|
This
month I'd like to show you my test results for sandbox
programs. Of the eight programs I tested, four provided
excellent protection against malware while the other four
flopped badly. Only one program of the eight passed all the
tests with flying colors.
Sandbox
programs are security products that allow you to run
programs in a kind of virtual PC or sandbox created on your real
PC.
The
aim is clear: to isolate malicious programs from infecting
your real PC by confining them to the sandbox.
The
most common application for sandboxing is web browsing. By
running your browser in a sandboxed environment your real PC
cannot get infected by malicious sites and infected downloads.
Well
that's the promise; as we shall see, only half the sandbox
programs tested delivered on this promise.
I
managed to locate eight sandbox programs. Actually I found
quite a few more that used sandbox techniques but these really
belonged to other product classes such as HIPS programs or
system lockdown products. I also excluded VMWare, Virtual PC and
Linux based solutions as they have been well covered in previous
issues of this newsletter.
To
evaluate the eight sandboxes I used a series of seven
different tests based on my own standard tests with additional
tests from http://kareldjag.over-blog.com/.
The
first was the most important: could the sandbox protect the
"real PC" from infection when browsing to a hostile "drive-by
download" web site?
Four
products passed this test with flying colors. They were:
SandBoxie
GreenBorder
BufferZone
ShadowSurfer
The
four products that flunked the "drive-by download" test were:
Altiris
SVS
GeSWall
VELite
Virtual Sandbox
As
these last four products failed the most important test, I
didn't evaluate them further.
The
next test was to try to terminate the sandbox using a
program running within the sandbox. A sandbox really needs to
pass this test otherwise its protection may be rendered useless
by aggressive malware running in the sandbox.
All
four programs did well and resisted most of the different
termination methods I tried. SandBoxie failed one test which
involved rebuilding the Service Descriptor Table (SDT) and then
termination with Diamond Computer System's Advanced Program
Termination utility. This is an obscure attack and I've
communicated with the developer of SandBoxie so that he can
cover this small hole in its otherwise excellent defenses. A
fix is on the way.
In
fact, the four top products passed most of my tests - an
impressive performance. However, only one managed to pass all
seven.
That
product was GreenBorder and based on that performance I'd
have to rate it at the top of the pack. It was also one of the
best implemented products.
It
was also the most expensive. Now that really surprises you
doesn't it? :>)
Sandboxie
is the cheapest product of the four; it's free. More
accurately it's donationware. However it provides great
protection and hopefully the developer will soon fix its one
small weakness.
In
truth, all four products are excellent and get my hearty
endorsement. They will provide robust protection for your PC
against the most hostile malware.
Do
you really need one of these products? It depends on your
risk level.
If
you are a low risk user who only rarely installs programs,
doesn't use P2P networks and only browses to well known web
sites then you don't need a sandboxing program. You can instead
rely on your normal anti-virus, anti-spyware and firewall
software to protect you.
However
if you are a higher risk user then a sandbox program
will provide you with the level of protection you really need.
There
is another caveat. I know from subscriber letters that
these sandbox programs can cause problems on some PCs.
In
fact, if you have one of these troublesome PCs, none of these
products may work. These cases however should be in the
minority; most folks won't have any problem at all. Certainly I
haven't. But remember to backup before installing any of these
programs
In
this brief editorial I've only covered the main findings of
my tests. For a full analysis and more detailed product guidance
check out the full report on the Support Alert web site. http://www.techsupportalert.com/security_virtualization.htm
See you next month.
Gizmo
Ian "Gizmo" Richards
editor@techsupportalert.com
PS
This month I'm giving away six free copies of the the top
rated Anti virus NOD32 plus lots of Google GMail invites. For
details, see below.
Support
Alert is not produced by a giant publishing empire, it's
the work of one man, working alone, namely me.
Support
Alert relies on paid subscriptions to survive. If you
feel that you've benefited from reading this newsletter perhaps
you would like to consider donating by subscribing to the
premium "Supporters' Edition" of this newsletter.
The
Premium SE Edition contains almost twice the number of great
tech sites, free utilities, tips and other content as the
free edition. It's also ad-free.
You'll
also get immediate access to the archive of all past
issues of the Premium Supporters' Edition of the newsletter
where you can catch up on the hundreds of great utilities you
missed in the free edition. The SE Edition is a great deal
and at $10 per year it's a bargain.
This
month I'm giving away to new subscribers, six free copies
of the the top rated Anti virus NOD32.
NOD32
is a brilliant program for protecting your PC yet it only
consumes a modest amount of your computing resources. That's why
I use it on my key work computers. At $39 it's good value but
it's even better value when you can get it for free.
The
six copies I'm giving away will be allocated at random but
your chances of scoring one are actually quite good. So if you
have been thinking of subscribing, now's the time.
I'm
also giving away invites to Google Gmail to new
SE subscribers. Last month everyone who wanted one got one and
I expect the same to happen this month. Just email me at
editor@techsupportalert.com after subscribing to the Premium SE
Edition and I'll send your invitation.
Even
if you don't win anything you'll still get my special
report "Gizmo's Desert Island Utilities" which outlines the
software I use myself, including many free products.
HOW TO
SUBSCRIBE TO THE PREMIUM SE EDITION
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1.0 TOP TECH SITES AND RESOURCES
1.1 Ultimate List of Free Windows Software from
Microsoft
Over
150 freebies including many I'd never heard of. Many thanks
to Art Flores for the link.
http://bhandler.spaces.live.com/blog/cns!70F64BC910C9F7F3!1231.entry
1.2 Windows XP SP2 is Now a Must
Windows
XP service pack 2 has been released for a long time yet
many users have never installed it. In some cases this is simple
ignorance but quite often it's because of the problems it causes
when installed. The case for installing SP2 is overwhelming on
security grounds alone. Now you have another reason: Microsoft
support for Windows XP SP1 ends on October 11. If you have had
problems with installing XP2 then sort them out by consulting
this site [1] or Microsoft's special SP2 support site [2].
[1] http://winhlp.com/WxSP2.htm
[2] http://support.microsoft.com/?pr=windowsxpsp2
1.3 Useful Windows Run Command Cheat Sheet
Most
Windows functions that can be carried out through the
normal GUI interface can also be accessed via the command line
interface. In fact, some functions can ONLY be accessed through
the command line. This site lists 99 command line programs
covering both categories. http://www.fixmyxp.com/content/view/20/42/
1.4 Outstanding Security Testing Site
I've
long been a critic of the way most security tests are
conducted. If you want to see how you should test security
products then check out this site [1]. Quite frankly, no one
does it better. Their reviews of HIPS products is particular, is
definitive. [1] http://kareldjag.over-blog.com/
1.5 Free Wake up Calls
Subscriber
Adeniji Akintobi writes, "Gizmo, I wanted to bring a
website to your attention. It's similar to the "Oh Don't Forget"
website you recommended in a previous issue except you get phone
calls instead of text messages. You can order wake up calls or
reminder calls for free." Thanks for that Adeniji, nice site. I
note, though, the service is only for the continental USA.
http://www.telepixie.com
1.6 Overcoming Windows Verification Woes
Shy
subscriber "Joe" writes, "Gizmo, Why bother with Windows
authentication hassles when you can get all the Windows updates
from this site [1]?" Quite so Joe and they even offer a browser
plug-in to automate the process. Subscriber Al O'Lamoree has
another solution: install the automatic patching program NetChk
Protect [2] that's currently available to personal users free
for 12 months. The later solution has the advantage that it will
update all the software on your PC not just Microsoft. However
you do need to be tech-savvy to use it. [1] http://windowsupdate.62nds.com/
[2] http://www.shavlik.com/netchk-protect.aspx
**
Additional Items in the Premium SE Edition **
1.7
One
Web Dictionary to Rule Them All
1.8
Select the Right Colors for Your Web Site
1.9
Outlook Passwords Explained
1.10
The Best Value Gaming PCs
Got
some great tech sites to suggest? Send them to:
editor@techsupportalert.com
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2.0 TOP FREEWARE AND SHAREWARE UTILITIES
2.1 The Best Free Project Manager
Open
Workbench is a free Open Source project manager that is so feature rich and so powerful
that it should at least be considered before any decision is made to purchase a commercial
project management package. It's a product that takes time to get your head around. If you
have been using Microsoft Project or other task based manager you'll have to re-orient
your thinking because Open Workbench is resource-driven not task-driven. "An Open
Workbench plan is built up from estimates for the tasks of work. Estimates are tied to the
resource assigned to the tasks. Duration is then driven by the number of hours each
resource will work per week to cover the total number of hours required for the tasks.
Open Workbench is best suited for groups that estimate total work effort based on the
estimates for all the tasks associated with a project, and then create a staffing plan and
schedule for those estimates." Once you come to terms with this, you will still have to
grapple with learning how to use this powerful product. Here is a partial feature list:
- Define projects and create associated work breakdown
structures with activities, phases, tasks and milestones
- Create dependencies as finish-start, start-start, finish-
finish or start-finish
- Create subprojects and link them to master projects
- Create and manage inter-project dependencies
- Manage advanced task properties such as fixed duration,
dependency lag, imposed start/end dates and charge codes
- Schedule tasks manually or automatically using Auto Schedule
- Automatically schedule tasks forwards or backwards
- Schedule across linked master and subprojects
- Schedule to general or individualized calendars
- Define resources as people, equipment, materials or expense
- Assign resources to tasks
- Configure resources on tasks with uniform, fixed, contour,
front or back loading
- Track status, percent complete and estimates to complete
- View Gantt charts (both detail and roll-up), PERT charts and
the critical path
- Conduct earned value analysis
- Define, compare and reset project baseline setting
- Can read Microsoft Project files
Open
Workbench is the real thing, not some amateurish, half baked effort. Like Microsoft
Project, it is best suited to large scale projects that can justify the considerable time
it takes to learn the product. Those with smaller projects may want to consider some of
the simpler (and less powerful) alternatives such as GanttPV [2] or ToDoList [3]. Freeware
(registration required), Windows 2000 and later, 9.03MB.
[1] http://www.openworkbench.org/index.php
[2] http://www.pureviolet.net/ganttpv/index.html
[3] http://www.codeproject.com/tools/todolist2.asp
2.2 Best Free Screen Capture Utility
My
top suggestions in this category have long been PrintScreen
[1] and ScreenHunter Lite [2]. The former has the advantage of
simplicity while the later has more features. These are both
quality freebies that will meet the needs of most people so I
haven't really been looking for alternatives. However, after
some glowing recommendations from subscribers about FastStone's
Screen Capture [3] I decided to check this program out. In a
word, it's outstanding. It's small, doesn't require installation
and has more features than you could ever want including the
ability to capture scrolling screen shots across more than one
screen page. It can also save in BMP, JPEG, JPEG2000, PNG, GIF,
TIFF and TGA formats. In many ways it's like the full commercial
version of ScreenHunter except that it's free for personal use.
This one goes straight into my "46 Best-ever Freeware" list.
While at the site check out FastStone's Image Viewer [4]. I
think it's the best freebie in its class. Its speed is simply
sensational; reminiscent of the old ACDSee before it suffered
feature bloat. [1] http://www.gadwin.com/printscreen/?prnscr
[2]
http://www.wisdom-soft.com/products/screenhunter.htm
[3] http://www.faststone.org/FSCaptureDetail.htm Free for personal use, all Windows versions, 1.2MB
[4] http://www.faststone.org/FSViewerDetail.htm Free for personal use, all Windows versions, 2.9MB
2.3 Free Text to Speech Utility
Recently
subscriber Jim Powell wrote in to tell me about Dimio's
Tool's [1] web site offering a collection of free utilities.
When I checked it out I found they were offering a free remote
shutdown program, a task manager, folder sync utility and more.
But what really caught my eye was DSpeech, a free text to speech
and voice recognition program. Unlike other similar utilities
DSpeech is small (600KB) and doesn't need to be installed. This
makes it ideal for folks who only have an occasional need for
text to speech conversion. To use the program you cut and past
text into the conversion window and press the "Speak" button.
Speech quality is totally dependant on the voices you use. The
best voices are commercial products but the site lists some free
voices that give quite acceptable quality. Freeware, Windows NT
and later, 600KB. http://dimio.altervista.org/eng/
2.4 Firefox Extension Provides Enhanced Search
Now,
how can you go past an extension called "Advanced Dork?"
Well, I couldn't and as a result discovered an excellent free
tool that performs various advanced Google searches when you
right click on any highlighted word or phrase on a web page. The
search options include maps, definitions, links, Froogle and a
dozen or so more. You can even select which options are
displayed in the right click context menu. I use it a lot for
finding the meaning of new technical terms as well as locating
maps of places unfamiliar to me.
https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/2144/
2.5 Top Free Process Viewer Enhanced
I
have several process viewers scattered across my various PCs
but the one I find myself using most often is "What's Running"
[1]. It's not the most powerful; SysInternal's excellent Process
Explorer [2] takes that title. It's not the most informative;
WinTasks [3] wins there. It's also slow to load. So why do I use
it? Easy: it gives me the information I want in the way I want
it. That's because "What's Running" is more than a process
viewer, it's an excellent startup manager and port enumerator as
well. That means I can just flick between the various tabs to
get the full lowdown on what's running on my PC without leaving
the product. The latest version 2.2 adds even more functionality
to an already powerful product and also offers usability
enhancements. The new feature I liked most was the ability to
jump from an autostart entry to the running processes created by
that entry. Try it, you may like it. Free for personal use,
Windows 2000 and later, 1.1MB [1]
http://www.sysinternals.com/Utilities/ProcessExplorer.html
[2] http://www.liutilities.com/products/wintaskspro/
[3] http://www.whatsrunning.net/whatsrunning/main.aspx
**
Additional Items in the Premium SE Edition **
2.6
Free Personal Information Manager
2.7
The Best Free Software Cataloging Utility
2.8
Excellent Free Font Manager
2.9
New Free Firewall
Impresses
Got
some top utilities to suggest? Send them to
editor@techsupportalert.com
3.0 SECURITY PATCHES, SERVICE RELEASES AND UPDATES
3.1 Microsoft Security News
Patch
Tuesday on September 12 yielded only three patches, one of
the smallest for months. Of the three patches only one, a
vulnerability in Microsoft Publisher [1], was rated as
"Critical."
Also
included was a re-release of a massive Internet Explorer
cumulative update. This re-release patches a vulnerability
missed last time around and ends a public row between Microsoft
and the security company eEye who first published details of the
overlooked flaw.
Full
details of the updates can be found here [2]. All the
updates are distributed automatically by the Microsoft Update
Service. It is extremely important that users who do not have
automatic updates enabled visit the Update Service [3] now. [1] http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/Bulletin/MS06-054.mspx
[2]
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/bulletin/ms06-sep.mspx
[3] http://update.microsoft.com (Requires IE5 or later)
3.2 Computer Users Rebel against Security Software
Sick
and tired of all this computer security stuff that's being
thrust down your neck? Then you'll find this delightful piece
submitted by subscriber "Briard" highly satisfying. I don't
agree with all Briard says but I do understand how he feels.
http://www.techsupportalert.com/security-blues.htm
3.3 PCs Compromised by Unpatched Word 2000 Flaw
Microsoft
on September 5 finally confirmed a problem that had
been previously identified by security companies that allowed
users PCs to be compromised simply by opening a specially
crafted document in Word 2000. All Word 2000 users should avoid
opening any Word document from untrusted sources until a patch
is released. http://www.frsirt.com/english/advisories/2006/3448
3.4 New Rootkit Detector
How
many free rootkit detectors do we really need? Well,
apparently Sophos thinks at least one more. I had a quick look
and its new offering [1] and found it simple to use and fast to
scan and it also offers to clean any rootkits detected. But does
it actually detect rootkits? I did a quick test against some
rootkits that I had on hand and it found Hacker Defender but
missed FuTo, a special version of Vanquish and Rootkit11. Well,
at least it scanned fast. ;>) At this stage, I suggest most
average users would be best off with F-Secures's BlackLight
scanner [2] while advanced users should use DarkSpy [3] and/or
the GMER scanner [4]. [1]
http://www.sophos.com/products/free-tools/sophos-anti-rootkit.html
[2] http://www.f-secure.com/blacklight/
[3]
http://www.softpedia.com/get/Antivirus/DarkSpy-Anti-Rootkit.shtml
[4] http://www.gmer.net/
3.5 SpySweeper's New Version Bugs Fixed
Last
issue I complained about a bug in the new version 5 of
WebRoot's excellent SpySweeper program that was eating up a lot
of processing power on my PC. The good news is that the latest
release appears to have fixed the problem. The bad news is the
"fix" appears to consist of disabling the keylogger scanner that
was one of the new features of version 5. Well, at least it
works now. http://www.webroot.com
3.6 Premium Version of Open Office 2 Released
This
"premium version" is really the same as Open Office V2 with
the addition of:
* Clip Art (currently more than 2,800 objects)
* Templates (number varies by language)
* Samples (number varies by language)
* Documentation (if available)
* Fonts (more than 90 fonts)
It all adds up to a massive download of around 200MB.
http://sourceforge.net/forum/forum.php?forum_id=605082
3.7 German Police Seize Tor Servers
Tor
is a free anonymizing service that's widely used by privacy-
conscious surfers. On 7 September the security of their privacy
took a severe nose-dive when German police seized a number of
Tor servers in that country as part a campaign to crack down on
"men who have an strange interest in young children." Note my
spam filter inspired sensitivity there. ;>) Folks, this incident
is a just another example of what I have long told you: there is
no such thing as absolute privacy on the internet. That doesn't
mean you have no privacy. Quite the opposite; you can achieve a
high degree of privacy. But absolute privacy, no way.
http://www.boingboing.net/2006/09/10/report_german_police.html
3.8 New Spam Onslaught Challenges Spam Filters
Noticing
more spam arriving in your mail? Then join the crowd.
There is currently a spate of spam that uses large slabs of
random text to poison Bayesian Spam filters [1]. There's not
much you can do about it except to add another layer of
filtering that uses a different technique such as the network
filter used in Cloudmark Safety Bar [2]. [1]
http://www.spam-burger.com/How-Spammers-Fool-Bayesian-Filters-And-How-To-Stop-Them.html
[2]
http://techsupportalert.com/reviews/review-cloudmark.htm
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4.0 OTHER USEFUL STUFF
4.1 Really Cheap Software
Regular
contributor Leib Moscovitz writes, "Gizmo, in case you
didn't see this, they have some very good deals, offered for one
day only, and for a limited quantity of each software package.
You can also suggest programs for them to feature at a discount.
http://www.bitsdujour.com/
4.2 Free Library Offers Process Information
OK,
your firewall pops up a message: "alg.exe is trying to
connect to the internet (A)llow (D)eny." You have no idea what
to do because you don't know what alg.exe is. Fear not, just go
to this free site and type in alg.exe and it will tell you
exactly what the program does along with some advice whether
it's a friend or foe. http://www.processlibrary.com/
4.3 How to Make Sure a Game Will Work on Your PC
Subscriber
Shafile Rashid writes, "Gizmo, it's common for users
to enthusiastically buy a PC game only to find that it won't run
on their PCs. At this site [1] you can choose a game then the
site will download a small tool on your PC to check your
hardware and settings. It will then give you a report whether
your PC is capable of running the game. If not, it will usually
state the reasons." Nice suggestion, Shafile. I'm not a gamer
but I thought I'd check out the service just to ensure that it
was free of spyware. I tried it with two browsers: IE and
Firefox. With IE, the site uses ActiveX to do the hardware
analysis while with Firefox it downloads a small Java applet. I
tried both and my security programs gave no warning so it looks
fine. However, the ActiveX and Java results were slightly
different with the latter more accurate. Yet another reason to
use Firefox. ;>) [1]
http://www.systemrequirementslab.com/referrer/srtest
4.4 Create Your Own Personal 3D Avatar
Why
use a plain vanilla photo or clipart item to identify
yourself when you can create your own unique 3D identity at
Meez.com? You can use your personal avatar anywhere including
MySpace, Xanga, Skype, ICS services or Blogger. Better still,
create multiple identities to suit your mood and environment.
http://www.meez.com
4.5 Useless Waste of Time Department
This
Flash animation [1] provides a possible explanation for why
your desktop icons seem to move around without you ever touching
them. Thanks to Mikel for this one. Feeling nostalgia for the
simpler world of old DOS computer games? If so you'll love this
suggestion from regular contributor Andreas Büsing. "WinLems [2]
is a complete remake of original DOS classic in Windows.
Includes a full-featured level editor that gives you complete
control over every aspect of making levels. Everything is
emulated from the original except for music, which will be added
in next release." [1] http://www.xs4all.nl/~jvdkuyp/flash/see.htm
[2] http://www.wildfiredesign.net/winlems/index.htm
**
Additional Items in the Premium SE Edition **
4.6
Lots of Commercial Software for Free
4.7
How to Make Your Windows Desktop Look Like a Mac
4.8
A New Art Form That Will Surprise You
4.9
How to Use Wi-Fi Hot Spots Securely
5.0 TIP OF THE MONTH
5.1 How to Hide a Windows Folder
Folder
hiding is a simple way of keeping prying eyes away from
your private documents.
From
a human point of view it's a good solution; what you can't
see, you don't know you want.
Encrypting
a folder can have the opposite effect. The folder is
visible and if access is attempted, the need to enter a password
positively shouts the message that someone is trying to hide
something.
This
probably explains why there are so many commercial
utilities that claim they can securely hide folders.
I
use the word "claim" deliberately. It's actually quite
difficult to securely hide a folder in Windows without risking
problems in the operating system itself.
And
there can be all sorts of practical problems. For example,
what happens to the hidden folder when you delete a visible
folder above it in the folder tree? Will the hidden folder be
backed up? Will it be scanned by your AV program? Can the files
in the folder be recovered in an emergency such as a system
crash?
These
are not theoretical problems; they are real and need to be
seriously considered.
I've
used a number of commercial folder hiding programs over the
years and have ended up un-installing them all. They were simply
not worth the trouble.
Instead
of using complicated and expensive security utilities, I
suggest you stealth your folders using a far simpler method
using the Windows "hidden" attribute. And once you have hidden
your folders you can then protect them using free open source
encryption programs.
The
Windows hidden attribute works similarly to the more
familiar "read only" attribute. It's a property of every file
and folder that can be turned on or off. Let's try it.
Create
a folder in My Documents and call it "test." Now copy a
couple of unimportant files to the folder.
To
turn on the hidden attribute right click on the folder icon,
select Properties, then the General Tab and check the Hidden box.
The
folder should disappear from My Documents. If it doesn't
then you have Windows Explorer configured to display hidden
files.
To
change this, select Tools / Folder options / View then check
the "Do not show hidden files and folders" box. Now the test
folder should disappear. To make it re-appear select the "Show
hidden files and folders" option.
So
now you have a way of hiding a folder and revealing it again
using your folder settings. Now I'll show you a simple trick
that allows you access your hidden folder without constantly
changing the folder settings. However, before I can demonstrate
this we have to make the folder hidden but the files within it
not-hidden.
Go
to My Documents and make sure your folder "test" is visible.
Open "test" and select all the files by using Control A. Now
right click anywhere on the selected files and select Properties
/ General and uncheck the Hidden attribute. Now your folder is
hidden but the files are not.
Go
back to My Documents and hide the folder by changing the
folder settings. Your test folder should disappear from My
Documents.
Now
here's the trick. Windows allows you to navigate to a hidden
folder. So while in the My Documents folder, type into the
address bar "/test" immediately after "My Documents" with no
spaces between and hit enter.
Voila
you are now in your secret "test" folder and all your
documents are visible!
Of
course locating your private folder in My Documents is not a
great idea as it will be immediately revealed should another
user enable the display of hidden files. Better to stash your
folder in some obscure location well away from prying eyes but
easy to navigate to. Additionally, name the folder to be as
uninteresting as possible.
Hiding
your folder like this is fine if you only want to keep
information from prying eyes but if you really want to properly
protect your hidden folder you should encrypt it.
Luckily
that's easy; simply use the free open source program
AxCrypt: http://axcrypt.axantum.com/
Using
AxCrypt is dead simple so I won't explain how. AxCrypt is
also near-unbreakable so make sure you don't forget your
password. If you do, your data is lost forever.
Using
this technique you can hide and protect your folders
without spending a cent and, unlike commercial folder hiding
utilities, this technique is not going to potentially create a
whole set of other problems.
6.0 FREEBIE OF THE MONTH
6.1 Free Network Inventory Management Tool
This
is really nice. Spiceworks is a browser based inventory
program that allows LAN managers to quickly discover and
document the hardware, software and patch status of their
network PCs.
That
rather bland description seriously under-sells the
usefulness of this product. It's got a terrific filter system
that allows you to target your inventory request plus a highly
customizable reporting system. On top of that it has a great
interface, is easy to use, can handle Linux and Mac OS X
workstations and uses standard network protocols.
In
short, it's just the tool that managers of small to medium
size networks have been looking for. At the moment it's a free
beta so go grab it while you can. Note: The program requires XP
Pro with 512MB RAM on the administrator's PC. Free beta, 7MB. http://www.spiceworks.com/
**
Bonus Freebie in the Premium SE Edition **
6.2 The Best Virtual PC for Free
There
is little doubt in my mind that the best virtualization
product on the market is VMWare Workstation. Indeed, it's what I
use for all my security testing and in two years of intensive
use with some the most hostile malware products around its
protection has never failed. However, at $189 VMWare Workstation
is out of reach of most home users.
Thanks
to a suggestion from subscriber Dennis Federwitz I'm able
to show you a way of getting most of the advantages of VMWare
Workstation without spending a cent.
...
full details in the Premium SE Edition of this newsletter.
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PREMIUM "SE" EDITION NOW
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This
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of the the top rated Anti virus NOD32.
NOD32
is a brilliant program for protecting your PC yet it only
consumes a modest amount of your computing resources. That's why
I use it on my key work computers. At $39 it's good value but
it's even better value when you can get it for free.
The
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The 46 Best-ever Freeware Utilities
http://www.techsupportalert.com/best_46_free_utilities.htm
The Extended List of the Latest Freebies
http://www.techsupportalert.com/more/extended.htm
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Thanks to subscriber
Neal Dwire for proofreading this issue.
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Support Alert is a registered online serial publication ISSN 1448-7020. Content of this newsletter is (c) Copyright TechSupportAlert.com, 2006
See you next issue
Gizmo
Ian Richards
editor@techsupportalert.com
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