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Five Reasons to Give Windows 7 a Second Look

Written by Chris Foley 0 Comments

Is Windows 7 the flop that many expected?  Is Windows 7 simply a slightly more stable version of Windows Vista?

I’m a Mac user, through and through, so you might wonder what, if anything, could I possibly have to say about Windows 7, the latest operating system from our friends at Microsoft.  I’ve never been a big fan of Microsoft products, and I hated Windows XP, and I hated Windows Vista even more.  We found this great article at PC World online, and if you’re wondering whether or not to upgrade to Windows 7,  you’ll find this article to be of huge value.

And remember, when you are ready to upgrade, Make It Work’s in-house technicians are available to make sure the transaction goes smoothly!

Author Credit: Julie Sartrain

Microsoft has sold 150 million copies of Windows 7 in nine months–that is, seven copies per second. It’s the fastest-selling operating system in history. Vista, by contrast, was such a flop that users couldn’t wait to get rid of it.

Many consumers just got stuck with Vista because new PCs, for a while, were preloaded with it, and there were no other options. Some vendors still offered new, coveted systems with XP, for a lot more money. Yet, in the beginning, retailers even told consumers there was no way to uninstall Vista and reinstall XP.

What does the new operating system mean for the business community, especially all the little guys and mid-sized companies that can’t afford to make another hefty investment in a rotten lemon?

Thankfully, Windows 7 is not the lemon Vista was, and its big, positive features are well-known by now. For example, multitasking makes it easier to navigate, and Windows 7 is more stable and secure. The new OS requires less memory and disk space. It has easier, more proficient file organization, less clutter and garbage, and more efficient networking setup and management. Windows 7 also touts a fancy new taskbar and system tray, better backup options, and some great entertainment features.

These five additional selling points of Windows 7 may surprise you.

1. XP Mode

One of the best features for companies who still want to use many legacy XP applications is XP Mode, which runs in the Windows 7 Professional, Ultimate, and Enterprise versions. This was a lifesaver for me, because I have dozens of old graphics programs that I use several times a week.

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The Enemy Within – The Story of the Conficker Worm

Written by Chris Foley 0 Comments

This Excellent and extremely comprehensive (you’ve been warned!) article is from this Month’s The Atlantic, and explains the story behind 2008′s Conficker computer Worm, the most sophisticated instance of computer malware in the history of, well… ever.

The article also explains the differences between a computer virus, a trojan, and a worm.  Beware, this article is a bit scary, as the Conficker story is actually far from over.  Chances are pretty good, if you’re reading this from a Windows XP computer, that you actually have and are running this worm, and don’t even know it!

If you feel your computer might be infected, or if it’s been a while since our last visit, contact us today to get something onto the calendar!  A Stress-Free Digital Lifestyle is hard to achieve when you’re fighting computer viruses and spyware for space on the computer, and we’re here to help out.

Enjoy!

When the Conficker computer “worm” was unleashed on the world in November 2008, cyber-security experts didn’t know what to make of it. It infiltrated millions of computers around the globe. It constantly checks in with its unknown creators. It uses an encryption code so sophisticated that only a very few people could have deployed it. For the first time ever, the cyber-security elites of the world have joined forces in a high-tech game of cops and robbers, trying to find Conficker’s creators and defeat them. The cops are failing. And now the worm lies there, waiting …

By Mark Bowden

The first surprising thing about the worm that landed in Philip Porras’s digital petri dish 18 months ago was how fast it grew.

He first spotted it on Thursday, November 20, 2008. Computer-security experts around the world who didn’t take notice of it that first day soon did. Porras is part of a loose community of high-level geeks who guard computer systems and monitor the health of the Internet by maintaining “honeypots,” unprotected computers irresistible to “malware,” or malicious software. A honeypot is either a real computer or a virtual one within a larger computer designed to snare malware. There are also “honeynets,” which are networks of honeypots. A worm is a cunningly efficient little packet of data in computer code, designed to slip inside a computer and set up shop without attracting attention, and to do what this one was so good at: replicate itself.

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Bad McAfee Update, Adobe vs iPhone, HP 3D Printer – T3:022

Written by Ashley Smith 0 Comments

Trending today on T3:

-McAfee releases bad update, crashing computers nationwide
-No Adobe Flash for the iPhone
-HP’s Designjet 3D Printer

Flawed McAfee Update

1000s OF PCS GO DOWN

Anti-Virus software maker McAfee rolled out a bad update, causing false-positive quaranties for a critical Windows file. Computers running Windows XP Service Pack 3 that downloaded this update are shutting down and continuously rebooting.

This hiccup is creating havoc across the country. Hospitals in Rhode Island have been turning away non-trauma patients.  Police in Kentucky have been without access to systems, including in-car terminals. Schools and colleges around the country are experiencing server errors.

McAfee has removed the update from their download servers, and issued a fix. Unfortunately, users have flooded McAfee’s site, making it inaccessible

There are 2 manual workarounds to fix this, but they are somewhat technical.

Adobe vs. iPhone

NO FLASH FOR IPHONE

It’s time to give up hope on seeing Adobe Flash on your iPhone or iPad. A new change to the iPhone developer agreement prohibits Adobe from developing further.

What is Flash? What’s the big deal anyway? Flash allows dynamic content on websites, like certain animations and graphics with sound and music. Flash is also a component of online games, allowing for interactivity and streaming video, such as YouTube. Pretty much all Internet users experience Flash on a website everyday.

Flash-capabilities can be applied to standard web browsers AND mobile device browsers, which bringss this dynamic content to your smartphone.

Apple has been pushing back on Adobe Flash since 2007, citing that Flash is a big battery hog and really slow.

So, Adobe bypassed the restriction and made their new Flash development tool capable of making Flash-apps for the iPhone.

Unfortunately, Apple’s new agreement indirectly bans Adobe from continued development. Adobe made an official announcement that they will “stop trying” to bring Flash to iPhone and will focus their attention on Google Android devices.

HP 3D Printer

PRICEY DESIGNJET NOW SHIPPING IN EUROPE

Back in January HP announced a new 3D printer and now they are shipping their first models!

HP Designjet 3D is a “fabrication machine”, which means it can take a 3D drawing from your computer and turn it into a 3D plastic model (so awesome!). The color version offers 8 colors. So basically you can use the Designjet to print a miniature model of a house, in 3D, in color!

It’s a bit pricey with an up-front cost of approximately $17,500. But, it does allow in-house prototyping for businesses, which is great news for engineers, product developers, designers and architects.

Down the road, when it becomes more affordable, this 3D printer can be used to print a diorama model for your kid’s school project, or 3D objects for a science fair.

The product is currently shipping in Europe, and we should see it in the U.S. soon.

T3: 017 – Critical Updates for Microsoft & Apple, GoToMeeting for iPad, iPhone v. iPad Charger

Written by Ashley Smith 0 Comments

Trending today on T3:

-Microsoft and Apple release updates
-GoToMeeting comes to the iPad
-iPad vs. iPhone chargers

Trouble viewing this video? Click here: http://bit.ly/aRNQGh

Patch Tuesday

DOWNLOAD CRITICAL UPDATES

It’s that time of the month again. Microsoft released their monthly patches on Patch Tuesday this week.

This month’s security pack includes 11 security bulletins patching 25 vulnerabilities, 5 of which are considered CRITICAL. Some of these vulnerabilities can allow a hacker to remotely take control of your computer or steal personal data.

You know what? Stop reading this and download these patches right now! (Make sure to come back of course.) On your Windows PC, click Start–>All Programs (or Programs) –> Windows/Microsoft Updates. Download everything that Windows calls “High Priority.”

Microsoft’s not the only one that released patches on Tuesday… Apple released a bundle of updates for their brand-new MacBook Pros, a whopping 300MB download!

Apple’s update includes patches for graphic stability problems affecting high-performance gaming and video, as well as some “bug fixes.” This only affects the brand-new MacBook Pros we covered on Tuesday’s T3. So if you ordered or bought a brand-new MBP, make sure you go to the Apple Menu –> Software Updates to download all of the required patches.

GoToMeeting for iPad

ATTEND MEETINGS ONLINE

One of the apps we use here at Make It Work all the time is GoToMeeting. It’s a great service from Citrix that allows you to connect to a host’s computer to view spreadsheets, presentations, and listen to audio, remotely! You can see exactly what’s on the presenter’s screen without even going into the office.

Well, GoToMeeting is now available for the iPad! Not only is this really handy to have for iPad users, it has some cool iPad-specific features such as multitouch zoom and the ability to switch between landscape and portrait views by tilting the iPad.

Like the Mac and PC version of GoToMeeting, you can be anywhere there’s a wireless Internet connection and attend your important meeting. There is one caveat: the iPad doesn’t let you present the meeting, only attend it. Maybe we’ll see that in the future. We’re also hoping that GoToMyPC and GoToWebinar aren’t far behind!

iPad & iPhone Chargers

WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE?

We are receiving a lot of questions from listeners, customers, and callers alike asking “Can you use an iPhone charger for and iPad?”

This question probably stems from the fact that the iPad charger is bigger than the iPhone charger and looks just like the old iPod charger.

The answer, quick and simple, is YES! The caveat, however, is that it will charge a lot slower. The reason is that the iPad charger puts out 10 watts of electricity instead of the 5 watts the iPhone charger puts out. The same thing will happen if you connect an iPad to a computer via the included USB 30-pin connector cable.

Another question we’ve been getting is “Can you use an iPad charger for the iPhone?”

Um, yes. No! MAYBE! Unfortunately we don’t have a clear answer on this one. Apple has conflicting info on their website, both AppleCare and the Apple Store say “That’s a great question… can you hold?” And our own digging has found that  YES it can be done. The verdict: While it can indeed be done, we recommend using the charger that came with the device, or Apple’s specific replacement for that device. Always best to play it safe, we wouldn’t want to fry one of our own devices through some errant electrical current that just happens to grace our house one day.

Lastly, a question we get all the time is “What about 3rd-party chargers?”

This one’s a mixed bag and we see different answers all the time. Our own research has shown that 3rd party chargers and accessories often work fine. Be wary using 3rd party chargers and accessories, however, as if your iPad, iPhone, or iPod goes on the fritz, Apple’s probably not going to cover it under warranty. You may see the message: “Charging is not supported with this accessory.” If you see that message, not only will it not charge, it’s definitely not in your best interest to continue using it!

Are YOU at Risk? Ikea Gift Card Scam fools nearly 40,000 Facebook users

Written by Chris Foley 0 Comments

Wikipedia definies Phishing as:  the criminally fraudulent process of attempting to acquire sensitive information such as usernames, passwords and credit card details by masquerading as a trustworthy entity in an electronic communication.

We’ve been seeing a disturbing increase in this phenomenon over the past years, as criminal entities target us with fake versions of sites that we visit every day: Facebook, eBay, PayPal, MySpace, Twitter, Bank of America, Wells Fargo, etc., etc., etc…..

Hot on the heels of the $500 Whole Foods gift certificate scam, is a new one which took in almost 40,000 Facebook users last week.  Robert McMillan covers this story for Macworld.com.  (Read excerpt below.)

Luckily there are ways to protect yourself from Phishing Scams.  First, we recommend you download and install the newest version of the Mozilla Firefox browser, which includes some great anti-phishing protection.   Additionally, if you suspect an offer to be a little bit fishy (phishy?) you can visit Scambusters Website and check it out before you participate.

A scam Facebook page offering the site’s users a $1,000 Ikea gift card took in nearly 40,000 victims Friday.

It’s the latest example of a new and pernicious trend on the social-networking site as scammers — usually disreputable online marketers trying to earn review by generating Web traffic — have flooded Facebook with these fake gift card pages over the past months.

In late March, a similar $1,000 Ikea gift card scam took in more than 70,000 victims, and just last week another scam Facebook page offering a $500 Whole Foods gift certificate was widely reported.

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