In this Premium
Edition:
0. EDITORIAL: Security Product Review, Part 3 -
Sandboxes
1. TOP TECH SITES AND RESOURCES
1.1 Ultimate List of Free Windows Software from Microsoft
1.2 Windows XP SP2 is Now a Must
1.3 Useful Windows Run Command Cheat Sheet
1.4 Outstanding Security Testing Site
1.5 Free Wake up Calls
1.6 Overcoming Windows Verification Woes
1.7 One Dictionary to Rule Them All (SE Edition)
1.8 Select the Right Colors for Your Web Site (SE Edition)
1.9 Outlook Passwords Explained (SE Edition)
1.10 The Best Value Gaming PCs (SE Edition)
2. TOP FREEWARE AND SHAREWARE UTILITIES
2.1 The Best Free Project Manager
2.2 Best Free Screen Capture Utility
2.3 Free Text to Speech Utility
2.4 Firefox Extension Provides Enhanced Search
2.5 Top Free Process Viewer Enhanced
2.6 Free Personal Information Manager (SE Edition)
2.7 The Best Free Software Cataloging Utility (SE Edition)
2.8 Excellent Free Font Manager (SE Edition)
2.9 New Free Firewall Impresses (SE Edition)
3. SECURITY PATCHES, SERVICE RELEASES AND UPDATES
3.1 Microsoft Security News
3.2 Computer Users Rebel Against Security Software
3.3 PCs Compromised by Unpatched Word 2000 Flaw
3.4 New Rootkit Detector
3.5 SpySweeper's New Version Bugs Fixed
3.6 Premium Version of Open Office 2 Released
3.7 German Police Seize Tor Servers
3.8 New Spam Onslaught Challenges Spam Filters
4. OTHER USEFUL STUFF
4.1 Really Cheap Software
4.2 Free Library Offers Process Information
4.3 How to Make Sure a Game Will Work on Your PC
4.4 Create Your Own Personal 3D Avatar
4.5 Useless Waste of Time Department
4.6 Lots of Commercial Software for Free (SE Edition)
4.7 How to Make Your Windows Desktop Look Like a Mac (SE)
4.8 A New Art Form That Will Surprise You (SE Edition)
4.9 How to Use Wi-Fi Hot Spots Securely (SE Edition)
5. TIP OF THE MONTH
5.1 How to Hide a Windows Folder
6. FREEBIE OF THE MONTH
6.1 Free Network Inventory Management Tool
6.2 The Best Virtual PC for Free (SE Edition)
7. MANAGING YOUR SUBSCRIPTION
0.0 EDITORIAL
his month I'd like to show
you my test results for sandbox programs. Of the eight programs I tested, four
provided excellent protection against malware while the other four flopped
badly. Only one program of the eight passed all the tests with flying colors.
Sandbox
programs are security products that allow you to run
programs in a kind of virtual PC or sandbox created on your real
PC.
The
aim is clear: to isolate malicious programs from infecting
your real PC by confining them to the sandbox.
The
most common application for sandboxing is web browsing. By
running your browser in a sandboxed environment your real PC
cannot get infected by malicious sites and infected downloads.
Well
that's the promise; as we shall see, only half the sandbox
programs tested delivered on this promise.
I
managed to locate eight sandbox programs. Actually I found
quite a few more that used sandbox techniques but these really
belonged to other product classes such as HIPS programs or
system lockdown products. I also excluded VMWare, Virtual PC and
Linux based solutions as they have been well covered in previous
issues of this newsletter.
To
evaluate the eight sandboxes I used a series of seven
different tests based on my own standard tests with additional
tests from http://kareldjag.over-blog.com/.
The
first was the most important: could the sandbox protect the
"real PC" from infection when browsing to a hostile "drive-by
download" web site?
Four
products passed this test with flying colors. They were:
SandBoxie
GreenBorder
BufferZone
ShadowSurfer
The
four products that flunked the "drive-by download" test were:
Altiris
SVS
GeSWall
VELite
Virtual Sandbox
As
these last four products failed the most important test, I
didn't evaluate them further.
The
next test was to try to terminate the sandbox using a
program running within the sandbox. A sandbox really needs to
pass this test otherwise its protection may be rendered useless
by aggressive malware running in the sandbox.
All
four programs did well and resisted most of the different
termination methods I tried. SandBoxie failed one test which
involved rebuilding the Service Descriptor Table (SDT) and then
termination with Diamond Computer System's Advanced Program
Termination utility. This is an obscure attack and I've
communicated with the developer of SandBoxie so that he can
cover this small hole in its otherwise excellent defenses. A
fix is on the way.
In
fact, the four top products passed most of my tests - an
impressive performance. However, only one managed to pass all
seven.
That
product was GreenBorder and based on that performance I'd
have to rate it at the top of the pack. It was also one of the
best implemented products.
It
was also the most expensive. Now that really surprises you
doesn't it? :>)
Sandboxie
is the cheapest product of the four; it's free. More
accurately it's donationware. However it provides great
protection and hopefully the developer will soon fix its one
small weakness.
In
truth, all four products are excellent and get my hearty
endorsement. They will provide robust protection for your PC
against the most hostile malware.
Do
you really need one of these products? It depends on your
risk level.
If
you are a low risk user who only rarely installs programs,
doesn't use P2P networks and only browses to well known web
sites then you don't need a sandboxing program. You can instead
rely on your normal anti-virus, anti-spyware and firewall
software to protect you.
However
if you are a higher risk user then a sandbox program
will provide you with the level of protection you really need.
There
is another caveat. I know from subscriber letters that
these sandbox programs can cause problems on some PCs.
In
fact, if you have one of these troublesome PCs, none of these
products may work. These cases however should be in the
minority; most folks won't have any problem at all. Certainly I
haven't. But remember to backup before installing any of these
programs
In
this brief editorial I've only covered the main findings of
my tests. For a full analysis and more detailed product guidance
check out the full report on the Support Alert web site.
http://www.techsupportalert.com/security_virtualization.htm
See you next month.
Gizmo
supporters@techsupportalert.com
1.0 TOP TECH SITES AND RESOURCES
1.1 Ultimate List of Free Windows Software from
Microsoft
Over
150 freebies including many I'd never heard of. Many thanks to Art Flores for the link.
http://bhandler.spaces.live.com/blog/cns!70F64BC910C9F7F3!1231.entry
1.2 Windows XP SP2 is Now a Must
Windows
XP service pack 2 has been released for a long time yet many users have never installed
it. In some cases this is simple ignorance but quite often it's because of the problems it
causes when installed. The case for installing SP2 is overwhelming on security grounds
alone. Now you have another reason: Microsoft support for Windows XP SP1 ends on October
11. If you have had problems with installing XP2 then sort them out by consulting this
site [1] or Microsoft's special SP2 support site [2].
[1] http://winhlp.com/WxSP2.htm
[2] http://support.microsoft.com/?pr=windowsxpsp2
1.3 Useful Windows Run Command Cheat Sheet
Most
Windows functions that can be carried out through the normal GUI interface can also be
accessed via the command line interface. In fact, some functions can ONLY be accessed
through the command line. This site lists 99 command line programs covering both
categories.
http://www.fixmyxp.com/content/view/20/42/
1.4 Outstanding Security Testing Site
I've
long been a critic of the way most security tests are conducted. If you want to see how
you should test security products then check out this site [1]. Quite frankly, no one does
it better. Their reviews of HIPS products is particular, is definitive.
[1]
http://kareldjag.over-blog.com/
1.5 Free Wake up Calls
Subscriber
Adeniji Akintobi writes, "Gizmo, I wanted to bring a website to your attention. It's
similar to the "Oh Don't Forget" website you recommended in a previous issue except you
get phone calls instead of text messages. You can order wake up calls or reminder calls
for free." Thanks for that Adeniji, nice site. I note, though, the service is only for the
continental USA.
http://www.telepixie.com
1.6 Overcoming Windows Verification Woes
Shy
subscriber "Joe" writes, "Gizmo, Why bother with Windows authentication hassles when you
can get all the Windows updates from this site [1]?" Quite so Joe and they even offer a
browser plug-in to automate the process. Subscriber Al O'Lamoree has another solution:
install the automatic patching program NetChk Protect [2] that's currently available to
personal users free for 12 months. The later solution has the advantage that it will
update all the software on your PC not just Microsoft. However you do need to be
tech-savvy to use it.
[1] http://windowsupdate.62nds.com/
[2] http://www.shavlik.com/netchk-protect.aspx
**
Additional Items in this Premium SE Edition **
1.7 One Dictionary to Rule Them All
This
site allows you to search 931 online dictionaries from a single search box. It sounds like
a complication but it's not; it actually simplifies the task of finding the meaning of
words. Even neater is the reverse dictionary; it's the smartest one I've ever come across.
Thanks to Mikel for this suggestion.
http://www.onelook.com/
1.8 Select the Right Colors for Your Web Site
Regular
contributor Andreas Büsing writes, "Gizmo, this web service will help you select a
matching 9 color palette for your website. Define a single color that you like. Matching
colors will then be calculated. Click a color in the palette to promote it to the primary
color." Nice find, Andreas. It makes an excellent companion to CPick [2], my favorite free
color picker.
[1] http://hlrnet.com/colormatch/index.php
[2]
http://home.hccnet.nl/s.j.francke/software/software.htm
1.10 Outlook Passwords Explained
An
excellent technical analysis covering how passwords are created and stored in the various
versions of Outlook. Warning: High Geek factor.
http://www.passcape.com/html/outlook_passwords.html
1.9
The Best Value Gaming PCs
Here's some useful advice [1] for those thinking of building their own high performance
gaming PC on a budget. The "budget" here was $1000 but over at Extreme Tech [2] it was
only $800.
[1]
http://www.sharkyextreme.com/guides/MVGSBG/article.php/3607756
[2]
http://www.extremetech.com/article2/0,1697,1822641,00.asp
Got some top sites to suggest? Send them to
supporters@techsupportalert.com
2.0 TOP FREEWARE AND SHAREWARE UTILITIES
2.1 The Best Free Project Manager
Open
Workbench is a free Open Source project manager that is so feature rich and so powerful
that it should at least be considered before any decision is made to purchase a commercial
project management package. It's a product that takes time to get your head around. If you
have been using Microsoft Project or other task based manager you'll have to re-orient
your thinking because Open Workbench is resource-driven not task-driven. "An Open
Workbench plan is built up from estimates for the tasks of work. Estimates are tied to the
resource assigned to the tasks. Duration is then driven by the number of hours each
resource will work per week to cover the total number of hours required for the tasks.
Open Workbench is best suited for groups that estimate total work effort based on the
estimates for all the tasks associated with a project, and then create a staffing plan and
schedule for those estimates." Once you come to terms with this, you will still have to
grapple with learning how to use this powerful product. Here is a partial feature list:
- Define projects and create associated work breakdown
structures with activities, phases, tasks and milestones
- Create dependencies as finish-start, start-start, finish-
finish or start-finish
- Create subprojects and link them to master projects
- Create and manage inter-project dependencies
- Manage advanced task properties such as fixed duration,
dependency lag, imposed start/end dates and charge codes
- Schedule tasks manually or automatically using Auto Schedule
- Automatically schedule tasks forwards or backwards
- Schedule across linked master and subprojects
- Schedule to general or individualized calendars
- Define resources as people, equipment, materials or expense
- Assign resources to tasks
- Configure resources on tasks with uniform, fixed, contour,
front or back loading
- Track status, percent complete and estimates to complete
- View Gantt charts (both detail and roll-up), PERT charts and
the critical path
- Conduct earned value analysis
- Define, compare and reset project baseline setting
- Can read Microsoft Project files
Open
Workbench is the real thing, not some amateurish, half baked effort. Like Microsoft
Project, it is best suited to large scale projects that can justify the considerable time
it takes to learn the product. Those with smaller projects may want to consider some of
the simpler (and less powerful) alternatives such as GanttPV [2] or ToDoList [3]. Freeware
(registration required), Windows 2000 and later, 9.03MB.
[1] http://www.openworkbench.org/index.php
[2] http://www.pureviolet.net/ganttpv/index.html
[3] http://www.codeproject.com/tools/todolist2.asp
2.2 Best Free Screen Capture Utility
My
top suggestions in this category have long been PrintScreen [1] and ScreenHunter Lite [2].
The former has the advantage of simplicity while the later has more features. These are
both quality freebies that will meet the needs of most people so I haven't really been
looking for alternatives. However, after some glowing recommendations from subscribers
about FastStone's Screen Capture [3] I decided to check this program out. In a word, it's
outstanding. It's small, doesn't require installation and has more features than you could
ever want including the ability to capture scrolling screen shots across more than one
screen page. It can also save in BMP, JPEG, JPEG2000, PNG, GIF, TIFF and TGA formats. In
many ways it's like the full commercial version of ScreenHunter except that it's free for
personal use. This one goes straight into my "46 Best-ever Freeware" list. While at the
site check out FastStone's Image Viewer [4]. I think it's the best freebie in its class.
Its speed is simply sensational; reminiscent of the old ACDSee before it suffered feature
bloat.
[1] http://www.gadwin.com/printscreen/?prnscr
[2]
http://www.wisdom-soft.com/products/screenhunter.htm
[3] http://www.faststone.org/FSCaptureDetail.htm Free for personal use, all Windows versions, 1.2MB
[4] http://www.faststone.org/FSViewerDetail.htm Free for personal use, all Windows versions, 2.9MB
2.3 Free Text to Speech Utility
Recently
subscriber Jim Powell wrote in to tell me about Dimio's Tool's [1] web site offering a
collection of free utilities. When I checked it out I found they were offering a free
remote shutdown program, a task manager, folder sync utility and more. But what really
caught my eye was DSpeech, a free text to speech and voice recognition program. Unlike
other similar utilities DSpeech is small (600KB) and doesn't need to be installed. This
makes it ideal for folks who only have an occasional need for text to speech conversion.
To use the program you cut and past text into the conversion window and press the "Speak"
button. Speech quality is totally dependant on the voices you use. The best voices are
commercial products but the site lists some free voices that give quite acceptable
quality. Freeware, Windows NT and later, 600KB.
http://dimio.altervista.org/eng/
2.4 Firefox Extension Provides Enhanced Search
Now,
how can you go past an extension called "Advanced Dork?" Well, I couldn't and as a result
discovered an excellent free tool that performs various advanced Google searches when you
right click on any highlighted word or phrase on a web page. The search options include
maps, definitions, links, Froogle and a dozen or so more. You can even select which
options are displayed in the right click context menu. I use it a lot for finding the
meaning of new technical terms as well as locating maps of places unfamiliar to me.
https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/2144/
2.5 Top Free Process Viewer Enhanced
I
have several process viewers scattered across my various PCs but the one I find myself using most often is "What's Running" [1]. It's not the most powerful; SysInternal's excellent Process Explorer [2] takes that title. It's not the most informative; WinTasks [3] wins there. It's also slow to load. So why do I use it? Easy: it gives me the information I want in the way I want it. That's because "What's Running" is more than a process viewer, it's an excellent startup manager and port enumerator as well. That means I can just flick between the various tabs to get the full lowdown on what's running on my PC without leaving the product. The latest version 2.2 adds even more functionality to an already powerful product and also offers usability enhancements. The new feature I liked most was the ability to jump from an autostart entry to the running processes created by that entry. Try it, you may like it. Free for personal use, Windows 2000 and later, 1.1MB
[1]
http://www.sysinternals.com/Utilities/ProcessExplorer.html
[2] http://www.liutilities.com/products/wintaskspro/
[3] http://www.whatsrunning.net/whatsrunning/main.aspx
**
Additional Items in this Premium SE Edition **
2.6 Free Personal Information Manager
Subscriber
Vincent Mont has written to tell me of his experience using the PalmOne Desktop program on
a Windows machine as a stand-alone PIM. The program is designed specifically for use with
Palm devices but according to Vincent it works perfectly well all by itself. It's an
interesting idea so I downloaded a copy to find out for myself. Vincent is quite correct;
it's an excellent full function PIM. If you think Microsoft Outlook without the email
client you'll get the general idea. I only did a quick check-out rather than a full review
but what I saw seemed pretty solid. Naturally a few things such as "Synchronize" don't
work without an attached Palm device but most functions work just fine. I also checked
the licensing agreement and while it's a little ambiguous I suspect its OK for personal
use. Indeed, I can't see Palm objecting as it may well encourage you to buy one of their
hand-helds. ;>) Free for personal use, Windows NT SP6 or later plus Mac OS X, 42MB.
http://www.palm.com/us/software/desktop/
2.7 The Best Free Software Cataloging Utility
If
you like testing out different programs on your PC you'll probably find a software
cataloging program useful. These products will not only inventory what you have currently
installed but also document the different programs you've tried in the past or have moved
to CD storage. There are a lot of these inventory programs around but one of the best is
SoftCat [1], a shareware program from the FNPRG.com. My thanks to subscriber Tom Mighill
who wrote in to tell me about the last freeware version of SoftCat which is still
available from this site [2]. This version hasn't got as many features as the latest
commercial version but will still meet the need of most users. Freeware, Windows 98 and
later, 2.0MB
[1] http://www.fnprg.com/softcatplus/index.html
[2] http://pricelessware.org/thelist/org.htm
2.8 Excellent Free Font Manager
Regular
contributor Rhiannon Dent recently wrote to tell me about his favorite font manager called
"The Font Thing." Now, I have to 'fess up that the only fonts on my PCs are those that
come with Windows so I don't pretend to have the expertise to assess font management
products. What I can say is Rhiannon's other recommendations have generally been
impeccable so if you are into fonts you should check it out. Freeware, all Windows
versions, 483KB.
http://members.ozemail.com.au/~scef/tft.html
2.9 New Free Firewall Impresses
A
number of readers have asked me what I think of the new Ashampoo firewall. To be frank, I
haven't had time to look it at it, however I will be doing a complete survey of firewalls
later this year and Ashampoo will be included. If you can't wait you will find this brief
review submitted by subscriber Roelof Schuiling of interest:
"Ashampoo
Firewall is a free firewall application that has just been released. It seems to be truly
freeware; there are no restrictions for commercial use. That's unique. Its biggest
advantage is a very nice and clean user interface, where all of the different options are
well explained. Its Learning mode is similar to that of competing products.
"There
is a choice between Easy and Expert mode. In Easy mode, only the internet connection is
being monitored, no internal LAN's. Also, you can only allow or disallow full access to
applications in your rules and no individual ports. For experts, there is an option to
monitor internal traffic. For example, when the mail client attempts to launch a browser
window. It's a good thing this is an optional feature because it causes many confusing
popups in Learning mode. A pro: there is a setting which allows you to see the full path
of the application. This allows you to better decide whether to accept or refuse a
connection. Another handy feature worth mentioning is the Configuration Assistant. It
scans the system for known programs and suggests which ports to open. Nice! This saves you
the trouble of teaching the firewall which ports to open for these applications. On my
system, only settings for Firefox, Thunderbird and Skype were recommended though. The
program consumes 19 Megs of RAM, which is pretty resource friendly.
"I
heartily recommend this program for its firewall function. I have tested many free
firewall applications and rejected most of them because they are too inconvenient for the
common user. With all those popups, which ones should you block or allow? Ashampoo
Firewall simplifies the choices, and adapts to the user's skill level in an efficient
way."
Note:
After receiving Roelof's review I asked if he had tested it for leakage over at
www.firewallleaktester.com. I also queried whether the running firewall process could be easily terminated. Here's his response: "My
general impression is that Ashampoo is blocking all things I threw at it, but it sometimes
freezes up while doing this instead of showing some message. For example, one test (AWVF
test 1) instantly rebooted my computer (not good) but after reboot Ashampoo immediately
showed it had intercepted the penetration attempt (a good thing). "For
your second question: the Ashampoo Firewall CAN easily be terminated from the Windows Task
Manager. (A bad thing)"
Freeware,
Windows 2000 and later, 3.74 MB.
http://www.ashampoo.com
Got some favorite utilities to suggest? Send them to
supporters@techsupportalert.com
3.0 SECURITY PATCHES, SERVICE RELEASES AND UPDATES
3.1 Microsoft Security News
Patch Tuesday on September 12 yielded only three patches,
one of the smallest for months. Of the three patches only one, a vulnerability
in Microsoft Publisher [1], was rated as "Critical."
Also included was a re-release of a massive Internet
Explorer cumulative update. This re-release patches a vulnerability missed last
time around and ends a public row between Microsoft and the security company
eEye who first published details of the overlooked flaw.
Full details of the updates
can be found here [2]. All
the updates are distributed automatically by the Microsoft
Update Service. It is extremely important that users who do not
have automatic updates enabled visit the Update Service [3] now.
[1]
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/Bulletin/MS06-054.mspx
[2]
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/bulletin/ms06-sep.mspx
[3] http://update.microsoft.com (Requires IE5 or later)
3.2 Computer Users Rebel against Security Software
Sick
and tired of all this computer security stuff that's being thrust down your neck? Then
you'll find this delightful piece submitted by subscriber "Briard" highly satisfying. I
don't agree with all Briard says but I do understand how he feels.
http://www.techsupportalert.com/security-blues.htm
3.3 PCs Compromised by Unpatched Word 2000 Flaw
Microsoft
on September 5 finally confirmed a problem that had been previously identified by security
companies that allowed users PCs to be compromised simply by opening a specially crafted
document in Word 2000. All Word 2000 users should avoid opening any Word document from
untrusted sources until a patch is released.
http://www.frsirt.com/english/advisories/2006/3448
3.4 New Rootkit Detector
How
many free rootkit detectors do we really need? Well, apparently Sophos thinks at least one
more. I had a quick look and its new offering [1] and found it simple to use and fast to
scan and it also offers to clean any rootkits detected. But does it actually detect
rootkits? I did a quick test against some rootkits that I had on hand and it found Hacker
Defender but missed FuTo, a special version of Vanquish and Rootkit11. Well, at least it
scanned fast. ;>) At this stage, I suggest most average users would be best off with
F-Secures's BlackLight scanner [2] while advanced users should use DarkSpy [3] and/or the
GMER scanner [4].
[1]
http://www.sophos.com/products/free-tools/sophos-anti-rootkit.html
[2] http://www.f-secure.com/blacklight/
[3]
http://www.softpedia.com/get/Antivirus/DarkSpy-Anti-Rootkit.shtml
[4] http://www.gmer.net/
3.5 SpySweeper's New Version Bugs Fixed
Last
issue I complained about a bug in the new version 5 of WebRoot's excellent SpySweeper
program that was eating up a lot of processing power on my PC. The good news is that the
latest release appears to have fixed the problem. The bad news is the "fix" appears to
consist of disabling the keylogger scanner that was one of the new features of version 5.
Well, at least it works now.
http://www.webroot.com
3.6 Premium Version of Open Office 2 Released
This
"premium version" is really the same as Open Office V2 with the addition of:
* Clip Art (currently more than 2,800 objects)
* Templates (number varies by language)
* Samples (number varies by language)
* Documentation (if available)
* Fonts (more than 90 fonts)
It all adds up to a massive download of around 200MB.
http://sourceforge.net/forum/forum.php?forum_id=605082
3.7 German Police Seize Tor Servers
Tor
is a free anonymizing service that's widely used by privacy-conscious surfers. On 7
September the security of their privacy took a severe nose-dive when German police seized
a number of Tor servers in that country as part a campaign to crack down on "men who have
an strange interest in young children." Note my spam filter inspired sensitivity there.
;>) Folks, this incident is a just another example of what I have long told you: there
is no such thing as absolute privacy on the internet. That doesn't mean you have no
privacy. Quite the opposite; you can achieve a high degree of privacy. But absolute
privacy, no way.
http://www.boingboing.net/2006/09/10/report_german_police.html
3.8 New Spam Onslaught Challenges Spam Filters
Noticing
more spam arriving in your mail? Then join the crowd. There is currently a spate of spam
that uses large slabs of random text to poison Bayesian Spam filters [1]. There's not much
you can do about it except to add another layer of filtering that uses a different
technique such as the network filter used in Cloudmark Safety Bar [2].
[1]
http://www.spam-burger.com/How-Spammers-Fool-Bayesian-Filters-And-How-To-Stop-Them.html
[2]
http://techsupportalert.com/reviews/review-cloudmark.htm
4.0 OTHER USEFUL STUFF
4.1 Really Cheap Software
Regular
contributor Leib Moscovitz writes, "Gizmo, in case you didn't see this, they have some
very good deals, offered for one day only, and for a limited quantity of each software
package. You can also suggest programs for them to feature at a discount.
http://www.bitsdujour.com/
4.2 Free Library Offers Process Information
OK,
your firewall pops up a message: "alg.exe is trying to connect to the internet (A)llow
(D)eny." You have no idea what to do because you don't know what alg.exe is. Fear not,
just go to this free site and type in alg.exe and it will tell you exactly what the
program does along with some advice whether it's a friend or foe.
http://www.processlibrary.com/
4.3 How to Make Sure a Game Will Work on Your PC
Subscriber
Shafile Rashid writes, "Gizmo, it's common for users to enthusiastically buy a PC game
only to find that it won't run on their PCs. At this site [1] you can choose a game then
the site will download a small tool on your PC to check your hardware and settings. It
will then give you a report whether your PC is capable of running the game. If not, it
will usually state the reasons." Nice suggestion, Shafile. I'm not a gamer but I thought
I'd check out the service just to ensure that it was free of spyware. I tried it with two
browsers: IE and Firefox. With IE, the site uses ActiveX to do the hardware analysis while
with Firefox it downloads a small Java applet. I tried both and my security programs gave
no warning so it looks fine. However, the ActiveX and Java results were slightly different
with the latter more accurate. Yet another reason to use Firefox. ;>)
[1]
http://www.systemrequirementslab.com/referrer/srtest
4.4 Create Your Own Personal 3D Avatar
Why
use a plain vanilla photo or clipart item to identify yourself when you can create your
own unique 3D identity at Meez.com? You can use your personal avatar anywhere including
MySpace, Xanga, Skype, ICS services or Blogger. Better still, create multiple identities
to suit your mood and environment.
http://www.meez.com
4.5 Useless Waste of Time Department
This
Flash animation [1] provides a possible explanation for why your desktop icons seem to
move around without you ever touching them. Thanks to Mikel for this one. Feeling
nostalgia for the simpler world of old DOS computer games? If so you'll love this
suggestion from regular contributor Andreas Büsing. "WinLems [2] is a complete remake
of original DOS classic in Windows. Includes a full-featured level editor that gives you
complete control over every aspect of making levels. Everything is emulated from the
original except for music, which will be added in next release."
[1] http://www.xs4all.nl/~jvdkuyp/flash/see.htm
[2] http://www.wildfiredesign.net/winlems/index.htm
**
Additional Items in this Premium SE Edition **
4.6 Lots of Commercial Software for Free
Here
you can find current versions of popular software products which are free (or near free)
after applying vendor rebates. It's a shifting feast so you may have to visit the site a
few times before you find something you want. Thanks to subscriber Rhiannon Dent for the
link.
http://www.freeafterrebate.info/
4.7 How to Make Your Windows Desktop Look Like a Mac
A
couple of issues back I mentioned the Vista Transformation Pack, a product that made XP
look like Vista. Flyakite OSX will make it look like a Mac. It does a pretty good job,
too; the visual styles, toolbars, cursors, etc. all look and feel very like the real
thing. However, to achieve this impressive result, Flyakite OSX makes some quite deep
changes to Windows so please create a full system backup before installing.
Freeware, Windows XP, 31MB
http://osx.portraitofakite.com
4.8 A New Art Form That Will Surprise You
This
site features a new art medium: dusty car windows. The results are truly impressive. Yet
another suggestion from R.D.
http://tinyurl.com/loqld
4.9 How to Use Wi-Fi Hot Spots Securely
Ten
things that you can do to improve your security when using public access points.
http://www.grafdom.com/news/NewsDetails.asp?catid=5&newsid=495
5.0 TIP OF THE MONTH
5.1 How to Hide a Windows Folder
Folder
hiding is a simple way of keeping prying eyes away from
your private documents.
From
a human point of view it's a good solution; what you can't
see, you don't know you want.
Encrypting
a folder can have the opposite effect. The folder is
visible and if access is attempted, the need to enter a password
positively shouts the message that someone is trying to hide
something.
This
probably explains why there are so many commercial
utilities that claim they can securely hide folders.
I
use the word "claim" deliberately. It's actually quite
difficult to securely hide a folder in Windows without risking
problems in the operating system itself.
And
there can be all sorts of practical problems. For example,
what happens to the hidden folder when you delete a visible
folder above it in the folder tree? Will the hidden folder be
backed up? Will it be scanned by your AV program? Can the files
in the folder be recovered in an emergency such as a system
crash?
These
are not theoretical problems; they are real and need to be
seriously considered.
I've
used a number of commercial folder hiding programs over the
years and have ended up un-installing them all. They were simply
not worth the trouble.
Instead
of using complicated and expensive security utilities, I
suggest you stealth your folders using a far simpler method
using the Windows "hidden" attribute. And once you have hidden
your folders you can then protect them using free open source
encryption programs.
The
Windows hidden attribute works similarly to the more
familiar "read only" attribute. It's a property of every file
and folder that can be turned on or off. Let's try it.
Create
a folder in My Documents and call it "test." Now copy a
couple of unimportant files to the folder.
To
turn on the hidden attribute right click on the folder icon,
select Properties, then the General Tab and check the Hidden box.
The
folder should disappear from My Documents. If it doesn't
then you have Windows Explorer configured to display hidden
files.
To
change this, select Tools / Folder options / View then check
the "Do not show hidden files and folders" box. Now the test
folder should disappear. To make it re-appear select the "Show
hidden files and folders" option.
So
now you have a way of hiding a folder and revealing it again
using your folder settings. Now I'll show you a simple trick
that allows you access your hidden folder without constantly
changing the folder settings. However, before I can demonstrate
this we have to make the folder hidden but the files within it
not-hidden.
Go
to My Documents and make sure your folder "test" is visible.
Open "test" and select all the files by using Control A. Now
right click anywhere on the selected files and select Properties
/ General and uncheck the Hidden attribute. Now your folder is
hidden but the files are not.
Go
back to My Documents and hide the folder by changing the
folder settings. Your test folder should disappear from My
Documents.
Now
here's the trick. Windows allows you to navigate to a hidden
folder. So while in the My Documents folder, type into the
address bar "/test" immediately after "My Documents" with no
spaces between and hit enter.
Voila
you are now in your secret "test" folder and all your
documents are visible!
Of
course locating your private folder in My Documents is not a
great idea as it will be immediately revealed should another
user enable the display of hidden files. Better to stash your
folder in some obscure location well away from prying eyes but
easy to navigate to. Additionally, name the folder to be as
uninteresting as possible.
Hiding
your folder like this is fine if you only want to keep
information from prying eyes but if you really want to properly
protect your hidden folder you should encrypt it.
Luckily
that's easy; simply use the free open source program
AxCrypt:
http://axcrypt.axantum.com/
Using
AxCrypt is dead simple so I won't explain how. AxCrypt is
also near-unbreakable so make sure you don't forget your
password. If you do, your data is lost forever.
Using
this technique you can hide and protect your folders
without spending a cent and, unlike commercial folder hiding
utilities, this technique is not going to potentially create a
whole set of other problems.
6.0 FREEBIE OF THE MONTH
6.1 Free Network Inventory Management Tool
This
is really nice. Spiceworks is a browser based inventory program that allows LAN managers
to quickly discover and document the hardware, software and patch status of their network
PCs.
That
rather bland description seriously under-sells the usefulness of this product. It's got a
terrific filter system that allows you to target your inventory request plus a highly
customizable reporting system. On top of that it has a great interface, is easy to use,
can handle Linux and Mac OS X workstations and uses standard network protocols.
In
short, it's just the tool that managers of small to medium size networks have been looking
for. At the moment it's a free beta so go grab it while you can. Note: The program
requires XP Pro with 512MB RAM on the administrator's PC. Free beta, 7MB.
http://www.spiceworks.com/
**
Bonus Freebie for Premium Edition subscribers **
6.2 The Best Virtual PC for Free
There
is little doubt in my mind that the best virtualization product on the market is VMWare
Workstation. Indeed, it's what I use for all my security testing and in two years of
intensive use with some the most hostile malware products around its protection has never
failed. However, at $189 VMWare Workstation is out of reach of most home users.
Thanks
to a suggestion from subscriber Dennis Federwitz I'm able to show you a way of getting
most of the advantages of VMWare Workstation without spending a cent.
VMWare
has for some time offered its free Player [1] that can launch a virtual PC from an image
file., The Player can't create the image, though; you need the Workstation product to do
that.
However,
Dennis has found another way to create images. "Gizmo I just discovered a program that you
may find interesting! It is an open source program called VMmanager [2]. Using VMmanager
I was able to successfully create a Windows XP VM and install and run it using VMWare
player."
I
tried it out and it works pretty much the same as VMWare Workstation. In fact, the image
files are very similar in size and structure.
Here
are some of the features:
-
Handles multiple operating systems
- Supports ide and SCSI adapters
- Can use up to 3 network adapters
- Controls network settings:
* Disabled
* Bridged
* NAT
* Host only
* Custom
- Can Modify MAC addresses
- Can control a CD-Rom device:
* Disabled
* Auto detect
* Use ISO file
- Can control a floppy disk:
* Disabled
* Physical drive
* Use image file
- Can modify existing image files
By
using VMmanager and VMWare Player together you get most of the functionality of VMWare
Workstation. No, you won't have the capacity to store and manage multiple images; you need
the full product for that. Then again, most folks don't need that feature.
And
of course if you want to create a Windows image you'll need a separate licensed copy of
Windows to use to build the image. That's not a technical limitation; it's a Microsoft
legal requirement. Mind you, I know a lot of folks who download a copy of Windows from P2P
or BitTorrent networks to build their virtual images. It's not a practice I can condone
but I can sure understand the motivation.
For
those who want to use virtualization for safe browsing and testing downloaded programs,
the VMmanager and VMWare Player together provide an excellent solution. Free, Open Source,
Windows 2000 and later, 665KB.
[1] http://www.vmware.com/products/player/
[2] http://sourceforge.net/projects/vmmanager
7.0 MANAGE YOUR SUBSCRIPTION
The best way to manage your
Premium SE Edition subscription is from the Supporters' Area of the Support Alert website.
There you'll also find all individual back issues, a downloadable back issue archive,
an extensive FAQ plus a growing list of resources exclusively available to Supporters.
http://www.techsupportalert.com/supporters/private.htm
The Supporters' Area is protected. To log-in, use the security information sent to you when you first subscribed or
as notified subsequently.
If you no longer wish to receive this newsletter, send me an email at supporters@techsupportalert.com. Remember to state the email address at which you are currently subscribed.
Receiving duplicate issues? If you are receiving an unwanted copy of the free edition of this newsletter, you can cancel that subscription by going to
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Enter your email address. No password is needed. You can then cancel your free subscription.
Note that the free and paid editions are totally different publications so you can unsubscribe to the free edition without any chance of impacting your paid subscription.
The 46 Best-ever Freeware Utilities
http://www.techsupportalert.com/best_46_free_utilities.htm
The Extended List of the Latest Freebies
http://www.techsupportalert.com/more/extended.htm
For lots more free IT newsletters see
http://www.freetechmail.org/infobase.asp?TPubId=79
Thanks to subscriber A. Belile for proofreading this issue.
You can contact this newsletter by snail mail at:
Support Alert
PO Box 243
Comstock Park, MI 49321-0243 USA
Support Alert is
a registered online serial publication ISSN 1448-7020. Content of this
newsletter is (c) Copyright TechSupportAlert.com, 2006
See you next issue
Gizmo
Ian Richards
editor@techsupportalert.com
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