sysinternals.com: Mark's Sysinternals Blog: Sony, Rootkits and Digital Rights Management Gone Too Far
If you're interested in zapping the Sony DRM...
Thursday, November 03, 2005
NEWS: Sony DRM in the form of rootkits
blogs.siliconvalley.com: Sony reconsiders policy on hiring 'reformed' hackers
Sony is not playing well with consumers these days.
Sony is not playing well with consumers these days.
Thursday, October 27, 2005
NEWS: iPod to store medical images
cnn.com: 'I use my iPod to store medical images'
It seems that when people are excited enough about a technology, they'll find new uses for it, beyond what it was originally designed for. Next time you walk into your doctor's office, don't be surprised to see a set of white headphones trailing closely behind.
It seems that when people are excited enough about a technology, they'll find new uses for it, beyond what it was originally designed for. Next time you walk into your doctor's office, don't be surprised to see a set of white headphones trailing closely behind.
Thursday, October 20, 2005
TIPS & TRICKS: Multiple Routers
Every so often, I come across an idea that makes me wonder "Why didn't I think of that before?" On my way into work today, I was listening to a podcast by Steve Gibson called Security Now!. The topic was the importance of using routers with your DSL or cable connections. Many people have this layer of security in their network already. However, the interesting tidbit was actually using multiple routers to create different zones of your network. This is especially important these days because many households will have multiple computers and need different levels of security.
You can read more about it from a link I got from the podcast:
http://www.grc.com/nat/nat.htm
You can read more about it from a link I got from the podcast:
http://www.grc.com/nat/nat.htm
Tuesday, October 04, 2005
TIPS & TRICKS: BSOD's
Given the advancement of Windows in recent years, I don't tend to see as many blue screens any more. Under normal operating situations, Windows has become much more stable relative to previous versions. Nevertheless, blue screens have not completely gone away. Here's a case in point:
Last night I spent some time on the phone with a client on troubleshooting the cause of their blue screen problem. For those of you wondering "What's a blue screen?", a blue screen is, generally, a serious problem with the computer that is evidenced by a blue screen and white writing. Usually, the writing has some cryptic messages that allude to what the possible problem, though they are usually undecipherable by the normal user. There might be information pertaining to some sort of physical memory dump, which was the case last night.
As I was going through the possible reasons why a blue screen would occur, I thought to myself, wouldn't it be great if this were listed somewhere for people to find. Here are the basic steps that I took last night. Since I was only on the phone with them, they came in the form of questions:
1. Did you recently install any new hardware (i.e RAM, video card, USB device, replacement HD, etc.)?
2. Did you recently install any new software (i.e. new Adobe Acrobat reader, new plug-in from a website, freeware, etc.)?
3. Did you start using any software installed before that was not previously used until recently?
Often times, hardware vendors will now include hardware utilities that scan the machine's components for problems. My client last night was working on a Dell. Recent Dell machines will include a boot partition that includes such a utility. I instructed him on how to get to that utility and run it to test for hardware problems.
In my experience, a good percentage of the time, these steps will usually take you to the solution. However, there may be times when this is not enough. This will require that you want to make sure that you have the information from the blue screen copied down for further research, either by you or your friendly neighborhood computer tech.
As a side note, my client also had a problem with a Eudora install and losing sent messages. We haven't come up with a definitive answer as to whether these two were related events, but I tend to like to keep events separate and troubleshoot as such until I find evidence that supports otherwise. His problem may have been with an installation of Mcafee Security Center corrupting the mailboxes. Fortunately, we were able to recover the files because Eudora was smart enough to create backup mailboxes.
Last night I spent some time on the phone with a client on troubleshooting the cause of their blue screen problem. For those of you wondering "What's a blue screen?", a blue screen is, generally, a serious problem with the computer that is evidenced by a blue screen and white writing. Usually, the writing has some cryptic messages that allude to what the possible problem, though they are usually undecipherable by the normal user. There might be information pertaining to some sort of physical memory dump, which was the case last night.
As I was going through the possible reasons why a blue screen would occur, I thought to myself, wouldn't it be great if this were listed somewhere for people to find. Here are the basic steps that I took last night. Since I was only on the phone with them, they came in the form of questions:
1. Did you recently install any new hardware (i.e RAM, video card, USB device, replacement HD, etc.)?
2. Did you recently install any new software (i.e. new Adobe Acrobat reader, new plug-in from a website, freeware, etc.)?
3. Did you start using any software installed before that was not previously used until recently?
Often times, hardware vendors will now include hardware utilities that scan the machine's components for problems. My client last night was working on a Dell. Recent Dell machines will include a boot partition that includes such a utility. I instructed him on how to get to that utility and run it to test for hardware problems.
In my experience, a good percentage of the time, these steps will usually take you to the solution. However, there may be times when this is not enough. This will require that you want to make sure that you have the information from the blue screen copied down for further research, either by you or your friendly neighborhood computer tech.
As a side note, my client also had a problem with a Eudora install and losing sent messages. We haven't come up with a definitive answer as to whether these two were related events, but I tend to like to keep events separate and troubleshoot as such until I find evidence that supports otherwise. His problem may have been with an installation of Mcafee Security Center corrupting the mailboxes. Fortunately, we were able to recover the files because Eudora was smart enough to create backup mailboxes.
Thursday, September 15, 2005
NEWS: iPod Nano Review (NY Times)
nytimes.com: iPod's Law: The Impossible is Possible
If you haven't already heard. Apple released a new iPod. Innovation is becoming routine for Apple. Nevertheless, I have to try pretty hard to not run out and get one myself. It's already generated a lot of publicity, as shown by the NY Times link above. The interesting development is that the Nano is going to replace the Mini outright. This means if you're in the market for Mini, go get yours quick before they are all gone.
I don't usually find tech-related articles written in non-tech specific publications of much interest. However, I do appreciate the angle of this particular piece. Check out the NY Times article for some other interesting features that are unique to the Nano.
Are you going to get one?
If you haven't already heard. Apple released a new iPod. Innovation is becoming routine for Apple. Nevertheless, I have to try pretty hard to not run out and get one myself. It's already generated a lot of publicity, as shown by the NY Times link above. The interesting development is that the Nano is going to replace the Mini outright. This means if you're in the market for Mini, go get yours quick before they are all gone.
I don't usually find tech-related articles written in non-tech specific publications of much interest. However, I do appreciate the angle of this particular piece. Check out the NY Times article for some other interesting features that are unique to the Nano.
Are you going to get one?
Friday, August 12, 2005
TIPS & TRICKS: Changing Windows XP Product Key
windows.about.com: Changing Windows XP Product Key
At my day job, we're imaging a bunch of new machines that have consumer-level product keys for Windows XP. Since we don't want the end user to have problems with the new Microsoft Genuine Advantage checks on the Windows Update site, we want to make sure that the machine has the correct product key. Here's the gist of what needs to be done:
Start by changing one of the values of the Registry Key specified below to any number 0-9 or character A-F. Changing any character will do - it doesn't matter which one you change or what you change it to.
Hive: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE
Key: Software\Microsoft\WindowsNT\CurrentVersion\WPAEvents
Name: ODBETimer
Data Type: REG_BINARY
Value: just change one of the entries as mentioned above
What this will do is deactivate the copy of Windows. Now click Start, Run, and copy the following into the Run box:
%systemroot%\system32\oobe\msoobe /a
This launches the Product Activation Wizard. From there you can choose an option such as calling a Microsoft representative, and select the Change Product Key option. Enter your new product key, Update and close the Wizard and reboot (you may have to select Remind Me Later if the Wizard pops up again). When you reboot, follow the normal activation process which should work if you've entered a valid product key.
And, for the really efficient, here's a link to an executable that makes this process more manageable...
http://www.majorgeeks.com/download2745.html
At my day job, we're imaging a bunch of new machines that have consumer-level product keys for Windows XP. Since we don't want the end user to have problems with the new Microsoft Genuine Advantage checks on the Windows Update site, we want to make sure that the machine has the correct product key. Here's the gist of what needs to be done:
Start by changing one of the values of the Registry Key specified below to any number 0-9 or character A-F. Changing any character will do - it doesn't matter which one you change or what you change it to.
Hive: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE
Key: Software\Microsoft\WindowsNT\CurrentVersion\WPAEvents
Name: ODBETimer
Data Type: REG_BINARY
Value: just change one of the entries as mentioned above
What this will do is deactivate the copy of Windows. Now click Start, Run, and copy the following into the Run box:
%systemroot%\system32\oobe\msoobe /a
This launches the Product Activation Wizard. From there you can choose an option such as calling a Microsoft representative, and select the Change Product Key option. Enter your new product key, Update and close the Wizard and reboot (you may have to select Remind Me Later if the Wizard pops up again). When you reboot, follow the normal activation process which should work if you've entered a valid product key.
And, for the really efficient, here's a link to an executable that makes this process more manageable...
http://www.majorgeeks.com/download2745.html
TIPS & TRICKS: Extra line spaces in my signatures (Outlook)
office.microsoft.com: Stop putting extra line spaces in my signatures
If you've ever sent out email with a signature in Outlook and you end up seeing all the extra spaces between each line of your signature and you don't want it there. I've found you a solution. Here's the meat of the website above:
If your signature is double line spaced and you want it single line spaced, do the following:
* On the Tools menu, click Options.
* Click the Mail Format tab.
* Click Signatures.
* In the Signature box, select the signature that you want to modify, and then click Edit.
* Place the insertion point after the last character in the line.
* Press DELETE, and then press SHIFT ENTER.
* Repeat Steps 5 and 6 for each line of text.
* When you have finished with all lines, click OK three times.
If you've ever sent out email with a signature in Outlook and you end up seeing all the extra spaces between each line of your signature and you don't want it there. I've found you a solution. Here's the meat of the website above:
If your signature is double line spaced and you want it single line spaced, do the following:
* On the Tools menu, click Options.
* Click the Mail Format tab.
* Click Signatures.
* In the Signature box, select the signature that you want to modify, and then click Edit.
* Place the insertion point after the last character in the line.
* Press DELETE, and then press SHIFT ENTER.
* Repeat Steps 5 and 6 for each line of text.
* When you have finished with all lines, click OK three times.
Saturday, July 30, 2005
TIPS & TRICKS: DVD Shrink Burning Error Message (Bourne Supremacy)
forum.digital-digest.com: Burning Error message...
I was working on backing up a DVD (Bourne Supremacy) and kept running into a problem with DVD Shrink. I did my usual poking around and found this solution that seems to have worked (it's still encoding).
I've visited this site before and have found some helpful answers to some of my questions. Here's the useful exerpt:
"Ok here is the deal on how to get the The Bourne Supremacy backed up. Once you have picked what you want on your back up you will get a pop up box or menu. Choose the tab quality settings. At the bottom of that menu choose DVD Shrink 3.2 quality enhancements. Click on compress video with adaptive error compensation and your problem is solved. Note this process takes a while to complete so you might want to do this when you go to sleep at night or while you are at work. Once completed you will have complete back up with all menu's."
UPDATE: Here's more info from that website that may save even more time:
"use and older version of dvd shrink (dvd shrink 3.1). that running man will run for about 2 min. but it will backup the entire disc. or use dvd2one."
I was working on backing up a DVD (Bourne Supremacy) and kept running into a problem with DVD Shrink. I did my usual poking around and found this solution that seems to have worked (it's still encoding).
I've visited this site before and have found some helpful answers to some of my questions. Here's the useful exerpt:
"Ok here is the deal on how to get the The Bourne Supremacy backed up. Once you have picked what you want on your back up you will get a pop up box or menu. Choose the tab quality settings. At the bottom of that menu choose DVD Shrink 3.2 quality enhancements. Click on compress video with adaptive error compensation and your problem is solved. Note this process takes a while to complete so you might want to do this when you go to sleep at night or while you are at work. Once completed you will have complete back up with all menu's."
UPDATE: Here's more info from that website that may save even more time:
"use and older version of dvd shrink (dvd shrink 3.1). that running man will run for about 2 min. but it will backup the entire disc. or use dvd2one."
Thursday, July 28, 2005
TIPS & TRICKS: Microsoft "Genuine Advantage" Cracked
boingboing.net: Microsoft "Genuine Advantage" cracked in 24h
I am not condoning the use of illegal software. Since I haven't tested all versions of Windows (i.e. Retail, Education, VL, etc.), I would venture to guess that there will be people who will still run into problems even if they have a legitimate version of Windows. This is aimed at those people so that they can still get fully patched (Microsoft said that Security updates will still remain freely available) with all critical patches besides just the Security updates.
Here's the meat:
"Before pressing 'Custom' or 'Express' buttons paste this text to the address bar and press enter:
javascript:void(window.g_sDisableWGACheck='all')
It turns off the trigger for the key check."
Thinking on a grander scale, I would also imagine that if there weren't some level of piracy, I don't think Windows would have the acceptance it does now. Again, I don't condone piracy, but sometimes you have to wonder, if Windows was completely locked down from day one, what OS you and I would be using on our computers right now?
UPDATE (8/23/2005): I just had an opportunity to try this hack and it seems to not work. However, it was after several failed attempts, so I don't know if something was written to registry to not allow the hack to work.
I am not condoning the use of illegal software. Since I haven't tested all versions of Windows (i.e. Retail, Education, VL, etc.), I would venture to guess that there will be people who will still run into problems even if they have a legitimate version of Windows. This is aimed at those people so that they can still get fully patched (Microsoft said that Security updates will still remain freely available) with all critical patches besides just the Security updates.
Here's the meat:
"Before pressing 'Custom' or 'Express' buttons paste this text to the address bar and press enter:
javascript:void(window.g_sDisableWGACheck='all')
It turns off the trigger for the key check."
Thinking on a grander scale, I would also imagine that if there weren't some level of piracy, I don't think Windows would have the acceptance it does now. Again, I don't condone piracy, but sometimes you have to wonder, if Windows was completely locked down from day one, what OS you and I would be using on our computers right now?
UPDATE (8/23/2005): I just had an opportunity to try this hack and it seems to not work. However, it was after several failed attempts, so I don't know if something was written to registry to not allow the hack to work.
Tuesday, July 26, 2005
TIPS & TRICKS: "Acquiring Network Address"
NOTE: Modifying the registry, improperly, may cause your computer to crash, not boot, or otherwise malfunction. Take the following steps at your own risk. If you must do it, remember to backup, backup, and backup.
Symptoms:
* Constantly trying to acquire network address
* Never receiving an IP address
* Worked before
* Here's the clincher: Just uninstalled Norton Anti-Virus
Solution:
* Run 'regedit' and navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Dhcp
* Edit the entry 'DependOnService'
* Remove the line that contains 'SYMTDI'
* Reboot
Analysis:
Norton AV wasn't completely removed. The service didn't get removed properly with the uninstall because it was still active. Therefore, after rebooting, the DHCP Client refused to start without the Norton AV service that no longer worked properly.
This has been verified for Windows XP Home Edition SP2, running Norton AV 2002.
These following steps may or may not help:
Reload TCP/IP in WinXP with this command: netsh int ip reset resetlog.txt
Reload Winsock services with this command: netsh winsock reset
Symptoms:
* Constantly trying to acquire network address
* Never receiving an IP address
* Worked before
* Here's the clincher: Just uninstalled Norton Anti-Virus
Solution:
* Run 'regedit' and navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Dhcp
* Edit the entry 'DependOnService'
* Remove the line that contains 'SYMTDI'
* Reboot
Analysis:
Norton AV wasn't completely removed. The service didn't get removed properly with the uninstall because it was still active. Therefore, after rebooting, the DHCP Client refused to start without the Norton AV service that no longer worked properly.
This has been verified for Windows XP Home Edition SP2, running Norton AV 2002.
These following steps may or may not help:
Reload TCP/IP in WinXP with this command: netsh int ip reset resetlog.txt
Reload Winsock services with this command: netsh winsock reset
Monday, July 25, 2005
TIPS & TRICKS: Customize the Start Menu Button
Annoyances.org - Customize the Start Menu Button
If you've ever wondered how to customize that little Start button in Windows, here you go. Be forewarned. This is not for the basic user. Kids don't try this at home...
If you've ever wondered how to customize that little Start button in Windows, here you go. Be forewarned. This is not for the basic user. Kids don't try this at home...
Thursday, July 21, 2005
TIPS & TRICKS: How can I force GPO updates to take effect?
windowsitpro.com: How can I force GPO updates to take effect?
This is a more of a tip for things that I do on a regular basis. But feel free to use it as you need it. Here's the steps in a nutshell, without clicking to the website:
Policies are refreshed every 90 minutes (5 on DC's). To force a machine to update the policy use the SECEDIT command.
To update the computer policy type
C:\> secedit /refreshpolicy machine_policy
To update the user policy type
C:\> secedit /refreshpolicy user_policy
Adding /enforce to any of the above forces a reapply of the security policy even if there is no GPO change.
UPDATE: You'll find that running secedit on WinXP will tell you that the new and improved command replacement is gpupdate. In fact, if you don't mind that all Group Policies get updated in the process, run gpupdate by itself and the machine and user will refresh all the associated policies.
This is a more of a tip for things that I do on a regular basis. But feel free to use it as you need it. Here's the steps in a nutshell, without clicking to the website:
Policies are refreshed every 90 minutes (5 on DC's). To force a machine to update the policy use the SECEDIT command.
To update the computer policy type
C:\> secedit /refreshpolicy machine_policy
To update the user policy type
C:\> secedit /refreshpolicy user_policy
Adding /enforce to any of the above forces a reapply of the security policy even if there is no GPO change.
UPDATE: You'll find that running secedit on WinXP will tell you that the new and improved command replacement is gpupdate. In fact, if you don't mind that all Group Policies get updated in the process, run gpupdate by itself and the machine and user will refresh all the associated policies.
Saturday, July 16, 2005
TIPS & TRICKS: Typing Spanish Accented Characters
bowdoin.edu: Typing Spanish Accented Characters
I was just typing my Away Message in AIM and realized that I needed an "é" for the word "resumés". I know that both Windows and OS X have international keyboards built-in and I could have just as easily enabled the feature to be able to type the "é". However, I decided that I just wanted something fast that worked on any computer. Thus, I decided to find what's called ASCII code for the particular character. The webpage shows this code and how to use it (ALT+0233). It probably took me longer to find it than to install the international keyboard. But, I now know the ASCII code to use on any computer (with a numeric keypad) without having to install the international keyboard. Hopefully, this will help someone else save some time too.
Update: I forgot to mention that on a Mac, at least on OS X, all you need to do is hold the alt-option key down, hit the letter you want (i.e. any character that could be used with an accent mark), let go of the alt-option key and type the letter again. Also try typing any other key with the alt-option key held down, you'll get a plethora of special characters.
Updated 4/8/2006:
Ever seen this character?: Þ
I use this one quite a bit: •
There's a whole bunch of characters that many people don't use on a regular basis, that may come in handy. Do a web search for ASCII characters and you'll find a lots of websites that have lists of these special characters. For example, do you ever wonder how to make this letter: é ? There are keystrokes that will yield these special characters. Here's how to get the three I just mentioned:
Þ = ALT-0-2-5-4
• = ALT-0-1-4-9
é = ALT-0-2-3-3
Note: These codes will only work on a keyboard using the numerical 10 keypad on the right. They may also work on a laptop if the laptop keyboard has keys that double as a number pad if the numlock is enabled.
I was just typing my Away Message in AIM and realized that I needed an "é" for the word "resumés". I know that both Windows and OS X have international keyboards built-in and I could have just as easily enabled the feature to be able to type the "é". However, I decided that I just wanted something fast that worked on any computer. Thus, I decided to find what's called ASCII code for the particular character. The webpage shows this code and how to use it (ALT+0233). It probably took me longer to find it than to install the international keyboard. But, I now know the ASCII code to use on any computer (with a numeric keypad) without having to install the international keyboard. Hopefully, this will help someone else save some time too.
Update: I forgot to mention that on a Mac, at least on OS X, all you need to do is hold the alt-option key down, hit the letter you want (i.e. any character that could be used with an accent mark), let go of the alt-option key and type the letter again. Also try typing any other key with the alt-option key held down, you'll get a plethora of special characters.
Updated 4/8/2006:
Ever seen this character?: Þ
I use this one quite a bit: •
There's a whole bunch of characters that many people don't use on a regular basis, that may come in handy. Do a web search for ASCII characters and you'll find a lots of websites that have lists of these special characters. For example, do you ever wonder how to make this letter: é ? There are keystrokes that will yield these special characters. Here's how to get the three I just mentioned:
Þ = ALT-0-2-5-4
• = ALT-0-1-4-9
é = ALT-0-2-3-3
Note: These codes will only work on a keyboard using the numerical 10 keypad on the right. They may also work on a laptop if the laptop keyboard has keys that double as a number pad if the numlock is enabled.
Monday, June 13, 2005
TIPS & TRICKS: Restoring a Dell Machine Without Media
I've learned that Dell machines that have been (and all future ones, of course) shipped after July 2004 now have a hidden partition that contains an image of the factory restore. This means that if you need to do a restore of the machine to the original factory state, then you can do that with the BIOS command of CTRL-F11. This is, of course, assuming that your factory hard drive hasn't been reconfigured or reformatted to your own specs. NOTE: This will wipe your computer of all data, so make sure you have a backup of your important data.
Saturday, June 04, 2005
NEWS: Apple iPod Settlement
This settlement involves "All persons or entities residing in the United States who purchased or obtained a First, Second, or Third Generation iPod on or before May 31, 2004." If you are one of these people, this includes me too, please go here (http://www.appleipodsettlement.com/). Good luck.
NEWS: Defective Palm m100, m105, or m125's
If you've owned any of the PDA's listed, please read the following:
"If you owned a Palm personal digital assistant model m100, m105, or m125 ("Palm PDA") manufactured by palmOne, Inc. (formerly Palm, Inc.) ("Palm"), this notice may be important to you. A proposed settlement has been reached in a lawsuit in which plaintiff claims that: (a) the Palm PDAs may be defective in that they sometimes lose data during the process of replacing batteries even when the user follows Palm's recommended procedure; and (b) Palm allegedly communicated and/or failed to communicate and disclose certain facts and circumstances in connection with data loss."...
"1. The claim process and relief to Settlement Class Members
As part of the settlement, Palm has agreed to exchange, at Palm's expense, the Palm PDA of any owner who: (a) returns the allegedly defective Palm PDA; (b) provides a sworn statement that the owner lost data while replacing batteries in accordance with Palm's recommended battery replacement procedure; and (c) provides adequate claim documentation (as described in the Claim Form) and proof of membership in the class. The replacement unit will be a new or refurbished unit of the same or a higher model. Palm reserves the right to inspect any Palm PDA submitted as part of this settlement. If Palm's records or its inspection of the Palm PDA show that the cause of data loss during the battery exchange process is due to abuse, mishandling, or misuse of the Palm PDA, the claim may be denied."
For further information and how to submit your claim please go here (http://www.taylorsettlement.com/).
"If you owned a Palm personal digital assistant model m100, m105, or m125 ("Palm PDA") manufactured by palmOne, Inc. (formerly Palm, Inc.) ("Palm"), this notice may be important to you. A proposed settlement has been reached in a lawsuit in which plaintiff claims that: (a) the Palm PDAs may be defective in that they sometimes lose data during the process of replacing batteries even when the user follows Palm's recommended procedure; and (b) Palm allegedly communicated and/or failed to communicate and disclose certain facts and circumstances in connection with data loss."...
"1. The claim process and relief to Settlement Class Members
As part of the settlement, Palm has agreed to exchange, at Palm's expense, the Palm PDA of any owner who: (a) returns the allegedly defective Palm PDA; (b) provides a sworn statement that the owner lost data while replacing batteries in accordance with Palm's recommended battery replacement procedure; and (c) provides adequate claim documentation (as described in the Claim Form) and proof of membership in the class. The replacement unit will be a new or refurbished unit of the same or a higher model. Palm reserves the right to inspect any Palm PDA submitted as part of this settlement. If Palm's records or its inspection of the Palm PDA show that the cause of data loss during the battery exchange process is due to abuse, mishandling, or misuse of the Palm PDA, the claim may be denied."
For further information and how to submit your claim please go here (http://www.taylorsettlement.com/).
Tuesday, March 29, 2005
REVIEW: Kensington PilotMouse Mini Bluetooth
http://kensington.com/html/6367.html
Now this is a good travel mouse if you're looking for a bluetooth mouse for your built-in bluetooth-enabled laptop. It's got a switch at the bottom of it that allows for powering down the mouse when mobile. It's got nice rubber grips on the side of the mouse, without making it look ugly. It's optical and got a right and left mouse button (for all you Mac fans out there looking for a bluetooth mouse) along with the "can't go without it these days" scroll wheel, which also works as a 3rd middle button. These days so many mice have extra buttons for other uses and it would have been nice to have something extra on this one too. But, I think this might take away from the basic uses and design of this mouse.
To sum up, if you're looking for a bluetooth mouse that has all the "basic" uses of today's mouse and require something small enough to travel, yet large enough for you to not get carpal tunnel from one use of it, then this is your mouse.
Note: Still working with it and am planning on testing it with a Powerbook to see how well it works on a Mac.
Now this is a good travel mouse if you're looking for a bluetooth mouse for your built-in bluetooth-enabled laptop. It's got a switch at the bottom of it that allows for powering down the mouse when mobile. It's got nice rubber grips on the side of the mouse, without making it look ugly. It's optical and got a right and left mouse button (for all you Mac fans out there looking for a bluetooth mouse) along with the "can't go without it these days" scroll wheel, which also works as a 3rd middle button. These days so many mice have extra buttons for other uses and it would have been nice to have something extra on this one too. But, I think this might take away from the basic uses and design of this mouse.
To sum up, if you're looking for a bluetooth mouse that has all the "basic" uses of today's mouse and require something small enough to travel, yet large enough for you to not get carpal tunnel from one use of it, then this is your mouse.
Note: Still working with it and am planning on testing it with a Powerbook to see how well it works on a Mac.
TIPS & TRICKS: Losing connectivity? Have a Linksys box?
http://www.dondoucette.com/befsr41/
After having some trouble with my own Linksys box, I decided to do some research on why I was losing connectivity every so often. I came across this website. It talks about a different model than the one that I have. But, the internal problem could potentially effect all models, especially considering that the manufacturing process may be similar or identical across different models. At some point, I'd like to take mine apart and see if this is why I have intermittent loss of connectivity.
After having some trouble with my own Linksys box, I decided to do some research on why I was losing connectivity every so often. I came across this website. It talks about a different model than the one that I have. But, the internal problem could potentially effect all models, especially considering that the manufacturing process may be similar or identical across different models. At some point, I'd like to take mine apart and see if this is why I have intermittent loss of connectivity.
Tuesday, March 22, 2005
Thursday, March 17, 2005
REVIEW: Logitech® MX™900 Bluetooth® Optical Mouse
http://www.logitech.com/index.cfm/products/details/US/EN,CRID=2135,CONTENTID=7110
I just got my hands on one of these to test. So far, I've hooked it up with a Sony VGN-S270P Vaio laptop with built-in bluetooth. The pairing was simple enough. I went into Windows XP Control Panel and ran the bluetooth discovery utility. The Vaio and mouse paired up just fine without using a passkey. I then proceeded to test the reliability of the mouse from different computer states, including from a cold boot, from standby, and from just walking away for a few minutes and coming back. From cold boot and standby, the computer takes a couple extra seconds to connect to the mouse once the computer is completely booted up. Even from idle, it takes a split second to recognize the mouse movements. I've got a few more tests to run. I'll report more later...
UPDATE: This mouse works great...for desktops. If you're looking for a portable mouse to use with a laptop and you plan to travel with it often, then I would not use this mouse. The characteristics of stability and solidness comes from the size of this mouse. Yet, the size of this mouse also prevents it from being the light, portable mouse that it should be. Coupled with the lack of a switch to power it down, this is not a bluetooth mouse designed for travel.
I have also had a chance to try out the Kensington Bluetooth PilotMouse. Check it out what I have to say about it at the end of March.
I just got my hands on one of these to test. So far, I've hooked it up with a Sony VGN-S270P Vaio laptop with built-in bluetooth. The pairing was simple enough. I went into Windows XP Control Panel and ran the bluetooth discovery utility. The Vaio and mouse paired up just fine without using a passkey. I then proceeded to test the reliability of the mouse from different computer states, including from a cold boot, from standby, and from just walking away for a few minutes and coming back. From cold boot and standby, the computer takes a couple extra seconds to connect to the mouse once the computer is completely booted up. Even from idle, it takes a split second to recognize the mouse movements. I've got a few more tests to run. I'll report more later...
UPDATE: This mouse works great...for desktops. If you're looking for a portable mouse to use with a laptop and you plan to travel with it often, then I would not use this mouse. The characteristics of stability and solidness comes from the size of this mouse. Yet, the size of this mouse also prevents it from being the light, portable mouse that it should be. Coupled with the lack of a switch to power it down, this is not a bluetooth mouse designed for travel.
I have also had a chance to try out the Kensington Bluetooth PilotMouse. Check it out what I have to say about it at the end of March.
Tuesday, March 01, 2005
TIPS & TRICKS: Unplugging USB device without the system tray icon (keyboard shortcut)
For Windows XP:
%SystemRoot%\system32\rundll32.exe shell32.dll,Control_RunDLL hotplug.dll
You can build a shortcut on your desktop that you can use the keyboard to navigate to and eject your USB device. I came across this while working on a machine where the mouse was not available and needed a keyboard shortcut to eject my flash drive.
%SystemRoot%\system32\rundll32.exe shell32.dll,Control_RunDLL hotplug.dll
You can build a shortcut on your desktop that you can use the keyboard to navigate to and eject your USB device. I came across this while working on a machine where the mouse was not available and needed a keyboard shortcut to eject my flash drive.
Friday, February 18, 2005
NEWS: Wireless Developer Network
http://www.wirelessdevnet.com/news/2005/feb/07/news4.html
How does this affect you, the normal consumer? Well if you know of a company called Panera Breads then you may have found yourself a free wireless hotspot. As wireless becomes more ubiquitous, finding a place that allows free access to the internet via wireless also becomes easier. This is just one example of its explosive growth. Wouldn't you be more likely to visit Panera Breads now that you know you can get online and get a free refill? I know I would.
How does this affect you, the normal consumer? Well if you know of a company called Panera Breads then you may have found yourself a free wireless hotspot. As wireless becomes more ubiquitous, finding a place that allows free access to the internet via wireless also becomes easier. This is just one example of its explosive growth. Wouldn't you be more likely to visit Panera Breads now that you know you can get online and get a free refill? I know I would.
Wednesday, February 16, 2005
NEWS: Gates Unleashes Security Initiatives at RSA
http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1759,1537635,00.asp
For you Windows users, Microsoft has announced that they will be providing free antispyware. Try it here.
I haven't had the chance to try it out yet. But, be forewarned that this may not solve all your spyware problems. Several reviews have shown that there have not been any one single solution to take care of all of your spyware problems. In fact, using several solutions is better but still doesn't remove everything. Good luck.
For you Windows users, Microsoft has announced that they will be providing free antispyware. Try it here.
I haven't had the chance to try it out yet. But, be forewarned that this may not solve all your spyware problems. Several reviews have shown that there have not been any one single solution to take care of all of your spyware problems. In fact, using several solutions is better but still doesn't remove everything. Good luck.
Friday, February 11, 2005
TIPS & TRICKS: Apple - Discussions - Solution to Freezes Caused by Ribbon Cable
http://discussions.info.apple.com/webx?128@3.5OoAalrLP5h.13@.68a296ed
Every so often, I come across a real gem of a solution. I haven't tested this fix on my TiBook yet, but after a full day of usage following the fix, it's been rock solid.
Every so often, I come across a real gem of a solution. I haven't tested this fix on my TiBook yet, but after a full day of usage following the fix, it's been rock solid.
Monday, February 07, 2005
NEWS: Firefox Security Flaw
Attention Non-Internet Explorer Users: Security Flaw
Yes, I would say Firefox is still safer. It was just a matter of time before some big security flaw reared its ugly head. Please be careful and do not be click-happy. If someone sends you a link (yes, even the funny ones), type in the link url by hand. Better safe than sorry...
Yes, I would say Firefox is still safer. It was just a matter of time before some big security flaw reared its ugly head. Please be careful and do not be click-happy. If someone sends you a link (yes, even the funny ones), type in the link url by hand. Better safe than sorry...
WELCOME
Hello and welcome to the AC Consulting Tech Updates Blog. We hope you find some useful information here, as well as share any useful insights you may have come across. As usual, if you have any questions please feel free to ask. Happy computing!
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