Consider It Fixed

Netbooks: A good Look At The ASUS Eee PC 1008HA

I have been sitting on the fence looking at netbooks.  My quest – a lappy that is powerful enough, that has enough storage, that has a high quality screen with a decent keyboard, and that has the ability to run Windows 7 well.  I’ve been diligently monitoring new product announcements and became aware of the pending release of the ASUS 1008HA.  I was attracted to its integrated design; thin and light; that it uses the newer ATOM N280; that it has a LED screen; and that it has reasonable storage.  I didn’t like that it was reported as having a problem running Windows 7 and that is was extremely difficult to upgrade its RAM and hard drive.  Yes, you can upgrade its RAM from 1GB to 2GB, and the hard drive can also be replaced.  But it requires a complete dissassembly of the machine to upgrade.  I continued to monitor Eee PC user groups and learned that a recent BIOS upgrade fixed the Windows 7 issue.  Then I learned that an ASUS reseller, AGearNotebooks.com, can upgrade the 1008HA to 2GB of RAM and upgrade the hard drive to a number of available options including 500 GB products and SSDs.  So, I purchased the 1008HA from AGearNotebooks.com configured with 2 GB of RAM and a 7200 RPM 320 GB hard drive.  Very cool indeed!

When I received my netbook, I immediately upgraded the BIOS to version 0602.  I then wiped the hard drive and install Windows 7 RC1 (version 7100).  The machine started right up, connected to my wireless network, and proceeded to automatically update several device drivers.  I was impressed – everything worked great on the 1008HA except the trackpad.  It worked but lacked its more advanced functions including scrolling and zoom.  I tried downloading the available XP driver from the ASUS support site, but it didn’t add the missing functionality.  I hunted around and discovered a posting saying the the touchpad driver for the T91 would give me what I was looking for.  So, I installed it, and viola, I now had the advanced functionality that I wanted.  Next, I installed Kaspersky’s beta Windows 7 virus protection, my apps and utilities, and have been using it for a week. 

My initial impressions:

Size – Excellent

Small, light and good looking.  Initially, it had a toy-like quality about it.  How could a serious computer be so tiny.  Now, I’m used to it and love it.

Screen – Very Good

Bright, crisp, and very readable. Not quite as good in outdoor light, but what display is.

Performance – Excellent

The 1008HA has very impressive performance, in fact, better than I expected.  I am running Windows 7, Kaspersky Anti-Virus, Microsoft Office, both IE and Firefox, Feed Demon, EverNote, Dropbox, and Windows Live Writer.  Windows 7 loads quickly and I can easily run multiple applications without noticeable degradation.  As I write this, I am running IE, Firefox, Outllook, and Live Writer. It’s humming along beautifully.

Keyboard and Touchpad – Good

Like all new laptops, it takes a few days of use to adjust to a new keyboard and touchpad.  It took a bit longer than usual for me to get used to the 1008HA.  Perhaps it’s the small size that’s at the heart of this.  Overall, it’s fine.  But I do find the keyboard a bit noisy – some of the keys make a sort of rattling sound.  I initially had a problem hitting the ‘a’ key and often hit the ‘s’ instead.  That problem has stopped.  Like the keyboard, it has taken me longer to adjust to the touchpad.  The touchpad buttons are a one piece rocker.  It doesn’t take much effort to depress it, but it is somewhat narrow, perhaps 3/8”.  So, I need to be right on top of it to press it.  The scroll location is in the typical location (right side vertical) and works OK, but due to its overall small size, it’s a smaller target.  The touchpad also supports zooming with gestures similar to the zoom gestures on the iPhone.  It works OK, but I find that the mouse pointer sometimes move off the screen and it looses its focus.

Ports – Very good

The 1008HA has 2 USB ports; a VGA port much like those found on the new Macbook Pros that requires a special adapter which ASUS cleverly stores on the underside of the netbook; 1/8” audio in and audio out ports; an Ethernet port; and a SD card slot.  The ports are all covered with small doors that give the machine a sleek, sculpted look.  Time will tell how durable they are.  ESATA would have been really sweet.

DVD drive – What do you expect?

There is no DVD drive.  But if you install SlySoft’s free Virtual CloneDrive, your netbook can have a virtual blu ray drive.  I installed Microsoft Office via an .iso file.  You can play blu ray movies the same way.  That’s cool.

Video Camera – Very Good

I installed Skype and had it up and running in no time.  The camera works as it should.

Battery – Very Good

I haven’t had time to do any accurate measurement of battery life.  I have been using the machine on battery, but without much effort at conservation.  I’m getting around 4 hours of battery life in a performance setting which is quite adequate for the way that I work.  So, I have no complaints about battery life.   

AC Power Adapter – Poor

The AC power adapter is small and white to match the white body of my 1008HA.  I just can’t understand why ASUS, who seems to be paying attention to Apple’s design sense, didn’t do anything to make the charger easier to store and transport.  The adapter has long enough cables, but it’s narrow design gives the user no easy way to store the cables.  It seems that a bit of thought in this area would yield a much more useful power adapter that would take up so much less space.  A very small netbook with a bulky, unwieldy power adapter makes little sense.

In summary, after a bit of fooling around and adjusting, I am finding the ASUS 1008HA to be a great netbook.  Its performance is better than expected running Windows 7.  It is small, light and good looking.  The screen is very readable, and the keyboard and touchpad are fine once you spend a bit of time with them.  Upgrading the netbook is a challenge unless you enlist the help from a firm like AGearNotebooks.com.  Then it’s a non-issue.  If I could change one thing, I’d redesign the AC power adapter to match the coolness and integration of the 1008HA – smaller with built-in cable storage a la Apple.  I would recommend this product to anyone looking for a good netbook today.  Tomorrow may be a different story as new products in this category come to market.

Contact Info: info@consideritfixed.com
                   860-985-7300

Are You Listening Ralph de la Vega?

I fell off my chair yesterday when the local AT&T Retail Sales Manager told me how much it would cost to setup my client's new firm with iPhones.  AT&T wants, in addition to the cost of the iPhones and setup fees, a $1000 dollar security deposit for each line.  Better yet, they want to hold the security deposit for 1 year to insure that they get paid.  My client needs 7 iPhones and 3 international data cards.  The deposit would be $10,000!

My client is a law firm.  They've been in business for a while as a branch of another firm.  But they are now going out on their own.  So, they have a new name and a new tax ID.  They have a bunch of clients, uniquely specialized skills and revenue.  But they have no business history and no record of financial stability. In my view, that's just the way it is for a new business.  This gets to the question - Is AT&T interested in attracting new businesses as customers?  In this case, AT&T is very anti-new business as it's looking no further than 'new tax ID requires a large deposit'.

Most companies, particularly in our current state of economic recession, are willing to bend over backwards to acquire new customers.  The local AT&T Retail Sales Manager is very motivated to get my client's business and he's been very responsive.  He's pushed this harebrained decision as high up the ladder as he can.  But, it seems like his hands are tied.  If it weren't for the iPhone, there is no question that we'd be doing business with Verizon or Sprint.  I wonder - would Lowell C. McAdam, CEO of Verizon Wireless let this happen?  What about Dan Hesse, Sprint's CEO, would he let this happen?  Would he give up a new and profitable account with this firm's potential.  Ralph de la Vega is AT&T Mobility's CEO.  I wonder if he's listening?  Oh, but wait, the story gets better.

Is this where you want to bring your business?

Almost anyone can walk into an AT&T retail store and purchase 5 iPhones on a family plan.  I mean almost anyone.  The credit check is brief, vague at best.  All you need is a credit card.  If my client really wants iPhones, they can have one partner purchase 5 and another partner purchase the others until the firm has been in business long enough to satisfy AT&T's inane policy.  So, why is AT&T's small business team being so shortsighted and unwilling to support new businesses?  Ralph, are you listening?  I don't get it.  Do you? 

Contact Info: info@consideritfixed.com
                    860-985-7300

Cloud Computing: Moving into the Cloud

For many years, I seek the best computing environment that I can find.  I used to think that it was a big, fat laptop.  Next, I thought that it was a tablet PC.  Then, I became convinced it was an Apple.  But today, I've changed.  I no longer need the latest and greatest computer.  In any given day, I may use 2, 3 or more computers - a Apple laptop, a PC desktop, an iPhone, or my media center connected to a 52 HDTV.  What's become my central need is easy and full access to my data no matter what device I'm using.  I need applications that store data on the web and can be accessed equally well from a PC, Apple,  iPhone, or a web browser.  The good news is that many software developers understand this and are building applications that can live in the Cloud.  As of today, I am using 5 applications that live in the Cloud that I can't live without.

The Cloud, according to Wikipedia is:

"Cloud computing is a style of computing in which dynamically scalable and often virtualised resources are provided as a service over the Internet.  Users need not have knowledge of, expertise in, or control over the technology infrastructure "in the cloud" that supports them.

The concept incorporates infrastructure as a service, platform as a service and software as a service as well as Web 2.0 and other recent technology trends that have the common theme of reliance on the Internet for satisfying the computing needs of the users. Examples of software as a service vendors include Salesforce.com and Google Apps which provide common business applications online that are accessed from a web browser, while the software and data are stored on the servers.

The term cloud is used as a metaphor for the Internet, based on how the Internet is depicted in computer network diagrams, and is an abstraction for the complex infrastructure it conceals."

Here are my top application picks:

Microsoft Exchange.  My use of the Cloud began many years ago after I left Microsoft in the late 1990's.  I registered my first domain name and set up a hosted Microsoft Exchange account.  With ease, I could get access to my email, calendar, contacts from multiple PCs, web browser, and Windows Mobile smartphone.  Any change to my data made on any device was synchronized on the server.  So, I was always working on current data no matter how I was accessing it.  Since that early time, Exchange has evolved to include Apple via Entourage and iPhone, and Linux via Evolution.  Using hosted Exchange was my first experience at putting my data on somebody else's server and trusting that they will manage it well.  In retrospect, I made a smart decision picking Mailstreet (www.mailstreet.com) as my hosted Exchange provider.  I am still with them today.

LassPass (www.lastpass.com).  I have used Roboform on my PCs and 1Password on my Apple to manage my passwords and web form filling.  I used to use some local synchronization software to copy Roboform's data across my various computers.  It was a clever approach and it worked, but it was a bit heavy handed and didn't work at all across platforms.  Synchronization, in its early days was rather dangerous.  One bad move could create data duplication or loss.  I recently learned about LassPass from one of my readers, ran a trial, and quickly migrated to it on all of my computers.  It's cross platform (although I'm still waiting on the iPhone client) and manages my passwords, data scraps, and form filling.  Any change made on any computer is synchronized and stored on its servers.  It works great and I highly recommend it.

Foxmarks (www.foxmarks.com).  Foxmarks began as a tool to synchronize bookmarks across several computers as long as you use Firefox.  It has evolved and is now supporting Internet Explorer, Safari, and web access.  More recently it started the process of changing it's name to Xmarks as it's no longer a Firefox only utility.  It is just too sweet to open up a browser on any of my computers and have access to all of my bookmarks.  If I'm not at my PC, I can access my bookmarks from the web or my iPhone.  If you're like me and have hundreds of bookmarks, this is a killer app.  It works reliably, it's free, and comes with my personal recommendation.

Dropbox (www.mydropbox.com).  Dropbox is virtual and synchronized storage for PCs, Apples, and the web.  Put a file in it, change it on one computer and it's updated and available to all of your computers.  Put a file in it and you can share it with others.  I put a video file in it and my daughter who's away at college can have access to it.  She can even play the file directly from the Dropbox via a web browser.  I use Dropbox daily to make my data available across my computers - accounting data, spreadsheets, documents that I'm working on and other stuff that I just always need access too.   Because it's in the Cloud, my data is safe and always backed up.  You can setup a trial account for free with 2GB of storage.

Evernote (www.evernote.com).  Evernote is the latest addition to my Cloud.  I used to keep my client information in Microsoft Onenote.  Then I move to Apple and started to use NoteTaker.  In both cases, the data was not portable.  So, I had to manually migrate it to my most popular platform of the month.  As you can imagine - quite a pain.  Enter Evernote - it's a cross platform, note creation and management program.  It runs on the PC, Apple, web, and iPhone.  No matter where I am, I have access to my client records.  Each note is a container that can hold text, graphics, and data files.  It's simple to setup and easy to use and it just works.  Evernote has a free version that is quite capable.  So, you can give it a try for free.

Cloud computing is here to stay.  It's a significant move from PC-centric computing to data-centric computing.  The idea is to not worry about your data, but to simply have flexible and easy access to it.  An added benefit of the Cloud, is that a crashed hard drive doesn't need to be such a big deal anymore.  Your data is safely living in the Cloud, not vulnerable to hardware failure and the sometimes doubtful success of your last backup.  If my computer doesn't work, I just go to another without missing a beat.  Can you do that?

Contact Info: info@consideritfixed.com
                    860-985-7300

Update on Insidious MS AntiVirus

On December 2nd of last year, I wrote about a family of computer parasites going by the names MS AntiVirus 2009, MS AntiVirus XP, etc.  A number of my clients had close encounters with this pest and it wasn't kind.  Some had been duped and offered it their credit card in a frustrated attempt to get their computer back.  In all of these cases, the fix was bogus.  Some of my readers took the time to offer stories of their experiences with it and solutions that they have found to remove it.  You can see their comments here:  http://www.consideritfixed.com/2008/12/insidious-ms-an.html.

Since I originally wrote about MS AntiVirus, I have had more opportunities to spend time with it.  Here are some of the things that I have learned.

1. When you first see signs that this parasite is on your computer, don't interact with it.  Simply stop what you are doing and run system restore to an earlier date.  Next, download Microsoft's Windows Malicious Software Removal Tool (http://www.microsoft.com/security/malwareremove/default.mspx) or Malwarebytes Anti-Malware (http://www.malwarebytes.org and run them.  You should be OK.
   
2. If you interact with it, it will install into your system and begin to cause problems.  I have found that it can do several things including disabling the tools that computer repair techs use to fix computers.  For example, it will delete all system restore points so that you can not run system restore.  I have seen it disable the menu system so that the run command and control panel appear unavailable.  In these cases, I believe that it is better to remove any user data from the PC, format the hard drive, reinstall the operating system and replace the data.  One specific procedural note.  Make sure that the new install has modern virus protection in place before putting the user data on it.  Also, run either Microsoft 's Windows Malicious Software Removal Tool or Malwarebytes Anti-Malware on the new configuration to ensure that the parasite hasn't hitchhiked.
   
3. If you were duped by it and gave it your credit card, call your credit card company and report the exploit to them.  I also recommend that you cancel your credit card.
4. When in doubt, take a more conservative approach with this parasite.  While some malware tools appear to remove it, it's unclear as to whether it has left any 'back doors' open into your system for further exploits.  So, in my view, a full format and reinstall is the only way to insure a successful removal.

Please keep posting information about this family of parasites here so that we can collectively help others who are infected.

Contact Info: info@consideritfixed.com
                    860-985-7300

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The Dependency Service or Group Failed to Start

In the past week, I encountered a curious problem on 2 clients' Windows Vista PCs.  The symptom are:

• A red "X" on the network icon in the tray displaying the pop message - Connection status: Unknown The dependency service or group failed to start
• The PC is able to see available wireless networks
• The PC connects to available wireless networks but the status is limited and cannot connect to the Internet
• Both systems are running Windows Vista and Trend Micro virus protection

I spent a lot of time researching this problem and found that the error message "The Dependency Service or Group Failed to Start" is a somewhat generic message addressing Windows services issues.  I also found that many Internet help sites are littered with tons of bad information on this issue.  I tried many of the 'fixes' without success.  Then I found a thread on Microsoft's TechNet Forum that correctly identified my clients' problem and offered a fix that worked.  So, I give credit to Terry Downing for the fix. It worked like a charm. 

The problem:  Trend Micro's virus protection is getting confused and mistakenly identifies a Windows file as being infected with a virus.  In its efforts to remove the supposed virus, it corrupts the Windows Network Location Awareness service.  This service collects and stores network configuration information for the network and notifies programs when this information is modified.  If this service is stopped, configuration information might be unavailable.  If this service is disabled, any service that explicitly depends on it will fail to start.  The Network List Service will not run when the Network Location Awareness service is disabled.  Hence, the error message that a dependency service failed to start.  The Network Location Awareness service is found in nlasvc.dll which is located in the system32 directory.

Above is a screenshot of the Services window in the Computer Management window with Network Location Awareness service highlighted.

The fix: The corrupted system file, nlasvc.dll, needs to be replaced with a working version of the file.  For your convenience, I have put a copy of it here.  Click on the link to download the file:

nlasvc.dll

If you need to delete or overwrite a system file in Windows Vista, you'll quickly notice that you cannot delete system files, even as administrator.  This is because Windows Vista's system files are owned by the TrustedInstaller service by default and Windows File Protection will keep them from being overwritten.  Thankfully, there's a way that you can get around this.  You need to take ownership of the files, and then assign yourself rights to delete or modify the file.  For this, we'll use the command line.

First, open an administrator command prompt by typing cmd into the start menu search box, and hit the Ctrl+Shift+Enter key combination.

To take ownership of the file, you'll need to use the takeown command.

At the command prompt type: takeown /f c:\windows\system32\nlasvc.dll

That will give you ownership of the file, but you still have no rights to delete, move and rename it.  Next, you need to run the cacls command to give yourself full control rights to the file:

At the command prompt type: cacls c:\windows\system32\nlasvc.dll /G your username:F

Make sure that you replace "your username" with your username exactly as it is spelled for the currently active user account on your computer.

At this point, you should be able to change the file.  Rename the file from nlasvc.dll to nlasvc.dll.old.  Next, copy the new source file that you downloaded from above to c:\windows\system32.

Once the file has been replaced you need to set the permissions back to its original state.  Locate nlasvc.dll in c:\windows\system32 in the Windows File Manager.  Right mouse button click on the file and choose Properties.

Click Security tab; Click Advanced button; Click Owner tab; Click Edit button; Click Other User or Group and type in NT SERVICE\TrustedInstaller.

Press Ok on all dialogs until all property dialogs are closed.  Restart the PC and you should be back in business.

Please post a comment if this has been helpful to you.

Contact Info: info@consideritfixed.com
                     860-985-7300

Computer repair in West Hartford, Computer repair in Avon, Computer repair in Simsbury, Computer repair in Farmington, Computer repair in Newington, Computer repair in Canton, Computer repair in Hartford, Computer repair in Bloomfield, Computer repair in Unionville, Computer repair in Wethsfield, Computer repair in Glastonbury

Is LastPass the Last Password Manager that I Will Ever Need?

I have been using a password manager for a long time.  My first was Roboform on the PC.  When I moved to the Mac, it was 1Password.  Both password management programs are excellent.  In fact, many would say 'best in class'.  But, and this is a big BUT, neither program is cross-platform.  By my viewpoint, that is unacceptable today. 

In an effort to find a strong, cross-platform solution, I turned to my blog and wrote, Password Managers with Cross Platform Support: Where Are They?  The next day, a reader commented, "LastPass.com is what you are looking for."  So, went to check it out.  I now use it on all of my computers including Windows XP, Vista, Mac OS X, and Ubuntu.

Screen shot of LastPass Vault

Screen shot of LastPass site sidebar in FireFox OS X

The program has a wide range of capabilities, but it is well constructed and installs easily so you don't need to be a nerd to use it.  It works in IE and Firefox browsers.  It synchronizes information between machines and my LastPass Vault is available to any computer on the Internet.  It recognizes webpage logins, autofils forms, manages scraps of data, displays logins effectively as a sidebar in the browser, and much, much more.  If you are looking for a better way to manage your passwords and fill forms, LastPass may be it.  You can check it out here: lastpass.com

Please post a comment if this has been helpful to you.

Contact Info: info@consideritfixed.com
                     860-985-7300

Computer repair in West Hartford, Computer repair in Avon, Computer repair in Simsbury, Computer repair in Farmington, Computer repair in Newington, Computer repair in Canton, Computer repair in Hartford, Computer repair in Bloomfield, Computer repair in Unionville, Computer repair in Wethsfield, Computer repair in Glastonbury

Microsoft Windows 7: Vista 2.0

Before you read on, you need to understand that I spent the best years of my career life working for Microsoft.  I started evangelizing Windows to corporate America in 1989.  I lived, breathed and knew everything about Microsoft Windows.  I recently began evaluating Microsoft Windows 7 in a most unorthodox way.  I'm evaluating it on a MacBook Pro.  Oh, shame on me!

Here is what I did.  I started a virtual machine (VM) running Windows XP on my Macbook Pro.  I opened Internet Explorer, connected to the Windows 7 download page and downloaded the WIndows 7 image file (ISO) to my desktop.  Next, I opened up Parallels Desktop for Mac version 4 (build 4.0.3810) and setup a new VM using the Parallels profile called 'Windows 7 (experimental)'.  I simply pointed the VM wizard at the ISO file, allocated 2GB of RAM and 32GB of hard drive space, and that was it.  Installation completed without a problem, I restarted the VM, installed Parallel Tools, restarted the VM, and Windows 7.0 came to life in a Window on my Mac desktop.

First impressions are very important.  People adopt or abandon products based on this.  My first impression of Windows 7 was that it looked an awful lot like Windows Vista.  The only immediately noticeable difference was in the look of the Windows Taskbar.  Windows 7 looked good, ran very responsively, and I immediately noticed that it didn't appear to suffer from the lag in performance that Windows Vista did under Parallels.  I do have Windows Vista installed on my Mac, but I rarely use it because I think that the performance is poor.  I use Windows XP under Parallels, because it runs much better and lets me run the same Windows applications as Windows Vista.  So, it's sort of a 'no brainer' to select Windows XP over Vista.  I played around with Windows 7 for a couple of hours, installed Kaspersky's virus protection, Microsoft Office, and Microsoft Money.  All went smoothly and I continued to like what I saw.  The performance combined with the user interface refinements looked good.  You could sort of say that Windows 7 is really Windows Vista 2.  Too bad that Microsoft seems to want to forget Windows Vista.

Next, I started to test some of the settings in Parallels to see how Windows 7 would integrate in the Mac environment.  Parallels offers a few different way to run VMs.  They are referred to as Coherence, Full Screen, Window, and Modality.  I typically use everything by Modality as I still haven't figured out what it's for.  Running Windows 7 under Coherence really caught my attention.  Coherence runs Windows applications in individual windows on the Mac desktop.  It's pretty cool.  But in previous builds of Parallels, there was a rather awkward Windows menu bar that hovered just above the Mac Dock bar.  It was odd and didn't look too good.  In the new build of Parallels, the Windows Taskbar is hidden by default.  So, you start with a very clean,  highly integrated look.  To access the Windows menu system, you can simply click on the Parallels icon or the icon for any of the Windows applications that are running.  I found this to be very cool and totally enjoyed the level of integration and performance that I was seeing.  I found myself marveling at the combined level of integration between the 2 operating systems.  It looks like the computing world will have something very nice to use from Microsoft by the end of this year.  Running it on a Mac makes it even better as you can choose the best of class applications from both worlds.

This image shows Windows 7 running in coherence mode under Parallels running Internet Explorer beside Apple Safari with a Windows Gadget sitting on the desktop.

Please post a comment if this has been helpful to you.

Contact Info: info@consideritfixed.com
                    860-985-7300

Black Screen of Death

Does your display suddenly go black and your computer shut off?  If it does, you may be suffering from what I call the black screen of death.  When this happens to most people, they simply restart their computer and move on.  When it happens again, they get confused and often think that they have a virus or spyware infection.   After scanning, and usually not finding much, the computer goes black again. 

Fixing computers requires a fair amount of detective work.  It's very helpful to look closely at the computer's behavior,  and to identify any patterns that appear to repeating.  In this case, the screen usually goes black and the computer powers off.  However, sometimes the screen goes black and there is a small flashing cursor in the upper left corner as the computer does not power off.  If this is the case, the computer doesn't easily restart and unplugging the power cord or holding down the reset button may be the only way to get it to start again.  Another telling bit of information is if the computer is making loud fan noise.  Users often complain that their computers are making a lot of noise.  The typical 'noise' is that of cooling fans blowing continuously, never cycling down.

These are the signs and symptoms of an overheating computer.  Nearly all computers built today have a thermal switch.  When the computer reaches a certain high temperature, it shuts itself down to prevent heat damage.  Without this switch, the computer could be irreversibly damaged, and at high temperatures, become a fire risk.  Computers accumulate a lot of dust and hair around their fans and vents.  This is especially the case with computers that are left powered on for extended periods of time and/or are used around pets that shed.  As the computers collect dust and hair, their cooling systems need to work harder.  So, the fans work harder and stay on longer as they can never reduce the temperature to the point where the fans are instructed slow down or power off.  Hence, the increased fan noise.

Dust and hair are not the only causes of overheating.  Here is a simple list of other causes:

• Defective cooling fans
• Blocked airways and vents
• Unseated or underpowered heat sinks
• Dust and hair accumulations that physically stop cooling fans
• Laptops sitting on pillows and blanket that block their cooling vents

Please post a comment if this has been helpful to you.

Contact Info: info@consideritfixed.com
                    860-985-7300

Password Managers with Cross Platform Support: Where Are They?

It not new news that computer users have too many passwords, key codes, and bits and pieces of important information.  To complicate matters, we often have more than one computer.  Any many of us have computers running Windows, OS X, and increasingly Linux.   My current count includes 266 logins, 104 notes, 3 credit cards, and 2 different profiles.  I could never keep this information organized and safe without a software utility that manages this stuff.  This category of software utility is often called a password manager.  But that's actually a misnomer.  This type of software does much more than just manage passwords.  It manages and auto fills usernames and passwords; fills in web page forms; keeps bits and pieces of useful information; generates secure passwords; and maintains electric wallets.  The good news is that there is a small number of reasonably priced products available that do this well.  Many are now expanding their offerings to include web interfaces and one way support for mobile platforms like Windows Mobile, Palm and iPhone.

My two favorite products are 1Password for OS X and Roboform for Windows.  I use both daily and don't know what I would do without them.  The are well designed, reliable and mature, and do the job well.  But there is one thing that they don't do at all that is starting to make me crazy - neither product offers any type of reasonable cross platform support and synchronization.  1Password does offer very broad support to import password data from a large number of competing products.  Roboform does this too, but is more limited.

This is very useful when you are evaluating their software.  You can get up to speed quickly as you don't have too much information to re-key.  Also, both products offer good ways to synchronize data between multiple computers of the same platform.  And both products offer one way synchronization to popular mobile platforms.  But neither product offers synchronization between Windows and OS X.  This is what I need desperately.  I've been combing the Internet looking for a good solution and I can't find one.  So, I'm asking - Does anyone know of a good password/form filler/data scrap manager that is as good as 1Password or Roboform that is cross platform?  If so, please tell me.  I know there are many of us out there looking for a solution.

Please post a comment if this has been helpful to you.

Contact Info: info@consideritfixed.com
                    860-985-7300

Insidious MS AntiVirus 2009

In the last month, 5 customers have called me about a parasite called MS Antivirus 2009.  MS Antivirus 2009, and others in its sick family tree like XP Antivirus 2008, are infecting Windows computers at an alarming rate.  All of my customers had modern, up to date antivirus programs installed and they still got it. Ouch!

The first sign of an infection by MS Antivirus 2009 is usually this: a window opens on the  computer that looks just like the Windows Security Center and it claims that you have no virus  or spyware protection installed.  This usually gets the user's attention and leads to the opening of a scanner that tells the user that they are infected with a number of things.  This is usually followed by an offer - give some money and this software product, MS Antivirus 2009 will remove the problem.  Two of my customers believed this ruse enough to offer up their credit cards.  And guess what - the problem didn't go away.  It actually got worse.   The result was a computer with disabled menus, no access to utilities in the control panel, the deletion of system restore saved states, popups, and system reboots.  So, you just can't use your computer.

In my experience, one of the best sources of information on a virus or parasite is a Google search.  I can often find loads of useful information very quickly and be well on my way to removing a pesky varmint.   This was not the case with MS Antivirus.  A Google search does lead  to several pieces of information, but many of the hits end up on web sites claiming to be able to remove MS Antivirus but for a fee.  They offer a download link to a free scanner, but when you want to remove the pest, they want money.  Gosh, doesn't that sound an awful lot like the parasite that we just discussed?  Call me paranoid, but doesn't it make you wonder that the vendors detecting this parasite and selling a solution to its removal may just have something to do with the problem.  The availability of these solutions is just too convenient, and for me, hard to trust.

Here's my recommendation:  In the business of fixing computers, I've learned that customers want simple solutions - keep the cost down and guarantee that the pest is gone.  I can't trust these no name spyware scanners.  I can't trust registry hacks and file deletions.  My approach is to fix MS Antivirus infections the old fashion way.   Remove all important data from the PC; format the hard drive; reinstall the operating system, applications, and virus protection; and then put the data back.  All in all, it takes about 2 to 3 hours of work, but I can guarantee a good result.

One additional note: If you see the first signs of an infection which is usually a popup window that looks like Microsoft's Windows Secutiry Center claiming that you don't have virus protection, don't click on anything related to it.  Go right to system restore and restore your PC back to a previous date.  If you can do this, you will be one of the lucky ones like my friend David. 

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                    860-985-7300

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Cheap Laptops Are Finally Good

In my business, I help clients select new computers.  Until recently, I told my clients that they should expect to pay about $1200 to $1400 for a decent laptop.  I typically steered them away for the advertised 'cheap laptops' from Dell and the like.  In my experience, they were underpowered, lacked adequate RAM to get real work done, and left the user regretting the purchase as they were just too slow to enjoy using.  Today, I'm pleased to report that is no longer the case.  The low end laptop, when picked properly,  now has serious power to do serious work.

Here are a few examples of laptops that I found at a few reputable web-based computer sellers:

From Best Buy's Outlet Center at $599 each:

Laptop #1: Gateway - Model: T-6836 | SKU: 8892861; Intel® Core™2 Duo mobile processor T5750; 4GB DDR2 memory; DL DVD±RW/CD-RW drive; Labelflash technology; 14.1" widescreen; 250GB hard drive; built-in webcam; Windows Vista Home Premium 64-bit with SP1

Laptop #2: HP Pavilion - Model: dv6835nr | SKU: 8780125; Intel® Core™2 Duo mobile processor T5550; 3GB DDR2 memory; DL DVD±RW/CD-RW drive; 15.4" widescreen; 250GB hard drive; built-in Web cam; Windows Vista Home Premium with SP1

From eCOST.com at $509:

Laptop #3: HP Pavilion - Model: DV6915NR eCOST.com Part #42260062 2.0GHz AMD Turion X2 Dual Core TL-60 Processor, 3GB RAM, 200GB Hard Drive, DVD+/-R/RW DL w/ LightScribe, Intel PRO/Wireless 3945ABG, NVIDIA GeForce 7150, 15.4" WXGA HD Display, Webcam, Windows Vista Home Premium (HP Recertified)

From Circuit City Outlet at $579.96:

Laptop #4: Toshiba Satellite L305D-S5881 15.4" Widescreen Laptop Model #: TOS L305DS5881 - AMD Turion 64 X2 RM-70, 3GB of DDR2 memory, Built-in webcam, 200GB hard drive, Burns DVDs and CDs, Windows Vista Home Premium

From Newegg.com at $599.99:

Laptop #5: Acer Aspire AS5730-4163 NoteBook Intel Pentium dual-core T3200(2.00GHz) 15.4" Wide XGA 4GB Memory 320GB HDD DVD Super Multi Intel GMA 4500M

From Geeks.com at $599.99

Laptop #6: Dell Inspiron 1525 Core 2 Duo T5750 2.0GHz 3GB 250GB DVD±RW 15.4" Vista Home Premium (Brown) (Refurbished)

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                    860-985-7300

Logitech Harmony One Remote Control

I recently moved and had the opportunity to build a new home entertainment center.  I collected a number of fine components including:

•     Sony 52 inch LCD TV
  
•     Onkyo 7.1 Channel Home Theater Receiver
•     Onkyo Remote Interactive iPod Dock
  
•     Canton speakers
•     Velodyne 10" Powered Subwoofer
  
•     Panamax Home Theater Power
  
•     Comcast PVR

Setup was easy - unpack the components, connect the wires, and run Audyssey, Onkyo's automatic speaker calibration technology.   The system is impressive and the Sony picture is excellent.  But when I caught sight of the pile of remote controls, I got concerned.  The system would be way too complex for my family.  I counted 5 remote controls and each unique and optimized to control its components.  Some offer support to control other components, but it's limited with a painful programming interface.

So I went looking for a better solution.  I found the Logitech Harmony One Remote Control.  Setup is very cool - install software on either a PC or Mac, update, and program.  The remote works on activity-based profiles like watch TV or listen to digital music.  Once your programming is complete, connect the remote to your computer via USB, and let the computer program the remote.  If you don't get the behavior that you want, simply go back the computer to adjust the profile until you get it right.  As well, the remote's help mode lets it adapt and learn when you don't get everything right.  The remote has a small touch screen that lists the profiles and functions for the devices that it controls.  The software supports a huge number of devices.  And because it's software based, it can easily be updated to improve its capabilities as well as update its device support.

Once the Harmony One is programmed, it's simple enough for any family member to operate.  Everyone in my family loves it.  It looks cool.  It's easy to operate.  It lets us control everything from a single remote control.  It's reasonably priced at a MRSP of $249.99.  I think that it's best in its class.  Check it out here: http://www.logitech.com.

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                    860-985-7300

 

Waterproof Wonder - the Olympus Stylus 1030 SW

I'm a fishing addict.  I fish whenever I can.  I fish for all kinds of fish in streams, rivers, lakes, the ocean, from boats, from kayaks, and in waders.  Fishing addicts like me collect fishing stuff, lots of colorful fishing stories, and interesting fishing buddies.  And fishing buddies share pictures of their more memorable catches.

I've been looking for the perfect fishing camera.  My requirements are simple.  The camera needs to be small, waterproof, take good quality pictures, and power on quickly.  I finally found a good match to my requirements, the Olympus Stylus 1030 SW.

Today, I took the new camera to my favorite spot on the Farmington River - the Ovation hole in New Hartford, Connecticut.  My first fish of the day was a 22 inch brown trout (see below).  I caught the fish, brought it to the river bank, laid it down next to my rod, took out my camera, and snapped a few photos.  Here is what really happened: I caught the fish and tried to get it to stay put while I got out the camera.  The fish thrashed around and splashed all over the place, splashing me and the camera.  I got fish slime all over my hands trying to steady the fish and on the camera.  I eventually got the fish in position and quickly snapped a few photos.  Then I tossed the camera onto the wet bank so that I could focus my attention on safely returning the fish to the stream unharmed and healthy.

The Olympus Stylus 1030 SW performed like a champ - it is small so I can store it in my chest pack without having to leave anything home.  It powers on quickly so it's ready to take pictures immediately.  It's waterproof so it can get splashed, covered with fish slime, and sit where you would never consider putting another camera - on a wet riverbank or even in the water.  Add to this a long life rechargeable battery, 10.1 megapixels, a 3.6x optical lens, shockproof, waterproof, dustproof, and crushproof.  What more could a fishing guy want?

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                    860-985-7300

    22 inch Brown Trout

    23 inch Brown Trout

iPod Touch Email Settings for Comcast

A friend recently told me that she was very frustrated.  She'd been unsuccessful with setting up her new iPod Touch to get email from her Comcast account.  She tried to set it up. It didn't work.  She went to the Apple store.  The Genius couldn't get it to work.  She called Comcast.  Their tech support couldn't get it to work.  And so on.  All told, she spent about 4 hours trying to get it to work and failed.  I like a challenge, so I told her that I would take a look into it.  I came up with 3 working solutions.   

The first is to setup the Touch's mail app to receive email. This solution is detailed below.  The second it to use the new Comcast  micro browser portal.  Any device that has a WAP 2.0 browser and a link to the world wide web can navigate to this new portal which can be found at http://m.comcast.net.  The third is to forward Comcast's email to another email service, like Gmail, which the Touch is pre-configured to receive.  Comcast allows you to permanently forward email for any of its email accounts.

Here are the setting to set up Comcast email in the iPod Touch email application.

Select Settings, Mail, Add Account, Other as in Figure 1.

Figure 1

Select POP as the mail server.  Put your information in as shown in Figure 2.  Make sure that you type in your correct password.  If you are not absolutely certain of your password, you can reset it on http://www.comcast.net.  Once your settings are in, click on Save at the top of the display.  The email app will try to verify your settings and we return to the setting screen.  This may take a while so be patient.

Figure 2

Now you will need to configure the Advanced settings.  Select Mail from the Settings menu. Select the Comcast account under the Accounts section.  Select the Advanced option toward the bottom of the screen as shown in Figure 3.

Figure 3

Configure your setting as shown in Figure 4.  Make sure that you change the outgoing Server Port to 465.  Save these settings.  Go back to home and launch the mail app.  It may take a while for mail to download and setup on your Touch.  This will be dependent on the amount of email that you have stored on the Comcast server.  Now you can consider it fixed.

Figure 4

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Computer repair in West Hartford, Computer repair in Avon, Computer repair in Simsbury, Computer repair in Farmington, Computer repair in Newington, Computer repair in Canton, Computer repair in Hartford, Computer repair in Bloomfield, Computer repair in Unionville, Computer repair in Wethsfield, Computer repair in Glastonbury

Update: Microsoft Entourage 2008

I’ve been using Microsoft Entourage 2008 for 13 days.  Initially, I was disappointed with its lack of key Exchange support over the 2004 release.  I don’t know what you need.  But I need task and note synchronization with Exchange server.   When I purchased Mac Office 2008 and discovered its limited Exchange support, I got pretty upset.

In my view, Microsoft’s Mac Business Unit (MacBU) has been very evasive about Exchange support in Entourage 2008.  During development, they fed us bits and pieces about Entourage, but were pretty mum about Exchange support.  How many years has it been since the last release of Office – humm…4?  Wouldn’t you think that they’d listen and release 2008 with Exchange support on parity with Outlook?  The answer that I found is no.  To add more salt to this wound – the MacBU is charging extra money for Office with Entourage over its 2004 packaging.   Right after Mac Office 2008’s release, a lot of users made the same discovery that I did and many were pissed off.

I went looking in the Mac user forums for some explanation, some information on how I could get task and note sync.  Brave Andy Ruff, Microsoft’s MacBU Lead Program Manager for Entourage, has been active in the forums.   I sent him an email voicing my concerns hoping that Microsoft would come clean and explain itself.  You know – why didn’t you do what everyone was asking for?  Brave Andy answered my email and gave an explanation.  Now, you may not know it, but I used to work for Microsoft when most people considered it a very cool company.  So, I can understand Andy’s reply.   Here’s our dialog:  

Ian: “I'm looking for task and notes sync with Exchange - like all Mac/Exchange users.  It's really frustrating to wait for release to find out that it's not included in Entourage 2008.  The MacBU has been incredibly vague about Exchange support.  From my viewpoint, and as an ex-MSFT employee, you guys really missed the mark with this release.  Full exchange support should have been on the top of the list.  At least, help us better understand why we don't have it now, and if we can ever expect it.”

Andy: “I agree that these are top demands from customers and we do intend to deliver them to the product.  As I stated on the forums, we’ve added dozens of new Exchange features to Entourage in the last few years as regular, free updates to the product.  We had a quality and reliability issue as a result of adding so much to the app.  For 2008, we stepped-back and focused on solidifying the app, making things work as you’d expect, so that, in future releases, what you get is reliable.  While we could have checked-off more features in a list, we want to bring the functionality in a way that truly works.”

Ian: “Thanks for the reply.  I understand that you are balancing many priorities with Entourage.  But, I find myself saying, “yes, but.”

“As a Windows, Windows Mobile, Exchange and Mac user, I feel that my Exchange data (tasks 1st, notes a distant second) is land-locked on the Windows platform. Entourage is the only reasonable client for Mac/Exchange integration.  So, how do I get my tasks sync’d across all of my devices and PCs?  I was hoping that you’d do it for me.  You didn’t.  Like many users, I’ve been waiting a long time to get this fixed.”

“The missing info is - how much longer do I have to wait to get parity with Outlook in terms of sync services (read that as tasks 1st, notes whenever)?  Can you offer any guidance?  A lot of us want to know.”
Andy: “Totally understand the “yes, but.”  I’d love to knock-off that last part and just make it, “yes!” and that’s pretty much our primary goal.  You will see the results of our work, just this wasn’t the time yet.  We’re not sharing the timeframe right now, but we will in the future.”

So, that’s that and we can expect improved Exchange support at sometime in the future.  Humm…am I any happier now?  To be honest, a bit.  The new Entourage client is very nice.  It looks good and works very well.  Its interface is clean.  Its performance is good.  Its searches are fast.  I do miss the drag and drop capabilities that I take for granted in Outlook.  But it’s so greatly improved over the 2004 release.  Now, MacBU, please, please, please…get us task and note sync as soon as you can.

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                       860-985-7300