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Monday, April 30, 2007

Best Vista Encryption Software *Freeware*

Keep your friends/family or the NSA/CIA out of your important files, even if someone hacks your administrator password or gets access to your computer they will not be able to crack this encryption, unless someone has a key logger or someone watches you type in your password, check this out, it is a "must have app"



Download here
Encryption Offered :)
AES
Serpent
Twofish
AES-Twofish
AES-Twofish-Serpent
Serpent-AES
Serpent-Twofish-AES
Twofish-Serpent
TrueCrypt is a software system for Windows Vista for establishing and maintaining an on-the-fly-encrypted volume (data storage device). On-the-fly encryption means that data are automatically encrypted or decrypted right before they are loaded or saved, without any user intervention. No data stored on an encrypted volume can be read (decrypted) without using the correct password/keyfile(s) or correct encryption keys. Entire file system is encrypted (e.g.., file names, folder names, contents of every file, free space, meta data, etc).

Files can be copied to and from a mounted TrueCrypt volume just like they are copied to/from any normal disk (for example, by simple drag-and-drop operations). Files are automatically being decrypted on-the-fly (in memory/RAM) while they are being read or copied from an encrypted TrueCrypt volume. Similarly, files that are being written or copied to the TrueCrypt volume are automatically being encrypted on-the-fly (right before they are written to the disk) in RAM. Note that this does not mean that the whole file that is to be encrypted/decrypted must be stored in RAM before it can be encrypted/decrypted. The are no extra memory (RAM) requirements for TrueCrypt. For an illustration of how this is accomplished, see the following paragraph.

Let's suppose that there is an .avi video file stored on a TrueCrypt volume (therefore, the video file is entirely encrypted). The user provides the correct password (and/or keyfile) and mounts (opens) the TrueCrypt volume. When the user double clicks the icon of the video file, the operating system launches the application associated with the file type – typically a media player. The media player then begins loading a small initial portion of the video file from the TrueCrypt-encrypted volume to RAM (memory) in order to play it. While the portion is being loaded, TrueCrypt is automatically decrypting it (in RAM). The decrypted portion of the video (stored in RAM) is then played by the media player. While this portion is being played, the media player begins loading next small portion of the video file from the TrueCrypt-encrypted volume to RAM (memory) and the process repeats. This process is called on-the-fly encryption/decryption and it works for all file types, not only for video files.
Note that TrueCrypt never saves any decrypted data to a disk – it only stores them temporarily in RAM (memory). Even when the volume is mounted, data stored in the volume is still encrypted. When you restart Windows or turn off your computer, the volume will be dismounted and files stored in it will be inaccessible (and encrypted). Even when power supply is suddenly interrupted (without proper system shut down), files stored in the volume are inaccessible (and encrypted). To make them accessible again, you have to mount the volume (and provide the correct password and/or keyfile).

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Vista TCP/IP Limit AutoPatch




Updated Version Here
Digg it!
Patch *updated* 5/1/07
As you may have noticed Microsoft still limits your half-open (incomplete/syn packets) connection attempts per second that the system can make. Microsoft Has done this since Windows XP Service Pack 2 to keep your computer from being used by dangerous programs such as Worms that scan the internet to infect more systems and to keep your computer from being a host of a Bot that connects to IRC that accepts commands to launch Distributed Denial Of Service Attacks (DDoS) against other people
and companies they do not like. Unfortunately For us and companies, this limit effects our internet by limiting the capability of P2P (Peer 2 Peer) applications like uTorrent, BitTorrent, BitComet, Azureus, BitSpirit, eMule (eDonkey network), BearShare, Direct Connect, DC++, ApexDC++ , or even P2PTV such as PPLive, PPStream, Sopcast, TVAnts, Peer to Peer, Web server, FTP, and many other applications we love to use but cannot take full advantage of. Basically, you will make uTorrent faster as well as all these other apps you need. So Speed up your Vista downloads, If you dont believe me try it and tell me what you think.


When the limit is hit, You will recieve a Notice in Event Viewer Saying:

EventID 4226: TCP/IP has reached the security limit imposed on the number of concurrent TCP connect attempts.

This means Vista Has maxed out our connect attempts.

I have compiled an Auto Patcher to take care of this for you, it patches tcpip.sys for vista 32 and vista 64

Contents of Readme.txt

Unpack the archive and run Patch32.bat (for x86) or Patch64.bat (for x64). Run UndoPatch.bat to uninstall concurrent half-open TCP/IP connection limit patch. Once installed you can have 70,000 half open connections, these connections are temp connections anyways, you can change the limit to any setting you want,
go to run and type in regedit and navigate to
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\Tcpip\
Parameters\]
"TcpNumConnections"=dword:00011170
and edit this value to whatever amount of connections you need. Btw these half open connections are called Syn packets

More information on TCP/IP @ wikipedia

If you use uTorrent like I do, go to advanced settings and change your net.max_halfopen setting to a higher number, I have mine set at 200, it connects to torrent hosts fast as hell :)

Any questions or problems feel free to add comments, im here to help :)

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Vista Packet Sniffer




Download Here
Make sure you have WinPcap installed download that here
If you would like to see what goes on with your network, or like to sniff packets to see what actually goes on behind the scenes, or you like to troubleshoot problems with your network configuration or would like to see who hacked you and sniff their location and what they are doing check out WireShark, it is an example of Distruptive Technology, A disruptive technology or disruptive innovation is a technological innovation, product, or service that eventually overturns the existing dominant technology or status quo product in the market. Disruptive innovations can be broadly classified into lower-end and new-market disruptive innovations. A new-market disruptive innovation is often aimed at non-consumption, whereas a lower-end disruptive innovation is aimed at mainstream customers who were ignored by established companies. Sometimes, a disruptive technology comes to dominate an existing market by either filling a role in a new market that the older technology could not fill (as more expensive, lower capacity but smaller-sized hard disks did for newly developed notebook computers in the 1980s) or by successively moving up-market through performance improvements until finally displacing the market incumbents (as digital photography has begun to replace film photography).

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Hack Vista Administrator Password

Locked out of Windows Vista? XP? NT? Overwrite the administrator password or any user password with a boot disk called Trinity Rescue Kit. All you gotta do is download this .iso with your computer, and copy it to a cd or dvd with ImgBurn.


Once done put cd back in, and restart the computer or put this disk in any computer and boot up with it, wait for the linux os to finish booting from cd, you will get a prompt, type "winpass" press enter
it is mounting the drives for windows, you can choose which os if you multiboot..
In most cases all you do is press enter if you only have one os.
Enter "*" for blank administrator password or enter whatever you need, confirm with y then enter.
Password changed :)
This shouldnt take anyone more than 5 minutes to do...

You can also change any username with winpass -u "username"
easy as that.

Enjoy :)
Download ISO to reset administrator password Here

Winpass
By default it will reset the builtin administrator account of a locally installed Windows, but you can specify other accounts as well at the commandline. In fact, you can add any parameter from chntpw which will be parsed to the commandline. So winpass –l will list you all usernames found in the SAM. Should you have troubles that metacharacters are present in the username (like the Ø or something), you can still use the HEX reference to the username listed next to it. Be sure to prepend that with a '0x'. More info on that can be found in the manual of chntpw. Watch out with disabling syskey! Most of the time you don 't need to disable syskey. It removes strong password encryption, so all local passwords become invalid, since the hashes don 't correspond to the encryption algorythm anymore.

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Stop hibernation and remove hiberfil.sys from your Vista root directory

When you use hibernate in Vista it creates a file called hiberfil.sys. This file can grow rather large, you may have noticed that hibernation is also enabled by default when you install Windows Vista. If you don't use hibernate, the hibernate file hiberfil.sys is sometimes large enough to impact the amount of drive space you have available, and you're not able to delete it because it's in use, quite the same like in Windows XP. Because Windows keeps this file similar to the system state you can imaging that when you don't use hibernation in Vista it's a waste of system performance and a waste of system resources.



How to disable hibernation in Windows Vista:

1) To be able to get rid of this file you have to shutdown and disable hibernation in Windows Vista. You can do this by opening a command prompt as administrator.
2) press windows key then type in cmd, In the command prompt type "powercfg -h off", it should give you no message back, there is "no errors", it does not echo the results back to us, but the job is done.

After this Windows Vista will automatically shutdown hibernation and removes the hiberfil.sys from your Vista system root directory saving allot of space, sometimes up to 2 gigs!

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Sunday, April 29, 2007

Rename Administrator And Guest account with secpol.msc in Vista

By default the administrator and guest account are disabled for security reasons. This makes it harder for hackers to hack into Vista and also it makes Vista run much more secure by default, for instance when surfing the internet with administrator account disabled and UAC enabled: Vista makes Internet Explorer run in user mode, while XP ran instantly in administrator mode. Running Internet Explorer in administrator mode means that sites are able to run bad programs on the fly without your permission, you can probably imagine this makes your PC very vurnerable.


Click start and type secpol.msc

This will open up the Vista Security Policy Editor, now browse to Security Settings, Local Policy, Security Options

At the top double click for both the administrator and guest account, choose enabled. Close all windows and restart Windows Vista.

You are now able to login to Vista as administrator or guest. A good option is to Rename those accounts to make it harder for hackers/friends you dont trust to find your precious login :)

After enabling these accounts you should set a password as well, click start then type in cmd, then type net user administrator "password" without the quotes of course, you can do the same with the guest account or any other accounts, for more info on net user type net user /? or net /?

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Disable UAC on Windows Vista Home and Windows Vista Home Premium Registry Patch

Due to the missing of Domain Join and Group Policy support in Windows Home and Windows Home Vista you can't disable User Account Control through the security policy editor (secpol.msc) You can disable UAC in Windows Vista Home and Home Premium easily by downloading my patch

here

To disable the User Account Control Elevation in Windows Vista Home and Windows Vista Home Premium for Administrators run uac_admin_off.reg

To enable the User Account Control Elevation in Windows Vista Home and Windows Vista Home Premium for Administrators run uac_admin_on.reg

To disable the User Account Control Elevation in Windows Vista Home and Windows Vista Home Premium for Standard Users run uac_user_off.reg

To enable the User Account Control Elevation in Windows Vista Home and Windows Vista Home Premium for Standard Users run uac_user_on.reg


btw I have a few more UAC hacks/tweaks here

Enjoy :)

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Speed up vista with the Best Vista Defrag program!


I have always had a computer, and I am I tweak freak, I run defrag's religiously because I never had a top of the line pc, one program that works really nice is OO Defrag, I have tried all sorts of different programs, but this gives you the most options to defrag than any other, you can defrag with layout.ini


Download Here
Supports 64-bit versions and Microsoft Windows Vista
New:World-exclusive Defrag Screensaver included
Blazing system starts
Up to 100% more speed
Complete automation with O&O OneButtonDefrag
Special support for notebooks
Screensaver mode
Automatic background defragmentation
Support for removable drives
Easy to use even without previous experience
Five different Defrag methods

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Enable 2-way Vista Firewall With Advanced Security

Windows Vista includes a two-way firewall that has outbound filtering disabled by default. Why? Because it is complicated for end-users to use so they had that feature turned off as well as hidden. In fact, it is hidden so well that many users may think that the two-way firewall was yet another feature that was pulled from the final product. While that is true for other features the two-way firewall made it into the final product, you just need to know how to find it.

To get started, just click on the Start Button and key in wf.msc and hit Enter. This will bring up the comprehensive Windows Firewall with Advanced Security management interface. Here you will be able to configure rules for incoming as well as outgoing connections.

Make sure that you set the default action for outbound connections from allow to block. Otherwise the outbound firewall will be useless because it will allow all connections. This can be done from the Windows Firewall Properties link found on the main screen of the management interface.

If you do not like the interface, try kaspersky :)

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Tweak User Account Control (UAC)

To cut down on malicious software applications and beginner computer users from changing critical computer settings, Microsoft has included a new feature called User Account Control, primarily known as UAC. UAC is a great step in the right direction. It can be used to prevent a beginner computer user from making changes to their computer by restricting them from accessing or even saving any changes to critical areas. UAC is also helpful against Spyware and other malicious software because it will require the user to consent to the action, before any system changes are made.

UAC is a good feature but sometimes it is necessary to tweak it a little so that it is less annoying for more experienced users. For example, an advanced user may be overwhelmed by the number of pop up authorization they receive. By tweaking the settings they can reduce the number of those they see as well as completely disable UAC. Although I do not recommend you completely disable UAC, you can fine tune it to be easier to get along with.

1. To get started, open up the Local Security Settings MMC to show the local security policies by running secpol.msc.

2. Navigate through Local Policies and Security Options.

3. Scroll through the list on the right of the various security settings until your reach the User Account Protection settings. Refer to the list below of the various settings, to change them, just right click and select Modify. Items in bold are the default values.

  • User Account Control: Admin Approval Mode for the Built-in Administrator account
    • Enabled
    • Disabled
  • User Account Control: Behavior of the elevation prompt for administrators in Admin Approval Mode
    • Elevate without prompting
    • Prompt for credentials
    • Prompt for consent
  • User Account Control: Behavior of the elevation prompt for standard users
    • Automatically deny elevation requests
    • Prompt for credentials
  • User Account Control: Detect application installations and prompt for elevation
    • Enabled
    • Disabled
  • User Account Control: Only elevate executables that are signed and validated
    • Enabled
    • Disabled
  • User Account Control: Only elevate UIAccess applications that are installed in secure locations
    • Enabled
    • Disabled
  • User Account Control: Run all administrators in Admin Approval Mode
    • Enabled
    • Disabled
  • User Account Control: Switch to the secure desktop when prompting for elevation
    • Enabled
    • Disabled
  • User Account Control: Virtualize file and registry write failures to per-user locations
    • Enabled
    • Disabled

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Disable (UAC) User Access Control via Command Prompt

If you are tired of those pop up confirmations to continue a task which requires elevated administrator rights all you gotta do is hold in the windows key, press "R"
type in cmd.exe then copy and paste :)

To Disable UAC

%systemroot%\System32\cmd.exe /k %windir%\System32\reg.exe ADD HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System /v EnableLUA /t REG_DWORD /d 0 /f

To Enable UAC

%systemroot%\System32\cmd.exe /k %windir%\System32\reg.exe ADD HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System /v EnableLUA /t REG_DWORD /d 1 /f

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Create an Account lockout policy in vista (prevent cracking of vista passwords)

Creating an Account Lockout Policy will protect your account by limiting the number of time a remote application or attacker can try to guess/crack your password. This works by automatically locking out your account after a designated number of incorrect passwords were entered. Your account will remain locked out for a designated period of time before it is automatically unlocked and it can be logged into again. This provides a valuable addition to your account security because it can render brute force password attacks useless. If you have your lockout threshold set to 4 bad attempts and the lockout duration to 15 minutes, an attacker can try to guess your password a maximum of 16 times per hour.

Now that you know how valuable an Account Lockout Policy is, let’s get it setup on your computer:

1. Click on the Start Button and key in Secpol.msc and hit Enter.
2. Navigate through Account Policies and Account Lockout Policy.
3. Right click on Account lockout threshold and select Properties.
4. Enter in the value you want to use and hit OK to save. I like to use 4 here.
5. Windows will set the default values for the lockout duration and Reset account lockout counter values. If you want to change these values from the defaults (30 minutes), right click on them and select Properties. After making your changes hit OK to save and exit.

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Enable Bitlocker Encryption

Windows Vista includes a new hard drive encryption feature called BitLocker Drive Encryption. BitLocker can be a very useful security feature for businesses and home users that have sensitive and confidential information stored on their computer. Unfortunately, BitLocker Drive Encryption by default requires a Trusted Platform Module (TPM Chip) version 1.2 or later installed in your computer. A lot of the computers and laptops on the market do not come with TPM chips installed since they are typically only found in premium model business computers. If you have Windows Vista Business, Ultimate or Enterprise but do not have a TPM chip, you can still use BitLocker Drive Encryption.

Hidden away in local group policy is a setting that will allow you to turn on the ability to use a USB storage device instead of a TPM key to store the encryption key. This is a great feature for users that don't have the latest high-end hardware because you can still use hard drive encryption. However, every time you turn on your computer, the USB storage device that has the encryption key located on it must be plugged in. Without it, your computer will not boot up. One BitLocker Drive Encryption is setup with a USB storage device, that USB storage device basically becomes the key to your computer.

Follow these steps to turn on the ability to use a USB storage device with BitLocker Drive Encryption on hardware that does not have a TPM device:

1. Click on the Start Button and key in gpedit.msc and hit Enter.
2. Navigate through: Computer Policy, Administrative Templates, Windows Components and BitLocker Drive Encryption.
3. Right click on Control Panel Setup: Enable advanced startup options and select Properties.
Check Enabled and hit OK.

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Vista ReadyBoost Tweak

Windows Vista has many new features that are designed to help older computers run Windows Vista better. One of those features and the topic of this tweak is called ReadyBoost. ReadyBoost helps your computer by giving it more high-speed memory. If your computer is running low on RAM then it has to kick a lot of applications out of high-speed physical memory to the paging file on your hard drive. This usually results in a big hit in performance and increased activity on your hard drive. ReadyBoost helps this situation by giving Windows an alternative to having to stick data into the slow paging file on your hard drive. Instead, ReadyBoost uses a USB storage device that is faster than a hard disk. This results in a performance boost because Windows will have a high speed alternative than using the slow paging file on your hard drive.

In order for ReadyBoost to work, it requires a USB storage device that meets minimum performance and space requirements:

* The device must be at least 64 MB
* The device must be USB 2.0
* It has to be able to read at 3.5 MB/s
* It has to be able to write at 2.5 MB/s

If you are unsure if your USB storage device meets these requirements, just give it a try anyways. To get started using ReadyBoost, follow these steps:

1. Plug in USB storage device.
2. Go to Computer and right click on the removable storage device and select Properties.
3. If your device is compatible, you will see a ReadyBoost tab. Click on that.
4. Select Use this device and select the amount of space on it you want to dedicate for the ReadyBoost system file.
5. Click OK and you are finished.

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Aero Speed Tip

The transparent glass in Windows Vista computer can look very nice. However, on some computers that have underpowered video adapters will see a performance hit when running the transparent glass effect. One way to speed up Windows Vista and still get the benefits of aero, such as flip 3D and taskbar thumbnails, is to disable glass transparency.

1. Click on the desktop and select Personalize.
2. Select Windows Color and Appearance.
3. Uncheck Enable Transparency.

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Speed up Vista Start Menu

If you want to speed up your start menu, and keep it from going real slow do this.

Right click start menu properties / start menu tab / customize / click down ten times of find "Highlight newly installed programs", uncheck this and now your start menu will run allot faster than it did before because windows searches for newly installed programs each time you click the start menu in vista.

Enjoy :)

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Saturday, April 28, 2007

Is vista running slow?

If it is, you either forgot to defragment your hard drive, or you do allot of downloading via Shareaza or Limewire Most people dont know this but, %90 of all of us are victims of Mal ware, Spy ware, Virus's, Key loggers, Root kits, and DDoS worms. If your currently running some lame antivirus from Symantec "Norton", Mcafee, or something else you gotta check out this Free ware Application that will make you smile. Its Called SpyBot Search & Destroy, it has #1 reviews all across the web, its fast, and it doesn't bog down your computer, so you can disable all your bloated anti virus apps, and check this baby out, you can also check into Kaspersky Labs Internet Security Suite if you got money to spend, I really recommend this and I hope you enjoy it enough to recommend it too

Click here to download

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Friday, April 27, 2007

Customize Google



Here is a little bit about this from the website, it is a great extention for firefox, if you dont have it already look for it on my page and come back to my site and download this extention to keep your privacy secure.

If your tired of lame ads, and tired of google tracking you everywhere, every click and making a big profile of you on the web to target your interests and make killer money off you, check this out.

Here are some of the features.
Click here to install the extention "Only after you installed the firefox web browser, I have a banner on my site with the download location of firefox on the top of my page.



* Use Google Suggest (suggest words while you're typing)
* Add links to competitors
* Rewrite links to point straight to the images in Google Images
* Removes image copying restrictions in Google Book Search
* Secure Gmail and Google Calendar, switch to https
* Block Google Analytics cookies
* Hide the Gmail spam counter
* Make URL previews on sponsored links visible NEW!
* Add favicons in the web search result NEW!

* Remove ads
* Anonymize your Google userid
* Add a result counter in search result
* Filter spammy websites from search results
* Add links to WayBack Machine (webpage history)
* Remove click tracking
* Add links from Google to your bookmark manager
* Use a fixed font for Gmail mail bodies
* Stream Google search result pages NEW!

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Secure your network with Vista Nmap/WinPcap

If you want to be able to use your favorite unix/linux scanning application nmap on vista you now can! Once you download the tcp/ip autopatcher, you can run wild and scan your network, or scan the internet for insecure ports and anything you put your mind to, just got your site hosted somewhere? Check there security and scan them with nmap for your Windows Vista :)

Download nmap and winpcap package here

Things you will need to get started...
1. Windows Vista/XP/2k with WinPcap is the industry-standard tool for link-layer network access in Windows environments: it allows applications to capture and transmit network packets bypassing the protocol stack, and has additional useful features, including kernel-level packet filtering, a network statistics engine and support for remote packet capture.
2. Nmap which is a open source security/port scanner for windows vista, Hackers use it, so should we :)
3. A command prompt :)

If your new to nmap here is what it gives you as a result...

nmap -A -T4 scanme.nmap.org playground

Starting nmap ( http://insecure.org/nmap/ )
Interesting ports on scanme.nmap.org (205.217.153.62):
(The 1663 ports scanned but not shown below are in state: filtered)
PORT STATE SERVICE VERSION
22/tcp open ssh OpenSSH 3.9p1 (protocol 1.99)
53/tcp open domain
70/tcp closed gopher
80/tcp open http Apache httpd 2.0.52 ((Fedora))
113/tcp closed auth
Device type: general purpose
Running: Linux 2.4.X|2.5.X|2.6.X
OS details: Linux 2.4.7 - 2.6.11, Linux 2.6.0 - 2.6.11
Uptime 33.908 days (since Thu Jul 21 03:38:03 2005)

Interesting ports on playground.nmap.org (192.168.0.40):
(The 1659 ports scanned but not shown below are in state: closed)
PORT STATE SERVICE VERSION
135/tcp open msrpc Microsoft Windows RPC
139/tcp open netbios-ssn
389/tcp open ldap?
445/tcp open microsoft-ds Microsoft Windows XP microsoft-ds
1002/tcp open windows-icfw?
1025/tcp open msrpc Microsoft Windows RPC
1720/tcp open H.323/Q.931 CompTek AquaGateKeeper
5800/tcp open vnc-http RealVNC 4.0 (Resolution 400x250; VNC TCP port: 5900)
5900/tcp open vnc VNC (protocol 3.8)
MAC Address: 00:A0:CC:63:85:4B (Lite-on Communications)
Device type: general purpose
Running: Microsoft Windows NT/2K/XP
OS details: Microsoft Windows XP Pro RC1+ through final release
Service Info: OSs: Windows, Windows XP

Nmap finished: 2 IP addresses (2 hosts up) scanned in 88.392 seconds

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Spoof/Change MAC address in Vista

I found a nice tool to change your MAC address in windows vista, you may not know what a MAC address is so educate yourself here once you do that you can change your mac address in vista with an application called MACMakeup.

Download it here
I use it to change my ip address since my isp locks one ip per mac address I have. Some Cable Modem ISP's assign IP addresses base on the PC's MAC addresses. For whatever reason, if you need to swap 2 PC's regularly to connect to the cable modem, it would be a lot easier to change MACaddresses rather than to change Network Interface Card (NIC).

Here are some reasons you may need this...

Protect Personal and Individual Privacy. Some companies track users via their MAC Addresses. In addition, there are more and more Wi-Fi Wireless connections available these days, and Wireless network security and privacy is all about MAC Addresses.

Perform Security Vulnerability Testing, Penetration Testing on MAC Address based Authentication and Authorization Systems, i.e. Wireless Access Points. (Disclaimer: Authorization to perform these tests must be obtained from the system owner(s)

Build "TRUE" Stand-by (offline) systems with the EXACT same CompterName, IP, and MAC ADDRESSES as the Primary Systems. If Stand-by systems should be put online, NO arp table refresh is necessary, which eliminates extra downtime.

Some online Game Players (Gamers) require changing the MAC addresses to fix IP problems for some reason.

Build High-Availability solutions. For example, some firewalls that run on multi-port NIC's (i.e. quad port NIC) require the same MAC address for every port.

Troubleshoot Network problems. Arp Tables, Routering, Switching

Troubleshoot system problems

Test network management tools

Test incident response procedures on simulated network problems

Test Intrusion Detection Systems (IDS), whether they are Host and Network Based IDS.

If for whatever reason you need to keep the same MAC address as your old NIC, but your old NIC failed...

Some software can ONLY be installed and run on the systems with pre-defined MAC address in the license file. If you need to install one of these software to another system with a different Network Interface Card (NIC) because your NIC is broken

Some Cable Modem ISP's assign IP addresses base on the PC's MAC addresses. For whatever reason, if you need to swap 2 PC's regularly to connect to the cable modem, it would be a lot easier to change the MAC addresses rather than to change Network Interface Card (NIC). (You need to check with your ISP and make sure you are not violating any service agreements.)
If you want detailed information on this app go here

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Wednesday, April 25, 2007

Keep UAC active, with no annoying popups

When UAC is enabled, software which is run "As Administrator" requires, by default, that a pop-up prompt be responded to, and the Administrator password required (or, if no password has been defined, just a click in the box).

Important thing: when you run Vista in normal user mode, shutting down UAC implies that applications which need administrator credentials are denied to run without an UAC warning, therefor you need to choose run as administrator and supply the credentials. If you run Vista in Normal User mode I would not recommend to use this setting for the simple fact that if an applications needs administrator credentials it will fail to start. Important thing: when you run Vista in normal user mode, shutting down UAC implies that applications which need administrator credentials are denied to run without an UAC warning, therefor you need to choose run as administrator and supply the credentials. If you run Vista in Normal User mode I would not recommend to use this setting for the simple fact that if an applications needs administrator credentials it will probably fail to start without you knowing it.

It is possible to get rid of this annoying User Account Control pop-up, as follows:

Start/Run and type secpol.msc

In the Security Policy editor select Security Settings/Local Policies/Security Options

Now scroll down to the two following Security Options

1) User Account Control: behaviour of the elevation prompt for admins
2) User Account Control: behaviour of the elevation prompt for standard users

For each of the above, select the desired option.
Selecting "Elevate without prompt" will get rid of the annoying pop-up boxes, and will also help software load faster.

Reboot Vista to make the policy work :)

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Tuesday, April 24, 2007

Bad Startup app?

Want to see all your vista startup apps and see if they are original or a trojan, virus, rootkit, or spyware? If you do I have a great app for you, its called Runscanner.

RunScanner is a completely free windows system utility which scans your system for all configured running programs.
You can use runscanner to detect autostart programs, spyware, adware, homepage hijackers, unverified drivers and other problems.
You can import and export your results and let other people help you to solve your problems.
Download Here
RunScanner Home Page

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Clean Vista

Got allot of Crap on your vista, want a good tool?
CCleaner (Formerly Crap Cleaner) freeware download here
Cleans the following Windows components:

* Internet Explorer
- Temporary File Cache.
- URL History.
- Cookies.
- Hidden Index.dat files.
- Last download file location.
* Firefox
- Temporary File Cache.
- URL History.
- Cookies.
- Download manager.
* Recycle Bin
* Clipboard
* Windows Temporary files
* Windows Log files.
* Recent Documents (on the Start Menu).
* Run history (on the Start Menu).
* Windows XP Search Assistant history.
* Windows XP old Prefetch data.
* Windows memory dumps after crashes.
* Chkdsk file fragments.

Advanced Options allow cleaning of:

* Menu Order cache
* Tray Notifications Cache
* Window Size and Location Cache
* User Assist history
* IIS Log Files
* Custom Folders

Application Cleaning:
As well as cleaning up old files and settings left by standard Windows components, CCleaner also cleans temporary files and recent file lists for many applications. Including:

* Firefox, Opera, Media Player, eMule, Kazaa, Google Toolbar, Netscape, Office XP, Nero, Adobe Acrobat, WinRAR, WinAce, WinZip and more...

Registry Issue Cleaning:
CCleaner uses an advanced Registry to check for problems and inconsistencies in your registry. It can check the following:

* File Extensions
* ActiveX Controls
* ClassIDs
* ProgIDs
* Uninstallers
* Shared DLLs
* Fonts
* Help File references
* Application Paths
* Icons
* Invalid Shortcuts and more...

Safety:
CCleaner was designed from the ground to be safe and secure to use. It has multiple levels of checks in place to ensure that it cannot delete any useful information or documents you may still need. We also certify that it contains no Spyware or Adware.
High Security:
For the super cautious users we also offer secure file erasing. By overwriting the files before deleting them, making it impossible to recover the data.

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Use Administrator Account in Vista

This is how you Logon to Administrator account in vista, show vista on logon screen.
1. First you need to run an elevated Command Prompt

To create a shortcut on the desktop/quicklaunch

a. Right-click the desktop, and select New > Shortcut.

b. In the text box of the Create Shortcut dialog box that appears, type cmd and then click Next.

c. On the next screen, type a name for the shortcut -- for example, Elevated Command Prompt. Then click Finish.

d. Right-click on the shortcut you just created and select Properties.

e. Select the Shortcut tab and click the Advanced button.

f. Check the box titled Run as administrator. Click OK and then OK again.

Now drag the icon to your quick launch next to start and click on it to run an elevated Command prompt. (if no quick launch right click taskbar>toolbars>quick launch)

Turning on the Administrator account is easy, first run your elevated cmd prompt.

Then enter this command and press Enter:

Net user administrator /active:yes

From now on, the Administrator account will appear as an option on the Welcome screen.

Now if you want to disable the account and hide it, enter this command at your elevated cmd and press Enter:

Net user administrator /active:no

To set a password on the administrator account type Net user administrator password.

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Vista vs Xp

Most people that I know who has tried windows vista has disabled (UAC) User Account Control, for advanced, or power users this precaution is a big annoyance and keeps you from working efficiently. It is on by default to make sure you dont destroy your system and run a bad program by accident. It also keeps apps from executing other apps as a system process that will effect the system globally. Kaspersky labs just reported this, if you disable UAC and run Kaspersky Internet Security you should be fine security wise

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Got virus? Got rootkit? Got hacked?

Let me explain something to the world, I know you may have tried many firewalls, many antivirus's and many security applications, but I have to give it up for The Russians, I do not trust our country anymore, ever since 911 we have lost more rights than gained, we lost a sense of security, pride, respect, and privacy.. I used to use Mcafee, and Symantec, ZoneAlarm Products Religiously. But I have some underground connections and heard many many stories of these three companies, I heard that their scanning engine's did not detect a few worms/trojans/keyloggers used from the FBI/NSA/FBI/Secret Service. Norton AntiVirus was criticized in the past because of Symantec's policy that allows spy software (keyloggers/backdoors) of US secret services, such as Magic Lantern (developed by the FBI) and Oasis (developed by the CIA), to bypass Norton's malware detection. The only Security Suite I firmly believe in is Kaspersky Labs Internet Security, Kaspersky Anti-Virus engine also powers products or solutions by other security vendors, such as Check Point, Bluecoat, Juniper Networks, Sybari (now acquired by Microsoft), Netintelligence, GFI Software, F-Secure, Borderware, Frontbridge, G-Data, Netasq and others. It has speed baby, and it has ease of use and great security, it does not slow down your computer like any other software does, its a must have download it and secure your Vista. This product has a the best antivirus technology and firewall compatible with vista :) enjoy

Wikipedia Info on Kaspersky Labs
Download & Compare Kaspersky to the Rest

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Microsoft makes money off of insecurity

A top Microsoft security expert has warned that very little will change with Vista Security. The main problem is this company is too confident in themselves, they thought Vista could not get hacked but it was. The biggest most powerful company can indeed make a secure operating system but chose not to, if they decide to make something that perfect then how will the competitors make money, and how will microsoft make money in the future without updates?

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NSA helps Microsoft

WASHINGTON – When Microsoft introduces its long-awaited Windows Vista operating system this month, it will have an unlikely partner to thank for making its flagship product safe and secure for millions of computer users across the world: the National Security Agency.

For the first time, the giant software maker is acknowledging the help of the secretive agency, better known for eavesdropping on foreign officials and, more recently, U.S. citizens as part of the Bush administration’s effort to combat terrorism. The agency said it has helped in the development of the security of Microsoft’s new operating system – the brains of a computer – to protect it from worms, Trojan horses and other insidious computer attackers.

“Our intention is to help everyone with security,” Tony Sager, the NSA’s chief of vulnerability analysis and operations group, said Monday.

The NSA’s influence might be felt widely. Windows commands more than 90 percent of the worldwide market share in desktop operating systems, and Vista, which is set to be released to consumers Jan. 30, is expected to be used by more than 600 million computer users by 2010, according to Al Gillen, an analyst at market research firm International Data.

Microsoft has not promoted the NSA’s contributions, mentioning on its Web site the agency’s role only at the end of its “Windows Vista Security Guide,” which states that the “guide is not intended for home users” but for information and security specialists.

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