It seems that there are a lot of great software applications popping up all over the web these days. Google Docs, and Microsoft Office Live to name a few. Now there is a very nice program for editing images when you just don’t feel like spending $500 on Photoshop when all you need is a basic image editor.
Check out the site today! It’s free! (FOR Now)
http://www.splashup.com/
Many people are not automatically patching their Windows machines for several reasons. One of the main reasons is that if you got a copy of Windows from your friend, Microsoft is now checking every license. After you run Windows Updates and patch your computer, you may get a message from Microsoft saying your computer is not running Genuine Windows, and a little logo will stay at the bottom of your desktop. It could also completely disable you from running windows, pretty sneaky and clever. If you do have a legitimate copy of Windows (one that you actually purchased and have the retail box from Microsoft or one that came pre-installed on your Dell, HP, Compaq, or other brand name computer). If you purchased a clone computer from a local computer retailer, or online, your copy of windows might be counterfeit but as long as you bought from a reputable name like Dell you will have an authentic copy of Windows, complete with a sticker on the top of your computer that has the license key for your copy of Windows… And then you can setup automatic updates.
Patch for THIS problem only to prevent future infections
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/Bulletin/MS08-067.mspx
Removal Tool (FREE) (run this just to test/make sure you don’t have it, even if you think you’re safe):
http://www.symantec.com/security_response/writeup.jsp?docid=2009-011316-0247-99
Also, I strongly recommend everyone download these 2 programs, and run them weekly (or daily if you’re paranoid) on your computer to check for all traces of spyware/malware. Your anti-virus programs DO NOT PROTECT YOU, don’t even think you’re safe with them:
Malwarebytes Anti-Malware (FREE):
http://www.download.com/Malwarebytes-Anti-Malware/3000-8022_4-10804572.html?part=dl-10804572&subj=dl&tag=button
Spybot Search and Destroy (FREE):
http://www.safer-networking.org/en/spybotsd/index.html
Both have paid versions you can buy but the free one works just fine.
Make sure when you run them if they tell you they need to run again on reboot to remove a virus they found, that you say yes, and then when your computer reboots, it will run first thing and remove it.
Finally, last but not least…
Internet Explorer is the world’s most unsafe web browser. 90% of the security vulnerabilities on the internet exist because IE is not safe, and it’s easy for them to secretly slip their way through your computer. Most people are switching to Firefox. Firefox is a free, open-source web browser developed by a group of people that used to develop the Netscape web browser many moons ago. Firefox is superior to Internet Explorer in that they have thousands of free ad-ons for your browser to enhance your browsing experience, I’ll talk about those ad-ons in a future write up. For now, go to:
http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/ and download Firefox. They have it for both a Mac and a PC, as well as linux and many other platforms.
Haven’t been able to link this to FB yet, but will keep trying.
I’m a bit late to the party, but I have a blog now! There are so many times where I’ve had random thoughts about things that I want to share with the world, and now I will have the opportunity to do so. Why not just use Facebook, Myspace, or some other social network? Well, for one, those sites have become far too cluttered. For two, they are controlled by other companies. This is *MY* blog, on *MY* website, and the only restrictions I have are those imposed by Dreamhost, which at the moment are very minimal (they even allow adult content, not that I’ll ever post that on my blog, but still that’s very rare for web hosts to allow that!!)… Also, there is no substance to Myspace or Facebook, those sites are all about posting silly one liners about what you are doing right now such as “Rob is eating lunch”. How stupid is that? A blog lets you ramble on to the world and anyone who is bored with a lot of time on their hands can entertain themselves with reading it. However, my blog promises to offer useful information such as how to remove spyware from your computer, money saving tips, etc.
Don’t worry, I’ll still update Facebook, in fact I found a few cool tools for Facebook that will update my Facebook profile, so I’ll give that a shot too and see how it goes. In the mean time, sit back, relax, and enjoy!