Foolish Tech

KillZA v2.0

2012-10-12T17:07:00.002-04:00

I've done a LOT of work on KillZA in the last few days. Here are the most exciting changes:

Now removes the variant that hides in the Recycle Bin
Now automatically repairs Windows after removal!!!!

The best thing about point number two, is that you no longer need a current version (registered) of D7 in order to repair Windows after a removal. Previously users of D7 v6.7 free version could not fully repair Windows without upgrading to a paid version of D7 - now you don't need D7 at all - and KillZA is of course still free!

D7 Cloud is not dCloud - with support for other apps!

2012-10-07T17:03:00.001-04:00

Built on top of the existing D7 Cloud framework are new features for other Foolish IT apps!

Currently dSupport and dMaintenance are supported.

dMaintenance v2.1 - Can now download your latest configuration from dCloud at every launch!

dSupport v3.1 - Can now download your latest config at every launch. Also reports customer usage statistics to your dCloud account!!

dCloudConsole is a new app that makes it all possible. Using dCloudConsole, you can reconfigure your apps, push that config to dCloud, and also view usage statistics for dSupport!!

dCloudConsole and the added features of the new dCloud are FREE upgrades for D7 Cloud subscribers! In other words, dCloud costs exactly the same as it did when all it was good for was D7!

D7 Cloud Share is now available!!!!

2012-09-29T12:27:00.002-04:00

This will allow the uploading/sharing of your various D7 definitions, and of course downloading/adding others' definitions to your own!

Currently in an experimental phase, the only D7 definitions currently available in D7 Cloud Share are your Auto Uninstall entries. Once everything has proven to be working smoothly I will gradually add other definitions such as MalwareScan defs, KillEmAll whitelist, StartupKill processes and services, etc. etc.

I also plan to add sharing of your custom apps configs in the future as well.

Visit D7 > Updates & Sync > D7 Cloud

Requires a D7 Cloud BETA account, so if you don't have one already, contact me with your desired username/password for the account and I'll get you set up.

NEW FEATURE in D7 v7.6.10: Auto Uninstall

2012-09-21T10:54:00.002-04:00

NEW FEATURE in D7 v7.6.10: Auto Uninstall (Maintenance page) Inspired by Xander

Sort of a 'make your own PC Decrapifier' feature.

Basically click the button and you will be presented with a GUI where you can selectively uninstall currently installed apps of course, or add them to an automated removal list (and of course remove everything found on that list).

The automated removal list will be used when in Auto Mode instead of showing you the GUI, and all apps on that list that are found to be installed will be uninstalled.

When a quiet uninstall option exists, this will of course be used instead of the standard uninstall string. When no quiet uninstall string exists, if the standard uninstall string contains MSIEXEC then the /passive /norestart parameters will be added to the uninstall string, to erase the burden of mouse clicks required to remove the offending app.

This new feature should be great once you build up a good list of junkware to automatically remove such as browser toolbars, registry cleaners, and the like.

The removal list will be stored in your D7\Config directory as UninstallApps.txt so it will be copied/transferred/synced with your D7 configuration if you use those options.

We can also easily share our lists!!!

D7 v7.6 and Combofix, and KillEmAll Plus

2012-09-13T18:06:00.001-04:00

D7 v7.6.1 actually, just released today with an exciting new capability. Previously D7 could not run while Combofix was running. While this hasn't changed technically, the circumstances are vastly different. With the latest version of D7, prior to launching Combofix in either manual or D7 Auto Mode, D7 installs a Windows service that monitors Combofix until completion, and restarts D7 at that time.

What this means to you is, you can now click Auto Mode and run Combofix AND Combofix /Uninstall consecutively, and whatever else you want, and D7 will remain automated throughout the entire process and resume when Combofix is complete.

Neat trick, eh?

Another sweet new feature is KillEmAllPlus.scr v1.4 - with this new version like the last, KillEmAllPlus now runs as a Windows service, but it also will continually restart itself should IT get terminated by malware. So it will continue to restart and run until the malware processes are terminated. Also of course it runs under the Local System account so it can terminate more powerful malware than the standard KillEmAll.

Enjoy!

D7 v7.4.39 and exciting new Custom Apps features!

2012-08-22T15:35:00.002-04:00

There is a new "Import Config File(s) Before Running" option under your custom apps configuration. This box has multiple uses, let me start with the main one:

Copy custom configuration files to the custom app's directory before running the app. Very useful for apps like CCleaner and Defraggler where they generate an INI file with your custom settings when you configure them to your preferences.
The new checkbox "Update After" will wait for the custom app to finish, and then copy the configuration file back to D7's Config\3rd Party Configs directory to save your custom configuration for future use - to then be copied over the next time you run the custom app.
CCleaner and Defraggler default profiles have been updated to automatically utilize both of these options, so all you have to do now for example is run CCleaner, configure it the way you like it, and close the app. It's configuration will then be saved and copied back the next time you run it.

Now what about apps that utilize the registry for configuration?

Well simply specify a .REG file in the Import Config File(s) Before Running box, and that registry file will be automatically imported to the local registry before running the app!!
Want D7 to automatically back up the registry settings to be imported? Again, no problem! There is another new box called Export/Save Registry Settings Key Below After Running. Specify a registry location that your custom app uses to store it's settings here, and they will be automatically backed up after the app has run!
Useful for apps like PatchMyPC that store settings in the registry (whose default configuration was also updated to reflect the new functionality.)

So basically now all you have to do is run your app, configure it the way you want, and it will always have that configuration on any new PC that you run it on!!!!!

A bit of alternate functionality takes it one step further, (though I haven't figured out a good use for it yet) is if you specify a .BAT/.CMD/.VBS file in the Import Config File(s) Before Running box, it will copy the batch/vbs file to the application's directory, then run it from there before executing your custom app!

All config files specified in the Import Config box when the Update After box is checked will be copied to the D7\Config\3rd Party Configs directory. This directory is where you should also save any batch/vbs script files.

Also, the D7\Config\3rd Party Configs directory is included when you use the Sync D7 Configuration function to keep all of your various D7 copies up to date!!!

Enjoy!

dMaintenance v2 released!

2012-08-21T09:08:00.000-04:00

New features for all:

Added support for cleaning Firefox and Chrome temp internet files, cookies, and history.
Individual checkboxes for selecting temp internet files, cookies, and history. Previously this was all automatically done under a single delete temp files function.
An installer based version with uninstall support and re-configuration shortcuts for the start menu.

The installer version also automatically adds dMaintenance to Windows Defender and Microsoft Security Essentials whitelists. While not currently necessary, you never know when Microsoft is going to start detecting dMaintenance as a threat like they do with dSupport....

New features for REGISTERED USERS:

Configure automatic update options so that every time dMaintenance is scheduled to run it can optionally:

Update itself directly from my website prior to running its maintenance tasks.
Update its configuration/logos from YOUR website and reinitialize with the new configuration prior to running its maintenance tasks.

I can now create a custom installer version for you with your custom configuration/logos embedded.

The installer can also be configured to AUTOMATICALLY create a pre-configured Windows Scheduled Task to run dMaintenance.

If you currently have a registered dMaintenance license and wish to take advantage of the new v2 installer, just email me your dMaintenance.ini file and (if used) your applogo.bmp and applogo.ico file, and I'll be happy to create a custom installer for you, free of charge!

If you choose to get the new dMaintenance installer, you can have D7 v7.4.30+ automatically install it via the Customize/Install page by putting dMaintenanceSetup.exe inside your D7\dMaintenance directory.

Enjoy!

Did you know?

2012-08-06T17:41:00.001-04:00

... that I spend time tracking analytics stats on my website - not because I'm obsessed with traffic, but rather I'm watching what people are searching for (keywords) and making sure the content they are looking for is on the page they landed on. If the info isn't there, I add it! If its already there, I make sure it's clear and easy to understand, and add to it if I can explain further.

I do this because maybe it can help the next guy looking for the same answer. But hey if you're reading this, then maybe it can help you. So if you've visited my site previously and haven't had luck finding what you need or understanding what you find, then revisit the site sometime and maybe my efforts will pay off.

You can also give me a heads up by contacting me via email or in my forums if something isn't clear and understandable, or if something is just plain missing. I'll get back to you!

New video: D7 Configuration Overview

2012-08-04T18:51:00.002-04:00

http://youtu.be/EZOB-kKzNL8

Just updated to D7 v7.3 pre-release

2012-07-31T15:21:00.004-04:00

NOTE: Your default configuration on the Malware page will now have to be re-configured and saved. Sorry for the inconvenience.

D7 Survey contest for a free app has concluded!

2012-07-31T10:45:00.002-04:00

I decided to select 3 winners instead of just one, and each winner has just been contacted. Check your email!

D7 v7.2 - Introducing Custom Functions

2012-07-27T18:15:00.002-04:00

Sort of.......

I'd bet some of you have a script you like to run in order to fix certain problems, perhaps D7 already has this functionality but your script does something extra? Maybe you would just like to run a program or script every time D7 starts or shuts down?

Now you can configure D7 to run your app/script as part of D7's native functionality for certain repair functions, and during startup and shutdown.

Well, to be honest I wish you would share that script with me so I can further improve D7's functionality, but hey, if it's your trade secret or maybe you just can't wait until I get the fix in, then these features are for you.

Just updated to D7 v7.1 - Serious Repair Improvements

2012-07-27T14:10:00.001-04:00

Just updated to D7 v7.1

In light of recent malware completely trashing certain services, I've had to step up my game.

New additions:

Windows Defender service repair.

Seriously improved:

Windows Firewall Repair
Windows Security Center Repair
BITS/Windows Update Repair

So if you've had any of these new and improved repair functions fail on you in the past, try them now!!!

The quick transition to D7 v7 and my apology.

2012-07-24T12:40:00.002-04:00

Earlier this week I released D7 v6.7, the final free version. In this version, I disabled updating functionality for unregistered users, so that it would not be possible to update to v7. I did this because I didn't want people (unregistered users) updating to v7 before they found that v7 won't run for them without registration.

Unfortunately, there are those of you who did NOT get the v6.7 update first, therefore you may have updated directly to v7 and discovered that you can no longer launch an unregistered D7 copy. For those unregistered few, I apologize that you did not have the benefit of prior notice by having v6.7 first.

In hindsight I know now I should have held off on the v7 release a bit longer, so that more people would have the v6.7 update first (so you would know ahead of time that you couldn't update to v7 without being registered) -- but how long does one wait to ensure everyone has v6.7???

Regardless, for those of you who fall into this category, in order to continue using the free v6.7, you will need to re-download that from my website. You may also copy your existing D7.INI and \Config directory to the fresh v6.7 download directory, and that will keep your current configuration in place.

D7 & TechUSB - A new partnership and merging of tools.

2012-07-15T18:30:00.002-04:00

Foolish IT, LLC is partnering with RepairTech, Inc. to bring PC technicians the penultimate technician's tool.

TechUSB from RepairTech, Inc. is a linux based USB boot tool providing the following functions:

Gathers System Information
Performs Hardware Diagnostics

Hard Drive Diagnostics (BadBlocks and SMART Checks)
Memory Diagnostics
Minimum System Requirement Checks

File System Checks and Repairs

NTFS, FAT, HFS+, Ext2/3/4

Scans for and Removes Malware

Great for bad infections because it operates outside the host OS

Creates simple report page upon completion

Option to Email Logs to Techs
View Report Online

What is unique about this tool is that it is designed specifically for PC technicians, and can automate ALL of the above processes with ONE click!

TechUSB will also be accompanied by an online portal, with these additional features:

A dashboard detailing your TechUSB usage.
View your TechUSB reports created from usage on PCs online.
A searchable knowledgebase
Support forums
A TechDeals site where amazing deals across the internet will be aggregated and displayed in one place.
Tech news aggregated from various leading tech websites such as Technibble.com, Tomshardware.com, and more.

TechUSB is currently in BETA and can be downloaded by signing up for the BETA at repairtechsolutions.com

One thing that TechUSB lacks is a Windows based tool to complement it's functionality. That is where D7 fits in and to put it simply: TechUSB + D7 = TechUSB Pro

TechUSB Pro will include the full unrestricted D7 product with all premium features, and some new features thrown in to complement TechUSB and the online TechUSB Portal.

Should you decide that TechUSB isn't for you, then let it be known that this partnership will in no way change your experience with D7. D7 will continue to be available as a free application and will continue to offer premium features via optional registration.

TechUSB Pro (with D7 included) is not yet available, but expect it to be available on or around August 31st, 2012. In the mean time, feel free to participate in the TechUSB BETA currently underway, and test out the product.

Get TechUSB Here!

New Youtube Vid - Longest and most detailed yet...

2012-07-09T22:35:00.002-04:00

This is a remake of the original General Introduction to D7, which is now 14 months old and many versions behind. It was also 12 minutes. The new vid is 49 minutes of DETAIL and utilizes the latest version 6.6.3

Even if you thought you knew all there was to know, this is still a good vid to pick up a few new things.

Enjoy!

http://youtu.be/xsASCOlRLfg

Google Hangout TODAY, 45 min from now!

2012-07-08T14:45:00.002-04:00

https://plus.google.com/109610356435150107099

You must be in my circles, so add me and I'll know to add you back.

Join me on Google Hangout?

2012-07-06T16:17:00.001-04:00

Thinking of doing a Hangout Saturday, probably 4pm ET. Any takers?

https://plus.google.com/118150642120931012825

Take a survey, win a prize!

2012-07-05T17:24:00.001-04:00

Complete this short survey and enter to win a chance at a FREE Foolish IT app of your choice!

New Foolish IT Support Forum

2012-07-03T10:39:00.002-04:00

http://www.foolishit.com/contact/forum

New resource for techs...

2012-06-29T10:49:00.003-04:00

I was just informed of a nice resource I would like to share with the community: http://www.gegeek.com/

My network boot setup - boot any CD over the network, deploy Windows installs in minutes!!!

2012-06-14T18:15:00.001-04:00

Sick of fumbling with CDs, finding the right one for the task, not having enough copies, etc?

Want to deploy fresh Windows installs in mere minutes, INCLUDING all Windows updates, pre-loaded drivers and applications of your choice?

Check out my network boot setup, and how I accomplish these tasks...

Visit the page here: http://www.foolishit.com/my-network-boot-setup

Easily Remove The Latest ZeroAccess User Mode Variant

2012-06-08T14:12:00.003-04:00

The latest variant as discussed by Sophos is a user mode only variant (for 64bit OS compatibility) which is quite different in the removal process from previous versions. Fortunately, it's easier! So I wrote a quick removal tool.

Download the Removal Tool and Check out the Youtube Video

The tool first scans the appropriate registry values for the infection, and if found it will extract the paths of the malware from the reg values and rename them. At this point the tool prompts you to reboot so the renamed malware cannot execute again; after reboot, run the tool again and it will complete the removal by writing the correct reg values and deleting the renamed malware.

If you are a D7 user, this functionality has already be added to D7 v6.4 where it will automatically check for/remove this new variant on startup. Youtube video to follow soon.

EDIT: Some infections of the latest ZA will download new payload onto the machine and infect the \Windows\System32\services.exe - When you neuter the infection the infected services.exe will force Windows to continually reboot.

This tool has been updated on 6/24/2012 to replace services.exe with a known good copy.

Also, I discovered D7's Repair Firewall function to be ineffective at repairing the damage done by this malware. Updated to v6.4.7 which includes new functionality and will successfully repair the Windows Firewall.

dSupport 2.8.5 new feature, URL variables!

2012-05-31T12:02:00.003-04:00

You may now use variables in any dSupport config area that accepts a URL.

These variables, the most powerful being [ClientID] can be used to customize the URL for your individual customers or groups of customer types. The ClientID variable can be set during dSupport installation on each PC you install it on.

For example, you may want to configure dSupport to automatically download a different configuration for different groups of clients, perhaps one for HOME and one for BUSINESS users, so you could set the URL to http://mywebsite.com/[ClientID]-dSupportConfig.zip so that if you installed with a Client ID of "business" it will translate the URL to http://mywebsite.com/business-dSupportConfig.zip

Likewise, this can be used to redirect to different pages when clicking on logos/text and even with the show URL on completion functions of the Fix and Maintenance buttons.

There are more variables and more usage scenarios and possibilities, visit the new config sub page regarding this new functionality HERE.

Thanks to a fellow named Angus for the ideas!

Enjoy!

New dSupport features in v2.8

2012-05-25T15:48:00.003-04:00

Added support for a 5th custom button.
Added a reboot to safe mode with networking option for the custom buttons.
Added ability to schedule dSupport application updates.
Added ability to schedule updates of your custom configuration from your own website.
Added a maintenance reminder function!