.  Now I was left with a useless computer that would not load anything.  I did finally boot off of a Linux CD, and saw that my files all appeared to be intact.  With some difficulty, I was able to then boot off of my Spinrite CD, and did a thorough hard drive check; my hard drive was intact and undamaged.

                Next, with growing frustration approaching anger, I went online with my trusty old XP computer (the same one that I am using to type this).  I went to the Microsoft Windows 7 support forums, and found that I was far from alone.  The Windows 7 forum Install, Upgrade, Activate had over 6,000 threads, and almost 25,000 messages.  One forum, Windows 7 - Upgrade Unsuccessful -Reboot Loop had a post from Michael, a Microsoft support engineer.  It says, Hello, For those who have attempted to perform an upgrade to Windows 7 and encounter a reboot loop, Microsoft is aware of this issue and is currently being investigated. It then provided a link to another forum, but at least I had some assurance that Microsoft was aware of the problem with the Microsoft is aware of this issue statement.  That forum then linked to another forum, with the same title Windows 7 - Upgrade Unsuccessful -Reboot Loop.  That forum, which Microsoft locked (closed to new posts) has dozens of posts similar to mine, where users are complaining about the infinite loop reboot problem, and the failure to restore Vista.  It appears that there may be two distinct and different issues involving the loop problem.  Several dozen of the posts all indicated that their computer locked up at 62% of the install process, and many of them had purchased the student upgrade to Windows 7, and downloaded the upgrade.  For these unhappy users, Microsoft has offered an updated download file for them to use to reinstall Windows 7.  Many other users, me included, had an authentic Microsoft Upgrade DVD which we used for the install, and all of us encountered the same problem.  Microsoft posted a few suggestions on possible fixes, but from the user responses, these have not been successful.  It was immaterial if the user was updating a desktop computer like mine, or a laptop, the failure was the same.  Some of the users were so frustrated that they chose to do a full install, rather than an upgrade, which did indeed work, but it wiped out all of their programs and data files which would have been preserved had the upgrade install worked as promised.  It is of little solace to me and thousands of other users with crippled computers that the vast majority of those performing upgrades completed them successfully.  I guess that we were just the unlucky few.

                It is not just the Vista Home Premium users that have encountered this problem, but users of other editions as well.  In the Microsoft forums Vista x64 Ultimate to Windows 7 Ultimate upgrade failing an IT professional who was upgrading several computers encountered a similar problem with the Ultimate upgrade.

                Several of the computer magazines and independent support forums have had readers complain with the identical issues, and inquiries to Microsoft have resulted in a we are aware of the problem and we are working to find a solution  Some of the independent support boards also have members trying to find a solution, but so far none have been found that can either restore our computers to the way they were prior to the upgrade (Vista), or allow the Windows 7 upgrade to complete.

                The one saving grace is that I do have a Vista backup so I can be up and running again on my newer computer, but according to the Microsoft forums, many users did not create a backup prior to installing the Windows 7 Upgrade.  Unless Microsoft comes up with a fix, these users will likely lose all of their programs and files, and unsatisfactory outcome.  Once again, this demonstrates that it is absolutely imperative to have and maintain a contemporary backup of all critical data files, and preferably an image backup which can restore the computer to an earlier state complete with all programs and files.

                Most users who have installed the upgrade editions of Windows 7 to compatible computers had great success, but for the few, maybe thousands, of us who had a catastrophic failure during the upgrade process, we are not happy campers.  Can I recommend the Windows 7 Upgrade to users with compatible computers?  Generally yes, as the benefits of Windows 7 appear to outweigh the foibles of Vista, but I will only make that recommendation with one proviso; be absolutely certain to have a good backup before attempting the upgrade.  I am thankful that I have a good backup.  If someone wants to do a clean install, meaning that they are installing Windows 7 to an empty or reformatted hard drive that is fine, as there have been very few problems with a clean install reported in the forums.

    I will continue to monitor the Microsoft support forums hoping for a satisfactory resolution of this problem.  In the meantime, remember, Backup! Backup!, Backup!

    EXAMINER 111309 - Use Caution When Upgrading to Windows 7.doc




    November 7, 2009

    Create PDF Files for Free With These Utilities By Ira Wilsker
     
    WEBSITES:
    http://www.cutepdf.com
    http://www.dopdf.com
    http://www.primopdf.com
     
                We all have been exposed to the wildly popular document format called "PDF", or Portable Document Format.  PDF files can be read by virtually any operating system using any of many free PDF readers and will always display precisely as the author intended, including any embedded graphics and fonts.  The primary PDF writers and readers have been published by Adobe under the moniker "Acrobat", and almost all new computers have included Adobe's free "Acrobat Reader".  While PDF readers are abundant and typically available for free, the primary PDF writer has been the Adobe product, which is fairly expensive and available in several versions.
     
                In recent years, PDF has become more available as a format with which documents can be saved, with PDF now integrated as a "save as" selection in both recent builds of Open Office, and "SaveAsPDF.exe" which can be downloaded for free from Microsoft as an add-on for Office 2007.  What may be more convenient for most users is one of the several free PDF writers, such as CutePDF, doPDF, and PrimoPDF.
     
                I have used CutePDF on all of my computers for several years, and personally find it indispensable.  Available for free download from CutePDF.com, CutePDF also requires the installation of a PS2PDF converter such as the free GPL GhostScript, which can also be downloaded from the CutePDF website.  Once installed, CutePDF requires no tinkering or tweaking, as it appears as a printer selection when the "print" icon is selected.  By simply selecting CutePDF as the printer, the document is quickly "printed" as a PDF document conserving all formatting, fonts, and images.  The "Save As" window appears, and the document can be named and saved as desired, with the PDF file extension.  That file can now be read by any computer with a PDF reader, and will always appear  exactly as the original document.  Saving a document as a PDF instead of another format makes the document difficult for others to edit or otherwise alter, which may be a valuable benefit.  I use CutePDF primarily for saving news stories and web pages, preserving their original appearance for later viewing or distribution.  CutePDF works well as a "printer" with almost any software that can print, including browsers, spreadsheets, word processors, and desktop publishing software.  One acquaintance of mine who uses sophisticated software to write and edit music uses CutePDF to save his work in PDF format such that he can digitally distribute it to others who do not have compatible music writing software; the recipient can then print a hard copy of the PDF file on his own printer.  I use CutePDF so frequently that I actually have it selected as my default printer, as I save documents as a PDF much more frequently than I print to paper.  CutePDF works on Microsoft Windows 98, ME, 2000, XP, 2003, Vista (32 and 64), and Windows 7 (32 and 64).  For those needing enhanced PDF writing capabilities, a commercial version, CutePDFPro, is available.
     
                Another very good free PDF writer is doPDF, available for download from www.dopdf.com. According to the doPDF website, "doPDF is a free PDF converter for both personal and commercial use. Using doPDF you can create PDF files by selecting the "Print" command from virtually any application. With one click you can convert your Microsoft Excel, Word or PowerPoint documents or your emails and favorite web sites to PDF files."  The latest version of the doPDF, version 6.3, runs on Windows XP; Vista (32 and 64); Windows 7 (32 and 64); and Microsoft Server 2000 to 2008.  "doPDF 6.3 installs itself as a virtual PDF printer driver so after a successful installation it will appear in your Printers and Faxes list. To convert to PDF, you just have to print the document to doPDF, the free PDF converter. Open a document (with Microsoft Word, WordPad, NotePad or any other software), choose Print and select doPDF. It will ask you where to save the PDF file and when finished, the PDF file will be automatically opened in your default PDF viewer."  Unlike some other PDF writers, doPDF does not require GhostScript, which makes the total setup and install much smaller than its competitors.  Since a third party converter is unnecessary and doPDF is written in tight code, it requires fewer system resources when converting documents to PDF.   Another feature of doPDF is the selectable resolution of the saved PDF file from 72 to 2400 dpi, which influences the size of the saved file, the lower the resolution, the smaller the file.  While any PDF writer can save documents or web pages written in any language, the doPDF software user interface supports 20 different languages.   Kim Komando has acknowledged doPDF, and other websites have awarded doPDF their "Editor's Choice" awards.  The download site Softpedia has given doPDF its highest 5/5 rating.   doPDF would be a good choice for anyone who needs a PDF writer for personal or commercial use.
     
                What may be the world's most widely used free PDF creator is PrimoPDF, available from www.primopdf.com. The newly released version 5 of PrimoPDF is compatible with all versions of Windows from 98 to Windows 7, and works just like other PDF writers, in that it installs as a printer driver.  PrimoPDF has some unusual features for a free PDF writer in that it can combine different documents into a single PDF document, and also password protect PDF files.  Document information, including title and author, can be imbedded in the document during the creation process.  The new version 5 has added a "drag and drop" feature where documents can be easily converted to PDF format by dragging the file over the PrimoPDF icon, and dropping it, which initiates the PDF conversion process.  Users who need enhanced features, such as editing PDF files, may find the commercial version, Nitro PDF Professional, a full featured but economical competitor to Adobe's products.
     
                With free utilities as good as any of these three, there is no reason why anyone can not create excellent quality PDF files from any document or website that can be printed.

     


    OCTOBER 31, 2009

    Can Your Computer Run Windows 7? By Ira Wilsker 

    WEBSITES:

    http://www.microsoft.com/windows/compatibility/windows-7/en-us/default.aspx

    http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows/downloads/upgrade-advisor

    http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=161223   (direct download) 

    http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows7/products/system-requirements

    http://www.microsoft.com/student/discounts/theultimatesteal-us/default.aspx    ($30 Windows 7 Professional for college students)

    http://windows7.digitalriver.com/store/mswpus/en_US/DisplayHomePag   ($30 Windows 7 Home Premium for college students) 

                You have likely been exposed to the hype about Microsoft’s new operating system, Windows 7.  While beta and pre-release versions have been circulating for several months, it was just on October 22 that Microsoft officially released the official version of Windows 7.  Windows 7 comes in several versions including the Home, Professional, and Ultimate versions, all available in both 32 and 64-bit types.  I have played with some of the versions of Windows 7 (all in 64 bit), and have been very favorably impressed.  In my limited experience with it, Windows 7 appears to be a superior product than the much-aligned Vista that it is intended to replace as Microsoft’s flagship operating system.  As I have the opportunity to become more familiar with the intricacies of Windows 7, I will write about this new operating system in an upcoming column.

                What is a pressing question that I am frequently asked is, Can my current computer run Windows 7?  The minimum system requirements for Windows 7 are not much different than they were for Vista, and most computers that run Vista fairly well will likely be able to run Windows 7.  Microsoft has published the minimum recommended system requirements for Windows 7, and they are: a 1 gigahertz (GHz) or faster 32-bit (x86) or 64-bit (x64) processor; 1 gigabyte (GB) RAM (32-bit) or 2 GB RAM (64-bit), 16 GB available hard disk space (32-bit) or 20 GB (64-bit); and a DirectX 9 graphics device with WDDM 1.0 or higher driver.

                Microsoft has stated that Vista users can likely upgrade to the similarly named Windows 7 version (Vista Home to Windows 7 Home, for example) without having to do a clean install, which will retain all of the software and drivers currently installed on the Vista computer.  Microsoft has also recommended that XP users who want to upgrade to Windows 7 should do a clean install, which would necessitate wiping out all of the programs and data files currently installed on the XP computer, installing Windows 7, and then reinstalling all of the programs and data files on the PC after the 7 is installed.  There have been some articles and blogs posted where users have tricked Windows 7 into doing an upgrade install on XP machines, but these upgrades have been difficult and mostly not very successful; Microsoft strongly recommends against this method, and strongly encourages a clean install on XP machines.

                Before even considering installing Windows 7 on a Vista or XP machine, the user should check to see how compatible his current computer hardware and software would be in a Windows 7 environment.  Microsoft has made two free utilities available to check a computer for compatibility issues, Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor, and Windows 7 Compatibility Center.

                The Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor can be downloaded directly from Microsoft at http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=161223.  This program will take several minutes to run, but can provide a wealth of information about compatibility issues.  Microsoft recommends that the Upgrade Advisor be run on any computer prior to installing Windows 7 not just to confirm that it will run on the target computer, but also to inform the user in advance about any compatibility issues which may arise after the installation of Windows 7.  In describing the Update Advisor, Microsoft says, It scans your PC for potential issues with your hardware, devices, installed programs, and recommends what to do before you upgrade. Before running the program, the user is to be sure that all devices that may be used under Windows 7 be connected or plugged in, such as USB devices, external drives, and other devices.  This is necessary so that the Upgrade Advisor can test them for compatibility under Windows 7.

                I ran Upgrade Advisor on both my newer desktop Vista Home Premium 64 computer and my older XP Home computer.  After running the Advisor, I came to a not so startling decision that my Vista 64 computer will run well with Windows 7 Home Premium, but my four year old XP desktop machine will have some issues with Windows 7, and is not a prime candidate for upgrading to Windows 7. 

    On my Vista Home Premium 64 computer, the Upgrade Advisor first tested my hardware and responded back that my hardware was capable of running the 64-bit versions of both Windows 7 Home Premium, and Ultimate.  The Advisor notified me that two Vista features that I do not use, Windows Mail (not the same as Outlook), and Parental Controls are no longer included in Windows 7.  The Advisor does say, You can get similar programs for Windows 7 from other software manufacturers.  Go to the Microsoft website to learn more (hyperlink).  In terms of hardware, my video card supports the Windows Aero user interface, and my quad-core CPU, 8GB of RAM, and the 404 GB of free space available on my C: drive is more than adequate to run Windows 7.  All of the devices connected to or a component of my computer were listed by Advisor as compatible with Windows 7, including my system controller (Advisor reported that there was an update available), sound card, Wi-Fi adaptor, printer, scanner, and other hardware components were compatible with Windows 7.  It was reassuring to find that all of my hardware will work just fine with 7, which is the opposite experience I had several years ago when upgrading a computer from Windows 98 to XP.

    Software compatibility between Vista and Windows 7 was slightly less encouraging.  Several of my programs and utilities were labeled with a caution icon, and the statement, Update Available - We don’t have compatibility information about this version of the program.  Get an update to a compatible version (hyperlink). One program, a gaming utility provided by the PC manufacturer says, Reinstall after upgrading – Before upgrading to Windows 7, we recommend uninstalling this program.  It can be safely reinstalled after the upgrade. Since I do not use this gaming feature, I will probably uninstall it and not reinstall it after upgrading to Windows 7.  The Home Networking Installer provided by my broadband ISP is labeled by the Advisor as Known Issues – You may experience issues running this program on Windows 7, before upgrading, we recommend uninstalling this program.  A hyperlink is provided to the ISP’s website, which informed me that they are aware of the issue and are working on a Windows 7 compatible network utility, or to just use the networking features already built into Windows 7.  Thirty-one other programs and utilities that I do use on a regular basis, including my security products, were listed as compatible with Windows 7, several of which are listed with the official Windows 7 logo showing proven compatibility and functionality.

    Some users who are considering upgrading hardware components or software prior to installing Windows 7 may find Microsoft’s Windows 7 Compatibility Center (www.microsoft.com/windows/compatibility/windows-7/en-us/default.aspx).  This website enables the user to manually determine in advance which software and hardware has been tested and determined to be compatible with Windows 7.  The site is searchable, and contains a menu hierarchy making it easy to locate hardware and software that is Windows 7 compatible.

    While I personally have not had any significant problems with the Vista Home Premium 64 that was factory installed on my newest computer, I will be installing Windows 7 Home Premium 64 on this machine as soon as it arrives.  I was eligible for the free upgrades to Windows 7 based on my purchase date, and have been notified that my disc is being shipped.  Having run the Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor, I am reasonably confident that I will have minimal or no problems with my current hardware and software.  Also based on the results of running Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor on my older XP machine, I will not be upgrading that machine to Windows 7, as there were too many potential problems indicated by the Advisor.

    If your machine is capable of running Windows 7 as determined by the Upgrade Advisor, then it may be worthy of considering.  Windows 7 in retail boxes is readily available at all of the local big box, office supply, electronics, and discount stores.  Microsoft has been promoting a special price of $30 for qualified college students who want to upgrade to Windows 7.  College students can purchase the Professional version of Windows 7 from Microsoft’s Ultimate Steal service at www.microsoft.com/student/discounts/theultimatesteal-us/default.aspx, and for the same price can purchase the Home Premium version from an authorized Microsoft partner at http://windows7.digitalriver.com/store/mswpus/en_US/DisplayHomePage.   Users who purchased a new computer with Vista factory installed on or after July 26 may be entitled to a free upgrade to the same version of Windows 7; if you fall into that category, check with your manufacturer to determine your eligibility and the availability of the free upgrade.

    If it is within your budget, the Upgrade Advisor says it is OK, and you are not happy with your current operating system (Vista), then upgrading to Windows 7 may not be a bad choice.  I am doing it on my Vista computer.

     

     

     

     


    October 24, 2009

    New Crop of Free Antivirus Software By Ira Wilsker
     
    WEBSITES:
     
    http://www.microsoft.com/security_essentials
     
    http://free.avg.com
     
    http://www.avast.com/eng/avast_4_home.html
     
    http://www.westcoastlabs.com/checkmark
     
                In the years that I have been writing this column, I have been harping on the absolute necessity of having some sort of security software installed on PCs.  While some pundits brag about their unprotected computers never being attacked, they are the exception as countless others have been victimized by the pandemic of malware looking for victims.  I deal on a daily basis with impoverished college students who routinely engage in risky behaviors while online, and I regularly hear from callers on my radio show that due to fiscal hardships, they cannot afford to purchase commercial antivirus or other security software.  Thankfully, for those of us who need to use free software, there are some excellent choices available that we can use to help protect our computers from malware attack and infestation.  Three of the most popular free antivirus publishers recently came out with new or substantially updated products that may remove any objections that PC users may have about protecting their computers.

     
                The 900-pound gorilla of the software world, Microsoft, recently released the first full version of its free Microsoft Security Essentials, which can be downloaded from www.microsoft.com/security_essentials. This program, a replacement for its commercially offered and now discontinued Microsoft OneCare, is free and offers many enhancements over its predecessor.  Unlike many other Microsoft products, Security Essentials is very easy to use and is very user friendly, requiring almost no intervention or decision making by the user.  It is an "install and forget" type of program.  In third party detection tests, it scored very well in its ability to detect and remove malware of all types, corroborating Microsoft's claim that it offers comprehensive malware protection.  Westcoast Labs, a respected independent testing service, which awarded Security Essentials its check rating, indicating its positive ability to detect and remove viruses and malware, has confirmed the efficacy of Security Essentials.  Westcoast also awarded Security essentials its Platinum rating, scoring it among the best of the products tested.  The update process is automated requiring no user intervention, with Microsoft pushing frequent updates that ensure that the software is maintained in an up-to-date status. 

     
    Security Essentials is an adequate utility, but lacks many of the features of both its free and commercial competitors, such as an integrated firewall (Microsoft intends users to use the integral firewall built into recent versions of Windows), spam filtering, protection against purloined websites, and other threats.  Security Essentials will run on almost any PC with updated versions of XP, Vista, and Windows 7.  Microsoft will check that the Windows installed on the computer is a valid copy (not pirated) before Security Essentials can be downloaded and installed.

     
    For the Windows user who wants simple, free, basic protection against viruses and other malware, and does not want to fuss with many settings, Microsoft Security Essentials would be an appropriate choice, but there may be some better free choices available.

     
    What may arguably be the most popular free antivirus product available, AVG, recently came out with Version 9 of its popular antivirus product (free.avg.com).  AVG is so popular, that CNet's download.com website rates AVG as the #1 most widely downloaded program on its service, with millions of downloads.  AVG has had massive media attention, and has garnered more awards than just about any other antivirus product, an indication of its popularity and effectiveness in protecting PCs from malware attack.  The new Version 9 of AVG protects against both viruses and spyware, and runs well on Windows XP, Vista as well as the new Windows 7.

     
    The free version of AVG does not offer as many features as the commercial versions of AVG, but it is still feature rich, providing protection from much more than just viruses and spyware.  The free version of AVG 9 also integrates AVG's excellent LinkScanner, which protects the user from malware-laden web pages that can infect the user's computer by simply visiting a compromised website.  LinkScanner also offers some protection from phishing, a popular method of stealing identities.  Version 9 also includes an email scanner that examines email attachments and links, looking for email borne malware and dangerous websites.  Some of the most sophisticated threats, which are becoming more common, are known as Rootkits, which AVG 9 can detect and neutralize.  AVG pushes frequent updates, and the free version of AVG 9 downloads and installs those updates automatically.

     
    For those home PC users who want a comprehensive free security utility, AVG 9 would be a good choice.  For those who want more features, or to use AVG in a commercial environment, AVG offers two other commercial versions. With is wide acceptance and media recognitions, any of the AVG products would be adequate for most users.

     
    Not far behind AVG in popularity is another excellent free product that has earned a large and loyal following of over 80 million registered users.  This product is avast! Home Edition, recently released as version 4.8 ( www.avast.com/eng/avast_4_home.html).  Avast! Home Edition is only licensed free for non-commercial home use.  For those who want more features, or who are not home users, avast! offers a Professional commercial version.  Avast! is very community oriented, and offers the Professional version at deep discounts to non-profit organizations, charitable associations, educational facilities, health services, and government agencies.  Another unusual feature of avast! is that its latest version will run on older computers with Windows 95, 98, NT, 2000, and ME, as well as newer computers with Windows XP, Vista (32 and 64bit), and Windows 7 (32 and 64bit).

     
    Avast! has been the recipient of many industry rewards for its effectiveness, including receiving the AV Comparative Advanced + top award in August 2009.  AV Comparative said that, Avast topped the latest AV Comparatives analysis of antivirus programs with a mix of speed and accuracy. Avast had the fastest scan time of the 16 tested programs. In addition to speed, Avast was the only program out of the 16 tested to get a top five finish for both malware detection and low numbers of false positives.  PCWorld magazine tested the free antivirus products, and rated avast! the best of those tested when it said, avast! Home Edition was voted "Best Bet" among free security tools by PCWorld magazine. The editors were especially impressed that avast! includes 7 different resident shields which protect a user's PC, with minimal impact on system performance.

     
    In addition to being among the fastest scanners tested, it is also one of the most comprehensive and feature rich free security programs available.  Avast! is high performance and fast, and detects against viruses, spyware and rootkits.  It scans files as they are loaded at boot (newer 32bit operating systems only), and offers automated fast downloads of incremental updates of both digital signatures and program updates.  Avast! automatically scans email and instant messages (IMs) for malware, and can repair most damage caused by viruses.  Avast! protects itself from malware attacks targeting protective software; and scans diskettes and CDs when they are loaded and run.  Features as comprehensive as this are typically only found on commercial and not freeware.

     
    All three of the above free products can provide the home user with minimally acceptable protection from malware, as well as offering additional security features.  If I had to pick one of the above, it would be avast! Home Edition.

     

     

    October 17, 2009

    Local Businesses Offer Online Coupons and Deals By Ira Wilsker

    WEBSITES:

    http://dealnews.com

    http://dealcoupon.com

    http://www.kohls.com

    http://dailydeals.target.com

    http://www.dealsofamerica.com

    http://www.restaurant.com

    http://deals.yahoo.com  

                 It is no surprise to any of the readers of this column that we are in the economic doldrums.  Many of us had our family incomes decline due to unemployment, reductions in hours, and declining dividends and interest received.  Many of our local retailers and restaurants are suffering because of a general decline in sales, which may in turn lead to even more employee cutbacks or layoffs.  One may ask what the status of our local restaurants and retail stores has to do with a column on personal technology; the answer is simple.  Many of our local businesses have turned to the internet in order to generate additional sales and bring customers into the stores.

                I monitor several of the deal websites that list continuously updated daily deals from the major retail stores and restaurants.  These deals may either be deep discounts on selected items, closeouts and sales, promotions (including rebates), and high value coupons.  In many of the cases the deals are available in-store, or available for pickup in the local store.  Restaurants, both local and national chains and franchises, often publish a coupon that make the meal more affordable, and gets customers into the restaurant. Either way, the promotions bring customers into the stores that may lead to additional sales.

                After I got home on Friday, I turned on my computer, checked my email, and checked the deal sites updates.  One of the local big-box home improvement stores, Home Depot, had very limited time online promotion for deeply discounted LED flashlights at 80% off its regular retail price.  The item was only available for pickup in the local store, which the computer said had a quantity in inventory.  I printed out the offer and on Saturday morning drove to the big-box store where I purchased a quantity of the discounted flashlights; part of my Christmas shopping is now complete.  Inevitably, under the influence of supermarket psychology, I wandered through the store looking for other items that we did not know that I needed.  I would consider that in micro terms, the store considered its online promotion a success as it brought me into the store where I browsed the aisles, and made a purchase.

                This trip to the home improvement store was not a unique episode for me, as last week one of the major retail chain stores, Kohls, posted on one of the deal websites a 15% coupon good for anything purchased in the store, the coupon being applicable to the entire purchase at checkout, and not one individual item.  Dutifully, I was motivated by the coupon that I printed, to drive to the store, and purchase a cart full of clothing, shoes, and gifts.  The 15% discount coupon, which was in addition to all other promotions and sale prices, made the merchandise a bargain, which stimulated sales.  Again, another local business may prosper, because it posted a coupon online which generated sales.

                Many of us enjoy going out to eat, and there are many sources of legitimate coupons online that can be used for free items, discounts on the check, and even as gift certificates.  I routinely print out the restaurant coupons if it appears that I may use them, and I also forward the links to friends and family who may use them.

                Being specific, there are many websites that list these deals and coupons, in some cases there are aggregators that compile and publish lists, to the businesses themselves that publish the deals.  One aggregator website that I check regularly is dealnews.com and its sister site dealcoupon.com.  Another website that I monitor is Deals of America (dealsofamerica.com). It is on dealnews.com that I found both the flashlight promotion at Home Depot, and the coupon for Kohls.  As I type this, Dealnews also has deals on shoes, Craftsman Tools, and dresses at Sears, and video games at ToysRUs.  Other deals available in local stores, which will likely have expired by the time you read this and have been replaced with other deals, are a deep discount on cell phones at Verizon, camcorders and iPhone gift cards at BestBuy.  Other local stores that have been listed in the past few days were Walmart, Kohls, CVS, Walgreens, Lowes, Office Depot, and others.  My experience at Lowes was typical, as an internet only price was listed on Dealnews for a folding aluminum ladder, which must be picked up in-store.  I checked the Lowes website, verified that that model was in stock, and placed the order online; the next day I went to the store and noticed at the customer service counter a sign that said nternet Order Pickup.  I handed the clerk a printout of my order, and my ladder was brought to the front of the store for me.  Being nosey, I wandered back to the ladder display and found that my internet price was about 30% less than if I would have bought that exact ladder directly in the store.  Still, Lowes was successful that it brought me into the store where the transaction was completed, and a sale was made for the store.  While not universal, almost all of the local stores listed offer free in store pickup, with no shipping charges.

                Another way of patronizing local stores by taking advantage of online promotions is the daily deal which several of them offer.  A daily deal is when one or a few deeply discounted items are offered for only one day (and while quantities last), and may often be picked up in the local store.  In my experience, most of the local stores will honor the prices of their own online specials if purchased in store and presented with a printout of the special price. Two of the local stores that I monitor for daily deals are Target and Kohls.  Target offers a daily email as well as a website with the deals (dailydeals.target.com), and Kohls often has a link on its main webpage for its Deal of the Day.  Mostly these items are at least 50% off, and sometimes more.

                Restaurants also need our fiscal help, and they sometimes oblige by publishing coupons or offering deeply discounted gift certificates.  While websites such as Dealnews often publish links to restaurant coupons, there are also specialty websites that sell deeply discounted gift certificates.  While only a few local restaurants are currently listed, there are gift certificates available for thousands of restaurants around the country.  While I have used some of these gift certificates in locally owned restaurants, I also use them extensively when traveling.  As I type this, another consolidator deal site, Deals of America (dealsofamerica.com) is listing gift certificates from another website, restaurant.com.  Today’s deal is a $25 gift certificate for only $2 (normally $10), and a $10 gift certificate for only 80 cents (normally $4).  These gift certificates are very restaurant specific, and can be printed immediately after purchase.  I have used the $10 gift certificates several times at a particular local restaurant adjacent to the mall, which brought others and me into the restaurant, generating additional business.  Regrettably, that particular restaurant no longer participates in the gift certificate program.  The deal sites usually have restaurant.com gift certificates for at least 50% off (a $25 gift certificate, normally $10, for $5) and sometimes up to 80% off.  Restaurant.com also offers an email service by subscription where it announces current discounts on its gift certificates.  Restaurant.com is a BBB accredited business, and I have never had a problem with them or with their gift certificates.

                These are but a very few of the many competitor websites where local businesses promote their goods and services.  One that can be easily configured to display local coupons for both goods and services is Yahoo’s deal site at deals.yahoo.com.  I have used coupons from this website for local purchases including tires, oil changes, groceries, restaurants, and other goods and services.

                I am proud to support local businesses, but not too proud to use their coupons and shop for bargains from them.  That is a win-win situation for both the customer and the business.  By monitoring some of the local deal websites, and subscribing to daily deals either by email or by RSS feed, one can support local businesses and save a lot of money at the same time.

     

     

     

     


    October 10, 2009

    Commercial Software Available for Free: By Ira Wilsker 

    WEBSITES:

    http://dottech.org

    http://dottech.org/category/freebies

    http://www.giveawayoftheday.com

    http://game.giveawayoftheday.com  

                Computer users often seem to be in the market for additional software.  Many users even seem to have an addiction to new software, seeming to have an insatiable urge to try something new.  There are many online resources that have enormous libraries of free software to download, such as download.com, MajorGeek, and TUCOWS, but other than some pirate and hacker sites, there are only a few sites where commercial software can legitimately be downloaded free.

                One of my personal favorites is dotTech.org, which has proven to be an excellent resource when it comes to legitimately getting free copies of commercial software.  New titles appear on an almost daily basis under the freebies category (dottech.org/category/freebies), and are usually available for a very limited time or a limited number of downloads.  The freebies page has an editorial comment at the top that was posted by the founder of dotTech, Ashraf says, I gave up my illegal activities long ago – but I still like freebies. Here you will see posts about how to attain commercial software for free – 100% legit!  Currently, there are 52 commercial software titles available as a free download, but this number is dynamic and changes frequently as old offers expire, and new titles are added.  As with bargains anywhere else, the rule is that if you see something you like, get it now, because it may not be there later.  Ashraf and the editors of dotTech.org review each software title, and I have found the reviews to be reliable and accurate.  There is also an open blog on each listing where users who have downloaded and installed the software have left comments as to the functionality of the software, a feature that I have found useful.

                DotTechs selection of software is varied, but seems to favor performance utilities.  While many of the software publishers listed on dotTech may not be familiar to Americans, they are mostly European in origin, and generally have a very good to excellent reputation.  These lesser known publishers will typically allow their commercial software to be promoted on dotTech in order to become better known, and to sometimes get leads to sell their other software products.  Mostly, the titles available are the latest versions, but in a few cases the free downloads were of a previous but recent version.  There are two very good commercial products that I use regularly thanks to dotTech, and I do periodically receive emailed promotions from the publishers about their other wares.  These promotions are more sporadic than regular, and not so frequent as to be irritating.  Both have unsubscribe links on their promotions, but I have found them often interesting, as their products that they promote are often offered at deep discounts.  One recent example was the German software publisher, Ashampoo that sent an email that offered almost all of its products for a flat price of only $10 each.  It should be noted that Ashampoo is not some little software publisher, as it is very popular in Europe, and claims to have over 10 million registered users of its software, with 97 million copies installed.  This is precisely the type of company that promotes its software on dotTech.org.

    Some of the commercial software that has recently been offered free on dotTech include Ashampoo Office 2008, Ashampoo Internet Accelerator 2, USB Safely Remove 4.1, Comfort Keys Lite, Ashampoo Burning Studio 2010, O&O CleverCache 6 Professional, WinX DVD Ripper Platinum, CyberLink PowerDirector 7 Ultra, Paragon Drive Backup 9.0 Professional, EVEREST Ultimate Edition 4.6, EASEUS Partition Master Pro, and dozens of other titles.  The full list can be found online at dottech.org/category/freebies.  I subscribe to dotTech's RSS feed (dottech.org/feed) and email alerts (dottech.org/e-mail-reminders) so I can keep up with the latest software giveaways.  I routinely download and install the new offerings to satiate my desire to try new software; generally, I have been very satisfied with the offerings and have found them to be generally excellent.  For those that I no longer want, they have been easy to uninstall with their integral uninstall function or from Add/Remove Programs.  In addition to commercial software, dotTech also has some good software tips and hints, as well as reviews of other software products.

    Speaking of giveaways, what may arguably be the most popular software giveaway website is a Give Away of the Day at www.giveawayoftheday.com .  The software on that website must be downloaded and installed by midnight Pacific time (2am Central time), or the install feature will fail, but if it is installed by the deadline, a fully registered copy of the software is yours to keep.  Every 24 hours, at midnight Pacific Time, a new software title becomes available.  Software available on Give Away of the Day has been of all types, including utilities, video and audio editors, security software, and other genres, and is often from major software publishers.  It needs to be noted that the software downloaded and registered through Give Away of the Day is not eligible for support, and does not qualify for free upgrades.  It should also be noted that during the registration process, which must be done while online, some other utilities may appear on the registration popup that may be installed, and by my choice, I never select them for installation.

    Give Away of the Day often has dozens of comments and reviews of that day's software by the time dawn breaks in the U.S., these comments being posted by users mostly in Asia and Europe, where the software has been available for download for several hours.  If the software looks interesting, I click on the icon to go to the download page, and review the comments prior to downloading.  The reviews are summarized with a thumbs up or a thumbs down rating; if the majority of reviewers likes the software, I will seriously consider downloading it; if the thumbs down are in the majority, then I will usually not download it.  I also read the reviews and comments to corroborate that the software will install and function on my operating system.  I also find references in the review to competing, often free, competitors to be generally helpful, and a source of other software to try.  It is interesting that often the first, and usually the most comprehensive review posted is from Ashraf, the same person that runs dotTech.  These reviews list the good and bad features of the program offered, as well as a link to a full review on dotTech.

    Give Away of the Day has a sister site, Game Give Away of the Day, which has commercial computer games available for download.  Unlike the parent site, new games are not typically available every day, but it is still a worthwhile website for gamers to visit on a frequent basis just to see if something new has been posted.

    Both Give Away of the Day and Game Give Away of the Day offer RSS feeds and email alerts to notify those interested of any new offerings.  I subscribe to both in order to be informed of those offerings.

    These websites have had some great commercial software available at a great price (free), which I use on a regular basis.  They are most worthy of a regular visit in order to take advantage of the offerings.

     

     

     

     

     

     

     


     

     

    October 2, 2009

     

    Watch TV Shows and Movies over the Net for Free By Ira Wilsker
     
    WEBSITES:
    http://www.hulu.com
    http://www.casttv.com/shows
    http://www.clicker.com
    http://www.slashcontrol.com
    http://www.fancast.com

     
             
       About two years ago, I wrote in this column about a small new service with the strange moniker "Hulu" that was just being introduced.   At that time, Hulu (www.hulu.com) had hundreds of old TV episodes and movies available for free online viewing.  Over that same period Hulu has become one of the major players in free online TV and movies, with tens of thousands of full-length TV episodes, trailers, and clips, as well as thousands of full-length movies.  Hulu has become such a powerhouse that many of the major networks release their full-length current shows for posting on Hulu as soon as they have been shown on the air.  As I type this in the evening, news shows from today from such diverse sources as ABC, NBC and Fox are available online for viewing.  Newly released full-length shows available range from the most recent Jay Leno show, to General Hospital, this weekend's Saturday Night Live, to several of the just completed college football games.
                Hulu TV and movies are viewed through most popular internet browsers, and require a broadband connection.  Hulu claims that its content can be viewed with Internet Explorer 6.0 or above, Firefox 1.5 or above, or Safari 2.0 or above.  Although it is not listed as a supported browser, Hulu TV shows and movies loaded and played fine on Google's new Chrome 3 browser.  Hulu content plays in Flash format, and requires that Adobe Flash Player 9.0.115 or above be installed; for users who do not have a late version of the Flash player, it can be downloaded free from Adobe at www.adobe.com. Much of the website is dependent on Java, so it is necessary that the browser have JavaScript and cookies enabled.  Hulu will work on computers with a variety of operating systems including Microsoft Windows XP SP2, Windows Vista, Macintosh OS X and Linux.  While not yet listed as supported, Hulu plays well on the new Windows 7.
                For those who are interested in watching the most recent TV shows that are released to the web, several websites continuously track the latest postings.  One such website is CastTV, www.casttv.com/shows. As I type this, CastTV is showing a hyperlinked directory of the most recently released TV shows, including NCIS Los Angeles, Law & Order SVU, Mercy, The Office, The Mentalist, Medium, America's Most Wanted, COPS, and many others.  Adjacent to each individual listing is an icon representing the location of the selected show, which may be the websites of Hulu, ABC, NBC, CBS, or other website.  While almost all of these current episodes can be viewed free, there are some websites that have a paid membership required to view the episodes on that particular website.  It is not just the most recent episodes that can be viewed through CastTV, but many entire series are available for free viewing.  One of my favorite shows is "CSI: New York", and 116 episodes are available, mostly free, on pages that are linked to CastTV.  CastTV does not just include a directory of TV shows, it also has a directory of hundreds of free movies that can be viewed online, some as current as 2009 releases.
                CastTV does not just provide a directory of TV shows and movies, it also provides an entertaining list of the most popular viral videos and movie trailers, mostly from YouTube.  Number 2 on the list as I type this is the hysterically funny YouTube video of "Baby Dancing to Beyonce", which has had well over a million views.  This listing, which is frequently updated, is an excellent way to keep track of what others are watching online.
                Another section on CastTV is the "Specials" section which has videos of British "Talent" star Susan Boyle, as well as American Idol, Dancing With The Stars, the 2009 Oscars, the 2009 Superbowl commercials, and the 2009 NCAA Basketball "March Madness".
                A newcomer to the field that intends to be a direct competitor to Cast TV is "Clicker" www.clicker.com. Clicker is currently in pre-release beta, and requires pre-registration to access the site as a beta tester.  Clicker staff reviews each of its postings to verify it for quality before posting it.  According to the official Clicker blog, "Clicker aims to provide the most comprehensive, unbiased and user-friendly way to navigate what's available (and just as importantly, what's not) to watch online, where and when you can find it, and finally, what's worth watching amongst your infinite choices.  We have made it our mission to make it dead simple for you to find the RIGHT SHOW, RIGHT NOW."  Another posting in the blog says, "From day one, Clicker has mapped more than 300,000 episodes, from over 5,200 shows, from over 1,200 networks – in addition to 1,200 movies (soon to be 14,000 movies with the addition of Netflix), and 50,000 music videos from 20,000 artists. All of this programming is organized by episode, show, network, media type, title, and artist, as well as over 1,000 categories and sub-categories."  Once it becomes publically available, Clicker may be a power to reckon with.
                AOL, which has morphed into a content provider from an ISP, has its own movie and TV service, which anyone can freely access.  This service is "SlashControl", available at www.slashcontrol.com. This AOL service claims to have 81,352 free videos online, including the very recent (tonight's) segments from the CBS show "60 Minutes".  SlashControl has an impressive list of free TV shows from many networks, including A&E, ABC, Bravo, CBS, CNBC, Comedy Central, CW, Fox, Fox Business, FX, History Channel, MSNBC, National geographic, NBC, Syfy (SciFi), USA, and WWE.  For those looking to watch a full-length movie, SlashControl has about 400 free movies available, including some recent releases, as well as older classics.
                Another comprehensive site with a wide section of TV and movies is Fancast, at www.fancast.com .  Fancast is owned by cable provider Comcast, which says on its site, "Fancast is THE top entertainment site dedicated to celebrating television. Fancast gives fans instant access to an extensive video collection of television shows, movies, trailers and clips, so they can tune-in, catch-up and critique their favorite television programming. Fancast also offers comprehensive editorial and blog coverage with in-depth recaps and analysis on what's hot and happening everyday in the world of television and entertainment."  Fancast has hundreds of TV shows available as full episodes, including such classics as Adam-12, to new episodes of 90210.  Some of the TV shows are drawn from Hulu, with the Hulu logo appearing in the corner of the display.  Full-length TV shows are available from dozens of networks, including BET, ABC, CBS, Fox, Military History, Nick, and many others, providing for a wide assortment of shows for our viewing pleasure.  Fancast also has about 500 movies available for viewing, listed by genre', or alphabetically, and can satisfy most viewers.  While all of the content is available to anyone free, some of the advanced features of the Fancast service, such as personal profiles, are only available to Comcast subscribers with a Comcast email address.  Due to content licensing requirements, Fancast movies and TV are only available in the US.
                Some bloggers have written that there is enough fresh TV and recent content available online that they have "cut the cable" and watch TV and movies exclusively on the net free.  While I still prefer to watch live news shows and new episodes of shows on TV, there is an enormous collection of TV shows and movies available online.  I will admit that when there is nothing interesting to me on TV that I have watched shows and movies on Hulu, and have used Hulu while in a hotel room, and the selection of TV channels is inadequate such that I cannot watch my favorite shows.  I have caught up with many of my favorites the same night as they are broadcast, and this applies to both entertainment and news shows.  I also watch some shows, especially business and news, which I do not get on my local cable.  These free TV and movie resources are an excellent way to be entertained while on the net, and are worthy of a try.  Just like live TV, it is easy to change channels and view other shows.  Unlike live TV, there is a much wider selection of shows to watch that are always available, and not set to a rigid schedule.  This is a convenience and benefit to the viewer that is typically not available on live TV.  Now that broadband internet is approaching universal availability, I can foresee many more people watching TV and movies free over the net.

     

     

     

     

     

    September 25, 2009 

    Google Chrome 3 – Ready for Prime Time! By Ira Wilsker 

     

    WEBSITES:

    http://www.google.com/chrome

    http://www.google.com/chrome/intl/en/features.html

    https://tools.google.com/chrome/intl/en/themes  

                Longtime readers of this column may remember that I wrote about Googles Chrome browser when it first came out.  I found that Chrome version 1 was unstable, and incapable of loading many of the websites that I routinely visited.  About a year ago, with high hopes, I tested the then new release of Google Chrome version 2, and found many of the same bugs and incompatibilities that I found in version 1; my title of that column said that Chrome 2 was Not Yet Ready for Prime Time.  I am now happy to report to you, my faithful readers, that the newly released Chrome version 3 is indeed ready for prime time.

                Google Chrome is a free download from Google at www.google.com/chrome, and runs on XP and Vista, both 32 and 64 bit systems.  The Google setup is a small 557kb executable file that downloaded quickly, and installed smoothly with no problems or conflicts on my Vista Home Premium 64 system.  During the very quick install, Chrome identified that Firefox was my default browser, and asked if I would like to import my bookmarks (favorites) and other information from Firefox.  A pull down menu was offered which would have also allowed import of items from Internet Explorer as well.  Not surprisingly, Chrome had setup as a default home (startup) page Google.com, which I chose to change to my existing personal startup page (My Yahoo).  Other than the trivial question about whether I wanted a desktop and quick-start icon for Chrome, the new browser installed in seconds.

                Since I was skeptical about Chrome, based on my past problems with the earlier versions, I proceeded to immediately visit those websites that I was unable to load in versions 1 and 2.  To my pleasant surprise, all of the sites that failed to load in the earlier versions of Chrome not just loaded flawlessly, but also opened very quickly.

                My first impression of Chrome was that it loaded far faster than Internet Explorer or Firefox on my computer, and that it has a very clean look to the browser, in that is it not cluttered by a lot of infrequently used icons and toolbars, as well as other items that take up the precious real estate on the desktop.  When I entered the URLs of my frequently visited websites, Chrome already had them filled ahead of my typing them, evidence that Chrome successfully imported them from Firefox.  Since this was a clean install of Chrome, such that there could not be any online cache to load, I was amazed as to how quickly web pages loaded.  While it was not a scientific experiment, and the evidence would only be anecdotal, I opened Internet Explorer 8 (IE8), Firefox 3.53, and Chrome 3 in adjacent windows.  Without the need for a stopwatch, it was glaringly obvious that Chrome loaded the same web pages much faster than IE8 did, and somewhat faster than Firefox.  Of these three browsers, all the latest builds running on a quad-core machine, Chrome was clearly the speed demon of the three.  Chalk up a performance win for Chrome.

                While I appreciated the clean appearance of Chrome when it opened, there are undoubtedly many who would like to change the appearance of Chrome to modify it to meet personal preferences.  As I type this, Google has 29 themes available for Chrome at www.tools.google.com/chrome/intl/en/themes . The available themes range from Minimal that has an almost blank window with only minimal coloring, to several that are complex and brightly colored.

                While Chrome is written in tight code, and loads very quickly, it is still very feature rich.  It is amazingly intuitive and easy to use.  One of my favorite features is clicking on the tabs on the top of the page to open another browser window, and being greeted with interactive thumbnails of both open and recently closed websites; clicking on one would open that page in an instant.  Chrome remembers the most frequently viewed pages, and displays thumbnails of those when a New Tab is selected.  This makes it very easy to select a page, or the user can always type an address in the address bar or click on a bookmark.  Another useful feature is the ability to search directly from the address bar.  By simply typing a search term in the address space, the default search engine will be queried, and the results displayed.  While Google was obviously the initial default search engine, it was a simple process to change the default to my personal favorite, AllTheWeb.  To test the search function from the address bar, I typed my name in the space where I would normally type a web address (URL), hit enter, and the AllTheWeb page instantly opened with the web pages with my name.  It was also actually fun to drag and drop tabs, watching the contents being moved around the browser page; this way open tabs can be organized to satisfy the whims of the user.  Tabs can also be dragged and dropped on the Windows desktop, where they appear as a complete new window, and can be dragged back to the original browser where the tab will be integrated back with the other tabs.  Each tab is independent, and a problem or crash in one tab will not likely crash the entire browser and other open tabs.

                Many would wonder why Google would create and promote Chrome as another free browser in the now crowded field of browsers.  The developers of Chrome identified needs and problems with the existing browsers, and addressed those issues on the web page "A fresh take on the browser (www.google.com/chrome/intl/en/why.html). Under the hood, we were able to build the foundation of a browser that runs today's complex web applications much better. By keeping each tab in an isolated "sandbox", we were able to prevent one tab from crashing another and provide improved protection from rogue sites. We improved speed and responsiveness across the board. We also built V8, a more powerful JavaScript engine, to power the next generation of web applications that aren't even possible in today's browsers. By design, Chrome is intended to be more secure than its competitors, more stable with the "sandbox" concept, and faster.  While I have not significantly tested the security capabilities of Chrome, and I am fully cognizant that security is a continuing effort, my initial impression is that Chrome is reasonably secure, although Google has recently released some security and features patches to harden the browser.  As stated above, the Chrome developers were very successful in creating a very fast browser.

                Chrome is an open source product, meaning that anyone can get the code and write applications for it.  In writing Chrome, the developers acknowledged that they used open source code from other sources, including code and components from Firefox and Apples WebKit.

                Google has done an excellent job with Chrome 3, and in its first few days of release has captured a small but rapidly growing share of the browser market.  As more users download and install Chrome and find that it does indeed offer substantial performance and safety improvements over Internet Explorer.  Other than not being compatible with some of my favorite Firefox add-ons, I found Chrome to be a most capable browser.  Since Chrome is open source, I can foresee comparable add-ons being developed for Chrome just as they had been for Firefox.

                I can now give Chrome my highest recommendation, and suggest that Windows users download Chrome and give it a try.  It is perfectly OK to have multiple browsers installed on a computer, and select which one to run at any time.  Since Chrome will import favorites, bookmarks, and other information from IE and Firefox, it would be fully ready to use after being installed.  Download Chrome from Google (www.google.com/chrome) and try it.  Since it is free, you really have nothing to lose, and will likely gain dramatically improved browsing performance, security, and satisfaction.  After all, is that not why we surf the internet anyway?


     

    September 18, 2009 

    Net Neutrality By Ira Wilsker 

    WEBSITES:

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Network_neutrality

    http://www.google.com/help/netneutrality.html

    http://www.savetheinternet.com

    http://www.ncta.com/IssueBriefs/Network-Management.aspx?view=2

    http://www.ustelecom.org

    http://www.ustelecom.org/Issues/PreventingInternetRegulation/PreventingInternetRegulation.html

                 I have taken pride over the years that I have written this column to offer my readers a non-political and non-partisan break from the political tribulations of the day.  Unfortunately, sometimes politics and technology clash, with each side having an argument supporting its opinions, and expressing why the other side is wrong.  A long standing dispute rages in the technology world about the internet, and who should control the access to it.  This is not some type of political censorship like what we often see in totalitarian regimes, but an economic issue where strong powers on both sides of the issue are taking a stance on the future of the internet.  This is not a classical Democrat versus Republican, or liberal versus conservative squabble, but a dispute about the potential revenue streams and the use and control of the bandwidth that we have available.  This often heated discussion has made it to the halls of Congress and to the bowels of the regulatory agencies, with heavy input from the participants, all of whom are trying to protect their turf.  While the issues are complex, and I will try to explain both sides of the issue in an impartial manner, the name of the controversy carries the simple moniker of “Net Neutrality”.

                According to Wikipedia, “At its simplest, network neutrality is the principle that all Internet traffic should be treated equally.  Net neutrality advocates have established three principal definitions of network neutrality:  Absolute non-discrimination; Limited discrimination without QoS (Quality of Service) tiering; and Limited discrimination and tiering.”  The expression “Absolute non-discrimination”  was defined by Columbia Law School professor Tim Wu as “The idea is that a maximally useful public information network aspires to treat all content, sites, and platforms equally.”  The part about limited discrimination without quality of service tiering basically means that while internet services providers can offer different levels of service (speed and volume) to their customers at different prices, they should not charge special fees for a higher quality of service, or priority in delivering information.  University of Michigan Law School professor Susan P. Crawford "believes that a neutral Internet must forward packets on a first-come, first served basis, without regard for quality-of-service considerations."  “Limited discrimination and tiering” means that there can be no exclusivity in service contracts, and that internet service providers and carriers cannot charge users for exclusive access to another’s content.  This concept is not some new creation of the internet age, but a well established 150 year old legal principal.  Again, according to Wikipedia, “In 1860, a US federal law was passed to subsidize a telegraph line, stating that messages received from any individual, company, or corporation, or from any telegraph lines connecting with this line at either of its termini, shall be impartially transmitted in the order of their reception, excepting that the dispatches of the government shall have priority ... An act to facilitate communication between the Atlantic and Pacific states by electric telegraph, June 16, 1860.”

                Google has published a policy statement (google.com/help/netneutrality.html) that says, “Network neutrality is the principle that Internet users should be in control of what content they view and what applications they use on the Internet. The Internet has operated according to this neutrality principle since its earliest days... Fundamentally, net neutrality is about equal access to the Internet. In our view, the broadband carriers should not be permitted to use their market power to discriminate against competing applications or content. Just as telephone companies are not permitted to tell consumers who they can call or what they can say, broadband carriers should not be allowed to use their market power to control activity online.”  Google is not alone with this concept, and has been joined by many large content providers, including Yahoo!, Vonage, eBay, Amazon, EarthLink, and others

                What is happening today is that some internet service providers (ISPs) are either hindering access to popular online video and audio services, or implementing a special fee or charge to the user in order to be able to access these services at the users’ normal access speeds.  Some of the carriers engaged in these practices cite the infrastructure cost that this high bandwidth usage incurs, and that it is only fair to charge a premium price to those who are taxing the capacity of the systems.  According to the website SaveTheInternet.com,  cable and telecommunications companies such as AT&T, Verizon, Comcast and Time Warner of wanting "to be Internet gatekeepers, deciding which Web sites go fast or slow and which won't load at all.  These companies want to tax content providers to guarantee speedy delivery of their data ... to discriminate in favor of their own search engines, Internet phone services, and streaming video while slowing down or blocking their competitors."

                The cable and telecommunications companies are represented by the US Telecom Broadband Association (www.ustelecom.org) and the National Cable and Telecommunications Association , (www.ncta.com), which have aptly presented the side of the big carriers.  The design, construction, maintenance, and upgrading of the intranet infrastructure are very capital intensive, and the demands on the networks are increasing dramatically.  As stated by Wikipedia,  telecom providers should have the ability to provide preferential treatment in the form of a tiered services, for example by giving online companies willing to pay the ability to transfer their data packages faster than other Internet traffic. The added revenue from such services could be used to pay for the building of increased broadband access to more consumers.” 

    The NCTA, on its webpage (ncta.com) says, “There is no evidence that consumers are being prevented from accessing any lawful content on the Internet, nor are broadband providers impeding customers from subscribing to broadband applications that don’t harm the network. The best consumer protection is a vibrant marketplace in which choice for providers exists and allows subscribers to switch if they're not satisfied with the current service. The biggest risk of Internet Regulation is that it will freeze investment and innovation in further broadband deployment and development.”  USTelecom, representing the broadband providers, states on its webpage (ustelecom.org), “This unnecessary intervention would slow broadband deployment and the arrival of a wide variety of pro-consumer advances.  Regulating the Internet would delay the arrival of life-enhancing technological advances in health care, education, the economy and beyond by sending a distinct chill through the investment climate.  This ‘about face’ for U.S. innovation policy would undermine the critical progress being made in today’s competitive Internet marketplace, where adoption is accelerating across demographic groups and nearly 1,400 companies are racing to extend broadband’s capacity and reach throughout our country. Instead of slamming on the brakes of our information economy and slowing the arrival of new innovations in our lives, our government should stay focused on broadband deployment and pro-investment policies that bring the high-speed Internet and its many possibilities to all Americans.”  According to Wikipedia, “John Thorne, senior vice president and deputy general counsel of Verizon,  has argued that they will have no incentive to make large investments to develop advanced fibre-optic networks if they are prohibited from charging higher preferred access fees to companies that wish to take advantage of the expanded capabilities of such networks. Thorne and other ISPs have accused Google and Skype of freeloading or free riding for using a network of lines and cables the phone company spent billions of dollars to build.”

    None of the combatants in this battle are claiming that the internet should be fiscally free, or that it is wrong for the ISPs to charge different rates for different speeds and bandwidth limits.  What is in dispute is whether all content should be treated (and charged) equally in terms of bandwidth and speed used, and whether the users of heavy content providers (such as streaming DVDs by Netflix) get equal access to the capacity the internet.  Hypothetically, an ISP could charge a user a premium price for priority access to streaming DVDs, and thus transmit that data ahead of his neighbors’ email, or offer faster speeds to users of its own content than it does to other providers.  Another consideration under dispute is whether an ISP should be able to provide a higher quality of service and speed to its own digital phone service than it does another digital phone service, such as Vonage or Skype.  Discrimination of these types is contrary to the concept of “net neutrality”.

    This is a tough issue with valid points made by both sides.  Hopefully the above content and links will provide the reader with adequate information and resources on both sides of the debate such that he can make his own decision.  As the technology advances, and our demands on the internet infrastructure increases, we as a society must come up with some viable way to ensure that the capacity is there when and where we need it.

     

     

     

     

     

     


     

    September 14, 2009 

     

    http://support.wdc.com/product/downloaddetail.asp 

    Acronis True Image WD Edition Software

    Acronis True Image WD Edition Software helps you to completely clone your current system drive onto your new WD hard drive. Cloning makes an exact copy of your old system drive on your new WD hard drive, including the operating system, applications, data, preferences, and email settings. Everything will be present and operate exactly as it did on your old hard drive.

    ATIWD is based on the award winning Acronis True image Home 2009 backup, restore and disaster recovery program.

    Key Features of Acronis True Image WD Edition Software:

    Acronis True Image WD Edition Software

    File Size: 121 MB (approx.)
    Version: 11.0 (build 8,311)
    Publish Date: August, 2009

    Supported Operating Systems

    Instructions

    1. Click on the Download Now button in the upper right corner.
    2. On the Language page, choose the language version of software you want to download.
    3. Download the Acronis True Image WD Edition Software to your computer.
    4. Make sure you close all programs, and click on the EXE file. The install wizard will carry you through the installation process.
    5. You will need to reboot your computer once the installation is completed.

     


     

    September 11, 2009 

     

    TweakNow PowerPack 2009  Comprehensive Free Utility for Windows

    By Ira Wilsker

     

    WEBSITE:

    http://www.tweaknow.com

    http://www.v3.co.uk/downloads

    http://www.downloadjunkie.co.uk  

                Regular readers of this column are well aware that I am a utility junkie.  I like downloading PC utilities in the never-ending saga of trying to improve PC performance and reliability.  There are many very good performance utilities out there, both free and commercial, which will likely improve the functioning of the PC.  Sadly, there are also some utilities that are downright dangerous or are scams that try to separate the desperate computer user from his money.  Still, I have this insatiable desire to try these utilities and see what they can do.  For safety and security reasons, I always have a current backup of my critical files just in case something goes wrong, which has inevitably happened to me more times than I am comfortable to admit.

                I subscribe to several software email lists and RSS feeds where I get the latest software news and information on new releases and updates.  One British list that I subscribe to via RSS is Download Reviews (www.v3.co.uk/downloads), and its sister site Download Junkie (www.downloadjunkie.co.uk).  These websites are excellent sources of software news, including occasional announcements about some prominent commercial software publishers that sometimes release full versions of their commercial software at no charge, but which are only available free for a very limited time.

                I recently read a review of a free utility that piqued my curiosity, TweakNow PowerPack 2009 (www.tweaknow.com).  Being the skeptic that I am, I had this inner drive (addiction) to download it and try it.  The reviews about it were very positive, and I searched several of the independent computer magazines’ online editions, and found some complimentary reviews of TweakNow products.  Verifying that my backups and security software were in order, I installed TweakNow PowerPack 2009 on my Vista 64 machine, as it is more software finicky than my XP machine when it comes to software utilities.  I was pleasantly surprised to have TweakNow install smoothly and quickly on the 64-bit machine.  The version that I downloaded and installed was 1.6.0000 Beta 2 which appears to be stable and fully functional.  It is explicitly written for Windows XP, Vista (32 and 64), and Windows 7 (32 and 64).  The interface is clean and intuitive with an even dozen menu items listed on the left side under the heading “System Tools”.  Clicking on an item in the left menu opens the main window with a more detailed selection of functions.

                At the top of the list is “Disk Cleaner” which selectively searches all attached drives for obsolete and useless files, freeing up space on the hard drive.  It has never failed to amaze me how much clutter I often find when I work on others’ computers, and this utility is good at finding that clutter.  The “Disk Usage Analyzer” graphically displays the makeup of the directories on the hard drive along with information on the directories.  “Miscellaneous Tools” has six tools which can be used to control the processes running on the computer, optimize the memory (many pundits claim that this function is unnecessary), and control how CDs autorun.

                As we install and uninstall software and hardware, the Windows registry becomes bloated with outdated and obsolete entries, which at worst can lead to substantial degradation of performance, conflicts between components, and other maladies.  Some self-proclaimed computer experts tout that the registry should be cleaned periodically, or at least monthly, to remove the debris and outmoded entries that may be the source of many computing problems.  As a safety precaution, it is good practice to create a system restore point or otherwise backup the registry before doing anything to the registry, just in case something goes wrong.  The “Registry Cleaner” integrated with the TweakNow PowerPack is also available as a freestanding utility from the tweaknow.com website.  Scanning the registry for errors may take a few minutes, and this software uses a green shield icon with a white checkmark to indicate those registry items that are likely safe to delete.  As items are written to and deleted from the registry, gaps are created in the file structure which waste space, and may lead to slower booting and shutdown.  Included with TweakNow is a Registry Defragmenter which will remove the gaps from the “hives” or sections of the registry, making it smaller and more efficient.

                Many computers are slow booting and sluggishly running because too many items are loaded when the computer is turned on, and this consumes system resources.  While Windows has a “geekish” MSCONFIG utility that can be used to control what loads when the computer is booted, the Startup Manager in PowerPack makes the process easy by simply unchecking the box adjacent to an unwanted item.  If the user changes his mind later, or finds that an item unchecked is desired, simple re-checking the item will load that item at the next boot.

                Sometimes it is necessary to know explicitly what is in your computer in terms hardware and the operating system.  The “System Information” component displays the hardware components model numbers, firmware versions, driver builds, and other technical information that may be critical to have when repairing, updating, or upgrading the computer, as well as details about the build and version of Windows.

                Personal privacy is an issue that many of us are concerned with, and the PowerPack has a “Track Cleaner” which will delete temporary internet files, cookies, cache, and other internet tracks left on the computer.  PowerPack can clean tracks left on Internet Explorer up to version 8, and Firefox up to version 3.5, as well as those tracks left by Windows itself.  While somewhat redundant with Window’s own Add/Remove utility, PowerPack has a capable “Uninstall Program” function that can be used to uninstall any no longer wanted programs.

                One of my favorite features in TweakNow PowerPack 2009 is the “Windows Secret” utility which has eleven sections each containing tweaks that can be used to improve the performance of Windows, enhance the appearance of the desktop, secure the control panel, customize the start menu, and control the way that the Windows Explorer file manager appears and functions.  Well over 100 tweaks are available with this “Secret” utility.  For those who just want to improve performance with minimal effort, the “Quick TuneUp” offers a single click way to perform the basic tune-up functions, such as cleaning the registry and removing hard drive clutter.

                I will be the first to admit that I have made many mistakes when fooling around with computer settings.  What is nice about TweakNow is that it automatically makes a backup of whatever was changed, enabling the user to restore or un-do what was done.  This is accessed by clicking on “Restore Backup” which shows a directory of the changes implemented, and a single click will restore the selected changes.

                TweakNow PowerPack 2009 is a very capable free utility that can do much to enhance the performance of a PC.  TweakNow is about to release a low-cost “professional” version with even more features for XP, Vista and “7”, but with a bargain price of only $10.  The free version of PowerPack 2009 is quite capable; I eagerly look forward to see what TweakNow can add to a professional version.

     

     

     


     

    August 28, 2009

     

    Thousands of Free Books Available Online By Ira Wilsker
     
    WEBSITES:
    http://www.feedbooks.com
    http://www.flatworldknowledge.com
    http://www.gutenberg.org/wiki/Main_Page
    http://www.booksshouldbefree.com

     
                I enjoy reading.  I find that reading is intellectually stimulating, broadens my horizons, and provides vicarious experiences.  My daughters grew up in a home full of books where they all became avid readers; this substantially contributed to their academic and professional achievements.
                My students at LIT should be reading more, but the cost of books is a deterrent, and a trip to the college or public library is often an inconvenience.  Many of today's students have grown up in the era of online information, email, Twitter, Facebook, Yahoo!, and Google and to them "online" is their primary information resource.  Now there are internet resources where anyone can read literature of any genre', including hundreds of current textbooks, for free.  Depending on the rules of the respective websites, these complete books can be read online in a browser window, or downloaded in a variety of formats, often including the popular and universal PDF format.
                The granddaddy of the free online library is the Project Gutenberg at www.gutenberg.org. According to its website, "Project Gutenberg is the first and largest single collection of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today." The mission statement of Project Gutenberg is simple but succinct, "To encourage the creation and distribution of eBooks." Project Gutenberg has the full-length unabridged copies of over 30,000 titles on its servers, and links to over 100,000 titles located on other services.  In addition to the printed word, Project Gutenberg also has hundreds of audio books available for download.  About 400 of the audio books have a very realistic computer generated voice that provides the audio, and another 600 are recorded human voices.  There are also about 150 recordings of mostly classical music, and a few dozen historically significant recordings from no less than the likes of Thomas Edison.  Project Gutenberg has books available in many languages with the largest number being in English, and even some written in Mayan or Yiddish.  I know people who download the audio books in MP3 format, burn them to CD, and play them in the car.  I know of one individual who has downloaded several of the Edgar Allen Poe audio books, and plays them from an MP3 player as spooky stories for the kids around the campfire.
                I teach economics every semester at LIT and try to instill in my students some of the history, culture, and philosophy that created our economic system.  While he is briefly recognized in our economics books, Adam Smith is believed by many to be the father of classical economic philosophy.  The full unabridged version of his most recognized tome "An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations", better known as the "Wealth of Nations" is on my recommended reading list.  In the past the students had to compete for the limited number of copies available in the library or purchase a copy, an often difficult task for a cash strapped college student.  Today's college student, or anyone for that matter, can simply go online and read it on his monitor, or download a copy for future reference.  This is but one example of how technology can be positively used to expand the minds of society, and provoke inspired thought and discussion.  The book "Wealth of Nations" is but one of many thousands available for free online at Project Gutenberg.
                While not as extensive as Project Gutenberg, one of my favorite free eBook websites is Feedbooks at www.feedbooks.com. Feedbooks are almost all in PDF format, and can be read unabridged online or downloaded for reading at the individual's convenience.  Feedbooks has books in four languages, English, French, German, and Spanish, and from hundreds of authors.  Feedbooks' selection is exemplary by having what may be the complete works of many authors, including Arthur Conan Doyle, 32 titles; Charles Dickens, 45 titles; Edgar Rice Burroughs, 68 books; Washington Irving; Henry David Thoreau; Jonathan Swift; and hundreds of other authors.  Feedbooks is totally searchable, but I enjoy browsing my favorite categories, such as Novels (1382 books), History (111 books), Politics (32 books), Humor (68 books), and Non-Fiction (83 books).  There is an extensive "Young Readers" selection composed of over 100 titles that would be good for parents to read to their children, or as a reading experience for the kids themselves.  Titles include such classics as Grimm's Fairy Tales, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, Peter Pan, American Fairy Tales, Fairy Tales of Hans Christian Andersen, Black Beauty, and over a hundred other age appropriate titles.
                Many of us are all too aware of the high cost of textbooks.  There is currently a move on to publish current textbooks online for free.  While this project is in its infancy, there are already many recently published e-textbooks available online at www.flatworldknowledge.com. It is worth noting that hundreds of college faculty have already adopted these free titles.  Students typically have the option of reading the chapters online for free, or printing individual chapters for a nominal fee (about $2 per chapter), printing the entire book, or purchasing a bound copy of the book.  Faculty may request a free bound copy as well as support materials such as test banks, PowerPoint slides, instructors' manuals, and other supplementary materials, just like the existing commercial textbooks.  Even for those who are not currently college students, these online free college textbooks can be a valuable resource for personal and professional enrichment.
                For those who especially appreciate audio books, www.booksshouldbefree.com offers a wide selection of free audio books for download.  Audio books are available in 20 categories and are available in MP3 format.  When downloaded in MP3 format, files can be played on any MP3 player, most car CD players, computers, compatible cell phones, and other audio devices.  Some are the files are "Zipped" or compressed with the common ZIP format in order to make the download a smaller file, but modern versions of Windows will open and uncompress the files, or third party utilities can "unzip" the files for play.
                With the hundreds of thousands of eBook titles available for free, both in print and as audio, there is no reason why we should not be reading (or listening) more than we currently read.  Whether for reference or personal enjoyment, eBooks are here to stay and the free ones can create a massive and competent virtual library for all.


     

    August 22, 2009

     

    Glary Utilities By Ira Wilsker 

    WEBSITES: http://www.glaryutilities.com  

                One of the common themes in this column is improving computer performance.  I still hear on a regular basis about slow performance and other PC problems that may have an easy and possibly free solution.  I emphasize free not just because of today’s trying economic times, but also because an acquaintance of mine recently paid a big box store $300 to clean up his hard drive in order to improve his PC’s performance.  There are many utilities available at varying prices from free to many dollars, and like anything else in society, they vary in quality from mediocre or worse, to excellent.  The trite cliché’ “You get what you pay for” does not always apply when it comes to computer software, as there is some excellent quality free software available.

                I have worked on several decrepit computers in recent weeks, and had the opportunity to try software utilities from several publishers, and found some that I really liked.  Some of the titles that I found that worked very well were freeware utilities from Glarysoft, www.glarysoft.com.

                The first Glarysoft utility that I tried on an older XP machine that was in desperate need of some software maintenance was its flagship product Glary Utilities.  Available in 23 languages from www.glaryutilities.com , Glarysoft claims that this product is, “...the No.1 free, powerful and all-in-one utility in the world market! It offers numerous powerful and easy-to-use system tools and utilities to fix, speed up, maintain and protect your PC.”  I cannot vouch for the #1 status, but I did find it a capable utility that does all that it claims, and it does it very well.  Available in two flavors, the free version, and a $40 commercial version, Glary Utilities PRO, either will have enough features to likely improve the performance of any dragging PC.  Obviously the PRO version offers more features than the free version, such as automatic care in background; enhanced system fixing, optimizing and more; free 24x7 technical support, and may be used commercially.   Both versions will run well on most modern PCs, and is compatible with Windows 2000, XP 32/64bit and Vista 32/64bit.  I ran Glary utilities on the old XP, as well as a new Vista 64 machine, and it ran flawlessly on both.

                Glary Utilities has a clean and intuitive front end, and is easy to use.  The opening window gives the version and status, and a link to download any updates.  The “1-Click Maintenance”, which can be scheduled or run on demand, offers six automated clean-up functions which can be run together or individually.  The “Registry Cleaner”, which can fix invalid or incorrect registry entries, is one of the best in the business, and may reduce the number of conflicts and “blue screens of death” that antagonize many of us.  The “Shortcuts Fixer” identifies and cleans any invalid shortcuts that may have been left over when deleting old programs.  The “Startup Manager” may be one of the keys to improved PC performance by stopping useless and unnecessary programs from automatically loading when the computer is booted.  These unnecessary programs often get inserted in the startup when their software is installed, and may be a terrible resource hog, degrade performance, cause slow boots and shutdowns, and create software conflicts.  By easily managing the startup process, the user has better control of the computer as well as better performance.  Massive amounts of hard drive capacity are often wasted by having thousands of temporary files from various sources eating up the capacity of the drive; a “Temporary Files Cleaner” cleans up these temporary files, and recovers the wasted hard drive space; one computer I recently cleaned had over 4 gigs of useless temporary files, which this program detected and deleted.  Our personal privacy may be jeopardized by leaving internet tracks and traces on our hard drive, and the integral “Tracks Eraser” detects and removes these items, helping to maintain the users’ privacy.  The final “1-Click” utility is a “Spyware Remover”, which can detect and remove much of the spyware which may infest the computer.  These six tasks, all of which can be run with a single mouse click, can do much to improve PC performance.

                For those users who want even more power and control coupled with additional performance improvements should choose the “Modules” tab.  Five modules, each consisting of several system tools, provide an excellent selection of resources designed to provide the maximum improvement of performance, short of hardware upgrades.  The “Clean Up & Repair” button connects to the disk cleaner, the registry cleaner, shortcuts fixer, and an uninstall manager.  While two of these utilities are automatically invoked when selecting the 1-Click option, the disk cleaner detects and removes far more clutter on the hard drive than the simple temp files remover.  The uninstall manager allows the user to completely remove any unwanted programs more thoroughly than Microsoft’s “Add/Remove” feature.

                The second module contains four utilities to optimize and improve performance, including the startup manager, a memory optimizer, a context menu manager (a tool for techies and geeks), and a registry defragmentation utility.  Besides the already described benefits of the startup manager, the registry defrag feature would probably be the most beneficial utility in this group.  Since the registry is constantly being written to and modified, gaps appear in its structure which can slow its reading, waste processing power, as well as take up extra space on the hard drive; the registry defrag function resolves this problem.

                Next is a privacy and security selection which includes the already mentioned tracks eraser, as well as three other utilities.  Sometimes it is necessary to permanently delete files and data, such that they are unrecoverable; the integral file shredder erases files such that they are gone forever.  Unless a file has been shredded or overwritten on the hard drive, it may very likely be recoverable.  We all have accidentally deleted files, or changed our minds after deleting files, and wished that we could get them back; the file undelete utility can quickly and effectively recover files that had been accidentally deleted.  Some other files that we have may also be personally sensitive, and made safe from prying eyes.  The “File Encrypter and Decrypter” protects files from unauthorized access and use.

                The “Files & Folders” group includes utilities to analyze and the hard disk structure, detect and delete duplicate files, find and remove empty file folders, and a neat utility that can split large files into smaller ones and then rejoin them when needed.

                The final module is the “System Tools” selection where the running processes on the computer can be monitored and stopped as desired, freeing up computing power.  Another system tool manages Internet Explorer add-ons, tool bars, and other functions, and can recover from a high jacked browser.  The final utility opens Window’s own secretive tools utility, providing user access to dozens of Window’s settings, allowing the user to tweak the operating system as desired.

                I found Glary Utilities, both the free version and the more comprehensive PRO version to be useful and effective in improving PC performance, and maintaining that enhanced functionality.  I would recommend that users download the PRO version, as it offers a fully functional 30 day free trial, and see how well it performs.  If satisfied, then the $40 purchase price may be well worth it.  For those who prefer free software, the free version would be very satisfactory, as it also is a very capable product.  For those who want the functionality of the individual modules as free standing products, many of them are available for free download from www.glarysoft.com .  Glary Soft has some fine products, and would be a worthwhile addition to the stable of utilities that we all should have and utilize.