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Chapter 2: Installing XP
2007-04-06 07:44:00
First there is preparation. Obvious things like verifying that your equipment meets the requirements and is compatible with XP. Partitioning decisions. File system choice. Type of network you will be on. Whether to use Dynamic Updates or not. And about licensing. It recommends to create a checklist. If you can, always use NTFS. If you have to dual boot with an OS that can't read NTFS partitions, then you may have to use FAT32. The standard networking components are mentioned. And then also different ways to install XP. One way being over a network. It discusses winnt.exe and winnt32.exe and the switches that can be used with them.Stop errors, and other errors you may encounter during setup. The BSOD and a number of log files are named and explained. The setupact.log has everything that happened during the setup, and the setuperr.log has just the errors.Then WSUS is explained. The Windows Server Update Service is a service running on a server on a domain. It allows client computers ...
More About: Alli , Tall , Chapter , Chapter 2

Chapter 1: Intro
2007-04-06 07:27:00
This chapter introduces you to the different versions of XP. They are Professional, Home Edition, Media Center Edition, Tablet PC Edition, and the 64-Bit Edition.A common question people ask is about the differences between Home and Pro. Here are some big ones:Domain membershipSupport for two CPU'sNTFS or print permissionDynamic disksEFSIISSupport for RISTablet Edition is basically Pro with some touchscreen functions and applications.This chapter also covers the changes that came with Service Pack 2. The Security Center was added, ICF replaced by Windows Firewall, Automatic Updates improved, pop-up blocker built in to IE6, and more. To see if you have SP2 you can look in System Properties, or run "winver.exe".Then it goes over Workgroups and Domains. The major differences in security and management. For instance when you log on locally the authentication process is done by the local security subsystem, but if you log on to a domain then the domain controller has to do this.Further ...
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Complete Change Of Heart
2007-04-06 06:45:00
I've done two things related to this Blog since my last post. One is rejecting spam comments, and the other is checking my adsense account. That's far from exciting and doesn't take a lot of time, so basically I've been away.Linux as a webserver is not happening. HP has some free courses that you can follow that are helpful. I signed up for a few Linux courses, but ended up getting behind and kinda lost my desire to mess with it right now. Change of heart, or mind. I purchased the book "Installing, Configuring, and Administering Microsoft Windows XP Professional Second Edition", the Training Kit with the Evaluation version of XP Pro and a CD with some self test software. I am going into chapter four now, and am starting to realize that XP still has some secrets for me. I've been working with, and supporting computers with Windows for years, but especially in domain network environments there is much more to know. Because I thought this book would be boring I was reluctant to bu...
More About: Comp , Hear , Heart , Complete

Linux Distro Fedora As Server
2007-02-05 20:38:01
Currently I am learning Fedora and how to set it up as a web server. I want to set it up with the downloadable Wordpress files and restart my blog and host it myself for a little while. If I like it, I will look into paying for hosting. It would be much more flexible. Learning takes time though, and I'm not spending all my time on it. I will try to post my progress on this blog.About Fedora. It is just one of the many Linux distributions. It is free to download and use. One DVD or 5 CD's. I am totally new to Linux, which feels weird. I have a GUI which makes it like Windows, but you're lost as to where things are. After playing with it all evening I'm getting a good feel and I'm getting used to the abreviations and the filesystem. After installing the OS, I've been able to edit files, get the httpd service started as well as mysqld. So far, I love it. I downloaded the files for Wordpress and now I need to figure that out. I need to create a database for it to work and I forget...
More About: Server , Distro , Dora

16 Bit Subsystem Malicious?
2007-02-02 20:36:01
No. But the process ntvdm.exe is for some reason included in the virus definitions of Computer Associates. Yesterday, an old DOS program that we still run on ~20 computers at work stopped working on machines newer than Windows 98. You can imagine we didn't have many working ones left.We noticed that ntvdm.exe was taking up 50-100% CPU time when trying to run the DOS application. Later we found out that it was because the realtime scanner from Computer Associates (eTrust) had all attention on that file like white on snow. This caused the DOS program to be so slow that it wasn't usable. Once we figured this out we excluded the ntvmd.exe process from being scanned. Everything went back to light speed after that.While searching we found that many people have had issues with the ntvdm.exe file taking up the CPU time. Yet there was no solution anywhere, at least not for our exact situation. If you're dealing with something similar, make sure your Antivirus software is not bogging it do...
More About: System , Mali , Subs , Stem

Adsense Preview Tool
2007-01-30 08:34:01
You're not allowed to click your own ads, since this is against the Adsense agreement. The Competitive Ad Filter for Adsense allows you to exclude certain ads from being displayed on your website. You do this by adding the URL of the ad to the filter. How can you find the URL without clicking the ad? It's not shown in the status bar.Google has created a preview tool just for that. By showing you the ads with a checkbox next to them, you can select the ads you don't want, and then view the URLs. Next you can add these to your filter.You might say it's easier to just right click the ad and do Copy Shortcut (IE) and then paste it in the filter. If you do that, you will have to puzzle out the URL from what you copied. It's not hard, since it's at the end of that string, but it's one at a time and requires this extra step.Many ads also have the URL shown inside the ad image or text. Often this is all you need. But sometimes it isn't.Today I've been fighting with this taxcut.com ...
More About: Sense , Preview , Review , Tool

Hafnium Instead Of Silicon
2007-01-28 20:32:01
Since the 60's processor manufacturers have used silicon to make the transistors that make up a CPU [central processing unit = processor]. This news article from CNET writes about AMD, IBM, and Intel working on the switch to a metal called hafnium. It will improve performance and allow them to make transistors yet again smaller. Smaller means more will fit in an amount of space. More in turn means increased performance. The method they strive to use to make these new chips is called immersion lithography, in which the lines on the chip are etched while it is immersed in purified water. Read the article (2 pages) for more info.
More About: Icon , Stead , Silicon

Belarc Advisor
2007-01-27 20:31:01
You may have heard of this web based tool. It is a free [for personal use] program that displays details about your hardware, software, security status, missing updates and more. It also displays keys for your installed software. It's a ~1MB download that runs locally only. None of the collected info is sent anywhere. Click here to try it.
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Blogspot For Complaints
2007-01-27 20:31:01
The blogging fever keeps spreading. A friend started a Blog for complaints. Anything he wants to complain about, he will post. And you can comment and vent as well. He just opened, and his first post is about left lane drivers. It's a funny idea I think. Check it out.1-800-COMPLAIN.blogspot.comAs a sidenote I want to mention that I've been away from Blogging for some days. One reason is because one of my hard drives started clicking and I've just been backing stuff up and been busy otherwise. Just now I finished setting up my two new 320GB Seagate Barracuda SATA drives in a RAID1 configuration. That should double the read speed and keep write speed the same. So it's a bit of a performance boost, and I'll have a backup at all times. I'm digging this!
More About: Blogs , Comp , Plain , Spot

Rubber Ducky Monitoring
2007-01-27 20:31:01
Rubber Duck y is a cute little aquarium display that sits neatly above your system tray. The elements of the aquarium monitor the state of your computer--fish for network traffic, plants for hard disk, bubbles for CPU usage, and water level/color for RAM usage. Whenever your system experiences a slow-down, just take a quick glance at Rubber Ducky and you will know what is holding it up at a single glance.This tool is free of spy/malware, and is really simple. It's a cute way to display your resources. If the ducky is drowning you are running out of RAM, if you're not doing anything online and there's a lot of fish, maybe you need to check for worms, no pun intended! Worth checking out in your spare time.
More About: Ring , Monitor , Tori , Monitoring

CrossLoop - Simple Secure Screen Sharing
2007-01-27 20:31:01
Remote Desktop, Terminal Services, PC Anywhere, Dameware, and others. All of them allow you to remotely connect to a computer over the network/Internet. Cross Loop is a very easy to use and free screen sharing application. My friend over at CCTech pointed this out a while ago, and I just came across the bookmark. He posted it a while ago, so check out his post. It's free, secure, and easy to use for anyone.
More About: Screen , Simp , Ring , Simple

This is not in a can with wings, this is like a bird does it
2007-01-15 14:19:01
This is not in a can with wings, this is like a bird does it! Yves Rossy, the man who developed these wings, was a former Mirage III pilot for the Swiss. His lifetime passion for flying has gotten him to the point where he can fly like a bird. His website says that he taught himself slight movements of his body just like birds use their bodies to move around up there. With help from sponsors the wings are now Jet powered. That is needed for horizontal flight, which he has managed to do for over 6 minutes! His site has a bunch of videos of him testing this human dream, and also other stunts and Jet flights. It may be the coolest thing I've seen on the Internet! After some more fine tuning he wants to make it capable of stunts and participate in air shows. If you've ever dreamed of flying, or if you like Batman for that reason, or even if neither apply to you, this is cool to watch!Like this? Subscribe real quick!
More About: This , Wing , Bird , Wings

Not long ago I posted about the Google Cheat Sheet. There is
2007-01-13 20:17:01
Not long ago I posted about the Google Cheat Sheet . There is more than that basic sheet though. More advanced operators are supported that allow you to search for specific things. For instance you can search for a string of characters that appear in a URL of any site. A popular way of using the "inurl:" operator is by searching Google for "inurl:/view/index.shtml". It will bring up a long list of web cams that all use the same software and have that same URL. Improve your searching and have some fun!Like this? Subscribe real quick!
More About: Post , About

Ready For Vista?
2007-01-13 02:15:02
My computer is ready for Vista . Is yours? There's a difference between Vista Capable, as you see a lot on computer boxes in stores, and Vista Read y.Capable means that it can run Vista, but you may not be able to take advantage of all features. Ready means that you can run everything, including the Aero interface. Visual goodies. The minimum requirements are 512MB RAM and 800MHz. Recommended is at least 1GB and 1GHz.PC Pitstop has a readiness checker that quickly gives you an overview of what you have, versus what you need, and whether you have that. The Vista Readiness Center will only run in Internet Explorer 5+, so most of you will have to pull IE out of the dust for just a minute. It will install a little checker utility on your computer, and at least in IE7 it kept asking to run an ActiveX control on the page. I had to allow it for each test. Pretty annoying, but hey, I'm not running this test more than once. I know I'm ready.Also, the page will show the breakdown of the diff...

The Best File Manager
2007-01-12 08:14:01
Windows Explorer works, but is limited. If you want to do more with your files, and do it easier, then get Total Commander! An old friend sort of forced me to use it when I first started with computers. He showed me how it worked, made me use it, and fall in love with it.Some of the features of Total Commander are:- compressing and decompressing of files,- encrypting and decrypting files,- splitting and merging files,- easy copying and moving,- comparing of files,- a built in FTP client,- and it's customizable and add-ons are available.There are many options, which may be overwhelming if you're new to it, but you don't have to change a thing to use it. I absolutely consider this the best file manager out there.This shareware program used to be called Windows Commander, and you can guess why it changed (in 2002). Version 6.56 is now the latest, and 7 is in Beta 2. They also have a CE/Pocket release and a version for your USB memory stick, including the U3 type sticks. It's a grea...
More About: File , Manager , Best , Mana , Manage

Google Earth - 3D And Still Free
2007-01-11 20:13:02
Data made available by Google software isn't cheap, in terms of money and labor, but also trust. Google is allowed to use the data under certain conditions. The only way you're allowed to access the data is through Google software. Gaia was trying to reverse engineer Google Earth and thus violating the terms. One advantage of Gaia was that it was available on operating systems that Google Earth does not (yet?) support. Without a battle Gaia stopped. Why?A letter by email. The majority of the letter sent by Michael Jones (Google Chief Tech) is posted on the Gaia web site with his permission. It is nice to see that he did not take a hard and tactless approach like "we'll sue you if you don't shut it down". A rather pleasant yet firm approach resulted in cooperation and respect towards Google. I imagine you don't always see that in the business world. You can read the letter here.To continue about data available to Google, let's talk about how Google SketchUp allows you to help b...
More About: Free , Stil

myLot - Posting For Money
2007-01-02 14:10:01
I've been seeing these web sites where you can write articles, review articles, post replies on topics, and then get paid for that. One of them is myLot. It's a place that is much like a forum or web board that accepts really any topic you want. The thing is just that you get credit for each post you make. Tonight I decided to try it, and I started posting replies to existing threads. A total of 25 I posted, and then I created a new thread myself. Their system updates every 24 hours, so when it does, I will report back here and let you know how much that made me. Referrals are rewarded, so if you decide to check into this, you can sign up through me here. Tomorrow I'll post the result of my 25 replies and 1 new thread. Stay tuned!Like this? Subscribe real quick!
More About: Money , Post , Sting , Posti , Mylo

Picture: Secured Or Confused?
2007-01-02 14:10:01
My funny and bright cousin back in the Netherlands did this. In a chat he made a couple of typo's and then explained that he had to blind-type. Well, here was I thinking that he was sitting in the dark, on his laptop. The picture clearly shows that I was wrong.I had to laugh when he told me he alphabetized his keyboard! For a moment I thought that it would be harder for someone to tell what password you're typing. But then I realized that after a short confusion upon discovering the layout of the keyboard, a person would just get a different string of characters, then compare it with a QWERTY keyboard and have the actual typed string. It still helps to confuse on first sight though.On the other hand, if you're trying to make a secure password, you could sure do it with this keyboard. Just type a word, following the letters on the keys, and the actual typed password will be something totally different. It would likely not be a word from the dictionary.If you can type without look...
More About: Picture , Secure , Cure

400 Visitors Since The Start 2 Weeks Ago
2007-01-02 08:09:01
webspeaker was created on the 16th of December, 2006, that is last year :P. The next day I added Sitemeter to keep track of how many people come around here. Before midnight December 31st, local time, the counter hit 400! That's not pageviews, and that doesn't include my visits. It's actual visitors! Some returning, many new ones! The hottest post is a couple below this one, about the XP Themes!I hope to keep this success going and will continue to post new techy stuff! Thanks to all visitors! Thanks to all services on the web that help us Bloggers promote our pages!I want to list the ones that helped me out, so that if you haven't used these yet, you can start now:DiggHypeDissMyBlogLogBlogTopSitesBlog TopListTopBlogListsBloggernityBlogHubTech noratiAnd also the bloggers found in my sidebar! Check them out too!If I'm missing any, I will add them later. I just wanted to thank those who helped and visited! Let's see how we'll do in 07!Like this? Subscribe real quick!
More About: Start , Star , Week , Visitor , Visitors

Open Source (Free) Applications For Windows
2007-01-01 14:07:02
Open Source. It's what we like. What is it? Big bunches of code that make up a program. But not just that. Usually companies that create software will protect their code. They don't want anyone to get a hold of it, because then their work can be stolen, modified, and abused. Open Source basically means that the code is available to anyone that wants to modify it, or create additional functions. Now, the reason we like this is because it makes it free. We love free stuff. We love sharing.There is a lot more Open Source software out there than you might know of. There are complete operating systems, office packages, video-, sound-, and image-editing programs, anti virus software, disk utilities, screen savers, compression software, P2P clients, and much more. All Open Source. All free to use.The website I want to highlight here is www.listible.com! There is a long list of Open Source applications.Look into Open Source software, before you spend money on your yearly anti virus subscr...
More About: Windows , Applications , Open Source , Cat , Wind

Four XP Themes: Free, Simple, Beautiful
2006-12-31 20:06:01
Best XP Theme! All Included In One Pack! Just Watch It! - video powered by MetacafeUntil now, every theme for Windows XP on the Internet required some kind of program to manage and run it. Nobody likes that. When I found this video, that was all over!This video shows you how to get 4 really nicely made themes for Windows XP! They are free! They look great! They don't require extra software! You can download, install, reboot, enjoy!The website to get them at is www.crystalxp.net, as shown in the video. Or go directly to the choices. Watch to learn how to choose, and go about installing the package. I chose the Vista look. It's working great so far, and looking sweet.Oh, if, for some reason, you have a problem after the first restart of your computer, then make sure you have the Windows XP install CD. This is important because your system files will be modified. Take these precautions! Note that the Windows CD needs to be a system CD, not a restore/recovery CD. Nothing should happen...
More About: Free , Simp , Themes , Beautiful , Simple

Many Of You Use Old Browsers
2006-12-31 02:04:02
A web browser is our tool to access web content. To read this, you use a web browser. Since there are many risks to using such a tool, updates are released frequently to patch security holes and improve stability, speed, and user experience. Every so often a complete new package is released, which we call an upgrade. For example, you may have heard of Internet Explorer 7. version 7 is an upgrade to version 6. Updates will usually change a version to 6.1, or 6.1.3 and so on.While I was looking at my statistics for this blog, I noticed that there are quite some surfers that don't have the latest surfboard. To see which version you have, open up your browser, and click on Help at the top, then on About [your browser name]. If it says something like 6.1.3.8, just look at the first digit. In the example you would have version 6.Need a reason for sharpening your tool? Upgrading and updating your browser will make surfing more secure, faster, more convenient, and webpages will actually sh...
More About: Browsers , Browser , Browse

New Blog: Football Vids
2006-12-30 14:03:01
Please be informed that a new Blog is live! Devoted to football only! Many videos to see, and it will be interesting for everyone, whether you like football or not! Go to http://footballvids.blogspot.com/!Subscri be to my RSS Feed instantly!
More About: Football , Vids , Ball , Foot

Off Topic Video: Real Football
2006-12-30 08:02:02
Here's an off topic post. Even if you don't like football, you will be impressed by this footage. It will show you some spectacular football skills, moves, tactics. There are many of these movies out there, but this one stands out just a little bit.I LOVE FOOTBALL. :]Subscribe to my RSS Feed instantly!
More About: Video , Football , Topic , Real , Ball

Google Groups BETA = Usenet +
2006-12-29 20:02:01
Remember the time that Usenet wasn't free? Started by some folks at Duke University in 1979, Usenet became one of the biggest and most famous web boards. Today, it is Google powered, and of course free. The new Google Group s that is currently in BETA searches Usenet archives starting in 1981. On top of that it of course allows you to start your own groups, which we know from the old Google Groups . Some new features are introduced and Google is collecting feedback from users. Take a tour of the features offered. Virtually every subject is at least touched on in this vast base of information. If you think something is missing, start your own group, invite members, customize it how you want, and contribute to the web's free infobase.Subscribe to my RSS Feed instantly!
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Underground Tech Show: thebroken
2006-12-28 08:00:02
Found on Digg. Called thebroken, these guys have IMHO a really cool show going of currently 4 episodes. In a somewhat educational way they show how to hack and crack. Things such as hacking wireless networks, also called wardriving, modding your PS2 or XBOX, cracking Windows passwords, and more. They mix is up with some humor, and if you're into techy stuff, you'll like to watch this.Episode 3 was most interesting to me, with the interview of Kevin Mitnick, who after his interesting career of identity changes, hacking, and prison time started his own consulting company. I too like to learn things I'm not supposed to know. To read up on Kevin, go here, here, here, here, and the Wikipedia page.
More About: Tech , Show , Ground , Underground , Round

New: My Tech Roller Blog
2006-12-28 08:00:02
Owners of tech related blogs can get their site listed and featured on my new Blog . I want it to be a central location to find pretty much all tech blogs. Check it out and join. Leave me a comment with your thoughts here, if you like. Thanks.
More About: Tech , Roll , Roller

Keystroke Loggers
2006-12-27 08:00:01
If you have seen the movie Troy, then you know what a Trojan Horse is. In the computer world a Trojan Horse is a small program. It is created to do things you don't want to happen. To stay with the movie Troy, a Trojan can open doors that make your computer accessible from the Internet. Such doors are called ports. Opened ports are used to let someone in, or to send information out.A keystroke logger is often part of a Trojan. That means that a Trojan can detect and log all keys pressed, and send the collected information to someone else. Often keys pressed while on a certain web page are logged. Think about what kind of information you enter on web pages? Indeed, this is often a username/password combination. If you do online banking it may log your account number. The goal is always to capture sensitive and private information that can be used to break things, or to steal things.Most such web sites have adequate security in place to protect the data you transmit between the site ...
More About: Keys , Stroke , Logger

Google WiFi Coverage Map
2006-12-27 08:00:01
The map shows the coverage of the Mountain View area, and where Google deployed network equipment. They seem to mount it on public light poles and it almost sounds like coverage depends on the presence of these. To learn more about the Google WiFi project check out http://wifi.google.com/support/. Eventually we'll have a form of global free internet access. Aaah, think about that! You can Blog from anywhere!
More About: Wifi , Rage , Cover , Over

Weekend On Wireless In New York City
2006-12-27 08:00:01
Wow, I lost two readers over the weekend! Just to let everyone know, I'm not abandoning this blog! :) My wife and I spent the weekend in New York City. For me it was the first time there and I have to say it was great. We had a blast, did lots of walking, saw many sites, made many pictures, also went to the Blue Man Group show, and I was basically way too tired to read anything in the evening, let alone post anything. I did try to check in though and then saw that there were 9 wireless networks available in my hotel room on the 9th floor. NONE of them were secured. Hence my post about wireless network security. This top 10 is taken from the linked article.1) Change Default Administrator Passwords (and Usernames)2) Turn on (Compatible) WPA / WEP Encryption3) Change the Default SSID4) Enable MAC Address Filtering5) Disable SSID Broadcast6) Do Not Auto-Connect to Open Wi-Fi Networks7) Assign Static IP Addresses to Devices8) Enable Firewalls On Each Computer and the Router9) Position t...
More About: Wireless , New York City , Weekend