Computer Help and Support

by Peter Daley

Well what a merry-go-round I’ve been on! I had a 17” LCD monitor delivered by courier, the cardboard box looked a bit pressed in at the top, near the carry handle but nothing suggested that it was damaged inside.

You know what it is like. The courier rushes to the door carrying a new delivery, sweating profusely, and you feel you should take it, and sign for it as quickly as possible. Big mistake! It was late in the afternoon when it came in, so I didn’t open it until the next morning, only to find one very smashed monitor. See picture.

Well I rang the wholesaler, took lots of photo’s, and sent them to the wholesaler. Who said it had nothing to do with him. Why? Because the box had a mark on it , and I should not have accepted it, I should phone the courier. So I call the local office of the courier, who says it had nothing to do with them. Why? Because it was delivered by the courier in Brisbane, and they are a different franchise.

So I phone the franchise in Brisbane, It had nothing to do with them. Why? because I signed for the goods and by doing so, I accepted them. I was told this is clearly stated in the company’s legal policy document, which I could have read on the Internet! The representative said you are supposed to open every box, and inspect it before you accept it, while the courier waits.

Well that was news to me. I said “Are you people crazy? If your couriers have to wait around until all the deliveries are unpacked and inspected, your business will go broke!” I was then given a get out of jail free card, when they said, Well you can sign every delivery slip from now on, “Subject to inspection”.

I know lots of members are now purchasing items s on the Internet that have to be delivered by courier, so make sure you have the courier wait, while you open up the boxes and inspect the contents, before t you sign for them, or write “Subject to inspection”.

Note: I have not had the opportunity to test the “Subject to inspection”, card yet! Also most of the couriers are now using electronic signature devices as delivery dockets. So write “STI” after your signature. If you don’t take these precautions, you could end up wearing the cost for some expensive item, or being put on a merry-go-round trying to get recompensed for something that was clearly not your fault.

Well since then, the Brisbane head office told me to contact the company head office, which I did. After I told the young lady at the company head office my story, she said she would get back to me in 24 hours. After waiting another couple days I rang back n to be told the young lady had become ill, and the young man I spoke to would check it out and get d back to me. I am still waiting for his call.

This company has been paid to deliver goods safely and in good condition. I will now contact the, department of fair trading. Don’t hold your breath, too long for the end of this story! I think that the community should be educated in the finer points of courier deliveries, that no one told me about, until I received a smashed monitor. So even though the monitor was smashed by the courier, I am supposed to grin and bare the cost, because I signed for it. The state of the box did not indicate the damage done inside.

© 2010 Peter Daley

by Peter Daley

At present, the hacker black market is paying $100 per thousand hacked Australian computers. That’s correct, there is a black market for hacked computers, and Australian computers are fetching top dollar, compared to other countries. Why do you think that Australian computers are getting top dollar? It’s because we are easy targets as most of you don’t take computer security seriously enough, plus being an affluent country, the hackers can make better money from a hacked Aussie.

You could argue the affluent part, depends on whether the banks get to your money before the hackers do You can secure your computer with all the modern, up-to-date security tools, but if you don’t follow safe practices, you’re very likely to get hacked or ripped off. It’s just like driving a new car, with all the latest safety features, air bags and intelligent breaking systems, if you drive dangerously, you’re more likely to crash and get injured. You need to use some common sense on the Internet, and stay away from sites that are notorious for hacking visitors computers, pornography, software cracks, copy violated music sharing and movie sites etc.

One other major new treats used by hackers is to break in though security holes in web browsers. This poses a serious threat to all operating systems Windows, Apple and Linux. This article reinforces what I have been trying to get across to everyone.

http://www.news.com/8301-10784_3-9929861-7.htm l?tag=nl.e703

They can use malicious scripts hidden in web pages to exploit vulnerabilities in any OS. The way to defend yourself against this sort of threat is to turn off all scripts. Unfortunately scripts are so wide spread that if you do this you can lose a lot web page functionality. Alternatively you can use the the Mozilla Firefox web browser downloadable from here,

http://www.mozilla.com

and install a Firefox Add-on called “NoScript”, this will effectively block all scripts in pages you visit. You then use NoScript to choose when to allow scripts.

Once Mozilla Firefox is downloaded and installed on your computer, and you are connected to the Internet, click on the menu item “Tools”, and in the pop down box, click “Add Ons”. When an “Add-ons” box appears, click on the “Get Add-ons” tab.

In the search box at the top left of this box, type in “Noscript” and click the “Search” button, then when the Noscript add-on description appears click  the “Add to Firefox” button. The software installation box will now appear, click the the install button. The NoScript extension will be installed. Once it is installed, you will need to shut down,and re-open the Firefox browser before NoScript will become active.

(When you re-open Firefox I suggest you read the information about NoScript that will appear in a tab window in Firefox.)

Now when you visit web pages a Noscript options button, and symbol will appear at the bottom right hand corner of the Firefox browser window. A yellow bar will also appear indicating how many scripts are in the page that are being blocked.

Blocking all the scripts will speed up your web surfing because you will not need to wait until the all the fancy stuff loads. It will also mean you will need to make wise decisions on when to allow scripts in web pages. I suggest not allowing any scripts in pages unless you really need the service. For instance, if you go to your web bank service with NoScript you will not be able to log in until you tell Noscript to “Allow the bank site”, by clicking on the NoScript Options button. So login boxes for services, plus Flash, Silverlight, and Java scripts will be blocked until you click the Noscript allow site, or temporary allow option, when visiting any site. If you use it with another Firefox Add-on WOT, (Web Of Trust) a web site rating service it can make those decisions easier to make.

Statistically 1 in 9 web sites are dangerous at present! If you think I am exaggerating look at the web site rating stat’s at the bottom left hand corner of the WOT home page web site. So using NoScript wisely can give you a lot of protection!

© 2010 Peter Daley,

by Peter Daley

The statistics are pretty frightening, 70% of home, and small business wireless routers providing broadband connections, have no security on them. In reply to a previous blog I had written in a local newspaper, I was urged by a post to write an article on wireless security, after the person had this experience.

“I’ve recently started taking my laptop on the train in order to do some work. I decided to fire up a great bit of software called Network Stumbler. This software uses the wireless network card in my laptop to record the details of every wireless network it finds. In 10 minutes I passed by around 50 networks, 7 of which were completely unsecured.”

Look, you have been sold a pup. Computers where never intended to be used for financial transactions. I know, they are widely promoted to do this. Great for the banks and the IT industry, promoting it as a convenient way to improve your life style. They make money, but this technology is not certified, or made secure enough to do this safely.

Would you use an ATM provided by your local bank, if you knew it was not certified by the regulatory authorities, did not have proper security on it, or if it was purchased on the cheap from a foreign country in a manufacturing plant with no security clearance? Well what do you think your computer is!

Wireless systems are another good example of this. You’re encouraged to ditch all those old fashioned wired connected devices, and go wireless. It just makes everything neater and accessible from anywhere. The truth is, that if you are using your computer for financial transactions of any kind, you should not use an in house wireless system. Use a cable to connect your computer to your broadband modem. If you’re using wireless at present, turn off the wireless feature, and use a network cable connection. It’s just a whole lot safer, as long as you follow my instruction in this blog on securing your broardband modem.

If you have some technical skill, or employ a professional to set up that wireless broadband router security correctly, it will be a lot safer. Even then, people with a good skill level can download the tools necessary to break in to most in house wireless systems fairly easily. Not that they would need to bother with downloading the tools, as most systems don’t have any security!

Wireless War driving is a pastime in a lot of locations now. This is where someone sticks an aerial on their car, and drives around to see what wireless systems they can break into. They then infect the system to take control of it, gather personal information, banking info, or just use the victims computer to download or send files. Wireless hacks are local, not from the Internet.

If you’re running a business with wireless systems in house, you need to take more care, because your financial info, client data, and commercial secrets are at risk. A wireless system is basically a radio station, transmitting and receiving information. To anyone who can detect, and connect to it, it’s like opening all your doors and windows, and inviting them in. I have heard numerous stories where locals have bragged that they don’t need to pay for a broadband connection, they just use their neighbours!

Often I am asked the question, why a person’s Internet access charges have sky rocketed. Most likely because someone is using their in house wireless broadband connection, or they have a virus. Everyone needs to get up to speed on all these security issues, so you can protect yourself. As a community service in my previous blogs, I have put in a lot of effort to educating readers, and providing solutions to the increasing security threats.

If you insist on using wireless, read this blog on securing it. There are also heath concerns about using computer wireless technology, as it is working in a similar frequency band to mobile phones. Read this article.

The fact is, consumers should be demanding security, over features and convenience!

© 2010 Peter Daley,

by Peter Daley

There are large numbers of people who have moved to the Sunshine Coast and would like to have some sort of contact or information with their previous home. Well a good way to do this is to use Internet radio to listen to the local radio from your previous location in Australia or from Overseas.

You don’t need a short wave radio to do this, or have to worry about weather conditions interfering with your reception. Plus you can have moved from pretty well anywhere in the world, and listen to your favourite radio station on your computer or by wireless throughout your house. Be aware, depending on the download bit rate of the radio stream, it will come down at around 20 to 60 meg an hour. So you need a good download limit if you’re going to listen for hours!

The easiest and least expensive way to do this is to simple use your broadband Internet connection to stream down the signal. In Australia you can find the major city FM radio stations signals here.

http://www.1radio.com.au

This site is very easy to use. It’s divided up into three sections, and hardly needs any skill to get it working. Click on the tab for the city. This lists the stations available. Click in the station you want to play. Once you do this, the station’s web address appears above. This is provided if you wish to go to the radio station’s web address and find more info. The radio playback is built into the page. If you look to the top of the page, you will find the radio signal is now being buffered and downloading. It may take 30 to 60 seconds before the music will start to play.

Wireless option 1

If you want to stream this to your FM radio you have in the house, you can purchase an FM wireless transmitter that you plug into the speaker output of your computer. This sends the signal out at a set FM frequency throughout the house. These are often sold as accessories to you MP3 players so you can play the MP3 player music through your FM radio in your car. All you need to do is to tune the FM radios you already have in the house, to that frequency, and you can then listen to the Internet broadcast anywhere by wireless in the house.

Wireless option 2

There are now a few dedicated Internet wireless devices that you can purchase. They work independently of your computer and look like a transistor radio, plus have normal clock radio functions. You simply plug these devices into the broadband connection and they will stream the signal, no computer necessary. They have thousands of pre-programmed Internet stations, plus you can add more. These devices can work wirelessly, so you may also have the added expense of having to install a wireless router onto your broadband modem, if you don’t already have one. The Slimdevices models are considered to be HiFi quality.

http://www.slimdevices.com

I personally like to tune into the ABC radio at http://www.abc.net.au. Here you can tune into any of the nation wide ABC radio stations, national, Classical, Jazz, Pop and Country. I chill out listening to the Classic Drive on ABC Classic FM in the evening.

© Peter Daley, 2009

By Peter Daley

I decided to do a positive tutorial on the benefits of using modern technology. Leave all the dire security warnings behind. Something fresh, and positive about modern technology. Do I hear a sigh of relief out there?

Recently, I was going to do a tutorial at the Sunshine Coast Computer Club Inc. meeting, on Internet TV. I was going to demonstrate how to access all these great free legal TV programs and documentaries. Just before I started, a member approached me with a recommendation of a Internet site his relatives where raving about. I quickly typed in the address to see if it was worth recommending to club members. Well, this was a presentation computer I set up so it has all the software I have recommended people use in my recent blogs, plus more. Who said I was paranoid! As soon as the site came up, a large red warning sign popped up. “This site is trying to drop malicious code into your computer!” A little bit of paranoia sometimes pays off!

Well, what was I to do? I couldn’t pass up an opportunity like this. So I left the warning sign glaring into the room as members sat down for the tutorial. A chance to get back at my detractors. It certainly reinforced all that I had been saying about the state of Internet security!

There are lots of TV media sites popping up all over the Internet. A considerable percentage of these are using free media as a lure to people, in order to hook their computer for hacking. Another trick in my opinion is false advertising. Sites that state for a one off fee you can have life time access to services offering thousands of free satellite TV programs and documentaries. What you are actually paying for is not a service, but a piece of software that correlates all the freely available Internet media content. It does save you from having to spend days trying to find it all.

Equally, there are free software programs available that do this, like Miro.

http://www.getmiro.com

Programs like Miro allow you to easily organise, and customize the media you want to watch. Unless you have a very fast connection, it is generally smarter to download the content first, and watch it later. This is so you can watch it in peace without the picture breakup, and sound screeching cause by Internet traffic congestion.

Yes, there are great sites where you can safely download or stream Internet TV and documentaries. Most National public broadcasting TV networks have free TV content. The Australian ABC has a new Iview service. Missed this weeks Doctor Who? You can go on to the ABC and watch it. So, I am a fan.

Australian ABC

http://www.abc.net.au

BBC service UK

http://www..bbc.co.uk

Some ISPs in Australia will allow you to watch the ABC TV content without it going onto your download limit. Great, because watching TV, movies and documentaries can add GiGabytes to your downloads.

Yes, there are tens of thousands of TV programs, documentaries and satellite programs to watch for free over the Internet, just be careful where, our how you source it!

© Peter Daley, 2009

by Peter Daley

Salesmen are suggesting that mp3 or AAC music files are CD quality. That’s modern hype for you! Lets make it very clear, mp3 or AAC are not CD quality. It is a lossy format which means what you’re listening to is a watered down version of the music. If you’re going to pay 99c a track, why not purchase the full strength version.

Storage and download speeds have improved dramatically. Most of us now have access to super large hard drives, that are dirt cheap. Even Ipods have huge drives now. There is no need to be putting up with mp3 or AAC sound quality any more. The only reason for using mp3 or AAC is to save room, and to speed up download times. They do this with a significant loss of sound quality. Mp3 and AAC leave out large bits of the original sound file to make the file size smaller.

If you want to save some space, you can use a free open source compression system called FLAC which will compress the music file with out any loss in sound quality. FLAC is well supported by a lot of music download sites and music players.  OK, it doesn’t compress the music file as much as mp3 or AAC, but the sound quality on playback is at its best.

You can also use this great free tool called Exact Audio Copy which in it’s latest release supports FLAC compression. http://www.exactaudiocopy.de There is an extra advantage in using EAC, the sound file you rip from your CD collection can sound better that the original CD itself. It takes longer to rip CDs at a high quality, but once this is done you have a music library of the best sound quality. Follow the set-up instructions at the EAC site for ripping CDs for the best sound quality. EAC even has a cool CD layout editor, so you can create your own personal music arrangement on a CD.

Get enlightened, and stop being short changed by falling for modern sales hype, and demand quality over quantity. Music is not just noise. It is to be enjoyed to it’s fullest. Most of you would protest severely if your knew you where being sold watered down beer. So why accept watered down music? At least with music you can get enjoyment without a hangover.

© 2009 Peter Daley

By Peter Daley

Power surges and voltage spikes come through the telephone line, and mains power during storm activity! (That’s why phone companies have warnings in their literature not to use the phone during storms.)

So,
1. If you are going out during the day.
2. Hear a storm coming.
3. Going to bed at night.

You should turn your computer off normally, then unplug the mains power and disconnect the telephone lead from the modem. If you have a TV aerial connected to your computer you should also disconnect it.

( Make sure the power socket is turned off before re-plugging the mains lead back in, when you want to use your computer again.)

There are specialized spike suppressors you can buy for filtering the mains power and telephone line during normal computer use. Don’t rely on spike suppressors during storm activity, they won’t do much,  but they can protect your computer from  damage from electrical interference, or by electric motors and faulty electrical equipment. It is important for every computer owner, if they wish to protect their computer from this source of damage, to buy and install a surge/spike suppressor power pack.

You can purchase these devices from your local computer, electrical or hardware store. There are also specialised surge suppressor devices that can be installed in your power meter box to protect the whole house, but even if you have one of these devices installed, you still should have a surge suppressor attached to the wall socket or power board, that connects directly to your computer equipment. This is to protect the computer from in house sources. You can purchase this sort of device from $10 to $150,  obviously the higher the price, the greater the type of protection you will get!

Brown-outs are lower than normal line voltages, causing power starvation to the electrical device. In other words, your computer doesn’t get enough power, and this can damage it. Brown-outs are generally transitory, but can last from a few seconds to minutes. You can buy specialized power supplies that monitor the line voltage fluctuations, and when the power goes off, or has a serious fluctuation, the power supply kicks in and supplies power to the computer via a  battery backup system. These are called UPS or Uninterrupted power supplies. This sort of device is more expensive, and is generally used by larger businesses,  corporations and government departments, to protect their important computers, and computer systems from damage.

© Peter Daley 2009

By Peter Daley

If your computer locks up what should you do? (A computer lock up is when nothing seems to be responding.)

If you turn your Windows computer off like a TV set, with the power switch,  you can damage it! This is was most people do when they get a lock up. You should always try a warm boot. I know some of you would like to give it angry boot sometimes

This does not mean give the computer a boot! It means to restart the computer using the techniques 1 to 4 below. This gives the computer a chance to restart without powering off. This is much easier on the computer.

1. Hold down the Alt and Ctrl keyboard keys at the same time, and then briefly press the Delete key.

A ‘Windows Task Manager’ will pop up, under the “Applications” tab it will list all the programs that are active, plus indicate which program is causing the problem, by a statement beside the program stating that this program is ‘not responding. Note:In Windows Vista you will need to click on the Task Manager Item in the Window that appears after clicking Alt /Ctrl /Del.

2. Highlight the offending program by left mouse clicking it, and then click the ‘End Task’ button.

You may have to repeat procedures 1 & 2 three or four times before you can actually shut down the offending program causing the lock up. When the offending program does shut down it will usually free the system of its confusion and it should return to normal operation.

3. If this does not fix the problem, click the “Shut down” menu item in the pop up ‘Windows Task Manager’, opened by procedure 1 above.

4. If all of this fails, push the reset button, (a small push button near the computer power switch), on the front of your computer tower. On a laptop hold down the power button for a few seconds until it powers off.

If your computer does not have a reset button you have to turn the computer off using the power switch on the computer or laptop by holding it down for a few seconds. Only do this as a last resort!

If you turn the computer completely off, wait at least 30 to 60 seconds before turning it back on!

Only turn it off at the wall switch while the computer running, if all the above procedures fail.

© Peter Daley 2009

by Peter Daley

The cost of electricity is going up world wide, so get smart and save yourself heaps of money.

If they follow through with these suggestions, businesses, and families can potentially save a mint off their yearly electricity bill. The hot water system is the equivalent of a small family car sitting in the garage with the motor idling. It is producing huge amounts of CO² and costing lots of money to run.

OK, turning your air conditioner to a slightly warmer temperature, plus turning off appliances, computers, lights and gadgets, at the wall when not in use can save you lots of money. An item often overlooked for significant savings is the hot water system.

Independent of politics, environment issues, or the fact you may not accept global warming as beingcaused by CO² emissions, setting your hot water system to work efficiently can save you a lot of money per year. If you have concerns about the effects we’re having on the environment, this is a huge bonus, as it will significantly cut down on your CO² emissions footprint!

Firstly check on your electricity bill to see whether your hot water system is on an off peak tariff. If in doubt call your electricity company, and ask what tariff your hot water system is on. Electricity companies will give you big discounts if you have your hot water on an off peak switch. This means your hot water system is turned on, and off remotely, when their generation load is less. This will be shown on your present electricity bill.

For domestic use in Australia the cheapest tariff for this purpose is referred to as tariff 31, the next best is tariff 33. Businesses check with your supplier as to what is the cheapest tariff for your purposes. If your hot water system isn’t on the off peak tariff, it will be well worth getting an off peak switch installed in the meter box. Getting yourself onto the cheaper tariff can potentially take 30% to 50% of your electricity bill! It will probably cost around A$150 to get one of these switches installed in your meter box by a qualified electrician, for a domestic use. Small price to pay, compared to the over all cost of your ongoing electricity bill.

Here is a list of the pricing for the different tariffs. Just look at the large savings that can be made. It does very in price from state to state and supplier. Tariff 11: 14.04 cents per Kwh. This is the normal domestic tariff for lighting and general power use. If your hot water is operating on this tariff you’re paying heaps more for your electricity than you should.

Tariff 33: 8.44 cents per Kwh. Next best money saving tariff.

Tariff 31: 5.73 cents per Kwh. Best money saving tariff. (Prices as of August 2007)

If your hot water system is not on the cheapest tariff you will have your hot water system wasting lots of electricity, generating lots of CO² , and affecting your hip pocket for absolutely no reason. OK, leave it on the expensive tariff if you like making a donation to the electricity company.

Now go and have a look at you hot water system. If it is electric you will find a valve for topping up the hot water reserve inside the system. This is usually a pull up lever or tap. Switch on the valve and wait until you hear the water flow out through the overflow. This indicates the system is full. Now turn off the top up valve. This will make maximum use of the electricity that is used to heat the water. You should top up the hot water system regularly to get maximum efficiency from your hot water system.

Get and electrician to see if your hot water system can safely be turned down to a medium or low temperature setting on its thermostat. Most hot water systems are set to high on instillation, and large percentage of you could easily get away with a medium or low thermostat temperature setting. It can always be turned back if you don’t like it. Doing this can potentially half your electricity bill. Even Solar hot water systems have a small hot water booster system connected to the mains power so you can get hot water on cloudy days. This also has a thermostat that can be also adjusted.

(Warning: If you set your hot water system to too low a temperature it can encourage the growth of dangerous bacteria, so consult your electrician about the best setting for your particular environment.)

For those of you who want to take it a bit further you can also get more savings by using special insulation blankets that you can purchase to cover the hot water system that can improve its efficiency, plus you can insulated the hot water pipes.

Tell your friends and relatives to check this out so they can save as well. If you have any uncertainty about how to implement any of the suggestions here please consult your electrician.

© Peter Daley 2009

by Peter Daley

I have done numerous tutorials over the year in the club pointing out that using a key generator, or a software crack to make illegal use of software is just plain stupid. Firstly a person using these illegal tools are leaving themselves open to legal action. There is no doubt they are breaking the law. Secondly key generators and software cracks are almost always infected with malware of some sort. etc., a virus, or rootkit. Rootkits are so stealthy that they can’t be detected by most anti-virus programs.

This sort of malicious software can place keyboard loggers onto a computer, and record all the persons user names and passwords for banking, email, social networking sites and ISP accounts. These malicious tools can also be used to pinch confidential information that is stored on the computer.

If anyone has encouraged a person to use one of these tools they have done them a great disfavour. If a person is using a computer for financial transactions of any kind and have used one of these tools they are taking a big risk. I would suggest they back up all their important files and re-install their operating system. After they have done this secure the new installation with a good firewall, anti-virus and anti-spyware program.

I would suggest they change all their banking account and log in account passwords etc. If you are going to the trouble to create a new password make sure it is actually going to protect you. Read my article, on how to create good secure password.

The Windows Operating system can only be used on the computer it was purchased with, and can’t be install on any other computer. If you have a legal version of Windows installed on your computer you can constantly update it with the latest security patches. This means that legal patched versions of Windows are far more secure than a cracked illegal version. A pirated version of Windows is far more likely to have a virus, spyware or rootkit on it immediately upon installation, plus it can’t be updated.

This is one of the reason so many machines were compromised by the Downup virus. These Windows machines did not have the latest Windows patches on them. One because people did not install Windows updates regularly or they were using an illegal version. They probably have seen themselves as being smart using the illegal version to save themselves a couple of hundred dollars, but if they are doing any logging into financial sites, or have important information on the computer the bad guys probably have recorded it.

If the commercial software does the job better than anything else, buy it, or alternatively look for a free legal software program that can do the job. There is just so much free legal software available that can do just about any job you could possibly need.

© Peter Daley 2009