Building The Net

We have received reports that the CryptoLocker ransom-ware is becoming more prolific every day.

CryptoLocker ransom-ware is a malware program that when ran, will search all connected drives on your Windows PC, and then using strong public/private key encryption, proceeds to encrypt all of your data files it can find.

What it does:

Once it is done encrypting all the data files it can find, it will delete the private portion of the encryption key, and present the user with a popup. This popup informs the user that they have been infected and must pay $300 dollars via Bitcoin to receive the key to regain access to the data.

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Running the System Rescue CD

— Stu

My God, can it all be the same?

Seems like most of my job now a days is looking at large systems and isolating problem areas. Things like performance problems, data corruption, or even failure analysis. Many of these systems have several independently managed processes, all tied together in a single forward facing application. Over the years, I’ve developed some methods of approaching system failures and problems that gives me a better chance of quickly evaluating and repairing the issues that plague these systems. I used to believe that these methods were only valid on larger system models, then, one day, a colleague of mine and I were sitting in a small coffee house discussing a problem they were having with one of the desktops they manage. While we exchanged ideas, I suddenly realized that I was using the same mental process on this little desktop as I did with the large cluster systems.

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Upgrading to Windows 7

Windows 7 is out! And as usual, Microsoft is pushing the idea that: “Windows 7 is the greatest operating system ever created”. Well, I would argue that point, but if you are a hardcore windows user, you most likely will be drinking from the Microsoft Cool-Aid fountain, and will purchase the Windows 7 upgrade.

The first thing you’ll notice is that if you aren’t running Vista, you will be installing Windows 7 as a fresh install. Even if you are running Vista, most experts recommend that you install from scratch regardless. So what does that mean to Windows users? You will be starting fresh! A fresh start! A new tomorrow!

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The temptation of the cloud…

In today’s everything digital world, it seems like a natural thing to store your data where you can get to it from anywhere. But who is insuring that all those photos, contacts, videos, calendar entries, and other digital info will be there in ten years? Or in five years? Or even next year? Actually, who is making sure it will be there and accessible tomorrow? With Microsoft/Danger’s announcement of a total data storage failure on the T-Mobile Sidekick Network:

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Microsoft training, where the fear begins.

A recent blog story from Daily Finance tells of leaked slides from Microsoft’s Expert Zone training class used to train Best Buy employees, contains out and out lies regarding security and compatibility comparisons between Windows 7 and Linux. For many Linux advocates, this is equivalent to a smoking gun in regards to Microsoft’s unethical methods of promoting it’s products. They point to the fact that Microsoft uses it’s technical training and certification programs to spread false information. WELL DUH!

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Open Source Good, Microsoft Bad…

This seems to be the cry of the hard core Linux and open source community in regards to the next release of Windows. Currently, most of the Linux camps are gearing up for all out war. Being a Linux and Open Source geek, I understand why we all seem to be bracing ourselves for a battle, but I think we might be going over the edge a bit on this one.

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Why it’s important to pay for every copy of software you use.

Recently, I was chatting with some ‘Non Geek’ friends about the software they run on their home PCs. I was not surprised to hear that most of them ran a Microsoft OS and almost all Microsoft software. What was a surprise, was how many of them did not purchase the software for their PCs, or did not pay the license fees for every PC that was running the software on.

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Why do I even try…

As my dad used to say, “Sometimes, the Dragon, he wins…”. For quite a while now, I have been on a mission to try to move my wife over to Open Office. She is a devoted Microsoft user, and runs the only jointly owned PC that has Windows as it’s primary operating system. Now, I’m not a totally anti-Microsoft, and I do believe that a person has the right to use whatever software they like, and are willing to properly license. But I really have a problem with paying for any software license when an equivalent Open Source option is available. I can’t seem to get through to my lovely wife, that Open Office will do all the things she uses MS Office for. The really sad thing, is she won’t even try Open Office. She gets mad if it’s on her PC! And when I ask her why she is against using it, she has the following reasons:

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