How to check for Mydoom infection

Here is a little tip in case you were worrying about the latest and baddest worm to come out of some idiots head, for the rest of the world to have to deal with...

Look for the following file

ctfmon.dll

If you have it, congratulations, you are one of the infected unclean.

You can visit the Microsoft Security "What You Should Know About the Mydoom Worm" page and see for yourself. It details the ways in which these things get hold of you, and how you can minimize further exploitation from the nerdy non-girlfriended types out there.

So remember folks, ALWAYS have virus protection running and keep it up to date. Getting an email from someone you don't know is a no brainer, just delete it. Even if you get something that APPEARS to be from someone you DO know, if you did not specifically ask for, or expect it, then delete it. As they can quite easily send it again. They may not have even sent it, it could be the virus sending out emails to everyone in their address book.

It's good information chaps, read it!


Mydoom information from Symantec


Basic fact stuff

Viruses and worms are quite often delivered to the user in email attachments. You know when someone sends you a picture or another file, that is attached to the message? Well in some cases that attachment is infected with the virus, and as soon as you open it (by selecting open, view, or how ever your email program lets you see attached files) it goes to work behind the scenes messing up your computer, and in a lot of cases, thousands of others too!

To avoid being part of the problem, make sure you scan all incoming email with your virus scanner, and delete anything you did not expect or ask for. Most of that is called spam you know.

DOS or Denial of service attack - Someone repeatedly requests things from someone else's server, to bring it to a complete halt. In this case the worm will make infected machines send lots of requests to specific servers to try and flood them with requests and bring them to a grinding halt. Naughty

WORM - More naughtyness!

One final note. Viruses are ALWAYS man made. There is no natural source of computer illness anywhere. Some idiot with more time and acne, than brain cells has decided to ruin a lot of users days.

Installing Windows XP

I have had to setup WinXP Pro on 11 HP 401e machines over the last couple of days. Getting them all securitied up, and nice corporate looking wallpapers. In readiness for their big debut in a computer lab.

It doesn't take much for me to endlessly whistle, or hum, or in some other abstract way, make the approximation of the original score.

The one that gets me these days is the Windows XP first boot theme tune.
Which can be found here...
C:\WINDOWS\system32\oobe\images\title.wma

Go on, try it, you will be agog, amazed, for at least 23 seconds.


WinXP takes forever to run

Logitech Cordless MX Duo - Review

Having the need to experiment, and a recent expansion of the home network, led to the purchase of a Logitech Cordless MX Duo. Nice.

It's connected to a Windows 98 PC that is mainly used for remote desktopping to the other PC's when the journey is too far to contemplate, and your begal is threatening to cook itself stupid.

No drivers, no install, it just worked! It has a million extra buttons, which look as though they can do everything you would normally do with the mouse, but as I have not installed the accompanying software, I cannot say if they are useful. (Which means he hates those stupid, "do extra things" buttons, as that's what your desktop is for anyway!)

The mouse worked straight out of the box, and has rechargable mystery within it. It says to recharge before first use, but it worked anyway. A little receiver sits on the desk, and acts as a charger, and mouse holder, when you are not at the machine. This brings to mind the ability to loose a mouse that has free roaming ability. Just like your keys, TV remote, or cell phone, it can and probably will go awol.

The mouse also has a million other buttons on it, (See above sarcasm for details) which also appear to do everything as well.

The keyboard feels soooo niiiiice. What ever it is they have done to it, it just feels great. The mouse too, is large, and heavy feeling, and in no way feels like the usual, rickety mice which mere mortals have. The only complaint was that the mouse was on a completely shiny, white, flat surface which at first was no good at all. It hardly moved. Once ANYTHING else was under it, it was amazingly accurate and just all around super duper. It only needs the slightest of detail on the desktop to function correctly.

All in all, it is well worth the $80 is currently sells for. Seeing as the mouse on it's own is $60!! The two AA batteries come with the keyboard, so you can be up and running straight away. If you need a wireless keyboard, then get this, and be happy.


Logitech Cordless Duo MX mmmmMMmmm

Remote Desktop
It means to see your own desktop on a different computer, and use it as if you were sat in front of it. It's jolly good fun!
Microsofts "Using Remote Desktop"
FREE Version from Real VNC, which is MUCH simpler, much easier, works on anything (don't need Windows XP Pro, no sir) , and did I mention IT'S FREE!

SM01 mounting brackets

Your wireless network takes some care and attention. There seem to be a lot of factors, that no end of research will prepare you for. Strange alien composites in your walls to block signals, antenna position, interference, and even someone else with a default setup that stops you from initially configoring your own network. How rude!

Well all of this so far has befallen me too. It's a learning process which really gets you in touch with your inner house. Plonking the base station down, configoring your laptop like a good little boy scout, and wandering around all those places indoors you think you want to get wireless access, seems to be just the beginning of this adventure.

I looked into larger antenna, even cantenna, but nothing seemed to give a definative answer. The final solution came from an unexpected source.

The SM01 stacking/wall mounting bracket from Linksys. They are just a sheet of molded plastic, which has holes that match up with your Linksys router, switch, or hub.

1. Place mounting bracket where you want it on the wall and mark the points to put your two screws.
2. Pop the rubber feet from the router/hub/switch. (Yes they DO come out, and now you know after all this time WHY they are there)
3. Push the router/hub/switch onto the bracket. (No matter what anyone says, you do not have to screw the device to the bracket itself)
4. Screw your screws into the wall, nearly all the way, and then simply hook the bracket onto them. Easy as a very easy thing with a how-to video included!

One weird thing to note is that YOU DON'T GET ANY SCREWS with your SM01 stacking/wall mounting brackets. But anything will do, and unless you are susceptible to earthquakes then I am sure you will be fine. Even a teenage door slamming contest should be ok with these things, unless you live on the set of a major cheap soap opera, where the walls nearly collapse each time someone discovers they are the long lost sister/brother/father/mother of someone.

So all in all, moving the base station just 2 meters (beyond a wall with strange alien composites of unknown er... composition) has made an amazing difference to the reception throughout the house. In this instance, the WRT54G Wireless-G Broadband Router is now facing downwards, with the antenna in the usual position (L shaped), at the top of the center of the house, gives a great signal all round. Even in a heady mix of wireless house phones, microwave ovens, and an overuse of those little JENSEN DSC-IR100A Remote Control Extenders! All supposedly, wireless network stopping evilness.

They are only $2 each, but it seems you can only buy them in packs of 10. So it's a lot for just one box, so perhaps a buddy has one spare? Or you could sell them onto others, who knows, thats your problem. But they do work very well indeed!

Good luck


Open the pod bay doors Hal


Remember, you need to get power and your intial network cabling to this point, so take that into account when deciding where to place it.

Way of the exploding fist.

One has had the privilage of finding out that I know (really know, not just the fact I think I saw him once, possibly), one of the 18 Shihan Kai in the WORLD! These chaps decide everything karate-ish for the whole universe!

And this fellow is the only one in the USA!

See if YOU can work out who it is, kiddies?


Shotokan Karate
It's not about kicking peoples butts, but it could be if THEY insist!

Windows 98 support extended.....

Millions of thrifty people across the planet are relieved to find out, Microsoft is continuing support for Windows 98 until June 30th, 2006.

Microsoft originally stated they would cease support for Windows 98 on January 16th 2004. Also Windows ME would die on December 31st 2004. Now both are going to go in one huge suicide pact, on June 30th, 2006.

Looking at this Reuters report, it seems that perhaps Bill got a little worried because if it costs a ton of cash to upgrade from Win98 to WinXP, then people would look elsewhere, such as Linux perhaps?

When you upgrade from Windows 98 to Windows XP you have to take into account if your current hardware can indeed cope with the demands that Windows XP might place upon it. So it's not just the rather large sum for the upgrade, (more for the full version) but the hardware costs involved too! Anyone that has not upgraded to Windows 98 would probably not be in a position to pay out for a couple of hundred dollars worth of operating system, as well as changing the entire computer to be able to use that recently painful purchase!

I am glad to hear this anyway, as it means a ton of Windows 98 machines are not going to be left hanging online with no patches available!

So now it's time to take notice again of that technophobic person who wants to give away their old computer, as it might actually be of some use..

You can find clarification of this new thinking from Microsoft, at their Product Lifecycle Dates, and take a look at note 8 at the bottom to end your journey.

Ok those folks who think they know the simple facts may leave us now, while we get on with the basics....
To get to windows update, you can open an Internet Explorer window and go to TOOLS, and then WINDOWS UPDATE. If you have never visited windows update then I want you to leave this page because you smell.

Linux is a free operating system, you would use instead of Windows. The appeal seems to be that you can make it do what you want, for free, rather than having to settle for expensive software that NEARLY does what you want. I'm still tinkering, but I would like to know more..


Win98

I'm going to LIVE!
(it wheezed)

WinME
Declined to appear for comment.

Remote Desktop on Winxp Home edition

Ok I know you want to do it, but you can't. Winxp Pro has Remote Desktop built in, and you are going to Google till you drop to find the hidden mysteries of how you connect to WinXP Home, remotely.

You can't

Nope

Not without going to a third party application. Now BEFORE YOU START whining about, "Oh I don't want to install a third party program to make it work, because these review people have systems they can ruin....whine whine whine..........blimey, don't you go on........etc etc". Let me tell you, I was RIGHT THERE with you on that one, until the recent cold spell made me WANT to access the WinXP Home machine from elsewhere...(meaning from a laptop, while still pathetically tucked up in bed)

The answer was REAL simple.

There is a place called Real VNC who have free (YES FREE) software you can download and install. Take it from me, it was really painless.

You have two components.
A server
A client.

The server is the machine waiting to be connected TO. The client is the machine that comes to visit. One bit of software goes on one, and on the other, the er... other. Within two minutes from downloading the software, I had remote desktop connections going on between TWO Winxp Home PC's.

So lets go over this again children. You install the SERVER software on the machine you want to connect to, which will run on startup and even before you are logged into WinXP. So no need to start the software or set something going, IN CASE you think you might want to remotely control the computer. It only has to be switched on.

On the other computer, the client (or connecting PC), you just run a little program each time. No install of software at all!

The one good thing is that when you install the server software on the computer, it will never start, unless there is a password set up. So as well as being safe, if you are REALLY paranoid about people getting onto your system, and you cannot just switch off, you can remove the password for added protection.

The only options in WinXP home (apart from other software I don't know about) is to initiate a controlling session from the computer itself. Meaning with XP Home, you normally have to be sitting at the very PC you want to remote control, to be able to control it! Sort of not really very effective.

Oh and for those of you with more than Windows, it will connect anything, to anything else. Go on, try it!



A desktop yesterday (not mine)

Remote Desktop Specifics
Connecting to multiple machines behind the same firewall!

Flat Panel Monitor Goodness

Just got my hands on the first flat panel monitor. The Mag LT776s flat panel monitor which to begin with seems nice.

Having always used CRT's up to now to do everything, the only lcd I had bothered with was on a laptop or two, and the Axim, but that was just too small to do much with...

You hear the thing about flat panels being sexier, but also about the screen itself not being as crisp as it should be. I hooked it up to an HP ZE4560us laptop to see the comparison. At first glance, the laptop still had it beat, although the colors on the Mag monitor were really true to what they should be. I'm color blind, but even I know what white is, and it is NOT the urine-yellow, of the laptop display on batteries.

The one thing that really hit me first off was the amount of space I had around me. Even with the monitor sharing a space with the laptop, there was acres more than the neighboring full tower desktop with 17" CRT. I am thinking I need to get a panel of my own, so I can mount it permenantly on the wall behind the desk here, so I can save myself endless trudging back and forth, getting old CRT's to hook up to what ever ailing PC is in my clinic at the time.

Puffy clouded imagination scene.....
Monitor mounted on the wall, and nothing on the desk except for a mouse and keyboard, hmmmm. My lifetime dream is to leave nothing at all on the desk. I have things amazingly sparse as it is, but this would advance the cause YEARS.

So I think it's time to move one of the monitors here and see what a couple of days use has in store. Games tend to get a little blurry and fine details suffer, but for general day to day processing, it's looking good!

Did I mention it has built in speakers? No, well, AHEM! It also has built in speakers. But they suck, although again, for a working enviroment of tumbling $5 speakers, and wire hell, it would be great.

Anyway, when I have had time to play with it, I will let you know if it is any use in the real world.



Mag LT776s, nice and trim.

CRT - Cathode Ray Tube
LCD - Liquid Crystal Display
Flat Panel Monitor - Same as LCD but for people with more money than God.
Second monitor on a laptop - Just plug a normal desktop monitor, into the monitor socket on the back of your laptop, and switch on.

After January 7, 2004, your computer slows down and Microsoft Word and Excel will not start

If you are finding that your computer is mysteriously going slow, and others around you the same, then it could be your Norton Antivirus software causing some of it.

Symantec and Verisign are having an argument over what is going on

Follow this Symantec advice to get back those precious seconds for your PC.

And if you were wondering, here is what Verisign had to say on the matter. (If you could really care)

For anyone wishing just to get on with things, here is how to get that pesky computer back on track.

Close all programs.
Do one of the following:
In Windows 95/98/Me/NT/2000, on the Start menu, click Settings > Control Panel.
In Windows XP, on the Start menu, click Control Panel.

Double-click Internet Options.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Note: If you do not see the Internet Options icon when you open the Control Panel in Windows XP, in the left pane, click "Switch to Classic View," and then double-click Internet Options.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
On the Advanced tab, scroll down through the list box to the Security section.
Uncheck "Check for publisher's certificate revocation," as shown here:

Click OK, and restart the computer.


Good Luck!

Life on Mars... you knew it had to come soon

The Register has this rather interesting article about a discovery on the surface of Mars. You know one of those "Oo look, it's a (insert completely random ink-blob-test style response here)".

So no pic, otherwise it might ruin the already small surprise there...

Microsoft MN-730 & Ambicom WL1100C

Ok what a pain. It seems the jolly old WMP54G Linksys wireless network card, from before, was destined for faliure. The thing installed but never connected to the access point of approximately one meter away.

So I went back to Best Buy, with card in hand and swapped it for a Microsoft MN-730 Wireless-G PCI Adaptor and picked up an Ambicom WL1100C-CF Wireless CompactFlash Card which had been calling gently to me for weeks, as it was the only one they had hanging on the shelves there.

So back to the plot....
Ripped out the Linksys card, uninstalled the drivers, as well as the card configoration utility that decided it had to be evicted seperately.

It's the same set up under Win98 for the Microsoft card, as the Linksys one.

1. Install drivers.
2. Reboot about three times in all.
3. Physically install card.
4. Give card the final instructions to connect to your already functioning wireless access point.

There was a little annoyance about having to use the included wizard to set the card up, but I have only used WinXP with wireless cards up to now, and there seems no other way with Win98...

Upon installation, I begin to find another access point, which the previous card, and even the seemingly puny one in the laptop did not spot. The Ambicom card slotted into the Axim with no trouble, quick install and I was connected.

Now here IS the news...

Ambicom WL1100C-CF Wireless CompactFlash Card manages to surf when I am sat in the car outside!



Ambicom WL1100C-CF


A ZE4560US Laptop from HP manages to get no further than one floor away before it cannot contact base camp..

The Microsoft MN-730 Wireless-G PCI Adaptor seems to pick up anything that once passed this way, even back in time. I have yet to move the PC itself to somewhere more challenging, but things look good so far.



Microsoft MN-730


All this is attaching to a Linksys WRTG54 Wireless-G Broadband Router which now looks to be blasting the signal MUCH further than the one floor it was thought previously to have been doing so. So get that WEP security setting going folks, if you don't want someone Kazza'ing your butt into court sometime soon! It only takes a moment to set, and could save a LOT of headache later on.

To be fair to the Linksys card, that it could have been that a neighbor was using the same SSID as me (until recently) which was causing the faliure to connect. I had thought there was nothing out there and all of this was a symptom of what I assumed to be a puny access point. What a difference some new hardware made to that. Although there is some strange thing going on with the kitchen which makes all transmissions cease within. I think it's years of built up early morning, bleary eyed karma, or something....