KrishnaP.com.np

Nepalese Certification Blog

How to Select the Best Processor


Decisions, Decisions

First, you need to know that both AMD and Intel (the “Big Two” in the processor world) segment their processors into three distinct groups: Value , Mainstream and Performance (or Enthusiast ). Further, these three groups can be subdivided into their respective laptop and desktop groups. (Note: there is also a server group and even an Intelultra-value group, however in this Tech Tip; we will be concentrating on the two mainstream end-user groups of processors) It should be noted that there is a lot of cross-over within the groups in the processors core architecture as well as naming conventions. [Read the rest of this entry...]

Web Platform Installer 2.0 Beta for Windows 7, Vista SP1, and XP SP3

The Microsoft Web Platform Installer has evolved this week from version 1.0 to 2.0. In fact, as MIX09 debuted, the Redmond company made available for download the Beta development milestone of Web Platform Installer 2.0. Web Platform Installer 2.0 Beta is only supported on Windows Vista RTM and SP1, Windows XP SP2 and SP3, Windows Server 2003 and Windows Server 2008. However, the bits also manage to integrate with the next iteration of the Windows operating system, Windows 7. With version 2.0 the software giant aims to take the already simplified download and install process of its collection of web solutions a step further.


“It includes everything that you need to get up and running to build your web solutions – from servers, tools, and technologies, including the most recently updated products. This means you don’t have to go to a different website and download to set up your dev machines or servers! With the WebPI, you can install the entire stack all from one website – www.microsoft.com/web and one installer. Additionally, the WebPI installs the community version of PHP 5.2.9-1 so you have easy integration with popular web applications. All you need is a Windows machine or hosted version of Windows,” revealed Mark Brown, Microsoft senior product manager.

Essentially, the Web Platform installer 2.0 makes sure that a variety of Microsoft, as well as third-party software, can be deployed from a single install designed to centralize otherwise disparate components. The WebPI brings to the table such solutions as .NET Framework, IIS and Extensions, SQL Server 2008 Express, Visual Web Developer Express, and even DotNetNuke and WordPress.

“What’s in the Web Platform Installer 2.0 Beta? IIS 5.1, 6.0 or 7.0 depending on your version of Windows; .NET Framework 3.5 SP1; Visual Web Developer 2008 Express Edition; IIS Extensions including: Media Services 3.0, Admin Pack, DB Manager, WebDav 7.5, FTP 7.5, FastCGI for PHP support, URL Rewriter, Application Routing, Web Deployment Tool; ASP.NET and features such as ASP.NET MVC; Silverlight Tools for Visual Studio and the Community Version of PHP v5.2.9-1,” Brown added.

Web Platform Installer 2.0 Beta is available for download here.

Oh, No, I deleted my everything !

Hard Drive Recovery and the recovery of apparently lost files and date can often be restored with some simple know hows or data recovery software. What a great world we live in.

Computers are one of the best tools that has come into the hands of man since the convenience of toilet paper. Your computer offers you the ability to store all your valuable files and data in one convenient place and in most cases makes it portable.

But in the event of a Hard Drive Crash or the the loss of important or valued data, files, pictures, movies etc., that wonderful computer turns into an expensive paper weight taking up space on your desk or kitchen table.

Sometimes we tend to convince ourselves that our lost or deleted files are gone forever and that hours or weeks of work to replace them is required. But in many cases lost files and data, even a Hard Disk Recovery can be done in moments.

Lost or deleted files can be located and recovered. Often you may just find it sitting in your trash. To recover it, simply click and drag it onto your computer desktop. If you would like to replace it back into it’s original place or folder simply right click it and choose that.

On occasion, you start up your computer and can’t find that file you worked on so hard. Before you start yelling out to your spouse or children a simple search of files on your computer may bring it up. Often we quickly save our files not noticing where our computer decided to save them to. Often they are in a folder we have not thought of. To find that file click on “Start” and use your search function there. Type in part or all of the name of your file and you may just find it !

In the event that you or someone has accidentally deleted your wanted file or data then all is not lost. Data recovery software will search your computer and restore it for you. Imagine a file being like a painting. It is painted over white ready for next use, but the painting, or in this case the data, is still there underneath. You just need to remove the white paint. Data recovery software does the job for you. It scans your computer for recoverable items and asks you if you want to recover any or all of them.

You may be surprised what you find !

Hard Drive Recovery Tools are also available. When your computer starts choking on memory, freezing, crashing to a halt or re-starting itself or you hear strange noises coming from your hard drive then a crash may well be on the way. You’ll probably start seeing serious looking error messages, note these done before you click them away.

In most cases free computer support is available. Click your “Start” button, then right click on “My Computer” then choose “Properties” then “Support”. It should show you a phone number and times to ring for free computer support. Support will walk you through steps to rectify your problems but may end-up recommending you completely recover your computer losing all files on your “C Drive”. Effectively your computer returns to the day you brought it home from the shop. [Read the rest of this entry...]

6 Steps to a Faster Broadband Connection

Even if you’re paying top dollar for high-speed Internet service, you may not be getting the performance you expect. Follow our guide to boost your broadband speed.

If you’re serious about the Internet, chances are you spend anywhere from $30 to $99 per month for a broadband Internet connection. But regardless of how much you pay, are you getting all the speed that your Internet service provider promised you? And does your connection persist reliably without dropping out frequently or requiring modem reboots? With our quick guide, you can squeeze every last kilobit-per-second (kbps) of throughput out of your broadband modem and keep your connection running smoothly.
1. Test Your Connection Speed
Before you start tweaking, get a baseline reading of your downstream and upstream connection speeds at Speedtest.net. If possible, measure the speeds at different times of day, especially during the hours when you use the connection most frequently and at least once after midnight or 1:00 a.m. (when competition for bandwidth is likely to be at its lowest level).
2. Update Your Firmware or Get a New Modem
If your cable or DSL modem is more than a couple of years old, ask your ISP for a new one. The exchange will probably be free; if there is a fee, you can usually waive it by agreeing to a new one-year contract. The latest cable modems meet the DOCSIS 2.0 (Data Over Cable Service Interface Specification) standard. If you have a 1.1 modem and a high-throughput plan, you’ll likely experience a large speed increase just by swapping modems.

Even with a brand-new modem, make sure that you have the latest firmware installed. I upgraded my two-year-old Efficient Networks 5100b DSL modem from firmware version 1.0.0.39 to 1.0.0.53 and immediately saw my Speedtest throughput increase from 5.3 mbps to 5.9 mbps, just a hair below the 6 mbps that I’m paying for. Cable providers such as Comcast usually push new firmware to modems, so there’s no need for most cable modem users to perform upgrades themselves. [Read the rest of this entry...]

A popular Website, phpbb.com, was recently hacked

A popular Website, phpbb.com, was recently hacked. The hacker published approximately 20,000 user passwords from the site. This is like candy to us security professionals because it’s hard data we can use to figure out how users choose passwords. I wrote a program to analyze these passwords looking for patterns, and came up with some interesting results.

This incident is similar to one two years ago when MySpace was hacked, revealing about 30,000 passwords. Both Wired and InfoWorld published articles analyzing the passwords.

The striking different between the two incidents is that the phpbb passwords are simpler. MySpace requires that passwords “must be between 6 and 10 characters, and contain at least 1 number or punctuation character.” Most people satisfied this requirement by simply appending “1″ to the ends of their passwords. The phpbb site has no such restrictions — the passwords are shorter and rarely contain anything more than a dictionary word.

It’s hard to judge exactly how many passwords are dictionary words. A lot of words, like “xbox” or “pokemon,” are clearly words, but aren’t in an English dictionary. I ran the phpbb passwords through various dictionary files and come up with a 65% match (for a simple English dictionary) and 94% (for “hacker” dictionaries). The dictionary words were overwhelmingly simple ones, like “apple” or “orange,” rather than complex words like “pomegranate.” [Read the rest of this entry...]