Amplusnet Anonymous Browsing Toolbar 4.5

Tested this software from the CD of Hackin9 May-June 2008. According to Amplusnet, it supports Windows XP/Vista with IE 5.5 or later. But, when I installed it on Vista SP1 which comes with IE 7.0, it gets connected to the proxy successfully with no ip address as shown. Checking online with grc.com and whatismyaddress.com both confirm the ip address is unchanged. Also, the ip address provided by amplusnet.com is wrong if you are using a router to connect to the Internet which is very common nowadays.
After installing on XP computer, I activated Anonymous Browsing with IE 6.0 SP3. After choosing a proxy server and clicking on, Amplusnet.com shows the new ip address. But, checking online with grc.com and whatismyaddress.com don't display the page with ip address due to the proxy server until it is turned off.

Twister Anti-TrojanVirus V7 R3

Installed this software from the CD of Hakin9 May-June 2008. After restarting computer, the Registry Protector found the attached suspicious information. I didn't fix it since it is a false positive according to Prevx.
Besides detecting and removing viruses, trojan horses, spyware and rootkit, it claims to fix some frequent Windows problems. Apart from the list shown, I have no further information. Also, Filseclab Dynamic Defense System (FDDS) is supposed to detect and block most unknown viruses, trojans and malicious programs dynamically.
LiveUpdate was successful.

Hakin9 May-June 2008

Features

1. Pentest Labs Using Live CDs
2. Best Practices for Secure Shell

Cover CD (Free Full Paid Version)

1. Amplusnet Anonymous Browsing Toolbar (Windows XP with IE 5.0+)
   
2. Amplusnet Real Time Cleaner (Windows XP with IE 5.0+)
3. BinarySense HDDLife v2.9.110
4. Agnitum Outpost Security Suite Pro 3.51
   
5. Paragon Partition Manager v8
   
6. Filseclab Twister Anti-TrojanVirus V7 R3 (Windows XP/Vista)
   

HP 2133 Mini-Note PC in Singapore

Now available in Singapore and you can order online. The price S$1,199 is steeper than the same model in US at US$749. It looks like early adopters have to pay more unlike the time I bought Compaq Tablet TC1000 with an early bird discount.
If you can wait, according to the brochure, there will be other models available with Vista Home Basic, FreeDOS and SuSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 10. This should bring the price down. Also, I don't see XP which is available in US as a option since XP drivers are already released.

ProduKey v1.26

This free software allows you to retrieve the product keys of Windows, Office, Exchange Server and SQL Server on local or remote computers. There is no installation necessary and works on all 32-bit versions of Windows. However, some features, like viewing the product keys of another operating system instance, are only supported on Windows 2000/XP.

Samsung Mono Laser Printers

Model	ML-1610	ML-1630	ML-2010
Speed (Mono)	Up to 16ppm in A4	Up to 16ppm in A4	Up to 20ppm in A4
Resolution	Up to 600 x 600 dpi effective output	Up to 1,200 x 600 dpi effective output	Up to 1,200 x 600 dpi effective output
Memory	2MB	8MB	8MB
Average Cartridge Yield	2,000 standard pages	2,000 standard pages	3,000 standard pages
Printing Noise Level	Less than 50dBA	Less than 45dBA	Less than 53dBA

Australian PC User June 2008

Features

1. 100 Best Insider Tips and Hacks
2. Small Business Made Easier

Cover DVD (Free Paid Full Version)

1. CrazyTalk 4.6 Messenger SE
2. Ashampoo Uninstaller Platinum 2
3. East-Tec Backup Lite 2.0

Comparing Everex Cloudbook CE1200V with Astone UMPC CE-260

Model	Everex Cloudbook CE1200V	Astone UMPC CE-260
Display	7" 800x480	7" 800x400
CPU & Chipset	VIA C7-M 1.2GHz VIA VX700	VIA C7-M 1.2GHz VIA VX700
Operating System	gOS Rocket G 2.0	None Windows Vista Home Premium
Storage	30GB HDD 4200rpm	30GB HDD
USB ports	2	2
WLAN	802.11b/g	802.11b/g
RAM	512MB DDR2 533MHz	1GB DDR2 667MHz
Battery	4 cells 2200mAh 5 hours	4 cells 2200mAh 4.5 hours
Webcam	0.3MP	0.3MP
Availability	Now in US	Now in Singapore
Others	DVI-I port 4-in-1 card reader 910g	Touch screen with handwriting Bluetooth DVI-I port 4-in-1 card reader 850g
Price	US$399	S$699-S$888

Australian PC Authority June 2008

Features

1. The Web's Best 50 Free Downloads
2. Tripe Boot An Apple Mac
3. Is the Internet Doomed?
   

Cover DVD (Free Paid Full Version)

1. AVG Internet Security 8.0 (90-day trial)
   
2. Magix Movie Edit Pro 14 Silver
3. East-Tec Backup 2007
4. Wise-FTP 3
5. Likno Web Button Maker
   

Duplicating CD to DVD

If you try to duplicate a data CD to a blank DVD, it won't work using Sonic RecordNow Data 2.0.4. This is surprising since DVD has more capacity than CD. In terms of cost per MB, DVD is more cost effective than CD. As such, people will buy blank DVDs rather than blank CDs.
The solution is to create a ISO image of the CD and then burn the image to a blank DVD. In Sonic RecordNow Data 2.0.4, you can do that by using save and burn image. Similar options are not available in Nero Essentials 7.9.6.4.

Nokia Map Loader Version 1.3

Now, you can download the full version of Nokia Map Loader Version 1.3 instead of the old version 1.1 previously. It does not support Windows Vista yet. I am surprised that Nokia N82 is not supported since it comes with built-in GPS.
The drawbacks are that you are unable to check which maps you have downloaded to your mobile phone already. Also, the only way to delete any maps is to delete all maps which is inconvenient.

Creating a Bootable Microsoft Windows XP with SP3 CD

You don't have to wait for the announcement from Microsoft for non-subscribers. Windows XP SP3 is officially available. After download, rename the file to xpsp3.exe. Follow the steps below to slipstream SP3 and create a bootable Windows XP with SP3 CD.

1. Copy your XP CD contents to c:\xp

1. Extract SP3 into c:\sp3

xpsp3 -x:c:\sp3

1. Combine XP with SP3

cd\sp3\i386\update
update -s:c:\xp

1. Create a bootable XP with SP3 ISO image using nLite 1.4.5 beta 2 with c:\xp. You don't have to remove or add anything.

1. Burn the image to a CD using any CD burning software.
   

Tested installing the above CD on my Eee PC without the need to enter product key during setup and it worked without any problem. But, you still need to activate with a product key within 30 days otherwise you won't be able to logon.

PC Advisor June 2008

Features

1. Windows XP Extended
2. Future Technology

Cover DVD (Free Paid Full Version)

1. StudioLine PhotoClassic 3 SE
2. CryptZone Secured eMail, eF2 & eUSB
   

PC Answers June 2008

Features

1. Wi-Fi made easy
2. Slim down Windows
3. Better broadband

Cover DVD (Free Paid Full Version)

1. East-Tec Eraser Lite 2005
2. Acebit Password Depot
3. Ashampoo Photo Commander 5
4. Agnitum Outpost Anti-Virus Pro (180 days license)
   

False Sense of Security in SMTP Authentication

Lately, I have been receiving spam e-mails sent to myself using my own e-mail address. I did a simple test using Microsoft Outlook Express. With SMTP authentication disabled, I sent an e-mail to myself and to another yahoo account. I managed to receive the e-mail to myself but not the yahoo account. But with SMTP authentication enabled, both e-mails were received.

Initially, I thought the setting of SMTP authentication on my hosted e-mail server has changed. So, I called my e-mail service provider. After a long conversation, it is possible for this to happen. Any person can spoof an e-mail address and send e-mails to the same e-mail address without SMTP authentication. But, if that person tries to send e-mail from a domain to a different domain e-mail address, it will not work. According to support, SMTP authentication only prevents the abuse of the e-mail server from sending spam e-mails to others but not to yourself. You can look at the header of the e-mail address to confirm the ip address of the sender.