I decided to do this blog on Microsoft Learning as I found it very interesting to know that Microsoft offer courses online about their software products which count towards obtaining Microsoft Certification.
If you click on the Training tab you are presented with several training options as you can see from Screenshot 2: Training Menu.
Screenshot 2: Training Menu
We will now look at a the first few tabs in order for you to become familiar with what Microsoft has on offer in regards to computer training.
Screenshot 3: Learning Manager (A)
After clicking on the Find Training tab you are presented with the Learning Manager web page which gives you several choices such as:
Learning Resource Types
Microsoft Technologies
Subject
Organisational Benefits
Screenshot 3: Learning Manager (B)
After you click on the Manage My Learning tab you are presented with My Learning as shown in Screenshot 4: My Learning and Learning Catalogue.
Screenshot 4: My Learning and Learning Catalogue
Before you can go any further you need to have a Windows Live ID in order to purchase and track your progress.
Courses vary in price from no cost up to about $100 depending on the nature of the training but check as I could be wrong about the cost.
Till next time as always enjoy my blog and if you have any suggestions for future blogs please don’t hesitate to let me know as this website is here to help people who visit my web page.
If you are concerned as I am about the increase in online threats you will be happy to know that there is a way you can rate a web site based on criteria such as:
Trustworthiness
Vendor Reliability
Privacy
Child Safety
To do this you need to download the Web Of Trust (WOT) program from www.mywot.com and join as a basic member.
After you install the Web Of Trust add-on you will notice a green circle in your toolbar, this is the Web Of Trust add-on.
If you click on it a menu will open as depicted in Figure 1: Web Of Trust Add-on Menu for Internet Explorer and Mozilla Firefox.
You can rate any web page you are visiting by clicking on the green circle and when the menu opens simply click anywhere on the coloured bar, red represents poor and green represents excellent.
Figure 1: Web Of Trust Add-on Menu for Internet Explorer and Mozilla Firefox
As you can see from Figure 2: Profile Tab below the profile tab displays information about yourself, though you can opt to hide this information, this tab also displays any comments you have left about the web sites you have rated.
Figure 2: Profile Tab
The next tab allows you to edit different aspects of your profile, unfortunately I can’t show you a screenshot of that tab.
The next tab over is the My Ratings as you can see from Figure 2: My Ratings Tab shows you how you have rated web sites you have visited over time.
Figure 3: My Ratings Tab
The next tab is the Public View Tab, this is how other members see your profile as you can see from the Figure 3: Public View Tab screenshot.
Figure 4: Public View Tab
You can also see from Figures 2 & 3 ofmy profile I start off as a rookie level member and in Figure 4 I am a bronze level member as you rate web sites you go through different levels for example.
If you want to know more about the different levels go to www.mywot.com and go to the support menu for further assistance.
The Web Of Trust (WOT) add-on is available for both Internet Explorer and Mozilla Firefox web browsers, you will also find videos on how the add-on works and how to use it efficiently.
I hope you all enjoy this blog as I thought I would use screenshots to show you all what the Web Of Trust is and how it can help reduce Internet threats such as phishing attempts.
A friend asked me some time ago why her computer was slow and crashed frequently while in Second Life the short answer is she needs to defragment her hard drive before using Second Life as the program places a lot of demand on a computer.
I find the best way to avoid the problem with Second Life crashing intermittently is to use CCleaner (http://www.ccleaner.com/) to clean the computer from accumulated junk and to also allow CCleaner to search for issues and then backing up the relevant registry entries when asked.
After the registry entries have been backed up complete the cleaning process.
By backing up the registry entries this allows you to restore the registry prior to the cleaning process in the event of further problems caused by the deleting the registry entries.
I have never had the need to restore the deleted registry entries myself but that doesn’t mean anyone else would be in the same boat.
After using CCleaner I generally do a defragmentation of the hard drive as this places all the Second Life program files in one place on the hard drive helping the computer user to maintain stability in Second Life.
To use the Windows Defragmenter you need to follow the steps below:
Go to the windows XP Start Button and click it
Click on All Programs then select Accessories
Click on System Tools then select Windows Defragmenter
After doing a defrag of the hard drive the computer should now be stable while using Second Life, this is required each time you connect to the Second Life server in order to maintain stability and to avoid both a system reboot which occurs frequently for some SL users or Second Life crashing altogether which happens to me every now and then.
So hopefully this blog has helped you to overcome the problems of a highly fragmented hard drive slowing down the performance of your computer right down to a crawl.
As always enjoy my blog and feel free to make suggestions about the content and any topics for discussion you would like answers to, if your questions are beyond my area of expertise I will research the problem for you and get back to you in a relevant blog.
In this blog I will take you step by step through the steps you need to go through to back up the Second Life Cache in Windows Vista showing you through several screenshots.
There are two ways to do this:
Using backup software included in Windows Vista to schedule a regular backup of the Second Life Cache and
Manually copy the folder to somewhere else on the hard drive such as Documents.
For this blog I will be using option 2 to show you how to back up the Second Life Cache in Windows Vista.
The steps are as follows:
Go to the Start Menu and select Computer as shown in Screenshot 1 and then double click on C: drive and you will see a folder called Users double click on it as shown in Screenshot 2.
Screenshot 1: Go to the Start Menu and select Computer
Screenshot 2: Double click on C: drive and you will see a folder called Users double click on it.
When you double click on Users you will see two folders called Public and whatever you have called yourself at log-on at this stage you will need to go to the Organise Menu and then click on Folder and Search Options as shown in Screenshot 3 and Screenshot 4.
Screenshot 3: Click on the Options Menu
Screenshot 4: Click on Folder and Search Options
Once you have opened the Folder Options you need to click on the View Tab and click on Show Hidden Files and Folders as shown in Screenshot 5
Screenshot 5: Click on Folder Options and select Show Hidden Files and Folders
Double click on the folder that has your log-on name and double click on the AppData folder as shown in Screenshot 6.
Screenshot 6: Double click on the AppData folder
At this stage three folders are displayed Local, LocalLow and Roaming, you need to double click on the Roaming folder as shown in Screenshot 7.
Screenshot 7: Double click on the Roaming folder
Scroll down until you can see the Second Life folder and then double click on it as shown in Screenshot 8 and 9.
Screenshot 8: Scroll down until you locate the Second Life folder
Screenshot 9: Double click on the Second Life folder
You should now see several folders displayed browser_profile, cache, logs, your avitar name and user_settings.
Right click on the Cache folder and select Copy from the menu as shown in Screenshot 10.
Screenshot 10: Right click on the Cache folder and select Copy
The next step is now to open the StartMenu and click on the Documents folder as shown in Screenshot 11.
Screenshot 11: Click on the Start Menu and click on the Documents folder
With the Documents folder now open right click on any space you can find and select Paste as shown in Screenshot 12.
Screenshot 12: Right click on any space you can find and select Paste
It is a good idea to back up the copy of the Second Life Cache folder you just pasted to the Documents folder to a CD or DVD depending on the size of the folder.
To hide files and folders you need to do the reversal of showing files and folders which can also be done while in the Documents folder.
We are all habitual creatures of habit and often don’t think of the consequences of our actions, we do and say things that are contrary to what we believe and mean and as direct consequence of these actions we hurt the ones that are in our lives and we hold dear to us.
In a virtual environment sometimes the thin line between virtual reality and actual reality can become blurred, real life emotions such as greed, jealousy, love, hate etc manifest themselves into the virtual environment.
This is not at all healthy and often effects a person’s emotionally state of mind it also often trickles into reality and we hurt the people who are closest to us as we lash out because of what is happening to us in the virtual world.
When this happens it is often best to leave the virtual environment for awhile and get in touch with who we really are in the real world, the hurt regardless of it being in a virtual environment is real.
People get emotionally scarred, some return to the virtual environment eventually, others leave and never return.
So, if this is happening all the time in virtual environments such as Second Life how can we establish mental controls to separate the two, one way is to remember each and every one of us has someone in the real world who cares and loves us dearly.
Let them in, let them into your thoughts to how situations in the virtual environment are effecting you as it effects them too.
I speak of this problem in virtual environments as someone who has experienced first hand how much real life hurt can be inflicted in a virtual environment.
Believe me there are more positives to a virtual world such as Second Life then there are negatives, chin up and take a break from it all when it gets to hard to cope.
If writing down how you feel helps, do it as it does get easier over time, as the poem goes “It is better to have loved, then it is not to have been loved” or my favorite saying “What doesn’t kill you only makes you stronger”.
Since the social problems I have had in Second Life I have gone back to the very reason why I was in Second Life in the first place and that is to see how real life businesses such as IBM, Dell etc are creating brand awareness in Second Life for their products and services.
Second Life has the potential to create added value for a business and with a potentional customer base of over 120 million people in Second Life it simply is good for business.
As a general rule I usually write blogs on Information Technology but I felt compelled to write this blog on the Australian governments plans to introduce a carbon tax in Australia.
Most people are asking why does the Australian federal government listen to an economist over climate change experts ….. the most simple explanation to this is they care not for the environment but more towards the economics of changes in climate.
A carbon tax benefits no one it only raises the cost of living beyond the means of most people and raises transportation cost which is passed onto the consumer to offset the rising cost of not only production but also the delivery of the basic necessities to sustain life such as fresh fruit and vegetables.
If the Australian government were serious about altering climate change they would come up with some policy to reduce dependency on coal for electricity by implementing strategies that would over time reduce the production cost of green energy products.
To do this, the ratio has to be 50/50, fifty percent green energy such as solar to fifty percent coal use, the Australian Greens want to see coal dependency reduced virtually overnight this is unrealistic and can’t be obtained in the time-frame they are suggesting.
The greens recently did research and found that 83% of the Australian mining industry is foreign owned the country has been sold right from under our feet over a long period of time …. this is very alarming.
Over the past 3 weeks I have been trying to get WordPress 3.0 to install on XAMPP with very little success, just when I think I have it, it tells me it can’t find the install path on the localhost which is generally http://localhost/xampp/htdocs/wordpress/wp-admin/install.php.
Well that is the directory root path WordPress 3.0 has been extracted to I followed all instructions in installing WordPress 3.0 from the tutorial at http://www.lifespy.com/2007/how-to-install-wordpress-offline/ and also looked at the forums and help at WordPress still nothing works.
It should really be a straight forward thing to do, i’d like to say i’m fairly good and knowledgeable about computers but even for me this is challenging but none the less enjoying.
I’m determined to get WordPress 3.0 installed and up and running because I believe if I get someone else to do it for me where is the learning value of that.
If anyone has advice on how to get WordPress 3.0 to install please let me know I would be very interested in knowing how I can achieve this i’m wanting to install some plugins to this blog so I can improve the overall functionality of my blog.
Anyone that uses WordPress and knows how frustrating it is to install, configure and use WordPress Plugins will find this an excellent step by step tutorial teaching you how to install, configure and use WordPress Plugins.
WordPress Plugins come in two styles: drop-in and mess with. Those are my terms, not the official ones. Drop in WordPress Plugins are Plugins you upload, activate, and then interact with only through the WordPress Administration Panels. Mess With WordPress Plugins are the ones you install and interact with through the Administration Panels, but they also involve editing your WordPress Theme template files, which means you are messing around with … Read More
Over the past twelve months or so I have been using iobit’s Advanced System Care Pro to maintain the stability of my computers on my home network in conjunction with CCleaner as part of my computer maintenance routine.
Knowing that Advanced System Care Pro is good at what it does I thought I would look at other products from iobit when I came across iobit Security 360.
Security 360 is an advanced malware and spyware removal utility that deeply scans the computer for signs of malware and spyware as the Security 360 product page describes :
“Security 360 PRO is an advanced malware & spyware removal utility that detects, removes the deepest infections, and protects your PC from various of potential spyware, adware, trojans, keyloggers, bots, worms, and hijackers. With the unique “Dual-Core” engine and the heuristic malware detection, Security 360 PRO detects the most complex and deepest spyware and malware in a very fast and efficient way.”
Key Benefits
Complete PC Security Care
Anti-malware, anti-spyware, anti-adware, anti-Trojan, anti-bots, and more. Security 360 can assist* your Antivirus to defend any tricky and complex threats.
* Currently, there is no solution that offers a 100% effectiveness rate for detecting virus and malware.
Work with All Antivirus Products
Everyone needs a qualified antivirus software, and Security 360 will surely be the best mate for your current Antivirus.
1-click Solution and Very Easy to Use
Traditional advantages of IObit products. We love simple and automatic styles.
Very Fast and Light
Thanks to the unique “Dual-Core” anti-malware engine, complicated analysis can be made faster now.
Automated Working in the Background
Just install it and forget it. This powerful utility works continuously, automatically and quietly in the background on your PC. You can set it as your schedule or just let it work automatically when your PC is idle.
Finds the Deepest Infections
Using DOG (Digital Original Gene), a novel heuristic malware detection method, Security 360 can find the most complex threats.
Automatic and Frequent Updates
By the new-generation malware analysis system and our professional database team, Security 360 catches the emerging dangerous malware in the Internet.
FREE, Award-winning Customer Support for All Users
Free 24/7 Technical Support and community support.
100% Money-Back Guarantee
When you purchase Security 360 PRO, your satisfaction is guaranteed. Within 30 days, you can request your money back if our software doesn’t do all that we say it will.
The above information comes directly from iobit’s webpage and has been added to this blog only to serve as a guide for further information about this great product please go to iobit’s web page www.iobit.com.
I couldn’t find any official video about Security 360 from iobit but I did find a review someone did on YouTube so here’s hoping it is of value to you all.
Until next time enjoy the Tech Corp IT Solutions web page and if you have any feedback you would like to leave by all means please do.
I wanted to do a blog on time travel as it has interested me for most of my life since I was able to understand what things were about.
Growing up I enjoyed reading books on different subjects especially time travel and ufo’s both pretty much go hand in hand.
People often ask are ufo’s from space I believe not necessarily so but are seen as a fragment of our own capabilities in a distant future.
This blog is about time travel and as such the implications of time travel, in saying that I mean it is subject to abuse.
History could be changed and altered to suit ones needs based on what we know for example Bin laden could be taken out of the equation before he became a problem same with every other ruthless person who existed throughout history.
From a religious point of view on time travel if we could pinpoint the exact day, time and year that Jesus was crucified we could prevent it from ever happening.
So what are the implications of doing that?
It could radically alter history maybe for the greater good or maybe for the worse.
When time travel becomes possible it should be seen as a means to view historical events first hand without interference.
Star Trek had the right idea the prime directive was that they could not alter the time-line and if they did there were serious implications for that action.
The theory is can the past you co-exist with the present you at the same time, Time Cop was an interesting view of what could possibly happen.
I presume, past you is matter and present you is anti-matter mix the two and there are dire repercussions.
I’m not a physicist so I don’t fully understand the field of quantum physics though it is an interesting subject.
I bought the book Programming the Universe: A Quantum Computer Scientist Takes On The Cosmos by Seth Lloyd and interesting read though I haven’t completely read it.
I believe everything that surrounds us is a mathematical equation I don’t fully understand Einstein’s Theory of Relativity, at school a friend explained to me what e=mc2 meant.
Therefore from my understanding of Einsten’s theory of relativity implies (E) energy required to reach speed of light (300,000 kilometers, per second) equals the (M) mass of an object (starship) as it reaches the (C) constant speed of light (300,000 kilometers, per second) which is then multiplied by a factor of two to exceed the speed of light.
To exceed the speed of light would require a massive source of energy nothing currently on Earth is sufficient enough to generate that kind of energy.
The theory is that if you travel at the speed of light you are warping time and space for example a thousand years could pass by in a second while traveling at the speed of light.
There are a number of parts to the National Geographic series Naked Science: Time Machine that introduce viewers to the research that is going on into time travel.
If this interest you I recommend you watch the remaining parts to gain a better understanding of the physics of time travel.
High ethical and moral standards need to be implemented in order for time travel to become feasible and a reality thus preventing radical changes in the time-line.
“We are only limited by the level imagination we choose to use”
Hundreds of years ago they could only dream of putting a man on the moon it was achieved not once but twice by those who dared to use their imagination.
In time we will be able to explore more of the universe we just need to have an imagination that it will be achievable.
We are an inquisitive species we constantly have the need to learn we are in the face of God a childlike species curious about our surroundings.
We would never have evolved if we didn’t have this constant curiosity about how things work.
We live in a period of time that is accelerated by the growth of our understanding of how things work, movies like I robot and Minority Report are entertaining but computers will never replace human reasoning unless we become complacent in the technology we create to make our lives just that little bit easier.
Adam Shostack offers specific steps to resolve the current crises in information security. Learn what academia, security professionals, and vendors can do to improve information security.
Adam Shostack presents real-world solutions to fix the crisis of information security. Learn about ways to address the economy of fear from a sociologic, psychological, and anthropological perspective.
In part 3 of this three-part audio podcast series, "Geekonomics: The Real Cost of Insecure Software" author David Rice and Ben Rothke discuss accountability for vulnerable software.
Hosts: Steve Gibson with Leo Laporte Forcing laptop decryption, GPS tracking now requires a warrant, DNS poisoning, and more. Download or subscribe to this show at twit.tv/sn. We invite you to read, add to, and amend our show notes. For 16kpbs versions, transcripts, and notes (including fixes), visit Steve's site: grc.com, also the home of the best disk […]
Hosts: Steve Gibson with Leo Laporte Zappos customer data breach, Slow Motion DDoS, your questions, and more. Download or subscribe to this show at twit.tv/sn. We invite you to read, add to, and amend our show notes. For 16kpbs versions, transcripts, and notes (including fixes), visit Steve's site: grc.com, also the home of the best disk maintenance and […]
You may have seen articles recently that highlight a social engineering technique called “cookiejacking” and how a particular instance may currently affect Internet Explorer. It’s important to note that we have not seen widespread attacks related to this specific case. However we take security very seriously and to ensure customers are protected, we are work […]
While the Internet is an amazing resource in terms of the information you can find and things you can do today, it’s important to also be smart about how you browse. A browser can be a great tool in helping you stay safe when you go online. Most online attacks fall into one of the three situations: 1. Malware that relies on social engineering to spread 2. At […]
Last week, we saw the re-emergence of another new trojan that is disguising itself as Microsoft’s no-cost antimalware program Microsoft Security Essentials. This imposter is known in the technical world of antimalware combat as “Win32/FakePAV”. FakePAV is a rogue that displays messages that imitate Microsoft Security Essentials threat reports in order to ent […]
We announced back in September that Microsoft Security Essentials would be changing its licensing terms and would soon become available to small business on up to 10 PCs. We are happy to announce that beginning tomorrow, October 7, the change will go into effect and small business owners will be able to download and install Microsoft Security Essentials. Thi […]
Anti-virus research and data security organization AV-Test recently spent three months testing 19 security products in the areas of protection, repair and usability. On Monday, August 16th they released the test results, and we’re excited that Microsoft Security Essentials has received another certification, this time from AV-Test.org. According to the AV-Te […]
Recent Comments