4 Your Computer Repairs blog

Protect your child on the computer

2010-02-17T16:02:00.001-08:00

Technorati Tags: windows,xp,vista,7,internet explorer,windows media player,parental controls,facebook,bebo,twitter,opendns,dnsadvantage,google,scrubit,bitdefender,net nanny,opennic,botnet,phishing

We have all heard about the dangers of allowing your child online without supervision but what stops can you put in place to help prevent these horror stories. Here are a few tip on how to do this.

Make sure you make a separate account in windows that is either a standard user or limited user, this stops them changing any setting you make or even installing any programs you don’t know about. To see how to do this click on the appropriate link. XP, Vista and Windows 7
Never give then the password to the administrator account, again this would enable them to undo your settings.
Tell them never to give out any details, like address, phone number, email address, online usernames and passwords
If they have a laptop or computer in their rooms and you also have one downstairs then heavily restrict the one in their rooms and make then use the one you can see them use for social sites like facebook, myspace, bebo and twitter.
Talk to them about their online activity encase someone is bullying them online, let them know they can talk to you if they want to.
Use parental control. Windows vista and 7 came with useful controls that let you limit what hours someone could log in as well, blocking certain websites and programs. The other option you have is to get an activity report so you know what they have been getting up to. Vista controls, Windows 7 controls. You can see windows 7 parental controls in action here remember to set limits for games as well. As for XP it does not have any built in but later I will look at a program that will help you.
Set restrictions on windows media player. If you want to prevent R rated movies being played on the family computer then you can block films above a certain age rating being played. To do this go to 'Tools' then 'Options' then select the 'DVD' tab. Select the 'Change' button under DVD playback restrictions. Select the highest rating you want to be played and select OK
Set restrictions on Internet Explorer, this will block any content you think is too old for them
Don’t use your ISP’s DNS server, DNS explained (quite techie), one is OpenDNS. OpenDNS has a free service that can block harmful website that have phishing or botnet sites. Other include DNSadvantage, openNIC, Scrubit and Google
If you have XP and don’t have the parental controls you can get software that will help, while they can not stop someone logging in when you don’t want them to you can however stop them accessing the internet. One of the biggest and best know is Net Nanny, Bitdefender has it as part of it’s total security, which also has antivirus and firewall included. For a list of other software click here
This may seem like a lot of hard work but in most cases once it is set up you don’t need to go over it again unless circumstances change. By following these tip, even if it only a few, then hopefully your child will have a good experience on the computer and the internet.

Here are some extra links you might find handy

Super nanny on video games
Click Clever Click Safe: The first UK Child Internet Safety Strategy

Keeping your files up to date while on the move

2010-02-06T07:14:00.000-08:00

I was taking to a local business who needed files while on the road but didn't want the hassle of moving files from his laptop to his desktop all the time just to keep them up to date and this got me thinking of solutions. Here are a few I have tried, I know there are more out there and if you use any or know of any then please add them.

First one I am going to talk about is Gladinet cloud desktop.

This allows you add a virtual hard drive to your computer where you can drag and drop your file like a normal drive but all your files are then moved into the cloud. This means you can access your files from different computers anywhere. Gladinet supports connections to many popular online storage systems including, Google docs, Picassa, Amazon S3, FTP and skydrive from Microsoft.

I have set up Gladinet with my skydrive account and this gives me a virtual drive of 25Gb. I have used this to backup my photo's of my family. As I was moving a lot of files I got the option to schedule my upload to a time that would not affect me, so I got it to start at midnight. If you have used skydrive you will know it is a pain as you cannot drag and drop folders onto it. At the moment there are 2 versions of Gladinet, the first is free but is limited to 1000 tasks/sub-tasks, the second one costs $60 and this limit is removed. They are working on a third level that has more integration.

The only disadvantage is that you need a internet connection to access your files. while this might work well with some people, it could be a problem for others.

My other suggestion is Dropbox solves this problem as it has an offline cached mode. As I only use Windows most of my suggestions are biased towards this but Dropbox is a universal program. You can get it for Windows, Linux, Macs and even a free app for your Iphone. This makes it easy to move files or share files between different formats and if this was not enough then you can also access your files using a browser.

Dropbox creates a folder in your My Documents folder, in windows, and it acts like a normal folder but it does take it's time to upload your files. Unlike Gladinet it does not offer a scheduled upload but instead does it straight away. Like I said Dropbox has an offline mode so as long as it has synced after you added files then you can use and save to your files on your other computer, when it does get a connection it does not upload all your files only the data that has changed so once you have it up it is quicker and uses less internet bandwidth. Unlike Gladinet who uses other online storage Dropbox uses theirs, as a result you only get 2Gb free but you can upgrade your storage to 50Gb or 100Gb at a cost but see website for details. Again this can be used as a method of backing up files that you need or want to share.

Please read their terms and conditions before you use them.

If you know anymore then please add them

EU accepts Microsoft deal on browser choice

2009-12-17T05:01:00.000-08:00

The battle between the EU and Microsoft

After years of court battles, hefty fines and more fines in the future it looks like Microsoft have finally given the EU a solution they are happy with. If you use Internet Explorer in the EU you will be sent a small update giving you the choice of between 10 and 12 different browsers including some of the more common ones. This will happen on XP, Vista and windows 7 machines and is reportedly going to be in a neutral window and not in an Internet Explorer windows with the options in a random order.

The main browsers will be:

Internet Explorer , Firefox, Chrome, Opera and Safari on the main page but you can scroll to get AOL, Maxthon, K-Meleon, Flock, Avant Browser, Sleipnir and Slim Browser. This list will be reviewed every 6 months and Microsoft expects 100 million machines to have displayed the pop-up by mid-March.

Browser Popularity

The percentage of global internet traffic using the following browsers:
Internet Explorer - 56%
Mozilla Firefox - 32%
Google Chrome 5%
Safari - 4%
Opera - 2%

This could just be the beginning with other now wanting to challenge other default programs the Windows bundles, like notepad.

What browsers do you use and why?

I use Internet Explorer for Microsoft sites and go between Safari and Chrome form my main browsing. I used to like Firefox but I think it has went downhill in the last year.

How safe is public WIFI?

2009-12-14T13:39:00.000-08:00

How often do you use a free WIFI service from a coffee company or restaurant and do you think it is secure? I was asked this question recently.
The truth is not very safe at all. If someone wanted to and you were not protecting yourself then they could quite easily by using programs available on the internet. To see this in action goto the BBC watchdog website and see for yourself.

The solution is to use a VPN.

You have a few options here

Buy VPN access, you can buy this which has a lot of security and one company I looked at had servers in Livingstone
Configure your server for VPN access and this will give you access to all your resources on your network
Configure your Windows operating system to act like a VPN server but this will only allow you access to this computer only

If you use public WIFI a lot and want the best performance then the best option is to buy your VPN access, while this will not give you access to your resources on your computer or network it is the easiest to do and again has the best performance.
If you want to have your own VPN access but do not have it yet then I will show, you links on how setup your own PC or laptop to act like a VPN server. However if you want your server setup as a VPN server then I would get this done by your IT support provider (or me) as you can force better security which I would recommend. While I advise you use VPN for better security I cannot guarantee you will be 100% safe.
Please remember that after you have setup Windows to act like a VPN server you will need to configure your router and firewall to allow these connections otherwise it will not work. Due the large amount of routers and different firewalls available, I cannot go into detail on how to set these up but if your router does not support PPTN or VPN then you will need to create a port forward for port 1723.

VPN incoming connections

Windows XP VPN setup (not my page as I don’t have XP)

Windows Vista incoming VPN setup

Windows 7 incoming VPN setup
Depending on your firewall, you will need to allow access for port 1723.
Now that you have setup your connections, you need a way of finding your computer on the internet. If you have bought a broadband package with a static IP address then you can use this but if not then you have a few options. Download and setup a program called NO-IP, which is free for personal use and instructions can be found on their website or if your router supports it you can setup DDNS again instructions are on their website.

Now all you need to do is setup the VPN outgoing connection

XP out going VPN connection was shown above

Vista outgoing VPN connections follow these steps

Go to Start -> Connect To
Click the Set up a new connection or network Option.
Scroll down to the bottom of the list and select Connect to a workplace, then click Next.
Select the Use my Internet Connection option.
Type in your VPN internet address.
Enter a User name and password that has been granted access to the host computer.
You can use the Connect To option in the Start menu.

Windows 7 outgoing VPN connections follow these steps

First, go to Control Panel and open Network and Sharing Center.
Click on Set up a new connection or network.
Select Connect to a workplace then click on Next.
Select Use my internet connection (VPN).
Type the IP address or computer name where you wish to connect and your connection name under the Destination name field.
Enter a User name and password that has been granted access to the host computer.
For connecting your VPN connection, you can either right-click on the Network icon in the system tray and select Network and Sharing Center or go to Control Panel and open Network and Sharing Center, and click on Connect to a network.
Now connect VPN Connection windows will appears.

iPhone and iPod touch: Setting up VPN

Configure VPN<

Choose Settings > General > Network > VPN and then choose Add VPN Configuration. Ask your network administrator which settings to use. In most cases, if you have set up a similar VPN on your computer, you can use the same VPN settings for your device.
Turn VPN on or off

Once you've created a VPN configuration, the option to turn VPN on or off appears in the main Settings screen. When you are connected using VPN, the VPN icon appears in the status bar.

Who says nothing in life is free Part 1

2009-11-27T08:39:00.000-08:00

If you search the internet you can find a lot of free programs but you are you left asking the following questions. Are they any good, are they safe, are they stable? these are only a few questions I have asked myself when looking for software but here are a few good ones that my help you either in business or at home. This is just the first part and I will compose more free programs and websites another time.

It is worth stating that while some products allow you to use their free service for commercial use other don't, so please read the small print first as I will not be help responsible.

I will start with office products:

open office based on Sun Microsystems star office this can do most things MS office can including save your files to PDF. Open office is also available for most popular operating systems so you can have a consistent user experience no matter what operating system you are using.

OxygenOffice Professional This is based on open office but with bundled extras like several templates and sample documents are included, as well as over 90 fonts and additional tools like OOoWikipedia.

google docs If you want to share your documents quickly and easily or if you want to have access to all your files anywhere you have an internet connection then this is a good option. Although it does not have as much to offer as open office if all you want is a word processor, spreadsheets and a presentation tool then it is worth a try. The other advantage is if your computer breaks then you will not have lost any files.

Think free I have never used this product but after been given a good review by a friend I might try it. ThinkFree usability extends beyond PCs and is perfect for Internet-connected devices, including thin client and mobile computing platforms.
The award-winning ThinkFree Office is a Microsoft® Office compatible application suite comprised of word processing, spreadsheet, and presentation graphics software - all usable online and offline.
ThinkFree Office can automatically install and upgrade over the Web with features such as Internet-based file sharing and storage, as well as end-to-end security.
Built for cross-platform functionality, ThinkFree Office is compatible with Windows, Macintosh, Unix and Linux systems.

Now for some free music tools. I never use MS media player as it lacks at lot of functionality unless you look for and install codecs but there are tools out there that are better.

Winamp This takes me back to my early internet years with the latest 56K modem (I'm not old enough to remember the slower ones) and this was one of the first programs I downloaded and installed from the internet. What can I say really, it plays music but well, it is also highly customizable with thousands of "skins" to make if feel more personal and it can even sync with your Ipod and itunes.

ItunesThis really does not need much of an introduction so I will leave it there.

Video playback

Video lan I can only suggest one here as video lan can play all I have needed it to. Available for all operating systems I have yet to find a video file it can not play. On top of that it can also play streaming videos and play from tv capture cards. This also has a handy remote in the itunes store so you do not need to have your keyboards and mouse to watch a film.

Online storage

sky drive from Microsoft this offers 25 Gb of online storage that you can make private or share your files with either selected people or everyone. The only downside is you need to manually upload the files or if you are using internet explorer you can drag and drop but it does not accept folders.

Humyo Offers 10Gb free but with the option to add more for a fee. The free version is only accessible through the internet.

Adrive free for personal use but again with price plans the free plan offers 50Gb of storage and again the free version is only available by the internet but it does allow folder uploads.

This has only scratched the surface and if you would like more on a specific topic then please let me know.