Hi Folks,

Sorry about the missing newsletters, but I have been very busy with new customers, old customers, a new venture I am undertaking and Vista.  So much for retiring!  Here are a few things I have collected.  The first couple are Vista related and the last one is about registry cleaners - this is something I get asked about quite frequently and I think this is a good answer. I will be doing a comprehensive Vista newsletter soon.  Right now it is 16 pages.  Hila gets Vista this weekend!

Vista’s Security Design Error Cause For Concern?

by Lockergnome on February 19, 2007 at 3:39 pm · Comments
Categorized by Security / Related Information

With Vista now launched, many are wondering how Microsoft did with securing its latest operating system. If initial reports are any indication, there is significant reason for concern. Joanna Rutkowska, a very reputable security researcher, has already uncovered a serious security flaw in the new operating system. Her finding was that in Vista, many applications require that they be installed with administrator privileges, and that during the install process, users are given two options:

1.     install with elevated privileges, or

2.     don’t install the application at all.

Many, including myself, initially came to the conclusion that Microsoft made a security design error in implementing this system. The truth of the matter is that this is a serious security problem, but that problem is not due to a recent decision by Microsoft.

The real problem is that thousands upon thousands of 9x and XP applications were written according to the old security model, i.e. the one in which installers were able to spray their parts all over the system with no issues because they ran as administrator. This won’t work in Vista because they’ve gone to a restricted user model, so they have only one choice - allow the applications to install with elevated rights.

Microsoft had no other choice, really. The alternative is telling people that old programs are insecurely written and can’t be used. That wouldn’t go over well. Unfortunately, allowing the applications to go in as administrator creates a major problem for Microsoft: it trains the users to say yes when an application asks to be installed with elevated privileges.

This is what’s going to do the real damage. It’s the fact that people are going to get so used to allowing legitimate applications to install with elevated rights that when a piece of malware asks to do the same they’ll happily oblige.

Not good.

But it’s not a Vista problem, really. It’s going to hurt Vista, but the real problem is that of legacy support. It’s ironic, really. All this work to make Vista more secure and it’s going to be largely undermined by how lax they were in the past.

Vista’s Parental Controls (Part I)

by Diana Huggins on February 20, 2007 at 10:54 am · Comments
Categorized by Tips / Related Information

When you install Vista you also get the latest version of Microsoft’s Web browser. As you will see when you start poking around Internet Explorer 7, the browser has many security-related features and tools that are designed to secure your computer when connected to the Internet. One such tool, which is only available in the version of Internet Explorer that is included with Vista, is the Parental Controls.

Parental Controls is designed for parents to stop children from visiting inappropriate Web sites. However, it is also a feature that businesses can take advantage of to prevent against unacceptable Web usage.

Note: This feature is not available if the computer is connected to a domain.

You can configure Parental Controls from the Content tab within the Internet Options window. It is also accessible through the Vista Control Panel.

To start configuring Parental Controls, click the Parental Controls button on the Internet Option’s Content tab. The Parental Controls window will appear, listing all the user accounts configured on the computer. Select the Standard User account that you want to setup Parental Controls for.

Under Parental Controls, click the On, enforce current settings option. Once enabled, you will be able to control settings for the following areas:

• Web restrictions
• Time limits
• Games
• Programs

Web Restrictions
Parental Controls lets you restrict what Web sites a standard user account can visit. You can also block Web sites based on the content. This is useful for businesses that want to control the type of Web content employees can access from their workgroup computers.

Under Windows Settings, click the Vista Web Filter option to begin setting up Web restrictions.

The Web Restrictions window will permit you to configure the following settings:

• Allow or block Web sites or content
• Create an Allow list
• Set the Web restriction level
• Block file downloads

Select Edit the Allow and block list link to specify which specific sites users can and cannot visit. Type in the URL of the specific Web site and click either the Allow or the Block button. You also have the option of blocking access to all sites except those on the Allow list you create. For example, you can create a list of work related Web sites and block access to all other sites by selecting the Only Allow Web sites which are on the allow list option.

Time Limits
Parental Controls lets you set time limits to specify when a user is allowed to log on to the computer. For example, to ensure employees are not logging on to the computers after business hours, you can set a time limit from 8 AM to 6 PM. After 6 PM, users will automatically be logged off.

From the Time Restrictions window, click and drag the hours that you want to allow or block. Different logon hours can be set up for different days of the week.

Q:
I just upgraded to Windows Vista recently and everything seems to be going okay, but I'm a little confused about the "gadgets" on the side of my desktop. What's the purpose of these and is there any way I can get rid of them? Please explain!

A:
Great question! It's good that you asked this, because as a matter of fact, we here at WorldStart just got a new Vista computer. We are all so excited to check it out and see what the new operating system can really do. We just got it hooked up last week, so we're still new to it as well, but each day, I learn a little more about it. Because of that, I am able to answer your question with no reservations. And besides that, I should be able to tackle most of the Vista questions you all throw at me, but for now, we'll just take it one step at a time.

Okay, let me get back to the question of the day. To be honest with you all, I was a little confused by the desktop features when I first gave Vista a try too. I thought the items on the side of the desktop were pretty cool looking, but I wasn't sure exactly what they were until I dug a little deeper into them. Now that I have, let me tell you, I love them! Here's the explanation I think you're looking for and once you get done reading this, you will be able to enjoy those "gadgets" even more!

First of all, I'm not using the word "gadget" just for the lack of a better word. No, that's really what they're called. When you install Vista on your computer, you will first see just a few of the gadgets Microsoft picked for you on the right hand side of your desktop. But, the good news is that you can change them and choose your own as you go along with the Vista experience. The gadgets you can choose from are: Calendar, Clock, Contacts, CPU Meter, Currency, Feed Headlines, Notes, Picture Puzzle, Slideshow, Stocks and Weather. They all do their own thing while being very helpful.

Just as an overview, I'm going to go over some of my favorites, but I think they will be popular among you all as well. If I don't cover one that you particularly like, you can always take this information and learn more about the others. The directions are pretty much the same for all of them. Here we go!

First up is the calendar. With this, you can see a full calendar for each month of the year. Of course, it will display the current month, but you can easily change it to see another month if you need to. You can also have it set to show you just the current day of the week, along with the date number. All you have to do is click the calendar once to change between the views. Another of my favorites is the clock. This one is cool, because you can change the design of your clock to whatever you want it to be. There's a normal looking clock, a flower clock, a blue one, a red one and several others. You can even give your clock a name. I personally have the flower clock with my name written on it. I love it! To change the view of your clock, go to the clock gadget and click on the little wrench icon. With that, you can change whatever you want within any of the gadgets.

Another helpful gadget is the feed headlines. There are four different Microsoft feeds that you can choose from. There's Microsoft Feeds, Microsoft at Home, Microsoft at Work and MSNBC. You can either have a couple of them or all of them all at one time. Once you choose what you want, they will all be right there for you on your desktop. It doesn't get any more convenient than that! To pick your feeds, once again, just click on the wrench icon and make your selections. The slideshow gadget is also very cool. This one isn't really as necessary as some of the others might be, but it's neat to look at. If you pick this as one of your gadgets, you'll constantly have a picture slideshow on your desktop to view. Now, it won't fill up your whole desktop, but there's an array of beautiful pictures that will show up on your Vista sidebar. There's everything from flowers to animals and so on.

The last one I'm going to talk about is probably my most favorite out of all of them and it's the weather gadget. Yes, there are several other weather downloads you can get that will show the current weather conditions on your computer screen, but I like this one better. It's bigger and it shows you the temperature and the current conditions (sunny, cloudy, etc.) very clearly. For example, it's sunny and 25 degrees in Toledo right now! To change the area you want to see the weather for, just click on the wrench icon and type your zip code or city and state in the search box. It will appear for you automatically and you'll never have to wonder about the weather again!

Okay, so those are just a few that really caught my eye right away. Like I said, there are several others to choose from and you can have at least up to five gadgets on your desktop at one time. You can interchange them every day if you want as well. To access all the gadgets, click on the plus sign (+) in the upper right hand corner of your desktop and click on the word Gadgets. Then, to select whichever one you'd like, just double click it and it will appear on your screen for you. Also, like I said before, to make any changes to any of the gadgets, just click on that little wrench icon and go to town. Here's an example of what your desktop may look like when you are all done.

There are also some gadgets that you can download from the Internet. To check those out, just click on the link that says "Get more gadgets online." You can search through all of the choices and customize your desktop just the way you want it. Now, if you want to get rid of all the gadgets, right click on the word Gadgets in the upper right hand corner and just choose Close Sidebar. That way, all of the gadgets will disappear and you will have your full desktop space back again.

So, if you have made the upgrade to Vista, the gadget section may be something you'll want to check out once you get all settled in. It's cool and so much fun!

~ Erin

Are Registry cleaners worthwhile?

By Fred Langa

For some, Windows Registry cleaning is a waste of time. For others, it's essential!
Here's how to tell if your PC might benefit from a thorough cleaning of its Registry.

The whys and hows of Registry cleaners

A reader named Dave asked a question I was happy to answer because it's about one of my favorite topics:

§                       "Would you consider commenting on the value of Registry cleaning programs and, more importantly, making some recommendations?"

First, here's some background: According to Wikipedia, the Windows Registry is "a database which stores settings and options for the operating system for Microsoft Windows 32-bit versions, 64-bit versions and Windows Mobile. It contains information and settings for all the hardware, operating system software, most non-operating system software, users, and preferences of the PC and so on." (For more in-depth information, read the whole article.)

Some Registry entries are maintained by Windows itself, which does a reasonable job of looking after its own settings. But Windows can't know what third-party software needs to do in the Registry, and so more or less cedes control of those entries to the software that creates them.

Some software is very tidy, even frugal about what it stores in the Registry. This kind of software is also thorough in erasing all traces of itself when it is eventually uninstalled or upgraded.

Other software, however, is notorious not only for spewing data throughout the Registry, but also for leaving behind large amounts of digital debris when the software is removed. In fact, this behavior is sometimes intentional; many time-limited software trials, for example, deliberately leave behind special software "flags" that prevent you from using the software after the trial has expired, even if you remove and reinstall the software afresh.

Software crashes can leave behind messy Registry entries, too, some of which may interfere with your ability to correct the problem. These orphan Registry entries may even prevent you from successfully reinstalling the software later.

Bogus data causes the Registry to grow needlessly in a condition sometimes referred to as "Registry bloat." A bloated Registry slows operation of your PC (because your operating system has to wade through the bad entries while seeking the good ones) and can lead to crashes.

In addition, nothing good can come from Registry entries that point to programs or DLLs that no longer exist on the PC.

If your PC is relatively new and you haven't changed its original configuration much, then Registry bloat isn't likely to be a major issue. But the longer your PC has been in service — especially if you frequently add and remove hardware and software — the more deadwood your Registry is likely to contain.

Software tinkerers, in particular — people like me (and maybe like you!) who regularly try out new programs, experiment with shareware, or explore the more obscure settings of their setups — are likely candidates for significant Registry bloat.

A good Registry cleaning tool will seek out and delete bogus entries. For example, such a tool can check to see that every program and file referenced in the Registry really exists in the location the Registry thinks it does. If the location is incorrect, the tool can update the Registry entry with the correct data. If the referenced program or file doesn't exist, the tool can delete the meaningless Registry entry.

A while ago, I tested and wrote about 10 different Registry cleaning tools in InformationWeek. I found jv16 PowerTools to be the best commercially available Registry Cleaner (there's a full-featured 30-day free trial available), and EasyCleaner to be the best free tool (though not as good as jv16 PowerTools).

I've tried other tools in the interim, but I still haven't seen anything that makes me want to change those recommendations. See the full article for information on how I tested the tools, and why I chose those two in particular.

The Registry is the heart of Windows, so it's not something you want to alter on a whim. But, if you use your PC as heavily as I use mine, then regular and routine Registry cleaning can help your system stay as fast and stable as when it was new.

As always, make a backup before altering your PC in any significant way!

When is it safe to delete .log files?

In the Feb. 22 issue, I wrote about the hundreds of hidden log files that may "grow like weeds in the obscure corners of your PC." Reader Ed Laborwit writes that he found many logfiles on his PC, but is worried about the effects of deleting them:

§                       "Is there a way to tell us if we actually need the log files? I did the search and found 400 in a computer that I've been running for about three years. I can put them on a disc, but how often would I have to retrieve the files?"

As a general rule of thumb, the older a log file is, the less likely it is that you'll need the information it contains. For example, imagine you're installing a version of, say, CrashOmatic and, true to its name, it crashes halfway through the install. If CrashOmatic created a log file during the install, you can open the file to see how far the installation got, and at what step it failed. If it was trying to do something to your video system, for example, at least you'd have a place to start troubleshooting.

On the other hand, if you search your PC and find a log file from a version of, say, StableSoft that's been running perfectly ever since you first installed it, odds are you won't need that logfile. This sounds more like Ed's case.

So, the potential value of a log file is usually highest when the log file is freshly created or altered. It diminishes over time. If your PC is running fine and you haven't recently changed hardware or software, then you probably can remove all the log files without undue risk.

But as I said in the Feb. 22 issue, it pays to make a backup of the log files before deleting them. That way, you can recover the data, in the unlikely event that you do eventually need it.

More Next Friday,
Chuckstr
----My Web Site----

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