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Microsoft releases six critical security bulletins for October

For October’s Patch Tuesday, Microsoft released 10 security bulletins, six of which it’s rated as critical. (The remaining four updates address two moderate threats, one important threat, and one low threat.) In addition, several of the bulletins affect Office applications for the Mac.
Details

Redmond released 10 security bulletins for October’s Patch Tuesday, rating six as critical. Due to space constraints, I’ll review the critical updates this week, and I’ll wrap up this month’s Patch Tuesday coverage with the rest in the next issue.

Keep in mind that attackers are actively exploiting some of these threats, so make sure to examine each update on a case-by-case basis. To learn about specific workarounds and mitigating factors, read each security bulletin in detail.

Fortunately for managers and “patch masters,” most of these threats are only critical for older platforms and applications—a fact that greatly reduces the impact of these critical patch warnings. In most cases, Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer (MBSA) 2.0 or Systems Management Server (SMS) 2003 will identify the need for a patch, but earlier versions may not work properly. However, MBSA 2.0 and SMS 2003 may not work in some instances, particularly for Macintosh platforms and Office 2000.
MS06-057

Microsoft Security Bulletin MS06-057, titled as both “Vulnerability in Windows Shell Could Allow Remote Code Execution” and “Vulnerability in Windows Explorer Could Allow Remote Execution,” addresses the Windows Shell Remote Code Execution Vulnerability (CVE-2006-3730). There have been reports that attackers are actively exploiting this vulnerability.

This is a critical threat for Windows 2000 Service Pack 4 and all versions of Windows XP; it is a moderate threat for all versions of Windows Server 2003. This bulletin replaces Microsoft Security Bulletin MS06-045 for Windows XP SP1 only.


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Possible workarounds include patching the registry, disabling ActiveX controls, and altering Internet Explorer security zones—all of which can have serious side effects. See the security bulletin for more details.
MS06-058

Microsoft Security Bulletin MS06-058, “Vulnerabilities in Microsoft PowerPoint Could Allow Remote Code Execution,” addresses four separate problems:

* PowerPoint Malformed Object Pointer Vulnerability (CVE-2006-3435)
* PowerPoint Malformed Data Record Vulnerability (CVE-2006-3876)
* PowerPoint Malformed Record Memory Corruption Vulnerability (CVE-2006-3877)
* PowerPoint Malformed Record Vulnerability (CVE-2006-4694)—attackers are actively exploiting this vulnerability.

This is a critical threat for PowerPoint 2000; it is an important threat for PowerPoint 2002, PowerPoint 2003, PowerPoint 2004 for Mac, and PowerPoint v.X for Mac. This bulletin replaces Microsoft Security Bulletin MS06-028 for all affected versions.

See the security bulletin to learn about possible workarounds and mitigating factors, which are numerous.
MS06-059

Microsoft Security Bulletin MS06-059, “Vulnerabilities in Microsoft Excel Could Allow Remote Code Execution,” is another threat that affects both Windows and Macintosh platforms and addresses multiple vulnerabilities:

* Excel Malformed DATETIME Record Vulnerability (CVE-2006-2387)
* Excel Malformed STYLE Record Vulnerability (CVE-2006-3431)
* Excel Handling of Lotus 1-2-3 File Vulnerability (CVE-2006-3867)
* Excel Malformed COLINFO Record Vulnerability (CVE-2006-3875)

While both the Lotus 1-2-3 and STYLE Record vulnerabilities were publicly disclosed threats, there were no reports of active exploits at the time of publication.

This collective group poses a critical threat for Excel 2000; it’s an important threat for Excel 2002, Excel 2003, Excel Viewer 2003, Excel 2004 for Mac, and Excel v.X for Mac. This bulletin replaces Microsoft Security Bulletin MS06-037 for all affected versions.
MS06-060

Microsoft Security Bulletin MS06-060, “Vulnerabilities in Microsoft Word Could Allow Remote Code Execution,” is another threat that affects both Windows and Macintosh platforms and addresses multiple vulnerabilities:

* Microsoft Word Vulnerability (CVE-2006-3647)
* Microsoft Word Mail Merge Vulnerability (CVE-2006-3651)
* Microsoft Word Malformed Stack Vulnerability (CVE-2006-4534)
* Microsoft Word for Mac Vulnerability (CVE-2006-4693)

This collective group poses a critical threat for Word 2000; it’s an important threat for Word 2002, Word 2003, Word 2003 Viewer, Word 2004 for Mac, and Word v.X for Mac. This bulletin replaces Microsoft Security Bulletin MS06-027 for Word 2000, Word 2002, Word 2003, and Word 2003 Viewer. These are newly disclosed threats, and there had been no reports of active exploits at the time of publication.
MS06-061

Microsoft Security Bulletin MS06-061, “Vulnerabilities in Microsoft XML Core Services Could Allow Remote Code Execution,” addresses two separate threats:

* Microsoft XML Core Services Vulnerability (CVE-2006-4685)
* XSLT Buffer Overrun Vulnerability (CVE-2006-4686)

This bulletin affects Windows 2000 SP4, all versions of Windows XP, all versions of Windows Server 2003, Office 2003 SP1, Office 2003 SP2, Microsoft XML Core Services 4.0, and Microsoft XML Core Services 6.0. While the XML Core Services Vulnerability poses an important to low threat—depending on the version—the XSLT Buffer Overrun Vulnerability is a critical threat, so the collective rating is critical for all affected versions.

These are newly disclosed threats, and there had been no reports of active exploits at the time of publication.

Note: While Microsoft updated the bulletin to remove a mistaken update note, this bulletin doesn’t replace any prior security patches.
MS06-062

Microsoft Security Bulletin MS06-062, “Vulnerabilities in Microsoft Office Could Allow Remote Code Execution,” addresses four separate threats:

* Office Improper Memory Access Vulnerability (CVE-2006-3434)
* Office Malformed Chart Record Vulnerability (CVE-2006-3650)
* Office Malformed Record Memory Corruption Vulnerability (CVE-2006-3864)
* Microsoft Office Smart Tag Parsing Vulnerability (CVE-2006-3868)

This bulletin affects Office 2000 SP3, Office XP SP3, Office 2003 SP1, Office 2003 SP2, Office 2004 for Mac, and Office v.X for Mac. It also affects Project 2000 Service Release 1, Project 2002 SP1, and Visio 2002 SP2. It is a critical threat for Office 2000, and it’s an important threat for all remaining versions.

This bulletin replaces Microsoft Security Bulletin MS06-048 for all affected versions. Microsoft has updated the security bulletin itself to V1.1 to clarify some details.

The Microsoft Office Smart Tag Parsing vulnerability was the only publicly disclosed threat, but there had been no reports of active exploits at the time of publication.
Final word

And if six critical patches aren’t enough, don’t forget that Microsoft also recently released a critical patch out of sequence—Microsoft Security Bulletin MS06-055 for XML problems. Yes, folks, these critical threats are the ones Redmond felt could wait for the regular scheduled Patch Tuesday! Tune in next week for details on the remaining security bulletins.

Points You Need to Know For Becoming MCTS Certified

Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist (MCTS) is one of the most popular certifications awarded by Microsoft. This certification will help you demonstrate your range of expertise, practical skills, and a thorough knowledge of Microsoft technologies. The Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist (MCTS) credential endorses the knowledge and skills of an IT professional with respect to performing a given job role including those like database administrator or enterprise messaging administrator. One of the most distinguishing features of this certification process is that it is built by Microsoft on the technical proficiency assessed by the Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist (MCTS ) certifications. This fact will enable you get one or more MCTS certifications as you progress on your way to securing an MCTS Training.


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MCTS certification attests that the candidates have the necessary set of skills to deploy, build, optimize, design various applications operating technologies with respect to a particular job role and that they are capable of designing and making a number of technology decisions crucial to accomplish successful technology implementation projects.

While the Microsoft Certified Techonlogy Specialist (MCTS ) credential enables IT professionals with a more focussed and simpler framework to display their technical and professional skills, some reputed MCTS certification training programs available on the net enables the candidates to systematically acquire the required knowledge and skills needed to make their cherished IT dreams come alive and besides easily securing a great paying job in the purview of the IT industry.

One of the most important aspects that you need to note regarding this certification is that it also highlights your exclusive field of expertise as there are about twelve concentrations available within this one certification. This will help you distinguish yourself among other IT professionals by possessing the up-to-date skills and surpassing job-role capabilities to effectively work with a comprehensive set of Microsoft technologies.

While choosing the right site for getting trained for this certification, always look for programmes that are offered by certified instructors. This will help you with a quality education necessary to enhance your IT career. One of the greatest advantages of securing this certification is that you are actually letting the employers know that you are more capable than others to get the job done right.

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In-depth look at Microsoft Home Server – CES 2007

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I had a chance to speak with members of the Microsoft Home Server team at CES about Microsoft Home Server 2006.  I managed to get some in-depth questions answered on the product so here it is.

Question:  Will Home Server be available to the do-it-yourself buyers or will it only be available as a packaged deal?

Microsoft:  For the time being, it will only be available as a packaged deal from major PC makers.  But there is a lot of interest from the do-it-yourself market and Microsoft is looking in to it.

Question:  What is Home Server based on?  Is it based on Windows Server 2007 (or what ever it will be called)?

Microsoft:  It’s based on Windows Server 2003 R2 along with some other components that the Home Server team developed for the home product.

Question:  I noticed a fairly nice looking rich client management console.  Is that web based or is that a rich client that needs to be installed?

Microsoft:  Neither.  It’s a rich Win32 application hosted on the server delivered to the client’s desktop seamlessly using the RDP (Remote Desktop Protocol).  This is a feature similar to Microsoft Terminal Services in Windows Server 2007.  The user interface is also available to remote users via web interface.  The connection from the client to server is extremely thin and efficient (often less than 2 kbps in my experience on RDP).

Question:  On the custom domain names that buyers may get if they adopt MS Home Server early (details not worked out yet), will that support DDNS Dynamic DNS non-static IP Internet connections typical of most DSL and Cable broadband connections?

Microsoft:  Microsoft will support Dynamic DNS for custom domain names.

Question:  How does the remote access work?  Is that an https: tunneling technology that can bypass firewalls or is it just using RDP on TCP 3389 or some other redirected port?

Microsoft:  It’s not using https: tunneling, but Microsoft Home Server can act as an RDP proxy which allows a single server on a single IP address to simultaneously host multiple RDP connections to multiple PCs.

Question:  How does Microsoft deal with the issue of security.  It’s hard enough for an IT professional to secure a publicly available server exposed to the Internet let alone someone in the home.  This opens up a whole new can of worms on the security front because we now have millions of homes connected to the Internet with a wide-open server 24×7.

Microsoft:  Microsoft has put a lot of work in hardening the home server using technology from Windows Server 2003 R2 with IIS 6.0 web server.

Note that IIS 6.0 since 2003 has only had two moderately critical flaws which is really quite amazing for a web server.  Apache 2.0 has had more than 10 times the number of flaws in the same time period and some of which were more critical.  But the biggest security issue with web servers besides poor administration is poor custom ASP or PHP coding which thankfully is not an issue with most home servers.  Homes are currently safe if they have a firewall or router even if a serious flaw exists on the home network because it isn’t open to the public Internet.  This is not just a Microsoft problem since the same thing is being done with Linux-based servers and appliances, but we’re talking about the server that holds all the user’s data open to the Internet.  Only time will tell on the cyber-crime front but my prediction is that it will be a huge problem afflicting the industry in general as we move to a more connected digital society.

Question:  One of the biggest security headaches in running a secure web server is the secure authentication issue and the pain of setting up and buying expensive SSL certificates.  A lot of IT shops don’t even get this right and they set up these untrusted self-signed digital certificates that violate fundamental SSL security principles and many American Banks can’t even seem to get this concept straight.  What chance does a home user have of dealing with this huge implementation challenge?  What is Microsoft doing to make this easier?

Microsoft:  We’re working on this.

Question:  Wouldn’t it make sense for Microsoft to offer free SSL certificate signing with every Home Server and automate the whole thing?

Microsoft:  That’s good feedback.

Question:  Cisco has a technology on their firewalls called cut-through-proxy where ports aren’t open until a user authenticates.  Wouldn’t that type of technology be good for the home and in general to minimize the open ports and vectors for attack?

Microsoft:  We’re aware of this technology and it’s good feedback.

Question:  How does Microsoft Home Server deal with PC backup?

Microsoft:  Microsoft offers a full PC backup solution that includes data and system imaging.  Even if a hard drive died on a PC, the customer can put in a blank hard drive and do a bare metal recovery using a bootable recovery CD.

Question:  How does Microsoft deal with the issue of offline-backup from the home server?  Let’s say the user’s computer is hacked and the hacker destroys or encrypts all the user’s data on the client and file shares on the Home Server.

Microsoft:  Microsoft will have an add-on product that supports offline backups like an external USB/Firewire hard drive.  The home server will run as a separate service that has exclusive access to the offline backup.  The normal home server services will not have access to the offline backup.  Microsoft Home Server also has point-in-time snapshot capability so that users can recover files from a previous state like a day or week before.  (Vista also has this feature natively).

Question:  Does Microsoft Home Server support single instant storage like Windows Server 2003 R2?  (This means if two people in a home had separate folders with the same files on the same server, Home Server will only store one instance of the file)

Microsoft:  Not at this point.

Question:  Does Microsoft Home Server have the IAS (RADIUS) authentication server component of Windows Server 2003 built in?  (This allows people to run Enterprise Class wireless LAN security that’s easy to manage.)

Microsoft:  Not at this point.

Question:  Is Microsoft Home Server an Active Directory server?

Microsoft:  No, Windows XP home and Vista basic can’t support domain joins.  Only business editions of Windows can support domain joins.

Question:  But wouldn’t this make file sharing difficult since users are often prompted to enter in a username and password?  Furthermore, Workgroup networking and file sharing has never worked consistently in Windows XP even if you manually sync up the usernames and passwords.

Microsoft:  The Home Server client agent will synchronize passwords so that file shares on different machines can be seamlessly accessed.  It’s also made Workgroup network file sharing more consistent and users won’t need to type in passwords for different shares.

Get High Score in MCSE Exams

The practice exams are must for getting the information technology certifications. The MCSE certification provides the features for becoming a system engineer in a comfortable manner. This will be useful not only for the job seekers, but for the working professionals also. The ways for becoming a high quality system administrator will be provided by this certification such that it gives the best solution. A person should know the exam codes that are required for getting this certification in a proper way. This will be helpful for solving the complex problems in the information technology companies.


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The self paced training kits are available for the persons who want to get this certification, as it involves both preparation and practice. Some companies are providing the training programs for the passing the mcse practice exam in a better way. The test papers and the exams are found to be helpful for getting this certification without any difficulties. Some kits are providing the video guides and the study guides for the persons who want to clear these exams in a right way. The MCSE certification makes the possible ways for overcoming the challenges in the information technology companies.

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Trend Micro issues virtualisation security warning

Companies could be at risk if hackers turn their attentions away from the desktop

Attacks targeted at datacentres and virtualised environments could represent the next vanguard of threats if cyber criminals begin to shift their attention away from the increasingly well secured desktop, according to security experts.

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Trend Micro chief technology officer Raimund Genes told V3.co.uk that, despite the many benefits of cloud computing, the back-end virtual infrastructures of many clouds are potentially at risk.

“If the desktop becomes more difficult to attack they will focus on the datacentre,” he said. “VMware has done a good job with security, but is it 100 per cent flawless? The same is true with other providers. It’s something we need to be aware of.”

Genes also criticised Microsoft’s Essentials security tool for relying on an outdated anti-virus signature update system which is poor at protecting against zero-day threats and lacks the agility of a cloud-based protection network.

“Every malware is now zero-day,” he said. “Microsoft’s detection is lousy. It doesn’t use the cloud and it doesn’t offer exposure layer protection.”

Genes criticised the “security monoculture” that the free Essentials security tool could create, claiming that it will make it easier for hackers to circumvent.

His argument echoes that of Panda Security, which also railed against Microsoft’s free anti-virus product last month, calling for a European anti-trust investigation over the policy of pushing out the software via the Microsoft and Windows Update services.

Windows @ 25: 25 things you didn’t know about the Microsoft OS

It’s 25 years since Microsoft launched the first version of Windows, and what started out in November 1985 as a graphical front end for DOS has grown into the most widely used operating system. To mark Windows’ 25th, we’ve put together 25 facts about the OS to highlight some of the more memorable moments in its history.

1. The origins of Windows can be traced to September 1981 when Microsoft began working on a project entitled Interface Manager.

2. The release of Windows 1.0 in 1985 was actually two years later than planned. We’d be on Windows 8 now if they’d stuck to their schedules.

3. Microsoft supported Windows 1.0 until the final day of 2001, some 16 years later.

4. Windows 3.1, despite being first launched in 1992, found a niche role as an embedded operating system, and was still in use in 2008 by Virgin Atlantic and Qantas in some onboard entertainment systems on long-distance flights.


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5. Fortune named Microsoft as the ‘Most Innovative Company Operating in the US’ in 1993 as sales of Windows started to rocket.

6. Many editions of Windows required endless floppy disks to install the system. For example, Windows 95 came on 13 disks.

7. Microsoft used Start Me Up by The Rolling Stones on adverts for the launch of Windows 95. The Stones were reportedly paid between $8m and $14m, but this is said to be a gross exaggeration.

8. Music was also part of the obligatory free stuff that Microsoft bundled in with Windows 95 – to be exact, a video of Buddy Holly by rock band Weezer to show off the system’s multimedia capabilities.

9. Microsoft also cashed in on the success of Friends in the 1990s by commissioning a promotional video, labeled a ‘cyber sitcom’, featuring Jennifer Aniston and Matthew Perry showing off the top 25 features of Windows 95. The firm claimed it was a “fast and funny” guide to the new operating system. It was anything but.

10. In the US, the Empire State Building was lit up to match the colours of the Windows logo for the 95 launch.

11. In the UK, Microsoft paid for 1.5 million issues of The Times to be given away with a bundled supplement about Windows 95 on the day it launched. This was twice the daily circulation of the paper at the time.

12. All this advertising clearly worked, as more than a million copies of Windows 95 were sold in the first four days after its release. How Microsoft executives must wish for a return to those days, instead of watching Apple enjoying queues of fans waiting for new products.

13. Nevertheless, Windows has a 91 per cent market share for client operating systems that use the internet, so those executives needn’t be too glum.

14. Bill Gates appeared in two adverts with American comedian Jerry Seinfeld in 2008 in which, as well as displaying what we’ll kindly refer to as questionable comic timing, he and Seinfeld made some sort of left-field comment on the way Windows had helped connect billions of people on the planet, or something like that.

15. Musician Brian Eno, of Roxy Music, composed Windows 95’s startup music. He produced 84 pieces before settling on the now famous sound.

16. There are estimated to be some 25 million Windows crashes everyday.

17. The successor to Windows XP, which eventually became Vista, was codenamed Longhorn during development stages, which is also a type of cow. You can draw your own comparisons.

18. Bill Gates is actually called William Henry Gates III and has a knighthood bestowed on him by the Queen, although more for his charity work than for Windows.

19. During the pre-release phase of Windows 98, Gates was hit by the Blue Screen of Death when showing off the new Plug and Play feature, something he managed to laugh off rather well.

20. Windows supports 34 languages including Hebrew, Latvian and Arabic.

21. Windows 8 is most likely to be released sometime around 2012, based on previous operating cycle timelines.

22. Windows XP is said to have 50 million lines of code, the figure rising with each new release.

23. It’s impossible to name a folder as ‘Con’ on Windows. Try it. On the desktop, in the hard drive, wherever you try, it will just revert back to the name ‘New Folder’.

24. Microsoft used US cities for codenames of some of the new Windows developments, such as Chicago for Windows 95 and Memphis for Windows 98.

25. And finally, while Windows has been a staple of the desktop computing environment for the past 25 years, another Microsoft attempt at providing a user interface for personal computers proved less successful, and was even placed in Time magazine’s 50 Worst Inventions.

It’s name? Microsoft Bob, a “front room” layout of the desktop environment that was essentially Clippy on steroids. It didn’t last long.

Making Windows 7 Home Premium the Ultimate OS, Part 4: Disk Encryption

As you step through the various Windows 7 product editions, an interesting picture emerges. Windows 7 Home Premium is, quite clearly, the sweet spot from a functionality perspective and the reason I consider this version to be the starting point for any Windows 7 user, and the focal point of this article. When you move up from Home Premium to Professional, you get a smaller bump in functionality, and if you look over the past two parts of this series, you’ll see some of the key Windows 7 features that are unique to Professional edition and the free or cheap tools I recommend to Home Premium users to replace them. But when you jump up from Professional to Ultimate, there’s an even smaller leap. In fact, there are really only two key features that are unique to Windows 7 Ultimate. And they’re both based around the notion of encryption-based data protection.

These features are so key, in fact, that I consider it almost criminal that Microsoft doesn’t make them available to all Windows users. I’d like to see that change in the future. But for now, you’ll need to seek out other ways to duplicate the functionality in the features Microsoft provides via its BitLocker and BitLocker To Go functionality.

BitLocker came first, in Windows Vista, and provides full-disk encryption for fixed hard drives. BitLocker To Go, meanwhile, debuts in Windows 7 and adds this same encryption functionality to removable storage media like USB memory keys. You can find out more about BitLocker To Go in my Windows 7 Feature Focus article.

I’ve found an excellent replacement for BitLocker, but have yet to find anything that is as seamless and well designed as BitLocker To Go. Fortunately, there’s a nice (if temporary) workaround you can take advantage of if you’d like to use BitLocker To Go. Here’s what I found.

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Full disk encryption replacement: Zone Alarm DataLock

Cost: $20 (Normally $30)
Download: https:://www.zonealarm.com/security/en-us/zonealarm-data-lock.htm
Description: Hard drive encryption makes everything on your computer’s hard drive unreadable to unauthorized eyes. It jumbles the data in such a way that it cannot be deciphered unless a special password is entered. If your laptop PC is stolen or lost, hard drive encryption prevents your personal data from getting into the wrong hands, even if you never recover your hardware. All your data is fully protected – even temporary and deleted files. Your encrypted hard drive is inaccessible unless a special login and password are entered. No password, no access – thieves are locked out. This login cannot be bypassed by removing the hard drive or by booting off a CD.

Notes: ZoneAlarm DataLock is essentially a consumer version of a Check Point product that’s been around for a while. I’ve been using it on my own Windows 7 Home Premium-based laptop (a ThinkPad SL410) and it appears to work quite well. As with any disk encryption solution, the actually encryption process is time consuming. But once it’s done, you won’t notice that it’s there–it doesn’t impact performance at all, from what I can tell–other than when you boot the computer, since there is a separate security logon at boot time.

There are a couple of interesting differences between DataLock and BitLocker (aside from the boot time logon). First, DataLock also works with Windows XP and Vista as well as Windows 7. Second, if you forget your boot-time logon, you can actually call ZoneAlarm to get it; Microsoft doesn’t offer any kind of BitLocker recovery functionality.

There are a few questions here. ZoneAlarm notes that “not all systems will be compatible” but doesn’t explain what that means. (I had no issues installing it, but I only did so on one system.) The product costs $20, and while ZoneAlarm says you don’t need to pay a yearly license fee, once you go beyond the first year of usage, you will need to pay a small renewal fee after the first year for ongoing technical support, which presumably includes logon recovery. Also, I noticed that Windows Home Server-based PC backup stopped working after installing DataLock. I will test whether reinstalling the WHS Connector software fixes this after I return from the trip I’m currently on.

Making Windows 7 Home Premium the Ultimate OS
There’s not a lot of UI to show here: It just sits in the background, protecting your data.
Other alternatives to BitLocker and BitLocker To Go

Here are some other reader recommendations for BitLocker and BitLocker To Go replacements that you may want to check out.
TrueCrypt

Cost: FREE
Download: https:://www.truecrypt.org/
Description: TrueCrypt is free open-source disk encryption software for Windows 7/Vista/XP, Mac OS X, and Linux.

Main features:

* Creates a virtual encrypted disk within a file and mounts it as a real disk.
* Encrypts an entire partition or storage device such as USB flash drive or hard drive.
* Encrypts a partition or drive where Windows is installed (pre-boot authentication).
* Encryption is automatic, real-time (on-the-fly) and transparent.
* Parallelization and pipelining allow data to be read and written as fast as if the drive was not encrypted.
* Provides plausible deniability, in case an adversary forces you to reveal the password.
* Encryption algorithms: AES-256, Serpent, and Twofish. Mode of operation: XTS.

Notes: TrueCrypt is hard. But if you don’t mind navigating through a technical interface, it can basically do everything that BitLocker and BitLocker To Go can do. So you may find it worth the effort.
7Zip

Cost: FREE
Download: https:://www.7-zip.org/
Description: 7-Zip is an open source file archiver with a high compression ratio. It supports strong AES-256 encryption in 7z and ZIP formats, so it’s possible, in a very manual way, to protect important documents and other data files on a USB hard drive or memory stick.

Windows 7 Annoyances

After the poor reception of Windows Vista by customers, Microsoft knew it had to retrench for that system’s successor, Windows 7. And retrench it did: Windows 7 has entered the market to universally positive reviews from the tech press and customers alike. Part of the reason is that Windows 7 is a more modest upgrade than was Windows Vista. And part of it is that Microsoft tried to create a more cohesive and simpler system than it had with Windows 7’s predecessor.

So Windows 7 is a huge success, no doubt about it. But if you’re coming to Windows 7 from a previous Windows version, you’re going to notice a number of changes–some big, some small–and that’s true if you were previously using Windows Vista, XP, or an even older version. And while Windows 7’s changes are mostly improvements, unfamiliarity can lead to a loss of productivity. So if you’re looking for a way to fix some of Windows 7’s most obvious annoyances, or simply change some crucial feature back to the way it used to work, fear not: I’ve got your back.

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Taskbar

Looking at the Windows 7 user interface, the most obvious change is the new taskbar, which represents a major functional departure from the previous several Windows versions. Now, instead of just providing buttons that represent running applications and other open windows, the taskbar also comingles shortcuts for frequently-needed applications and other objects. If you’re familiar with Mac OS X, you may feel that the new taskbar is a rip-off of that system’s Dock. In many ways, however, it simply combines the functionality from the XP/Vista taskbar taskbar with the Quick Launch toolbar. Regardless of its origins, one thing is clear: The Windows 7 taskbar is different enough that it will cause some headaches for users who are accustomed to previous Windows versions.

Annoyance: By default, the Windows 7 taskbar displays only a single icon for every shortcut or button. So if you have several Internet Explorer windows (or tabs) open, you’ll only see one button. That can be confusing, but it also means there’s no descriptive text caption on the button to describe what the window(s) are displaying, as was the case with all previous Windows versions dating back to Windows 95.

Windows 7 Annoyances
How many windows of each application are actually open? It’s impossible to say.

Solution: Fortunately, you can overcome Microsoft’s less-than-ideal default taskbar behavior and arrive at a display that more closely resembles previous Windows versions. To do so, right-click a blank area of the taskbar and choose Properties. Then, in the Taskbar buttons pull-down, choose “Combine when taskbar is full.” This will cause the taskbar to make two display changes. First, each button (each of which represents an open application or window) will include a caption, and not just a nondescript icon. Second, when you open multiple windows of the same application (as with IE or Windows Explorer), each window will get its own button.

Windows 7 Annoyances
With a small change, the Windows 7 taskbar is much more usable.

Annoyance: Most people who use Windows 7 quickly come to accept the way it combines shortcuts (links to non-running applications and windows) with buttons (links to running apps and windows). But there is one bizarre limitation: You cannot add two links on the taskbar for the same application. This is particularly problematic for Windows Explorer links: If you’d like to place separate shortcuts for, say, the Documents and Pictures libraries, you can’t: Instead, Windows 7 places links to both of these locations into the Windows Explorer shortcut’s Jump List.

Solution: Fortunately, there is a way around this limitation. Here how it works: Create a shortcut to the Windows Explorer location you want on the desktop. Then, right-click the shortcut and choose Properties. In the Target field, add the word “explorer” (no quotes) before the folder path. (If the path has any spaces, the path must be inside quotes.) The shortcut’s icon will change to the default Windows Explorer icon, but you can of course change it again as needed. Now, pin this shortcut to the taskbar: Instead of pinning it to the existing Windows Explorer shortcut, it will create a new shortcut. Voila!

Annoyance: While many users will embrace the new taskbar, some wish to retain a separation between shortcuts and links to running applications and open windows. And many of these people miss the Quick Start toolbar, which Microsoft removed from Windows 7.

Solution: You can enable the Quick Launch toolbar in Windows 7. To do so, right-click a blank area of the taskbar and choose Toolbar and then New toolbar. In the Choose a folder window that appears, type the following text into the Folder field: “%userprofile%\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Quick Launch” (no quotes) and click Select Folder. You’ll see the Quick Launch toolbar appear in truncated form at the right of the taskbar. To modify this, unlock the taskbar (right-click and uncheck “Lock the taskbar”). Then, drag it where you’d like it and then disable two options, “Show text” and “Show title,” by right-clicking the Quick Launch toolbar. This will make the toolbar look as it did in previous Windows versions.

Windows 7 Annoyances
Yes, Virginia, you really can enable the Quick Launch toolbar in Windows 7.

Annoyance: Windows Vista included an excellent utility called Software Explorer, part of Windows Defender, that made it very easy to prevent applications from starting up when Windows boots and, in many cases, littering the notification area with unneeded icons. Windows 7, sadly, removes this utility.

Solution: Unless you want to hunt down a third party utility, you’re going to have to go old school on Windows 7 and stretch some pre-Vista plumbing skills. There are a number of places to look at if you wish to streamline the Windows 7 boot process, but one is key: The System Configuration utility–type “msconfig” (no quotes) in Start Menu Search to find it–is a spiritual predecessor of sorts to Software Explorer and it provides a list of startup apps in its Startup tab that you can edit.
Start Menu

Annoyance: While the Windows 7 Start Menu is largely unchanged from Windows Vista, many users of the new OS will be coming from Windows XP or older Windows versions, and they may prefer the classic Start Menu from those versions. Unfortunately, Microsoft has removed this option from Windows 7.

Solution: Fortunately, an enterprising third party developer makes available a Classic Start Menu replacement for the Windows 7 Start Menu, so you can get back the Start Menu that graced Windows 95 through Windows Vista. It’s part of the Classic Shell project (see below).
Windows Explorer

Annoyance: If it seems like Microsoft has changed the layout and capabilities of Windows Explorer with each new Windows version, well, they have. And this trend continues in Windows 7, which, like Windows Vista, no longer includes a number of useful toolbar buttons that were available in Windows XP and older Windows versions.

Solution: Once again, Classic Shell comes to the rescue. This Explorer plug-in provides missing buttons like Cut, Copy, Paste, Delete, and Properties, and provides other old-school functionality, such as bringing back the pre-Windows 7 file copy dialog. It also displays free disk space and the file/folder size in the Explorer window status bar. Just like XP.

Windows 7 Annoyances
Classic Shell adds a mini-toolbar to Windows Explorer (in the upper right), providing easy access to commands Microsoft removed.
Compatibility

Anytime Microsoft releases a new Windows version, there are fears that device or application compatibility issues will render an otherwise decent upgrade into a disaster. And while this was certainly true with Windows Vista, Windows 7 does a much better job of maintaining backwards compatibility. Of course, no software is perfect.

Annoyance: An application won’t install or run under Windows 7.

Solution: Like previous versions of Windows, Windows 7 provides a nice suite of compatibility tools. These tools allow the system to fool installers and application programs into believing that they are running under older versions of Windows, and they’re typically found in the Compatibility tab of the Properties window for the application in question. But Windows 7 makes it much easier to work through these issues thanks to a new Troubleshooting infrastructure that provides plain English wizards, with step-by-step walkthroughs for compatibility problems and a host of other common issues. To more easily determine whether an application can be made to run correctly under Windows 7, open the Action Center (“action” in Start Menu Search) and click the Troubleshooting link. Then, click the link titled “Run programs made for previous versions of Windows” under Programs and follow the steps in the Program Compatibility wizard.

Tip: You can run this wizard more quickly by typing “compat” into Start Menu Search.

Annoyance: An application still won’t install or run under Windows 7.

Solution: Some legacy applications simply won’t ever install or run correctly under Windows 7. In this case, new Windows features called Windows Virtual PC and Windows XP Mode will help you solve the problem using virtualization technology. Windows Virtual PC is the next generation version of Microsoft’s Virtual PC product. It requires hardware virtualization support in the PC’s microprocessor and BIOS, and offers some important benefits over its predecessors, including USB support and the ability to run virtualized (“guest”) applications alongside native (“host”) applications. Windows Virtual PC is available for free to all Windows 7 users.

Windows XP Mode is a specially packaged and complete virtualized version of Windows XP with Service Pack 3 (SP3). It is provided, for free, to all users of Windows 7 Professional, Enterprise, and Ultimate editions. And because it runs under Windows Virtual PC, any applications you installed inside this environment can run alongside your normal Windows 7 applications. It’s the perfect solution for those few remaining applications that simply won’t run in Windows 7 natively.
Windows Update

Annoyance: Microsoft has done a nice job of improving the Windows Update application in Windows 7, but one glaring issue remains. If you leave the PC unattended overnight and the system automatically installs critical or important security updates that require a reboot, you might get back to the PC in the morning to discover that all your applications have shut down and, potentially, you’ve lost some data.

Solution: You can prevent Windows Update from automatically rebooting your PC, though it will require a bit of work. The reason is that the Registry Key that controls this functionality is missing from Windows 7.

To do so, open the Registry Editor (Start Menu Search, “regedit”) and navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Polices\Microsoft\Windows. Then, create a new key called WindowsUpdate and, inside of that key, another new key called AU. Inside of that key, create a new DWORD (32-bit) value named NoAutoRebootWithLoggedOnUsers. Modify its value data, setting it to 1. You will have to restart the computer for the change to take effect.
Final thoughts

Every version of Windows comes with new challenges and new ways of doing things. And while Windows 7 is does indeed represent a major functional improvement over its predecessor, it’s also different enough from Windows XP and Vista to cause a bit of grief. Fortunately, there are simple workarounds to most problems, and while any change can be traumatic, Windows 7 is, in many ways, the least annoying upgrade Microsoft has ever shipped.

Windows 7 Tip of the Week God Mode

Months ago, reports far and wide lauded a “secret” Windows 7 God Mode that would grant you access to hidden OS features using, literally, a secret code. The truth is, Windows 7 God Mode is nothing of the kind, neither god-like nor a mode. So I resisted writing much about it, until recently I began getting a second round of emails about this trick. And now that the dust has settled, looking at it again, I can see the attraction.

What God Mode really is, is a way to access every single Control Panel feature via simpler-to-read list. Critics have poo-poo’d God Mode because there’s nothing new in there, and because it’s supposedly simpler to type key words into Start Menu Search than it is to scan a long list. That is incorrect. The beauty of God Mode, ultimately, is that it presents its capabilities in list form. And if you don’t know what to search for, Start Menu Search is useless.

So God Mode really is an excellent Windows 7 secret, because it reveals a long list of features you may never have otherwise discovered. In this way, it works a bit like the Office 2007/2010 ribbon in that it doesn’t necessarily offer anything new, but it does surface features you probably would never have otherwise found.

To “enable” God Mode–really, just create a new shell view for all Control Panel features–right-click on the desktop and choose New Folder. For the folder name, paste in this text:

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A new Control Panel-looking icon will be created with the name God Mode. Open this, and you’ll see a very long list of all of the available features.

Windows 7 Tip of the Week: God Mode
It’s … full of features.

The funniest thing about God Mode, of course, is the name. That is, you don’t need to use the text GodMode above. Instead, you can use any text: All Control Panels, whatever. It’s your choice. The number after the period (“.”) is a GUID–a globally unique identifier–and it must remain as-is. However, you could use other GUIDs to enable different views as well. For example, using Computer.{20D04FE0-3AEA-1069-A2D8-08002B30309D} would create a new icon for the Computer view.

So enjoy God Mode for what it is: A chance to find out about features you never knew about before. And ignore the haters. On a web where everyone is tripping over themselves to prove how smart they are, the real experts are those who simply know where to look for the answers. And God Mode, horribly named as it is, is one such place.

Simplest. Tip. Ever. 🙂

PS: For a semi-complete list of available God Mode features, and a list of other GUID values you can apply to new folders in Windows 7, check out this post on Windows 7 Themes.

Internet Explorer Feature Focus Notification Bar

When Microsoft reset development of Windows and other core products in the wake of the Windows XP UPnP fiasco, it ushered in the current era of “Trustworthy Computing” that we’re arguably still living within. As part of that reset, it added a number of security features to Internet Explorer, which it delivered as part of Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2). Key among these was an Information Bar that sat at the top of the browser display area.


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The bad old days: The Information Bar first appeared in a revision to IE 6.
In that version of IE, the Information Bar provided access to the browser’s then-new pop-up blocker. Over time, the Information Bar became a central bit of blocker UI for such things as downloads and even browser plug-ins. It was so good, in fact, that every major browser maker copied it for their own products. Today, you’ll see a near perfect copy of the IE Information Bar in Mozilla Firefox, for example.

In Internet Explorer 9, Microsoft has dramatically changed the behavior of this control, which has been renamed to the Notification Bar in this release. Under the covers, IE 9 treats notifications just like it does most other things, in a minimalist fashion that is designed to prevent distractions while browsing. So there are fewer notifications than before, yes, but perhaps more important, when those notifications do occur, they are less disruptive and won’t typically prevent you from browsing the web. (One major exception to this is serious security threats: In such a case, the new Notification Bar will, in fact, halt the proceedings.)

“Interruptions kill the user’s flow,” Microsoft general manager Dean Hachamovitch told me. “So we looked at the prompts IE was using. They’re well intentioned, but got in the way. So the question was, how can we maintain the behavior but quiet it down?”

Also in keeping with the overall IE 9 “get out of the user’s way” mantra, the IE 9 Notification Bar has been moved to the bottom of the browser window where it’s less likely to distract you when it does appear. As such, it is very subtle. Perhaps too subtle, actually: It’s very easy to miss, even in when you know its coming, such as when you trigger a download.

Gets out of the way
One of the major considerations for the new design, of course, was that it not stop a page from loading or prevent the user from doing what they were doing; i.e. reading the page in question. With previous versions of the Information Bar, some notifications were modal, preventing the page from continuing to load until the user addressed the notification. This is (mostly) no longer the case. So if you browse to the Apple web site, for example, you’ll still get incessant notifications about enabling QuickTime. But you can safely–and easily–ignore them.

The Notification Bar also appears less frequently. In previous versions of IE, for example, an Information Bar would pop-up if you tried to navigate to an intranet site (a web URL without a .com or similar ending). IE 9 instead automatically resolves intranet addresses and doesn’t prompt you.
Clearer instructions

The new Notification Bar is also designed with normal users in mind. So the messages are written in Plain English–or the language of your choice–and don’t present a bunch of technological gobbledygook.
Pop-up notifications

Occasionally, the IE notifications system will need to pop-up a dialog box instead of using the Notification Bar. The most common reason is when a web site stops responding. In previous versions of IE, the user would be confronted by an “Internet Explorer is not responding” dialog. But in IE 9, this changes to “[Name of web site] is not responding” and in most cases, IE will recover and redisplay the site correctly. So why display this message in a dialog? The web site crashed, and the IE frame may be unavailable.

IE 9 Notification Bar Corporate controls
Like other IE features, administrators can customize how the Notification Bar works on PCs throughout their environments using Group Policy. For example, you can disable Add-On Performance Advisor notifications (see below) if you’d like.
Common Notification Bar scenarios

Nothing dramatic or unexpected, but here are some of the more common times when IE 9 will display the Notification Bar.

Save a password. When you enter a user name and password at a web site, the Notification Bar will appear and ask you if you’d like the browser to save this information so you don’t need to re-enter it later.

Download a file. IE 9 features a new Download Manager, and it integrates with a reputation service and the browser’s SmartScreen filter to help prevent you from downloading any dangerous (or at least unknown) files.

Add-On Performance Advisor. Every time you start IE 9, the Add-On Performance Advisor gauges the performance of the various add-ons you’ve got configured. And as is (perhaps too) often the case, it will trigger a Notification Bar message that one or more add-ons are loading too slowly.

Default browser. If IE 9 is not set to be the default web browser, it can display a Notification Bar message asking if you’d like to change it back.

IE 9 Notification Bar Final thoughts
Overall, the new Internet Explorer 9 Notification Bar is a nice addition to the browser, but I’m hoping to see some refinements to this feature during the beta process. As it is now, the Notification Bar is, perhaps, a bit too subtle, even for those moments when you’ve initiated an action, like downloading a file. This may be a matter of familiarity. But then an important UI like this should be as intuitive as possible. It’s very close.