Guardian ATX 550W Quiet Power Supply w 12" LED Fan, Retail Box
posted by hkghkghk at 2:29 PM
0 comments
Friday, October 29, 2004
Tuesday, October 26, 2004
Putting PC on the patch may help it kick bad habits
By DWIGHT SILVERMAN
Copyright 2004 Houston Chronicle
In the two months that have passed since the release of Windows XP Service Pack 2, the mega-patch for Microsoft's flagship operating system, the company says it has been downloaded more than 106 million times.
That's a lot of bits flying across the Net, but not everyone sees SP2 as a good thing. Home users wary of upsetting the digital ecosystem of their PCs and corporate information technology departments have been the biggest holdouts.
Consumers fall into three categories when it comes to installing upgrades like SP2. There are the early adopters who slap it into place the second it's available; the more cautious users who wait to see how it affects friends' computers; and the downright paranoid, who'll still be saying, "I'll wait till they work the bugs out" when the next full version of Windows is released sometime in 2006.
Since its release in late August, I've gotten numerous e-mails from users in the last two categories who want to know what to do. Here are some of the most common questions and the answers I've been giving those who ask:
Q: I already have firewall software on my computer. If I install SP2, which has a built-in firewall, which should I use?
A: Keep in mind that the firewall in SP2 actually isn't new — it is in the original version of XP, but hard to find and turned off by default.
The firewall you should use depends on your needs. The one in Windows XP is rudimentary. Add-on firewall software, such as Symantec's Norton Internet Security or ZoneLabs' ZoneAlarm, add more features. For example, both of the latter programs will alert you when some piece of software is trying to access the Internet on your computer and give you the option of saying "no."
The simple firewall in XP only keeps intruders out.
XP also provides no protection against viruses or spyware, which is a point of confusion for many users. If you install SP2, you'll still need programs to deal with malicious code.
Q: Several of my friends installed SP2 and had big problems. It hung up during the installation or their computers would not reboot afterward. Is SP2 a lemon?
A: As I wrote in an online guide to Windows XP SP2 (see www.chron.com/xpsp2), upgrading an operating system is never trivial. That's why it's important to back up your system beforehand, then make sure it's in good condition — both hardware and software — before you install.
Most of the problems associated with installing SP2 stem from pre-existing issues, most notably spyware. Shortly after SP2 was released, Microsoft issued an alert about spyware conflicts with SP2, and given that some surveys estimate up to 90 percent of home machines are infected, it's an important warning to heed.
To deal with lurking spyware before installing Service Pack 2, download Spybot Search & Destroy and/or AdAware to scan for spyware, then remove it (see www.chron.com/spyware for links and spyware removal tips) Other issues, ranging from defective memory to power-supply problems to a misconfigured BIOS, can also play havoc with any Service Pack.
Q: I have a notebook computer, and they are notoriously more finicky than desktops. What's the benefit to portables with SP2?
A: Obviously, notebook PCs also benefit from the security improvements. But if your portable has a WiFi network adapter, you'll definitely want SP2.
Microsoft has tweaked the interface for connecting to the Internet wirelessly. It's now much easier to see what networks are available, and the connection and configuration process has been streamlined. There's also a wizard that walks you through the process of setting up a wireless network.
SP2 also has built-in support for a more powerful form of encryption called WiFi Protected Access, or WPA. This can be used instead of the weaker Wired Equivalent Privacy, or WEP. Not all networks you'd connect to support WPA, but if they do, it's preferred. And if you set up a home network using WiFi, you should definitely use WPA if all your devices support it.
Finally, SP2 also has better support for Bluetooth, another wireless system used primarily for connections between devices, such as cell phones, mice and printers.
Q: OK, what's the bottom line here? Should I upgrade or wait a little longer?
A: My colleague Jay Lee, the Help Line columnist, is of the school of thought that says, "If your operating system is working just fine, leave it alone." And he is right — so long as the system is indeed working well.
The problem is, Windows XP in its native state has lots of flaws, many of them structural. And in terms of security, XP without SP2 does not work well.
And here's a dramatic illustration: Since SP2 came out, there have been many critical updates for the original XP and Service Pack 1. Users who have not installed SP2 continue to be faced with a parade of fixes.
But those who've installed SP2 so far have only had to install one additional patch. Most of the fixes needed for the original XP don't apply to SP2.
For those concerned about security — and every Windows user should be — that fact alone should answer the question.
HoustonChronicle.com - Computing
By DWIGHT SILVERMAN
Copyright 2004 Houston Chronicle
In the two months that have passed since the release of Windows XP Service Pack 2, the mega-patch for Microsoft's flagship operating system, the company says it has been downloaded more than 106 million times.
That's a lot of bits flying across the Net, but not everyone sees SP2 as a good thing. Home users wary of upsetting the digital ecosystem of their PCs and corporate information technology departments have been the biggest holdouts.
Consumers fall into three categories when it comes to installing upgrades like SP2. There are the early adopters who slap it into place the second it's available; the more cautious users who wait to see how it affects friends' computers; and the downright paranoid, who'll still be saying, "I'll wait till they work the bugs out" when the next full version of Windows is released sometime in 2006.
Since its release in late August, I've gotten numerous e-mails from users in the last two categories who want to know what to do. Here are some of the most common questions and the answers I've been giving those who ask:
Q: I already have firewall software on my computer. If I install SP2, which has a built-in firewall, which should I use?
A: Keep in mind that the firewall in SP2 actually isn't new — it is in the original version of XP, but hard to find and turned off by default.
The firewall you should use depends on your needs. The one in Windows XP is rudimentary. Add-on firewall software, such as Symantec's Norton Internet Security or ZoneLabs' ZoneAlarm, add more features. For example, both of the latter programs will alert you when some piece of software is trying to access the Internet on your computer and give you the option of saying "no."
The simple firewall in XP only keeps intruders out.
XP also provides no protection against viruses or spyware, which is a point of confusion for many users. If you install SP2, you'll still need programs to deal with malicious code.
Q: Several of my friends installed SP2 and had big problems. It hung up during the installation or their computers would not reboot afterward. Is SP2 a lemon?
A: As I wrote in an online guide to Windows XP SP2 (see www.chron.com/xpsp2), upgrading an operating system is never trivial. That's why it's important to back up your system beforehand, then make sure it's in good condition — both hardware and software — before you install.
Most of the problems associated with installing SP2 stem from pre-existing issues, most notably spyware. Shortly after SP2 was released, Microsoft issued an alert about spyware conflicts with SP2, and given that some surveys estimate up to 90 percent of home machines are infected, it's an important warning to heed.
To deal with lurking spyware before installing Service Pack 2, download Spybot Search & Destroy and/or AdAware to scan for spyware, then remove it (see www.chron.com/spyware for links and spyware removal tips) Other issues, ranging from defective memory to power-supply problems to a misconfigured BIOS, can also play havoc with any Service Pack.
Q: I have a notebook computer, and they are notoriously more finicky than desktops. What's the benefit to portables with SP2?
A: Obviously, notebook PCs also benefit from the security improvements. But if your portable has a WiFi network adapter, you'll definitely want SP2.
Microsoft has tweaked the interface for connecting to the Internet wirelessly. It's now much easier to see what networks are available, and the connection and configuration process has been streamlined. There's also a wizard that walks you through the process of setting up a wireless network.
SP2 also has built-in support for a more powerful form of encryption called WiFi Protected Access, or WPA. This can be used instead of the weaker Wired Equivalent Privacy, or WEP. Not all networks you'd connect to support WPA, but if they do, it's preferred. And if you set up a home network using WiFi, you should definitely use WPA if all your devices support it.
Finally, SP2 also has better support for Bluetooth, another wireless system used primarily for connections between devices, such as cell phones, mice and printers.
Q: OK, what's the bottom line here? Should I upgrade or wait a little longer?
A: My colleague Jay Lee, the Help Line columnist, is of the school of thought that says, "If your operating system is working just fine, leave it alone." And he is right — so long as the system is indeed working well.
The problem is, Windows XP in its native state has lots of flaws, many of them structural. And in terms of security, XP without SP2 does not work well.
And here's a dramatic illustration: Since SP2 came out, there have been many critical updates for the original XP and Service Pack 1. Users who have not installed SP2 continue to be faced with a parade of fixes.
But those who've installed SP2 so far have only had to install one additional patch. Most of the fixes needed for the original XP don't apply to SP2.
For those concerned about security — and every Windows user should be — that fact alone should answer the question.
HoustonChronicle.com - Computing
posted by hkghkghk at 8:52 PM
0 comments
Saturday, October 23, 2004
posted by hkghkghk at 11:04 AM
0 comments
Friday, October 22, 2004
Why you shouldn't be using passwords of any kind on your Windows networks . . .
posted by hkghkghk at 11:33 AM
0 comments
The Axis 002 is a sleek, behind-the-head headset that's great for voice-over-IP applications. The unobtrusive MicroNCAT-2 (Noise Canceling and Amplification Technology) microphone filters out background noise for supreme voice clarity. $3.99
Labtec Axis 002 Headset w/ Microphone, OEM.
Labtec Axis 002 Headset w/ Microphone, OEM.
posted by hkghkghk at 6:20 AM
0 comments
Tuesday, October 19, 2004
Google tool 'perfect' spyware on shared PCs
Google tool a risk for shared PCs
Associated Press
NEW YORK - People who use public or workplace computers for e-mail, instant messaging and Web searching have a new privacy risk to worry about: Google's free new tool that indexes a PC's contents for quickly locating data.
If it's installed on computers at libraries and Internet cafes, users could unwittingly allow people who follow them on the PCs, for example, to see sensitive information in e-mails they've exchanged. That could mean revealed passwords, conversations with doctors, or viewed Web pages detailing online purchases.
"It's clearly a very powerful tool for locating information on the computer," said Richard M. Smith, a privacy and security consultant in Cambridge, Mass. "On the flip side of things, it's a perfect spy program."
Google Desktop Search, publicly released Thursday in a "beta" test phase for computers running the latest Windows operating systems, automatically records e-mail you read through Outlook, Outlook Express or the Internet Explorer browser. It also saves copies of Web pages you view through IE and chat conversations using America Online Inc.'s instant-messaging software. And it finds Word, Excel and PowerPoint files stored on the computer.
If you're the computer's only user, the software is helpful "as a photographic memory of everything you've seen on the computer," said Marissa Mayer, director of consumer Web products at Google Inc.
The giant index remains on the computer and isn't shared with Google. The company can't access it remotely even if it gets a subpoena ordering it to do so, Mayer said.
Where the privacy and security concerns arise is when the computer is shared.
Type in "hotmail.com" and you'll get copies, or stored caches, of messages that previous users have seen. Enter an e-mail address and you can read all the messages sent to and from that address. Type "password" and get password reminders that were sent back via e-mail.
Acknowledging the concerns, Mayer said managers of shared computers should think twice about installing the software until Google develops advanced features like password protection and multi-user support.
In the meantime, users of shared PCs can look for telltale signs.
A multicolored swirl in the system tray at the lower right corner of the computer desktop means the software is running. A user can right-click on that to exit the program -- thereby preventing it from recording Web surfing, e-mail and chat sessions.
Users can also surf on non-IE browsers like Opera and Mozilla, although the software may index Web pages already stored before the software gets installed.
Managers of public access terminals can also install software or deny users administrative privileges so they can't install unauthorized programs, such as Google's. In fact, many libraries and cybercafes already do so.
Herb Jones, owner of Herb's Cyber Cafe in Oblong, Ill., tried out the desktop search program on his computer and likes it -- but he won't install it on his two public terminals. In fact, he's written software to prevent customers from installing programs like it.
"Otherwise, they can put on their own files if they want, a worm, a virus, anything, and you're shut down," Jones said.
The FedEx Kinko's chain is also taking preventive measures. It's deploying software designed to automatically refresh its public access terminals to a virgin state for each new customer. So any errant software would disappear, as would any personal settings, files or Web caches, said Maggie Thill, a spokeswoman with FedEx Kinko's.
But policies do vary, and no precaution is foolproof, warned Carol Brey-Casiano, president of the American Library Association and director of public libraries in El Paso, Texas.
"We do our best to protect our patrons and computers and network, but as you can imagine, thousands of people can use public computers in a given week," she said.
The new Google tool would not only aid people in spying on past patrons on public PCs. At home, users could record their kids' instant messaging conversations or view a spouse's e-mail. In the office, employers could index what their workers are up to.
If each user has a separate logon to Windows, Google Desktop Search will be stymied, however. That's because only one person can install and use the software on a given computer.
The power of Google's software relies on centralizing what's already saved on computers; most browsers, for instance, have a built-in cache that keeps copies of Web pages recently visited. The difference is that Google's index is permanent, though users can delete items individually. And the software makes all the items easier to find.
The software can also betray users, said Annalee Newitz, policy analyst at the Electronic Frontier Foundation. Delete an e-mail or file, yet a copy remains on Google's index.
Neel Mehta, leader of the X-Force research and development team at Internet Security Systems Inc., said the threats are real, though there are plenty of other products available for spying -- ones better at doing the recording secretly.
"It's not designed to be an illicitous tool," Mehta said of the Google software. "It's designed to be a search engine."
HoustonChronicle.com - Google tool 'perfect' spyware on shared PCs
Associated Press
NEW YORK - People who use public or workplace computers for e-mail, instant messaging and Web searching have a new privacy risk to worry about: Google's free new tool that indexes a PC's contents for quickly locating data.
If it's installed on computers at libraries and Internet cafes, users could unwittingly allow people who follow them on the PCs, for example, to see sensitive information in e-mails they've exchanged. That could mean revealed passwords, conversations with doctors, or viewed Web pages detailing online purchases.
"It's clearly a very powerful tool for locating information on the computer," said Richard M. Smith, a privacy and security consultant in Cambridge, Mass. "On the flip side of things, it's a perfect spy program."
Google Desktop Search, publicly released Thursday in a "beta" test phase for computers running the latest Windows operating systems, automatically records e-mail you read through Outlook, Outlook Express or the Internet Explorer browser. It also saves copies of Web pages you view through IE and chat conversations using America Online Inc.'s instant-messaging software. And it finds Word, Excel and PowerPoint files stored on the computer.
If you're the computer's only user, the software is helpful "as a photographic memory of everything you've seen on the computer," said Marissa Mayer, director of consumer Web products at Google Inc.
The giant index remains on the computer and isn't shared with Google. The company can't access it remotely even if it gets a subpoena ordering it to do so, Mayer said.
Where the privacy and security concerns arise is when the computer is shared.
Type in "hotmail.com" and you'll get copies, or stored caches, of messages that previous users have seen. Enter an e-mail address and you can read all the messages sent to and from that address. Type "password" and get password reminders that were sent back via e-mail.
Acknowledging the concerns, Mayer said managers of shared computers should think twice about installing the software until Google develops advanced features like password protection and multi-user support.
In the meantime, users of shared PCs can look for telltale signs.
A multicolored swirl in the system tray at the lower right corner of the computer desktop means the software is running. A user can right-click on that to exit the program -- thereby preventing it from recording Web surfing, e-mail and chat sessions.
Users can also surf on non-IE browsers like Opera and Mozilla, although the software may index Web pages already stored before the software gets installed.
Managers of public access terminals can also install software or deny users administrative privileges so they can't install unauthorized programs, such as Google's. In fact, many libraries and cybercafes already do so.
Herb Jones, owner of Herb's Cyber Cafe in Oblong, Ill., tried out the desktop search program on his computer and likes it -- but he won't install it on his two public terminals. In fact, he's written software to prevent customers from installing programs like it.
"Otherwise, they can put on their own files if they want, a worm, a virus, anything, and you're shut down," Jones said.
The FedEx Kinko's chain is also taking preventive measures. It's deploying software designed to automatically refresh its public access terminals to a virgin state for each new customer. So any errant software would disappear, as would any personal settings, files or Web caches, said Maggie Thill, a spokeswoman with FedEx Kinko's.
But policies do vary, and no precaution is foolproof, warned Carol Brey-Casiano, president of the American Library Association and director of public libraries in El Paso, Texas.
"We do our best to protect our patrons and computers and network, but as you can imagine, thousands of people can use public computers in a given week," she said.
The new Google tool would not only aid people in spying on past patrons on public PCs. At home, users could record their kids' instant messaging conversations or view a spouse's e-mail. In the office, employers could index what their workers are up to.
If each user has a separate logon to Windows, Google Desktop Search will be stymied, however. That's because only one person can install and use the software on a given computer.
The power of Google's software relies on centralizing what's already saved on computers; most browsers, for instance, have a built-in cache that keeps copies of Web pages recently visited. The difference is that Google's index is permanent, though users can delete items individually. And the software makes all the items easier to find.
The software can also betray users, said Annalee Newitz, policy analyst at the Electronic Frontier Foundation. Delete an e-mail or file, yet a copy remains on Google's index.
Neel Mehta, leader of the X-Force research and development team at Internet Security Systems Inc., said the threats are real, though there are plenty of other products available for spying -- ones better at doing the recording secretly.
"It's not designed to be an illicitous tool," Mehta said of the Google software. "It's designed to be a search engine."
HoustonChronicle.com - Google tool 'perfect' spyware on shared PCs
posted by hkghkghk at 8:51 PM
0 comments
New Google tool quick at searching bowels of PC
By DWIGHT SILVERMAN
Copyright 2004 Houston Chronicle
Step by step and bit by digital bit, Google is taking over the way PC users find, manage and receive information.
The Mountain View, Calif., company — which went public earlier this year in rebel fashion, using a Dutch auction to distribute its initial shares — has long been the primary destination for those wanting to find a needle in the World Wide Web's chaotic haystack.
Its Internet search capabilities are arguably the best, and it has begun to apply that technology to other areas. I wrote earlier this year about Gmail, Google's free, searchable e-mail service that remains a by-invitation-only beta test (see www.chron.com/gmail).
Last week Google released a free program that applies its search powers to the PC itself. With Google Desktop Search, available for Windows-based computers at desktop.google.com, you can now search documents, Web history, e-mail and even instant messaging chats on your system's hard drive. Results can also be blended, allowing you to search your PC and the entire Internet at once.
Global information searching has been an elusive goal for most software companies. Microsoft, Yahoo and America Online have all said they're working on it — Google has done it, and done it remarkably well.
There are other competing programs, most notably Copernic Desktop Search (www.copernic.com), X1 (www.x1.com) and dtSearch Desktop (www.dtsearch.com), but these don't integrate Web and desktop searching as cleanly as Google's entry.
And Google Desktop Search is incredibly fast. Type search terms in a browser form almost identical to Google's home page, and almost before you hit Enter, you'll have your results sorted by relevance or date.
It's fast because Google Desktop takes some time immediately after installation to "spider" your hard drive, generating an index it uses to search, much the same way that Google's Web site crawls and indexes the Internet.
The index also creates copies of your documents. Click on a result link, and you see the document as a Google Web page, rather than in the application that created it. This can be somewhat disconcerting the first time — imagine your most personal information, like a sensitive e-mail, suddenly being presented to you as a search result.
Search your chats
Google Desktop searches Word, Excel, Powerpoint and plain-text documents. If you use AOL Instant Messenger, it will save your chats and make them searchable. It will also look at your Web-viewing history, then index the pages found there.
For now, the program is picky about what documents it can search and index. It finds Word files, for example, but not those created by Word Perfect. If you use MSN Messenger or Yahoo Messenger, you're out of luck for chat search. It searches Outlook and Outlook Express, but not AOL e-mail or Eudora.
And Google Desktop Search won't automatically scan the Web history of sites viewed in the Netscape or increasingly popular Firefox browsers.
You can tell the software not to index and search specific kinds of files, or to exclude certain Web addresses from history searches. You can also delete specific results so they won't be indexed or show up in results, but the original file is not removed from the hard drive.
Finding it all
Although it's not emphasized in Google Desktop's help pages, the program will find photo, digital music or video files by file name. (Memo to Google: In version 2.0, I want to be able to hum a few bars of a song into my PC's microphone — off-key, of course — and have Google Desktop find it in my MP3 collection. Get on it, OK?)
The program will return results from your PC as part of overall Web searches at Google itself. If you search from Google's home page, you find results popping up that actually live on your own hard drive. The blending of these results — which can be turned off — happens on your hard drive, not on Google's servers.
There are no ads attached to the results generated by Google Desktop Search — at least not yet. And Google says all the information indexed and searched remains on the user's hard drive. If you choose to allow it, the program will collect information about how you use it, as well as crash reports, and send that back to Google. But your personal info stays put.
Possible violations
While I'm not a member of the tinfoil-hat brigade that cried foul over Gmail, there are things about this program that give me pause.
For example, Google Desktop's indexing and copying of e-mail may violate the document management policies of companies that have restrictions on duplicating such messages. And the notion that Google Desktop makes nonencrypted copies of your data opens up the possibility of a virus or spyware being used to filch it and pass it on.
Finally, Google Desktop Search's ability to index pages of Web sites you've visited could be more than a little embarrassing if you've been going places you shouldn't. Someone using your computer could get search results that say more than you want them to know about how you spend your idle time.
HoustonChronicle.com - Computing
Copyright 2004 Houston Chronicle
Step by step and bit by digital bit, Google is taking over the way PC users find, manage and receive information.
The Mountain View, Calif., company — which went public earlier this year in rebel fashion, using a Dutch auction to distribute its initial shares — has long been the primary destination for those wanting to find a needle in the World Wide Web's chaotic haystack.
Its Internet search capabilities are arguably the best, and it has begun to apply that technology to other areas. I wrote earlier this year about Gmail, Google's free, searchable e-mail service that remains a by-invitation-only beta test (see www.chron.com/gmail).
Last week Google released a free program that applies its search powers to the PC itself. With Google Desktop Search, available for Windows-based computers at desktop.google.com, you can now search documents, Web history, e-mail and even instant messaging chats on your system's hard drive. Results can also be blended, allowing you to search your PC and the entire Internet at once.
Global information searching has been an elusive goal for most software companies. Microsoft, Yahoo and America Online have all said they're working on it — Google has done it, and done it remarkably well.
There are other competing programs, most notably Copernic Desktop Search (www.copernic.com), X1 (www.x1.com) and dtSearch Desktop (www.dtsearch.com), but these don't integrate Web and desktop searching as cleanly as Google's entry.
And Google Desktop Search is incredibly fast. Type search terms in a browser form almost identical to Google's home page, and almost before you hit Enter, you'll have your results sorted by relevance or date.
It's fast because Google Desktop takes some time immediately after installation to "spider" your hard drive, generating an index it uses to search, much the same way that Google's Web site crawls and indexes the Internet.
The index also creates copies of your documents. Click on a result link, and you see the document as a Google Web page, rather than in the application that created it. This can be somewhat disconcerting the first time — imagine your most personal information, like a sensitive e-mail, suddenly being presented to you as a search result.
Search your chats
Google Desktop searches Word, Excel, Powerpoint and plain-text documents. If you use AOL Instant Messenger, it will save your chats and make them searchable. It will also look at your Web-viewing history, then index the pages found there.
For now, the program is picky about what documents it can search and index. It finds Word files, for example, but not those created by Word Perfect. If you use MSN Messenger or Yahoo Messenger, you're out of luck for chat search. It searches Outlook and Outlook Express, but not AOL e-mail or Eudora.
And Google Desktop Search won't automatically scan the Web history of sites viewed in the Netscape or increasingly popular Firefox browsers.
You can tell the software not to index and search specific kinds of files, or to exclude certain Web addresses from history searches. You can also delete specific results so they won't be indexed or show up in results, but the original file is not removed from the hard drive.
Finding it all
Although it's not emphasized in Google Desktop's help pages, the program will find photo, digital music or video files by file name. (Memo to Google: In version 2.0, I want to be able to hum a few bars of a song into my PC's microphone — off-key, of course — and have Google Desktop find it in my MP3 collection. Get on it, OK?)
The program will return results from your PC as part of overall Web searches at Google itself. If you search from Google's home page, you find results popping up that actually live on your own hard drive. The blending of these results — which can be turned off — happens on your hard drive, not on Google's servers.
There are no ads attached to the results generated by Google Desktop Search — at least not yet. And Google says all the information indexed and searched remains on the user's hard drive. If you choose to allow it, the program will collect information about how you use it, as well as crash reports, and send that back to Google. But your personal info stays put.
Possible violations
While I'm not a member of the tinfoil-hat brigade that cried foul over Gmail, there are things about this program that give me pause.
For example, Google Desktop's indexing and copying of e-mail may violate the document management policies of companies that have restrictions on duplicating such messages. And the notion that Google Desktop makes nonencrypted copies of your data opens up the possibility of a virus or spyware being used to filch it and pass it on.
Finally, Google Desktop Search's ability to index pages of Web sites you've visited could be more than a little embarrassing if you've been going places you shouldn't. Someone using your computer could get search results that say more than you want them to know about how you spend your idle time.
HoustonChronicle.com - Computing
posted by hkghkghk at 8:49 PM
0 comments
Friday, October 15, 2004
Google releases desktop search tool
Google product searches PC files
Free tool to hit market before Microsoft version
By LESLIE WALKER and DAVID A. VISE
Washington Post
Google released a free tool Thursday that lets people simultaneously search the Web and their personal computers for information, a move analysts described as a potential blow to rivals Microsoft and Yahoo in the race to woo searchers and dominate the hottest area of online advertising.
Google's new "desktop search" software offers what Microsoft has been trying to develop for more than a year — the ability to let people enter one search term and see files relevant to that topic from both their computers and the Web displayed together.
"It's ironic that until now, it's been easier to search six billion documents on the Internet than it has been to find a single file on your hard drive," said Charlene Li, principal search analyst for Forrester Research.
Google's new software, available as a free download at http://desktop.google.com, not only indexes the full text of e-mail messages and word processing documents, but also gives people the option of creating a searchable archive of all Web pages they visit and all instant messages they send and receive with AOL software.
Analysts who tested the software say it is simple and fast, partly because it operates the same way Google does on the World Wide Web, by creating an index of the files it finds in advance and then searching that index when someone enters a query. That makes it speedier than the approach used by the search tool built into Microsoft's Windows operating system.
Google's release of the product ahead of Microsoft poses a problem for the software giant, said Danny Sullivan, editor of searchenginewatch.com, because the personal archiving capability likely will grow more valuable to users over time, making it harder to switch to another search engine product.
Google's desktop search only works on computers running Windows, specifically Windows XP and Windows 2000, and indexes the full text of only certain documents, including those created in Microsoft's Outlook and Outlook Express e-mail programs.
HoustonChronicle.com - Google releases desktop search tool
Free tool to hit market before Microsoft version
By LESLIE WALKER and DAVID A. VISE
Washington Post
Google released a free tool Thursday that lets people simultaneously search the Web and their personal computers for information, a move analysts described as a potential blow to rivals Microsoft and Yahoo in the race to woo searchers and dominate the hottest area of online advertising.
Google's new "desktop search" software offers what Microsoft has been trying to develop for more than a year — the ability to let people enter one search term and see files relevant to that topic from both their computers and the Web displayed together.
"It's ironic that until now, it's been easier to search six billion documents on the Internet than it has been to find a single file on your hard drive," said Charlene Li, principal search analyst for Forrester Research.
Google's new software, available as a free download at http://desktop.google.com, not only indexes the full text of e-mail messages and word processing documents, but also gives people the option of creating a searchable archive of all Web pages they visit and all instant messages they send and receive with AOL software.
Analysts who tested the software say it is simple and fast, partly because it operates the same way Google does on the World Wide Web, by creating an index of the files it finds in advance and then searching that index when someone enters a query. That makes it speedier than the approach used by the search tool built into Microsoft's Windows operating system.
Google's release of the product ahead of Microsoft poses a problem for the software giant, said Danny Sullivan, editor of searchenginewatch.com, because the personal archiving capability likely will grow more valuable to users over time, making it harder to switch to another search engine product.
Google's desktop search only works on computers running Windows, specifically Windows XP and Windows 2000, and indexes the full text of only certain documents, including those created in Microsoft's Outlook and Outlook Express e-mail programs.
HoustonChronicle.com - Google releases desktop search tool
posted by hkghkghk at 1:39 PM
0 comments
Wednesday, October 13, 2004
CoolTechZone :: Microsoft issues security patches to fix 21 flaws
posted by hkghkghk at 7:47 PM
0 comments
Tuesday, October 12, 2004
Test drive the alternatives before picking new OS
By DWIGHT SILVERMAN
Copyright 2004 Houston Chronicle
Whenever I write about Windows security issues, fans of other operating systems come out of the woodwork to praise their favorites as safer choices.
Indeed, Microsoft's OS has more than its share of holes, flaws and bugs that allow writers of malicious code to bedevil it. Evildoers are attracted to Windows largely because its victims are legion, with an estimated 95 percent of all PCs running some version of it.
Those who feel besieged by this onslaught may wonder if there's a benefit to switching operating systems.
Most Windows users ask about Linux, the open-source OS. (Linux can run on any machine that runs Windows. Switching to Apple's Macintosh OS requires buying all-new hardware.)
Blowing away an existing setup and replacing it with something completely different is a daunting task for most users. But there's a simple, relatively painless way to test drive Linux, the Unix-like operating system that can be had for a song — and even free.
There are dozens of variants of Linux — known as distributions or "distros"— that can be loaded and run from what's called a "live CD," without installing anything on your hard drive.
How they behave once they're running varies, but the process of creating the boot CD is the same.
• First, download a copy of the software from the developer's Web site. These are usually made available in CD image file — a snapshot of how the software appears on a compact disc, designated with a .ISO file extension. This is usually a very large file, up to 700 megabytes.
• You'll need a program that can burn an ISO file to a CD. Chances are, if you have a CD burner on your PC, it has software that can do this. If not, popular titles such as Ahead Software's Nero 6 and Roxio's Easy Media Creator 7 will do the trick. A free ISO-burning program for Windows XP systems is at isorecorder.alexfeinman.com/isorecorder.htm.
• Place the burned CD into the main CD drive and restart the machine. If your PC is designed to boot from a CD, it should launch Linux. If not, you will need to go into the startup settings and change the order of the drives the computer scans for an operating system. Read the manual for your PC or motherboard to find out how to do this.
What happens once the operating system loads depends on the version. Linux is an open-source program, which means that developers can grab its basic components, tinker with it, and produce their own distro.
How the Linux distro you choose looks and behaves depends on several factors, not the least of which is the desktop. There are several different desktops used with Linux, and two of the most popular are KDE and Gnome. They both are structured similarly to Windows, complete with the equivalent of a Start menu and a taskbar with buttons representing running programs. I found both Gnome and KDE pleasant and relatively easy to use.
I tried about a half-dozen different live CDs. Most come with a slew of free programs, including Web browsers, e-mail software, instant messaging clients, games, music and video players and even office productivity suites with powerful word processors, spreadsheets and presentation managers.
All this software is free and fully functional if it loads.
However, getting Linux to run glitch-free out of the box can yield mixed results. As much as Linux zealots like to crow about the wonders of their OS, it simply is not as friendly to get running as Windows.
Each version I tried had some problem that required troubleshooting, often at an advanced level.
With most of them, Linux would not automatically see the other computers on my network. On another, I couldn't adjust my computer's screen resolution. Another wouldn't work with the generic sound card in my test system. And one, PCLinux, never made it to the desktop, fighting with my graphics card until it gave up and dumped me to the Linux command line. Ugh.
There was one major exception: LinspireLive!, a CD-based version of Linspire, which I wrote about earlier this year (see www.chron.com/linspire). It saw my Windows network, worked with my sound card and let me change screen resolutions. Within a few minutes of launching 4.5, the latest version, I was playing MP3 files across my network, getting e-mail and surfing the Web.
You can pay $19.95 for a regular download of LinspireLive! at www.linspire.com. Or, use the BitTorrent peer-to-peer network to get it for free at www.linspire.com/mmp2plive.
Other live CDs that I liked:
• MandrakeMove 9.2 — www.mandrakelinux.com/en/ftp.php3. This distro can save settings to a USB-based memory drive and is relatively friendly. There's a newer version, 10.0, that's commercial software, and available at www.mandrakesoft.com/products/move.
• Knoppix — www.knopper.net/knoppix/index-en.html. One of the most popular Linux live CDs, it has excellent hardware detection, but isn't as friendly to newbies as Linspire or Mandrake.
• Gnoppix — www.gnoppix.org. Similar to Knoppix, but it uses the Gnome desktop.
• SUSE Linux Live-Eval 9.1 — www.suse.com/us/private/download/ftp/live_eval_int.html. This very friendly distro from Novell couldn't see my PC's sound card, but worked fine in other computers.
For a list of dozens of live Linux CDs, try www.frozentech.com/content/livecd.php and distrowatch.com.
HoustonChronicle.com - Computing
Copyright 2004 Houston Chronicle
Whenever I write about Windows security issues, fans of other operating systems come out of the woodwork to praise their favorites as safer choices.
Indeed, Microsoft's OS has more than its share of holes, flaws and bugs that allow writers of malicious code to bedevil it. Evildoers are attracted to Windows largely because its victims are legion, with an estimated 95 percent of all PCs running some version of it.
Those who feel besieged by this onslaught may wonder if there's a benefit to switching operating systems.
Most Windows users ask about Linux, the open-source OS. (Linux can run on any machine that runs Windows. Switching to Apple's Macintosh OS requires buying all-new hardware.)
Blowing away an existing setup and replacing it with something completely different is a daunting task for most users. But there's a simple, relatively painless way to test drive Linux, the Unix-like operating system that can be had for a song — and even free.
There are dozens of variants of Linux — known as distributions or "distros"— that can be loaded and run from what's called a "live CD," without installing anything on your hard drive.
How they behave once they're running varies, but the process of creating the boot CD is the same.
• First, download a copy of the software from the developer's Web site. These are usually made available in CD image file — a snapshot of how the software appears on a compact disc, designated with a .ISO file extension. This is usually a very large file, up to 700 megabytes.
• You'll need a program that can burn an ISO file to a CD. Chances are, if you have a CD burner on your PC, it has software that can do this. If not, popular titles such as Ahead Software's Nero 6 and Roxio's Easy Media Creator 7 will do the trick. A free ISO-burning program for Windows XP systems is at isorecorder.alexfeinman.com/isorecorder.htm.
• Place the burned CD into the main CD drive and restart the machine. If your PC is designed to boot from a CD, it should launch Linux. If not, you will need to go into the startup settings and change the order of the drives the computer scans for an operating system. Read the manual for your PC or motherboard to find out how to do this.
What happens once the operating system loads depends on the version. Linux is an open-source program, which means that developers can grab its basic components, tinker with it, and produce their own distro.
How the Linux distro you choose looks and behaves depends on several factors, not the least of which is the desktop. There are several different desktops used with Linux, and two of the most popular are KDE and Gnome. They both are structured similarly to Windows, complete with the equivalent of a Start menu and a taskbar with buttons representing running programs. I found both Gnome and KDE pleasant and relatively easy to use.
I tried about a half-dozen different live CDs. Most come with a slew of free programs, including Web browsers, e-mail software, instant messaging clients, games, music and video players and even office productivity suites with powerful word processors, spreadsheets and presentation managers.
All this software is free and fully functional if it loads.
However, getting Linux to run glitch-free out of the box can yield mixed results. As much as Linux zealots like to crow about the wonders of their OS, it simply is not as friendly to get running as Windows.
Each version I tried had some problem that required troubleshooting, often at an advanced level.
With most of them, Linux would not automatically see the other computers on my network. On another, I couldn't adjust my computer's screen resolution. Another wouldn't work with the generic sound card in my test system. And one, PCLinux, never made it to the desktop, fighting with my graphics card until it gave up and dumped me to the Linux command line. Ugh.
There was one major exception: LinspireLive!, a CD-based version of Linspire, which I wrote about earlier this year (see www.chron.com/linspire). It saw my Windows network, worked with my sound card and let me change screen resolutions. Within a few minutes of launching 4.5, the latest version, I was playing MP3 files across my network, getting e-mail and surfing the Web.
You can pay $19.95 for a regular download of LinspireLive! at www.linspire.com. Or, use the BitTorrent peer-to-peer network to get it for free at www.linspire.com/mmp2plive.
Other live CDs that I liked:
• MandrakeMove 9.2 — www.mandrakelinux.com/en/ftp.php3. This distro can save settings to a USB-based memory drive and is relatively friendly. There's a newer version, 10.0, that's commercial software, and available at www.mandrakesoft.com/products/move.
• Knoppix — www.knopper.net/knoppix/index-en.html. One of the most popular Linux live CDs, it has excellent hardware detection, but isn't as friendly to newbies as Linspire or Mandrake.
• Gnoppix — www.gnoppix.org. Similar to Knoppix, but it uses the Gnome desktop.
• SUSE Linux Live-Eval 9.1 — www.suse.com/us/private/download/ftp/live_eval_int.html. This very friendly distro from Novell couldn't see my PC's sound card, but worked fine in other computers.
For a list of dozens of live Linux CDs, try www.frozentech.com/content/livecd.php and distrowatch.com.
HoustonChronicle.com - Computing
posted by hkghkghk at 10:38 AM
0 comments
Monday, October 11, 2004
Sunday, October 10, 2004
The Official DVD Decrypter Website
As talked about below...
The Official DVD Decrypter Website
The Official DVD Decrypter Website
posted by hkghkghk at 9:16 PM
0 comments
DVD Shrink: Shrink your DVDs to fit DVDR!
TSS Live Calls
Call #1: Khalil from Long Beach, Calif. has a copy of DVD X Copy that he can't use because its maker, 321 Studios, went out of business and he can't activate it. What can he do?
The reason why 321 went out of business was because DVD X Copy broke the encryption found on DVDs, which is a no-no. But there are a couple of free programs that do essentially the same thing as the commercial DVD X Copy: DVD Shrink and DVD Decrypter. Give 'em a shot!
DVD Shrink: Shrink your DVDs to fit DVDR!
Call #1: Khalil from Long Beach, Calif. has a copy of DVD X Copy that he can't use because its maker, 321 Studios, went out of business and he can't activate it. What can he do?
The reason why 321 went out of business was because DVD X Copy broke the encryption found on DVDs, which is a no-no. But there are a couple of free programs that do essentially the same thing as the commercial DVD X Copy: DVD Shrink and DVD Decrypter. Give 'em a shot!
DVD Shrink: Shrink your DVDs to fit DVDR!
posted by hkghkghk at 9:15 PM
0 comments
Saturday, October 09, 2004
posted by hkghkghk at 8:33 PM
0 comments
Friday, October 08, 2004
Dell recalls laptop power adapters
Dell to recall 4.4 million laptop power adapters
Reuters News Service
WASHINGTON - Dell Inc. will recall about 4.4 million power adapters for some of its laptop computers because of a risk of overheating, which could lead to a fire or electrical shock, the computer maker said Friday.
Dell has received seven reports of incidents involving the AC adapters overheating but no injuries were reported, according to the the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, which helped coordinate the recall.
Roughly 990,000 of those adapters were sold to U.S. consumers while the rest were sold overseas or to corporate customers in the United States, a Dell spokesman said.
The recall covers adapters used with some Dell Latitude, Precision and Inspiron notebook computers and have the words "DELL" and "P/N 9364U," P/N 7832D" or "P/N 4983D" written on the back.
The adapters, manufactured by Delta Electronics Inc. , were included in computers sold between September 1998 and February 2002 and were also sold separately.
Consumers should contact the company at 1-800-418-8590 or www.delladapterprogram.com to determine if their equipment is affected, the company said.
Those who have recalled adapters will receive a free replacement.
HoustonChronicle.com - Dell recalls laptop power adapters
Reuters News Service
WASHINGTON - Dell Inc. will recall about 4.4 million power adapters for some of its laptop computers because of a risk of overheating, which could lead to a fire or electrical shock, the computer maker said Friday.
Dell has received seven reports of incidents involving the AC adapters overheating but no injuries were reported, according to the the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, which helped coordinate the recall.
Roughly 990,000 of those adapters were sold to U.S. consumers while the rest were sold overseas or to corporate customers in the United States, a Dell spokesman said.
The recall covers adapters used with some Dell Latitude, Precision and Inspiron notebook computers and have the words "DELL" and "P/N 9364U," P/N 7832D" or "P/N 4983D" written on the back.
The adapters, manufactured by Delta Electronics Inc. , were included in computers sold between September 1998 and February 2002 and were also sold separately.
Consumers should contact the company at 1-800-418-8590 or www.delladapterprogram.com to determine if their equipment is affected, the company said.
Those who have recalled adapters will receive a free replacement.
HoustonChronicle.com - Dell recalls laptop power adapters
posted by hkghkghk at 10:04 PM
0 comments
Thursday, October 07, 2004
Tuesday, October 05, 2004
Picture this: Viruses in photos coming to a PC near you
By DWIGHT SILVERMAN
Copyright 2004 Houston Chronicle
Beware: the creators of viruses, trojans and other evil computer programs have a new toy.
There's a good chance their joy will be your misery, unless you've done the right thing and kept your Windows-based system up to date and know better than to click on unexpected attachments.
But even the techno-vigilant may be lulled this time, because this new threat comes from something previously considered safe — digital image files. Suddenly, those adorable photos of your high school buddy's new baby could convey a lot more than just warm fuzzies.
In mid-September, Microsoft warned that a bug in the way many of its programs display JPEG graphics files could allow a hacker to take control of a computer. The company issued patches, making them available through its automated Windows Update system. It also noted that those who'd installed Service Pack 2 for Windows XP are not affected.
The list of affected Microsoft products is quite long and includes Windows XP (both 32- and 64-bit versions), Windows Server 2003, Office 2002 and 2003, and even many versions of the photo-editing software the company sells, such as PictureIt and Digital Image Pro.
You can see the complete list, and get the various patches for them, at www.microsoft.com/technet/security/bulletin/MS04-028.mspx.
What makes this particularly alarming is that JPEG files — usually identified on Windows systems with a .JPG extension — have always been considered safe. JPEG is the most-used file format for saving digital images. It is used by most digital cameras, and most images you see on Web sites are JPEG files.
As a result, even users who know better than to open unexpected e-mail attachments don't think twice about clicking on picture files.
Given this behavior and the right conditions — a well-designed virus and a slew of unpatched Windows systems — the potential exists for a serious digital epidemic.
There are already signs of the coming apocalypse.
Within a couple of weeks of the flaw's announcement, antivirus experts began to see test code and then some JPEG images that took advantage of it. First, files were spotted in Usenet, the collection of thousands of discussion forums. Later, an AOL Instant message alert invited users to click on the sender's profile, which then directed them to a tainted image file.
And Finjan, a San Jose, Calif.-based maker of antivirus software, reported it was also possible to place virus-laden JPEG files on a Web page, thereby infecting unprotected users who viewed it.
At this writing, the Big Kahuna of JPEG viruses has not yet struck, but it's just a matter of time.
An effective attack using JPEG files could blend several strategies, including spoofing the "From:" address so recipients can't tell where it originated. That means any file with a .JPG extension that shows up in e-mail becomes suspect, making the great cyber-pastime of sharing photos a dangerous exercise.
What can you do to protect yourself? Windows XP users who have not already done so should install Service Pack 2 (see www.chron.com/sp2). All Windows users should check the previously mentioned Microsoft site to see if any of the affected products are on your machine, and patch them accordingly.
In theory, if every Windows machine was upgraded and patched, even a well-designed JPEG virus wouldn't get far. It's hard for an infection to spread when the entire population's inoculated.
But that's not going to happen. Computer users don't patch and/or upgrade for a variety of reasons, ranging from the sheer cluelessness of many home users to the cautiousness of businesses that rigorously test upgrades before deploying them.
Your best defense is to behave intelligently. Don't blindly click on every Web address sent to you in an e-mail or an instant message. If you receive an e-mail from someone who normally doesn't send you "this site is cool" invitations, reply first and ask if that person really sent the link.
And don't automatically open image files you weren't expecting, even if they come from someone you know.
If you're tired of constantly being bombarded by malicious code that takes advantage of flaws in Windows, you might consider switching to another kind of computer, such as a Macintosh or one that runs the Linux operating system.
Next week I'll show you some easy ways to test-drive Linux on your current machine, without even having to install it on your hard drive.
dwight.silverman@chron.com / www.dwightsilverman.com
HoustonChronicle.com - Computing
Copyright 2004 Houston Chronicle
Beware: the creators of viruses, trojans and other evil computer programs have a new toy.
There's a good chance their joy will be your misery, unless you've done the right thing and kept your Windows-based system up to date and know better than to click on unexpected attachments.
But even the techno-vigilant may be lulled this time, because this new threat comes from something previously considered safe — digital image files. Suddenly, those adorable photos of your high school buddy's new baby could convey a lot more than just warm fuzzies.
In mid-September, Microsoft warned that a bug in the way many of its programs display JPEG graphics files could allow a hacker to take control of a computer. The company issued patches, making them available through its automated Windows Update system. It also noted that those who'd installed Service Pack 2 for Windows XP are not affected.
The list of affected Microsoft products is quite long and includes Windows XP (both 32- and 64-bit versions), Windows Server 2003, Office 2002 and 2003, and even many versions of the photo-editing software the company sells, such as PictureIt and Digital Image Pro.
You can see the complete list, and get the various patches for them, at www.microsoft.com/technet/security/bulletin/MS04-028.mspx.
What makes this particularly alarming is that JPEG files — usually identified on Windows systems with a .JPG extension — have always been considered safe. JPEG is the most-used file format for saving digital images. It is used by most digital cameras, and most images you see on Web sites are JPEG files.
As a result, even users who know better than to open unexpected e-mail attachments don't think twice about clicking on picture files.
Given this behavior and the right conditions — a well-designed virus and a slew of unpatched Windows systems — the potential exists for a serious digital epidemic.
There are already signs of the coming apocalypse.
Within a couple of weeks of the flaw's announcement, antivirus experts began to see test code and then some JPEG images that took advantage of it. First, files were spotted in Usenet, the collection of thousands of discussion forums. Later, an AOL Instant message alert invited users to click on the sender's profile, which then directed them to a tainted image file.
And Finjan, a San Jose, Calif.-based maker of antivirus software, reported it was also possible to place virus-laden JPEG files on a Web page, thereby infecting unprotected users who viewed it.
At this writing, the Big Kahuna of JPEG viruses has not yet struck, but it's just a matter of time.
An effective attack using JPEG files could blend several strategies, including spoofing the "From:" address so recipients can't tell where it originated. That means any file with a .JPG extension that shows up in e-mail becomes suspect, making the great cyber-pastime of sharing photos a dangerous exercise.
What can you do to protect yourself? Windows XP users who have not already done so should install Service Pack 2 (see www.chron.com/sp2). All Windows users should check the previously mentioned Microsoft site to see if any of the affected products are on your machine, and patch them accordingly.
In theory, if every Windows machine was upgraded and patched, even a well-designed JPEG virus wouldn't get far. It's hard for an infection to spread when the entire population's inoculated.
But that's not going to happen. Computer users don't patch and/or upgrade for a variety of reasons, ranging from the sheer cluelessness of many home users to the cautiousness of businesses that rigorously test upgrades before deploying them.
Your best defense is to behave intelligently. Don't blindly click on every Web address sent to you in an e-mail or an instant message. If you receive an e-mail from someone who normally doesn't send you "this site is cool" invitations, reply first and ask if that person really sent the link.
And don't automatically open image files you weren't expecting, even if they come from someone you know.
If you're tired of constantly being bombarded by malicious code that takes advantage of flaws in Windows, you might consider switching to another kind of computer, such as a Macintosh or one that runs the Linux operating system.
Next week I'll show you some easy ways to test-drive Linux on your current machine, without even having to install it on your hard drive.
dwight.silverman@chron.com / www.dwightsilverman.com
HoustonChronicle.com - Computing
posted by hkghkghk at 6:45 PM
0 comments
Monday, October 04, 2004
posted by hkghkghk at 7:06 PM
0 comments
Sunday, October 03, 2004
posted by hkghkghk at 10:28 AM
0 comments
Saturday, October 02, 2004
Friday, October 01, 2004
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