Archive for February, 2009

The first one had me stumped for a while because I was thinking it was a driver or a recent windows update that was causing the problem. So to get it going again, I got the customer to boot up in Safe Mode and use the windows “System Restore” feature to return the Registry to an earlier time when all was good. This did the trick, but within a couple of weeks, the same thing happened again. This time I got the customer to bring the computer into the office for me to take a closer look.

I began by disabling things that were starting at boot up, and it just so happened that the first thing I chose was AVG antivirus. Low and behold, once it was disabled the system booted up without any trouble. Now I was confused. Why had it taken a couple of weeks for the problem to return? AVG regularly updates itself so the problem should have returned within a day or two. The reason was that the customer rarely used the PC and AVG hadn’t had time to update itself again. As a quick fix I installed PC Tools Free Antivirus in AVG’s place.

On the very same day I had a call from another customer with an Acer computer with exactly the same problem. So I got them to boot up in Safe Mode and uninstall AVG and download and install PC Tools Antivirus.

Then just this morning I had a third Acer PC land in the office, but this time the symptom was that it would boot to the desktop, but no icons would appear. Once again AVG was the culprit.

I have since contacted AVG, and it turns out the problem is a piece of Acer software called eLock. Apparently an updated version is available from Acer. Wouldn’t it be nice if they shipped their computers with the updated software? Nahhhhhhhhh that would be too easy.

Now I ask you, who would want to work fixing computers? !!!!!!!!!!!

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Global Financial Crisis – GFC

Money, that’s what I’ve got!..

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Epitiro’s analysis claims that Australians receive on average 65.5% of advertised package speeds when downloading data from national sources. ADSL2+ packages achieved an average 53.7% of advertised package speed; downloads from international servers are considerably worse (14.5% on average). Downloading data from locations outside Australia is also said to be much slower than in most other countries. Telstra topped the ratings, whilst Optus slid right down the scale, something Optus customers don’t need to be told. I have said it before and I will say it again, you might not like Telstra, but you can’t deny the quality of their product.

Here’s how Epitiro placed the ISPs (with previous quarter rankings in brackets):

1. Telstra (1)

2. TPG (3)

3. iiNet (2)

4. Netspace (4)

5. AAPT (7)

6. Internode (8)

7. Westnet (6)

8. Optus (5)

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Speaking at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Telstra CEO Sol Trujillo announced that Telstra will increase the speed of its Next G network from 14.4 Megabits per second to 21Mbps on February 23, and to a staggering 42Mbps by years end. At 21Mbps, it is already the fastest network in the world and as such has been entered into the Guinness Book Of Records. That’s roughly four times faster than anything currently available from other telcos. It appears that this commitment will also cover the HSPA (High Speed Packet Access) evolution outlined by Ericsson on 13th Feb, which could push future peak speeds to an amazing 168Mbps.

Business customers will be among the first in Australia to access Telstra’s upgraded Next G service when it goes on sale next week. Telstra business customers will be able to sign up to the 21Mbps Next G service from February 23, but consumers will have to wait until April. The improved service will launch nationally with Mr Trujillo saying, “We won’t be going city by city or base station by base station, it will go nationwide”.

Mr Trujillo said consumers could expect to download a 2MB video in about 6 seconds with the speed upgrade. Although the network is capable of peak speeds of 21Mbps, a lack of compatible devices will make it difficult to achieve these speeds. The upgrade will only be available to users of mobile data devices, but Telstra is expecting 21Mbps compatible PDA’s and handsets to be available at the end of the year.

Telstra has steadily increased the speeds of its Next G network since launching in 2006 with a theoretical peak speed of 3.6Mbps initially, then to 7.2Mbps in 2007 and 14.4Mbps early last year. Telstra now says the network will deliver speeds up to 42Mbps to 99 per cent of the population by the end of 2009. Real world speeds vary depending on location and how many users are on the network at any one time.

Now all we need is for Telstra to drop the pricing to a level that is affordable!!!!

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How cool is this?

Microsoft’s new touch screen technology in the form of a coffee table.  Will eventually be used for self service kiosks etc.

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The “test” group of ISP’s are Primus, Tech 2U, Webshield, OMNIconnect, Netforce and Highway 1.

Consultations are continuing with a number of other ISP’s that have applied to take part.

Apart from Primus, most internet users would not be familiar with the other ISP’s due to their small size.

According to Senator Conroy (the Minister for censorship), consultations are continuing with a number of other ISP’s that have applied to take part. They include iiNet, Internode, Optus and others, some of whom have voiced concerns that the filtering tests will be watered-down and won’t represent real world conditions.

Telstra, Australia’s largest ISP, refused to participate in the trial, calling mandatory Internet filtering an attempt to “boil the ocean”.

The pilot will involve two filtering techniques – a simple filter of the Australian Communications & Media Authority (ACMA) blacklist, and a more invasive content filtering solution.

Addendum – 15 Feb 09

Primus, one of the ISP’s involved in the Government’s mandatory filtering system trials, has compared the new filtering process to China’s harsh censorship laws.

Primus ” the largest ISP to take part in the trials” also says any filtering systems shouldn’t be mandatory.

Andrew Sims, the Manager for Marketing and Products has stated that, “customers should have a choice as to whether their internet connections are filtered”. “We’ve got instances of that around the world, particularly in China where the Government forces filtering upon their population,” he said. “My professional opinion is I don’t really believe that forced filtering is a good option”. “If a family chooses not to have their children exposed to some of the nasty stuff on the internet, that’s an option. But forcing everyone to do it, I don’t believe it’s a good idea”.

Sims also said that Primus customers will be given notification of the trials, and they have the ability to opt-out. “Customers who feel that it’s an invasion of privacy or who don’t wish to participate for whatever reason won’t have to”.

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It amazes me how many people think that just because they have antivirus and/or antispyware software, they are somehow invincibly protected and can do what they like on the internet with impunity.

The fact is that literally thousands of new viruses/spyware/malware are being released every week, and whilst antivirus and antispyware software can detect virus like activity, they cannot possibly know about all the different infections and variants. They are really only as good as the database of known bugs.

So, if you like going to porn sites, crack/cheat/pirated software sites, installing free screensavers willy nilly, surfing for gimmicky add-ons and smiley faces for email and MSN, using peer-2-peer programs like Limewire, then I can almost guarantee it will end in tears.

Having said all that, you MUST have antivirus and antispyware software installed on your computer. I am no fan of Internet Security Suites because invariably they use a lot of system resources and can cause more problems than they prevent. Particularly their firewalls. Usually you will get asked, “do you want to block this thing or allow it?” And you would know the answer to that question how?

I recommend you use AVG Free. It is as good as any other antivirus program and now incorporates a little bit of antispyware as well. You can download it from http://free.avg.com/

For a more detailed look at what Viruses and Spyware are and the do’s and don’ts, download my virus and spyware notes. Remember Prevention is better than cure. Once you are infected the bugs can be very difficult to remove.

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Just who do you people think you are?
How dare you presume to know what is best for me, my family, my friends or anyone for that matter.
I have had it up to the back teeth with governments at all levels dictating what I should or shouldn’t do, and more importantly what I should think!!!
It has taken longer than he thought, but George Orwell must be laughing in his grave.
I am of course referring to Internet Content Filtering.
So you are going to filter the Internet for illegal and inappropriate content?
Then tell me this, just who is it that is going to determine what is illegal or inappropriate?
Some idiot public servant with a dart board?
The premise of our legal system is innocent until proven guilty. Is the under manned police force to be employed to undertake this task?
How can something be deemed illegal without it being tested in the courts first?
But of course you will probably just put everything under the umbrella of “inappropriate”.
Last time I checked we still lived in a democracy, but it seems I am sadly mistaken.
You just have to look at how the FOI laws are abused by government.
Anytime something that is embarrassing to the government is requested it is refused on the premise that it is a security issue.
We all know our civil liberties are constantly being eroded, and this is another nail in that coffin.
So it wouldn’t surprise me in the slightest if this plan to filter content was misused and abused to benefit the politicians and public servants of the day.
Used to filter political, religious, ideological, and any alternative points of view that are contrary to the regulator.
This is the sort of thing that we condemn other governments for doing. Think back to the Beijing Olympics. Remember the outcry about internet censorship there? What is the difference? It is a government deciding what information we can and can’t have access to.
The government crows about how they are going to improve broadband in this country with their “National Broadband Plan”.
Lamenting about how vital it is to business and our economy that we have a fast Internet network.
So what is your government planning to do? Hamstring the poor service we already have now, and in the future, with a futile attempt to satisfy your own moral dilemmas by imposing a dictatorial system to what we can access on the internet.
By imposing compulsory filtering you will increase the cost to each and every individual and business using the internet, and worst of all reduce the performance of an already sub-standard service!!!!
This is just a lose, lose situation.
If people are worried about what their kids see or do on the internet, then the answer is simple. SUPERVISE YOUR CHILDREN!!!!!!
As far as adults are concerned, we are old enough to look out for ourselves. We don’t need or want the government to do it for us.
I cannot even begin to express my dissatisfaction with the ever increasing government control over every aspect of my life.
I may as well live in cold war Russia or current day China.
I am sure I do not stand alone with these points of view, but I had to make them before they were filtered!!!!!
Seriously you need to stop Kowtowing to the Independent members of parliament and open your eyes and see this for what it is, a blatant attempt to impose someone else’s moral standards over everyone.

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Over the years I have used many programs.  During that time, they have served me well so I thought I would share them with you.

In no particular order, here they are:

1. AVG Free Antivirus – A free antivirus and antispyware security software program for Windows 7, Vista and Windows XP.  Download it here.
2. Advanced System Care – Formerly Advanced WindowsCare Personal, it has a “one-click” approach to help protect, repair, clean, and optimize your PC. This free PC repair software is a “must-have” tool for your computer.  Download it here.
3. SyncBack – A freeware program that helps you easily backup and synchronize your files to, the same drive, a different drive or medium (CDRW, Compact Flash, etc), an FTP server, a Network, or a Zip archive.  Download it here.
4. Malwarebytes – A free tool that can identify and remove malicious software from your computer.  Download it here.
5. Paint.NET – Image and photo editing software.  Similar to Photoshop but free! Download it here.
6. Hamachi – A VPN service that is easily set up, and enables secure remote access to your network from anywhere there is an Internet connection.  Download it here.
7. FileZilla – A fast and reliable cross-platform FTP, FTPS and SFTP client with lots of useful features and an intuitive graphical user interface.  Download it here.
8. OpenOfficeOrg – Leading open-source office software suite for word processing, spreadsheets, presentations, graphics, databases.  Download it here.
9. CutePDF – The free version of commercial PDF creation software. CutePDF Writer installs itself as a “printer subsystem”. This enables virtually any Windows application (must be able to print) to create professional quality PDF documents with just a push of a button.   Download it here.
10. Audacity – A free, easy-to-use audio editor and recorder. Download it here.

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