2007 August

We as geeks and enthusiasts tend to place a lot of value on our geeky possessions. And with all of the money we spend making sure that we are using the very latest PC hardware, how much money are we spending in making sure that when we come home of an evening, we are [...]

If we are to get serious about Windows 7, we need to accept that Vista is basically a better looking Windows Me release. Like Windows Me, Vista has a lion’s share of improvements, but at the same time, it is a step backwards as vendors apparently were not ready with their hardware during the OS [...]

Overcome the unique back up and recovering challenges Oracle environments can present.
Organizations house some of their most business critical information in Oracle databases, making it imperative to have sound backup and recovery processes in place for this data.
Backing up and recovering Oracle environments can present unique challenges. A variety of technologies are available that — [...]

I rarely say this about something coming out of Business Week, but this piece was a real eye opener on a number of levels. Not on the “let’s gang up on Microsoft” trolley, rather to better understand where their off-shore business is headed. See, the fact is that Microsoft will, indeed, push to prevent piracy [...]

Today, Stephan writes:
My name is Stephen. I am a Computer Science and Mathematics student at Virginia Tech. I’ve got a problem that a master of technology, such as yourself, might be able to help me out with. I can’t go to the people on campus for computer help because they know just as much or [...]

When you establish a remote desktop connection, sounds will be heard on the remote computer as you perform various tasks. If you do not want sounds played on the remote computer when you execute a remote desktop connection, all you have to do is edit the settings within the Remote Desktop Connection dialog box.
You can [...]

Consistent, ongoing execution of vulnerability management and policy compliance is difficult, if not impossible to do on a manual basis. There are simply too many “moving parts” to juggle and act on in a timely and cost-effective manner.
There is an eight-step vulnerability and compliance workflow:

Create security policies and controls

Track inventory and categorize assets

Scan systems for [...]

Today, I wanted to touch some on low-impact computing. Not so much from a ’saving the world one PC at a time’ perspective, rather from the more common, practical cost savings side of things. In the past, I admired such projects as FreeGeek and Zonbu both provide various means at low-impact computing for the masses. [...]

Based on some questions I received this week, the distinction I recently made between statistics and probability was not clear. Statistics are the record of past events. Probability deals with future events. The statistics are what they are. That is not controversial. However, the way statistics get interpreted to derive a probability to some accuracy [...]

There are a few different ways that you can shut down a computer. You can use the Shut Down option from the Start Menu. Conversely, you can choose the Shut Down option from the Windows Security dialog box.
If you frequently use remote administration tools in Vista to manage remote computers, another shutdown alternative is to [...]

Read about the impact on the net ops team in this common scenario.
For many IT organizations, networking professionals are not only responsible for managing the infrastructure, but increasingly they are becoming officially responsible for managing the performance of the applications that run on top of the infrastructure. So what happens when a new application is [...]

I am all about hacking various mobile devices, but I am not completely sure I would want to go into hacking an expensive consumer device like the iPhone myself. Considering for people like me who would likely use it for making calls and using its existing functionality, hacking the phone would have to produce one [...]

Today, Shane asks:
I am paying for what is supposedly a 2MB connection but the service that I am receiving is rather poor.
For example: I can’t stream on uStream.
I made a video, no more than 1 1/2 minutes long using iMovie 08, and used the export option to upload to YouTube. When it came to the [...]

Normally, Remote Desktop is enabled using the Remote tab from the System Properties dialog box. However, in order to use this method, you must log on to the local computer.
Remote Desktop can be enabled remotely by creating a new RDP listening port through the remote computer’s registry. You can accomplish this by completing the steps [...]

Examine this proactive approach to network security.
Hacker attacks are no longer limited to high-profile organizations such as banks and governments. In just seconds, viruses, worms, and trojans can complete global attack cycles and exploit vulnerable hosts, so securing networks requires identifying and fixing vulnerabilities in advance.
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[tags]risk reduction, it security[/tags]

Speaking as an Exchange user myself, I can certainly understand the frustration. But I cannot help but wonder if the wrong question is being asked here?
What about archiving? From the standpoint of the Exchange provider, this should be really obvious. But what if it’s not? Judging from the person Chris was dealing with, he [...]

One of the topics that falls under network administration is that of remote administration. The benefits of being able to use various technologies to remotely administer workstations and servers are numerous. The benefits of such tools include a decrease in time and cost associated with administering a network.
For example, if an organization has [...]

The Satellite Alignment Calculator over at UKSatelliteHelp is a great resource that allows you to choose the satellite(s) where you need to point your dish, specify your address, drag a pointer to the spot on your home or building where the dish is, and from that determine the specific angle and elevation you need to [...]

I have to admit, while the fact that Microsoft is endorsing this does little to boost my confidence, the fact this that if I was running a Vista network of workstations, this product would likely be on each machine. Overall impressions have been good with BeyondTrust™ Privilege Manager and let’s be honest, there is something [...]

My good friend Scott Hanselman just published the latest annual installment of his Ultimate Developer and Power User’s Tool List, which you can always see the most recent version of over here. As usual, it’s a great list of the many, many, many, many pieces of software and sources of information — big and small [...]