Tuesday, December 28, 2010

Use time spent on airplane for social interaction

Time you spend on airplane, or while you are waiting for your connecting flights, might be so boring! Therefore, meeting a friend or co-worker is usually a pleasant surprise helping to short long hours. Sometimes, new acquaintance “on the road” might bring you even better satisfaction. At least one of my friends met his future wife, suffering with computer battery down at the delayed flight at San Francisco Airport. He still considers these hours as the most significant event and turnaround point in his whole life.

Photobucket

But that is a pure chance. If you want to make it more predictable and better planned, you may find useful free services offered by the new Web 2.0 site, called Planely.

Register on the site, and whenever you’re travelling by plane, enter your flight details. You will get information on any other registered Planely Fliers who are on the same flight, or at the same departure or arrival airports as you are. You can then make arrangements to sit together on the plane, have a coffee on the ground or share a cab home.

Planely has created the opportunity for you to contact passengers with overlapping itineraries ahead of time and make mutual arrangements. The new services are especially useful for those who have difficulties to start communicating with strangers. When your common ground is already established, everything rolls out much easier. Even more beneficiary that will be for people coming for the same conference, sport events, unique travel destination, etc.

Photobucket

Have a flight soon? Give it a try. Check Planely at http://www.planely.com/


Tuesday, December 14, 2010

Beware: UPS/FedEx/USPS delivery email may bring you unpleasant surprise

I am getting multiple emails with all kind of warnings about ugly devastating viruses and Trojans, which are going to penetrate my computer one or another way. You probably know what I mean, as you probably get this kind of mass-mailing as well. So, most of the warnings are simple spam which is delivered to my mailbox by friends with the best intentions. However, I never accept anything as the truth before I check e warning through the trusted informational sources.

Today I got the following email:
The newest virus circulating is the UPS/Fed Ex Delivery Failure. You will receive an email from UPS/Fed Ex Service along with a packet number… It will say that they were unable to deliver a package sent to you on such-and-such a date. It then asks you to print out the invoice copy attached. DON'T TRY TO PRINT THIS. IT LAUNCHES THE VIRUS! Pass this warning on to all your PC operators at work and home. This virus has caused Millions of dollarsin damage in the past few days.
This time, after thorough investigation, I have to admit that the warning is real. This kind of emails started the circulation from 2008, but it seems that there is a new spike is around this Holiday season.  

Photobucket

The sample of the email you may get is as follows:


Hello!
Unfortunately we failed to deliver the postal package you have sent on the 19th of September in time because the recipient's address is erroneous.
Please print out the shipment label attached and collect the package at our office.
United States Postal Service
If you receive such an email, don't be tempted! Clicking on the attachment, which looks like a harmless Word document, opens an executable file that installs malware on your computer. The USPS is also aware of attempts to collect personal information via the phone:

Customers may be receiving email messages or phone calls that allege to be from the U.S. Postal Service that contains fraudulent information about attempted or intercepted package delivery.
For emails: If opened, the messages instruct customers to click on a link to find out more about when they can expect delivery of their "package." Simply delete the message without taking any further action.
For phone calls: Please do not provide any personal information and let the caller know you're not interested and hang-up the phone.
The Postal Inspection Service is aware of the problems and are working hard to resolve the issues and shut down the malicious programs.
We regret any inconvenience this may have caused our customers.

UPS, FedEx, and DHL have all issued warnings to immediately delete these emails and to never click on links contained therein. UPS writes that it “may send official notification messages on occasion, but they rarely include attachments.” FedEx says emails it sends with tracking updates for undeliverable packages “do not include attachments.”

If you receive one of these emails, just delete it if you haven't sent a package. If you have sent a package and receive one of these messages, but question its authenticity, contact the customer service department of whichever service you used.

Don't open email attachments until you're certain they're from a legitimate party. In addition, remember to update your antivirus software often, and back up your hard drive regularly.

Note that the message may be a bit different, but still carry the dangerous load:

Mr./Mrs. XXX

I am sorry for this late reply, but we have good news.
We managed to track your package, and we have attached the invoice you asked for to this reply.

The invoice contains the correct tracking# , since the one you gave us was invalid.
You can use it on the ups website to track your shipment.
Thank you

John Henry
UPS Customer Care Department

Some user reported that even the sources of the alleged failure delivery note might not be limited by USPS, FedEx, and UPS. Some users reported similar presents from Western Union.

So, rule number one – be careful opening any attachments.
Rule number two - do not open any attachments with EXE extension. Period!
Rule number three – watch for strange emails similar to those presented in the post and delete them right away.

Sources and Additional Information:


Wednesday, December 8, 2010

Transferring Images to your Mobile Phone with Pix2Fone

Pix2Fone is a free service that lets you make custom mobile phone wallpapers, backgrounds and logos in instantly without being a gadget guru. There are two ways of using the service (both are equally free of charge): you can use online version, loading the pictures through the web site, or you can download a small plugin for the most popular browsers MS Internet Explorer and Mozilla Firefox. The browser extension adds "Save Picture to Mobile Phone" and "Upload File to Mobile Phone" options right to your browser.

Why you may need this service?

  1. You may just want to replace the preset background images on your phone with a fresh set.
  2. Need to use your friend’s photo as a picture caller ID, while you are on the go.
  3. Need to save the picture on your phone from the Internet or your home computer without cables.
How it works?

If you chose to install the plugin approach, following the installation, right-click with your mouse on a desired photo in your browser and select "Save Picture to Mobile Phone" from the drop-down menu. Alternatively, you may select "Upload File to Mobile Phone" from browser's "Tools" menu to upload a picture or MP3 file from your computer. In a few seconds Pix2Fone web service will process your request and format selected image for your specific phone's display settings (note that the first time you use the service to send image, the service will ask you about your phone model).

Then you will be given a unique download code and may save the picture optimized for your phone via phone's WAPWireless Access Protocol, also known as "wireless internet", "mobile web" or "data service", allows Web access on mobile phones. browser.

All you need to get pictures to mobile phone is a wireless service plan that includes WAPWireless Access Protocol, also known as "wireless internet", "mobile web" or "data service", allows Web access on mobile phones. access. Open wap.pix2fone.com page in the phone's browser and enter the download code to start loading picture to the phone. Optionally you may avoid typing by sending the direct download link as SMSShort Messaging Service, also known as "text messaging". right to your phone. To download image, highlight the internet link in the text message you received and select "Go to" from the phone's menu. This free option is available for users in the U.S. and Canada.

The phone starts downloading picture automatically once you enter the download code (or click the direct link you received as SMSShort Messaging Service, also known as "text messaging".). A message will appear on the phone's display referring to the incoming file size.  Press "Yes" key and wait a few seconds until your phone displays a message like "Item saved in My Pictures". Now you can set this picture as phone wallpaper, background or even picture caller IDLink pictures to the contacts in your phonebook to display a photo of the person calling you..

Developers’ website: http://www.pix2fone.com/

Thursday, December 2, 2010

Rhyming Assistance with Poem Creation


Wikipedia defines rhyme as a repetition of similar sounds in two or more words and is most often used in poetry and songs. Rhymes might be useful not just for professional poets. They can be quite handy, when you try to create a nice greeting, party invitation, or love song. That is cool, and you will see how your rating goes up, when you produce such piece of art. But that is not easy to make it. Words are running away, and you may find it hard to use the proper rhymes during composition. Get some assistance from the Web.

Free online version of Rhymer service offers five types of rhymes:
  1. End Rhymes (blue/shoe)
    Words with ending rhyme have the same final vowel sound and following consonant sound(s). For example, if you enter the word laughter under this option, Rhymer retrieves a list of words with the ending sound er (e.g., admirer, doctor, pleasure, scholar, watercolor, and were). Other examples of ending rhyme include:
    • hat/cat
    • plate/eight
    • marigold/buttonholed
This option lets you easily find exact rhymes (words in which the final vowel and consonant sounds are the same) and masculine rhymes (rhyming words with a stressed final syllable).

  1. Last Syllable Rhymes (timber/harbor)
    Words with last syllable rhyme have the same sounds following the last syllable boundary (commonly a consonant, a vowel, and another consonant). For example, if you enter the word explain using this option, Rhymer retrieves a list of words with the last syllable sound plain (e.g., aquaplane, biplane, plane, and plain). Other examples of last syllable rhyme include:
    • humanity/zesty
    • threw/breakthrough
    • pleat/complete
This option lets you find masculine rhymes and all other words with final syllables (stressed or unstressed) that rhyme with the word you entered.

  1. Double Rhymes (conviction/prediction)
    Words with double rhyme have the same vowel sound in the second-to-last syllable and all following sounds. For example, if you enter the word soaring using this option, Rhymer retrieves a list of words with the sound oring (e.g., adoring, exploring, pouring, scoring, touring, and restoring). Other examples of double rhyme include:
    • walking/talking
    • humming/coming
    • navigator/waiter
This option lets you find feminine rhymes (rhyming words with an unstressed final syllable). Words entered using this option must have at least two syllables.

  1. Beginning Rhymes (physics/fizzle)
    Words with beginning rhyme have the same initial consonant sound(s) and the same first vowel sound. For example, if you enter the word plantation using this option, Rhymer retrieves a list of words with the sound pla (e.g., plan, plaque, plaster, and plateau). Other examples of beginning rhyme include:
    • scenery/cedar
    • cat/kangaroo
    • table/tailor
This option lets you find words with initial alliteration (the repetition of initial consonant sounds), initial assonance (the repetition of initial vowel sounds), and front rhyme (the succession of beginning sounds of words).

  1. First Syllable Rhymes (carrot/caring)
    Words with first syllable rhyme have the same sounds preceding the first syllable break. For example, if you enter the word explanation using this option, Rhymer retrieves a list of words with the sound ex (e.g., excavate, exhale, expert, and extra). Other examples of first syllable rhyme include:
    • pantaloons/pantomimes
    • highlight/hydrant
    • tulip/twosome



Tuesday, November 23, 2010

Enrich your Gmail experience with Rapportive

I love how Rapportive "just works" out of the box.
Rapportive is telling me so much I didn't know.
I do not know how I ever survived Gmail without Rapportive.
Can't believe I waited this long to install.
From Twitter Buzz


Rapportive is a free browser plugin (available as both a Firefox add-on and as a Chrome extension), replacing the adverts in Gmail’s sidebar (which you would like probably to get rid of anyway) with useful information about your contacts: a photo, bio and links to social media accounts (Twitter, LinkedIn, Flickr, etc).

You can immediately see what people look like, where they're based, and what they do. You can establish rapport by mentioning shared interests. You can grow your network by connecting on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and more. And you can record thoughts for later by leaving notes.

Installation is simple and takes no more than couple of minutes. You have to give it access to a minimum of information to get started (as your name and email address, via your Google account). The service pulls contact information from the Rapleaf database, so the amount of biographical information and links to social media accounts that are returned will depend on how well Rapleaf has managed to tie that contact’s email address to the various social media services.

Install plugin for free: http://rapportive.com/

Photobucket


Friday, November 12, 2010

Online Paper Grader

If you like to write stories or you have to write technical papers for your college, and you would like to improve your writing skills, you can get free real-time online assistance from Paper Rater - a free, web-based service that analyzes your writing and offers feedback on your grammar, spelling, and more.

Paper Rater couldn't be easier to use. Just paste in the text you want analyzed, choose what type of content it is—essay, research paper, speech, etc.—and submit it for review. Within seconds, Paper Rater generates a report that analyzes several aspects of your submission. It checks your document for grammar and spelling errors. On top of that, it helps you to improve the document's readability, word choice and style by an in-depth analysis.

PaperRater.com is a free resource, developed and maintained by linguistics professionals and graduate students. It is used by schools and universities in over 46 countries to help students improve their writing.

PaperRater.com combines the power of natural language processing (NLP), artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning, information retrieval (IR), computational linguistics, data mining, and advanced pattern matching (APM).

Main features

PaperRater.com analyzes documents immediately, 24/7, in real-time. It provides in depth analysis to help student, bloggers, and general computer users to improve grammar and writing. Some of our features include:
  • Plagiarism detection. Find out if your paper contains plagiarized text before your professor does.
  • Spelling and grammar check. Robust grammar checking allows you to find those pesky mistakes and correct them before turning in your paper.
  • Style and word choice analysis. The proofreading system alerts you to opportunities to improve your writing.
  • Readability stats are offered.
  • FREE and premium packages are available.
  • Vocabulary Builder tool.

Reasons to Use Paper Rater
  • 100% FREE.
  • It's simple - just copy and paste your paper in the box below .
  • View detailed stats about word choice, grammar, spelling, and more.
  • Your paper will be analyzed immediately in real-time.
  • No registration or your personal information disclosure is required.  

Photobucket


Thursday, November 4, 2010

How to Speed up the Start Menu in Windows XP?


The default speed of the Start Menu is pretty slow, but you can fix that by editing a Registry Key. Fire up the Registry Editor and navigate to the following key:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER \ Control Panel \ Desktop \ MenuShowDelay

By default, the value is 400 (actually the number is timeout in milliseconds). Change this to a smaller value, such as 0, to speed it up. You may not have this registry parameter at all. In this case, you need to add it. On the Edit menu, click Add Value, and then add the following registry value: "MenuShowDelay"=0.

You may notice that setting the registry value to “0 might be too quick for your mouse to respond. If that is the case, put the number higher, say 100, and check the effect on startup.

If this doesn't work for some reason, then you might try the following: Navigate to Display Properties then Appearance then Effects and turn off the option titled Show menu shadow. You will get much better overall performance.

Caution: Incorrectly editing the registry may severely damage your system. Before making changes to the registry, you should back up any valued data on your computer.



Friday, October 29, 2010

Tatmash 3D Tattoo Generator on Body Pictures

The culture status of tattooing has steadily evolved
from that of an anti-social activity in the 1960s
to that of a trendy fashion statement in the 1990s



It doesn't matter who you are or what your profession is. It doesn't matter if you're in the East Village or East Alabama. Whatever your socio-demographic is - from prisoners to princesses - having a tattoo is now an acceptable practice throughout most of society. With few religious and social exceptions, for the most part, people from all walks of life can be seen sporting a "your name here" on their lower-back or a classic image on their bicep.

Could it be possible tattoos are less meaningful nowadays that they're acceptable? Could it be body art has increased in popularity, perhaps as a means by which the boring can become interesting? New York Times op-ed columnist David Brooks affirms this sentiment, saying, "Other people are trying to unveil their wild side. They're taking advantage of the fact that tattoos are associated with felons, bikers and gangstas. They're trying to show that far from being the dull communications majors they appear to be, they are actually free spirits - sensual, independent, a little dangerous."

Tattoo popularity could also be booming because people in American society are becoming more tolerant. It would make sense "normal" people (not gangstas or felons) get inked now that the stigma attached with tattoos has dramatically reduced. While Grandma may not be entirely approving, most of society won't cast a second look.

According to a 2006 American Society of Dermatological Surgery survey, 24 percent of Americans between the ages of 18 and 50 have a tattoo. That's one in four, a whopping number compared to the 10 percent of Americans who were inked in 1936, according to Life Magazine. U.S. News & World Report said tattooing is one of the fastest growing markets, along with computers, cell phones and internet offers.

In spite of the huge popularity and growing tolerance to the tattoo wearers, you should be really careful choosing and applying one. First of all, the presence of tattoos and/or body piercings is not considered a religious practice and is not protected by the anti-discrimination standards established by the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Employees with tattoos and/or body piercings are not members of a protected class and may be refused employment or otherwise discriminated against in the workplace. Also, permanent tattoo is something you’ll wear for long, so it should be something that make you more attractive, sexier, or more open, and not bring you the “weirdo” verdict from other people.

Photobucket

The Tattoo Generator will help you to apply virtually any chosen tattoo on your body parts, and check if that really what you want. Pick a tattoo out of hundreds of designs (you can also upload your own design), then upload a photo of yourself with the part of the body you would like to see tattooed. Free version of these interesting online service is limited (you cannot upload your own design and you have limited amount of fonts, for example), but that is a good place to start your tattoo exploration journey.

Photobucket

You can visit Virtual Tattoo Simulator and start now: http://www.tatmash.com/


Sunday, October 24, 2010

How to troubleshoot unknown devices in Windows XP Device Manager?

Working computer have all the drivers for the hardware used, and you might not even think about all these pieces of computer code supporting the functionality of all systems. However, after computer crash or following the complete re-installation of the Operating System, you may find that not all the hardware elements are recognized automatically by Operating System. If you are advanced and careful computer user, you might have the drivers backup somewhere, or, at least the original drivers disk, which came with computer purchase. But, what if you miss this information? The devices, where the drivers are not assigned or improperly assigned, might not properly function, or not function at all.

First of all, visit your Device Manager to see, what kind of problems you have. Device Manager displays a list of all devices that are installed on a Windows XP-based computer. When you view device information in Device Manager, you may see a device listed as Unknown Device next to a yellow question mark. It may be difficult to determine the cause of this unknown device, because there are few indications of what generates it. There are several ways to access Device Manager. One of them is choosing My Computer on your desktop or menu and with right click calling Properties. Next, select the tab Hardware and click on the Device Manager button.

When you located the questionable device, try to update the driver, pointing the search to the disk with the stored drivers collection or just let computer search Internet for the suitable one, if you do not have a disk. The worst situation is when your problematic device is related to networking, not allowing you to go online. For this case, you will have to operate from another computer to locate and download the required driver.

There are several ways to update the driver, if it is not recognized automatically:
1. Visit the following Microsoft Web site to see whether the Web site autodetects an updated driver for your device. Install all recommended drivers.
http://www.windowsupdate.com (http://www.windowsupdate.com)

2. Search for Universal Drivers Pack in Google for your Operating System. Download it and burn DVD or copy to the external drive. Then, direct for the updated driver search to the location where the drivers are placed. I have several packs for Windows XP, and there was no single case, when the drivers were not recognized, except for the hardware malfunctioning issues.

3. Visit directly the manufacturing site for the device you need to troubleshoot:
  • Visit the Web site of the computer manufacturer if the device came with the computer.
  • Visit the Web site of the device manufacturer if the device was installed after you purchased your computer.
  • Visit the Web site of the device manufacturer if the device was preinstalled on your computer and the computer manufacturer does not have an updated driver.
Look for a Drivers section or a Download section on the manufacturer’s Web site, and search for the device name. Download and install the Windows XP version of the driver. If you do not know the identification and manufacturer of the malfunctioning device, follow the steps:
  • Right click on the unknown device and click on Properties.
  • Under the Properties window click on Details tab and select Device Instance Id (or Device Instance Path) from the drop down box.
  • You should see a code similar to this

          PCI\VEN_8086&DEV_27DC&SUBSYS_30868086
          &REV_01\4&1E46F438&0&40F0
  • The portion of the code highlighted in RED is the Vendor ID and the portion highlighted in GREEN is the Device ID. In this example:

          Vendor ID = 8086
          Device ID = 27DC
  • Once you have obtained both the IDs, proceed to PCI Database. There you can either search for the vendor from the vendor ID or directly get information about the device along with the vendor name by searching with the device ID.
4. Locate the required driver from the specialized websites
In case, the manufacturer does not provide the drivers download option, or ceased to exist at all, you can search for the required drivers on the websites collecting all kind of drivers. There is a list of the sites, you can use:

Sources and Additional Information:



Sunday, October 17, 2010

How to clean easily your Gmail Account?




I am sure that Gmail is the best service on the free email addresses offerings on the market. You get a huge amount of space on the server, set of nice features and outstanding spam filters. But still you can get to the situation when the provided amount of storage is not enough. What can you do if you get notification that you run out of space for your Gmail account? Solution is easy and straightforward: find unneeded messages and delete them.

Photobucket

Free online service Find Big Mail can help you to remove large emails in your account, so you can delete them fast and easy.

How to do that?

  • 1.       Access the website http://www.findbigmail.com/
  • 2.       Enter your Gmail address in the online form and click on Click Here button.
  • 3.       Give permission to the service to access your email account.
  • 4.       New Gmail labels will show what is using all your free space.
  • 5.       Review and delete your big messages, then empty the trash.
The service is rated 3 out of 5 on the RateItAll list of 48 Free Online service and Freeware Utilities for Gmail users. Feel free to check other items on the list.


Saturday, October 9, 2010

iPad Jailbreaking News: LimeRa1n versus GreenPois0n

Definitely, the news about jailbreaking process breakthrough is not just for iPad holders, but for all kind of iPhones as well. But since, I am faithful Droid fan, I personally care about iPhones much less. So, October 10 and October 11 should be great days in the technological history of iProducts. Because the solutions to unlock the full power of these devices are coming...

What is Jailbreaking?
                       
Jailbreaking is a process that allows iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad users to run any code on their devices, as opposed to only that code authorized by Apple. This process permits users to install homebrew applications on their devices by unlocking the operating system and allowing the user root access. Once jailbroken, iPhone users can download many extensions and themes previously unavailable through the App Store via unofficial installers such as Cydia. A jailbroken iPad, iPhone or iPod Touch is still able to use the App Store and iTunes.

Does Apple like the users’ ability to bypass their filters and use the commercial applications for free? Definitely, no. Therefore, they release once a while software updates, which cause the jailbroken devices to be returned to the original state. The severe competition between freelancing hackers and hackers employed by Apple continues.

Is that legal to Jailbreak your device?

All the law obedient citizens would be surprised, but the answer is YES. You have a freedom to unlock the Apple device, and Apple has a freedom to prevent you from doing that, but not through legal and enforcement approaches, but purely through technological solutions only.

Jailbreaking an iPod or iPhone in the United States is legal "fair use", and does not violate copyright laws defined by the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. In response to a request by the Electronic Frontier Foundation, the U.S. Copyright Office explicitly recognized an exemption to the DMCA to permit jailbreaking in order to allow iPhone owners to use their phones with applications that are not available from Apple's store, and to unlock their iPhones for use with unapproved carriers. Apple had previously filed comments opposing this exemption and indicated that they did consider jailbreaking to be a violation of copyright (and by implication prosecutable under the DMCA). Apple's request to define jailbreaking as a violation of copyright was denied as part of the 2009 DMCA rulemaking. In their ruling, the Library of Congress affirmed on July, 26, 2010 that jailbreaking is legal under U.S. copyright law.

Tim Wu, a professor at Columbia Law School, argued that jailbreaking is "legal, ethical, and just plain fun." Wu cited an explicit exemption issued by the Library of Congress in 2006 for personal unlocking, which notes that locks "are used by wireless carriers to limit the ability of subscribers to switch to other carriers, a business decision that has nothing whatsoever to do with the interests protected by copyright" and thus do not implicate the DMCA.  Wu did not claim that this exemption applies to those who help others unlock a device or "traffic" in software to do so. As of July 26, 2010, The U.S. Copyright Office has approved exemptions to the DMCA that allow iDevice users to Jailbreak their devices legally. These exemptions also allow phone users to unlock their phone in order to switch carriers. It is still possible Apple may employ technical countermeasures to prevent jailbreaking or prevent jailbroken phones from functioning, but they will not be able to sue users who jailbreak.

GreenPois0n and LimeRa1n

Photobucket

All the iDevices fans were expecting the new jailbreak solution from Chronic Dev Team, and recently the release date of the Greenpois0n  has been announced as October 10, 2010. It supposed to cover all iOS 4.1 Devices for life including Apple T.V 2G (which means a solution for all iPad 3.2.2 holders as well). There are two more important points to bring in: the solution should be for life, so Apple future efforts should not harm the unlocked devices, and that the solution is untethered meaning that users do not have to plug the jailbroken device into a computer every time it needs to be restarted (as in some previous software releases.

The spice to the picture added the fresh news on the competitive solution LimeRa1n, created by Geohot, the famous guy who unlocked the iPhone and also creator of blackra1n. This new exploit supposed to jailbreak all iDevices including iPhone 3GS and iPod Touch 3G which even the SHAtter exploit and GreenPois0n cannot jailbreak.

With Limera1n and GreenPois0n around the news, one thing is sure that we will definitely get the jailbreak for iPhone 4, 3GS, iPod Touch 4G, 3G and iPad with in next 2 days. It can either GreenPois0n or Limera1n or even both. The Chronic Dev Team did note that since Geohot's LimeRa1n is a different exploit, it will effectively "burn" it. This is because Apple will be tipped to the new exploit. With rumors of a Verizon iPhone coming in early 2011, this could enable them to close the bootrom exploits, both of them, prior to that device's rumored launch.

Which jailbreak I will recommend? At the moment it is still unclear even for the people which are more experienced on the topic than I am. I would recommend not jumping to the first trials, but waiting to see what the results of both GreenPois0n and LimeRa1n are. Wait couple of days and choose jailbreak which is the easiest, fastest, and safest.

Happy Jailbreaking!

Update 1:
The plans have changed fast. Jailbreak limera1n was released today for 4.1 iDevice users with some limitations, like supported only for Windows OS, while the previously announced dev-team jailbreak, which was due out tomorrow, may be put on hold while the team works on revising their tools for the limera1n exploit rather than exposing multiple exploits that will quickly be patched.

You can download Limera1n now: http://www.limera1n.com/

Update 2
There is a confirmation that GreenPois0n jailbreak will be delayed. The latest update from Chronic Dev Team Blog:

Thanks to the irresponsible antics of geohot, we will have to delay the release of greenpois0n (new ETA = as soon as possible), so that we have time to clean up his little mess and integrate the exploit he uses in limera1n into greenpois0n. This way, we can save SHAtter for future devices that may still be vulnerable to it.

We know that this is not what some people want to hear, but due to geohot needing to feed his ego (as usual) and revealing his limera1n exploit, we do not have any other responsible options.

Saturday, October 2, 2010

21 Useful Tips on how to extend life of laptop battery

As more and more people are becoming part of the mobile workforce and using laptop or tablet PC's battery life is often a primary concern. Today's portable computers use lithium-ion batteries instead of older style nickel-cadmium power sources. In addition to being able to hold a greater charge, lithium is also very light weight, another important concern for portable computers.

When you are purchasing your computer investigate if a long-life battery is available. While it will add to the cost it can give up to double the usage of a normal battery. To get the most usage out of your battery you'll need to understand a little bit about how batteries work. Each battery has a limited number of charge cycles. If your battery lasts for 4 hours and on the first day you use it for 2 hours and then recharge it fully and the next day you use it for 2 hours again and then fully recharge it again, you will have completed one charge cycle. Each battery has a limited number of charge cycles before it starts losing it's the charge it can hold.

We will present the effective recommendation on how to extend the battery life as much as possible:

1. Defrag regularly.
The faster your hard drive does its work – less demand you are going to put on the hard drive and your battery.  Make your hard drive as efficient as possible by defragging it regularly. (but not while it’s on battery of course!) Mac OSX is better built to handle fragmentation so it may not be very applicable for Apple systems. Definitely, the effect is minimal, but this efficiency goes hand in glove with hard drive maintenance.

2. Dim your screen.
The LCD screen of a laptop is huge power sink. Most laptops come with the ability to dim your laptop screen.  Some even come with ways to modify CPU and cooling performance.  Cut them down to the lowest level you can tolerate to squeeze out some extra battery juice.

3. Cut down on programs running in the background.
Itunes, Desktop Search, etc.  All these add to the CPU load and cut down battery life.  Shut down everything that isn’t crucial when you’re on battery. Monitor the resource usage through a ‘Ctrl-Alt-Del’ which brings up the Windows Task Manager (in Windows). If you’re not on the internet, it is safe to shut down the immediate non-essential programs running in the taskbar like the antivirus and the firewall. Weed out unnecessary programs running as start-ups by launching the System Configuration Utility from Run – Msconfig – Tab: Startup. Uncheck the programs which you don’t want to launch and reboot the computer once.

4. Cut down external devices.
USB devices (including your mouse) & WiFi drain down your laptop battery.  Remove or shut them down when not in use.  It goes without saying that charging other devices (like your iPod) with your laptop when on battery is a surefire way of quickly wiping out the charge on your laptop battery.

5. Turn off ports
Disabling unused ports and components, such as VGA, Ethernet, PCMCIA, USB, and yes, your wireless, too. You can do this through the Device Manager or by configuring a separate hardware profile.

6. Add more RAM.
This will allow you to process more with the memory your laptop has, rather than relying on virtual memory.  Virtual memory results in hard drive use, and is much less power efficient. Note that adding more RAM will consume more energy, so this is most applicable if you do need to run memory intensive programs which actually require heavy usage of virtual memory.

7. Run off a hard drive rather than CD/DVD. 
As power consuming as hard drives are, CD and DVD drives are worse.  Even having one in the drive can be power consuming.  They spin, taking power, even when they are not actively being used.  Wherever possible, try to run on virtual drives using programs like Alcohol 120% rather than optical ones.

8.  Keep the battery contacts clean. 
Clean your battery’s metal contacts every couple of months with a cloth moistened with rubbing alcohol.  This keeps the transfer of power from your battery more efficient. But allow it to dry thoroughly before reinstalling it!

9. Take care of your battery.
Exercise the Battery.  Do not leave a charged battery dormant for long periods of time.  Once charged, you should at least use the battery at least once every two to three weeks. Also, do not let a Li-On battery completely discharge. (Discharing is suitable only for older batteries with memory effects).

10. Hibernate not standby.
Although placing a laptop in standby mode saves some power and you can instantly resume where you left off, it doesn’t save anywhere as much power as the hibernate function does.  Hibernating a PC will actually save your PC’s state as it is, and completely shut itself down.

11. Keep operating temperature down.
Your laptop operates more efficiently when it’s cooler.  Clean out your air vents with a cloth or keyboard cleaner. Allow for open space around the vents for air to circulate freely. Keep the area around the laptop clean to avoid entry of dust. Undue heat kills off a battery slowly but surely. Avoid leaving the laptop under direct sunlight or inside a closed car. Use a cooling pad when using a notebook computer on your lap. Avoid propping your laptop on a pillow, blanket, or other soft surface that can heat up.

12. Set up and optimize your power options.
Go to ‘Power Options’ in your windows control panel and set it up so that power usage is optimized (Select the ‘max battery’ for maximum effect).

13. Don’t multitask.
Do one thing at a time when you’re on battery.  Rather than working on a spreadsheet, letting your email client run in the background and listening to your latest set of MP3s, set your mind to one thing only.  If you don’t you’ll only drain out your batteries before anything gets completed!

14. Go easy on the PC demands.
The more you demand from your PC.  Passive activities like email and word processing consume much less power than gaming or playing a DVD.  If you’ve got a single battery charge – pick your priorities wisely.

15. Pause the scheduled tasks.
It may be a defrag or a virus scan, but make sure it is scheduled for a time when you are near a power outlet. If not then nix them for the moment.

16. Prevent the Memory Effect.
If you’re using a very old laptop, you’ll want to prevent the ‘memory effect’ – Keep the battery healthy by fully charging and then fully discharging it at least once every two to three weeks. Exceptions to the rule are Li-Ion batteries (which most laptops have) which do not suffer from the memory effect.

17. Kill the Sounds.
Mute the speakers and try avoiding the use of multimedia software to maximize the battery life. Installed sound schemes also drain a battery perceptibly.

18. Turn off the looks.
Today’s OS’s like Windows Vista come with features like ‘Aero Glass’ which are resource guzzlers. One can turn it off and go for the ‘Classic’ appearance which consumes less power. In Vista, click on Desktop – Preferences – View Colour – Appearance – Classic Appearance and Windows Basic graphical interface. In XP it’s – Display Properties – Theme – Windows Classic. Linux and even Macintosh are better optimized for longer battery life.

19. Update software and drivers.
This sounds a bit incongruous but then newer drivers and software are often designed to be more efficient (and hopefully less resource hungry).

20. Use the right adapter.
Ensure that the adapter you use to charge the laptop battery is an original one or one with the correct specifications. A mismatch in the wattage could cause an overload thus damaging the laptop and the battery.

21. Pack it up.
If you don’t plan to use the laptop on batteries for quite some time, ensure that the charge is nearly 40 percent – remove the batteries and store it in a cool place.


Sources and Additional Information:


Saturday, September 18, 2010

How to use Google Multi Account Logins?

Up until now, if you had two or even more Gmail accounts, you had to log out of one account first to access another one. This was in fact true for Google accounts in general, if you had more than one you had to log out first to log in with another identity.

Several workarounds were available, scripts for instance, the option to use different web browsers, or a web browser’s private browsing mode, to access multiple Google accounts at once.

All this has become easier with the recent Google addition of multiple sign-ins. The multiple sign-in option basically allows Google account owners to define multiple Google emails and passwords, so that they can be used to access Google services simultaneously.

Let’s take a closer look at how this works, before we detail the things that you need to know about this new multiple login feature.

Visit google.com, or the country top level domain of your choice, and click the Sign In button at the top right. Once you are signed in, click on Settings, and select Google Account Settings from the listing.

Locate the Personal Settings block on the page, and the Multiple Sign-in parameter at the end of it.

Image and video hosting by TinyPic

A click on change displays a page filled with information about the multiple sign-in features. Google states that multiple-sign in is an advanced feature, with certain limitations.

Image and video hosting by TinyPic

Google Multiple Sign-In Information

  • Multiple Sign-In is currently only supported by the following Google products: Calendar, Code, Gmail, Reader, Sites, Google Docs and Google Voice. New Google services are likely to be added soon.
  • Not all Google account holders have yet access to the multiple sign-in feature, or some of the services that offer it
  • Google’s URLs now include a different number for each account: http://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/, http://mail.google.com/mail/u/1/
  • The Google account may change when switching from a service that supports multiple sign-ins to one that does not.
  • Most Google products will default to the first account used to sign in in a web browsing session, which may not be the account the user wants to access on the Google service website.
  • Offline Mail and Offline Calendar will be disabled, unsent mail be lost in the process.
  • The multiple sign-in feature is not yet supported on mobile devices
  • Enabling multiple sign-in for your accounts may cause some of the gadgets you’re using with Google products to stop working properly.
  • After enabling multiple sign-in for Google Calendar, Google Calendar Connector will not work properly. Google Apps domains that user Google Calendar Connectors to receive data from exchange will not be able to do so during this test period
  • The Google Code downloads server does not yet handle multiple sign-in. It will always treat an uploaded file as coming from your default account (the first account that you signed in to).
  • If you are using multiple sign-in and also using the Google Reader ‘Note in Reader’ bookmarklet, any posts your share through a bookmarklet will automatically share to the first account you signed into, the default account.
  • Signing In with a new account for the first time will enable the multiple sign-in option for that account as well, Google displays a warning page with an option to opt out before doing so.

    Image and video hosting by TinyPic

    It may be required to log out of all accounts once, before the multiple sign-in feature becomes available after making the changes.

    Google users should from then on see a drop down next to the email address in the top line on supported Google services. A click on that displays the option to sign in with another Google account, so that it becomes possible to switch between accounts without logging out and in first.
                                                 



    Tuesday, September 14, 2010

    Dynamic Fun with Einstein Picture



    Use classic Einstein image to make funny birthday card or promote your Web site some creative way. It is easy and fast as 1-2-3.

    • 1.       Visit developers website: http://www.hetemeel.com/einsteinform.php
    • 2.       Change the text in the provided form.
    • 3.       Click on "preview image" and see how the text in the image s changing accordingly.
    • 4.       Align the text with spaces and enters for the best visibility.
    • 5.       Click “save this image”.
    • 6.       Use "right click > Save as" to save the image below to your computer.
    Note: Do not link directly from the site.

    Example:

    Image and video hosting by TinyPic


    Wednesday, September 8, 2010

    How to keep your eyes healthy while working on computer long hours?

    Does eyestrain keep you from doing your work on the computer? Take preventative measures to avoid eyestrain—and get your work done. Organize a functional workspace, modulate light exposure, and keep your eyes healthy overall.

    The Basics of Eye Strain

    Eyestrain is a symptom that manifests when you over-exert your eyes over an extended period of time, through activities such as reading or viewing an electronically-lit screen.

    Image and video hosting by TinyPic

    Eyestrain may include one or a combination of the following:
    • Pain and tension around the eyes and/or temples (which can spread to the head, neck and back)
    • Eye dryness and/or redness
    • Fatigue
    • Sensitivity to light
    • Headache
    • Difficulty performing visual tasks
    • Blurred vision
    • Double vision
    Eyestrain isn’t known to lead to permanent damage of the visual system, but it can keep you from doing your work. The causes of eyestrain vary for each individual, and may change for an individual over time. The three main types of causes are: inadequate workspace set-up, inefficient lighting, and lack of proper eye care. Let’s look at how to address all three to avoid eyestrain.

    Modify Your Work Habits

    Eyestrain may cause you a lot of strife, through painful headaches and blurred vision. But you can fix eyestrain in a straightforward way, by modifying your work habits.

    Enlarge text: Your eyes have to strain to read small text, so keep text large to give your eyes a break. When working in text editors or viewing online materials, use the keyboard shortcut to magnify text (ctrl + “+”) as needed. For those webpage text areas that tend to be too cramped — pull them over to your favorite text editor to have more space. Always magnify to a size that feels comfortable. If you have to move your head closer to the screen, squint, or don’t feel relaxed while reading — the text is still too small. And while you’re at it, make sure your screen resolution is set high.

    Read offline: Intense reading on a computer monitor isn’t ideal for productivity because eventually your eyes will tire out. When you come across a long article or document, print it out (in large-enough print of course). Then read it at your own pace and in the right lighting. Another way to minimize online reading is by scanning and web surfing with purpose.

    Work in spurts: Your computer is set up for virtually nonstop work — but you aren’t a machine. You need to take breaks to recharge, and so do your eyes. The 20-20 rule is easy to remember: every 20 minutes take a 20-second break. This means that you pull your eyes away from the computer and stare off into space or an object that’s approximately 20 feet away from you. If you work in an office and don’t want to look like you’re spacing out, take frequent but brief trips to the water cooler or restroom to give your eyes a break. (If you go to restroom, don’t look directly at the fluorescent lights overhead because they will only cause more strain.)

    Re-position your monitor: When you stare at your computer monitor, you naturally blink less often. So your eyes don’t get naturally lubricated as often. This leads to eye dryness and redness. To reduce this effect, position your monitor below eye-level. That way your eyes won’t have to be as open (and exposed) in order for you to see. Frequent breaks will also help out. While on break, try not to concentrate too hard on your work because this might keep you from blinking as you normally do in a relaxed state.

    Relax: Work is important, but you need to be relaxed enough so that tension and stress don’t get in the way. Take frequent short breaks during the day, and longer breaks one to two times a day so that you can get your mind off work. Walks are good because give you exercise, fresh air, and help you look off into farther distances. At your desk you can do neck rolls, shoulder shrugs and arm swings to stretch out your neck and shoulders. Rub your temples to release any head tension. Give your eyes periods of darkness for rest, by closing your eyes or cupping your palms over your eyes (preferably in a quiet environment).

    Image and video hosting by TinyPic

    Pay Attention to Lighting

    Inadequate lighting is another major cause for eyestrain. Too much lighting overexposes and irritates the eye. Too little lighting causes the eye to strain in order to see. There are several ways to adjust the lighting in your environment to find what works best for you.

    Adjust monitor brightness and contrast settings: Go to your monitor settings and decrease the brightness and contrast until you find the balance that’s easiest on your eyes. You’d be surprised how bright and contrasted the default settings are. Make sure that your desktop and color scheme aren’t agitating your eyes either. Opt for neutral and darker-colored tones with minimal contrast until you find the right color balance. Additionally, pay attention to the brightness and contrast levels of different web pages and documents. If you’re having trouble reading a page of gray text on a black background, print it out instead or at least copy and paste into a new document with dark text on a white background.

    Adjust other lights in the room:
    Even if your monitor and desktop settings are set for optimal use, light from your surroundings can irritate your eyes. If the room is too dark, that can affect the overall brightness of the monitor. If the room is too bright, it can create a glare on your monitor. Avoid glare that goes directly into your eyes — this occurs when you’re facing an uncovered window. Avoid glare come from a light source directly behind you. Consider using an anti-glare screen if necessary. And position desk lights at an angle from behind, as lights that shine directly onto your reading surface (e.g. desk) are harsher than light bouncing off the surface at a slight angle.

    Wear sunglasses:
    When you’re not in front of your computer, you can still protect your eyes from incoming light. This will help them endure longer periods in front of the monitor. Wear sunglasses outdoors, or even indoors if necessary. Make sure that the lenses have UV protection. If they don’t — they’ll have the opposite effect and tire out your eyes. (This is because the darker environment created by the tinted lenses will cause your irises to dilate and receive more light — UV light which causes discomfort, harm and fatigue.) Polarized lenses (that also have UV protection) are ideal because they minimize glare.
    Keep Your Eyes Healthy

    In addition to modifying your work habits and paying attention to lighting, follow these tips to keep your eyes healthy:
    • Have your eyes checked yearly.
    • If you wear corrective lenses, ask your optometrist if they’re a good fit for your degree of computer use.
    • Get enough rest, maintain a healthy diet, and stay hydrated. This will give you an overall boost so you’re not tired or susceptible to extra stress or tension.
    • Exercise your eyes when you’re not working on the computer by focusing on a close object (within 6 inches) for a few seconds and then focusing on a far-away object. This contracts and expands your lenses.
    • Give your eyes a break after work-hours. Apply chilled tea bags or cucumber slices at the end of your day. And don’t overload on more stimulation that can tire out your eyes, by watching TV or reading a small-font book without the right magnification and lighting.

    Image and video hosting by TinyPic

    Remember, your eyes weren’t designed for nonstop computer use. If you work on your computer for long hours, eyestrain is bound to occur. Don’t let eyestrain sneak up on you. Make healthy adjustments as soon as you can.


    Wednesday, August 18, 2010

    How Customize your Computer Properties: Change Support Data and Add your Photo?

    All PCs using Windows display OEM information (OEM stands for original equipment manufacturer, but most often refers to a reseller). You can change this information and personalize it to suit your personality. Changing it will make it look a little like you built your computer. Or you can use this modification for shameless promotion of your business if you are computer vendor or repairmen.

    To see the OEM information of your PC, right-click on My Computer to call service menu, and select Properties. The window, that opens, defaults to the General tab, which shows the OEM information.

    To change this information, follow these steps:
    1. You want to find a file called "oeminfo.ini". You can do this by performing a Find File for "oeminfo.ini". The file is in C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM folder (or SYSTEM32 folder, depending on the Operating System). Make a backup of this file and save a copy in a safe place. Or leave it there, but rename it for safety reasons to oeminfo.bak. If your computer doesn't have this file, you can create a new one. Just follow the example below. Create a new Notepad document and rename it to oeminfo.ini.
    2. Open the existing or newly created file oeminfo.ini file by double-clicking on it. You'll see a list of items that looks something like this:
    [general]
    Manufacturer= Nesher Computer Services
    Model= My Best Old Friend
    [support information]
    Line1 = Collection of Web Freebies
    Line2 = http://webfreebies4u.blogspot.com
    Line3 = The Best Information on Web!
    Line4 = Yes, we Can!

    You can change the information after the = sign. You can delete several lines in the support information, or add some more. If you're creating a new oeminfo.inf file, just type this information, preserving the format properly.

    General information is visible on the main tab, and support information is visible when you click on the Support Information button, displayed in the box that pops up.

    1. Perform a Save As, and save the file as a .ini file (replace the oeminfo.ini file in the system folder).
    2. Check the OEM info by right-clicking on My Computer and select Properties. Your changes should be in effect.
    You can also add an image to the OEM info box. To do this:
    1. Create a bitmap image with the dimensions of about 175x100 pixels.
    2. Save the file as a bitmap and name it "oemlogo.bmp".
    3. Place the file in the system folder along with the oeminfo.ini.
    Some users reported that their oeminfo data is located in system directory, other – in system32 directory, so place the newly created files accordingly. 

    Image and video hosting by TinyPic


    Friday, August 13, 2010

    How to remove Antivir Solution Pro from your PC?

    My wife was in panic. Her computer showed all signs of the severe illness, and refused to do anything she wanted. On my question, where she got the infection, she refused to admit that she did something wrong, as accepting unwelcome dangerous attachment or clicking “bad” links. When her computer became non-operational, she accessed the same link from my computer, and my PC started to show the same signs of disease. Then, she stopped and waited for me.

    After brief investigation, it has confirmed that she caught a nasty Trojan Antivir Solution Pro. For some unknown reason, my computer did not get infected, even the suspected site has been accessed from it as well. I checked the Internet wisdom on how to get rid of the intruder, and the most detailed and reliable solution was presented by Bleeping Computer experts.

    What this infection does?

    Antivir Solution Pro is a rogue anti-spyware program from the same family as Antivirus Soft and AV Security Suite. This family of rogues is installed through the use of malware and exploit kits that download and install Antivir Solution Pro onto your computer without your permission. When this program is installed it will be configured to start automatically when Windows starts, and once started, will perform a scan of your computer and state that it has found numerous infections. It will not, though, tell you the files that are supposedly infected and will also state that you cannot remove anything until you first purchase the program. This is a complete scam, as the program is scripted to display infections every time it is run. That means if you reinstalled Windows and ran Antivir Solution Pro it would still say that you are infected. It does this to scare you into thinking that your computer has a security problem so that you will then purchase the program. When you purchase the program, though, all you do is waste your money as the program has no useful function for your computer.

    Antivir Solution Pro is known to be installed through exploit kits on hacked web sites. Exploit kits are scripts that are added to hacked legitimate web sites that attempt to install malware onto a visitors computer through the use of known vulnerabilities in the Windows operating system and installed applications. Due to this, and to avoid being infected again after your computer is cleaned, it is important that you make sure that your Windows installation is completely up-to-date with all the latest Microsoft security patches. It is also important to make sure that all your programs, which include Sun Java, Adobe Reader, and Adobe Flash, are updated to their latest versions. 

    Later, the company’s employees, which website has been suspected as a problem source, confirmed that there are several other complaints on the website access danger.

    Image and video hosting by TinyPic

    When Antivir Solution Pro is running it will state that most programs are infected when you attempt to run them. The text of this fake infection alert is:

    Application cannot be executed. The file notepad.exe is infected. Do you want to active your antivirus software now?

    It does this for two reasons. The first is to make you think that it is legitimate, and clean, but the other programs are infected so that you will then purchase the rogue. The second reason is to block you from running any legitimate security programs that may help you remove this infection.

    While Antivir Solution Pro is running it will also show you fake security alerts that attempt to further scare you into thinking you have a infection on your computer. These alerts will state that active malware has been detected or that your computer is under attack. The text of these alerts is:

    Windows Security Alert
    Windows reports that computer is infected. Antivirus software helps to protect your computer against viruses and other security threats. Click here for the scan your computer. Your system might be at risk now.

    Antivirus Software Alert
    Infiltration Alert

    Your computer is being attacked by an internet virus. It could be a password-stealing attack, a trojan - dropper or similar.

    Just like the other false infections alerts, these warnings are all fake and should be ignored. Last, but not least, Antivir Solution Pro will also configure your computer to use a proxy server at 127.0.0.1:5643, which is actually the Antivir Solution Pro program itself. This makes it that when you browse the web using Internet Explorer, the rogue will intercept all your web browser requests and instead display a page that shows a security warning about the site you are visiting. This warning states:

    Internet Explorer warning - visiting this site may harm your computer!
    Most likely causes:
    ·         The website contains exploits that can launch a malicious code on your computer
    ·         Suspicious network activity
    ·         There might be an active spyware running on your computer

    These warnings should be ignored as they are false. If you use a browser other than Internet Explorer you will not see the warnings at all and can browse the Internet like normal.
    Without a doubt, Antivir Solution Pro was created solely to trick you into purchasing the program by convincing you that your computer has a security problem. Now that you know what this program does, it goes without saying that you should not purchase this program for any reason. If you already have purchased it, then we suggest you contact your credit card company and dispute the charges. To remove Antivir Solution Pro and any related malware, please follow the steps in the removal guide below.

    Automated Removal Instructions for Antivir Solution Pro using Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware:

    1. Print out these instructions as we may need to close every window that is open later in the fix.

    2. It is possible that the infection you are trying to remove will not allow you to download files on the infected computer. If you run into this problem when following the steps in this guide you will need to download the files requested in this guide on another computer and then transfer them to the infected computer. You can transfer the files via a CD/DVD, external drive, or USB flash drive.

    3. Reboot your computer into Safe Mode with Networking using the instructions for your version of Windows found in the following tutorial:
    When following the steps in the above tutorial, select Safe Mode with Networking rather than just Safe Mode. When the computer reboots into Safe Mode with Networking make sure you login with the username you normally use. When you are at your Windows desktop, please continue with the rest of the steps.

    1. This infection changes your Windows settings to use a proxy server that will not allow you to browse any pages on the Internet with Internet Explorer or update security software. Regardless of the web browser you use, for these instructions we will first need to fix this problem so that we can download the utilities we need to remove this infection.

      Please start Internet Explorer, and when the program is open, click on the Tools menu and then select Internet Options as shown in the image below.

      Image and video hosting by TinyPic



    2. You should now be in the Internet Options screen as shown in the image below.

      Image and video hosting by TinyPic

    Now click on the Connections tab as designated by the blue arrow above.

    1. You will now be at the Connections tab as shown by the image below.

      Image and video hosting by TinyPic

    Now click on the Lan Settings button as designated by the blue arrow above.

    7.       You will now be at the Local Area Network (LAN) settings screen as shown by the image below.

    Image and video hosting by TinyPic

    Under the Proxy Server section, please uncheck the checkbox labeled Use a proxy server for your LAN. Then press the OK button to close this screen. Then press the OK button to close the Internet Options screen. Now that you have disabled the proxy server you will be able to browse the web again with Internet Explorer.

    1. Now we must end the processes that belong to Antivir Solution Pro so that it does not interfere with the cleaning procedure. To do this, download the following file to your desktop.

      rkill.com Download Link

      If you are unable to connect to the site to download rkill, please go back and do steps 3-6 again and make sure the infection has not reenabled the proxy settings. You may have to do this quite a few times before you can get the rkill.com file downloaded. If you still cannot download the rkill.com program on the infected computer, you should download it to a clean computer and copy it to the infected one via a USB flash drive or CDROM.
    Unfortunately, in my case, after following up the procedure, I was still unable to connect to Internet. Having another computer around, I could follow this step just by downloading the required file and transferring it to the affected PC.

    1. Once it is placed on the infected computer, double-click on the rkill.com in order to automatically attempt to stop any processes associated with Antivir Solution Pro and other Rogue programs. Please be patient while the program looks for various malware programs and ends them. When it has finished, the black window will automatically close and you can continue with the next step. If you get a message that rkill is an infection, do not be concerned. This message is just a fake warning given by Antivir Solution Pro when it terminates programs that may potentially remove it. If you run into these infections warnings that close Rkill, a trick is to leave the warning on the screen and then run Rkill again. By not closing the warning, this typically will allow you to bypass the malware trying to protect itself so that rkill can terminate Antivir Solution Pro . So, please try running Rkill until the malware is no longer running. You will then be able to proceed with the rest of the guide.
    Do not reboot your computer after running rkill as the malware programs will start again.

    1. Now you should download Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware, or MBAM, from the following location and save it to your desktop: http://www.malwarebytes.org/mbam.php
    Note that there is no need to purchase the full software license, as the freeware will work fine for the matter of this procedure. Since Internet connection was still disabled, I had to use another computer as well to get the file.

    1. Once downloaded, close all programs and Windows on your computer, including this one.

    2. Double-click on the icon on your desktop named mbam-setup.exe. This will start the installation of MBAM onto your computer.

    3. When the installation begins, keep following the prompts in order to continue with the installation process. Do not make any changes to default settings and when the program has finished installing, make sure you leave both the Update Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware and Launch Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware checked. Then click on the Finish button. If MalwareBytes' prompts you to reboot, please do not do so.

    4. MBAM will now automatically start and you will see a message stating that you should update the program before performing a scan. As MBAM will automatically update itself after the install, you can press the OK button to close that box and you will now be at the main program as shown below.
    1. On the Scanner tab, make sure the the Perform full scan option is selected and then click on the Scan button to start scanning your computer for Antivir Solution Pro related files.

    2. MBAM will now start scanning your computer for malware. This process can take quite a while, so we suggest you go and do something else and periodically check on the status of the scan. When MBAM is scanning it will look like the image below.
    1. When the scan is finished a message box will appear as shown in the image below.
    You should click on the OK button to close the message box and continue with the Antivir Solution Pro removal process.

    1. You will now be back at the main Scanner screen. At this point you should click on the Show Results button.

    2. You should now click on the Remove Selected button to remove all the listed malware. MBAM will now delete all of the files and registry keys and add them to the programs quarantine. When removing the files, MBAM may require a reboot in order to remove some of them. If it displays a message stating that it needs to reboot, please allow it to do so. Once your computer has rebooted, and you are logged in, please continue with the rest of the steps.

    3. When MBAM has finished removing the malware, it will open the scan log and display it in Notepad. Review the log as desired, and then close the Notepad window.

    4. You can now exit the MBAM program.
    Your computer should now be free of the Antivir Solution Pro program.

    In my case, the Trojan has been removed completely. I run several other anti-Trojan problems to confirm that there are no traces of the intruder and verified that the computer is clean.

    Unfortunately, the software removal was not the end of the story, since the malware program somehow affected the Operating System, and caused failure to boot-up, showing the winlogon corruption error message. The Operating System repair is out of spec of this post, but be prepared to get this surprise at the end of the clean-up process as well. In brief, after several attempts to repair the error, I had to boot-up the computer from the Windows boot-up disk and repair the installation at the affected partition. Now, it works properly again.

    The overall procedure took me three evenings, and overall about 12 hours. 
    Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...