updates

In yet another shining example of Microsoft having too much control of your PC, the company is reportedly up to its old tricks again by secretively updating files on Windows XP and Windows Vista without consent of the user. Even with automatic ... updates turned off, nine small executable files needed by Windows Update in Windows XP and Windows Vista were secretly altered by Microsoft. Companies requiring testing of patches before deployment are not happy about receiving the updates. For what it's worth, Microsoft claims that only consumer editions of Vista were affected. No mention of the ... (view more)

We all know that Windows has a convenient tool called Windows / Microsoft Update that allows you to maintain your operating system and MS Office Suite with the latest code available. But what about downloading updates for all your non-Microsoft ... software -- such as: Adobe applications, your ZIP compressor, Spyware and adware cleaner, CD or DVD burning program, non-Microsoft web browsers and email clients, etc? In Windows, you need to update your non-Microsoft programs separately, and that takes a lot of time! Linux, on the other hand, has a better idea. Why not update everything that needs it ... (view more)

Linux and "Open Source" software are "free." This means their license is a "free license," and the most common is the GPL (General Public License, otherwise known as the CopyLeft License). This license states that anyone is allowed to copy the ... software, review the source code, modify it, and redistribute it as long as it remains licensed with the GPL. Also, being free doesn't just mean free of charge, but also free as in Free Range (chickens?) and Land Of The Free! ;-) So why would you care about freedom when it comes to your operating system? Imagine that Microsoft disappears tomorrow (not ... (view more)

Calling some of the bugs affecting Windows and Office "critical", Microsoft today announced that it will be releasing a free update/download on Tuesday to correct such problems. Four updates will be issued for Windows, with three on the way for ... Office. At least one download for each application have been placed in Microsoft's "highest-risk" category, and the company encourages users to make the necessary changes as soon as the updates become available next week. (Source: news.com ) The download itself will be detectable through the Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer and the Enterprise Scan ... (view more)

I've been hearing a lot of hype about this Windows Genuine Advantage program. I especially liked Brandon Dimmels articles about it here at Infopackets (see "Windows Genuine Advantage (WGA) Under Fire"). I don't like programs that needlessly contact ... their home websites to report on me. Many people call that "Spyware" and I also agree that WGA fits the description. It's taken a little while for me to figure out what to do about WGA. The funny thing to me is that I've had the "Fix" on my PC for a long time. Here's what I've done ... Install BigFix Turn off automatic downloading of Windows ... (view more)

As we continue wandering along, there is one area of Linux operation you need to consider before taking the plunge and installing one of them. In fact, there are lots of things you will need to learn and we will get to those later, that is a ... promise. But the one area we need to talk about, though, is Updates and the Update process. Issues with Windows Updates Thanks to Microsoft's repeated issuance of Critical Updates over the years, the mere mention of the word "update" paints an ugly picture in most people's minds. However, an update in Linux does not need to be either as scary, ... (view more)

In following with Microsoft's "megapatch" on Tuesday , Mozilla Corporation updated its Firefox browser to patch a staggering 24 vulnerabilities. The new Firefox v1.5.0.2 includes 7 patches, with 5 of them marked critical. Mozilla Corporation also ... released 11 new patches for the older Firefox 1.5, and 15 for the Firefox1.0x line. Compared to Microsoft's every-second-Tuesday schedule, Mozilla Corporation releases their security updates erratically (their last update was in February, 2006). They now plan on moving to a schedule that will release their updates every six or eight weeks. ... (view more)

Addendum: Spy Axe / SpyAxe Uninstall Instructions A note from Dennis: many users have emailed me in the past few days to rejoice (and to confirm) that the below Spy Axe removal instructions work perfectly. Please take time to read the instructions ... carefully before emailing me a related question. Also note that there is a " Part 2 " to this article near the end of the page. With that said, you are encouraged to spread the word about this post by linking to it on your favorite web forum / community / blog so that others may learn how to remove Spy Axe. If you've found this page ... (view more)

A Service Pack (more commonly known as "SP") is a software program that corrects known bugs, problems, or adds new features (and/or both). Companies that produce large applications such as Microsoft and their Windows NT-based operating systems ... typically release a service pack when the number of individual patches to the application becomes too large. Service Packs are easier to install than groups of patches, especially with multiple computers that need to be updated over a network. Windows NT 4.0 currently has 6 Service Packs. Windows 2000 currently has 4 Service Packs. Windows XP ... (view more)

Are you being scammed? Need to know the definitive answer right now? READ THIS ARTICLE and then come back to this page when you're finished (if you like). -- Infopackets Reader Bill P. writes: " Dear Dennis, After reading your 'eBay and SquareTrade ... scam' article alerts [ Part 1 | Part 2 ], it prompted me to write you about a wonderful new anti-scam / anti-phishing toolbar called FraudEliminator Pro. The review over at pcMag.com summed up its features nicely: ' FraudEliminator Pro is a toolbar for Internet Explorer or Firefox that warns you if the web site you're visiting is not what it ... (view more)