Tuesday, July 19, 2011

Anonymous Hackers get Busted

Last week I told you I was going to try the Windows 7′s no-reformat, nondestructive reinstall. Well, I did it…and it worked just fine. I have a new installation of Windows 7 with all my programs and data in place. The downside was that it took about 9 hours from start to finish…most of it spent waiting for the computer to do its thing.

Starting at the beginning, I got rid of lots of temp files and other useless data on the computer using CCleaner. Then, I did an image backup of the entire system (just in case), using Windows 7 Backup. That took a couple of hours. Then, I uninstalled Service Pack 1, as instructed, which took perhaps 45 minutes. Then came the reinstall of Windows. I don’t recall how long that took…perhaps and hour. Then finally, updating the new install with all the fixes and security patches that have been issued since day 1. That also took quite a while.

There were only the tiniest of glitches, all of which were easily solved. So, if you think nine hours is a long time, the last time I installed a system and all my programs, it took four days. And I kept busy during this reinstall doing other things. So I am a happy camper. Everything is working just fine.

Lots of news today, so without further ado….JRC

FBI arrests more than a dozen in Anonymous hacking investigation

Authorities have arrested more than a dozen people today in the United States in connection with hacking attacks by the Anonymous group of online activists, sources said. The arrests follow raids earlier in the day on homes in New York, California, New Jersey, and Florida. Fourteen arrests were listed in one indictment, including arrests out of San Francisco, and two other separate arrests were made in New Jersey and Florida, following raids related to between 30 to 40 search warrants.

DoD: 24,000 files swiped in March from military contractor systems

Department of Defense Deputy Secretary William Lynn said that 24,000 files were taken in March from military contractor systems. That data leakage is increasingly common in the military complex. The good news? The DoD has a plan to fix its defenses.

Mac OS X Lion goes on sale Wednesday

Code-named "Lion," some of the most important features include: support for full-screen applications, more multitouch gestures, system resume, auto save for app data, AirDrop file transfer, and a feature called "Launchpad" that mimics the icon-based app launcher in iOS.

What was Hollywood's role in Netflix price hike?

Some of those searching for clues about why Netflix unexpectedly raised prices last week appear to be convinced that the trail leads to Hollywood, the home of the top six film studios. After Netflix announced Tuesday that prices would rise by 60 percent, a popular theory was that CEO Reed Hastings sought to build up his war chest. Acquisition costs for streaming content are soaring.

Hands on with Spotify

Using Spotify is pretty straightforward in many ways. Once you're signed up and have downloaded the desktop app, Spotify will pull music into itself from the rest of your computer, including from your iTunes folder. If you connect your account to Facebook, Spotify creates a public profile for you that also automatically publishes all of your playlists that it can find.

Windows 8 to spawn new breed of low-cost laptops

The pairing of Microsoft's upcoming Windows 8 with processors from companies like Qualcomm and Nvidia is expected to spawn a new kind of low-cost laptop, according to IHS-iSuppli, possibly threatening Intel's overwhelming dominance in laptops.

A Useful Key on the Windows Keyboard That You May Have Overlooked

It is typically found on the right side of the keyboard between the right Ctrl key and Windows key or between the right Ctrl and Alt keys. It goes by the name of “application key” or sometimes “menu key” but I suspect that many PC users have paid it little attention.

7 free Windows tune-up tools and tips

You don't need to spend money to keep a Windows computer running in top form. Here's how to fix, clean and maintain Windows using programs you can download now for free.

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