Consider It Fixed

Creating My Private Music Cloud

I have a large collection of music.  It is diverse with many styles and artists.  A few years ago, I converted my CDs to digital format.  When I started to consume digital music, I vowed to only purchase music lacking draconian digital rights management after spending days converting the music that I purchased from Apples iTunes into MP3 format.  To me, it’s very infuriating to discover that the music I paid for won’t play on my new Android phone.  That’s just wrong.  Today, I have about 300GB of music.  It’s too much music for any phone or small portable player.  So, I looked to the cloud for a solution.

My first attempt at storing my music library in the cloud was with Amazon Cloud Player.  I assumed that if anyone could do this right, it would be the good folks at Amazon. I started with a 100GB subset of my music.  It took days to upload with several unfortunate starts and stops.  I ended up with several duplicates, a reorganized music library that I didn’t like and the potential ongoing cost of about $200 per year for the storage space.  My costs would go higher if I wanted to put my entire collection online.  I became frustrated with the weak functionality and high cost, and asked for a refund.

Next, I tested Google Music beta.  The upload process worked smoothly and the android player was very nice with many features lacking in the Amazon player.  But I was disappointed when I discovered that Google’s product would not play music in the FLAC (A free, open source codec for lossless audio compression and decompression) format.  Further, the cost of the service remains unknown.  Free for now, but what will it be in the future.  I don’t like unknowns that cost money.

I considered my remaining options:

Dropbox - I already have a 100GB plan for $200 a year with Dropbox.  I don’t want to spend more money to store my music.  It would be too expensive.

Pogoplug – I could use Pogoplug software and my own storage.  I tried it and found it’s music player to be primitive at best.  I didn’t love it and found it somewhat odd.

With my options narrowing I started to look at how I could create my own cloud.  I searched solutions that would offer mature players and offer multi-platform support.  It was then that I discovered Subsonic at www.subsonic.org.  I downloaded it’s software to one of my PCs hosting a large storage array for my media.  Within 30 minutes, I was up and running with my own private cloud hosting my entire music collection at a total cost of a $10 donation.  Subsonic offered browser, iPhone, and Android players.  Subsonic offered user accounts for controlled access.  Subsonic allowed me to download songs to local devices.  Adding new music was as simple as copying songs to my music directory.  Can you feel the love?

Subsonic is developed by Sindre Mehus, a Java consultant who lives in Oslo, Norway.  According to his website, “Subsonic is a free, web-based media streamer, providing ubiquitous access to your music. Use it to share your music with friends, or to listen to your own music while at work.  You can stream to multiple players simultaneously, for instance to one player in your kitchen and another in your living room.

Subsonic is designed to handle very large music collections (hundreds of gigabytes). Although optimized for MP3 streaming, it works for any audio or video format that can stream over HTTP, for  instance AAC and OGG. By using transcoder plug-ins, Subsonic supports on-the-fly conversion and streaming of virtually any audio format, including WMA, FLAC, APE, Musepack, WavPack and Shorten.

If you have constrained bandwidth, you may set an upper limit for the bitrate of the music streams. Subsonic will then automatically resample the music to a suitable bitrate.

In addition to being a streaming media server, Subsonic works very well as a local jukebox. The intuitive web interface, as well as search and index facilities, are optimized for efficient browsing through large media libraries. Subsonic also comes with an integrated Podcast receiver, with many of the same features as you find in iTunes.

Based on Java technology, Subsonic runs on most platforms, including Windows, Mac, Linux and Unix variants.

Subsonic is open-source software licensed under GLP.”

 

Subsonic is a home run for me.  What about you?

If this post was helpful to you, please click on Comments below and leave one.

Contact Info: info@consideritfixed.com

What To Do When System Restore Fails

Lately, I have been installing and testing several software products and my laptop is starting to get flaky.  It has slowed down and no longer goes into standby when closing the lid.  In my experience, the easiest fix for this type of problem is to use Microsoft's System Restore.  Simply pick a restore point from before the testing and let System Restore do it's magic.

 

 

I started System Restore, picked a restore point and sent it off to work – or so I thought.  System Restore ran as it should, restarted the computer, but then displayed a dialog box explaining that System Restore did not finish what it set out to do.  Amongst the rather not so helpful text in the dialog box, it said, “an unspecified error occurred during System Restore (0x80071a90).”  Humm…I guess this means that System Restore did not work.  The message goes on the further suggest that I try other restore points - which I did.  Lamentably, trying other restore points proved futile.  I was soon to discovered that broken restore points were not the issue.

System Restore can fail because some software on your computer doesn't understand or respect System Restore.  Common culprits are virus and malware protection products and other programs that are typically loaded to provide some type of background service.

If there is any good news here it is that getting around these problems with System Restore is rather easy.  Following, I offer 2 approaches that may help.  Neither of these will destroy data that is on your computer.  However, it goes without saying that you should always make a backup of your important data before you work on your computer.

Run System Restore in Safe Mode

Start Windows in safe mode. To run Windows in safe mode, turn on or restart your computer.  When the splash screen from the PC’s manufacturer is displayed, hold down the F8 key.  You will see a text based screen with several options appear that will look a lot like Figure 1 below.  Using the up and down arrow keys, select the option “Safe Mode”, then hit the enter key on your keyboard.  The computer will start Windows in safe mode which is Windows with a limited set of files and drivers.  If Windows loads normally, try repeating the instructions above.

Figure 1
Safe Mode

 

Next start System Restore.  You can access System Restore from the System Tools menu in the Accessories group.  Select the restore point that you want and follow the onscreen instructions.  Your computer will restart, Windows will load and present a dialog box telling you whether or not System Restore was successful.  If System Restore was not successful, try the next approach.

Run System Restore in a Clean Boot Environment

Start Windows by performing a clean boot.  Below, there are links to instructions for different versions of Windows:

Windows Vista or Windows 7:
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/929135

Windows XP:
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/310353

Next start System Restore.  You can access System Restore from the System Tools menu in the Accessories group.  Select the restore point that you want and follow the onscreen instructions.  Your computer will restart, Windows will load and present a dialog box telling you whether or not System Restore was successful.  Hopefully, System Restore worked and you are now happy.  However, if you're unhappy and are still not able to get System Restore to work, it may be time for more drastic action like backing up your data, formatting your hard drive, and reinstalling Windows.  If you don't know how to do this, I suggest that you contact a local PC support company to assist you.

If this post was helpful to you, please click on Comments below and leave one.

Contact Info: info@consideritfixed.com

Changing the License Key in Windows 7

I recently was contacted by a client who purchased a PC from a local computer reseller.  The computer was assembled and sold with Windows 7, Microsoft Office, and Norton Antivirus.  Unfortunately, the computer, which was grossly underpowered and overpriced, came with no software licenses.  My customer made many attempts to contact the reseller when she had some problems, but the reseller never returned any phone calls.  I became her computer consultant when she abandoned all hope that the reseller would help her.

When I first met with this customer, I realized that she had been ripped off and advised her that she had been taken advantage of.  I recommended that she replace the software with legitimate copies so that she could receive upgrades and support. 

We replaced Office and Norton with legitimate copies that she owned.  She wanted to try to contact the reseller to see if she could obtain the license for Windows 7.  Unfortunately, she could not. 

Last week, she called me because Windows 7 declared that her copy was not legitimate and went into a limited functioning mode.  I told her to go to the store and purchase a copy of Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium.  She did this and I scheduled a time with her to install her new license.  This is when the next big problem began.  I had forgotten that she had a pirated copy of Windows 7 Ultimate on her computer not Windows Home Premium. 

I started the upgrade process and was notified that I couldn’t perform the upgrade since I was trying to install Windows 7 Home Premium over Windows 7 Ultimate.  I was told that my only option was to start over and perform a new install of Windows 7 Home Premium.  This was very impractical as I would need to backup her data, install the new operating system, then reinstall her utilities, applications, and then configure everything.  That would be another 2 hours of work.  To complicate matters further, I couldn’t return the new copy of Windows 7 since it was opened and most every retailer will not take back opened software.

To solve the problem, I swapped her license of Windows 7 Home Premium for a copy of Windows 7 Ultimate that I had.  I then discovered that since the original software was counterfeit, I couldn’t change the licensing key from the Control Panel System dialog box.  I didn't want to reinstall the entire operating system.  So, I went behind the scenes to the command prompt and made the necessary changes using the slmgr.vbs command.  I have detailed this below.  All totaled, this process took a little over 1 hour.  It would be nice if Microsoft did a better job at making this process less complex for the user. 

How to change a license key in Windows 7 from the command prompt:

1. 1.Click on the Start Orb and type “cmd” in the Search programs and files field. 
2. Right-click on cmd in the search results and select the “Run as administrator” option.
3. A command windows will open that has administrators rights.
4. Type “slmgr.vbs -ipk insert your new license key here”.
5. Type “slmgr.vbs -ato” to activate your new license key.

Notice that Windows 7 May Be Counterfeit

Command Window with slmgr.vbs Commands

 

Successful Activation Notice

If this post was helpful to you, please click on Comments below and leave a comment.

Contact Info: info@consideritfixed.com

Boxee: Media PC Done RIght

I enjoy my media center and large high definition TV.  Since it is connected to the Internet, I have spent hours combing the web, exploring numerous sites offering movies, videos, TV shows, and other media products.  I really got hooked on Internet connected media when I discovered that I could watch all 5 seasons of Lost from beginning to end thanks to Hulu.

My explorations have forced me to learn about and/or install several different media players.  You see, there is no standard for this type of Internet-based content.  It’s another Wild, Wild, West Internet adventure.  Microsoft’s media center is OK for some things, but without significant customization is can’t play several types of media files.  Nor, can it easily play content from sites like Hulu and ABC.  The story goes on like this for nearly ever product that I tested.  They do some things well, but there focus is narrow and self-serving.

This all changed when I learned about and installed Boxee.  Boxee describes itself as: 

“Boxee is the first "social" media center, whose free, open source, downloadable software is changing the way consumers experience media.

On a computer or connected to an HDTV, Boxee gives people a truly connected digital entertainment experience to enjoy movies, TV shows, music and photos, as well as streaming content from websites like Netflix, MLB.TV, Comedy Central, Pandora, Last.fm, and flickr. Not only that, but you can share information about what you’re watching with friends so they can find it legally and enjoy it too. You can even post things you like to social networks like Twitter, Last.FM, or Tumblr. All this from within a visually driven interface that makes media come to life.”

According to its website, the idea for Boxee was born when founding friends Avner, Gidon, Idan, Tom, and Roee, came up with the idea for boxee in 2004 when they began using Xbox Media Center, open source software for the original Xbox that allowed people to play digital media on their TVs. They became members of XBMC’s open source community and in 2007 imagined a way to take the platform even further. Since 2007, Mr. Ronen and a team of 11 others have worked to extend the base code for XBMC with online sources like hulu and Netflix as well as social networking in Boxee.

Today, Boxee is available for Windows, OS X, Linux, and Apple TV.  In the near future, Boxee will be available on its own dedicated setup top box via a partnership with D-Link and others will follow.
 

 

 

 

 

Here is why I like Boxee:

1. It supports all of the platforms that I use including Windows, Apple and Linux.
2. It plays nearly every media file type that ask it to.  I now longer have to comb the Internet looking for codecs, players, and converter.
3. It provides a consistent interface to media content from a number of sources. It's open and not married to it’s own content.  I think of it as a media aggregator.
4. It has the best user interface and user experience, bar none, of any media player available.  Setup is simple.  Basically, you can install it and go.  There are some simple options that can be used to customize Boxee.  But they are easy to navigate and understand.
5. It works with a number of media controllers without the need to train, installing additional software and the like.  I use it with a Logitech Harmony One remote control and a wireless keyboard.  Neither control required any special setup.
6. Boxee has a great remote control app for the iPhone.  I installed it and it worked on the first try.
7. I can use Boxee to find a wide variety of different media content from a large number of source on the Internet.  This is done through its search capabilities and connections to popular social media sites.

If this post was helpful to you, please click on Comments below and leave a comment.

Contact Info: info@consideritfixed.com

Microsoft Security Essentials: Reasonable Security for Free

I'm awfully sick of bulky security products.  You know, those do-anything-anti-everything products from Symantec, McAfee and the others.  Over the last 6 months, my client call volume increased dramatically with complaints of slowing computers.  My customers were not be assaulted by spyware and adware.  They were under assault from their trusted security vendors raising pigs - bloated anti-everything products.  If you have a 3 year old PC with a 2 GHz processor and 1GB of RAM, you may find the machine nearly useless overnight due to the latest antivirus update.

So, I began a quest to find a great security product based on new criteria – it must be small and use limited system resources.  As well, it must install in under 5 minutes.  Anything that takes longer is such a dead giveaway that it’s bloatware.  I started looking at the options and spent time with a number of products including Kaspersky, Viper from SunBelt Software, and ClamWin, an open source antivirus program.  I started installing Kaspersky on a number of client PCs with good results.  

However, there was a downside to this choice.  Most PC users now have access to ‘free’ antivirus software from their internet service providers.  Comcast and AT&T, my 2 providers, offer McAfee to their users at no additional cost.  It’s quite a tempting offer until it renders your PC somewhat useless.

Now enters Microsoft to offer Microsoft Security Essentials.  I have been testing the product on 4 of my PCs, and I must admit, Microsoft has done a decent job on this product.  So far in my testing, I have not seen any problems.  In fact, it’s proving to be a great product.  I'm especially pleased with its performance on my netbook.  Most netbooks are optimized for long battery life – the opposite of performance.  Most antivirus suites kill any remaining performance in a netbook.  But Microsoft Security Essentials' small profile is perfect for these low performance computers.

Here is what I like about Security Essentials:

• It’s readily available at no cost
• It installed very quickly
• It’s small and doesn’t have much overhead
• It installs on Windows XP, Vista, and Windows 7
• It can catch most common virus and malware problems

If you are interested in trying it, you can download it here: http://www.microsoft.com/Security_Essentials.  Just remember to remove your old bloated antivirus software in the add/remove programs section of the Control Panel before installing it.

If this post was helpful to you, please click on Comments below and leave a comment.

Contact Info: info@consideritfixed.com

Revisited: Insidious MS Antivirus Removal Instructions

I last wrote about MS Antivirus and its derivatives in March of 2009.  In recent weeks, this parasite has been extremely active as I have seen a significant spike in service calls.  According to the Wikipedia, this parasite is going by many names: XP Antivirus, Vitae Antivirus, Windows Antivirus, Win Antivirus, Antivirus Pro, Antivirus Pro 2009, Antivirus 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, and 360, Internet Antivirus Plus, System Antivirus, Spyware Guard 2008 and 2009, Spyware Protect 2009, Winweb Security 2008, System Security, Malware Defender 2009, Ultimate Antivirus2008, Vista Antivirus, General Antivirus, AntiSpywareMaster, Antispyware 2008, XP AntiSpyware 2008 and 2009, WinPCDefender, Antivirus XP Pro, and Anti-Virus-1.

Before I provide instructions on how to remove this parasite, I have a few words of advice.  This parasite will tell you that your computer is infected with many things, and if you buy it for $29.95, $34.95, or 49.95, etc., if will fix your computer.  If you have given this parasite your credit card, immediately stop what you are doing and cancel your credit card.  That said, these instructions have worked on removing the parasite from many computers.  But if you have interacted with this thing a lot or have one of the more destructive versions on your computer, you may end up with no other option than to rescue your data, format your hard drive and reinstall your operating system and applications.  If you don’t know how to do this, contact your local computer professional for assistance.

OK, here’s what to do when you are infected. 

1. Don’t interact with it.  If possible, use Ctrl+Alt+Del to bring up the task list and kill the window which is telling you that your computer is infected.
2. Step #1 - Run System Restore.  You can do this by clicking on Start, All Programs, Accessories, System Tools, System Restore.  Select a restore point from before you got infected and run system restore.  If you have no restore points or you run System Restore and you are told that it wasn’t able to restore your computer to date you selected, you may be in trouble.  You can try the next steps, but your chances for a good outcome have just lessened.
3. Step #2 - If you use Internet Explorer, empty your browser cache.  Open Internet Explorer and click on Tools, Internet Options, and delete all of your browsing history and cookies.  Please note that these instructions may vary based on the version of IE that you are using.  You can consult Internet Explorer's Help if you can't figure out how to do this.
4. Step #2 - If you use Firefox, click on Tools, Clear Recent History and delete all your browsing history and cookies.  Please note that these instructions may vary based on the version of Firefox that you are using.  You can consult Firefox's Help if you can't figure out how to do this.
5. Step #3 - Install and run Anti-Malware by Malwarebytes.  Go to http://www.malwarebytes.org/.  Click on the link to “Download free version” on the left side of the screen.  Next, install it on your computer.  Leave both check marks selected and start Anti-Malware and update.  Make sure that you have the Scanner tab selected. Select Perform full scan.  When the scan is complete, you will be given the option to remove what Anti-Malware finds. Use that option. It may ask for permission to restart your computer. Do so.
6. Setp #4 - Install and run Microsoft’s Malicious Software Removal Tool.  Go to http://www.microsoft.com/security/malwareremove/default.aspx.  Click on "Skip the details and download the tool".  Click on the download link and install. Run Microsoft's Malicious Software Removal Tool and follow it's instructions to remove any malware that it finds.

If you are unable to perform these steps, you are in trouble.  Your best course of action is to backup your data, format your hard drive and reinstall your operating system and applications.  I know that it hurts, it hurts a lot.

In the future, be very careful when security warnings appear on your computer. Unfortunately, you need to evaluate them and decide if they are real, or as in your recent case, malware.  It is very confusing.  If you get involved with this type of malware in the future (and Windows XP is the target as Visa is more secure), go immediately to system restore and restore your computer to a date prior to the infection. Do not interact with it as by doing so, you are most likely giving permission to install on your computer.  If you are unable to perform a restore, call me or your local computer repair professional for assistance.

Contact Info: info@consideritfixed.com

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 as my hosted Exchange provider. Mailstreet is now owned by Apptix (www.apptix.com).  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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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. 

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

Contact Info: info@consideritfixed.com

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

Carbonite - Good Backup Cheap

Backup is something that you do after you lose your data. It's the truth. Your Mother can't teach you about backup. You simply learn about it after you crash, or delete, or overwrite. And it hurts.

Every week, I get a call from some freaked out user. The common complaint, "I turned off my  computer last night. This morning I turned it on and it says something about not being able to find the operating system. Does this mean that I've lost my files?"

It's important to understand that hard drives crash. They are mechanical devices that are measured in an honest statistic call mean time between failures (MTBF). It's not mean time between successes. While the MTBF continues to increase with the release of new hard drives, which is good, in any production run of hard drives, some are going to last 5 seconds and others will last 10 years. So, which one did you purchase?

Enter the need for backup. There is a program available that will automatically backup the data on your hard drive over the Internet. It simply works reliably, and get this, you can get unlimited data storage space for $49.95 a year. Now you have to trust me on this – I've tried nearly all of the Internet-based backup systems available. If you have a large amount of data as I do, they cost a lot, and don't work well. The secret to successful Internet-based backup is to be able to first make a complete backup of all data and then backup only changed or new data. If you try to do this with a large amount of data, most of these programs fail miserably. Some companies even resort to suggesting that you send your data to them on an external hard drive to create the initial backup. Humm… doesn't sound like the Internet-based services that I want.

The program that I am talking about is called Carbonite - www.carbonite.com.  Check it out.  You will be impressed.  Now you can Consider It Fixed!

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

Contact info: info@consideritfixed.com