With the advent of url shorteners, many of the links we visit ? especially if we?re constantly visiting sites linked from Twitter and similar services ? are masked by shortened links that hide the actual URL. Normally, we?re visiting links posted by those we trust, which sees many of us casually click on the link without giving it much thought. But there?s always the off chance that a link we select redirects us to a site that we?d rather not visit.
With a new day comes a new Firefox extension introduced for the purpose of alleviating the headaches that often come with browsing the web. Called Verify Redirect, this Firefox extension runs in the background, highlighting the original URL whenever you click on a shortened link. While the page is in the process of loading, you?re shown the actual web address, with Verify Redirect prompting you to accept or deny the link. If it?s a link you visit continually, you?re given the option of instructing Verify Redirect not to alert you each time you visit the site.
This is particularly helpful for those of you who visit a lot of sites but remain mindful of just where you?re headed, keeping you on your toes as you walk about the precarious margins of the information superhighway.
If you?re a frequent user of Firefox, you?ve probably become well aware of how much memory the program begins consuming after extended use, a problem that persists with even the latest version. While this browser is deservedly praised for it?s the functionality and customizability (made possible by the numerous extensions that improve the Firefox experience), its drain on memory ? an issue is known to also occur on systems with plenty of memory ? can become a nuisance that sees the performance of the browser begin to falter.
Called Memory Fox, this extension optimizes Firefox? use of your memory, allocating your ram so as to ensure optimal performance when browsing the web. The extension adheres to preset limits set by the user, its functionality coming into focus once the browser?s expense of ram reaches the designated threshold. After the barrier?s been met, the memory is cleared, allowing the browser to function unimpeded.
Use of this extension requires both a Windows OS and Firefox 3. After you?ve downloaded the extension, restart Firefox and activate Memory Fox from the Tools button in the toolbar. Once installed, the setup is available for your optimization needs.
While this may make only a negligible difference for those computers with an insane amount of ram, it?s sure to impart a visible impact to systems that often find their use of Firefox burdensome where RAM?s concerned.
Of critical importance to any of you who use social networking sites such as Facebook and the various applications to which you can subscribe while using them (think Mafia Wars, etc.) is the recent news of the RockYou Database being compromised by hackers.
Occurring on December 4th, the RockYou Database was infiltrated by the nefarious types who scour the internet for penetrable networks from which sensitive information can be retrieved and used for criminal purposes. Username and passwords were stolen, along with any other information that the RockYou application retrieves upon your use of it.
If it?s any consolation to those of you who might have fallen prey to this theft, none of the usernames and passwords have been published, but there?s nothing stopping the thieves from making them publically available ? or selling them, even — when they?re so inclined.
The company behind the RockYou app is largely to blame, carelessly storing the information in an insecure text format. In addition to Facebook, other social networking sites that use the application have seen their users? information hijacked, including Myspace and email services such as Gmail.
If you use any of these social networking sites, we strongly suggest that you change your password immediately, particularly if you?re someone who uses the same password for every site on which you?re a member.
Computer Geeks works hard to stay on top of the latest security issues to help keep your computers safe. If you have any questions about the RockYou hack and how it affects you, or if you’re concerned that your web accounts or computer may have been compromised, give us a call at 1-800-GEEK-HELP (433-5435) and our techs can help.
When booting up your computer, it?s probable that the startup process is weighed down by the inclusion of programs that aren?t needed. They aren?t necessarily programs you don?t use, but they?re not critical when booting your computer up, making their addition to the startup process something of a strain ? when all you want to do is have your computer boot up as fast as possible.
There are several good startup managers available, all of which are free. They all work in much the same way, allowing their users to select only those programs that they desire to be included in the startup routine.
The first choice is CCleaner, a utility that isn?t just for managing your startup, its main function being the removal of needless clutter that builds up over the span of your computer?s life. It?s a very helpful tool that cleans your system of the unwanted litter that?s strewn about during your use of the system ? cookies, broken registry files, temporary internet files, etc. Included in this tool is an option to remove programs from the startup process. It?s not as customizable as other solutions, restricting your startup management to just the deletion of items from your startup list, but it?s still more than serviceable.
Autoruns is one of the more robust options, giving you control over everything from programs to the various processes that creep their way into your startup process. Singling out everything, this startup manager shines its light on anything accompanying your computer?s startup routine. As thorough as this tool is, its comprehensive features might be too powerful, resulting in an inexperienced user toggling off something that may be critical to the computer?s boot process. While highly recommended, because of its strength, we?d advise users to be cautious when using this.
One program that?s a bit different from your standard startup manager is Startup Delayer, which offers users the ability to delay the startup of an application ? rather than terminating it completely. Many of the programs included in your startup routine aren?t necessarily bad, the real problem stemming from having all of them commencing at the same time. ?Instead of seeing several programs starting up at once, Startup Delayer allows you to stagger their launch, freeing up your resources when booting the computer up.
No one wants to wait five or ten minutes while their computer boots up, but that?s just what many users experience if they aren?t attentive to what?s occupying their startup list. These tools are just a few of many startup managers that Computer Geeks recommends to its users. Should you have any questions, we?re always here to assist you.
With the release of Windows 7, Microsoft has seen something of a resurgence in its standing, delivering on promises that past versions of their operating system has failed to fulfill. ?Microsoft offers users the opportunity to download an .ISO image of Windows 7. This is convenient if you have a netbook to which you?d like to install the program.
If you?re looking for a quick and painless way of simply taking that .ISO image and installing it with a thumb drive, which is particularly useful if you want to use Windows 7 with a netbook, the following tool will allow you to do so.
Called the Windows 7 USB/DVD Download Tool , this utility creates a bootable flash drive ? or, if you so choose, a DVD –from the .ISO image, taking just a few steps to have a quick solution for whenever you wish to install Windows 7. For those using a flash drive, you?ll require one with a capacity that?s equal to or greater than 4GB.
This is a quick solution for installing Windows 7 on your netbook, but it?ll also prove helpful if you?re someone who opted to download Windows 7 from Microsoft rather than order the installation DVD.
You can get the Windows 7 USB/DVD Download Tool here.
If you?re familiar with how the internet works, you know that each website you visit probably has a number of cookies downloaded to your browser. While usually harmless (they?re not spyware or viruses), they can be used for tracking your activity on any given website, becoming something of a nuisance for those of us who value our privacy when traversing the web.
Every internet browser, from Internet explorer to Firefox, offers users the ability to delete cookies that have been collected from the various sites they visit. But the process usually involves several steps, requiring you to select a number of menus before you?re able to even see the cookie you desire the deletion of.
If you use Firefox, there?s a simple way to remove cookies, rendering the process an effortless task that makes cookies accessible with just a dropdown. It?s called the CookieKiller extension, and it?s as easy to use as every other Firefox extension we?ve discussed on the Computer Geeks blog. Upon installation, you?re given two means of using the extension.
The first option sees you using the Status bar. When accessing it via a right-click, you?re presented with a menu that lets you Enable Cookie Block, which will block cookies from being collected.
But when you left-click on the icon, you?re given a menu that delineates the cookies associated with your browser. Selecting one of these cookies will see it removed.
Another option of yours is the ?context menu,? which can be accessed by right-clicking anywhere on the page.
As seen, once you select the cookie you?d like to delete, it?s gone from the list of available cookies.
However, once you revisit a site, there?s always the chance of the same cookie attaching itself to your browser. To prevent that, you can access the ?Preferences? menu, where you?re able to permanently block deleted cookies.
Cookies can be helpful, especially if you?re a frequent visitor of a website that?d like to remain logged in upon each visit. But they can also prove to be an annoyance for those of you who?d rather not have a website tracking your activity. If you?re looking for a way to quickly remove your cookies, the CookieKiller extension is a convenient means of doing so with Firefox.
