Ten Things To Do With an Old Computer

Do you have an old, out of date computer and don’t know what to do with it? Don’t throw it away! Instead, the staff at Friendly Computers found some cool ideas for things to do with that old computer. Read more below...

Just because you purchased a new computer and your old one will not run Vista or the latest games doesn’t mean you should throw it away. There are a lot of projects you can do with an older computer.

1. Turn it into a file server

Have a large collection of digital photos or music files? Have multiple computers and want to have the same files available to all of them? With just a few minutes time, you can turn that old computer into network attached storage (NAS) using FreeNAS. The only gotcha: hard drive space can be limited in older computers, so to really make use of this tip, you will want to invest in a larger hard drive.

2. Turn it into a web browsing station

For many people a web browser is all they need. Plug in your internet connection and go. Now your friends can surf the web without messing with your computer. Or the kids can surf the web without kicking you off of your machine. Recommendations: Install Microsoft SteadyState along with current anti-virus software (like AVG) on Windows XP machines, or use a Linux Live CD (see tip #5)

3. Turn it into a high-end firewall

Many consumer grade routers have a simplified feature set that caters to mass-market appeal. Using the open-source software IPCop, you can turn even really old hardware into a great firewall. If you are looking for a firewall with easier administration or more features you can also try: Smoothwall, m0n0wall, or ClarkConnect

4. Record, Playback, and Share Video with MythTV

Most people are familar with Tivo, the device that lets you record, pause, rewind, and playback live tv, and many cable and dish providers have their own DVRs, but did you know that with a low-cost video capture card and MythTV you can turn your old pc into a Lost recording, sports highlight watching Tivo beater? This works best when you either have network attached storage setup or a large hard drive in the MythTV server (see tip #1).

5. Install an alternative OS

Most people only use the operating system that came preloaded with their computer. On 99% of the computers in the world, this means Microsoft Windows. Learning to use a different operating system will teach you a lot about how computers work. There are many different alternative operating systems out there, with the most popular being linux. What confuses many people is that there are many different distributions of linux, each one with different software bundled and installed out of the box. For first time linux users, I recommend distributions that emphasize ease of use, like Ubuntu, Fedora, or openSUSE. Each one of these distributions also have Live CD versions, which means you can burn them to a CD and try out the operating systems without installing them on your computer. If you don’t like them, pop the CD out and your machine returns to normal.

6. Upgrade It to learn how computers work

An old computer can be a great tool to learn about computer hardware, upgrading and troubleshooting. You can tear it apart, break it, put it back together again. EPC has tons of spare parts and pieces for computers, contact our sales department to find out what we have, or go to our eBay store.

7. Home Automation and/or Security Camera system

Similar to tip #4, you can automate your home using LinuxMCE. LinuxMCE includes a phone system, home automation using X10, security camera video control, recording, and playback, and TV / video recording and playback. The initial configuration can take some time, but if your goal is whole house automation, LinuxMCE is an awesome project.

8. Turn it into a work of art

In the non-working computer category: turn your old computer into a work of art. Some have turned their computers into aquariums (also works great with computers with a side window), planters, mini-fridges, and other works of art. With a little creativity, you could be the Picaso of Computer Parts.

9. Donate It

Many charitable organizations, like Goodwill, take your old computer parts and sell them to raise money. Look for a company in your area. Many tech schools will accept old computers to use in labs or as training tools.

10. Recycle It

Lastly, but definitely not least - do not throw your old computer parts into the trash. There are many hazardous chemicals in computers that should not end up in landfills. Find a reputable recycler in your area that will dispose of the electronics properly.

Source: http://blog.epcusa.com/2009/03/ten-things-to-with-an-old-computer/

Microsoft strikes back at Apple in new ad campaign

Friendly Computers knows how difficult finding a new computer can be. Deciding between an Apple or PC can be confusing but cost seems to always be a big factor, we all want more bang for the buck!

The new ad follows Steve Ballmer's comments last week which support the idea: "Apple gained about one point, but now I think the tide has really turned back the other direction." Ballmer added, "The economy is helpful. Paying an extra $500 for a computer in this environment -- same piece of hardware -- paying $500 more to get a logo on it? I think that's a more challenging proposition for the average person than it used to be."
The ad war has been ongoing between Apple and Microsoft. The newest commercial is part of a series entitled "Laptop Hunter", in which the advertising agency Crispin Porter + Boguksy utilized Craigslist and other websites as a recruiting method to find prospective Los Angeles computer shoppers. The individuals were offered anywhere from $700 to $2,000 and told that they could purchase a PC and keep any leftover funds. Microsoft was not mentioned; rather they were under the impression that their work was being completed for a research firm. The incentive of the leftover money gave users reason to search for a computer which packed all of their needs at the lowest price possible.
In the first ad of the series viewers follow "Lauren" on her search for a laptop which offers "speed, a comfortable keyboard and a 17-inch screen," for $1,000 or less.
Lauren first heads to an Apple store, which she refers to as "the Mac store". She returns defeated, explaining that she was only given one option under $1,000 and it had a mere 13-inch monitor. She then claims "I'm just not cool enough to be a Mac person."
The cameras then go with Lauren to Best Buy where she examines a few different laptops and makes the decision to purchase a Hewlett-Packard Windows-based notebook which costs her $699.99. After she makes her purchase Lauren says, "I'm a PC and I got just what I wanted."
The advertisement, shown below is set to air this week:

This particular ad follows Microsoft's $300 million ad campaign which was designed to boost the Windows brand following the downward spiral of Internet Explorer and user outrage over Vista. Apple has been portraying Microsoft as lacking and lame in their campaign, fueling Microsoft's desire to get their customer base back.
The ad campaign definitely boasts and promotes the affordability of Windows-based PCs while simultaneously answering the most recent "I'm a Mac and you're a PC," ads which are aired by Apple.
The new campaign follows the first series which included Microsoft Chairman, Bill Gates, and Jerry Seinfeld, comedian. The two exchanged banner which was considered weird and tough to understand. The company then moved into ads in which individuals and celebrities discussed their life, and stated "I'm a PC." Microsoft then moved into a campaign entitled "the Rookies" in which children as young as 4 years old upload photos and send them via e-mail to friends and family members displaying the ease of utilizing a Windows PC.

Source: http://www.tgdaily.com/content/view/41868/118/

PC security forces face April 1 showdown

Friendly Computers urges you to make sure to keep your Windows and antivirus software updated. There is a nasty virus that is set to take flight on April 1, April Fool's Day… Read more below.

In the brief, tumultuous history of cybercrime, there has never been anything quite like the Conficker worm.

In the past few months, Conficker's creators have infected at least 3 million Windows PCs worldwide with malicious software, and perhaps as many as 12 million. At this moment, the bad guys are locked in a high-stakes showdown with a posse of security groups led by Microsoft.

Conficker's controllers have set a date for what amounts to a cyber-shootout at the OK Corral. Next Wednesday — April Fools' Day — millions of infected PCs, called bots, will begin reporting for further instructions, presumably to begin spreading spam, stealing data or carrying out online scams. And there appears to be little the good guys can do to cut off such communications.

"We have not yet begun to feel the real impact of Conficker," says Paul Henry, researcher at security firm Lumension. "We may soon be at the whim of those in control of what has emerged as a formidable army of infected machines."

Vintage worm

Conficker requires no action on the part of the PC user to spread. It's a throwback to self-replicating worms that scanned the Internet for PCs displaying known — and unpatched — Windows security holes.

Such worms largely disappeared after 2004, as Microsoft improved its process for identifying new holes and quickly issuing patches. But last September, Chinese hackers began selling a $37.80 program for tapping into a newly discovered Windows hole on some 800 million machines worldwide, according to SRI International, a non-profit research firm.

Microsoft took notice, and on Oct. 23, issued a rare emergency patch. Most home PC users in North America got patched quickly, via Windows Auto update. But many corporate and government users were lackadaisical about patching. In China and other nations where pirated copies of Windows are widely used, patches simply weren't available. "Once the patch was out, no one paid attention," says Don Jackson, senior researcher at SecureWorks. "They underestimated the risk."

Precursors of Conficker began spreading on a limited basis, mostly in Asia. In early January, a full-featured version began seeking out unpatched PCs across the globe. The worm slithered onto any shared hard drives; it searched out nearby servers and issued hundreds of combinations of user IDs and passwords to break in; it copied itself onto any device plugged into a USB port, such as thumb drives, music players or digital cameras. When that infected device later got inserted into another work station, that machine became infected.

Conficker also took extraordinary measures to prevent each new bot from being disinfected by Microsoft or antivirus programs, or usurped by a rival botnet group. SRI found, for instance, that Conficker's encryption algorithm came from MIT's Ron Rivest, copied from a recently published research paper.

On Feb. 12, Microsoft put up a $250,000 bounty for information leading to the capture of Conficker's creators. The software giant also formed an alliance of security groups, dubbed the Conficker Cabal, to battle the worm.

The Cabal focused on disrupting what was perhaps Conficker's most unnerving feature. Eight times a day, each bot tried to connect with a list of 250 randomly generated Web addresses — each a potential rendezvous point to receive further instructions. Each day, this list of 250 rendezvous points changed.

To cut this off, the Cabal identified the Web addresses scheduled to turn up on the daily lists, and began registering any that weren't already registered by someone else. The goal: to "pre-empt registration of those domains for potential criminal use," says Christopher Budd, of Microsoft's security response team.

Upgrade slips through

Yet, on March 6 and on March 17, the bad guys somehow slipped a malicious software upgrade to millions of infected PCs. The upgrade began organizing the bots into a vast peer-to-peer, or P2P, network, says SRI program manager Phillip Porras. P2P networks are powerful and flexible, because each PC can function as a command server. They're commonly used to share videos and music and play complex online games.

The upgrade also included instructions for each bot to begin a daily routine on April 1 of checking in at 500 rendezvous points, randomly selected from a pool of 50,000 domain names. This trick will make it more difficult for the Cabal to preregister addresses, says Porras.

Joe Stewart, a senior researcher at SecureWorks, notes that the infected PCs are already capable of receiving directives from the controllers via the P2P network, "so the 50,000 domains aren't really needed. They could even be a practical joke on the part of the authors."

Botnets have emerged as the cybercrime world's tool of choice to carry out scams. Josu Franco, Panda Security's director of business development, surmises that Conficker's controllers may be moving methodically to corner the market on botnets for hire. "This is free inventory for them," says Franco.

The good guys' defense boils down to vigilance. While the Cabal may not be able to stop the controllers from issuing directives, it remains poised to disrupt any criminal activity attempted by Conficker bots.

"There may be a second phase of the threat at some point in time," acknowledges Microsoft's Budd. "However, we believe, given the tremendous amount of attention this worm has received, industry and law enforcement efforts will be a deterrent to a large second wave of attacks."

Source: http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/technology/2009-03-24-conficker-computer-worm_N.htm

It was 20 years ago today: The Web

Today marks the 20th anniversary of the invention of the World Wide Web. The staff at Friendly Computers found an article about how Tim Berners-Lee came up with the idea. Read more below…

Is it already 20 years since Tim Berners-Lee authored "Information Management: A proposal" and set the technology world on fire?

Back in 1989, Berners-Lee was a software consultant working at the European Organization for Nuclear Research outside of Geneva, Switzerland. On March 13 of that year, he submitted a plan to management on how to better monitor the flow of research at the labs. People were coming and going at such a clip that an increasingly frustrated Berners-Lee complained that CERN was losing track of valuable project information because of the rapid turnover of personnel. It did not help matters that the place was chockablock with incompatible computers people brought with them to the office.

"When two years is a typical length of stay, information is constantly being lost. The introduction of the new people demands a fair amount of their time and that of others before they have any idea of what goes on. The technical details of past projects are sometimes lost forever, or only recovered after a detective investigation in an emergency. Often, the information has been recorded, it just cannot be found."

So he got to work on a document, which is amazing to read with the benefit of 20-20 hindsight. But it would take Berners-Lee another couple of years before he could demo his idea. Even then, the realization of his theory had to wait until the middle of the 1990s when Jim Clark and Marc Andreessen popularized the notion of commercial Web browsing with Netscape.

And as prescient as the CERN document was, not even Berners-Lee could imagine where his basic design was about to lead. To wit, part of his very modest conclusions:

"We should work toward a universal linked information system, in which generality and portability are more important than fancy graphics techniques and complex extra facilities."

"The aim would be to allow a place to be found for any information or reference which one felt was important, and a way of finding it afterwards. The result should be sufficiently attractive to use that it the information contained would grow past a critical threshold, so that the usefulness the scheme would in turn encourage its increased use."

So it is that on Friday, Berners-Lee and other personages involved in the development of the Web will congregate at the particle physics lab to celebrate. I can't make the event, but from one side of the pond to the other, here's a virtual toast to Sir Tim Berners-Lee on a job very well done.

Source: http://news.cnet.com/8301-10787_3-10195512-60.html

Can I Increase Onboard Graphics Memory?

Want to improve your graphics performance without having to purchase a video card? The staff at Friendly Computers found and article that explains how to do just that. Read more below…

Chances are your onboard graphics can't be improved--at least if you're going to stick with onboard graphics. Video built into the motherboard is fine for email, business apps, and even (if you're patient) occasional video editing. But for serious gaming or heavy video chores, you really need a separate graphics card.

But you just might be able to improve your situation a bit. Some computers with onboard graphics--not all, by any means--allow you to set aside some of the main memory for improved video. Of course, you'll have less RAM available for other uses, but you can always upgrade that.

To find out if your PC has this ability, check the documentation or call the manufacturer. Or just go into your hardware settings and look for an appropriate option. I can't tell you exactly how to get to your hardware settings (sometimes called BIOS settings or CMOS settings). When you boot your PC, one of the first messages on your screen should say something like "Press key for settings." Press whatever key it tells you to press, then hunt the menus for an appropriate option.

And if the option isn't there?

If you're using a desktop computer, consider buying a new card. Check PC World's reviews for recommendations.

Laptop users (and I'm one of them) are probably out of luck. A lack of update options is one of the costs of portability.

Source: http://www.pcworld.com/article/159114/can_i_increase_onboard_graphics_memory.html

Microsoft Fixes Critical Windows Image Flaw

The staff at Friendly Computers recently came across information about a critical flaw in Windows that can allow attackers to take control of your computer. Read more below...

Microsoft today fixed a hole that could hand over control of your PC to an attacker if you view one poisoned image on a Web site or in an HTML e-mail. Similar flaws have been heavily targeted by online crooks in the past.

The flaw, MS09-006, involves the way the Windows kernel handles WMF and EMF (Windows Metafile and Enhanced Metafile) images. Simply viewing such an image on an unpatched PC would allow an attacker to execute any command, such as downloading and installing malware, and the risk is rated critical for Windows 2000, XP, Server 2003, Vista and Server 2008.

Mike Reavey, a Microsoft Security Response Center director, says in an explanatory video that this flaw is "probably of interest to all customers using Windows," but that it "probably won't be reliably exploited." However, similar-sounding prior flaws with metafiles were widely targeted, and neither Reavey nor the bulletin says why this one might be any different. So play it safe and be sure to get this patch via automatic updates, and get more info from Microsoft's bulletin.

A second fix (MS09-007) in Microsoft's Patch Tuesday patch batch fixes a problem in the Microsoft Windows SChannel authentication component for Web sites. The hole could allow a bad guy to pretend to be a real user if the crook got his hands on the public portion of the user's authentication certificate, where normally a public and private component are required. The spoofing risk is only rated important, not critical, for Windows 2000, XP, Server 2003, Vista and Server 2008.

The third security fix for this month affects DNS and WINS servers. IT admins will need to apply the patch or risk DNS cache poisoning, an attack that has been successfully used in the past to force entire networks to visit a malicious Web site. See the MS09-008 bulletin for more info, and as with the other two patches, get the fix by running automatic updates.

Give Your Laptop Battery a Longer Lease on Life

The staff at Friendly Computers found an article with information about how to increase the life of your laptop batteries. Read more below…

Does your laptop spend more time on your desk than your lap? If so, you're probably causing your battery to wear out much sooner than it needs to.

See, it's a sad (and expensive) fact of life: You're lucky to get 18-24 months from a battery before it loses a good chunk of its charge capacity (meaning it no longer powers your laptop for as long as it used to).

And you're accelerating this unfortunate timeframe if you leave your laptop plugged in 24/7, which is common for most folks who work at a desk. Because the battery rarely (if ever) gets a chance to discharge, it loses its capacity to hold a charge.

The simple solution: Pull the battery out of the laptop and leave it out when you're deskbound. Most laptops can run on straight AC power, so there's no need for the battery. And it's easy enough to pop back in when you hit the road (though obviously you'll want to make sure it's charged, so plan ahead a bit).

It's a hassle, sure, but consider the price of a replacement battery: usually $100 or more. What's more, old, discarded batteries wreak havoc on landfills. Sooner or later, they'll leak acid into the ground. So it's in your best interests to keep your battery as long as possible, and to keep it from dying a premature death.

Source: http://www.pcworld.com/article/160379/give_your_laptop_battery_a_longer_lease_on_life.html

Turn Off IE8 in Windows 7 Build 7048

The inability to remove Internet Explorer was an issue that many users had with Windows. However, the staff at Friendly Computers recently discovered that the option to turn off IE may be included in Windows 7. Read more below…

Windows 7 Build 7048, the latest development milestone of the next iteration of the Windows client, allows users to remove Internet Explorer 8 from the operating system. Well, in all fairness, they will be able to turn IE8 off.

Traditionally, Internet Explorer has been shipped as a default component of the Windows operating system. Also traditionally, Microsoft has been criticized for abusing its Windows monopoly in order to drive the installed base of IE, first in the U.S. and now by European Union antitrust regulators following a 2008 complaint filed by Opera. Until Windows 7, there has been no way for individuals to uninstall Internet Explorer from the platform.

And uninstalling is not exactly what Microsoft is allowing Windows 7 users to do with IE8. In fact, IE8 can be “turned off” via the Turn Windows features on or off dialog box, which can be accessed by means of the Control Panel, All Control Panel Options, Programs and Features, and Turn Windows Features On or Off in the left task pane.

Users will only need to check the box associated with IE8 in order to have the browser removed from the operating system. It is important to note that IE8 will not be uninstalled, and that the browser can be turned back on with another check of the box.
Even though Microsoft has provided them with the ability to set third-party browsers as the default in Windows, the fact that there was no way to remove IE still caused problems, with the operating system sometimes launching Internet Explorer for tasks, even though the end-users' configurations required a different program. Turning off IE8 in Windows 7 Build 7048 will reboot the operating system twice, at the end of which the “iexplore.exe” file will be deleted. Still, the rest of IE8's components will remain in the operating system.

http://news.softpedia.com/news/Turn-Off-IE8-in-Windows-8-Build-7048-106037.shtml