Windows Xp

No More Apple Blue Screen of Death

A web site has been airing a commercial on ESPN and other networks for its computer tuneup services. The first time I saw the commercial, I felt sorry for the iMac and iBook users whose computers crash when they use Windows XP to check their email and browse the web. Getting a blue screen of death on your Apple laptop can't be easy to repair -- if FinallyFast.Com helps these unfortunates, more power to them. But a disclaimer on the commercial indicates the service only works with PCs. Without ... (read more)

2008/05/30

Robert Scoble, Naked Conversations and Exposed PCs

Robert Scoble's departure from Microsoft is getting major-news treatment from the mainstream media this morning: Mr. Scoble's blog, called Scobleizer, is widely seen as helping to humanise Microsoft and shift its stance from arrogant and aloof to one that is more inclusive and accepting of criticism. It also commented on broader changes in the net world and how they affected the company. Scoble began his blog around the time he left UserLand Software and deserves credit for using an employee ... (read more)

2006/06/12

The Mother of All Infected Windows XP Systems

My mom has a Windows XP system with an always-on high-speed Internet connection that's occasionally used by relatives and other guests. The PC had become glacially slow, opening new web pages after a pause of 10 or more seconds, so I started looking for spyware or viruses that might be causing the problem. I brought the virus definitions in Norton Anti-Virus up to date and installed Ad-Aware to look for other junk. As they were running, shortly after midnight the PC began sending hundreds of ... (read more)

2006/06/10

I own a Linksys WRT54G, a 802.11g wireless access point, router, and four-port 10/100 Ethernet switch that runs Linux. InfoWorld columnist Robert X. Cringley singes the praises of the WRT54G, which is an amazing little Linux device that can be hacked to function as an Internet server. I've been using it on a Windows XP network to share a broadband Internet connection over several wired and wireless PCs around the house. As amazing as this device is, I learned something this morning: Even when ... (read more)

2005/08/31

The Slow Route to FastAccess

Six hours I'll never get back: Hooking up a LinkSys WRT54G broadband router to my Windows XP box. The router, which I bought for around $50 after a rebate, is an amazing Linux device that's an 802.11g wireless access point, router, and four-port 10/100 Ethernet switch. You can reprogram it with SSH and a lot of other Linux software, turning it into a killer pint-sized wireless ISP. Robert X. Cringley calls it "disruptive technology": ... the WRT54G with Sveasoft firmware is all you need to ... (read more)

2005/01/21

Get Your Browser War On

Writing for eWeek, columnist Jim Rapoza believes that Microsoft's XP-only security upgrade to Internet Explorer will send millions of users to other browsers, making the browser market competitive again:For the first time in years, IE's market share has dropped slightly. But I predict that this trickle will soon become a full-fledged torrent.In fact, I fully expect that, a year from now, IE's market share will be below 75 percent.I've been using Firefox for a while, finding it vastly superior ... (read more)

2004/10/11

Florida may tax computer networks

The state of Florida is considering a tax on computer networks, according to the Orlando Business Journal. The tax would be a result of redefining existing laws to include local area networks and wide area networks as "communication devices," subjecting them to a 9.17 percent state tax. ... (read more)

2003/08/26

Using the Internet Connection Firewall

I've been dubious about Windows XP's Internet Connection Firewall, which can be associated with any network connection. It's presented as an on-off checkbox and doesn't provide any feedback that demonstrates its usefulness, unlike products such as ZoneAlarm and Norton Personal Firewall. As described in Microsoft Windows XP Networking Inside Out, ICF works by keeping track of the IP addresses your machine connects to in the course of Internet use, letting them send incoming packets and blocking ... (read more)

2003/07/30

My network is not working

Workbench has a new category, XP Networking, to document my struggles with a Windows network that is not working. Up to this point, I've managed my home network with one problem-solving skill: Unplug the hub, count to 10, and plug it back in. I have now learned this technique has its limits. Since Monday, our laptop can connect to the home Ethernet network, ping other machines, and ping Internet servers, but it can't browse the Web or check e-mail over a shared broadband connection on the ... (read more)

2003/07/23