Martha's Ramblings

Did Microsoft finally get IE right? Time will tell.

I installed IE 8 on my test computer which is using a nearly pristine version of Vista Home Premium. The computer is less than two months old and so far I am only using it to test stuff (no betas yet).

I attempted to import my bookmarks from Firefox (a nice improvement) and then I got the same old thing, ‘not responding’. I closed IE and reopened it and found to my surprise that the bookmarks did import.

So I looked to see if the humongeous security hole was gone, but nope, it’s still there! (ActiveX)

Until ActiveX is removed from IE, it will never be my default browser.

When I get a new computer with Windows 7, I will get two other browsers, Firefox and Opera and then I will disable Internet Explorer! (I hope they keep this option in the final release!)

Martha

I am using the beta for Windows 7 and it is pretty cool.

It still has UAC. There are several levels of UAC, but if you really want protection, it needs to be the top level. (Security. Stops MBR Rootkits from installing as well as untold other crimeware).

Vista bashers like UAC turned off; guess they don’t like to rely on Windows to protect their computers. First they fuss about the lack of security, but when they get it, they don’t like it. Can’t please some folks regardless of what you do.

It still won’t support your old printer or scanner, because the printer and scanner manufacturers don’t make drivers for them. (Not the fault of Vista or Windows 7, but try and make folks believe that!)

It looks cool and still puts things in different places than Windows XP. (The locations make more sense!)

The Internet connection utility is super cool. Windows 7 found my print server and installed the printer with no problems. I was amazed at how well that went.

So far Windows 7 seems to be fast, lean and working well. I did have to download an email program as no email client is included with Windows 7.

Unfortunately the biggest security hole in Windows is still there. (Internet Explorer) I hear there will be an option to turn IE off; that is great news!

After updating Windows 7 the first thing I did was download and install Firefox. Then I installed Avast for virus protection. For what it is worth, everyone should have a backup browser. Even if you use and like Internet Explorer, you never know when IE will have a ‘spasm’ and quit working.

I expect some of the Vista bashers will try Windows 7 and really like it.

Martha

I normally do not post virus warnings, as they are generally hoaxes.

However since a lot of people will trust stuff labeled ‘Microsoft’, I deemed it necessary to warn folks about a new or rather updated and renamed, rogue antivirus/antispyware software being offered using Microsoft’s name.

For more information, see this site.

The spyware remover being advertised on this site is SpyHunter. The site owner could be affiliated with SpyHunter and I have done some research about SpyHunter. It is a legitimate program but is not among the top ten rated removers. It also has a name that was once connected with a rogue program that is no longer available. (I suspect they should have checked that out and didn’t.)

There are a number of sites that rate spyware removers, but without knowing whether or not these sites are affiliated with any of the programs it is difficult to decide which is the best.

If you want to check to see if your favorite remover is among the top scanners, here are a couple of sites to check.

Top Ten Reviews

Safer-networking

Just keep your spyware scanners updated and scan frequently to prevent malware from installing, and if a program has a name you think you can trust, check it out first!

Martha

(Why you shouldn’t use Google to search for security products.)

Everyday a new so-called security program rears it’s ugly head. These rogue programs invade a user’s computer in several ways and one of the ways is by an unsuspecting user downloading the scumware on purpose.

A few of the fakes.

So many of these ripoff products name their scumware something close to a real and good security product. So if a user sees something that looks familiar they think it’s the real deal. Not.

I’ve been reading a book about security on the Internet and trust me, the ways that crimeware can intrude on a user’s computer is almost enough to make me stay offline and keep the computer turned off.

However, most of us will be safe if we only follow a few simple rules. Use a firewall, an updated anti-virus scanner and ‘good’ spyware removers. Don’t click on links in email from unknown senders (better, don’t even open those emails) turn off ActiveX in Internet Explorer (better, use Firefox or Opera), disable javascript in all browsers and never, ever, search Google for security products.

One last thing, if you are using a router, change the default password to something harder to guess than ‘password’ or ‘admin’.

Stay safe!

Martha

I don’t ‘do’ betas any more since a disastrous beta several years ago (from Microsoft no less) made me do a complete reinstall of Windows.

Today I have a better system using Acronis True Image and a beta causing havoc could be taken care of in quick order by using my backup restore, but betas can be frustrating.

But that’s not the reason I won’t install Chrome.  Never mind it has big honkin security holes. I am not going to give Google another way to track everything I do online. In case you didn’t know that Chrome will do that, better read this!

Some things are best left to what they do best, like Google has the best search engine and I will continue to use it, even though it supposedly keeps every search I make in a big database the size of the sun somewhere.

There are enough browsers now, although there could be some improvements in all of them.  If Microsoft would remove ActiveX from Internet Explorer, that would solve a bunch of security problems. (Think drive by spyware installs.)

I use Firefox as my default browser, but it too has some bugs. If I didn’t use Firefox as the default, my next choice is Opera. I use Firefox because it has such nice addons known as ‘extensions’. If Opera would do the same, then Opera might be my default browser.

Anyway, back to Chrome. I have heard that if it is uninstalled the uninstall might take some other stuff with it, but that is unsubstantiated at present. Some folks love it and some folks hate it.

When it comes out of beta I may install it on my secondary computer, just to check how my web sites look in Chrome. Until then, no Chrome for me.

Martha

I really like to receive newsletters; at least some of them.  At one time I did think about doing a newsletter, but decided against it because knowing me, after awhile I would just stop sending them.  If I had folks that had subscribed, I like to think this might have disappointed them.

I subscribe to a number of newsletters that I really like.  If you are at all curious which ones you can read about it on the newsletter page on Martha’s Web. I try to keep this page updated as all good things come to an end and so do newsletters.

Another reason I don’t write a newsletter is because I don’t want to give wrong information about stuff. In a newsletter (not on my newsletter page) I read some stuff about how to fix a problem with Outlook. Now I am no expert by any means, but this was basic stuff and the ‘fix’ was totally wrong!

I sometimes get really annoyed about folks who continually bad-mouth products I use and really like. I have discontinued two newsletters for that very reason. One insinuated if I use Microsoft Front Page to make my website I have ‘bad’ code on the site. I would challenge that person to find the ‘bad’ code on my site! True I remade it using Expression Web, but it didn’t have bad code before then. I have seen bad code on sites made with DreamWeaver which is what the newsletter editor was saying everyone should use. Another kept bad-mouthing Microsoft Vista to the point I just unsubbed for that reason alone.  These folks are ‘trashees‘, and so I left their cyber missives.

Most of the time I learn good stuff from my newsletters. But one thing I have noticed; they are all trying to get me to buy stuff. Generally it is software, usually security software. I don’t mind that as everyone needs to pay the bills. I just ignore most of it as I have all the software I need. I do notice the fact that some of them are insinuating what I have is not the best available.

Again, they are just trying to make some $$ but what they are pushing may NOT be the best! So while I really enjoy my newsletters I am aware that a really good newsletter takes a lot of time and work to keep up with new trends, new and good software, accurate information about ‘fixes’ and it needs to go out to subscribers on a regular basis. (There are some exceptions to the regular basis.  If the subscriber knows up front the newsletter will arrive once in awhile and not on a schedule, then forewarned is forearmed.)

Since lately I can’t even post on a regular basis to this blog, I suspect my decision to not have a newsletter is the right decision.

Martha

I really thought by now I would have added pages and pages for Vista help. Not so, because I haven’t had to fix any problems with my Vista. Since I haven’t had to fix any problems………..well, I have no experience in that area. (I’m not fussing!)

There are a lot of people who do seem to be having problems with Vista and there are a lot of sites with ‘fixes’ for Vista. One thing I have noticed, is that a lot of the ‘fixes’ are to make things act more like Windows XP.

Nothing wrong with that I guess, but to me that is going backward instead of forward. I have Vista on this laptop and I want to use it as it was intended.

There are some problems with Vista and I am not denying they exist. The biggest problem for me is what Microsoft did to Outlook Express. They took away the only redeeming feature that led me to use OE in past versions of Windows; the ability to use more than one Identity in the same user account. The rationale was ‘users should set up separate user accounts’. That’s all well and good, but I have several email accounts and I used a separate Identity for each account. Gmail to the rescue here!

Not only did they ‘cripple’ the email client Windows Mail, but it was buggy at the start. The deleted folder wouldn’t empty and the old fix for this problem in Outlook Express wasn’t possible with Windows Mail. So then MS came up with Windows Live Mail. Ugh! Ick! No way, Microsoft, Windows Live Mail just doesn’t cut it. Thunderbird works quite well. No separate Identities in Thunderbird, but deleted mail will delete.

I am not sure what they did to Internet Explorer, but a lot of folks have seem to have problems with IE7. I don’t use IE unless I have to because it still contains ActiveX, a favorite of drive-by spyware.

Those problems are easily fixed for me; I just don’t use them most of the time. There is one little problem though that I have learned to live with, although I would like a ‘fix’. Why doesn’t Windows Vista remember my folder settings!

Martha

My Expression Web had been working just fine. Then today it kept freezing and would have to be closed.  Sometimes I got the message it encountered a problem and had to close. I used a neat utility, FPCleaner, but that didn’t seem to help.

So what’s going on? I am in the middle of converting my website using a new new template and DWT. Until today I had no problems What’s different today that I’m having this problem with EW?

Then I remembered, I had turned ‘Fast Indexing’ back on. Big mistake! So I turned it off and now everything is working just fine.

To turn ‘Fast Indexing’ off is easy, but you must be logged on as an Administrator.

1. Click on Start button, simply type “Services” (don’t use the quotes) in Start Search box.
2. When the UAC (User Account Control) asks for permission click Continue.
3. Locate a service named ‘Windows Search’. Double click on ‘Windows Search’ to open the Windows Search properties.
4. Click on Stop button to stop the indexing service immediately.
5. On the Startup Type dropdown box, select Disabled.
6. Click on OK button.

Sometimes a problem solution is just too easy. However, sometimes it isn’t. Glad this one was the ‘easy’ solution!

But I still don’t know why Fast Indexing made EW freeze up and crash!

Martha

As in many other computer-related stuff there are two sides to this subject.

The so-called ‘right way’ is bottom posting.  However I suspect this is really more for private emails and not Group lists.
Either way, private or a list, I don’t like bottom posts. One reason is because most folks don’t bother to trim out all of the unnessary and irelevant junk, including a lot of these >>>>. Sometimes there is so much junk I have to scroll and scroll to get to the sender’s respnse. I must confess, I don’t always bother. Because I sometimes receive as many as 300 or more  messages a day, I don’t have a lot of time to go through a bunch of junk.

On lists like Yahoo Groups there is always a lot of other stuff appended to each message. This includes a number of links pertaining to each group’s special interests and of course the group’s home page. (There is also the way to unsubscribe which unfortunately some people never read and instead of unsubscribing themselves, they whine for someone else to do it for them.)

Some people do trim out the unnessary junk and while they are trimming, they remove everything. Unless this message comes through immediately after the first post or soon thereafter, often I have no idea what that trimmed post was about. This causes me to have to waste time searching for the relevant message. Again, I don’t always bother.

One HUGE aggravation about bottom posting is when someone responds to a post just to say “Thank you” and I have to scroll through everything that went on before just to see “Thank you”. I eventually stop reading messages this person posts and I suspect I am not alone.

I try to remain open minded about bottom posting, but sometimes it’s hard.  Some people are very responsible about how they trim and those posts are mostly easy for me to read. Other folks just can’t seem to grasp the concept of trimming and I soon learn whose to read and whose to ignore.

Some email programs will automatically put replies on the bottom of a message. One such program is Eudora, which is why I don’t use Eudora for lists.

There is another method of replying to list posts; this is replying inline. Some of these inline replies work very well and others are such a disaster that I give up trying to read them. Some email programs make this easier to manage, but my email (Outlook) is not one of them. I suspect some people use colored text to reply in line, but if the group/list is plain text, the colors don’t come through.

I wonder, do you top post or bottom post?

Martha

Snagit has come up with a winner on this upgrade, no doubt about it.  I have always been a fan of Snagit and have used it for a long time.

But the folks at TechSmith sorta made me unhappy about one thing. I’ll explain. When Snagit 9 opened for the first time, a window came up asking me if I was a first time user or a returning user. I clicked the previous user link and………It opened in Internet Explorer!

My default browser is Firefox and it is my default browser for a good reason. I do not like Internet Explorer 7. Period. Since I am using Vista, that is the version of IE I have. I never use it, because I don’t like it. If I didn’t need to see how my web pages look in IE, it would be disabled if I could figure out how to do it.

TechSmith folks, listen up.  It is not nice to make IE execute in Snagit. Tacky! Really tacky! I hope you are listening!

Seriously folks, Snagit 9 is a winner. It’s great!

Martha