Ramblings of an old Doc
DrJBHL's Articles » Page 12
December 23, 2016 by DrJBHL
  Not that update errors ever happen, but MS has a new troubleshooting and fixing tool for borked updates, providing the update hasn't rendered the OS unusable... "This guided walk-through provides steps to fix problems when installing updates. Here are some commonly seen error codes: 0x80073712, 0x800705B4, 0x80004005, 0x8024402F, 0x80070002, 0x80070643, 0x80070003, 0x8024200B, 0x80070422, 0x80070020. These steps should help with all errors and not just the ones listed." - MS ...
December 20, 2016 by DrJBHL
  Well, it's free and is made to be a high level program for  PCs running Windows 7, 8 and 10 (x32 and x64) : RansomFree needs to be installed on the target machine. The protection that it adds to the system is interesting, as it creates a number of files on the system that it monitors for changes. These files use characters that place them at the top of the directory structure. The idea is that ransomware will parse for files using the same structure so that the created ...
December 17, 2016 by DrJBHL
  Sorry, but it's a mess here...an old pipe broke and an Ark might be more useful than a sleigh... Anyway, getting stuff fixed and dried out. Not much time to write, but I do want everyone to be safe, so...do read the linked article. Please be safe out there!  "Here’s how to stay safe online this Christmas As is the case all year round, the key to staying safe online is using common sense and reading things thoroughly. Here are some top tips: Always read ...
December 14, 2016 by DrJBHL
  "Yahoo previously disclosed in November, law enforcement provided the company with data files that a third party claimed was Yahoo user data. The company analyzed this data with the assistance of outside forensic experts and found that it appears to be Yahoo user data. Based on further analysis of this data by the forensic experts, Yahoo believes an unauthorized third party, in August 2013, stole data associated with more than one billion user accounts. The company has not been able ...
December 10, 2016 by DrJBHL
  Malwarebytes has changed: Used to be, there were three programs:  Malwarebytes Anti-Malware, Malwarebytes Anti-Exploit, and Malwarebytes Anti-Ransomware. The first two were available as free (with limited features) and the third as a beta. Now, with the advent of Malwarebytes Premium 3.0, all three programs are housed under that single roof with a unified display. "Good news : Malwarebytes 3.0 comes as a free and premium version. The free version offers a manual scann...
December 10, 2016 by DrJBHL
  Adni18...Master skinner Nikos...has a lovely website which (to my great embarrassment) I've never written about.  It here:  http://wwa.adni18.com/  and has photography, themes and wallpapers, screenshots and more. Folks like teddybearcholla, relhom, our departed friend jazzilady, and sed posted there as well as here, and have been featured there, as well. Many of you know submicron's work from devArt and is featured there as well. So, if you're looki...
December 8, 2016 by DrJBHL
  On February 20, 1962, Glenn flew the  Friendship 7  mission and became the first American to orbit the Earth... John Herschel Glenn Jr.  (July 18, 1921 – December 8, 2016) was an American  aviator ,  engineer ,  astronaut , and  United States Senator  from  Ohio . He was one of the " Mercury Seven " group of military  test pilots  selected in 1959 by  NASA  to become America'...
December 7, 2016 by DrJBHL
  TechRepublic  has published what we can expect will be added to W10 in 2017. Needless to say, MS has a track record to consider when deciding what to believe...they've disappointed in the past. Still, if they fulfill the promise, these features will be coming. I'll give a short list, but the article (linked) goes into a lot more detail, and is worth the read. 1. Windows 10 phones edge closer to replacing desktop PCs - the Continuum feature. ""With Continuu...
December 3, 2016 by DrJBHL
  Photoscan has graduated to 2.0.0. And it's pretty good, especially if you also wish to translate what's written on the graphic. The app doesn't do the actual translation, but you can save it to your notepad or other app and then use Google or Bing to translate...but, inaccurate translation is a limitation, as idioms abound, but that isn't the app's fault. Anyway, I tried it out and found it to be pretty good. You can find it here:  https://www.microsoft.c...
December 2, 2016 by DrJBHL
  Folks, may use the Android OS...especially for messaging. The app AirDroid has had 10-50 million installs not couting those done via the AirDroid website...and it's a very vulnerable app. AirDroid was approached quietly and said they would fix it, but in its latest update, no fixes were present.  "The security issues are mainly due to AirDroid using the same HTTP request to authorize the device and send usage statistics. The request is encrypted, but uses a hardcoded ke...
November 26, 2016 by DrJBHL
  I've written before about creativeLive and getting free lessons using Photoshop and Lightroom. If are a portrait or landscape photographer, and are looking to go beyond 'the usual', this is one great way. I always wanted to learn how to paint. I can sketch, and I can use Photoshop (Lightroom, a lot less), so I've tried in various ways to merge photos with painting...watercolors and oil, without going to the expense of buying materials and going to classes, etc. ...
November 19, 2016 by DrJBHL
  As you all probably know, the Mirai worm caused large website failures in the recent past. Networks aren't adequately secured. Mirai turned the IoT against websites with DDoS attacks from devices all over the world. So,  " Here’s an object lesson on the poor state of the so-called Internet of Things: Robert Stephens plugged a Wi-Fi-connected security camera into his network and it was  compromised in… 98 seconds." - Devin Coldewey Remember, cheap...
November 6, 2016 by DrJBHL
A friend wanted to get "Google Home" as it offers (at first glance) many good things and services. Then this: The folks who enjoy integrated media and the ability to talk to their computers ("get me a plane ticket" or "What time to set the clocks back?") for routine tasks, or to see a flick on the tv, etc. should know there's a big difference between Google Home and the Google Assistant. Don't get me wrong: There are lots of good services Google provides, and useful ones, as well. Goo...
November 1, 2016 by DrJBHL
  Flash has two 'Zero Day' vulnerabilities which have been used to compromise the security of W10. "...a group called STRONTIUM performed a spear-phishing attack, but before we go any further, users on the Windows 10 Anniversary Update using the Edge browser should already be protected from it. It used two zero-day vulnerabilities in Flash and the Windows kernel to do the following: Exploit Flash to gain control of the browser process Elevate privileges in order to...
October 29, 2016 by DrJBHL
  One of the real pains about W10 and its usability is the fact that it (after updates) resets your chosen default apps for browsing, email, music, etc. KB 3135173 - an example. Many reported that apps disappeared, as well. "Stop Resetting My Apps" will prevent this from happening, and it's really simple to use...just click on what you wish to prevent becoming the default app all over again. Of course, you can do it manually by editing the registry, but who wants to play wit...