On the website the author says it "CAN" be 100% portable. He then states in parenthesis that, "it can be installed on removable media". That doesn't tell you whether or not the app will write to the registry. I see he is Australian, perhaps portable means putting a removable drive in your pocket when your that far south.
I used this for a couple of years when I was doing stuff that required the creation of documents with a lot of standard "boilerplate" text. I found it very useful, user-friendly and certainly a real time-saver. A pretty good program.
Very useful program and free for personal use ... I recommend it even if you use only (like I do) the "clipboard history" feature!
It's already a big big time-saver.
The biggest problem I have with Audacity is the UI, functionalitywise it often outperforms ie. Audition.
Luckily many things are addressed here while also explaining how to further customize the UI to your liking: http://www.darkaudacity.com
Audacity is very bad. It lacks some important features e.g.
- No volume change by % (only in db)
- No 'Fit-to-selection'
- vertical and horizontal sliders not auto-hideable
- No support for AC3
- No zoom in to original level after a some zoom outs
- 'Save changes before closing' at exit cannot be (optional) suppressed (=auto-answered by NO)
... many more
IMHO, TyperTask slays Quick Text Paste in feature set. However, one very annoying aspect of TyperTask is you have to remember to minimize the configuration window. Closing the config window closes the app.
I also use Texter and love it. It allows for instant text replacement via self-generated shortcuts. It has a 3k footprint, and placed in my Start Menu folder it starts with Windows - set at startup and it does the rest.
For example to sign-off with my name I simply type "bp" (without the quotes), hit the tab key, and get the following:
Interesting...however, haveibeenpwned notified me today that one of the addresses I have (this site says it had not been hacked) was hacked on Linkedin back in 2012. Best part, I believe, is that I have never been a member of linkedin. Whom are you to believe?
>> haveibeenpwned notified me today that one of the addresses I have was hacked on Linkedin back in 2012.
>> Best part, I believe, is that I have never been a member of linkedin.
Whoohahahaha... LOL :-))
The moderators have removed several comments from this thread relating to pricing. The article is not about tracking potential hacks but checking them which is free as stated. Other than that, their pricing structure for additional services is clear enough.
The only comment I would make is that all of my own passwords/emails have been hacked according to them on the same day which seems a little odd. :) Still, as ever we bring stuff to the masses we hope will be both interesting and useful. If you feel this isn't, there is plenty more to see on other pages without slagging off the editor for features he never promoted in the first place. MC - Site Manager.
I checked 3 of my email addresses and my daughter's email and was informed that no hacks had taken place. Nothing was pushed at me. Thanks for giving me just a modicum of comfort. I will say that, in large part, I credit Sandboxie with favorable results with this and other sites that check the varieties of online security. Thanks, Rob
The site told me that I was a ROBOT, but I think it is because I am behind a VPN and it sees the DNS of the VPN server. THERE IS NO WAY I WILL GIVE MY REAL IP SO EVERYONE CAN TRACK ME. No thanks. The moment you allow them access to your real IP, you are done for.
Beats WhatsApp hands down, much more feature rich and handy to use in everyday live and while conversing with others WITHOUT leaving you chat screen...
Now it is just a matter of getting all you contacts to start using Allo so you can ditch the old school apps out there.
Excellent article. I use Chrome to stay current, these short concise articles are why I donate every so often to this site. I hope more readers do also.
On my Win 8.1 box, HTTP2 is NOT supported on IE 11.0.9600.18321, which should be the current version. Happily, I virtually never use IE. I just wanted to see how it would do on this test.
Updates to Win 7 and 8 - if they add spying - are going to be a MAJOR reason that I move to a distro of Linux. I am on Win 7 now and already my HDD light stays on 99% of the time for some reason. I have deleted Apple's Bonjour but that didn't do it.
Once again Vic is doing some great research for us. Personally I think spying is only going to become more pervasive in the future. The real issue isn't the spying itself but the lack of transparency of those engaged in it. Companies like Microsoft that refuse to be up front about their data collecting are only going to succeed in driving away potential customers as David Roper has indicated.
Microsoft under its new much-lauded Chief Executive seems determined to get itself black-listed by every computer owner who values their privacy as a right, not a luxury. The Redmond outfit is still attempting to paper over the deceit of pushing out "critical updates" that existed only to assist Microsoft in placing stuff on your computer to promote Windows 10. Friends in the US tell me that Redmond has so far only escaped sanction because it was punting something-for-free, not paid-for -- but that it still isn't out of the woods where that deception was concerned. If it is the case that the company is now seeking to amass data to which it is not reasonably and legitimately entitled, then Microsoft's stockholders need to be ridding themselves of the new man at the top -- and a darn sight quicker than Balmer was de-throned. Ultimately, it's Microsoft's stock price which will suffer as many another follows David Roper's example and decides that if Microsoft is guilty of spying on its customers, then it doesn't deserve any customers, any more.
I am in total agreement with that. If I find it to be true that updates marked as critical are indeed "phoning home", without full disclosure on the part of MS, I would think that organizing a boycott of Microsoft Windows 10 would be in order.
I have never organized a global boycott before, but I learned from the best, and I think it might work. Depends whether anyone comes up with proof that MS is spying in this rather creepy way.
You forgot the NSA back doors. I'm an American, and have nothing to hide. But I still run an open source operating system, not Windows or Apple. Bonus: it's better.
This is a load of FUD. It's my understanding that these updates simply enhance the CEIP component and don't even come into play unless that feature is enabled (it's disabled by default).
What is the source of your "understanding"? Do you work for Microsoft? Could you please document the exact purpose of the updates? Can you tell us what the Customer Experience Improvement Program (CEIP) actually does? How does the "experience' of a customer get "improved"? Wouldn't monitoring what the customer does be necessary in order to "improve" their experience? Labeling concerns as FUD without explanation is not helpful. Instead you could do the PC community a service by making it clear for average users what these updates are for. And no - vague terms like CEIP are not an explanation.
Yet another reason to move to a Linux distro. BTW, MS ICE (Image Composite Editor) is an excellent panorama tool, but it, too, "phones home" to MS (to share photo at their site, to get ads). Again, thanks for listing these security issues.
I'm running vista.any ideas whyim getting diverted to Microsoft windows 10 from my search bar on Firefox.have not long updated 20 updates for Microsoft.theyre a pain in the ass .Linux looks like the way for me
I submitted my comment mainly because I'm sick and tired off all the FUD, conspiracy theories and general paranoia associated with all this, not to mention the sensationalist headlines. I have the utmost respect for Martin Brinkmann over at Ghacks but, on this occasion, his article is also misleading and includes poor advice.
I could expand on my 40 years background in the industry but not much point really, it's easy to claim but difficult to prove. I also omitted much of the background purely for the sake of brevity.
An extract from the exact same Ars Technica article that you quoted from says this: "most or all of the traffic appears to be contingent on participating in the CEIP in the first place. If the CEIP is disabled, it appears that little or no traffic gets sent".
Can't be much clearer than that, yet, apparently, you chose not to include that vital piece of information.
As for "CEIP" being a vague term; well you included the exact same term (in the quote from the Ars Technica article) and did not see fit to expand on it. I was merely following suit.
Going on the attack does not necessarily make you right Vic.
Users have a right to be concerned. Microsoft isn't being completely transparent and upfront about what the updates do. Do you deny that? Why do you think Martin Brinkman and Peter Bright wrote these articles? Just to spread FUD? You say you have 40 years of experience and you seem to imply that that qualifies you to describe this as FUD and paranoia. Good for you. You should try to understand as well that not everyone has the benefit of "40 years of experience", and not everyone is as "smart" as you to be able to figure out what these updates are about. Nobody would be concerned if everything was clear in the first place, is that so difficult to understand?
Sure, I can fully understand and appreciate users' concerns but that just re-enforces the need for tech blogs to accurately report ALL the facts.
If you Google "Updates for Windows 7 and 8 add spying", you'll see dozens of links to stories all saying the exact same thing. These tech blogs are not researching or investigating, merely replicating. Why? Because it's a good story. Nobody would care if these updates were being reported as harmless, that does not constitute a headline. On the other hand, reporting that they are somehow sinister is almost certain to elicit clicks and comments. And that, my friend, is spreading FUD.
Peter Bright's Ars Technica article is one of very few which actually puts a balanced and level-headed spin on this - I quote again:
"most or all of the traffic appears to be contingent on participating in the CEIP in the first place. If the CEIP is disabled, it appears that little or no traffic gets sent."
Peter also does not have a problem with the data collection per se and does not see it as spying:
"Collecting information about application errors and the way the operating system is used is reasonable. Having an accurate picture of how people use the operating system is likely to produce a better platform in the future; knowing which applications crash, and why, is obviously invaluable if those apps are to be fixed."
That is what I would call responsible reporting. Did you even read his article?
Several of these appear to be resisting removal. KB2990214, KB3021917 & KB3022345 do not offer the uninstall button that the others do. KB2952664 appears to be uninstalling but remains on the list when the process is complete. Is there another way to remove these intrusions?
Really appreciate the excellent work Vic is doing in keeping everyone updated on Window 10 developments. My plan is to wait until after Christmas then purchase a new laptop to replace my current one which is 5 years old and running Windows 7. I'm not a fan of Apple but the more I read about Microsoft the less I want to stick with them. Some of the mistakes they've made in the past would never have happened if they actually listened to their customers concerns but their arrogance prohibits them from doing that.
This is a list of the most recently posted comments on the site sorted so that the most recent comments appear first.
You can however sort the list on Article title by clicking on the column heading. To see actual comments click the + sign.
"Autover can run as a portable program, active only when you choose it to be."
While it is possible to extract the files from the installer and make it portable, I think you really meant to say it can be used on-demand.
On the website the author says it "CAN" be 100% portable. He then states in parenthesis that, "it can be installed on removable media". That doesn't tell you whether or not the app will write to the registry. I see he is Australian, perhaps portable means putting a removable drive in your pocket when your that far south.
I used this for a couple of years when I was doing stuff that required the creation of documents with a lot of standard "boilerplate" text. I found it very useful, user-friendly and certainly a real time-saver. A pretty good program.
Very useful program and free for personal use ... I recommend it even if you use only (like I do) the "clipboard history" feature!
It's already a big big time-saver.
For Windows, Mac and Linux too !
Also available as a Portable App : http://portableapps.com/apps/music_video/audacity_portable
The biggest problem I have with Audacity is the UI, functionalitywise it often outperforms ie. Audition.
Luckily many things are addressed here while also explaining how to further customize the UI to your liking: http://www.darkaudacity.com
Nice software but ultimately beaten by Wavosaur imho, not least because the latter supports realtime VST processing.
Audacity is very bad. It lacks some important features e.g.
- No volume change by % (only in db)
- No 'Fit-to-selection'
- vertical and horizontal sliders not auto-hideable
- No support for AC3
- No zoom in to original level after a some zoom outs
- 'Save changes before closing' at exit cannot be (optional) suppressed (=auto-answered by NO)
... many more
I use Texter from http://lifehacker.com/238306/lifehacker-code-texter-windows
Some great tiny apps can be found at vtaskstudio including TyperTask.
http://www.softpedia.com/get/Office-tools/Other-Office-Tools/TyperTask.s...
IMHO, TyperTask slays Quick Text Paste in feature set. However, one very annoying aspect of TyperTask is you have to remember to minimize the configuration window. Closing the config window closes the app.
I also use Texter and love it. It allows for instant text replacement via self-generated shortcuts. It has a 3k footprint, and placed in my Start Menu folder it starts with Windows - set at startup and it does the rest.
For example to sign-off with my name I simply type "bp" (without the quotes), hit the tab key, and get the following:
Regards,
BearPup
P.S. Its also available from Softpedia: http://www.softpedia.com/get/System/OS-Enhancements/LH-Texter.shtml.
at least haveibeenpwned tells you which breach resulted in your data being compromised, so you know which passwords to change...
Thanks! Nice and quick. Another arrow in the security quiver. (complaints because it LOOKS funny? Huh!).
Ron: Appreciate this article... have implemented: 1. BreachAlarm... 2. Ultra High Security Password Generator by Steve Gibson... 3. haveibeenpwned.
Thank you.
Interesting...however, haveibeenpwned notified me today that one of the addresses I have (this site says it had not been hacked) was hacked on Linkedin back in 2012. Best part, I believe, is that I have never been a member of linkedin. Whom are you to believe?
>> haveibeenpwned notified me today that one of the addresses I have was hacked on Linkedin back in 2012.
>> Best part, I believe, is that I have never been a member of linkedin.
Whoohahahaha... LOL :-))
Only the FREE BreachAlarm Watchdog service does "not include full details of the breach".
Email Watchdog Pricing
https://breachalarm.com/watchdog
This Gizmo article hasn't given you any site other than BreachAlarm --- only the comments/replies therein have mentioned alternatives.
The moderators have removed several comments from this thread relating to pricing. The article is not about tracking potential hacks but checking them which is free as stated. Other than that, their pricing structure for additional services is clear enough.
The only comment I would make is that all of my own passwords/emails have been hacked according to them on the same day which seems a little odd. :) Still, as ever we bring stuff to the masses we hope will be both interesting and useful. If you feel this isn't, there is plenty more to see on other pages without slagging off the editor for features he never promoted in the first place. MC - Site Manager.
I see you meant this site rather than this article. Thanks for the link.
I checked 3 of my email addresses and my daughter's email and was informed that no hacks had taken place. Nothing was pushed at me. Thanks for giving me just a modicum of comfort. I will say that, in large part, I credit Sandboxie with favorable results with this and other sites that check the varieties of online security. Thanks, Rob
The site told me that I was a ROBOT, but I think it is because I am behind a VPN and it sees the DNS of the VPN server. THERE IS NO WAY I WILL GIVE MY REAL IP SO EVERYONE CAN TRACK ME. No thanks. The moment you allow them access to your real IP, you are done for.
Beats WhatsApp hands down, much more feature rich and handy to use in everyday live and while conversing with others WITHOUT leaving you chat screen...
Now it is just a matter of getting all you contacts to start using Allo so you can ditch the old school apps out there.
Edward Snowden Warns, Whatever You Do, Don't Use Google Allo:
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2016-09-25/edward-snowden-warns-whatever-y...
Thanks Rob!
Glad to know Chrome supports HTTP/2.
Regards
Peter
Just tried the current versions of Firefox and Internet Explorer. They both work, too.
Excellent article. I use Chrome to stay current, these short concise articles are why I donate every so often to this site. I hope more readers do also.
On my Win 8.1 box, HTTP2 is NOT supported on IE 11.0.9600.18321, which should be the current version. Happily, I virtually never use IE. I just wanted to see how it would do on this test.
Opera is also supported.
Updates to Win 7 and 8 - if they add spying - are going to be a MAJOR reason that I move to a distro of Linux. I am on Win 7 now and already my HDD light stays on 99% of the time for some reason. I have deleted Apple's Bonjour but that didn't do it.
Once again Vic is doing some great research for us. Personally I think spying is only going to become more pervasive in the future. The real issue isn't the spying itself but the lack of transparency of those engaged in it. Companies like Microsoft that refuse to be up front about their data collecting are only going to succeed in driving away potential customers as David Roper has indicated.
Hasta la Vista, Microsoft! Gizmo has the answer right here:
http://www.techsupportalert.com/content/moving-windows-linux-right-choice-you.htm
Microsoft under its new much-lauded Chief Executive seems determined to get itself black-listed by every computer owner who values their privacy as a right, not a luxury. The Redmond outfit is still attempting to paper over the deceit of pushing out "critical updates" that existed only to assist Microsoft in placing stuff on your computer to promote Windows 10. Friends in the US tell me that Redmond has so far only escaped sanction because it was punting something-for-free, not paid-for -- but that it still isn't out of the woods where that deception was concerned. If it is the case that the company is now seeking to amass data to which it is not reasonably and legitimately entitled, then Microsoft's stockholders need to be ridding themselves of the new man at the top -- and a darn sight quicker than Balmer was de-throned. Ultimately, it's Microsoft's stock price which will suffer as many another follows David Roper's example and decides that if Microsoft is guilty of spying on its customers, then it doesn't deserve any customers, any more.
I am in total agreement with that. If I find it to be true that updates marked as critical are indeed "phoning home", without full disclosure on the part of MS, I would think that organizing a boycott of Microsoft Windows 10 would be in order.
I have never organized a global boycott before, but I learned from the best, and I think it might work. Depends whether anyone comes up with proof that MS is spying in this rather creepy way.
You forgot the NSA back doors. I'm an American, and have nothing to hide. But I still run an open source operating system, not Windows or Apple. Bonus: it's better.
This is a load of FUD. It's my understanding that these updates simply enhance the CEIP component and don't even come into play unless that feature is enabled (it's disabled by default).
Yet another reason to move to a Linux distro. BTW, MS ICE (Image Composite Editor) is an excellent panorama tool, but it, too, "phones home" to MS (to share photo at their site, to get ads). Again, thanks for listing these security issues.
I'm running vista.any ideas whyim getting diverted to Microsoft windows 10 from my search bar on Firefox.have not long updated 20 updates for Microsoft.theyre a pain in the ass .Linux looks like the way for me
Snowden gave you the proof Micrsoft has put back doors in windows for the NSA. Look it up in Snowdens PDF's.
I submitted my comment mainly because I'm sick and tired off all the FUD, conspiracy theories and general paranoia associated with all this, not to mention the sensationalist headlines. I have the utmost respect for Martin Brinkmann over at Ghacks but, on this occasion, his article is also misleading and includes poor advice.
I could expand on my 40 years background in the industry but not much point really, it's easy to claim but difficult to prove. I also omitted much of the background purely for the sake of brevity.
An extract from the exact same Ars Technica article that you quoted from says this: "most or all of the traffic appears to be contingent on participating in the CEIP in the first place. If the CEIP is disabled, it appears that little or no traffic gets sent".
Can't be much clearer than that, yet, apparently, you chose not to include that vital piece of information.
As for "CEIP" being a vague term; well you included the exact same term (in the quote from the Ars Technica article) and did not see fit to expand on it. I was merely following suit.
Going on the attack does not necessarily make you right Vic.
Users have a right to be concerned. Microsoft isn't being completely transparent and upfront about what the updates do. Do you deny that? Why do you think Martin Brinkman and Peter Bright wrote these articles? Just to spread FUD? You say you have 40 years of experience and you seem to imply that that qualifies you to describe this as FUD and paranoia. Good for you. You should try to understand as well that not everyone has the benefit of "40 years of experience", and not everyone is as "smart" as you to be able to figure out what these updates are about. Nobody would be concerned if everything was clear in the first place, is that so difficult to understand?
Sure, I can fully understand and appreciate users' concerns but that just re-enforces the need for tech blogs to accurately report ALL the facts.
If you Google "Updates for Windows 7 and 8 add spying", you'll see dozens of links to stories all saying the exact same thing. These tech blogs are not researching or investigating, merely replicating. Why? Because it's a good story. Nobody would care if these updates were being reported as harmless, that does not constitute a headline. On the other hand, reporting that they are somehow sinister is almost certain to elicit clicks and comments. And that, my friend, is spreading FUD.
Peter Bright's Ars Technica article is one of very few which actually puts a balanced and level-headed spin on this - I quote again:
"most or all of the traffic appears to be contingent on participating in the CEIP in the first place. If the CEIP is disabled, it appears that little or no traffic gets sent."
Peter also does not have a problem with the data collection per se and does not see it as spying:
"Collecting information about application errors and the way the operating system is used is reasonable. Having an accurate picture of how people use the operating system is likely to produce a better platform in the future; knowing which applications crash, and why, is obviously invaluable if those apps are to be fixed."
That is what I would call responsible reporting. Did you even read his article?
Since you think Peter is the most credible I'd suggest you reread the last paragraph of his article.
Several of these appear to be resisting removal. KB2990214, KB3021917 & KB3022345 do not offer the uninstall button that the others do. KB2952664 appears to be uninstalling but remains on the list when the process is complete. Is there another way to remove these intrusions?
Really appreciate the excellent work Vic is doing in keeping everyone updated on Window 10 developments. My plan is to wait until after Christmas then purchase a new laptop to replace my current one which is 5 years old and running Windows 7. I'm not a fan of Apple but the more I read about Microsoft the less I want to stick with them. Some of the mistakes they've made in the past would never have happened if they actually listened to their customers concerns but their arrogance prohibits them from doing that.
Nice balanced report Vic, a refreshing change to all the conspiracy theories. :)
Try Linux on your "old" PC. You might not want to get a new one.
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