The article goes on to say:

The trick is also said to work in Windows Vista, although some are warning that although it works fine in 32-bit versions of Vista, it can cause 64-bit versions of that operating system to crash.

Check out the full story on CNET’s site @

Understanding Windows 7′s ‘GodMode’ | Beyond Binary – CNET News.

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Memopal is an online backup provider that also allows you access to your files on other devices. Memopal also allows you to share files with others if you are so inclined.  Here is a blurb and some screenshots offered by Memepal.

As well as supporting Windows, Mac and Linux, the files archived on Memopal can also be accessed from an iPhone using a free application and from any mobile device with a browser.

In addition to the free plan, they are also adding an additional 50GB to paid plans which start at $49 per year.  And if you already have an online data backup provider, then you may be interested in Memopal’s 30% discount for switching.

Note: I am not affiliated with Momopal in any way.

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Orb is completely free and allows you to access not only iTunes content, but any video, music, or photos on your system’s hard drive and stream it to just about any device on the Internet.

Setting up Orb is simple.  Download Orb for either Mac or Windows.

Start the installation and Orb asks for your account information. If you don’t have an account, you can set one up during the install.

Orb indexes your iTunes content automatically, but if you have more media to add, then used the advanced tab to specify for folders.

Once Orb has indexed all your content, you can close the installation wizard and login to mycast.orb.com to further configure your streaming, channels, and playlists.

Now that Orb is setup, you can use any browser on your network, a friends house, your iPhone, Blackberry, Xbox, Wii, or PS3 to receive content from your media library.

Check it out for yourself at Orb.com.

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Nero 9 Lite allows  you to burn data CDs or DVDs and copy disks as well.

The additional functions listed in the menu are only available via an upgrade, but if you need simple copying and disk creation, then Nero Lite is all you need.

The software can be found at the Nero website.

Negotiate to the Downloads page and choose the Nero 9 Lite.

Enter your email address to start the download.

During the installation you will be asked to install the Nero Toolbar (I couldn’t find a way to remove this option), but you can remove it from your browser’s toolbar after the installation completes.

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Sonic’s popular service CinemaNow will be integrated into devices from Blue Ray players, television sets, video game consoles, PCs and other devices for on-demand media streaming.

CinemaNow currently offers digital rights managed content to some existing devices that can be purchased at retail stores, one of which is of course, Best Buy.

CinemaNow offers both renting and buying content similar to iTunes, the Sony PS3 and the Xbox. With Best Buy in the mix, CinemaNow’s device penetration could significantly grow.

Netflix offers a similar service with their set top boxes and integration into the Xbox gamine console. Netflix has also recently announced that their streaming service will be available on the PS3 too.

This move to partner might be confusing for people who already have streaming accounts on Netflix or perhaps even Blockbuster. Will they switch because they have now purchased an integrated device for on demand movies?

I’m glad to see that Best Buy believes that consumers want instant access to content. As a consumer, I’m excited to see these products come to market at low subscription prices (unlike the Apple TV).

Note: It has been rumored that Apple is in discussions with media companies to supply streaming media to consumers for a monthly subscription fee of $30 a month (http://features.csmonitor.com/innovation/2009/11/02/apples-30-a-month-tv-supscription-service-not-buying-it/)

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Follow these simple steps to add the telnet command to your command line tools.

Click on “Start Button”

Click on “Control Panel (menu item)” in “Start menu”

Click on “Uninstall a program (link)” in “Control Panel”

Click on “Turn Windows features on or off (link)” in “Programs and Features”

Click in “Windows Features” box and find the “Telnet Client” check box

Allow the system to install the appropriate files – should take only a few seconds to a minute or so.

To test the functionality:

Click on the “Start button”

Click on “Search Box” in “Start menu”

Type “cmd” in the “Search box” to bring up a command prompt

Type “telnet” and hit “enter”. You should now see the Microsoft Telnet> prompt

There you go.  Easy enough.

P.S. If you can’t find the “Telnet Client” check box in your programs list, you may need to upgrade your version of Windows 7 to get these features.

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Mozy

• Supports PC and Mac
• Free for up to 2 GB of storage – $4.99 a month for unlimited storage

Carbonite

• Supports Pc and Mac
• Prices start $54.95 for a one year subscription – unlimited storage

Jungle Disk

• Supports PC, Mac and Linux
• Software is $2 a month.  Uses Amazon S3 storage or Rackspace Cloud Storage – approx. 15 cents a GB per month – unlimited storage – no minimum

SecoBackup

• Supports PC and Linux
• Software is free – uses Amazon S3 storage – approx. 15 cents a GB a month – unlimited storage – no minimum

Norton Online Backup

• PC only
• $49.99 for 25 GB of storage

iDrive

• Supports PC and Mac
• Prices start at $4.95 a month for 150 GB of storage

Fabrik

• Windows only
• 2 GB account is free – $4.95/month for unlimited storage

My Other Drive

• PC and Mac
• 2 GB account is free – prices for 100GB of storage start at $4.99/month – max plan caps at 10 TB of storage

AltDrive

• PC, Mac, Linux and Solaris
• Plans start at $4.95/month

NomaDesk

• Windows and Mac
• Unlimited backups start at $50/year

SafeCopy

• Windows, Mac and iPhone support
• Prices start at $50/year for 150 GB of storage

SmugVault from SmugMug

• Web based service
• Prices start at $39.95/year for unlimited storage

ZumoDrive

• Windows, Mac, Linux and iPhone support
• 1 GB of storage is free, 10 GB and up start at $2.99/month

DropBox

• PC, Mac and iPhone support
• 2 GB account is free, other pricing models start at $9.99/month for 50 GB of storage

Microsoft SkyDrive

• Web based service
• Free for up to 25 GB of storage

Online Photo Backup Resources

Use these sites if you have a huge photo collection and want to keep a backup online.

Phanfare

• Web based service
• Prices start at $49/year for unlimited storage
• Online commerce, use your own Domain Name, and lots of sharing options to name a few.

SmugMug

• Web  based service
• Prices start at $39.95/year for unlimited storage
• Choose themes for an online gallery and sell photos through an online store
• Also comes with SmugVault – backup any file – unlimited storage.  Basically an interface to Amazon’s S3 cloud storage.

Flickr

• Web based service

• Free account with 10MB of uploads a month – Pro account for $24 a year – unlimited photos up to 20 MB each

Picasa

• We based service with Windows, Mac, and Linux uploaders are available
• Free, but current max is 1 GB of storage

Got more – give a shout out to your favorite in the comments.

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McAfee Virus Information

See the latest virus information on McAfee’s virus alert page. Use the dropdown to select among malware, hoaxes, jokes, or view all.  You can also sign up for email alerts too.

Symantec/Norton’s Threat Explorer

Get a breakdown of vulnerabilities, threats, and risks at Symantec’s Threat Explorer.  Plus see what popular “applications” are currently vulnerable to attacks so you can get them patched.

Trend Micro’s Threat Encyclopedia

See the latest that Trend Micro has identified as a threat at the Threat Encyclopedia.

SophosLabs Blog

Read what the industry experts at Sophos have to say about what’s going on with recent threats at the SophosLabs Blog.  Subscribe to their RSS feed and signup for email notifications too.

Microsoft Security Bulletins

Only for those running Windows – get the latest on Microsoft vulnerabilities at their Security Bulletin Search page.  Don’t forget to signup for automatic security notifications.

Security Focus

The Security Focus Vulnerabilities page allows you to search for vulnerabilities by vendor. Get even more granular by drilling down into titles and software versions. Get your Security Focus newsletters too.

Computer Associates – Vulnerability Information Center

Find newly discovered vulnerabilities and alerts from the Vulnerability Information Center at CA. From there branch off to virus and spyware news.

I’m sure there are a few more reputable sources for this kind of information. Please post your favorites in the comments.

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10 Fast Fingers

Ten Fast Fingers Speedtest is a great way to quickly challenge yourself.  The site simply gives you some random works to begin typing.  As soon as you do, the clock starts ticking down from 60 seconds.  Once your time is up, you’ll be ranked among all the typists before you.
The site has support for multiple languages and claims that the most commonly used words are what is being randomly presented for you to test against.

Accuracy counts – you get a better ranking with less of a speed penalty if you just slow it down a bit and make less mistakes.  I ranked better among the others typists and only incurred a two word per minute penalty by slowing it down.

TypingWeb

If you are looking for something a little more advanced, you can also try TypingWeb.  TypingWeb allows you to create an account where you can store your typing data/progress (but this is not required).

TypingWeb has lots of different activities to help you improve your typing skills,  including training courses and typing games.  If you setup an account, you can also track your stats to see how your improving.

Keep your skills sharp and head over to these sites when you get a free moment.

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I recently came across about an interesting article that I wanted to share.  It relates to computer repair shops and how an undercover operation by a news organization exposed some of their shady practices.

The article as originally published on pcpro.co.uk and explains how software to automatically turn on the built in webcam and record every keystroke mouse click was used to expose these shops and their bad practices.

Here is an excerpt from the article:

He also begins searching our hard drive until he finds log-in details for our Facebook and Hotmail accounts. With a cackle he removes a memory stick from around his neck, plugs it in and then copies them across.

He also discovers our holiday photos and copies those of our researcher in her bikini. The spy software takes a snapshot of the files on his memory stick.

The PCPRO article goes on to  explain how the techs opened a folder named “Private” and began pursuing documents and photos and even begins copying them for personal use.

With a cackle he removes a memory stick from around his neck, plugs it in and then copies them across.

Most worryingly, when he discovers log-in details for our online bank account, he logs onto the bank’s website and attempts to break into the account. He only fails because the details we created were false.

The real message behind the article is simple.  Be aware of what is on you computer and take measures to protect sensitive data.  The simplest way is to encrypt sensitive files and folders.  Use products like TrueCrypt or the small utility I wrote about called Easy File Locker to make sure those files are hidden and unreadable by anybody.

It’s a little bit of extra work, but will certainly put you at ease if you ever need to hand over you computer to a technician for repair.

P.S. Not all technician are searching through your files and photos.  The article does go on to report on how one company’s technician fixed the problem without violating anyone’s privacy.

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