Thursday, July 31, 2008

OpenDNS

If your ISP still has not patched their DNS servers after the publicity, then it's time to change. You can use the free DNS servers 208.67.222.222 & 208.67.220.220 available at OpenDNS.

You can perform the following test before and after changing the settings on your computers or router:
  1. Doxpara Research
  2. DNS-OARC
  3. DNS-Stuff

Wednesday, July 30, 2008

AVG Internet Security 8 Update Errors

AVG Internet Security 8 reported an error after an automatic update with not enough free memory. I did a manual update but it failed with the same error. Downloaded the file from AVG and performed the update. But it also failed with an error that the installation is corrupted. I downloaded a second time and the same error occurred.

In the end, I did another manual update and it worked.

Tuesday, July 29, 2008

Comparing Acer Aspire One AOA110 with Asus Eee PC 4G 701

Since I've both netbooks running Windows Vista, I did a comparison with Windows Experience Index.

Netbook
Acer Aspire One
AOA110

Asus Eee PC 4G
701


Processor
3.0
1.8
Memory (RAM)
4.5
2.9
Graphics 4.2
1.9
Gaming graphics
2.8
1.0
Primary hard disk
4.8
4.0
Windows Experience Index Base Score
2.8
1.0

The memory should not be compared because they're of different capacity. I am surprised that the disk data transfer rate of Aspire One outperforms my Lenovo Z61t with 80GB SATA hard disk (4.3).


Monday, July 28, 2008

PC Answers August 2008

Features
  1. Learn all-new PC skills
  2. 19 ways to get a faster PC

Sunday, July 27, 2008

Running Vista on Acer Aspire One AOA110

Contrary to some reports, Vista can run on Intel Atom. You need to download the latest driver to run Aero. After installation, you can see the eye candy such as glass, taskbar thumbnails, windows flip and windows flip 3D.



Saturday, July 26, 2008

Beware of Location-based Service Tracking

Sygate Personal Firewall detected this location-based service tracking while I'm online using a 3G modem.

Friday, July 25, 2008

Running HD Tune Pro & HDDlife Pro on Acer Aspire One





The SSD does not support SMART but the health and performance can be monitored by HDDlife Pro.



Thursday, July 24, 2008

Running SpeedFan & CPU-Z on Acer Aspire One

Aspire One does not have 2 CPUs but its processor has Hyper-Threading (HT) technology enabled.






Wednesday, July 23, 2008

Hakin9 July-August 2008

Features
  1. File Inclusion Attacks
  2. The Real Dangers of Wireless Networks
Cover CD (Free Paid Full Version)
  1. Agnitum Outpost Antivirus Pro

Tuesday, July 22, 2008

Acer Aspire One Model AOA110


Finally, I upgraded my Eee PC 4G (701) to Acer Aspire One AOA110. It comes with Linpus Linux Lite OS. Tested the OS recovery using the supplied DVD. It takes around 20 minutes to restore Linpus Linux Lite which is slower than Eee PC with Xandros. But, this new Intel netbook comes with a bigger 8.9" screen at 1024 x 600 and bigger 8GB SSD. The keyboard is also more comfortable to type. Overall, Aspire One looks better than Eee PC 4G.

Since the Linpus Linux Lite is locked down and I couldn't make my Huawei E220 3G modem work, I decided to install Windows XP SP3 instead. Due to the slow write speed of the 8GB SSD, it is better to configure the partition as FAT32 instead of NTFS for performance reason. The installation proceeded smoothly and finished in almost an hour. After downloading and installing the XP drivers, everything works.

The Acer supplied 2200mAh Li-Ion battery takes less than 2 hours to fully charge while in use whereas Asus supplied 5200mAh Li-Ion battery takes 4 hours and 2 hours to fully charge while in use and not in use respectively. It lasted almost 2 hours with the brightness set to the lowest, wireless disabled and surfing with 3G modem. On the other hand, Eee PC 4G lasted slightly more than 2 hours with the same settings. This can be attributed to the power efficiency of the Intel Atom processor even with a less capable battery.

Monday, July 21, 2008

Australian APC Magazine August 2008

Features
  1. Best HDTVs
  2. Life with Ubuntu

Sunday, July 20, 2008

Personal Computer World September 2008

Features
  1. Buy a Mac, get a PC
  2. Put a PC in your car
Cover CD (Free Paid Full Version)
  1. TuneUp Utilities 2007
  2. Iolo System Mechanic 8

Saturday, July 19, 2008

Friday, July 18, 2008

Thursday, July 17, 2008

PC Advisor September 2008

Features
  1. PC Repair Life Savers
  2. Whitelists: friend or foe?
Cover DVD (Free Paid Full Version)
  1. Ashampoo Antispyware 2
  2. Serif Web Plus 8

Wednesday, July 16, 2008

Running Windows Vista on Intel Atom (Diamondville N270) Netbooks

Netbook

Acer Aspire One
A110


Asus
Eee PC 1000H


MSI
Wind U100

Processor
3.0
3.0
2.9
Memory (RAM)
4.5
4.4
4.4
Graphics 4.2
4.1
4.1
Gaming graphics
2.8
2.7
2.7
Primary hard disk
4.8
5.4
4.8
Windows Experience Index Base Score
2.8
2.7
2.7

Tuesday, July 15, 2008

Java Runtime Environment (JRE) Version 6 Update 7

After installing the latest JRE Version 6 Update 7, I found that the older Version 6 Update 5 & 6 are not automatically removed.

Uninstalling the older versions to save disk space caused the errors as shown. In Mozilla Firefox 3, it is a runtime error but application error in IE 6 SP2. But, doing a reboot resolved all errors.

Monday, July 14, 2008

Brother MFC-7340 Multi-Function Mono Laser Printer

Bought this 5-in-1 product which can print, fax, scan, copy and pc fax. After installing Brother MFL-Pro suite software from the cd provided on a computer, the print, scan and pc fax drivers and Control Centre 3 are installed.

From the Control Centre 3, you can perform Remote Setup, access QuickDial, check Status Monitor and look at User's Guide. Also, you can scan to image (jpg), OCR, e-mail or file (pdf). Custom copy and scan can be created. With PC-fax setup, you can even preview faxes before printing to delete junk faxes.

Clicking on Print Settings as shown will display serial number of printer as well as main controller main ROM version: D. This printer uses a capacitator to store date & time settings. If the printer is turned off for more than 2 hours, the date & time will be reset but you can set the date & time from the clock in your computer using remote setup or via the LCD panel at the printer.

Checking the page counters
  1. Press Menu, 4, 2
  2. Press up or down to choose Total, Copy, Print or Fax/List
  3. Press Stop/Exit
Checking the Drum Life
  1. Press Menu, 4, 3
  2. Press OK
  3. Press Stop/Exit
Printing User Settings List (will show page counters, drum/toner life as well as memory (RAM) size
  1. Press Reports
  2. Press up or down to choose User Settings
  3. Press OK
Checking Firmware Version
  1. Press * & # at the same time.
  2. Display D0805081933:5960

Saturday, July 12, 2008

Acer Aspire A0A110 One Mini Notebook

It's now available in Singapore.

Specifications
  1. Intel Atom 1.6GHz
  2. 1GB RAM
  3. 8GB SSD
  4. Linux Linpus Lite
  5. 8.9" LCD
  6. Available in Seashell white & Sapphire blue
  7. Less than 1kg
  8. Price S$699 (more than US$399 but less than A$599). In Singapore, MSI Wind U100 at S$859 may be a better buy. For $160 more, you'll get Windows XP, 80GB HDD, 10" LCD, 1.3MP camera and Gigabit Ethernet if you don't mind the slightly bigger size and weight.
Windows XP Drivers
  1. Chipset (2,288KB)
  2. VGA (18,472KB)
  3. Audio (38,311KB)
  4. LAN (4,788KB)
  5. WLAN (2,791KB)
  6. Card reader (6,027KB)

Thursday, July 10, 2008

Patch for DNS Glitch

A patch is available for tackling a security glitch in the Internet's Domain Name System (DNS) addressing system that allows hackers to redirect users to fake Web pages, even if they type the correct address into a browser.

Microsoft has released the fix for Windows 2000 SP4, Windows XP SP2 & 3 and Windows Server 2003 SP1 & SP2. I have tested the update on Windows XP SP3 and found no issue apart from Sygate Personal Firewall settings being reverted back to default.

ZoneAlarm firewall users may have to wait or follow the temporary workarounds because the update disrupted internet access.

Wednesday, July 9, 2008

Corrupted Databases in Kaspersky Anti-Virus 2009

After an automatic update today, I found the Kaspersky icon at the system tray was greyed out. Clicking on it revealed that the databases are corrupted. I did a manual update and it was back to normal. This happened twice already.

Tuesday, July 8, 2008

Australian PC User August 2008

Features
  1. Plasma vs LCD TVs
  2. Media Center PCs
Cover DVD (Free Full Paid Version)
  1. O&O Diskimage 2 SE

Monday, July 7, 2008

XPS Viewer EP

Previously, I have used PrimoPDF 4.0.25 to print web pages from Mozilla Firefox 3 to pdf files instead of printing directly to a printer to cut down on paper and toner usage. It works well on Windows XP SP3.

On another computer running Windows Vista, I have also installed the same version of PrimoPDF since it is supported on Vista. But printing from Internet Explorer 7 resulted in an exception error. In the end, I tried Microsoft XPS Document Writer to create the XPS file from the web pages. It worked but you need to download the XPS viewer to read the XPS file. This is similar to Adobe Acrobat reader.

Sunday, July 6, 2008

PC Answers Summer 2008

Features
  1. 103 Windows Timesavers
  2. Moneysavers
  3. Explained! Google Docs

Saturday, July 5, 2008

Australian PC Authority August 2008

Features
  1. Boost your broadband for free
  2. Facebook - How to build your own apps
Cover DVD (Free Paid Full Version)
  1. Cyberlink Power2Go 5.5 LE
  2. Ashampoo Photo Optimizer 1.2
  3. Serif ImpactPlus 4
  4. Stuffit Standard 11

Friday, July 4, 2008

Kaspersky Anti-Virus 2009

Installed this latest version using the serial code for Kaspersky Anti-Virus 7.0 from the DVD of PC Advisor July 2008. It will give you 6 months of free updates.

If you turn on Email and IM and Web Traffic Under Anti-Malware as well as Anti-Phishing Under Online Security, it will fail the LeakTest even though I have Sygate Personal Firewall installed.

It won't detect Eicar anti-malware files automatically during download unless you scan it manually.

Wednesday, July 2, 2008

CCleaner 2.09.600

CCleaner works on Windows XP & Vista. It supports Internet Explorer, Firefox & Opera browsers but this is not evident in the software as shown.

On their website, it is mentioned it can clean temporary files, URL history, cookies and download history for Mozilla Firefox 3. This is less effective than Firefox 3 which can clean more items such as saved form and search history, offline website data, saved passwords and authenticated sessions. But, CCleaner also can clean applications such as Foxit Reader, Sun Java, Adobe Flash Player, Windows Media Player, MS Paint and RegEdit.

It can be scheduled to run when the computer starts.

Tuesday, July 1, 2008

Free Internet Window Washer 2.1

Free Internet Window Washer 2.1 supports Windows XP & Vista. It works with Internet Explorer, Netscape, Opera and Mozilla Firefox browsers.

For Mozilla Firefox, it can clean cache (temporary internet files), cookies, URL history, download manager history, autocomplete history, saved form information and preferences. This is less effective than Firefox 3 which can clean more items such as search history, offline website data, saved passwords and authenticated sessions. But, Internet Window Washer can clean applications such as Ad-Aware SE, Adobe Acrobat Reader 7.0, Ahead Nero Burning ROM, Macromedia Flash Player, Microsoft Wordpad, PowerDVD, RegEdit, Sun Java and Webroot SpySweeper.

It can be scheduled to wash at time intervals and when windows start and shut down.