RKill – Geek Tool of the Day

I was eyeing this tool the other day, thinking I might need it for my tool belt. Sure enough, I ran into a system that had a dll that was running and would replicate itself when I unchecked it using the Startup Control Panel. Oh yea, it had a Trojan reminant running and the antivirus couldn’t remove it.

So, I ran this little gem, it stopped the process and just seconds later, seriously, the antivirus caught and removed the running dll. NICE! Here’s the excerpt on what this tool does:

RKill is a program that was developed at BleepingComputer.com that attempts to terminate known malware processes so that your normal security software can then run and clean your computer of infections. When RKill runs it will kill malware processes and then import a Registry file that removes incorrect file associations and fixes policies that stop us from using certain tools. When finished it will display a log file that shows the processes that were terminated while the program was running.

via |MG| RKill Latest Download.

Teaching Tech via TeachParentsTech.org

This website should come in handy for someone out there that has parents or grandparents that need a bit of computer help.

TeachParentsTech.org lets you select and send video clips ranging from Getting Driving Directions, Change Your Default Home Page, Copy & Paste or How To Create an Email Signature.

Figure you can email a care package for spring, Mother/Father’s Day, Independance Day and certainly for the holidays.

I like it!

OutlookAttachView 1.61

OutlookAttachView scans all messages stored in your Outlook, and displays the list of all attached files that it finds. You can easily select one or more attachments and save all of them into the desired folder, as well as you can delete unwanted large attachments that take too much disk space in your mailbox. You can also save the list of attachments into xml/html/text/csv file.

via |MG| OutlookAttachView 1.61 Download.

Uninstall McAfee Security Scan Plus

Starting last month, Oracle began bundling a security scanning tool called the McAfee Security Scan Plus with its Java updates for the Windows operating system. The software is installed by default with the Java update, so unless you uncheck the McAfee installation box as you’re updating Java, you’ll end up downloading McAfee’s software too.

Once downloaded, the McAfee software prompts the user on a daily basis to accept McAfee’s licensing terms to complete the installation. Sounds like crapware to me! Course if you don’t have any antivirus, “McAfee believes it’s better to be protected than unprotected.”

If you have another antivirus and accidently downloaded McAfee, here’s how to uninstall it:

Smart Defrag 2

I like to keep a well maintained system, and ever so often I include the pagefile in my defrag routine. Instead of doing the “move the file, defrag, then move the file back” drill, I found a third party defragger that does it for you.

Smart Defrag 2 is a FREE tool that provides extremely fast defragmentation to your hard drives. It has an ”install it and forget it”  feature, and has an automatic mode that keeps your hard disk running at its top speed. Course Batman, would never leave it running 100% of the time, and frankly, neither did I.

via MajorGeeks

Ready for My New Phone Now!

Yes, it’s time for my quarterly rant about which phone I need to get. Oh, I do so need a new phone. Why? Because the HTC Touch Pro 2 is requiring more reboots than usual, doesn’t have any decent apps and  frankly, is antiquated. (Qualcomm® MSM7200A™, 528 MHz processor dated around 2006?, ROM: 512 MB, RAM: 288 MB)

With the next generation Snapdragon mobile chipset in the works from Qualcomm, blazing fast Krait, it’s time to hand me down my HTC Touch Pro 2.

So I got to thinking about chipsets, and what is being used in the just released or about to be release phones, such as Sprint’s HTC ARRIVE. Although the HTC ARRIVE is my next generation Touch Pro 2, it isn’t by any means the next generation chipset. It has a Qualcomm® QSD8650 - 1 GHz processor. So does the Kyocera Echo that has dual screens and yet to be released.

The first chipsets in the Snapdragon family were the QSD8650 and the QSD8250, available since the fourth quarter of 2008. Huh? A 3 year old processor? Here’s a Wiki of the Snapdragon progression.

Geez, that means Verizon is more than likely going to use an antiquated processor and I just have to keep looking for the phone that meets my the hardware and software needs. How about the Droid Bionic? How does it compare to the Thunderbolt? Do I really want an Android phone? Guess we’ll wait another 3 months and report back.

Spring Wallpaper Collection

Ah! The first day of spring! Wait a minute…it’s cold, cloudy with a chance of rain later. Ok, well, let’s pretend its a nice sunny day and go get our flowers on over at the Spring Wallpaper Collection via How-to Geek.

What is Net Neutrality?

Network neutrality (also net neutrality, Internet neutrality) is a principle proposed for users’ access to networks participating in the Internet. The principle advocates no restrictions by Internet service providers and governments on content, sites, platforms, the kinds of equipment that may be attached, and the modes of communication.

For a graphical explanation, TEknophilia has a another one of their wonderful info-graphics.

Windows 7 Themes: Escape to the Seaside

Windows 7 has two new themes for all of you who need a little bit of seaside relaxation. Surfing and Sailing!

The surfing theme puts you right in the tubes, feeling the roar of the waves and seeing the sun sparkling through the water. Awesome dude!

The sailing theme puts you on deck for a virtual voyage from Boracay in the South Pacific to Bar Harbor, Maine, with stopovers in ports of call such as Antigua, Sardinia, and the Maldives. Ah hoy matey!

And these bonus themes are a bit different than others that have been released.  They finally added a sound (seashore) theme to go along with it.  How cool is that? Seagulls, splashes, waves, and water-drops, a distant foghorn  – now signal key events in Windows, from the arrival of a new email to the emptying of the Recycle Bin.

Once they start adding screensavers to the themes, it will be just like “real” themes from yesterdays.

Robot of the Week | Popular Science

Simon the Robot, can tell when it’s being ignored, and it politely and subtly gets a person’s attention. Researchers say the new computer vision system could help robots and humans interact more effectively, by allowing robots to use the same social cues as people.

via Robot of the Week | Popular Science.