How to pay less for Windows 7
The retail price for Windows 7 is pretty steep. In fact, you can pay almost as much for some versions as the price of a new laptop. But there are legitimate ways to pay less. At ZDNet, Ed Bott has posted Seven perfectly legal ways to get Windows 7 cheap (or even free):
Only suckers pay retail.
If you’ve read any reviews of Windows 7, you’ve seen references to its price list, which ranges from $120 for a Home Premium upgrade to $320 for a fully licensed copy of Windows 7 Ultimate.
Well, guess what? You don’t have to pay that much. Most people have much better options available, if you know where to look. As I’ve detailed here, the best deals go to PC manufacturers, which you benefit from if you buy a new PC.
But there are plenty of other discounts available as well. In this post, I’ve researched deals in three separate categories: upgrade offers available to anyone, special deals just for students, and subscriptions intended for technical professionals and developers.
Quick tricks to repair a wireless connection
While we are on the subject of wireless networking (previous post), let me remind you of the trick that often repairs a wireless Internet connection that is slow or inoperative. Sometimes all it takes is to reboot the modem and/or router. Turn the power off for 10 seconds and then turn it back on.
Also, sometimes rebooting your computer will work. And don’t forget that Windows has a repair function for network connections. Often a problem is due to trouble getting an IP assignment from your router. If you have the network icon in your tray (AKA notification area), right-click it and choose “Repair” as shown in the figure below for Windows XP.
The procedure in Vista is very similar except that the menu reads “Diagnose and Repair”.
Secure your home wireless network
A lot of us have home networks or at least are using wireless to connect to the Internet. Unfortunately, we are not always careful about making the network secure. I have posted about setting up a wireless network before and here is another article worth reading. It’s at Digital Inspiration and is described:
This article describes how you can secure your Wireless Network from hackers and you’ll also learn about free tools that people generally use to intercept your Wi-Fi signals.
Google Wave
I keep seeing references to Google Wave and even my wife is asking what it is, So here’s an explanation. It is an experimental program in Web collaboration. Groups of people can edit and discuss documents with each other in real-time. Presently, you have to be invited to participate. For more information see this Lifehacker guide:
Google Wave is a new web-based collaboration tool that’s notoriously difficult to understand. This guide will help. Here you’ll learn how to use Google Wave to get things done with your group. Because Wave is such a new product that’s evolving quickly, this guidebook is a work in progress that will update in concert with Wave as it grows and changes.
Find out what Google stores about you
If you have a Google account, you can now take a peek at what kind of information Google has stored about you. Google has announced Google Dashboard:
Today, we are excited to announce the launch of Google Dashboard. Have you ever wondered what data is stored with your Google Account? The Google Dashboard offers a simple view into the data associated with your account — easily and concisely in one location.
The sign-in link to Google Dashboard is here.
Added later: here’s a closer look at Google Dashboard from PC World.
Firefox update coming
Another Firefox update, version 3.55, is coming sometime today. If you have enabled automatic notification of updates, you should receive a notification soon. Otherwise, open the “Help” menu in Firefox and click “Check for Updates”. As of this writing (11:15 EST) the update is not yet available at Mozilla but gHacks is providing a download site.
The malware industry
I’ve posted before about how cybercrime has become an organized industry but here’s some more on the subject; it’s a Microsoft report entitled, “Microsoft Security Intelligence Report Volume 7″. PC World comments:
Malware makers – the criminals responsible for viruses and worms – have become increasingly organized and sophisticated, according to a Microsoft security report that was released today. Gamers, the gullible, USB drive users, and people who don’t patch their PCs are their biggest targets.
Cybercriminals are organized like corporations, and follow regular software release cycles, said Jeff Williams, principal group program manager for the Microsoft Malware Protection Center: “They are working for monetary gain.”
How to toggle Adobe Flash on and off
Adobe Flash clips are ubiquitous on the Web and that includes a lot of advertising. The Windows Flash player can also be a vector for malware and needs frequent security updates. As a result, many PC users might find it useful to be able to turn Flash on and off as desired.
The Firefox browser has the extension NoScript that I have often mentioned. This extension provides the ability to disable or enable Flash for a given Web site.
Users of Internet Explorer have two utilities that can toggle Flash on and off. These are not site specific but are easy to use. One is from Nir Sofer and works for Windows XP. It is called TurnFlash. It consists of a single small executable file that places an icon in the Taskbar. Simply click the icon to turn Flash on or off.
Another utility that works in Vista as well as XP is Toggle Flash. It places a toggle button in the Internet Explorer toolbar. The author says that the application is unsigned so installation will likely get a security warning. When Flash is disabled, sites will give an incorrect warning that you need to update your Flash player. (Requires IE7 or later and Net Framework 2.0.)
Can whitelisting help combat the malware epidemic?
Malware on the Internet is a bad situation and any good news on that front is welcome. So it is encouraging to see that security expert Roger Grimes says that whitelisting may be an effective defense. Writing at InfoWorld, Grimes reviews five whitelisting applications and says that whitelisting may be the new best defense against modern malware. He begins his reviews:
Whitelisting security has always taken a backseat to blacklisting approaches. After all, when there is far more good software running on computers and networks than bad software, it’s just easier to block the bad than to approve all the good. But that was then, and this is now.
In 2009, the computer security defense world quietly marked a momentous threshold that should have us all looking anew at the value of whitelisting. Last year, the number of unique malicious programs and variants that were created outstripped all the legitimate software published in the world, straining the accuracy of anti-virus solutions like never before. It’s a disturbing fact that suggests whitelisting is now more suitable as a primary security defense than traditional anti-virus scanners, which are really nothing more than blacklisting programs.
Now for some good news: Just as whitelisting may be finding a receptive audience, a number of whitelisting solutions are proving to be mature, capable, and manageable enough to provide significant protection while still giving trustworthy users room to breathe. Nor are today’s whitelisting programs limited to locking down desktops to prevent malware executions — they’re also useful for software configuration and licensing compliance and regulatory auditing.
Grimes particularly likes Bit9 Parity Suite. At the moment, whitelisting suites are aimed at businesses and large users but whitelisting might soon be part of the home PC anti-malware arsenal. In fact, Windows 7 Enterprise and Ultimate have a limited type of whitelisting called AppLocker. Perhaps Microsoft will see the light and make something for the home version or perhaps one of the security vendors will.
Update Java
Guess what? Another security patch- this time it’s Java. The update link is here. You might also be able to update using the Java applet in Control Panel. It’s easier to find the applet if you use Classic View in Windows XP. Be sure to uncheck any extras you don’t want from the Java update site.
Microsoft updates MSN.com
Microsoft is giving a new look to its Web portal MSN.com. Computerworld reports:
Microsoft plans to start rolling out a redesigned MSN.com on Wednesday in the U.S., the first major update for the page in more than 10 years.
Frequent visitors to the site will immediately notice one major change: The new page has only half the number of links as the old one. That’s a sharp departure from the previous design, which featured around 40 links on just the top third of the page. The site has also dropped the trademark blue background for a simpler white page.