And in a story that should surprise no one, Target’s attack was unsophisticated
I found a story today stating that the attackers who stole millions of credit cards from Target didn’t have to try very hard to hide. I wish I could say I was surprised. My boss says it this way:...
View ArticleRick Broida thinks he doesn’t use antivirus software
C’mon. You knew I’d get around to writing a response to Rick Broida’s claim that he doesn’t use antivirus software. Actually, he’s not nuts. But he’s also mistaken if he thinks he doesn’t use antivirus...
View ArticleWhen Windows gets a file association with .exe files, get a hammer. This one.
I spent a maddening couple of days with a Windows computer that somehow had gotten a bogus file association with .exe files, which roughly translates to, “Windows quit running any programs.” Microsoft...
View ArticleWhat I would do to fix Dr. A’s computer
I left my conversation with Dr. A nearly convinced he doesn’t really need a new computer. The local store is pitching him a new $700 Dell Inspiron with a 1 TB hard drive and 6 GB of RAM and a 17-inch...
View ArticleAppremover removes stubborn antivirus software
Antivirus software can be among the hardest software to uninstall, because its hooks dig so deeply into the operating system. I’ve seen it fail to uninstall for a variety of reasons. Sometimes it...
View ArticleIs that file safe?
So you’ve downloaded this great new piece of free software, but you’re not sure if it’s safe to install. Your antivirus software says it’s not infected, so you can assume it’s safe, right? Not so fast....
View ArticleLiving with a past-its-prime computer
I’m playing catch-up a bit. This weekend, Lifehacker ran a guide about living with a computer that’s past its prime. I’ve made a career of that. One of my desktop PCs at work (arguably the more...
View ArticleRemembering Michelangelo
Yesterday was the 20th anniversary of the Michelangelo virus. If you don’t remember, on March 6, 1992, Michelangelo was programmed to overwrite the first 100 sectors of a hard drive–not quite as...
View ArticleFirst impressions: Acer Aspire One 722
I set up an Acer Aspire One 722 netbook this week. I imagine the return rates on these things is horrendous, because the out-of-box experience is pathetic. This one won’t be going back though. Tune it...
View ArticleWhat’s going on with Macintosh security?
The latest figures I’ve read say there are perhaps a half-million infected Macintoshes still floating around out there, an improvement from the high of 600,000 that I was seeing a few weeks ago, but...
View ArticleBlu Studio One review
I needed a phone in a hurry the other day when my wife’s Moto E started acting up. We turned to the Blu Studio One, specifically model# S0110UU. This is my Blu Studio One review. It’s an inexpensive...
View ArticleWhat I would do to fix Dr. A’s computer
I left my conversation with Dr. A nearly convinced he doesn’t really need a new computer. The local store is pitching him a new $700 Dell Inspiron with a 1 TB hard drive and 6 GB of RAM and a The post...
View ArticleAppremover can remove stubborn antivirus software
Antivirus software can be among the hardest software to uninstall, because its hooks dig so deeply into the operating system. I’ve seen it fail to uninstall for a variety of reasons. Sometimes it...
View ArticleIs that file safe?
So you’ve downloaded this great new piece of free software, but you’re not sure if it’s safe to install. Your antivirus software says it’s not infected, so you can assume it’s safe, right? Not so fast....
View ArticleLiving with a past-its-prime computer
I’m playing catch-up a bit. This weekend, Lifehacker ran a guide about living with a computer that’s past its prime. I’ve made a career of that. One of my desktop PCs at work (arguably the more...
View ArticleRemembering Michelangelo
Yesterday was the 20th anniversary of the Michelangelo virus. If you don’t remember, on March 6, 1992, Michelangelo was programmed to overwrite the first 100 sectors of a hard drive–not quite as...
View ArticleAcer Aspire One 722 review
I set up an Acer Aspire One 722 netbook this week. This is my Acer Aspire One 722 review. I imagine the return rates on these things is horrendous, because the out-of-box experience is pathetic. This...
View ArticleWhat’s going on with Macintosh security?
The latest figures I’ve read say there are perhaps a half-million infected Macintoshes still floating around out there, an improvement from the high of 600,000 that I was seeing a few weeks ago, but...
View ArticleAnd in a story that should surprise no one, Target’s attack was unsophisticated
I found a story today stating that the attackers who stole millions of credit cards from Target didn’t have to try very hard to hide. I wish I could say I was surprised. My boss says it this way:...
View ArticleRick Broida thinks he doesn’t use antivirus software
C’mon. You knew I’d get around to writing a response to Rick Broida’s claim that he doesn’t use antivirus software. Actually, he’s not nuts. But he’s also mistaken if he thinks he doesn’t use antivirus...
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