Posts Tagged ‘windows vista’

Black Screen Update

Wednesday, December 2nd, 2009

Recently, I discussed a problem some people have been experiencing with black screens.  I had reported that a company, Prevx, had identified that Microsoft’s recent patches were responsible for black screens.  Prevx and Microsoft both have further examined the condition and determined that the black screens were not caused by Microsoft’s security updates as previous believed, but by malware, such as Daonol.  Once again, Microsoft’s patches are safe and are not the cause of these black screens.

The fix that Prevx had provided, and I had included on my previous entry, didn’t fix the problem in all cases.  The fix apparently works if the black screen began within the past couple of weeks, after running security software.  Some users had to resort to reloading Windows to repair the issue. 

Prevx identified  ten different scenarios that could trigger the black screens, and most have been available for years.  All Windows Operating Systems from NT to 7 can be affected by the problem, which is potentially million of computers world wide. 

Hackers have done it again

Tuesday, November 17th, 2009

Ever since Windows XP, Microsoft has included an anti-piracy feature that requires a new installation to be activated within a specific time period.  With Windows 7, Microsoft increased this grace period to 30 days.  Well, it appears that hackers have found a way to circumvent this feature by turning off these notifications, keeping the system running indefinitely. 

Microsoft is aware of the problem and is currently devising a technique to re-secure their software. 

With the new hack, the OS may be operational, but it isn’t genuine, which automatically disqualifies it from accessing some updates and newer Microsoft software, such as Microsoft’s Security Essentials and Windows Live software.  A non-genuine system is at risk to a variety of security issues that can have an impact on the user, on their friends and neighbors and everyone on the Internet.  For instance, the hacker may have included malicious code into these compromised systems that allows them to take control of the system or that can steal private data such as passwords, credit card information, or identities. 

I only provide, use, and recommend genuine software, because the risk is too high for the benefit of a “free” copy of Windows 7. 

November 2009 Patch Tuesday

Wednesday, November 11th, 2009

Microsoft has released seven patches rated critical or important for all versions of Windows and Office, excluding Windows 7.  So far, Windows 7 appears to be much more secure than all previous versions of Windows.  No new updates have been issued for Windows 7. 

Additional updates are available from Microsoft for a variety of minor issues.  Most of the updates, however, are adding features to Windows Vista to make it more compatible with Windows 7.  Finally, there are routine updates for IE, Windows Media Center, Malicious Software Removal Tool, and Junk Email filters. 

I recommend running Windows Update or Microsoft Update this week to ensure that your computer has everything it needs to keep you working.

Tips & Tricks #1 – Alt-Tab Keyboard combination.

Friday, November 6th, 2009

This section of the website will display tips and tricks that I have discovered that I would like to share with everyone.

For my first tip, I’ll talk a little about the Alt-Tab keystroke combination.  This keyboard short cut is one of the most well known combos.  It has been a part of windows since its early days.  Personally, I first became aware of it in Windows 95.  Now, that I’ve dated myself, let’s move on.

The Alt-Tab keyboard combination will allow you to switch between open programs.  On Vista and 7, the alt-tab combo will not only allow you to switch between open programs, but the desktop as well.  For instance, if you have Internet Explorer, Windows Live Writer, and Windows Media Player open, when you want to quickly switch to media player to choose a new media file to play, press alt-tab until media player is visible or selected in the preview window.

Also, by holding down the alt key, you can switch between open programs each time you tap tab. As soon as you let go of the alt key, the selected program will appear on top of all other open windows. 

Have fun with this classic gem.  It will come in handy sometime.