Avoid being Hijacked on FREE WIFI

Maybe you are so happy to sit in that Cafe with an unsecured (no password required) FREE WIFI or other place using your laptop to surf the Internet or there is a neighbor with an unsecured WIFI link so why not piggy back on that free WIFI source?  The answer is that it is EXTREMELY easy for any person and there are 1000′s (growing by the second, and that is a statistic) who want to snoop into your business who can sit nearby and see YOUR screen on their computer!  YIKES!!  There is good news and 2 solutions;

First option: approach the manager of the place offering FREE WIFI and recommend they add a password to the WIFI and make a SIGN with the password written on it.  What, you say??  By adding a password even though it is publicly posted the information streaming through the air is now encrypted (secured) so that someone trying to read this information even knowing the public password will see encrypted data whereas without the password they can easily read the information they capture.

Second option; use a FREE Virtual Private Network (VPN) to secure your data before it flies through the air.  With VPN the data is encrypted on your computer before it is transmitted so that nearby snooper sees Gobbledygook.  How to do it:

The kind people who have been in business for years provide the VPN service at:

http://www.bestfreevpn.com  <- use this same link to see the current password (keeping reading for more information)

To set it up with a Windows 7 or Vista PC (http://www.bestfreevpn.com/windows-7-free-vpn/):

1. Open the Control Panel  ->  left-click on Network and Internet and left-click Network and Sharing Center.  (short-cut, left-click the START button and type in “Network and Sharing Center” and left-click on the option when it appears in the list that appears)
2. In the appearing windows left-click on Set up a new connection or network -> left-click (next) Connect to a workplace
3. Select “No, create a new cnonection” left-click (next) -> left-click Use my Internet connection (VPN)
4. Type in: Internet Address: bestfreevpn.com, Destination Name: BestFreeVPN (No other items checked) left-click (next)
5. Type in: User name: free, Password: (use the latest one shown at http://www.bestfreevpn.com/free-vpn/)

THAT’s it!  Pass this information on to your friends!

To set it up with a Windows XP PC:

1. Open Control Panel (left-click START and Left-Click the Control Panel)
2. Left-Click on Network Connections icon to open the Network Connections window.
3. Left-Click the Next button for the first “New Connection Wizard” Welcome window.
4. Select “Connect to the network at my workspace” in “Network Connection Type” window, left-click Next button.
5. Select “Virtual Private Network connection“, left-click Next button.
6. Connection name: type in bestfreevpn.com, left-click Next button.
7. VPN Server hostname: type in bestfreevpn.com, left-click Next button.
8. Left-Click FINISH, type in USER: free and PASSWORD: (use the latest one shown at http://www.bestfreevpn.com/free-vpn/) and left-click CONNECT.

THAT’s it!  Pass this information on to your friends.

It’s from my Friend Gotta Click on this! Whoa, wait just a Click!

A customer received an email today that looked like it was from SBCGlobal. The message was to the effect they were clearing out their database and needed the user name and password of the email account. The warning was that by not providing the information their email account would be removed within 48 hours. In two words, A SCAM!

Here are the rules of thumb to follow:

1. Never respond to any email asking for Account Information, Credit Card Information, Social Security Numbers, answers to Secret Questions, and so on.

2. When in doubt and worried call the financial, bank, Internet Service Provider, or any other company directly to verify or you can also email them.

3. DO NOT reply to any suspicious emails or click on any links in suspicious emails.

4. Links in emails have become increasingly dangerous even when the senders address is someone you email regularly. They could have a spam bot on their computer that grabbed their address book and email logon information. Frustrating for you and your friends, YES! How do you deal with this? Let’s say you find a cool video on Youtube then go ahead and note it’s name and send the email saying check out this video “Name of Video” and note it is on Youtube.

The sophistication of spammers, hackers, mob based computer criminals and many others continues to grow so by learning ways to communicate that defeats their techniques will allow you to avoid that “Uh-Oh” moment.

And you may be interested to learn about disk imaging that will allow you a clean recovery from serious Malware (Virus), operating system corruption or hard-disk crash. Simply put the software takes a complete “picture” of the hard-drive and when any of the issues mentioned occur this “picture” can be put back on the hard-drive as if nothing occurred. If you are interested you can contact us via the website

As a final note, when in doubt DO NOT CLICK on it. Either, call your friend to verify they sent it, use key words to search for what they are trying to show you or a similar method. An ounce of caution can save you a pound of headache.

To learn more go to http://www.ftc.gov/spam/
(Hah! Did you click that link! You can search “ftc.gov” and “spam” to verify it is ligit)

Managing Passwords

[updated on July 19, 2010]

Managing passwords is always a challenge and creating strong ones is important.  If you want a really strong password you can check out the GRC Random Password generator and copy off at least 8 characters from a string.  Be careful and write it down and keep it safe for if you loose this it is unlikely you’ll be able to crack it!

One free option for password management, that could be more appealing, if using multiple browsers or computers is the currently free service from .  It allows you to save passwords from multiple sites and set up automated form information that is stored encrypted on-line.  It is a good idea to also keep a copy on the computer in-case anything happens to this service and it is not accessible.  To do this, use the link above and also download the LastPass Pocket that will serve as a backup.   LastPass is available as an ADD-ON or Extension for the popular web browsers.   For Firefox click on Tools > Add-ons and Left-Click on Get Add-ons, TYPE IN LastPass to locate the add-on.  This will solve the vulnerability of Firefox as noted here;

Firefox does not encrypt Passwords you save unless you use a Master Password.  I found using the Master Password feature cumbersome and the LastPass describe above is more convenient.  In case you want to try using a Master Password:

1. Left-Click on Tools.
2. Left-Click on Options …
3. Left-Click on the Tab.
4. Place a check mark in Use a Master Password.
5. Enter a strong Password.

A recent free password tool is available via Sourceforge, and a description of the software is available via the author’s Password Safe Website.

The Computer Appliance and Maintenance Manual Book or ebook has instructions on how to create a strong password page I-31.  You can also find this information for free by downloading it excerpt from this page!

CD or DVD Encoder / Decoder

A CD or DVD uses a laser to read and write information onto the spinning disk.  This technology appears to be headed along the same path as vinyl records and in the meantime we need them to work!  The laser reads digital information and an Encoder / Decoder, the translator, is required so the computer can understand what it means so you can see the information.  A recent Malware (Virus) may have corrupted the software used for this purpose or the re-install of Microsoft™ Windows XP has left the computer without this crucial utility.  Fortunately, the fix is available without cost by using the Windows Media Player.  <- Download the software from this link.  Here are some pointers on installing this or any legitimate software:

1. Perform a complete scan of the computer to ensure it is clean of Malware (viruses).
2. It is good practice to always create a Restore Point prior to installing software or making computer changes.  In Windows™ XPthis if found via;START -> ALL PROGRAMS -> Accessories -> System Tools -> System Restore

   In Windows™ Vista and Windows™ 7, Left-Click on the Windows Symbol at the bottom left of the monitor and type in “System Protection“.

3. Be sure to use full administrative rights.  In Windows™ XP this is achieved either by being logged in on an Administrator Account or by a Right-Click on the file, choose “run as…” and entering the Username and Password of an Administrator account.
4. In Windows™ XP always Right-Click on the install file and choose “Run As..” even if using an Administrator Account and uncheck .
5. If the Program does not install properly you may need to temporarily disable any Anti-Malware and 3rd Party Firewall Programs that include program control features.
6. If you need to start over use the Restore Point created in step2 and begin again.

With the Windows Media Player or any other Encoding / Decoding Program installed a DVD will now play when it is placed into the DVD player.  If still having problems you may need to seek additional assistance.

Capture a Picture of My Computer Screen

This useful tip shows you how to capture an error message pop-up or the settings of a program or to capture something showing up on the computer screen as follows;

1. Press the Print Screen key, sometimes abbreviated as [Prnt Scrn], typically located somewhere in the upper right side of the keyboard.
2. Open the Windows Paint program;  for Vista™ & Windows 7™, Left-Click on the lower left Windows™ Icon  and type in Paint and it will appear in the list above.  For Windows XP™; Left-Click , Left-Click , Left-Click , Left-Click to start it.
3. Once the Windows Paint Program opens either; Left-Click on , Left-Click on or just Press & Hold the CTRL KEY followed by the V key and release both keys.  The Computer Screen Captured in Step 1 will appear, scroll to an area just off the image and Left-Click once to place the image.  The image can now be saved to a file.  You can also experiment by starting with step 1, skipping step 2 and pasting the image directly to an email message or any other program that accepts images.

[Troubleshoot: On laptops you may need to hold the Function [Fn Key] for the Print Screen key to work.]

And, by holding the [ALT] key before pressing the [Prnt Scrn] the computer will screen capture the active Window.  Some keyboards may have a special F Key to press first for this to work.  If the active windows is not Maximized to cover the whole computer screen you will notice a difference.

And these screen capture files, when using Paint or another program to save the image,  can be placed in an email attachment to send to a friend, to a computer support service, or used just like any other image file.  This tip will stop the stress of having to try and write it down worrying if it will disappear before you can!

What Microsoft Windows Computer should I buy?

The current Microsoft™ Operating Systems (OS) available on new computers is & with the later just released in October.  Both of these Operating Systems have an appealing look and feel.  Windows 7™ uses a fluid Task Bar with extra features when working with many open Windows and Programs.  Although there is the common recommendation to wait until the bugs are fixed I do not adhere to it in this case for several reasons.  Windows 7™ is a close cousin to Windows Vista™ so it should have a lot less issues.  It is more streamlined in its services and Microsoft has unpackaged it substantially.  On previous versions of Windows extras like Windows Messenger™, Outlook Express™, Netmeeting™ were all installed and ready to go.  With Windows 7™ they are not automatically installed being only a click away if you want to use them.  This means a more streamlined system with fewer startup Programs.  And, by the way, they are being renamed and bundled as part of the Windows Live™ package.   Both Windows Operating Systems are good choices and choosing at least one step up from the base Operating System Version is recommended if the budget allows as this will give enhanced features and capabilities.  This brings us to the next dimension for Operating Systems of whether to buy a 32 bit or 64 bit Operating System.

In a nutshell a 64 bit Operating System will operate faster as Programs that are specifically designed for them are released and this list is rapidly expanding.  A 64 bit computer architecture is quicker because instead of taking small 16 bit or 32 bit bytes (bites!) out of the apple, each computer cycle, will take a huge 64 bit bite!  Larger chunks of data get processed giving better performance.  [For techies read more HERE.] You are probably asking, “If I buy a 64 bit computer can I use my older software?”  The quick answer is if you keep your software current and upgrade every few years you will not have a problem.  Here are the details of what will work;

1. 16-Bit computers were used in the 1970′s and thus the Software for this period is 16 bit.  Any software written for 16-Bit computers will not run on a 64 bit machine.  Except, the Windows 7™ Pro Operating System that has a method to allow these programs to work.
2. 32-Bit computers were developed and in the market since the 1980′s until today.  Any true 32 bit program will run on a 64 bit computer.  It is highly likely that all the programs you are using if written in the late 1980′s to the present time are true 32 bit programs.  That being said, it is not a guarantee so be sure and check with the Company that wrote the software.  For example, Quicken™ users have recommended using only 2007 or later software for 64 bit computers.
3. 64-Bit computers for the Windows Market began in the late 2003′s and Software Developers are rushing to keep up since this Software market is rapidly expanding and will the the computer standard to match in the near future.

The rest of computer buying is all about performance, options and shopping around.  A computer running Windows Vista or 7 needs is recommended to have of 2 Gigabytes (GB) of RAM and 256 Megabytes (MB) of video RAM and the video card driver needs to support DirectX9.0 or higher.  A multi-processor design such a Dual Core or Quad is a nice performance enhancement.  The Windows Upgrade Advisor Tool is an excellent way to check both; if the current hardware can support the new Operating System and the compatibility of existing software.  If running graphic intensive software and working with lots of photos & videos a hard-drive with at least 500 GB or more of memory is a almost a requirement.  Or, another good option, is an external hard-drive to keep these multi-media files safe.  AND, a high-performance graphics card will allow these programs to run at maximum efficiency.  If choosing to use a large external memory device of 500 GB or more consider connection options beyond the USB type such as Firewire and ESATA communications to allow fast transfer speeds.  Where budgets are tight the USB drives are sufficient but may require more patience for large file transfers.

To get the best deal shop the on-line specials at computer stores and on-line computer sales web-sites.  Check out the computer manufacturer web-sites and consider a certified refurbished computer.  Price comparison web-sites are a good research tool to check both prices and features.  And, as always when using the Internet it is important to stay safe and the end of this article explains how to use the Mozilla Firefox™ Internet Browser with a safety Add-on.

Whoa, People, Don't Click that Link!

Here is the latest article published on EZINES about why it is best not to click on links in emails.

Autologin, Not Recommended but what if?

Auto-Login / Logon is a feature that can be used if you have several User Accounts [Section I-pg 28 of Book] on a computer.  And, you should since this will provide a backup User in-case a particular User Account becomes corrupted.  It is a convenience feature providing for a particular User Account that is used daily to automatically login when the computer is started.  Here is why Auto-login is not recommended:

1. Auto-login User Account becomes corrupted;  you will need to login to the alternate User Account and stopping the auto-logon process can be difficult.  For XP, hold the SHIFT key after seeing color on the screen during the boot-up process to stop the Auto-Logon.  In Vista, this option is likely not available and there is the problem.
2. Guests, Friends or Associates;  reality means sometimes we prefer not to have someone gaining access to our files or the potential of their actions enabling Malware to access the computer.  By requiring a Username and Password during the log-in this protects from this situation.  And, if extra security is needed, you can require a password each time the computer goes into Screen Saver Mode.  [Right-Click on the Desktop (pg I-20), Left-Click Properties, Left-Click the Screen Saver Tab, place a check mark in.]

To gain quick access to the Auto-Login settings you can:

In XP; Left-Click on , Left-Click on and type in Control Userpasswords2 (there is one space between the words) and place a check mark in if not already there to require a Username and Password during logon.

In Vista; Left-Click  and this box will appear, type in Control Userpasswords2 (there is one space between the words) and select the setting to require Username and Password.  Although, inconvenient most of the time, it will save the day when you need to access a different User Account for whatever reason.

Double Underlined Words; Helpful or Annoying?

If you see on this web-site or other web-sites what appear to be randomly underlined or double-underlined words that work more like Ads than content related to the article there is a reason.  Most likely you are using Internet Explorer with an extra tool bar or an Add-On.  What happens are keywords in the current web-site are identified and linked to different advertisers and the Add-On tool tries to link the two.  If you find this annoying you can track down what is doing this in Internet Explorer as follows:

1. Left-Click on Tools, Left-Click on Manage Add-Ons.
2. In the window that appears the source is likely be a Toolbar or Extension.  Look for Add-Ons not related to the Security Software you use.  And you should be able to ignore items listed by Adobe or Java.
3. After identifying the likely source, Left-Click on it to highlight and Left-Click on the Disable Button.  You may have to restart Internet Explorer for the change to take effect.
4. Go back to the web-site and see if the double-underlines have dissappeared.  Do not worry about disabling Add-On’s but if they are not the source you can enable them by following step 3.   The add-ons that you will notice if left disabled are Shockwave, Flash, or Java since these are used to create the animation effects seen at different web-sites.  There is a good chance that disabling some of these Add-ons will allow the Internet Browser to work faster.  A word of caution; disabling a Phishing or Web-Site protection add-on that the Security Software you use may have added is not recommended.

On a final note the single underlined links are normally legitimate to the article so these will not dissappear even though the double-underlined links are disabled.

[If Double-Underlines are still seen at other web-sites, especially if using Mozilla Firefox or Google Chrome Internet Browsers, this indicates the web-site itself is using AD software to create these links.  But you can still check via a Left-Click on Tools & Left-Click Add-ons for these Internet Browsers.]

Old Java is Not Good for Computer Security

All Software needs to be up-to-date to maintain security.  This rule applies with exclamation points to Java Software, created by Sun Microsystems, that is a popular language used by web-site designers and software developers.  As versions are released the earlier versions are not always automatically removed.  This is to be avoided to eliminate a potential security hole that hackers might exploit.

Revo Uninstaller,  CNET link, is the free program of choice recommended for removing programs because it creates a restore point on the computer in case there are problems.  Download and install to the computer.  If some of these terms and procedures are new for you please check out the information available through the main web-site located via the About Page.  For a Windows XP computer with a Limited User account you can use the “Run as …” command as explained in the Book and also in this Ezine Article.

These are the steps to follow;

1. Download the Java Software, Sun’s Java, to the desktop or any location you select but do not install.
2. Start the Revo Uninstaller program and wait for the listing of programs installed on the computer to finish.
3. Look for entries starting with Java or J2SE.
4. Right-click on one of these, select the uninstall option, confirm it if asked, and select the advanced mode to start the 4 part operation.a & b. The restore point will be created and a analysis will be completed.

   c. Once the default utility starts, navigate the series of questions via the “next” buttons, select the “Remove” option when asked and the “finish” button at the end.

   d.  The “next” button will be gray until each scan completes so click it when it activates.  Once the registry scan is performed, at the following screen, choose “Select All”, “Delete” and “Yes”.

5. Repeat this process for each Java listing.

Once all earlier versions are removed make sure all software and especially any Internet Browsers are closed before proceeding.   Install the latest version downloaded in step 1 above and restart the computer when done.  That’s it!  If this was helpful to you please pass this on.

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