Computer management
Excellent presentation on removing malware
I have been mentioning Mark Russinovich for years. Russinovich probably knows as much about how Windows works as anybody alive. Before he joined Microsoft, he was the co-founder of Sysinternals and developed many first-rate Windows system tools. These tools are still being improved under the Microsoft aegis and one very useful utility is Process Explorer. [...]
Routers being attacked by botnet
Many of you probably have a router. Did you ever change the default password or are you still using “admin” or whatever came with the router? These default passwords are well known to everybody and not changing them is an open invitation to hackers. PC World looks at a recent exploit from what is called [...]
Another Windows 7 power management bug
Here’s another problem with power management in Windows 7. This one is described at Microsoft KB979444. So far I haven’t run into it but I haven’t been using a Windows 7 system over long periods. This bug involves a computer crashing after being used for a period of time. Here is Microsoft’s description:
You have a [...]
Windows Vista/7 power management bug
I personally ran into the following on a Vista laptop. I turned off the system in the usual way, putting the PC into the hybrid sleep mode. I then closed the lid. I could have just closed the lid and that would also have put the system to sleep. By both turning off the PC [...]
Problems with Windows XP update
There are reports that the recent batch of Windows updates included one patch that is causing some Windows XP systems trouble. Gregg Keizer reports at Computerworld:
Tuesday’s security updates from Microsoft have crippled Windows XP PCs with the notorious Blue Screen of Death (BSOD), users have reported on the company’s support forum.
Complaints began early yesterday, and [...]
How entrenched mediocrity can persist
As far as I can tell, a large majority of computer professionals believe that the Internet Explorer (IE) browser is inferior to Firefox or the up-and-coming Chrome. Nonetheless, IE still claims over 60% of worldwide usage. IE usage has been slipping but the majority of the world still uses what is generally considered an inferior [...]
Windows 7 stability update causing problems
Last week Microsoft issued some non-security updates for Windows 7. Unfortunately, one of them seems to be causing trouble. The problem update is KB977074. The best solution for those having problems seems to be to uninstall the update. Ars Technica has more on the problem.
Operating system results
Here are the results of the poll on which operating system readers use:
Restore missing or disappearing tray icons in Windows Vista
Here’s an annoying Vista problem. Periodically, I would find my network connection and some other tray icons disappearing. A little research revealed that it is a Vista bug caused by some Registry entries filling up. Sometimes rebooting brings the vanishing icons back but not always. You may have to resort to editing the Registry. (Back [...]
A tale of three browsers
Recently both the Firefox and Chrome browsers have been updated. If you are still using Internet Explorer (IE) as your browser, I urge you to consider trying either Firefox or Chrome. I am aware that many people find the prospect of downloading and installing a browser to be daunting but the procedure is very easy; [...]
Get WinPatrol PLUS for 99¢
I have often mentioned the fine security utility WinPatrol. Now for one day only (Jan. 29) you can get the PLUS version for 99¢. I’ve used WinPatrol for years and I recommend it. Its creator Bill Pytlovany writes:
I’m curious and thinking a crazy single day experiment could be fun and may be worth the risk. [...]
