Announcements:

I am currently writing at Computelogy.com actively and that's why i sort of abandoned my own tech blog. Since i am too busy to be taking care of both sides, i guess this blog will go into hibernation for a very very long time. Regrettable, but then it's hard to come up with new posts & stuffs.

So once again, i am now writing actively at Computelogy. Feel free to visit there and enjoy our latest articles and posts!

January 28, 2009

"Teleporting" to an Installation Folder!

Though this function might be of little use to normal PC users, it can really save you time and hair when it matters (eg, some computer games require users to do patching stuffs, or adding something to an installation folder).

Navigating through your main hard drive is a tiresome and occasionally risky business. Your hard drive normally consists of all those installed programs, software application...so many and so confusing that locating the installation folder you want is pretty difficult if you have not yet pass the novice level of computering. However, if a program's .exe execution shortcut is present, users can choose to "teleport" directly to the installation folder which houses the file!

There are two ways to "teleport". First is by means of desktop shortcuts. Secondly is by means of executables in the start program menu. Both methods works and produces the same results in XP and Vista.


To "teleport" using a desktop shortcut:


1. On your desktop, right-click on any program's shortcut icon.

2. Select Properties.

3. On the 'Shortcut' tab of the Properties window, notice three options under the 'Comments' box. To "teleport" to the installation folder which originally houses the shortcut executable, click on 'Open File Location' and a new window which is the installation folder will pop up!




To "teleport" using an executable in the Start Program Menu


1. Click on the Start Button on your taskbar.

2. Go to 'All Programs'


3. Find any program and open its folder. Right-click on the executable of that program (the one which when clicked, will runs the software).

4. Select 'Properties'

5. Select 'Open File Location', and the installation folder will open up!


All the methods above are for your convenience. However, if you're a pretty experienced user, i supposed that searching for the installation folder through accessing your disk drives are pretty much the same!
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Border Padding

The desktop of Windows Vista is highly customizable: you can change its default themes by applying different colors, skin, wallpapers, gadgets and even the sounds. If there is anything that is downright positive about Vista in general, it's the beautifully design interface.

Some people, however, don't like the size of the windows border of Windows Vista. Some say it's too narrow/slim that it doesn't project Vista's AeroGlass theme to the max; some said it's too wide/fat that it took off too much space of the computer screen. If that's the case, changing the border size to your liking is the easiest way to do.

Below is what you are going to get after applying the change:



To do that, we shall configure an option called border padding in Vista.

Here's how to access the size of the border in Windows Vista:
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1. Right-click on the desktop
2. Select 'Personalize'.
3. Click on 'Windows Color and Appearance'.
4. Click on 'Open Classic Appearance Properties' for more display and color options.
5. (Make sure the theme selected is Windows Aero) click on the 'Advanced' button.
6. Select 'Border Padding' in the Item drop-down box.
7. Type a new size for the border to change (increase or decrease) the size of the border(Default
border size is 4).

This is one useful customization option if you are a hardcore operating system tweaker. Lots of interface designers out there also apply the use of border padding on their creation of a Vista custom theme.
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January 24, 2009

Some Rogue Antispyware, Antivirus and Antimalware...(LOL)

Well, it's simply out of boredom that i've searched for information about some rogue security programs this past week. I even downloaded some and tested its effect on my virtual machine! But then it occurred to me that i should share with you some of the interesting stuffs i learn. The reason is because we are so occupied with the good stuffs that we did not take notice of the bad stuffs. I hope maybe you'll learn something out of this just like i do...:)

1. Intelinet


At first i'm really interested in this piece of software...well, i had totally no idea that it is a rogue antispyware software because it appeared in download.com, which is a legitimate software downloading site. So i downloaded it and tested it out. Within another couple of minutes when i feel that something's not right, i uninstalled the software...and used MalwareBytes' AntiMalware to scan my PC for infections...well, there you go, more than 30 rogue registry keys and system files found!!

You wouldn't even realize from its professional-looking "official website" shown above that it is a rogue antispyware. Thankfully download.com has took this rogue piece of crap off their website!!!

2. AntiMalware Guard


Came across this rogue antimalware's information in a forum teaching users how to remove it using MalwareBytes' AntiMalware or Rogue Remover. Well, according to sources, it mainly displays fake malware alert so as to persuade you into buying the product and steals your sensitive information. A pretty conventional type of rogue security software...

3. SpyRemover Pro


This is a pretty tricky rogue antispyware to spot. But its rogue status will be evident when it is installed. Besides showing you fake scan results which are so obvious and steals your private information, it secretly allows Trojans such as Zlob and Vundo to be downloaded into your PC (sounds like it is a Downloader Trojan itself). Worst of all, this rogue program repairs itself, spreads itself and even updates itself like an automated machine!

4. PCPrivacy Cleaner


This little rogue privacy software can get into your PC via direct download from its website or through pirate websites, porn sites and through trojan horses residing in your PC. It shows fake scan alerts and without asking your permission, it downloads other rogue programs to your PC which can steal your information, keylogging your keystrokes and throw up lots of annoying popups.

If you want a privacy-cleaning software, try the free Piriform CCleaner! Don't fall for this kind of crappy scam!

5. Antivirus 2009


Acting like a proffesional antivirus program, Antispyware fools you with fake alerts, fake Windows Security Center and tray icons. Nevertheless, you can tell that it is a rogue by its excessive popups, constant bugging of you to purchase the product...typical thing for rogue porgram to do. In my opinion, its name is stupid enough to divulge it as a rogue, to be honest...

6. WinAntispyware 2008


I was pretty stunned to learn that this is actually a rogue security software. Reason is because i love its GUI (feeling kind of guilty lol). Seriously however, this rogue antispyware can cause system slowdown and even stability issues apart from the conventional stuffs rogue security software does. Kinda pity of it being a rogue program, because the GUI is of my taste...:(

7. MalwareBot


Based on Enigma Software, vendor of the popular SpyHunter, MalwareBot finds its way into your PC via existing Trojans on your PC. It causes system instabilities, crashes, slowdowns/lockups and most annoyingly, it is a rogue which is very difficult to remove by manual methods.

8. Antivirus 360


This is a pretty sly attempt to trick users by emulating the name of the legitimate Norton 360, i guess. According to sources from security software company Sunbelt Software, it replaces Antivirus 2009 when people started flagging it as a rogue. Antivirus 360 is also a pretty conventional rogue security software, doing all the stuffs rogue security software normally does.

I actually planned on accumulating a list of rogue security programs to be posted here but then retracted the thought because there are many websites dedicated to that aspects. I hope that this post will get your attention fixed on not just the legitimate security software, but the rogue ones as well!

Happy computering!!!
Read more >>

January 23, 2009

Software of the Week: Secunia Personal Software Inspector (PSI)


Some people tend to ignore security vulnerabilities when it comes to windows security. The problem is either they don't have any idea of its danger, or that they just focused the limelight solely on antivirus solutions, which is effective but not efficient....yet.

Vulnerabilities are a very risky issue for a computer users. It allows a hacker to control your PC remotely, infect your pc with virus, mess up your pc configurations...to put things in a few phrase: your computer is infiltrated, just as how a virus infiltrates your PC. Vulnerabilities exists from sorts of software issues such as end-of-life programs or software with exploited security holes which are not patched. The problem is, how are you going to sort out the vulnerabilities and fix it?

We can entrust this to a software service called Secunia Personal Software Inspector, aka Secunia PSI.

Secunia PSI is a free vulnerability scanning tool made available by Secunia Corporation. It scans your PC via checking firstly, the software installed on your PC and then secondly, matching their versions to their online software database. If they discover that some of your software are vulnerable and required patching, they will inform you and gives you some options to update, uninstall and check that particular software's directory. One thing that Secunia is so special about is that unlike Microsoft's Windows Update, which only checks for updates within the scope of Microsoft products, Secunia PSI checks for both windows updates and third-party software.

The installation package of Secunia is less than 1 MB; a pretty lightweight little installer. Installation procedures are fast and no-nonsense. When run, it connects to the Secunia server to set up the software's interface. Interface are separated into two groups: the Simple View for average novice and the Advanced View for expert users. You can set up Secunia PSI to run automatically at startup, so that the tool will constantly monitor changes to your list of applications and notify you when there's an existing vulnerability. Coming with it is a historic overview graph bar which tells you how your system vulnerability score is in a time span of once every week.


This tool is not without flaws though. Because the software is an online service and thus, depends entirely on an existing internet connection to work, it is not 100% convenient for a laptop or netbook. This program also have occasional tendency to freeze up, especially during switching between the simple and advanced interface. Therefore, i suggest that users must really try some patience with this little tool. However, it is not some serious issues and so i seriously recommend it to all users using a PC.

To download Secunia PSI now, click this link, or visit their official website for more information.


Read more >>

January 20, 2009

Make Your Windows Vista Looks Like Windows 7

During the Windows PDC Conference back during late October 2008, Microsoft first revealed what is essentially the next look of the Microsoft Windows Operating System, Windows 7. There are several graphical changes in the new OS, notably the new taskbar and the new shell style of the user interface.

The good news for Vista users are that you don't have to wait until the next release of Windows 7 to experience the new interface. Here are my tutorial on how to change your interface into Windows 7. Credit to blacknoise who first posted the complete set of tutorial: I'm only re-posting it as a user who had tried it out and was successful.

If you are successful after trying the tutorials, this screenshot of mine is likely what you're going to get:


First, please fulfill these important requirements below:

1. Download the Windows PDC theme made by giannisgx89. - [Download] , [Mirror]
2. Official Windows 7 wallpaper (1600×1200 and 1620×1200) - [Download]
3. Iconized Taskbar Registry file - [Download]
4. Patched theme dll files:
Even though this is not a requirement, i still encourage you to use this registry key in order to take ownership of files easily in Vista:

5. Add “Take-ownership” to right-click menu Reg file - [Download]

How to install the theme:

First of all, keep in mind that we are going to patch several system files in Vista so either make a backup of the entire system via any restoration method or backup the files that you are going to replace.

1. Patch the uxtheme files:

I'm telling you on how to manually replace the files because i do it manually. To manually replace the theme files, download the patched theme files and take ownership of the original files. Rename them and copy the patched files to their locations.

These are the three dll’s you need to patch:

* shsvcs.dll
* themeui.dll
* uxtheme.dll

These files can be found inside the C:\Windows\System32 folder (%SYSTEMROOT%\System32\). My recommendation is to take ownership using the Take-Ownership registry file because it is simpler.

2. Patch the explorer.exe, shell32.dll and themecpl.dll:*

Use the above method to take ownership, rename and copy the new files. Their location can be found below. This step is also optional, the explorer.exe contains the new look for the shut down,lock buttons, shell32.dll contains new animation color for copy-paste operation and themecpl has default Windows 7 shell colors.
explorer.exe -%SYSTEMROOT%\ (C:\Windows by default)
shell32.dll and themecpl.dll - %SYSTEMROOT%\System32\

3. Copy the Windows 7 theme:

Copy the Windows 7 folder to %SYSTEMROOT%\Resources\Themes\ so it will be like this: “%SYSTEMROOT%\Resources\Themes\Windows 7\”


4. Patch the “Windows 7.msstyles” using the PDC Orb Patch:

This is to make the orb look similar to Windows 7 and is entirely optional. To patch simply copy the patcher to the location of the “Windows 7.msstyles” file and patch.

5. Iconize the task-bar:

Use the Iconized_taskbar.reg to iconize the task-bar similar to win 7 (to remove it use the Remove_Iconized_taskbar.reg)

6. Set the wallpaper and restart the PC

You know what to do. Change your wallpaper via right-click properties menu and restart for the changes to take effect.


Enjoy your new Windows 7 looks!!!
Read more >>

January 15, 2009

In the News: Google To Slash Off 6 Redundant Projects

A news article by Neowin's Chakkaradeep Chandran:

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Google has decided to terminate several products that weren't up to the Google's standards or now redundant.
In a few months, support for uploads to Google Video will be discontinued and YouTube and Picasa Web Albums will be left to handle the video uploads.


In 2001, Google Catalog Search was launched as a demonstration of OCR technology and lead to Google's Book Search which hasn't been as popular as some of Google's other products. Catalog search will be given a farewell on 15th January 2009.

Starting next week, Google plans to stop active development on Google Notebook, but will continue to maintain the service for those who've already signed up via the web interface here. The official Google notebook blog also provides information about other products which offer Notebook's functionalities.


Dodgeball, the mobile social network acquired by Google that lets users share their location with friends via text message is also being shutdown in the next couple of months as it is getting replaced by other popular mobile social networks like twitter.

Once Jaiku is migrated to Google App Engine ,a new Jaiku Engine project will be released on Google Code under the Apache License which will act as an open source microblogging platform .Development will halt and a group of Google volunteers will take care of the existing service.


The Google Mashup Editor which is currently in limited private beta, shutdown in 6 months in favour of the more powerful App Engine infrastructure.

Other Google products joining this long list to be terminated are:
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I've came across countless Google applications in my two years of computering life. Whether web-based or host-based, there are lots of them that are just in the way. I have no needs for most of the Google products and services except perhaps for some like Chrome, Google Earth and Blogger. So most of the rest seems to be redundant, as even Google themselves has marked them as 'failed'.

So if you asked me whether i like this piece of news or not, i will answer a whopping big "yes". It's less of a pain trying to keep up with their latest news, anyway...From a corporation's point of view, killing off these failed projects is also a way for Google to boost a healthy account during these dark economic periods.
Read more >>

January 14, 2009

In The News: Steve Jobs To Take A Sabbatical

This is a news article by Tim Conneally from BetaNews:

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The Apple CEO's health problems are "more complex than [he] originally thought," so today, Tim Cook will be placed in control as Jobs takes a medical leave of absence.

Last Week, Apple CEO Steve Jobs released an uncharacteristic statement to the public regarding his health, and addressing speculation about why he would not be appearing at Macworld.
Jobs said his health condition was attributable to a hormone imbalance which his doctors said could be treated. He also said that if he was unable to fulfill his duties, he would be stepping down as CEO.

Today, Jobs issued a further statement that he may be doing just that.

"Unfortunately, the curiosity over my personal health continues to be a distraction not only for me and my family," reads Jobs' statement this afternoon, "but everyone else at Apple as well. In addition, during the past week I have learned that my health-related issues are more complex than I originally thought.

"In order to take myself out of the limelight and focus on my health and to allow everyone at Apple to focus on delivering extraordinary products," Jobs continued, "I have decided to take a medical leave of absence until the end of June."

Jobs assigned Chief Operating Officer Tim Cook to handle day to day operation, just as he had done in 2004 when Jobs had surgery for pancreatic cancer.

Chief Operating Officer, Tim Cook (left) with Steve Jobs. Cook will take over Apple's daily operations until Jobs return to office some time around the end of June or early July 2009

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Apple's Mac OSX has grown strong in recent years not only due to the blunder Microsoft had with Windows Vista (even though in my opinion, it significantly improved after the release of Service Pack 1), but with the way Jobs have managed the operation of the company. A few months back, Apple lost a chunk of its market stock when rumors persists that Steve Jobs is seriously ill to the extent that he might pass away (the rumors has sinced been quashed). Even with the sort of form Apple currently had over Microsoft, Apple's market may deteriotate had they lose Steve Jobs on any sort of occasion.

I am neither supportive nor critical of Apple Inc & its products, but then without their persistent existence and current edge of the consumer market over Microsoft, Windows 7 wouldn't have shape out in the right way it should have with Vista (as of the current beta stage).
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Software of the Week: DriveSentry

S
As computer usage becomes a necessity worldwide, more and more users recognize the needs for better PC security. Antivirus software with decent detection, virus database updates and stability are instantly lifted to the top of the demand list, while weaker antivirus will disappear into oblivion if they do not improve. To stay ahead of the antivirus field, security software vendors are all competing to provide features that can facilitate in a better detection of malwares. Signature-based detection are still the prevalent method out there, followed by heuristics detection and behavioral analysis.

Blacklisting is one of the prevalent methods of malware detection...it works for sure, but does it works efficiently or does it just works sufficiently effective?

Even with all these detection method, the future of existing malwares are still supposedly brighter than those of current PC protection method. Some security vendors suggests a new protection method called 'whitelisting' to be proactively added to the range of PC protection. In whitelisting, security software basically allows only the good stuff, while denying the unknown or bad stuffs. It is a hot issue, with some security companies now attempting to adopt the practice. One company which successfully adapted 'whitelisting' as a major line of protection is DriveSentry.


DriveSentry is a security company founded in 2005 and based in both the UK and the US. The company believes that whitelisting is the true future of antivirus technology and strives to provide users a solution which can protect them against zero-day attacks and undiscovered exploits. It is interesting to note that the company does NOT rely on heuristic based detection, but purely on whitelisting based detection combined with signature based protection. The company creates database of threats added with another list of known good programs in their antivirus to ensure that users are protected against the unknown and be informed over the known.



DriveSentry is known for two of its currently existing software products, DriveSentry Antivirus and Drive Sentry GoAnywhere. DriveSentry Antivirus is a free, non-commercial antivirus equipped with a virus scanning engine and whitelisting technology for protection against virus, spyware and rootkits. DriveSentry GoAnywhere is a portable antivirus specially designed for USB disk protection against virus, spywares and rootkits and it operates completely on a USB drive. Recent updates to these two software includes a new cloud version of DriveSentry Antivirus and a new AES encryption function for DriveSentry GoAnywhere.


DriveSentry Antivirus v3.1 currently supports Windows 2000, XP, 2003 and Vista. GoAnywhere v1.02 support similar operating system with Antivirus while its supported devices includes external hard drive (portable disk), USB drive (pendrive), flash memory and even MP3 players.


To download DriveSentry Antivirus v3.1, click on the download link.

To download DriveSentry GoAnywhere v1.02 for a 30-day trial, click on the download link.

To visit the DriveSentry official website, click here.

To learn more about whitelisting technology, you can read this article.
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January 13, 2009

Download the Latest Windows Live Messenger 9!



Microsoft seems to have many releases these days. We have unlimited Windows 7 Beta downloads released to public, we have Windows Live Essentials released...and now, i'd like to tell you that now is the time that you can safely upgrade you Windows Live Messenger to the latest version!

Windows Live Messenger is previously going on a beta spree but now it finally released the official stable version. As Microsoft frequently pushed the download to me telling me to download the beta version, i accepted it and thus, had a chance of experiencing how its development goes. Some of you might be reluctant to upgrade due to fear of stability issues but no worries: the final release works fine and smoothly.


Basically there's nothing much about the new Windows Live apart from some bug fixes and a few more features which makes live messenger more colorful, only if you're the graphical type of users of course. One of the features that has been incorporated is the ability to attach .gif image to your profile so that you can have an animated picture. The other feature is the new "scene" features which allows you to change part of your messenger window's interface to be a picture of something else. Other minor features including live updates of your friends (example, the last time they changed their display pictures) a few security options and of course, some minor overhaul of the GUI!

There's two ways for you to download, install and use the new live messenger:


Method 1: Install with Windows Live Essentials (previously known as Windows Live Installer)

Note: Be sure that you are always connected to the internet if you're using method 1. Even if you saved the W.L.E installer, it will still require an internet connection when you tried to install in the future.

1. Go to the Windows Live Homepage and click on the download button to download Windows Live Essentials.

2. When the download finishes, run the installer and go through the customization process. You can also install additional package with W.L.E such as the new Windows Live Movie Maker and the Windows Live Writer.

3. Windows Live will automatically download the required components and install Windows Live Messenger 9 for you.

4. When prompt for a restart, do so and you're ready to go!


Method 2: Install with the standalone Windows Live Installers

1. Download these separate installers. They can be saved to any storage device so as to install Windows Live Messenger without requiring an internet connection in the future.

(a) Messenger.msi (the main component of Windows Live Messenger)

(b) Contacts.msi ( this is a MUST to avoid the error code 8000FFFF)

(c) Crt.msi (Microsoft Visual Studio Runtime)

2. Install these component and do a restart.
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January 9, 2009

Get Your Copy of Windows 7 Beta Now! (With Official Serial Keys Included)


As promised, Microsoft released their long-awaited beta version of Windows 7 for public testing. With a little finding, i landed my hands on a genuine license key for Windows 7 which lasts until the end of August 2009. The length of period will be sufficient for any of us to test the beta version and get our primary look at Microsoft's next generation of OS. Previously, Microsoft had released a PDC version of Windows 7 built 6801 which enters the wild not long after its releases during the PDC Conference back in October 2008. If you have tried out the 6801-built version, here's a chance to see how much has Windows 7 improved up to the beta version.

Download comes in an .iso file extension. You will require an optical drive-burning software such as Nero and Ashampoo Burning Studio so that you can burn the .iso image file to a DVD. There are two versions provided as expected: the 32-bit version and the 64-bit version. Without the license key, both works up to 30 days trial period.

Download the 32-bit version of Windows 7 Beta

Download the 64-bit version of Windows 7 Beta


Now, the genuine keys..due to Microsoft suddenly pulling out its Windows 7 offerings from the web due to lack of server to support the massive demand, my previous method no longer works along. However, the key is still obtainable if you head along to the official Windows 7 site and download a copy. There's only 2.5 million keys offered, so i hope that Microsoft still offers you a key by the time you visit their website!

Read more >>

January 8, 2009

Useful IT Practise: Double-Check Before You Download Any Software


Sometimes, we contracted spywares and trojans during or not long after downloading software. Nobody can blame us for wanting to download something, but we must blame ourselves if we failed to double-check before we download and the result is that we've got ourselves infected.

On this post, i want to share with you some tips which i believe will help you out to a certain degree. I will keep things short and simple as well. If you follow these easy tips, you can assume that you'll be better off rather than worse off!


TIP 1: Be Aware of the Existence and Credibility of Third-Parties offering that Download Link

Before you click on a download link, think about this first: is the download link provided by a legitimate company/organization/individual? Can any of the three parties, in your opinion and others, be trusted? Does the company/organization (on which the thing you tried to download claimed to be affiliated) even exists? If all three answers are no, then leave the download link ALONE.


TIP 2: Refer to other Additional Information/Sources

Before you click on a download link to a particular thing, have you done some homework on that software you're trying to download? Has there been any web users complaints about that download path? Did any of the web users claim that the software itself is a scam/dangerous? Do legitimate companies encourage you to download that software as they assure you that the download link is malware-free? If all four answers are no, again, please leave the download ALONE and reconsider other options.


TIP 3: Always Download from the Most Reliable Resources available

Before you click on a download link, think again: if this software is available for download widely and you can' trust the third party that offers you the download link, why don't choose to download from more reliable sources? For example, its official website or links offered by trusted partners/companies? It might waste some of your time relocating yourself to the official website and find the download path but at least, you are downloading software from the company's link ITSELF. Even if there's something wrong with the download, you're ensured of someone whom you can complain to, redeem or even sue for damages with supreme confidence.


TIP 4: Do You Really Need it?

Are you sure that you really need to download the software? Ask yourself clearly: why are you downloading the software and how much of an asset owning that software are to you? A simple reminder: some redundant software with security holes encourages hackers and virus to penetrate your PC's defenses, even when you have a firewall and antivirus installed. So if the software is not downloaded for any major purposes, do NOT even try to download it. Who knows it might just save you from security troubles?
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January 7, 2009

Software of the Week: Trend Micro RUBotted


Having your system "botted" is one of the worst nightmare of a computer user. It is because you are unknowingly allowing yourself to become involved in a network called botnet which can result in a Denial-of-Services (DOS) attack involving the crashing of websites. Imagine that you are helping a crime!!! If you are a really responsible user, you wouldn't allow this to happen to the other third party, would you?

Which is why i'd like to share this software with you.


Trend Micro is a respectable security software company and the mother to the famous Trend Micro HijackThis system analyzer. Apart from its regular antivirus and internet security offerings, Trend Micro released several supportive software and services under the flag TrendSecure, which includes HijackThis. One of the latest software released by Trend Micro under TrendSecure is called Trend Micro RUBotted. The software is still currently in beta stage, but due to its stability and using little memory footprints, i encourage you to use this software as an addition to your antivirus protection.

I've used to discuss in my previous post entries on PC security that Bots can secretly take control of computers and make them participate in networks called “Botnets.” These networks can harness massive computing power and Internet bandwidth to relay spam, attack web servers, infect more computers, and perform other illicit activities. Security experts believe that millions of computers have already joined Botnets without the knowledge of their owners. By using remotely-controlled computers, the criminals in charge of the Botnets try to remain anonymous and elude authorities seeking to prosecute them.

The concept of RUBotted's functionality is very simple and straightforward: RUBotted monitors your computer for suspicious activities and regularly checks with an online service to identify behavior associated with Bots. Upon discovering a potential infection, RUBotted prompts you to scan and clean your computer via Trend Micro HouseCall. After cleaning your system, you can officially be declared free of the botnet network.

Upon installation, Trend Micro RUBotted starts together with windows, unless you manually turn it off via clearing its startup entry. It sits quietly in your system tray and constantly checks your network for possible bot activity. If there are signs of bot activity detected, then the system tray icon will change its color to alert users. Although it is capable of detecting bot activities, it must be reminded that it does not disinfect or clean your system; RUBotted only serves as a checker and reminder that you are infected and should scan your PC for virus/worms. To effectively clean your system of bots, users must enlist the use of an effective antivirus or via the online service, Trend Micro Housecall. RUBotted will not change its system tray icon's color back to normal if the PC is not free from bots, therefore it also serves as a benchmark on how your antivirus is performing!

Here are the system requirements for installing and running Trend Micro RUBotted Beta

Operating System:
  • Windows 2000 Professional (with the latest Service Pack installed)
  • Windows XP Professional or Home Edition (with the latest Service Pack installed)
  • Windows 2003 Server (with the latest Service Pack installed)
  • Windows Vista (32-bit version only, with the latest Service Pack installed)
Hardware:
  • Intel Pentium 350MHZ (minimum)
  • 250MB of free hard drive space
  • IPv4 Internet connection
* Take note that RUBotted does not work with Panda Internet Security 2008


To download and start using Trend Micro RUBotted, click here.
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January 5, 2009

Technology In the News: Intel and Adobe to bring Flash to TVs

This is a technology article by Neowin's news staff Sam Alderwick posted today:

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Intel and Adobe have announced that they will be working together to allow digital TVs, Blu-ray disc players and set-top boxes to browse Flash based content on devices which use the Intel Media Processor CE 3100. The idea of browsing the Internet through the TV hasn't been widely adopted yet, but this is certainly a step in the right direction if Internet browsing capabilities are to be brought to these media devices.

The first CE 3100 processor is expected in mid-2009 at latest, and will feature an optimized version of Adobe Flash Lite. "Our effort with Adobe is poised to accelerate a rich, yet relevant Internet experience on the TV that will provide consumers with access to a growing number of Flash based applications that will ultimately be enjoyed across a number of screens seamlessly, from the laptop to a MID and now the TV," said William O. Leszinske Jr., general manager of Intel's Digital Home Group, in a press release.

Adobe and Intel also reported that they are working on an optimized version of Adobe AIR for Intel's new digital platform, which could result in support for applications such as BBC iPlayer, for which a version using Adobe AIR has been released. Although it's got some issues to overcome (namely input, which is currently limited to a remote control), Intel's new platform could be the start of a huge advancement in the capabilities of TV and media players.

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In another few years to come, we humans might be browsing the web with a plasma TV! Imagine watching a Youtube video or streaming an online Flash advertisement with your TV! Intel and Adobe will soon bridge another gap between IT-based media and home entertainment gadgets! I mean, basically even the PC's monitor is going to lose its attraction if the PC-TV combination is going commercially large! I couldn't see what attraction a PC monitor has in the future had they not going into development of Touch-Screen technology!
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January 4, 2009

The Economic Crisis Effect: AMD To Terminate 100 More Than Planned

A news article by Scott M. Fulton on December 30, 2008:

In an SEC filing yesterday, the CPU maker disclosed that it will incur a slightly larger restructuring charge than earlier estimates, due to its need to trim about 600 employees from its roster starting this quarter, rather than 500.

At some point, there should be a turnaround for struggling AMD, but it's not here yet. Last month, the company announced it would have to trim 500 positions worldwide from its corporate payroll, in a restructuring effort connected to its workforce reduction plan of 1,600 announced last April.

"The Plan primarily involves approximately 600 employees who were notified during the fourth quarter of fiscal 2008 that their employment with the Company would be terminated, and additional cost reduction actions that either have taken place during the fourth quarter of fiscal 2008 or will take place in fiscal 2009," yesterday's SEC filing reads. "As a result of its current analysis, the Company now estimates that the restructuring expense that it will record in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2008 will be approximately $70 million."

In an almost morose way, an employee reduction plan by any company can be perceived by shareholders as a long-term investment in the company's future. In the short term, workforce reduction is a very significant burden -- the gains that come from not paying folks' salaries and benefits are not appreciated immediately, since it costs so much to support those who are being let go. Last month, AMD estimated the cost of terminating 500 employees, starting with its fiscal fourth quarter 2008 and moving into 2009, would be $50 million. Now, we know it will cost AMD 40% more to terminate 20% more positions, with $45 million of those expenses to be charged next year.

In the same filing, the company also warned that it expects to incur yet another material charge as a result of the deteriorated goodwill suffered between the time the acquisition of graphics chip maker ATI was announced in October 2006, and the time it was enacted. Goodwill is the estimated value of an acquisition over and above its material assets, which is essentially how much faith the acquirer has in the acquired company's good standing in the market. Last year at this time, when the deluge of bad news began gushing from AMD, its president and now CEO, Dirk Meyer, revealed his company would have to assume a one-time write-down charge, equal to how much less extra value ATI actually brought to AMD. In July, that charge amounted to an astonishing $880 million, from a merger that was originally valuated at $3.2 billion.

And now we learn that even this much wasn't enough. AMD went so far as to hint that it may yet uncover some previously undisclosed liabilities, perhaps related to intellectual property -- "intangible assets" -- that should have been uncovered long ago.

"The Company [AMD] expects that the impairment charge will be material, but, as of the time of this filing, the Company is unable to estimate the amount or range of amounts of the impairment charge," reads the SEC filing yesterday. "In addition, the Company will also perform an analysis to identify whether there is also potential impairment of any of the remaining identifiable intangible assets acquired in the ATI Acquisition."

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A-Squared Anti-Malware Free


All antivirus needs a sidekick to keep a PC truly safe. Although some users employ the use of internet security which bundle antivirus protection together with antispyware, antispam, firewall and even parental control, there are some users who could not afford or are reluctant to pay more for PC security. Which is why they'll need additional protections and better if its free of charge.

A-Squared AntiMalware Free is one of the free security software which offers good protection. It is developed by Emsi Software GmbH, an Austrian-based security company which was founded in 2003, a year when the computer world is shocked with a sharp increase in online threats. There are two versions of A-Squared AntiMalware; one of them is the free version while the other is a paid-for version which provides additional real-time protection and better signature update engine. However i'm going to emphasize on the free edition because this is what normally people like: free stuffs.


The free A-Squared AntiMalware is powered by both the Ikarus scanning engine and Emsi Software's own developed scanning engine, making A-Squared a one-of-a-kind double engine scanning software offering protection from both virus and spywares. Installations are fast and smooth, taking only around one to a couple of minutes. It has a very smooth, organized and detailed blue-and-silver user interface which makes malware scanning more fun. Unlike many famous antispywares or antimalwares, A-Squared has a great ability; it allows users to double the task they wanted to perform on the software itself and thus, save users' time and effort. For example, users can do both a signature update and perform a scan simultaneously, so they don't have to perform these two task twice. A-Squared Free also provides users the option to sign up newsletter for free, and its main software application also provides direct links to the latest software articles and company news via the main menu. Configuration by default has everything set up based on the average users' usage so majority of users can just kick start without having to customize the configuration beforehand.


Although A-Squared Free is generally a very good security addon, it is not without flaws. Free edition updates at a slower pace in comparison with other security software, although being detailed in telling users what has been updated. Partially due to the company using the Ikarus scanning engine which is famous for throwing up false positives, A-Squared Free does occasionally cough up things that are actually malware-free, which will require users to recognize between a false positive and a real malware alarm. The deep scan is very slow, always taking up to more than an hour and a half in scanning a newly-reformatted computer with some installed software during my own private testing. That could however, be understandable since A-Squared utilizes two scanning engines for detection.


Overall, this antimalware is still recommendable because it is interactive, stable, handy and most importantly, it is FREE while offering users a reasonably good additional protection.

The latest version of A-Squared AntiMalware Free reaches the v4 mark on the 17th of December 2008. To download A-Squared AntiMalware Free now, click here.
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January 2, 2009

Top Ten List of FREE Antivirus Software

It would be of little secret to the world that we humans simply love free stuffs. It would even be adding icing on the cake if the free stuffs we get is superb in quality and functionality, sometimes even better than the paid stuffs! Likewise, if we think that people would not consider free stuffs in terms of PC security, we are very wrong indeed. Even when malwares, spywares, bots and rootkits are increasingly on the wild and threatening our daily computering lives, some of us still want free security software.

Of course, if i was writing anything on this little informational blog, it was not just to educate or remind you, but also to help you with all that i can. I am here to tell you with great joy that if you like antivirus security for FREE, there are many free yet good antivirus out there, which i'd singled ten of them as the best you could get and give you a brief introduction to them all.

My Top Ten Best Free Antivirus Security Download List: ===========================================

1. Avira Antivir Personal Free
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Simply to say, this is in my opinion, the BEST FREE antivirus in the current market. It offers strong, consistent and reliable virus protection in real-time and it specializes against the detection and removal of virus, worms, trojans, rootkits and dialers. Avira is well-known for its heuristic detection capabilities and its antivirus engine is one of the best out there. Although the annoying Avira-adverstising and slow update speed are always the bad thing about Avira, there's not much to ask for from the best free antivirus out there.

2. AVG Antivirus Free Edition
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It does not top the best free antivirus out there, and certainly its detection are not of the first class, but AVG is always consistently there, and it is universally the most famous free antivirus, having an estimated fan base of more than 80 million users worldwide. The latest AVG free edition combines AVG antivirus, AVG antispyware and internet surfing protection in one body, and it is sweet to know that afer all that first-time combination, it luckily only impacts moderately on system resources. It protects you in real-time and offers daily virus definition updates.

3. Avast! Antivirus Free
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Avast! is the third antivirus i've used in my computing life after Norton and AVG, and suffice to say, it offers rock solid real-time protection with daily updates plus full featured protection such as mail, P2P, instant messenging shield, network shield, self-protection and resident protection, making it one of the most complete free antivirus out there. Avast! is also interactive, fun to use, supports 64-bit PCs and most importantly, it owns one of the best real-time protection engine out there; all with its clever management on system resources. Even though it does cough up a couple of false positives at times, users could care less for an antivirus as good as Avast!: so long as it does not miss the important threats!

4. Comodo Internet Security Free Edition
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The only free internet security protection in my list, with a real-time antivirus+firewall protection module combined in one package. Comodo has always been the frontrunner on the firewall protection scene and it is of no doubt that it will do well on the antivirus industry too, having released Comodo Antivirus before to moderate success. Although this security package is pretty new and currently still on the uprising stage unlike Avira or AVG which has settled down at the top pretty firmly, it might soon be the free antivirus to beat.

5. PC Tools Antivirus Free Edition
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The famous creator of Spyware Doctor, one of the market-leading antispyware solution wows users with a free offering of PC Tools Antivirus. With IntelliGuard, its trademark real-time protection module and comprehensive system scanning based on years of security solution offerings, we can say that PC Tools Antivirus is also a strong free antivirus out there. Although lacking a high-speed update feature, it does little to impact the fact that PC Tools Antivirus is as good as it gets.

6. BitDefender Antivirus Free Edition
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Who can forget Softwin's BitDefender, the fastest-growing security company's offerings? Even with several product such as BitDefender Internet Security and BitDefender Total Security, BitDefender, like regular rivals Avira, AVG and Avast, has come out with a free antivirus solution. Unlike the top five free antivirus, BitDefender Antivirus Free only works up to Windows XP and is an on-demand scanning antivirus with no real-time protection offered. Despite these two setbacks, users still gets the same update module and the same certified BitDefender scanning engines found in their paid version, making it a free antivirus with a certain degree of PC protection quality.

7. ClamWin Free Antivirus
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With its own developed scanning engine, long-time commitment towards providing free security solutions and high detection rate which rivals paid security products, ClamWin has come a long way and is still an excellent free antivirus. Like the Free Bitdefender, ClamWin does not have any real-time protection and required manual scanning to detect virus. However, it works just as well as your average antivirus. It does have automatic update features and its popularity with software developers even allows its integration with Spyware Terminator, a free antispyware solution.

8. DriveSentry Antivirus
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DriveSentry is a front-edge antivirus for home users which utilizes protection based on both blacklisting and whitelisting technology together with signature-based detection; a plus for a free antivirus. It works well together with other existing antivirus software and allows user participation in the facilitation of detecting unknown virus of the future. Features available includes virus, HIPS and encryption to mention a few. Because of its user-interactive characteristics, it does takes some time getting used to.

9. ThreatFire Antivirus (formerly CyberHawk)
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If DriveSentry is being unique because it is based on blacklisting and whitelisting technology, then ThreatFire can be considered unique too because unlike contemporary front-line antivirus, it is totally dedicated towards behavioral protection instead of signatures, heuristics or blacklisting/whitelisting technology. As suggested, it traces malicious behaviour by analyzing the PC's background activity and informs you when neccesary: whether any program is trying to log your keystrokes, send an unknown network signal outbound, make changes to critical areas of your system files etc. Once known as CyberHawk Security and now developed by PC Tools, ThreatFire is a trustworthy antivirus that you can use as a standalone protection or as an additional antivirus to your existing one; without being an expert in computering!

10. Rising Antivirus Free Edition
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A China-based antivirus solution, Rising Antivirus Free offers similarly strong protection with an antivirus engine that successfully won the VB100 antivirus detection award in recent testings. Like all modern antivirus, it offers protection against malware, virus, worms, spywares and dialers. It also offers a user account protection module which protects user's online account information such as bank accounts and e-mail accounts. Rising is currently the top free antivirus which is based in Asia, with its popularity eclipsing even the Indian-based QuickHeal.
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Review Digital Plexus

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This blog is dedicated for the benefits of those who seeks experiences, knowledge or information in the computer, IT news, technology and software & hardware area. Digital Plexus cannot control how readers use the information, including any fraudulent conducts, illegal activities or deeds as regard by the law. Therefore, Digital Plexus & its authors shall not be liable to any damages caused by readers who misuse the information provided.

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