PC Tools Internet Security Suite 2010

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Category:	Security
Manufacturer:	PC Tools
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Overview

PC Tools Internet Security 2010 is a complete suite of protection utilities against malware and hackers fpr your Windows PC. It includes Spyware Doctor which is an award wining anti-malware protection utility. Also included is ThreatFire which is behavioral intelligence that protects you from Zero-Day threats. PC Tools Internet Security is advanced technology designed especially for people, not just experts. It is automatically configured out of the box to give optimal protection with limited interaction, so all you need to do is install it for immediate and proven ongoing protection.

Installation

Installation is straight forward following the install wizard. You are recommended to uninstall any other security applications before proceeding with installation as they may conflict with operation.

If you don’t want the Thunderbird Toolbar make sure to uncheck that option before proceeding.

After you enter in your license key, you’re offered to get the latest updates right away.

A reboot is required to complete the installation.

Features

This is a complete computer security solution and contains different features that help protect your machine. From the main screen you can control the malware protection and the Firewall protections.

The most notable feature to point out is incorporation of Behavior Guard which is powered by the ThreatFire engine. ThreatFire is also available as an individual download and works along side your Antivirus app and provides protection against Zero-Day attacks.

Since it includes Spyware Doctor you will be familiar with the IntelliGuard Protection that allows you to control different features of your security protections.

Browser Defender is added to Internet Explorer and acts as phishing protection and points out other shady sites.

It is installed automatically for IE but if you want it for Firefox, you will need to install it from a separate download.

When you do a search on Google, there is a small icon next to each result that tells you if a site is safe or not.

You can get more information on a site if it is determined to be unsafe.

For unsafe sites, a complete safety analysis is performed and you can check the results of potentially infected downloads.

A new Anti-Spam engine incorporates spam filtering with clients like Outlook and Thunderbird.

Control the applications that are allowed access to your network through the Firewall.

You can also use the slider to set the level of protection of the firewall.

Smart update provides the latest malware database and product updates.

You can schedule full and Intelli-Scans to take place daily, weekly, and monthly at times you specify.

Ease of Use

After installation is complete an update and scan kicks off right away which allows for up to date detection and removal of malware out of the box.

After the scan you get detailed results of what was found. You can go through and decide which detections you want to remove.

It allows you to do an Intelli-Scan, Full System Scan, or Custom Scans.

For a manual scan simply kick off a scan from the main interface.

You can monitor the progress while the scan takes place.

It allows you to scan individual files from the context menu as well.

Right-click on the tray icon to access a menu of different functions and features such as enabling Game Mode.

Performance

We ran our tests on a Windows 7 system with a dual core AMD processor and 2 GB of RAM and there was no slow down while doing day to day mutli-tasking. Intelli-scans are quick but full system scans are time consuming.

Product Support

As with all of their products, PC Tools provides several ways to get quick support for Internet Security 2010. On their site they provide FAQ, a Knowledgebase, User Manuals and Live Chat for support. They also include Email and Telephone support for users who have purchased a license.

Conclusion

PC Tools Internet Security 2010 is a comprehensive package of security protections for your PC. What really makes all of PC Tools new 2010 security apps great is the inclusion of the ThreatFire Behavior engine that protects you against Zero-day threats which we have covered previously. The one thing you may find annoying at first is the Firewall that needs to be trained to allow or deny applications…but it will remember your selections. It is relatively light on system resources and isn’t overbearing like some security suites can be. If you’re a gamer, you’ll love the easy Game Mode option that will turn off components of the suite that can hinder game performance simply by starting the game in full screen mode. All of the utilities can be downloaded as stand a lone apps, but having them all in one suite is very convenient. They offer a free limited trial and is $49.95 for a license to protect up to three computers.

Works with XP (SP2), Vista (32 & 64-bit), and Windows 7 (32 &64-bit)

Download PC Tools Internet Security 2010

Disable "Your computer might be at risk" Popup in Windows XP SP2

Since upgrading to XP SP2 a long time ago, I constantly get nagged by a popup message that tells me my computer might be at risk because I don’t have an antivirus software installed. Here’s how to turn off that annoying message.

Note: You should probably have antivirus software installed.

You will want to open up your control panel, and then open the Security Center icon.

On the left hand side of the security center window, you will see a resources section. Click the bottom link, “Change the way Security Center alerts me”

You can choose which alert to disable here. Since I don’t have antivirus software, I unchecked the bottom checkbox.

No more annoying popups!

Top 11 must-have Internet Explorer Addons

In case you’re one of those folks using that other browser (aka Internet Explorer or IE),this post is for you. Here, you’ll find a bunch of cool browser extras (other then Google Toolbar) to make Internet Exlorer way more usable.

Update: IE7 Pro was moved to the front due to the fact that it incorporates several frequently used features in one addon.

(1) IE7Pro (only IE 7) – little overwhelming and takes some time to get used to, but totally worth it. Includes powerful tab manager, AD or Flash blocking utility, Crash recovery, Proxy switcher, Web accelerator, User Agent switcher, Webpage capturer, Greasemonkey scripts support, Firefox style inline search, spell checker and some more.

(2) LeechVideo – handy IE addon that lets you download favorite videos from popular video sharing websites (i.e. Youtube, Google Video, DailyMotion, etc.). Other alternatives: Viloader |Video Downloader

(3) Inline Search – integrates an in-page search feature to Internet Explorer. Use ‘CTR+F’ to launch it in the left-bottom corner of your browser window.

(4) ShareThis – lets you quickly (1) email webpages (or embedded pictures or videos) to friends or contacts (gmail, myspace, facebook…) and (2) post notes to your Facebook/Myspace profiles.

(5) Convert with Zamzar – browser addon from a comprehensive, web-based file conversion service, Zamzar. Lets you convert and download desired files from your favorite websites at the click of a button on your browser toolbar. It can be a Youtube video that you want to play in Windows Media Player, a Flickr image that you need in JPEG format, or a word file that you need in PDF.

(6) Browster – integrates link preview capabilities into your browser. For instance, each time you search on Google, Yahoo, MSN or visit some popular website Browster places a special icon next to each link, hovering your mouse cursor over it triggers a pop-up window displaying the contents of the destination page. Other alternative: Cooliris

(7) FeedsPlus (only IE 7) – in case you’re using your browser to follow-up on feeds, then this is for you. It adds couple of handy features, i.e. ability to read feeds in a combined view and receive pop-up notifications when there are new items to read.

(8) ieSpell – allows you to spell check text input boxes on any webpage (i.e. web mails, forum posts, blog comments, etc.)

(9) McAfee Site Advisor (only IE 5.5 – 6.0) – slim and easy-to-use security addon, features include:

• protects you from adware, spyware, spam, viruses and online scams
• advises you about the safety of websites using a colored button in your browser
• places website safety ratings next to each search result

(10) IeSessions – lets you save the current state of all open windows/tabs, store it to a file and restore it anytime afterwards. Especially useful if you have to switch between multiple computers (i.e. office, home) during the day.

(11) Videoronk (only IE 7) – add ‘Videoronk’ to your search toolbar and you’ll be able to search on top 8 video sharing websites simultaneously (Youtube, Google Video, Vimeo, Metacafe, iFilm, Blip.tv, Revver, DailyMotion and Myspace Video).

BONUS: Internet Explorer Shortcuts

Here is another EXCELLENT find for Internet Explorer users. We put together a list of essential IE shortcuts for you. This will make you more productive and save you tons of time. You can download the printable shortcut sheet for Internet Explorer from here.

Intel pays AMD $1.25 billion to end all legal disputes

Intel and AMD’s long-standing war about patent infringement has finally come to an end, with Intel settling the case outside court for a staggering sum of $1.25 billion. This settlement puts an end to all the legal squabbles between the two, including patent infringement cases, anti-trust litigations and any other charges that AMD had levied against the leading chip manufacturer.

In a joint statement the two companies commented, "While the relationship between the two companies has been difficult in the past, this agreement ends the legal disputes and enables the companies to focus all of our efforts on product innovation and development." Looks like the relationship isn’t going to be much less than difficult in the future either!

The settlement states that Intel will cough up the $1.25 billion within 30 days, agree to adhere to business practice provisions, and give up any patent claims against AMD. The patent rights will be given to both companies in a cross-licensing pact.

AMD, in turn, will drop all charges against Intel in the US and Japan, where there are several cases pending. AMD’s spin-off company, Globalfoundries, will now be allowed to act as an independent company and not need to be registered as a subsidiary.

However, this would not affect the anti-trust charges filed against Intel by the New York General Attorney and the European Union. Intel CEO Paul Otellini was adamant in denying that the company has acted illegally, saying: “Throughout this process we have not wavered in our convictions that Intel has operated within the law. We strongly disagree with the New York Attorney General’s case and believe the case is entirely without merit… it is unfortunate that the New York Attorney General intentionally distorted the facts.”

AMD’s legal, corporate and public affairs EVP Tom McCoy distanced their pact from the same. ZDNET quoted him in a media conference call as saying: “For us, this has never been about money. It’s about the marketplace. There’s no correlation between the settlement amount and anything in the EU.”

All corporate squabbling aside, we just hope AMD puts the huge cash dividends to good use in their research centers, sparking off another processor war. Because after all, it’s the consumers who stand to gain when two companies get competitive..

Computer graveyards: A walk through the ‘e-slums’ of Mumbai

I had to pass a few horrid bylanes and blind alleys with no clear markers, using word-of-mouth guidance before I got to meet Harshit Patel, who had agreed to show me to an informal e-waste operation in the slums of Mumbai.

Photo Credits: Tushar Goyal

The city generates one sixth of India’s GDP, and its slums function like some kind of informal special economic zone, churning out everything from export quality leather goods, clothes, and pottery using cheap labour. According to a 2007 Guardian article, the recycling industry employs around 2,50,000 people. Stuart Brand, editor of the Whole Earth Catalog considers squatter cities like Mumbai to be hubs of opportunity, full of informal enterprises that engage in unlicensed and untaxed businesses. They’re the “dark energy of economic theory,” says a slide. And on a positive note, rapid urbanization as a continuing trend will defuse the population bomb, as statistically, people in cities have lesser children.
The talk has been tagged as “unconvincing” by TED users, and I would like to load the argument a bit further. It has to do with a particular social malaise that to a large degree afflicts us as a species – we take serious counter-measures and have strong convictions against direct risk (terrorism, theft, rape or violence), but turn a blind eye towards issues when the penalty is distributed. This, to a large extent explains why Mumbai city has filthy, claustrophobic hubs like Kurla, where people spit and litter without compunction, why people tolerate the burning of plastic and garbage right next to its railway stations. (rants go here)

Back to the e-slum for now. The whole area was caked with red stains and plastic gutkha packets. Graveyard workers who burn bodies traditionally eat paan to anesthetize themselves, and this computer graveyard was no different. Cell phone in hand, I wandered around, walking past a guy who was brazenly burning plastic off a bunch of wires to get at the copper. Around this time, Harshit called and asked me to turn around. He was going to give me a guided tour.

People here didn’t seem friendly, some were worried. My long haired photographer friend was drawing a crowd with an SLR camera in his hand. One guy came up to me and asked me if we were going to get them arrested. I don't know if he was joking, I assured him that I had other designs. In these shacks, I saw workers extract copper out of wires using hammers and blades. There was quite a bit of hardware memorabilia in the form of decades-old chipsets and components - I saw hard drives the size of bricks, a Cyrix processor and motherboard, and a sea of glass, plastic and metal strewn around.



According to Harshit, the next chain of recycling takes these components out of Mumbai, (it mostly goes to Delhi, he said). Nevertheless, when the rains come, in all likelihood the e-waste pollutants seep into the soil, flow through the gutters and nallahs and into the sea. Dead computers and their galaxy of components have in them a number of rare earths and precious metals (gold, palladium, neodymium, etc.) worth recycling, but also contain a number of toxic substances that can spill into the ecosystem. The laundry list of toxic chemicals include: arsenic, brominated flame retardants (BFRs), mercury, phthalates, and polyvinyl chloride (PVC).

Older, bulkier computers have a lot more precious metals apparently, which also explains, perhaps, why they were so expensive back then. It is fraught with health and environmental risks, which is by recycling them is best left to industries with ISO certification standards. Another reason to not try this at home: In all likelihood, a motherboard that sells for $100 will have less than a dollar’s worth of metals worth recycling.
Most of the e-waste ends up in the third world, some, in the land of the jugaad. According to SVTC, only 10 % of e-waste is recycled responsibly. “The rest are openly burned, soaked in acid baths, and dumped into rivers or piled into mountains of e-waste for scrap recovery.”

Harshit runs Techshop, an e-commerce website that sells computer hardware. The company has an e-cycle program that gives incentives to users while disposing e-waste in an eco-friendly manner. He was familiar with the problem at hand here, quoting a 2007 report by Manufacturers Association of Information Technology (MAIT), which says that e-waste from discarded computers, TVs and mobile phones is projected to grow at a rate of 15 per cent, and touch 4.7 lakh tonnes by 2011. Even though the zone here doesn’t exactly meet environmental standards; there is one good thing about this place, said Harshit. “The people here help reduce e-waste by working and identifying which parts are working. They take it and reassemble it into a working computer and sell it.”

The source of the e-waste and what’s being done about it
The Earth from Above exhibition quotes a 2004 UNU report which states that it takes 1.8 tonnes of materials to make a desktop computer and a monitor. This includes 240 kg of fossil fuels, and 22 kg of chemicals. Pound for pound, it is a lot more energy intensive than the automobile industry. The same report gives readers a good reason to support durable products with a good servicing ethic, and platforms with a lesser number of upgrade lifecycles: “The energy savings potential of reselling or upgrading is some 5-20 times greater than recycling.” says Eric Williams, author of the paper.

Nokia has put up 1300 recycling bins across its dealers and centres in India this year, and Sony Ericsson claims to have cut the carbon footprint of its phones by 15% by using recycled plastics and smaller packaging.

According to Apple, hardware recycling amounts to just 1% of their product’s environmental impact, but we weren’t able to ascertain how this had been calculated. They further claim to have reduced energy consumption by using a combination of evenly matched power supplies, components, and power management software. According to their calculations, product use - the amount of electricity a computer consumes counts for 53% of its total greenhouse gas emissions.

The gigahertz race pushed the power consumption of desktop processors to outrageous levels, but lately, power efficiency has been given the emphasis it deserves. To a fair extent, computer manufacturers have begun to close in on the gap between power and power efficiency by making their desktops more energy efficient when idle. Intel recently unveiled a ‘Single Chip Cloud Computer’, the IA32, which has 48 cores running at a maximum of just 125 watts. It’s also another reason why we look forward to nVidia’s Tegra chipset, which promises to run a netbook for a week, and apparently only consumes 300 milliwatts of power in the Zune HD.

Energy consumption is coming down across the board and is not just relegated to the CPU powering your system: Apple’s page boasts that the Mac Mini consumes 14 watts of power at idle. Other manufacturers have also begun to follow suit. NEC came out with a monitor recently that consumes 20% less power than other LCDs of the same size.

Google.org, a philanthropic branch of Google is developing PowerMeter, which taps into smart meters and helps track energy consumption through PCs and smartphones. The service will eventually be rolled out in India through Reliance who have partnered with them this year. According to Google’s Ed Lu, they aim to save a “socially relevant amount of energy” through this software. According to Wikipedia, there are currently 40 million smart meters in the developed world.

How can you help? Reuse and refurbish
Older computers can be refurbished to boot on Linux, or they can be repurposed. An artist from New Zealand has turned circuit boards into lamps. Another artist, Benjamin Gualon, who has founded the movement of recyclism, has made a totally unique object of beauty and joy - a custom rock band kit out of 8-bit Nintendo consoles and a bunch of gamepads. Each gamepad handles one particular sound: bass, drums, synthesizer, percussions, etc. Surely our country of out of work electronics engineers can make things like these for cheap!

Another book with the same sensibilities will come out this month – it’s called 62 Projects to Make with a Dead Computer.



Harshit and I plan to start a website with instructions and design ideas to refurbish e-waste. It will be an open source hub for design ideas. We will try and repurpose hardware and e-waste into objects of utility and art. We already have a few ideas implemented, and there are plenty more ideas in the information ether. We welcome your thoughts and contributions.

Sources and Additional Reading:
Manufactured Landscapes
TV Recycling Report Card
The Chemistry of Computing
Apple’s Life Cycle Impact Page:
Take it Apart

Cisco spends US$135 million on XML firm

Cisco Systems said Wednesday it will spend US$135 million in cash and options to buy Reactivity, a small company that makes equipment to help route XML Internet traffic.

Reactivity's equipment is designed to help companies more easily and quickly deploy XML (Extensible Markup Language), a standard for Web documents. The company, which is based in Redwood City, Calif., was founded in 1998 and has 56 employees. Cisco said it expects the deal to close in its fiscal third quarter, which ends April 28.

Cisco is the No. 1 provider of infrastructure equipment to companies large and small. The company's bread and butter has been the sale of Ethernet switches and IP routers, which are used to shuttle Internet traffic throughout corporate networks and across the open Internet.

But in recent years, Cisco has been expanding its product portfolio in several different areas. It bought Scientific-Atlanta last year to beef up sales to large services providers by offering them video and cable infrastructure gear. It purchased Linksys in 2003 to enter the home networking market. And now the company is beefing up its Web services business to sell more "intelligent" equipment to its corporate customer accounts.

The technology and products Cisco gets with the purchase of Reactivity apparently fit well into its existing Application-Oriented Networking (AON) business unit. AON was created almost two years ago to develop products that offer more sophistication to Cisco's current networking hardware line. The AON products are "application aware," which means that they can inspect information that's being transmitted and route messages based on predefined policies.

The Reactivity product is a specialized piece of hardware that combines software to help companies deploy, control and increase the amount of XML traffic they have throughout their network. The Reactivity XML Gateway software helps companies support and provision new XML-based Web services, and the Reactivity XML Manager software provides real-time visibility and analysis for companies using XML services, according to Reactivity's Web site.

Cisco isn't the only company buying up XML appliance start-ups. A year and a half ago, IBM, a longtime Cisco partner, bought a small company called DataPower, which also makes appliances to help companies deploy and manage XML Web services. Computer chipmaker Intel is also in this business with a company it bought in 2005 called Servaga.

One of the reasons that specialized XML network appliances have emerged is because of the growing use of XML and XML-based Web services protocols. These standards are designed to allow for better interoperability between systems, but they also bring about performance problems from processing XML documents. Dedicated appliances can help alleviate those issues.

Microsoft loses patent appeal against i4i

Microsoft has been in legal trouble from quite some time as it was found the some technology used by Office products for parsing XML content in its Office Open XML files (docx, xlsx, pptx etc.) infringed on i4i's copyrights.

The technology, which allows for manipulating the architecture and the presentation of a document separately is present in all Office application including Word, and Microsoft was supposed to stop sales of its products by January 11th. This technology has been present in Microsoft Word since it was introduced in Microsoft Office Word 2003.

Microsoft claims that the technology isn't present in the Office 2010 betas, and they will be moving fast to remove the offending features from their Office 2007 products to ensure that they can continue selling their products sans the custom-XML features after January 11th.

In any case the only person affected in this is Microsoft, as customers who have already own copy of Microsoft application with the infringing features can continue to use them. In return i4i will have to be remunerated with a sum of $290 million.

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