IT Tips for Everyone

Installing Domino 8.5.2 on CentOS 5.7

2011-09-16T20:07:00.023+08:00

I chose VirtualBox to install a virtual machine with CentOS 5.7.

For CentOS installation, I use CentOS-5.7-i386-netinstall.iso from ftp://centos.arcticnetwork.ca/pub/centos/5/isos/i386/

That enabled me to download a 12MB iso to kickstart the CentOS installation and to install other packages as needed from the web, instead of downloading more than 4GB of installation files.

I specified HTTP when prompted where the installation files are, and filled in the following:

web URL: centos.arcticnetwork.ca
image file: pub/centos/5/os/i386/

Note: You can pick other mirror sites as desired.

When setting up CentOS, I selected the following to ensure that only required items are installed.

Under Servers, be sure to de-select all server components (except for Server Configuration Tools, if desired)

And under Base System, ensure Java is selected.

Once CentOS is installed, create a new user "notes". Login as notes. Apply all system updates as prompted.

From a terminal:

# su

Apply all required patches for Domino on Linux as follows, based on this technote from IBM Ref: https://www-304.ibm.com/support/docview.wss?uid=swg27013075:

$ yum install glibc libgcc libXp libstdc++ alsa atk cairo compat-libstdc++ expat fontconfig freetype2 glib glib2 glibc glitz gtk gtk2 libgcc libpng pango resmgr unixODBC zlib xorg-x11-libs compat-libstdc++-33 compat-libstdc++-296

Create the necessary folders as follows:

/local/notesdata

/install [note: this is the folder where we will store the Domino for linux tar file]

Change ownership of /local/notesdata recursively to "notes" and chmod this folder recursively to allow Read & Write for notes & notes group

$ su

# chown -R notes:notes /local/notesdata

# chmod -R 664 /local/notesdata

Turn off unnecessary services:

# /sbin/chkconfig --levels 0123456 sendmail off

# /sbin/chkconfig --levels 0123456 cups off

copy the Domino linux installation tar into /install

# tar xvf
# cd /install/linux/domino

Start the Domino installation:

# ./install

From here, follow through the installation prompts using defaults or over-riding as needed. In the following,

I accepted the default option "Manual". We can start the server in listening mode for a one-off configuration later.

The rest of the installation is straight-forward. At the end of the installation, you will see a prompt as follows:

Have fun!

Changing background image on Twitter

2009-05-23T17:22:00.003+08:00

It seems that Twitter does not accept background images with metadata, which unfortunately, is present in all most pictures taken by today's digital cameras. Some have advocated using Photoshop to remove the metadata. Since not all of us have Photoshop, a simpler way is to use a public domain software known as jhead, which removes all metadata from your JPEG files so that they can be uploaded as a background image to Twitter.

Here's how it is done:

Download jhead to a folder on your PC (eg. C:\downloads).
Open the command window in Windows (click Start - Run, and type cmd into the box).
Navigate to the folder where jhead was downloaded. If it's C:\downloads, type cd\downloads & press ENTER.
Assuming your JPEG file is named twitterpic.jpg in C:\data, type jhead -purejpg c:\ data\twitterpic.jpg & press ENTER.
You should see a message as follows if it's processed successfully:

Modified: c:\data\twitterpic.jpg

Now you should be able to upload your JPEG file as a background image in Twitter.

1. Click Settings - Design - Change Background Image

2. Click Choose File to select your image file. I suggest you also select Tile Background before clicking save changes. It seems that without this option selected, the upload sometimes fail. You can always de-select Tile Background after your image has been uploaded successfully.

Thomas

k4l0n62.sys.vbs (autorun/VBS) virus (a.k.a W32.SillyDC, W32.SillyFDC by Symantec)

2009-05-19T11:27:00.007+08:00

1. Introduction

This virus goes by various monickers. It is recognised by some Indonesian text "wahai anak2 ..." appearing in the Internet Explorer window title as shown in a sample screenshot below:

The following procedure describes how we cleaned up the effects of this virus. Our PCs are installed with Symantec Anti-virus Corporate Edition which detected and the virus files, but did not revert the Internet Explorer window title to its default. This procedure may not be true for all circumstances. You should check with your anti-virus solution providers.

Useful Ref: http://virscan.org/report/0f14e9dd1094b56b076606eed159362c.html

2. Registry entries affected

Windows Registry key for IE Window Title
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main
Window Title key = Wahai anak2 Triakti... Belajarlah yang rajin. Jangan ngebokep mulu...

In some cases, there was also an entry in the following location:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run
Key value was Ageia pointing to recycle.vbs in C:\Windows\System32, but recycle.vbs already removed by SAVCE.

3. Key files dropped by virus

k4l0n62.sys.vbs (can be deposited anywhere in user's folders)
recycle.vbs (normally found in C:\Windows\System32)

4. Actions taken

a. booted up and scanned PC with Avira, Avast, Spybot S&D from UBCD v3.50
In some instances, trojans were reported on Temporary IE files, and removed by Avira. None reported the k4l0n62.sys.vbs or its alias.

b. In some instances, k4l0n62.sys.vbs files were found on PC but with ZERO bytes.
booted up PC normally, updated Symantec AV Corp Edition's virus signatures, and ran a full scan. No virus was reported.

c. Reviewed Threat History in SAVCE. Found several reports of W32.SillyDC & W32.SillyFDC infections from external drives & C: that were cleaned.

d. Configured Scheduled Full Scan in SAVCE to take place at 12pm daily.

e. Verified that Windows Registry configured to disable Autorun as follows:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\IniFileMapping\Autorun.inf - value set to @SYS:DoesNotExist

f. Deleted HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main - Window Title key so that IE displays default title in window.

g. Searched and ensure k4l0n62.sys.vbs and recycle.vbs are not found on PC.

h. Scanned external drives with SAVCE to ensure W32.SillyDC/FDC & other malware not found.

Problems updating ZoneAlarm 8.x on Windows Vista

2009-04-22T21:53:00.004+08:00

When prompted to update ZoneAlarm (ZA), select Download only, instead of Download and Install. This is because updating ZA directly after downloading will fail in some cases at various points 11%, 15%, 98%, etc due to True Vector service problems.
Completely uninstall and remove ZA in Safe Mode as described here http://forum.zonelabs.org/zonelabs/board/message?board.id=inst&message.id=77735
Start up Windows normally and run the installation package downloaded in Step 1.
Installation should complete without any problem.

Free SMS alerts for system monitoring

2009-03-15T18:38:00.002+08:00

To send SMS alerts to myself when a system event occurs (eg. Server or website not available), I currently use the following method:

1. Event triggers an Email to Gmail
2. Gmail filters forward only qualified messages to Hotmail.
3. Hotmail sends SMS alerts to my mobile (each SMS is chargeable by Hotmail)

However, I'm not happy with this method for 2 reasons:

1. SMS chargeable by Hotmail
2. Delays in SMS up to several hours after email was received

As such, I'm now exploring another method which is free (charges from your Telco maybe applicable though) and using Twitter.

1. Email to Twittermail with @Replies in subject
2. Configure twe2.com to send SMS alert to mobile

Will see how reliable the SMS service is.

Check out that TinyURL before clicking on it

2009-03-14T13:52:00.004+08:00

While URL shortening services takes away the need to post an ultra-long URL link, it also serves up a security blind spot in that you don't know where the shortened URL will lead to.

Thankfully, for TinyURL which is the default URL shortening service used on Twitter, you can configure it to show you what lies behind a TinyURL link before being directed to the actual URL referenced. Here's how:

1. Go to www.tinyurl.com.
2. Click Preview Feature.
3. Click "Click here to enable previews"as shown below.

Now when you click on a TinyURL link, you will be shown a preview similar to the following:

You can then decide whether it's safe to go to the actual URL.

Have fun:)

Thomas

Online File Storage Services

2009-03-13T10:32:00.003+08:00

I recently did a search for suitable, and preferably free, online file storage services for corporate use. Direct links to uploaded files (hotlinks) are important, as I plan to host files, including EXE (executable files), for users to download directly, instead of opening up a shared folder, and clicking a few times or entering security code to download a file. Since these files are meant to be hosted for the long term, accounts or uploaded files should not expire, and terms of use, as well as privacy policy must be conducive for corporate use.

I eventually settled for Google sites, and renaming EXE files as a workaround when I do need to host such files. I also use Skydrive and Box.net as a supplement where file hotlinks are not critical.

Here's a summary of the various services that I checked out:

BigUpload: 2GB storage. Has links to adult content, free only for personal use
FreeDrive: 1GB storage. Like SkyDrive from Microsoft, sends folder links only, not direct file links (hotlinks)
SkyDrive: 25GB storage. 50MB file upload limit. see (2)
ADrive: 50GB of storage. Free for personal use only. Paid is around USD70/yr. No sharing of account. Volume purchase available for businesses but pricing not mentioned. Not sure if files can be hotlinked.
Filedropper: 50GB storage. Not free. Paid is USD12/yr. Terms does not mention sharing of account.
drop.io: Free, but no hotlink to files. Like (2 & 3)
sharesend: free, no registration. files expire after 60 days if not downloaded. Once uploaded, cannot be deleted but automatically expires 60 days later if no download. Very brief terms & conditions & privacy policy. Does not mention ownership of content. Content not advertised.
filefactory: free. Files not searchable & expire after 90 days if not downloaded. Limit on download per day but quantum not stated. No hotlink to files. Download page requires code to be entered.
DropSend: Free, works like YouSendIt. Files not searchable but expires after 14 days. Need to login every 120 days to keep account & data. Enterprise plan USD99/mth.
FileDen: Free, file hotlinking supported. 1 GB storage, 5GB per month bandwidth. Free account deleted if not logged in after 60 days. However, EXE & other executables disallowed. Upload is painfully slow.
FileQube: Free. File hotlinking supported, but hotlinks change everyday, making this unsuitable for serious hotlinking use. 2GB storage. Storage duration unlimited. Monthly bandwidth 256MB.
MediaFire: Free, but no hotlinking to files. All file types supported.
FastFreeUpload: Free, download link with security code to be entered. File must be downloaded every 20 days to remain online. No registration. Maximum File Size: 100MB.
Upload-drive: no way to delete files. Duration of storage not stated. No direct link to files. Lack of terms & conditions.
Slingfile: free, 1GB limit per file. Inactive files will be deleted (period of inactivity not mentioned). All file types. Hotlinks supported but doesn't seem to work.
MyOtherDrive: free. All file types. 5GB storage. File hotlinking supported. Searchable by search engines though. Inactive accounts will be deleted (period not stated). For personal use only.
Google sites: free. However, EXE & other executables disallowed.
Box.net: supports file hotlinking only for paid accounts. EXE & other executables allowed.
4Shared.com: 5Gb storage. Account deleted if not logged in within 30 days. No file hotlinking. Shows ad when downloading file.

Thomas

Useful tool for including programming codes in Blogger post

2009-03-10T10:23:00.005+08:00

I came across this useful tool. It allows you to easily include programming codes in your Blogger posts.

All you need to do is to copy and paste your codes into the left panel, convert, then copy and paste the output in the right panel into your blog post in the Edit Html mode.

For those who need to highlight syntax in their codes, a good option is syntaxhighlighter. Here's a good howto on how to incorporate syntaxhighlighter in your blog template.

Enjoy :)

AutoIT script for Big Brother server monitoring

2009-03-10T09:09:00.007+08:00

This post is for those who like to tinkle with scripts to run mundane errands for them.

I use Big Brother from Quest Software to monitor servers at my workplace.

In the past, I would open an Internet Explorer/Firefox browser window to view the status of my servers as reported by Big Brother. An open web browser consumes at least 30MB of memory and goes up to 80MB or more after some time.

Recently, I decided to use AutoIT to script a tool for this purpose. It replaces the need to keep a browser window open, and consumes just over 2MB of memory. What this tool does is to check and report back the status of your Big Brother monitor, as shown in a screen shot below:

The script goes like this:


#cs ----------------------------------------------------------------------------

AutoIt Version: 3.2.2.0
Author:         Thomas Tan

Script Function:
Template AutoIt script.

#ce ----------------------------------------------------------------------------

; Script Start - Add your code below here
;this script will poll big brother pc at your BB host IP/bb and return the status
;use this instead of opening Firefox which can consume up to 60MB or more memory
;checks Big Brother status every 60 seconds
#include <INet.au3>

AutoItSetOption ( "TrayMenuMode",1) ;turns off tray menu options
while 1
$read = _INetGetSource('your BB host IP/bb')
if $read="" Then
TrayTip("Big Brother Status", "Big Brother site not contactable", 15, 1)
sleep(15000)
Else
sleep(10000)
;ConsoleWrite($read)
$t1 = StringInStr($read, "<TITLE>")
$t2 = StringInStr($read, "</TITLE>")
$status = StringMid($read, $t1+7, $t2-($t1+7))
TrayTip("Big Brother Status", $status, 15, 1)
sleep(15000)
EndIf
WEnd

My next project would be a script to check the status of our corporate website and notify me via email or display a tray alert like the above should the website be unresponsive. Stay tuned :)

Thomas

Singtel MIO TV problem

2009-03-07T14:54:00.005+08:00

I don't watch MIO TV regularly and when I do switch it on occasionally, I sometimes find that it doesn't start up as expected.

All you see on the TV is a single "gear" icon and a status bar that reflects the booting up status. When it has booted up completely (that's when the status bar becomes full), the TV display blinks a couple of time, and then the single "gear" icon becomes 2 gears as shown below.

I have no idea what these icons mean. No intelligible message whatsoever and nothing mentioned in the MIO TV setup guide. No other indicators on the STB are lighted up except for the Power indicator. After waiting for another 10-15 mins, the display shows a RED X. Resetting the STB by pressing and holding the Power button for 5s does not help.

I then switch off the STB, and the 2 units of Ruckus 2811 wireless access points. After about 1 minute, I switch on both Ruckus, waited for all indicator lights on the Ruckus to be up (except for the unit connected to the STB which will only have 3 lights up. The <...> indicator will not be lighted up until the STB is turned on). Be sure the <...> light is up on the Ruckus connected to your modem/router; if not, check that the network cable is connected firmly between your Ruckus and the modem/router. I then switch on the STB. The entire cycle repeats without any progress.

When I finally called Singtel MIO TV tech support, they asked me to do as follows:

Check that Broadband light on modem/router is stable and not blinking.
Switch off STB and both Ruckus.
Switch on both Ruckus. Wait for lights to come on as mentioned above.
Switch on STB. Without waiting for it to be fully booted, I was asked to press Power, OK and Down arrow buttons simultaneously on the STB and hold for 7-8s. This was supposed to be a reset.
After this, the STB boots up as per normal, showing the single gear icon, which became 2. The difference now is that while the 2 gears were displayed, the status bar appears again
After about 15 mins, the MIO TV was back in business.

Although this resolves the problem, I think a bigger problem could be that the quality or design of the STB which requires frequent resetting.

Thomas

Launch YouTube video in full screen and play automatically

2009-03-07T09:24:00.006+08:00

Here's a useful way to link to Youtube videos, launch them in fullscreen and play automatically.

http://www.youtube.com/v/MZyI33aBNSw&autoplay=1

The standard YouTube URL is as follows: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MZyI33aBNSw

All you need to do is to remove watch?, add a "/" after "v", remove the "=" after that, and add &autoplay=1 .

Try it here.

Enjoy:)

Getting rid of Gmail spam automatically

2009-02-26T16:30:00.006+08:00

I've just got my 9-year old daughter on Gmail. Naturally, she asked me what are those mails in the Spam folder. I told her to ignore them as they are junk mail.

Tried looking for ways to hide the spam folder or force immediate deletion of mails in that folder. There's no way to hide the folder, but here's a nice tip to delete those spam messages automatically. It works and it's cool.

Have fun:)

Countering Downadup/Conficker worm

2009-01-26T09:21:00.008+08:00

Much has been written about the spread of the Downadup worm (aka Conficker) reaching epidemic status in mere weeks. It's estimated that 9 million PCs may have been infected by this fast-spreading worm as of last week, which uses 3 different distribution channels:

It infects Windows 2000/XP/Vista not patched with Microsoft security update KB958644 which was released in Oct last year.
It tries to crack a PC's administrator password using brute force attacks, and once that is done, it exploits the PC to infect it and spread the worm further
It tries to infect PCs via autorun feature in Windows when removable storage devices such as USB drives and cameras are plugged into a PC. Autorun is a feature in Windows which automatically loads a specified program when the storage device is opened via Windows Explorer.

Computerworld has written a comprehensive FAQ in the link above. Read that to be on the same page as security vendors in terms of what has been understood about this worm. It must be mentioned that researchers are still in the learning mode about this worm and what damage it intends to inflict when infected PCs received instructions from control servers.

In the mean time, what should you do?

Ensure your PC's patched with KB958644. If not, you are encouraged to patch it and also run the Jan 09 edition of Microsoft's Malicious Software Removal Tool.
Change your administrator password to something a lot more complex.
Disable Autorun feature in Windows. The proper way to do this has been documented by US-CERT in this technote. In a nutshell, do this:

a. Click on this link, select Download, and save the file as "autorun.reg" in a folder of your choice. This creates a registry document for importing into your Windows registry. The registry file contains the following text:

REGEDIT4
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\IniFileMapping\Autorun.inf]@="@SYS:DoesNotExist"

b. Import this registry file into your Windows registry as follows:

i. Log in as the administrator of your PC. This will not work with Power User or plain User accounts.

ii. Navigate to the file location where autorun.reg created above resides

iii. Double-click the file to import it into the Windows registry

Note: if you are not logged in as administrator, you may import into your registry as follows if you are using Windows XP or 2000. For Vista users, you can only import by logging in as your PC's administrator and using the above procedure as it requires an elevation of privileges.

- Click Start - Run

- Type cmd and click OK to open a command prompt

- Type runas /user:<your admin user> "regedit /s <folder where autorun is saved>\autorun.reg" and press ENTER.

Replace the values in <> with that which is applicable in your PC. Eg. runas /user:myadmin "regedit /s c:\data\autorun.reg"

May God bless you.

Forget Avantgo, use Plusmo

2008-05-22T14:42:00.001+08:00

I have had so much trouble lately synchronizing with Avantgo that I have all but stopped using it. With few alternatives out there, I picked plusmo.

Within minutes, I created various RSS feeds to pull in news of all sorts. The only thing I can't do on plusmo which I could on Avantgo, is to pull in a full offline copy of Our Daily Bread from RBC Ministries. I will write to RBC if they will consider including the full text for each day's reading in their feed.

Oh by the way, I stumbled upon Techmeme, which seems quite good for a broad selection of tech news.

Cheers,
Thomas

Antivirus on the go - ClamWin on CD

2008-05-22T14:09:00.001+08:00

I have been searching for a neat CD-based antivirus scanner that's easy to carry around to scan and clean infected PCs. Came across ClamWin (v o.93 as of this post) which seems to fit my needs. Creating a portable CD for ClamWin is easy; using it is not so straightforward.

1. Ref to http://www.clamwin.com/content/view/118/89/ on instructions to create the CD. You may use the manual method or the pre-built files from Portableapps.com. For Portableapps, refer to http://portableapps.com/support/clamwin_portable#cd

2. Both manual and the pre-built files methods from portableapps.com prompt for virus definitions database upon starting. It appears that copying of files to CD somehow alters the File Locations in the preferences.

3. To use ClamWin, when you are prompted that virus definitions database is not found and if you want to download, select No. Then, go to Tools-Preferences-File Locations and set all to reference the drive letter for the CDROM drive.

For ClamWinPortable, the locations are:
D:\ClamWinPortable\App\clamwin\bin for the first 2 locations, and D:\ClamWinPortable\Data\db for the virus definition location.

For the manual method, the locations are:
D:\ClamWin\bin for the first 2 locations, and
D:\ClamWin\db for the virus definition location.

Note: If you are prompted that ClamAV is not configured and whether you want to, select Yes. Then fill in the file locations above, and also the locations for the Reports (use the default that shows up in the prompt).

Empower your Nokia E51 Smartphone without spending a cent

2008-01-11T10:07:00.000+08:00

One month after getting my Nokia E51, I've no doubt that it is my best PDA ever. What makes it so special are the 3rd party software that run on this Symbian S60 3rd edition smartphone. Here's the list (by the way, these are either open source or freeware).

1. lightnotepad from www.petnetti.net
X-factor:
Way superior to Notes and ActiveNotes if you have even tried those two
Supports quick navigation within a doc (page down, go to beginning, go to end)
Opens last 3 docs quickly
Finds text within doc
Zooms text
Landscape or portrait view
Doc can be saved to files and folders which can be easily backed up to any PC via ftp using Wifi without the need for Nokia PCsuite. By the way, I don't believe in Nokia PCSuite.

2. Olive tree bible reader from www.olivetree.com
X-factor:
Splits up to 3 screens to allow you to cross reference different Bibles and commentaries
Superb search tool
Choice of free ebooks to go with your reader

3. Avantgo from www.avantgo.com
X-factor:
All the news I need at my fingertips. What more can I say?

4. Sic ftp from www.sic-software.com
X-factor:
Handy tool to backup all my files, images, video, and even the backup of my phone memory. For ftp server on PC, i use open source Filezilla on my home any ftpgo java app on any other PC for adhoc use.

5. Ccalc by Chua Welic
X-factor:
Though Calcium is a popular calculator, I give this one the thumbs up because you can copy and paste the result into other apps. Of course, the programmable function keys is a bonus.

6. Screenshot for Symbian from www.antonypranata.com
X-factor:
For those occasions when you need to show others what you see on your screen, or perhaps take a picture when a video is playing. Only one of the key sequences to take screenshot can be used - the Cancel key.

7. FExplorer from www.gosymbian.com
X-factor:
Everybody needs a file explorer in an operating system. I use both Y-browser and FExplorer, but the latter shows you process, phone and network info. Y-browser has an advantage in that it can show the fullname of the file while it's truncated on FExplorer. By the way, you can't use the screenshot function on FExplorer as the combination of keys to capture screen is impossible on the E51.

8. Dictionary from www.simonjudge.com
X-factor:
Everyone needs a dictionary from time to time. Though not as comprehensive as paid versions, this one comes in handy for spell-checks.

9. Nokia Mobile Search 4.0 from www.nokia.com/mobilesearch
X-factor:
This is much better than the search that comes with E51 as the search interface is smoother. I don't use the feature to search from the web. One feature that's lacking is the ability to do full text search on files such as those created by LightNotepad.

10. Gmail
X-factor:
This is a fast Gmail client. The shortcuts makes it much faster to navigate and act on messages.

11. Mobile9.com
X-factor:
No phone is personalised until you put in a theme that reflects your style. For me, I created my own at www.mobile9.com. The whole process, including downloading and installing to my phone took no longer than 3 minutes.

While I'm happy with my E51, there's still room for improvement. Here's my wishlist of more free tools:

1. A tool to do full text search on text files
2. A version of RotateME that works on E51
3. A version of Vncviewer that works on E51
4. A utility that allows a key to be mapped as the Pen key and Ctrl key so as to allow more nifty operations and navigation such as cut, quick scroll to end of line, etc.
5. A database of course. No PC is complete without a decent database.

Thomas

Make your own VCDs/DVDs with available/open-source software

2008-01-05T18:51:00.000+08:00

You've got lots of personal photos and videos, and you want a cheap and easy way to backup/share these memories. Instead of paying for software or even professional services, here's what you can do if you are adventurous enough.

1. Make a WMV movie with Windows Movie Maker which comes with all Windows XP machines. Import all desired pictures, video and sound tracks (mp3). Use auto-movie option to kick-start the process. Then add any pictures dropped out by auto-movie tool. Add titles as needed along the storyboard, and any special effects between photos/videos.

2. Save movie to high quality video format with 640x480 resolution.

3. Install & run the superb open-source MediaCoder. Use FFMpeg encoder# for your backend and mpeg-1* as your codec and format to convert WMV file. The transcoded file should be about 60% of your WMV file.

* Note: if you want to use SVCD or DVD, choose mpeg-2. Please check this site for more information about formats and codecs.

# Note: if you choose MEncoder instead of FFMpeg, you will experience packet buffer error when you run vcdimager as part of CDRtools Front End in the next step..

4. Install and run the open-source CDRTFE or CDRTools Front End. If writing to VCD, click on the (S)VideoCD tab, ensure vcd 2.0 is selected and leave all other options at default. Hit Start button when you are ready to produce your long-awaited VCD/DVD.

Enjoy:)

Get rid of Clip Collection under Insert-Picture command in MS Word

2006-01-14T16:06:00.000+08:00

If you find lots of Clip Collection commands under Insert-Picture command of MS Word, you may want to remove all of them except one, so that the command list will not look unsightly.
To do this, do as follows:

1. Click Tools-Customize from your top menu bar and leave the Customize dialog box open.
2. Click Insert-Picture from your top menu bar, & right-click on the first Clip Collection command, and click Delete.
3. Repeat the above for all instances of Clip Collection command, but leave the last one intact.

The following picture shows a sample screenshot of the above in action.

Category: c4e1_tips

The other vulnerability besides WMF

2006-01-11T06:29:00.000+08:00

Be sure to patch a critical vulnerability as outlined in Microsoft Security Bulletin MS06-002. In layman terms, this vulnerability allows programs and commands to be run on your PC if you happen to visit a website designed to exploit this vulnerability or if you open a specially crafted email.

As highlighted before in an earlier post, be sure not to log in as Administrator in your day-to-day use of the PC. This will limit the maximum damage that can be inflicted by such vulnerabilities.

Category: c4e1_scty

Keeping track of visits to your blog

2006-01-10T07:34:00.000+08:00

If you maintain one or more blogs, you may want to track the number of visits, page views, etc on your blogs. Why? Because this is an essential step towards understanding more about your blogs, how well-received they are by the world out there. Or you may be contemplating a keyword/cost-per-click advertising program, so having some statistics will be helpful towards gauging how successful this program may be for you.

I personally find this free tool from ShinyStat a gem and have used it on my blog Cyberfellowship. Check it out to see the stats counter right at the bottom of the page. In addition, you get up to 10 free reports for your use.

To add the counter HTML code to your blog, simply put it in the footer section of your template as shown below.

Enjoy fellow bloggers :)
category: c4e1_tips

Latest: Microsoft patch for WMF image vulnerability just released

2006-01-06T07:30:00.000+08:00

Check out the patch from Microsoft for the vulnerability I wrote about in a previous post. If you have de-registered Shimgvw.dll, be sure to re-register it as described in the same post above before you apply the update.

For those who are keen to know what this vulnerability is all about, check out this interview with Ilfak Guilfanov, one of the first to come up with a fix for this vulnerability. I am not endorsing this fix as it lacks support from Microsoft, but the interview sheds light on how the vulnerability can be exploited as well as touches on Data Execution Prevention, which is another layer of protection that can be enabled on XP with SP2.

Category: c4e1_scty

Watch out for Microsoft WMF Patch

2006-01-04T06:26:00.000+08:00

Hold your breath...Microsoft is finally issuing a patch for the WMF vulnerability which I wrote about here. According to just-updated Microsoft Security Advisory, the patch will be released on Tuesday, January 10, 2006.

If you have not turned on Automatic Updates on your Win XP/2000, please do so. Many exploits of this vulnerability have surfaced in the wild.

PS. For those who have followed the suggestion from Microsoft to de-register Shimgvw.dll, remember to re-register it before applying the patch. Procecure to re-register as follows:

Click Start, click Run, type “regsvr32 %windir%\system32\shimgvw.dll” (without the quotation marks), and then click OK.

Category: c4e1_scty

Categorize your blog postings

2006-01-02T11:49:00.000+08:00

As you post more blog entries, you will find a need for categories. I'll tell you why:

Your readers need to easily locate your posts by topic
They may not be able to reach long-archived postings, especially since archive links list archives by dates, and if you have many of them, going through them gets daunting, and the fact that Previous Posts shows only last 10 posts doesn't help

You will realise that Blogger doesn't offer post categorization. There are ways to achieve this. Do a search on "blog how to categorize posts" & you will see a variety.

I have ruled out using Technorati as it seems that you need an account with del.icio.us, besides when I used Technorati to search my blog, the results were not as bad as Blogger Search but still way incomplete. Ruled out using Blogger Search (beta) as suggested by Danchong as Blogger Search result is horrid, also read that search only covers blog entries posted after a certain date in 2005, which doesn't work for me since I started blogging way before that date.

I finally settled for a combination of using PicoSearch and a drop-down box as suggested by Li Zhao. It's brilliant & practical. All entries were accurately picked up by Pico. Li Zhao has documented how it's done, but to add on, I will share some tips & caveats.

1. Put the codes from Pico in your blog template's profile-container just before $BlogMemberProfile$. This will make your drop-down box appear in every page of your blog.

2. Create as many categories as you like via OPTION VALUE, eg. before the tag.

3. Save your template and republish whole blog.

4. In your posts, ensure that you enter the keyword (c4e1_tips in above example) somewhere in the body of your post. I do so in the last line in the smallest available font. You can creatively hide this using a font color that matches your blog post body.

5. The reason why I use a cryptic-sounding keyword is so that you won't get funny ads on your search results. For example, if you have a generic keyword such as "fun", expect all manners of suggestive ads when users go to this category.

6. About the keyword:

Since PicoSearch can search up to 3 sites that you specify, in order to ensure that the search in each blog returns only entries for that blog, prepend your keyword with something unique to that blog. In my example, this blog is http://computing4every1.blogspot.com, so I prepend the keyword with an abbreviated code (c4e1) of this blog. When I search this blog, it will not return entries from other blogs registered in my account with Pico.

Caveats:

The free version of PicoSearch indexes up to 250 pages. If you don't archive your posts, this can go a long way. When you hit this limit, consider a paid version, or hopefully by then, Blogger Search is better or Blogger comes with categorization.
You need to manually re-index via Pico when you have added new postings.

Category: c4e1_tips

ColorIndex in Excel

2006-01-01T16:28:00.000+08:00

Here's the index of colors that you can use in Excel VBA.

Category: c4e1_tips

Excel VBA Button for creating hosts file to input via ZonedOut

2005-12-31T21:22:00.000+08:00

I wrote about using ZonedOut to update Restricted Zone in Maximum Internet Safety...

Here's an Excel macro I developed which you can embed into a button in a worksheet and run it to import entries from the hosts file from MVPS.org. The imported entries will be saved into a text file which can then be imported via ZonedOut into IE's Restricted Sites zone.

The text file will be named as hostsyyyymmdd.txt and stored in your My Documents folder.

Private Sub CommandButton1_Click()
'get My Documents path
Dim usrpath As String
Dim filechk As String
Dim destfile As String
Dim datename As String
Dim k As Date
Dim a As String
Dim b As Long
Dim n As Single
Application.StatusBar = ""usrpath = Environ("USERPROFILE")filechk = Dir(usrpath & "\My Documents\hosts.txt")
If filechk = "" Then
MsgBox "Hosts file for importing not found. Please copy hosts.txt into My Documents"
GoTo stopproc
Else
Application.StatusBar = "Processing records from Hosts.txt..."
n = 0
Set Newbook = Workbooks.Add
Open usrpath & "\My Documents\hosts.txt" For Input As #1
Dim lineentry As String

Do While Not EOF(1) ' Loop until end of file.
Line Input #1, lineentry ' Read line into variable.
If lineentry = "" Then GoTo skipline
If Left(lineentry, 1) = "#" Then GoTo skipline 'all other lines to be imported
a = Trim(Mid(lineentry, 10))
If Left(a, 9) = "localhost" Then GoTo skipline

b = InStr(a, "#")

If b = 0 Then
a = a
Else
a = Trim(Left(a, b - 1))
End If

'write a to workbook

n = n + 1
Newbook.Worksheets(1).Cells(n, 1).Value = a

skipline:

Loop

With Newbook

k = Date
datename = CStr(Year(k)) & CStr(Month(k)) & CStr(Day(k))
destfile = usrpath & "\My Documents\hosts" & datename & ".txt"
.SaveAs FileFormat:=xlTextWindows
.SaveAs Filename:=destfile
.Close

End With

Application.StatusBar = CStr(n) & " host entries created in " & destfile

Close #1

End If

stopproc:

End Sub

category:c4e1_scripts

Beware of Windows Metafile exploit (WMF)

2005-12-31T17:36:00.000+08:00

A recently discovered vulnerability with Windows Metafile (WMF) data format is gaining traction in being exploited to target unsuspecting users. An artcle in eWeek warns of adware makers exploiting banner ads to download adware into PCs visiting sites showing these banners.

For the layman, what this means is that you should:

avoid opening, viewing or saving file attachments (received via email, Instant Messaging, or from Web) ending with WMF, JPG, TIF, PNG, etc. WMF files named with other extensions can just as well unload malicious codes which can in turn execute commands on your workstations. In general, avoid clicking on unsolicited and untrusted links.
avoid browsing unknown, new, or untrusted websites as web page loaded with specially crafted WMF file can exploit this vulnerability as well.
It has been reported that this affects Internet Explorer as well as Firebox, and Windows machines with the latest security updates.
Don't be too happy relying on updated signatures from Anti-virus software providers as this vulnerability can be exploited by malicious codes faster than AV providers can update signatures to identify and block them.

For technical details on this vulnerability, please refer to this note from SecurityFocus.
Microsoft has issued an advisory but apart from informing you, no patch/solution is provided. IMHO, a solution will have to come in the form of a security update for IE and Windows to block this exploit.

category:c4e1_scty

Maximum Internet Safety with Microsoft Internet Explorer

2005-12-22T01:29:00.000+08:00

With all the online threats such as viruses, spyware, adware & phishing scams lurking somewhere on the internet, you want to stay clear from them as much as you can. What can you do to ensure a safe and worry-free internet surfing experience? Here are some tips to keep you safe, if you are using Microsoft Internet Explorer (v6 or later) like me.

1. Ensure that your IE is updated with all critical & important security patches. If you are using Microsoft Windows XP or 2000, ensure that Automatic Updates under Control Panel is set to Automatic (Recommended) and not turned off. To verify that you have the latest patches installed, go to Add or Remove Programs under Control Panel, ensure Show Updates box is checked, then compare most recently updated patches with that on Microsoft's current Security Bulletin at http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/current.aspx

2. Set maximum security to Restricted Sites zone on IE (the easiest way to do this is to click Tools-Internet Options-Security-Restricted Sites-Custom Level-Reset to High, then disable everything except Pop-up blocker, set Software Channel Permission - High Safety) and add restricted sites to it. You can add a huge pool of restricted sites to IE via SpyAD. Or if you prefer to review restricted sites and customize them before adding to IE, you can use a freeware ZonedOut to import sites from http://www.mvps.org/winhelp2002/hosts.htm. If you would like a ready-made text list based on the list at MVPS.org for importing into ZonedOut, get it here.

3. For Internet zone security, using Custom Level, reset to High, then set Scripting - Active Scripting AND Scripting of Java Applets to Prompt if desired.

4. Ensure that you have resident anti-virus and anti-spyware scanning in place. If you are a Home User looking for a free anti-virus & anti-spyware solution, I use AVG Anti-virus (get it here http://free.grisoft.com/doc/Get+AVG+FREE/lng/us/tpl/v5), and Microsoft Anti-Spyware (beta) (get it from www.microsoft.com). Aside from resident scanning, ensure that you schedule a complete system scan at least once a week.

5. Ensure that you have a firewall software for your internet connection. If you are a Home User looking for a free software firewall, I use ZoneAlarm (get it here http://download.zonelabs.com/bin/free/1001_cnet_zdnet/zlsSetup_61_737_000_en.exe). I set most programs to prompt for access to the internet, including Outlook Express. If you are new to this software, you can drop me a note, and I will answer you as soon as I can.

6. If you prefer to use Windows Firewall, then ensure that you turn it on from Control Panel, and be selective about what exceptions you allow. A firewall is useless if it permits all kinds of access from the Internet.

7. Ensure that you update all internet-based applications with the latest patches, such as Java Runtime Environment, Flash/Shockwave Players, all media players (Windows, Real, QuickTime). A good place to get news on security updates is Secunia Advisories at http://secunia.com/

category:c4e1_tips

Best Home Computing Practices

2005-12-17T22:32:00.000+08:00

Human beings are the weakest link in today's IT Age. No matter how well-fortified your PC is, a leaked password or a thoughtless software installation can still do much harm. Hence, think about how you DO PC daily. The following best practices can help you enjoy a better experience with your Windows-based PC.

Be selective about what links you click on the web, in email, or those received via Instant Messaging client (such as Yahoo!, MSN Chat and ICQ), even those from trusted sources. Some links are exploited by viruses or phishers to exploit security vulnerabilities to compromise your PC. Always check with senders on links received in emails/instant messaging chat sessions, when in doubt.
Don't respond to every email or instant message requesting you to click on links to update profiles, especially user ID and passwords. Update your profile directly on the organization's website if you must.
Don't click on links without a domain name (eg. http://203.xxx.xxx.xxx). These privately hosted servers may contain virus codes waiting to be unleashed on unsuspecting visitors.
Don't launch file attachments received in email or found on websites, without first detaching them to a folder, and then scanning them with anti-virus and anti-spyware (updated with latest engines and signatures). If any spyware or virus is found, delete the file and avoid opening them, ever.
Be selective about what information you send over the web. Do not send private information over normal http connections. If you must transact or submit private information, use only sites that support SSL connections (or https protocol), and only do such business with reputable organizations. Check internet forums for scams related to any suspected organizations.
Be selective about what software you install on your system. Shareware or freeware may come with adware, spyware or other malicious software. Do a check with other users in forums before installing any software. Make it a practice to create a System Restore point before installing any software (including drivers) or updating any Windows registry settings. You can do this from Programs-Accessories-System Tools-System Restore & select to create a restore point.
Always use a Windows account that's below the Administrator for day to day use, including internet surfing. Using an administrator account for all activities allows a virus or malicious code to wreak maximum havoc on your system. With a Power/Limited User account, your are already limiting the potential damage caused by any malicious code.
Finally, data backup is a good practice that's still relevant. I backup all my mails and critical data files to CD monthly. You may backup to thumb drives and have it scheduled automatically. You may also use free webmail services such as Gmail or Yahoo to store date files (recommended to be encrypted or ZIPped with password before uploading; or avoid storing private and confidential data altogether). Or if you are willing to pay, there are online storage services that you can subscribe to. No matter what, ensure that your PC's recovery CD is always within reach for the last resort of having to re-install a crashed PC.

category:c4e1_security, c4e1_tips