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26
looking for some advice on how best to secure my mother in laws laptop, and I know a lot of others here are well versed so I'm hoping someone can come up with a relatively simple solution (I'll have to maintain it, and most likely over the phone - meh...). 

I already use a firewall (comodo) and AV (AVG free) but she got hit with an apparent ransomware attack sometime last week (she didn't tell us till sometime after, and we still don't know exactly what happened).  She doesn't have a network of any sort, so that's not a consideration.

I'm looking for some sort of proxy/hosts solution that will hopefully block a lot of the dodgy domains, and maybe a better AV (payware if necessary).  I know there are plenty of options available, but given that securities never been a strong point for me being able to pick a good solution is difficult

Of course I can't beat the user (hopefully this has frightened her enough to be a bit more circumspect), but if I can cover off at least some of the other vectors it's got to be an improvement

27
Found Deals and Discounts / 10" tablet @ $189...
« on: April 21, 2016, 06:44 PM »
dunno if this is any good or not but the price isn't bad...

http://www.gearbest....t-pcs/pp_350211.html

28
General Software Discussion / bookmark management tool
« on: March 09, 2016, 10:04 PM »
anyone got a recommendation for a good bookmark manager?

I've finally gotten to the point where I can't stand it any longer - after many years and movement between multiple machines and browsers it's time for a cleanup.  I've tried a few but they are not generally very friendly or effective - duplicate and/or link checkers that don't tell you where the urls are, or that highlight duplicates that aren't, arent really helping

I'm looking for something that will show me a tree view, AND show the locations of duplicates within said tree (last one said it was doing this, but didn't - thank heavens for backups).  Identifying duplicates is most important, and link checking/validation would be nice. 

29
General Software Discussion / address lookup tools
« on: January 07, 2016, 06:21 PM »
As part of a larger data cleansing exercise I'm looking for suggestions for an address lookup tool - I have about 2K (Australian) addresses where I need to lookup the corresponding suburb.  The tough part is these are all intersections (eg smith and george st's) so tools that look for specific addresses (eg 10 smith street) probably won't cut it


30
Living Room / help with data matching
« on: December 15, 2015, 04:49 PM »
looking for some helpful suggestions regarding a task I'm currently trying to complete at work

I have 2 sets of data that I'm trying to match.  The common fields are address details, however they are all free text and there are no common conventions in use.  To compound the issue we can also toss in random abbreviations (still no common conventions), a limited field length (some entries don't have spaces), random pieces of extraneous info, and poor data quality(HA!).  I've been bashing my head against this for a while now without success and have come to the conclusion that I'm going to have to tackle it line by line, though I'm still holding out hope that there might be a better way

the data is clearly potentially sensitive so I can't really supply much in the way of examples, but any idea's?

31
General Software Discussion / win update issues
« on: August 19, 2015, 11:55 PM »
looking for assistance in resolving a win update problem (essentially it doesn't)

On my win7 SE netbook windows update performance (?) has deteriorated over time, such that it hasn't displayed progress for some time, and has now refused to download or apply updates altogether.

I've googled and it appears to be a relatively common issue, but none of the common fixes seem to work in this case (ie it's been sitting on the desk for the last 6+ hours 'updating' without change - no progress, no change)

Anyone here got any suggestions (other than a rebuild)

32
DC Website Help and Extras / is the member map down?
« on: April 08, 2015, 07:54 PM »
or has it been removed?

I just went to change my location and can't find the map anywhere (and I don't recall hearing anything about its demise)

33
General Software Discussion / what3words
« on: April 08, 2015, 07:16 PM »
saw a reference to what3words in our work newsgroups today

seems like a really useful mapping/navigation/location tool, though it may struggle with some situations (multistory buildings for example)

EDIT:  I'm not associated with this tool in any way, nor am I recommending it for any given purpose.  It just seems like a pretty cool tool to me but YMMV

34
Living Room / wireless networking and wifi printer help
« on: January 18, 2015, 09:12 PM »
I recently bought a wifi laser printer under the apparently mistaken idea that it would simplify things at home and be cheaper to run

After some weeks of tinkering and testing I still can't can't consistently create a wireless connection to the damn thing, let alone a persistent one.

Let me state up front that I don't have a home network - we don't have access to landline based broadband, and there's no other reason to network the 2 PC's in our house. 

On my Win7 box

  - I've used the supplied software and followed the installation instructions to the letter
  - I've created a network connection (on the assumption that I needed some sort of network for the printer to see)
  - I've used the supplied software and followed the installation instructions to the letter
  - I've set static IP addresses
  - I've used the supplied software and followed the installation instructions to the letter 
  - I've disabled the existing (Atheros) wifi adapter and purchased another (EDIMAX)
  - I've used the supplied software and followed the installation instructions to the letter

I'm at the stage where it's getting beyond a joke so I'm hoping someone here can supply an AHA! comment

35
Living Room / which phone?
« on: December 09, 2014, 07:21 PM »
It's come around time for me to refresh my existing (android) mobile handset and I'm tossing up whether or not to dabble with a windows phone

I've read lots of reviews and I'm really no closer to a decision so I'm canvassing for some 'real world' advice

Anyone here had a foot in both the windows and android camps care to chip in?


36
Found Deals and Discounts / xmas advent calendars...
« on: December 01, 2014, 08:08 PM »
2 sites I came across today offering full versions of software and ebooks for free in the runup to xmas.

changes daily so you need to watch it in case there's something of interest

ebooks - www.packtpub.com/packt/offers/christmas-countdown?utm_source=Sentori&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=Create+Dispatch+-+End+Nov+14

software - www.mostiwant.com/blog/xmas-calendar-2014-giveaways


37
Developer's Corner / exercism.io - another learning channel
« on: September 23, 2014, 08:45 PM »
Slashdot today referenced Exercise.io, which may be of interest to some here

looks like a sort of crowd sourced coding school. 

They work with several languages, and you download a set of exercises that are solvable in all of them. 

Submit your answers (for one or more languages) and get feedback from 'the community'

38
Found Deals and Discounts / free galileo board from MS
« on: July 06, 2014, 09:04 PM »

39
Developer's Corner / On HTML...
« on: March 17, 2014, 01:05 AM »
rather enjoyed this rant(?)

https://www.usenix.o...03_02-08_mickens.pdf

40
Living Room / Pebble...anybody got one?
« on: December 05, 2013, 07:00 PM »
Anyone here got any experience with these things?  (I expect nudone to be all over this  ;D ;D ;D)

They seem like a nifty gadget.  Not sure whether or not I'd buy one (though it's tempting), but I'd be interested to hear some real world feedback if anyones got any

41
Found Deals and Discounts / XMAS calendar giveaways...
« on: December 04, 2013, 04:38 PM »
at this site http://www.mostiwant...ndar-2013-giveaways/

it's been running since the first and I'm surprised no one else has posted about it (someone here put me onto mostIwant).

today's giveaways includes a full version (v13.4) of XYPLORER...

42
General Software Discussion / curious win7 file issue...
« on: November 21, 2013, 12:27 AM »
I wondering if any here has seen anything like this - this is a clean win7 32 system that's only just been rebuilt a week ago (don't ask :mad:)

I have a small scripting tool that I use at work to get data out of our systems, but yesterday I noticed some weird behaviour by windows.

I wrote a script for a colleague, but when I went to send it to him I couldn't find it...anywhere.

I could open and run it in the corresponding app, but it was invisible outside of it.

This morning I went back into the tool and saved it out to a different folder to see if I could see it (I could), however when I sent it to a colleague the file did not include any of the changes that I'd made (and yes, I did save it).  I could open the file and see my latest updates, but the version as received was several iterations behind.

any idea's?

43
Living Room / on the 'benefits' of technology...
« on: October 29, 2013, 01:40 AM »
interesting article on the effect of technology on our capability - http://www.theatlant...t-forgetting/309516/



44
looking for recommendations for something to replace a corel paint shop pro (x2) install that has worn out it's welcome

On our W7x32 laptop it's hijacked most (all?) of the admin tools (ie control panel, devices and printers, etc) which has raised my ire so it's gotta go >:(

This is my wifes machine and she's a very light (basic!!) user, mostly minor retouching of photos or scans, so photoshop is probably overkill (not to mention that I probably couldn't afford a copy even if I could justify it).

This really isn't a software genre that particularly interests me so while I'm aware of the major candidates, I have no idea about their relative merits...

what say you?

45
Developer's Corner / Nerdy Data - source code search engine
« on: August 04, 2013, 06:27 PM »
found this on I love free software this morning

http://www.ilovefree...oad-source-code.html

claims to be a search engine specifically for source code, though it's limited to HTML, CSS, and javascript at the moment (no clue on the likelihood of the choices expanding)

Webpage says 'try it for free' but I couldn't see anything about pricing (then again, I didn't look very hard...)

46
Living Room / Hackaday.com looking for a new owner
« on: July 01, 2013, 06:04 PM »
not sure if anyone here might be interested, but it appears Hackaday is looking for a new owner

FWIW I'm not affiliated with the site in any way, nor am I in a position to take it on, but it's a valuable resource I'd hate to see disappear

47
Living Room / digitising slides
« on: June 04, 2013, 06:23 PM »
anyone here have any experience with converting slides and negatives to digital images?

We've been tasked to do this for some relatives, and I'm not sure how best to approach this.  I don't have a lot of funds to spend, and given that this is a pretty finite task I'm reluctant to spend too much anyway

FWIW I really have no need for another scanner (I already have 2 multifunction printers), but the cheaper options (something like this) aren't exactly inspiring me to confidence


48
General Software Discussion / Steam, and customer satisfaction
« on: May 03, 2013, 01:26 AM »
Apologies to all 'cos I know this has been done before, but I really need to vent

<RANT>

As a gamer I'm a relative newcomer to the world of Steam, and I have to say I'm not seeing the value.  Actually, it probably is an excellent model in many ways, but in others, well it's less than stellar

I have, over the last couple of months purchased physical copies of several games (call me old fashioned, but I prefer to get something tangible when I hand over my cash), but for the most part I am unable to play them because steam won't let me!!

Latest installment is CoD MW3.  I couldn't even install it without a steam connection (hang on, didn't i just pay good money for this?).  I live in a rural area so even connecting to Steam can be a trial.  It eventually installed fine (EGAD!! requires 35G of disk space!!) but when I went to play, steam said, hang on, there's an update (WTF? I just paid for this and now you're telling me I can only play on your terms?).  The update was only (!!) a few hundred Mb, so I let it update.

Great, says I, now lets play.  Oh wait says steam, theres another update, and its 14Gb!!!

Are they serious?  I mean I already paid for the game.  What if I don't need, want or care to apply the updates?  Don't I have some say here?  I accept that there are going to be bugs (there always are) but most of the time they affect online and/or multiplayer usage.  I play almost exclusively single player, and I never play online, so it's pretty rare for those sort of issues to be of any concern to me whatsoever.  Why do I have to apply a 'patch' for something that's unlikely to change my experience in any way.  In fact, by insisting on applying the update that's exactly what's happened. 

Then there's the issue of size (yes, size does matter).  As I said, I accept that there are going to be bugs, but if you have to 'patch' 14Gb then you should be refunding peoples money 'cos there's something seriously wrong.  Either that or you're peddling some serious bloatware (in which case you should ashamed of yourself, and you should refund peoples money). 

It's worthwhile noting that 14Gb is equivalent to 14 months of my data allocation.  I could run over I suppose, but I'd to have to sell a kidney to cover the excess usage charges just to find out whether I can play the game, or that there are more 'updates'.  I suppose I could invest in an additional data pack, but a 2 year contract makes this a pretty damn expensive game, and it would still take a few months to download it all. 

I've even searched for alternative sources for the updates, but no, it appears you can only get them through steam. 

Now I don't have an issue with Steam per se, as I said, in many ways it's an excellent model, but wouldn't we be far better served with something more like windows update where all updates are not only 'optional', but you can also see both what they are and how bloated big they are.

and remember I said this is the latest installment?  I can't even go back and play some of the other games I have installed because Steam has decided they all need patching as well, despite the fact that I've set ALL my games not to update automatically.  Way to go guys...

Anyone else have a complaint about steam?  I'm sure I can't be the only one >:( >:( >:(

whoa! form a queue people!

</RANT>


49
DC Gamer Club / Headset recommendations
« on: January 28, 2013, 05:35 PM »
looking for some recommendations for a gaming headset as my current set failed on the weekend (I could probably repair them, but it's not worth the effort)

I'd prefer a wired set, and no more than about $100 (I just can't justify much more than that)

Logitech G35's seem to have a good rep, but have been discontinued...

anyone?

50
Living Room / win7 + external HDD
« on: January 03, 2013, 12:37 AM »
I'm starting to think Win7 isn't all it's cracked up to be...

I have an external HDD I use everyday without issue on a x86 win7 machine, however my home machine (x64 win7) won't even detect it.   

The drive is a 320G Seagate portable expansion drive (contains an Hitachi HDD), and it works fine on my other machines (XP laptop, win7 netbook), but as far as my main machine is concerned it doesn't exist.

I've tried all the ports, several cables, and a couple of hubs without success, but the fact that it works fine on the other machines would seem to indicate the 'fault' isn't with the drive

Google says this is a pretty common experience, though as with my WSOD issue, there don't appear to be any definitive causes or fixes.

Up till now it's been a minor irritation, but I wanted to get some largish video files off it over the break and couldn't (OK, I probably could have, but I wasn't prepared to go through all the jiggery pokery required at the time)

Anyone else had a similar experience and resolved it (and how?)

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