Meet Your New Vista Toolbox

After posting ‘Meet Your New Mac Toolbox,’ I had several people ask “Hey, how about a clean-up and repair suite for Vista, preferably free and ‘one-click’ easy to use?” Well, I think I found just the ticket in a piece of freeware entitled Glary Utilities which offers numerous powerful and easy-to-use system tools and utilities to fix, speed up, maintain and protect your PC.

Glary Utilities allows you to clean common system junk files, as well as invalid registry entries and Internet traces. You can manage and delete browser add-ons, analyze disk space usage and find duplicate files. You can also view and manage installed shell extensions, encrypt your files from unauthorized access and use, split large files into smaller manageable files and then rejoin them. Furthermore, Glary Utilities includes the options to optimize memory, find, fix, or remove broken Windows shortcuts, manage the programs that start at Windows startup and uninstall software. Other features include secure file deletion, an Empty Folder finder and more.

Clean Up & Repair

• Disk Cleaner
  • Removes junk data from your disks and recovers disk space.
• Registry Cleaner
  • Scans and cleans up your registry to improve your system’s performance.
• Shortcuts Fixer
  • Corrects the errors in your startmenu & desktop shortcuts.
• Uninstall Manager
  • Uninstalls programs completely that you don’t need any more.

Optimize & Improve

 

• Startup Manager
  • Manages programs which run automatically on startup.
• Memory Optimizer
  • Monitors and optimizes free memory in the background.
• Context Menu Manager
  • Manages the context-menu entries for files, folders and drives.

Privacy & Security

 

• Tracks Eraser
  • Erases all the traces,evidences,cookies,internet history and more.
• File Shredder
  • Erases files permanently so that no one can recover them.
• Internet Explorer Assistant
  • Manages Internet Explorer Add-ons and restores hijacked settings.
• File Encrypter and Decrypter
  • Protects your files from unauthorized access and use.

Files & Folders

 

• Disk Analysis
  • Shows you the disk space usage of your files and folders.
• Duplicate Files Finder
  • Searches for space-wasting and error producing duplicate files.
• Empty Folders Finder
  • Finds and removes empty folders in your windows.
• File Splitter and Joiner
  • Splits large files into smaller manageable files, and then rejoin them.

System Tools

 

• Process Manager
  • Monitors programs that run on your PC and stop spyware and Trojans.
• Windows Standard Tools
  • Provides direct access to the useful windows default functions.

As you can see, this is one powerful little piece of freeware. I have found that by pairing the freeware version of Glary Utilities (a pro version is available) with the venerable CCleaner, I get a free solution that compares pretty well to my favorite shareware utility suite – Macecraft’s JV16 PowerTools 2007.

iPod Touch Killer

Wow. With Steve Job’s iPod related announcements at the Wednesday, September 5th keynote (View it HERE), everyone has been stopping me in the halls asking “Hey, what do you think about the new iPod <insert model name here>?” Well, I think that the new iPod models are all great as long as you are willing to tie yourself to both the iTunes software and the iTunes Store. Do not get me wrong, I have owned several iPods that I have teamed with my various Macs and the experience has been as seamless as it has been enjoyable (Note: About.Com has posted this comparison grid providing a quick ‘Tech Specs’ overview of all the new iPods). However, the focus of this post is to provide a ‘buyer’s guide’ comparison of sorts between the newly released iPod Touch 16GB and the Archos 605 WiFi 160GB, both retailing at the $399 US price point.

iPod Touch 16GB

Retailing at $399 US, the iPod Touch 16GB is basically the iPhone sans the phone, bluetooth capability, camera and built-in speakers. The iPod Touch includes the revolutionary multi-touch interface, 3.5 ″ high-resolution display, wifi web browsing and wireless music downloads from iTunes and Starbucks (Full technical specifications are available HERE). There is also a rich aftermarket of accessories for the iPod Touch, with particularly beautiful and well-crafted options from Griffin Technology.

Archos 605 WiFi 160GB

The 5th Generation Archos 605 WiFi 160GB retails for $399 US MSRP – just like the iPod Touch 16GB. Is it as slim and beautiful as the iPod Touch? No, but of course neither am I…

My point is that the Archos 605, when viewed from the perspective of end-user usability and versatility is a clear winner when positioned at exactly the same price point. I linked to the iPod Touch technical specifications above. Open that page in a new browser tab. Now, open the Archos 605 WiFi Tech Specs page in a new browser tab. Take a few minutes to objectively view the specs side-by-side and look at how much more dollar value the Archos PMP (Portable Media Player) provides. In particular, note the range of supported file types, media sources and functions the Archos supports.

Archos Recommended Accessories

Following are the accessories I own and recommend for the Archos 605 WiFi 160GB:

• DVR Station Gen 5
  • Turn your ARCHOS into a DVR
  • Record TV and most video sources in MPEG-4 format
  • Play back on TV in DVD resolution.
  • Stream media from your PC to your TV using your WiFi home network (for WiFi devices only)
  • $99.00 US MSRP

• Plugins
  • Video podcast plug-in (H.264, AAC Audio) Gen 5
  • Cinema plug-in (DVD, MPEG2 video, AC3 audio)
  • Gen 5 Web Browser plug-in
• When released for the 605 Gen5, the 5V Car Lighter Adapter.
• When released for the 605 Gen5 160GB, the Archos stand case.

My solution: The iPhone/Archos 605 WiFi Combo

My personal (not business) communications/entertainment solution for day-to-day operations is to utilize the iPhone along with Griffin Technology’s iClear, Streamline and PowerDuo Travel products as my ‘all-in-one’ smartphone for integration with my web-based email accounts, contact lists and calendar applications. The iPhone’s 8GB of on-board memory is enough for me to load a few iTunes Smart Playlists for use while I exercise or for listening to while I work.

Now, since I travel quite a bit to our own branch offices, client offices, speaking engagements, and so forth, I prefer to carry my Archos 605 WiFi 160GB as my primary portable entertainment device. I can load it up with various formats of audio and video from multiple sources as well as carry backups of critical documents and presentations in the event my laptop and/or flash drive should fail me at a critical juncture. The included stand works wonderfully on an airline/commuter train tray table, a hotel room night stand, or any available flat surface. Irregardless of the form-factor comparison to the iPod Touch, the Archos unit is really not so bulky as to be uncomfortable when handheld.

Conclusion

As with all electronic devices, especially in the handheld arena, what is best for each individual is a very personal choice. Apple’s products clearly dominate in industrial design as well as form and function. They are not perfect by any means, but they are as good as can be expected when viewed from the business perspective of designing products that will succeed in a specific, targeted market segment. I hope this post will at least spur the reader to avoid marketing hype and take the time to research product alternatives prior to making a purchasing decision.

Bulletproof Website Logins With Verisign PIP

The Safer, Faster Surfing With OpenDNS post sparked discussion about phishing as well as other techniques utilized for the purposes of identity theft. Therefore, I thought I might post about a new, free OpenID service offered by VeriSign Labs that can be combined with a special Identity Protection Keychain Token or SanDisk Cruzer U3 flash drive in order to achieve two-factor authentication when logging into OpenID enabled websites.

What is PIP?

Personal Identity Provider allows you to manage your personal information online by providing a single sign on to multiple websites. PIP also provides the flexibility to share only the information you choose with each website. When you create a PIP account, you will receive a personal identifier in the form of a URL that you can use to sign in or register at any site that supports OpenID.

Manage your online identities with PIP

Use PIP to protect your information and share it with sites you trust. You can set PIP to track what sites you have shared your information with and for how long. You can choose to stop sharing information with a site you no longer trust. I use my VeriSign PIP identity with Plaxo to maintain continuous contacts and calendar synchronization across my personal Google Gmail, Yahoo! and Windows LiveMail accounts.

How to use PIP

Click the OpenID button to the right to sign up for and create a PIP Account. You will receive a personal URL that you can use on sites that show the OpenID logo. From the same browser you used to sign into PIP, visit one of the many sites that support OpenID and type or paste your URL into the Sign in area. Using your PIP URL makes it easy to register for a new account, or sign in to your existing accounts. If the site you are registering for requests information, you can choose which information you would like to share or keep private.

Integrate VerSign’s PIP into Firefox with The SeatBelt Extension

SeatBelt is a Firefox plug-in that assists you when signing in to OpenID sites with your PIP URL. Typically, if you are not signed into your PIP account when you access a sign in page using OpenID, you need to access your PIP account and sign in. Since you must do this within the same browser window, you have to navigate away from the page you wish to sign in to. SeatBelt detects that you have clicked on an OpenID sign in field while not signed into your PIP account and prompts you to sign in. Once you have signed in, SeatBelt automatically returns you to the OpenID sign in page with your PIP URL filled in. The sign in session continues as normal.
NOTE: I have discovered issues between the Seatbelt Extension and scripts on certain websites, this WordPress blog being a prime example. I have reported the issue to VerSign and recommend waiting on installing this extension until it is out of beta.

Adding two-factor authentication to OpenID

A VIP keychain token is an online security credential that you can use to identify yourself securely to participating online banks and merchant sites. A VIP credential protects your accounts and your identity by requiring a higher level of security when you conduct transactions online. To use a VIP credential, press the button on the keychain token to generate a security code that is unique to your credential. Then, sign in to participating online bank and merchant sites with your username, password, and the unique security code.

To obtain a VeriSign Identity Protection Keychain Token after obtaining your PIP credentials, click HERE. The token is currently $30 US plus a $6 S&H fee.

An alternative to the $36 VeriSign token is the $5 PayPal Security Key. This key can function with both your PayPal and eBay accounts as well as your VeriSign Personal Identity Provider ID. This is the device I use and recommend for anyone interested in adding two-factor authentication to their security practices..

A third option is to use a U3 flash drive. VeriSign has teamed up with SanDisk to enable your SanDisk U3 smart drive to work as an online security credential. You can use the VIP credential embedded on your SanDisk U3 smart drive to identify yourself securely to participating online bank and merchant sites. See the ‘VeriSign Identity Protection for SanDisk U3 Smart Drives’ page for complete information and usage instructions.

UPDATE: I have been playing catch-up with my podcast listening of late due to a more hectic than normal schedule. I just finished listening to Steve Gibson’s Security Now Podcast #107 where he reviews Verisign Labs’ Personal Identity Provider in detail. Please download and listen to his podcast as a supplement to this post. Also, the Solo Technology blog posted two articles relating their personal experiences with both OpenID and the security tokens. These articles are HERE and HERE.

Safer, Faster Surfing With OpenDNS

Question: I have noticed that load times when viewing a web site at work are much faster than what I experience on my home broadband connection. How can I improve the performance of my personal connection to more closely match what I get at my office?

Answer: At IOStream, we deploy our own DNS and WINS caching servers for all clients on the network, thus speeding access to computers, peripherals, or resources located on the Internet as well as the LAN. Furthermore, we utilize Microsoft’s Internet Security and Acceleration Server to filter and secure our network environment from internally- and externally-originating Internet-based threats. Obviously, this configuration is overkill for the typical home or SOHO (Small Office/Home Office) setup. So what is the answer for the target audience of this blog post? OpenDNS. To quote:

“OpenDNS is a safer, faster, smarter and more reliable way to navigate the Internet. Our service is free and requires nothing to download.

OpenDNS is safer

OpenDNS protects you from phishing – bad websites trying to steal your personal information. When you try to go to a phishing site, we let you know. We also let you optionally block adult sites as a category, or individual websites of any type. These services help you better protect those on your network from websites they shouldn’t be visiting.

OpenDNS is faster

You use DNS every time you use the Internet. The speed of your DNS service determines how quickly websites load for you. That’s why you want your DNS service to be blazing. OpenDNS is so fast because we run some of the largest DNS caches around and do it on our own high-performance network.

OpenDNS is smarter

The address bar is how you navigate the Internet. We make your address bar more intelligent. With OpenDNS, you can create shortcuts that let you type something easy-to-remember into your address bar and leap straight where you want to go. And we’ll correct your common spelling mistakes, on the fly. That means when you are typing fast and type yahoo.cmo instead of yahoo.com, you still get there.

OpenDNS is more reliable

Little is more frustrating than intermittent Internet outages. When your DNS service isn’t working, you can’t access the Internet. When you start using OpenDNS, your days of dealing with DNS-related downtime will be over. We know reliability is important, and we stand behind ours.”

The OpenDNS site maintains this page with links to configuration instructions for all devices and operating systems. Also, this PC Magazine review of the OpenDNS service provides even more in-depth information regarding this service.

Defragment A Single File Or Directory

I am often asked what I do to insure that I get clean, reliable ‘burns’ of data to optical media. Of course I rattle off the obligatory “[a] Use a good quality media like Taiyo Yuden or Ritek RiData (My favorite cost/performance brand which I purchase from Meritline.Com or Supermediastore.Com) and [b] burn your data at one-half the rated speed of the media (e.g. 8x on 16x rated media),” but I also add a third preparatory measure of defragmenting the file or directory of files to be burned. Now, the obvious question that arises is “So I have to defragment my entire disk every time I want to burn music, video, or data files?” No you do not, thanks to a couple of great, free, stand-alone utilities for the Windows platform.

The solution I have employed for the last several years has actually been composed of two small utilities that function as one piece of software. I start out with Contig, part of the indispensable Sysinternals Suite by Mark Russinovich. Quote “Contig is a single-file defragmenter that attempts to make files contiguous on disk. Its perfect for quickly optimizing files that are continuously becoming fragmented, or that you want to ensure are in as few fragments as possible.”

To add a GUI (graphical user interface) to Contig, I employ eXcessive Software’s Power Defragmenter GUI. Once installed, you simply launch Power Defragmenter GUI which calls Contig. The user simply selects which file(s) or directory(ies) they wish to defragment, click [OK] and the job is done.

I recently discovered a new utility that replicates the functionality of my existing solution, but rolls it up into a single executable. The program is the aptly named ‘WinContig:’

“WinContig is an easy-to-use stand-alone defragmentation tool that doesn’t create any installation directories or Registry entries on your computer. Its purpose is to quick defrag files without the need to defrag the whole disk. Its defragmentation and analysis engine is based on the standard Microsoft defragmentation API. In addition, WinContig allows you to group files into profiles, and also it accepts a number of optional command-line switches that you can use to control how the program operates.”

After testing WinContig, I have found it a worthy addition to my Windows utility toolbox. Both Contig and WinContig have feature sets that can be valuable in different circumstances and, so, I have taken the unusual step of keeping both programs installed on my system. Be sure to use the previously mentioned ZipInstaller to make installation, testing and (if required) uninstallation of any or all of these applications a snap.

UPDATE: If you are  a Raxco PerfectDisk user, note that PerfectDisk does offer single file as well as whole-disk defragmentation.

Install Zip Files Automatically with ZipInstaller

I was recently asked if there was an automated method by which one could install all the little stand-alone tools and utilities we recommend to our Windows OS end users. I once utilized WSH (Windows Scripting Host) to automate the procedure of extracting an executable from an archive, copying it to the ‘Program Files’ directory, and then creating a shortcut in the Windows Start Menu. However, a few years ago I stumbled across a great little utility that has become a staple of my Windows toolkit. The program is called ZipInstaller and is one of many terrific little Windows utilities available by developer Nir Sofer at the NirSoft web site. To quote Mr. Sofer:

“The ZipInstaller utility installs and uninstalls applications and utilities that do not provide an internal installation program. It automatically extracts all files from the Zip file, copies them to the destination folder you select, creates shortcuts in the start menu and in your desktop, and adds an uninstall module to allow you to automatically remove the software in the future.” Click HERE for a screenshot.

This utility was originally developed to install the utilities in NirSoft Web site, but I find it particularly useful when installing packages like the Sysinternals Suite.

Meet Your New Mac Toolbox

Many of IOStream’s employees are using Macs as their primary home computer. As a result, we are often asked what tools and utilities we utilize to support the Apple systems used on our corporate network. So I thought I would focus on two pieces of software and one hardware device that I consider indispensable for keeping any OS X based system running at peak performance.

TechTool Pro

For the typical home or SOHO (Small Office/ Home Office) user, MicroMat’s TechTool Pro 4 is an all-in-one utility suite that can both repair and optimize any OS X installation. To quote MicroMat “TechTool Pro 4 is a complete Macintosh repair shop in a box. In fact, it’s so good that Apple includes a copy of its sibling, TechTool Deluxe, in its AppleCare Protection Plan. If you have ever experienced a system bomb, freeze, crash, or indecipherable error code, TechTool Pro 4 can help you get your computer running smoothly again.”

TechTool Pro 4 is $98 US for new users or $25 US for those upgrading from an earlier version.

DiskStudio

MicroMat’s DiskStudio is the only reliable, non-destructive partition manager I have found for OS X. Quote: “When a hard drive is first set up for use, it is partitioned into one or more logical volumes. These appear on your desktop as though they were separate drives. Using the standard disk tools that come with the Macintosh, there is no way to change this partitioning scheme without completely erasing the entire drive and starting over. With DiskStudio, this is no longer necessary.”

With DiskStudio you can:

• Add new partitions to your hard drive.
• Delete partitions previously created by Apple’s Disk Utility or DiskStudio.
• Erase and reformat existing partitions in a number of standard formats.
• Completely erase and repartition an entire hard disk.

Use DiskStudio to:

• Install a new copy of Mac OS X, but keep your original copy intact.
• Install a completely different operating system, such as Mac OS 9, on a new partition.
• Create a partition to hold special projects, such as audio or video files.
• Create a partition to hold scratch space for programs such as Adobe Photoshop.

DiskStudio is $49 US for new users or $25 US for those upgrading from an earlier version.

Protege

Okay, now this is my favorite tool for the Mac OS. MicroMat’s TechTool Protege is a Kanguru Portable Firewire Flash Drive with full versions of TechTool Pro 4 and DiskStudio! Again, quoting MicroMat:

“Introducing Techtool® Protege. The pocket-sized toolbox for the Macintosh professional. This tiny FireWire-based device contains 1 gigabyte of memory and comes complete with the latest version of Mac OS X, the latest version of TechTool Pro and our latest drive utility DiskStudio. And there’s still room left over for your other utilities as well.

That means the next time you need to work on a Macintosh, you can plug in TechTool Protege, boot very quickly and get right to work. No messing around with CDs, portable drives, installers and the myriad of other items you’d usually keep in your toolbox.”

TechTool Protege comes with everything you need to start troubleshooting and repairing any Mac system:

• TechTool Protege FireWire flash drive
• Latest Mac OS X Boot System
• TechTool Pro User Manual
• TechTool Protege Backup & Restore Application on CD
• TechTool Protege Quick Start Guide

MicroMat’s TechTool Protege runs $229.00 US which is quite a bargain when you add up the cost of a 1GB Kanguru Portable Firewire Flash Drive [~$99] plus the cost of full versions of TechTool Pro 4 [$98], DiskStudio [$49] and the latest Mac OS X Boot System [$129].

Protogo

Now, for you DIY’ers (read: Hard Core Nerds) reading this post and wondering if you could easily build your own TechTool Protege thumb drive – why yes you can! MicroMat’s Protogo software allows you to build your own customized, bootable diagnostic and repair toolkit on any portable hard drive or flash drive.

“TechTool Protogo ships on a DVD that includes the Protogo configuration application, TechTool Pro Classic (for Mac OS 9 systems and below), TechTool Pro 4 (for Mac OS X), and DiskStudio. Protogo includes several profiles for standard system/utility configurations so that you can easily set up a device for your particular needs.”

The MicroMat Protogo DVD lists for $135 US, but is only $87 US for TechTool Pro 4 or TechTool Deluxe (AppleCare Protection Plan) owners.

Tweak OpenOffice for Maximum Performance

The crew over at Zolved put together a great little tutorial for maximizing the performance of OpenOffice. Entitled “How to make OpenOffice run faster in Ubuntu,” this screenshot-rich presentation walks the end-user through all required settings to tweak the performance of the open-source office suite. Although the web page is targeted at OpenOffice on Linux, the basic steps are applicable to OpenOffice running on Windows or Apple’s OS X.

In a nutshell, the steps are as follows:

1. Launch any of the OpenOffice applications.
2. Click Tools>Options.
3. Select the Java menu and uncheck “Use a Java runtime environment.”
4. Select the Memory Tab and change the following options:
   • Number of steps: 30
   • Use for Open Office: 128
   • Memory per Object: 20
   • Number of Objects: 20

Calibrate Your Monitor Online for Optimal Viewing

My IT team is often asked about how we calibrate IOStream’s displays and networked printers to achieve true color representation both on-screen and in the hard copy output. Well, the short answer is that we utilize ColorVision’s PrintFIX Pro Suite 2.0 to accomplish this task. This package is composed of the PrintFIX Pro 2.0 software along with the excellent Spyder2 colorimeter device. The PrintFIX Pro suite retails for $649 U.S., but less expensive Spyder2 packages are available (Click HERE to run a price comparison search at PriceGrabber for the Spyder2 Suites and HERE for the PrintFIX Pro Suites).

As IOStream’s employees know, I am a big proponent of running ‘lean and mean’ systems. This means taking advantage of either downloadable tools that can be run from a thumb drive/single executable or taking advantage of web-based applications. Regarding the latter, I wanted to feature two online services that allow for good, basic monitor calibration.

The first of these services is “DisplayCalibration.com“. This tool allows you to:

• Calibrate Brightness And Contrast.
• Calibrate Color Depth.
• Calibrate Screen Resolution.
• Access downloadable versions of the tools if desired.

The second service (and my personal favorite) is the flash-based “Online Monitor Test” sponsored by vanity.dk and flatpanels.dk. The OMT tools can be run directly in 3 different modes:

• An ordinary HTML window.
• A full screen HTML window.
• An executable fullscreen program for any resolution.
• An input lag test to test for input lag if you have 2 monitors connected (You will need a camera to record the counter).

Microsoft CodePlex Community Kit for SharePoint

As an avid developer of Microsoft SharePoint intranet sites for our business clients, I have been really impressed with the latest release of the Community Kit for SharePoint from Microsoft’s CodePlex open source project hosting website. The tool kit is described by the authors as follows:

“The Community Kit for SharePoint is a set of best practices, templates, Web Parts, tools, and source code that enables practically anyone to create a community website based on SharePoint technology for practically any group of people with a common interest.”

I recommend this resource for anyone needing rapid prototyping and/or client mock-ups. For anyone not familiar with Microsoft’s CodePlex open source project hosting website, remember that Microsoft has no control, review, revising, endorsing or distributing control over any projects on the website. They simply provide the web storage for developers.

UPDATE: PlentyofCode lists out the current top 25 live projects that are being hosted, and describes what they do. Information courtesy Chris Gilmer of Download Squad via this post.