PC Tech

Alternative Boot Loaders for Windows & Linux

2011-06-16T17:47:00.002-07:00

If you are Dual or Multiple Booting distros and are using windows 7 or Vista as one of the OS's you are booting, Then this is for you. A very simple and free (for personal use) bootloader called EASYBCD is available to download and install in your Win 7 or Vista OS. No more grub 2, Legacy Grub, or LiLo, to configure or mess with the MBR (Master Boot Record). With Easy BCD you install it and
then add whatever OS you want to boot to in a simple boot menu that comes up when you boot the computer or first start it up. You can set the number of seconds the menu is displayed and set which OS is the default. You can set it to boot any OS. I am multi booting 3 OS's right now. Winjdows 7 as my default, Ubuntu Natty Narwal, and Fedora 15. Easy BCD will allow you to boot almost any OS including other versions of Window such as XP, 98, 95, Dos, Linux, BSD, Unix, OSX, and a couple of others. you can even boot from VHDs and ISOs on any edition of Windows. Easy BCD is a product of NeoSmart Technologies: http://neosmart.net/blog/2010/welcome-to-easybcd-2/
I had my MBR get messed up and could not get into Windows 7 so I had a backup of Easy BCD on a USB stick and was able to repair my MBR and boot into windows and restore my Easy BCD. I now use it instead of Grub2, Grub or LiLo.
Mel
below are some of the features.

Complete Windows 7 support (including the pretty-boot screen!)
Total redesign of the user interface to make the stuff you use more often easier to get to and easier to understand
Automatic configuration and one-click setup of Windows XP dual-boots. No more mucking around w/ boot.ini and NTDETECT + NTLDR
Support for multiple top-level Windows XP entries. You no longer need to go through a second NTLDR menu no matter how many XPs you have installed!
Support for GRUB2 and ext4fs (we're looking at you, Ubuntu *glare*)
Boot from ISO images and Virtual Harddisk (vhd) files!
Create bootable USB drives!
Change the boot drive on your system (including all the partition management stuff) with one click!
Rewritten OS X support (yes, again *sigh*)
EasyBCD BIOS Extender to let you boot from network devices, specific hard disks, USBs, and more even if your BIOS doesn't support it (thanks to PLoP integration)
Support for multiple top-level GRLDR entries (in the same vein as XP entries above)
Improved boot device detection, EasyBCD always runs, even if your boot device is inaccessible or the BCD isn't installed!
Loading indicator for lengthy operations
Better support for loading and managing external BCD stores
Complete EasyBCD portability. Just tell the installer where to stick it, and you're set!
Improved high DPI support
Ability to create safe-mode entries
Improved MBR repair, BCD repair, and more!

No More Dual Boot For Me

2011-05-29T08:49:00.003-07:00

As the title says "No More Dual Boot for Me". You are probably wondering what I mean by that. Well I was tired of having problems with Dual booting my Main computer with Windows 7 and Ubuntu Linux. as well as a few other flavors of Linux and BSD. Guess I could of said Multi Booting. Not only was it a hassel to shut down the computer and reboot into a different OS only to find I needed something from one of the other OS's on the computer. The straw to break the camels back so to speak,
was when I installed Ubuntu's latest Natty 11.04 and the #%^^8 Unity desktop. I like Gnome and I don't like some of the latest change and that includes Obama and his Motley Crew. But that is another story. I had problems with the installation and almost lost some valuable information stored on my hard drive. What to do? I almost gave up on dual booting anymore, and even installed Suse which I used from their very first versions untill 10.1 at which time I switched to Ubuntu. Well I have Hard Drive Racks and several hard drives so I could always just keep one drive for Windows 7 and use the other drives for whatever other OS I wanted to play with, but I would be faced with the same problem of having to shut down and swap drives and reboot only to find I needed something off of another drive. I could use WUBI, but that would not solve the problem of BSD, Vector, Suse and any other OS I wanted to play with.
Then Out of the blue it hit me, why not try a virtual machine. I had tried several different ones in the past and all of them were lacking. I thought maybe they have improved in the last couple of years. So I tried Oracle's Vertual Box. I wiped all of the partitions off of my hard drive except for Windows 7 and a storage partition. and created a big 200 Gigabyte Partition for Virtual Box and several vertual partitions within it. Alas Problem solved. It is working great and I can switch to different OS's without having to reboot. My computer is a pretty powerful one with 4 giga bytes of Ram so the slow down is really not that noticable when I am in 2 OS's at the same time. Yes Virtual Machine is the way for me to go. On a lesser machine with minimal ram, it would probably be to slow for most and not work very well. But with ram being cheap it is a good way to go to keep from having the hassel of dual booting. It is not for everyone, but it works for me. I just discovered another cool Virtual machine called FAU. Guess I will have to check it out.
Mel

No Grub Menu at Bootup Ubuntu 11.04 Solved

2011-05-07T00:36:00.001-07:00

I solved the problem of no Grub Menu at Bootup in a Dual boot system with Ubuntu 11.04 and windows 7. Here is what I did.
In a terminal as sudo or root edit the file /etc/default/grub un-comment the line that says #gfx640x480 by removing the #
then as sudo or root run the comand "update-grub" without the quotes.

Another way would to do a install of the startupmanager and use it to make the changes. "apt-get install startupmanager"

I hope that this will help someone who is having the same problem.
Mel

Ubuntu 11.04 First Impressions Part Two

2011-05-04T20:41:00.004-07:00

As I promised here is part 2 of my 1st impression of Ubuntu's latest release. In part one I just played around with the Live CD and did not install it on my hard drive. I decided to try a upgrade of my existing Ubuntu 10.10. I am here to tell you it was a complete flop. What a disaster. I won't go into
details because a clean install was just as bad. I really feel for a novice or anyone new to linux installing this version of Ubuntu if they are going to be Duel Booting. Read on to find out more. I cleaned up the mess from the first install trying to do a Upgrade. I formatted the partitions ext4 to do a clean install in a duel boot configuration with Windows 7 The first time I did the clean install, I checked the box's to let it get the updates and the 3rd party proprietary drivers. Well that install was no good either. Bare with me as I go into the 3rd install using all defaults. The 3rd install (clean) installed to the partitions that I had formatted to ext4 from the previous attempt. The install took about 20 minutes. I told it to put the boot manager (grub2) in the MBR of the 1st hard drive. When it was all finished I rebooted and it gave me a message that Ubuntu did not have the drivers to Run Unity and that it would use Gnome until I installed the proprietary video drivers to have 3D and be able to run Unity. Well that was OK with me as I did not want anything to do with Unity based on my previous installs of Ubuntu 11.04. I like Gnome and that is what I want to use.

I got booted up to the desktop which had a single panel at the bottom which was empty except for a lone icon to show the desktop. Well that was no problem for me as I am familiar with the panel and have added and configured many of them in previous versions of Ubuntu with the gnome desktop. I proceeded to add the Menu Bar and a couple of other items to the panel. I also did a "update-grub" Because of problems with the previous installs and grub. I am Duel Booting with Windows 7. I then set the login to use the gnome desktop. Then I downloaded all of the updates and the restricted Drivers for my Video card. Rebooted and when the Desktop came up same thing. a lone panel with one icon for show the desktop. I then said to hell with it I need to get some work done and answer some email so I will just boot into Win7.
Now this is the very same thing that has happened on the previous two installs. I booted up and NO GRUB MENU and it took me right back into Ubuntu and the lone panel on the desktop. I rebooted 4 or 5 times trying to get a grub menu so I could boot into Win7. I tried holding the (shift key), the (Esc key), during bootup to try and get a Grub Menu. I had the same problem in the other two installs. I checked the config in etc/default/grub to make sure that grub menu was not hidden. I am now starting to get Mad and Cranky and I need to get into Win 7, So I went into the etc/default/grub file and changed the default to win7 and ran "update-grub" again. Booted up and am now in Windows 7. Reboot and still no grub menu and I cant get into Ubuntu. At least I can get into win 7.

It is to bad that crap like this is released before it is ready. It is not ready and as long as they release something like this it sours a new user or novice on Linux. Fortunately for me I have fooled around with Linux enough over the past 9 or so years that I can most always restore from a backup to something that works. I will play with it some more and try to get it fixed so I can get a grub menu. For now it will sit and I will use win7 until I find a fix.
Mel

Ubuntu 11.04 First Impressions Part One

2011-05-02T18:49:00.004-07:00

These are My first Impressions of Ubuntu 11.04. I am by no means an Expert and my testing was not very scientific by any means, but I wanted to see what a new user would think trying it out for the first time. I downloaded the ISO file today, and burned it to a CD. I was surprised that it did not take very long.
I guess the servers have been upgraded, or they were not very busy with all of the other headline news and peoples attention on the latest headlines. Anyway it took about 18 minutes to download and about 5 minutes to burn to a CD and another couple to verify the burn and run a MD5 Check. All turned out OK and the burn was successful.

I debated to install using using WUBI on my Windows 7 platform or to do a clean install in a linux partition on my hard drive. I ended up doing neither. I just popped the CD in the drive and booted up and choose to run it live from the CD without making any changes to my system. Well I am here to tell you it ran without a flaw and was much faster, at least on my computer than previous versions have. I played around with it and checked all of the different utilities and logged onto the Internet and checked out a few web sites. All in All I was happy with it and the performance so far. I had read some other articles that stated they did not like the unity desktop, at least I think that is what they said. My desktop was the Gnome desktop and I could see no difference from the one I have in 10.10. in my next article I will install to may hard drive and do a more in depth report on what I find and what I like or don't like about it from a normal or novice users point of view. Look for part two in a few days or next week.
Mel

Linux Trojan Raises Malware Concerns

2010-06-13T08:48:00.001-07:00

By Tony Bradley, PC World

I've got good news and bad news for those of the misguided perception that Linux is somehow impervious to attack or compromise. The bad news is that it turns out a vast collection of Linux systems may, in fact, be pwned. The good news, at least for IT administrators and organizations that rely on Linux as a server or desktop operating system, is that the Trojan is in a game download so it should have no bearing on Linux in a business setting.

Click Here for the rest of the story

New Sanyo HDTV for my PC Monitor

2010-06-07T19:04:00.001-07:00

Just Purchased a Sanyo 26 inch HDTV LCD to use as a monitor for my PC I hooked it up using a HDMI cable to my Video Card. It is working great with Ubuntu. I had bought a Visio 26 inch for my PC at my winter home in Arizona. I liked it so well that I decided to get another 26 inch one for my PC at my summer home in Nevada. With the HDMI cable and sales tax. It was under $350. With a wireless Mouse and Keyboard I can set back and relax and still see what I am doing on the screen.

Knowledgeable Help at Best Buy a Joke

2010-05-12T17:45:00.002-07:00

Went shopping today For a UPS Unit (uninteruptable Power Supply) (Battery Backup). I stopped at the local Best Buy and at the door, I asked a young man (best buy employee) where the UPS Units were located. He had a blank look on his face and I knew he did not know what I was talking about, so I said you know a Battery Backup for my Computer. He still didn't know so I
asked another employee a couple of isles inside the store. He said I don't think we have any of those. So I went a little deeper into the store and asked another Best Buy Salesman where the Battery Backup (UPS Units) for computers were located. He was the 3rd one who did not know what I was talking about. He said well if we have anything like that it must be in the computer section. I said thanks and walked back to the Computer section. While looking a young female employee walked up and asked it she could help me. I said yes I am looking for a UPS Unit for my computer. She said UPS is down the street a couple of blocks. I said no no I want a Battery Backup for my computer. She took me over and showed me a Extension cord. I almost fell over laughing so hard. I finally found a whole shelf with several Units, but they were to small for my needs. All 4 of the Employees (sales People) that I asked at Best Buy were Young people in their 20's and should have been knowledgeable enough to know what a battery backup or UPS unit for a computer is. Alas that was not the case. I walked out of the store shacking my head and wondering why Best Buy does not train their people better if at all. I drove over to Staples and the Sales people there knew what I wanted and took me right to where they were.

UPDATE - New attack bypasses EVERY Windows security product

2010-05-11T18:56:00.001-07:00

The following article taken from ZDNet

By Adrian Kingsley-Hughes | May 11, 2010, 3:19am PDT

Are you a Windows user? Do you make sure that your antivirus program is updated regularly? Do you feel safe? You shouldn’t! Read on to find out why …

Security researchers at Matousec.com have come up with an ingenious attack that can bypass every Windows security product tested and allow malicious code to make its way to your system.

Yes, you read that right - every Windows security product tested. And the list is both huge and sobering:

To read the rest Click Here

Yes There's Something About Ubuntu 10.04

2010-05-10T14:47:00.002-07:00

There's Something About Ubuntu Screamed the Title on a article in Linux Insider, But I'm here to tell you It's not all good.
Here is a quoted Excerpt from Linux Insider

That Ubuntu is the most popular Linux distro these days seems to be a matter of relatively little dispute, and certainly, it's not hard to see why. The distro has a variety of features that make it particularly easy to use, especially for beginners.

That is not the case and is dreaming on someones part. While Ubuntu is probably one of the most popular Linux Distributions, It is by no means perfect. At one time I would have recommended it to a new person wanting to try a Linux Distribution, but not anymore. Why you might ask, well 1st of all they are rushing it out the door before it is ready. Many Bugs, Won't work out of the box with many common Computers and Laptops. Problems with several Nvidia and ATI Graphics cards. I can see a person new to Linux trying to boot with a live CD or install Ubuntu 10.04 on his or her everyday common Compaq Desktop, Dell, HP or other computer only to have a Blank screen at boot up. They can hear it installing or see the hard drive light is blinking but the screen is blank. after several hours or maybe days of trying to get it to work, they throw up there hands and say to Hell with IT and go back to Windows. It is just not worth the time and trouble for most main stream computer users.

I would surmise that the developers and Canonical trying to make a deadline is shoving Ubuntu out the door before it is ready for the exposure to the main stream. I think they are doing the users and those who are new to Linux a great injustice. On top of that it leaves a sour taste and a bad impression on many who will never again try Linux. It is no wonder so many won't give Linux a try, They have heard of the problems of a new user trying to install the latest and have heard that it has the reputation of being hard to use and install..

Don't get me wrong I am a everyday user of Ubuntu and have it on 5 computers. I really like Linux and Ubuntu, but it makes me very angry when a Distribution is released not ready for the mainstream. 9.04 and 9.10 worked for me without a flaw and I never had the problems with graphics like in Ubuntu Lucid Lynx. It has worked on my computers since 8.04 every release. So why could it not work on the same computer with the so called latest and greatest Ubuntu 10.04 Lucid Lynx, without jumping through hoops to get it to boot without a blank screen. Yes I got the problem fixed, but most new users would have a hard time. There are still problems with this release and more will come to light as time goes on.

Lucid has many good things as well as some bad ones. I will save that for another post later.
Mel

Fix Ubuntu 10.04 Blank Screen Boot up

2010-05-10T10:12:00.002-07:00

I stated in a Previous Post that Ubuntu 10.04 was not ready for the main stream users. I Still stand by that. I did find a fix from various sources on the Internet for the Blank screen at boot up when trying to use the live CD
or trying to install to the hard drive.. So in the interest of helping others with the same problem, here is what I found to solve my problem. This may or may not work for everyone although it has been tested with my Nvidia 6150 Le Video card and with a ATI Video Card.

If you can't get a screen at all when booting the Live CD, then after the post try hitting the space bar while booting up. Once you get a purple screen that is bare with a couple small graphics things at the bottom, Then press F-6 this allows you to change or insert a couple of boot commands so you can boot up and get a screen to install or try the live CD. I removed the words "QUIET" and "SPLASH" and added "NOMODESET" at the tail end of the commands then continued to boot up with the live CD and was able to install the Ubuntu 10.04 Lucid Lynx. The next step is very important.

After the Install and at the first boot up when you get to the grub 2 Menu, You will have to modify it in order to keep from getting a blank screen. Press E to edit the boot commands. use the arrow keys and at the line that says "QUIET" "SPLASH" Remove those commands and insert "NOMODESET" then press CTRL +X to boot up (Instructions are at the edit screen). As soon as you get booted up to the desktop. go to the menu on the left top and click "SYSTEM" and on the drop down menu select "ADMINISTRATION" and then select "Hardware Drivers". It will find the proprietary driver that it recommends for your hardware. Choose the correct driver and "ACTIVATE". once that is done you should be able to boot up without a blank screen.

I do not know who to attribute these fixes to as I got them from many hours of searching on the Internet. So thanks to all who contributed these workarounds and fixes. There are still problems with Lucid Lynx, It was released to soon in MHO and not tested like it should have been. How could you expect a novice user or someone new to Linux trying to use it for the first time, to be able to boot up with a blank screen. Like me they would not know what to do without help. Most would just say Linux is no good and go back to Windows.

I hope that this will help someone and maybe keep a new user from going back to windows.

Certain Web Pages Block Firefox

2010-05-02T15:59:00.002-07:00

While Surfing a Friends Wedsite today Using my Firefox Browser, I clicked on a a drop down Menu that was a article that was supposed to tell me steps to take to secure my Computer. When I clicked on the link to see what it had to say I got the following Error Message.

To use this site, you must be running Microsoft Internet Explorer 5 or later.

When I checked the URL I found out it was for Microsofts Update site. I had to Laugh because I use Linux and Firefox for my Browser. I guess I could have gotten a Firefox Extension to Emulate IE, but why bother I don't use Windows anyway. I guess Microsoft doesn't want Windows user's using another Browser other than IE. It is rare anymore to find a Website or URL that won't let you use a Firefox Browser to visit their Website. Some Banks and Financial Institutions still require a Internet Explorer Browser, but they are now in the Minority since Discovering all of IE's Security Vulnerabilities.. If you want to check it out and you are running Firefox, Click here

Ubuntu 10.04 Release 1st Impressions It's Not Ready!

2010-04-30T12:01:00.006-07:00

After a couple of Beta's that did not work for me on my 4 year old Compaq Computer. I was glad that The release of Ubuntu 10.04 Lucid Lynx finally arrived. I managed to get on a fast torrent and Downloaded it in less than 35 minutes. I checked the MD5Sum and burned the ISO to a CD. I downloaded the i386 version because I have one computer, a toshiba laptop that does not have a AMD 64 cpu. With great anticipation I put it in the CD drive of my

plain Jane Compaq Presario Desktop computer. It is model SR2039X with 2 GB of Ram and it has a built in Nvidia 6150 graphics card. My monitor is a Vizio 26 inch digital HDtv with a VGA port. this setup works flawlessly with Ubuntu 9.10. Anyway back to the story. I booted up with the CD and got a blank screen. I rebooted again and using the F1 key got a help menu read all of the info and rebooted again everything appeared to go OK Except my monitor kept turning off and saying no signal, then it would come back on but nothing but a blank screen I heard the sound in the speakers as it booted into the final phase. Then nothing but a blank screen. WHat is going on? I rebooted again using noapic and tried noacpi. I rebooted several times trying different combinations. Still the same thing, It would boot up and I know all was working except the graphics the screen is blank except for the 1st puple screen that you get when it first boots up.

Needless to say I am thoughly discusted with this latest version of Ubuntu. It was a waste of time downloading it and 2 of the Beta's before this release.. If it won't work on a everyday Plain Jane Compaq Computer, Then it is not ready for the masses. The only consulation is the fact that it does work on my Toshiba laptop with Intel prcessor and ATI graphics card. I run Ubuntu on all of my computers and have never before had this kind of problem. I have been a avid fan of Ubuntu, But am starting to have my doubts about it and the feasability of running it. Until Canonical gets their act together I will be looking again at Suse which I ran almost from its inception until version 10.1. Maybe I will try Fedora or even Windows 7. Guess I will try a few more things to see if I can get it going on my Compaqs, if not then it may be time to look seriously at something else.
Mel

Hotmail's social networking busts your privacy

2010-04-22T12:29:00.002-07:00

This Article was taken from the Windows secrets Newsletter. If you Value Your privacy and are a user of Hotmail or Live mail. I urge you to read this article.
Admin
By Woody Leonhard
of Windows Secrets

In its rush to take on Facebook and Google Buzz, Microsoft is now collecting and displaying personal information on your Hotmail page — information you may never have wanted to broadcast.

Exactly how it's mining this information is something of a mystery, but if you use Hotmail or Windows Live, it's time to review your privacy settings — lest something you said or did comes back to haunt you.

One user signed in to her Hotmail account recently and was greeted with Microsoft's new, improved social networking splash page,

Click Here to read the whole story

Windows 7 Service Pack Beta Shows Up!

2010-04-12T07:52:00.001-07:00

It has been reported that a Windows 7 service pack Beta has showed up on several torrent sites and is being downloaded by several who want to Live dangerously and be on the Cutting Edge. There is a good article on it in PC World Personally I have not had much luck with Beta's or Alpha's, Linux or Windows. They don't like my computers.

Technorati Tags: Beta, Alpha, Windows 7, Service Pack,

Mels PC TECH Forum Now Open

2010-04-11T22:24:00.001-07:00

Mels PC Tech Forum Is now up and Running. We need input from Users and A couple of moderators for some of the forums. I will be adding More Forums as the need arises. If any of you are interested Please contact the Admin / Webmaster or leave a Comment here or in the Forum. Registration is free and anyone can register. You can access the forum by clicking
HERE "PC TECH FORUMS"

Technorati Tags: PC Tech Forum, Admin, Forum, Moderators,

Ubuntu Is A Poor Standard Bearer For Linux

2010-04-11T10:17:00.001-07:00

Ubuntu Is A Poor Standard Bearer For Linux

By Caitlyn Martin
O'REILLY Community
April 10, 2010 |

While Linux is a power to be reckoned with in the enterprise server room it continues to struggle for acceptance on the consumer desktop. On the desktop the most popular distributions, far and away, are Ubuntu and Fedora. Which one is more popular is an ongoing debate between Canonical and Red Hat, the companies which produce the two distributions. However, when it comes to Linux media and the wider tech press there is no contest: Ubuntu has mindshare and gets the lion's share of media coverage. For Linux on the desktop Ubuntu is the de facto standard bearer. To whatever part of the general non-geek public is even aware of Linux the names "Linux" and "Ubuntu" are all but interchangeable. Over the past few years I've come to the conclusion that this state of affairs is, at best, unfortunate.

Read the rest

Technorati Tags: Linux, Ubuntu, Standard Bearer, Fedora, Mint

Mels PC Tech Has a New Message Board

2010-04-05T10:29:00.001-07:00

Mels PC Tech Has a New Forum / Message Board!
Just Installed a New (Message Board) at Mels PC Tech Net check it out!
We need Moderators For Windows and Linux. If interested Contact
Webmaster or Admin

Utah Jury Confirms Novell Has Ownership of Unix Copyrights

2010-04-03T14:40:00.001-07:00

Great News for the Open Source and Linux User's.

WALTHAM, MA.
30 Mar 2010

Today the jury in the District Court of Utah trial between SCO Group and Novell issued a verdict determining the ownership of important Unix copyrights.

The jury's decision confirmed Novell's ownership of the Unix copyrights, which SCO had asserted to own in its attack on Linux. Novell remains committed to promoting Linux, including by defending Linux on the intellectual property front.

Ron Hovsepian, Novell president and CEO, said "This decision is good news for Novell, for Linux, and for the open source community. We have long contended that this effort against Linux has no foundation, and we are pleased that the jury, in a unanimous decision, agrees. I am proud of Novell's role in protecting the best interests of Linux and the open source community."

OCZ Rebate Ripoff Update

2010-03-26T08:40:00.001-07:00

The other day I decided to Use the credit card that OCZ sent me for my $25 rebate. They were to take $3 of that for fast rebate service. Well to my surprise and to their credit they did not take the $3. I got the whole $25. I have to assume that they were ashamed of the way they treated their customers and decided not to charge the extra $3 for speedy rebate since it took almost 2 months and several emails to both OCZ and Newegg before I got my rebate. Oh well go figure. I don't think I will be buying anything from OCZ that has a rebate. It is to much of a hassel to collect the rebate. The only rebates I have not had a problem with has been the rebates from Staples were you file on the rebate website. No forms to send in and you have your reciept as well as the tag on the box so your warranty is still good. See my earlier post on Patriot memory to know what I am talking about..

Ubuntu 10.04 Beta

2010-03-24T08:55:00.002-07:00

Ubuntu 10.04 Beta
Posted in March 24th, 2010
by admin in Linux, News & Views, Uncategorized
http://melspctech.net

I like to be on the cutting edge especially with my favorite Linux Distro. Unfortunatly for me The Ubuntu Beta’s never seem to work for me, Especially Ubuntu’s. I don’t know why it is but 3 out of 4 times the first few Beta release will not work on my computers. I know I know they are only Beta’s. But and that is a big but. These are plain Jane non exotic computers. Compaq and HP’s. no exotic hardware. Nvidia 6150 built in graphics 2 GB Ram 320 Gig HD amd 64 cpu. You would think that by now even for a beta that they would get it right. No way jose. I downloaded the 32 bit version as well as the amd 64 version. Niether would get past the first screen before going into a continueous loop. I even install 9.10 and tried to do a distro upgrade. Still no go. Guess I will just have to wait for the Release Candidate or maybe beta 3 or 4 if they have one. With only 6 weeks to go if they are on time, They are going to have to make some changes to get it right.

I really wanted to try this Beta because the distro is a LTR (long Term Release) and I use Ubuntu as my main OS on all computers and I wanted to get a head start to see what bugs I am going to have to contend with. Oh well maybe tomorrow. I am a gluton for Punishment.
Technorati Tags: ubuntu beta, ubuntu, software, linux,

Microsoft VP Suggests Internet Tax to Help Improve Windows Security

2010-03-08T18:28:00.000-07:00

Scott Charney, A Microsoft VP for "Trustworthy Computing" at a Internet Security Conference Held in San Francisco, Suggested there should be a Government Tax to Help improve Windows Security.

"An Internet usage tax might be the way to go,"

Charney said. It appears to me that Microsoft must be wanting to get on the government Dole at the tax payers expence. I not only Say No!, But Hell No! One blogger said:

"Let Them Clean Up Their Own Fscking Mess"

If they need a Tax it should be put on Computers with Windows installed, and those of us who Use Linux or Unix should get a rebate or be exempt.
Whats Your thoughts and comments.
Mel

More on the story at Linux Insider

Rebate Ripoff Followup

2010-01-23T20:28:00.001-07:00

This is a followup to my previous post about a rebate that I was supposed to get for a power supply made by OCZ Technology that I purchased from Newegg. I finally got the rebate today which is almost 2 months after buying the product from Newegg. it is also 15 days since they said they would send it and 12 days since they say it was sent. OCZ technology said in a email sent to me on the 8th of January 2010, that the rebate would be paid next week. Newegg who said they were investigating have never gotten back to me. It seems that both OCZ and Newegg don't care. It appears to me that many merchants and manufacturers delay and do anything they can to keep from paying rebates and drag out the process as long as they can when they do pay. They advertise to get you to buy something and then stall in the hopes you will not pursue the issue. Well I got news for any of them, I am retired and I have the time to go after what has been promised. I wish that the government would step in and outlaw rebates or else make it manditory that any rebate was instant without waiting. My next step would have been to contact the better business bureau and the Internet fraud unit. I would have posted this on every site that I could, warning people about this kind of rebate ripoff. I finally got my rebate, But I am still not happy because of the delay and having to write so many emails to get some action.
Mel

Rebate Ripoff OCZ Technology & Newegg

2010-01-12T23:02:00.000-07:00

In last week of November 2009 I purchased a OCZ ModXStream Pro 500W Modular Power Supply from Newegg.com. The reason that I got this particular power supply was because it had a $25 rebate. I filed the rebate claim via email and filled out all of the dicumentation as per instructions on the OCZ rebate website. because rebates take generally 1 to 2 months I opted in to take $3 less for a no wait rebate which was to take about 10 days. (see below) To date I have not received my rebate. It has been over 6 weeks since I purchased the product and over a month since final approval of my rebate request. (see rebate status below). I have sent several emails to OCZ and NewEgg. NewEgg says they are checking on it. Finally got a answer from OCZ after 3 requests to their customer service. They said they will send the rebate next week. What in the Hell was the $3 for?

Beware, it is a ripoff to get a extra $3 out of your rebate. I don't know if NewEgg is to blame too. I have been a long time customer of NewEgg and have spent several thousand dollars with them and never had a problem before with any rebates offered by them. You can bet that I will think twice before I buy another product from NewEgg that has a rebate you have to send to the manufacturer for. Its a Scam people don't waste your money.
Mel

Here is a summary of your rebate registration:

Tracking Number:xxxxxxxxxxx
Rebate Offer: Receive $25 MIR on OCZ Technology PSU Product - NEWEGG.com & NEWEGG.ca
Rebate Item : OCZ ModXStream Pro 500W Modular Power Supply
Rebate Item UPC number(s) : 842024009108
Rebate Award: $25.00
Service level No-Wait: $3.00
Final Award: $22.00

Here's your rebate status information
Tracking Number: XXXXXXXXXX
Status Date
Email was sent for Confirmation 12/03/2009
Email was confirmed by the user 12/03/2009
Printed claim registration, awaiting receipt of documentation 12/03/2009
Documentation Received 12/14/2009
Claim was Approved 12/15/2009

Offer Code: OCZ2-6195
Rebate Reward: $25.00
No-Wait Fee: - $3.00
Final Reward: $22.00
Rebate Item:
OCZ ModXStream Pro 500W Modular Power Supply

Dual Booting Mandriva 2010 with Grub2

2009-11-12T10:54:00.001-07:00

Dual Booting Mandriva 2010 with Grub2

As some of you have found out, (Me included), Ubuntu 9.10 and some other modern Distro's use Grub 2. I ran into the following problem while trying to boot Mandriva using the Grub 2 boot manager in Ubuntu 9.10. The Prober found Mandriva Which uses a older version of Grub. But I could not boot into it from Grub 2. After much searching I found the answer. It is my hope that this will help someone else who is trying to dual boot Mandriva using Grub 2.

I have removable hard drive racks in my computers so that I can change hard drives very fast and not have to open the case when I want to change hard drives. This way I can test different OS's with a minimum of trouble. My main Hard drive and OS is Ubuntu 9.10 I have a second hard drive that contains several Distro's on it. Grub 2 is located on the (hd0) first hard drive which only contains Ubuntu 9.10. I installed Mandriva on (hd1,8) The second hard drive and 8th partition and ran “update-grub” which it did.

*** note the numbering has changed in Grub 2. (Hard drives start with 0 zero for the first hard drive and 1 one for the second hard drive, But the partitions start with 1 one for the first partition and not 0 zero).

It found Mandriva on the 8th partition and put the particulars in the grub.cfg. But it would not boot. I managed to boot into it manually from the grub prompt. You can do that with grub. Here is what to do. In the /etc/grub.d/40_custom file I inserted the following entry.
code

menuentry "Mandriva-Gnome 2010" {

insmod ext2

set root=(hd1,8)

linux (hd1,8)/boot/vmlinuz

initrd (hd1,8)/boot/initrd.img
}

now when I run “update-grub” It won't change the Mandriva entry because it is in the Custom file of /etc/grub.d/40_custom. Note the brackets and the entry between them. The brackets have to be there. Also there is no space between the (hd1,8) and the /boot/vmlinuz entry. If you put a space there it will not boot. Same way with the initrd entry.
Mel

Internet Scare Software Scam

2009-10-19T20:15:00.003-07:00

Online criminals are tricking millions of computer users into downloading fake anti-virus software, internet security experts claim.

Sources claim that millions of people have fallen victim to this type of scam in the past 12 months.

Usually the downloaded software and its purchase can be used by the criminals to get the victim's credit card details.

Sources say that there are several hundred versions of the bogus software and the criminals are thought to earn three quarters of a million dollars each year.

The sellers of Scare ware Software use pop-up advertising designed to look like legitimate Software from well-known software providers.

The advertisements and pop-ups appear, while a user is surfing the Internet and is switching between websites. The Pop-up falsely warns the user that his or her computer's security has been compromised.

If the user then clicks on the message they are directed towards another site where they can download the fake anti-virus software they supposedly need to clean up their computer for a fee.

The apparent fix could have a double impact on victims. You not only lose your Money for the bogus software, but when you're transacting with these guys online, you're offering them credit card details, debit card details and other personal information.

This obviously is very valuable to these Internet cyber criminals so that they can try to access your accounts and get your money for themselves or they can sell your account information to others who will try to use that information to clean out your account.

The data was collected in 2008 and 2009. About 43 million people fell for such scams during that period.

It has become so popular with the cyber criminals that the bogus software has been sold to other criminals.

Experts say users must protect themselves with common sense and legitimate security software and not only protect their computer, but themselves as well from identity theft.

Where we used to protect our PC's. We now have to make sure we are protecting ourselves against the con men who are out there trying to steal our ID.

Patriot Memory Rebate Sham

2009-06-13T12:10:00.002-07:00

I ordered some 2ea Patriot PSD1G400 Memory Chips (RAM) for my Computer from Newegg. I ordered this Memory Over other manufacturer's Memory, because of a $10 rebate that They were offering which would make the Patriot Memory cheaper than some of the other Manufacturer's. What a Sham. First off let me explain. I live in a small town in Nevada. We do not have mail service to our homes and have to use a Post Office Box at the post office. The Post office will not deliver mail to our homes and any mail that does not have a PO Box will be returned to sender. The Rebate form that I got states:

1. they will not send the rebate check to a P O Box.
2. That the UPC Code has to accompany the rebate form. (this is standard practice)
3. The UPC code is a sticker on the Memory chip that states: (Warranty is Void if Removed)

What a Sham. I won't be buying anymore Patriot Memory. I find that most rebates are not worth the trouble and postage to mail them in. I normally do not buy a product that has a rebate for the above reasons. Most manufacturer's that I have dealt with in regards rebates, make it as difficult as possible so they don't have to pay. I do not fault Newegg because they are not the ones offering the rebate, and their policy is that you deal with the manufacturer only and not them.

I feel that a law needs to be passed stating that all rebates have to be paid at the time of sale like instant rebates or else Like Staples Easyrebate done on line. The retail stores could force the manufactuer to honor rebates without all of hassle for the customer trying to collect the rebate. Beware if you have a PO Box or buy Patriot Memory.
Mel

wireless theft Accessing Unsecured Wireless Networks

2008-10-14T13:12:00.001-07:00

Accessing Unsecured Wireless Networks

May be Illegal

It can be illegal in Most states to Access Unsecured wireless Networks. You may ask, Is it legal to use another persons WiFi Connection to access the internet? That depends on which state you live in, Even if you have permission it could be against the rules and regulations of the WiFi owners ISP.

Many ISP's do not allow you to share your WiFi connection with others. They will cut you off if they find you are doing that and could prosicute those who do it for theft. Many have a policy of canceling your account if you have a WiFi router or access point that is unsecured.

Some say that accessing unsecured wifi networks is trespassing -- It's like entering a home or business without the owner's permission. Just because the door is not locked, that doesn't make it right to sneak in. it's very easy for a non-techie user to turn on their laptop and connect to an unsecured wireless network. They may do it without knowing that they might be doing something wrong. It is recommend that you DON'T connect to unknown wireless networks, and that you always get permission from the operator of any wifi access point before connecting.

Below is a Link to the Laws of the different states regarding accessing unsecured computers and WiFi Networks.
Mel

Computer Hacking and Unauthorized Access Laws

User's Pay An Extra $50 To Get Windows XP

2008-06-22T09:34:00.005-07:00

Do you Want XP instead of Vista on a new Dell?

You'll have to pay up to $50 extra to Downgrade from Windows Vista to the Aging Windows XP on some of Dell's Selected model's.

Dell Inc. Will be charging customers up to $50
for factory installed Windows XP

According to the company's Web site, Vista Ultimate and Vista Business so far are the only available editions that allow downgrades, and they can only be downgraded to the more expensive Windows XP Professional.

Microsoft's EULA (licensing terms), does not allow the less-expensive XP Home to be installed as a downgrade.

What a Joke, Microsoft

They spent many Years and Billions, developing Vista and now it appears that users are willing to pay to downgrade to a aging Windows XP. This indicates to me that the end users are willing to pay for a better product, That is Faster, works better and is free from all of the bugs and junk that is Vista. Even if it is a aging windows XP OS.

I think a More viable and better choice would be a Version of Linux, which is Free, such as Ubuntu or Suse.

Mel

Tiered Broadband Effects on Linux?

2008-06-10T08:02:00.002-07:00

There is a lot of discussion these days about tiered broadband (TB). For those who do not know, Tiered Broadband involves charging people according to the bandwidth they use, either by selling high usage plans or by charging for bandwidth (the number of gigabytes sent) over a certain limit contained in a basic plan. Comcast has already started it in certain cities. many ISP's are using Bandwidth Throttling. I already pay over $50 a month for my roadrunner connection and others are paying $29 for a slower connection with the same company. I am wondering what effect this would have on those of us who use Linux? Many of us download 700 Mb Distrobutions and another 200 to 300 Mb of updates. Many windows user's would be effected downloading music and movie's. What is your opinion?

Mel

Dangerous Brown Recluse Spider

2008-04-29T14:34:00.002-07:00

Warning!

It is springtime and Spring and summer cleaning is going on. Beware of the Brown Recluse Spider. He likes dark places such as attic's and woodpiles. The bite is very serious and can be fatal. The person in the following pictures was bitten on the hand. You can see the bite's effects as it progressed over a ten day period. It kills the flesh around the bite area.

This is day 5 after being bitten by a brown recluse spider. The affected shin actually dies on the body.

This is day 6 The following pictures are pretty nasty looking. so if you have a weak stomach do not look.

day 10 as you can see the bite is very serious.

The Brown Recluse spider is the most dangerious spider in the United States Please be careful.

The Brown Recluse Spider

Gift Card Scam

2008-04-13T09:56:00.003-07:00

If you are purchasing a gift card, Make sure you ask for the receipt and include it with the gift card or ask the person at the register to scan the gift card to show you the balance before you leave the store. Some gift cards are being sold for less value than what you purchase them for.

Here is how the scam works. You buy a gift card for someone and the guy at the register scans it for $10 less than what You are purchasing it for! If you catch it the clerk says... 'oh, I apologize I didn't hear the amount you said you wanted it for'

So who loses? The person who buys the gift card...if you buy a gift card for $50 and the person at the register only scans it for $20 they just got away with $30 for themselves on another gift card!

Cell Phone Ban While Driving

2008-03-20T21:05:00.002-07:00

A jurisdiction-wide ban on driving while talking on a hand-held cellular phone is in place in 6 states (California, Connecticut, New Jersey, New York, Utah, and Washington) and the District of Columbia. Utah has named the offense careless driving. Under the Utah law, no one commits an offense when speaking on a cellphone unless they are also committing some other moving violation other than speeding.

These Localities
are allowed to ban cellphone use in 6 states (Illinois, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Mexico, Ohio, and Pennsylvania). Localities that have enacted restrictions on cellphone use include: Chicago, IL; Brookline, MA; Detroit, MI; Santa Fe, NM; Brooklyn, North Olmstead and Walton Hills, OH; and Conshohocken, Lebanon and West Conshohocken, PA.

These Localities
are prohibited from banning cellphone use in 8 states (Florida,
Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Nevada, Oklahoma, Oregon, and Utah).

The use of all cellular phones while driving a school bus is prohibited in 15 states and the District of Columbia.

The use of cellular phones by teens in the graduated licensing system is restricted in 17 states and the District of Columbia.

The table below shows the states that have cell phone laws and whether they are enforced as primary or secondary laws. Under secondary laws, an officer must have some other reason to stop a vehicle before citing a driver for using a cellphone.

Laws without this restriction are called primary. California and Utah have unusual provisions noted below.

For a Chart and More info for your State Click Here

Spyware Scare Tactics to Sell Software

2008-03-05T14:37:00.002-07:00

A couple of days ago I was doing some research work on the internet and was searching for information using a Google search engine. I thought that I had found what I was looking for and was directed to a website. The Website did not contain anything at all of what I was looking for. Instead a Popup Advertisement jumped up and offered to scan my computer for spyware. Huh? This is not what I was looking for. I burst out laughing as I don't use windows I use Ubuntu Linux. The Popup advertisement kept trying to scare me and wanted to scan my computer and Windows XP for spyware. It did not want to go away. I thought what the heck, (Be My Guest), and I let it do its thing (it was supposed to be scanning Windows XP and my computer for spyware).

Here is the interesting Part. After about 10 seconds Another Popup says I have 64 spyware, Trojans, and other nefarious things in Windows XP on my computer, and that my computer was at serious risk of having all of my information stolen. It went on to say, for $39 US I could purchase this program that would remove all of these nasty things from my Windows XP. It mentioned Windows XP several times. What a Scam. I am running Linux not Windows XP. I wonder how many people are taken in by this scam?
Mel

Microsoft puts its Partners Before Customers

2008-03-03T09:14:00.001-07:00

Is anyone surprised to learn Microsoft had its own reservations over Vista?

Today I learned more about Microsoft's decision to lower the minimum technical requirements needed to run Windows Vista to appease partners such as Intel. Microsoft's decision to put its partners before customers is sure to raise the ire among those frustrated when they attempted to upgrade from Windows XP to Vista and ran into hiccups.

Read More

Microsoft Yanks Update that Preps Vista for SP1

2008-02-29T13:43:00.001-07:00

Microsoft Yanks Update that Preps Vista for SP1

A glitch that causes endless rebooting prompts Microsoft to pull the software update that prepares Vista for SP1.

Get the details.

Vista SP1 Updates Stall Out Some PCs

2008-02-29T13:40:00.001-07:00

Vista SP1 Updates Stall Out Some PCs

Some systems are thrust into endless reboots after receiving Vista SP1 updates, according to messages posted to the company's
support site.
Microsoft said it is investigating the reports.
Last Tuesday,
Microsoft started sending Vista users two final prerequisite updates
that are required before SP1 can be installed in March. The updates to
the operating system's install components were delivered via Windows
Updates, which automatically downloaded and installed them on the
majority of Vista machines.
Learn about the problems.

Inside the Vietnam War Documentary

2008-02-18T09:56:00.002-07:00

On President’s Day, Monday, February 18, the NAtional Geographic Channel, played a three hours special. “ Inside the Vietnam War.”
It was a Excellent Documentary About the Vietnam War, and was very educational for those who were to Young to remember and those who did not participate.

It was aired on the National Geographic channel, It was very gut wrenching as It showed Actual footage of the ravages of War. Very Graphic and detailed. It was not for the squimish or weak of heart. The documentary was a real war where real people were getting wounded and killed. All in All it was a very good and accurate Documentary.
Mel

Performance Results Mixed with Vista SP-1

2008-02-15T08:56:00.002-07:00

PC World benchmarks show improved system performance but some tasks recorded slower performance with SP1.
Melissa J. Perenson, PC World
Read the rest Click Here

Update on Deepest Sender Blogging Extension

2008-01-31T09:27:00.001-07:00

Deepest Sender not for Me!

Well after giving the blogging Extention to Firefox called "Deepest Sender" a Test. I have decided that it is not the one for me. here are some of the reasons:
1. it is to sparse and doesn't have enough features.

2. I could not connect with some of my Blog sites using it.

3. Scribefire Which I am now using is much better and fast.

So I have dropped Deepest Sender from my Extensions list for Firefox..
Mel

Powered by ScribeFire.

Opting out of Lockergnome's Newsletter

2008-01-06T11:36:00.001-07:00

Lockergnome Hard to Unsubscribe?

In the interest of fairness to Lockergnome I have decided to edit this Post and change it from my original one. It was only a matter of hours after I made the original post that I got a response from Lockergnome. AFAIK They have taken care of the problem.

I like Lockergnome Newsletters But Sometimes they are hard to opt out or unsubscribe from, when someone doesn't catch a opt out or unsubscribe link that doesn't work or is missing from the newsletter.

Let me Explain. I subscribed a long time ago to many of the lockergnome Newsletters. Then a couple of months ago I needed to change email address's so I went and changed my email address and opted out of some of the Lockergnome Newsletters and subscribed to some others, in particular one called Security. After receiving it several times I decided that the Security Newsletter was really of no interest to me. I decided to cancel (Opt Out) (Unsubscribe) This is when My Problems began. I tried several times to unsubscribe from the Security Newsletter without any Luck. I could not find anything in the newsletter telling me where to opt out or unsubscribe from it. Most of the Lockergnome newsletters were informative and well written, I just did not care for this particular one.

When I tred to send a Email to the Administrivia address, Located in the Newsletter or on the Lockergnome website. My Email was returned or the email address was a (No Reply or Bounce Address) So I was mad as Hell and wondering how one was supposed to Unsubscribe?

I thought that this was illegal and that all newsletters had to have a opt out or unsubscribe place on the newsletter to do so.
Mel
PS
I have received several emails from Lockergnome concerning this matter, and the problem has been taken care of. I hope that in the future whomever does the weblinks or proof reads the Newsletters will catch things like this before they release the newsletter

Problems with Amazon Com Website

2008-01-02T07:12:00.001-07:00
Amazon has serious problems with their website and customer service.
I have tried to track a missing order for several days now with no luck. I try to login and when I get to the secure login prompt and put in my user name and password , It kills or closes my browser. I have tried with 2 different browsers and 2 different computers and get the same thing. I finally managed to do a search on "Google" and got to a page where I could send a E-Mail, (Which was never answered). There are no phone numbers on the website that I could find so back to a search on "Google" and I found some phone numbers but they did not work or else no one that answered could help me.

After a week of trying to get someone to help with the problem I turned to "Google" search again and managed to get to another help page on Amazon and sent another E-Mail. This time I finally got a response from someone who said they would replace the missing items. I wanted to order another book from them but without being able to login and such poor customer service, I think I will order the book from one of the other book stores.

I have checked other blog sites and several others are having the same type problem with Amazon. They really need to fix their website and get a different customer support service. Amazon is just not worth the Aggravation and frustration and their poor customer service.
Mel

Deepest Sender Add On Blogging Extension for Firefox Web Browser

2007-12-24T23:29:00.001-07:00

Deepest Sender is a Blogging Extension for Firefox web Browser, Which I have been testing. It
lets you access your blog from firefox and edit or post to your Blog.
It is quick and easy and can be used stand alone or as a side bar in
your browser.

The only quirk so far is that I am unable to connect to my other Blog
which is in Google's Blogspot / Blogger. I am running it in Linux as a
add on to firefox. Will try again to see if I can get it to work with
Blogger.

Mel

Powered by ScribeFire.

Opera Browser 9.10 Lots of Features

2007-02-19T20:59:00.000-07:00

The New Opera Browser 9.10

A Friend of mine told me about the New Opera Browser and some of the new features, So I decided to try it out. Boy! was I surprised. It is a far cry from the last one that I tried. It is just fantastic and has plenty of new features. See Below for more information. Needless to say I am impressed with all of the features and it is free.

New in Opera 9

Fraud protection

Opera’s advanced fraud protection protects you against web sites that try to steal your personal information.

Content blocker

Remove ads or images - it’s up to you. Right-click (CTRL-click on the Mac) on the Web page and choose “Block content”.

Tabbed browsing

Surf the Web easier and faster by opening multiple Web pages within the same application window.

Pop-up blocking

Opera lets you control whether to block all pop-ups, or open only the ones that you have requested.

Voice

The voice feature allows you to control Opera’s interface by talking and to have documents read aloud. Voice is currently offered in English and runs on Windows 2000 and XP.

Cookie control

You have detailed control of what cookies to accept and reject, including different setups for different servers.

Drag and drop

Add, remove or rearrange buttons, search fields and toolbars. Go to Tools > Appearance.

Text size and colors

You can change text size and color, link styling or background color to your liking in Tools > Preferences > Web pages.

Opera mail

Eating Broccoli, Eating Crow

2007-02-19T20:55:00.000-07:00

The following are excerpts taken from the Rants of Eightball & Thundercloud,

It is a pretty good article about firefox and MS Vista.

Mel

Click here to go to their Rant

Eating Broccoli, Eating Crow
From InfoAve Premium - Issue #174 - February 16, 2007

Let me get to the point. My least favorite food is crow. I don’t like to eat crow. I don’t know anyone who does. But, today EB and I are forced to eat it, like it or not. I’m going to tell you why. Because today we’re going to tell you that we’ve become big fans of Firefox. And it’s not like we haven’t seen it coming. I found myself using it more and more and Internet Explorer less and less.

Since Windows Vista was released on January 30, 2007, we’ve come to the conclusion that Firefox works better, faster, and with less problems in Windows Vista than does Internet Explorer. So, we are eating crow and admitting that we were wrong about Firefox. It is the better browser. Not necessarily the “safe” browser, but the better browser.

I guess we got tired of Internet Explorer freezing and crashing more than anything else. It happens on all of our computers, not just one or two. We can see by the email that we receive that we’re not the only ones. Even our friends say the same thing - Internet Explorer 7 was not an improvement on Internet Explorer 6. It is worse. It got funky. Sure the tabs are nice and it has some other nice features - but as those Firefox fans kept trying to tell us, Firefox had tabbed browsing long before Internet Explorer did.

Last week we both made Firefox our default browsers on our computers running Windows Vista. How ironic that Microsoft’s own browser doesn’t run as well as Firefox on Microsoft’s brand new operating system.

For the Rest of the story Click Here

Anti-Spyware Group Targets AOL 9.0 As "Badware"

2006-08-29T11:48:00.000-07:00

I Have been saying for years and preaching for my Clients not to use AOL because of some of the very same reasons in this article. To read the article see the link below.

Mel

Anti-Spyware Group Targets AOL 9.0 As 'Badware'

Click here to read the rest.

Stopbadware.org, which is backed by Google, Sun, and Lenovo, says AOL's client software is 'badware,' and that users should avoid installing the program because it interferes with computer use and uses deceptive information practices.

Protecting Your Browser From Spyware Malware

2006-08-22T09:19:00.000-07:00

I guess that the title of this Blog session should really be,

Protecting your computer from Spyware, Malware, Adware and other undesirable things while surfing the Internet.

Ask Yourself the following Questions.

{Tired of dealing with rogue software, spyware and malware}?

{Tired of spending hours removing unsolicited software}?
The Good News is, You can probably do something about it. Yes you really can. While reading one of the many newsletters that I regularly recieve in my mailbox, I found a little utility called (Sandboxie) and its free. It lets you run your Browser in a virtual machine while surfing the Internet. Its kind of like a protected Sandbox around your Browser letting things in the Sandbox but not letting them get out to harm your computer.

This way any incoming, unsolicited software (spyware, malware and the like) that you download, is trapped in the sandbox. Changes made to your list of Favorites or Bookmarks, hijacking of your preferred start page, new and unwanted icons on your desktop -- all these, and more, are trapped in and bound to the sandbox. It works with Firefox and MSIE.

I am using it with Firefox and MSIE 7.0 Beta and so far it works great. You can only use it with Windows XP and 2000. It won't work on older versions of Windows. Check it out.

Mel

For More info on Sandboxie Click Here

Sunset Policy for Software Ripoff

2005-07-16T17:06:00.000-07:00

I would guess that most of you are probably wondering what Sunset Policy and Software have in Common,

So I will attempt to explain. Sunset Policy on a SoftwareProgram means that the Software only has a certain period of time before it is no longer supported Online by the Software Manufacturer. Generally this period is from 1 to 3 years or 2 versions back. Depending on the Software Manufacturer. If you don't upgrade to a newer version of the Software, then you may not be able to protect or download your data or continue using the Online features of the software.

It is kind of like a Forced subscription (Legal Extortion) as far as I am concerned. Here is a good example. Quicken 2002 software has a life cycle 2 versions back, Before Sunsetting or Killing the online services for that software.

See Quickens Sunsetting FAQ Here

This means that if your Quicken Software has expired, and you can�t download your bank statement or use online checking. Then you are forced to buy Intuits (Quickens) latest version (forced upgrade). Good for them but bad for you. If you fail to pay for a Upgrade then You won't be able to download your bank statements or Data from financial institutions that you were using Quickens online service with.

This all started with the Antivirus vendors and their yearly updates. You can look for more companies to follow suit. Most don�t tell you on the package that online services will be cut off eventually. They bury it in the EULA or somewhere else inside the package and once the software is opened you can�t take it back to a retail store in most cases. Microsoft and Intuit (Quicken) both do this.

You better Look Elsewhere
With todays Software applications becoming less reliant on the desktop and more reliant on Internet online features and updates, Companies can screw you anytime they want to. If you don't want to get use to this every year or so cycle and Having to buy the next version, Then You Better Look Elsewhere to do your software shopping. I know I will be looking elsewhere in the future for my software

Mel

PC Tech

Alternative Boot Loaders for Windows & Linux

No More Dual Boot For Me

No Grub Menu at Bootup Ubuntu 11.04 Solved

Ubuntu 11.04 First Impressions Part Two

Ubuntu 11.04 First Impressions Part One

Linux Trojan Raises Malware Concerns

New Sanyo HDTV for my PC Monitor

Knowledgeable Help at Best Buy a Joke

UPDATE - New attack bypasses EVERY Windows security product

Yes There's Something About Ubuntu 10.04

Fix Ubuntu 10.04 Blank Screen Boot up

Certain Web Pages Block Firefox

Ubuntu 10.04 Release 1st Impressions It's Not Ready!

Hotmail's social networking busts your privacy

Windows 7 Service Pack Beta Shows Up!

Mels PC TECH Forum Now Open

Ubuntu Is A Poor Standard Bearer For Linux

Ubuntu Is A Poor Standard Bearer For Linux

Mels PC Tech Has a New Message Board

Utah Jury Confirms Novell Has Ownership of Unix Copyrights

Great News for the Open Source and Linux User's.

WALTHAM, MA.30 Mar 2010

OCZ Rebate Ripoff Update

Ubuntu 10.04 Beta

Microsoft VP Suggests Internet Tax to Help Improve Windows Security

Rebate Ripoff Followup

Rebate Ripoff OCZ Technology & Newegg

Dual Booting Mandriva 2010 with Grub2

Internet Scare Software Scam

Patriot Memory Rebate Sham

wireless theft Accessing Unsecured Wireless Networks

Accessing Unsecured Wireless Networks

Computer Hacking and Unauthorized Access Laws

User's Pay An Extra $50 To Get Windows XP

Tiered Broadband Effects on Linux?

Dangerous Brown Recluse Spider

Gift Card Scam

Cell Phone Ban While Driving

Spyware Scare Tactics to Sell Software

Microsoft puts its Partners Before Customers

Microsoft Yanks Update that Preps Vista for SP1

Vista SP1 Updates Stall Out Some PCs

Inside the Vietnam War Documentary

Performance Results Mixed with Vista SP-1

PC World benchmarks show improved system performance but some tasks recorded slower performance with SP1.

Update on Deepest Sender Blogging Extension

Opting out of Lockergnome's Newsletter

Problems with Amazon Com Website

Deepest Sender Add On Blogging Extension for Firefox Web Browser

Opera Browser 9.10 Lots of Features

The New Opera Browser 9.10

Eating Broccoli, Eating Crow

Anti-Spyware Group Targets AOL 9.0 As "Badware"

I Have been saying for years and preaching for my Clients not to use AOL because of some of the very same reasons in this article. To read the article see the link below.

Stopbadware.org, which is backed by Google, Sun, and Lenovo, says AOL's client software is 'badware,' and that users should avoid installing the program because it interferes with computer use and uses deceptive information practices.

Protecting Your Browser From Spyware Malware

Sunset Policy for Software Ripoff

WALTHAM, MA.
30 Mar 2010