Date: 05 February 2010 - 02:42Buy one, get one free antivirus ... what could be sweeter!
http://www.sunbeltsoftware.com/valentines/
Offer good until Feb 15th.
This is my favorite antivirus solution. I highly recommend it!
Date: 25 November 2009 - 02:50DVD ripper Handbrake has seen an update.
Lots of new features:
We also get big promises:
"There's an old proverb in the video encoding world: "Speed, size, quality: pick two." It means that you always have to make a trade-off between the time it takes to encode a video, the amount of compression used, and the picture quality. Well, this release of HandBrake refuses to compromise. It picks all three."
Neat! I'll take it for a spin later.
Date: 25 November 2009 - 10:05Stuffed on turkey and doped up on tryptophan? How about some tech to clear the head! Wanna thank you Mom for that wonderful meal? How about a little tip of tech tidy-up!
(If you're a Mom reading this, then print it out and leave it somewhere conspicuous!
)
Here are a few idea. Use a few or use them all, it's up to you!
Check out my "Turkey Day" tech support kit on Hardware 2.0.
Flashback to a bit of tech fun ... 
Date: 24 November 2009 - 12:48Posted @Hardware 2.0:
According to the folks at Engadget, Apple will tonight roll out two new ads that counter Verizon’s attack on the iPhone and the AT&T network it is bound to.
...
Date: 24 November 2009 - 12:47Posted @Hardware 2.0:
A US law firm is keen to hear from Xbox gamers recently banned from Microsoft Xbox Live.
...
Date: 24 November 2009 - 10:27I find it very handy to carry around with me a portable antivirus scanner that I can use to clean up any infected PCs that I come across.
My favorite tool of choice is Sunbelt Software's VIPRE PC Rescue Program.
The VIPRE Rescue Program is a command-line utility that will scan and clean an infected computer that is so infected that programs cannot be easily run.
The VIPRE Rescue Program is packaged into a self-extracting executable file (.exe) that prompts the user for an "unpack" or installation location, then starts the scanner and performs a deep scan. The user can start the program either by opening it via windows or from the command line.
Virus definitions are included, and the program is self-running once executed. The initial scan, and all subsequent scans, include Rootkit Detection. Four command line options are available, perform a deep scan, perform a quick scan, log the events, and disabling the rootkit.
Detections are consistent with the full VIPRE, and the VIPRE Rescue Program is designed to disinfect a system so infected that a user cannot install VIPRE.
Good bit of kit! Highly recommended!
Date: 23 November 2009 - 09:01Posted @Hardware 2.0:
After yesterday’s Google Chrome OS announcement I’ve had a little time to think about Google’s vision for the OS and how it fits in with Windows, Mac and Linux.
...
Date: 23 November 2009 - 08:59Posted @Hardware 2.0:
Phil Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president for worldwide product marketing, talks about the App Store approval process. But is the process too cumbersome, tedious and does Apple take too much responsibility for the content of apps?
...
Date: 11 November 2009 - 11:17There are new security warning(s):
· Microsoft November Update for Multiple Vulnerabilities
What does it affect?: Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows 2000, Windows XP, Windows Vista
What does it do?: Details of Microsoft's November software update concerning a number of vulnerabilities in various products.
How do I fix it?: Update your copy of the software with the download available from the supplier.
Details of Underlying Problem(s):For more technical information about this warning visit:
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/bulletin/ms09-nov.mspx.
Date modified: 11/11/2009
Source: HM Government (CPNI)
Date: 08 November 2009 - 05:27Got a jailbroken iPhone? Then you need to read this:
The first worm targeting Apple’s iPhone is alive and spreading in the wild. But most iPhone owners need not worry about it.
The worm, known as Ikee, is, as worms go pretty harmless in that all it does is change the lock screen wallpaper to a picture of 80’s signer Rick Astley before looking for other devices to infect.
If you're running a jailbroken iPhone and you didn't change the root password fro the default "alpine" (yes, the whole hacking world knows that it is) then you should change it now!
Here are instructions on how to remove Ikee variants
Variants A, B and C
Variant D
Date: 06 November 2009 - 10:09Fantastic piece by my ZDNet blogging colleague Ed Bott on how you can legally pick up cheap (and even free) copies of Windows 7.
Only suckers pay retail.
If you’ve read any reviews of Windows 7, you’ve seen references to its price list, which ranges from $120 for a Home Premium upgrade to $320 for a fully licensed copy of Windows 7 Ultimate.
Well, guess what? You don’t have to pay that much. Most people have much better options available, if you know where to look.
In this piece Ed examines upgrade offers, deal for students, and subscription services.
A great piece that can save you a lot of money when buying Windows 7.
And Ed's right, only suckers pay retail!
Date: 05 November 2009 - 03:21Question from a reader:
"A while ago, someone at Microsoft told me that to install Vista 64-bit on a PC with 4GB or more of memory, that I had to remove the extra memory, e.g. to 2GB, install Vista, and then reinstall the memory, because apparently there was some issue with installing Vista with 4GB of memory or more. Is there any issue with installing Windows 7 on a PC with lots of memory (e.g. 12GB)? Thanks."
I remember that problem, and it was really annoying, especially when building or reloading the OS on a system. Thankfully, that problem doesn't exist in Windows 7. In fact, it was fixed in Windows Vista as of Service Pack 1. So you're good to go!
Date: 05 November 2009 - 08:55HP is hosting a 24-hour "Expert Day" today (November 5th) over on its support forums.
If you miss this one HP is also planning to do the same thing on November 19th and December 1st.
Date: 05 November 2009 - 06:54With some 100,000 apps for the iPhone and iPod touch to choose from, it's good to have a few pointers to really good apps. Well, there's a list for that!
I've discovered a couple of cool apps for my iPod touch from this listing!
Date: 05 November 2009 - 06:44Over on ZDNet I've posted my last "Hardware 2.0 Very Best Kit List" of the year. Fear not, the kit list will make a reappearance early January 2010!
Here are the categories:
I've also posted a Holiday Gift Guide for 2009. This contains some gift ideas for geeks. For more gift ideas, check out ZDNet's Holiday Tech Gift Guide page.
Date: 05 November 2009 - 06:37A fun piece over on Crave on CNET UK looking at the merits (merits which include things such as looking like a smiley face) of power plugs and plug sockets of the world.
Sure, it's a fun piece, but it does help to hammer two things home to people:
Oh,and finally, no one who's ever stepped bare-foot on a UK plug (which is almost designed to lay with the metal prongs in the upright, also known as laughing, position) would give the thing 10 out of 10!
Date: 28 October 2009 - 01:22Question from the PC Doc mailbag:
"Can I legally download Windows 7? As in buy it but not get a disc?"
Yes, but it'll cost you!
Take a trip over to the Microsoft Store where you’ll find both the full and upgrade versions available for purchase.
Date: 16 September 2009 - 07:30There are new security warning(s):
· Microsoft Security Bulletin Summary for September 2009
What does it affect?: Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows 2000, Windows XP, Windows Vista
What does it do?: Microsoft bulletin that summarises their advisories released for September 2009.
How do I fix it?: Update your copy of the software with the download available from the supplier.
Details of Underlying Problem(s):For more technical information about this warning visit:
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/bulletin/ms09-sep.mspx.
Date modified: 11/09/2009
Source: HM Government (CPNI)
Date: 11 September 2009 - 06:00I've been thinking about doing this for a while ... seems a lot easier than I thought.
We're going to run through a basic installation of Yourls, a server-based webapp that can run pretty much anywhere a WordPress installation can. There are lots of other options, which we'll get to as well, but Yourls is a fairly smart and fast way to get up and running with your own URL shortener.
Might give it a go!
Date: 11 September 2009 - 05:49There are new security warning(s):
· TCP State Manipulation Denial of Service Vulnerabilities in Multiple Cisco Products.
What does it affect?: Network Router/Switch/Modem
What does it do?: Description of Denial of Service (DoS) vulnerabilities that manipulate the state of Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) connections in Cisco products.
How do I fix it?: Update your copy of the software with the download available from the supplier.
Details of Underlying Problem(s):For more technical information about this warning visit:
http://www.cisco.com/warp/public/707/cisco-sa-20090908-tcp24.shtml.
Date modified: 11/09/2009
Source: HM Government (CPNI)
Date: 20 August 2009 - 09:59 Date: 31 July 2009 - 05:33Important info, ignore at your peril!
The latest version of Flash player is no 10.0.32.18. You can grab the update here for Windows, Mac OS and Linux. If you want to know what version you currently have installed, here is a page that will help.
If you're confused about updates then you might be better using Secunia's PSI vulnerability checking tool to find vulnerable programs on your PC and help you update them.
Date: 30 July 2009 - 02:34For those of you out there looking for a free, basic, easy-to-use CD/DVD burning solution, then Nero might have the tool for you.
Grab the download here.
The catch? Well, there are three:
Other than that, it's worth a try!
Date: 29 July 2009 - 07:50With news that 92% of Windows PCs are vulnerable to a zero-day attack that Adobe won’t patch until Thursday, is it time to dump Adobe’s Flash player?
The most current versions of Flash player, 9.0.159.0 and 10.0.22.87, are both vulnerable to hacker. According to security companies, hackers are launching wave after wave of attacks, using both malicious websites, and websites that have been compromised.
Take care out there folks!
