Microsoft has now started to promote a new product called Microsoft Security Essentials a product that was beta under the name Windows Live One-Care.  This program is simply a great antivirus protection suite(antispyware, antimalware, etc), and by great I mean it meets all of the criteria necessary:  free, effective, low impact on system resources, and is non-invasive .  For the last few years I have recommended that people choose AVG free edition (free.avg.com) or Avast free edition - in addition to these tools I would recommend a variety of free anit-spyware(malware programs) – including spybot, malwarebytes, etc.  This entire process has always rubbed me the wrong way since I think a large number of home users have either left Microsoft or are considering leaving it because they have to navigate through this process.  Think of it from the consumer’s perspective, “You mean this new 500$ computer I need to buy a 80$ antivirus (yearly) program to make it work?  What else do I need to buy?”  Although the antivirus and malware market has been lucrative for 3rd party companies the truth is that the emergence of this multi-billion dollar industry has hurt Microsoft’s reputation as countless users grow frustrated with their machines due to computer Malware and Viruses.

Imagine buying a new computer from Bestbuy today and feeling confident ignoring all the sales on extra anitvirus software packages and instead just use Microsoft’s free product (That works well, I cannot stress enough how frustrating it is to see how bad some anti-viral software is – for example Norton Antivirus could be the worst I give it 2 out 10 in my book – practically worthless).

The only flaws in this system is that Mircosoft Security Essentials does not come pre-installed on Computers and is not included on the Windows 7 Media DVD, this means you must first download and install it.

Download Location for Microsoft Security Essentials : http://www.microsoft.com/security_essentials/

Screen Shot of Essentials Running on Windows 7
This could be a move in the right direction for Microsoft – If consumers gain the confidence that buying a Windows machine is safe and relatively stable from most Malware and Viruses this could help increase Windows 7 sales worldwide.  Also with Security Essentials backwards support for Windows XP systems – Microsoft is moving in the right direction with improving its standing from the home consumer standpoint.  From an enterprise perspective having an effective working free antiviral software solution supported by Microsoft – equals a lot less hassle and money when it comes to supporting a large number of machines.

It will be interesting to see what happens down the road with Apple whose security model as been effectively “security by obsecurity”.  With Apple market share increasing steadily and with most projections having them continue in this direction how they handle security in the future will be interesting. In my experience Unix based Apple machines are still way more secure and resistent to malware infections than PC’s and because of this currently offer a safer, more stable platform.  If Apple continues to grow at its current rate it will be interesting to see if they will remain this secure over the next decade.

Click here to view current OS market share: http://marketshare.hitslink.com/os-market-share.aspx?qprid=11

Notice that Microsoft still holds 90% of the World’s market share = Apple’s model of security by being obscure will still work for the near future.

Apple Security Flaws?

http://www.pcworld.com/article/172197

/vista_windows_7_are_more_secure_than_snow_leopard.html

http://news.cnet.com/2100-7349_3-6178131.html

http://www.securitymanagement.com/news/leopard-killed-first-hacker-competition

Microsoft has not been very good at making headlines as of late.  In fact they are so bad at marketing and promoting that I almost completely forgot about the new Office Live Online offered for free.  I decided to reactivate my old hotmail account, jamesroodhouse@hotmail.com, and then give the online office a try.  In short I must admit I am surprised,  Office Live via Skydrive is superior to Google docs and may be superior to zoho.com.  Yes that is right the online functionality of the Microsoft Office suite online is much greater than that offered by Google Docs and probably all other competitors.  Microsoft still has limited some of the functionality on the web versions of Office but no where near so as Google Docs.

How so,  first off importing docs with existing complicated formatting, lets say a resume or a multi-sheet excel spreadsheet imports almost perfectly in this online version of Office (And terribly in Google Docs).  Secondly and most importantly the feature set included in the online version of Office dwarfs that of Google,  if one were a college student or taking a class you could easily type all papers easily and efficiently with this version.  Like Google Docs you get a free 2 gigabyte drive to store your docs on and it is easy to review and share docs.

So if you have a Hotmail account give the new office online a try, it works on macs, pcs, and machines running linux.  To Access the tools login to Windows LIve and click on the Office tab.  (If you are logged into Hotmail look under the section where it says MORE and select Office Live)

Microsoft might be entering this arena late in the game compared to its competitors – but has delivered on a superior product.

Here is screenshot of Word Online Running.

Recently, actually very recently as in last night and today I noticed that the DNS servers for my home service provider were down(ISP Mediacom).  Mediacom does a good job with internet service in this area but they have had a little trouble from time to time.   After a couple of quick network tests I determined that the problem is with my ISP’s DNS servers.  This is not the first time I have noticed that their DNS servers have been comprimised so I decided to look for an alternative solution.  For most users simply wait and your ISP will promptly fix this issues but for those of you who are a little more hyper like myself and want a fix that will work without calling tech support, read on.

First off for those reading this who are not familiar with the functions of a DNS server (Domain Name Servers) here it is in a nutshell.

Computers like numbers and not names, therefore when you tell your computer to visit www.yahoo.com a DNS server translates this name into a number (IP Address) which your computer likes.

Okay so maybe I overly simplified a bit but this at least gives the basic premise.

So if you can visit Yahoo by clicking on this  http://www.yahoo.com then your DNS servers are working perfectly.

If you cannot visit Yahoo by the using a domain name but can visit by using this link http://69.147.114.224 then you have a DNS issue.

Google now offers free dns servers that work regardless of you ISP (in most cases) and are fast and efficient.  Also they are easy to remember

Google Free DNS Servers

8.8.8.8

8.8.4.4

To fix a pesky home internet connection or for another useful tool to help troubleshoot overall Network (Specifically DNS server issues) it is nice to have these free servers available.

If you suspect that you may have trouble with DNS, simply edit your Network Configuration leaving DHCP intact but clicking the box to fill out manually DNS servers.

Here is how it may look on a windows machine:

Or better yet simply change your DNS settings on your home wireless router and all computer connecting to it will use the new DNS server.

Look for the WAN connection under your wireless routers setup utility.

If you are a network administrator and maintain your own DNS and DHCP services, having google’s DNS servers listed as a secondary or even thrid option in DHCP is also a good way to provide a little extra if something ever goes amiss.

The early ASUS Eeepc 900 Series machines run noticeably better with the latest BIOS update.  Better battery performance, lower heat on the unit, better overall system stability.  Changing the BIOS can be tricky on these machines if you have installed Windows Vista, Windows 7 or even XP Pro as you need to install the ACPI driver before you can use the automated BIOS updated. I had lots of trouble locating the ACPI driver that worked on this model so I decided to post it on the web.

ACPI Driver for EEEPC 900 (Zip File)

To use this driver for Windows Vista and Windows 7 you will need to change the setup program to compatibility mode of Windows XP SP3 or SP2.

ASUS BIOS Update Utility EEEPC 900 Series (Zip File)

This update utility will also work in Windows Vista and Windows 7 but you will need to run this also in compatibility mode XP SP3 or SP2.

I have run across this issue from time to time when removing spyware and viruses off of a windows XP machine.  In the past I have been so frustrated at this problem that I ended up reformatting and installing an OS.  The good news is that this problem is now easily fixable with free tools available online.  First off this problem is typically caused by malicious software altering a specific registry key.  This Registry key is

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon

Under this there is an entry for Userinit

What typically happens is that although the virus software has removed the offending software this value is left set at

Userinit = C:\Windows\System32\Winlogon82.exe  (or some other virus)

This value needs to be set to

Userinit = C:\Windows\System32\userinit.exe

The tricky part now becomes how do you adjust the registry of a windows machine that will not allow me to login even in safe mode.  There is where the Offline NT password and Registry editor becomes useful – visit http://pogostick.net/~pnh/ntpasswd/ and download and burn the a CD boot image of this product (or floppy boot image if you have an old school machine).

Or you can download directly from here below – T his is a Zip file of the ISO.

Offline NT Password and Registry Editor Version 080802.zip

This version allows you to view and change the registry from a command line – simply navigate to the affected key and then change with the value listed above and the problem is fixed.