Warnings

Windows 8.1 Upgrade

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Windows 8.1 came out recently. For Windows 8 users the upgrade is free. Some of you will see it pop up as a standard Windows update without your doing anything.

Be warned! There are a certain number of computers that cannot handle the upgrade to Win8.1.

So Sad - Image by: Jason Lander - Flickr
So Sad – Image by: Jason Lander – Flickr

About 10/18 Microsoft started receiving reports of the Windows Update pushed out to users was failing. Some of the problems have been tracked to driver issues. The update installs Windows basic divers that are simply not compatible with the hardware.

But, the problem extends beyond just driver compatibility. In some cases systems do not have the hardware to support the new software.

Additionally there is a problem that Microsoft has yet to figure out. 

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Virus Warning

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I’m not big into virus warnings unless something radically changes. Well, it has. So, read up and rethink your backup strategies.

New Ransom Ware

There is a new style of ransom ware that has come to America. Europe has apparently been dealing with it for weeks. It is called Ransom Ware 2.0 or CryptoLocker.

To understand what Ransom Ware 2.0 is doing read: Destructive malware “CryptoLocker” on the loose – here’s what to do. It’s a bit techie.

As best I can tell, the program leaves your readable copies of files in place while it makes encrypted copies using strong encryption. When it finishes encrypting your files, it then erases your readable copies and displays an extortion notice. If things go as they planned, you will probably not notice a problem until you see the notice.

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Goon Squad Viewer

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I am wondering how many people have not heard of the Goon Squad? If not, I guess you could want their viewer. But, I would think just having ‘goon’ in the name would be a tipoff to get really skeptical. Goon – noun: A bully or thug, esp. one hired to terrorize or do away … Read more

Boston

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There is a person finder up on Google. If you know people there trying to find family or friends, get them this link: http://google.org/personfinder/2013-boston-explosions. Let others in world know about the link.

Block Specific Addresses with Windows Firewall

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Recently I’ve had periods where my computer or Internet connection seems to bog down. I started looking to see what was happening and found I had a security problem. So, if you use Remote Desktop or have your Windows Login Service exposed to the Internet for other reasons, you should probably read this.

System Explorer History - click to enlarge
System Explorer History – click to enlarge

I’ve heard the news and seen the articles on the Cyber War. I have my firewall and anti-virus, anti-malware, anti-etc… So, I feel pretty safe. But, I do use Windows Firewall in Vista. It is a decent enough firewall even if many do knock it.

But, I kept having periods where my computer got sluggish. Also, recently my Internet connection speed would shift into s l o o o o w motion. So, I started looking to see what was happening.

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Second Life Problems

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Today, Tuesday, some time after the restarts people started to see problems. There was no software rollout today, just a restart. There is very high packet loss of everyone. Which is an indication it is on the Lab’s end of the network. Even Lindens were seeing the packet loss. While some of them work from … Read more