Broward County Computer Technical Support

by Russ Bellew, your tech support ally
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This page is fed from my Windows Live Spaces blog.  If you wish to post a comment, first click on Read comments.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
December 01

Does your PC randomly shutdown?
I recently found that random shutdowns of a Hewlett-Packard desktop PC were caused by a CPU heat sink that had broken and was losing thermal contact with the CPU. Close inspection revealed that the heat sink was poorly designed so that its molded plastic carrier was placed under tension when it was fastened by four screws to the motherboard. The plastic broke apart at 3 of the four corners, breaking the thermal bond between CPU and heat sink.
 
With inadequate heat sinking, the CPU's internal temperature soared, which triggered shutdowns.
 
I replaced the broken heat sink with an all-metal design ($20 retail).
 
H-P probably saved a few cents by buying cheap heatsinks, and the computer user paid for H-P's poor product design review and quality control procedures. It's just one more reason to stay away from H-P's recent home computers.


5:51 PM GMT  |  Read comments(0)

November 18

Buying? Selling? There are alternatives to Ebay
I added a page to my website that may be helpful if you're buying or selling, eBay isn't a good fit, and you're looking for an alternative venue. The URL is http://russbellew.com/ebay_sell_alternatives.aspx 
 
Craigslist and its founder, Craig Newmark, are undergoing what the Chinese call interesting times.
 
Background: Craig has chosen to keep Craigslist modest but comfortably profitable. (Craig says that in a race between the hare and the tortoise, Craigslist is the tortoise.) The paid staff, all in San Francisco, number about 34. (They use volunteers to assist running the site in other cities.) Ads are free with a few exceptions: housing and job ads in San Francisco and housing ads in New York City require payment. (Craig points out that the real estate advertisers in NYC requested that they be required to pay, to keep spurious ads out.)
 
If you've used Craigslist, you'll agree that it's free-form and in general works pretty well, despite the efforts of spammers and scammers.
 
Into this idyll strides eBay: they bought 28% of Craigslist's shares in 2004, placed their guy on Craigslist's board of directors and are trying, to use a Web 2.0 term, to monetize Craigslist. It's a classic culture clash. eBay is suing Craig and Craigslist's CEO (while telling Craig that they'll gladly buy his shares should he choose to sell), and Craig is suing eBay. Each accuses the other of fiduciary irresponsibility and acting in bad faith.
 
My new page also contains info about and links to alternative sites where you can buy and sell items at no cost: Bidville, eCrater, and Blujay.


5:49 PM GMT  |  Read comments(0)

November 08

How not to use Photoshop
Check out the official photo that was just released by the North Korean government. It's easy to spot the inconsistencies surrounding the Dearest Leader: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/article5099581.ece


7:32 PM GMT  |  Read comments(0)

November 04

An odd print problem with IE7 on Windows Vista
I ran into a surprising problem on a PC that runs Windows Vista. The user had changed her name from Mary to Jane. The only application that objected was Internet Explorer version 7 -- but only when the user tried to print over a network to a shared printer. User Jane did not have the rights to the shared printer that Mary had. Every other app, and Windows Vista itself, allowed Jane to print to the shared printer.
 
Operating systems, including Windows, treat users as objects; the operating system assigns a random number to the object and that's what it manipulates. The user's name is merely an alias, so username Mary can change her username to Jane, but the operating system doesn't care, as it just deals with the object which was named with a random number when it was created. Why would IE7 care what the alias is while printing? Who knows?
 
As a workaround, I created user account Mary on the PC with the shared printer and gave her rights to the shared printer. I guess that the correct way to fix this is to, while logged on as Jane, uninstall IE7 and reinstall IE7.


5:15 PM GMT  |  Read comments(0)

October 23

Open Office version 3 released and it looks good
Open Office, the free alternative to Microsoft Office, has just been updated to version 3. Its most attractive features for users of earlier versions of Open Office include (1) it can now read files in Microsoft Office 2007 format(!) and (2) it can directly create PDF files. It's available in Linux, Windows, and Mac flavors. What's not to like?
 
Read about and download it: http://www.openoffice.org


9:11 PM GMT  |  Read comments(0)

Microsoft extends XP's life (again)
Microsoft has announced that Windows XP Professional will be available for purchase until July 31, 2009. Read the Computerworld blog article, Has Microsoft given up on Vista?
 


10:43 AM GMT  |  Read comments(0)

October 18

My new fave TV webcast: Cranky Geeks
Clipboard01
 
John Dvorak, a long-time cranky geek in print and radio, has a "talking heads" format video show that I like. Give it a try: http://www.crankygeeks.com
 
Here's an episode that discusses copyright, intellectual property law, and distribution of print, audio, and video content. Guests include a law professor and a music publisher: http://zdpub.vo.llnwd.net/o2/crankygeeks/episode017/crankygeeks.017.wmv and here's an episode with Craig Newmark, Founder, Craigslist.org:


6:26 PM GMT  |  Read comments(0)

October 15

Restore Internet Explorer 7's page loading speed
reset_ie7   Internet Explorer version 7 's loading of pages slows after months of heavy use. Here's a quick way to restore its speed, while retaining your favorites. (Google Toolbar, Yahoo Toolbar, etc. will be removed, which I regard as a blessing.):
 
From within Internet Explorer 7, click:
Tools
Internet Options
Advanced tab
At the bottom of the properties page, click the Reset button (which I've circled in this screenshot).
Allow several minutes for resetting to complete.
Exit Internet Explorer 7. Restart Internet Explorer 7.
 
Guard your privacy: To thwart Doubleclick and other sneaky directed advertising companies, click Tools / Internet Options / Privacy / Advanced button. On the Advanced Privacy Settings properties page, check Override Automatic Cookie Handling, Accept First Party Cookies, Block Third Party Cookies, and check Always allow session cookies. Finish by clicking the OK button.    cookiehandling
 


1:59 AM GMT  |  Read comments(1)

October 14

Retrothing.com is about (of course) retro things
It's new! It's unusual! It's http://www.retrothing.com.
 
The Classic Computing page reminds me how far we've come since I started tinkering with microcomputers in late 1977.


7:42 PM GMT  |  Read comments(0)

October 09

Travelers: encourage Congress to protect your privacy at borders
Did you know that when you enter the US, your laptop computer, PDA, and cell phones may be searched and seized without probable cause by U.S. Customs and Homeland Security personnel? That's right: your Fourth Amendment constitutional right to freedom from unreasonable search and seizure doesn't apply when you enter the US from abroad. Congress is (finally) waking up to this breach of a constitutional right:
 


7:30 PM GMT  |  Read comments(0)

I'm shocked. Shocked! China spies on Skype phone calls
skype-logo   China looks more and more like George Orwell's 1984 nightmare:
 
 


7:10 PM GMT  |  Read comments(0)

September 07

Barbarians (carrying Macs and iPhones) At The Corporate Gate
mac_in_corp  An alliance, called the Enterprise Desktop Alliance (EDA), has been formed to push Apple MacIntosh computers into the corporate workplace. Traditionally, managing Macintosh computers has posed problems for corporate IT departments because its hardware, software, and network protocols were significantly different than those of MS Windows computers. With Apple's change of CPU from Motorola to Intel, IT's task became a little easier.
 
The five founding members of EDA develop software that makes the deployment of Macintoshes easier within a managed Microsoft Windows network environment.
 
EDA hasn't said it, but it's obvious that Microsoft's dropping of the ball with Windows Vista has opened the corporate gates to Apple.
 
Read Business Week's May 1 cover story, The Mac in the Gray Flannel Suit.
 
Here's a press release:
 
The new Enterprise Desktop Alliance will promote use of Macintosh desktops in managed Windows environments. A group of five vendors has formed an alliance to help push Macintosh desktops into managed Windows environments on corporate networks. The efforts of the Enterprise Desktop Alliance (EDA) -- which was formed last week by Atempo, Centrify, Group Logic, LANrev and Parallels -- are not about displacing Windows but raising awareness that the Macintosh is a viable alternative because it can be managed using integration tools and existing Windows infrastructure.
 
Many IT issues with the Macintosh in the past had to do with networking and management.
 
The vendors, which are hoping to add some user members, develop tools that help companies deploy, integrate and manage Macintoshes using Windows-based infrastructure.
 
The evolution of the Macintosh platform over the past few years, including a shift to the Intel architecture, has brought it into closer alignment with the needs of enterprise computing even though Apple largely ignores the corporate market.
 
Surveys of Macintosh penetration in the enterprise typically peg market share around 4% to 8%. In October of last year, IDC reported that the Macintosh's share of the PC shipment market was up to 6.9%. Also, the rise in laptop use, the popularity of Macintosh-based notebooks, and devices like the iPhone are helping fuel both back-door raids and front-office assaults by the Macintosh.
 
"Sometimes it happens top down," says Peter Frankle, COO of LANrev. "We have one customer where the top four C-level executives ended up getting iPhones in an all Windows infrastructure. They liked them so much they got MacBook Pros and then suddenly IT was charged with supporting its four most important clients using MacBooks."
 
Technologies like virtualization and Apple's BootCamp, which both let Windows and Windows-based applications run on the Macintosh, also are blurring the lines between an either/or choice for IT. Also, migration costs and hardware overhauls associated with Microsoft's Vista are leading corporate IT to explore all its options.
 
Now the EDA is saying infrastructure to support the Macintosh platform should not be an issue because for Windows shops it is already there.
 
EDA members develop software that hits a number of integration points between Windows and Macintosh with Atempo providing data protection, Centrify identity and access management, Group Logic file and print services, LANrev systems lifecycle management and Parallels virtualization.
 
Frankle says IT can achieve the same level of configuration management, disaster recovery, security and policy compliance on Macintoshes that they have with Windows and the Windows infrastructure. For example, Active Directory can be used to control access privileges and create audit trails for Macintosh desktops.
 
EDA plans to host a series of Webcasts and seminars to prove their points, and will publish white papers, product information and other resources on its Web site.
 
Frankle says Phase 2 of development of EDA will include the addition of user members, and a Phase 3 could include expansion beyond the management focus.


4:05 AM GMT  |  Read comments(0)

August 28

Secrets about the next Windows leak out
vista_logo-sm We're slowly learning more about the next release of Microsoft Windows, which will replace Vista. It's known within Microsoft as Windows 7. With its emphasis on modularity, I wonder if Microsoft will split it into three distinctly different products: One for corporate use, one for home use, and one for server use? (In my opinion, many features that are must haves for home users are at best irrelevant for business users, and just make a server less reliable.) You can read details on a page that I added to my website: http://russbellew.com/vista_sneak_peak_win7.aspx .


12:52 PM GMT  |  Read comments(0)

August 18

Use the Internet to send and receive faxes
I added two articles to my website that describe Internet fax. The first is an introduction to the idea of using the Internet for fax and the second is a more detailed examination of Internet faxing together with excellent reviews of most of the Internet fax services.
 
I hope to add a page soon that describes an alternative for businesses with a LAN: creating your own fax server.
 


4:04 AM GMT  |  Read comments(0)

August 04

Best practices in the home
I've added a page to my website that contains suggestions for safely using a computer at home. I've made a few of my own suggestions and added links to suggestions from first-class authorities. (Of the four links, Apple's is the weakest. The rest contain excellent suggestions.) Here's the link to my Best Practices in the Home page: http://russbellew.com/best_practices_in_the_home.aspx


8:08 PM GMT  |  Read comments(0)

August 03

A new search engine enters the stage: Cuil
cuil  Some ex-Google people last week introduced a new search engine: http://www.cuil.com  They went online for the first time on Monday, and were soon bogged down with processing over 50 million search requests on their first day. They seem to be back on their feet now.
 
The Cuil founders reportedly have $34 million in venture capital to start their venture. Anna Patterson, who apparently is responsible for much of the technology behind today's version of Google, created the Cuil (pronounced "cool") search engine. My tests uncovered lots of sites (such as http://russbellew.com Harumph!) that were missing from Cuil's initial index. Note that they profess to not collect as much user information as Google.
 
I wish them luck. As far as I know, Google succeeds because it's not just very good software; it's very good software that runs on a huge, widely dispersed, fault tolerant cloud of computers. It'll take time and gobs of money to build a competing "cloud".
 
By the way, for many years I've liked http://www.alltheweb.com/ as a strong competitor to Google.


1:02 AM GMT  |  Read comments(0)

August 02

Two easy ways to create and publish your own web pages at no charge
If you wish to publish an on-line web page or two (perhaps to announce a family event), there are at least two easy (and free of charge) ways to do it: http://hubpages.com/ and http://www.squidoo.com/
 
Last week, I published a simple page on squidoo to provide an inward link to my website: http://www.squidoo.com/howtofindgoodtechsupport. It took about an hour to create. You can probably do better than I did.


12:34 PM GMT  |  Read comments(0)

July 31

Is your Windows PC in a login - logout loop?
This week I ran across a Windows XP Home PC that was infected with a Trojan Horse. Among its problems was that users couldn't log into Windows. The Windows XP login screen had fallen back to VGA resolution, and regardless of who tried to login, their wallpaper flashed for an instant, and they were immediately logged out.
 
Background
 
When a user logs in, Windows XP invokes a program called userinit.exe, which resides in the \WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\ directory. Somehow, userinit.exe had been overwritten by the Trojan Horse.
 
Cure
 
Here's what worked on this PC:
Start the PC and press F8 before the Windows logo appears. Choose Safe Mode
 
Once Safe Mode is running, Log in as Administrator.
 
Choose Start, Run, and enter CMD in the "Open:" box.
 
Enter these commands at the command prompt:
cd \windows\i386      <- Change to whatever directory contains Windows' CAB files.
extract userinit.ex_ c:\windows\system32   <- Grab a fresh copy of userinit.exe
cd \windows\system32
ren userinit.exe userinit.bad                  <- Rename the corrupted userinit.exe
ren userinit.ex_ userinit.exe                  <- Replace it with the fresh copy
exit
Restart the PC. You should now be able to log in.
This is just the start of your virus removal odyssey. I found at least 6 infected files in the \WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\ directory, and a few scattered in \WINDOWS\ and Users' documents directories. Sort these directories by date to see which files have been most recently written to and/or created -- these are highly suspect. In some cases I had to note the infected file names and delete them manually with the PC in Safe Mode (Command Prompt Only), as Windows opened them in exclusive mode at startup -- which prevents them from being deleted.
 
This infection was especially nasty: Zone Alarm caught msauc.exe (which had been created in the \WINDOWS\ directory by the Trojan Horse dropper) trying to "phone home" with who knows what information (account names and passwords?). This was one time when Zone Alarm, with its whitelist of programs that are allowed to access the outside world, worked perfectly to protect the PC's data.


12:58 AM GMT  |  Read comments(0)

July 30

Best Practices in the office
I added a new page to my website, http://russbellew.com/best_practices_in_the_office.aspx. It defines a few simple practices that office workers should follow when they use office computers.
 
Maybe the most important of these is to, at day's end, log out. I like users to then restart desktop computers. Some offices require that desktop computers be switched off at day's end.
 
Please let me know if you have suggestions for this page.


7:51 PM GMT  |  Read comments(0)

July 29

Learn Microsoft Office on-line. Tuition: $0
logooffice   Microsoft provides very good on-line training for its Office 2003 and Office 2007 products. Here's the link: http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/training/FX100565001033.aspx  I'm impressed with the quality of these lessons.
 
You may have already discovered that people who have Microsoft Office 2003 or earlier versions can't open files from Microsoft Office 2007.

If you're an Office 2007 user who will be sending Microsoft Office files to other people, you can avert problems by saving your file as a "Word 97-2003 document." You can find the option in the "Save as type" drop-down box in the "Save As" window. Choosing this option means that anyone (who has earlier versions of Microsoft Office or Open Office) to whom you send the document will be able to open it. 
 
 
 


2:58 AM GMT  |  Read comments(0)