Tomaree Mature Age Computer Club
Newsletter
Club Meets 2nd & 4th Wednesday at
Tomaree Neighbourhood Centre, Salamander
10:00 AM
http://tmacc.users.nelsonbay.com/
club wiki at : http://tmacc.pbwiki.com/
Steering Committee
Bob Truscott 49821264
Noel Finch 49822797
Brom Crass 49283630
Next Meetings :
13 January 2016 then 27 January 2016
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December 2015
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If you attempt to fix something that isn't broken, it soon will be !
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11 November 2015
Movie
Topic
Laptop has become very slow
Member received an email requesting
information in relation to medical appointments.
Using Revo Uninstaller to control Windows
Startup applications.
Discussion
This condition became apparent following the
upgrade to Windows 10.
Possible causes :
1. Drivers for display, printer. ethernet
controller or other peripherals may need to be
updated for Windows 10. Suggest checking on
makers' website for drivers specific to Windows
10 (early Windows 10 upgrades revealed severe
problem with Nvidia graphics card drivers Nvidia has released updated drivers to overcome
this difficulty).
2. Insufficient RAM to satisfy the needs of
Windows 10 (the minimum specifications usually
mean that the system will run but not very
satisfactorily).
3. Although some applications seem to transfer
over to Win10 and run, their .DLL files are not
compatible with Windows 10 - check with
software developers website for updated version
suitable for Windows 10. If none available,
uninstall the application (using Revo) and reinstall.
On first sight, this appears to be a "physhing"
email. Suggested that the email be deleted after
printing a copy. The member's medical practice
should be advised & shown the printed email as
the practice may have to upgrade it's security
over patient's medical records. On the other
1
Big Red Cursors
Autorun problems
Unable to create good copies of TMACC discs
Members report that some TMACC discs display
incorrectly and audio is distorted.
How do we reduce the file size of photos prior to
emailing as attachments ?
25 November 2015
Movie
Freebies 119
Inconsistent (? staggering) performance of a
member's computer
What is the best bandwidth speed test available
?
hand the email may well be genuine and from
the medical practice, in which case the member
can answer any queries in person.
How do you get these visible cursors working ?
A video will be created outlining the source &
configuration steps to achieve this "tweak".
The meeting was reminded that Microsoft has
included in monthly updates, the "turning off" of
this feature as an anti-greebie precaution.
TMACC discs can be activated in either of 2 ways
1. click on START then COMPUTER then double
left click on the CD drive icon that is displayed.
2. install the application "Desk Drive" on
Freebies 119. This application will display (on the
desktop) an icon when a TMACC disc is inserted
in to the drive. Double click this icon to start the
TMACC disc. The wallpaper icon will disappear
when the disc is removed.
Suggested that the burning speed be reduced to
a maximum of 8x and have the burning
application verify the copied disc as part of the
burning process. Occasionally burning from one
brand to a different brand will result in a faulty
copy.
The relevant discs were run in a members laptop
and displayed well. However, the audio level was
markedly reduced. Reconfiguration of the
speaker settings showed some improvement but
although clear, the volume was unsatisfactory.
Could be that an update of the sound card driver
is needed.
The freeware "Caesium" is available on Freebies
113. The application is easy to use and this
TMACC disc contains a video outlining
installation, configuration and use.
getting Big Red Cursors - a summary sheet for
this task will be included in the December
Newsletter
Some members are reporting stuttering vision
&/or audio. Noel to test offending disc to
validate it's integrity.
Suggested that a backup be created before any
attempts to rectify :
To backup data files only the freeware Macrium
Reflect is available.
For a full image backup, it is recommended that
commercial software Acronis True Image or
Norton Ghost be considered.
Telstra recommend OOKLA (a commercial
application costing $1900 for industrial version).
However, http://www.speedtest.net/ uses
this software and testing is available for free.
I used this facility 26/11/2015 to record :
Download speed = 16.45 Mbps
Upload speed = 0.95 Mbps
(Mbps means mega bits per second) for an
2
ADSL2+ connection with Telstra.
Suggested : right click on vacant part of
wallpaper and left click on "REFRESH".
Create an additional toolbar & drag excess icons
(which are shortcuts to applications) onto this
toolbar thus making a quick launch toolbar.
A video demonstrating this task will be created
and shown at a future meeting.
Unstable "Outlook.com" email connection.
It has been reported that Microsoft update
KB3097877 is causing access to this internet
connection to become unstable. It is
recommended that this update be uninstalled &
any further listing appearing in Windows Update
be marked as "HIDE THIS UPDATE" until
Microsoft release a fix.
December meetings
Members are reminded that there will be only
one meeting date in December 2015 (ie 9th)
Annual get together
To be held at Dutchies Beach at 11 AM on 10th
December 2015.
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Member reports that sometimes wallpaper icons
are missing.
How do I reduce the number of icons on the
wallpaper ?
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Sequence again :
1.
Google "Big Red Cursors"
Left click "Bill Myers" entry
2.
download "redcursors.zip" file (to somewhere that you can find it).
3.
Highlight and then right click "redcursors.zip" file and then left click "EXTRACT ALL"
4.
Click on "BROWSE" to C:\Windows\Cursors ..... click OK
5.
Left click on "EXTRACT" (optional = leave tick in "open destination folder" box)
6.
Left click on START - SETTINGS - CONTROL PANEL - MOUSE
7.
Left click on tab "POINTERS"
8.
Left click on individual mouse mode (that you wish to change) then "BROWSE"
9.
Cursors down to "Big Red" items and select the pointer required then OK
10.
Complete configuration by left click on "APPLY"
(If you wish , you can save your new mouse pointers as a theme - see at the top of the "POINTERS" tab)
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by Dennis Faas on November, 30 2015
I was wondering if you could tell me where is the Solitaire and other games for Windows 10 ?
I use to play Solitaire for Windows 7, including Hearts, Spider Solitaire, and Minesweeper but I
cannot find them in Windows 10. The only alternative I've seen is to pay for them. Why would
Microsoft get rid of Solitaire and these other great games after including them for so long ?
In Windows 10 if you want to access the Solitaire, you can click Start and type in "solitaire" and it should come
up with the "microsoft solitaire collection", which is attached to the Windows Store and Xbox Live, and will ask
you to sign in with your Microsoft account.
As for the other games, including: Chess Titans, FreeCell, Hearts, Mahjong Titans, Minesweeper, Purble Place,
Spider Solitaire, Internet Backgammon, Internet Checkers, and Internet Spades, those are no longer part of
Windows 8 and 10.
Download Solitaire for Windows 10 (and more)
With that said, I did manage to find a link to download all the above classic games (including Solitaire) in a
single package. I should mention that I believe these games are copyrighted by Microsoft and that they've
been modified to work with Windows 8 and 10. I did download the file and tried them on my Windows 10 Pro
system and it worked flawlessly. In fact, they look and act just like the ones that came with Windows 7.
Here's the link:
http://winaero.com/download.php?view.1836
The link to download is just above the 'donate' button on the page.
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Jefferson Graham, USA TODAY November 25, 2015
LOS ANGELES — There were so many tech innovations in 2015, including self-driving cars, virtual reality and
smaller, lighter and sharper cameras. But not everybody succeeded.
Thus, my take on the top 10 tech turkeys of the year.
No. 1: Apple Watch. Easily the most hyped new tech product of 2015, the Apple Watch was the poster child
for the wearable tech category. It does have its fans who like wrist notifications and workout tools such as a
heart rate monitor and step tracking.
My take: Perhaps one day, Apple will come up with a watch that’s light, can get through the day without a
charge, has useful apps that can be easily accessed on the phone and is more than just an iPhone extension.
This work-in-progress watch has a lot of improvement it needs to do for Watch 2.0 in 2016.
No. 2: Smartphone battery life. Considering the amount of money and time we spend on smartphones,
you’d think that among all the new features manufacturers gave us in 2015, they’d come through with the one
we all really want: more hours of usage. Our phones are still not lasting a full day. Let's drop all new products
for 2016 and focus on improved battery life. Imagine how happy consumers would be.
No. 3: Chip credit cards: On the face of it, these new, safer, more secure credit cards are a consumer plus.
But they’re hard to use and have created havoc at stores, making lines longer and slower than ever. The
positive is they’re probably the best catalyst we’ve seen for paying via mobile phone. I see more folks trying
out Apple Pay and Samsung Pay in 2016.
No. 4: Facebook Notify: Let’s face it, our phones have become overloaded with notifications: Facebook
Messenger, Twitter direct message, texts and so many news organizations pushing alerts all the time. The
folks at Facebook had an idea: What if we could bring even more notifications to folks with the Facebook Notify
app? The notion is to get yet more news headlines, sports scores and the like from your favorite news
organization and read them on your smartphone lock screen. I say, OMG, save me ! More notifications ? Help!
No. 5: Subscriptions: In the same vein, how sick are you of those endless monthly charges? Netflix, Hulu,
YouTube, Amazon, Spotify, Apple Music, TiVo — the list goes on and on and on. You need to be a detective to
keep track of them all.
No. 6: Verizon’s FIOS: The media giant received glowing headlines when it said you no longer had to pay for
thousands of TV channels via its FIOS service. The consumer could instead pick and choose and get a small,
lighter package of channels he or she actually wants to watch. Reality check: Not really. When I looked to
make the switch from paying more than $200 per month, I could ditch dozens of channels (including Comedy
Central, Sundance Channel, BBC America and Discovery), yet my savings was just $16 monthly. You could
barely buy a few turkey legs for that.
No. 7: T-Mobile’s BingeOn: The good news: free video streaming that doesn’t count as part of your monthly
bill. The bad news from the No. 3 wireless carrier: You'll step back in time for this bargain to before we had
phone screens with 1080p and 4K resolution, and you'll watch videos with low 480p resolution.
No. 8: Connected credit cards: An idea whose time never came, the “connected” credit card ties all your
existing ones into one central card, so you no longer have to carry multiple cards. Just use a Stratos or Coin
card to access your Visa or American Express. Nice idea on paper, but you have to pay upward of $99 to
participate. I’ll pass.
No. 9: Epson ECO Print. Consumers hate being gouged on ink refill charges, right ? Epson unveiled a new
way: Pay more upfront for your printer, say $400 instead of $100, and you’ll get cheaper ink that will last you
longer, or up to two years, Epson claims.
In the end, consumers will spend even more money. The two-year refill on the ECO tank is $49.99, bringing
the total to $450. A standard Epson printer is available on Amazon for $89.99, and if you factor in two ink
refills yearly at $63.88 apiece, for two years, the grand total comes to $345. Who does Epson think it’s kidding
No. 10: Steve Jobs: Hollywood makes a film about the late Apple co-founder, and it’s a very fictional, dark
take on a flawed but brilliant man who is mostly unrecognizable to those of us who knew him. Most of the
action in the movie never happened. The film was a big bomb at the box office, deservedly so, a real turkey.
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By Tracey Capen (Windows Secrets website) on November 19, 2015
The much-anticipated fall update for Windows l0 has arrived. If you’re looking for significant changes, you’re
going to be disappointed.
Version 1511 is an important update, but many of the enhancements are either buried in the Settings menus
or under the hood.
The latest Win10, aka Fall Update, is far from a routine patch. According to Microsoft, it’s about a 3GB
download, and on my test system it took around three hours for the full installation. And though it was
officially released on Nov. 12, it could take days before it shows up on individual machines. On my test system,
4
the update arrived sometime over the weekend; on my personal system, I received a notification but no actual
update — yet.
Aside from Microsoft throttling the release of the update, there are other reasons you might not see Version
1511, according to a MS FAQ.

The delivery of Version 1511 will be delayed if you migrated to Win10 less than 31 days ago. The
original Win10 lets you roll back to Win7 or 8.1 within a month of upgrading to the new OS. Apparently, once
you install Version 1511, the roll-back option is disabled. When your Win10 setup reaches its one-month
anniversary, Fall Update should show up in Windows Update and be automatically installed.

If you selected Defer upgrades in the Windows Update advanced options, there could be a delay
receiving Version 1511.
Note that the option to defer updates applies only to optional patches; security updates are always installed
as soon as offered. According to a Win10 help page, new features “won’t be downloaded or installed for several
months.” Windows 10 Home doesn’t have the defer-updates option; Win10 Pro does.

Updates installed before Version 1511 will no longer show up in your update history
(Start/Settings/Update & security/Windows Update/Advanced Options/View your update history).

If you uninstall Fall Update, it won’t show up again in Windows Update — you’ll have to download it
directly from Microsoft.
How do you uninstall Version 1511? Although the update comes through Windows Update, you won’t find it in
your update history. Presumably, you use the Go back to an earlier build option (Settings/Update &
security/Recovery). There, you’ll have to step through a series of questions before the process begins.
As generally seems to be the case with Windows 10, there can be many other reasons that an upgrade doesn’t
appear or install properly. You might, for example, have insufficient room on your hard drive — more of a
potential problem on older systems with relatively small drives. Also, you might have to go through several
rounds of “Check for updates” to ensure the system is fully up to date. (Win10 seems to be a bit erratic about
when patches appear in Windows Update.)
You can check whether you have Version 1511 installed by checking About page (Settings/System/About).
Look for the Version number. If you have problems receiving or installing Fall Update, you can, as a last resort,
use the most current Media Creation Tool (site), which includes Version 1511. The tool should let you install
Win10 while keeping your personal files. You might have to reinstall your apps.
What’s new in Windows 10 Version 1511
As mentioned, the obvious changes included in Fall Update are fairly few. In fact, Microsoft’s What’s new page
highlights just three — and one of those isn’t for Windows but the Edge Browser. (As usual, Microsoft has done
a poor job of documenting Windows changes.) Here are some changes I found when comparing an upgraded
Win10 system with one that is still waiting for the upgrade.
Edge browser: The enhancements to Edge are relatively minor: Power Web users will like the webpage
preview. Now, when you have multiple tabs active in the browser, rolling over a tab name pops up a handy
thumbnail of its webpage.
First shown in the most recent Win10 Insider Preview, Edge now includes a Cast media to device option in
the tools menu (the three-dot icon). If you have a compatible Miracast or DLNA device attached to a HDTV or
display, you can send it video, photos, and music from Edge. Desktop users won’t find this especially useful,
but anyone using a Win10 tablet will want to try it.
Window 8 had a media-casting option called Play To, but it was a right-click menu option for media files
accessed through File Explorer. That feature can be found in Win10, too, but it’s now called Cast to Device.
Microsoft doesn’t publish a list of compatible Miracast or DLNA products, but it’s relatively common on smart
TVs, newer Blu-ray players, and some set-top boxes such as the extremely popular Roku devices. Cast media
to device doesn’t work with either Apple TV or Google’s Chromecast. At this time, Edge’s media-casting option
doesn’t work with protected content — you can’t, for example, use it to cast Netflix movies. Bummer!
Start menu: If there’s only one reason to upgrade from Windows 8.1 to Windows 10, it’s the return of a
functional Start menu system. Start in Version 1511 has a few interesting enhancements. For example, you
can expand the area for app tiles by clicking Settings/Personalization/Start/ and turning on Show more tiles.
The right-click context menus for tiles are a bit more useful. A More category allows for more options while not
making the primary menu unwieldy. A Tasks option also appears to be new. As Figure 4 shows, the Skype tile
adds Sign Out and Quit Skype as two Tasks options. Currently, few apps take advantage of Tasks, but they
most likely will as they get upgraded.
Note that the right-click menus will vary from app to app. For example, some tiles allow four Resize options;
many offer only two. The one oddity is including Uninstall in the main menu — a choice you’re rarely going to
use. Microsoft should have moved it to the More subgroup.
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There are other new personalization options. For example, background color selection now includes title bars,
along with Start, the taskbar, and the action center (see Settings/Personalization/Colors). Also new is the color
option, Automatically pick an accent color from my background. In the Personalization/Background
screen, a new Shuffle option appears when you select Slideshow for your background image. And in Lock
Screen, there’s now an option to turn off your background picture when the screen is locked. I’m not sure why
you’d want to do this, but reportedly it was a common request from users.
The desktop: You now have more flexibility to adjust Windows’ Snap option. But don’t look for Snap controls
under Settings/Personalization/Display — it’s under Multitasking. There you’ll find a new option: When I
resize a snapped Window, simultaneously resize an adjacent snapped window.
Other changes: Many other changes are far less obvious. For example, you can now install apps on drives
other than the C: drive. In the original Win10 Storage option (Settings/System/Storage), the New apps will
save to option was grayed out on my systems. It’s enabled in Version 1511.
Offline Maps (Settings/System) is a feature that was included with the July launch of Win10. But in Version
1511, you can now select the drive that will store the downloaded maps. On my desktop test system, this
option didn’t recognize an external USB drive. But that might be a quirk of my setup.
Under Accounts, Your account is now named Your email and accounts. If you scroll down that window,
you’ll now see Email, calendar, and contacts, which lets you add multiple accounts to Mail, Contacts, and so
forth.
Cortana works with local accounts — you no longer need to be signed into an MS account to receive help from
the digital assistant. According to a Windows Experience Blog post, Cortana can track important events and
recognize phone and address information.
Windows 10 has a huge number of customization options, but finding them can be a truly hide-and-seek
process. Two of the better summaries of what’s new in Fall Update are a Forbes article, “Massive Windows 10
update has 10 great secret features,” and Paul Thurrott’s post, “What’s new in the Windows 10 Fall update”
(which is based on the related Insider Preview).
(Translation = in the USA the word "fall" refers to what we call "autumn". Brom )
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by John Lister on December, 3 2015
Can Christmas tree lights degrade a Wi-Fi signal ? A British government agency suggests exactly that, but
tech experts say it's unlikely to have a noticeable effect.
The claim came in a press release for a new app to check WiFi quality. Ofcom, which is roughly equivalent to
the US Federal Communications Commission, noted that WiFi problems "could be down to something as simple
as interference from other electronic devices, such as a microwave oven, baby monitor, a lamp - or even
Christmas fairy lights." (Source: ofcom.org.uk)
The app runs some basic checks to see whether data is delayed or even lost while passing from a broadband
connection via a wireless router, and then to a device and back again. While it hasn't publicly stated this is the
reason, Ofcom may be offering the app to help users distinguish between slowdowns caused by their WiFi and
genuine problems with the service and speed of the connection delivered by their broadband provider.
Routers On Floor Less Effective
As part of the app launch, the agency noted some common troubleshooting tips, including using Ethernet
cables rather than WiFi wherever practical; restarting a router to have it switch to another frequency with less
interference from other users in the neighborhood; and moving the router to a different location, preferably off
the floor and in a central room.
It also noted that having a router near electrical devices can cause problems: "Halogen lamps, electrical
dimmer switches, stereo or computer speakers, fairy lights, TVs and monitors and AC power cords have all
been known to cause interference to broadband routers. Keep your router as far away as possible from other
electrical devices as well as those which emit wireless signals such as baby monitors etc."
Christmas Lights, WiFi Warning Overstated
In theory, a Christmas tree full of lights could be a particular problem as, unlike most electrical equipment, the
wiring is not heavily shielded and has only a very thin layer of plastic to insulate any radio frequency
interference.
However, given how many devices are in the average home, it's extremely unlikely that a set of lights on their
own could make a significant difference. Andrew Smith of Gizmodo notes that "it would take a considerable
volume of lights to create enough interference to seriously degrade your Wi-Fi network. In fact, you would
have to be lighting up your tree like a small sun ." (Source: gizmodo.com)
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- The Windows Club 3 Dec 2015
6
A lot of people end up getting confused when they see two different URL’s one as HTTP and other as HTTPS. So
what is the difference between these two ? In this post I will discuss the evolution of HTTP and the difference
between HTTP and HTTPS in simple term so that it makes sense quite easily.
What is HTTP
It is always necessary to know something about basics before going to the advanced topics. HTTP stands for
HyperText Transfer Protocol. It is the system for transmitting and receiving information across server and the
client. The Server is the machine where your website code is placed and client is nothing but your browser.
HTTP manages the mutual understanding between server and the client to exchange information or data
successfully. The first HTTP had only one method called as GET, which would request a page from server and
the response was a HTML page. The latest version of HTTP defines nine request methods.
If you visit any website you may see the address gets prefixed with HTTP:// this means your browser is now
connected to the server using HTTP. Now the HTTP isn’t the safest way to establish a connection, the problem
with http though is that it is vulnerable to people who might want to eavesdrop or see what your activity is all
about.
This shouldn’t be any concern when you are just browsing any website or just Bing’ing, the problem comes
when you are making a financial transaction over Internet. As we all know, Internet is not exactly a safe place.
Apart from searching and browsing websites, we need to engage in money transactions, online purchases and
secure file transfers. So how do we secure such financial transactions? The answer is HTTPS.
What is HTTPS
HTTPS or Secure HTTP some may call it is a combination of Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) with SSL/TLS
protocol. Now everything you communicate over HTTPS will be sent and received in encrypted form, which
adds the element of safety.
As when a client makes a request to the server, the server responds by offering a list of encryption methods.
When the client connects to a website via HTTPS, the website encrypts the session with a digital certificate.
Secure Sockets Layer or SSL uses a cryptographic system that encrypts data with two keys that is browser and
server send each other unique codes which are used for encryption for rest of the talk.
Https is used in many situations, such as log-in pages for banking, forms, corporate logins, and other
applications in which data needs to be secured. It is always advised to never enter credit card details on
websites that run on HTTP.
Difference between HTTP and HTTPS
1)
In case of HTTP URL begins with “HTTP://” and for HTTPS connection it is “HTTPS://”
2)
HTTP is unsecured on other hand HTTPS is secured.
3)
HTTP uses port 80 for communication unlike HTTPS which uses port 443
4)
No certificates required for validation in case of HTTP. HTTPS requires SSL Digital Certificate
5)
No encryption in HTTP; Data encrypted before sending and receiving in HTTPS.
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(and now as an end of year gift for the clever people amongst us)
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15 MOST COMMON STOP ERRORS
STOP 0x000000D1 or DRIVER_IRQL_NOT_OR_EQUAL
Probably the most common BSOD ! Occurs when a driver has illegally accessed a memory location while NT is
operating at a specific IRQL. This is a driver coding error, akin to trying to access an invalid memory location.
Recovery/Workaround:Usually none. But these may help KB810093 , KB316208 & KB810980.
STOP 0x0000000A or IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL
A kernel-mode process or driver attempted to access a memory location without authorization. This Stop error
is typically caused by faulty or incompatible hardware or software. The name of the offending device driver
often appears in the Stop error and can provide an important clue to solving the problem. If the error message
points to a specific device or category of devices, try removing or replacing devices in that category. If this
Stop error appears during Setup, suspect an incompatible driver, system service, virus scanner, or backup
program. This KB314063 may show you the direction.
STOP 0x00000050 or PAGE_FAULT_IN_NONPAGED_AREA
A hardware driver or system service requested data that was not in memory. The cause may be defective
physical memory or incompatible software, especially remote control and antivirus programs. If the error
occurs immediately after installing a device driver or application, try to use Safe Mode to remove the driver or
uninstall the program. For more information, see KB894278 & KB183169.
STOP 0x000000C2 or BAD_POOL_CALLER
A kernel-mode process or driver attempted to perform an illegal memory allocation. The problem can often be
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traced to a bug in a driver or software. It is also occasionally caused by a failure in a hardware device. For
more information, see KB265879.
STOP OX000000ED or UNMOUNTABLE_BOOT_VOLUME
Occurs if Windows if unable to access the volume containing the boot files. But if you get this message while
updating TO Vista, check that you have compatible drivers for the disk controller and also re-check the drive
cabling, and ensure that it is configured properly. If you’re reusing ATA-66 or ATA-100 drivers, make sure you
have an 80-connector cable, and not the standard 40-connector IDE cable. See KB297185 and KB315403.
STOP 0x0000001E or KMODE_EXCEPTION_NOT_HANDLED
The Windows kernel detected an illegal or unknown processor instruction, often the result of invalid memory
and access violations caused by faulty drivers or hardware devices. The error message often identifies the
offending driver or device. If the error occurred immediately after installing a driver or service, try disabling or
removing the new addition.
STOP 0x00000024 or NTFS_FILE_SYSTEM
A problem occurred within the NTFS file-system driver. A similar Stop error, 0x23, exists for FAT32 drives. The
most likely cause is a hardware failure in a disk or disk controller. Check all physical connections to all hard
disks in the system and run Check Disk. KB228888 will help you.
STOP 0x0000002E or DATA_BUS_ERROR
Failed or defective physical memory (including memory used in video adapters) is the most common cause of
this Stop error. The error may also be the result of a corrupted hard disk or a damaged motherboard.
STOP 0x0000003F or NO_MORE_SYSTEM_PTES
Your system ran out of page table entries (PTEs). The cause of this relatively uncommon error may be an outof-control backup program or a buggy device driver. For more information, see KB256004.
STOP 0x00000077 or KERNEL_STACK_INPAGE_ERROR
The system has attempted to read kernel data from virtual memory (the page file) and failed to find the data
at the specified memory address. This Stop Error can be caused by a variety of problems, including defective
memory, a malfunctioning hard disk, an improperly configured disk controller or cable, corrupted data, or a
virus infection. For additional information, click KB228753.
STOP 0x0000007F or UNEXPECTED_KERNEL_MODE_TRAP
Most likely due to a Hardware failure, like defective memory chips, mismatched memory modules, a
malfunctioning CPU, or a failure in your fan or power supply are the probable reasons for this BSOD. Can also
occur if you have overclocked your CPU. The message gives more details. For more help see KB137539.
STOP 0x000000D8 or DRIVER_USED_EXCESSIVE_PTES
This indicated that a poorly written driver is causing your computer to request large amounts of kernel
memory. Troubleshooting suggestions are identical to those found in the STOP 0X3F message. KB256004 will
help you
STOP 0X000000EA or THREAD_STUCK_IN_DEVICE_DRIVER
Could occur after you install a new video adapter or an updated (and poorly written) video driver. Replacing
the video adapter or using a different video driver could help. See KB293078.
STOP 0XC000021A or STATUS_SYSTEM_PROCESS_TERMINATED
Occurs if there is a serious security problem with Windows. A subsystem, such as Winlogon or the CSRSS is
compromised; or due to a mismatch in system files; or if system permissions have been incorrectly modified. A
common cause of this problem is some 3rd-party program. Try to identify any new program which you have
installed and uninstall it.
STOP 0XC00000221 or STATUS_IMAGE_CHECKSUM_MISMATCH
This indicates a damaged page file; or disk or file corruption; or a faulty hardware. The error will indicate the
exact nature and the name of the damaged system file. You may have to use the Windows recovery
Environment or a System Restore or Last Known Good Configuration to resolve this issue.
For Advanced Users, Microsoft Advanced Windows Debugging and Troubleshooting is a handy link.
Additional read at TechNet.
In addition, 10 more common Windows Blue Screen Stop Errors & possible workarounds have been
discussed here.
You may also want to take the help of BlueScreenView. It is a utility that cans all your mini dump files
created during ‘blue screen of death’ crashes, and displays the information about all crashes in one table. For
each crash, BlueScreenView displays the mini dump filename, the date/time of the crash, the basic crash
information displayed in the blue screen (Bug Check Code and 4 parameters), and the details of the driver or
module that possibly caused the crash (filename, product name, file description, and file version). For each
crash displayed in the upper pane, you can view the details of the device drivers loaded during the crash in the
lower pane. BlueScreenView also marks the drivers that their addresses found in the crash stack, so you can
easily locate the suspected drivers that possibly caused the crash.
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The BSODs or Stop Errors in Windows 8 appears to be better and more user-friendly and easier on the eyes!
See how you can make it display Stop Error information in Windows 8.
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- BBC
27 November 2015
A new method of delivering data, which uses the visible spectrum rather than radio waves, has
been tested in a working office.
Li-fi can deliver internet access 100 times faster than traditional wi-fi, offering speeds of up to 1Gbps (gigabit
per second).
It requires a light source, such as a standard LED bulb, an internet connection and a photo detector.
It was tested this week by Estonian start-up Velmenni, in Tallinn.
Velmenni used a li-fi-enabled light bulb to transmit data at speeds of 1Gbps. Laboratory tests have shown
theoretical speeds of up to 224Gbps.
It was tested in an office, to allow workers to access the internet and in an industrial space, where it provided
a smart lighting solution.
Speaking to the International Business Times, chief executive Deepak Solanki said that the technology could
reach consumers "within three to four years".
The term li-fi was first coined by Prof Harald Haas from Edinburgh University, who demonstrated the
technology at a Ted (Technology, Entertainment and Design) conference in 2011.
His talk, which has now been watched nearly two million times, showed an LED lamp streaming video.
Prof Haas described a future when billions of light bulbs could become wireless hotspots.
One of the big advantages of li-fi is the fact that, unlike wi-fi, it does not interfere with other radio signals, so
could be utilised on aircraft and in other places where interference is an issue.
While the spectrum for radio waves is in short supply, the visible light spectrum is 10,000 times larger,
meaning it is unlikely to run out any time soon.
But the technology also has its drawbacks - most notably the fact that it cannot be deployed outdoors in direct
sunlight, because that would interfere with its signal.
Neither can the technology travel through walls so initial use is likely to be limited to places where it can be
used to supplement wi-fi networks, such as in congested urban areas or places where wi-fi is not safe, such as
hospitals.
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by John Lister on November, 24 2015
Yahoo has confirmed it has blocked some users from accessing their email if they are running ad-blocking
software. It describes it as a test for a small number of users.
Several users reported seeing a message reading "Uh oh... We are unable to display Yahoo Mail. Please disable
Ad Blocker to continue using Yahoo mail." Ironically one of those affected was a former Yahoo executive who at
one stage was in charge of revamping the Mail service. (Source: engadget.com)
Ad-Blocking A Hot Topic
The move has proven controversial even if it isn't a first. Many sites are set to detect if a user is running adblocking software in their browser and then display a message requesting the user whitelist the site (meaning
ads can be shown on that site alone) or requesting a voluntary donation or subscription if one is available.
Some sites go further and try prevent users from accessing content if they use ad blockers. The Yahoo move
has been seen as a step further than this, however, as in this case the blocked "content" is the user's own
inbox.
The problem for users is that they don't necessarily have a right to access these messages on a free email
service. Being forced to allow ads to be displayed could be argued as the price of using Yahoo Mail in the same
way that allowing messages to be scanned to improve targeted advertising is "part of the deal" in using
Google's free Gmail.
Yahoo Calls Move 'New Product Experience'
Yahoo itself hasn't gone into detail on either the practicalities or the ethics of blocking access to email. It's
simply saying "At Yahoo, we are continually developing and testing new product experiences. This is a test
we're running for a small number of Yahoo Mail users." (Source: washingtonpost.com)
Opinion among users of ad blocking software varies widely. Some believe they should be able to block ads
simply as a matter of principle. Others say they only want to block ads where there is an excessive number on
the page, where they get in the way of content, or where they may pose a security risk.
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Critics of ad blockers believe that seeing ads is part of the deal when viewing free sites or using free services
and argue that blocking ads deprives site owners of revenue and could ultimately threaten the existence of
such sites.
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- Britec Sep 29, 2015
Its a well known fact that PCs slow down over time. Doing regular maintenance on your computer can keep
your computer running fast and smooth. There are many reasons why our pc system slows down. Here are
some of the main reasons :
Overheating.
Malware Virus. There can slow the system right down.
Junkware. Can grind the system to a halt.
Dust in your computer. Dust is the biggest killer of computer hardware.
Bad Hardware. failing drive, motherboard or ram can make the computer slow.
Corrupt Registry Files.
Corrupt Windows Files.
Fragmented Drive. Defragmenting your hard disk was a thing we did back in the day. Modern versions of
Windows automatically defragment your hard drive in the background. But it won't hurt to run it now and then
manually.
Old Hardware. This can happen when your running old hardware with a modern operating system and
software.
As you can see there is quite a few reasons for computer slowness and there are many more.
So if you are on a old system and you want to make it faster, the following items need checking :
Resource Hungry Programs hogging your CPU and Memory (RAM).
Disable Startup Programs to help bootup times. Disable applications to prevent them from launching at
startup.
Web Browser Extensions or Add-ons manager can slow down your browsing experience.
Reduce Visual Effects. These cripple a older computer and use up crucial memory that may be needed.
Animated windows when minimizing and maximizing
Animations in the taskbar
Enabled transparent glass (particularly in Vista operating system)
Fade or slide menus into view
Fade or slide Tool Tips into view
Fade out menu items after clicking
Show shadows under windows
Slide open combo boxes
Uninstall those programs that you don’t use and stop them taking up space.
..............................
Disk Cleanup tool will help free up disk space
Install SSD
Read this article SSD vs HDD
http://ocz.com/consumer/ssd-guide/ssd..
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- USA Today 5 Dec 2015
SAN FRANCISCO - The couple suspected of the massacre in California that left 14 people dead are believed to
have intentionally damaged their cell phones and computer hard drives to keep investigators from tracking
them.
But computer experts say it takes time and effort to make electronics unreadable.
“It all depends on who you are protecting the data from. For most consumers, a simple disk wiping program or
a sledge hammer will do the trick. But if you are trying to keep secrets from the FBI or NSA, forget that,” said
John Gunn, vice president of VASCO Data Security.
The fact that the suspects in the San Bernardino case tried to physically destroy electronic evidence makes Jay
Kim, CEO of DataLocker in Overland Park, Kansas think they were not very technically savvy.
"Destroying their digital trail seems to have been an afterthought," he said.
A government official said an undisclosed number of devices were transported to the FBI laboratory in Virginia
where analysts were attempting to salvage the information history on the devices.
Depending on what Tashfeen Malik and her husband Syed Rizwan did to their electronics, it's very possible
much could be retrieved from them, say experts.
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“The forensic techniques available today are remarkably advanced, from recovering ghost images to reading
minuscule fragments of disk platters. Any given file occupies less than .0015 square inche, so even small
fragments can be read with advanced equipment. Chemical destruction would get the job done, but it is not
very practical,” Gunn said.
Thermite will do the trick nicely
Computer security experts are acutely aware of how far it's necessary to go to truly obliterate data.
“The three best ways to destroy a hard drive are with a drill, where the disc is physically not capable of being
read anymore, microwave oven, or my favorite — thermite,” said Robert Hansen, vice president of WhiteHat
Labs, WhiteHat Security.
Still, for anyone who really wants to protect their data the first and most obvious — though often forgotten —
line of defense is to encode it.
"Without the proper [digital] key, getting the data back out is infeasible and therefore physical destruction is a
bit redundant,” said Hansen..
Just whacking a hard drive with a hammer doesn’t do it.
“If someone just destroys the external electronics (circuit board) and the internal platters are OK, then it is not
hard to restore the drive. It really depends on how much damage was done to the interior media,” said Philip
Lieberman, CEO, Lieberman Software.
Experts say computer hard drives can be destroyed in two main ways, by overwriting the data on them, or by
physically destroying their “platters.” Those are disks coated with a magnetic media where the 1s and 0s that
make up the digital information are stored.
Creating magnetic hysteria
Most home computer users use wiping programs to clean data off hard drives. These write and rewrite over the
hard drive, covering the data that’s on it so many times it’s unreadable.
It’s not like in the movies, where the hero hits a button and then a bar inches across the screen to show how
much has been erased, while the bad guys are busy breaking down the door, said Joe Caruso, chief technical
officer of Global Digital Forensics in San Francisco.
“We call that ‘movie time,'" he said. In reality, the process takes hours.
The best way to destroy the information on a hard drive is to take it apart and then run a degausser over the
platters, said Robert Roederer with Level 6 Shredding in San Francisco, which wipes and destroys hard drives.
A degausser is "a high intensity magnet that creates magnetic hysteria, scrambling the 1s and 0s on the
platter. It’s like shucking an oyster, you get in there, you get them out and you degauss them,” he said.
High quality commercial-strength degaussing wands start at a few hundred dollars and can cost as much as
$1,000.
His company can do the wiping at their facility or in a client’s office – though when they do, they ask that
anyone with a pacemaker or an expensive watch step away.
“It’s a very strong magnet,” said Roederer.
Another popular method used by businesses is to simply shred the hard drive in a commercial power shredder,
which breaks it up into pieces that can be a small as a match stick.
Those aren’t cheap, generally costing a few thousand dollars. The typical home user wouldn’t have one at their
disposal.
The methods home users try often don’t work, said Caruso.
“We’ve seen people try to drill holes in their hard drives, but you can get a lot if data back from damaged
platters. Obviously not where the holes were, but everywhere else,” he said.
Retrieval costs $1,000s
Recovering data is done in several different ways. A poorly-overwritten hard drive simply requires a computer
program that goes in and retrieves the information.
For a drive that’s been physically damaged, digital forensic experts open it in a clean room, cleanse it and then
use a special reader to attempt to retrieve any data that’s still there.
“It can take days of aligning everything to actually get it to work,” said Caruso.
The process isn't cheap. Simply finding deleted information can cost several thousand dollars, while rebuilding
a damaged hard drive run up to $10,000 or more, Caruso said.
Generally cell phones aren’t worth the effort.
“People forget that just about everything on their cell phone is also somewhere else, whether it’s in phone
company records or backed up to the cloud. The records exist elsewhere,” Caruso said.
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(The following is a late addition and exceeds the normal 11 page size of our newsletters - as it's the season for
reading the following may be of use to members ) :
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- The Windows Club 6 Dec 2015
As everyone has a smart device the usage of eBooks has increased. To be frank, there are only few who buy
the hard copies of books. Whether it might be a novel or a subject text book, it is available in the form of
eBook and that too in different format as PDF, .DOCX, EPUB and more. Because of people’s interest, there are
many websites which provides you free eBooks downloads. If you search for eBooks on the Internet, you will
come across many sites, but not all of them are legal. It is advised to not go towards illegal websites. In this
article I will let you know the best 5 websites to download free eBooks legally.
1. Book Boon
Book Boon provides you the text books of IT and Programming, Natural Sciences, Career & Study Advice and
many more along with the Business books for free. If you are looking for any of those eBooks, then Book Boon
is for you. It does not require any registration and it is advised to subscribe to the news letter to download the
required eBook.
2. Project Gutenberg
Project Gutenberg provides you eBook of many genres. It has tons of books and can be downloaded for free.
It provides you eBooks in the form of PDF, EPUB, Kindle and audio books where ever needed. By default it
provides you the list of top 100 eBooks and you can even search based on author, category or by name. It is
always advised to visit this website daily to get an idea on latest eBooks that were uploaded.
3. Free eBooks
This website provides you free eBooks under various categories like audio books, children books, fiction and
non-fiction, Sci-fi Fantasy, religious and many more. It also allows you to create book online. In order to
download eBooks for free from this website, it is mandatory to register and it is free. It shows you the featured
eBooks on the home page and if you want, you can search by title or author.
4. Many Books
Many Books provides you the way to choose the eBook by number of downloads. eBooks of this website
supports iPad, Kindle and any other eReaders. Once you select the book, you can prefer the downloadable
format based on your convenience. Using recommendations you can even browse through the website and it is
one of the reputed source of eBooks.
5. Open Library
Open Library provides you millions of free eBooks. Users can even contribute to the catalogue and it is a sort
of open project. Some books can also be borrowed and read. It has eBooks of tons of genres. It also suggests
the books you need to read. It is something like borrow, read and explore.
Extra Tip: Google Books also provides you some eBooks for free and some of them need to be bought.
(Remember that you can read eBooks on your laptop or desktop using Calibre which is freeware).
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Wiisse
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"Live long & Prosper"
"Be kind to each other"
"Look after your kids, cause they are the one's to select your nursing home"
PLEASE NOTE : our annual "get together BBQ" is at Dutchies Beach, 11am Thursday 10th Dec 2015
For a list of Meeting Movies, Freebies & CD Tutorials that are available go to our club wiki :
http://tmacc.pbworks.com/
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