Kon-Boot looks like a very interesting tool since it can get you into a system without having to logon first.
According to the description at the tool's site, Kon-Boot alters a Linux or Windows kernel on the fly during boot up. The result is that you can login to a system as 'root' or 'administrator' without having to know the associated account password.
The tool reportedly works with Windows Vista, XP, Server 2008, Server 2003, Windows 7, Gentoo, Ubuntu, Debian, and Fedora.
All of you admins out there might want to give this tool a whirl to see how it works against your systems - before one of your users does!
Friday, July 10, 2009
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Microsoft, What's Going On? IT Pros and Partners Want to Know By Paul Thurrott
Next week, Microsoft hosts its annual Worldwide Partner Conference in New Orleans, the first time the software giant has returned to that city in a major way since the Katrina debacle (at least to my knowledge). On the face of things, the WPC doesn't sound like it would be a thrilling event per se--images of CEO Steve Ballmer bounding across the stage caterwauling "partners, partners, partners!" notwithstanding--but this show has always offered up some compelling info about Microsoft's upcoming products. This year, on the eve of WPC, however, I have some questions.
Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2
Microsoft previously announced that it would complete development of Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 in July 2009, so it's likely that the company will reveal that milestone at the show. But numerous questions surround these products, even in the wake of last week's Windows 7 retail pricing announcement.
For example, will businesses be able to get access to these products electronically before the October 22, 2009 launch date? And if not, why? And what about MSDN and TechNet customers?
Indeed, the sheer number of questions swirling around Windows 7 pricing, availability, and various upgrade issues is astonishing, especially when you consider that Microsoft had months to prepare for this event. The company could really clarify things a lot better than it has.
Office 2010/Office Web Applications
Last year at the Professional Developers Conference, Microsoft announced that it would deliver a beta version of its upcoming Office Web Applications (using the now-overloaded OWA acronym, with due respect to Outlook Web Access) by the end of 2008. Now 2009 is nearly half over, and it still hasn't happened.
We can expect a lot of Office 2010 pomp and circumstance at WPC next week, including the release of the previously announced Office 2010 Tech Preview (which leaked to the web over a month ago, by the way). But what about OWA?
Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2
Microsoft previously announced that it would complete development of Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 in July 2009, so it's likely that the company will reveal that milestone at the show. But numerous questions surround these products, even in the wake of last week's Windows 7 retail pricing announcement.
For example, will businesses be able to get access to these products electronically before the October 22, 2009 launch date? And if not, why? And what about MSDN and TechNet customers?
Indeed, the sheer number of questions swirling around Windows 7 pricing, availability, and various upgrade issues is astonishing, especially when you consider that Microsoft had months to prepare for this event. The company could really clarify things a lot better than it has.
Office 2010/Office Web Applications
Last year at the Professional Developers Conference, Microsoft announced that it would deliver a beta version of its upcoming Office Web Applications (using the now-overloaded OWA acronym, with due respect to Outlook Web Access) by the end of 2008. Now 2009 is nearly half over, and it still hasn't happened.
We can expect a lot of Office 2010 pomp and circumstance at WPC next week, including the release of the previously announced Office 2010 Tech Preview (which leaked to the web over a month ago, by the way). But what about OWA?
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
GMail Security
Gmail users interested in enabling HTTPS before Google can do so by logging into their Gmail account, then click on the “Settings” tab, scroll to “Browser connection,” and then click on “Always use HTTPS” so the security feature will be enabled.
Yahoo Mail, Microsoft Hotmail, Facebook and MySpace also use HTTPS when logging a user into the service, but don’t have the security feature available once a user is logged in, according to security experts. Normally only sites such as banks and credit card web sites have permanent HTTPS connections, but there is growing pressure for e-mail services and other sites to support HTTPS at other times besides log in.
Yahoo Mail, Microsoft Hotmail, Facebook and MySpace also use HTTPS when logging a user into the service, but don’t have the security feature available once a user is logged in, according to security experts. Normally only sites such as banks and credit card web sites have permanent HTTPS connections, but there is growing pressure for e-mail services and other sites to support HTTPS at other times besides log in.
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Windows 7 Mojo
Windows 7 By Paul Thurrott
By Paul Thurrott
Last week, Microsoft announced that Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 will be released to manufacturing (RTM) in the second half of July and will be made generally available to customers on October 22, 2009. This date is almost exactly one year after Windows 7's public unveiling at Microsoft’s Professional Developers Conference 2008 last October and well before the original timeframe Microsoft had allotted for its release.
As most of you are well aware, I've been evaluating Windows 7 since last year. Actually, maybe "evaluating" isn't the right word: I've been using Windows 7 day to day on all of my production PC hardware, giving up Windows XP and Vista almost entirely, since late 2008. And in this time, I've never run into any major issues, on any of the many, many PCs with which I've used Windows 7. This has been the most uneventful OS beta in Microsoft's history, from what I can tell.
In fact, I'd go so far to say that Windows 7 has brought the NT mojo back to Microsoft's desktop OS, and in a big way. (Side note: The Server team never lost its mojo.) And this is a big deal, as any NT old-timer could tell you.
To view the rest of this article go to:
http://ct.email.windowsitpro.com/rd/cts?d=33-66729-793-12070-162433-3303378-0-0-0-1-2-207
By Paul Thurrott
Last week, Microsoft announced that Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 will be released to manufacturing (RTM) in the second half of July and will be made generally available to customers on October 22, 2009. This date is almost exactly one year after Windows 7's public unveiling at Microsoft’s Professional Developers Conference 2008 last October and well before the original timeframe Microsoft had allotted for its release.
As most of you are well aware, I've been evaluating Windows 7 since last year. Actually, maybe "evaluating" isn't the right word: I've been using Windows 7 day to day on all of my production PC hardware, giving up Windows XP and Vista almost entirely, since late 2008. And in this time, I've never run into any major issues, on any of the many, many PCs with which I've used Windows 7. This has been the most uneventful OS beta in Microsoft's history, from what I can tell.
In fact, I'd go so far to say that Windows 7 has brought the NT mojo back to Microsoft's desktop OS, and in a big way. (Side note: The Server team never lost its mojo.) And this is a big deal, as any NT old-timer could tell you.
To view the rest of this article go to:
http://ct.email.windowsitpro.com/rd/cts?d=33-66729-793-12070-162433-3303378-0-0-0-1-2-207
Thursday, May 21, 2009
More improvements on "Cloaking"
‘Breakthrough device represents major improvement over past efforts.’ -
For those dreaming that the Star Trek technology of cloaking will one day become reality, they can take note of the steady progress that real-world cloaking technology has been making. The goal of cloaking research is to find ways to redirect light around a shape, from all directions, in essence making it so the shape disappears to the naked eye. Scientists have had success working with nanoscale objects using special lenses.
http://www.insidetech.com/news/articles/4812-simplified-cloaking-tech-can-cloak-bigger-objects
For those dreaming that the Star Trek technology of cloaking will one day become reality, they can take note of the steady progress that real-world cloaking technology has been making. The goal of cloaking research is to find ways to redirect light around a shape, from all directions, in essence making it so the shape disappears to the naked eye. Scientists have had success working with nanoscale objects using special lenses.
http://www.insidetech.com/news/articles/4812-simplified-cloaking-tech-can-cloak-bigger-objects
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
MicroSoft and Linux Finally Agree On something
‘Microsoft, Linux Foundation finally find something they can agree on.’ -
It doesn’t happen often, but Microsoft and the Linux Foundation have issued a joint letter voicing their displeasure over the American Law Institute (ALI)’s latest effort to create an implied warranty stating that all shipped software have no material hidden defects.
The ALI is largely made up of judges and attorneys who are assigned the task of dealing with protocols related to software sales and warranties. Due to serious flaws and other issues, more consumers are interested in having politicians and others deal with defective software, as it can be sometimes difficult to get the companies behind the software to take responsibility.
“Parties should ”http://www.betanews.com/article/Linux-Foundation-joins-Microsoft-in-opposing-software-defect-warranties/1242746153" rel="nofollow">be able to choose the rules that best suit their needs, as they have the most knowledge about their particular transaction," according to the joint letter. “That is not to say that certain protections — for example, in the business-to-consumer context — are not warranted. But even in today’s common law approach to software contracts, there is no great failure in terms of substandard quality or unmet expectations that would justify imposition of new mandatory rules, particularly given existing remedies under misrepresentation and consumer protection law.”
Both the Linux Foundation and Microsoft especially don’t like the following statement written into the ALI’s Principles of the Law of Software Contracts: “A transferor that receives money or a right to payment of a monetary obligation in exchange for the software warrants to any party in the normal chain of distribution that the software contains no material hidden defects of which the transferor was aware at the time of the transfer. This warranty may not be excluded.”
Specifically, Microsoft and Linux Foundation officials want the ALI to clarify that statement, as they believe it’s a bit too vague, while also wanting their attorneys to read over the published principles.
READ MORE...
http://www.insidetech.com/news/articles/4805-ms-linux-foundation-both-oppose-software-defect-warranties
It doesn’t happen often, but Microsoft and the Linux Foundation have issued a joint letter voicing their displeasure over the American Law Institute (ALI)’s latest effort to create an implied warranty stating that all shipped software have no material hidden defects.
The ALI is largely made up of judges and attorneys who are assigned the task of dealing with protocols related to software sales and warranties. Due to serious flaws and other issues, more consumers are interested in having politicians and others deal with defective software, as it can be sometimes difficult to get the companies behind the software to take responsibility.
“Parties should ”http://www.betanews.com/article/Linux-Foundation-joins-Microsoft-in-opposing-software-defect-warranties/1242746153" rel="nofollow">be able to choose the rules that best suit their needs, as they have the most knowledge about their particular transaction," according to the joint letter. “That is not to say that certain protections — for example, in the business-to-consumer context — are not warranted. But even in today’s common law approach to software contracts, there is no great failure in terms of substandard quality or unmet expectations that would justify imposition of new mandatory rules, particularly given existing remedies under misrepresentation and consumer protection law.”
Both the Linux Foundation and Microsoft especially don’t like the following statement written into the ALI’s Principles of the Law of Software Contracts: “A transferor that receives money or a right to payment of a monetary obligation in exchange for the software warrants to any party in the normal chain of distribution that the software contains no material hidden defects of which the transferor was aware at the time of the transfer. This warranty may not be excluded.”
Specifically, Microsoft and Linux Foundation officials want the ALI to clarify that statement, as they believe it’s a bit too vague, while also wanting their attorneys to read over the published principles.
READ MORE...
http://www.insidetech.com/news/articles/4805-ms-linux-foundation-both-oppose-software-defect-warranties
Facebook Phishing
If you've noticed some strange messages arriving on your Facebook account these past couple weeks, one of your friends has been hacked. That's hardly news, but the fact that those hacks are part of a coordinated effort to hit Facebook definitely is. We'll show you what Facebook is doing about it.
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