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16 July 2021 - Podcast #752 - (22:43)
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CCleaner by Piriform was my preferred system cleaner for a long time. Nearly two decades. But Avast, an antivirus application publisher, acquired Piriform several years ago and it's been downhill since then.
Originally called Crap Cleaner, the utility could delete unwanted files left by programs, clean browsing history, remove cookies, empty the recycle bin, and clean up other files such as those left by memory dumps, log files, and various other data. It also has a Registry cleaner that can correct problems in the Windows Registry. Those features made it wildly popular in 2004.
But after Avast acquired the application, it made the installation process more intrusive so that it installed other Avast applications without asking. Microsoft's Windows Defender flags the free version of CCleaner as a potentially unwanted program (PUP) because of the questionable installation process.
So maybe it's time to move on.
Recently I started looking at Glary Utilities, which has both free and paid versions. The paid version costs $20 per year for up to three computers. That would be sufficient for a lot of people. If your household has more than three computers, adding a second paid license would cover up to six computers or you might choose to run the free version on some computers and the paid version that offers additional features on other computers.
The free version is impressive, but the paid version does include several enhanced features, such as the ability to have the application update itself automatically, a scheduler that controls when automated cleaning occurs, and free support. That's in addition to the free version's manual disk cleanup, Registry repair, and junk-file removal tools. The $20 price is billed as being half of the usual $40 price, but the reduced price seems to be available for an unlimited time.
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Opening the application displays (1) an Activate Now button. This can be ignored unless you want to upgrade to the paid version. It also examines some of the installed applications (2) and notes that some updates may be available. At the top of the center column, on the Overview tab, you'll see how long it took the computer to boot the last time it started.
Opening the Startup Manager shows lists of startup programs, scheduled tasks, plug-ins, application services, and Windows services that start with the computer. There's not much information about any given component other than the amount of time it took to start, and one to five stars indicating how useful the component is for a small number of items.
In the example, the Creative Cloud Desktop is shown as consuming nearly two minutes. This happens only occasionally when it reviews and prepares all of the installed apps. More often, it starts in only a few seconds. The point of knowing how long something takes to start is to allow for informed decisions about whether to start an application with Windows or to launch it later. I like Startup Delayer for this function, but the Startup Manager allows setting delays for individual applications as Startup Delayer does, so I'll consider using the Glary utility for this function.
There's also an uninstaller function similar to Revo Uninstaller or one of the other utilities that runs an application's uninstaller and then searches for leftover Registry entries, files, and links. Overall, Glary was looking like a good choice. It's almost like somebody decided to build a utility that combines most of the tasks needed to clean excess junk off a Windows computer.
The 1-Click Maintenance tab can be configured to clean the Registry, fix shortcuts to applications that no longer exist, look for spyware and remove it, check the status of disk drives and repair them as needed, remove cookies and other potential tracking components, eliminate temporary files, and review startup applications.
When the scan is complete, the user can review the suggestions and choose which ones to implement. This includes the ability to select individual items within categories that you want to delete. The temporary file cleaner looks at system temporary files, user temporary files, thumbnail images, memory dumps, shortcuts, prefetch data, and a lot more.
The Advanced Tools tab opens up all of the options for use individually and offers two views for access. One view has tabs for Clean Up & Repair, Optimize & Improve, Pirvacy & Security, Files & Folders, and System tools, each of which presents a list of functions identified with icons and explanatory text. The second view shows categories for Windows Registry, Disk Space, System Tweaks, Anti-Malware, Privacy, System Control, System Status, Hard Disks, Drivers, File Management, and Programs. Each group heading is followed by several options.
There are also icons across the bottom of the panel for Startup Manager, Registry Repair, Disk Cleanup, Context Menu Manager, Disk Space Analyzer, Process Manager, Uninstall Manager, Software Updates, Browser Assist, Tracks Eraser, and a section with a malware remover, file shredder, memory optimizer, and several others.
This is an application that has a lot to like, even if you stick with the free version. But after using the free version for a while, you might decided that the paid-version advantages are worth less than $7 each for use on three computers.
Glary Utilities is a great bargain even if you pay for it.The paid version offers automation and logging, but even the free version has a lot of useful, powerful tools. After installing it, check out the online knowledgebase and spend some time looking around to understand what Glary Utilities can do. Some functions can be dangerous, so take care not to, for example, turn off Windows processes that might be essential to the computer's operation.
Additional details are available on the GlarySoft Utilities website.
The cat rating scale ranges from 0 cats (worst) to
5 cats (best).
No matter what hardware, software, and firmware developers invent to protect the data stored on our computers, criminals will find a way to defeat it. Windows 11 will require that certain hardware-based security components be present and active, but there's still a need for other measures.
In the far distant past, before the internet was available to common people like us, my recommendation was not to install antivirus software unless you routinely needed to exchange files with others via floppy disk or you visited dodgy bulletin board systems (BBS) to download files. At the time, virus definitions were updated annually, then quarterly, then monthly. The internet changed all that.
At some point, an antivirus application became a requirement for any computer. Generally these applications were fairly well behaved and didn't get in the way. But then companies did what companies always do: Look for ways to get more money out of consumers. They added features, some of which were not well done, and protective applications began to slow computers noticeably.
I switched from one provider to another, seeking a protective application that didn't needlessly slow the computer. Every time a found one, the company created "improvements" that consumed far too many of the computer's resources.
Today's Windows users can be reasonably well protected by Windows Security, which is part of the operating system. Although Windows Security includes anti-ransomware and a firewall, I have looked at third-party applications for these two functions: Kaspersky's free Anti-Ransomware tool and Zone Alarm's free firewall. Both of these free applications have paid versions, but I haven't seen the need to upgrade.
This lightweight tool scans and blocks ransomware and crypto-malware, and it works alongside most other protective software. Support for the free version is provided only in a community forum and it omits web and email protection. The paid version ($54 per year for 3 devices) adds a VPN and a password manager. As with virtually all online applications, the $54 price "saves 40%" from the "regular" price of $90.
Those who buy the paid version can also install it on MacOS computers and both IOS and Android phones.
Kaspersky Anti-Ransomware uses "behavioral detection" that watches what applications are doing. Suspicious actions are blocked. A vulnerability scan examines applications that are known to have problems. The free version provides a list of suspect files; updating the files is up to you. Cloud analysis connects with reports from other users' computers, so you benefit from crowd-based intelligence.
See details on the Kaspersky website.
Attendees at PC Expo in 2000 may have seen ZoneAlarm. Adding a firewall to individual computers seemed like a good idea at the time, and apparently it was. Now owned by Check Point software, Zone Alarm continues to be a good choice for users who want a bit more than what the Windows firewall offers.
The free version monitors programs for suspicious behavior on the local machine and when the computer connects to an unsecured network. The two-way firewall monitors the traffic entering and exiting the computer to hide the computer from outside and to keep spyware from exposing your data to users on the internet. During the boot process, Zone Alarm checks to ensure that it's running on a trusted operating system, not a rootkit. Optionally, it can check daily for changes to your credit report, protect against questionable websites, and alert users to possible phishing attacks while you browse online.
The paid version adds advanced-access protection, enhanced settings that allow users to classify home networks as a private zone while keeping untrusted networks in the public zone. Component control protects against tricks that malicious software can use to load bad files into a trusted application. Expert rules give knowledgeable users the ability to configure the firewall for maximum security. Full technical support is available to paid users and the paid system never displays ads.
Details are on the Zone Alarm website.
I haven't mentioned Malwarebytes, which also can coexist with other protective applications. It's still a worthwhile application, but it tries too hard to convince users to upgrade to the paid version. That might be all right if the paid version didn't slow the computer to a crawl.
I have retained the free version on the primary computer, but I've removed it from other computers. Weekly scans take just a few minutes, but I have to right-click the Malwarebytes icon in the Notification area following each scan, choose "Quit Malwarebytes", and then confirm closing with a user access control warning.
It's also annoying that Malwarebytes doesn't make the free version directly downloadable. Users must install a trial version and wait two weeks for the trial version to time out. Even then, Malwarebytes will periodically interrupt to suggest that you buy the paid version.
Details on the Malwarebytes website.
If asked to name the top cellular providers, you'd probably name Verizon, T-Mobile, and AT&T, but there are other providers and you might get both lower costs and better service with one you may never have heard of.
Most of these are MVNO systems, where MVNO stands for mobile virtual network operator. They don't have their own towers and networks. Instead, they buy bandwidth in bulk from the big guys, repackage it, and sell it using their own brand name.
Google is an MVNO with its Google Fi brand. It's what my wife and I have used for the past several years. Instead of paying one of the big guys $50 or more for each of our lines, our monthly Google Fi bill has never exceeded $50 for both of our lines. We also dropped the landline that cost a little less than $50 per month and ported the old landline number to my wife's mobile phone.
Google Fi might not be the best choice if you need a lot of data bandwidth when you're not near your home, office, or library Wi-Fi system. We both work from home, so the only thing we use the data plan for is sending photos via Facebook occasionally when we're out of the house.
Possibly my favorite Google Fi offering is its built-in spam and robocall filter. When someone calls my number, one of three things happens:
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The caller is in my list of contacts and the phone rings. The phone announces the caller's name and I can answer the call or send it to voice mail.The monthly fee is $20 per line plus $10 for gigabyte of data. So $30. But if I don't use a gigabyte of data, the fee is pro-rated. If I use more than one gigabyte of data (hasn't happened so far), I'll be charged an extra $10 per gigabyte up to 6 gigabytes. After that, there's no extra charge for extra data.
Google Fi uses T-Mobile's and US Cellular's 4G LTE and 5G networks, whichever system provides a better signal where you are. If you travel a lot, calls are charged at 20 cents per minute from outside the US. Texting is free and unlimited regardless of where you are and data costs the same inside or outside the US.
Google offers its own phones, but the service also works with some Huawei, Samsung, HTC, LG, Motorola, and Apple phones. Apple support is still a bit sketchy.
Mint Mobile offers free calls to Canada and Mexico and the "unlimited" plan includes 35GB of data at full 4G LTE or 5G speeds for $40 per month per line. If you use more data, the speed will be throttled back. The lowest cost plan costs $25 per line, and there's a discount for pre-paying a year's plan. Mint uses the T-Mobile network.
Visible runs on Verizon's network and is actually owned by Verizon. The "unlimited" plan at $40 per month includes unlimited talk, text, and data. If Verizon has 5G coverage in your area, you can use it, but Verizon's 5G is capped at 200 Mbps. Additionally, Verizon throttles Visible users when the network is congested to give preference to Verizon users who pay more.
Boost Mobile was owned by Sprint, but was spun off to Dish Network when T-Mobile acquired Sprint. There are five plans that range in price from $10 to $45 a month. The "unlimited" plans are limited to 35 GB of high-speed data. Once you hit that limit, it's essentially a hard stop: You'll be at 2G speeds for the remainder of the month.
Cricket Wireless is owned by AT&T. For $40 a month you'll get 10 GB of 4G LTE data. This drops to $35 per month of you choose autopay. Calls are limited to the US.
Several other MVNOs exist, each with a different collection of benefits and costs. To review the options, take a look at:
"Microsoft’s ability to thrive despite doing almost everything wrong might be a heartening saga about corporate reinvention. Or it may be a distressing demonstration of how monopolies are extremely hard to kill. Or maybe it’s a little of both." That's the opinion of NY Times writer Shira Ovide in an article provocatively titled Why Didn't Microsoft Die?
Ovide cites Microsoft's uncanny ability to make huge profits even during the years that Steve Ballmer seemed to be doing everything possible to wreck the company. Ballmer was pushed out in 2013. And although Amazon made a lot of money in 2020, Microsoft made even more: $27 billion in profit before taxes.
One plus for Microsoft, according to the article, is that the company's primary clients are businesses, not individuals. There was a saying in the old days of mainframe computers: You'll never get fired for buying IBM. That seems to be the case now with Microsoft, and "technology sold to organizations doesn't necessarily need to be good to win."
Read the full article on the New York Times website.
You're already familiar with phishing, attacks that are designed to con users into divulging their user names and password. Now there's a variant that uses voice calls or emails that direct the victim to a phone number. This is being called "voice phishing" (vishing).
You'll get a call or a voice mail from a number you don't recognize. The message will thank you for your order, usually for a relatively expensive item. You'll be provided a phone number to report an error or cancel the order. Alternatively, you might receive an email with the information and a phone number to call. Cybersecurity firm Armorblox recently issued a report that illustrates two examples.
Both of the examples start with an email that claims to be from Amazon. One illustrates an LG OLED TV and XBOX game that the user supposedly purchased for a little under $900. The email is signed "AMAZ0N TEAM" where the letter O in "Amazon" is really the number 0. That's done to trick scanning applications. A member of the Armorblox research team called the phone number provided and a real person answered the call. They tried to obtain the caller's credit card number.
The second message appeared to be a delivery message from Amazon, showing that a $556 had been delivered to the recipient. Before the Armorblox team could call the number provided, it had apparently been disabled.
What's distinctive about these calls and emails is that they don't contain the poisoned links typically found. Instead, the messages depend on social engineering skills to extract useful information from the victim.
To read the full report, visit the Armorblox website.
Bluetooth had been in development for a while and it was beginning to take off in 2001. "The Frost & Sullivan research firm's UK branch says 4.2 million products using the Bluetooth technology will be shipped to market by the end of this year. By 2006, the number will be over 1 billion."
One problem existed with perception. Some people viewed Bluetooth as nothing more than "wireless LAN technology. There were also concerns about interference and security. "It's taken manufacturers longer to bring products to market than had been anticipated, but version 1.1 of the specification was ratified by the Bluetooth Special Interest Group in February. More than 100 products have qualified under the version 1.1 specification."
Twenty years later, the Bluetooth Alliance says more than 6 billion devices will ship this year.