How to Enable Processor Based Security

At last PCs operating under Windows have a security level similar to that used by high performance servers. This technology known under names that vary from manufacturer to manufacturer, such as NX (No eXecute), EVP (Enhanced Virus Protection), XD (eXecute Disable), or DEP (Data Execution Protection) allows the processor itself to detect when a malicious code (such as a virus or a Trojan horse) is attempting to run and automatically disables such code, "drowning" the virus. In this short tutorial we will teach you how to enable this feature.

This technology works creating separate areas for the execution of programs and for data storage in the RAM memory of the computer, If a code in the area set aside for data storage tries to run, the processor understands that as something suspicious and prevents the execution of the code. How to Enable Processor-Based Security Hardware Secrets

Delete Hiberfil.sys in Windows XP before defragmenting

If you use the Windows XP's Hibernation feature on your laptop, you may want to delete the Hiberfil.sys file from the hard disk before defragmenting. When you put your computer in hibernation, Windows XP writes all memory content to the Hiberfil.sys file before shutting down the system. Then, when you turn your computer back on, the OS uses the Hiberfil.sys file to put everything back into memory, and the computer resumes where it left off. However, Windows XP leaves the Hiberfil.sys file on the hard disk, even though it's no longer needed.

The Hiberfil.sys file, which can be very large, is a special system file that Disk Defragmenter cannot defragment. Therefore, the presence of the Hiberfil.sys file will prevent Disk Defragmenter from performing a thorough defragmenting operation.

Follow these steps to remove the Hiberfil.sys file from the hard disk:

1. Access the Control Panel and double-click Power Options.
2. Select the Hibernate tab in the Power Options Properties dialog box.
3. Clear the Enable Hibernation check box and click OK.
   

As soon as you clear the check box, Windows XP automatically deletes the Hiberfil.sys file from the hard disk. Once you complete the defrag operation, you can re-enable the Hibernation feature.

Examining a Blue Screen of Death error with the Watchdog Event Log

Troubleshooting Blue Screen of Death (BSoD) errors, or as Microsoft calls them, Stop messages, can be extremely frustrating due to the fact that, by default, Windows XP automatically restarts the computer as soon as a BSoD error occurs. There's not enough time for you to analyze, let alone read, the error code before the message disappears.
You could disable the Automatically Restart option in the Startup And Recovery dialog box, but doing so might lock your system into an unrecoverable error situation. As such, that's not an advisable solution.
Fortunately, Windows XP keeps a special log of all BSoD errors, called a Watchdog Event Log. Unlike a memory dump, whose creation is the result of a BSoD error, a Watchdog Event Log is a straight text file that is easier to read and understand.

Here's how you access a Watchdog Event Log:

1. Use Windows Explorer to access the C:\Windows\LogFiles\Watchdog folder.
2. Locate and right-click the most recently dated .WDL file.
3. Select the Open command from the context menu.
4. In the Windows dialog box, choose the Select The Program From A List option and click OK.
5. When you see the Open With dialog box, select Notepad and click OK.

Launch Windows Explorer with administrative privileges on Windows XP Pro

When you're working on a user's computer and need to perform an administrative task from within her Windows XP Pro limited user account, you can use the Run As command to launch certain utilities with administrative account privileges.

However, if you try to use Run As to launch Windows Explorer with administrative privileges, nothing happens. This is because Explorer.exe is already running and only one instance of Explorer can run at a time. More specifically, when you launch Explorer.exe, the first thing it does is check to see if it is already running. When the second instance of Explorer.exe sees that the first instance of Explorer.exe is already running, the second instance of Explorer.exe closes without any outward notification. Here's how you can work around it.

Internet Explorer 6
Internet Explorer 6 will work with Run As and will allow you to tap into Windows Explorer. Here's how:
1. Right-click the Internet Explorer icon in the Quick Launch toolbar and choose Run As. (Keep in mind that you cannot access Run As from the Internet Explorer icon that appears on the desktop or on the Start menu.)
2. Fill in the appropriate administrative account credentials in the Run As dialog box.
When Internet Explorer launches, type C:\ in the Address bar.
3. After you follow these steps, Windows Explorer will appear in the same window, and it will be running with administrative privileges.

Internet Explorer 7
If you're using Internet Explorer 7, the steps for Internet Explorer 6 won't work because, as part of the new security features in version 7, Internet Explorer is no longer integrated with Windows Explorer. You must use the standard method for launching Windows Explorer with administrative privileges. Here's how:
1. Log on to the computer with the Administrator account.
2. Access the Control Panel and launch Folder Options.
3. When you see the Folder Options dialog box, select the View tab.
4. Scroll down the Advanced Settings list and select the Launch Folder Windows In A Separate Process check box, click OK, and then log off.

The next time you work on that user's computer and need to perform an administrative task from within her limited user account, you can use Run As to launch Windows Explorer with administrative privileges.
Note: This tip only applies to Windows XP Professional.

Don't be misled by these Windows Vista myths

1. You’ll have to buy a new, high-end PC to run Vista

Many in the mainstream media are claiming that to run Vista, you’ll almost certainly have to buy a new computer. This myth is undoubtedly being encouraged by hardware vendors, but it’s not true. I was able to install Vista on my existing Dell Dimension mid-priced system with no problems, and the existing video card, an ATI x600, runs Aero Glass.

If your computer is older or a low-end machine, you can still probably install and use Vista but you may not get the Aero Glass interface. Although Glass adds a lot of “wow” factor, it’s not something that’s essential to getting work done. You'll still benefit from Vista’s security enhancements, search functionality, and added features. If you do want the Glass look, you still may not need to buy a new system. Instead, you can add RAM to bring your system up to the 1 GB recommended for Glass and install a new video card that supports it.

Another myth I’ve heard is that only PCI Express (PCIe) video cards support Aero Glass, so if your computer doesn’t have a PCIe slot, you’re out of luck. That’s not true either. Video card vendors have regular PCI cards that will run Glass. I’m running it on a system with a relatively inexpensive GeForce 5200 card with 256 MB of memory in a regular PCI slot.
If you do choose to buy a new PC, you don't need a high-end one that costs thousands of dollars to run Vista. Just a couple of days after the launch, retailers began offering machines preloaded with Vista Home Premium, complete with LCD monitors, for as low as $600.

2. Vista will solve all your security problems

Microsoft is touting Vista’s improved security, but no operating system is perfectly secure (and no OS ever will be). Running Vista doesn’t mean you don’t still need perimeter firewalls, antivirus protection, and other third-party security mechanisms.

Because much of operating system, including its networking technologies, has been redesigned and new code written, Vista is likely to present some vulnerabilities that weren’t in older versions of the OS even as it fixes many that were. This is true of any new software and Vista, despite its focus on security and Microsoft’s best efforts, is no exception.

In fact, Microsoft shipped the first critical security update for Vista over a year ago, when it was still in the beta testing stage. It will be just as important with Vista as with any other operating system to ensure that updates are installed regularly. The danger is that novice users, hearing that Vista is more secure, may let their guard down and fail to take the protective measures necessary to prevent attacks, virus infestations, etc.

3. Vista is no more secure than XP SP2

On the other hand, some of Vista’s detractors have been claiming that the new operating system offers no security advantage at all. I’ve heard computer “experts” on the radio say that Vista is no more secure than Windows XP with Service Pack 2, and an eWeek article last summer went so far as to report that Symantec security researchers were contending that Vista “could harbor a range of vulnerabilities that will make it less secure than previous iterations of Windows.”

It’s true that, properly updated, Windows XP is a pretty secure OS. But Vista includes a number of new security enhancements that XP doesn’t have. For example, User Account Control (UAC) in Vista protects against attacks that rely on elevation of privileges. Internet Explorer 7, when running on Vista, leverages UAC to run in Protected Mode, which keeps Web applications from writing to system folders. IE7 doesn’t run in Protected Mode on XP.

BitLocker drive encryption, available in Vista Enterprise and Ultimate versions, provides a way to keep unauthorized persons from accessing sensitive data on a stolen or lost laptop. The Windows Firewall in Vista allows you to block outgoing traffic as well as incoming. Windows service hardening reduces the potential for damage if one of Windows’ services is compromised. Vista includes the Network Access Protection client, which allows administrators to restrict computers that are properly updated or don’t have antivirus, anti-spyware, or firewalls from connecting to company networks.
Those are just a few of the new security improvements included in Vista.

4. You can’t dual boot Vista with another operating system

One of the strangest and most inaccurate statements I heard was that “With Vista, you can’t run two operating systems on the same computer like you could in the past.” That’s news to me, as I’m currently running two computers that dual boot Vista and XP. As with previous versions, a boot menu is displayed when the computer starts, and you can choose either Vista or Previous version of Windows.

5. Most old applications and peripherals won’t work with Vista

Circulating amongst the FUD (fear, uncertainty, and doubt) being spread about Vista is the idea that upgrading will subject you to all kinds of application incompatibilities. Some programs made for XP, especially those that hook into the kernel, like antivirus programs and some system utilities, won’t work with Vista. However, the majority of applications that run on XP will also run on Vista.
In some cases, you may need to install or run older programs in Compatibility mode (right-click the program file, select Properties, and click the Compatibility tab to select compatibility options) and/or run the program as an administrator for it to work properly.
You don’t have to figure out most compatibility issues for yourself. Vista comes with the Program Compatibility Assistant, which can detect what changes need to be made to run a program and resolve conflicts with UAC that may be preventing a program from running correctly. It runs automatically when it detects an older program that has compatibility issues. You can also use the Program Compatibility Wizard, a tool that you run manually from the Control Panel Programs and Features section (in native view).

There have also been many reports about hardware peripherals, especially printers and scanners, that don’t work with Vista. It’s true that some hardware vendors were slow to provide Vista drivers during the Vista beta testing period. By the time Vista launched to the consumer market, though, many hardware drivers were included on the installation DVD and many more will be made available in the next few months.

My older HP OfficeJet G55 had no problems working with Vista, and if you peruse the list of supported printers (Control Panel Printers Add A Printer Wizard), you’ll see that Vista supports a large number of printers from HP, IBM, Brother, Canon, Citizen, Dell, Epson, Fujitsu, Konica, Kyocera Mita, Lexmark, Minolta, NEC, Oki, Panasonic, Ricoh, Samsung, Sharp, Sony, Xerox, and other major printer vendors.

6. You have to buy a Premium version of Vista if you have a dual core machine

There was initially some confusion over the specification that Vista Home Editions support only a single processor. Some folks took this to mean that that version of Vista wouldn’t run on dual core machines.
Dual core CPUs do contain two processors—but they’re combined on one chip or die. This is called chip-level multiprocessing and it’s different from having two separate physical processors installed on the same machine. Even though a dual core machine will show the activity of two processors in Windows performance monitoring tools, Microsoft’s definition of “processor” refers to the number of physical CPUs, not the number of cores.

7. You won’t be able to play ripped music in Vista

Have you heard about the horrors of Vista’s DRM (Digital Rights Management)? Some people have implied that it will prevent you from playing any music or movie files unless you download and pay for them online. Others are speculating that even the media you do buy may be blocked.

Interestingly, the people who are spreading this one all seem to be folks who have never used Vista (and, according to many of them, never will). The real story: I have no problem playing music files that were ripped from CDs on Windows Media Player 10 or in Vista’s Windows Media Center application. Yes, I legally own the CDs, but Vista has no way of knowing that. All of the media that imported from my XP Windows Media Center computer, including recorded TV programs, played without a problem.

Pharming Attack Slams 65 Financial Targets

An Internet based attack aimed at about 65 financial targets in the United States, Europe and Australia was shut down after a two and a half day run. Hackers launched the "pharming" attack on Monday, Feb. 19 and authorities shut it down on Wednesday. (...Read more)