Computer Virus Protection on a Budget

If you are running Windows, you need to have virus protection. It’s just that simple.

I typically recommend McAfee because it hasn’t caused as many headaches for me over the years as some other virus protection has (I really don’t like Norton).

However, virus protection like McAfee can be pretty pricey, sometimes you just need a free alternative. If that’s the case, give AVG a try. It’s a download, and it’s free (so you don’t have an excuse to go online without some form of virus protection… you don’t even have to wear clothes to get AVG). The latest version (which was just released) installed fine for me, and seems user-friendly enough for a virus scan.

In my experience with older versions of AVG, it doesn’t catch as much as McAfee, so this shouldn’t be your first choice, but it is a solid temporary solution if you can’t afford pricey virus protection.

Practice safe computing on a budget by downloading AVG.

Download Microsoft’s Free Security Tool

Microsoft is providing free security software called Microsoft Security Essentials for all Windows XP, Vista, & 7 users. It protects against many viruses, malware, and spyware.

If you are a Windows user, I strongly recommend using this in addition to your regular virus protection (not in place of it).

You can download the software here.

Practice safe computing with good virus protection.

Goooooo stock photography!

Big Files = Big Issues

Here’s a reader tech question from Robbyn:

Writing with a technical question, using my MacBook Pro I’ve been trying to copy a 4.93 GB .mov file to an external hard drive. Every time I try to do this I get an error message that reads: “Sorry, the operation could not be completed because an unexpected error occurred. (Error code 0)” I’ve tried zipping the file, but still have the same problem. I’m also not sure how to split up the file without having to convert it to another format which I’d rather not do since I’m sending it to someone to edit and I’d like to have it in the raw format so as not to lose any quality.

Well Robbyn, it sounds like an issue with the file system type on your external hard drive. Now I know you are wondering what that means so let me give you a quick overview:

Windows likes to format their partitions using one of their file systems, and Macs like to use their own. Unfortunately, they really don’t get along all that well. The only file system type that really works well on both Windows machines and Macs is FAT32. However, FAT32 has a bunch of issues including being pretty poor compared to other the newer formats, and more importantly, not supporting files over 4gb in size.

Unfortunately, you are trying to copy a big file, and big files not supported.. that’s probably the problem right there. Simple solution – check if it is formatted in FAT32 and reformat to HFS+ “non-case sensitive” because you that’s really unnecessary, and “non-journaled” because it tends to be more compatible, albeit slightly less secure in cases of drive failure. This will have some repercussions though, including all files will be deleted during the reformatting process and, as you might have guessed, HFS+ drives are not supported in Windows.

Now the other issue – the drive might be formatted using the NTFS file system, which is the one Microsoft currently employs for most Windows XP machines and all later operating systems.  And the issue with NTFS, it cannot inherently be written to by Macs.  Solution – same as above.  For big files, you need to use HFS+ for make your Mac fully support NTFS using some downloads from the Internet.  I would suggest, unless you need to be able to use your drive on both a Windows and a Mac, use HFS+.

In order to do all of this on a Mac, you can follow the following steps:

1. Open “Applications” in either your Finder, or on the Dock.
2. Find and click on the folder named “Utilities.”
3. In the “Utilities” folder you will find an application called “Disk Utility” – Open it.
4. You should see something like the image below.
5. Click on the drive you need to work on.
6. Change the file format using the “Volume Format” drop down in the center of the screen.

Please ask for clarification if you need any further guidance. Best of luck.

Geek Arguments Courtesy of Wired

I’m exhausted beyond the point of original thought – Here’s a funny one yanked from Wired.com (However, I did edit a small typo. They misspelled aficionado).

10. “No real programmer would ever use PHP.” – This won’t work for every geek, of course, but for those it works on, it should work really well.

9. “Comic books are just for kids!” – I’m sure you’ve heard this one before—I know I certainly heard it often enough in high school, and even though it’s even less true now than it was then, I’m sure comic book aficionados still hear it today.

8. “Role-playing games are just for people who can’t deal with real life.” – There are, sadly, still a lot of people who think anyone who plays D&D must live in his parents’ basement and bathe once a month. Such people must be put straight, and immediately!

7. “The Pirates of the Caribbean movies are so realistic!” – I doubt many people actually believe this, but there are an awful lot of misconceptions about pirates out there, so you never know.

6. “Yeah, I got an Xbox 360 so my daughter could play Hello Kitty games. Is it really good for anything else?” – We’ve hit the ones that are hard for me even to type, now…

5. “Mac, Windows, or Linux? Does it really make a difference?” – An argument so old its original form was probably first written down in hieroglyphs, I know, but I don’t know a single geek it wouldn’t work on—myself included.

4. “The Ewoks were the best thing about the original Star Wars trilogy.” / “Greedo shot first!” - I couldn’t decide between the two. If one doesn’t work, I’ll bet the other one would.

3. “Tolkien? Ehhh, I prefer Terry Brooks!” – I almost feel like I should argue with myself just for writing that. I’m going to let the top two stand for themselves.

2. “Joss Whedon is a hack!”

1. “I don’t see what’s so bad about DRM!”

Nine out of ten of these statements would drive me nuts. Any guesses which one wouldn’t?

Check back tomorrow when I reveal the shocking answer (And post something sensible).

Update

The answer is #8. State the other nine at your own peril!

Minesweeper The Movie

What if Minesweeper was a movie???

It’s the User Experience Stupid!

The PC vs. Mac ad war continues to rage.

A few weeks ago I wrote about the first of what has become a series of PC “Laptop Hunters” ads. I’m continuing to stand being my original analysis of the “Lauren” ad. The two subsequent PC Hunters ads weren’t quite the train wreck that Lauren was, but I still found the people in the ads obnoxious and ill-informed; shouting off random computer parts and claiming to be tech savvy doesn’t appeal to me at all.

The biggest problem with these ads is that they completely ignore the user experience. Microsoft doesn’t sell Blu-ray drives, monitors, or graphics cards. They sell software. They sell a user experience, and that experience is lacking but it isn’t unsellable. These ads were pretty damn good:

These two ads are simple and elegant. They address the user experience in a clear and friendly manner. Plus, how can you get have a problem with those little girls? They seem far more intelligent than the tools that appear in the PC Hunters ads. The four year-old came across as more authoritative and likable than Lauren, Giampalolo, Lisa, or Jackson.

In response, Apple is using the same old formula to continue point out the flawed Windows user experience, and why not? These ads have been working wonders. Here are two of the new ones:

Another problem that Microsoft has is that Apple has had an active and preachy community for decades. There wasn’t a completely devoted community of PC users in the same way that there was a Mac community. Tight knit communities form around minority views. Additionally, many of the devoted PC users of the past (like myself) jumped ship to Apple over the past few years.

If Microsoft want’s to plug the holes, the answer isn’t poking holes at Apple; Microsoft doesn’t have the credibility to pull it off. They need to prop up their product and make it as cute, pretty, and above all, as likable as possible. They need to highlight the virtues of their own user experience, even if there aren’t many of them.

It's the user experience stupid!

Will the Real Bill Gates Please Stand Up

After months of speculation, the creator of Conficker has revealed himself.

Now, for those of you who don’t know, I’m talking about the announcement earlier that Bill Gates made at his press conference when he admitted to writing the Conficker virus to give himself control over everyone’s computer.

“I left the security hole in Windows to allow me to one day start all of this.”  When asked what it it is he was starting, he simply smiled.

Microsoft products are installed on more than 99% of all of the world’s computers.  If this is Bill Gates’s first step towards taking control of all these computers then we might very well be screwed.

The exact outcome of this virus, although still not unclear, is going to leave us living in fear of Bill Gate.

“I tried my hand at philanthropy for a while but it just didn’t feel right. I needed to return to my roots and take another pass at conquering the world!” Gates concluded with an uncomfortably long and maniacal cackle.

Disclaimer – all information above has been gathered from reliable sources and can be verified with the use of the Interweb.

Microsoft Announces Windows Serenity

Windows Serenity

In an unexpected press conference Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer announced the successor to Windows Vista’s successor Windows 7, Windows Serenity.

“For the past decade Microsoft has rested on its indomitable market share. We are still the leading personal computing platform, but we can see the writing on the wall. People aren’t happy with Microsoft, with our products and as a responsible, forward-thinking software company we are going to change course,” Ballmer stated.

He continued to say, “A yearlong study on user expectations has revealed that users want a simple, elegant, and stable operating system. We will deliver just that.”

Ballmer went on to explain that previous user expectations research reported that the average user sought a “complicated, slow, and malware susceptible machine that returns popup warnings on a regular basis.” “We give the people what they want,” Ballmer said with a chuckle.

The CEO concluded, “Microsoft is well-known for it’s adaptability, innovation, and ahead of the curve thinking. We are the people who brought you some of the most complicated and convoluted mass-market operating systems that the world has ever seen… surely we can build a simple, user-friendly platform.”

While there is no official release date for Windows Serenity, sources from within Microsoft who seem incapable of containing leaks, say that the operating system should find its way to store shelves in early 2011.

How To Protect Yourself From Conficker

I’m not writing any more on Conficker prevention or safety but remember that April 1 is tomorrow and no one knows what will happen with this worm.

If you need more info, check Lifehackers post:

How To Protect Your Windows PC from the Conficker Worm

Practice Safe Computing.

Conficker Counter-Panic

Over the last 24 hours there have been a number of articles posted on tech news sites that are downplaying the impending Conficker evolution on April 1.

Most of the articles point out that Conficker isn’t the worst virus ever created because it has been defeated by Windows patches and virus scans.

They also acknowledge that the new infection has diminished greatly over the last few weeks.

Both of these are true. However, if you are still infected the virus can still do damage.

It’s a threat. How much of a threat is undefinable because no one knows what will happen after April 1. I am advocating for people to clean up their computers because it isn’t in anyone’s best interests to operate on a computer infected with malware of any kind. I’m also fairly certain that the people reading and writing tech news sites are the ones who are at risk. The people at risk frequently don’t know it and won’t get their computers fixed unless someone knowledgeable identifies the problem and fixes it for them.

If you aren’t infected and your computer is up-to-date Conficker isn’t a threat just as Hepatitis B isn’t a threat to a person who has been vaccinated against it.

The bottom-line as I have said in my last three posts on the subject:

If you keep Windows up-to-date and make sure that you have a current virus scan, you should be safe from both Conficker and most other viruses that are circulating the Internet.

If Conficker doesn’t do anything terrible on April Fool’s Day – That’s wonderful! But why put yourself at unnecessary risk?

Practices safe computing.

Don’t Screw with Conficker *A Call to Action*

This is no joke. I’m not exaggerating. If you are not 100% certain that your computer is absolutely Conficker free you are making a very big mistake.

This is the third time I am writing about this worm because it remarkably scary. 

For more background, you can read my initial posts:

PC Virus: Downadup/ Conficker/ Kido 

Don’t Mess with Conficker! Make Sure Your Computer is Clean

Conficker is a worm that impacts Windows computers. It is a rather impressive program that is constantly evolving at the will of its creator(s). It can be contracted through a download or it can spread over networks. Some versions are capable of breaking simple passwords.

On April 1, 2009 Conficker will evolve once again. If you are infected be prepared to wake up to an April Fools Day gag that won’t be very funny.

No one but it’s creator(s) know what it will do, but I’m a “prepare for the worst and hope for the best” kind of guy. I recommend that you imagine Conficker is under this guy’s control:

"Why so serious?"

It is possible that it will end up being a big April Fools joke from a guy like this:

… But it is foolish and dangerous to assume that Conficker is innocuous. The creator(s) of Conficker have built something very elaborate and will be in a heap of trouble if they are caught. The risks and effort involved do not suggest that they are playing a practical joke.

The Geek Whisperer’s three pronged call to action

 

1

This virus is stoppable. You can update your computers using Windows Updates and install a proper virus scan. Backup your data, and do whatever you can to make sure that your computer is virus free.

If you can’t do it yourself, call a friend.

No tech-savvy friends? Pay someone to do it. 

Just make sure your computer is clean. 

If you are infected, you can clean your machine with this tool.

If your computer refuses to run or install Windows Updates, you probably have a virus. If you think your computer is a cesspool of viruses and malware, just bite the bullet and reformat it before April 1.

Even if Conficker doesn’t do anything terrible, you are still doing yourself a favor by cleaning up your machine.

2

Spread the word to everyone you can. Email this post, don’t email this post, I don’t care. Just please warn everyone you can.

3

If you have the skills to remove this worm or secure a system from it I firmly believe that you have an obligation to help family and friends who do not have the skills to protect themselves. No one knows what will happen to infected machines as of April 1. 

Always practice safe computing and in this instance, please help others do the same.

Shattering the Apple Fortress Myth in Seconds

I have two Macs, but I despise the myth that Apple has created an impenetrable and completely secure system. The “it just works” crowd drives me up the wall because while I like Macs and they are considerably more safe and stable than their Windows-based counterparts, they are far from perfect.

Yesterday at the CanSecWest Pwn2Own 2009 in Vancouver, Charlie Miller entered a Apple Safari hacking contest that began at 3:15 pm and won it before the clock struck 3:16. He fed the Mac a link and once it was clicked, he took control of the target machine. Simple as that.

Charlie won $10,000 and the Mac that he conquered. 

A patch will be issued at some-point in the future to remedy the weakness. 

For the record, later at the same contest, someone who goes by “Nils” defeated Microsoft’s future browser, Internet Explorer 8 (which hasn’t left Beta) and Mozilla’s Firefox.

The lesson to take away from this is that no one should assume that a platform is unbreakable. If you own a Mac and have developed a case of Apple arrogance, give yourself a reality check. That arrogance is putting your computer and your data at risk.

Always install security patches and practice safe computing.

Perspective On Digital Reality – Windows

If you think that Microsoft is going to die sometime soon, just remember that they have some crazy market-share - “In February, 88.4% of users who connected to the Web sites monitored by Net Applications Inc. did so from systems powered by Windows… (Keizer).“

So, if you aren’t using a Mac but you feel like everyone else on Earth is… you really aren’t alone.

Not going away anytime soon.

Don’t Mess with Conficker! Make Sure Your Computer is Clean

The Downadup/ Conficker/ Kido worm is no laughing matter. Please, for the love of all things technology make sure that you don’t have it.

Run Windows Updates! Get a good virus scan (if you don’t already have one), and make sure that the virus scan is up-to-date. 

I’ve already written about this worm before, but it is so dangerous that the warning bears repeating.

It is entirely possible that the initial worm which has infected millions of PCs around the world might be the first wave. Conficker looks like it has the capabilities to update itself and trigger a second wave of attacks – which could be more vicious. 

This is one of those problems where the technical reasons and manner in which the worm works, don’t really matter. What does matter is that you make sure you are not and infected.

If you care to read more about Conficker or the tech industries united front against this menace, this article is pretty good:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/13/AR2009021302080.html

Please! Please! Please! Practice safe computing by staying Conficker free.

PC Virus: Downadup/ Conficker/ Kido

Downadup/ Conficker/ Kido – Three different names, same self-replicating worm. It affects computers running Windows operating systems. Put simply, you really don’t want to be one of the more than 15 million people stuck dealing with this virus. 

What’s the cure? 

Windows Updates!

Run Windows Updates until all of the updates are installed. If you have been practicing safe computing and kept your computer up-to-date, you don’t have much to worry about. A patch was released last October that fixes the vulnerability that Downadup/ Conficker/ Kido exploits to do its damage.

This is a perfect demonstration of why you should always keep your software up-to-date. Software companies spend a ton of money identifying and patching vulnerabilities in an effort to prevent worms like this from spreading. Download the updates, they’re free and can save you a lot of grief.

Mac, PC, or Linux – practice safe computing by keeping your software up-to-date.