Kevins Blog

Get the Classic Start Menu back in Windows 8

noreply@blogger.com (Kevin) — Sun, 27 Jan 2013 21:27:00 +0000

If you miss the Classic Start Menu from other versions of Windows here is a free solution.

Download StartMenu8 from MajorGeeks

"StartMenu8 is specially designed for Window 8. It offers a perfect solution for users who work with Windows Start Menu all the time and are not accustomed to the new Metro start screen in Windows 8. This smart tool brings back both the start button and Windows Start Menu, and offers the option to skip Metro start page, allowing users who only work on desktop to boot to Windows 8 desktop directly. It’s the best start menu replacement for Windows8.

Features:

More Efficiency and Convenience
StartMenu8 not only brings back the convenient Start Menu to Windows 8, but also allows you to bypass Metro screen on start of Windows 8 and boot to desktop directly.

Easily Switch between Metro and Desktop interface
You can easily switch between two modes by pressing and holding the Windows key, depending on your preference.

Faster Access to Programs and files
StartMenu8 brings back Start Menu where you can get quicker access to programs, documents and files, control panel and settings.

Quicker Searching
Unified and instant Searching for both desktop and Metro apps decreases the time taken in Searching and makes your work more efficient.

Customizable to your needs
You can pin programs to Start Menu and Taskbar for quicker access to your favorite programs. It's easily customizable to have everything you need at just one click.

Safe and Secure
IObit StartMenu8 is safe and secure, and is 100% free of malware.
Copied from http://majorgeeks.com/StartMenu8_d7934.html "

I'm not sure why but it does not run at startup for me like it's supposed to so I just put the .exe in my startup folder to solve that problem. It is v1.0.0 so maybe future updates will show some improvements but I like it as it is so far.

Go to:
C:\Users\{User Name}\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Startup

Then Copy/Paste this file into the Startup folder:
C:\Program Files (x86)\IObit\StartMenu8\StartMenu8.exe

App Advisor - Security for your Facebook profile

noreply@blogger.com (Kevin) — Wed, 28 Nov 2012 00:42:00 +0000

Before installing an app it's good to know just how much of your personal information it has access to and what it may do with it. App Advisor from Secure.me lets you search a wide variety of Facebook apps to see just how safe they are.

Just visit the App Advisor Homepage, enter the apps name in the search box and then search for it's information page. There you will find information on the apps Permissions, App Behavior and User Ratings including detailed information on how the app has to access your personal data, the apps behavior after connecting and what users think about the app.

An example of when an app reportedly has too much control can be seen on the FarmVille app reputation page.

If you find an app that has too many permissions for your taste you can remove it in your Facebook App Settingspage.

Other App Advisor tools from Secure.me:

Secure.me also has other Facebook privacy controls including:

How many apps of your have permission to access your private information?

noreply@blogger.com (Kevin) — Tue, 02 Oct 2012 20:15:00 +0000

MyPermission.org

The title of the web page was enough to get me to have a closed look. “Take 2 Minutes to Clean Your Apps Permissions” which lists some popular applications and sites in which we may have granted permission to get access to your personal information. Google, Twitter, Facebook and more.

Any application that has permission to get access to your personal information in your profile on different websites potentially puts that information at risk on being stolen or “Phished.” Facebook for example could put your friends’ information at risk as well.

MyPermissions doesn’t ask for your personal information or login details. You simply fill out that information once you arrive at the services website. Then you can easily revoke access from the permissions page.

MyPermissions will also let you sign up for a monthly email reminder to check your apps permissions helping you keep your private information your own. The email reminder will come at the first of every month.

Head over to MyPermission.org and tighten up your security. It’s quick, easy and you and your friends will be thankful.

Alternative Windows Desktop Search Tools

noreply@blogger.com (Kevin) — Fri, 28 Sep 2012 17:15:00 +0000

The built in Windows Search, formerly known as Windows Desktop Search (WDS), is a nice feature on Windows computers for easily locating files and folders that you may not know the exact location of. However the built in search can be slow and doesn't always find what you know is there.

Third party Windows search tools offer more robust features and some have add-ons.

DocFetcher searches inside your document files! Find yourself looking through tons of documents? Try DocFetcher, a search tool that only searches for documents and text inside of documents saving you time.

Supported Document Formats: Microsoft Office (doc, xls, ppt), Microsoft Office 2007 and newer (docx, xlsx, pptx, docm, xlsm, pptm), Microsoft Outlook (pst), OpenOffice.org (odt, ods, odg, odp, ott, ots, otg, otp), Portable Document Format (pdf), HTML (html, xhtml, …), Plain text (customizable), Rich Text Format (rtf), AbiWord (abw, abw.gz, zabw), Microsoft Compiled HTML Help (chm), Microsoft Visio (vsd), Scalable Vector Graphics (svg)

One limitation of DocFetcher is that it requires the Java Runtime Environment (JRE) to be installed on the computer.

Extra note: If you have forgotten the name of the file or folder you are looking for, using the above search tools, you can type in a partial search term and search. Doing so will still list all of the files and folders containing those letters or numbers.

Stolen Camera Finder – find your photos, find your camera

noreply@blogger.com (Kevin) — Thu, 27 Sep 2012 17:04:00 +0000

Stolen Camera Finder - This is a pretty cool service that allows users to search the Internet for images taken and uploaded by a possibly stolen camera. Stolen Camera Finder uses the serial number stored in a photo to search the web for photos taken with the same camera. That said, there are limitations like the image must be a valid jpeg file.

For photos to show up, they not only have to have embedded data, but also must be posted somewhere like Flickr, Twitter, Facebook, or any public site. You must register at the website for 1 free search. More than 1 search requires a premium payment. Each service has options with the paid services having many more options than the free service.

The Free account allows 1 free search.
The Pro account with a cost of £4.99 each month (around 8 US dollars) and you then get 100 searches per month.
The Business account is £99.99 each month (around $162 US dollars) for unlimited searches per month.

Stolen Camera Finder Homepage

EDIT: Since posting this I have found another service called Camera Trace and it appears to be the same except for pricing. They are wanting $10 per camera or around £7.

Moved to WordPress

noreply@blogger.com (Kevin) — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 20:51:00 +0000

I have moved my work to WordPress. I will still keep this blog online but any new postings will be located at http://evilfantasy.wordpress.com

Thanks to everyone who has visited me here and please stop by the new blog and check it out.

Kevin.

UPDATE: I'm now moving back to Blogger. Had a good run at Wordpress and I still keep thet blog active but I'm more interested in Blogger right now.

Thanks for visiting!

Kevin

EULAlyzer 2.0 released!

noreply@blogger.com (Kevin) — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 19:22:00 +0000

Javacool Software EULAlyzer 2.0

Making EULAs Easy
Discover if the software you're about to install displays pop-up ads, transmits personally identifiable information, uses unique identifiers to track you, or much much more. EULAlyzer can analyze license agreements in seconds, and provide a detailed listing of potentially interesting words and phrases.

EULAlyzer 2.0 Release Notes

* Faster performance (especially when scanning and saving EULAs)
* An improved “Capture Text” method, that automatically gets out of your way
* Enhancements to EULA-Watch to support more installers
* User-specific settings and Saved EULA databases
* Runs great on low-privilege accounts (no more occasional permissions errors if running on XP or Vista with a limited/Standard user account)
* Interface improvements
* Full Vista compatibility

This release also packages numerous additional bug fixes, including:
-FIX: Occasional problems submitting EULAs to the EULA Research Center
-FIX: Top program title incorrectly changes text color based on custom windows themes
-FIX: Occasional crashes with additional right-click options in My Saved EULAs
-FIX: It was possible to select multiple EULAs in the My Saved EULAs list
-FIX: Some program functions were not compatible with low-privilege user accounts
-FIX: Vista compatibility enhancements (numerous, including fixes for easily capturing license agreements)
-FIX: All white-space is now removed from beginning + ending of input text, to ensure consistent duplicate detection and analysis

Easily manage multiple Gmail accounts

noreply@blogger.com (Kevin) — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 01:45:00 +0000

The Gmail Manager FireFox extention allows you to manage multiple Gmail accounts and receive new mail notifications. Displays your account details including unread messages, saved drafts, spam messages, labels with new mail, space used, and new mail snippets.

If you have multiple Gmail accounts then you know checking them can be a pain with signing in and signing out. The Gmail Manager FireFox add-on lets you manage all your Gmail accounts from within your browser. After installing it and configurating your accounts in the preferences, you will see Gmail Manager in the status bar in the bottom-right corner of the browser window. Mouse over it for a pop-up listing your newest messages. Click it to open Gmail in the new tab or right click it to select a different account. Gmail Manager has other options you can tweak such as new email notifications, a numeric unread e-mail count, and will show “snippest” of mail as well as allowing you to add any WAV sound to alert you of new mail. It does everthing you could want short of actually reading your e-mail for you.

Livedrive - Unlimited online storage

noreply@blogger.com (Kevin) — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 18:59:00 +0000

Edit: Since posting this I have recieved an email from the LiveDrive team. After beta the service will no longer be free.

How much will the service cost after the beta?
Livedrive is free to use during our beta period. The beta period is a chance for you to give us your feedback about our service and for us to ensure any problems with the service are found before we “go live” in January 2009. After the go-live date Livedrive will be available in two editions with prices ranging from approximately £40 per annum for the standard version to £200 per annum for the business version. Both editions will include unlimited storage.

Livedrive is an online storage service that offers two advantages over most services in this space:

Unlimited file storage
Integration with Windows Explorer

When you install Livedrive (and reboot your computer), you'll notice an L drive show up in Windows Explorer. To copy files to the service, just drag and drop them to the L drive. You can also upload and download files through a web-based interface. And once your files are online you'll be able to access them from any computer using the web client.

Thanks to the Windows Explorer integration, you could easily use LiveDrive as an offsite backup tool like Carbonite or Mozy. Just install your favorite file backup utility and point it to the L drive.

Livedrive is free while in beta, but I have a feeling the company will probably start charging a fee when the beta ends.

Credit to Lifehacker

What is link bait?

noreply@blogger.com (Kevin) — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 02:02:00 +0000

I went looking for the definition to link bait and as usual I found a Wikipedia article on it. As with everything related to a computer there are good and bad uses for link bait. I'm sure many web site owners would argue that it is essential to creating a successful web site or blog as it increases traffic. This is true but I also encourage anyone who is link baiting to be careful not to get too caught up and start creating link fodder. Getting people to your site is half of the battle. Keeping them there is the victory. In other words, don't send them away as soon as they walk in the door.

The entire article involves much more then I have here but here are the types of link bait according to Wikipedia.

Wikipedia - Methods of website linking

Types of link bait

Although there are no clear-cut subdivisions within link bait, many attempt to divide them into types of hooks. This is a short list of some of the most common approaches with brief descriptions:

Informational hooks - Provide information that a reader may find very useful. Some rare tips and tricks or any personal experience through which readers can benefit.
News hooks - Provide fresh information and obtain citations and links as the news spreads.
Humor hooks - Tell a funny story or a joke. A bizarre picture of your subject or mocking cartoons can also prove to be link bait.
Evil hooks - Saying something unpopular or mean may also yield a lot of attention. Writing about something that is not appealing about a product or a popular blogger. Provide strong reasons for it.
Tool hooks - Create some sort of tool that is useful enough that people link to it.
Widgets hooks - A badge or tool, that can be placed or embedded on other websites, with a link included.

Glubble Web Browser for Families

noreply@blogger.com (Kevin) — Fri, 26 Dec 2008 19:34:00 +0000

Glubble turns the Internet into a fun, educational, secure and social experience for the entire family. With this free add-on for Firefox your children can explore, play and enjoy thousands of fun games, color pages, interactive exercises, audio books and puzzles – all easily pre-approved by you. As a parent you create your own private Family Page where you can send messages to your children, add grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins, upload photos, monitor and support your children’s online activities as well as organize your busy family life. It doesn’t matter where you are: once registered your homepage is accessible from every computer!

Glubble Homepage

Learn how your family can play, discover, share and learn together. Just click play to watch a quick video tour…and then join Glubble for free!

WOT Web of Trust Internet Security

noreply@blogger.com (Kevin) — Thu, 25 Dec 2008 21:05:00 +0000

Free Internet Security. WOT warns you about risky websites.

WOT is a free Internet security addon for your browser. It will keep you safe from online scams, identity theft, spyware, spam, viruses and unreliable shopping sites. WOT warns you before you interact with a risky website. It's easy and it's free.

Surf safer and protect your computer. Add WOT to your Firefox or Internet Explorer browser now!

To get the most out of WOT you should register. After you register you have access to our full range of features.

Create a user profile
Write comments on the WOT scorecard
Participate in the forum and blog

WOT Homepage

WOT Demo

CastleCops has gone offline for good

noreply@blogger.com (Kevin) — Thu, 25 Dec 2008 04:43:00 +0000

One of the original malware help sites has finally called it quits for ever. This is sad but in the end I think we say it coming for a while. The constant attacks on the site coupled with funding issues has finally become too much apparently.

Remember though that all the databases were copied/moved to System Lookup some time ago, so the resources are still available.

www.castlecops.com

Greetings Folks,

You have arrived at the CastleCops website, which is currently offline. It has been our pleasure to investigate online crime and volunteer with our virtual family to assist with your computer needs and make the Internet a safer place. Unfortunately, all things come to an end. Keep up the good fight folks, for the spirit of this community lies within each of us. We are empowered to improve the safety and security of the Internet in our own way. Let us feel blessed for the impact we made and the relationships created.

With respect to the server marathon, by March 17 2009 CastleCops will refund contributions made through PayPal that were specifically designated for servers. Unfortunately, server donations made via check cannot be returned because we do not have the addresses for the donating entity. Unless instructed otherwise, CastleCops will re-allocate these funds as a donation to the Internet Systems Consortium (ISC.org). This organization sponsored our hosting environment for approximately the past 2 years. Please contact us [cc at laudanski dot com] before March 17, 2009, if you would like a return of your server marathon donation. Otherwise, we would like to thank the ISC for their unfettered support.

We thank everyone in creating our unique footprint and memories in time.

Love, Best Wishes and Happy Holidays, CastleCops
PST 23 Dec 2008

Corrines Security Garden: Beware of Malware Disguised as Holiday Greetings

noreply@blogger.com (Kevin) — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 05:04:00 +0000

Security Garden: Beware of Malware Disguised as Holiday Greetings

noreply@blogger.com (Kevin) — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 01:05:00 +0000

A free service provided by Panda Security Research

23% of PCs with updated antivirus are infected*
...is yours?

Even though your antivirus software is running the new forms of malware can bypass it and take over your PC. Check Infected Or Not to see just how good, or bad, your existing security software is protecting your PC. Scan your PC and find out!

Real-time statistics/ Dec. 18 - 2008

5,454,856 scanned PCs

14.75% infected PCs

HOME USERS: Scan your PC now
ENTERPRISES: Scan your network

Panda Security is also good for getting lucky. How to get the hottest chicks! (UNCENSORED)

Ashampoo ClipFinder

noreply@blogger.com (Kevin) — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 00:54:00 +0000

Find and immediately download videos from YouTube, VideU, MyVideo, ClipFish, Google Video, sevenload, Dailymotion and many more at the click of a mouse!

After the picture and music files, now it’s time for the videos. Online portals like YouTube.com, MyVideo.de, VideU.de and ClipFish.de have long since become cult, they collect many funny and creative short videos. In the office and of course also in your everyday life in the meantime it is considered to be chic to call up the video portals for a short break and to start a couple of films to relax or for your own enjoyment.

Highlights:

Finds online videos which fit a search word
Supports the popular video portals YouTube, VideU, MyVideo, ClipFish, Google Video, sevenload, Dailymotion, MySpace, Metacafe, Veoh, Livevideo.com, blip.tv, Yahoo! Video and IFILM
Preview of all hit videos directly in the program window
Shows the length, assessment and name of the videos
Playing the videos directly in the Ashampoo ClipFinder
Download of the videos in the FLV format on your own hard drive
Your own favorite videos will be taken over in a separate favorites file
Skins change the looks of the Ashampoo ClipFinders

This full version is just for you: FREE

Ashampoo® ClipFinder Homepage

RoboForm: Password Manager, Form Filler, Password Management

noreply@blogger.com (Kevin) — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 23:02:00 +0000

Roboform is an indispensable tool for any sweeper. If you use just one aid to enter sweepstakes more easily, it should be this one.

RoboForm allows you to:

Manage your passwords and Log In automatically.
Fill long registration and checkout forms with one click.
Encrypt your passwords to achieve complete security.
Generate random passwords to maximize password strength.
Fight Phishing by entering passwords only on matching web sites.
Defeat Keyloggers by not using the keyboard to type passwords.
Back up your passwords and copy them between computers.
Synchronize passwords between computers using GoodSync. RoboForm Password Manager is:
Portable: RoboForm2Go runs from USB key, no install needed.
Phone-friendly: sync your passwords to Windows Mobile and Palm.
Universal: works with Internet Explorer, AOL/MSN, Firefox.
Firefox, IE 7 and Vista are fully supported.

Let RoboForm manage your passwords and fill forms with one click!
Roboform Homepage Download Features Tutorials Reviews Manual FAQ Search Cards Screenshots Pro vs Free Support

RoboForm2Go
Main USB key U3

Free Internet Radio

noreply@blogger.com (Kevin) — Sun, 07 Dec 2008 06:29:00 +0000

What is Pandora?

Pandora is a music discovery service designed to help you enjoy music you already know, and to help you discover new music you'll love.

Pandora is a free music player that can be customized to play a mix of almost any artist or band you can think of. Pick one or pick any mix of music styles. You can use Pandora on any computer, you just need to enter your free Pandora account user name (email address) and password to sign in and listen to your preset music mix.

At the time of this posting Pandora is only available to listeners in the United States. Pandora will eventually be available internationally ance the music licensing is straightened out.

Frequently Asked Questions
Pandora.com

Safely manage numerous passwords

noreply@blogger.com (Kevin) — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 00:44:00 +0000

KeePass Password Safe is a free open source password manager, which helps you to manage your passwords in a secure way. You can put all your passwords in one database, which is locked with one master key or a key file. So you only have to remember one single master password or select the key file to unlock the whole database. The databases are encrypted using the best and most secure encryption algorithms currently known (AES and Twofish)”.

KeePass is currently available in two different versions (Classic and Professional). For home use, the Classic version is sufficient, plus it is not dependent on any operating system prerequisites. Portable versions of KeePass are also available that can be used on a flash drive. For mor information have a look at the editions comparison page.

You can test the strength of your current passwords at Test Your Pas$word.

Official homepage of KeePass
KeePass - Downloads
KeePass Screenshots

Also see Keeping Yourself Safe On The Web for more tips on password safety and much much more.

Alternate Web Browsers for all Operating Systems

noreply@blogger.com (Kevin) — Sun, 23 Nov 2008 19:30:00 +0000

Fed up with your current Web Browser?

Consider replacing your Web Browser and enjoy the Net as it was meant to be with a wide selection of revolutionary FREE Web Browsers that let YOU control the way you access and use the Internet!
From free pop-up blockers to anonymous surfing there is a browser that will suit your needs. No need to be confined to just one Web Browser either as most are FREE.

Windows, Mac & Linux

Firefox web browser
Flock Browser
Netscape
Opera browser
Apple - Safari
SeaMonkey

Windows Only Browsers

AcooBrowser
Avant
Crazy Browser
Flock
Google Chrome
Internet Explorer 6
Internet Explorer 7
Internet Explorer 8
K-Meleon
Maxthon
Netscape
Orca Browser
Sandboxie
Slim Browser
Songbird
TheWorld Browser
UltraBrowser

Macintosh Browsers

Camino
OmniWeb - $29 with 10-day trial.
iCab - Free limited edition, $29 or €29 for iCab Pro.

Linux/UNIX Browsers

Amaya
Konqueror
Lynx
Galeon
Epiphany

Learn more about alternative web browsers by visiting Alternative Browser Alliance.com

Why should I care about alternative browsers?
What can I do to help?
I'm convinced! Show me the browsers!

Stopbadware.org launches a new community site. Badwarebusters.org

noreply@blogger.com (Kevin) — Sat, 22 Nov 2008 01:48:00 +0000

StopBadware.org and Consumer Reports WebWatch today are introducing in beta BadwareBusters.org, a new online community for people looking for help removing viruses, spyware and other badware from their computers and websites. StopBadware.org is a partnership among academic institutions, technology industry leaders, and volunteers, all of whom are committed to protecting Internet and computer users from the threats to privacy and security that are caused by bad software.

The new site is badwarebusters.org. It’s brand new so content is only just starting.

Become a Badware Buster and fight back against viruses, spyware, and other badware! The BadwareBusters.org community is working together to keep the Internet safe for all of us.

About BadwareBusters.org

Become a member, sign up here

Easily download and restore.DLL files for free

noreply@blogger.com (Kevin) — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 23:30:00 +0000

Have you have ever received an error from Windows due to missing or corrupt? Here is a useful way to restore these files without the need to re-install Windows. Just download the required .DLL file and place it back in its original location in Windows.

Occasionally when you remove a program that shares a .DLL with other applications, the shared .DLL will incorrectly get removed too. If a .DLL is missing you'll get an error along the lines of "Error opening file - dllName.dll missing." Also .DLL files can be corrupted due to the effects of virus or even accidental deletion.

What is .DLL file? DLL stands for Dynamic-link library. A DLL can be used by several applications at the same time. Some DLLs are provided with the Windows operating system and available for any Windows application. Most DLLs are written for a particular piece of software and are required when executing the application. They are a necessary part of many programs and can easily be damaged or deleted.
The location the .DLL file should be downloaded to depends on what operating system is being used.

Vista - C:\Windows\System32 or sometimes in a sub-folder of C:\Documents and Settings
Win XP - C:\Windows\System32
95/98/Me - C:\Windows\System
Win NT / 2000 - C:\WINNT\System32

You may have to restart the computer for the new .DLL to be registered correctly. On XP and Vista sometimes going to Start > Run > then type regsvr32 filename.dll then click OK and your .DLL will be successfully installed. Note: "filename.dll" should be replaced by the specific name of the .DLL being installed.

There are thousands of .DLL files which can be downloaded for free from the Internet. Simply download the file and then place it in the correct location depending on your operating system.

As with any download from the Internet you should always be careful of what and where you download from. Here are some free and safe download sites.

Dll-files.com
DLL-Downloads.com
afreeDLL.com
DllDump.com

If you are receiving an error for an unknown DLL then it could be the result of a malicious attack on your computer due to a virus or trojan. In that case it is advised to have someone help you remove the infection. Free help can be requested by visiting an online help forum such as Computer-Juice.com. All you need to do is Register a free account then follow the instructions in the free Malware Removal Guide. Start a new topic in the Virus, Spyware & Security forum and post the logs so a helper can assist in completing the removal process.

DVD Flick

noreply@blogger.com (Kevin) — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 04:39:00 +0000

DVD Flick aims to be a simple but at the same time powerful DVD Authoring tool. It can take a number of video files stored on your computer and turn them into a DVD that will play back on your DVD player, Media Center or Home Cinema Set. You can add additional custom audio tracks, subtitles as well as a menu for easier navigation.

Features

Burn near any video file to DVD
Support for over 45 file formats
Support for over 60 video codecs
Support for over 40 audio codecs
Easily add a menu
Add your own subtitle
Easy to use interface
Burn your project to disc after encoding
Completely free without any adware, spyware or limitations

For a more detailed list of features, see the Features page.

DVD Flick Homepage

DVD Flick Guide

Download DVD Flick

PeerGuardian

noreply@blogger.com (Kevin) — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 22:12:00 +0000

PeerGuardian works by blocking and logging all TCP/IP connections to and from known IP ranges used by known P2P foes, such as the RIAA, MPAA, MediaForce, MediaDefender, BaySTP, Ranger, OverPeer, NetPD, and more.

PeerGuardian is a powerful, yet small firewall program that was especially designed for P2P users who want to protect their computers from unauthorized searches instigated by private agencies and corporations. To make sure that the block-list used to block malicious connections is up to date.

PeerGuardian uses an on-line block-list Database that is continuously updated on a daily basis -- so your privacy will remain safe while swapping files. PeerGuardian is compatible with all TCP/IP based file sharing applications, such as Kazaa, iMesh, LimeWire, eMule, Grokster, DC+...

PeerGuardian Home Page

Buying Genuine Microsoft Software - How to Tell

noreply@blogger.com (Kevin) — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 01:45:00 +0000

Counterfeit software can be a serious threat. It can lead to a corrupted system, a loss of data, or even identity theft, so it’s important to know that you’re getting genuine Microsoft software at your point of purchase.

Counterfeit software is the result of unauthorized copying, reproduction, or manufacture of software products. Counterfeit software often looks authentic and is sometimes distributed in packaging that imitates the original manufacturer's packaging. Counterfeit Gallery

Updating your software is essential for good internet security. Without a valid license for your software you will not be able to update your software to patch it against the latest exploits. An unpatched Operating System is wide open to malware infections. Defining Malware: FAQ

There are some circumstances where a user is unaware that they have bought a pirated Operating System (Windows). Be aware of scams, Know Before You Buy

The use of Pirated software is illegal. Is your copy of Windows genuine? How to Tell

Use these tools if you have experienced any problems when trying to update your Windows Operating System. Select the method by which you acquired Windows and compare the anti-piracy features included with your product with the anti-piracy features included with genuine Microsoft software.

Purchasing Genuine Microsoft Software

Windows was preinstalled on my new PC

Acquired Windows via retail purchase

Acquired Windows Upgrade Volume License

Office Validation Assistant

How to Tell: Frequently Asked Questions

Protect Yourself from Piracy

Reporting Piracy

Microsoft Update

Office Update

Download Center

Microsoft.com