TIPS & TRICKS: Direct Download Locations of Full Versions of Software

I often come across situations where I need to download a full installer of some piece of software without having to jump through hoops. Skype is a prime example. Often times, I want to download the latest installer without having to sign into any particular Skype account, except that Skype wants me to sign-in to my Skype account before they allow me to download. Usually, I'm trying to reinstall the software without having to provide any credentials, or I'm trying to update an OS image.

Fortunately, I found the link to download Skype for Windows version:

http://www.skype.com/en/download-skype/skype-for-windows/

Here's Skype for Mac:

http://www.skype.com/en/download-skype/skype-for-mac/

Note: It seems that the links above will base the download on what platform you are downloading from. For example, if you are downloading from a Windows machine, both the Windows link & the Mac link above will download an .exe file.


Another piece of software I frequently need is Adobe Flash. In this case, I generally need a full version rather than the stub you get when you go through the visible links on the main Adobe site. Here's the Adobe Flash download link:

http://www.adobe.com/products/flashplayer/distribution3.html


Will add more as I find them.

2014_02_18 Update: Here's the Google Chrome Full Offline Installer that will install Chrome for all users on Windows:

http://www.google.com/chrome/eula.html?system=true&standalone=1

Didn't see one for Mac.

2014_10_04 Update: Here's the free Mac Sophos Anti-Virus installer:

http://downloads.sophos.com/home-edition/savosx_90_he.zip

TIPS & TRICKS: Improve the Security of a New Computer

Often, I field questions about how to protect a computer, especially when it's brand new. I've often given customized advice to people, depending on their current environment. But, I get the questions enough that I considered composing a document that outlines this information.

Fortunately, I have (and, so have you) paid for someone else to compose this document for us:

http://www.us-cert.gov/security-publications/ten-ways-improve-security-new-computer

This federal government site has a wealth of information, including this well-written document, on how to secure your computer from the bad guys. There's lots of ways to protect your new computer from getting compromised, but this document provides a great baseline for everyone to follow.

Besides the steps outlined in this document, I would also add that setting up a new machine is a perfect time to also setup a solid backup solution and consider encrypting the hard drive in your computer, especially if it's a notebook that gets lots of miles.

TIPS & TRICKS: OS X Security Tips

Found some good information on how to secure Mac OS X, presented by Sophos:

http://nakedsecurity.sophos.com/2011/01/25/top-tips-for-os-x-security-part-1/

http://nakedsecurity.sophos.com/2011/02/02/top-tips-for-mac-os-x-security-part-2/

http://nakedsecurity.sophos.com/2011/02/21/top-tips-for-mac-os-x-security-part-3/

Sophos also offers free anti-virus for OS X here:

http://www.sophos.com/products/free-tools/free-mac-anti-virus/

TIPS & TRICKS: Deploying Sophos Anti-Virus to Vista

Using Sophos Enterprise Console 3.0.0.2321 to deploy Sophos to Vista did not work out of the box. Sophos gives a work-around here:

http://www.sophos.com/support/knowledgebase/article/15027.html

In my own testing, I found that steps 1 & 2 were sufficient and did not require a reboot to take effect. However, I do not know how much of it was also due to our AD Group Policies. I did realize that when I tried to deploy from the Console yesterday, our Group Policies had not propagated down to the workstation yet. Today, I see that they have come down to the machine. Nevertheless, I was unable to deploy until I took the first two steps Sophos recommended.

TIPS & TRICKS: Sophos Error 3057

Updated this post:

http://acctu.blogspot.com/2007/08/fix-sophos-stand-alone-installation.html

About 2/3 through the installation, I came across this message:

Error 3057. There was an unexpected error while attempting to create, repair or delete a user account. Contact your support personnel.

Sophos now has a knowledge base article on it:

http://www.sophos.com/support/knowledgebase/article/22862.html

However, the article is not clear at all on how to hack the registry to get it to install properly. Here are the steps that worked for me:

1. Run Regedit. If you don't know what this is, I would suggest seeking the help of someone who does. Any wrong setting made with this tool could cripple your machine.

2. Navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE > Software.

3. Right-click on the software key and select Permissions.

4. Explicitly add your currently logged-in user with full permissions.

5. Close out and reinstall Sophos.

This worked for me without the steps listed in my previous post on the problem. Now off to retrace the steps to install from the Management Console. Happy computing.