Uberstaller

If there is one thing I really dislike is when you uninstall software there is always garbage left behind, whether it be files or settings in the registry. Uberstaller claims to be able to solve that problem. When you use Uberstaller to uninstall a program it will also scan and then delete any files or registry settings it finds that are associated to the uninstalled program.

Site: Uberstaller

Windows Versions: Vista & Win7

According to a news report from the BBC in early 2011 the hard drives we use in our machines will be undergoing one of the biggest changes in its format than has been seen in 30 some years.

Called advanced format this change will make it easier for hard drive manufacturers to produce bigger drives that use less energy.

There is only one problem: Windows XP.

The problem originates in the way that hard drives have been storing data for years, the 512k byte sector. While this was okay with smaller drives of the past the larger drives we use now end up with lots of empty space.

While 512 bytes was useful when hard drives were only a few megabytes in size, it makes less sense when drives can hold a terabyte (1000 gigabytes), or more of data.

“The technology has changed but that fundamental building block of formatting has not,” said David Burks, a product marketing manager for storage firm Seagate.

This fine resolution on hard drives is causing a problem, he said, because of the wasted space associated with each tiny block.

Each 512 byte sector has a marker showing where it begins and an area dedicated to storing error correction codes. In addition a tiny gap has to be left between each sector. In large drives this wasted space where data cannot be stored can take up a significant proportion of the drive.

Moving to an advanced format of 4K sectors means about eight times less wasted space but will allow drives to devote twice as much space per block to error correction.

“You can get yourself into a corner where you cannot squeeze much more onto the disk,” said Steve Perkins, a technical consultant for Western Digital.

This shift also allows manufacturers to make more efficient use of the real estate on a hard drive.

“We can put more data on the disk,” he said. “It’s about 7-11% more efficient as a format.”

Where this becomes a problem with Windows XP is that it was released before the 4k format was decided upon. While these new advanced format drives will be able to hep XP cope by pretending that they still use the 512k format there could be problems when writing data to the disk.

It might not be a killer problem but there will be a noticeable delay and reduction in hard drive performance.

Okay so it’s not the batteries themselves that are in danger of infecting your machines but rather the software that comes with USB battery chargers.

According to the folks over at Sunbelt Software there is a warning out today from CERT that the Energizer DUO USB battery chargers have been found to be infected with a trojan that loads up backdoor malware when you install the battery monitoring software.

The U.S. Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT) is warning that Energizer DUO USB battery chargers have been found infected with a Trojan that loads backdoor malware on a victim PC along with its battery monitoring software.

The charger copies a .dll file named UsbCharger.dll in the application’s directory and another named Arucer.dll in the Windows system32 directory. USBCharger sets a registry entry to autoexecute Arucer.dll when Windows starts.

Arucer.dll is a backdoor that communicates through TCP port 7777.

The charger has been sold worldwide for three years.

CERT notes that the Trojan contains Chinese language text.

Sunbelt detects it as Trojan.Arugizer.

CERT Vulnerability Note VU#154421 here.

I always knew I hated that drum beating rabbit.

So what are you waiting for – get bending some pipe.

via Simplified Building

Ever since word first leaked last September of a new hardware product going by the name of Courier interest in Microsoft’s interpretation of a tablet slash e-book reader has been growing.

Well it appears that Gizmodo has a bunch new information as well as images of the illusive Courier as well as word of it coming to market somewhere around Q3 or Q4 of this year (amazingly close to the delivery date for the Windows Phone 7 Series).

Contrary to popular thought though is that OS that will be powering won’t be Windows 7 but rather the same operating system that is powering the Zune HD, Windows Phone 7 Series and the upcoming Pink phone. Additionally word is that it will be pen-based and centered around drawing and writing.

Here’s some images of Courier courtesy of Gizmodo

And here’s the video of it in action – sort of

Leading this change without any doubt has been the release; and growing adoption, of Windows 7. Following on it’s heels is the upcoming release of their next generation smartphone version of Windows 7 which already has more than a few people excited; myself included. Hell if I could afford a new smartphone (and the price gouging data plans) I’d be counting down the days until it hits the stores.

To back up the feeling that Windows 7 is helping to herald in a new attitude at Microsoft is the release today of the sales figures for Windows 7 since its release. Jacob Friedman over at The Next Web has a few more of the details but the short form of the story is that there have been 90,000,000 copies of Windows 7 sold to date.

Microsoft finally backed their Windows 7 boasts up with numbers, and they’re quite impressive indeed.

Microsoft hadn’t provided exact sales numbers for Windows 7 until last night, when Microsoft CFO Peter Klein announced the sales figures at the Morgan Stanley Technology, Media and Telecom Conference. Klein revealed that Windows 7 has sold a massive 90,000,000 copies.

Not bad for slightly over four months on sale.

Not bad to say the least.

Nicely done Microsoft.