PreparedPC
Your PC. Prepared for Anything.
Microsoft’s “Long Goodbye” for Windows XP
Jun 14th
While Windows XP will no longer be sold in retail stores after June 30, 2008, Microsoft has publicized details on just how long (and how) they will provide support to customers with Windows XP in this article:
Mainstream support delivers complimentary as well as paid support, free security updates and bug fixes to all Windows customers who purchase a retail copy of Windows XP (i.e. a shrink-wrapped, not pre-installed, copy). Mainstream support for Windows XP will continue through April 2009.
Extended support delivers free security updates to all Windows customers. Customers can also pay for support on a per-incident basis. Extended support for Windows XP will continue until April 2014. New bug fixes require the Extended Hotfix Support program.
Takeaway: More >
Keeping It Private, Part 2: Eraser
Jun 10th
Photo by j. towbin
In our last post, we took a look at CCleaner as a way to automate the secure deletion of much of the “stuff” your computer accumulates as a result of browsing, editing documents, as well as files that Windows itself generates in day-to-day operation.
What if you want to securely erase or securely move specific files? The free utility Eraser from Heidi Computers Ltd. does just that. Let’s define what we mean.
By “secure,” we mean that it would be extremely difficult, if not impossible to recover files deleted using the methods that CCleaner and Eraser can be configured to use. Basically, configuring these utilities to use the US DoD 5220.22-M method will overwrite the area a file occupies on a hard drive with 3 passes of random data (not just overwriting with all “0′s” or all “1′s”). A person attempting to recover that file later would not know how “undelete” that file. If you like, you may configure Eraser to use the Guttman method, which overwrites a file 35 times. More >
Keeping It Private, Part 1: CCleaner
Jun 7th
Photo by ChrisChris
Just as housekeeping is important for keeping your home running smoothly, it’s important to keep up with “housekeeping” on your computer. By design, your Windows operating system can accumulate many megabytes of files as you browse the internet, edit documents, etc.
Over time, these files can contribute to an overall slowdown of your computer, as well as expose you to the risk of loss of privacy if your computer is stolen.
One solution is CCleaner, a free program from Piroform. CCleaner will delete the “temporary” files for Firefox, Internet Explorer and Opera and also clear out MRU (Most Recently Used) file entries for many applications, and empty the Recycle Bin. More >
Backup Your Hard drive Now — While You Still Have Time
May 24th
It’s one of those nagging things in the back of your mind: “What happens if my hard drive crashes, or the operating system gets corrupted, or…? I should do something about it.” Then you dismiss that thought because you think it’s too hard, or expensive.
It’s really not that difficult, nor expensive. We’ll look at a couple of options that give you an easy way to protect your investment. The basic strategy is to create an “image” of your hard drive, which is a file (or files) containing an exact copy of your operating system, applications, etc. Then, when disaster strikes, you boot from a CD, and restore that image file to your hard drive. Let’s look at the steps to do this. More >
SteadyState: How to roll back your Windows XP computer to “Square One” — Just by rebooting.
May 21st
Microsoft’s free application, SteadyState, is a way to quickly “undo” many problems that can develop as a result of spyware infections, people installing software that “breaks” other software, etc. It’s perfect for that spare PC that you’ve set up for the kids. Perhaps your parents are using a computer for the first time, and you are their computer support person. In any case, install SteadyState, set up a user account, and configure Windows Disk Protection.
Now, your “user” can surf the web, email, and do whatever they need to do. If they run into problems, simply rebooting the computer will undo any software issues, and they are back up and running. More >
Hacking an M3U file so you can get its MP3 file
May 17th
You’ve visited a website and clicked on an link to listen to an MP3 file. Your computer dutifully plays the audio file–so far, so good. Now, you go back to the site, hoping to download the file you just listened to. But wait–the file that downloads is an M3U file. What is this, and how can you find the MP3 file?
M3U files are playlist files that point to an MP3 file, so that the MP3 file streams, rather than downloads to your computer. The video tutorial below demonstrates how to download the MP3 file using only your browser and a text editor (like Notepad)
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Mail PassView A Free Utility to Recover a Lost Email Password
May 13th
Have you run into this problem yet? Your friend or family member, whos been using a computer for several years, buys a new computer and asks for your help to move everything over to the new computer. Youre able to copy their data files to the PC, but when its time to set up their email program, they know their email address, but when you ask about their password, they give you that deer in the headlights lookthey have no idea what the password is.
You may be able to help them if on their old PC, they used a program like Thunderbird, Outlook Express, or Outlook. More >
Whats on my PC? Belarc Advisor
May 13th
Belarc Advisor is a free-for-personal-use utility (http://www.belarc.com/free_download.html) that inspects your Windows computer and creates a nicely formatted HTML report of your installed hardware and software. Its worth installing and running (then backing up the report files thats saved by default at C:\Program Files\Belarc\Advisor\System\tmp) to have just in case.