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Tuesday, May 03, 2011
Stuxnet PLC Virus Update
4/11/2011, Siemens info regarding Stuxnet:
http://support.automation.siemens.com/WW/view/en/43876783
If the link doesn't work, cut and paste it into your browser.
3/2011, Ralph Langner's TED Talk:
http://www.ted.com/talks/ralph_langner_cracking_stuxnet_a_21st_century_cyberweapon.html
2/15/2011, Colbert on Stuxnet:
http://www.colbertnation.com/the-colbert-report-videos/374401/february-15-2011/david-albright
Symantec Dossier on Stuxnet:
Symantec Video (a little lame):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cf0jlzVCyOI&feature=player_embedded
1/16/2011, NY York times article states that Stuxnet was developed by Israel and targeted PLC's involved in Iran's nuclear weapons program:
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/16/world/middleeast/16stuxnet.html
10/6/2010, Early Forbes article:
http://www.forbes.com/2010/10/06/iran-nuclear-computer-technology-security-stuxnet-worm.html
9/24/2011, Early Bloomberg video (with inaccurrate descriptions, but interesting anyway):
http://www.bloomberg.com/video/63225920/
Edited on: Tuesday, May 03, 2011 7:57 PM
Categories: Software, Tips
Monday, December 20, 2010
Problem Opening Links in Microsoft Outlook when Firefox is the Default Browser
When opening links in Microsoft Office with Firefox as the default browser, you may get a error message similar to "general failure the url was application not found". The link may or may not open.
To fix, in Windows XP:
1. Open Windows Explorer (or My Computer).
2. Go to Tools -> Folder Options -> File Types
3. Select Extension: "(NONE)" File Type: "URL:HyperText Transfer Protocol"
4. Click "Advanced". In the "Edit File Type" window, select "open" and click "Edit"
5. Uncheck "Use DDE" (the dialog should then hide the lower part).
6. Click OK for that dialog and the next one (afterwards, the "Use DDE" box is still checked but the "DDE Message" box will be cleared, as shown here)
7. Repeat for Extension: "(NONE)" File Type: "URL:HyperText Transfer Protocol with Privacy" (and any other protocols you want to fix)
8. Repeat for Extension: "(NONE)" File Type: "Firefox URL"
9. Repeat for Extension: "HTM" (or "HTML") File Type: "Firefox Document"
Friday, September 10, 2010
Network Tools
This network discovery tool quickly scans your network and displays a list of devices it finds.
Manages network settings for various networks. It's much easier to setup than IPConfig and can save multiple configurations.
Wireless scanning tool similar to NetStubler, but easier to use.
Edited on: Friday, September 10, 2010 5:03 PM
Categories: Software, Tips
Saturday, April 03, 2010
Outgoing Email Problems While Travelling
If your incoming email works OK, but you can't get your email to send, try changing your outgoing SMTP port from the default of 25 to 465 or 587.
Saturday, February 13, 2010
Make RSLinx run as an Application (On Demand)
Start -> Programs -> Rockwell Software -> RSLinx -> RSLinx Classic Launch Control Panel.
Stop the RSLinx Service and uncheck the "Always Run As Service" box.
This will allow RSLinx Classic to run as an Application, not a Service, and only when required by RSLogix or an OPC/DDE client, or when you manually open it.
If you use the 1747-PIC driver regularly, you're going to have to get used to the Launch Control Panel because that only runs in Service Mode.
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
System Information for Windows
Learn everything you need to know about your computer with SIW, a stand alone program available at http://www.gtopala.com/
Sunday, January 18, 2009
Weekly Windows Tips
Send Files Larger Than Your Email Provider's Limit
Send large files (up to 100 MB in free Lite account) via YouSendIt at www.yousendit.com. Also, check out the Outlook add-in.
Speedup Windows XP Startup
1. Disable indexing service: Control Panel -> Administrative Tools -> Services -> scroll to Indexing Services and set startup type to Disabled
2. Use Startup Delayer ( http://www.r2.com.au/software.php?page=2&show=startdelay) to stagger the startup of many programs to eliminate congestion and delays during startup.
Rip DVD's for ITouch
Use HandBrake ( http://handbrake.fr/?article=download) to rip DVD's to a variety of platforms. Tutorial video is at http://www.methodshop.com/gadgets/tutorials/handbrake/index.shtml
Have a Stolen Laptop Phone Home
Configure LaptopLock ( http://www.thelaptoplock.com/) so that you can delete files, encrypt data, and get the IP address after a laptop has been stolen.
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Friday, October 17, 2008
Monday, July 07, 2008
Alternate Way of Installing Network Printer on Windows XP
Click on Start.
Select Settings.
Click Printers and Faxes.
Double click on Add Printer . This will start the Add Printer Wizard.
Click Next
Choose Local Printer make sure that the box underneath titled Automatically detect and install Plug and Play printer is unchecked click Next.
Choose Create a new port. Click on the drop down menu next to the type of port. The type selected should be Standard TCP/IP Port
The Standard TCP/IP Port Setup will start. Click on the Next button.
In the Printer Name or IP Address field, type in the IP address of the printer you wish to add. Then click Next
On the next screen, click on the Finish button to close the window.
A list of printer brands and models will appear. Select the printer brand and model, then click Next.
Click on Make this printer my default printer. Then click Next.
Select Print a test page just to make sure that it works. Then click Finish.
Your network printer is now installed and ready for use.
Sunday, April 13, 2008
.NET Framework Problems
I recently had a problem where .NET 2.0 somehow got corrupted and several programs stopped working (RSView ME, QuickBooks 2008) or gave error messages (AutoCAD LT 2006). Microsoft automatice update kept downloading a .NET 2.0 update file, but it would never install. When I went to XP's uninstall program, it saw .NET 2.0, but had errors when I either tried to repair it or uninstall it.
I used the .NET Cleanup tool at http://blogs.msdn.com/astebner/archive/2006/05/30/611355.aspx to uninstall .NET 2.0.
Then I went to http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=79bc3b77-e02c-4ad3-aacf-a7633f706ba5&DisplayLang=en and dowmloaded and reinstalled NET 2.0.
Monday, January 07, 2008
Breathe New Life into Old Gadgets
http://lifehacker.com/software/feature/breathe-new-life-into-your-old-gadgets-333274.php
Saturday, October 20, 2007
What Version of .NET is Installed on My Computer
To determine what version of .NET is installed on your computer, cut and paste the following url into your browser and the folders containing the various versions will be listed.
%systemroot%\Microsoft.NET\Framework
The full Microsoft article on this can be found at:
Sunday, September 23, 2007
Is Your Computer Connecting to Websites Without Your Knowledge?
http://labnol.blogspot.com/2007/09/is-your-computer-connecting-to-websites.html
Friday, March 09, 2007
DeviceNet Troubleshooting Tips
My favorite guide is by Robert Law and can be found at ODVA: http://www.odva.org/Portals/0/Library/Publications_NotNumbered/DeviceNet_Troubleshooting_by_Robert_D_Law.pdf
Turck has some info on DeviceNet and other networks at: http://www.turck-usa.com/Support/White_Papers_~_Tutorials/
If you're using Allen-Bradley's RSNetworx for Devicenet, there is a good guide at: http://www.theautomationbookstore.com/idc/groups/literature/documents/gr/dnet-gr001_-en-e.pdf
Woodhead has a quick guide to design, installation, and testing at: http://www.woodhead.com/data/current4701/Woodhead_Building%20a%20Functional%20DeviceNet%20Network.pdf
Tuesday, December 05, 2006
Mitsubishi PLC for Dummies
Links to Manuals
GX Developer Version 8 Startup Manual
GX Developer Version 8 Operating Manual
CPU A2A Programming Fundamentals Manual
Termininlogy
1) Devices are memory locations. Devices include:
X - Inputs
Y - Outputs
T - Timers
D - Integers
M - Bits
2) Constants and Presets:
Preceded by "K" when decimal
Preceded by "H" when hexadecimal
3) Timers:
Compared to Allen-Bradley PLC5, Mitubishi timers are all time delay-on and don't have "DN", "PRE", or "ACC".
4) Instruction Comparison to PLC5:
AB Mitsubishi
XIC LD (or AND)
XIO ANI
MOV MOV
OTE OUT
OTL SET
OTU RST
FLL FMOV
COP BMOV
AND WAND
OR WOR
XOR WXOR
EQU LD=
LES LD<
LEQ LD<=
GRT LD>
GEQ LD>=
NEQ LD<>
Sunday, July 16, 2006
Windows Speed-up Tips
Speed up file browsing.
When you open a folder or run Windows Explorer, Windows will automatically search your network for folders and printers. That takes time, and is especially annoying if you don’t need to access one at the time. So tell Windows not to search for them unless you ask:
* Open My Computer.
* Click the Tools menu.
* Choose Folder Options.
* Click the View tab.
* Uncheck “Automatically search for network folders and printers.”
* Click OK.
Clean your disk.
* From My Computer, right-click on your hard drive.
* Choose Properties.
* Click “Disk Cleanup.”
Clean the Registry
Defrag
Get rid of unnecessary start-up programs in your Startup folder.
* Click Start, then choose All Programs or Programs (depending on your setup).
* Find the Startup folder on the list and hover your mouse over it.
* The list of programs that automatically start will appear. Check this list, and if you see something you don’t want or need to start automatically--such as some Microsoft Office task--right-click it and choose Delete.
Use EasyCleaner
* Start the program and click the Startup button.
* You’ll see a list of all the programs that start automatically with Windows. Most of these should start: your anti-virus program, a Windows program called HDAShCut, maybe a driver or two. But some things just waste resources.
* Most notorious for loading themselves are media players such as Quicktime and RealPlayer. There’s no need for them to be loaded until you need them. If you see things like that which don’t belong, select them and click the Delete button. When you’re done, click Close and close EasyCleaner.
Deep cleaning
Windows also launches services, internal software that does important things, such as making your network run, managing users, and a host of other things. But there are some services you just don’t need; running them is a waste of resources.
* To get to the list of services, click Start, then Run.
* Enter services.msc in the box. The screen that pops up is a bit intimidating at first, but it’s actually pretty straightforward. It lists every service on your machine and tells you whether it starts automatically or manually, among other things.
* Click the Extended tab on the bottom, which will create a space that will give you a description of each service.
* Now click on the words “Startup Type” at the top of that column, which will sort the services. The ones that say “Automatic” are--obviously--the ones that start when Windows does. They’re the only ones you care about.
The following lists services you can probably do without. Of course, if you recognize one that you use such as Windows Messenger or
Telnet, don’t turn it off.
Alerter
Clipbook
Computer Browser
Distributed Link Tracking Client
Error Reporting Service (if you don’t want to be asked to send error reports to Microsoft anymore)
Fast User Switching
Human Interface Access Devices
IPSEC Services
Messenger
NetMeeting Remote Desktop Sharing
Portable Media Serial Number
Remote Desktop Help Session Manager
Remote Procedure Call Locator
Remote Registry
Routing & Remote Access
Secondary Logon
Server
SSDP Discovery Service
Telnet
TCP/IP NetBIOS Helper
Upload Manager
Universal Plug and Play Device Host
Workstation
Pick one from the list and double-click it. You’ll see a drop-down menu next to “Startup type” that is currently set to Automatic. Change it to Manual and click OK. This way the service will start only if it’s needed, not all the time.
Special services
Two services deserve special mention: the indexing service and Windows themes. The indexing service’s job is to keep track of every file on your computer, so if you use Windows’ search function you’ll be able to find things faster. But if you don’t use search that often, the indexing service is a waste of resources and will slow you down. That’s why disabling the indexing service is high on the list of many speed tweakers. To do that, go back to your list of services (Start, Run, enter services.msc -- see above), scroll down to Indexing Service, and set the Startup type to “Disabled.” Finally, if you’re using the Windows Classic theme, you can free up some memory. Scroll down the list of services to Themes and set it to “Disabled.”
Tweak the Registry
You get into the Registry by clicking Start, choosing Run, and entering regedit in the box that appears. Then welcome to the Registry, perhaps the most intimidating part of Windows. Here you can make all sorts of internal changes to the way Windows operates. Before you do anything else, set up a System Restore Point. That tells Windows to save everything about your current configuration, so if something goes awry you can tell it to revert back to that point—kind of like a big “undo” button.
The first things you’ll see are the five main sections of the Registry’s entries. They have cryptic names: HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT, HKEY_CURRENT_USER, and so on.
Next to each of those five sections is a small plus sign. Click that to view that section’s subsections. Note that you can end up going several levels deep before getting to the key you want to change. The standard way to point to a key is to list the various levels separated by slashes. For example, if you see:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER / Control Panel / Desktop
it means you should click the plus sign next to HKEY_CURRENT_USER, then the plus sign next to Control Panel, then look for Desktop.
Make your menus load faster
For your first trip to the Registry, we’ll do something simple: Make your menus work faster.
* Start regedit (see above).
* Navigate to the following key by clicking the plus signs next to the name of each level:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER / Control Panel
* Click “Desktop.” A list of entries will appear on the right side.
* Double-click “MenuShowDelay” and change the Value data to 0.
* Click OK.
Free up memory from closed programs. When you shut down a program, Windows will often keep part of it in memory even if it’s not being used. Called dynamic link
libraries (DLLs), they take up memory and sometimes cause other problems. You can change a Registry key to prevent Windows from doing this.
* Start regedit, following the instructions in this lesson.
* Navigate to the following key:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE / SOFTWARE / Microsoft / Windows / CurrentVersion
* Under CurrentVersion, right-click on Explorer, then choose New->Key.
* In the box that appears (”New Key #1″), change the name to AlwaysUnloadDLL.
* Hit Enter. On the right side, double-click the word (Default).
* For the value data, enter 1.
* Click OK.
* Close regedit (unless you want to tweak some more).
Speed program startup
Windows can be set to load information about some applications to make them start up faster by changing how much work a program called the Prefetcher does.
* Using regedit (instructions above), navigate to the following key:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE / SYSTEM / CurrentControlSet / Control / Session Manager / Memory Management / PrefetchParameters
* When you click PrefetchParameters, the right side of the editor will display a list of entries.
* Double-click “Enable Prefetcher” and change the value data to 5 (in decimal, not hexadecimal).
* Click OK.
* Close regedit.
Reduce Windows’ workload
If you have many folders and subfolders, every time you access one, Windows will spend a lot of time updating the “last accessed” time for that folder and all its sub-folders. Stopping that process will buy you some time.
* Using regedit (see instructions above), navigate to the following key:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE / System / CurrentControlSet / Control
* Under Control, right-click on FileSystem, then choose New, then DWORD Value.
* Replace “New Value #1″ with NtfsDisableLastAccessUpdate and hit Enter.
* Double-click NtfsDisableLastAccessUpdate and change the Value data to 1.
* Click OK.
Improve Swapfile performance
Many programs use a lot of memory, and if you run more than one or two at once, Windows might run out of RAM. In that case, it will
start using a section of your hard disk called the “swapfile” to store information. It’s a lot slower than RAM, but it beats not
being able to run a program.
But sometimes Windows uses the swapfile before it has to. This tweak will tell it to wait ‘till the last moment before doing that.
* Click Start, then Run.
* Enter msconfig in the box.
* Click on the System.ini tab.
* Click the plus sign next to 386enh.
* Click New, then type “ConservativeSwapfileUsage=1″ in the box that appears.
* Click OK.
Stop QoS
Get rid of a system that’s supposed to make sure your network is working, but in reality isn’t helpful and can eat up to 20 percent of your bandwidth. It’s called QoS, for Quality of Service, and here’s how you stop it.
If you have Windows XP Professional, follow these instructions to disable QoS:
* Click Start, then Run.
* Enter gpedit.msc in the box.
* Under “Local Computer Policy,” click the plus sign next to “Computer Configuration,” then the one next to “Administrative Templates.”
* Click the plus sign next to “Network” and select “QoS Packet Scheduler.”
* In the right-hand box, double-click on “Limit Reservable Bandwidth.”
* On the Settings tab, choose Enabled.
* In the “Bandwidth Limit %” box, set it to 0%. (Do not leave it blank.)
* Click OK.
If you have Windows Home Edition, follow these instructions to disable QoS:
* Click Start and then the “Settings” option.
* Select the Control Panel, and open up “Network Connections”
* Right-click “Local Area Connection”and choose Properties.
* On the General tab, uncheck QoS.
Network settings
Out of the box, Windows networking comes configured for a generic user with a generic connection. It has no idea what kind of
Internet connection you have--whether you’re using dialup or DSL or a cable modem. Because of that, its network settings are also generic.
It’s helpful to tailor these settings to your connection. The easiest way to do this is to use Stop QoS
First, let’s get rid of a system that’s supposed to make sure your network is working, but in reality isn’t helpful and can eat up
to 20 percent of your bandwidth. It’s called QoS, for Quality of Service, and here’s how you stop it.
If you have Windows XP Professional, follow these instructions to disable QoS:
* Click Start, then Run.
* Enter gpedit.msc in the box.
* Under “Local Computer Policy,” click the plus sign next to “Computer Configuration,” then the one next to “Administrative
Templates.”
* Click the plus sign next to “Network” and select “QoS Packet Scheduler.”
* In the right-hand box, double-click on “Limit Reservable Bandwidth.”
* On the Settings tab, choose Enabled.
* In the “Bandwidth Limit %” box, set it to 0%. (Do not leave it blank.)
* Click OK.
If you have Windows Home Edition, follow these instructions to disable QoS:
* Click Start and then the “Settings” option.
* Select the Control Panel, and open up “Network Connections”
* Right-click “Local Area Connection”and choose Properties.
* On the General tab, uncheck QoS.
Network settings
Now let’s change some other networking settings.
Out of the box, Windows networking comes configured for a generic user with a generic connection. It has no idea what kind of
Internet connection you have--whether you’re using dialup or DSL or a cable modem. Because of that, its network settings are
also generic.
It’s helpful to tailor these settings to your connection. The easiest way to do this is to use a (free) software program that will
do it for you.Stop QoS
First, let’s get rid of a system that’s supposed to make sure your network is working, but in reality isn’t helpful and can eat up
to 20 percent of your bandwidth. It’s called QoS, for Quality of Service, and here’s how you stop it.
If you have Windows XP Professional, follow these instructions to disable QoS:
* Click Start, then Run.
* Enter gpedit.msc in the box.
* Under “Local Computer Policy,” click the plus sign next to “Computer Configuration,” then the one next to “Administrative
Templates.”
* Click the plus sign next to “Network” and select “QoS Packet Scheduler.”
* In the right-hand box, double-click on “Limit Reservable Bandwidth.”
* On the Settings tab, choose Enabled.
* In the “Bandwidth Limit %” box, set it to 0%. (Do not leave it blank.)
* Click OK.
If you have Windows Home Edition, follow these instructions to disable QoS:
* Click Start and then the “Settings” option.
* Select the Control Panel, and open up “Network Connections”
* Right-click “Local Area Connection”and choose Properties.
* On the General tab, uncheck QoS.
Network settings
Use TCP Optimizer to tweak your network settings.
Friday, April 07, 2006
101 Freebies from PC World Magazine
http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,130045-page,8-c,freeware/article.html
Edited on: Friday, March 30, 2007 5:08 PM
Categories: Software, Tips
Friday, March 31, 2006
Problems with Windows Defender Update Process
For the last week or so, I have been getting a reminder that Windows Defender needs to update its signature file. I've tried to update it countless times, but it never works. After some research I discovered that this is a fairly common problem. The current signature file needs to be removed.
Use the following steps to remedy the problem:
1. Click Start, click Run, type: Msiexec /x {A5CC2A09-E9D3-49EC-923D-03874BBD4C2C}
2. Click OK when it asks if you want to uninstall..
3. Open Windows Defender and check for new definitions:
Click the Help options arrow next to the Help icon.
Click About Windows Defender.
Click Check for Updates.
That should do the job.
Monday, January 02, 2006
Windows XP Speedup Tip
To edit your autoloaded programs, select Start, Run, type msconfig, press Enter, and click Startup. In the list that appears, click to clear the check boxes from any items that you don't want to launch upon startup. When you're done, click OK and choose the option to reboot. When Windows restarts, a System Configuration Utility dialog box will appear; check "Don't show this message or launch the System Configuration Utility when Windows starts" and click OK.