Saturday, November 17, 2007
It’s not the first time that Samsung and Bang & Olufsen joined hands to bring a great looking product that might seem flawed at first. I’ll let you look at the picture first.
Before you ask: no, the phone isn’t upside down. That is how you’re meant to use it. To see how much of an inconvenient that placement might be, just turn your phone upside down (unless it’s a touchscreen device) and try to use it. If you’re asking yourself right now “how am I supposed to use a phone like this?”, the answer is simple: by making the LCD a touchscreen. There you go, no more problem, just a peculiar shape for a device we’re used to seeing in all different shapes and sizes.
The inside of the device isn’t as weird, and some of it’s features are actually useful like 4GB of internal memory and HDSPA connectivity. The phone will be released in Europe in November, and it’s safe to say that it will probably cost a large sum of euros.
Before you ask: no, the phone isn’t upside down. That is how you’re meant to use it. To see how much of an inconvenient that placement might be, just turn your phone upside down (unless it’s a touchscreen device) and try to use it. If you’re asking yourself right now “how am I supposed to use a phone like this?”, the answer is simple: by making the LCD a touchscreen. There you go, no more problem, just a peculiar shape for a device we’re used to seeing in all different shapes and sizes.
The inside of the device isn’t as weird, and some of it’s features are actually useful like 4GB of internal memory and HDSPA connectivity. The phone will be released in Europe in November, and it’s safe to say that it will probably cost a large sum of euros.
Friday, November 16, 2007
How to update a Windows hardware driver
What is a Driver?
A driver is a program that is able to control a device that is connected to your computer. These drivers are used by the operating system to enable it to communicate with the particular device the driver was made for. Devices that you connect to your computer are often very specialized which makes it so Windows can not communicate directly with the device without a program telling it how to. This program, or device driver, acts as a translator between the installed device and the programs that utilize the device.
Why do I need to update?
By default Windows contains generic drivers for many different types of hardware connected to your computer. Unfortunately, many of these drivers that are bundled with Windows tend to be generic and do not support all of the advanced features of the hardware being installed. Therefore you would want to download and install the driver created by the hardware manufacturer so that Windows understands how to use these special features.
Also as time goes by, hardware manufacturers release new versions of their drivers to fix bugs, increase performance, increase stability on your computer, or add new features. When these drivers are released it is recommended that you upgrade your driver to take advantage of these new enhancements.
When new drivers are released they tend to come in two types of updates. The first type is a program that you run that will automatically update the driver for you and then prompt you to reboot your computer. The second type is a set of driver files that you need to manually update the drivers with. This tutorial will focus on teaching you how to upgrade your driver using both methods.
Finding Out the Manufacturer and Model of Your Device
Before we begin updating your driver, we need to know the manufacturer and model number for the device. This is a pretty simple problem to overcome. Simply look at your device for a brand name, and that should be the manufacturer. For example I am looking at my modem and on the top it says "Binatone". Pretty simple huh!
To find the “model” of your device look at the back/bottom of your device for a code (my modem's is ADSL 2000). If this does not work, try looking in the paperwork that came with your device and see if you can find it there.
On the other hand, if you have an internal device that is not easily accessible, it may be difficult for you to find the make and model for it (for example a video card). For internal devices you should use the Device Manager to find out this information:
Click on the Start button in the bottom right hand corner of your desktop as shown below:
Click on the Control Panel menu option to open the Control Pane as shown below:
Double-click on the System icon as shown below:
Click on the Hardware tab at the top of the box (red arrow), then click on the box which says Device Manager (blue arrow) as shown below:
A window will appear which contains a list of the devices on your computer like the image below.
You will need to click on the plus (+) arrow next to the hardware category for the driver you want to update (red arrow). For my continuing example of updating a video driver I would click on the plus (+) arrow next to display adapters (where video cards reside). After clicking on the (+) sign, the category will open listing the devices that are installed on your computer that fall under this category of hardware. You should see your video card listed and you would make a note of the make and model of the card you wish to update. Stay in the current window, as the following steps will continue from here.
Determining the current version of your driver
Before you upgrade your driver, you want to determine whether or not you have the latest version. When developers create drivers they assign a version number to it. Each time the manufacturer releases a new update to this driver, they increase the version number. In this way you can determine if you have the latest version of the driver by comparing the version number of your currently installed driver to the version number of the driver currently . So if there version number is higher than yours, you know that there is a newer version available for download.
To determine the current version of your driver you would do the following:
While in the device manager, as described above, you need to click on the (+) arrow next to the category of device you want to update (red arrow). Then right click on the device which you would like the update. Again, in my example I would right click on the Radeon 9500 pro / 9700 which the blue arrow is pointing at.
After right clicking a list of options will appear. Click properties:
A new windows will open, which will display the various properties of your device. Click on the Driver tab in the top of the window (red arrow). Then look at the details in the Driver Version line (blue arrow):
Write down this version number so you can reference it later.
Finding the latest driver
So, now that you know the name, model, and version number of your device it is time to determine if there is a newer driver available for you to use. The easiest way to find a updated driver is to check the manufacturer’s web site. This will ensure you have the latest and most up-to-date drivers available for your device. Finding your manufacturers web site should be pretty simple. Using the example above, I found my device manufacturer for my video card was ATI radeon. Usually the manufacturer’s web site is its name with standard internet tags around the end (www. and .com). If you are unable to find the website this way, try going to www.google.com and searching for the name there. Usually the first entry should be the official manufacturer’s site:
When you find the address of the manufacturer, go to the site and have a look around. It would be impossible to give instructions for each manufacturer, but you should be looking for a drivers page. On some manufacturer's sites the Drivers link is prominent. On others you generally need to go into their support section to find the updated drivers. If that does not work, you can search for it on the site. After taking a good look around the manufacturer’s site, you should have found the driver section for your device. However, in the event that you are unable to find a driver section, there are a number of handy sites which collect all the drivers available into an alphabetical list by manufacturer name. My favorite is www.driverzone.com. It has an up-to-date list of available drivers, and is very easy for novices to navigate around. This step is the only part of the tutorial where I cannot give you specific instructions; it varies too much from brand to brand.
If you have found the drivers page, simply compare the version number of the driver they have available for download to the version number you retrieved earlier. If their version number is higher, then they have an updated driver for your machine. If it is the same version, then there is no newer driver available.
Downloading the driver update
When you have found driver update for your device that is newer that the one you have installed, simply go back to the manufacturers site/or driverzone, and find the newer driver. Click on the download link to this file and you should be prompted with a download box. If you use Internet Explorer it will look like so:
You should save your driver update download to the desktop. This is so that the file can be easily found later on. To do this, click save and setting the Save In pathname as Desktop (red arrow) and press the Save button.
So now you should have the file placed neatly on your desktop for easy access.
If the files extension is .zip, then the driver will need to be extracted first. This can be done very easily using BleepingComputer's own tutorial on the subject here:
How to create and extract a ZIP File in Windows ME/XP/2003
How to create and extract a ZIP File in Windows 95/98/2000
You should extract these files to the desktop now. If on the other hand, the file is an executable (ends with .exe), then move on to the next section.
Installing the Driver update
To launch the driver update program you would look for the program that you downloaded or extracted. The setup file should look something like this:
Double-click on the setup file and follow the on screen instructions to install the update. When the driver has finished installing, it will usually prompt you to reboot. Reboot your machine and you should now be using the updated drivers.
If on the other hand, there is no setup.exe file or other executable to run, then you will need to manually update the driver through the Device Manger. Using the previous instructions open the Device Manger. Using the drop down plus (+), open the category of the device you want to update and select the device by clicking on it once to highlight it. Right-click on the device and click Properties. Now click on the Driver tab and then click on the Update Driver button:
A wizard will begin in a new window. If the Wizard asks Can Windows connect to Windows Update to search for software? select the option labeled No, not this time and press the Next button. You will now see a screen similar to the one below.
Click on the option labeled Install from a list of specific location (Advanced) (red arrow). Then click next (blue arrow). A screen will open similar to the one below.
Select the option labeled Don't search. I will choose the driver to install. (red arrow) and press the Next button. A new screen may come up showing compatible hardware. Simply press the Have Disk button.
Then click on the Browse button and navigate to the folder on your desktop where you extracted the driver files. Once you are navigated to that folder you will see something like below.
You will see a list of .inf files that contain the information about the driver update found in that folder. Select the .inf file (red arrow) and press the Open button (blue arrow). Then press the OK button. You will now see a list of compatible hardware. Select the driver and press the Next button. Windows will copy the updated driver to your system. When it is done, press the Finish button.
You will now be back at the properties page for your device. If you look at the version, you should see that the version number now corresponds to the new driver you just installed. You
can now press the Close button and exit the Device Manager.
Using Softwares to Update Drivers :
Well there is another way of updating your drivers..You can do that by using Softwares..One of the Best Software Is Driver Genius Professional..You can read about it HERE
Conclusion
After following the above instructions, you should be able to update your device drivers. This will be useful for meeting minimum requirements for applications/software, to fix bugs that out-of-date drivers may be causing, or to improve the performance of your hardware.
A driver is a program that is able to control a device that is connected to your computer. These drivers are used by the operating system to enable it to communicate with the particular device the driver was made for. Devices that you connect to your computer are often very specialized which makes it so Windows can not communicate directly with the device without a program telling it how to. This program, or device driver, acts as a translator between the installed device and the programs that utilize the device.
Why do I need to update?
By default Windows contains generic drivers for many different types of hardware connected to your computer. Unfortunately, many of these drivers that are bundled with Windows tend to be generic and do not support all of the advanced features of the hardware being installed. Therefore you would want to download and install the driver created by the hardware manufacturer so that Windows understands how to use these special features.
Also as time goes by, hardware manufacturers release new versions of their drivers to fix bugs, increase performance, increase stability on your computer, or add new features. When these drivers are released it is recommended that you upgrade your driver to take advantage of these new enhancements.
When new drivers are released they tend to come in two types of updates. The first type is a program that you run that will automatically update the driver for you and then prompt you to reboot your computer. The second type is a set of driver files that you need to manually update the drivers with. This tutorial will focus on teaching you how to upgrade your driver using both methods.
Finding Out the Manufacturer and Model of Your Device
Before we begin updating your driver, we need to know the manufacturer and model number for the device. This is a pretty simple problem to overcome. Simply look at your device for a brand name, and that should be the manufacturer. For example I am looking at my modem and on the top it says "Binatone". Pretty simple huh!
To find the “model” of your device look at the back/bottom of your device for a code (my modem's is ADSL 2000). If this does not work, try looking in the paperwork that came with your device and see if you can find it there.
On the other hand, if you have an internal device that is not easily accessible, it may be difficult for you to find the make and model for it (for example a video card). For internal devices you should use the Device Manager to find out this information:
Click on the Start button in the bottom right hand corner of your desktop as shown below:
Click on the Control Panel menu option to open the Control Pane as shown below:
Double-click on the System icon as shown below:
Click on the Hardware tab at the top of the box (red arrow), then click on the box which says Device Manager (blue arrow) as shown below:
A window will appear which contains a list of the devices on your computer like the image below.
You will need to click on the plus (+) arrow next to the hardware category for the driver you want to update (red arrow). For my continuing example of updating a video driver I would click on the plus (+) arrow next to display adapters (where video cards reside). After clicking on the (+) sign, the category will open listing the devices that are installed on your computer that fall under this category of hardware. You should see your video card listed and you would make a note of the make and model of the card you wish to update. Stay in the current window, as the following steps will continue from here.
Determining the current version of your driver
Before you upgrade your driver, you want to determine whether or not you have the latest version. When developers create drivers they assign a version number to it. Each time the manufacturer releases a new update to this driver, they increase the version number. In this way you can determine if you have the latest version of the driver by comparing the version number of your currently installed driver to the version number of the driver currently . So if there version number is higher than yours, you know that there is a newer version available for download.
To determine the current version of your driver you would do the following:
While in the device manager, as described above, you need to click on the (+) arrow next to the category of device you want to update (red arrow). Then right click on the device which you would like the update. Again, in my example I would right click on the Radeon 9500 pro / 9700 which the blue arrow is pointing at.
After right clicking a list of options will appear. Click properties:
A new windows will open, which will display the various properties of your device. Click on the Driver tab in the top of the window (red arrow). Then look at the details in the Driver Version line (blue arrow):
Write down this version number so you can reference it later.
Finding the latest driver
So, now that you know the name, model, and version number of your device it is time to determine if there is a newer driver available for you to use. The easiest way to find a updated driver is to check the manufacturer’s web site. This will ensure you have the latest and most up-to-date drivers available for your device. Finding your manufacturers web site should be pretty simple. Using the example above, I found my device manufacturer for my video card was ATI radeon. Usually the manufacturer’s web site is its name with standard internet tags around the end (www. and .com). If you are unable to find the website this way, try going to www.google.com and searching for the name there. Usually the first entry should be the official manufacturer’s site:
When you find the address of the manufacturer, go to the site and have a look around. It would be impossible to give instructions for each manufacturer, but you should be looking for a drivers page. On some manufacturer's sites the Drivers link is prominent. On others you generally need to go into their support section to find the updated drivers. If that does not work, you can search for it on the site. After taking a good look around the manufacturer’s site, you should have found the driver section for your device. However, in the event that you are unable to find a driver section, there are a number of handy sites which collect all the drivers available into an alphabetical list by manufacturer name. My favorite is www.driverzone.com. It has an up-to-date list of available drivers, and is very easy for novices to navigate around. This step is the only part of the tutorial where I cannot give you specific instructions; it varies too much from brand to brand.
If you have found the drivers page, simply compare the version number of the driver they have available for download to the version number you retrieved earlier. If their version number is higher, then they have an updated driver for your machine. If it is the same version, then there is no newer driver available.
Downloading the driver update
When you have found driver update for your device that is newer that the one you have installed, simply go back to the manufacturers site/or driverzone, and find the newer driver. Click on the download link to this file and you should be prompted with a download box. If you use Internet Explorer it will look like so:
You should save your driver update download to the desktop. This is so that the file can be easily found later on. To do this, click save and setting the Save In pathname as Desktop (red arrow) and press the Save button.
So now you should have the file placed neatly on your desktop for easy access.
If the files extension is .zip, then the driver will need to be extracted first. This can be done very easily using BleepingComputer's own tutorial on the subject here:
How to create and extract a ZIP File in Windows ME/XP/2003
How to create and extract a ZIP File in Windows 95/98/2000
You should extract these files to the desktop now. If on the other hand, the file is an executable (ends with .exe), then move on to the next section.
Installing the Driver update
To launch the driver update program you would look for the program that you downloaded or extracted. The setup file should look something like this:
Double-click on the setup file and follow the on screen instructions to install the update. When the driver has finished installing, it will usually prompt you to reboot. Reboot your machine and you should now be using the updated drivers.
If on the other hand, there is no setup.exe file or other executable to run, then you will need to manually update the driver through the Device Manger. Using the previous instructions open the Device Manger. Using the drop down plus (+), open the category of the device you want to update and select the device by clicking on it once to highlight it. Right-click on the device and click Properties. Now click on the Driver tab and then click on the Update Driver button:
A wizard will begin in a new window. If the Wizard asks Can Windows connect to Windows Update to search for software? select the option labeled No, not this time and press the Next button. You will now see a screen similar to the one below.
Click on the option labeled Install from a list of specific location (Advanced) (red arrow). Then click next (blue arrow). A screen will open similar to the one below.
Select the option labeled Don't search. I will choose the driver to install. (red arrow) and press the Next button. A new screen may come up showing compatible hardware. Simply press the Have Disk button.
Then click on the Browse button and navigate to the folder on your desktop where you extracted the driver files. Once you are navigated to that folder you will see something like below.
You will see a list of .inf files that contain the information about the driver update found in that folder. Select the .inf file (red arrow) and press the Open button (blue arrow). Then press the OK button. You will now see a list of compatible hardware. Select the driver and press the Next button. Windows will copy the updated driver to your system. When it is done, press the Finish button.
You will now be back at the properties page for your device. If you look at the version, you should see that the version number now corresponds to the new driver you just installed. You
can now press the Close button and exit the Device Manager.
Using Softwares to Update Drivers :
Well there is another way of updating your drivers..You can do that by using Softwares..One of the Best Software Is Driver Genius Professional..You can read about it HERE
Conclusion
After following the above instructions, you should be able to update your device drivers. This will be useful for meeting minimum requirements for applications/software, to fix bugs that out-of-date drivers may be causing, or to improve the performance of your hardware.
SicoXP - Service Pack 3
Code:
http://rapidshare.com/files/36278794/SiCoXP-SP3-2007.part1.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/36279720/SiCoXP-SP3-2007.part2.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/36280888/SiCoXP-SP3-2007.part3.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/36282718/SiCoXP-SP3-2007.part4.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/36282719/SiCoXP-SP3-2007.part5.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/36286128/SiCoXP-SP3-2007.part6.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/36286130/SiCoXP-SP3-2007.part7.rar
Serial Number :
W9VCJ-74DXW-JDDBV-PW777-WXD2T
Make your firefox run at lightining speed.
These are few steps to make your firefox run at lightining speed.
1. First in the URL bar, Type “about:config”. This will bring up a list of commands and variables you can edit.
2. The second step is to put “network.http.pipelining” in the filter and change the value to “true”.
3. After that you will want to put “network.http.proxy.pipelining” in the filter.
Like the last one, make that value set to “true” also.
4. Next, locate “network.http.pipelining.maxrequests” and change the value to some number higher, say 10,20 or even 30, it would make up to 10,20 or 30 requests at once.
5. The last step is to right click anywhere and select “New” then “Integer”. Name it “nglayout.initialpaint.delay” and make its value “0″. This will make the browser respond faster on the information of the websites it receives.
6. Close out FireFox (make sure FireFox is closed by viewing the Task Manager) and restart it and enjoy the new mega speed
How to make Your Windows Vista Genuine
Windows Vista Final Activation Crack!!!!
tested and working from my pc!
1. Install RTM or Retail Windows Vista x86 WITHOUT product key.
2. Once Vista is installed extract the zip files.
3. Excute file "VistaActivator" and follow video instructions.
(If Windows ask you select "Allow").
4. AFTER Reboot Windows will be activated.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Crack Notes
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1)
If you want to check if crack worked:
Click Start, Control Panel, System
(for classic view of Control Panel).
Click Start, Control Panel, System and Maintenance, System
(for normal view of Control Panel).
2)
If it is not already activated click on Change product key
and put these keys according to the version that you installed:
Serials Removed
Click Next and windows vista is activated.
3)
I suggest to do a fresh installation but If you have installed
other crack that modify the bootloader of Vista you can try to
use this software to reinstall it:
http://www.vistabootpro.org
I have download and install the crack and it works really, my vista ultimate is activated!!! lol! Get the crack here
http://rapidshare.com/files/21405645/aCTIVATOR.rar
Winamp 5.5 aims at iTunes with new interface
Bad boys at Nullsoft have been developing the new Winamp 5.5 for over a year now. Winamp is celebrating its 10th anniversary next month, and to mark this event, they are releasing Winamp 5.5 (also known as Winamp 10th Anniversary Edition) on 10/10 at 10:10 am. The beta version of Winamp 5.5 is already out for testers.
Winamp 5.5 boasts an all-new unified interface called Bento Skin. If you are someone like me, who loves iTunes like interface, then you must this one! Unlike, the ugly old multiple window interface, Bento looks awesome with sleek black color and album art support.
Here’s a highlight of some of the new features seen in Winamp 5.5:
A brand new unified user interface with album art support
More Like This automatic playlist generator
Media Monitor tool that automatically playlists playable songs from any web page
Fully integrated browser with Smart Search functionality
MP3 surround playback support
Remote access to your music and videos on the web, compatible mobile devices, and TVs using Wii, PS3 and Xbox 360
A custom Winamp browser toolbar with integrated Winamp playback controls [Coming Soon]
I was a great fan of Winamp some years ago, back then it so lightweight. All these years, especially after AOL took over Winamp, it seems like Winamp is now growing up to become more like iTunes.
Download Winamp 5.5 Beta
Winamp 5.5 boasts an all-new unified interface called Bento Skin. If you are someone like me, who loves iTunes like interface, then you must this one! Unlike, the ugly old multiple window interface, Bento looks awesome with sleek black color and album art support.
Here’s a highlight of some of the new features seen in Winamp 5.5:
A brand new unified user interface with album art support
More Like This automatic playlist generator
Media Monitor tool that automatically playlists playable songs from any web page
Fully integrated browser with Smart Search functionality
MP3 surround playback support
Remote access to your music and videos on the web, compatible mobile devices, and TVs using Wii, PS3 and Xbox 360
A custom Winamp browser toolbar with integrated Winamp playback controls [Coming Soon]
I was a great fan of Winamp some years ago, back then it so lightweight. All these years, especially after AOL took over Winamp, it seems like Winamp is now growing up to become more like iTunes.
Download Winamp 5.5 Beta
Thursday, November 15, 2007
Nod 32 Antivirus 2.70.32
NOD32 Antivirus System provides balanced protection against threats endangering your PC. Viruses, worms, and other malware are kept out of striking distance from your valuable data. Advanced detection methods implemented in the software provide protection against a great proportion of the worms and viruses that are still awaiting creation.
Main Features:
- ThreatSense® technology -- a single optimized Anti-Threat engine for analyzing code to identify malicious behavior, such as viruses, spyware, adware, phishing and more
- Unprecedented heuristic analysis capable of discovering new malware threats as they emerge
- Powerful virtual PC emulation technology enables unpacking and decryption of all types of archives and run-time packing
- Protects at multiple infiltration points, including HTTP, POP3, SMTP and all local and removable media
- Enhanced Rootkit Protection
- Prevents infected files from being opened and executed, and warns on creation of infected files
- Automatic execution on system startup
- Supports multiple Terminal Server environments
- Supports scanning of mapped network disks Instalation:
- Install NOD32
- During installation Push "Set update parameters later".
- Dont`t reboot when installation complete.
- Install NOD32 FiX v2.2.exe
- Don't restart PC.
- Go to the installation folder of NOD32, usually C:\Program Files\Eset, you will see nod32fix.reg (It's a registry entry for NOD32).
- Click nod32fix.reg. It will ask you whether you wanna add the entry, just click on yes then click on OK.
- Now Restart your PC.
- Now you have the unlimited version of NOD32
Code:
http://rapidshare.com/files/54893442/N32A2.7.zip
Get More Desktop Workspace With 360desktop
Ever wish your PC desktop was just a little bit bigger? Need more space for program shortcuts, documents, and temporary files? There are a number of ways to virtually increase the size of your desktop by creating multiple virtual desktops. Microsoft has a free power toy that lets you toggle between up to 4 desktops. Dexpot is a freeware program that lets you have up to 20. And virtual desktops are built into many Linux distributions.
But what if you don’t want a separate desktop? You just need one, but you’d like it to b wider than say, your 17-inch monitor. That’s where 360desktop comes in.
360desktop launches in private beta today. The application takes a new approach toward virtual desktops., Rather than toggling between desktops, 360desktop lets you expand your existing workspace past the edge of your monitor. You can either hover your mouse near the edge of the screen or use a pull-down navigation panel, which results in much quicker and smoother scrolling.
The program takes a panoramic photo and lets you treat it as an extended background. True to 360Destkop’s name, your desktop is treated as a big circle. Scroll far enough and you’ll wind up right back where you started.
You will get a better picture by watching 360 desktop video in action below.
How to make Your Windows Vista Genuine
Windows Vista Final Activation Crack!!!!
tested and working from my pc!
1. Install RTM or Retail Windows Vista x86 WITHOUT product key.
2. Once Vista is installed extract the zip files.
3. Excute file "VistaActivator" and follow video instructions.
(If Windows ask you select "Allow").
4. AFTER Reboot Windows will be activated.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Crack Notes
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1)
If you want to check if crack worked:
Click Start, Control Panel, System
(for classic view of Control Panel).
Click Start, Control Panel, System and Maintenance, System
(for normal view of Control Panel).
2)
If it is not already activated click on Change product key
and put these keys according to the version that you installed:
Serials Removed
Click Next and windows vista is activated.
3)
I suggest to do a fresh installation but If you have installed
other crack that modify the bootloader of Vista you can try to
use this software to reinstall it:
http://www.vistabootpro.org
I have download and install the crack and it works really, my vista ultimate is activated!!! lol! Get the crack here
http://rapidshare.com/files/21405645/aCTIVATOR.rar
Friday, November 2, 2007
Trust No One!
Published on: 2007-10-09 09:56:44
That’s the motto being promoted by security software companies across the globe. But is such paranoia really warranted?
It was a bright, but cold, winter morning. As is customary, I awoke, switched on my monitor (my PC is always on), put the tea-kettle on the fire, and sat down to check e-mail. This has been my morning ritual for as long as I can remember, and takes precedence over age-old rituals such as wishing my family Good Morning. Yes, I am a geek, and proud of it!
This particular morning, I started up Opera, which has my Gmail account configured in its inbuilt e-mail client, and clicked Check/Send. “Fetching messages 1/47” it said, so I sighed and went back to the kitchen to nurture my feeble tea-making skills. About 10 minutes later I returned to see the dreaded error message from Avast! Antivirus, proclaiming, “A virus was found!” Panic set in; I rushed to my PC, half spilling my tea along the way, and promptly clicked the Delete option in the pop-up. “Ahh, problem solved,” I rejoiced, after Avast! gave me the all clear sign.
It was only an hour later that I realised how foolish I had just been—when I accidentally stepped on a sticky tea stain on the floor. This got me thinking: “Why are we so paranoid about security?”
Yes, I realise that this sounds like a silly question to the overwhelming majority of the computing world, but I found myself asking this question anyway. So I got a virus, and that too, one that my anti-virus detected; what’s the big deal? It’s not like the virus, whatever it was, could have done any harm once Avast! had detected it. It was in an e-mail anyway, in Opera, so it’s not like I tried to execute a file or anything like that. Still, I’d been so panicky! To top it all, this is my home computer—not the office computer where I store all my important work data!
Several days of discussions and debates with colleagues and friends got me believing that I’m insane… the majority of my friends and colleagues found nothing wrong with my reaction—spilt tea and all! Others just felt that I’d overreacted a “tad,” and were OK with me panicking, but chided me about my carelessness in stepping on spilt tea!
Six lectures about why I shouldn’t fill my tea cup to the brim, and two homemade recipes for stain removal later, I was appalled to find that I was the only one who could see the pointlessness of all this paranoia.
At the risk of starting World War III, I have now started to believe that all these fears we have about computer security have been infused into our collective psyche by clever security software marketing, rumour-mongers, and because of sheer ignorance!
A Bold Statement?
Yes, it is, but I have reasons to believe so. No, I am not another “Big Brother is watching” delusional psychopath. Actually, I just couldn’t care less for Big Brother’s antics, or those of the rest of the family!
I am not saying that spyware, adware and viruses are encouraged by security software developers, but isn’t it just a little too convenient that security firms benefit from all the paranoia raging across the world, with more people buying their products—even for home systems which don’t need such high levels of protection? Thank God for the free software movement, which makes sure those informed enough can always find freeware tools to take care of basic PC security at home.
“What possible use could anyone make of the data stored on my home computer?”, I asked myself. I am still waiting for an answer that justifies my erstwhile paranoia. The only possible way my computer could be at risk is if it were controlled by a hacker to launch DDoS (Distributed Denial of Service) attacks, or used to spam a million people; and I think I’d notice if that started happening—courtesy my bandwidth monitor, anti-virus, anti-spam, anti-spyware, and various other “anti-” tools.
Right about now, scores of people are yelling “Hypocrite!” and waving their clenched fists at me. How can I have all this installed and still say that I am not paranoid about security anymore? Well, it’s my state of mind I have changed, not my computer or software preferences. I am no extremist, and am not about to start uninstalling every software that begins with the word “anti-”. I’d still rather not be attacked by malware, but if I am, I’m not going to consider it the onset of Doomsday! .
That’s the motto being promoted by security software companies across the globe. But is such paranoia really warranted?
The Psyche
There’s just one question all of us need to ask ourselves, “What’s so important on our home computers that we’re terrified of malicious code?” Office computers, or computers in a SoHo setup, need to have increased security. This is understandable. However, do regular home computers, those we use just to check e-mail, play games, surf, watch movies, etc., really need government-level security?
Exaggeration? Perhaps! But surely there are enough of us who would like the RBI’s security system for our home computers, right?
The problem lies in the fact that we’re terrified of losing data, having to format, or face the invasion of our privacy by spyware. And this fear, I aver, has been instilled in us by trends in the security software industry, the media, as well as a lot of hearsay and sensationalism of security breaches.
Isn’t it weird that “a friend of a friend” has always had a nightmare virus hit them, one that formatted their entire hard disk and loaded Linux on it? Or how about that story of the virus that ruined someone’s hardware, causing things like graphics cards and CD-ROMs to never work again? You will even find people who swear that a friend’s mobile phone was rendered useless by a virus which sent lewd SMSes to all people in the contact list, then displayed a laughing skull and shut the phone down for good! Perhaps you’ll like the one about another “friend-of-a-friend” who lost control of his/her computer to a hacker, and even pulling the power plug didn’t relinquish command back to the user! If you haven’t met such people, or heard similar stories, either all your friends are super techie, or you live high up somewhere in the Himalayas!
“Balderdash, drivel and baloney, flavoured with hogwash!” is my reaction to such stories, but unfortunately, there are people among us who swallow such servings with relish and pass them on with a dash of exaggerated side-dishes. Sadly, this is just because we don’t know any better, and are still perplexed by a PC’s complexities
Life After Data
What’s the worst that could happen? This is the question that made me realise that adding all that stress and worry into my life, about my computer at home, was just not worth it. I sat down, thought out all the possible scenarios, and realised that life would go on, with or without my data. Here are the worst-case scenarios I came up with:
Formatting and reinstalling: Surprisingly, it is this irritation of having to unload and load a whole operating system that seemed the most painful. What’s more surprising is that as employees of Digit, we’re used to formatting and reinstalling on a regular basis—the Test Centre guys do it as many as 10 times a day! So why was I so scared of doing the same thing at home? It’s just a question of popping in your Windows boot disk, formatting your C: drive (or whatever is your Windows drive) and following a few silly commands-twenty minutes tops!
Data loss: Sure, there’s always the risk of losing data, especially from your Windows drive. But why would you store anything on that drive? I know I don’t. I make sure all my data is on a different partition, so the only thing I lose is time, which is spent on reinstalling my programs.
Reinstalling programs: This can be very painful, but thanks to Windows XP’s System Restore, or third-party utilities such as Norton Ghost, life can be a lot easier. All you need to do is select a point to restore Windows to, or if you use a utility such as Norton Ghost, create a backup image, save it on another partition and then load it as and when you want to get a perfectly clean system. The trick is to format the computer, load all the essential software that you use regularly, and then make a backup image!
Spyware: This is a sensitive issue, and people have different views about spyware. It’s the same reason why many of us use Google’s Gmail service, while others still refuse to because Google claims to have a robot read your mails and display relevant advertisements. Honestly, I don’t care if a machine reads even my most intimate e-mails, but many do. It’s just a matter of choice really. So as long as you don’t store passwords and credit card information on your computer, or within your browser, you have nothing to worry about.
Hackers: Yes, many of us are paranoid about being hacked. The fact is, unless you work for an atomic power plant, are an aide to the Prime Minister, or have a T3 line at home, 99.99999999999999 per cent of hackers couldn’t be interested in your home computer that connects to the Net via dial-up or even a ‘broad-(hah!)-band’ connection! If someone actually tried to hack you, it would only be to test his or her skills and then move on. Why? Well, I hate to be the one to break it to you… but you just aren’t important enough! No one wants to hack your computer and look at pictures of the family dog, your trip to Mussoorie, or your baby photographs! Hackers have a purpose, they want money, information, control, or access to another more secure computer on your network. The majority of home computers in India offer none of these: you don’t store credit card information on your PCs (hopefully), you have no information of global importance, your connection speed (or lack thereof) makes your computer useless for participation in DDoS attacks, and it’s not like you’re on the same network as the RBI or the US Department of Defense!
That’s the motto being promoted by security software companies across the globe. But is such paranoia really warranted?
Online Cons
These happen! Unfortunately, this rarely has anything to do with anyone’s computer; instead, it’s more to do with the person controlling the mouse and keyboard! Alas, it’s stupidity that most online con-artists prey upon, and not weak passwords or hacked computers!
Most of us laugh at some of the e-mails we receive, supposedly from Nigerian princes or Saudi oil barons, claiming that if you let them deposit millions of dollars in your account they’ll tip you with a few thousand. Sure, 99 per cent of us just hit [Delete], but that one-in-every-hundredth person makes the con-artists’ efforts worthwhile!
Being paranoid about spyware, adware and Trojans is like thinking that the entire world of hackers is out to get you
There was a story in leading newspapers, early in January 2006, about an Indian girl who gave out her Internet banking password to a prospective groom. The picture in her head was of a young, handsome, jet-setting executive who traversed the globe; the reality was a 50+ man who successfully conned her out of over Rs 2 lakh! Love, especially the online kind, ladies and gentlemen, can be a very sharp double-edged sword. Though most of us tch-tched at the story, you never can tell what you would have done in the same situation!
Advice
I am told that I have to offer some form of advice or another if I want this little rant to ever get published. So here it is, my four cents worth on how you can prevent lapses in security:
* Don’t ever store credit card information on your computer
* Storing passwords in your browser is a no-no, and you should remember to clean your browser cache regularly
* Make sure you store everything that’s important to you on a drive that’s different from the one that the OS is loaded on, and always set all your “anti-” software to update automatically!
* Never—and I mean Never—trust anyone! Especially someone you have only met online. Never part with credit card details and Internet banking passwords—especially with your shop-till-you-drop better-halves!
But all this sounds like I am feeding your already overactive imagination, making you even more paranoid than before. In truth, I am just stating the obvious, because some of us tend to forget even that. Personally, I feel it’s more important to heed the advice that follows:
1. Never take things too seriously! Spyware on your system does not mean that all your deepest darkest secrets are now part of the public domain. It probably just explains why your browser navigates to some silly site, and nothing more.
2. Try not to hyperventilate every time you see a message on your system that contains the word “virus”. What is the point of such panic after all? If your anti-virus found some malicious code, it obviously cannot harm you. If the anti-virus let a virus slip by undetected, you won’t know until it’s too late anyway. So in actuality, there’s nothing any of us can do to stop our PCs from attempted infection, or even infection itself.
3. Realise that you and your home computer are really just motes in a desert of computers, so being paranoid about spyware, adware and Trojans is like thinking that the entire world of hackers is out to get you. This is perhaps a little too narcissistic, isn’t it?
4. Try not to drop tea on the ground. If you do, clean it up immediately—it really can leave a terrible stain if it’s not cleaned up for a while!
Moving On
This experience of mine has been akin to seeing the fabled light. I now waste less time looking through what services and threads are running on my computer, and more time enjoying myself actually using what I have. I have begun trying out more software, visiting more sites that ask me to install ActiveX components and running a lot less spyware checks, ever since I saw the futility of being paranoid. Overall, my computing experience has become a lot more fun!
Perhaps I will start a support group—PTA: Paranoid Techies Anonymous—where people can stand up and say, “Hi, I’m Jon, and it’s been 4 days since I last ran SpyBot S & D and AdAware!”, and hand out cookies to those who share their secret methods of staying paranoia-free.
I’ve also formatted my C: drive once, just for the heck of it, and found, intrestingly, that despite the fact that I was paranoid about security and an obsessive-compulsive tweaker, Windows XP still runs the fastest just after a clean format-and-reinstall!
Big brothers, mothers, fathers, sisters and hackers alike listen up, “Heres one computer user who can stay smart, secure and unworried. After all, I am armed with weapons of my own: a Windows XP boot disk, a DVD of all my favourite freeware and an 80 GB external hard disk that has all my important data, movies and music! So give it your best shot, the worst thing that could happen is that I format my PC and get a faster computer as a result!”
That’s the motto being promoted by security software companies across the globe. But is such paranoia really warranted?
It was a bright, but cold, winter morning. As is customary, I awoke, switched on my monitor (my PC is always on), put the tea-kettle on the fire, and sat down to check e-mail. This has been my morning ritual for as long as I can remember, and takes precedence over age-old rituals such as wishing my family Good Morning. Yes, I am a geek, and proud of it!
This particular morning, I started up Opera, which has my Gmail account configured in its inbuilt e-mail client, and clicked Check/Send. “Fetching messages 1/47” it said, so I sighed and went back to the kitchen to nurture my feeble tea-making skills. About 10 minutes later I returned to see the dreaded error message from Avast! Antivirus, proclaiming, “A virus was found!” Panic set in; I rushed to my PC, half spilling my tea along the way, and promptly clicked the Delete option in the pop-up. “Ahh, problem solved,” I rejoiced, after Avast! gave me the all clear sign.
It was only an hour later that I realised how foolish I had just been—when I accidentally stepped on a sticky tea stain on the floor. This got me thinking: “Why are we so paranoid about security?”
Yes, I realise that this sounds like a silly question to the overwhelming majority of the computing world, but I found myself asking this question anyway. So I got a virus, and that too, one that my anti-virus detected; what’s the big deal? It’s not like the virus, whatever it was, could have done any harm once Avast! had detected it. It was in an e-mail anyway, in Opera, so it’s not like I tried to execute a file or anything like that. Still, I’d been so panicky! To top it all, this is my home computer—not the office computer where I store all my important work data!
Several days of discussions and debates with colleagues and friends got me believing that I’m insane… the majority of my friends and colleagues found nothing wrong with my reaction—spilt tea and all! Others just felt that I’d overreacted a “tad,” and were OK with me panicking, but chided me about my carelessness in stepping on spilt tea!
Six lectures about why I shouldn’t fill my tea cup to the brim, and two homemade recipes for stain removal later, I was appalled to find that I was the only one who could see the pointlessness of all this paranoia.
At the risk of starting World War III, I have now started to believe that all these fears we have about computer security have been infused into our collective psyche by clever security software marketing, rumour-mongers, and because of sheer ignorance!
A Bold Statement?
Yes, it is, but I have reasons to believe so. No, I am not another “Big Brother is watching” delusional psychopath. Actually, I just couldn’t care less for Big Brother’s antics, or those of the rest of the family!
I am not saying that spyware, adware and viruses are encouraged by security software developers, but isn’t it just a little too convenient that security firms benefit from all the paranoia raging across the world, with more people buying their products—even for home systems which don’t need such high levels of protection? Thank God for the free software movement, which makes sure those informed enough can always find freeware tools to take care of basic PC security at home.
“What possible use could anyone make of the data stored on my home computer?”, I asked myself. I am still waiting for an answer that justifies my erstwhile paranoia. The only possible way my computer could be at risk is if it were controlled by a hacker to launch DDoS (Distributed Denial of Service) attacks, or used to spam a million people; and I think I’d notice if that started happening—courtesy my bandwidth monitor, anti-virus, anti-spam, anti-spyware, and various other “anti-” tools.
Right about now, scores of people are yelling “Hypocrite!” and waving their clenched fists at me. How can I have all this installed and still say that I am not paranoid about security anymore? Well, it’s my state of mind I have changed, not my computer or software preferences. I am no extremist, and am not about to start uninstalling every software that begins with the word “anti-”. I’d still rather not be attacked by malware, but if I am, I’m not going to consider it the onset of Doomsday! .
That’s the motto being promoted by security software companies across the globe. But is such paranoia really warranted?
The Psyche
There’s just one question all of us need to ask ourselves, “What’s so important on our home computers that we’re terrified of malicious code?” Office computers, or computers in a SoHo setup, need to have increased security. This is understandable. However, do regular home computers, those we use just to check e-mail, play games, surf, watch movies, etc., really need government-level security?
Exaggeration? Perhaps! But surely there are enough of us who would like the RBI’s security system for our home computers, right?
The problem lies in the fact that we’re terrified of losing data, having to format, or face the invasion of our privacy by spyware. And this fear, I aver, has been instilled in us by trends in the security software industry, the media, as well as a lot of hearsay and sensationalism of security breaches.
Isn’t it weird that “a friend of a friend” has always had a nightmare virus hit them, one that formatted their entire hard disk and loaded Linux on it? Or how about that story of the virus that ruined someone’s hardware, causing things like graphics cards and CD-ROMs to never work again? You will even find people who swear that a friend’s mobile phone was rendered useless by a virus which sent lewd SMSes to all people in the contact list, then displayed a laughing skull and shut the phone down for good! Perhaps you’ll like the one about another “friend-of-a-friend” who lost control of his/her computer to a hacker, and even pulling the power plug didn’t relinquish command back to the user! If you haven’t met such people, or heard similar stories, either all your friends are super techie, or you live high up somewhere in the Himalayas!
“Balderdash, drivel and baloney, flavoured with hogwash!” is my reaction to such stories, but unfortunately, there are people among us who swallow such servings with relish and pass them on with a dash of exaggerated side-dishes. Sadly, this is just because we don’t know any better, and are still perplexed by a PC’s complexities
Life After Data
What’s the worst that could happen? This is the question that made me realise that adding all that stress and worry into my life, about my computer at home, was just not worth it. I sat down, thought out all the possible scenarios, and realised that life would go on, with or without my data. Here are the worst-case scenarios I came up with:
Formatting and reinstalling: Surprisingly, it is this irritation of having to unload and load a whole operating system that seemed the most painful. What’s more surprising is that as employees of Digit, we’re used to formatting and reinstalling on a regular basis—the Test Centre guys do it as many as 10 times a day! So why was I so scared of doing the same thing at home? It’s just a question of popping in your Windows boot disk, formatting your C: drive (or whatever is your Windows drive) and following a few silly commands-twenty minutes tops!
Data loss: Sure, there’s always the risk of losing data, especially from your Windows drive. But why would you store anything on that drive? I know I don’t. I make sure all my data is on a different partition, so the only thing I lose is time, which is spent on reinstalling my programs.
Reinstalling programs: This can be very painful, but thanks to Windows XP’s System Restore, or third-party utilities such as Norton Ghost, life can be a lot easier. All you need to do is select a point to restore Windows to, or if you use a utility such as Norton Ghost, create a backup image, save it on another partition and then load it as and when you want to get a perfectly clean system. The trick is to format the computer, load all the essential software that you use regularly, and then make a backup image!
Spyware: This is a sensitive issue, and people have different views about spyware. It’s the same reason why many of us use Google’s Gmail service, while others still refuse to because Google claims to have a robot read your mails and display relevant advertisements. Honestly, I don’t care if a machine reads even my most intimate e-mails, but many do. It’s just a matter of choice really. So as long as you don’t store passwords and credit card information on your computer, or within your browser, you have nothing to worry about.
Hackers: Yes, many of us are paranoid about being hacked. The fact is, unless you work for an atomic power plant, are an aide to the Prime Minister, or have a T3 line at home, 99.99999999999999 per cent of hackers couldn’t be interested in your home computer that connects to the Net via dial-up or even a ‘broad-(hah!)-band’ connection! If someone actually tried to hack you, it would only be to test his or her skills and then move on. Why? Well, I hate to be the one to break it to you… but you just aren’t important enough! No one wants to hack your computer and look at pictures of the family dog, your trip to Mussoorie, or your baby photographs! Hackers have a purpose, they want money, information, control, or access to another more secure computer on your network. The majority of home computers in India offer none of these: you don’t store credit card information on your PCs (hopefully), you have no information of global importance, your connection speed (or lack thereof) makes your computer useless for participation in DDoS attacks, and it’s not like you’re on the same network as the RBI or the US Department of Defense!
That’s the motto being promoted by security software companies across the globe. But is such paranoia really warranted?
Online Cons
These happen! Unfortunately, this rarely has anything to do with anyone’s computer; instead, it’s more to do with the person controlling the mouse and keyboard! Alas, it’s stupidity that most online con-artists prey upon, and not weak passwords or hacked computers!
Most of us laugh at some of the e-mails we receive, supposedly from Nigerian princes or Saudi oil barons, claiming that if you let them deposit millions of dollars in your account they’ll tip you with a few thousand. Sure, 99 per cent of us just hit [Delete], but that one-in-every-hundredth person makes the con-artists’ efforts worthwhile!
Being paranoid about spyware, adware and Trojans is like thinking that the entire world of hackers is out to get you
There was a story in leading newspapers, early in January 2006, about an Indian girl who gave out her Internet banking password to a prospective groom. The picture in her head was of a young, handsome, jet-setting executive who traversed the globe; the reality was a 50+ man who successfully conned her out of over Rs 2 lakh! Love, especially the online kind, ladies and gentlemen, can be a very sharp double-edged sword. Though most of us tch-tched at the story, you never can tell what you would have done in the same situation!
Advice
I am told that I have to offer some form of advice or another if I want this little rant to ever get published. So here it is, my four cents worth on how you can prevent lapses in security:
* Don’t ever store credit card information on your computer
* Storing passwords in your browser is a no-no, and you should remember to clean your browser cache regularly
* Make sure you store everything that’s important to you on a drive that’s different from the one that the OS is loaded on, and always set all your “anti-” software to update automatically!
* Never—and I mean Never—trust anyone! Especially someone you have only met online. Never part with credit card details and Internet banking passwords—especially with your shop-till-you-drop better-halves!
But all this sounds like I am feeding your already overactive imagination, making you even more paranoid than before. In truth, I am just stating the obvious, because some of us tend to forget even that. Personally, I feel it’s more important to heed the advice that follows:
1. Never take things too seriously! Spyware on your system does not mean that all your deepest darkest secrets are now part of the public domain. It probably just explains why your browser navigates to some silly site, and nothing more.
2. Try not to hyperventilate every time you see a message on your system that contains the word “virus”. What is the point of such panic after all? If your anti-virus found some malicious code, it obviously cannot harm you. If the anti-virus let a virus slip by undetected, you won’t know until it’s too late anyway. So in actuality, there’s nothing any of us can do to stop our PCs from attempted infection, or even infection itself.
3. Realise that you and your home computer are really just motes in a desert of computers, so being paranoid about spyware, adware and Trojans is like thinking that the entire world of hackers is out to get you. This is perhaps a little too narcissistic, isn’t it?
4. Try not to drop tea on the ground. If you do, clean it up immediately—it really can leave a terrible stain if it’s not cleaned up for a while!
Moving On
This experience of mine has been akin to seeing the fabled light. I now waste less time looking through what services and threads are running on my computer, and more time enjoying myself actually using what I have. I have begun trying out more software, visiting more sites that ask me to install ActiveX components and running a lot less spyware checks, ever since I saw the futility of being paranoid. Overall, my computing experience has become a lot more fun!
Perhaps I will start a support group—PTA: Paranoid Techies Anonymous—where people can stand up and say, “Hi, I’m Jon, and it’s been 4 days since I last ran SpyBot S & D and AdAware!”, and hand out cookies to those who share their secret methods of staying paranoia-free.
I’ve also formatted my C: drive once, just for the heck of it, and found, intrestingly, that despite the fact that I was paranoid about security and an obsessive-compulsive tweaker, Windows XP still runs the fastest just after a clean format-and-reinstall!
Big brothers, mothers, fathers, sisters and hackers alike listen up, “Heres one computer user who can stay smart, secure and unworried. After all, I am armed with weapons of my own: a Windows XP boot disk, a DVD of all my favourite freeware and an 80 GB external hard disk that has all my important data, movies and music! So give it your best shot, the worst thing that could happen is that I format my PC and get a faster computer as a result!”
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