All The Good Names Are Already Taken.net

Spanning an archived or compressed file across multiple DVD's

2010-07-08T21:35:00.000-07:00

Yes, yes, DVD's make a good permanent snapshot copy of data.. but how do you get the dog-goned data onto DVD? In Linux.

Here's what I did. I had a butt-load of client's MP3 / WAV audio files to send... 32 GB or so. But client has, of course, Windows. So I had to do it in such a way that limited the pieces of media I would have to burn and still be accessible via Windows.

Compress and span multiple volumes all the files in the directory (I used File-Roller, but should have used the command line b/c it wouldn't let me chunk into files bigger than 2GB (7z restriction?)
tar vcf - backup_audio.7z.* | split --bytes=2800000000 -a 3 -d - Audio.tar.
Burn 3 Audio.tar.00? files to each Dual Layer DVD

Now, I had to chunk the files using TAR into 2.8GB files b/c I wanted to optimize files space on the DVD's -- a single DL DVD will hold roughly 8.4GB but can't store a file larger than 4GB.

Once I mail the 3 DVD's to the client, I'll have to log into the machine remotely and issue the following commands to extract the precious files... (after copying them all to a single directory, of course)

copy /b Audio.tar.* AudioBackup.tar

Then I would use 7zip to untar, then unzip the files. For my own use, reassembling in Linux would require the following command:

cat Audio.tar.* > AudioBackup.tar

Next time I do this, I'm going to try it all in one command using gzip/tar, resulting in strictly one set of files to extract w/ 7zip ;) Which, I think is just adding the "z" option to zip in the TAR command. But I am lazy and I had already had File-Roller compress my files (setting the size to be 8.4GB, but resulted in 2GB files as I mentioned)

**UPDATE**

using 7z from command line (7-Zip)

7z a -t7z -v4420M -mx9 -mmt Backup.7z ./backups/

Optionally, with TAR (compressed via ZIP) and SPLIT, the command would be something like this in one go:

tar -cvz ./backups/ | split -d -b 4420M - BackupDVD.tgz.

Foolproof nLite Super Windows XP Custom Install Disk

2010-07-05T17:53:00.000-07:00

I've done so many custom boot CD's in the past, and I think the success of such is about 37.8%

To be sure your custom XP disc will be oozing with awesomeness and that you get the proper order of nLite, BTS and RVM Integrator, keep these things in mind:

start with an original (clean) disc (even if it's SP2/SP1)
take frequent snapshots (copies) of your progress, having to start from scratch again is a bitch
do yourself the favourest of favours, test your disc quickly in a VM like VirtualBox, Qemu or VMWare -- takes only an extra 10-15min to do this when you mount the ISO to the virtual CD drive
use an XP Pro disc (Retail/OEM) so you can easily enough change the install media to Home/VLK by changing setupp.ini and replacing the following files from a disc of another flavour:

DPCDLL.DL_
OEMBIOS.BI_
OEMBIOS.DA_
OEMBIOS.SI_
PIDGEN.DLL
SETUPP.INI
SETUPREG.HIV

do other cool stuff like integrate the latest LMHOSTS block file or any other scripties (installing recovery console, add a SAFEMODE:NETWORK boot.ini entry) you would normally do, stuff them in GUIRunOnce, save files into the $OEM$ folder so they are copied to the hard drive during install

And now for the order of operations:

slipstream SP3 into it using nLite, do only that
make a copy of that sp3 XP as a base (I call these "vanilla" discs)
run nLite against the source again, choose your tweaks; but be very conservative about removing things (better to turn them off than remove them)
this is a good point to do a SP3 rollup... some require the use of RyanVM's integrator, some can be done w/ nLite, probably best to do it by itself
run nLite AGAIN, slipstreaming all your BASE apps (addon packs) like FireFox, 7-zip, .NET, Crap Cleaner, FFDShow, Java, VLC
take yet another copy of this, I call these "base" installs.. I can customize further from this base point as everything to this point has been a standard install configuration
integrate your drivers now w/ nLite if this is for a particular box, or for a more generic install disc, run BashratTheSneaky's DriverPack installer against your source... best to use Method 2, KTD
fire up nLite for the last time, only choosing "Bootable ISO" - create the .ISO to test out and burnitty-burn-burn.
you can then install these once you get past the windows out of box experience message thingy

Make a Duplicate / Backup Copy of an NTFS Partition From Linux

2010-06-24T20:06:00.000-07:00

So, you've got a dead Windows NTFS hard disk, and before trying to repair the bad sectors or damaged partition tables, you want to make an exact replica of the current filesystem. From Linux (an Ubuntu LiveCD would do just fine)

sudo ntfsclone --rescue -o - /dev/sdc | gzip -c > sectorlevel.img.gz

if you have troubles getting that done, there's always good old "dd"

dd if=/dev/sda of=/mnt/backup/sectorlevel.img

So, you want to use a free program to convert video formats in Windows?

2010-06-19T15:19:00.000-07:00

Finding information on the internet can be a real PITA. Wading through all the self-marketing affiliate spam b.s and trialware crap... fuggedaboudit. Let me simplify some stuff for you (sorry for all the linkies in this post, they're meant to illustrate my process, so you might duplicate, or laff at it).

Client asks "What's a good program I can use to get my .AVI home movies onto my iPad?"

I'm all like "Snap. iPad won't play video files?"

short answer is not really. If you took them straight from video camera, probably, but not if you converted from DV video or other source.

First step, g: play avi OR divx OR mpeg on ipad -- become disappointed
Then check some download sites for popular software on the topic: CNet (download.com) & Tucows -- become a little overwhelmed, CNet shows you great stats on reviews+popularity, plus you can sort by either!
Next, check the YouTubes, see what the screencasters have to say. -- spend all afternoon and wind up watching Mariko Takahashi's Fitness Video, forgetting what you went there for.
You could ask the twittosphere, but there was little going on that wasn't spam.
Same goes for the blogosphere.
LifeHacker is usually an awesome place to find out about the best way to do.. well... stuff.

...in the end, I think this query sum's it up and anything off the first page should be great... special mention to these ones because of their sheer popularity:

Handbrake - Little cumbersome, feature rich
Any Video Converter - Simple, easy, FUN!
Quick Media Converter HD - I have *literally* no idea.

Top 15 essential / best (and free) Windows applications you need to install on a new system as soon as you get past the oobe wizard thingy what wants you to register and stuff

2010-06-05T18:37:00.000-07:00

Just did a factory-reset on clients laptop and wanted to install some apps for her.

Now, generally I would use an nLite'd boot DVD with updates+tweaks+apps+drivers all slipstreamed and automated, but the factory reset was available (Sony Vaio can be restored to factory settings by pressing ALT+F10 on bootup without the rescue media/DVD) .

So, when installing apps for a home user, here are apps you MUST put on for them (and for your sanity as well)

Recuva - file recovery / undelete
Defraggler - defrag hard drive, has scheduling too!
CrapCleaner - delete crap off your computer in one-click (also tidies up your unwanted browsing/document history)
iTunes (nuff said)
HijackThis - turn off the mess of auto-loading programs that clog up the system tray and slow down the PC
UBit Menu for Office 2007 (adds a 2003-esq bar to the ribbon)
Google Internet Explorer
Google Pack (FireFox+Google Toolbar, Skype, Google Earth, Chrome, Adobe Reader, Picasa)
uTorrent - Download Torrent files (not as hard as you think, go to thepiratebay.org find an interesting public domain file to download, click the "magnet link" and wait for your download to complete!)
Frostwire - share public domain files with friends or strangers
InstantVNC - NAT traversing single-click VNC remote control (I have an EchoServer, so this is a must for my users)
CDBurnerXP Pro - super awesome CD/DVD burning software
ImgBurn - I had a user who made a dvd for family members and re-copied the original several dozen times, I only told her about this on the last copy :(
VLC - super-light media player with a butt load of codecs already installed
7zip - like WinZip, only free-er

Firewall/Antivirus suite
(this ones' tricky and warrants it's own post, but the list felt incomplete if I didn't touch on it)...

if you can't/don't want to pay for Eset Smart Security or Panda or Kaspersky, then you can get away with a combo of:
Sygate Firewall and Avast/AVG (don't really recommend avast/avg)
Comodo Internet Security (this one's a bit tricky for the lay-user, but SUPER powerful)
Sygate and PCTools Spyware Dr. + Malware's Antibytes

If you think your user can hack it, give them a "user" account and access to the STRONG PASSWORD PROTECTED admin account for installing apps, and use Sygate + TeaTimer or other inoculator and Sandboxie to sandbox all web-apps... lock-down IE and lock-down Windows in general.

**This was a quick post (as they often are) so I will expand on any points if there's interest.

Switch users in Ubuntu Linux without entering passwords

2010-05-20T11:35:00.000-07:00

This is a great way for my wife and I to switch back and forth between users without having to enter passwords every freaking time. All our data is encrypted on a LUKS partition and the /tmp and /swap partitions are encrypted too, so, the only thing to do is manually lock the workstation if going out for a while -- in case of theft.

So, to enable this tweak, do the following under each user to be "switched back to" without locking (ie, no password)

run gconf-editor
browse to /desktop/gnome/lockdown/disable_lock_screen
check the box

Uncle Bob!

Nigerian scam artists

2010-05-20T10:53:00.000-07:00

I was a little disappointed to find out my $2,000,000 that I won from Publishers' Clearing House was actually just one of those Nigerian scams perpetrated by an individual using a terminal at the Vic Biz Cyber Cafe in Benin, Nigeria. I was kind of hoping for uncharted territory.

I have heard that this place is owned by a couple of brothers with ties to Holland, more on the subject from an angry blogger: http://www.4ppl.com/blog/entry/WARNING_2009_05_22

my email correspondence from said individual:
the original email + my response
their follow up

Ooooo, they sent a reply!!

2010-05-20T09:14:00.000-07:00

OFFICIAL RULES|SWEEPSTAKES FACTS

Attention: Shartblat Narkz,

I hereby use this medium to acknowledge the receipt of your claims requirement regarding the winning notification mail you received, informing you of the prize you have won PCH LOTTO, after the verification process was conducted I wish to inform you that the lotto department and promotions department has just approved your payment of the tune of TWO MILLION USD ($2,000,000.00 USD) the cheque have been handover to a security company in the UK England

The security company will be responsible for the remittance of the entire winnings, and your Lottery Winnings documents which is of high importance to you, so I expect you to show great appreciation to (Publishers Clearing House) PCH LOTTO as a great firm haven been in existence for years and has single highhandedly made this promotion possible in other to promote (Publishers Clearing House) in every corner of the world through the means of the internet as a global source of reaching people world wide.

Incase you still have doubts arising from the angle of how you got selected, note that the selection process was carried out through an electronic email ballot system our aim was to select winners through the internet which will be a much more easier way to select winners all around the universe due to the fact that only you alone have access to your email so have no fear , for you have emerged a winner as far as you are the original proprietor to the email account which you have received the winning notification letter as distributed by Michelle I Centeno the lottery manger of this great promotion.

In furtherance, to begin the final step of the claims process you are advised to contact the security firm whose details are furnished below and they shall be responsible for onward delivery of your winnings to you and you shall be expected to pay some fees along the line by the security firm for the delivery of your cheque and documents this fees will not be more than normal shipping charges which we feel will not be a problem to you.

Before your winnings was released to security company a hard cover insurance policy was placed on your winnings by the (publishers Clearing House) PCH Lotto company to avoid any harm or illegal channeling due to this, deduction of any amount of money from your funds cannot be done from your Won prize. The instructions given inline with the rules and regulation of the USA and England gaming board once you get your winning funds check you are expected to deposit it in your personal bank account and there is a certain assurance that the entire TWO MILLION USD you have won will be accredited into your account in not less than three to four banking days please note. below is the courier contact information's

CONTACT INFORMATION. ELITE COURIER

ADDRESS: Unit 20 Britannia Industrial Estate
Pole Road, Colebrook, Berkshire SL3 0BH,United Kingdom.

E-MAIL: www.elitecourier@yahoo.co.uk

TELEPHONE: +4470 1113 7259

TELEPHONE: +4470 2409 7986

CONTACT NAME: Mr.Clement henry

Write to them via email upon receipt of this mail without wasting time. You are to furnish them with your

Full Name:

Telephone number :

Postal Address:

Sex:

Age:

Occupation:

Your winning Numbers

Email Ticket Number

Below Are Your Winning Numbers And Your Email Ticket Number

winning numbers: 47-14-34-85-67-32

email ticket number: FL 754/22/76

Once again, keep us posted on any development with the Security Company, in relation to your lottery winnings.

Due to mix up of some numbers and names, we ask that you keep your winning information confidential until your claims have been fully processed and your money remitted to you. This is part of our security protocol to avoid multiple claims and unwarranted abuse of this program by some participants.

Congratulations once again.
Best Regards,

Christopher L. Irving(Claims Officer)

OMG I WON!

2010-05-20T06:38:00.001-07:00

I wonder, is there someone out there selling "How to make money on the internet" packages to simpleminded and desperate english-as-a-second-language people which outline a basic phishing scam? Does anyone ever send these people their info? I wanted to find out what happened if I did send them some info. We'll see if there's a response. I can't believe how stupid people are... or maybe I can.

---

From: Shartblat Narkz

Subject: OMG I WON!
To: pchclaimsdept@hotmail.co.uk

OMG I CAN'T BELIEVE I WON $2 MILLION!!! Here is all my private and confidential information so you can get my money to me ASAP!
Shartblat Narkz
72-1534 Main Street, Apt. D
San Diego, CA 92113-2435
Female
Dancer
USA
Please email me back with your phone number and I'll give you my SSN and phone number and drivers license number. I wouldn't want to send that info over the email, I'm not *that* stupid.
SOO EXCITED!! THANK-YOU PUBLISHERS CLEARING HOUSE!

On Thu, May 20, 2010 at 9:00 AM, Alexandra Svoronou <asvoronou@aup.fr> wrote:
>GOOD DAY,
>WE ARE FROM THE PUBLISHERS CLEARING HOUSE (PCH) AND YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS
>HAVE BEEN AWARDED($2,000,000.00 USD) IN THIS WEEK PCH DRAW.PLEASE
>NOTE,IF YOU ARE NOT THE RIGHTFULL OWNER OF THIS EMAIL,DO NOT RESPOND TO
>THIS MAIL THANKS. For more verification visit: http://www.pch.com/
>YOU ARE REQUIRE TO SEND THE INFORMATION BELOW TO OUR AGENT TO PROCESS
>YOUR CLAIMS.
>FULL NAME:
>ADDRESS:
>SEX:
>OCCUPATION:
>PRESENT COUNTRY:
>
>AGENT NAME: Christopher L. Irving
>EMAIL: pchclaimsdept@hotmail.co.uk
>
>REGARDS,
>Andremont Alain.
>
>TO FILE FOR YOUR CLAIMS, PLEASE SEND YOUR DETAILS
>TO:pchclaimsdept@hotmail.co.uk
>
>

==== here is the details of the original message ====

Delivered-To: XXXXXX.XXXXX@gmail.com
Received: by 10.231.169.141 with SMTP id z13cs31804iby;
        Thu, 20 May 2010 05:54:25 -0700 (PDT)
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        Thu, 20 May 2010 05:54:23 -0700 (PDT)
Return-Path: 
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        by mx.google.com with ESMTP id 15si25470638qyk.77.2010.05.20.05.54.22;
        Thu, 20 May 2010 05:54:22 -0700 (PDT)
Received-SPF: neutral (google.com: 216.40.42.17 is neither permitted nor denied by best guess record for domain of asvoronou@aup.fr) client-ip=216.40.42.17;
Authentication-Results: mx.google.com; spf=neutral (google.com: 216.40.42.17 is neither permitted nor denied by best guess record for domain of asvoronou@aup.fr) smtp.mail=asvoronou@aup.fr
Received: from smtpin05.hostedemail.com (smtpin05.a.tucows.com [10.5.16.5])
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X-Forwarded-For: xxxx@xxxxx.com by Hostedemail
Delivered-To: xxxx@xxxxx.com
X-FDA: 63581084322.05
X-Panda: scanned!
X-Filterd-Recvd-Size: 2985
Received: from mx.aup.fr (mx.aup.fr [193.49.37.67])
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 for ; Thu, 20 May 2010 12:54:21 +0000 (UTC)
Received: from SRV-GR-EXCHANGE.aup.local (srv-gr-exchange.aup.local [10.10.0.10])
 by mx.aup.fr (Postfix) with ESMTP id F0D681A4DCC
 for ; Thu, 20 May 2010 14:53:04 +0200 (CEST)
X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft Exchange V6.5
Content-class: urn:content-classes:message
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: multipart/alternative;
 boundary="----_=_NextPart_001_01CAF81B.5FE1E195"
Subject: 
Date: Thu, 20 May 2010 14:52:58 +0200
Message-ID: 
X-MS-Has-Attach: 
X-MS-TNEF-Correlator: 
Thread-Index: Acr4G1sCOxVjCI4LRnCPnBgdtG3d9w==
From: "Alexandra Svoronou" 
To: undisclosed-recipients:;

This is a multi-part message in MIME format.

------_=_NextPart_001_01CAF81B.5FE1E195
Content-Type: text/plain;
 charset="iso-8859-1"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable

GOOD DAY,

WE ARE FROM THE PUBLISHERS CLEARING HOUSE (PCH) AND YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS=20

HAVE BEEN AWARDED($2,000,000.00 USD) IN THIS WEEK PCH DRAW.PLEASE=20

NOTE,IF YOU ARE NOT THE RIGHTFULL OWNER OF THIS EMAIL,DO NOT RESPOND TO=20

THIS MAIL THANKS. For more verification visit: http://www.pch.com/

YOU ARE REQUIRE TO SEND THE INFORMATION BELOW TO OUR AGENT TO PROCESS=20

YOUR CLAIMS.

FULL NAME:
ADDRESS:
SEX:
OCCUPATION:
PRESENT COUNTRY:


AGENT NAME: Christopher L. Irving
EMAIL: pchclaimsdept@hotmail.co.uk


REGARDS,
Andremont Alain.


TO FILE FOR YOUR CLAIMS, PLEASE SEND YOUR DETAILS=20

TO:pchclaimsdept@hotmail.co.uk


------_=_NextPart_001_01CAF81B.5FE1E195
Content-Type: text/html;
 charset="iso-8859-1"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable

=0A=
=0A=
=0A=
=0A=
GOOD DAY,
=0A=
WE ARE FROM THE PUBLISHERS CLEARING HOUSE (PCH) AND YOUR EMAIL =
ADDRESS 
=0A=
HAVE BEEN AWARDED($2,000,000.00 USD) IN THIS WEEK PCH DRAW.PLEASE 
=0A=
NOTE,IF YOU ARE NOT THE RIGHTFULL OWNER OF THIS EMAIL,DO NOT RESPOND =
TO 
=0A=
THIS MAIL THANKS. For more verification visit: http://www.pch.com/
=0A=
YOU ARE REQUIRE TO SEND THE INFORMATION BELOW TO OUR AGENT TO PROCESS =

=0A=
YOUR CLAIMS.
=0A=
FULL NAME:
ADDRESS:
SEX:
OCCUPATION:
PRESENT COUNTRY:
=0A=

AGENT NAME: Christopher L. Irving
EMAIL: pchclaimsdept@hotmail.co.uk
=0A=

REGARDS,
Andremont Alain.
=0A=

TO FILE FOR YOUR CLAIMS, PLEASE SEND YOUR DETAILS 
=0A=
TO:pchclaimsdept@hotmail.co.uk
------_=_NextPart_001_01CAF81B.5FE1E195--

How to get a virus

2010-04-27T16:39:00.000-07:00

This post is a work in progress. I'm at the second stage now that I have a working testbed, it's to catch a virus. Movie on that will be posted soon, then we'll look at how various a/v programs react to said virus(es)

Move your Google Chrome profile (passwords/bookmarks/extensions) to another user/computer in Ubuntu Linux

2010-04-13T16:48:00.000-07:00

This may seem like a trivial exercise to those well versed in the ways of Linux, but as a moderately experienced user, I found this to be quite an achievement.

The Problem
You have all your passwords, favourite extensions (wisestamp) and bookmarks saved in Chrome in Linux but you need to get them into another user or onto another computer. My case was that I was tired of sharing a login with my wife and we both needed our own documents/bookmarks/settings/background wallpaper of kittens doing sickeningly cute things.

The Solution

Close Chrome
Make a copy of your existing /home/user/.config/google-chrome/ folder
Copy the same "google-chrome" folder from your original location overtop or in replacement of the original
chown -R user:user /home/user/.config/google-chrome

bob is your uncle.

Signed, Uncle Bob.

a/v uninstallers

2010-04-10T10:42:00.001-07:00

Ran across this on the ESET website (which I'm now selling, opposed to BitDefender) -- which are awesome links to have in case you need to completely remove your antivirus in favour of a better one (ie. Smart Security by ESET =)

http://kb.eset.com/esetkb/index?page=content&id=SOLN146

Running two antivirus products on the same computer can degrade performance and cause system instability. It is important that any previously installed antivirus software is uninstalled from your system before installing your ESET security product. Typical uninstallation using the Windows removal tool (Add/Remove Programs) is often insufficient.

Click the link associated with the antivirus software currently installed on your system and follow the prompts or instructions on the website.
After uninstallation is complete, you will need to restart your computer. You may then proceed with installing your ESET security product.

Avast:
http://files.avast.com/files/eng/aswclear.exe

Avira:
http://www.avira.com/en/support/kbdetails.php?id=135

AVG:
http://www.avg.com/download-tools

BitDefender:
http://kb.bitdefender.com/KB333-en--How-to-uninstall-BitDefender.html

CA:
http://homeofficekb.ca.com/CIDocument.asp?KDId=3125&Preview=0&Return=0&GUID=DF325E0AA0AB4264AF47E4BEA49F571B

CounterSpy:
http://www.sunbelt-software.com/support/VC/CS&VClean.exe

F-Secure:
http://support.f-secure.com/enu/corporate/downloads/removeav.shtml

Kaspersky:
http://usa.kaspersky.com/support/home/208279752

McAfee:
http://download.mcafee.com/products/licensed/cust_support_patches/MCPR.exe

Panda:
http://www.pandasecurity.com/resources/sop/UNINSTALLER_08.exe

Symantec (Norton):
ftp://ftp.symantec.com/public/english_us_canada/removal_tools/Norton_Removal_Tool.exe

Trend Micro:
http://esupport.trendmicro.com/support/viewxml.do?ContentID=EN-1037161

Webroot:
http://support.webroot.com/cgi-bin/webroot.cfg/php/enduser/std_adp.php?p_faqid=1761

Zone Alarm:
http://server.iad.liveperson.net/hc/s-28464961/cmd/kbresource/kb-7016203058973811903

Official Google Blog: Recognizing courage, securing online freedom

2010-03-12T07:29:00.000-08:00

Some people don't trust Google, but I look at the mugs on those two nerds and have warm and fuzzy feelings, so, good on ya, guys!

Official Google Blog: Recognizing courage, securing online freedom

Use Firefox to download videos from websites

2010-03-12T07:20:00.001-08:00

Here is a step-by-step how-to tutorial to download videos that are embedded into webpages -- that is to say that the video is in a box on the website page itself (like above, for instance).

Well, not just videos, any kind of embedded object, really. It breaks down like this:

Firefox:
* Tools --> addon's
-- get addons
search for: "embed"
install "Embedded Objects 2.2"
restart firefox

NOW... when looking at any page with an embedded video (or other objects?) you can save the video like this:

in the lower right-hand corner of firefox there will be a little green arrow pointing down -- click it
it will show a list of the video-type files that can be downloaded from that page... yours will likely end in .FLV for FLASH
** click the video file, it will download it into your downloads folder like a normal download.

VOILA!

You may need Flash player or VLC Media Player to play certain files.

Next is how to turn these movies into a DVD.

Avoid getting a virus in the first place

2010-03-07T13:53:00.000-08:00

Some advice I bestowed on a Win7 user after a virus malfunction on previous Vista installation -- So, I removed the virus and upgraded to Windows Se7en. In this case, the new user-profile is a limited account and there's a separate account called "ADMIN" for -- well, you can guess.

One of the problems in going from Vista to Win7 is that not all programs will work (properly) or will need to be 'repaired' or even reinstalled... so, one by one, you'll need to check them out. Troubleshooting wizard should prompt you about problems when installing, some older programs need admin rights by default.

BACKUPS
don't forget after each successful improvement (ie. reinstalling uTorrent) "create a system restore point" or do a full "system image backup" -- you can back that directly to your external usb harddrive --- it will take lots of time but that's for monthly or just before doing something major.

if in trying to improve it or install something and it goes awry, just go back to before the mess using "system restore point" or in THE CASE OF VIRUS: do the full system image restore (from USB harddrive or DVD's I gave you in your Win7 box)

** NOTE: keep good records of date/time when you label these backups -- trust me, that helps a lot later.

ABOUT MAINTENANCE

just leave it on at least one night during the week, otherwise shutdown or AT LEAST hibernate. Win7 is better than XP, but still wants to be restarted fairly often (full shutdown, startup). Leaving it on one or two nights a week will keep it running smooth as it will do scans and defrag on it's own. I scheduled virus scan and defrag for this user, nightly around 10p

USER ACCOUNT

I know the admin thing and the prompts are horrible but it's a necessary evil to keep your system clean.

For older software, you may need to

rick (right-click) the setup.exe or whatever
choose "Run as Admin.."

If that fails, you can use "troubleshooter mode" which will help you give the installer unrestricted access to install and run (make sure you TRUST the program)

For the XP user: you can recreate this "Run as" functionality to run untrusted programs in a couple of ways. The built-in way and the after-market way. Either would be sufficient. For the really paranoid (or extra cautious) folk, you can run most programs inside a "sandbox" like "sandboxie" which is a shareware program I actually bought b/c it's so nifty (but you can use the free version with some minor limitations). So many uses for it that it needs it's own post, coming soon. Meanwhile, just search.

CHANGE YOUR PASSWORDS

make good ones that you'll remember, but that have more than just lowercase letters:

g00dL0rd1L0v3@g00dp@ssw0Rd

"good lord I love a good password"

save yourself some headaches and log in as admin to do admin-type things -- sometimes logging out of other users or restarting is warranted and recommendable. Typing it in a few times and burning it into your skull will help later when you need to remember it. Windows will encrypt your stuff for you if you want it to. Documents encrypted in that fashion become unrecoverable w/o the password -- so you CAN and SHOULD "create password reset disk" and lock in a firesafe.

Removing a nasty virus masquerading as an antivirus software

2010-02-28T17:19:00.000-08:00

When dealing with a particularly nasty virus on a Vista machine -- av.exe a faux virus scanner telling you that you have to purchase the full version to remove all the many virus' found (a common scare tactic to glean your credit card number from you) -- I found myself able to create a new admin user and change the regular user into a limited account.

If you're interested in the virus, I ran through a more/less version of this post, and also did more scans once logged in via admin -- but don't log in as the regular user, that has been too badly tainted and the combination of virus scanners could not get the whole thing. Basically it rolls like this:

offline scans (bootable CD's, linux -- knoppix mostly) with:
bitdefender
kaspersky
dr. web
f-secure
panda
avast

(those last two weren't on their own boot CD, so don't know if they have them, I used PE ver.)

from a boot disk like BartPE or UBCD, use regeditPE (of sorts) to load default user profile on C:\ and ensure it's cleanness, use other PE tools to find other auto-load places (hijackthis, etc)
* reset users' password to blank (cuz i no nose it)
* turn off any unknown services (try not to turn off drivers though, that's a pain to troubleshoot unless you're diligent enough to make copies of the ones you turn off) and also any suspect known ones (at this point, I disabled symantec entirely b/c I could not confirm it's cleanliness... along w/ any other runtimes I could not verify to be genuine)

boot up in safe mode

create admin user (note that av.exe starts running despite best efforts to this point)

reboot and login as admin
* SET A STRONG PASSWORD, reboot
* install SP2 and run updates

reboot and install Microsoft Security Essentials
* update and scan (found 3 more trojans and asked me to submit av.exe for analysis)

manually pick clean the users' settings directly from their profile (file level, DO NOT LOGIN AS THEM) and populate current user w/ favourites, repair'd or reinstalled apps, etc..

use the method below to copy the default user profile and delete/create a new profile for the user
* log in as them

...the whole copying a default user profile from existing pre-setup user is an excellent legacy procedure spawning from the days of XP. So, for posterity, here it is in it's vista form (have tried once quickly in Windows 7 but failed... likely a permission problem or registry something).

My apologies to the person who wrote this, I think it was from a technet community forum or something like that -- not that anyone reads my blog but me -- but credits to that person, whomever it is...

----

Anyhow, this is the way that I copy a user profile to the default profile:

Configure the profile to copy then reboot and login as another administrator account. The profile that I want to copy is always that of either the Administrator or an account with full administrator access.
Press + to open the System window. You can also get to it from Control Panel > System and Maintenance > System.
Open the Advanced System Settings from the Tasks list and click Continue on the permission prompt.
Click the Settings button under User Profiles.
Highlight the profile you want to copy to the Default profile then click the Copy To... button.
In the Copy To window, click Browse to select the C:\Users\Default folder or just type it into the Copy Profile To field.
Click the Change button under the Permitted To Use section.
In the Select User or Group window, type "Everyone" in the text box then click OK. Leave off the quotes around Everyone. Then Click OK.
You are returned to the Copy To window. Click OK.
A Confirm Copy window will come up that tells you the directory already exists and asks if you're sure you want to continue. Click Yes.
After the profile is copied, you are returned to the User Profiles window. Just close all the windows.

After the copy, I open REGEDIT and load the ntuser.dat hive that is in the Default folder. From there, I search for any values that contain the path information for the source profile's user folder (ie. C:\Users\SourceUser) and delete it. Be certain you only delete these entries from the hive that you loaded into the registry. Finally, unload the hive and exit the registry editor.

    Here's a quick rundown on opening the Default user's ntuser.dat file:

    1. Open RegEdit
    2. Highlight the HKEY_USERS key
    3. Select Load Hive from the Files menu
    4. Select the C:\Users\Default\ntuser.dat file and click Open
    5. You will be asked for a Key Name. I usually use DEFAULT_USER
    6. Highlight the HKEY_USERS\DEFAULT_USER key and follow the directions in my previous post
    7. After removing all the necessary entries, Highlight HKEY_USERS\DEFAULT_USER again
    8. Select Unload Hive from the Files menu and click Yes to confirm
    9. Close RegEdit and delete the ntuser.dat.log file from the C:\Users\Default folder

I've never had any issues deleting the Registry Values that contain the source user path information and I've been using this process for years. Please let me know if this helps you and if you need more assistance.

m3u to DVD in Ubuntu

2009-11-22T14:06:00.000-08:00

stole this from the ubuntuforums website...

used Rythmbox to create a dynamic playlist (genre LIKE alternative, year > 2002, artist <> 'nickleback')
saved as m3u
ran this command in terminal against my playlist file (I had k3b open, don't know if it needs to be...)
trim down to 4.7GB, burn, play in DVD player on home theatre system... bob's your uncle, thank your mother for the eggs.

Re: How to burn music files (mp3, ogg...) according to a playlist (m3u, pls...)

Hi,
save your playlist as .m3u and then :

Code:

sed '/^#/d' MyPlayListFile.m3u | tr '\n' '\0' | xargs -0 k3b --datacd

or if you prefer Brasero

Code:

sed '/^#/d' cd\ aprile\ 2009.m3u | tr '\n' '\0' | xargs -0 brasero -d

bye Fil

disable the time synchronization in a virtual machine using vmware workstation

2009-08-14T01:22:00.000-07:00

Should you, for whatever reason need to power up a VM hosting w/ VMWare Workstation without having it sync the time, edit the .vmx file for your virtual machine and add these settings:

tools.syncTime = "FALSE"
time.synchronize.continue = "FALSE"
time.synchronize.restore = "FALSE"
time.synchronize.resume.disk = "FALSE"
time.synchronize.resume.memory = "FALSE"
time.synchronize.shrink = "FALSE"
time.synchronize.tools.startup = "FALSE"
time.synchronize.resume = "FALSE"
rtc.startTime = 1250197532

RTC time is... well, I'm not getting into it... but this dude made an app to calc the right number for it -- he has a blog. But I can't find it. So here's a different link.

Hard Reset your HTC Android phone without access to the Settings menu

2009-08-14T01:16:00.000-07:00

Um, so, my little HTC Dream sporting Android 1.5 (Cupcake) starting barfing on me the other day... when I would try to click into the settings menu, it would just disappear, poof, no error, nothing.

And with the random rebooting.

And the missing apps and settings... oye-vey. All because I let it die. Big time.

long story short, do this to get a hard-reset going:

take the battery out
hold down the "home" and "power" keys -- keep holding
put the battery back in
you'll see a cmos logo (mine aptly sports the Rogers logo) -- let go of the keys
you'll see a triangle symbol
press home/power together briefly
use the menu to wipe / reset the phone

Bob is your uncle.

signed, Uncle Bob

BambooInvoice Canadian Tax System

2009-08-10T17:43:00.000-07:00

UPDATE: Our good friend Derek Allard (whose brainchild is said BambooInvoice) has informed me over at the BI Forums that an update is forthcoming which will include a much more versitile taxation system. /me wonders what other delicious treats will be bundled with this new incarnation... shall it even be 1.0 ??!

--==:[0000.0000]:==--

Not just for Canadians, but anyone who may want to use one, the other or both taxes on a single line item in Bamboo Invoice.

**WARNING** This hack is not for the faint of heart, I may have missed something in the chronicling of this adventure and I can't guarantee this will work for you in any way.

In case you haven't heard, BambooInvoice is only the slickest open source online invoicing system built with CodeIgnitor.

This mod is quite a hack, but the principal is to double the 'taxable' functionality for each line item, thus having a taxable1 and taxable2 for each item on the invoice.

To pull this off, modify the existing bamboo_invoice_items.taxable field to be called bamboo_invoice_items.taxable1 and add another field of INT(1) or BOOLEAN (if you will) called bamboo_invoice_items.taxable2

...Then make the following changes to the following files.


***********
[/bamboo_system_files/application/controllers/invoices.php]
-> Line 141:

  foreach ($items as $item)
  {
   //$taxable = (isset($item['taxable']) && $item['taxable'] == 1) ? 1 : 0;
   $taxable1 = (isset($item['taxable1']) && $item['taxable1'] == 1) ? 1 : 0;
   $taxable2 = (isset($item['taxable2']) && $item['taxable2'] == 1) ? 1 : 0;
   $sub_amount = $item['quantity'] * $item['amount'];
   $amount += $sub_amount;
   $tax1_amount += $sub_amount * (($tax1_rate)/100) * $taxable1;
   $tax2_amount += $sub_amount * (($tax2_rate)/100) * $taxable2;
  }

  echo '{"amount" : "'.number_format($amount, 2, $this->config->item('currency_decimal'), '').'", "tax1_amount" : "'.number_format($tax1_amount, 2, $this->config->item('currency_decimal'), '').'", "tax2_amount" : "'.number_format($tax2_amount, 2, $this->config->item('currency_decimal'), '').'", "total_amount" : "'.number_format($amount + $tax1_amount+$tax2_amount, 2, $this->config->item('currency_decimal'), '').'"}';
 }


-> Line 225:

    $amount = 0;
    foreach ($items as $item)
    {
     $taxable1 = (isset($item['taxable1']) && $item['taxable1'] == 1) ? 1 : 0;
     $taxable2 = (isset($item['taxable2']) && $item['taxable2'] == 1) ? 1 : 0;

     $invoice_items = array(
           'invoice_id'    => $invoice_id,
           'quantity'    => $item['quantity'],
           'amount'    => $item['amount'],
           'work_description'   => $item['work_description'],
           'taxable1'    => $taxable1,
           'taxable2'    => $taxable2
          );

     $this->invoices_model->addInvoiceItem($invoice_items);
    }

    redirect('invoices/view/'.$invoice_id);

-> Line 426:
    // add them back
    $items = $this->input->post('items');
    foreach ($items as $item)
    {
     $taxable1 = (isset($item['taxable1']) && $item['taxable1'] == 1) ? 1 : 0;
     $taxable2 = (isset($item['taxable2']) && $item['taxable2'] == 1) ? 1 : 0;

     $invoice_items = array(
           'invoice_id'   => $invoice_id,
           'quantity'    => $item['quantity'],
           'amount'    => $item['amount'],
           'work_description'  => $item['work_description'],
           'taxable1'    => $taxable1,
           'taxable2'    => $taxable2
          );

     $this->invoices_model->addInvoiceItem($invoice_items);
    }

    // give a session telling them it worked

-> Line 550:

     $amount = 0;
     foreach ($items as $item)
     {
      $taxable1 = (isset($item['taxable1']) && $item['taxable1'] == 1) ? 1 : 0;
      $taxable2 = (isset($item['taxable2']) && $item['taxable2'] == 1) ? 1 : 0;

      $invoice_items = array(
            'invoice_id' => htmlspecialchars($invoice_id),
            'quantity' => htmlspecialchars($item['quantity']),
            'amount' => htmlspecialchars($item['amount']),
            'work_description' => htmlspecialchars($item['work_description']),
            'taxable1' => htmlspecialchars($taxable1),
            'taxable2' => htmlspecialchars($taxable2)
           );

      $this->invoices_model->addInvoiceItem($invoice_items);
     }
    }

***********

[/bamboo_system_files/application/language/english/bamboo_lang.php]
-> Line 108:
$lang['invoice_item'] = 'Item';
$lang['invoice_item_no_tax1'] = 'GST Exempt';
$lang['invoice_item_no_tax2'] = 'PST Exempt';
$lang['invoice_last_used'] = 'last number used ';
***********

[/bamboo_system_files/application/models/invoices_model.php]
-> Line 92: ...replace the whole function...
 function getSingleInvoice($invoice_id)
 {
  $this->db->select('invoices.*, clients.name, clients.address1, clients.address2, clients.city, clients.country, clients.province, clients.website, clients.postal_code, clients.tax_code');
  $this->db->select('(SELECT SUM('.$this->db->dbprefix('invoice_payments').'.amount_paid) FROM '.$this->db->dbprefix('invoice_payments').' WHERE '.$this->db->dbprefix('invoice_payments').'.invoice_id=' . $invoice_id . ') AS amount_paid', FALSE);
  $this->db->select('TO_DAYS('.$this->db->dbprefix('invoices').'.dateIssued) - TO_DAYS(curdate()) AS daysOverdue', FALSE);
  $this->db->select('(SELECT SUM('.$this->db->dbprefix('invoice_items').'.amount * '.$this->db->dbprefix('invoice_items').'.quantity) FROM '.$this->db->dbprefix('invoice_items').' WHERE '.$this->db->dbprefix('invoice_items').'.invoice_id=' . $invoice_id . ') AS total_notax', FALSE);
 
 
  $this->db->select('(SELECT ROUND(SUM(SubTotal_Tax1) * tax1, 3) as total_tax1
FROM (SELECT tax1, amt * qty AS SubTotal_Tax1
 FROM (SELECT '.$this->db->dbprefix('invoice_items').'.quantity AS qty, '.$this->db->dbprefix('invoice_items').'.amount AS amt, ('.$this->db->dbprefix('invoices').'.tax1_rate / 100) as tax1
   FROM '.$this->db->dbprefix('invoices').' LEFT JOIN '.$this->db->dbprefix('invoice_items').' ON '.$this->db->dbprefix('invoices').'.id = '.$this->db->dbprefix('invoice_items').'.invoice_id WHERE '.$this->db->dbprefix('invoice_items').'.invoice_id =' . $invoice_id . ' AND '.$this->db->dbprefix('invoice_items').'.taxable1 =1 ) AS tmp_Tax_Total ) AS tmp_Total) AS total_tax1', FALSE);
 

  $this->db->select('(SELECT ROUND(SUM(SubTotal_tax2) * tax2, 3) as total_tax2
FROM (SELECT tax2, amt * qty AS SubTotal_tax2
 FROM (SELECT '.$this->db->dbprefix('invoice_items').'.quantity AS qty, '.$this->db->dbprefix('invoice_items').'.amount AS amt, ('.$this->db->dbprefix('invoices').'.tax2_rate / 100) as tax2
   FROM '.$this->db->dbprefix('invoices').' LEFT JOIN '.$this->db->dbprefix('invoice_items').' ON '.$this->db->dbprefix('invoices').'.id = '.$this->db->dbprefix('invoice_items').'.invoice_id WHERE '.$this->db->dbprefix('invoice_items').'.invoice_id =' . $invoice_id . ' AND '.$this->db->dbprefix('invoice_items').'.taxable2 =1 ) AS tmp_Tax_Total ) AS tmp_Total) AS total_tax2', FALSE);

$this->db->select('(SELECT SUM(total_notax + COALESCE(total_tax1,0) + COALESCE(total_tax2,0))) AS total_with_tax');


  $this->db->join('clients', 'invoices.client_id = clients.id');
  $this->db->join('invoice_items', 'invoices.id = invoice_items.invoice_id', 'left');
  $this->db->join('invoice_payments', 'invoices.id = invoice_payments.invoice_id', 'left');
  $this->db->groupby('invoices.id');
  $this->db->where('invoices.id', $invoice_id);

  return $this->db->get('invoices');
 }

 // --------------------------------------------------------------------

-> Line 238:
  $this->db->select('TO_DAYS('.$this->db->dbprefix('invoices').'.dateIssued) - TO_DAYS(curdate()) AS daysOverdue', FALSE);
  $this->db->select('(SELECT SUM('.$this->db->dbprefix('invoice_items').'.amount * '.$this->db->dbprefix('invoice_items').'.quantity) FROM '.$this->db->dbprefix('invoice_items').' WHERE '.$this->db->dbprefix('invoice_items').'.invoice_id='.$this->db->dbprefix('invoices').'.id) AS subtotal', FALSE);

  $this->db->join('clients', 'invoices.client_id = clients.id');

***********

[/bamboo_system_files/application/views/invoices/edit.php]
-> Line 42:
     <th><?php echo $this->lang->line('invoice_work_description');?></th>
     <th><?php echo $this->lang->line('invoice_taxable1');?></th>
     <th><?php echo $this->lang->line('invoice_taxable2');?></th>
     <th><?php echo $this->lang->line('invoice_amount_item');?></th>
-> Line 64:
     </td>
     <td><p><label><input type="checkbox" name="items[<?php echo $item_count;?>][taxable1]" value="1" onclick="recalculate_items();" <?php if ($item->taxable1 == 1) {echo 'checked="checked" ';}?>/><span><?php echo $this->lang->line('invoice_taxable1');?>?</span></label></p></td>
     <td><p><label><input type="checkbox" name="items[<?php echo $item_count;?>][taxable2]" value="1" onclick="recalculate_items();" <?php if ($item->taxable2 == 1) {echo 'checked="checked" ';}?>/><span><?php echo $this->lang->line('invoice_taxable2');?>?</span></label></p></td>    
     <td nowrap="nowrap"><p><label><span><?php echo $this->lang->line('invoice_amount');?></span><?php echo $this->settings_model->get_setting('currency_symbol');?><input type="text" id="amount" name="items[<?php echo $item_count;?>][amount]" size="5" value="<?php echo $item->amount;?>" onkeyup="recalculate_items();" value="" /></label></p></td>

***********

[/bamboo_system_files/application/views/invoices/newinvoice.php]
-> Line 38:
   <th><?php echo $this->lang->line('invoice_work_description');?></th>
   <th><?php echo $tax1_desc;?></th>
   <th><?php echo $tax2_desc;?></th>
   <th><?php echo $this->lang->line('invoice_amount_item');?></th>

-> Line 54:
   </td>
   <td><p><label><input type="checkbox" name="items[1][taxable1]" value="1" onclick="recalculate_items();" <?php if ($row->tax_status) {echo 'checked="checked" ';}?>/><span><?php echo $this->lang->line('invoice_taxable1');?>?</span></label></p></td>
   <td><p><label><input type="checkbox" name="items[1][taxable2]" value="1" onclick="recalculate_items();" <?php if ($row->tax_status) {echo 'checked="checked" ';}?>/><span><?php echo $this->lang->line('invoice_taxable2');?>?</span></label></p></td>   <td nowrap="nowrap"><p><label><span><?php echo $this->lang->line('invoice_amount');?></span><?php echo $this->settings_model->get_setting('currency_symbol');?><input type="text" id="amount" name="items[1][amount]" size="5" value="0.00" onkeyup="recalculate_items();" value="" /></label></p></td>
   <td> </td>
***********

[/bamboo_system_files/application/views/invoices/view.php]
-> Line 169:
   <td><?php echo auto_typography($item->work_description);?></td>
   <td><p><?php echo $this->settings_model->get_setting('currency_symbol') . str_replace('.', $this->config->item('currency_decimal'), $item->amount);?> <?php if ($item->taxable1 == 0){echo '(' . $this->lang->line('invoice_item_no_tax1') . ')';}?>  
   <?php if ($item->taxable2 == 0){echo '(' . $this->lang->line('invoice_item_no_tax2') . ')';}?></p></td>
   <td><p><?php echo $this->settings_model->get_setting('currency_symbol') . number_format($item->quantity * $item->amount, 2, $this->config->item('currency_decimal'), '');?></p></td>
***********

[/js/createinvoice.js]
-> Line 84:
 theInput.setAttribute('type', 'checkbox');
 theInput.setAttribute('name', 'items['+item_count+'][taxable1]');

 if (taxable)

-> Line 105: ...insert the following...

 var td = document.createElement('td');
 var p = document.createElement('p');
 var label = document.createElement('label');
 var span = document.createElement('span');
 var theData = document.createTextNode(lang_taxable);
 var theInput = document.createElement('input');
 theInput.setAttribute('type', 'checkbox');
 theInput.setAttribute('name', 'items['+item_count+'][taxable2]');

 if (taxable)
 {
  theInput.setAttribute('checked', 'checked');
 }
 else
 {
  theInput.checked = false;
 }

 theInput.setAttribute('value', '1');
 theInput.setAttribute('onclick', 'recalculate_items();');
 span.appendChild(theData);
 label.appendChild(span);
 label.appendChild(theInput);
 p.appendChild(label);
 td.appendChild(p);
 row.appendChild(td);

Virus/Spyware/Trojan Removal

2009-04-28T11:22:00.000-07:00

Standing on the shoulder of giants, I'm compiling the ultimate user guide to self-cleaning windows.

...some info I swiped from yahoo groups (and elaborated upon) the subject:

Firstly update and run your anti-virus product. You can also run a free online scan as well as some malware can actually corrupt or disable your resident security products.

Here are a few online scans you can run (most online scanners only run in IE, not FireFox... but some do - better to try FireFox and run as many in FF as you can b/c often the reason you HAVE a virus in the first place is because of Internet Explorer):

Trend - http://housecall.trendmicro.com/
Panda - http://www.pandasoftware.com/products/Ac...
Norton - http://security.symantec.com/sscv6/default.asp
Ewido - http://www.ewido.net/en/onlinescan/
BitDefender - http://www.bitdefender.com/scanner/online/free.html
F-Secure - http://support.f-secure.com/enu/home/ols.shtml (scans for rootkits!)

**Note: the best way to use these is to use MSCONFIG.EXE to clean boot with networking and nothing else... use your browser to do the scans. (And you may need to do the following procedure 2 or 3 times depending on how many times you have to reboot -- BUT ALWAYS DO IT WHEN YOU ARE SUPPOSED TO REBOOT DURING THIS ENTIRE PROCEDURE)

1) START Run MSCONFIG

2) Choose 'Diagnostic'

3) Click the "Services" tab

4) Sort by "Status" by clicking the "Status" column - now all the currently running services are listed on the top

5) One by one, click the checkbox for the following services:

Application Layer Gateway
DCOM Server Process Launcher
DHCP Client
DNS Client
COM+ Event System
Network Connections
Network Location Awareness (NLA)
Plug and Play
Remote Access Connection Manager
System Restore Service
SSDP Discovery Service
Telephony
Universal Plug and Play Device Host
Wireless Configuration OR Wireless Zero Configuration
Application Management
COM+ System Application
Windows Installer
Remote Access Auto Connection Manager

6) Finally, there might be something in the "Startup" tab which you may need to operate your computer properly (like a special mouse or keyboard) - but generally, these can all be left disabled

7) Click Ok and reboot

8) Run MSCONFIG again (it should actually pop up after you reboot) and choose "Normal" on the first tab, click OK, but DON'T REBOOT when it asks you.

**Now you are in a special mode of Windows which is set for using the internet only and making special repairs/installing special repair programs. Use this opportunity to delete temporary files, remove system restore points, scan using online scanners, etc. A good program for removing temp files is Crap Cleaner.

Second download, update and run scans using the following products:

SuperAntispyware

http://superantispyware.com/

Spybot S&D (free version requires manual updating)

http://www.safer-networking.org/en/downl...

AVG AntiSpyware

http://free.grisoft.com/doc/20/lng/us/tpl/v5

Adaware from Lavasoft (free version requires automatic updating)

http://www.lavasoftusa.com/products/ad-aware_se_personal.php

(These programs can also be run in Safe Mode after downloading and updating)

Third, after cleaning your system, disable System Restore, reboot and re-enable System Restore when you log back on. This will clear the malware that may still be lurking in System Restore, which could be reinstalled should you need to rollback at some point.

Additionally, a reboot may be required to complete the malware removal process.

Lastly, you may also want to install these tools. They are free and target specific infection locations and protect the computer BEFORE an infection occurs.

SpywareBlaster (inoculates, not a spyware removal tool)

http://www.javacoolsoftware.com/spywareblaster.html

Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware
http://www.malwarebytes.org/mbam.php

---===---

Nortons' instructions for removing malware (this references a particular one I think, but the process is similiar)

The following instructions pertain to all current and recent Symantec antivirus products, including the Symantec AntiVirus and Norton AntiVirus product lines.

Disable System Restore (Windows Me/XP).
Update the virus definitions.
Run a full system scan and delete all the files detected.
Delete any values added to the registry.
Edit the Win.ini file.
Edit the System.ini file.
Clear the Temporary Internet Files folder.

For specific details on each of these steps, read the following instructions.

1. To disable System Restore (Windows Me/XP)
If you are running Windows Me or Windows XP, we recommend that you temporarily turn off System Restore. Windows Me/XP uses this feature, which is enabled by default, to restore the files on your computer in case they become damaged. If a virus, worm, or Trojan infects a computer, System Restore may back up the virus, worm, or Trojan on the computer.

Windows prevents outside programs, including antivirus programs, from modifying System Restore. Therefore, antivirus programs or tools cannot remove threats in the System Restore folder. As a result, System Restore has the potential of restoring an infected file on your computer, even after you have cleaned the infected files from all the other locations.

Also, a virus scan may detect a threat in the System Restore folder even though you have removed the threat.

For instructions on how to turn off System Restore, read your Windows documentation, or one of the following articles:
How to disable or enable Windows Me System Restore
How to turn off or turn on Windows XP System Restore

Note: When you are completely finished with the removal procedure and are satisfied that the threat has been removed, reenable System Restore by following the instructions in the aforementioned documents.

For additional information, and an alternative to disabling Windows Me System Restore, see the Microsoft Knowledge Base article: Antivirus Tools Cannot Clean Infected Files in the _Restore Folder (Article ID: Q263455).

2. To update the virus definitions
Symantec Security Response fully tests all the virus definitions for quality assurance before they are posted to our servers. There are two ways to obtain the most recent virus definitions:
Running LiveUpdate, which is the easiest way to obtain virus definitions: These virus definitions are posted to the LiveUpdate servers once each week (usually on Wednesdays), unless there is a major virus outbreak. To determine whether definitions for this threat are available by LiveUpdate, refer to Virus Definitions (LiveUpdate).
Downloading the definitions using the Intelligent Updater: The Intelligent Updater virus definitions are posted daily. You should download the definitions from the Symantec Security Response Web site and manually install them. To determine whether definitions for this threat are available by the Intelligent Updater, refer to Virus Definitions (Intelligent Updater).

The latest Intelligent Updater virus definitions can be obtained here: Intelligent Updater virus definitions. For detailed instructions read the document: How to update virus definition files using the Intelligent Updater.

3. To scan for and delete the infected files
Start your Symantec antivirus program and make sure that it is configured to scan all the files.
For Norton AntiVirus consumer products: Read the document: How to configure Norton AntiVirus to scan all files.
For Symantec AntiVirus Enterprise products: Read the document: How to verify that a Symantec Corporate antivirus product is set to scan all files.
Run a full system scan.
If any files are detected, take note of the file names, and click Delete.

If the infected files are detected in the \Temporary Internet Files\Content.IE5, due to the design of the operating system, you will not be able to delete them. Write down the entire path and file name and clear the Temporary Internet Files Folder at the end of the removal instructions.

Important: If you are unable to start your Symantec antivirus product or the product reports that it cannot delete a detected file, you may need to stop the risk from running in order to remove it. To do this, run the scan in Safe mode. For instructions, read the document, How to start the computer in Safe Mode. Once you have restarted in Safe mode, run the scan again.

After the files are deleted, restart the computer in Normal mode and proceed with the next section.

Warning messages may be displayed when the computer is restarted, since the threat may not be fully removed at this point. You can ignore these messages and click OK. These messages will not appear when the computer is restarted after the removal instructions have been fully completed. The messages displayed may be similar to the following:

Title: [FILE PATH]
Message body: Windows cannot find [FILE NAME]. Make sure you typed the name correctly, and then try again. To search for a file, click the Start button, and then click Search.

4. To delete the value from the registry
Important: Symantec strongly recommends that you back up the registry before making any changes to it. Incorrect changes to the registry can result in permanent data loss or corrupted files. Modify the specified subkeys only. For instructions refer to the document: How to make a backup of the Windows registry.

Click Start > Run.
Type regedit
Click OK.

Note: If the registry editor fails to open the threat may have modified the registry to prevent access to the registry editor. Security Response has developed a tool to resolve this problem. Download and run this tool, and then continue with the removal.

Navigate to the subkeys:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\
RunServices
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services

In the right pane, delete any value that refers to a file that was detected during the scan.

Exit the Registry Editor.

5. To edit the Win.ini file
WARNING: The following steps instruct you to remove the text from the run= line of the Win.ini file. If you are using older programs, they may load at startup from one of these lines. If you are sure that the text contained in these lines is for the programs that you normally use, then we suggest that you do not remove it.

If you are running Windows 95/98/Me, follow these steps:

Click Start > Run.
Type the following:

edit c:\windows\win.ini

and then click OK.

(The MS-DOS Editor opens.)

NOTE: If Windows is installed in a different location, make the appropriate path substitution.

In the [windows] section of the file, look for a line similar to:

run=[TROJAN FILE NAME]

Note: [TROJAN FILE NAME] refers to the file name detected during the scan.

If this line exists, delete everything to the right of run=

Click File > Save.
Click File > Exit.

6. To edit the System.ini file
If you are running Windows 95/98/Me, follow these steps:
Click Start > Run.
Type the following:

edit c:\windows\system.ini

and then click OK.

(The MS-DOS Editor opens.)

NOTE: If Windows is installed in a different location, make the appropriate path substitution.

In the [boot] section of the file, look for a line similar to:

shell = Explorer.exe [TROJAN FILE NAME]

Note: [TROJAN FILE NAME] refers to the file name detected during the scan.

If this line exists, delete everything to the right of Explorer.exe.

When you are done, it should look like:

shell = Explorer.exe

Click File > Save.
Click File > Exit.

7. To clear the Temporary Internet Files folder, if required
Log on to the computer using the name that was shown in the path that you wrote down in the scan and delete infected files section.

For example, if the path was:

C:\Documents and Setting\Linda\Local Settings\Temporary Internet Files\qrwmqczd.dll

log on to the computer as Linda.

Start Internet Explorer.
Click Tools > Internet Options.
In the Temporary Internet Files section, click the Delete Files button.
Check Delete all offline content, and then click OK.

Online Storage Awesomeness

2009-03-24T05:21:00.000-07:00

There are several free online backup solutions. You can even search around for comparison tables, but let me break it down real simple for your here.

iDrive I like, that's fun. And then there's this new one called DropBox. Now, it's still in beta, but it has some very cool features... Here I have a link for you for an extra 250mb of space in your free account:

https://www.getdropbox.com/link/21.b22t0S0Ykx

What's great about a free DropBox is that it's an easy way to sync between multiple computer systems; Like your Mac at home, your PC at work, your girlfriends laptop (via snazzy web interface or portable USB app). You got public links, drag and drop, encryption, the whole 9yards. Check out their site.

And now that you've got your shiny new dropbox account, do some cool stuff with it:

http://wiki.getdropbox.com/TipsAndTricks
http://tutorialsandtrivia.blogspot.com/2009/02/carrying-around-my-dropbox-on-removable.html
http://lifehacker.com/5154698/sync-files-and-folders-outside-your-my-dropbox-folder
http://lifehacker.com/5175362/start-bittorrent-downloads-at-home-from-any-computer-with-dropbox

Screaming Deamon Laptop

2008-12-20T01:04:00.000-08:00

Now *this* is not your grandmothers' laptop. (Funny story though, I put it together for someone's grandmother -- true story).

The requirements:

Fast
Long battery
Lightweight

Okay, so like Cost/Time/Quality -- pick your favourite two.

Check out this vid of the laptop booting up in under 20 seconds...

Here's a heavy beast that wollops a big punch.

The OCZ DIY17A2-DM88XT

Couple that with an Intel Core2 Duo 2.1Ghz processor, some OCZ 1333Mhz RAM and two OCZ Core Series II Solid State Drives (flash technology, no moving parts) and you got yourself a screamer. Of course, you have to put it together yourself, but you save a bunch of dough (comparitively speaking).

Here's how she gets put together:

First: sprawl out yer gear

Next: ditch the manual.. (RTFM my ass)

Gather all the peices, start putting together.

mount HDDs in their cradles..

a gentle pop-out with your McGyver tool

Brain goes here... note the "locked" and "unlocked" switch

now, there was one final requirement for this laptop which was unavoidable in my quest to find the speediest of laptops at a bareable price point. XP.

No Vista please.

After some fighting and cursing and scouring the forums at http://www.ocztechnologyforum.com/ - I've finally got the bitch humming on XP. Here's how:

(This is sort of an addendum to D111's post found here: http://www.ocztechnologyforum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=47942.)

two notes: I didn't update the bios, call me chicken, but if there's a need to I may -- and after this, you're left with 5 "unknown device"'s in the dev mgr... from what I can tell they relate to the quick buttons above the function keys (which no one uses anyway)

...on to the goods.

I always use an nLite'd install DVD anyway, so that's where I'll start. NOTE: looks like if you slipstream SP3, then you also need to include the KB888111 MS UAA High Definition sound driver package for the sound to work. Download it, extract the files from the .EXE file and at step 1 when you integrate drivers, also integrate the single driver files from the extracted "Common Files" folder...

1. Slipstream SP3 and BTS drivers into your fav. flavour of XP

* get drivers from driverpack.net, extract all into one "\driverstore", insert "multiple driver folder" while nLite'ing

* ensure you select the TXT mode drivers when nLite prompts you about them, just select them all, this boot disc will come in handy for other computer (re)installs

* burn on slowest speed... don't be using yer hdd too much while you burn either!

2. setup your RAID first if need be, THEN check your boot order in bios (reboot between)

3. boot up the DVD and do your install (hopefully you auto-attended it in step 1, so you can grab a coffee now -- but not too long, full install on striped set of OCZ Core Series II SSD takes about 15min)

4. On first boot, let XP try to install your unknown devices, and just tell it not to try anymore when it fails

5. Pop in your OCZ Vista driver CD, go through the Vista32 folder and subsequent sub folders and extract all the zip files into meaningful names on your desktop (vga, chipset, fingerprint, et al)

6. download the omega driver pack as per D111's link

6.a) now, I did another step here in my troubleshooting, so, this may (not) be necessary... I selected the unknown VGA driver in dev mgr and did an "Update driver" and pointed it at the 2kXPinf folder from the extracted omega download (use 7Zip to extract the files from the .EXE)

7. Install the omega driver (PCIe, all other defaults are good)

8. update the driver for the bluetooth, point it at the extracted bluetooth ZIP under Win32\brcm
9. update the WLAN driver, point at RealTek (XP folder or something as obvious)

10. run the installs (usually setup.exe) for all the following (mostly extracted from the ZIP files) --- oh, and reboot as necessary.. better safe than sorry.

Chipset (Intel)

eSata (RAID ..?)

TV Tuner (aver media)

CardReader (RICOH)

TouchPad (synaptics)

FingerPrint (VitaKey)

Webcam (WebMate... its just the App, the driver already works... so, use your own program or the cute little util what comes with)

Now, it seems that without Media Center Edition or one of those Vista ver. with MCE built-in you won't get rid of the unknown device "eHome Infrared Transceiver"

Otherwise, Bob is your uncle. :)

I hate limited trials

2008-12-07T12:44:00.000-08:00

Especially when you go to download them and they DON'T INFORM YOU OF THE LIMITATION.

This happened with an O&O trial product or something like that where I was trying to recover lost files and it scans the whole drive, shows you the results and when you click the save button "Oh, sorry, you can only save 5 small files in this trial version".

Do a good job with a first impression and earn my respect... don't blackmail me. I'm more inclined to promote and/or donate/purchase in that case.

So, anyway this happened with "Reasonable No Clone FREE Edition" -- yeah, free edition my ass.

Anyhooters, I am impressed with the following freeware products when managing my massive MP3 collection:

MP3Tag
MP3-Tag Studio
Duplicate Music Files Finder

Oh, and as more of these programs come to light I'm going to list them here. Of particular disgust is ArcSoft Print Creations... my wife used this old Broderbund program for the past few years to make calendars of the kids for family at xmas. So she's all impressed with the ease of use and the fun templates with this program she downloaded (ArcSoft). She spent a whack load of time getting a couple of different calendars together and just when she's ready to print...

"A watermark will appear on your printouts unless you activate your software."

BLACKMAIL!

very distasteful.

Watch what link you click -- it could be your last

2008-12-01T23:10:00.000-08:00

My brother-in-law, god bless his soul, told me he F***'d up his wife's computer by looking for a wiring diagram online. "Pardon?" says I. "No shit" says he.

Sure enough he got into a little trouble, innocently enough... luckily the Bitdefender I installed on their PC thwarted the baddie forthright.

What happens when you do a little Google search, and click the first result...

Another reason why Chrome is quickly becoming my new recommended browser (esp. for n00bz)

Google is nice enough to give us some info on this site by clicking the link in the warning page:

Advisory provided by

Safe Browsing

Diagnostic page for full-antivirus-scan.com

What is the current listing status for full-antivirus-scan.com?

Site is listed as suspicious - visiting this web site may harm your computer.
Part of this site was listed for suspicious activity 1 time(s) over the past 90 days.

What happened when Google visited this site?

Of the 52 pages we tested on the site over the past 90 days, 0 page(s) resulted in malicious software being downloaded and installed without user consent. The last time Google visited this site was on 2008-12-01, and the last time suspicious content was found on this site was on 2008-12-01.
Malicious software includes 1014 adware(s). Successful infection resulted in an average of 0 new processes on the target machine.

Has this site acted as an intermediary resulting in further distribution of malware?

Over the past 90 days, full-antivirus-scan.com did not appear to function as an intermediary for the infection of any sites.

Has this site hosted malware?

Yes, this site has hosted malicious software over the past 90 days. It infected 595 domain(s), including alfonseca.org/, shbair.com/, rnsmessina.it/.

How did this happen?

In some cases, third parties can add malicious code to legitimate sites, which would cause us to show the warning message.

Next steps:

Return to the previous page.
If you are the owner of this web site, you can request a review of your site using GoogleWebmaster Tools. More information about the review process is available in Google'sWebmaster Help Center.

Except, the only virus on your computer that you will have is this one you're about to download by clicking ANYWHERE in the screen (the popup is just an image with a link associated with it to download this file)

So, who do we have to thank for this? Looks like our dear friend Ivan again. Oh Ivan.

Domain name: full-antivirus-scan.com

full-antivirus-scan.com (74.86.200.144)
	74.86.0.0 - 74.86.255.255 SoftLayer Technologies Inc. 1950 N Stemmons Freeway Dallas, TX US
	74.86.200.144 - 74.86.200.151 SixtyClear 30 Apollo Drive Bordon, GB

As you can see, the range is owned by SoftLayer... virtual hosting company. The IP in question seems to be registered to SixtyClear, located in Great Britian. ??

Current Registrar:		BIZCN.COM, INC.
IP Address:		74.86.200.144 (ARIN & RIPE IP search)
Lock Status:		clientDeleteProhibited
DMOZ		no listings
Data as of:		14-Jun-2005