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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
LCD Response Time is not the same as CRT Refresh Rate. LCD response time is a measure of how long it takes an LCD pixel to turn on or off; a 16ms or lower response time is good for gaming. The refresh rate on a CRT is a measure of how many times per second the entire image is redrawn on the monitor glass. For CRTs, the higher the refresh rate the better (to avoid flickering). For LCDs, a refresh rate of 60 Hz is recommended, and this value has no effect on the displayed image.

If you want to create a dual-boot system with Windows 98 and Windows XP, you must install Windows 98 first. Each OS must be installed on its own hard drive partition.

HARDWARE TROUBLESHOOTING & DIAGNOSTICS
Testing memory: Memtest86+
Testing CPU/memory stability: Prime95
Overall system evaluation: SiSoft SANDRA
CPU/memory/motherboard information: CPU-Z
System monitoring: Motherboard Monitor & SpeedFan
Power calculations: Overclockulator

Hard drive diagnostic utilities are available from your hard drive manufacturer's website.

To test your power supply (PSU), disconnect all connections to your computer hardware and use a paperclip to short the green pin on the 20/24-pin ATX connector to any black pin. This will start the power supply and turn its fan. It is not good for your power supply to retain this condition for a length of time, but it is good for a quick test.

Be aware that not all power supplies are created equal. Lesser-known and no-name brands will rarely supply their rated power.
Avoid PSUs from the following manufacturers: Deer, Allied, FoxConn, Powmax, Raidmax
Buy PSUs from the following manufacturers: Antec, PC Power & Cooling, Seasonic, Sparkle, Fortron, Enermax, Tagan


BENCHMARKING
3DMark 2001
3DMark 2003
3DMark 2005
3DMark 2006
PCMark 2005
HDTach


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ALTERNATIVE BROWSING
FireFox
Opera

ANTI-SPYWARE / ANTI-VIRUS
Adaware SE Personal
Spybot - Search & Destroy
Windows Defender
Avast!
AVG
TrendMicro housecall (online scan)


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DEDICATED HARDWARE NEWS AND REVIEWS
Ars Technica
Anandtech
HardOCP
Tom\'s Hardware

DEDICATED HARDWARE FORUMS
HardOCP
Overclockers.com
Anandtech

BRAND_SPECIFIC FORUMS
Abit
DFI
MSI


BRICK & MORTAR HARDWARE LISTINGS
salescircular.com

ONLINE HARDWARE RETAILERS, US
Newegg
Directron
ZipZoomFly
MWave
TankGuys
HeatSink Factory
SV Compucycle
Sidewinder Computer Systems
SilenX
Azatek

ONLINE HARDWARE RETAILERS, UK
dabs
Komplett
Maplin
Micro Direct
PC World
Aria
Chillblast
Ebuyer
Kustom PCs
Misco
Overclock.co.uk
Over-clock.co.uk
Scan.co.uk
Tekheads
TheCoolingShop
Overclockers.co.uk

ONLINE HARDWARE RETAILERS, Canada
NCIX


BUILDING A NEW PC
Tom\'s Hardware building guide
Ars Technica Budget Box
Ars Technica "Hot Rod" (fast gaming rig)
Anandtech buyer\'s guide
Build Your Own PC
Silent PC review

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VIDEO CARD DRIVERS & UTILITIES
The Guru of 3D
Powerstrip
RivaTuner
nHancer (nVidia only)
Coolbits (nVidia only)
3D chipset specs

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dead pixel finder

Wow! Great index; thanks, Joe.

updated

ONLINE HARDWARE RETAILERS, Canada/US

http://www.ncix.com

http://overclockulator.pimprig.com/
Overclockulator 1.36 for PSU calculations. Glad to see the new sticky, Joe.

Some more links :

Guru3d.com many drivers, beta drivers and utillities for your graphics card

http://www.tweakers.net Dutch hardware site. (for the Dutch amongst us) (very comprehensive)

The definitive graphics card specs page:
http://users.erols.com/chare/video.htm

Overclockers.co.uk is a popular online shop here in the UK.

How can you leave out arstechnica.com ?!

For those wanting to build a quiet PC
http://www.silentpcreview.com/

That's a handy list and I have seen it before but the guy has got it wrong here.

# Radeon X1900 XTX
# GF 7900 GTX

The X1900XTX is slightly faster than the 7900GTX.

Dead pixel finder, works great.
http://www.astris.com/dpl/

Yeah awesome idea Joe.

I downloaded speedfan to my old Dell Pent II and got a temperature reading of 4 celsius (40 degrees)

This thread was showing 13 replies so had to make it 14 as 13 is just unlucky.

Here's how to get a 3D desktop running in Ubuntu Dapper on Nvidia cards for those interested.

http://ubuntuguide.org/wiki/Dapper#How_to_install_Xgl.2FCompiz_.28Nvidia.29

ps: how about a list of free firewalls ?

updated (sorry for the long delay)

heres a free firewall
http://www.personalfirewall.comodo.com/
+ of course everyone knows about zonealarm

Here's another free firewall. You get full version for 30days then it downgrades to free version if you don't buy it.


http://www.kerio.com/kwf_home.html

This one is more than just a firewall, it's more like a net nanny with firewall.

http://www.netveda.com/consumer/safetynet.htm

This one is free but can be a bit daunting to set up.

http://www.agnitum.com/products/outpostfree/download.php

Buyers Guide For PC Systems

This list is updated every month and has three levels of systems. Budget Box, Hot Rod and God Box.

http://arstechnica.com/guides/buyer/system-guide-200608.ars

Here's a little gem that I always use. SIW, very similar to Sisoft Sandra, except it's a freebie.

http://www.gtopala.com/

Take almost all the above links and toss them into one site....here ya go

http://www.majorgeeks.com/downloads2.html

Anandtech Forums: "The LCD Thread"
http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=39226

Table of Contents
i. Preface
ii. Conventions
iii. Primer
I. Panel Types
II. Technology and Limitations
III. Multimedia LCDs/Input Options
IV. Specifications
V. Recommendations (Post II)
VI. Using Your LCD
Appendix A. A Few Words About "Panel Lotteries"
Appendix B. Additional Resources
Appendix C. LCD Module Manufacturers
Appendix D. Issues with Specific Models
Appendix E. Glossy LCDs Listing

I can't find a "search" function for these forums..have I missed something?

I have just bought a P8P67 board based system and was on the point of returning the PSU and VGA crad when I found the following thread:

http://www.overclock.net/intel-motherboards/910402-asus-p67-series-information-thread-drivers.html

All the resources you will ever need (and updated) on page 1 and then 144 pages of discussion of the various problems and their resolution.

Believe me, if you buy a board with this chipset, you will almost certainly need this info. The one I bought that arrived last Friday had BIOS v1003 on it - the current is v1305 - so you can see how old it is, with around half a dozen updates in between.

BIOS flashing in the new EFI BIOS is very very simple. It's a matter of clicking on the EZ Flash update button, then simply browsing to the BIOS ROM image on your PC and clicking on it (just like in Explorer - only its from the BIOS itself).

Don't be disheartened by the number of pages in that thread - my issues were resolved by the time I got to page 14.

And now I am very happy with my awesome system!

Asus P8P67 Pro
Intel i5 2500K SandyBridge
Corsair XMS3 DDR3 1600 6GB
Gigabyte GTX560Ti OC
Corsair ModXStream 700W psu
HAF922 case
Big GRIN!


Flash

PSU calculator (lite/free version)

http://extreme.outervision.com/psucalculatorlite.jsp

GEGeek - PC Tech Reference
http://www.gegeek.com/

GEGeek Tech Toolkit - Have all your Tech Related Apps running from a
USB⁄Flash drive and never have to re-install them again. Never!
http://www.gegeek.com/documents/85BB69B2F05486B9332CEA18B8D6E4BE690ADA38.html




And my own new small site (under construction) has useful security information you should know:

http://www.badarray.com/security.html

PAE problem timesaver tip:

Deciding which OS to run after Windows XP support expires in april 2014 with your old laptop? Well I am too.

When shopping be sure to check the release notes to see if it needs your CPU to have PAE capability.

Physical Address Extensions, or PAE are not supported in most 400 MHz-bus versions of the Pentium M
Exactly what I have, although its a Celeron M on a Dell laptop!
(btw it isnt's VT capable either which means I can't use any recent VMWare either)

Why its important is in choosing the Linux or BSD or other, you will need to know what the build supports. Otherwise you get all settled on a distro only to find out its the wrong distro or build for your CPU.

Meaning = you can't use it!

To quote wikipedia page below, in the Linux section:

Also some BSD other OS you better check this first.
Read:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Physical_Address_Extension

Now, you need to know how to check your CPU, read this:

http://www.itechtics.com/how-to-check-if...espeed=noscript

So then you know you go to get the coreinfo utility at:
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/cc835722

to run that open a command prompt, type:
coreinfo
and it will output to the (dos)command window
or to put output to a text file do:
coreinfo >corenfo.txt

if you see this, like I have:


No * in the output = means NOT. It does NOT support PAE. Sorry.

Sad because it rules out Lubuntu 13.04 which might be a good replacement for XP (Can still use 12.04 but not sure if I want to do that)

Also, note that Windows 8 will only run on processors which support PAE, in addition to NX and SSE2.
(Not that that matters to me, since I would never use Windows 8 by choice, and it would never run on an old laptop like this anyway)

The Intel Processor ID utility (google it) does not specify PAE, so this is hard to figure out, unless you know this.

I'm a trained PC Tech and do some programming and did not realize this. Yes I know how to use BSD and Linux so its not a big issue to me to find another distro, but glad I saw this in the Lubuntu release notes.

So hopefully this post saves someone some time.

p.s. http://distrowatch.com/ is a good place to start if you are looking for a Linux or BSD distribution.

Burn a 'live' .iso to usb (usually for booting Linux or a rescue tool disk, gparted or etc) stick or thumbdrive tip:

use rufus - http://rufus.akeo.ie/

use checkbox 'create a bootable disk using' - ISO image - then browse icon to the .iso location
keep defaults for other settings generally. FAT32 usually.


It takes only about 20 -30 minutes or less and you're done (for say a 2 - 4 GB image)

There is also unetbootin - http://unetbootin.sourceforge.net/ it has more abilitites.
However, here is what I found; it annoyingly took up to 7 hours for the same disk..!
Maybe I had the wrong settings and it downloaded the stuff I needed (Linux).. which it can do.
But I was not intending that, but I was stuck doing some 'musical pc's and drives chairs' so to speak and at the time I did not wish to abort.

Both of these small tools don't have a lot of details on their use in the interface, but they are standards now.

New Linux How To - Tutorial is up!

Got Mint? How I got Linux Mint 18 Mate edition Installed, saving my Laptop by making it a Dual-Boot

oh and to burn a cd or dvd .iso to USB on Windows use Win32 Disk Imager Its the easiest program ever.
Just
1 - insert the USB in Windows
2 - with windows format it with fat32
3 - Run Win32 Disk Imager, select the .iso image from your disk
4 - select the USB drive
5 - Burn and you're done.

Using this it made a USB bootable disk from the Linux Mint 18 Mate 64 bit bootable DVD .iso
which I then used to install Linux on a UEFI system.

Disable Nvidia Telemetry tracking on Windows

In the case of Nvidia, Telemetry gets installed alongside the driver package. While you may -- and should -- customize the installation of the Nvidia driver so that only the bits that you require are installed, there is no option to disable the Telemetry components from being installed. These do get installed even if you only install the graphics driver itself in the custom installation dialog.

The Robolinux Stealth VM Software for Ubuntu

Robolinux, a distribution project designed to ease the transition from Windows to Linux with the help of a pre-configured VirtualBox addition running Windows XP or Windows 7, has released installable DEB files for Ubuntu and Linux Mint Stealth VM For Ubuntu & derivatives these packages provide an easy-to-use wizard for installing a licensed copy of Windows that would run in a virtual environment alongside Linux: "What many Windows XP users want to do is run Windows applications inside Ubuntu or their Ubuntu derivative.
In a few clicks the Windows XP or Windows 7 virtual machine is instantly built and fully configured and ready to go. Then you simply load your Windows disk and programs.

MediCat DVD is a bootable troubleshooting environment that ships with Linux and Windows boot environments, and troubleshooting tools.

MediCat DVD comes in four different flavors;

MediCat DVD -- This is the name giving distribution. It includes the PortableApps Suite, Linux boot environments and a full working mini Windows 10 WinPE Boot Environment.
MediaCat DVD Naked -- Like MediCat DVD, but without the PortableApps Suite.
Mini Windows 10 x64 -- Windows 10 WinPE Boot Environment, and PortableApps Suite.
Mini Windows 10 x64 Naked -- Like the one above, but without the PortableApps Suite.

The main distribution, MediCat DVD as a size of 7.5 Gigabytes. The naked variant size of 5.05 GB, the Windows 10 x64 distribution 3.94 GB, and naked Windows 10 distribution 1.47 Gigabyte.

The main menu displays various options. You can start one of the bootable operating systems included with the distribution, or access diagnostic, repair and troubleshooting tools instead that MediCat ships with.


64-Bit windows Recovery: Choice of Microsoft or Easy Recovery options for Windows 10, Windows 8.1 and Windows 7.
Hard Disk Tools: includes currently Acronis TrueImage 2017, GParted, Norton Ghost 11.5, Paragon Hard Disk Manager, PloP Boot Manager, SpinRite, SuperGrubDisk, Darik's Boot and Nuke.
Diagnostic Utilities: includes currently Hardware Detection Tool Memtest86+, TestDisk / PhotoRec / LiliPad, Ultimate Boot Cd.
Scan for Viruses: this launches Comodo Rescue Disk currently only.
Remove User Account Passwords: Active Password Changer, Daossoft Windows Password Rescuer, Offline NT Password & Registry Editor, PCUnlocker, Boot Kon-Boot CD.

You may boot in any of the available operating systems.

https://gbatemp.net/threads/medicat-dvd-a-multiboot-linux-dvd.361577/

Firefox 52: how to keep on using plugins

from ghacks;
http://www.ghacks.net/2017/02/03/firefox-52-how-to-keep-on-plugins/

'Firefox 52 will be the first release version of the Mozilla Firefox web browser that will ship without support for NPAPI plugins.
The only exception is that Firefox 52 will support Adobe Flash.

You may want to block updates of Firefox 51.x to avoid being upgraded to Firefox 52.
It is not really advised as it means that security updates won't become available.

Provided that you want to stay with Firefox, the best course of action at the time is to switch from Firefox Stable to Firefox ESR before the update to Firefox 52.
Firefox 52.0 ESR will be released alongside Firefox 52.0. This is good news for anyone requiring plugins, as Firefox 52.0 ESR will continue to support plugins whereas Firefox 52.0 won't.
A full Extended Support Release cycle lasts seven full releases. This means that you will be able to use plugins in Firefox ESR until March 2018.
Another option that you have is to install a Firefox ESR release next to Firefox Stable, and use it exclusively for sites and services that require plugins."
'

'

'Mike notes that you should make the change as close to the release of Firefox 52 ESR as possible. The release is on March 7, 2017.

Another option that you have is to install Firefox ESR directly on your system, and start using it. The new installation will pick up the profile that you used up until now.

Please note though that Firefox 45.x ESR may not support certain features yet that Mozilla implemented in Firefox 46 to 51. Some add-ons or features may not be yet available because of the nature of ESR releases.'

-- from gHacks;
"
A comprehensive list of Firefox privacy and security settings
http://www.ghacks.net/2015/08/18/a-comprehensive-list-of-firefox-privacy-and-security-settings/

Ghacks.net Firefox privacy and security user.js 0.11 is out
http://www.ghacks.net/2017/02/12/ghacks-net-firefox-user-js-config-0-11-is-out/

.."The privacy and security list

You can download the most recent version of the list..

Alternatively, you may load a custom HTML version of the list: User.js Light or User.js Dark, and load the changelog directly as well.

Make sure you check the changelog"
-------
-------

Aside from that (Privacy settings) I prefer to set about : config by hand rather than DL a .js file.
Also that version has a ton of refernces urls, very nice
I use the html version for reference:
light (white webpage background) or I prefer the dark version: w colored fonts, very nice.
http://www.ghacks.net/files/user.js%20[ghacks]-0.11-dark.html


btw; Like that html and css (webpage code) very much. I do html4 and css2 mostly by hand.

--
OT//(Actually I use add-on "Privacy Settings"
http://firefox.add0n.com/privacy-settings.html
it has most of these can set and switch various modes for security and/or privacy or compatibility with amouse click
This add-on is not real well known. I found out about it from a reference of a very good security programmer. It is great!
--
Im using firefox 51.0.1 - Linux 64, add-ons; NoScript, RequestPolicy Continued, HTTPS Everywhere, Privacy Settings..
..and UBlock Origin and UMatrix.
Also looking at Decentraleyes which is a great concept I think.

How To Boot a Linux Mint or Ubuntu (and other Linux) iso from a hard disk. Especially to install the Distribution.

You can also use this method for a sort of do-it-yourself Docker type thing. Or Multiboot system or cloner backup / restorer to system for system .iso images.

• ^^Prerequisite - Und Warnung!
  1. A mbr system is required for this method.
  2. This method assumes you either already have modern GRUB2 (not legacy Grub) installed Or want to install it - on which case you can further read-up on it and adapt the method very easily.)
  3. You do not have an EFi / UEFI / Secure Boot or other system
     While you can boot a bootble disk image .iso on an EFI system it requires another method and more reading !
  4. You have a bootable and installable Distribution Disk .iso
     (Although you can simply use this method to boot a 'Live" disk if its Live capable you do not have to install.)
     Also you can create your own disk (advanced and not described here!)
  5. Super GRUB2 Disk . Personally I used the SystemRescueCd disk which has Super GRUB2 Disk as floppy image on it. But I don't describe that. As its a bit hard to find the tool on the disk to launch it - (look for super floppy boot or something?).
  6. A Second Hard disk drive, aka.. HDD aka Secondary disk. If you want to install.

Background:
Having an old extra PC with a Pentium 4 CPU Intel 845 Chipset circa 2000 . This is an legacy system that uses mbr to boot, Not! new technologies like
GPT (GUID Partition Table) , EFI , UEFI or Secure Boot.
I had a hard time putting the Linux Distribution* I want on it since I don't have a working DVD reader / player for it . But it does had a CD. But I want a newer Distribution that only comes on DVD size. (I do not want a 'net install', btw.)
I can use It does have USB and can boot USB however this particular PC has a quirky bios configuration does not allow a OS that boots from USB to be installed on the primary disk. Although the running OS or programs like disk partition tools such as Gparted, etc. can access the disk.
On this old PC;
The method for booting a bootable* Linux .iso image that is simply (i.e.. previously downloaded to) stored on the hard disk does work (see below) .
However when booting from an .iso stored on the primary hard disk drive (not matter what partition while partition manager tools like Gparted etc. can access the disk and redo partitions on the primary disk.
But the caveat is that those partition tables cannot be written to the disk since the .iso is mounted. It has to be umounted. That cannot be done since to umount the disk would mean severe the connection to the .iso running. Actually its a limitation of this PC bios, etc. specifically since it uses up or locks the primary hdd controller (since it is in use).
While I could use a Distro or tool that specifically loads completely to memory or other method (which I tried but again this bios has features that are made to frustrate work-arounds) I won't go about describing that route.
The point here is Not that I wish to partition. That is an easy matter I could simply boot an CD .iso , etc.
The point is how to install.
(Pay attention to read-up on the method and adapt to your own uses also to create your own custom tricks / systems).

• So, its really a Simple method I use, to wit.
  Note; Pay attention!!
  1. Put the .iso on the secondary Hard disk.
  2. Boot the SuperGRUB2Disk
  3. Select Detect loop bootable isos.
     (from the website..
     Quote

     "Many GNU/Linux liveCD distributions support loop booting from an iso file, that is you can boot from the iso file without needing to burn it to a CD. This option will search all partitions for either a directory /boot-isos/ or /boot/boot-isos/. It will then find all of the .iso files within those directories and create a menu to choose among them. Not all iso files can be loop booted, as the live distribution itself needs to support this. Each live distribution has its own quirks when it comes to loop booting and needs to be treated specially (unless they ship a Loopback.cfg).
     .. supported Distributions:. ..Ubuntu.. ..SystemRescueCd..
     ..Any distribution that ships with a Loopback.cfg "
     
     
     Ubuntu 16.04 based Distros and disks like Mint 18 18.1, etc. has that Loopback.cfg already enabled so they will be detected.
  4. Then when you see the .iso listed you want select to Boot it!
     • Note that:
     • The output is geeky, If you have more than one drive with bootable .isos
       *(note edited from sdab which is wrong!(whoops) to sdb) sdb would on an Ubuntu or Mint system be the 2nd hdd.
       Thise may be called hdb, hdd1, hdd device 1 (assuming your primary hdd would be hdd0) or similar. If you have no other iso that its easy there will only be one option.
  5. That's it! Done! ^It should boot thereafter.
     Just remove the disk at reboot.
     ^With the caveat that if you are booting from an .iso on the primary hdd you won't be ble to install there. But you can on the second hdd.
     Of course I boot from an iso on the secondary installing to primary.
     Also note it makes no difference if you want to install on a dual boot system (mine is), however if using mbr (as this How to describes) note you can only have 4 primary partitions!. Read-up on it.
     Also then you see actually the advantage of GPT / EFI boot . You can have any number of partitions on a GPT (GUID Partition Table) sytem.

• *Appendix:
• GPT (GUID Partition Table)
• Loopback.cfg
• Distribution - or distro, refers to a specific implementation of a GNU/Linux operating system.
  A project which ships an operating system that includes the Linux kernel is said to be a Linux distribution.
• bootable - meaning it is a disk .iso that is specifically made by the Distributor, (ex. Ubuntu 16.04, Linux Mint 18) to be bootable.
  Especially from a disk .iso on the hard disk (many are using this method)
• installable - meaning the Distro disk is built with an install option.

• Related Tools and Links:
• GPT (GUID Partition Table)
• GNU GRUB Manual 2.00 (Grub 2)
  • Super GRUB2 Disk
  • http://www.supergrubdisk.org/wiki/SuperGRUB2Disk
  • http://www.supergrubdisk.org/wiki/S...2Fboot-isos_or_.2Fboot.2Fboot-isos.2F.29
  • SystemRescueCd
  • Linux doc links
  • https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Grub2/ISOBoot
  • https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Grub2/ISOBoot#Installing_Ubuntu_from_a_Menuentry_Boot
  • Boot a Mint .iso From Your Hard Drive Using Grub2 - with no DVD or USB
  • Related
  • How to create a USB which boots multiple .iso files using Grub2
• 
  
  --- FsFOOT 2017-2-23 author releases this post under Creative Commons license Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0)
  -
  //ps. To be clear: This is all AYOR.
  Similarly as above also works on a GPT / EFI etc. system, but you have to read how to do that.
  I don't want anyone to break their system. The method I described is important because many people have older systems and trouble to install the newer Linux Distros since they often have only DVD / UB full size offferings you cannot fit on a CD disk.
  People often try to use Plop! (an old Linux Distro best know for trying same thing - which it was never really good at) to install but it Plop! does not work in most cases and is not needed. //FsFoot-2017-2-23//end//
  

Everything you'll ever need to know about GUID Partition Table (GPT)
https://www.ibm.com/developerworks/library/l-gpt/index.html]
(Make the most of large drives with GPT and Linux
Preparing for future disk storage with the GUID Partition Table)

Direct from the man himself, Roderick Smith the well known rEFInd GURU
http://www.rodsbooks.com/ and IBM also have info / links to all EFI, UEFI, secure boot etc. matters.

Also the IBM content can be downloaded as .pdf

So you want a way to host or show a server or service directly from your computer to the internet without a lot of effort or knowing how to run / connect server from home?

Very easy with this software and service.
BUT it is a paid service, unless you are a FOSS developer.
https://pagekite.net/

How Does It Work?

https://pagekite.net/support/quickstart/

Summary

This information FYI, AYOR
I'm not an agent for them nor have I tried it. But will it seems very easy and good for some limited things.
The source I got this is this blog: http://planet.debian.org/deriv/ If you like the technical Linux (Debian) information.

Where and How to get a safe encrypted solution for file storage online particularly to store for example critical data, web passwords etc. so you can access anytime in a jam and "Sync" to other devices.

First let me say I use Linux Mint Operating system.
For making my own encrypted data file I use the free progrm KeypassX
https://www.keepassx.org/
It is basically the alternative for Keepass, which is practically an industry standard many people use.
There are tons of download versions / alternatives posted at this url for Keepass, KeepassX, etc. :
http://keepass.info/download.html

Many Linux Distros include it also as available in repositories.

Now to store the data file or files I use a free online storage solution:
https://owndrive.com/

Owndrive is the same technology as Owncloud. But is not Owncloud it is a private host.
There re free as well as paid options. I use the free options now for almost ayear with no problems ever.
It uses uses an Owncloud client available from the site.

It has both a web interface as well as sync client for both Windows, MAC, Linux as well as smartphones Apple IOS and Android.
https://owndrive.com/sync-clients/

All you do is set the Owncloud sync client to my.owndrive.com
its real easy.

The avantage of Owndrive is the Additional Web Interface. You can log in from the internet just like any web service and access you files anytime also.
Very useful if you either lose your device or not have it with you,. Or if you get stuck somewhere.
Also Owndrive is based in Norway as well as their servers.

Thus for example the US Patriot act cannot be used to subvert your legal rights to yur data, etc.
Note that I actually don't have anything to hide. Nor would I ever endorse any criminal activity. That is not the reason I am posting this.
I just am against such incursions which IMHO violate the spirit of the US Bill of rights that guaranteed the right of its citizens to be secure in their 'papers' and such.
And certainly every individual needs to know how to secure their data from crackers, criminals, enemy states, etc.

That said, note that by using the Keepass / KeepassX , etc. solution (properly that is - read and understand their information and what encryption is and does as well as what it does not do first before you do this!) you fully encrypt your data before you ever upload it.
Its a very good solution and frankly no one is ever going to be able to crack your data if you encrypt it reasonably using this method.
The strength of the data encrypt will be well enough safe or really safer than any financial institution uses. And frankly way less likely than them to ever be targeted.
And depending on your choice of what method you use as a keyfile or password in KeepassX (in other words your level of paranoia. Mine is fairly high but even so I don't even bother with using the most sophisticated method. As long as your passphrase is over 20+ characters mixed chars and numbers, etc. so forth it is enough. But that is up to you.
Also making multiple archives is safer than a single obviously.
If you have data that needs higher protection than this it shouldn't even be online frankly.

In other words you would be a military actor or mogul, or criminal etc.
In that case you hardly need my advise.. lol.

Cheers!
2017-9

Good advice FsFOOT. Although you did remind me of this old xkcd strip...

This next Tip is actually for Android Smartphone, Specifically a Android Tracfone that is a (yuk :/ Google-phone)..aka throw-away spyphone:

How to browse securely on a Tracfone?

I have this Smartphone that is a Tracfone. Its a decent cheap ZTE made one with Android. The phone hardware itself I have no problem with. But its got Google crap built in which I hate and worse opening Chrome browser that it installs takes you to Tracfone crap with adds etc as its homepage. There is no changing it since Tracfone has it set this way.

- - - - > Install Orbot then ---> Orfox

Orbot is a TOR network Proxy app.
Orfox is a custom Firefox browser for Android with Noscript and HTTPS Everywhere enabled already (note that same as all Firefox you have to make any other settings you want within Firefox settings after you install).

Read up on it here:

https://www.ghacks.net/2017/09/10/a-look-at-orfox-a-tor-browser-for-android/

and Thanks to Guardian Project
https://guardianproject.info/apps/

Installed
F-Droid
https://guardianproject.info/fdroid/

Install Orbot
https://guardianproject.info/apps/orbot/

and then
Orfox
https://guardianproject.info/apps/orfox/

Note this isn't exactly a tutorial on my part since I don't recall the exact sequence I used since I had to fiddle around with this for about n hour but finally got both Orbot and OrFox installed and they work.


First I installed
F-Droid and enabled the Guardian repositories , but it seemed Tracfone doesn't like this anyway.. IT would run the intall then it would report it failed. Even though I did enable the settings in Android, etc.

I had to fiddle around since Tracfone is set up to thwart such installs.
It never worked trying Google Play.
The process for Tracfone is to browse first (using chrome) to the Tracfone homepage, login phone number then browse search for app Orbot. then install. But not sure it worked
I think the deal was I Eventually I downloaded the .apk file.
Then same deal for Orfox.

At any rate it works. Now I just launch Orbot, then Orfox.

Now I can surf without Tracfone and Google eavesdropping on my browse traffic, etc.

And connect safely at coffee houses, etc. since TOR (Orbot) is a VPN in that respect and all the browser traffic is also HTTPS since HTTPS Everywhere.

Cheers

How to mute all sites by default in Firefox

a new add-on for Firefox.. I'm loving it!

https://www.ghacks.net/2017/08/30/how-to-mute-all-sites-by-default-in-firefox/

I added to my web-arsenal of add-ons to a customized Firefox 51

not to mention I launch with firejail:

https://firejail.wordpress.com/

oh btw if you use ccleaner it was hacked twice check ghacks!

Be Warned;
Internet Explorer - leaks what you type to sites
https://www.ghacks.net/2017/09/28/internet-explorer-bug-leaks-what-you-type-to-sites/

Got to say again gHacks is a good place to check for information - also has a Linux section

FYI: for anyone who need a Free Website, I use Neocities free site and it is great imho.
There are no ads.
My site in my signature.

To quote;
"Designed as a 21st century reincarnation of GeoCities, Neocities lets you make your own site for free. And it just might spark a renaissance of creativity online."
— Matthew Guay, AppStorm.

Live Down Under? Or might order from there? Or Download? Be sure to check out this:

PCAviator.com.au store

A 1-Stop Shop for Flight Simulations and Hardware!

You can't beat that, Mate!



btw; Also has Car & Racing Simulators, Trains, Books and a few other things.

PCsteps site has a lot of useful pages for

Windows, Virtualization

Run a macOS High Sierra Mac OS X Virtual Machine on Windows

How To Create a Windows Virtual Machine in Linux and Windows

Raspberry Pi Emulation for Windows with QEMU

and Linux and Gaming
Installing Wine, PlayOnLinux, Steam, games etc.

How to Install Wine in Linux Mint / Ubuntu to Run Windows Apps

How To Install Steam and Play Games on Linux Mint 18.1 / Ubuntu 16.04

How to Install Origin on Linux Mint / Ubuntu (June 2017) - also includes howto install PlayonLinux

Old versions of Windows, Mac and Linux Software, Apps & Abandonware Games - Android too:
http://www.oldversion.com/

free tools for recovery, partitions, restore, backup related


for Windows;

Create Windows recovery media with AOMEI Windows PE Builder -- ghacks

What is AOMEI PE Builder

--

Create a factory restore partition and one key system backup and restore for your Windows PC and Server
AOMEI OneKey Recovery 1.6

--

FREE Hard Disk Partition Software;

AOMEI Partition Assistant Standard Edition


------------------------------
for Linux or other Live CD's to manage hard disk partitions, booting, rescue

Gparted

Clonezilla

System Rescue Cd

Rescatux and Super Grub2 Disk

Some things different in this post -- geared to the Pros on the site or those that may wish to become one:

- This is for people serious about writing Documentation like a Pro... Something oft needed in the games world yet rarely found!

Write the Docs - Documentation Guide
http://www.writethedocs.org/guide/


- Similarly for making Windows packages / software installations like a Pro
(aka a deployment solution for Windows)


Chocolatey - Software Management Automation The package manager for Windows
https://chocolatey.org/

Combine these two powerful sites tools to your Game release and never look back!

How to install a free legal Windows in VirtualBox (or other VM) in Linux

Also; you can use on Windows or whatever - - > see the links for the vm's at end of this post

I have not tried this yet. The instructions, at the time at least, claim Windows 7 was available through the link however the link has changed to https://developer.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-edge/tools/vms/ and the

option seems to be disabled. At least in both my browsers Firefox with noscript, etc and also a custom Midori.
(You could try another browser, but suspect it means the Win 7 , and other options other than windows 10 have been removed?)

However, following this I found Windows 10 vms download is available:
https://developer.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/downloads/virtual-machines

Which has the links on the page that are working

- note: they are redirects to the actual download at microsoft.com

from gHacks yet again.. Find out if your Intel system is vulnerable to Intel Manageability Engine vulnerabilities


Intel advisory


Just ran the tool in Linux (Its just a python script really.) Thankfully my laptop is not vulnerable.
To do in Linux:
- download the SA00086_Linux.tar.gz from Intel-SA-00086 Detection Tool page (same page also has Windows version .exe . Documentation is included)

- extract it to a folder
give files an executable permission: intel_sa00086.py and spsInfoLinux64 (for 64 bit CPU)

- in a terminal run the command with admin priviledges:
sudo ./intel_sa00086.py
that's it. Also a .log file is generated in the same folder will contain the same info.

Also you can check other possible Intel product issues like recent (WPA2) protocol vulnerability here:
Intel Product security Center

I just ran that tool and it says my system is vulnerable (i5 6600).

I'm a little confused about what to do about it.If I go to one of the links it states that for 6th gen processors I need Intel® ME 11.8.50.3425 or higher.I just checked my version and I have 11.7.0.1004 so I ran the Intel Update Utility but it says there are no newer versions.

Do I wait until my mainboard manufacturer (MSI) releases a new version? And why wont the Intel utility bring up that newer build?

According to gHacks:


As to the versions cited I do not have any other information on it.

Post of a different flavor:
Save this link for Gaming News;

https://games.slashdot.org/

via slashdot and vice.com ;

Why you cannot trust websites, and need to keep block lists and tools updated

via betanews
Privacy: Use of session replay scripts means many websites essentially have built in keyloggers

report from this site
No boundaries: Exfiltration of personal data by session-replay scripts



Both EasyList and EasyPrivacy block lists are used in for example uBlock origin, uMatrix, etc.
A user commented that the block list in EasyPrivacy have been updated.. I can't confirm that,will look into it later

p.s.
see this url for additional information about sites:
Data release: list of websites that have third-party “session replay” scripts


This replaying technology even can record stuff you erase from forms prior to submitting. Or anything you type or do in them. So be warned!

Forget Windows 10! Dell launches five new computers with Ubuntu Linux pre-installed

Nice!


System76 'Lemur' and 'Galago Pro' Ubuntu Linux laptops get 8th gen Intel Core CPUs
You can even build your own configuration

Even Nicer!

But if you're a gamer? Which the vast majority on SimHQ are.

The last time I tried Linux for gaming (which admittedly was 12 months or more ago) it was a disaster. There just isn't enough support from the game companies and I don't think there ever will be.

Linux is an excellent replacement for Windows otherwise.

There are tons of gaming on Linux. It just depends on the games you play.
And thousands of free games. And some paid games.Like Steam and more.
All the software I use on Linux is free otherwise. I've paid $0 since I started using Linux exclusively for more than a last year now.
Anyway, I don't care to convince anyone or argue the point.

Pale Moon team has released the first version of the Basilisk web browser that is based largely on Firefox code.

https://www.ghacks.net/2017/11/17/pale-moon-team-releases-first-version-of-basilisk-browser/

Need $ to produce your game?

Fig is a crowdfunding platform for video games

unfortunately fig site uses so much javascript the only page I can read in my locked-down browser is their blog

Free secure email: Tutanota is derived from Latin and contains the words "tuta" and "nota" which mean "secure message".
Many prefer it to Proton mail.

I am trying it. It features encryption end to end.
By default it sends email encrypted but can also send unencrypted.

The site login works easily even though I use noscript, umatrix, ublock origin, etc. just allow tutanota.com.

PCsteps.com Has a lot of good page for both hardware and software for LInux or Windows, even MAC
such as,

How To Create a Software RAID 5 in Linux Mint / Ubuntu

How To Create Software RAID 5 in Windows 8.1 and 10

Software RAID 1 in Windows 7 for Increased Data Security

also Gaming

such as,
Get free games from Origin
with links to such as "Full PC Games. Origin On the House" website,
Full PC Games. Origin On the House

Nice
I'll have to try Origin soon!

Free Games and downloads from Shrapnel Games

Enhanced / newer version of old dos game - Steel Panthers

• winSPMBT: Main Battle Tank Free Version
  Computer Game: Windows
  Type: Tank Warfare
  Steel Panthers for Windows
  Also available in an Enhanced CD version for $39.95
• winSPWW2 Free Version
  omputer Game: Windows
  Type: Tank Warfare
  Steel Panthers for Windows, WWII era!
  Also available in an Enhanced CD version for $39.95

Others

• Conquest of Elysium II
  Computer Game: Windows, Mac OSX
  Type: Fantasy Role-Playing
  The precursor to the wildly popular Dominions series!
• Plasmaworm
  Computer Game: Windows
  Type: Arcade
  Control a plasmaworm through twenty increasingly difficult levels of play
• Strange Adventures in Infinite Space
  Computer Game: Windows, Mac
  Type: Strategy
  Explore the galaxy...in 20 minutes or less!
• Soup du Jour
  Computer Game: Windows
  Type: Matching
  Digital Eel's Matching Game to beat all Matching Games!
• Goblin Slayer
  Board Game: Print & Play
  Type: Fantasy
  The quest for the Shimmering Widget!
• Big Box of Blox
  Computer Game: Windows, Mac
  Type: Arcade
  Tetris on acid!

Shrapnel games com.unity Forums

Where to find, analyze, download CryptoCoin Software Distributions?

The CryptoCoin.cc website was first published on 1 December 2014 (initially as CryptoCoin.cm). It is a sister project of DistroWatch.com (a site covering Linux and open source Distributions)

It was conceived .. in 2001 - to create a database of cryptocurrencies and organise them in a logical and searchable manner. ... a one-stop resource referencing the software behind these digital currencies.

The emphasis on the word "software" above is no coincidence. There is a large number of excellent websites that focus on the monetary, financial and investment aspects of cryptocoins, but there are aren't many that provide information about the many interesting technical features of these exciting new technologies

http://cryptocoin.cc/

..Fascinating!

Improve the performance of Windows PCs with Nvidia hardware
..gHacks again!

Avast releases machine-code decompiler RetDec

Also the web / browser based version here is actually working: https://retdec.com/decompilation/
Amazingly good.

How to use Decentraleyes (a Firefox Add-on) properly with NoScript, Umatrix / Ublock Origin

I have all these add-ons in Firefox. In fact all these:

But until now I haven't been using Decentralize properly always. Especially since a new install of firefox-esr.

Decentraleyes test page here

When you have the correct settings it will indicate so. Or not if vice' versa.

Decentraleyes FAQ page
has the answer to the settings for Umatrix / UBlock Origin and NoScript, etc.

• First make the settings for Noscript:
  
  Quote

  Add the domains ajax.googleapis.com, ajax.aspnetcdn.com, ajax.microsoft.com, cdnjs.cloudflare.com, code.jquery.com, cdn.jsdelivr.net, yandex.st, yastatic.net, libs.baidu.com, lib.sinaapp.com, and upcdn.b0.upaiyun.com to your whitelist.
  
  
  -
• Then settings for Umatrix or UBlock Origin
  
  
  Quote

  Open up the extension dashboard, and navigate to the My rules tab. Revert any unwanted non-permanent changes, click Edit under the temporary rules section, and paste the list of rules below into the text area. Save and commit your changes. Supported requests will now be delegated.
  
  * ajax.googleapis.com * noop
  * ajax.aspnetcdn.com * noop
  * ajax.microsoft.com * noop
  * cdnjs.cloudflare.com * noop
  * code.jquery.com * noop
  * cdn.jsdelivr.net * noop
  * yastatic.net * noop
  * yandex.st * noop
  * libs.baidu.com * noop
  * lib.sinaapp.com * noop
  * upcdn.b0.upaiyun.com * noop
  
  
  -
  
  Quote

  
  Note if you use both like I do just make these above noop settings in Umatrix. You don't need to set them in UBlock Origin also.
  
  I use UBlock Origin to do all its blocking (in non-easy mode) and Umatrix I have unchecked alll the hosts files lists (as shown in image below).
  Then I use Umatrix only to do some other settings and Allow / disallow some parts of pages individually occassionaly. UBlock Origin really does most of the work.
  
  
  btw:Actually I did add
  * ajax.googleapis.com * noop
  to UBlock Origin also, before I figured out UMatrix would logically be where they go. But it makes probaly no difference
  
  
  --
• That's it. Done!
  
  Now open the Decentraleyes test page here again to check if Decentraleyes is working.
  

Voila' it works!

--
Addendum...
Since I use RequestPolicy Continued, I just found out it only works with Dencentraleyes if you also allow the requested CDN in RequestPolicy Continued (ex. ajax.googleapis.com).
I may stop using RequestPolicy Continued anyway, although it is an excellent Add-on,
(blocks and is especially useful to block images, and more. that try to load from 3rd party sites into webpage)
since 3P Request Blocker just came out and seems very promising.
see; 3P Request Blocker blocks all third-party requests in Firefox
Its a web extension and thus can be used in later browsers also ... only be used in later than
Firefox ESR 52 / Tor Browser, since ESR52 doesn't have latest WebExt APIs.. Thus I may upgrade to newer browser since I currently using just Firefox 52 ESR.)

3P Request Blocker just came out and seems very promising.



see; 3P Request Blocker blocks all third-party requests in Firefox

One reason I use blockers such as RequestPolicy Continued?
Well "a picture tells a thousand words." :


This is example of web junk that we have to deal with.
As you can see there are actually 96 objects being blocked just by RequestPolicy Continued in this example.!
No offense to the the site (its actually my Add-Ons page at Sandbagger's now at the webserver of wife's Cake site) its just an example of the massive crap that trys to load on pages that I don't need.

Looks like a useful free cloud tool from AOMEI:

MultCloud - Put Multiple Cloud Drives Into One
Free App for Managing Files and Transferring Files across Cloud Drives

Manage Multiple Cloud Drives in One Platform.

MULTCLOUD.com
Create an account - or try first

Install Linux in Windows 10:
How to Get Started Using WSL in Windows 10

ps. I Recommend Ubuntu (if using this tutorial) its more stable and in general easier and more bug free than openSUSE 42 leap.

---
And warning; read up on apt-get, because using this command is Not usually recommended;
sudo apt-get dist-upgrade

that will upgrade your version to the latest, and that could make a lot of changes - not always what one wants.

Say you are on 16.04 LTS (the most stable currently) that command would get you to a later version. Not always good.

That said, I've never tried this on Windows!

---
Also see the Manual for WSL at MSDN

TechVine Tech Tips Helpful site fron OZ down under .au

AOMEI OneKey Recovery Review - TechVine Tech Tip