Category: Compgeeky

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Not Smart Marketing…

…to someone like me.

You catch that? Become a “fan” of TigerDirect and give TD full access to my profile, recruit three other FB “friends” to do become “fans” of TD (and thus give TD full access to their profiles) and that “earns” an entry for all of you into a drawing for a computer. But not just any computer, a computer by Systemax–IOW, a consumer crap computer, if my exposure to Systemax computers is any guide.

Nu-uh. Not going there. I do purchase the occasional sweet deal from TD (NOT depending on their mostly unobtainable “rebates”–“Made of 100% pure unobtainium!”), but this? Nope… Give me a straight purchase deal like those readily available from Newegg and others, but this kind of thing really turns me off.

I hope that there are still enough consumers left who haven’t jabbed an ice pick past their own eyeballs enough times to fall for this asinine ploy, but somehow I doubt that relying on the intelligence of the common man is a good idea…

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Don’t Even Go There

I keep giving Firefox and Chrome (and even Safari–heck, I even give Internet Exploder the occasional opportunity to redeem itself!) a shot at my eyeballs, and they all consistently fall short, so don’t even go there.

It’s cross platform, so you have little excuse to keep using the kludgy, clumsy, dumbed-down browsers touted by sell-out tech writers and icognoscenti that require all kinds of add-ons just to almost reach Opera’s basic functionality. It used to frustrate the daylights out of me to work on someone else’s machine and be forced to use an antiquated, kludgy, insecure, clumsy, dumbed-down browser that didn’t even have built-in mouse gesturing, but now I carry a thumb drive with Opera Portable, so I don’t have to put up with other folks’ lack of good sense. *heh* Sadly, Opera Portable is still in version 10.51, but that’s not so very bad, since the 10.52 version I’m running (Build 3347) is a beta–a rock solid beta but still not an official release.

One of the less important new things (well, since 10.51) is the “O” tab in the “Tabs” bar that allows accessing most of what used to be in the menu bar by default. It allows those folks who’ve been seduced by the dumbed-down Chrome interface to have a less “cluttered” view, but still allows folks like me who like having a LOT of information and ready manipulations available to invoke the more informative menu bar.

But little things like making transitions easier for folks used to using a dumb browser are just lil candy sprinkles. The real improvements (even over 10.51) are in security and speed–particularly the java engine. Just download it and give it a run at your eyeballs.

BTW, not using Opera Mobile on your smartphone? Think the iPhone/Safari combo is top dog? Maybe not. (When my youngest nephew got his new Wii, several years ago, he was pleasantly surprised it came with an offer for a free web browser. Opera. And I stopped being surprised years ago that IBM/Lenovo included an imbedded version of Opera in a preboot environment. Just sayin’.)

BTW, brief not-very-techie note: Yes, Opera does seem to use “a lot of memory”. But note that the image above shows I have 30 tabs open. *heh* About average, especially since the first 10 are ALWAYS open and “pinned” so they cannot be accidentally closed. And “a lot of memory”–currently somewhere around 100MB with those 30 tabs open–is a relative term on a modern computer with 4-8GB of physical memory.

BTW#2–a not-at-all-techie note: My install of Opera looks a tad different to what you may download and install for reasons other than my affection for the more informative Menu Bar; I have for years skinned whatever installation of Opera I may have on Windows computers or on Linux or BSD computers differently so that I remember which OS I am browsing in. Yes, the OS makes that little difference (apart from how the scrollwheel works in Linux, but that’d be a whole post in itself). The “skin” in the graphic above is the current version of Tobs Theater Paper (TTT-Paper 7.2).

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Computer Annoyances

Why the %^&* are most USB ports in the back of most computers? I mean really? Sure, one needs a few in the rear, and for notebooks it makes much more sense to put things like USB ports in the rear (at least given the way we use ’em most here at twc central), but what do you need USB ports in the rear of your computer for apart from for a printer and maybe keyboard/mouse? And for a keyboard/mouse, well heck, you really need only one USB port to install a wireless adapter, right? 🙂 OK, the TV remote’s USB red-eye dongle doesn’t have to move a lot, so I’ll give you that one, too.

With almost eveything else, from thumb drives to cameras to even external drives, it’s a real PITA to plug the things into the back.

Oh, well. I just string on USB extension cables galore, since the two built-in front USB ports on this hawg are ALWAYS populated. But still. Seriously, why doesn’t my case have a built-in set of six or eight ports in front that I can attach to a mobo header or add-in card? And why do most add-in hubs only have four ports? *sigh*

Oh. Well. I’ll be adding a USB 3.0 card to this hawg as soon as the standard settles a bit and peripherals become available, anyway. Maybe by then add-on hubs with more ports will be available.

(And yeh, yeh, I know I can always add an external hub. BTDT. Just more desktop clutter. Not that it’d be noticeable. *heh*)

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Computer Housekeeping–Backups

Since most readers here use some version of Windows, this will focus on backing up one’s computer using that platform–and rather narrowly, at that. (If you’re using a Linux distro, you are likely not even in need of any pointers, as that OS is still either used by slightly more sophisticated users or Great Aunt Tilly’s Ubuntu machine is managed by her geeky 12-year-old great niece. *heh* If you’re on a Mac, you’re stuck with the Time Machine straightjacket.)

Now, I’m generally a fan of making a drive image of a working OS and then updating it whenever serious OS updates come along, then just backing up one’s data–and darned near any strategy that keeps one’s data safe of fine with me. But I’m a particular fan of remote–and especially off site–backups. It just gives me a warm feeling knowing that if a tornado swooped down and swept my computer(s) away, I could reconstruct them from remote, offsite sources. That’s why backing things up to optical media or local network drives just isn’t enough for me. Sure, it’s great that a reasonable backup software (that includes basic disk imaging!) is now included in Windows 7, and even that Win7 Pro and Ultimate include backing up over a network. But I wanted more and I wanted it for free.

Answer? It appears that GFI Backup is my answer. I just performed an ftp backup of my Win7 machine to a folder on my domain easily and quickly using the software. Checked the zip file and all seems to be as it should be. I’ve not used the software to perform a restore from backup, yet, but since the contents of the backup are readable, it looks like it ought to be fine. If it doesn’t work, I’ll just come back here and say nasty things, ‘K? 😉

There are other solutions out there, but a real backup placed on a reliable set of servers on my own domain by a software that can be scheduled to run, can run differential backups, etc., and cost me nothing? Well, that’s right up my alley.

For Win2K, WinXP, Vista and 7.

Oh, yeh. Also performs backups to local drives, local network drives, etc., in case one were to want that as well. 🙂

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Revisiting “Life Extender”

In WTV Files: A Better Way?, I mentioned trying out LifeExtender to remove commercials from WTV files converted from WTV format to DVR-MS format. I noted at the time that it seemed to work pretty much all right.

Well, yes and no. It reminds me of the “little girl with a curl, right in the middle of her forehead… ”

There was a little girl who had a little curl
Right in the middle of her forehead;
When she was good, she was very, very good,
And when she was bad she was horrid.

When LifeExtender works, it works well. But at other times, it simply… stops working. Or, it doesn’t “find” DVR-MS files to decommercialize… when there definitely are some in the folder to find. At other times–and this is the most irritating issue–it just hogs CPU cycles to the point that using my computer for anything else is an exercise in futility.

I do have a solution (a kludge) for that last issue, though. I start taskmgr.exe using admin privileges and lower LifeExtender’s priority to “Below Normal”. (I have to run taskmgr with admin privileges, because LifeExtender MUST run with admin privileges, and so it refuses to have its priority modified unless I run taskmgr with the same privilege level.) Strangely, it seems to actually work better that way.

BTW, I’ve been able to reduce the size of recorded TV files by almost 1/3 by decommercializing them. Somethiung between 25% and 33% reduction in file size, edging toward the upper number. Not bad.

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Quick Win7 Tip

For most Windows users, the “Homegroup” networking-on-training-wheels approach works well on home networks. But what to do with Windows XP users on the same network when you want to share resources on Win7 computers?

This lil tutorial covers that base, and touches on Vista users as well. Bob’s your uncle. It does require doing a few simple, ordinary Windows networking and user management things that any normal user ought to be able to do, but if you refer someone you know to the site and they have difficulty, you may either have to walk them through in “babier” steps or tell them to have their 10-year-old do it for ’em. *heh*

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Facebook Users Beware

Although certainly no regular reader of this site would self-infect as a result of this piece of “social engineering” y’all may want to pass this on to others.

Facebook password reset themed malware campaign in the wild

Now, regular readers here aren’t among the set of folks who click on attachments in emails that

  • a. they were not already expecting AND
  • b. hadn’t been AT LEAST manually scanned by a freshly-updated, strong anti-malware software… or two. AND
  • c. actually checked the sender’s address out using “view full headers” (or whatever your email client offers) and found it to be from a legitimate, known and trusted sender–for real.

If an attachment satisfies all those requirements, it may be safe to open. May. Frankly, more and more, I “send” files by giving folks an ftp address for download or posting them with Skydrive or some other such site or just posting them here for download. That way, at least folks have a pretty good idea who the file is actually coming from and can base further action on what level of trust they may place in me. Email? With forged headers and other social engineering/obfuscation techniques, naive users often have no idea where a given email came from, and so they often infect themselves.

I don’t excuse them because of their naivete. Naive users have a responsibility to learn safe computing practices. If they infect themselves and go on to spread the infection, well, any stupidity that is advanced enough is virtually indistinguishable from malice.

BTW, I’ve received two emails such as those referred to in the article. The delete key works a charm with them, if my filters haven’t already caught and scrubbed them.

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Minor Compy Fun: Fun with Peripherals

So, got the computer I screwed up all back to “useful” then installed Acronis TrueImage (the free–and “slightly less good”–version from Western Digital, since the drive’s a WD drive) and made an image of the drive. Now, if I screw it up again, I can just reinstall the image and Bob’s youruncle.

Anyway, I was in the process of picking up some more DVDRs and CDRs at our local “fell-off-the-truck-pricing” store and saw a neat lil Microsoft Wireless mouse for $20. No packaging, just the mouse, USB connection and battery. Bought it. Brought it home and tried it out on Hawg (this computer). No joy. The lil USB adapter got so hot I had to use a chip puller to remove it. Took it back and traded for a Microsoft Wireless Desktop 3000 keyboard/mouse combo. Slick stuff. Works fine. 5 button Bluetrack mouse and multi-media keyboard. (Of course the first thing I did, before installing the combo, was to stick some high density foam rubber under the capslock key to prevent accidental triggering. Much more useful, IMO, than any of the software solutions I’ve seen or tried.)

Oh, how much did I pay, total (after returning the mouse) for the kbd/mouse combo?

$30.

Same thing is available at Wally World for $60. At Amazon, $50 (and free shipping, no tax). I can live with $30.

First impressions? Nice “click-y” sound and feel from the soft touch keyboard. Really nice. The mouse? I’ve yet to use the “flip” side buttons, but it fills the hand nicely, tracks like a dream and the scrollwheel is smooth. So smooth, in fact, that it’s going to take some getting used to. All-in-all, though, compared to some Memorex, Logitech and “Gateway-branded” sets I’ve used over the past 10 years or so, I like–a lot.

Pics? You want pics? Here’s one:

Another Update:

and

UPDATE: BTW, the 4th and 5th buttons? right now, I just have them assigned to go back (left) and forward (right) in my browser. It’s not such a much, though, because it’s such a minor enhancement as against the mouse gestures I normally use to do those things. Still, until I’m more comfortable with the rest of it, that’s as far as I wanted to take it. I didn’t like the default “flip” function on clicking the mouse wheel (instead of scrolling), so I reset that to act like the default function other mice with clickable scroll wheels have had, just a standard middle click. The scroll wheel is so very smooth and responsive in its default configuration that I am having a bit of difficulty using that function precisely.

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Partitioning Software

I’ve partitioned hard disks since the Good Old Days of DOS, largely from the command line. “sfdisk” in Linux is similar to fdisk in DOS and works quite well. PartEd is a Gnu app most commonly, nowadays, seen as GPartED that does partitioning pretty much like Partition Magic, Acronis Disk Director and other apps used in both Windows and as CD boot disks for installing new hard drives. Indeed, the Acronis product is used by several hard drive manufacturers in a brabded version keyed to their company’s hard drives as the recommended method for installing hard drives.

Of late, although I have a licensed copy of Acronis Disk Director on hand, and an older version of Partition magic, in addition to familiarity with command line partitioning, I’ve sort of standardized on a live CD of GPartEd as my preferred method of managing partitions.

Well, I stupidly decided to test out a different product, Partition Wizard (yeh, kinda cheesy riffing off the Partition Magic name; I should have taken the warning that sent up seriously) on the computer I’m customizing to give to someone who might read this post, so I’ll not name that person, yet. 🙂 Anyway, really stupid. Hosed the Windows XP Pro partition. Unbootable.*

GPartEd to the rescue. Not the easy route though. Since a repair install of WinXP had no effect, I simply repartitioned and formatted the drive all over again with GPartEd and reinstalled a fresh install of WinXP Pro, then reinstalled the limited set of software I’m customizing the install with. Bob’s your uncle.

A couple of hours’ work, all-in-all, but now everything’s as it ought to be. Windows now sees and can use the space once taken by a hidden partition (a “restore” partition that was almost entirely useless, given the fact that all the computer had originally was WinXP Pro installed–no other software), and things are working well. I’m toying with adding an external drive to the gift that’s the same size as the on board drive, simply for imaging the thing to once it’s complete (I still have to do a “Windows Easy Transfer” of files and settings from the old computer to this one). I’ve not decided yet whether I’ll add that to the mix, though.

At any rate, avoid Partition Wizard. It doesn’t seem quite ready for prime time. The (also) free GPartEd is much better, and costs no more. In fact, it “costs” less, because it has yet to hose a drive in my use of it. 🙂

*see after the jump

Continue reading “Partitioning Software”

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Windows Firewalls

I’ve never had any trouble with personal firewalls in Linux passing various tests. In Windows? Notsomuch.

Here’s the deal: right now I depend on my router’s firewall as a first line of defense. NAT and SPI help quite a bit on the router end, and most folks who have a broadband connection really, really should connect through a router with both NAT and SPI.

But most folks, including me, need another layer of protection. I used to run a Linux box that was nothing but a firewall, but keeping it up proved to be a tad of a pain, and it was a dedicated computer, using more wattage, needing more cooling, etc. Windows Firewall is finally almost good enough for the average user to have as a second layer of defense on their personal computer, but not quite good enough, as it’s not very (*heh*) good at blocking suspicious outbound traffic. I’m fine with it on my Win7 box, as the traffic that needs blocking is almost universally the result of self-infection with a worm, keylogger, etc., that “phones home”… and I’ve (not yet) infected any of my own computers with, well, anything. (Going on 25 years “virus” free. It’s not really that hard. Of course, the front end of that was not web related, although there was some internet use even back then where I could have infected myself had I been careless.)

But most folks aren’t paranoid enough to keep themselves malware free, so a decent personal firewall to complement their router firewall and anti-malware front line software is a pretty good idea.

Right now, I’m pretty happy with the testing I’ve done with Comodo Firewall. It’s a part of Comodo’s free Internet Security download. Note that the download includes Comodo’s anti-virus and a couple of other things I’d avoid installing were I you. 😉 Comodo’s antivirus may have imnproved since I last gave it a try, but it was such a resource hog, intrusive and slow then that I avoided even trying it out when I decided to give the firewall another try. The other two pieces of crudware are a search bar and something else I don’t recall. Just untick them on installation of the firewall.

After a few days of trial, I can say I kinda like the free Comodo Firewall. It does bug the user about new programs attempting to access the internet, but most personal firewalls do that. It also asks about changes to system files when installing new software. Some users may find that confusing, but it’s not that intrusive–certainly not any more intrusive than Vista’s nagging, and much more pointed and useful, IMO. Still, some folks may find that off-putting. It can be turned off in the user control interface, though, should one desire.

Easily “Good Enough” IMO.

There are other Windows personal firewalls out there, but none of the other free ones are either good enough or well-mannered enough–or good enough AND well-mannered enough–for my taste. (I abhor “free” software that nags about “upgrading” to a paid version. Just Go Away already!)

Update: For all PCs (yeh, Macs, too), the basics of personal computing security–the very basics–can be covered by

  • A router-based firewall
  • An anti-malware software suite (including a good personal firewall on all networked computers)
  • A way to stay up-to-date with security patches for both Windows and your applications
  • A secure browser

That said, the devil’s in the details…

Rabbit trail: I did like it enough that I installed it on the “new” (a 3.4Ghz refurb) computer I’m readying for my dad to take home with him after Lovely Daughter’s wedding. At 86 (with his 87th birthday anniversary approaching), he’s ceertainly capable of handling Comodo Firewall’s prompts, and it’ll keep him safer on the interwebs as he’s running around on WinXP Pro. (Yes, I did consider Win7, but he’s well used to XP, now, and there’s no sense making that transition right now. Ditto a transition to Unbuntu or some other easy-to-use alternative to XP. Besides, on the Linux front, Magic Jack still doesn’t have capabilities there, and he does like his Magic Jack :-))