Replies

Hi Fred
I agree. I still redirect the default Docs folder as a simple exercise to separate files and data from OS and programs. (for the most part). I find keeping and backing up a data partition daily and the OS weekly the simplest way. I also like organizing my files differently than Microsoft does.

For many people, the division is unnecessary. But I’ve found the more you handle digitally, the more important it gets to be able to manage all that simply. So I still like a separate partition.

I agree with pcguy. I’ve been using OpenOffice and now LibreOffice for some years now. Including for complex projects. The subscription model may be advantageous for a larger family but for a couple of people, not so much. Just think Annual x 4 years = $400. Cheaper to buy 2 Home versions. Or skip it altogether with Libre. And Skydrive? Lots of alternatives. I use Box free and they threw in tons of extra space.

The trend also leaves people parking their documents in the cloud. That’s not a backup if it’s the only place they’re stored. It also leads to all kinds of new possible loss issues.

Businesses may have tax reasons to make renting software advantageous vs depreciation. But for many small businesses, the math is simpler.

Interesting detail on Skype. I have a $30 annual subscription that gives me unlimited NAmerica wide calling from Skype to any phones. This is pre-MS. Curious they would randomly limit the licences that way.

I also got offered Bing Desktop on Win7 this week as an Optional which I Hid.

The problem with the net icon showing activity is all kinds of stuff on a computer today phones home. Checking for updates, reporting usage, etc etc. You need more sophisticated monitoring to see what doesn’t belong.

This is why 100’s of thousands of computers have been infected and the owners have no clue.

Thanks for the update. Had heard about the peer to peer changes but not the Tor part.
Nasty.

Heads up on the Flash Player update.
The latest version update came as a reminder. It installed McAfee Scan Plus automatically without asking. Reviews for the product were very low, so I clicked uninstall and it simply dropped off the list. No removal activity. So I downloaded the McAfee Removal Tool. It removed a whole list of “products” (components?) and required a reboot.

The only McAfee product I’ve ever intentionally installed on here was SiteAdvisor but I’ve not used it in years.

Susan – I remember history a little differently. Netscape was the much better browser and more web sites were built to it’s non-standard standards, like Netscape colours. But IE was not only offered free, it was included with new computers. New computer users that were unfamiliar with installing software simply used what they already had. Many web designers had to go back and add tweaks to make their sites work in IE. And along came the browser wars with different sites recommending you use a certain browser for it to work. What a pain. And the browsers were often late in adopting new standards so they couldn’t be used.

So happy when Web Standards finally came along and were widely adopted. You didn’t even have to talk about it in your article.

Just another reason for backup – I used TrueCrypt for awhile. Then one day, it refused to open. Said there was a problem. As the folder held some key files, this was very bad news. I did manage to recover the contents but won’t touch it now.

As a related bit, I found one piece of unique software, useful for hiding files you don’t want easy access to but not securing them, the Free Hide Folder. With a password it sets folders to hidden. You can’t see them to browse the files. But if you know the filename, you can search and find the files, then open and use them. Certainly not security but hides them from casual looks. If you need something lighter.

I like VLC but have been using Daum Potplayer longer and like it better. Its the newer version of the well known KMPlayer.
Like KM, the menus are mostly r-click based and sometimes a little fiddly to find things in. I’ve also had to look up a few things online to know how to set it properly. Pot has much improved skin changes over KM. And it will play everything I’ve tried on it, including some pretty obscure formats – unless the file was corrupted.

Peter re: mov files. Media files are containers that may contain various kinds of video and audio compression. You run into this if you want to convert to devices that are fussy about format. I suspect your security system uses an obscure audio compression type. I you don’t mind a little geek, when you open a file in Super (free), it will tell you the details about the file. You can use it to convert to something standard as well.

For myself, I refuse to have Real and Quicktime players on my system as they’re intrusive and can be trouble. Thats how I discovered KM in the first place.

I agree with Fred re: Virtualbox.
I run Virtualbox on Win7. Initially, I put it in to run some software that wouldn’t work in Win7. XP installed just fine. It just needed some slight tweaking to shared files with Win7.
Since then, I’ve also used it to try some other OS’s. You just create a new “virtual” machine and install whatever there. I have Android and 2 versions of Linux new as well. After testing, you can delete or keep it going. There are also some free builds online, so you don’t even have to do the full install. Just add the build.

The big advantage is that you open XP or whatever in a window. No need to reboot to change OS’s. I recall a screen capture Fred did awhile back where he showed 9 OS’s running in windows. 😉

A friend had a problem on Thursday, most likely to to MS Updates they let install on Tuesday.

In the middle of the working day, the screen suddenly went black and announced her activation was invalid. She was asked to click a link to reactivate. It evidently implied if she didn’t Win7 was toast. After some discussion and trepidation, she did so and the system reactivated and returned to normal. Everything, that is except the desktop background image setting was lost.

Have no idea which update that was bundled with but it’s the only explanation I can think of for this.

The day after I did my updates, there was a bootup message that my system had been updated so it seems this round included something that needed a couple of reboots.

Per Alan, I noticed KB2859537 (MS13-063) was deselected in this mornings update nag.
http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=309338
As he mentioned, Susan had recommended we wait on that one. Another bit of sage advice to be happy about.

Hi Jadaossi
I quite enjoy some of Amazon’s features as well and have discovered some great books from their suggestions. I can also agree that targeted advertising can be useful. But when they take that out of the box of their store, the issues become trickier. Do you want a store rep to follow you around to other stores and keep track there too?

Some businesses are being indiscriminate with what they collect and cross-selling it extensively. Perhaps you visit a medical site to research a friends illness. Or a neighbours kid uses one of your computers to browse porn. Or you mistype a web address and land on the wrong site. Do you really want this history to become a permanent part of your online record and receive ads accordingly?

There is a massive effort underway to tie your real life activity with your online activity and create a surprisingly large profile about you. Organizations like facebook are drawing from multiple such companies as well as encouraging users to cross-link their online activity – buying, travel, etc. And they’re marketing that information to third parties. Like others, they’re developing TV-style ads.

Having a good supplier meet your needs effectively is great. But do you consider it fair for that company to then sell your relationship to someone else without your knowing it? And then follow you around with ads? The issue is with how far they seem to want to take this.

I would suggest installing the blocker that seems most suitable for you/ the browser you use. You don’t want to bog your browser with multiple plugins doing the same thing. Complimentary plugins, on the other hand, can be useful.

On that note, I’d be curious to hear comments from those using NoScript and Disconnect. It would seem that combination would be ideal – one to block third parties, the other the uninvited scripts. Ghostery on the other hand would have an overlapping function and be less effective in combination with NoScript, it would seem.

I’ve also been using AdBlock. Does Disconnect have a similar effect if it’s blocking 3rd connections? Does that make AdBlock redundant?

Myself, I’m well established with using a desktop email client. Currently, I use Thunderbird with the Lightening Calendar app and some other plugins. I have several Gmail accounts and use webmail mainly when travelling.

If you’re not part of an Exchange system, syncing email across devices needs IMAP. So if you’re not doing it the MS way, you need IMAP.

Not sure I agree with some of the recommendations. For example, moving people to a non-Admin account is a good idea. But if you don’t give them the admin password, they’ll be hooped if they need to install something and you’re not available. I don’t agree with locking them into one support person or obliging you to be their permanent tech. Unless it’s your immediate family maybe.

Both Avast and AVG I’ve found nag people about upgrading which confuses unsophisticated users. MS Security Essentials is much better there.

I’d certainly recommend Foxit or Nitro over Adobe Reader. All require some user intervention. Bob makes some good points about Nitro, though I’ve found Foxit simpler for end users. Depends on their needs.

I agree to replace IE. It’s use of ActiveX is a major security issue. However, there are some who have only used it and would be resistant to the change.

I also usually put in a generic media player like VLC or Daum. This allows them to play whatever. It also avoids the need for Quicktime and Real Player and other more invasive or pushy apps.

However, I do still cringe with some people. The social is still overwhelmed by the fixes and all too often, they manage to mess up royally. I’ve learned to say no for some friends. When they have to pay for the fix, they become a little more respectful.