10 myths about Windows passwords

When I first clicked on this article, I expected to see yet another diatribe telling you to use numbers, mixed-case letters, and special characters when you created a password. Boy was I wrong.

Get past some of the geeky language and you'll find a truly eye-opening story about the security of passwords in Windows.

Some key points from the piece (at least, points that challenge the conventional wisdom of password security):

• Random passwords aren't necessarily more secure. Strings of garbage like Gh&739(*j are hard to remember, easy to mistype, and can be vulnerable to password crackers, especially if they are short.


• The most secure passwords are 15 characters or longer.


• Replacing an "o" with a "0" does nothing for security. Do you really think a hacker can't figure out to try d0g instead of dog? Adding a few digits to a cracking program is no big deal.


• Realistically, changing your password every four months is good enough.


• Documenting your password is not necessarily a bad thing. If a password is written down and stored securely (say, in a safe), this can be useful if an employee quits, for example. Many people store their passwords in a safe deposit box in the event of emergencies, so spouses or children can get access to bank accounts and the like.

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Watch higher-resolution YouTube videos with this hack

Any YouTube fans out there tired of its low-resolution videos? Personally, I'm still waiting for that high-resolution player the company promised some time ago. Many YouTube competitors, such as Blip.tv, have been offering high-definition content for some time so I'm puzzled by YouTube's late entrance into the HD arena, since the company is already talking about streaming live video.

Back in November Steven Chen said the company was testing a player that detects a viewer's connection in order to serve up high-quality videos, but if you can't wait until that's launched, there are a few things you can do.

Apparently YouTube stores videos in their native resolution, so by appending a few extra characters to the end of the URL, you can access high-quality videos instantly. I tested it, and it worked, so here it goes:

• By adding &fmt=6 to the end of the URL, you'll get a video at a 448 x 336 resolution, and audio at a 44100 Hz sample rate. The video still loaded fast for me, and I was able to see a better video immediately.
• If you want even better quality change the 6 to 18 and append &fmt=18 to the end of the URL. This changes the resolution to 480x360.
  

Example:
Regular video (320x240): http://youtube.com/watch?v=nzxa0SLWMnc
High-quality video (448x336): http://youtube.com/watch?v=nzxa0SLWMnc&fmt=6
Higher-quality video (480x360): http://youtube.com/watch?v=nzxa0SLWMnc&fmt=18

I'm not sure if this will work for all the videos on YouTube, but it works fine with newer videos. If you don't think you can remember those characters, you can download a Firefox script that automatically does this for you. Give it a try.

Related:
YouTube to Stream High-Quality Videos Soon
YouTube to stream video this year, maybe

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Is your password secure enough?

Password security is a biggie, which is why I like websites with a password checker that tells me if the password I'm choosing is weak or strong. I usually try to choose complicated passwords with numbers, letters, and symbols, but sometimes even those passwords can be weak.



If you're dying to know if one of the passwords on your list needs a makeover, check out this handy password checker over at Microsoft. The tool was actually pretty tough on my own passwords giving most of them a "medium" rating, which probably means I need to get a little more creative.

Passwords get rated as weak, medium strong, and best, and I was surprised to have a hard time achieving a best rating. After trying several passwords, the only one that got a "best" rating had a good mix of letters, numbers, and an underscore. I think the underscore is what really did it.
According to the site a strong password should:

1. Appear to be a random string of characters to an attacker.
2. Be 14 characters or longer, (eight characters or longer at a minimum).
3. Include a good combination of uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers, and symbols.

If you're getting a "medium" rating on all your passwords, maybe it's time to update them.
Related:
How to set up an intruder alarm on your email account
Tips to make your inbox less vulnerable to identity theft

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What is a firewall and why do you need one?

Of the many computer security measures available to end users, none is more confusing to the novice than the firewall. I can understand why. Unlike anti-virus or anti-spyware tools, a firewall doesn't immediately telegraph what it does. I wouldn't be surprised if many people thought it was designed to prevent fires inside your computer. (It doesn't.)

I'm writing this post for novices, so please forgive any over-simplifications. Basically, a firewall is software (or hardware) that blocks malicious attacks on your computer from coming through over the internet. But wait, you might say, don't most malware attacks, like viruses, come over the internet? They do, but the difference is that with viruses and spyware, there is generally some human interaction that starts the infection: You might open an infected email or visit a bad website, for example. Anti-virus software helps in these situations where you're actively involved in the process.

But believe it or not, many, many computer attacks come over the internet even if you aren't at your desk and your web browser and email client are closed. Thanks to the millions of zombie PCs in the wild, attack computers are constantly scanning the internet, almost at random, looking for unprotected computers to attack. These zombies continuously scan for security holes (and I won't go into the intricate details of how this works), many of which are caused by Windows. It's like walking down the street, trying all the car doors to find one that's unlocked. If your computer is connected to the internet, they will find you—fast. Before a firewall was added to Windows XP in Service Pack 2, it was commonly held that an unprotected Windows machine connected to the internet would be infected with some form of malware within 20 minutes and in some cases as quickly as 4 minutes. Just plug it in, and the bad guys do their work.

So where does a firewall come in? A firewall plugs the security holes I mentioned and blocks that bad, random traffic from coming through to your computer. Anti-virus won't help you in many of these cases. You really need a firewall to stop a lot of this stuff.

The good news is that you probably already have a firewall up and running. The best firewalls are found inside router hardware (either wired or wireless) that you attach to your broadband modem. Every router I've ever tried has the firewall turned on by default, but check in the configuration tool to make sure it is. It should be easy to find. You usually need not configure it any more other than turning it on.

Don't have a router? Turn on the Windows Firewall by going to the Windows Firewall control panel (in XP or Vista). It also needs no additional configuring, and in my experience it is just as good as using a third-party firewall software product. You do not need both a router-based firewall and the Windows firewall. One will do.

Once your firewall is on, you can largely forget it and let it do its work. You may not notice this silent friend protecting you in the background, but believe me, you'll notice if you turn it off.

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First Aid for Your Hard Drive

So you've ignored our advice about backing up your data, and now you're in trouble. Steve's got tips that can help.

You're doing OK, right? Your computing life has settled down; your machine is stable; and you haven't even considered upgrading to Microsoft's Windows Vista.

Then--oops! You spill coffee on your notebook. (Oh, you don't think that's possible? Read Amber Bouman's "Laptops and Liquids Don't Mix.") Or maybe there's a storm and a power surge fries your PC's hard drive.

One of our Windows experts, Scott Dunn, has marvelous advice on moving the folders that hold your data files off your Windows XP or Vista drive to simplify backups. You can read it in "Keep Your Data Safe by Reorganizing Windows' Folders."

I also have advice from PC World experts about what to do if your hard drive crashes--and you don't have a backup.

A medicine cabinet for your PC

Lincoln Spector, our jack-of-all-trades computing expert, tells you what to do when your Windows XP or Vista system refuses to boot. Get the details in "Diagnose and Repair an Unbootable XP or Vista PC."

It could be possible to bring a stalled hard drive back to life--at least until you can grab the data from it. Watch our "How to Resurrect a Crashed Hard Drive" video for tips, including the freezer and Frisbee techniques. (Hey, it's worth a try, right?)

If you want to fill your toolbox with just-in-case utilities, browse our "Recovering From Disaster" download collection.

But honestly, do you really want to go through all that?

Dig this: If you think "24" took a turn for the boring last season, just be thankful that Jack Bauer isn't fighting terror in the age of dial-up connections, pagers, and dot-matrix printers. BTW, you'll want to turn down your system's volume when you watch this video. [Thanks, Jim G.]

Dig this, too: Have you ever wondered what a combat aircraft's cockpit looks like? Click on a plane to see the cockpit. [Thanks, Bob.]

Better back it up

Readers keep asking me why should they should bother backing up their entire hard drive.

Data's definitely important, but so are your favorites, the look of your desktop, the customized feel of your beloved programs, and Windows patches. Reinstalling and reconfiguring everything from scratch is a nightmare. The best, most staunchly conservative method is to back up the entire drive, with daily incremental backups of just the files that have changed. Mine's set to back up at 7 o'clock every night.

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From : MSN Tech

MacBook Air Versus PC Ultraportable Laptops

The MacBook Air is a stunner, no doubt, but it's going to be up against stiff challenges from PC notebook makers. Here are a few of the top ones.

The MacBook Air is Apple's first foray into a crowded ultraportable market that has seen its share of very light, very capable products from companies including Sony, Lenovo, and Fujitsu, among others. Here's a fast look at how they stack up.

The MacBook Air is lightweight and well-balanced—and one of our editors, Senior Product Editor Melissa Perenson, had no difficulties lifting this 3-pound notebook up one-handed. Unlike most notebook computers, the MacBook Air has a clean, tapered, uniform look when closed.

There is no optical drive in the MacBook Air, but that isn't unusual for laptops in this class. It has only three ports (a headphone jack, one USB 2.0 port and one Mini-DVI port), and no Ethernet—and its battery is sealed into the case. But its keyboard is already being compared to the popular MacBook and its large (for this class), 13.3-inch monitor boasts 1,280 by 800 resolution.


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How to Choose a New PC: 2008 Self-Help Edition

I will confess the response to my "how to ask for help in buying a new computer" blog post has overwhelmed me. Dozens of you write every day, looking for guidance. I'm happy to help, but a lot of my suggestions are applicable to many buyers. Turns out a lot of you want/need the same thing... even if your budgets are wildly different. With that in mind, here is some general advice that can help you determine what kind of computer to buy, or at least point you in the right direction.

Windows vs. Mac vs. Linux - Windows vs. Mac has long been a perennial debate, and it's still a personal decision as to whether that OS is right for you. But now desktop Linux is on the rise, complicating things even further. It's all very confusing, but here's some advice: Don't jump from Windows to a Mac or Linux without spending a little hands-on time with the OS, either at a physical store or a friend's house. Both are very similar to Windows in many ways, but some substantial differences remain. I regularly recommend both alternatives for readers, but not unless they've experienced Mac OS or Linux in the flesh first.

Desktop vs. Laptop - Most people know this answer coming in, but many are still confused about whether they should go portable. A key issue is price: Expect to pay an extra $500 for a comparably equipped laptop vs. a similar desktop (sans monitor). Is that premium worth it to you for the extra mobility? If so, make the jump to laptop. Don't forget, though: Your laptop will be dead after anywhere from one to three years of use, depending on how rough you are with it. A good desktop PC will last you five years or more, and even longer with appropriate upgrades.

CPU - I'm assuming we're talking a Windows Vista or XP PC from here on out, as that represents the vast majority of computer buyers. (Linux and Mac PCs have far fewer choices when it comes to specs, so just roll with what's available.) As for CPU, right now Intel Core 2 Duo is the way to go, especially on laptops. The AMD Athlon 64 or Phenom are still solid choices for desktops, especially if you're on a budget. Don't get Celeron- or Sempron-based systems if you can help it. Also, it's not worth buying the very fastest CPU on the market. A good rule of thumb is to get a CPU that is two rungs down from the top, speedwise. You'll be getting great performance at a very good price.

RAM - This one's easy. In the Vista world, you need 2GB of RAM. Less will slow down your computer. More will do you no additional good. Don't worry about the speed of the RAM, cache, front side bus, or any of that stuff.

Hard Drive - Even an entry-level drive is more than enough for most people, unless you do loads of video editing on your computer. Even starter computers usually come with 250GB of hard drive space or more now. Upgrade as you need it.

Optical Drive - Unless you are set on high-definition DVD, a dual-layer DVD writer (standard on most machines now) is all you need.

Graphics - Unless you're spending under about $1,000 (laptops) or $600 (desktops), avoid integrated or "shared" graphics. They will noticeably slow your system under Vista and any gaming will be impossible. You don't need to break the bank to get a good graphics card; an Nvidia GeForce 8500GT supports DirectX 10 and can be found for a mere $70, for example. PC makers tend to offer only a couple of video card options with new computers, so get what you can afford, Nvidia or ATI, as long as it's DirectX compatible.

Laptop Screen Size - 15.4-inch laptops are the mainstream now. You'll find the best deals on machines at this size. However, plenty of smaller options abound, at 14 inches, 13.3 inches, and even smaller, but I personally find the lack of screen real estate makes me less productive below 15.4 inches. Again, it's up to you... and remember that those sexy ultraportables have stripped-down components (to keep them light) and can cost much more than larger laptops. 17-inch laptops (aka "desktop replacements") are another option, but they are not terribly feasible if you travel with them.

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Heat-busting tips and tricks for your PC

Heat is like kryptonite for your precious system—it can slow your PC's performance to a crawl, fry the motherboard, and threaten your data. Check out these easy tips for keeping your desktop or notebook cool as a cucumber.

Location, location, location: Have your CPU tucked away in a cabinet or hidden on the floor beneath your desk? Well... don't. Your system needs plenty of ventilation to keep cool—about a foot on every side, according to SmartComputing. And while the floor may seem like a relatively cool place for your CPU, it's also a breeding ground for dust and dirt, which could block your system's all-important cooling fans. Finally, keep your system in the shade—direct sunlight may brighten your mood while you're working, but it's a serious no-no for your components.

Clean out the dust: Over time, a fair amount of dust and dirt will collect inside your CPU—it's inevitable—and as I just noted above, that dust will eventually start to block the cooling fans. Beat back the dust by opening your PC's case (don’t be afraid, a simple Philips-head screwdriver should do the trick) and spraying around the wires, circuits, and cooling fans with a can of compressed air (available at any office supply store). Squeamish about opening the case? Then just spray the cooling fans themselves—it's better than nothing. Got a laptop? Spray around the cooling vents on the sides and bottom. Repeat once a week or so and you should be in good shape.

Shut down your laptop at night: Leaving your desktop running all day, every day might be fine (if not terribly green). But laptops, which tend to run hot anyway, need their beauty sleep. If it's Miller time, go ahead and shut your notebook down for the night.

Keep an eye on the mercury: Want to know exactly how hot it's getting inside your system's CPU? PctipsBox found a handy—and free—download called Speed Fan, which keeps track of fan speeds, internal temperature, and monitor voltage, and it'll even regulate your system fans to prevent heat buildup.

Laptop chill-out: Here's another good lead from PctipsBox: the Ergo Fan Riser, a stand for your laptop that doubles as an external cooling unit. The $40 version includes four built-in USB 2.0 ports for good measure.

Keep your ears open: Has your system been making any unusual noises—or not making noises, as the case may be? It could mean something's up with your cooling fans—and that's a situation you need to address, rapidly. If you have Speed Fan installed, you should be able to tell if your fans are working properly; if they're not, either replace the fans yourself (if you know what you're doing) or lug your CPU to a service center, pronto.

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48 percent of teens bought zero CDs in 2007

The writing's on the wall for physical media and music: Nearly half of all teens, widely considered the most-desired demographic for media consumption, didn't buy a single compact disc in 2007. Not one.

In 2006, that figure was 38 percent, and in one year it shot to 48 percent. The downloadable music revolution—whether legal or otherwise—is well underway, and there's really no turning back at this point. Need more proof? Apple iTunes is now the second largest retailer of music, following retail giant Wal-Mart.

The data, from market researcher NPD Group, surveyed 5,000 shoppers about their music consumption habits. Among their other discoveries: 29 percent of people buy music online now (up from 21 percent), with legal purchases most common in the 36- to 50-year-old demographic, where iTunes is seen as a convenience issue to avoid having to rip CDs to their computer and then load them onto their iPod. Kids buy single tracks for an obvious reason: They just want the hits, and they don't want the rest of the junk on the album.

As for piracy? Looks like it's actually headed up: Paid music made up only 42 percent of music obtained in 2007, down from 48 percent in 2006 and 50 percent in 2005. However, only 19 percent of people were actually sharing music on P2P and other illegal networks.

The LA Times story linked above has plenty of additional fun facts and some equally enlightening quotes from teens about how totally hosed this industry is about to get.

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Function of SHIFT button

1. Sure we now SHIFT used for uppercase and special character printed above normal character on keyboard.
2. Hold down the SHIFT key while plugging in the flash drive to prevent virus autorun.
3. Press SHIFT key frequently to show sticky keys.
4. Press SHIFT key + delete to delete the file without going to recycle bin.
5. Hold down the SHIFT key while opening files on explorer to make the files unnamed.
6. Hold down the SHIFT key while booting to make the boot faster.
   

U.K.'s Fastest Supercomputer Unveiled

The largest and most advanced supercomputer in the U.K. has been unveiled in Edinburgh.

Hector — or the High-End Computing Terascale Resource — can handle 63 trillion calculations per second, which is the equivalent processing power of 12,000 desktop systems and four times faster than its predecessor. The amount of calculations the system can handle is equivalent to every person on Earth simultaneously carrying out 10,000 calculations per second.

The supercomputer is based at the University of Edinburgh's Advanced Computer Facility near the Scottish capital and will cost $221.3 million (113 million pounds) over six years. The facility will be operated by the Edinburgh Parallel Computing Center (EPCC).

The EPCC claims Hector will take high performance supercomputing up "another gear" and will play a key role in allowing scientists to be at the forefront of research.

Work due to be carried out using Hector includes forecasting the impact of climate change, projecting the spread of disease epidemics, and developing new medicines.

Hector uses a Cray XT4 system with software and application support provided by Numerical Algorithms Group.

At present, the supercomputer has a peak capability of 63 teraflops (a teraflop is one trillion floating operations per second), but this is due to increase to 250 teraflops in October 2009, with a further upgrade due two years later.

The procurement was managed by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council on behalf of U.K. Research Councils with some of the money coming from the Department of Innovation, Universities, and Skills.

EPCC also runs a green supercomputer called Maxwell — unveiled early in 2007 — which is 10 times more energy efficient than traditional equivalents.

Despite its vast power, it falls short of the world's fastest computer, Blue Gene/L, which can reach speeds of 478 teraflops.

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Conserving Your Laptop's Power

You can do certain things to help your laptop's battery last a bit longer. On the short list, you have computer components that consume a lot of power:

• The hard drive

• The CD/DVD drive

• The floppy drive (if you have one)

• The modem

• The network interface

• The display

Each of the above devices consumes power when you use it. Obviously, by not using those devices or by rationing their use, you can save a modicum of power.

For example, by setting a lower resolution and fewer colors on the display, you cause the computer to use less video resources (though this technique saves only a minor amount of power). For more savings, consider not using the CD/DVD drive, which requires real power to keep it spinning (such as when you're watching a DVD movie).

But you can really take control by setting various timeouts in the Power Options Properties dialog box, Power Schemes tab, as you can see in Figure 1. Here, you can disable or timeout certain laptop features and help extend battery life in a dramatic way.

Figure 1 shows two major items: Turn Off Monitor and Turn Off Hard Disks. You can direct Windows to turn off those power-sucking hardware leeches after a given period of inactivity, greatly saving battery life.

In Figure 1, the settings disable both the monitor and hard drive after five minutes of inactivity. This disability works just like Stand By, or sleep, mode: Power to those devices quietly turns off. The hard drive stops spinning. The monitor goes blank. The devices wake up if you need them to, so if you want access to your hard drive, the computer restores power to the hard drive. And if you press a key or touch the mouse pad, the display comes back to life, as well.

You can also use the Power Schemes tab of the Power Options Properties dialog box to set when your laptop automatically suspends or hibernates when it's running under battery power.

When you find device custom settings that work for you, save them permanently. Click the Save As button and type something like "My Scheme." That way Windows remembers your settings, and you can choose "My Scheme" from the list, should Windows forget.

Here are some tips for making the most of your battery power:

• You have separate settings for when the laptop is plugged in and when it's running off battery power.

• Yes, you can't see the screen saver if you suspend the monitor before the screen saver kicks in.

• You may want to snooze the hard drive, especially if you don't plan on doing much hard drive access while using your laptop.

• Any disk access at all does wake up the hard drive, which requires an extra squirt of energy. If you set the hard drive to sleep after one minute, but you constantly revive it, then you're actually wasting power. Try another setting.

• You can tell when the hard drive has been sleeping because it takes a wee bit longer for disk access to complete stuff like file saving, opening programs, browsing folders, and so on.

• When a computer is plugged in, you don't need to suspend hard drive operation.

• You can also save power by running the laptop's microprocessor at a slower rate. This option is automatically controlled in modern laptops, though older laptops may have some manual control over the CPU or bus speeds.

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How to Tame PC Wires

Our main computer sits in our combination home office/mudroom. Yep, you get the picture, and it's often messy. But the biggest thing that bothers me is all the wires I see beneath the desk when I walk in the door.

In need of a more expansive surge protector to handle all of the plugs we have in our mini media center, I bought Belkin's Conceal Surge Protector. It has 11 outlets to handle plugs and bricks of all sizes. But the best thing about it is after you connect those ugly black plugs and wires, a door swings over to hide them.

So, $40 later, it's looking better around here. But there are some other ways to tame the wild wire look that comes with connected living.

• CableOrganizer.com has some good, affordable cable-hiding options, including a $10 cable tunnel organizer and a $20 cord caddy, which you can wrap long cables around.

• Under-the-desk basket -- This $13 one from Ikea attaches to open computer desks in the back so you can snake wires through it unseen.

• A simple basket. When all else fails, routing your wires to a surge protector hidden in a strategically placed basket can help soften the wired look at bit. eHow has a step-by-step guide to hide your tangle of cords on the cheap with some twist ties, Velcro, cup hooks, and a basket.

Lifehacker has some more tips, though I can't back them up on using paper towel holders to corral wires. Not sure that would add to the decor in a good way.

Got a better homegrown answer to untangling the web of wires around your home computer? Post away.

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