SysAdmin

Safe browsing with Norton DNS : " I learned long ago that there is value in having someone else manage DNS services for my small business. Up until now, I’ve used OpenDNS . In my opinion, it is the best SOHO option for both name resolution and controlling access to questionable sites. However, that might all change with the introduction of Symantec’s Norton DNS. Norton DNS is a component in the emerging Norton Everywhere offering, eventually providing control over sites your employees or family members can visit or blocking access to sites known to distribute malicious content. I say eventually, because although OpenDNS beta blocks malicious site access, the user management console is still unavailable.

Beginner Geek: Scan Files for Viruses Before Using Them : " To help avoid getting your computer infected by malicious software, it’s a good idea to scan files before executing them. Today we take a look at a couple of options that will let you scan files easily from your desktop.

How To Install The Same Software On Multiple Computer Systems : " Computer users with multiple PCs often want to deploy the same software on all of their machines to access the same data and work with the same configuration. That is relatively easy if the software offers data synchronization, some web browsers like Firefox , Opera or Google Chrome do for instance. It is on the other hand complicated if synchronization is not supported.

Google outlaws Windows, but what if Microsoft outlaws Google...? : " Late last night news emerged that Google is banning Microsoft Windows from its corporate offices . This is the final resolution of the Google vs. China cyber warfare, a conflict that began with the hacking of a Windows-based computer at Google.

Fill a Flash Drive with Portable Software using Lupo PenSuite : " A flash drive full of portable software is helpful to have along wherever you go. The Lupo PenSuite lets you choose from three different versions to get the best fit for your everyday needs. Note: If running the full version you will need a 512 MB USB flash drive or larger.

77 Features for Windows 7 that Every IT Professional Should Know About : "Windows 7 builds on Windows Vista's positives and eliminates many of the negatives. It adds new functionality, is less resource-hungry, and starts and shuts down noticeably faster. Whether you're upgrading from Vista or moving up from Windows XP, these 77 tips and tricks, along with other new and enhanced features, deliver improved performance and productivity, better troubleshooting, stronger security, and a whole lot more."

Control Sysinternals Suite & NirSoft Utilities with a Single Interface : " Sysinternals and NirSoft both provide helpful utilities for your Windows system but may not be very convenient to access. Using the Windows System Control Center you can easily access everything through a single UI front end.

Router Password Recovery : " The new Nirsoft application Router Pass View may help computer users in the recovery of router passwords. Many modern routers have an option to backup the configuration of the router into a file so that the settings can be restored at a later time. These router configuration backups often contain important data like the login password of the router, the ISP username and password and wireless access configuration settings. Router Pass View has been designed to extract the login information found in router configuration backups. The portable software program supports a limited number of routers with the promise to add additional routers in the future.

Internet Explorer History Monitor : " Microsoft’s Internet Explorer keeps track of the accessed websites and urls just like any other web browser by default. That’s helpful to keep track of already visited websites, especially to access them at a later time if their url cannot be remembered and they have not been added to the bookmarks of the browser. But the Internet history has also raised privacy concerns as it can be used to trace a user’s activities on the Internet. It is possible to change the history settings in Internet Explorer and delete the history right away. The portable program IE History Monitor offers an alternative to that by displaying the complete Internet Explorer history in its interface.

DLS (beta) review: free, portable Norton Power Eraser takes aim at malware : "

FBackup is a simple, no-frills free backup application : "

" Your OS drives your whole PC experience, so it's your job as an enthusiast to keep it in a high state of tune. 19 Tips Every Windows 7 User Needs To Know [How To] : "

DLS Review: Scanner disk-space visualization software : " Scanner lets you visualize disk space usage using a futuristic-looking, color-coded pie chart. Having tested it, I must say it does not come close in usefulness (or even visual appeal, but that's subjective) to WinDirStat , which is my go-to for this type of thing.

Join a Ubuntu machine to a Windows domain : " I had been hoping to accomplish this for some time now. At work we work under a Windows domain and I have a Ubuntu test machine that I have been hoping to join to that domain. Finally, thanks to Likewise-Open5 , it happened. And, believe it or not, it’s not all that difficult. Oh sure you can use Samba to take this task on, but you better be prepared for some serious configuration and work. With Likewise-Open5 that job is made significantly easier. Now I understand that with the upcoming major release of Samba, joining a domain should be much simpler. But with the tools we have now, Likewise-Open5 is your best bet. In this article I will show you how to join a Windows domain using a Ubuntu box. Installation Installing Likewise-Open5 is simple. Although there is a GUI that comes along with Likewise-Open5, we are going to install and use the CLI tool. Why? It’s more reliable. So for installation open up a terminal window and issue th...

Microsoft FixIt Center beta fixes Windows 7 and Vista errors automatically : "

Double Driver 4.0 is an even better driver backup and restore app for Windows : " One thing DIYers (myself included) often forget to do prior to reformatting a system is to take a few minutes to make sure all of the necessary drivers for their hardware are at the ready. You pull the trigger on the format option only to realize that, oh crap, you didn't save that .zip file for your TV tuner card, and you'll have to go sift through support pages...again.

Two plus ways to transfer files via FTP in Windows : " While writing the Core FTP LE Product Spotlight blog post, I discovered a new way to transfer files using FTP. It led me to wonder how many other people were unaware of the two-plus ways to transfer files via FTP using only the tools provided in Windows. I will briefly discuss each method using Windows 7 in the examples below. These instructions will also work in Windows Vista. Each method uses a different component of Windows to initiate the transfer: Internet Explorer 8 Windows Explorer DOS command line