Tips on Helping Your PC Boot up Faster

Windows XP Accessory and Software Headaches: Too many programs start when Windows XP starts

Cause If it seems that your Windows XP computer takes some time to boot up, startup programs may be to blame. When you install programs on your computer, some of those programs are configured to start when Windows XP starts. Naturally, Windows XP has a number of its own programs that start when the computer boots, but programs that you install may do the same thing. That can be a real Headache if there are too many of them. Antivirus software is a good example. In order to keep your computer protected at all times, virtually all antivirus software automatically loads when your computer boots. This allows the software to work without your intervention and removes the possibility of your forgetting to start it. However, a number of unnecessary programs may also start. That's fine if you use them, but you may be waiting too long for XP to boot because too many programs are starting up—programs you may not even use that often.
You can easily reduce the number of programs that start, and if you want to increase boot speed as far as programs are concerned and reduce the amount of program clutter that automatically ends up in the notification area, it's a good idea to examine all of the programs that start when your computer starts and stop programs from loading on startup if you don't really need them. After all, you can always start those programs yourself as they are needed. The good news is you can easily control which programs start when you start your computer.
The Pain Killer To control which programs automatically start, follow these steps:
Click Start Run. Type msconfig and click OK.
The System Configuration Utility appears. Click the Startup tab.
The Startup tab shows you every service and program that starts when your computer starts. You can stop a program from starting by simply clearing the check box next to it and clicking OK.

Dealing with a Dead Laptop Keyboard

Every once in a while, a computer user ends up with a dead keyboard. You usually have an electrical or electronic culprit in a keyboard demise. An electrical breakdown may involve a frayed or broken connecting cable; failure of the keyboard's processor, which translates key strokes into scan codes that the CPUS recognizes and acts upon, may cause an electronic problem.
Poking your head in
If your keyboard stops working, open the laptop, removing whatever pieces stand in the way of getting at the connections to the internal keyboard. (These obstacles may include plastic casings, the hard drive, the battery, and sometimes much more.) Check the ribbon cable and power connector that go between the keyboard and the motherboard. Sometimes, nothing more than a loose cable causes the problem. Remove and reattach the cable, reinstall the parts that you removed, and try the system.

For this approach, and all other work that takes you inside the covers of your laptop, be sure to consult the repair manual for your machine. You may have received a copy of the manual at the time of purchase, or you may find the manual on the Internet, available as a PDF or HTML (Web page). Place the computer on a sturdy, well-lighted surface and provide yourself with numbered or lettered containers for parts. Keep a notepad and pen nearby to keep track of all of the steps that you take. You can use an empty egg container to store your computer parts; mark each of the dozen egg cups and track which cup contains which parts in your notes. Be sure to ground yourself before touching any internal part of the machine.
Going shopping
If adjusting the cables doesn't fix the problem, you can choose to replace the laptop's keyboard with a new unit.
When shopping for a replacement keyboard, you may find three types of offerings:
An original equipment manufacturer (OEM) replacement: A new unit exactly like the ones that the laptop manufacturer uses. Note that very few laptop marketers - including Dell, IBM, Compaq, HP, and Gateway - actually make their own models.

A compatible replacement: A new unit that's promised to work in your laptop although not specifically designed for that purpose. Be very careful to make sure that the seller guarantees the replacement will fit in your machine and work properly. Be very specific about the model number and the serial number, and be sure that you agree with the seller's return policy in case it turns out to be not quite as compatible as promised.
A refurbished replacement: Either a new unit removed from a laptop where other components have failed or a used unit that a competent technician has repaired. Be sure that you understand any warranty offered by the seller.
Working around
If you have a failed laptop keyboard, you can also try to find a way to work around the built-in unit. Unless the motherboard fails - which is a much more serious issue than a mere keyboard - you should be able to attach an external keyboard to a laptop. You may find this approach an acceptable workaround if you use the laptop on a desk, but you may not find it a great solution for the seatback tray of an airliner.
You can use any desktop replacement keyboard with a laptop; you only have to match its connector to an available port. Some laptops offer a PS/2 keyboard or mouse connector; or you can purchase a keyboard that uses a USB port for attachment.

You can attach a USB keyboard while the laptop is running. To safely add a keyboard that uses a PS/2 port (an option available only on older models), you probably want to turn off the laptop and install the plug for the new board before reapplying power; this precaution prevents accidental shorts or static jolts to the system.

WATCH Top 10 Worst Toys: What, Only 10?

Every year, the Boston consumer group World Against Toys Causing Harm (WATCH) puts out its top 10 list of worst toys to buy during the holiday season. The group had a lot to choose from this year, and settling on 10 seems, as The Consumerist notes, kind of pointless.

Still, the more information, the better for parents who are trying to find safe toys for their children, so the list is worth checking out. Top on the WATCH list (bringing it to 11 with this alert) is Aqua Dots, one of the most recently recalled toys of 2007, which saw 25 million toys under 70 brands recalled for safety issues, including lead paint and other toxic materials.

Aqua Dots, colored beads used in kids' craft projects, were found to contain toxic chemicals that convert to a dangerous date-rape drug when ingested. There have been at least two reports of children swallowing the beads and slipping into a temporary comatose state.

You'll find some familiar names on the list: a Dora the Explorer lamp, Go Diego Go Animal Rescue Boat, Jack Sparrow's Spinning Dagger, Spiderman 3 New Goblin Sword. But there are also some lesser-known toys, like Sticky Stones, magnetized iron ore stones that WATCH warns can be choking hazards.

Check out the full list on the WATCH web site, and proceed with care and caution down the toy aisles this holiday season.

Excel 2007 Stricken with Bizarre Calculation Bug

Front and center in any "working guy" software arsenal is Microsoft Excel, the spreadsheet that's become a de facto industry standard. Earlier this week, reports surfaced of a strange error in Excel 2007 which caused calculations involving the number 65,535 (and thereabouts) to return wildly inaccurate results.

You can try it for yourself in Excel by multiplying 850 by 77.1. Excel will return 100,000 instead of 65,535. Similar operations that should return 65,535 will also come back incorrect, and there's a problem with 65,536, too. The problem is only present in Excel 2007; earlier versions of Excel are not affected.

Microsoft has traced the problem back to a floating point issue and how results are displayed within a cell in Excel. Microsoft says the calculation is actually done correctly, it's just that when it comes time to show the result on screen, Excel chokes. For example, if you multiply that "100,000" above by 2 and put the answer in a new cell, you'll get 131,070, not 200,000. However, this isn't reliable either: Try adding one and you get 100,001, not 65,536.

Microsoft says a fix is on the way and is in the final stages of testing. I'll update this post when the patch is available; hopefully Windows Update will also push it down automatically.

Free Phone Calls... With a Catch

I've been sitting on this one for a few days, but finally have gotten around to writing about it. It's a doozy: A company called Pudding Media has launched a web-based phone system that lets you call any phone number in North America and talk for free, as long as you want. The catch: The company listens in on your call and serves up ads based on what you're talking about.

Pudding is a VOIP operator, much like Skype, so you have to use a computer and a microphone or headset to make your calls. That's critical to the Pudding experience, as the ads are delivered on your computer screen (rather than via commercial-like audio interruptions). Of course, it wouldn't make sense for a human to listen in on your call and push a button to send you an ad. Voice recognition software listens for keywords. An example cited by the New York Times says that Pudding could offer movie reviews and ads for films if you're talking about the latest blockbuster.

Pudding says it does not keep recordings or logs of call content, but that's little consolation to those who find this an egregious privacy violation. For its part, Pudding says this is no different than what Google does with Gmail, offering ads related to what people are emailing you about, and arguably with more of a paper trail than a telephone conversation.

But is it? There's something indescribably different about a phone conversation than an email. It's more intimate, more personal. I'd have trouble using Pudding's system for all but the most trivial of phone calls. Still, I'd also have no problem trying it out and getting an account in case of emergencies. (I'm currently on the waiting list to join the beta, which you can join as well at thepudding.com.)

Would you give Pudding a try? More than once? Are free phone calls worth it? Be careful how you answer: Pudding notes that people actually change what they're talking about based on what the ads delivered on screen are. That's a little spooky, if you ask me.

How to Secure the Data on Your Laptop

Reader Jessica writes: I am an in-house investigator (not law enforcement) looking for laptop safety software. I've read on some of the "hardcore" techie pages that I need specialized encryption software to keep emails and files safe when I'm on my home wireless network. I'm planning on getting the Dell XPS 1710 for the road and working from home and know that it comes with the basic security suite. However, I'd like to be able to recommend something I can use on the laptop to the firm as well. I can't seem to convince the head honchos that information security is a huge problem!

Securing the data on a laptop computer requires a multitude of applications. The good news is that you're probably already running many of them. Here's a rundown on what you need, and what each application actually does.

Antivirus - The first line of defense; you are probably quite familiar with tools like Norton, PC-cillin, McAfee, etc. I've written about free antivirus options here.

Anti-spyware - The second line of defense; spyware blockers protect you from the other half of the malware out there. Install both Spybot and AdAware; both are free. I've written on how to clean a spyware infection here.

Firewall - A firewall protects you against direct attacks over the internet. Unlike viruses and spyware, these attacks don't arrive via a carrier application. Often they are "denial of service" attacks, which aim to simply disable your computer altogether, as long as the attack continues. The best firewall is the one on your router, so make sure it's turned out. Also turn on the built-in Windows Firewall. It does a fine job. I don't bother with additional firewalls unless the security need is extreme. In that case, ZoneAlarm is the one I'd recommend.

Data encryption - Things get more serious when we talk about encrypting the data on your PC. Encryption essentially scrambles everything on the computer unless the proper password is given to unlock it. You can also set up encryption to protect your email, but this is a more complicated process, as the recipient generally must also use the same encryption process to decode what you sent them. Just remember, encryption is only as good as the password you use to lock it. Windows Vista Ultimate Edition includes an encryption system called BitLocker. If you have Ultimate, definitely give it a spin. There are myriad encryption tools out there, most of which are free, which will encode your hard drive for you. Some are easy, some are difficult. Search around until you find one you like and which has positive reviews. You might start with FreeOTFE, which is pretty simple and rock solid. Be aware that encryption software will often slow down your PC considerably because of the complexity of the calculations it has to do.

Theft recovery - LoJack for Laptops (I've written about it many times) can help you out if your gear gets ripped off.

Additional tools (optional) - Many laptops include biometric scanners (fingerprint scanners) to help lock out unauthorized users. I find them more trouble than they're worth, but for sensitive data scenarios I'd recommend using one if your laptop includes it. Read the LoJack link above fore more commentary on how fingerprint scanners can interfere with LoJack.

Remember that all of these tools will only work as long as you keep them up to date with current data definitions, frequent scans, and with good passwords. Like most things, good security comes down mostly to common sense. Remember that laptop theft is the most common computer crime out there. Keep your machine out of sight and secured with a cable lock whenever you're unsure of your environment's safety.

How to Pick a Genuinely Secure Password

When it comes to security, Bruce Schneier is a god among us mere mortals. He has written some of the most influential books on computer security and cryptography ever printed, and his blog is essential reading for anyone on the Internet.

So when Bruce says here's how to create a secure password (and how he creates his own passwords), I listen. His post on the topic is extensive, so I'll try to boil it down to the essentials. If you have the time, I encourage you to read the whole thing, though.

First question: How are passwords cracked, anyway? Primarily through brute force "dictionary" attacks, where software tries to guess a password by running through a series of common phrases or words in various combinations. Sure, we know that "password" and "qwerty" are easy to crack, but password crackers have gotten much more sophisticated these days. Now, they check hundreds of these common "root" passwords (here's a list)... in combination with various "appendages," including all two- and three-digit combinations, single symbols (like ! and ?), dates from 1900 on, and a few others. The crackers also sub in common characters like "3" for "E" and other typical hacker-speak substitutions.

What's that mean? Basically, if you thought the safe-looking pigl3t9! was a secure password, you're sadly mistaken. Any modern password cracker will suss it out in a matter of minutes.

Before you begin to despair, Schneier offers simple rules on how to create a password that cannot be easily cracked by such methods. (Mind you, given enough time, any password can be cracked, though. But this will make it much harder.)

The trick is to use a "root" that is not in that list that I linked above, and to put your "appendage" (or two of them) in an unusual place: Either in the middle of the root or at both the beginning and the end.

Schneier's example is to use a word that you can pronounce but which is spelled "wrong": armwar or pitchsure or baysball are all examples. Then attach your appendage(s): arm9!9war or 1066pitchsure6601 or bay1776sball. It shouldn't take much effort to commit any of these to memory.