2004 July

Garage sales are a real trip. I had one just a few weeks ago and I was truly surprised at the overall turn out. From about 7am on we were getting slammed with people wanting to buy wares. Now let me be the first to say that I am about the farthest thing from a […]

Welcome to Just Ask Matt! - The IT industry’s answer to the help column, only slightly more medicated. Today, Tim writes:

Matt, I know that this may not really be the kind of question to ask here but here it goes anyway. I am in the market for a PDA. I don’t have any idea where […]

Yesterday Microsoft kicked OneNote 2003 SP1 out the door, and today we already have the first two new PowerToys for OneNote 2003. Note that the OneNote SP1 release provides a sort of plugin-in interface to OneNote that you can use to build interfaces that let OneNote interoperate with other programs - and you’ll need to […]

Feedback regarding the virus threat from last week!

Way back when the AnnaK virus was going around, I decided (as the System Administrator) that receiving Microsoft Executable files was not worth the risk. I now refuse any e-mail with any executable attachment. This includes ZIP files. I originally used Norton AntiVirus for Exchange on an Exchange […]

Disclaimer: The following is to be done at your own discretion. The following may or *may not* be legal according to the fuzzy lines drawn up by the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. I would recommend that you use the following information according to your own conscious. While you may not be violating the Windows license, […]

Many people are making the switch from office to home. That is, more people are choosing to work out of their home, thereby also making it their office. And it seems like there are several opportunities for IT professionals to do work out of their home. I, personally, have several friends/co-workers who have set up […]

If you’re done wardriving, you may want to settle down and offer Wi-Fi to others. Own a business? A small coffee shop? A large office building? Well, that radio signal you’ve been broadcasting from your alien-like router may be able to do more than just connect you to the Net - you could also be […]

Studying for a Microsoft exam, or any other exam, can be a difficult thing. Obviously the more prepared you are, the more likely you are to pass. And if you’re like me, you’ll want to use every possible exam preparation avenue that is available.
Now there needs to be a book written called the Art […]

In a new video on Channel 9, Microsoft’s top security man, Michael Howard, discusses how hackers do their thing, discovering and exploiting security holes and whatnot. Additional links to other security-related video interviews with Howard are also provided.
Hopefully no one gets any bright ideas. :) [Greg Hughes]

Have you ever been on a PC repair job that ended up turning into a slapstick comedy routine? You know the type; the computer gets repaired, then, as soon as you leave, the client has managed to mess something up in just under an hour. It happened to me recently with a specific client whom […]

Welcome to Just Ask Matt! - The IT industry’s answer to the help column, only slightly more medicated. Today, Mike writes:

I’m using XP on an HP Pavilion. (Okay, I’m a newbie and messed up. Forgive me, please!)
Question: Of late, when I am on the Net, IE (and Firefox, for that matter) gets extremely slow about […]

San Francisco, CA: No Starch Press is pleased to announce that two of its authors will be signing copies of their books at DEFCON 12. The show, the world’s largest underground hacking event, runs from July 30 to August 1 at the Alexis Park Resort in Las Vegas.
Jon Erickson will be signing copies of his […]

According to the Pearson VUE Web site, exam 70-291 is now back in beta. Exam 71-291, Implementing, Managing, and Maintaining a Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Network Infrastructure is (or was) available by invitation only between July 19th and July 27th.
Apparently the beta exam contains updated questions relating to Windows XP Service Pack 2. If […]

Using Mozilla Thunderbird has been the smartest move I have ever made when it comes to switching e-mail clients. One thing that I have found a little more challenging for those who are new to this awesome client is the step-by-step for backing up “stuff.” Saving your e-mail and settings is actually not that hard […]

Online Classrooms are quickly becoming an attractive and popular alternative to traditional classroom settings. A quick search on the Internet will turn up many organizations that offer IT training online. As with everything else, there are obvious advantages and disadvantages to this form of training. A thorough investigation of the pros and cons should be […]

I recently talked about HP’s lack of Windows Mobile 2003 Second Edition upgrades for existing Pocket PC models, and thought you might want a follow-up. It seems that plenty of iPaq/Jornada owners, in addition to myself, are ticked about being abandoned. Over 3,000 virtual signatures have been collected on an electronic petition, hoping to show […]

Seagate just reported financial results that were less than stellar, to say the least. They’ve had a rough quarter, and just to stir up their earnings picture a bit more, the drive maker is bumping the standard warranty period across almost all of their hard disk lines to a whopping 5 years! I couldn’t believe […]

BitWise Communications LLC has released BitWise v. 1.0.2, the newest version of its cross-platform IM system that gives businesses the ability to create an isolated, controlled IM system without the hassle or complexity of installing a server. Using BitWise’s exclusive Dual-IP technology, in-house performance is achieved even between business locations. BitWise uses Blowfish encryption and […]

“In this article I will give you a step by step solution to deploy the Site Consolidation Tools for Exchange 2003 in Mixed Mode. Have you ever tried to move a Mailbox between different administrative Groups in Exchange 2003 Mixed Mode? It doesn’t work. What do you do when you are deploying an Upgrade from […]

To some, RAM is RAM is RAM. To others, the choice of memory specifications is a crucial part of their PC construction. Still others are somewhere in the middle, with the best of intentions and a level of knowledge that may lead them astray. Memory timing specs are frequently misunderstood and deserve some attention from […]