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Advanced Windows File Managment With ExplorerXP0
Joe M posted in free stuff, products on May 31st, 2009

Cleaning up an older desktop I had…  I remembered something about Windows.

Windows Explorer does not display folder size.

I found myself wading through folders and right-clicks, in order to find the size of each folder.

When I went looking for an app to help, I came across ExplorerXP at www.explorerxp.com.

The interface looks similar to the plain vanilla explorer that comes with XP.

It offers a great deal more than the orginal, though.

Keyboard shortcuts can be used with the interface.

There is also the ability to rename several files, at once.

The thing that I miss most about the original Windows File Manager, is the ability to display and filter files with a certain extension.

ExplorerXP handles that task quite well.

It also offers advanced features for copying and moving, folders and files.

ExplorerXP is free for non-commercial use.

Epilogue: Ubuntu VM, The Shortcut0
Joe M posted in Howto, free stuff, products on May 29th, 2009

After dragging readers through a grueling four part series dealing with VirtualBox and Ubuntu setup, I offer a shortcut.

The last four posts were a good experience, for anyone interested in getting their feet wet with virtualization, and what it means.

For the patient… Here is a quick and dirty.

Potentially, you can cut out several steps from Part II and Part III.

There are several pre-installed images for virtualization and VirtualBox located here at SourceForge.net, ready to download.

You’ll need a zip utility that will handle 7-zip files.  7-zip will do nicely.

If you are running Linux, use Synaptic Package Manager and the quick search for ‘7-zip’.  You’ll find several options to install for handling *.7z files.

Once you install 7-zip or your choice of file compression utility, extract the image… and keep track of where you extract it.

I won’t go into all of the details this time, but during the setup, simply choose “Use existing hard disk”… and use the folder icon to navigate to the image and select it for the virtual machine.  (That’s one of the folders that you extracted a few moments earlier.)

Finish the setup, and you are ready to go.

You have to use the corresponding link here to find the username and password used to create the image.

Just click the link and a list of images and usernames and passwords will display.  Reference your download image version… and it should be pretty easy to find.

Once you do that, you can fire up your VM and have at it!

This is the VM for UbuntuStudio that I downloaded.

The longest part was waiting for the download, which took about 15 minutes.

All of the images offered at the site on Sourceforge are free.

You can still refer back to the previous four postings, if you happen to get stuck.

This will require you to install VirtualBox, do the VM setup… and you’ll probably want to install Guest Additions.

Using the downloaded image, will provide you with the opportunity to bypass the Ubuntu install.

You can also find more ready-made installs (called appliances, in some cases) with which to play around.

Enjoy!

The Ubuntu Virtual Machine: For An Internet Safety Layer (Part IV)0
Joe M posted in Home Support, free stuff, products on May 27th, 2009

Finally, I conclude the series of setting up a virtual machine running Ubuntu, on top of Windows.

(Windows is my host, Ubuntu is called my guest.)

Now, I address the following message:

In order to stop the mouse and keyboard capture behavior from my VM, I have to install VirtualBox Guest Additions.

I choose Devices from the outer menu, then Install Guest Additions.

It downloads the ISO file, then automatically mounts the image as a CD for me.  At this point, Ubuntu thinks I have downloaded an image, burned the image to a CD, then loaded it in the CD drive on my VM.

From the Ubuntu menu, I choose Applications… Accessories… then Terminal.

My terminal (Linux command line) pops up.

I type cd /cdrom and press Enter.

Next, I type sudo sh autorun.sh and press Enter.

It prompts me for my password, and I enter it.

The script that installs Guest Additions is activated.

It will take about five minutes to run.

When it completes, I press Enter to close the child window.

Now, when I move the mouse between Windows in the background or Ubuntu in the foreground, the pointer will work in either case.

That’s without having to use Right-CTRL to activate and deactivate the toggle for mouse and keyboard capture.

That’s much more intuitive, and easier to use.

To get rid of the Guest Additions CD on the desktop, I right-click and choose Eject Volume.

A few more notes…

Ubuntu has updates, just like Windows.

When it comes time to update, depending on which version of Ubuntu I am using…

Either a box will pop up, the Update Manager; or I will get an icon in the tray at the top of the screen.

(I have to enter your password in order to install the updates.)

If I want to play around more, installing software in the VM, I choose System… Administration… Synaptic Package Manager.

I type in the password.

Synaptic Package Manager runs.  In the search box at the top, I can search for whatever type of software I need or want to try out.

For the most part, it’s free to use.

Now, I have Guest Additions installed and I can move my mouse and click freely between the Ubuntu VM and Windows, without wondering where my mouse or keyboard is… or having to contend with Right-CTRL.

At this point, I have a fully functional copy of Ubuntu, running as a guest Operating System on top of Windows, my host Operating System.

Ubuntu is virtually unaware of the Windows Operating System running underneath.

Some final notes:

It’s a great layer of security to use Firefox from inside the VM.

For playing, searching and goofing around… I can use the VM.

It is true, that some websites won’t work properly, if I don’t use Internet Explorer.

Most websites these days are becoming more standards compliant, and ensuring function inside of Firefox (and Linux) as well as Internet Explorer and Safari (OS X).

At this point…

I encourage you to jump in and play around.  Enjoy the learning experience.

The Ubuntu Virtual Machine: For An Internet Safety Layer (Part III)0
Joe M posted in Home Support, free stuff, products on May 27th, 2009

In the previous two posts, I covered:

Downloading the Ubuntu ISO image
Installing VirtualBox (Sun)
Setting up the basic VM hard drive for Ubuntu, for the install
Associating the Ubuntu CD image with the VM hard drive

Before we get started… Remember this screen?

Note:  At this point, I still have to deal with the default behavior of the mouse capture.  When I click on the VM, I get a message telling me that I have to use the Right-CTRL button to release the mouse from the window.  I can check the box, not to display the message again, but I have to remember to use the Right-CTRL button.

Just remember, it’s a toggle.

If it’s on, Right-CTRL turns it off.

If it’s off, Right-CTRL turns it on.

Now, let’s move on to the install.

Notice that “Live Session User” is in the upper right hand corner of the screen.

Ideally, this is the same screen that we would see if we burned the CD, and booted it on actual hardware, instead of inside of a VM.

The next step in the process is to begin the install.

I double-click the Install icon on the desktop.

The Welcome screen displays.

From here, I choose my language (or take the default, English) and click Forward.

Next, I select the time zone, or take the default since it’s correct for me.

I click Forward.

For Keyboard Layout, I take the default, USA.

I click Forward.

The next option for me to choose is regarding disk space.

I select Guided – Use Entire Disk, if it is not yet selected.

I click Forward.

Next, I have to enter my user options for the install.

I type in my full name (or as much as I want of it.)

I choose a user name.  It will grab your first name, by default.

I choose a password, then re-type it for confirmation.

I choose a name for the virtual machine, to identify it on the network.  This is the name I will use to ping it from a command line, or to access it from other machines on the network.

I click Forward.

I get a confirmation screen, displaying all of the options I just chose during the previous screens.

After I confirm all of my options, I click Forward.

The install process will take about 30 minutes or so.

(This is a good time to take a coffee or bathroom break.)

Once the install finishes, I get a message.

I don’t want to restart.

Since I have a couple of things to do at shutdown, I choose Continue Testing.

To shutdown, I click on the upper right hand corner of the screen and choose Shutdown.

That brings me back to the VirtualBox manager.

I have a change to make to unload the Ubuntu CD image, now.

I click the Settings button.

I click CD/DVD-ROM in the left pane.

I uncheck Mount CD/DVD drive.

I click OK.

Next, I click the Start button.

Ubuntu starts up, and I have to enter my username and password.

Now, I am logged into my Ubuntu VM, running on top of Windows.

I can now make changes to my desktop, install software inside of it, apply updates, etc.

The next time I reboot and log on again, all of the changes I mentioned will be there.

The basic function of the virtual machine is there.

I still have to get rid of the mouse capture behavior and the Right-CTRL button.

I want to cover that in the next and last portion of this series, along with a couple of other minor items.

The Ubuntu Virtual Machine: For An Internet Safety Layer (Part II)1
Joe M posted in Home Support, free stuff on May 26th, 2009

Now, we have our software for VirtualBox installed, and we have finished our download of the Ubuntu ISO image.

We want to take the software and set up a virtual machine within which to run our copy of Ubuntu.

I click on the New button, because I am creating a new VM.

I click Next.

I type Ubuntu in the machine name.
I choose Linux as the Operating System.
It defauts to Ubuntu as the version.

I set the memory to 256 (MB).

Check Boot Hard Disk and Create New Hard Disk.

Click Next.

Take the default Dynamically Expanding Storage and click Next.

Take the defaults for the location and the 8 GB size. Click Next.

Click Finish.

Click Finish again.

Now, we have our VM set up. I want to associate the Ubuntu ISO image with the VM, as if I am loading an install CD.
I click the Settings button.

I click CD/DVD ROM in the left pane. I choose Mount CD/DVD drive. I click the folder, then find my Ubuntu ISO file.
(I just ‘fooled’ the VM into thinking that we had an Ubuntu CD loaded.)
I click OK.

Now, I click Start button in the VirtualBox window.

I get the AutoCapture message. What this means, is, when I click on an item in the VM, it captures my mouse. If I want to click something on my Windows desktop, now, I have to click the Right-CTRL button to release the mouse from the VM.
(We’ll fix this, after we complete the Ubuntu install on the VM.)

I press Enter to choose English as the default language.

The VM loads the Ubuntu install disk image.

Now, I am booted into the Ubuntu VM, using a read-only disk image.
I could stop at this point, remembering the following:

Without finishing the install to the hard drive, any software or changes I make to the VM will be lost, when I shutdown or reboot the VM.
That’s good, from a standpoint, but I want to finish the install to the VM hard drive, to be able to install and tweak my desktop and software settings.
I’ll cover the Ubuntu install on the VM in the next post.

The Ubuntu Virtual Machine: For An Internet Safety Layer (Part I)1
Joe M posted in Home Support, free stuff on May 25th, 2009

A few days back, I talked about setting up a virtual machine on top of Windows XP.

I talked about the advantages and the ‘why’s’.

After encountering a couple of questions, I have decided to revisit the project.

For a brief description:

I want to install Ubuntu Linux inside of a virtual machine (VM), using VirtualBox from Sun.   To do that, I have to download VirtualBox software and an Ubuntu ISO image.  Once I install both of those items, I create my virtual machine and associate it with my Ubuntu ISO image.  I install Ubuntu on the VM.  Last, I tweak the settings for my VM.

Windows is my base operating system (called the host) and Ubuntu Linux is my guest operating system.

I chose Ubuntu because of the interface and the ease of use for first time Linux users.

This is the first in a series of posts covering the steps involved.  I will segregrate the project into tasks.

What you’ll need is a good basic understanding of downloading files from the internet, and finding those files afterward.

Hopefully, I will provide you with enough information to install what we need.

First, we want to start the download of the ISO image for Ubuntu, because it will likely take the longest.

I pull up Firefox… go to ubuntu.com and choose my download site from the pulldown.  (Ideally, the closer the download site, the faster and easier the download.)

I click the Begin Download button.

While that’s downloading, we can go ahead and install Virtualbox.

(Ubuntu is free software.  The version of VirtualBox we will use is free for personal use.)

I click on the link for VirtualBox for Windows Hosts.  (This is the Personal End User License edition (PUEL).  There is also an open source edition, but for our purposes, we will use the PUEL.)

I click Save File.

After the download finishes, I run the program.  I get two of the standard warnings for running downloaded programs, and I click Run.

I click Next.

I click to accept the agreement, and choose Next.

Using both of the pulldowns for USB Support and Networking, I choose Entire feature will run from the hard drive.

I click Next.

I click Next.

I click Yes.

I click Install.

I wait, while the installation finishes.

Once the install finishes, I click Finish.

Hopefully, not too long after the install is finished, the download for the Ubuntu ISO will also be finished.

The next tasks involve creating a virtual machine inside of VirtualBox, then associating the Ubuntu ISO image with the virtual machine.

I’ll cover that portion, in the next post.

Scamming The Scammers2
Joe M posted in Musing, homelife on May 24th, 2009

Seems like every other day, I get an email that goes something like this:

Dear Sir / Madam,

With due respect,trust and humanity,I write this letterto you seeking your
help and assistance,though its difficult since we have not met before.I got
your address from the SOUTH AFRICA INFORMATION EXCHANGE (S.A.I.E)regarding
your business profile and sincerity.I believe that you are capable and
reliable in handling this urgent international transaction of this sort.

I am MR. XXXXXXX YYYYYYYY,the first and only son of COMRADE.AAAAAAAA
BBBBBBBBB,the Zimbabwean former Minister for Youth & Gender Equality who is
also a businessman and politician,in the Zimbabwean political arena.My
father was the famous politician who stood firm against President MMMMMMM
idea of continuous fight in Democratic Republic of Congo and my father also
stood against the seizure of white owned farms and the distribution of it to
the blacks without Compesiation to the white owners.Before my father’s
death, in his “WILL”he specifically drew my attention to this sum of
US$21,320Million,(TWENTY ONE MILLION,THREE HUNDRED AND TWENTY THOUSAND
UNITED STATE DOLLAR)which he deposited in a safe box of a private security
company in south Africa,INFACT MY FATHER SAID IN HIS WILL AND QUOTE:-

“MY beloved son,I wish to draw your attention to the sum of
US$21,320,000.00(TWENTY ONE MILLION,THREE HUNDRED AND TWENTY THOUSAND UNITED
STATE DOLLAR),which I deposited in a box with a security company in
Johannesburg,South Africa. Incase of my absence on earth caused by
death,only you should solicit for reliable foreign partner to assist you to
transfer this money out of south Africa for investment purpose.I deposited
the money in your name and it can be claimed by you alone with the deposit
code.Your mother has all the document.Take good care of your mother and
sister

From the above,you will understand that the lives and future of my family
depends on this money,I will be very grateful if you can assist us,we are
now living in South Africa as political asylum seekers and the financial
laws of south Africa does not allow asylum seeker certain financial rights
to such huge amount of money.In view of this,I cannot invest this money
here in south africa,hence I am asking you to assist me transfer this money
out of south africa for investment purpose.

For your efforts,am prepared to offer you 25%of the total fund, while 5% will
be set aside for local and international expenses and 70% will be kept by my
family and me.All I want you to do is to furnish me with your entire
personal phone and fax numbers for easy communication.

Note that this transaction is 100% Risk free and absolutely confidential.

Looking forward hearing from you.

Yours Faithfully
MR. XXXXXXX YYYYYYYY

Entertainment comes in many forms.

The guys over at 419eater.com seem to do a great job of entertaining themselves (and everyone else) while ‘running interference’ for the rest of us.

They call themselves scambaiters.

Their goal is to keep the scammers busy, enough to occupy their time and ultimately frustrate the scammers, subsequently leaving them with fruitless efforts.

I have been visiting the site for several months, and still have not read all of the exchanged letters.

Recently, I had the enjoyment of reading The tale of the painted breast.

It’s really long, and takes a little time to read.

The gyst…

It’s scam the scammer, as with the other letters in the letter archive at 419eater.com.

The string begins with a reply to the scammer, telling him that the writer is a minister wanting to help.

The catch is, the minister is not able to assist anyone that is not a member of ‘his faith.’

As it turns out, the scammers are willing to jump through all kinds of hoops to ’set their hook,’ even converting to bogus religious faiths.

So, after the scammer changes faiths, the exchange continues between the minister and the scammer.

The amazing part is the creativity and the utility of the writer (Shiver Metimbers, AKA Father Hector Barnett).

After a string of prolonged emails, the minister breaks off communication with the scammer.

Bringing other characters into the mix, Shiver Metimbers poses as other ministers and law enforcement in pursuit of Father Barnett.

As it turns out, Father Barnett is on the run.

He left the church to join the circus as a clown (who happens to have a drinking problem, as well as a gambling habit).

Not to give too much spoilage, but the adventure includes photoshopped pictures of castmembers of ‘Frasier,’ as well as a swarm of fake documents passed back and forth, from both parties.

It’s a great weekend read.

(Caution:  The letters and pictures may include matter that may be offensive to some people, possibly inappropriate for adolescents.)

The Cutting Edge In Technology From DHS0
Joe M posted in Musing, security on May 23rd, 2009

With security in main focus, everyone is familiar with the Department of Homeland Security.

DHS seems to be keeping up with the times.

There are teams within DHS working with outside firms via contract on cutting-edge development in technology.

According to an article from The Register, the DHS is ready to field test a device similar to a Star Trek medical tri-corder.

The device is designed to measure muscle movement, breathing and body temperature.

How far the measurements actually go, is yet to be described.

The device is said to make its measurements from up to 40 feet away.

With the recent H1N1 news over the past few weeks, I am not so sure this is a bad idea.

The question I have is… If you take my temperature with this thing, am I going to glow in the dark, when you get done?

According to the same article, DHS also has two other projects deeply rooted in technology research from several months back.

One is called the Puke Ray Light Sabre, the other is the Lobster Beam Scanner.

The Puke Ray is designed to subdue a mob, and render them harmless… through some type of frequency emission, I assume.

And, the name is not arbitrary. Guess how it renders them helpless?

There is talk that it could be mounted on robotic equipment, for remote control.

(I guess the ACME uniform-puke-stain-remover is still on the drawing board.)

The Lobster Beam Scanner is designed to see through walls and most materials.

Seems like that would be good to have at the border checkpoints.

If you examine the pictures, it resembles a megaphone.

Not sure what the ‘glow-factor’ is on that one, either.

Beyond the jokes and ethical questions, these actually sound like pretty intriguing technological advances… as scary as they may be.

Linux Help For Windows Users, From Tom’s Hardware0
Joe M posted in free stuff on May 22nd, 2009

Amazingly, the number of people asking me about Linux on a regular basis has grown to quite a frequency.

Whether you want to run Ubuntu as your main operating system, or you just want to learn more about it, there is a great deal of information available.

There are plenty of resources out there, both free and commercial.

You can even find plenty of PDF files for free download.

With the number of people becoming wary of the upcoming release of Windows 7, as well as Windows Vista… there seems to be a tendency developing.

More people than ever before are taking note of other options available.

Today, Tom’s Hardware posted an extensive guide to Linux.

The guide is accurately titled, Desktop Linux for the Windows Power User.

The article is seventeen, detailed pages, focused on introducing a comfortable Windows user to Ubuntu.

It explains partitioning your hard drive, installing the OS, finding and installing packages and applications, drivers, codecs for multimedia and installing updates.

It’s a pretty good read, even if you aren’t a Windows Power User or you don’t intend to use Ubuntu.

It’s always good to become familiar with new things.

Hard Drive Imaging, For Free0
Joe M posted in free stuff, products on May 21st, 2009

When you talk about backup, usually everyone that performs backup is really good at the data side of it.

There is another side to backup, most of us neglect.

It’s the OS function part of backup.

To explain, if your machine crashed today, you probably have a backup copy of your pictures and your documents.

How would you get Windows back working, again?

That’s what I call the OS function.  It’s reassurance that you can get a working copy of Windows installed with minimal work.

In the past, I have used Norton Ghost.

It’s been a while, since I have used it.

For kicks, I downloaded Clonezilla from Sourceforge.

Clonezilla is a Linux-based Open Source tool for creating an image of a drive.

It works much like Norton Ghost.

I had an old machine I used for testing purposes.

It had a 40 GB drive, and about 24 GB of free space.

After answering a handful of basic questions, the image creation was up and going.

It took about 40 minutes.

I shut the machine down, and then began pretending.

I pretended that my hard drive died and I had to replace it.

I grabbed a blank drive, shut the machine down and replaced the drive.

I started the machine again, and answered the same handful of questions, and I was putting the image back on the drive.

About 38 minutes later, I had a completely functional machine, again.

No having to re-install Windows, I had an effective copy back on the new drive.

I was surprised.  Clonezilla was much easier to use than Norton Ghost.

The questions you have to answer, include a location, and a user name and password (if you copy it over to another machine, via the network.)

You can also use a USB mass storage device.

If you are unsure, going through the questions, you can use the defaults.

Clonezilla even works on Compaq / HP hard drive arrays.

It’s Linux, but the menus make it easy enough for anyone to use. (Experts can drop to a command line.)

Clonezilla is free.

Run From The Netbook ISP Monster0
Joe M posted in opinion, products on May 20th, 2009

In some test markets, some ISPs have been offering a deals on a netbook.

The deal includes a netbook, or mini laptop, for a really low price… which could be as low as $50 and up.

Now, there is word that many of those campaigns are going to be opened to wider markets.

The catches?

The consumer must agree to a contract with the ISP for a relatively long period of time.

These netbooks, like the Asus EEE and the Acer Aspire One are valued between $300 and $500, very roughly.

That is a wide estimation.

The cost of monthly fees for the associated internet service, calculated over a period of time, makes the value questionable.

In my opinion, the consumer is over-paying for the value of the netbook, through the long-term agreement.

The other caveat is that most of the service offerings have a bandwidth capacity limit, or cap.

That means… if your cap is 2 GB, and you download a public domain movie as an *.avi file that is 1.9 GB, you only have 0.1 GB left for surfing for the month.

What could happen at that point?

It’s a good guess anyway around.  If you are lucky, your connection will get shut down.

For those that are not so lucky, there may be a different situation.

Remember the early days of AOL… when people would sign on to AOL and surf, innocently enough?

Most were clueless about the charges until they got a big surprise from their monthly bill.

Eventually, AOL changed their policies (again and again) and competition made the situation much better for the consumer.

Will a similar situation happen again, with the netbook deals that will be offered?

It’s hard to say.

So, the potential drawbacks could be:

• Contract obligations
• High cost of internet service + length of contract
• Bandwidth caps
• Assessed charges for exceeded limits

To sum it up, I’d say a much better deal is to keep your ISP contract and your purchase of a netbook separate.

–Caveat Emptor–

Come late third quarter and fourth quarter this year, I expect netbooks will be plentiful… that should make them a great pitch to consumers for the holiday gift season in the fall.

Windows 7 Rumor$2
Joe M posted in opinion, products on May 19th, 2009

Paul Thurrot announced recently on Windows Weekly that the current release schedule for Windows 7 is October 15th.

From watching the cycle, so far, I tend to think that it will be more like August, but that is my wild guess.

Seems like Microsoft reaps the windfall when they surprise the market, with an early release.

It also gives a more positive impression, and appears “ahead of schedule”.

Up until now, there has been a big hype, a big market tease.

Everyone has been buzzing about how much better W7 is than Vista.

While it may run on lesser resources, there is still the 1 GB RAM requirement.

Rumors are brewing that Windows 7 will be more expensive than XP or Vista.

We should almost see that one coming.

The problems with a Windows release this time?

The economy is the biggest hurdle.

Beyond the business world and technical Windows junkies, a big pricetag could slow the adoption.

(There might be exceptions to that, if Microsoft throws consumers a curve.)

The question is, how far will consumers and small businesses go to find a functional alternative to a $$$ pricetag, before they surrender?

I have talked about this before, but with the way the campaign for W7 is unfolding, we think we know what is next.

Microsoft launched a “Mac Tax” campaign, recently.

I am not so sure that it is or has been as effective as some of their successes in the past.

If I had to sum it up the W7 release in one symbolic word?

$ooner

In my opinion, once again, we can expect it to be released a little sooner (3rd quarter), and expect it to cost a little more (the desirable versions, anyway).

I would not expect John Q. Public to start adopting it until 2010 and the price drops.

Weighing In On Wolfram|Alpha0
Joe M posted in Musing, opinion on May 17th, 2009

Google is a great search engine.

There are tricks and hacks and it has a wide market covering.

There are some case in which Google is not perfect.

Wolfram|Alpha is a search engine and much more.

It seems to be the next step in the evolution of search.

It’s based on the Mathmatica and NKS concepts by Stephen Wolfram. (30+ years in development.)

Without attempting to tackle the computational or algorithmic structure, I just wanted to do the intellectual thing…

And play with it, a little.

I randomly picked the H1N1 virus, to see what it would yield for results.  Not too shabby.

I picked a date from the past (as suggested in the sidebar.

I put in Polyphasic Sleep, and it chugged a little on that one.

Science, music and math results seem to be second nature.

This is an Alpha version, more or less a proof of concept.

If the project continues, you can expect APIs and enhancements to existing sites and software.

That means that it can be called on by other sites, to exchange data through automated means.

Alpha means it’s still in the experimental stage and in development.

This will be an interesting one to watch, in that it has a great deal of potential.

The dynamic comparisons are pretty impressive.

There’s an interesting postregarding Wolfram|Alpha by Gina Trapani at Lifehacker.

Avoiding The Windows Update Squaredance And Internet Explorer0
Joe M posted in Home Support, free stuff, products on May 16th, 2009

Working the past few days on Windows machine, one of the biggest time consumers is not the re-install of the operating system.

It’s actually going through the Windows Update menu item and suffering through the multiple reboots and Windows Genuine Advantage.

After I finished the last round of updates, then I discovered the Windows Update Downloader extension for Mozilla Firefox.

It looks really promising.

I tested it out, and it seemed to fly.

The most monotony in going through the Internet Explorer and Windows Update process is having to wait for IE to do its thing.

The extension launches from its own shortcut on the desktop, like a separate program.

The interface for the extension has tabs for each category of Windows Updates.

When you visit the Windows Update Downloader extension website, you will need the program file (exe) as well as the update list.  (Look for the update lists link.)

There are also update lists available for Vista and Office.

The sweetest part is… completely bypassing the use of IE.

WUD is free.

A View On Plastic Credit And Debit Reform0
Joe M posted in opinion on May 15th, 2009

Consumerist has a post today on Credit Card Reform.

According to the Wall Street Journal, a bill is in the works in the Senate.

From what I understand, it could mean a complete overhaul of the credit card process.

Legislation worked into the bill could place stipulations on Visa and Mastercard, and apply new regulations to the Associations and to issuing banks.

Under the design of the bill, consumers might be rewarded a discount for paying cash or using a debit card.

Also included in reform are requirements and regulations regarding pre-paid and gift cards.

The new reform could require a period of time to pass before fees and expirations ‘eat up’ the amounts available on those cards.

If you think about it in detail, we use credit cards, gift cards and pre-paid cards on a daily basis.

It’s a global, multi-billion dollar industry.

Banks and merchants have a dependency on the industry and its current design.

Changing regulations drastically for the credit industry could have an undesirable and unanticipated effect.

While I think the idea for a little reform in the pre-paid and gift cards is a good one, I think meddling too much with settlement and the Associations could have a negative impact.

Not just on the consumer, but the banks, merchants and the whole economy.

Banks will have to absorb the cost to change infrastructure, software and hardware to adapt to the changes.

Merchants will have to incur the cost from the bank.

Visa and Mastercard will also have to incur costs to make allowances for the proposed changes.

Ultimately, it will not have a positive impact on the credit industry and e-commerce.

The design of such a bill is benevolent in nature, designed to protect the consumer.

In my opinion, it will have the opposite effect of its actual design.

I am praying that we won’t see a repeat in the card industry that we have seen in the mortgage industry.

Trek Yourself0
Joe M posted in Uncategorized on May 14th, 2009

Special Features: Trek Yourself

(Caution:  Portions of content might be considered offensive to some viewers.)

Space Invaders, The Online Version0
Joe M posted in Musing, free stuff on May 13th, 2009

I was talking with someone recently about the old Space Invaders game.

Amazingly, I came across an online version.

I caught myself playing through five levels before I knew it.

When I was in my mid-teens, I could have cared less about the backdrop and history.

I found myself reading through the links and finding out more about the game.

I never could cough up the money in my teens to actually hone my skills at the game.

No need for a stack of quarters, this time, and you can enjoy it in the comfort of your home.

Reasons To Take Notes0
Joe M posted in Musing, homelife, opinion on May 12th, 2009

Over the past few days, I have continued to realize the importance of carrying my small, pocket-sized notebook.

Some of the GTD (Getting Things Done) blogs I keep up with, recommend carrying a stack of paper slips, and call it the ‘Hipster’ PDA.

Since that seems bulky to me, the pocket notebook seems to fit my needs better.

(Every time I hear the word ‘Hipster’, I can’t help but think of Cosmo Kramer from Seinfeld, and I want to add ‘Doofus’ to the end of the phrase.)

The amazing thing about me and taking notes is… my note-taking skills in high school really blew.

When I started taking college classes, they seemed to improve.  Not sure why or how, but they did.

It was at that point, that I began to show signs of development in that area.

When I finally landed in the IT workforce, they really began to grow.

At that point, I began taking some certification tests.  While others around me managed to score training classes for some of those, I challenged myself to a journey of self-enrichment.

I used my notes, any books I could get my hands on and the Internet as much as possible.

When it came time to study, I used my notes and a tape recorder.

I even got to the point to where I was using Powerpoint (okay, OpenOffice Present) to create a timed slide show of my notes, synchronized with the voiced tape recording of my notes.

I found that the combination of good notes and that regimen cut my study time by about two thirds.

Everyone has their own style of taking notes, but mine are a hybrid of mind-mapping and my own shorthand.

What do I write down?

• Hard to remember details, facts, figures, numbers, and inspirational ideas
• Bits of conversation
• Websites
• Problems
• Error messages
• Potential solutions
• Model numbers and prices
• Opinions and preferences of those with whom I interact

I came across an article not too long ago that talked about keeping a pen and paper available in the foyer and in the shower.

I don’t do that, but I think I probably compensate by keeping the notebook with me the rest of the time.

I use technology as much as anyone, but there is much room for improvement in using a stylus and a electronic tablet.  The tactile experience is not the same as pen and paper.  For some reason, the low-tech seems to fit my needs better, than the seemingly non-intuitive high-tech offerings.

Over the past couple of years, I found that my notebook has helped me in the following ways:

• Solving problems
• Making improvements
• Managing my calendar
• Interacting with others
• Bargain hunting
• Sharing ideas
• Choosing gifts for special occasions

It’s amazing.  For someone who despised taking notes in school… I now find myself relying on the practice, heavily.

Although I could make some improvements in my GTD regimens, this is one area that has developed amazingly, for me.

Note:  If I attend a meeting, I still carry a full-sized notebook, along with the small one.  The small one is for ‘life’ and portability, and I use the larger one for all of the meeting details.

Microsoft’s Shades of Grey Strategy0
Joe M posted in opinion, products on May 11th, 2009

I saw reports this weekend, that XP Mode in Windows 7 won’t work on some of the newer Intel and AMD processors.

While some may venture to say this could be by design, I am looking at it from a different angle.

We have been told that Microsoft is going to support Windows XP until 2014 for some enterprise agreements.

Unless I am missing something, that means that these enterprises have two choices:

• Spend money on Windows 7 and the upgrade and implementation, then employ the work-around of using XP Mode
• Keep using Windows XP with updates from Microsoft

If that is the case, what motivation will business enterprises have to move to Windows Vista or Windows 7?

Consider that the newer Intel and AMD chips won’t support virtualization (like XP Mode) and it makes you wonder if there is any reason to upgrade the hardware, either.

In the whole XP / W7 XP Mode decision and confusion, who is really in a fog?

If I understand Microsoft agreements, correctly, the users that are stuck in the ‘grey zone’ are consumers, and possibly small businesses.

That could also include anyone that does not have the financial resources to have negotiated a licensing agreement with Microsoft.

Would that include educational, religious and non-profits?

I am not sure.

I heard one rumor (and I emphasize rumor) that there is talk of Microsoft releasing one of the tiers of Windows 7 for free.

I am not so sure that would benefit the marketing principles and model that Microsoft has employed in the past.

Thinking about it… and entertaining my own opinions and suppositions…

How many people have bought PCs in the past decade(s) and have them pre-loaded with Windows?

From my observations, it looks as if most of the people in that scenario seem to have a mentality of, “I paid for it, I might as well use it.”

So, there is a presumptive, implied ownership or investment.

If that feeling is gone… as backwards as it may seem, I think we might see a difference in desktop market shares.

Next, what features and drawbacks would a free version of W7 offer?

I would think that it has to be somewhat ‘crippled,’ somewhere along the line.

When I think deeper about my own tangent here…

Would they only allow Microsoft applications to run on a free version?

That would mean that the consumer would have to spend money with Microsoft, somehow.  (That is, until some company comes out with a paid-package work-around.  Somebody’s got to get paid.)

To me, it seems that ultimately the goal would be to get the consumers to pull out their wallet.

The bottom line is, one might draw the conclusion from observation, Microsoft seems to either enjoy making people scratch their head or views some advantage to being unpredictable.

For some reason, it makes me think about the scene in Trading Places, in which the Duke brothers share a $1 bet.

‘Kung Fu’ For Your Operating System2
Joe M posted in free stuff, opinion, products, security on May 10th, 2009

I had a couple of days off this week.

After a couple months of begging from a friend of mine, I finally surrendered, and brought her machine home.

It was REALLY slow.  Running Windows XP Home, and it looked as if everyone in the household did whatever they wanted on it.

No virus scanner updates, malware ridden… there was much to do with it.

I took several hours.

I went through what used to be my usual regimen.  (Virus scan, reboot, malware scan, reboot, msconfig, reboot, registry tweaks, reboot, virus scan, reboot, etc.)

With each task, I would start it, then walk away.

After two days, I finally gave up.

Malware and viruses have gotten so sophisticated, I could have worked on the machine for a week… to no avail.

I finally used the HP recovery utility to restore the machine to the original factory fresh settings.

After that, I used PCDecrapifier to remove all of the junk that comes pre-loaded.  (That’s all of the trialware, upon first inspection, looks like a great deal?  That’s until you use it for 30/60/90 days and then it prompts you for your credit card info.)

Since no one in the user household really seems to pay attention to preventative maintenance… I was trying to figure out a way to allow them to surf the web, without putting the entire OS at risk.

Think of it as a software ‘Kung Fu’ for the OS.  The Goal is to keep the OS isolated from web activity, as much as possible.

Sandboxie is probably a pretty good solution for them.  (Sandboxie is about $41 US.  That’s actually a pretty good deal.  Lifetime registration, for any computer that you own… non-transferrable.  That means you can’t just install it for a friend to use.)

Instead of using Sandboxie, I decided to install VirtualBox (SunMicro) and set up a virtual machine running Ubuntu Linux as a guest OS. I also installed the Guestbox Additions, to make using the VM a little simpler.

For all of their surfing, outside of updates, they will use the Ubuntu VM.  That will place an addtional layer of security between Firefox and Windows.

If you would like a little info on VirtualBox, check out the website.

I set up a VM running Sugar, but you can substitute the Ubuntu ISO instead of Sugar.  Check out the details on my post here.

My rules of thumb for them?

• No file sharing
• Stay off the web, except inside the Ubuntu VM
• Never use Internet Explorer, except for software updates
• Don’t install anything in Windows, unless you are completely aware of what you are installing
• Regularly, run defrag and protection updates (malware and virus)

I think this is the best strategy, especially since there does not seem to be anyone really technical in their household.

It’s been a while since I took on a task like this, and I am amazed at how little I got accomplished in trying to clean the machine.

I knew cleaning the OS was like beating a dead horse, but I decided to try it for kicks.

The easiest thing to do, if you are having major problems?

Reinstall or restore!

After the restore, I ran the updates, and some tweaks.  The machine is practically flying, now.

Sometime this next week, I am going to post a refresher on setting up VirtualBox on Windows, with a Linux guest OS.

VirtualBox is free for personal use, as is Ubuntu.

The New Star Trek0
Joe M posted in opinion on May 9th, 2009

There are some things, that as a geek, you just have to do.

Most of those activities center movies, technology and comic books.

So, I wound up at the new Star Trek flick.

Having trained myself to have an open mind, I usually consider myself a ‘thinking-out-of-the-box’ type of guy.

Not sure if that is a result of years of IT… or a ‘delusional self-image.’

Without going into detail or providing any spoilers…

The writing was pretty good.

The pieces fit together in a great composite.

The story line embraced and balanced all of the characters.  There was a great deal of development into each character.

(Even though I loved and enjoyed most of the original series and the TOS movies, some of them were too focused on one or two characters.)

I can tell you, if you are expecting these young actors to be carbon copies of the former TOS actors… you’ll be disappointed.

For me, that was refreshing.  We watched for several years, and saw all of the TOS actors interpretations of each character.

I did not want to see Chris Pine doing William Shatner doing James Kirk.

…And I didn’t.

Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy flipping channels and landing on Star Trek TOS… only to see young Bill Shatner in a classic ST episode.

In my opinion, each actor brought more authenticity to the role than was originally afforded characters in TOS.

I especially liked Simon Peg and Anton Yelchin’s portrayals of Montgomery Scott and Pavel Chekov, respectively.

If you want to see the movie…  here are my suggestions:

1.  Go with an open mind.

2.  Don’t expect to see younger versions of the original actors. As I said, you won’t see the new actors doing impressions of the older actors.

3.  Concentrate on the characters and the plot. If you watched TOS enough, this will come pretty easily.

Overall, I think that having J.J. Abrams at helm was a big improvement over some of the previous Trek flicks.

I leave you with one point of interest…

The theme from the Original Series had lyrics.

Although we never heard them, Gene Roddenberry wrote them, and Alexander Courage wrote the music. (According to Snopes.com)

Quoted from a Google search:

Simplifying Tweets… When You’re ‘Occupied’0
Joe M posted in Musing on May 8th, 2009

Sometimes you just have to have those items you come across that don’t really seem to add any value, other than spawning a nerdy, but evil grin.

I came across this article on Hackaday.

The guys there came across a howto… with engineering precision, I might add.

For those of us living in a closet, Twitter is a micro-blogging site.

You can send posts to Twitter (Tweets) from your cellphone or the web.

In a nutshell, Twitter is being used for quite a few things.

It was bound to happen.

Someone created a Twitter account, for their toilet.

As far as I can tell, every time someone presses the lever, an entry gets made to the Twitter blog.

Not sure if this is a statement as to some of the value on Twitter, or if it’s “just because it’s there.”

You can click the picture above to see the latest micro-blog entries for this (state-of-the-art?) hack.

All jokes aside…

If you read the original article, it’s pretty impressive.  Someone really seems to know what they were doing.

Note:  I avoided all of the puns, as tempting as they were.

Windows 7 and XP Mode0
Joe M posted in opinion, products on May 7th, 2009

Reading a little over the past few days on the Windows 7 XP Mode, it left me scratching my head a little.

Obviously, over the past few months, Microsoft has had several challenges in getting the private and business sector to embrace and buy Windows 7.

What has been the problem?

First, understand, that the stability of a business or corporation in it’s software is usually to stick with what works.

When you introduce new operating systems and new software, you end up with a vacuum of resources and several complications that could be best described as Murphy’s Law.

(In the past, Microsoft has been fairly lucky in previous versions of Windows.

It’s not hard to remember trying to upgrade to the next version, and having to buy new hardware.

It was always a cycle.  Whenever you wanted to upgrade one item, you always ended up spending a great deal more than you planned.)

If you stick with what works, and change as few components as possible, you have needs for legacy support.

For Windows, that means that you are trying to run old Windows or DOS programs on a newer version of Windows.

Microsoft’s response to running legacy applications on Windows 7, is called XP Mode.

From what I understand, it’s running Windows XP in a virtual machine on top of Windows 7.

My questions are:

Doesn’t that create a Catch-22?  Microsoft ended support for XP last month (except for customers with long term or extended support).

How long did it take for them to devise that solution for running legacy applications?

Obviously, if XP mode counts as an application, the lower-end versions of Windows 7 won’t be the one that anyone will desire.  That will especially be true for users of legacy apps.

As for Windows 7 itself, something tells me that the lower-end versions will initially be released on quite a bit of consumer hardware.

Like products MS Works and Outlook Express, my suspicion is that the consumer will have to pay more for a version of Windows they actually want… (and my guess is… Mr. Consumer won’t know that he doesn’t want it, until he gets it home and has to use it for several months.)

With the release candidate out yesterday, for the final release of W7, I would shoot for late July or early August.

That’s me, a guess, a dart and a calendar.

Tidying Up With CCleaner0
Joe M posted in Home Support, free stuff, products on May 6th, 2009

Seems like I am constantly getting drafted to fix Windows.

Guess I shouldn’t complain.  I should have some great job security.

Sometimes I feel like the Windows Janitor.

I came across CCleaner.

It cleans temp files from several major browsers and works pretty fast.

There is a registry cleaner within CCleaner.  (I do think there is a diminishing point of returns in registry cleaning.  There are many that are out there, but there are not as many registry keys impacting performance as the authors would like you to believe.)

This is a feature that I found pretty helpful.

You have an uninstaller, startup editor and restore point manager all in one interface.

That’s pretty handy.

CCleaner is free, and you can make a Paypal donation on their website.

Boosting A Bot-Net… For Research0
Joe M posted in security on May 5th, 2009

People at the University of California (Santa Barbara) successfully hi-jacked a bot-net earlier this year.

Ars Technica has a good write-up on the topic.

The bot-net is / was controlled and propogated by malware for Windows, called Torpig.

The researchers maintained control of the bot-net for about 10 days, before it was seized from their control.

Credentials for 300,000 logins and 56,000 passwords were observed during the time that the researchers controlled the network.  Traffic for some 410 financial institutions traversed the bot-net.

The conclusion?

Windows users evidently are still not very security conscious… and their info is ready to harvest.   Basically, we live on an information ‘pig farm,’ with no shortage of choice pork.

The interesting part of this story is, by hi-jacking the bot-net, the researchers could in theory be violating the DMCA.  That’s a little scary, considering that the results have been shared, and ultimately should lead to more solutions for combating malware.

Reading over the article, I am reminded at how many techniques the malware authors use to gather information.

Reading over some of the results, they’re sophisticated enough to collect statistics and analyze trends.

It’s pretty obvious that planning and forecasting have become a major part of the dark market for collecting financial and personal information, then subsequently employing malware to mine the data.

It appears to be a dark plan, complete with experienced project management.

When you think about the number of casual Windows users out there, with the attitude… “One day I want to learn more about my PC and the internet.”

It puts a different perspective on what each user is up against, every time they log on to their laptop or PC.  It’s a little intimidating, to say the least.

The researchers have published a PDF file, “Your Botnet is My Botnet: Analysis of a Botnet Takeover.”

This is on my list of items to read, over the next few days.

CD Wallets, Simple & Sweet0
Joe M posted in Howto, homelife on May 4th, 2009

CDs are pretty inexpensive, these days.

Actually, the way things have unfolded, the plastic CD cases are more expensive than the actual CDs.

I came across a video on YouTube, showing how to take a sheet of paper and make a CD wallet that would hold two CDs.

I found that folding the paper in a variation and adding a piece of extra Scotch tape, actually allowed you to put three CDs in the wallet.

Here is my spin:

Fold the paper, longways, and off-center.

Next, fold the paper, almost in half.  The shorter previous fold should be to the outside.  Leave about a quarter of an inch overlap on one side.

Take the overlap portion, and fold it in, and insert it into the other side of the envelope.

Now, place a piece of Scotch tape along the seam on the bottom, and one along the side.  Fold the tape and secure it along the two seams.

You can now put three CDs in the newly created wallet.

Having to take an install CD or CDs to another location, I constantly drop them.  The result is either a broken and or scratched CD and / or case.

One of the advantages is that now, you can place the CDs in the wallet into a planner or a portfolio.  No need for bulky or expensive plastic cases.

If you want to share a photo CD, recovered documents or a Linux distribution… this is a great way to do it, and keep your cost down.

Who hasn’t got spare paper printed with ads or nonsense from the web?

Hacking Chocolate Cake0
Joe M posted in homelife on May 2nd, 2009

There’s something about computer geeks and laziness.

It’s not the traditional type of laziness… Heaven knows, we spend a great deal of time, energy… sweat, blood and tears working on tech projects.

That mentality draws a ’shortcut’ ethic.  You can call it a hack.

I love kitchen hacks, too.

Over at Dizzy Dee, you’ll find a recipe for chocolate cake… wonderful… you make it in five minutes.

Quoted:

4 Tablespoons cake flour
4 Tablespoons sugar
2 Tablespoons cocoa
1 Egg
3 Tablespoons  milk
3 Tablespoons oil

Combine the ingredients in a mug… stir… put in the microwave for 3 minutes. (2:15 to 2:30 if you have a super microwave.)

Just let it cool, and enjoy.

Check out the posting at Dizzy Dee for full instructions and pictures.

I want to try this, but in variations.  Looks like some great potential.

You can also scroll down and read the comments, for other variations on the recipe.

Getting More From The Gimp1
Joe M posted in free stuff, products on May 1st, 2009

For graphics editing, I love The Gimp.

The application packs quite a bit of power and responsibility.

For the beginner, it’s not easy to use.  It’s one of the drawbacks to using an application with that much flexibility.

There are plenty of tutorials around on how to use it.

Earlier this evening, I stumbled across “Grokking The Gimp” by Carey Bunks.

I bought this book for my mother a year or so ago.

It was originally written in 2000, but looking over it, the concepts are still the same.

There’s quite a bit of information, but it covers just about every aspect of using The Gimp.

I had to stop myself from stealing the book from my mom.

If you have any interest in graphics editing, this is a great book, and hard to put down.

The cool part?

There is an online version available here.

It’s also available as a compressed HTML file (or tarball) for download.

Note:  Dictionary.com defines grok as

–verb (used with object)
1.     to understand thoroughly and intuitively.
–verb (used without object)
2.     to communicate sympathetically.

It might be my lack of exposure, but I don’t recall the term before now. After having read some of the book, the title is accurate and appropriate.

The Gimp is free and open source, available for Windows, Linux and Mac OS X.