computer help
A fresh installation of Windows with all its updates and tweaks run's fantastic for most people. Then, we start throwing gunk into the system, including antivirus programs, firewalls, etc. and all the garbage we collect from the slumasphere: the dreggs of the public internet.
It is possible to run a faster, cleaner PC. It's also possible to keep it that way, even if you're not a computer genius. Just a few commercial tools and a little planning will make it an easy process - and your PC much more useful for much longer.
Posted in computer help | tech read more
Submitted by jasonn on August 12, 2006 - 3:33am.
This list of free essential Windows programs will make the life of any developer or power user much easier.
[Check out Run a Faster Windows PC, when you're done with this article.]
Freaking out about gas prices in America? Check out The Pickens Plan!
Turning off unnecessary services in Windows XP can greatly reduce your exploit risk, while improving system performance. It's a good time to inject that often there are all sorts of "download optimizers" and other cute programs that vendors like to push on users. Most of the time, installing such things slows your computer down at best. It could subject you to potential security risks. The first rule is "If you don't know you need it, you probably don't."
Posted in computer help | computer security read more
Submitted by jasonn on April 4, 2005 - 10:14am.
I'm always chastising someone about their bad passwords. They either use a silly simple password, or none at all for their personal computers, accounts online, etc. Some people will even use numbers for critical accounts like online banking. It's a huge security problem. What's the point in a password if it doesn't stop someone from breaking into your stuff?
More than two in three respondents (65 per cent) quizzed in RSA Security's survey use fewer than five passwords for all electronic information access and 15 percent use a single password for everything. These figures are unchanged from a similar survey last year.
John Worrall, VP of worldwide marketing at RSA Security, said: "The majority of consumers are aware of the problems associated with passwords, but until they are presented with a reliable, easy-to-use alternative, they're going to continue to exhibit poor password management practices." - The Register
Posted in computer help | computer security jasonn's blog | read more
Submitted by jasonn on February 19, 2005 - 11:49pm.
This article will be updated periodically to supply useful and current information. Another good place to frequent is this site's computer security newsfeeds: feeds from various sources, including US-CERT (United States Computer Emergency Response Team).
2005 02 13
Re: Using Group Policy to Manage Windows Firewall in Windows XP SP2
Bookpool has an article describing how to use Windows XP SP2 Firewall to create a layer of security for your network (layer is my term). This article is specifically targeted toward networks with multiple computers running Windows XP Pro and Windows Server 2003.
Often I have sat at someone's computer in a small office or home and found the internet service lacking. Basically, people set up their computers and local network in a way that makes their service much slower than it can be; this happens most often when you set it up just the way the ISP instructed.
The quickest and cheapest way to drastically speed up your internet responses is to tweak your computers' network settings and to insert a hardware router. Everyone I've convince to do this are amazed at how much faster everything seems to work. Explaining why this is the case is more complex and time consuming than just telling you how to solve the problem. We'll leave the nerdy tech speak for another article.
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Submitted by jasonn on February 8, 2005 - 9:01am.
