The blog

X10 interface for Windows Media Center

MCESoft links to the new MyHome plug-in, which allows you to control an X10 home automation system via a PC running Windows Media Center Edition 2005:

MyHome for Media Center is a plug-in to control your X10 home automation system. At this time it’s programmed to work with the PowerLinc II Serial/TW523 X10 Interface, a serial to X10 converter, but it may be revised to be modulair and support other hardware drivers if there is enough interest for it. There is no configuration needed for the plug-in to work, the COM ports are scanned and a connection to the X10 Interface is set up automaticly.

I’ve been meaning to look into adding X10 components to my home for a while, but never got around to it. I suspect one reason is the horrible reputation the company got for being … well, let’s call them a pioneer in the field of pop-up advertising on the Internet.

But the technology is really cool, even if their advertising is terrible.

Cover your tracks in Firefox

For at least the last five years, I’ve recommended a program called PurgeIE as a way to clean up traces that Internet Explorer leaves behind. Recently, I heard from Jim Lawler, the program’s developer, that he’s released a Firefox-compatible alternative called PurgeFox. I’ve put the program through its paces over the past month or so and recommend it highly.

If you’ve ever used PurgeIE, the PurgeFox interface will be familiar. It doesn’t work as a Firefox plug-in but rather runs as a stand-alone program.

Purge_config
[Click to see larger image]

By selecting check boxes on the Purge Options dialog box, you decide what you want to eliminate. You can wipe out some or all of the following Firefox elements: the browser cache, cookies, history file, and forms history. The program also gives you the option to erase the contents of various locations that aren’t directly related to Firefox, like temp folders, the Windows file history, the Recycle Bin, and the Clipboard.

The program’s biggest strength is as a cookie manager. Like PurgeIE, it gives you the option to designate specific cookies as protected, a setting that it saves in its configuration files. As you go through the list, you can see the exact contents of each cookie and decide for yourself whether to keep it or purge it. This setting is maintained in addition to the Firefox Allow/Block settings. When you run the Purge button, the program zaps all cookies except those marked as Protected.

Cookies
[Click to see larger image]

PurgeFox has one thoughtful feature designed to keep you from inadvertently deleting more than you intended. After you select a group of settings, click the Preview button to open a window that shows you exactly what will happen if you use those settings. If you’re satisfied with the results, click the Purge button to do the job. For the sake of convenience, you can also save different groups of settings to run on startup and on shutdown, and in response to a Purge Now button that lives on your desktop or on the Start menu. That’s handy if you want to routinely clean out certain settings without having to select options all over again.

Most of the features that PurgeFox performs can be done manually, if you know where to look in the Firefox Options dialog box and in various Windows dialog boxes. Besides being more convenient, this program adds a “secure erase” option, which makes it more difficult for someone to recover files you thought you had deleted. It also supports plug-ins that extend its functionality to other programs, including Adobe Acrobat, the Google toolbar, WinZip, and other elements of the Windows interface, including the Run box and the search history.

The program runs on Windows XP, 2000, and 2003. It also runs on older versions, including Windows 98, Windows Me, and NT 4.0. If you’re a privacy fanatic and you use Firefox, this is well worth the $21.95 license fee. If you already own PurgeIE or PurgeIE Pro, you can get a PurgeFox license for $11. Not sure?  Try it out for 15 days.

ATI’s new TV tuner board

Microsoft’s Sean Alexander may have moved over to the Longhorn group (congrats, Sean!) and off the Media Center team, but he’s still posting good stuff at Addicted to Digital Media:

ATI’s new Home Theater 550 Pro-based ATI TV Wonder Elite TV Tuner board was just released and started shipping to retailers today. I just got my hands on a board and have personally seen the quality of this standard-def tuner beat that of an upsampled signal on a high end HDTV set from a major manufacturer. That’s saying a LOT. Thanks to the 3D comb filter, you don’t get the “jitter effect” you normally see on overlayed graphics such as a CNN or NBC logo or sports scorebox. I cannot wait to put this board through it’s paces personally on my MCE box this weekend.

The Imaging Science Foundation (ISF) has certified this board as meeting or exceeding specifications for high-end consumer AV electronics.

If what I’ve seen hold true, this board significantly raises the bar for other PC-based TV tuner manufacturers. I know ATI has been investing heavily to develop this card to exacting quality.

I used the previous generation of ATI’s All-in-Wonder cards (I still own two, in fact). They were OK for their time, but once you experience hardware decoding you can’t go back to slow, crash-prone, software-based decoders like the AIW series. Lately I’ve been working with Hauppauge’s Win TV-PVR series of boards. The most recent addition is the dual-tuner WinTV-PVR-500MCE, which is now in full service here. Every Hauppauge board has performed exceptionally well, and this one is no exception. I’ll have more to say about it later. Meanwhile, I’m eager to try the new ATI board.

New version of Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer is out

If you’ve never used the Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer, this might be a good time to give it a try. Version 1.2.1 is now available for download here. The documentation is intimidating (and the accompanying FAQ is only a little less so), but the application itself is pretty straightforward. It scans every version of Windows 2000, Windows XP, and Windows 2003 (sorry, not Windows 9X/Me), and also looks for security problems in Microsoft client and server programs, including Windows Media Player, Internet Explorer, Exchange Server, and IIS. You can also scan multiple computers over a network. It does a much more thorough job than Windows Update — instead of just looking for patches, it also examines your system configuration for common security weaknesses, such as easy-to-crack weak passwords or too many file shares.

Mbsa

Highly recommended for anyone who is serious about Windows Security.

Microsoft to expand Genuine Advantage program

This story in today’s Washington Post is confusing:

Microsoft to Launch Anti-Piracy Initiative:

Microsoft Corp. will combat piracy of its flagship operating system by requiring Windows users to verify that their copy of the software is genuine in order to receive timely updates and security fixes, the world’s largest software maker said on Wednesday.

Under a new verification program, users will have to prove their copy was obtained legitimately to receive “greater reliability, faster access to updates, and richer user experiences” from Windows XP, the latest version of the operating system running on over 90 percent of the world’s personal computers.

Users of pirated copies of Windows will still be able get some updates, such as security patches, but will not be able to get other add-ons for Windows, the Redmond, Washington-based company said in a statement.

The new initiative, called Windows Genuine Advantage, will start in mid-2005.

Microsoft said it will expand in February a trial authentication program it began last fall for English-language users to include 20 more languages. In order to attract more users to the trial, Microsoft is also offering downloads of add-on software and discounts on games and online services.

Authentication will become mandatory in mid-2005 for all users seeking to access software updates, downloads and security fixes for Windows, Microsoft said.

I’ve bold-faced the two most obvious contradictory statements in this report. Will users of unauthenticated copies still be able to get security updates or not? I’m still looking for the original source of this story.

I have no problem with a program that rewards people who have legitimate copies of Windows with add-ons, fun stuff, and even access to the library of signed, certified, updated drivers. But Windows security should not be tied to any anti-piracy efforts. One insecure copy of Windows affects the entire Internet ecosystem. If a patch is available to prevent that computer from becoming a vector for viruses, worms, and spam, then that patch should be freely available, with no restrictions of any kind.

Update: CNET News explains how it will work:

By the middle of this year, Microsoft will make the verification mandatory in all countries for both add-on features to Windows as well as for all OS updates, including security patches. Microsoft will continue to allow all people to get Windows updates by turning on the Automatic Update feature within Windows. By doing so, Microsoft hopes it has struck a balance between promoting security and ensuring that people buy genuine versions of Windows.

“We think that the best foundation for the most secure system is genuine software,” said David Lazar, director of the Genuine Windows program at Microsoft. “We want to urge all of our customers to use genuine software. (At the same time), we want to make sure that we don’t do anything to reduce the likelihood that a user will keep their system up to date.”

OK, I can accept that. Automatic Updates provides a perfectly good mechanism to deliver all Critical Updates and security patches. And most updates are still available for manual download from Microsoft’s FTP servers. Someone using a pirated copy won’t have the option to use the Windows Update site, but they won’t be blocked from installing security patches. That’s fine.

Another update: The press release announcing this change is now up on Microsoft’s site. Here’s a key excerpt:

Microsoft to Implement Worldwide Anti-Piracy Initiative

In the second half of 2005, visitors to the Microsoft Download Center and Windows Update will be required to participate in Windows Genuine Advantage to access all content. To help customers who may require more time to move to genuine Windows software, Microsoft is offering security updates through Automatic Updates in Windows, with or without Windows Genuine Advantage validation.

I really don’t like the sound of that last sentence, which implies that access to Automatic Updates may be cut off in the future for people who are unwilling or unable to prove that their copy of Windows is “genuine.”

Ten things you need to know about spyware

Update: I’ve made some small but significant changes to this list based on excellent feedback from the anti-spyware community. I’ve also published a second installment in this series. See “Six steps you can take to block unwanted software.”

Carl Siechert and I are currently working on an update to our 2002 book Windows Security Inside Out. It’s been only a little over two years, but a lot has changed in the computer security landscape during that time. So much, in fact, that the update is much more extensive than we originally envisioned.

The biggest change, in my opinion, is the explosive growth in what’s commonly called spyware. We spent about four paragraphs on the topic in the first edition, basically telling readers to install a firewall and use Ad-Aware. In this edition, we’re devoting an entire chapter to spyware, and we’ll have significant coverage of related topics in at least four other chapters.

One frustrating aspect of the whole spyware topic is the extraordinary amount of misinformation floating around about what spyware is, how it gets on your computer, and how you can protect yourself most effectively from being a victim. To organize my thinking, I’ve put together the following list of ten essential facts about spyware. This list forms the basis of the spyware coverage in the new edition. I recognize that some of these statements may be controversial, and I’m open to alternative points of view. (If you want to reply, add a comment or create your own blog entry and send me a trackback.)

The list begins after the jump.

Continue reading “Ten things you need to know about spyware” →

Windows without the Media Player

After arguing for years that Windows Media Player was inextricably linked with the operating system, Microsoft is about to release a version of Windows without Media Player:

Microsoft is giving European computer manufacturers the choice of buying Windows with or without the company’s favored Windows Media Player, which lets computer users listen to music and watch videos. Both versions of Windows will be offered for the same price, and the company said they will be available through retail channels, but only in European outlets.

Why only in Europe? Because that’s where the courts ruled that bundling Media Player with Windows was an antitrust violation.

I’ll be curious to see whether Windows Reduced Media Edition (makes it sound appealing, eh?) actually sells many copies. The price is exactly the same, so computer makers have no incentive to sell a version of Windows without a media player — all they get in return is increased tech support headaches. The only way this could take off would be if a competitor with a major media player (iTunes or RealPlayer, for instance) can convince a computer manufacturer to give it an exclusive deal on all new computers.