Bits from Bill

WinPatrol Update 24.1 – Delayed Start

2012-01-31T19:26:00.001-05:00

The end of last year I was pleased to provide an update to our WinPatrol patrol. This long awaited update was WinPatrol 2012 version 24.0. I’m sure it’s no surprise if I tell you that software updates can sometimes introduce new problems.

I’ve been known to tell readers it’s best to wait 7-10 days even before accepting updates to Windows. Occasionally, I’ll post an exception to security updates but only if there is a real danger. My advice for WinPatrol updates is the same as any software. If never hurts to wait.

Some WinPatrol users have reported problems with our Delayed Start function. Given the popularity of this feature it was given immediate attention and has been fixed in our current release along with a few minor issues.

Delayed Start is a feature that separates WinPatrol from other popular security and utility programs. It follows one of WinPatrol’s primary goals to “Start the computer as quickly as possible”.

Using WinPatrol’s Delayed Start lets you hold off launching programs you may want running in the background but they aren’t needed immediately. That allows Windows to load quicker and make it possible for important tasks like Internet connecting to be available when you really need them.

Moving a Startup program to the Delayed Start is easy. Just select a program or multiple programs on Windows Auto Startup list and right-click for the move to Delayed Start menu item.

Once an item is on the Delayed Start list you can change multiple custom launch options including how long to wait before a program is launched.

If you haven’t used the Delay Startup function it may be a great time to check it out. Either way I recommend installing the newest version of WinPatrol 2012. Click to Update to WinPatrol 2012 version 24.1

Kinect for Windows Opens Opportunities

2012-01-17T16:07:00.001-05:00

I’ve been a programmer for over 30 years and I’ve had the honor and privilege to work on many fun projects. For the last ten years most of my work has been on WinPatrol which has been very rewarding but not necessarily fun.

When the Kinect sensor was released for XBox it almost made me want an XBox for our playroom. Unfortunately, we had enough invested in the Nintendo Wii including the Beatles Rock Band and Wii Fit which gets used the most. On February 1st, Microsoft will begin selling a Kinect Sensor for Windows.

Click for More Info and pricing

Now comes the hard part, The possibilities are endless when it comes to the type of application I could create that uses the Kinect. I suspect there will be a wide variety of programs that will use the Kinect Sensor. I doubt a Kinect interface for WinPatrol is needed but hopefully I’ll come up with an idea that generates as much usefulness.

I’m not an artist but I probably won’t be creating a game. Most likely I’ll create way to interface the Kinect with other programs. I already have some experience controlling external programs so I just need to find the right combination of actions and results. If you have any needs or ideas leave a comment.

AVG Reports “WinPatrol 2012” as a virus

2011-12-29T20:30:00.001-05:00

If you’re a AVG customer you may see the following screen when installing WinPatrol 2012. Fear not. This is what we commonly call a “false positive”. I have contacted our friends at AVG and await their response. Most companies will fix this kind of error quickly.

WinPatrol will run along with AVG but this screen incorrectly identifies one of our programs as a virus. I can assure you WinPatrolEx.exe is not a virus. To verify our safety I tested our program against other Anti-Virus programs using a great service called VirusTotal.com. Ironically, we found one other little known security program also mistaking WinPatrol as a trojan but the other 41 respectable programs acknowledge that WinPatrol is safe.

It appears a large group of users run both WinPatrol and AVG so hopefully we’ll hear back soon from AVG and they’ll offer a solution.

UPDATE: Fri 12/30/2011 3:03 AM

WinPatrol 2012 – Long Time Coming

2011-12-29T13:13:00.001-05:00

It’s been a while but I’m pleased to finally release a brand new version of WinPatrol to all our friends and fans. Over the past year malware has gotten very clever but what’s worse is that legitimate programs have become more controlling and obnoxious. Some of the most popular applications have decided they know what’s best for you and try to take control of simple functions on your computer.

New and Improved

While I’ve continued to work keeping your computer safe from malware I’ve spent as much time giving you control over what legitimate programs can do. If you notice your computer is slow it may not be malware. In many cases it will be a popular program that thinks it needs to run all the time just in case you need to use it.

Click to download

Upgrade to PLUS at Introductory Price $19.95

Performance - You’ll Love it
First and foremost I’ve been working on making WinPatrol robust and hidden away so under normal circumstances you’ll never know its running. Based on your feedback, I’ve concentrated on making sure WinPatrol works with other security programs. Our research shows that most of you tend to run at least two anti-Virus/Malware programs along with WinPatrol. Many experts will recommend against more than one program but WinPatrol doesn’t work like other malware monitors. It runs great along with other programs. Many Anti-Virus companies may disagree and their support reps will recommend you remove WinPatrol. They haven’t tested with WinPatrol, we have. If a program removes or quarantines WinPatrol just reinstall our setup program. It’s still a quick, easy download.

Cookies – Filter out Bad Cookies Automatically.
Earlier this year Microsoft updated how they name cookie files. They now use random file names but they’re still just unencrypted text files. You can “click here” to read why they decided to make this change. Its makes some sense but broke how WinPatrol manages and filters bad cookies.
If you’ve received the update from Microsoft the WinPatrol cookie manager for Internet Explorer will be broken and look like this.

WinPatrol 2011 – Internet Explorer

Now WinPatrol 2012 will provide a fix and provides even better information about your cookies.

WinPatrol 2012 – Internet Explorer

Ultimately this change by Microsoft makes managing and filtering cookies even easier using WinPatrol. To be honest I never worried about cookies and turned WinPatrol cookie filtering off. Now I use this feature.

Localization Fix – 64 bit versions
I’m not a big fan of Windows 64 bit OS and our language service packs broke using Windows 64 bit. I’ve fixed this bug and look forward to showing our international friends how much we respect them by releasing new versions of our local versions. Our language packs are created by volunteers and I couldn’t thank them enough.

WinPatrol Enterprise – Now Available for Small Business
Most users don’t realize there is a version of WinPatrol designed for large companies with over 100 employees. One of the main features of Enterprise is centralized administration. When a change is detected instead of the user being notified, an Email is generated and sent to a main administrator.

WinPatrol 2012 Small Business is a special partnership now available for 10 systems and one administrator for $179 USD. You can order via our online store and your small business key will be sent within 2-3 business days.

Draft of message send to Small Business administrator. This screen will mostly change based on user feedback. More details to be published this weekend.

End of Year Sale and Gift Suggestions

2011-12-17T17:44:00.001-05:00

SAVE $10 USD

It may not be a $2 or $5 sale but the folks at BillP Studios have decided on a discount on WinPatrol 2011 that will last until the end of the year. We know it’s been a tough financial year for everyone including our own friends and family.

From now until the end of 2011 we’ll take $10 off our popular items. This includes WinPatrol PLUS upgrades ( regularly $29.95 ), the Super WinPatrol Family Pack ( regularly $49.95 ) and even the WinPatrol 1 GB Wristband ( regularly $24.95 ).

A great stocking stuffer now for only $14.95 USD.
Order soon for shipment by December 24th.

This is a great time to order. WinPatrol is a lifetime purchase so when we release WinPatrol 2012 next year it will be a free upgrade so no additional payment will be required. As always WinPatrol is not restricted to a single computer.

For our EURO friends the USD is doing better than expected so it may also be a good time to order before conversion rates get crazy.

WinPatrol PLUS as a Gift
It’s easy to share WinPatrol as a holiday gift. Just order WinPatrol PLUS like you originally did. At the end when you’re asked for a PLUS name just enter your friend or family member. The results will be a new code along with instructions on how to download and activate WinPatrol PLUS. Just copy and paste these instructions to your friend and they’ll soon be up and running. You may save them hours of frustration from future malware threats.

Clean & Improve Your Computer for only $5.

2011-12-07T13:32:00.001-05:00

I recently read yet another article on how brand new computers arrive loaded with so much unneeded software it that it takes twice the time to turn on and run.

"12 ways hardware makers screw up a perfectly good Windows PC"
This article created by Ed Bott is part of the motivation behind plans for having a INCREDIBLE sale on upgrades to WinPatrol PLUS. Starting Friday we’ll allow upgrading to WinPatrol PLUS as low as $5 USD. Yes, I wrote $5!This unbelievable price will be available for three full days. The sale starts midnight, Friday morning EST time zone.

Soon many of our friends and family will be turning on brand new computers. Many will turn to folks like us asking for help. If you've been a long time reader of Bits from Bill you'll know my first recommendation would be to install the free WinPatrol program. Using WinPatrol will allow users to remove unwanted programs so their new computer will load quickly and run as fast as it should. If you decide you might want some of the programs that come preinstalled you can always change your mind. This isn't a new trend. My first article “Christmas Computers“ was written six years ago when I opened up my brand new computer to find many of the following useless programs.

A few years back I tried an research experiment by lowering the price of a WinPatrol PLUS upgrade to something similar to the iTunes store. Given all the new computers under the Christmas tree this seemed like another good time to experiment. The last test was only 99 cents which was mainly successful for the credit card companies and PayPal.

Our experimental sale this year begins on my wife Cindi’s 55th birthday, December 9th, so she suggested $5 was a nice round number that might make all our friends and fans happy. Even folks using an illegal keygen versions can afford this upgrade and have a safe version of WinPatrol PLUS for life. WinPatrol has a history of being Birthdayware so you can also wish Cindi’s a Happy Birthday by upgrading this weekend. I know it will help make her birthday a good good.

Instead of a $29.95 upgrade to WinPatrol PLUS this weekend upgrading will only for $5. Like our everyday pricing you can use your single license on every personal computer you own and use it for your lifetime including any new versions we release. Our Family Pack license normally $49.95 can be had for only $25.

For our friends in Europe $5 USD currently converts to about €3.73 so it’s even a better deal. $25 USD converts to about €18.7 at least by today’s rate.

More on Crapware

On consumer PCs, crapware is still a performance-sapping nuisance

Can Microsoft cure PC makers of the crapware habit?

Five Tips on Getting Rid of Crapware

Scotty will take good care of our computer and you won’t have to do a thing.

WinPatrol PLUS 14th Birthday Winners

2011-11-25T13:28:00.001-05:00

On November 19th, 1997 the first public version of WinPatrol could be downloaded by the public. This year is our 14th year that WinPatrol has been available and we celebrated by giving away over $2000 in prizes to our friends and fans. Congrats to the winners and thanks to everyone who entered.

One semi-surprise is how many fans we have all around the world and how we appreciate their support and word of mouth telling their friends and family about WinPatrol.

Here is a list of those who entered without too much information that might give away private info. A total of 1028 entered our contest this year. 303 entries were from the USA.

Only 29.5% of our entries were from the United States of America which means we have a lot of fans outside our home country.
14% were friends from the United Kingdom
5% were Canadian
Biggest surprise was 14.8% were from Romania

Prize One is a custom 1 GB WinPatrol wristband. Valued at $24.95 the wristband is extremely handy at copying photos and music from one system to another.

Prize Two is from our good friends at Malwarebytes.org which is completely compatible with WinPatrol. You’ll be able to run both programs for max protection without slowing down your computer. Valued at $29.95 the consumer version is a powerful tool.

Prize Three is a lifetime subscription of the WinPatrol PLUS Family Pack good for all the computers owned by by your family. Valued at $49.95 you’ll never have to pay BillP Studio ever again.

Here is a list of all entries.
If you’re a winner please let your friends know about WinPatrol. Your prize will be listed next to your country.

Name	Region	Country
Gabriel	Kentucky	USA (* Wristband *)
Mike	NJ	USA (* Wristband *)
Sue	NJ	USA (* Wristband *)
Chris	NY	USA (* Wristband *)
MARV	Oklahoma	USA (* Wristband *)
Robert	California	USA (* Wristband *)
David	Florida	USA (* Wristband *)
Bob	TN	USA (* Wristband *)
Rodney	Wisconsin	USA (* Wristband *)
Kevin	CA	USA (* Wristband *)
Robert	NJ	United States (* Wristband *)
Francis	NY	United States (* Wristband *)
Charles	VA	USA (* Wristband *)
Michael	WA	USA (* Wristband *)
Paul	Oregon	U.S.A. (* Wristband *)
-	-	-
Jack	Florida	USA (* Malwarebytes *)
Linda	BH16 6DQ	England (* Malwarebytes *)
Ingrid		Netherlands (* Malwarebytes *)
Rod	Dorset	UK (* Malwarebytes *)
iulian	Petrosani	Romania (* Malwarebytes *)
Maduta	Oradea	Romania (* Malwarebytes *)
Cristian	Cluj	Romania (* Malwarebytes *)
Hernan		Venezuela (* Malwarebytes *)
Alexey	Donetzk	Ukraine (* Malwarebytes *)
Kieth	AZ	USA (* Malwarebytes *)
-	-	-
Mark	Texas	USA (* Family Pack *)
Adam	VA	USA (* Family Pack *)
Jane	WV	USA (* Family Pack *)
Bradley	CA	United States (* Family Pack *)
Donald	PA	United States (* Family Pack *)
Paul	London	UK (* Family Pack *)
Stefan	Iasi	Romania (* Family Pack *)
Willie	Aurora	Philippines (* Family Pack *)
Corno	Utrecht	Netherlands (* Family Pack *)
Liam	Dublin	Ireland(* Family Pack *)
David	Nordrhein Westfalen	Germany (* Family Pack *)
John		Denmark (* Family Pack *)
Travis		Canada (* Family Pack *)
-	-	-
-	-	-
Hopefully a winner for our next contest.
Mickey	Alabama	USA
Robert J	Alabama	USA
JoAnne	Arizona	USA
Steve	Arizona	USA
Denver	AZ	USA
Kristin	AZ	USA
Richard	az	usa
Mike	Boston	Usa
Adolph	CA	USA
Alexander	CA	USA
beverly	CA	USA
Boyet	CA	USA
David	CA	USA
Donald	CA	USA
margaret	ca	usa
Ray	CA	USA
Terry	CA	USA
winston	ca	usa
David	CA.	USA
Michael	Ca.	USA
Tom	Cal	USA
holli	co	usa
Jack	CO	USA
rob	Colorado	USA
Len	CT	USA
Pete	CT	usa
Bob	Delaware	USA
David	FL	USA
HELENE	FL	USA
I-Tsang	FL	USA
Monica	Fl	USA
Phase	FL	USA
William	FL.	USA
Michael	fla	usa
Ahsan	Florida	USA
Brian	Florida	USA
Hewie	Florida	USA
charlene	ga	usa
henry	ga	usa
mark	ga	usa
BJ	IA	USA
Catalina	IL	USA
Frank	IL	USA
John	IL	USA
Martin	IL	USA
Thomas	IL	USA
William T.	Illinois	USA
Glenn	IN	USA
Randy	IN	USA
Scott	IN	USA
Timothy	IN	USA
Robert	Iowa	USA
Danny	Kentucky	USA
Allan	KS	USA
Rick	KS	usa
David	KY	USA
Harold	ky	usa
john	KY	usa
Michael	Ky	USA
William	KY	USA
James	Louisiana	USA
Terry	Louisiana	USA
Kurt	MA	USA
Robert	MA	USA
Walter	MA	USA
Scott	Maryland	USA
Deb	MD	USA
josh	MD	USA
Michael	MD	USA
David	MI	USA
Tyler	MI	USA
Bergette	Michigan	USA
DEAN	Michigan	USA
steve	michigan	usa
Wiz	Michigan	USA
Jerry	Minnesota	USA
Ricky	Mississippi	USA
Norman	Missouri	USA
darin	mn	usa
John	MN	USA
Michael	MN	USA
G. Walter	NC	USA
Heather	NC	USA
jeff	nc	usa
William	NC	USA
David	Nebraska	USA
Jason	new york	usa
joseph	new york	usa
Seth	NH	USA
Ben	NJ	usa
Jan	NJ	USA
Ted	NJ	USA
VIPUL	NJ	USA
Norbert	NM	USA
Willard	North Carolina	USA
Cheri	NV	USA
Augi	NY	USA
Brian	NY	USA
Leo	NY	USA
michael	NY	USA
Reggie	NY	USA
S	NY	USA
S	NY	USA
Terri	NY	USA
Ernest	OH	USA
Raymond	OH	USA
Thomas	OH	USA
Douglas	ohio	usa
Email	Ohio	USA
Frank	ohio	usa
Greg	Ohio	USA
Mike	Ohio	USA
Paul	Ohio	USA
Kevin	Oklahoma	USA
brad	or	usa
James	OR	USA
Bob	PA	USA
Bob	PA	USA
Debra	PA	USA
Jim	PA	USA
Joe	PA	USA
John	PA	USA
Joyce	PA	USA
Joycr	Pa	USA
Nancy	PA	USA
Paul	PA	USA
Rocco	Pa	USA
Ruth	PA	USA
Alan	Pennsylvania	USA
Dave	SC	USA
geoge m	sc	usa
Gwen	SC	USA
Patty	SC	UShjA
Russell	SC	USA
Tim	SC	USA
bruce	sd	usa
Larry	Tennessee	usa
Larry	Tennessee	usa
Bhaskar	Texas	USA
Bud	Texas	USA
Sam	Texas	USA
Tom	TN	USA
D	TX	USA
Gordon	TX	USA
Guy	TX	USA
Joyce	TX	USA
Kelly	TX	USAj
Daniel	VA	USA
Jack	Va	USA
James	VA	USA
kirkpatrick	va	usa
Paul	VA	USA
Tarun	VA	USA
Joseph B.	Virginia	USA
Michael	Virginia	USA
James	WA	USA
SCOTT	WA	USA
Sylvia	WA	USA
carl	wa.	usa
Allen	WI	USA
Eike	WI	USA
Rodney	Wisconsin	USA
Bill	WV	USA
Jane	wv	USA
Karl	WV	USA
Ralph	WV	USA
Kim	WY	USA
Dwane		USA
ebony		USA
Victor		USA
Jack	AZ	US
Chris	Ca	US
Meadow	CA	USll
gary	ia	us
Alicia	Illinois	US
David	MD	US
Valerie	MI	US
PC	MO	US
John	MT	US
John	NC	US
Brent	Oregon	US
John	TX	US
Ted	WA	US
Mike		WA, US
William	Florida	United States of America
Lyle	KS	United States of America
Donovan	AK	United States
Dennis	AL	United States
Laurie	AL	United States
Alan	Arizona	United States
Dario	Arizona	United States
Gerald	Arizona	United States
Angus	AZ	United States
Randy	AZ	United States
David	CA	United States
Shirley	CA	United States
William	CA	United States
Kelli	Ca.	United States
Bruce	California	United States
David	CT	United states
David	FL	United States
Howard	FL	United States
James	FL	United States
Yohandy	Florida	United States
Gary	GA	United States
JEROME	GA	United States
JEROME	GA	United States
Jim	GA	United States
Sanford	GA	United States
Troy	idaho	United States
Bradley	IL	United States
Curt	IL	United States
Mark	IN	United States
Roger	Indiana	United States
Dennis	KS	United States
Brad	KY	United States
Doug	LA	United States
Joe	MA	United States
W	MA	United States
Ande	Missouri	United States
Daniel	MN	United States
Steven	MN	United States
Richard	MO	United States
jay	montana	united states
Li	Nebraska	United States
Ernie	New York	United States
William	New York	United States
BOB	NJ	United States
Joel	NJ	United States
Max	NJ	United States
Steven	NJ	United States
Ralph	NM	United States
Gene	NV	United States
Francis	NY	United States
Peter	NY	United States
Jeremy	OH	United States
Raymond	OH	United States
Carol	Oklahoma	United States
Sherri	OR	United States
Jamie	Oregon	United states
Jamie	Oregon	United states
Jamie	Oregon	United states
Bobby	PA	United States
Elizabeth	PA	United States
Valerie	PA	United States
Gloria	South Dakota	United States
john	South Dakota	United States
Timothy	South Dakota	United States
Timothy	South Dakota	United States
Johnny	Tennessee	United States
Frankie	Texas	United States
rob	texas	united states
Tom	Texas	United States
Lowell	TN	United States
Craig	TX	United States
Jim	TX	United States
Mark	TX	United States
Robin	TX	United States
Hirminia	VA	United States
Zack	VA	United States
Harry	Virginia	United States
Clifford	WA	United States
Dave	WA	United States
Dung	WA	United States
Robert	Washington	United States
Wendy	Washington	United States
Thomas	WI	United States
Robert		United States
Kelly	Berkshire	United Kingdom
Brenda	borders	United Kingdom
Jane	Cambridgeshire	United Kingdom
Huw	Cardiff	United Kingdom
Sarah	Carmarthenshire	United Kingdom
nicola	Cleveland	United Kingdom
Pauline	Cleveland	United Kingdom
Richard	Cleveland	united kingdom
Dan	Derbyshire	United Kingdom
Robin	Derbyshire	United Kingdom
Kristian	Devon	United Kingdom
Sarah	East Sussex	United Kingdom
susannah	East Sussex	United Kingdom
Tim	East Sussex	United Kingdom
CHARLOTTE	ENGLAND	UNITED KINGDOM
Kevin	England	United Kingdom
mike	Essex	United Kingdom
Allan	Gloucestershire	United Kingdom
Jane	Gloucestershire	United Kingdom
Manoj	Gloucestershire	United Kingdom
Elton	Hampshire	United Kingdom
Nicholas	Hertfordshire	United Kingdom
steve	herts	united kingdom
Emma	Kent	United Kingdom
Jacques	Kent	United Kingdom
przemek	kent	united kingdom
Rachel	Kent	United Kingdom
Stephen	Kent	United Kingdom
Christopher	Lanarkshire	United Kingdom
Christopher	Lanarkshire	United Kingdom
Chris	Lanarkshiree	United Kingdom
Andrew	Lancashire	United Kingdom
Christine	lancashire	United Kingdom
Edward	Lancashire	United Kingdom
Karen	Lancashire	United Kingdom
Winston	Lincolnshire	United Kingdom
Kay	Lincs	United Kingdom
Joanna	London	United Kingdom
Kamal	London	United Kingdom
linda	london	United Kingdom
Solange	London	United Kingdom
Sean	M20 4NZ	United Kingdom
Phil	Manchester	United Kingdom
Mark	Merseyside	United Kingdom
Tom	Merseyside	United Kingdom
Inga	N E LINCS	United Kingdom
Gavin	N.Ireland	United Kingdom
Mark	Norfolk	United Kingdom
Pat	norfolk	United Kingdom
nigel	north yorkshire	united kingdom
jane	Northamptonshire	United Kingdom
Mark	Northants	United Kingdom
Emma	Nottinghamshire	United Kingdom
michelle	notts	United Kingdom
Charlotte	Oxfordshire	United Kingdom
Stephanie	S Yorks	United Kingdom
Joy	Somerset	United Kingdom
Luke	South Yorkshire	United Kingdom
Martin	South Yorkshire	United Kingdom
Phil	Suffolk	United Kingdom
Jamie	Tyne & Wear	United Kingdom
John	Tyne and Wear	United Kingdom
Vivien	Tyne and Wear	United Kingdom
JULIE	UNITEDKINGDOM	United Kingdom
Clementina	Wandsworth	United Kingdom
Andrew	West Midlands	United Kingdom
Neil	West Midlands	United Kingdom
Richard	West Midlands	United Kingdom
Dorothy	West Yorkshire	United Kingdom
Tina	West Yorkshire	United Kingdom
ANNA	WILTSHIRE	United Kingdom
Joe		United Kingdom
Nitrox		United Kingdom
Pete		United Kingdom
Shaun		United Kingdom
Mr	Thanh Hoa	Vietnamese
Do Quang	Ha Noi	Vietnam
nguyen xuan	Ho Chi Minh City	Vietnam
Sam	Ho Chi Minh city	Vietnam
umbra	Khan Hoa	vietnam
Anh		Vietnam
teo	Ho Chi Minh	Viet Nam
Peter		Viet Nam
Alexey	Donetzkaya oblast	Ukraine
Alexey	Mariupol	Ukraine
Alexey Karpenko	Mariupol	Ukraine
bill		UK.
Graham	Bedfordshire	UK
John	Cheshire	UK
Max	Cheshire	UK
natalie	cornwall	uk
Olly	Devon	UK
iou	eng	uk
THERESA	ESSEX	uk
michael	glasgow	UK
Chris	Hampshire	UK
Nick	Hampshire	UK
Rich	hampshire	UK
David	Hereford	UK
Dianne	Lincolnshire	UK
Jamie	Lincolnshire	UK
John	Liverpool	UK
ANDREW	LONDON	uk
ELIZABETH	LONDON	uk
JULIE	LONDON	uk
Maria Anjeline	London	UK
WENDI	LONDON	uk
ANN	MANCHESTER	uk
KEVIN	MANCHESTER	uk
MARY	MANCHESTER	uk
Mark	Merseyside	UK
elaine	nottinghamshire	uk
Lee	Surrey	UK
Steve	Tyne & Wear	UK
Andrew	West Midlands	UK
Hammy	WS13PL	UK
Keith	Wales	UK
Bruce	Yorkshire	UK
aha		uk
David		UK
ozcan		uk
ozcan		uk
ozcan		uk
ozcan		uk
peri		UKj
prag		uk
Robert		UK
Stfan		UK
Rex	CA.	U.S.A.
Rob	Maryland	U.S.A.
Michael	Nevada	U.S.A.
Tony	Ohio	U.S.A.
Tony	Ohio	U.S.A.
brad	oklahoma	U.S.A.
Joe	Pennsylvania	U.S.A.
Egon	WA	U.S.A.
Grant		U.S.A.
Mike	Pa	U.S.A
Joseph	AZ	U.S.
Mark	NJ	U.S.
George	Tn.	U.S
Parahat	Ankara	Turkey
Esra	Istanbul	Turkey
Gokhan	Istanbul	Turkey
ceylan	izmir	Turkey
Esra	Ýstanbul	Turkey
emre		turkey
Pawel	Noord-Brabant	The Netherlands
Erik	Overijsel	The Netherlands
Korstiaan	Zuid Holland	The Netherlands
Supachai	Bangkok	Thailand
Geordie	Chiang Mai	Thailand
mongkol	Phitsanulok	thailand
Alvin	Kaohsiung	Taiwan
qoo	new taipei	taiwan
Justin	Taipei	Taiwan
kah	Taipei	Taiwan
kaw	Taipei	Taiwan
wang	taipei	taiwan
m		syria
Helmut	AG	Switzerland
Michael	Zurich	Switzerland
Chrille	SE	Sweden
Martina	SE	Sweden
Paulina	SE	Sweden
Susanne	SE	Sweden
Patrick	Täby	Sweden
Pekka		Sweden
Arungkaran	Jaffna	Sri Lanka
Rusira	Western	Sri Lanka
Bryan	Alicante	Spain
itcou	Andalucia	Spain
tam	Madrid	Spain
Mike	Mallorca	Spain
RSK	Gauteng	South Africa
Ahmed	kzn	south africa
Lovemore	KZN	South Africa
Adam	Western Province	South Africa
Jozef	®ilinský kraj	Slovakia
Jozef	®ilinský Kraj	Slovakia
Hock Nan	Singapore	Singapore
Shirl		Singapore
Kelly	SG	SG
Zoran	Serbia	Serbia
vodomar	vojvodina	serbia
vodomar	vojvodina	serbia
Aleksandar		Serbia
D		Serbia
Greg	Grampian	Scotland
Rajalingam	Jeddah	Saudi Arabia
JC	Riyadh	Saudi Arabia
Gleb	Mordovia	Russian Federation
ALEKSANDR	TULA	RUSSIAN FEDERATION
alexandr	Altaj	Russia
Aleksandr	Moscow	Russia
Michail	moscow	Russia
Vladimir	Tatarstan	Russia
Nick	UFA	RUSSIA
Babay	Voronezh	Russia
S.	Voronezh	Russia
Zaman	Tg-Mures	Roumania
Ilie	Olt	Romanian
Iosif		Romanian
Leonard	Constanta	România
Murphy	3225	Romania
Murphy	3225	Romania
marshal	*bucuresti	romania
Adriana	Arad	Romania
george	bacau	romania
Ilies	Bacau	Romania
macarie	bacau	romania
Mircea	Baicoi	Romania
toader	bistrita-nasaud	romania
Bogdan	Botosani	Romania
herghelegiu	botosani	romania
Mihalache	Brasov	Romania
Octavian	Brasov	Romania
Ana	Bucharest	Romania
Badea	Bucharest	Romania
Bogdan	Bucharest	Romania
Catalin	Bucharest	Romania
catalin	bucharest	romania
diana	bucharest	romania
Florin	Bucharest	Romania
Ilie	Bucharest	Romania
ION	Bucharest	Romania
ION	Bucharest	Romania
Isabelle Anne Marie	Bucharest	Romania
Isabelle Anne Marie	Bucharest	Romania
Maria	Bucharest	Romania
merca	Bucharest	Romania
Nastase	Bucharest	Romania
padronne	Bucharest	Romania
patras	bucharest	romania
Robert	Bucharest	Romania
sofy	Bucharest	Romania
Stefan	Bucharest	Romania
Cucu	Bucuresti	Romania
Dan	Bucuresti	Romania
Gabriela	Bucuresti	Romania
gheorghe	bucuresti	romania
gigi	bucuresti	romania
Hermina	Bucuresti	Romania
mirela elena	bucuresti	romania
mirela elena	bucuresti	romania
olga	bucuresti	romania
senat	bucuresti	romania
senat	bucuresti	romania
Sorin	Bucuresti	Romania
mihai	buzau	romania
Popoiag	Buzau	Romania
Radu	Buzau	Romania
Iustin	Calarasi	Romania
marin	calarasi	romania
ciprian	cluj	romania
dan	Cluj	Romania
Mihai	Cluj	Romania
Mihai	Cluj-Napoca	Romania
Caruntu	Constanta	Romania
Ian	Constanta	Romania
manea	constanta	romania
xmanadi	constanta	romania
buga	covasna	romania
Solomon	CRAIOVA	ROMANIA
Iulian	Cugir	Romania
gabriel	dambovita	romania
Cristian	DB	Romania
dragan	DEVA	ROMANIA
Nema	Dolj	Romania
Mircea	Futeni	Romania
Blogger	Galati	Romania
Bocaneala	Galati	Romania
Lupu	Galati	Romania
pascu	galati	romania
R4dhu	Galati	Romania
Pazea	Gorj,Targu Jiu	Romania
Florin	Hunedoara	Romania
PETRONEL	IALOMITA	ROMANIA
Tomescu	Ialomita	Romania
Botez	Iasi	Romania
George	Iasi	Romania
valer	MARAMURES	ROMANIA
dragos	mehedinti	Romania
Florin	Mehedinti	Romania
Berendea	Miercurea-Ciuc	Romania
DANIEL	MOLDAVIA	ROMANIA
Iulian	Moldova	Romania
Valentin	Moldova	Romania
ady	Mures	Romania
Liviu	Neamt	Romania
Tavi	Neamt	Romania
Petre	Olt	Romania
aero	Petrosani	Romania
iulian	Petrosani	Romania
iulian	Petrosani	Romania
solomon	Petrosani	Romania
Dan Marius	Ploiesti	Romania
Mihnea	Ploiesti	Romania
Andrei	Prahova	Romania
Antonie	Prahova	Romania
Dumitru	Prahova	Romania
Marius	Roman	Romania
irimia	romania	romania
Nick	Romania	Romania
Dionisie	Romania-Bucharest	Romania
Tutunaru	Rosiori de Vede	Romania
costi	satu mare	romania
Molnar	Satu Mare	Romania
Bogdan	Sebes - Alba	Romania
ION	SIBIU	ROMANIA
Eddie	Suceava	Romania
Tone	Targoviste	Romania
Daniel Silviu	Teleorman	Romania
ILIE	TELEORMAN	ROMANIA
Pisargeac	Teleorman	Romania
Razvan	Timis	Romania
Tatov	Timis	Romania
vlad	transilvania	romania
Stanica	Valcea	Romania
tudor	valcea	romania
Andrew		Romania
barabas		Romania
Branza		Romania
cata		romania
durin		Romania
Durnea		Romania
gelu		Romania
Goleanu		Romania
Mirel		Romania
Radu		Romania
Radu		Romania
Rotaru		Romania
sor		Romania
Vasiliu		Romania
vasile	ilfov	romaina
Ionascu	Galati	Roamnia
sasa	Belgrade	Republic of Serbia
Staszek		pPOLSKA
Paf	Lisbon	Portugal
Paf	Lisbon	Portugal
vitor	Lisbon	Portugal
Piotr	Podkarpackie	Polska
Jurek	Bialystok	Poland
Adam	Breslau	Poland
Dawid	kujawsko-pomorskie	Poland
Marcin	Lubelskie	Poland
Konrad	Lublin	Poland
Marek	Lublin	Poland
Robert	Malopolskie	Poland
Robert	Malopolskie	Poland
Adam	Mazowieckie	Poland
Piotr	mazowieckie	Poland
Filip	opolskie	Poland
jerzy	opolskie	poland
jerzy	opolskie	poland
Marcin	Opolskie	Poland
Pawel	Podkarpackie	Poland
Marcin	Podlaskie	Poland
Micha³	Pomorskie	Poland
Piotr	Silesia	Poland
adam	Slaskie	Poland
Joanna	Szczecin	Poland
Tomash	Warsaw	Poland
Jakub	Warszawa	Poland
kamil	zachodniopomorskie	Poland
Ewa		Poland
Ewa		Poland
Ewa		Poland
Jacek		Poland
jan		poland
Jerzy		Poland
Pan		Poland
Pan		Poland
Pivoman		Poland
Rados³aw		POLAND
Terieron		Poland
alro	cebu	philippines
katherine	laguna	philippines
Patrick Joseph	Laguna	Philippines
Blake	Manila	Philippines
Blake	Manila	Philippines
Blake	Manila	Philippines
kirk	Manila	Philippines
Romina	Tarlac	Philippines
Kun	Fujian	ÖÐ¹ú
Frank	Wellington	New Zealand
Gerard	Nederland	Netherlands
Berry	North-Holland	Netherlands
Pascal	Overijssel	Netherlands
K.	UT	Netherlands
Corno	Utrecht	Netherlands
kees	Utrecht	Netherlands
Dik	ZH	Netherlands
Rudolf		Netherlands
Ravi	Kathmandu	Nepal
sachit	kathmandu	Nepal
samit	kathmandu	nepal
Henk-Jan	Drenthe	Nederland
Galan	Noord Holland	Nederland
Galan	Noord Holland	Nederland
Daniel	Quebec, Canada	Montreal
prisacari	drochia	Moldova
alexandr	tiraspol	moldova
slava	chisinau	MOLDOOVA
Omar	Ecatepec de Morelos	Mexico
Gary	Jalisco	Mexico
Rudy	Kuala Lumpur	Malaysia
Ainol	Melaka	Malaysia
Ng	Perak	Malaysia
Fan Teck	Sabah	Malaysia
Ainol	Selangor	Malaysia
dean	Selangor	Malaysia
Nol	Selangor	Malaysia
sazzy	Selangor	Malaysia
Raymond		Malaysia
Stefce	Gostivar	Macedonia
Kire	MKD	Macedonia
Motoko	APO AP	Japan
Jia	Nagoya	Japan
Worm	Nagoya	Japan
setmefree	abruzo	italy
Silvio	AP	Italy
Silvana	Marche	Italy
lello	palermo	italy
vali	teramo	italy
florea	verona	italy
Massimiliano	VI	Italy
Carmi	Jerusalem	Israel
ronen	jerusalem	israel
Annie	Tel Aviv	Israel
Marc	Tel Aviv	Israel
Kev T	Isle of Man	UK
Des	Reykjavik	Island
dermotj	1	ireland
lekkxus	1	ireland
owen	dublin	ireland
Sophie		Ireland
Jack	Tehran	Iran
Andrian	Manchester	Inggris
agus	bandung	indonesia
Ara	DKI Jakarta	Indonesia
Brandon	East Java	Indonesia
Marwan	Jakarta	Indonesia
rizky	Kalimantan Timur	Indonesia
walang	Kalimantan Timur	Indonesia
Asriel	West Java	Indonesia
elda	West Java	Indonesia
Wisnu	Yogyakarta	Indonesia
Prakash	Haryana	India`
Nitin	Andhra Pradesh	India
Gautam	Assam	India
Rishikalpa	Assam	India
Rubi	Assam	India
Sushil	CHANDIGARH	INDIA
jothi	chennai	india
Amit	delhi	India
Avinash	Delhi	India
drag	delhi	india
john	delhi	India
TRY	Delhi	India
Vivek	Delhi	India
Chintan	Gujarat	India
dhaval	gujarat	india
niroop	Indore	India
suman	Indore	India
Pradeep	Jharkhand	India
Ranjan	Jharkhand	India
Linu	Karnataka	India
Murali	Karnataka	India
Sharad	Karnataka	India
Indranil	KOLKATA	INDIA
siddharth	madhya pradesh	India
Bala	Maharashtra	India
Jitendra	Maharashtra	India
kwai	maharashtra	india
stranger	maharastra	India
Ind	MH	India
saurabh	MP	India
Amit	Mumbai	India
John	Mumbai	India
Riz	Mumbai	India
Vivek	Mumbai	India
Mini	Odisha	India
any	orissa	India
prince	orissa	India
Mayur	Pune	India
Amardeep	Punjab	India
Mayur	Rajasthan	India
Annamalai	tamilnadu	india
kishore	tamilnadu	india
dilip	tanjore	india
Ashwin	TN	India
sumit	tripura	india
Anurag	U P	India
Arnab	West Bengal	India
Debjani	West Bengal	India
Samarendra	West Bengal	India
Somnath	West Bengal	India
Somrik	West Bengal	India
Sourav	West Bengal	India
Subhro	West Bengal	India
Sujay	West Bengal	India
Swarup	West Bengal	India
Pramod	Kerala	IN
ciocoiu	romania	iasi
Fercso	Gy-M-S	Hungary
marko		hrvatska
ORKAN	Shatin	HongKong
John	none	Hong Kong
Dan		Hong KONG
david		Hong Kong
ellene		Hong Kong
Yan	Amsterdam	Holland
Gerard		Holland
Nam	Viet Nam	Ha Noi
Nam	Viet Nam	Ha Noi
Nam	Viet Nam	Ha Noi
kostas	Athens	Greece
Paulos	Athens	Greece
stavros	ATHENS	GREECE
Panayotis	Attica	Greece
makis	halandri	greece
makis	halandri	greece
Rod	Dorset	Great Britain
Ika Indah	Baden Wuerttemberg	Germany
Emil	Bayer	Germany
Dirk	Bayern	Germany
Dirk	Bayern	Germany
Rita	Bayern	Germany
Alex	Berlin	Germany
Dazzle	Berlin	Germany
Udo	Hessen	Germany
Andreas	MV	Germany
Dirk	NRW	Germany
Stuart	RLP	Germany
Andreas		Germany
Sueton		Germany
malkhaz	georgia	Georgia
just	romania	galati
Brian	Bretagne	France
JF	Hauts de Seine	France
Franck	Paris	France
selim	paris	france
Romain	RHONE	FRANCE
Hovsep	Val De Marne	France
allan		france
Marika	Keski-Suomi	Finland
Janne	Kuopio	Finland
Barda		Finland
Netty	WS13PL	Engload
Lesley	Hampshire	England. UK
Jeff	Berkshire	England
Roderick	Dorset	England
Scott	London	England
thomas	London	England
karen	notts	england
matthew	staffordshire	england
Simon	Surrey	England
Ian	Yorkshire	England
AIMEE		ENGLAND
Cathryn		England
mizo	Alex	Egypt
ahmed	mansoura	egypt
Vjacheslav	Ðîññèÿ	Ðîññèÿ
Ìàêñèì	Ìîñêâà	Ðîññèÿ
ole	NORD	ÐÎÑÑÈß
Curt Henning	Copenhagen	Denmark
Curt Henning	Copenhagen	Denmark
Joergen	DK	Denmark
Stine	DK	Denmark
Hrvoje	brodsko-posavks	croatia
Nikola	Cakovec	Croatia
Ante	Dalmacija	Croatia
Ivica	Dubrovnik	Croatia
Ivan	HR	Croatia
Marko	Vukovarsko-Srijemska	Croatia
Marko	Vukovarsko-Srijemska	Croatia
Ninoslav	Zagreb	Croatia
Filip	Zagrebaèka zupanija	Croatia
Damir		Croatia
Manuel	Cucuta	Colombia
wenjuner	316100	China
ËïÏþÁú	ÁÉÄþÊ¡liaoning	China
li	BeiJing	China
pan	beijing	china
wang	beijing	china
wang	beijing	china
ºÎ	Guangdong	china
Xiaokang	Guangdong	China
Jason	Guanghzou	China
Àî	heilongjiang	China
james	hu nan	china
Öì	HuBei	China
Shiqiang	Hubei	China
wilson	HUNAN	china
l	jiangsu	china
ÕÅ	jiangsu	china
peter	jiangsu	china
s	jiangsu	china
Tyler	Jiangsu	China
duan	Liaoning	China
duan	Liaoning	China
duan	Liaoning	China
Li	Liaoning	China
jim	Montana	China
eli	peking	china
ÀÇ	shanghai	China
Jie	Shanghai	China
John	Shanghai	China
Yijun	Shanghai	China
	shannxi	china
bertrand	shanxi	china
li	shanxi	china
wu	shanxi	china
林	Shen Yang	China
—Ñ	Shen Yang	China
lin	shichuang	china
Yuekang	Songjiang,Shanghai	China
kai	Tianjin	China
David	Zhe jiang	China
liang	zhejiang	china
xing	zhejiang	china
xing	zhejiang	china
h		china
hyh		china
Alejandro	Santiago, RM	Chile
Bill	Alberta	Canada
Mary	Alberta	Canada
Paral	Alberta	Canada
art	b.c.	canada
Laverne	B.C.	Canada
Laverne	B.C.	Canada
Andrew	BC	Canada
Ken	BC	Canada
Ken	BC	Canada
Ken	BC	Canada
Ken	BC	Canada
Ken	BC	Canada
Ken	BC	Canada
Ken	BC	Canada
Lyle	BC	Canada
Margaret	BC	Canada
Marvin	BC	Canada
r.	BC	Canada
Cryata T.	Calgary	Canada
ALAN G	MANITOBA	CANADA
Andrew	New Brunswick	Canada
Andrew	New Brunswick	Canada
Andrew	New Brunswick	Canada
Andrew	New Brunswick	Canada
Bill	New Brunswick	Canada
Rob	Newfoundland	Canada
Paul	NS	Canada
Hayley	ON	Canada
J. Margaret	ON	Canada
Linda	ON	Canada
marion	ON	canada
Walter	ON	Canada
Alex	Onatrio	Canada
Daniel A	Ontario	Canada
David C.	Ontario	Canada
Gerry	Ontario	Canada
Heber	Ontario	Canada
Jim	Ontario	Canada
Leila	Ontario	Canada
Mark	Ontario	Canada
Michael	Ontario	Canada
Reza	Ontario	Canada
samarjeet	Ontario	Canada
Seymour	Ontario	Canada
Gilles	Quebec	Canada
david	québec	canada
Ken		Canada
Lachezar	Plovdiv	Bulgaria
Angel	Shumen	Bulgaria
Paulo	AM	Brazil
Vick	Mina Gerais	Brazil
Bruno	Pará	Brazil
JEduardo	RJ	Brazil
Roberto	Santa Catarina	Brazil
Matheus	SP	Brazil
Eduardo	Rio de Janeiro	Brasil
Nedim	Tuzla Canton	Bosnia and Herzegovina
Raymonda	Antwerp	Belgium
master	OVL	Belgium
Jean		Belgium
Andreas	Minsk	Belarus
Vlad	Romania	Bacau
Alexandru	Wien	Austria
Archie	5097	Australia
James	Adelaide	Australia
Brand	Brisbane	Australia
Anthony	NSW	Australia
Brendan	NSW	Australia
Geoffrey	NSW	Australia
John	NSW	Australia
Peter	NSW	Australia
Peter	NSW	Australia
Peter	NSW	Australia
Stephen	NSW	Australia
Yat	NSW	Australia
Gary	QLD	Australia
Naoto	Queensland	Australia
Warren	Queensland	Australia
Matthew	South Australia	Australia
Matthew	South Australia	Australia
Jose	sydney	Australia
Jonathan	VICTORIA	Australia
Mick	Victoria	Australia
Paul	Victoria	Australia
craig	WA	Australia
james	wa	australia
Robert	WA	Australia
Annie	Western Australia	Australia
Lee	Western Australia	Australia
Dagmar		Arkansas,usa
Gonzalo	Cordoba	Argentina
ste	fl	america
Ali Pacha	Algiers	Algeria
Vjosan	Tirana	Albania
Kristi	Bilisht/Korçë	Albania
zahid	UAE	Abu Dhabi

PRIZES to Thank you for your support

2011-11-06T16:14:00.001-05:00

Happy Birthday Scotty!

On November 19th, 1997 the first release of WinPatrol was made public and generated 1252 downloads. This year is the 14th anniversary of WinPatrol and we'd like to celebrate it with a bang and plenty of prizes.
To enter fill in the simple info at http://www.winpatrol.com/enter.html

For fun details on the initial release of WinPatrol check out http://billpstudios.blogspot.com/2011/10/winpatrol-first-to-create-birthdayware.html

To celebrate our 14th anniversary we’ve created a prize list and hope to include more prizes by November 19th. You don’t have to be a WinPatrol PLUS member to enter and win. Anyone can be a winner.

PRIZE 1 is our custom 1 GB WinPatrol wristband. This handy tool makes it easy to copy your music and photos between computers. It also includes a copy of the most recent version of WinPatrol’s setup program so you can install our free version to protect your friends and family.

(14) will be given away. Each has a value of $24.95 USD

PRIZE 2 is a consumer version of the extremely popular AV program Malwarebytes. One of the advantages of WinPatrol is that it works and plays well with others. WinPatrol and Malwarebytes work well together without slowing you down. Just like BillP Studios, our friends at Malwarebytes.org are sincerely devoted to helping protect users from infiltrations that make you feel violated.

(10) copies available each valued at $29.95 USD

PRIZE 3 is a WinPatrol PLUS license for your entire family. Valued at $49.95 you’ll receive a code that is good for your lifetime and is valid for all your computers even those used by your kids even if they’re not living at home. This provides protection and could save you from the purchase of a brand new computer. This prize covers your desktop, laptop and every computer owned by your family.

So Good Luck and thank you for your support as we celebrate another great WinPatrol year. This is a great time to share the news with friends and family.

If you’d like to safely enter this contest we need just minor information. Your protection is important and as soon as the contest is complete personal data will be deleted. That’s how important your protection has always been. If you’d rather not enter online you can send information to our home address. Unlike many companies we’re not afraid to publish our real address.

BillP Studios
32 Sunnyside Rd.
Scotia, NY 12302

Join the fun! If you have any questions or would like to contribute your own prize Email, support@WinPatrol.com.

To enter fill in the simple info at http://www.winpatrol.com/enter.html

WinPatrol First to Create BirthdayWare

2011-10-22T22:43:00.001-04:00

When WinPatrol was first released it was created mainly for friends and family. At the time, I stayed pretty busy working on unique programs for Microsoft, Gateway, Epson and was working for Capital Cities/ABC when Disney took over the company. WinPatrol was just a hobby while I worked on other fun popular programs.

Working for a variety of companies was fun. Working long hours made me in high demand and I was able to play with new secret equipment and while it was never published I created one of the first DVD players as a project for Gateway. It kept me busy enough that WinPatrol didn’t seem as important as turned out.

I never expected how much crap would appear on the Startup programs list and how popular WinPatrol would become. If I known at the time I would have patented the concept used by WinPatrol and could have retired by now. Ironically, a lot of the work I did at that time would be considered disposable startup programs like my Epson Ink Monitor and my Gateway Warranty reminder. At least when possible my startup junk would exit once performing its function.

WinPatrol was just a program I created on the side for my own use. Instead of just giving WinPatrol away for free I came up with some thing called “Birthday Ware”. Once a year on my birthday WinPatrol would display a weird sample of my programmers ego.

It was a lot of fun to receive Email from WinPatrol users but soon the volume of the Email was overwhelming. My first pleasant surprise was that birthday Emails started to come in on the day before my actual birthday. I finally noticed the first greetings were from locations like Japan, New Zealand, Australia, Thailand and other sites where the date had already changed. WinPatrol is also very popular in Vietnam.
( btw, The Email listed above is no longer valid.)

In addition to the large amounts of Email, I discovered WinPatrol users were making a serious error. In their best intention many users even took the time to create animated greeting cards to wish me a happy birthday.

Unfortunately, back in those days the sending of a greeting cards was one of the primary methods to distribute adware and spyware. So essentially, users were thanking me by infecting themselves and if I opened their well intended greeting card I would get infected as well.

So, after a few years of fun, I was forced to disable the birthdayware feature and did without the personal celebration. Some long time users still continued to wish me a Happy Birthday even without the reminder and to this day I still receive birthdayware greetings.

Next month on November 19th we’re going to celebrate, not my birthday, but the 14th anniversary of WinPatrol or Scotty’s Birthday. There will be prizes and all the fun we can think of between now and then. Stay turned for all the fun.

Greed Creates Common Deceptive Practices

2011-10-18T22:36:00.001-04:00

It continues to amaze me that companies build an entire business plan based on tricking consumers. Companies like the one listed below know they’re being deceptive yet have continued to run a company based on fooling consumers into thinking they’re already doing business with their company.

In this case, the company Domain Registry of America gets a list of domain names that that are due for renewal. They send a letter to the customer “implying” that they currently handle the domain name and include threats their domain name could be lost unless they send in a renewal fee. Instead unless you pay attention they’ll steal business away from your current domain holder. The threats in this letter work well and Domain Registry of America has made an entire business based solely on this deceptive practice. They do acknowledge renewing is a switch but they send their letter so far ahead of time they hope you’ll get theirs before a notice from the company who already serves you,

Obviously, from the prices below Domain Registry of America is not providing me with any special discount. Their rates are over triple what I would normally be charged by the company who handles my domains. They charge me $10.95 a year. This is blatant case of deception which has been going on for years. It’s not illegal, just an example of greed.

.

They’re not alone in their tricky malicious practice. Chance are great you’ll also find a letters in your mail warning you that your vehicle warranty has expired. While you may never have done business with their company they’ll still want you to renew a warranty with them.

Another examples of this kind of greed are companies who want to include you in a “Who’s Who’s” book of some kind. Naturally, along with including you in their Who’s Who book, they’ll want to sell you a copy. Even if it’s not required most people will still buy the book. If you’re a small business you may also receive an official looking state document that claims you must post a copy of your employee rights. Their version will naturally comes on beautifully laminated paper which isn’t required in most states but not illegal to lie to you.

Another company trolls the patent office and when it sees you have a new patent they will send you a nice copy of your patent with an offer for some beautiful patent plagues. They’ll use an official sounding name to imply it’s a service of the patent office. Their version will set you back a little but look nice on your desk or wall. I was actually pleased when they tried to trick me because I had a few Gateway patents with my name on them. I had forgotten all about it.

My all time favorite is the Better Business Bureau who will call encouraging you to be a member for over $300 depending on the size of your business. They call me at least once a year and tell me they had a report from one of my customers praising our work. While I am confident our users love us I don’t believe for second that once a year a customer goes out of their way to report positive comments.
According to a number of state Attorney Generals office the grading system used by BBB favored members over non-members.

So, read your mail carefully and be sure what you’re signing up for is legitimate and come from the actual company and not someone using deceptive practices. Ultimately, this form of greed only helps one company and that’s the United States Post Office.

Greed Creates Common Deceptive Practices

2011-10-17T16:33:00.001-04:00

Another examples of this kind of greed are companies who want to include you in a “Who’s Who’s” book of some kind, Naturally, along with including you in their Who’s Who book, they’ll want to sell you a copy. Even if it’s not required most people will still buy the book. If you’re a small business you may also receive an official looking state document that claims you must post a copy of your employee rights. Their version will naturally comes on beautifully laminated paper which isn’t required in most states but not illegal to lie to you.

Another company trolls the patent office and when it sees you have a new patent they will send you a nice copy of your patent with an offer for some beautiful patent plagues. They’ll use an official sounding name to imply it’s a service of the patent office. Their version will set you back a little but look nice on your desk or wall. I was actually pleased when they tried to trick on me because I had a few Gateway patents with my name on them. I had forgotten all about it.

Verizon uses your Physical Address for Advertising

2011-10-10T20:35:00.001-04:00

Verizon has announced a new service update it admits will benefit advertisers more than customers. Obviously it’s meant to increase Verizon’s revenue. It used to be you could get free services in return for targeted advertising. Now Verizon considers it a bonus feature to use my physical addresses for ads.

“…Verizon will soon participate in a program that will improve the ability of advertisers to reach our Verizon Online customers based on your physical address. The goal is to provide online ads that may be more relevant to you.

This program uses your address to determine whether you reside in a local area an advertiser is trying to reach.”

“This advertising program uses your physical address to help advertisers deliver ads to websites you visit while using Verizon Online. This program allows national brands and local businesses to tailor offers, coupons and incentives to your local area. Because the ads can be geographically directed, they may be more relevant to you.”

In addition to adds on Verizon websites, the following can be found in their Privacy Policy…

“…cookies may be placed and used by advertising companies to collect information about your visit to our websites and may be combined with similarinformation obtained from other websites.”

If you’re a Verizon customer I recommend reviewing their privacy policy and follow tips that allow you to opt-out of this new feature
http://www22.verizon.com/about/privacy/policy/#cpni

Click below to Opt-Out

WinPatrol.com Removes Links to Facebook

2011-09-22T15:15:00.001-04:00

We are no longer encouraging anyone to use Facebook and have removed all links to "Fans of WinPatrol" group from WinPatrol.com.

This is not a protest to UI changes. We have found that Facebook changes are frequently made without proper testing often exposing Friend only posts to the public.

For instance, new interface changes has created the new “Old Posts” feature. Some people have reported many of their Old Posts are now available to the public even when their wall was set to Friends Only.

To change the settings for the new "Old Posts" feature, go to your privacy settings at http://www.facebook.com/settings/?tab=privacy and change the new feature "Limit the Audience for Past Posts". Click on Manage Past Post Visibility. The menu for privacy settings is also available as a down arrow in the upper right corner of your Facebook page.

We're not closing the group yet but will stop providing links that may encourage folks to join Facebook to get WinPatrol information updates. There’s also unofficial WinPatrol discussions and help available at http://www.landzdown.com/winpatrol-help-information/

Dangerous Downloads on Legitimate Websites & Search Engines

2011-09-05T13:56:00.001-04:00

There are a large number of websites that provide useful reviews and what seems like easy ways to download free software. Unfortunately, these websites also sell ads and allow advertisers to use well known software as keywords in their ads. The result is users often end up with software they can’t remove from their computer instead of what they were looking for.

Here’s an example of the page you’ll get if you search the popular download site, cnet’s Download.com for WinPatrol.
Click image to enlarge.

Click any image to enlarge

You can see WinPatrol at the bottom of the page but if you’re not paying attention you might easily click on “Start Download”. The resulting download is not something you want on your system. My laptop is currently using the add-on Web of Trust which immediately warned me something was wrong.

Btw… if you’re interested, don’t search Google for “Web of Trust”. Instead of WOT, you’ll find a dangerous download using its keyword which I’ll talk more about below. Go to http://www.mywot.com/ if you’d like check out WOT.

Not all but some of the other downloads advertising on the Download.com page are also dangerous. For instance, the link that says “Spybot – Free Download” will not take you to the real Spybot - Search & Destroy program.

Beware of Search Engine Results

Even search engines like Google and Bing are selling search ads to bogus programs using the keywords of popular legitimate programs. If you search Google for “WinPatrol” you may be tricked into clicking on a dangerous deceptive link.

While it’s marked as an “Ad” the resulting page is not what you’ll want. It has no connection to WinPatrol. The criminals behind this site “bid” Googles Adwords for the keyword “WinPatrol” when purchasing this ad. It’s also impossible for small companies like BillP Studios to purchase advertisements. When advertising space is based on bidding, it’s impossible for me to compete with companies who behave in a deceptive manner.

Again, Web of Trust warns me not to continue.

The resulting page appears to be a review of WinPatrol. Don’t be fooled!

Click image to enlarge

When you scroll down you'll find a bogus software report that claims to compare various anti-virus program. The problem is all of these programs come from the same company and most programs can not be removed until you pay an extortion fee. Even then you’ll need a real Anti-Malware program to remove them. The following is one of many programs that follow the WinPatrol review.

I didn’t dare click Free Scan but I did check Tucows and they never heard of this program. The chances that this company has a positive rating with the Better Business Bureau is, well… that’s a topic for another blog post.

So, always read the screen and know what you’re doing anytime you see a download or scan link. If you want to download a program make sure you’re on the actual company website. That way you’ll also be sure to download the most current release.

Use your voice and let search engines and download sites know you’re not happy. Forward this post to your friends or share it on Facebook. They’re making a lot of money so they can certainly afford to screen who advertises on their sites and watch for deceptive links.

Bing actually removed an ad after I contacted them about but they still need to clean up their act for other ads. I’ve written to a friend I trust at Google so perhaps I’ll see a change soon but the misuse of our WinPatrol keyword is one of many.

If you’re not sure about a filename you can always use WinPatrol to look it up. Your lifetime $29.95 purchase of WinPatrol PLUS means we don’t have to sell advertisements on the pages used to search file names. Droid users can also download our new DroidPatrol program to search for legitimate filenames.

Update 9/7/2011
I’m pleased to report that Google no longer allows WinPatrol to be used to allow deceptive advertisers steal users. Thank you Google.

WinPatrol PLUS available for $9.99 while CNET Annoys Users

2011-08-22T00:27:00.001-04:00

Over the years I’ve provided special upgrades to veterans, unemployed and even did a one day experiment selling WinPatrol PLUS at 99 cents. Ultimately, I’ve tried to come up with a fair price that would allow the most upgrades as possible. I’ve tried various prices but the experts tell me WinPatrol PLUS is worth far more than its $29.95 regular price.

This week we’re offering another exceptional sale so nobody has a good reason not to upgrade to WinPatrol PLUS. In some respect it’s another experiment to see what folks are willing to spend. If you have an illegal version of WinPatrol PLUS now is the time to upgrade for life. Stats show we have a lot of free users so here is your chance.

Results of our economy

One of the truths is that this special is also meant to prevent layoffs. The economy is hurting everyone and BillP Studios isn’t alone. Resisting the temptation to include a free security toolbar and other 3rd party “enhancements” could have made a difference but is still something we’ll never do.

I was sad to see even our friends at cnet have added a Download Manager that you must download if you want WinPatrol from downloads.com. While the download manager is suppose to add a new layer of security, it’s obviously meant to add a new layer of revenue for cnet

I am impressed that at least they’ve made what is sure to be unwanted changes an "Opt-In” check box. This is a rare move and I’m glad at least someone at CNET spoke up loud enough to save some reputation. If a user checks this box they won’t be happy.

CNET has always been a friend to WinPatrol and I hope that relationship can continue. When new versions of WinPatrol become available the folks at CNET will often have it available within 24 hours. Meanwhile, you can always download the newest version of WinPatrol directly from http://www.winpatrol.com/download.html with no download manager or other added programs.

As I started to say if you haven’t downloaded WinPatrol do it now and click here to upgrade to WinPatrol PLUS for less than ten dollars.

Windows Update Changes IE Cookies Names

2011-08-12T22:40:00.001-04:00

Anyone who has read my blog knows how I feel about automatic software updates. My previous posts include

* Auto Updates are Evil
* Update causes OLMAPI32.dll error
* Auto Update Programs Running all the time
* Microsoft Security Update Problems

This week one of the critical updates from Microsoft made a change in how cookie names are displayed by WinPatrol. This is a minor annoyance and I expect it will affect other programs in one way or another. I’m not sure why but the update appears to have made a global change in how Microsoft names individual cookie files used by Internet Explorer.

While other browsers have individual database entries for cookies, Internet Explorer creates a file where it stores multiple cookies for a particular website. WinPatrol displays a list of each website and allows you to view the contents of the file.

Cookies created before the Windows update still have filenames which make it somewhat obvious where the cookies came from. This allows the WinPatrol Cookie Manager to remove and filter cookies based on portions of their name. At this time filtering out unwanted cookies in IE depends on the filename.

Since the update, new cookie names appear to be randomly created filenames. I’m not sure what security issue this resolves but it’s going to make it a harder to use WinPatrol to manage unwanted cookies. If this is the new Microsoft method I don’t see making any kind of change to provide a fix in the near future. The update does not affect how WinPatrol manages Firefox and Chrome cookies.

Chrome Cookies Displayed by WinPatrol

Chrome and Firefox store cookies in a SQLite database so WinPatrol is able to display the entire contents of each cookie. The recent update by Windows won’t make any changes to how we display these cookies.

I’m going to get a lot of support Email but otherwise this auto update probably won’t hurt any other Windows function. WinPatrol users will lose some functionality. I’m not sure I will have a fix coming soon but I’ll look into it.

Recommendation: Update anyway

In general, my auto update recommendation hasn’t changed. I set my Windows AutoUpdate setting to “Download updates but let me choose whether to install them”. There will be a few exception but I usually wait 7-10 days before actually installing the updates. That allows the rest of world to beta test the change. If there is a severe security fix for a threat which is known to be out in the wild, I will recommend updating immediately. Stay tuned to BitsfromBill for additional information.

In this particular case I would not wait. There are reports of threats actively at work which will allow others to execute programs remotely. This danger is far more dangerous than any cookies. Given a choice I would accept and install the update from Microsoft Windows.

Update:
Microsoft has confirmed they have decided to change how cookie files are named. http://blogs.msdn.com/b/ieinternals/archive/2011/08/12/internet-explorer-9.0.2-update-changes-file-protocol-and-cookie-naming.aspx

“We do not expect significant compatibility fallout from this change either, as the names of these files have always been somewhat dynamic. Directly enumerating or reading the Cookie files has never been supported.”

While I agree nobody at Microsoft promised to support this convention, I don’t understand how this change it related to the current threat causing remote execution of machines.

Update 8/14:
I do have a work around the changes that Microsoft has implemented. I do have other changes I’d like to release so hopefully, by the end of the month I’ll have a new release which will provides a user interface that is friendly and intuitive.

DroidPatrol Provides PLUS Info for only $1.99

2011-07-24T10:49:00.001-04:00

Two years ago when I first started to use my Motorola Droid I knew immediately the Android operating system had a future. Dreams of a future product made me register the domain “DroidPatrol.com”. Today, the first step in this dream comes true. Anyone with an Android device can go to the Google market and purchase the first release of “DroidPatrol”.

Like WinPatrol the first version of DroidPatrol will be a simple application. New features will be created and added to DroidPatrol so that our new app will soon provide the main WinPatrol feature of letting you know if unexpected changes occur to your Android device. One of the benefits of the Google Marketplace is that updates can be provided automatically.

The first version of DroidPatrol will sell for only $1.99 but will provide access to the WinPatrol PLUS database, part of the $29.95 value of WinPatrol PLUS.

If you do use WinPatrol, DroidPatrol will provide PLUS features available directly from your Droid device any where you are.

You don’t have to be a WinPatrol user to use the features of DroidPatrol. Just like WinPatrol PLUS you can enter the name of any file and we'll let you know in human terms what a file does or if you even need the file.

So go to your Droid now and search the market for “DroidPatrol” or go to the online Android Market.

WinPatrol PLUS Half Price Special

2011-07-09T18:11:00.001-04:00

Usually I try to find a special occasion for a WinPatrol PLUS sale but I can tell from recent activity the economy is rough on everyone. For the next two days I’m offering our lifetime upgrade to the newest WinPatrol PLUS for only $14.95 USD or half price our regular price.

Our WinPatrol PLUS Super Family Pack is also discounted $15.00. You can upgrade your entire family for $34.95 USD.

This discount is also available to our international users. Given the US Dollar conversion to the Euro this is a real bargain to non-US orders. At this price it’s not even worth using a keygen or pirated version of WinPatrol PLUS.

So, if you’ve been considering WinPatrol PLUS the time is now!

BillP Studios is a company you can trust. We’ve been working on WinPatrol for over a decade. How many companies do you deal with who give you a real physical address?

One Little “G” Can Make a Big Difference

2011-06-10T15:37:00.001-04:00

It doesn’t matter who you are, how educated you, even if security is your profession it’s still possible to failure. Yesterday, everyone was talking about the cool Google Home Page created to celebrate the birthday of guitar genius Les Paul. Today, I will admit how stupid even I can be.

Naturally, I followed my own advice and instead of clicking on one of my friends links posted on Facebook, I manually typed in the Google URL. The only problem is I screwed up big time and typed
G-o-g-g-l-e-.-c-o-m instead of
G-o-o-g-l-e-.-c-o-m.
Well, unlike Google, the folks at Goggle are anxious to do evil.

Normally, the first screen would have given me a clue but I wasn’t paying full attention. I figured, “it was Google, one of my partners so it must be legit”.

I still never noticed the misspelling. I knew they would be getting extra traffic due to the Les Paul screen so I figured they’d use this day to run a special promotion.

After a few simple questions I received the following screen.

Again, I figured, Google already had my phone number and Email so what’s the big deal giving it to them to validate my information. Since I was multitasking at the time, I still didn’t notice the obvious misspelling of the main logo.

Ironically, I appreciate that these scammers at least verified I was entering a valid phone number. If not, anyone could use their site to harass unsuspecting cell phone users around the country.

Finally, I woke up. As soon as I started to see mentions of a bank card and other companies I knew something was wrong. Yet, I still never thought to check my spelling. My first thought was to check my HOST file and scan for malware. I even copy and pasted the URL into another browser to verify the address without noticing the spelling error.

The next slap in the face came when my cell phone rang with a call from 877-729-0716. The caller identified himself as “Education Experts”. They obviously were connected to this scam so instead of listening to their sales pitch I encouraged the telemarketer to find a job with a reputable company.

It still took my brain a couple minutes to realize my typo. I don’t remember ever doing this before but I hope I’ve learned my lesson. Watch your typing and give your browser your full attention so this doesn’t happen to you. ;)

QuickTime Most Popular Unwanted File

2011-06-07T12:15:00.001-04:00

The release of Windows 95 was suppose to spell the end of Microsoft’s 8.3 filename specifications. The folks in Redmond hailed the era of long filenames that would provide better descriptions of what a file would be used for. Unfortunately, years later Microsoft and others continue to use filenames which are small and non-descriptive.

WinPatrol PLUS is a program which allows users to click on a filename and read an description of a file and find out if it’s required. Apple Computer once bragged about long filenames but stick their files with cryptic filename into Windows Startup Programs and have them running in the background.

One of the ones most commonly requested belongs to QuickTime and tends to stick itself back into the autorun registry frequently. Below is the results from our online Cloud stats.

QTTASK.EXE – Apple’s QuickTime Player

8,425 Requests for information on this file.
47,426 Users chose to allow this file to run.
105,864 Users decided to prevent this file from running.

Apple’s QuickTime holds the record for the file WinPatrol users want removed. It doesn’t help that Apple keeps trying to put QTTASK.exe back even after it’s removed. Luckily, WinPatrol has a Disable function so we can automatically remove it without any alert messages.

More Mystery Files
There are plenty of other filenames which WinPatrol users were confused about and/or wanted more information. You’ll notice most users made their decision without checking the Info that is available to WinPatrol PLUS members.

The 1st number represents how many times a WinPatrol PLUS member requested an explanation or description of a filename.
The 2nd number indicates how many times, when alerted, a user clicked on “Yes” to say they approved the file and wanted it to continue loading.
The 3rd number indicates a user clicked No. It can also indicate the filename was found in one of WinPatrol’s lists and made the decision to remove the file entry from the registry or kill the file while it was running.

ADOBEARM.exe - Adobe Acrobat Reader Manager

7,254 Requests for information on this file.
51,676 Users chose to allow this file to run.
61,017 Users decided to prevent this file from running.

IGFXTRAY.EXE - INTEL Graphics Card System Tray Icon

4,083 Requests for information on this file.
9,815 Users chose to allow this file to run.
11,799 Users decided to prevent this file from running.

MSSECES.EXE - Microsoft Security Essentials

4,812 Requests for information on this file.
32,440 Users chose to allow this file to run.
13,342 Users decided to prevent this file from running.

GOOGLEUPDATE.EXE - Google Automatic Update

4,001 Requests for information on this file.
49,317 Users chose to allow this file to run.
30,362 Users decided to prevent this file from running.

JUSCHED.EXE - Sun's Java Plug-in Updater

6,485 Requests for information on this file.
68,538 Users chose to allow this file to run.
56,428 Users decided to prevent this file from running.

CTFMON.exe - Alternative User Input Text Manager

2,508 Requests for information on this file.
6,521 Users chose to allow this file to run.
18,240 Users decided to prevent this file from running.

Facebook Wants Your Pre-Teen

2011-05-24T16:38:00.001-04:00

If you look at the terms of service for many websites you’ll find they claim users under 13 are not allowed. This is required to protect themselves against COPPA (Child Online Privacy Protection Act). Even the search engine Ask.com notes “you may not register for the Community feature or create a user profile if you are under 13.” At the same time they market various products towards kids including Zwinky and Smiley Central using an invasive toolbar.

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg is now recommending removing the under-13 restrictions. Mark’s main reason is education. I have no doubt the first lesson kids will learn is how easy it is to give away your personal information and get scammed. Then again, they might think it’s normal for Facebook to post messages to all their friends without their approval.

I haven’t talked to many people who think Facebook should be open to children under 13. That includes all the parents who already allow their pre-teens to have a Facebook account. Their response is always be how they supervise what their kids are doing online so it’s ok. If you think it’s ok for kids under 13 to create a Facebook profile or your pre-teen already has an account click comments below and share your opinion.

For full disclosure, both my daughters have been online since 1983 and they received an exceptional education. Given my role in the evolution of the online world they did have a much different experience.
Erica (right) was running trivia games in chat rooms when she was 9 but she was among friends. She never experienced the predators that currently roam the various globally created pages that appear at random. Now in their 30’s they could teach classes on internet safety.

On the other hand, my oldest grand daughter who recently turned 13 has blocked me from Facebook. I used to send her links like “Who Gets Your Personal Information on Facebook” and the “Think Before You Post” which she thought would never apply to her. She’s a member of the Share-it-all and the It-would-never-happen-to-me generation. She thinks it’s fun to pose as a 19 year old.

There are plenty of educational benefits to the Internet but for pre-teens Facebook is not one of them. The parents who grew up with Nancy Reagan’s “Just Say No” campaign should apply it to their kids as well. Again, I’m an old fart and this is my opinion. I encourage you to post yours.

Related Stories:

Consumers Union urges stronger Facebook protections for children

13 year old suspended for Facebook post wishing bin Laden killed math teacher

Facebook’s Zuckerberg Wants Kids Under 13 To Use Site

7.5m Facebook users are under 13

Senator To Facebook CTO: Your Company Is 'Indefensible'

64-bit Windows is here, Like it or Not.

2011-05-13T16:29:00.001-04:00

If you’re in the market for a new Windows computer you’ll be joining the ranks of x64-bit processor users. It used to be an option but these days 64-bit systems are standard configurations. The infiltration of the market has increased dramatically this year and many programmers like myself are working extra hours to catch up with some of the quirks that arrived with 64-bit systems.

For a long time many people stayed away from 64 bit systems because they feared lack of support for their legacy hardware devices. Those fears have seemed to disappear but many of us have noticed quirks in 64-bit systems that affect regular software. Unfortunately you won’t have much choice and will be encouraged to purchase a machine that comes with the 64-bit version of Windows.

I’m not a 64-bit fan
If I didn’t have to support all my friends with 64 bit machines I wouldn’t have one. When I asked on twitter for a reason we need 64 bit the typical answer was to have more memory.
Local programmer Chris Miller, @anotherlab said, “64bit Windows means you can have more than 4Gb of RAM, which is great for a developer with a mess of apps all running at once.”
Personally, I would be just as happy this year with only 4 GB’s and a fast SSD to use as virtual memory.

The most affected software are low level utilities like my WinPatrol. Most software won’t have serious problems but like many security programs WinPatrol uses low level API’s directly for optimized performance and to catch malware at infiltration points.

Over the last year I’ve continued to distribute a 32-bit version of WinPatrol and worked around various quirks. It’s obvious now that if I want to continue to enhance WinPatrol and create more powerful features I’ll need a 64-bit only version. That will be my primary focus this summer.

Programming 64 Bits
According to Microsoft, “The key is that all of the existing Win32 knowledge you have directly applies to the 64-bit version of Windows, and the majority of your code should compile for the 64-bit platform without changes.”.
Any programmer who hasn’t started 64-bit programming is already way behind. If you thought your biggest challenge going to update your data types you’re sadly mistaken. You’ll find many new changes and promises of maintaining the same code base may be true but only if you’re willing to drop support for XP, W2K and systems with limited performance.

According to well known programmer, Merijn Bellekom, "It's pretty unclear in the MSDN what is mirrored and what is redirected, especially when both 32-bit and 64-bit versions of an application exist, like MSIE itself."

Other programming experts have clued me in that many routines which provide WinPatrol’s optimized performance will have to go.

64-bit Stats
Getting access to real data on 64-bit usage hasn’t been easy. That fact has held up a lot of development efforts. While web sites are provided a lot of useful data in a browsers user agent data, the CPU size isn’t provided. Luckily, my friends at PC Pitstop have been following the increase in 64-bit Windows for over two years and have provided some surprising stats.

My first surprise was to see that our neighbors to the north lead the way in 64 bit implementation.

Not as much of a surprise is that more home users have been sold on 64 bit Windows than businesses.

For more information on 64-bit stats visit http://techtalk.pcpitstop.com/64-bit-operating-systems/

Password Security Questions Suck

2011-04-20T12:40:00.001-04:00

My mothers maiden name was Sullivan, my first pet was named Snoopy, my fathers middle name was Joseph and I was born in Schenectady, NY. I can tell you because I would never use real answers in any so called security questions. While it’s handy when forgetting your password it’s the easiest way to have your password reset and stolen.

Yes, companies still use these questions with answers that are publically available and having numbers, letters and special characters in your password won’t help you. Truth is programs that keep trying different word combinations are obsolete. Your password will most likely be incorrectly stored and stolen by someone you do business with or figured out using data in the password security or “challenge” question.

Remember when Sarah Palin’s Email was compromised? It wasn’t some brilliant hacker, it was someone who Google’d where Palin attended high school.

So are there really companies that still use predicable and lame questions? I won’t say who but the following were actually from a banking site.

And people wonder why I don’t list my birthday on Facebook?

The Results
So what typically happens when someone get your Email and password?
First it’s usually not personal. Once your Email is compromised it’s entered into an automated program. The program will log in and collect all the names and Email addresses from your contact list. It could be on AOL, GMail or Outlook; your address book is easy to access programmatically.

It won’t be long before the program breaks up your contacts and sends them all an Email with either a link to malware or something as benign as an advertisement for Viagra. It could just be an ad because these guys could be earning a couple cents for every view. Since it’s all automated it could add up to thousands of Euro a month.

Two things will happen next. Half of your friends may contact you to let you know you’ve been hacked. The other half will click the link and ask why you sent them to a Viagra site. You’ll be very surprised by how many people click on the link because it came from someone they trust.

Obviously, the first thing you’ll want to do is change your password. After that unplug from the internet and run scans from any security program you’ve ever installed on your computer.

You’ll be very embarrassed because the Email will go to people who you still have on your contact list but aren’t close friends. You may feel violated. Don’t be embarrassed. It can happen to anyone and it does. Just think about it the next time you provide answers for security questions. Come up with out of the ordinary answers that you’ll still remember.

Q: “Where were you born”? A:”In bed”
Q: :What’s your mothers maiden name”? A": “Miss”

And if one of your friends send you an Email with just a link, send them here to read BitsFromBill.com.

Epsilon lets its customers fix their security failure

2011-04-05T12:44:00.001-04:00

Last week a serious failure in storing names and Email occurred due to a security flaw by a company name Epsilon. This may be the largest failure in protecting names and Email in my lifetime. Epsilon is trying to downplay this failure by claiming it only lost 2% of its database

Even though you’ve never heard of Epsilon by now many of you have received letters from companies who use Epsilon to handle their mass Emailing. What we know to be compromised so far is only your name and Email but hackers will also know which companies you do business with.

So you should expect the following.

1) More Spam
2) More Phishing:
You should expect to see targeted Emails from companies affected by this failure. The Email will appear to come from your bank and they’ll know your name. As I often recommend, DO NOT CLICK on links found in an Email. Go directly to the company web site and see if there is a problem.

Security researcher Brian Krebs has a partial list of companies affected which he has been updating daily. Click here and scroll down.

So far, Epsilon has been quiet except for the small note above. They’re letting their customers handle the brunt of this public relations nightmare.

So far I’ve received two Emails but I expect more.

So far I have not heard from TiVo, QFC or Marriot Rewards who have my Email and are all listed as affected clients.

No need to teach cursive writing

2011-03-22T14:09:00.001-04:00

Typically changes to primary education in our country is slow to proceed. To my surprise there’s a push to remove cursive writing from school curriculum and it’s gaining momentum. I’m shocked at the support from even older long time educators.

It turns out in New York State our English Language Arts curriculum only requires legible manuscript either print or cursive. I don’t have a background in education but I do know what kids will need to be successful.

I’ve never been a fan of the current D’Nealian cursive or its predecessors.

Teaching me in 1st grade that a capital Q was written like a number two was the first time I started to question the intelligence of my teachers. I have never seen anyone write the letter Q like that so it didn’t make sense.

My recommendation would still require penmanship but instead of cursive teach the topic of “script”. What young minds need to know is that there are a variety of “fonts” that can be used to express feelings beyond just words.

Instead of teaching kids a single cursive writing style, allow them to choose a particular font to practice their penmanship. Teach kids how different fonts should be used for different purposes. A font used for a business letter won’t be the same used on a poster to help find a lost puppy.

I’m all for continuing to teach penmanship but get rid of cursive and let young minds expand. Let them know there are many ways to express what they write. Even if for some reason computers disappeared this wouldn’t be useless information. The knowledge of scripts and how to use appropriate fonts will carry on in future language studies in old grades.

International Support Important to WinPatrol

2011-03-15T16:37:00.001-04:00

Support for our friends in Japan

Like everyone we’re anxious to help our friends in Japan deal with their recent tragedy with dignity. Our non-profit of choice is called “ShelterBox”. I first learned about ShelterBox through their affiliation with Rotary International.

“Each box supplies an extended family of up to 10 people with a tent and essential equipment to use while they are displaced or homeless.”

For the rest of this week revenue from the upgrades of WinPatrol PLUS will be donated ShelterBox for relief efforts in Japan. If you’ve been considering upgrading to PLUS this is the week to do it.

You might consider this International Week here at BillP Studios. Our focus is dedicated toward our friends outside the United States.

There’s a new version of WinPatrol 2011 available. While I’m still looking at a number of unique problems with WinPatrol the newest version provides a fix to Windows 64 bit users with localized versions of WinPatrol. Until now there was a bug in seeing local text on anyone running Windows 64 Vista or Win7. Downloading the new version isn’t necessary unless you use non-English versions on a Windows 64 bit version. Other fixes are on the way.

Update: 20.0.2011.2 Fixed repeating alert that appears related to Windows 7 SP1 and Auto update monitoring

Time to Install WinPatrol 2011

2011-02-14T11:53:00.001-05:00

The last new version of WinPatrol was release in early November, 2010 just before Scotty’s 11th birthday. This week I’m happy to announce to release the new and improved WinPatrol 2011.
Scotty even has a new 2011 look

As more computers are sold with the 64 bit version of Window we've worked hard to keep up and make sure Scotty doesn't lag behind the technology. We found some quirks on 64 bit systems but thanks to support from our friends at Microsoft and other security vendors we’ve created version that runs faster than ever on 64 bit systems.

Active Tasks
You'll notice more information available on our list of Active Tasks. Sorting on the module ID you’ll be able to see which DLL files are used by running tasks.

You'll find two new columns and on newer versions of Windows with additional information. Over the years this has been a popular request and will continue to add information which is useful to all users. Active Tasks is usually the first place you'll check to remove any unwanted programs from reappearing so the more information the better.

Zero-Day Alerts
WinPatrol 2011 responds far better to repeating alerts from unknown sources. These infiltrations can happen to anyone just having a vulnerable application on their computer. Files which are repeating alerts are also tracked to provide quicker creation of PLUS Info for new threats.

Delayed Start
Delayed Start has proven to be more popular than we ever expected. This version fixed on 64 bit systems when moving programs from the Startup Programs list to Delayed Start.

Services
Display bug fixed when changing startup status. Fixed bug in 64 bit Windows when displaying non-Microsoft Services.

Activation
Corrected Internet error message when trying to activate PLUS features. We obviously want to make it as easy as possible to upgrade from the Free Edition to WinPatrol PLUS. We continue to make it a great deal even for folks short on cash and the future of WinPatrol really depends on continued support from our PLUS members.

Download here

People Really Fall for International Scams

2011-02-08T11:02:00.001-05:00

One of the scams I’ve heard a lot about lately is the “I ran out of money and I’m stuck in Europe”. This is the scam that occurs once someone has stolen an Email or Facebook account. A message is broadcast to friends and family with sad news and a plea for help. An elaborate story is created which ends with a request to send a money wire to another country. It can happen to anyone and enough people fall for it that it continues to be popular.

A family member was actually the target of another international wire fraud scheme. This one goes after people looking for low cost comfortable shelter for their family. The scammer finds a house and then collects a deposit from multiple renters. Thanks to real estate services like Realtor.com, Zillow.com and even Google Street View it’s not hard to post a photo of a house while claiming to own it

This home was posted on Craig’s list for rent. When we contacted the real owners they were very surprised.

While checking Craig's List for apartments in our home town this listing seemed almost too good to be true. Luckily, we’re a small town and even though this particular family member isn’t the most internet savvy person he still knew a scam when he saw it.

Here’s the letter he received when he inquired about checking out the new listing.

Thanks for your interest and inquiries about my house,Yes the house is still available for rent and we are looking for a responsible person/family to occupy and maintain the house.Myself and wife just traveled to I am one of the coordinator of United State Missionary Organization and decided to rent/lease our property because i have been posted to United Kingdom, by the United State Christian Organization for (Worldwide Missionary Outreach).Presently We are now in United Kingdom, but We wanted to sell it before and later changed our mind to rent it out for investment purposes since we might still come back some time 5years or more to come.So we have ordered them to stop all advertisement and remove it from the market about the home for sale and that will be effective asap. So i wouldn't want that to bother you at all..We could not find an honest agent to hand over the place to before leaving so i and my family decided to post the advert online. We will be away for 5 to 6 years or more that is why I have made up my mind to put up my house for rent to whom ever that will take good care of it.
Property Type: Single Family Home
3Bed, 3 Bath | 2,348 Sq Ft on 0.16 Acres (6,969 Sq Ft Lot )
AMENITIES:
Air Conditioning
Balcony/Patio/Deck
Ceiling Fans
Dishwasher
Double Oven
Garbage Disposal
Pets Allowed
Storage
Washer / Dryer
Rent: $900 including utilities
Security deposit:$1300
RENTAL APPLICATION FORM
TENANT'S PERSONAL INFORMATION
FIRST NAME: __________________
MIDDLE NAME: __________________
LAST NAME: __________________
PROFESSION: ________________
CELL PHONE:______________________
HOME PHONE:______________________
DO YOU HAVE A PET:____________________________
DO YOU HAVE A CAR____________________________
OCCUPATION:____________________________
PRESENT ADDRESS: ___________________________
WHY ARE YOU LEAVING:
___________________________________________________
____________________
PREVIOUS ADDRESS: ___________________________
PREVIOUS RENT: _______
HOW LONG DO YOU INTEND STAYING: ____________
WHEN DO YOU INTEND MOVING IN: ______________
HOW SOON CAN YOU HAVE THE TOTAL MOVE IN COST SENT TO
ME?
I CERTIFY that answers given herein are true and complete to the best of my knowledge. I authorize investigation of all statements contained in this application for tenant screening as may be necessary in arriving at a tenant decision. I understand that the landlord may terminate any rental agreement entered into for any misrepresentation made above.
Thanks and Remain Blessed

The scammers even found out who owned the house and created a Yahoo Email account using their name. We played along and asked if he could come see the house. He received the following reply. As we’re learned over the years most scams come with their share of spelling errors.

well thank you for the response to my email but i must let you know this as i told you in the last email that am not in the state now and the keys and the document to the house is with me here in uk but i can send you the keys and the document if you can let me trust you and you are not going to disapoint me because i dont want to trust the agent i gave the house to let it out again.due to what has happened between me and him because i gave him the house for just 800 and he was calling it $1600 and that was why i decided to let the house out myself .but just let me know if you are still intrested and i will know what to do then

The scammer continued to reply to Emails but ultimately wanted a deposit wired to them before the house could be viewed. We were the only one to report this recent scam but local Police Chief Thomas Rush was quick to remind me of a similar rental scam which occurred last year. In that case, over five different people showed up at a local house claiming they were new occupants.

Facebook CREEPS Stalking you?

2011-02-05T13:49:00.001-05:00

Every day folks on Facebook are tricked into downloading applications that just aren’t safe. Facebook has become a breeding ground for malicious applications which are easy to distribute.

Today the popular scam comes along in a message that says

“I've just seen who STALKS me here on Facebook. You can see who stalks you too!”

If you click on the link that comes with this post you’ll see the following and you should not continue to Find Our More.

FIRST, you should remove the post from your wall so your friends don’t find it and click on it.

The X won’t be obvious, but when you roll the mouse over this area it will show up and you can remove the post from your wall.

NEXT, send your friend a nice note suggesting they change their Facebook password. This can happen to anyone so it’s not their fault. If they don’t get on Facebook often consider giving them a call.

LAST, expect more of the same kind of posts in the future. The popular trend seems to be ways to see who is looking at your Facebook page and OMG, there’s something you have to see.
I’d have to say more than half the posts that start with OMG are bogus.

What Everyone Missed at CES 2011

2011-01-11T15:27:00.001-05:00

Most of the press this year has called this past CES either the “Year of the Smart TV” or the “Year of the Tablet”. Personally, I didn’t see anything that knocked my socks off. I did however notice off in the corner technology that I think will be the next big thing.

For many years my tech career revolved around convergence of your TV and the Internet. My work in the 90’s at Microsoft and Gateway was pre-appphone and the infiltration of WiFi networks in every home.

My prediction the next huge growth in the tech market will be “Home Automation”.

Until now the industry standard has been something called X-10. You can still buy X-10 modules at Radio Shack but it never reached wide scale acceptance. The main problem with X-10 is dependability. Signals are sent along your electrical network and I found many new tech appliances conflicted with X-10 signals. The protocol is limited and the modules vary depending on their power usage.

Now that most of us have WiFi and app phones it’s an ideal environment to control even legacy devices within our home. Most of the focus at CES was using Home Automation to save energy.

General Electric demonstrated a new energy hubs called “Nucleus” using technology from ZigBee to monitor and control your energy use. The majority of companies seem to like the ZigBee protocols but they’re not alone.

Verizon showed off their new FIOS based automation system which will be going to trials this month in New Jersey.

The other protocol trying to make a mark at CES is called “Z-Wave”. The Z-Wave Alliance announced 21 new members including Black & Decker, Schlage, Yale and Trane.

Expect to see a Home Automation war between Z-Wave and ZigBee who has a head start on members including Intel, Pioneer, Sony, Samsung, Whirlpool.

All I know is the technology exists and I want a simple, inexpensive way to control my home from anywhere.

New Facebook Design Makes You Share More

2010-12-06T12:35:00.001-05:00

Even Mark Zuckenberg admitted on CBS 60 Minutes the new Facebook homepage is designed to get you to share more information. He should be very happy today because it’s working like a charm. I’ve seen updates that show most of my friends have been adding details of their personal and profession life.

Here’s an example of what my new home page looks like when “I” go to it.
This is what I see on my Facebook homepage

You’ll notice there are two items which appear to be missing information. Facebook put it right on top and makes it easy to just click and update my work and current city. My instinct like most people is to click and update this information so my friends can see it.

But guess what? If I look at my home page with a different account it doesn’t look like I’m missing information.

This is what friends see on my Facebook homepage

When viewed by my friends only the information I want to display will appear. It doesn’t make me look like I’m not cooperating. The changes in Facebook are designed to entice you to share more information. Everywhere on the page you’ll find “Edit” links encouraging you to add more information.

You’ll also notice the photos of me are different. There is no way to edit the photo bar to pick which ones appear. Facebook really needs to add this feature.

If you’re shy and you don’t like the photo bar there is one option. Go to the Facebook Privacy settings and click on Custom Settings. Scroll down to “Photos and Video’s I’m tagged in” and click Edit Settings. You can set this option to “Only Me” and that will do the trick. Unfortunately, it removes the photo bar and also removed the photos from your regular photo album as well.

If you’re going to use Facebook remember, you control what information you share. At least if everything works as advertised that’s true. Zuckenberg also fosters an environment where developers race a clock to get things done. That really doesn’t give me a lot of faith in his promise to protect my privacy.

Remove AOL Buggy Search Window

2010-12-01T19:43:00.001-05:00

I don’t know how many of my readers still use AOL but thanks to my wife Cindi I have what may be a great tip for you. (Yes I just can’t call it “Aol.”) If you do use the AOL client software you see many windows when you sign on. By default one of them is the AOL Search window.

For some reason the last couple weeks, according to my wife Cindi, the AOL Search window has included this ugly screen with what looks like bed bugs on it. I agree with Cindi that we don’t need to see any more news reports on bed bugs.

Cindi finally had enough today and clued me in on what she was seeing every time she signed on to AOL. Apparently, I already knew the following tip because I never saw this screen even though I still use AOL daily.

If you click on “About This Page” AOL does include steps on removing this window from your sign on. Thank you to whoever at AOL pushed to make this option available and easy to find.

All you need to do is use keyword(Ctrl+K) “Search Window”.

When you go to this keyword you’ll see the following.

Yay! I love Opt Out options.

Just click the button and you’ll lose the default AOL Search window. You can still use AOL Search which is always available just under the main menu. If you Opt Out you won’t have to see the ugly window with bugs on it.

UPDATE: It appears some of my friends at Aol. may read BitFromBill.com. After weeks of not getting updates the AOL Search window had a new graphic today. Happy Hanukkah!

Favorite Tips for Online Shopping

2010-11-29T10:10:00.001-05:00

It’s been five years since media coined the term Cyber-Monday but the truth is everyday is a great shopping day online. I planned on writing an article about the safety of online shopping but noticed everyone was already doing it. Many sites provide the same duplicate tips. So I thought I might include some of the best tips and post them along with my favorites.

Eric Griffith wrote a good article for PC Magazine called
11 Tips for Safe Online Shopping.
One unique tip from Eric was
Don't Tell All
”No online shopping store is going to need your social security number or your birthday to do business. But if a bad-guy gets them, combined with your credit card number for purchases, they can do a lot of damage. When you can, default to giving up the least amount of information.”

It amazes me how many free Email and other password reset schemes still use easy to find information like your high school, pet’s name and birthday. This kind of information is something that you should keep private. When you do answer these questions make up answers that you’ll remember but aren’t accurate.

Corrine at Security Garden wrote her
Online Shopping Safety Tips including,
HTTPS://
”At checkout, the site web address should be https: and there should be a closed padlock there or in the lower right corner of your browser. If not, forget about it. You will be giving away your credit card information!”

Using PayPal with Internet Explorer notice the “https”

Yahoo Online Store using Google Chrome

For years I’ve heard people say they’re afraid to use their credit card online. As long as you see the https your credit card is safer than it is when you give it to the waiter at your favorite restaurant.

Webroot's safety tips for holiday online shopping included a tip that doesn’t just apply to shopping.
"Go straight to the site.
Rather than browse to online retailers through a search engine where you may encounter malicious links, type the store's URL directly in your browser.”

The bad guys are experts at search engine optimization and frequently “poison” search results with web sites you really don’t want to visit. Just because a web site is the first or second listed on Google doesn’t mean it’s safe. In many cases, the opposite it true.

I have some of my own best tips and the following tip was mentioned in all the articles I’ve mentioned so far.

Don’t use Public WiFi
It used to be only a real hacker with proper tools could capture your data when you used a public WiFi connection. Now the tools are available to anyone so shopping or any use of public WiFi comes with a real security danger. One of benefits of smart phone tethering is you can connect your laptop to your phone for a connection instead of using a public WiFi even if it’s free.

Special Check Out Offers
When you order is complete don’t be surprised if you’re offered a survey, free shipping or other offer that promises to take $5.00 or more off your last purchase. If you read the fine print you’ll find this check out offer may actually a membership. By accepting the offer you may be agreeing to being billed regularly for a membership you don’t want or need.

Take your time!
Don’t rush. Be sure to check into the shipping policy of the store and/or item you’re going to purchase.

Shipping Costs
There are some nice comparative shopping sites and even apps for your smart phone so you can find the lowest price available. Price isn’t everything. You’ll want to be sure what the shipping costs are. Some times cost is based on price and not weight. Even if they ship in the same box, ordering multiples of the same item stores will multiply the shipping cost.

Shipping Date
Pay attention and make sure the item is in stock. Be sure your ship date is well before you the date you need to have it wrapped and under the tree.

Return Policies
Lots to consider here but the one to watch out is the dreaded restocking fee.

Three years ago I wrote an article called.
Top Ten Online Shopping Mistakes

Most of those mistakes are still possible including…
False Credentials
”Just because a vendor displays images from the Better Business Bureau or eTrust doesn’t mean they really have been approved. If buying from an unfamiliar store verify they really do have the credentials they claim.”

If you’re looking for a very unique gift to keep you family and friends safe I also recommend the Gift of WinPatrol PLUS. :)

Saving Your Sanity for the Holidays with WHS

2010-11-23T13:12:00.001-05:00

Is there a good chance you’ll be under a little stress during this upcoming holiday season? Perhaps you already have a little stress in your life. How much would a hard drive crash or virus infection add to your normal anxiety?

There are some simple steps you can take to prevent the trauma of losing all your precious photos, music, financial data etc… As a security professional I’ll share a secret with you. There is no AV software or anti-malware technique which is 100% fool proof. Anyone can get infected and have their computer compromised. It doesn’t matter if you’re using a Mac, Windows or even a virtual machine, there are no guarantees.

My number one tip for keeping your data safe hasn’t changed since you purchased your first computer. In a single word, BACKUP! It’s not unusual to hear that people have formatted their computer or even purchased an entirely new computer after getting infected by malware.

Do you have a regular backup procedure for your computer? If not, stop reading this and create a backup plan that will save your critical data and prevent you from having a nervous breakdown. You’re going to have enough crap to deal with over the next month don’t let your computer become one of your concerns.

My recommendation isn’t necessarily the cheapest but it’s reliable and less expensive than any data recovery service. It could also save your sanity. This isn’t the first time I’ve talked about a Windows Home Server. A WHS is a stand alone device which connects to your network and automatically saves data from every computer, laptop connected to your network. Once an initial backup, it will only backup changes and can do so on a daily basis.

HP EX490 1TB Mediasmart Home Server

This 1 TB Home Server is currently available for $425 but includes many more features than just a regular backup. I have added additional hard drives to my Windows Home Server and it currently backs up two desktop computers and two laptops. Since my investment, I’ve used it three times to rebuild a system that were either compromised by a Trojan or failed due to a bad hard drive. It helped save my sanity and perhaps my marriage. :)

If you already have a solid backup plan in place than consider a Windows Home Server as a gift for one of your friends or family members. It may not be as exciting as the Xbox Kinect but at some time in the future you’ll be someone’s hero.

Cloud Backup
My friend Cathy recently asked about online backup services…
”My nephew has had his 2nd laptop stolen at college. It's so frustrating - he loses so much. All of his papers, homework, etc. I thought maybe I'd buy him a subscription/membership to an online file storage site for Christmas,”

Online backup has one major advantage. It’s offsite so in case of fire or other disaster at your location, your data will be safe. I’m confident in the safety of data being stored online but there’s one reason I haven’t subscribed to any online backup services.

Most internet service providers don’t provide a lot of bandwidth for uploading data. Instead they assume customers will be watching videos and downloading music. If you’re like most consumers your upload speed will be 5-10 times slower than your download speed. One of the exceptions is Verizon FIOS which provides my internet connection. Even with an upload speed of 20 Mbps it would take me a month to backup my desktop to an online service. There may be a future in online backup, but it’s still in the future.

Happy Holidays
This week the holiday season officially begins so have a happy one. Keep your data safe and when you’re shopping online please be careful.

Beware over ambitious clean up programs

2010-11-10T11:54:00.001-05:00

Last month I wrote about problems caused by the security company McAfee. An update from McAfee falsely accused my WinPatrol program of being a dangerous Trojan. A slow response from McAfee cost some business but mostly hurt our reputation for over a week. I’ve had a number of people ask me how things were going since this annoying experience.

Unfortunately, my story isn’t unusual. What we call “False-Positives” happen all the time and reputable companies take them serious. Most companies certainly don’t want to cause more harm than they help.

There’s another potential danger from programs promoted as Registry Cleaners and/or system optimizers. They can also delete program files or registry values that they decide may be harmful. How they decide what needs to be cleaned appears to be arbitrary. Currently, the only program of this type I recommend is Optimize 3 from PC Pitstop.

My most recent efforts have been to contact folks with Piriform a company who distributes a program called CCleaner. This program is well respected as a utility which will help clean up your computer claiming to make it run faster and more secure. One of our friends found out if you’re a WinPatrol user CCleaner will remove one file you’ll want to keep. CCleaner does provide an option to exclude WinPatrol which for now I recommend unchecking.

While I’m honored to be included, WinPatrol users will want to uncheck this box. The history.txt file is an important file you won’t want deleted. The history.txt file stores a lists of actions you took using WinPatrol. If for some reason you want to recover a change you’ve made it won’t be possible without the history file. If at sometime you want to clean up this file WinPatrol already provides a button to initialize it.

I’m hoping to contact someone at Piriform so I can let them know what might be useful to clean without hurting WinPatrol.

My experience with McAfee wasn’t the best but they’re not alone. There’s an company in Norway called Norman which continues to classify WinPatrol as a Trojan even though I’ve contacted them multiple times. Since they’re not very popular in English speaking countries I haven’t had many complaints but I’m sure it has hurt our reputation in Europe.

I have however had some good experiences. In the past month I’ve had two reports of false positives caused by new software from Panda Security. After my first report last month they updated all their users and resolved the problem within 24 hours. This weekend I started to get new reports but they had it fixed before I found the time to report it.

Another security company ESET tells me their test procedures are so extensive that WinPatrol is included when they test any new signature files.

I’m also a big fan of the site VirusTotal.com. If you ever find a suspicious file you can uploaded it to VirusTotal and have it evaluated by up to 43 different anti-virus signature files. VirusTotal also allows you to join their community and comment on files you test.

Update 11/11: I heard early this morning from a rep from Piriform and they have agreed to leave the history.txt alone but will continue to include WinPatrol logs in their clean up. Thanks!

WinPatrol 19.1 Fixes Missing 64 bit Programs

2010-10-25T18:38:00.001-04:00

I haven’t been a big fan of Windows 64 bit systems mainly because it means more work for me as a programmer. Microsoft spent a lot of time trying to make sure that all 32 bit programs continued to work under Windows 64 bit.

Unfortunately, my WinPatrol program isn’t your normal application. It peers deep into the system and reports back system information which may not be available to most programs. WinPatrol has continued to run successfully on 64 bit systems but until now Scotty wasn’t getting all the information available in 32 bit applications.

WinPatrol 19.1 Services screen

Thanks to the feedback from our WinPatrol friends who use 64 bit systems and some great documentation from Microsoft Development Network, our new version works as it should.

If you’ve been happy with WinPatrol 19.0 and you’re not a 64 bit user there’s no rush to download the new version. The only other change is cosmetic. Scotty will now display default icons when a program or file doesn’t have their own icon. If you do have a 64 bit system, you’ll want to download 19.1 as soon as you can.

http://www.winpatrol.com/download.html

McAfee Continues to Harm WinPatrol Users

2010-10-10T06:55:00.001-04:00

In the security industry it’s especially nice that many companies get along and often help each other. WinPatrol may not be considered competition but I still have great relationships with folks at SunBelt Software(now part of GFI Software), MalwareBytes, Kaspersky, ESET, Microsoft and even Symantec. One company who apparently has no interest in working together is McAfee ~~now owned by Intel~~.

Two weeks ago McAfee changed one of their signature files and it started to tell all their customers our WinPatrol setup programs was a dangerous Trojan named Artemis!4FAE1D776481. A week ago I finally found the correct procedure to submit my file and report their “false-positive” error. I was told by an automated Email that their test was inconclusive and the file was being sent to Bangalore India for more research.

October 4th   McAfee Labs – Beaverton
Current Scan Engine: Version:5400.1158
Current DAT Version:6120.0000
Upon analysis the file submitted does not appear to contain one of the 200,000 known threats in the AutoImmune database. The file may contain a new threat, or no code capable of being infected.

October 6th McAfee Labs Sample Analysis
Issue Number: 6239937 Virus Researcher: Vivekanandan C
McAfee Labs, McAfee Labs, Bangalore, India

Synopsis - File Name - wpsetup.exe

We are forwarding the inconclusive samples to our Senior Research Engineers for further review. We will get back to you once the researcher has completed the evaluation.

It’s not unusual for Anti-Virus companies to report “false positives”. This has happen a few times in the past but other companies had quick responses and were anxious to fix their errors. The same is not true with McAfee ~~which is now owned by Intel~~.

This mistake by McAfee came at a time when a brand new version of WinPatrol was released and widely promoted. I can’t begin to imagine how many customers I’ve lost because McAfee wouldn’t allow them to install WinPatrol. I’m sad to say many believed McAfee and will never trust WinPatrol. This is a great insult to their users and the entire WinPatrol community. Even now hundreds of copies of the falsely identified versions are still available on websites like CNET’s Download.com.

Recent Reviews on CNET Download.com

The reviews above prove how McAfee has damaged WinPatrol and it’s reputation. Even the folks who know that McAfee is wrong, have been giving us low ratings on CNET hurting our review status. Click here to post your own review.

Thankfully CNET editors don’t use McAfee

Instead of waiting for McAfee and losing more customers I have re-created our setup program by purchasing a new install package called Tarma InstallMate 7. McAfee does not report a false problem with this new setup. If you’re still a McAfee user or you have a copy of wpsetup.exe on your website, you can download this new file from http://www.winpatrol.com/download.html. If you have already successfully installed WinPatrol 19, the Cloud Edition, no action is required. All the installed files are the same as our previous setup.

UPDATE 10-10-2010
It’s always nice to have friends like Steven Burn who manages the website www.it-mate.co.uk. Steve was helpful in getting a response from McAfee.

Just checked our database. That particular file was whitelisted today, Oct 10 2010 (Sunday, BTW :)) , by a McAfee researcher in Bangalore, India. So, the detection should go away soon as the "news" spread through the cloud
(Artemis is our "in the cloud" detection technology).
Dmitry Gryaznov

I have confirmed using VirusTotal that we test clean. Dmitry and a few other corrected me when I said McAfee was owned by Intel. This transaction has not been completed so Intel is not currently involved with any operations at McAfee.

Microsoft Most Valuable Professional

2010-10-09T00:36:00.001-04:00

For the third year, I’m proud to announce I’ve been awarded the Microsoft MVP (Most Valuable Professional) status. I’m especially honored to be recognized as one of a number of bright and outstanding individuals who devote their time helping others.

“At Microsoft, we believe that by participating in technical communities, MVPs enhance people's lives and the industry's success. Your participation in these communities promotes the free and objective exchange of knowledge. You are recognized in technical communities as a reliable, independent expert, benefiting all who participate in communities. Your expert advice and influence in technical communities help users adopt new technology and help Microsoft understand and meet our customers' needs.”

My first MVP Kit

When I received my first MVP award I was surprised since I’ve been known to be critical of many Microsoft projects. I’m impressed and humbled that the folks at Microsoft awarded me with this title. I’m thrilled to be included in a group of exceptional professionals.

I would especially like to thank those MVP’s who nominated me along with Brian Boston, Jake Grey and Emily Freet for their support. I look forward to next years MVP Global Summit in Redmond and meeting more of my fellow MVP’s.

In 1995-96 I worked at the Redmond campus so it’s always a pleasure to re-visit my old office. I worked on a secret skunk-works project called the “Information Highway PC”. This was before YouTube, Google, Facebook, Hulu, Netflix and Slingbox ever existed. Most of what we discovered has been integrated into Windows 7. and even the newest Microsoft Phone 7. In addition to coding, I participated in setting up focus groups, hiring new employees and learned a lot from mentors Dan and Gabe Newell. I wasn’t able to stay in Redmond due to the distance from my kids but I was always treated well. Getting MVP status makes me feel like a member of a team again which is especially important for someone who works alone out of a home office.

You’ll continue to see my proud MVP award image at the top of this blog. While I’m under Non-Disclosure Agreements for many projects, I’m still able to voice my honest opinion and will continue to share information I hope you’ll find my bits useful and/or entertaining.

What on Earth is “Cloud” Computing

2010-09-29T11:44:00.001-04:00

The new big buzz word in the computing world is “Cloud” computing. In the past I’ve been critical of the concept and even poked fun at Cloud Computing. Last month I released WinPatrol Cloud Edition and quickly learned that most people have no clue what Cloud computing means.

In simple terms, Cloud computer refers to having programs and data reside on an outside network device instead of permanently on your local hard drive. In theory it turns your browser into a flexible smart terminal and the main program you execute. The program you run and data you store is somewhere else on the planet similar to the old concept of a main frame.

Even the term cloud comes from the representation of actions defined by newer tools used to create programmer flow charts.

So why are we going backwards to terminals and main frames? It turns out in this day of application embed browsers and high speed internet “some” applications are very well suited for a cloud environment. If you’re using Amazon or Facebook, you’re already using a cloud application. A cloud can be public or private and becomes most valuable when a service or data can be shared.

You may be surprised to learn data including your photo may already shared by various cloud applications. Here’s an example of how my Email add-on called Xobni uses data uploaded to the LinkedIn service. This information is automatically displayed if I select an Email from Chris.

Other applications may use your photo along with information from your Twitter or Facebook account. While I love having someone’s personal data available while answering Email you might want to consider reviewing some of your privacy settings on various social applications.

The WinPatrol Cloud
The planned release of my new software made me wake up to how little folks understand about the Cloud Computing. The WinPatrol Cloud Edition is considered a “Software-as-a-Service” version of a cloud and relies on a collaboration approach to bring a huge value to all it’s users. There are two parts to our new PLUS service.

One part is based on software behavior and actions taken by WinPatrol FREE and PLUS users. The WinPatrol cloud will track how users handle their decision to handle configuration changes. This information is accumulated continuously and will be available to other WinPatrol PLUS users. It’s like the Millionaire's "Ask the Audience" feature. User based information is available now and in the future additional information on software behavior will help users decide if a program is worth keeping.

The second part of the WinPatrol Cloud is a poll where users can provide their personal feedback on files that are detected. The poll data will be available to both FREE and PLUS users.

Click image for example of complete information available to PLUS users.

Resources:

Microsoft | Cloud Services

Google App Engine

WinPatrol Cloud Edition Public Beta

2010-09-22T00:18:00.001-04:00

WinPatrol Adds the Newest Technology Available.

You’ll now have access the knowledge of thousands of WinPatrol users shared in real-time within the new WinPatrol Cloud. You’re not working alone anymore when you have to decide on keeping or dumping a file found on your system.

The new WinPatrol Cloud Edition allows collaborate and share feedback on both legitimate and malicious files found on their system. When requesting PLUS Info users will have even more information to base their decisions on. Even WinPatrol Free users can participate and will benefit from the over one million WinPatrol users. While WinPatrol is over 11 years old, the new Cloud Edition adds the newest technology available to already proven, popular software.

One example of shared Cloud data.
Want to see the full page of PLUS Info just click the image above.

Additional Changes

* Fixed bug monitoring DWORD registry types
* Fixed bug in changing Service status.
* Quicker Detection of real-time changes.

This is still a beta and only the beginning. As more shared data becomes available and beta testing continues the results will be the most stable, powerful version of WinPatrol in years.

Interested in testing?

Download WinPatrol Cloud Edition Beta

TWITTER ALERT

2010-09-21T09:23:00.001-04:00

Anyone who uses Twitter, DO NOT use the Twitter web interface until further notice.

There is a code injection vulnerability being used that will send malicious tweets in your name just by mousing over an infected message.

If you’re using Twitter use your phone or other device, not the web interface.

If you see this message then you’ve retweeted the infected message.

If you can, use your phone to delete your last message.

Here’s an example of what you may never see, but you may repost without knowing it.

Update: Twitter Security Team reports this XSS attack has been fully patched. Personally, I’m going to wait until later today to use the web interface just in case. ;)

Forget the DVD & Save on your New Laptop

2010-09-12T17:58:00.001-04:00

I’ve written before about the coming death of the CD/DVD’s for data storage. While that time hasn’t come yet for desktop there is one realm where CD/DVD players are no longer needed. If you’re getting ready to purchase a new laptop the one place you can really save is by shopping for a machine without a CD/DVD player. Not only will you save cash, but you’ll also save big time on weight and energy consumption.

What about Installing Software?
One of the benefits of a CD/DVD player has been for installing new software that is sold on disc format. In these days of broadband access, it’s more common to install entire applications from the web. If you’re using a home network with any other computer that has a CD/DVD then you already have one. It’s a simple process to set any CD/DVD as a shared device. It can then be mapped to your laptop so it behaves like a local device. Windows 7 makes it even easier.

What about listening to music or watching movies?
My guess is most of you have little devices called iPods, MP3-Players or Smart Phones that store plenty of music and even play movies. Why would you use all the power on your laptop to play a movie off a DVD when you can read it off an alternate digital storage device. If you don’t have one now you’ll be able to afford one by not purchasing a CD/DVD on your new laptop.

Invest the cash you save
I was asked to write an article about saving money. So, you’re saving money by not having a CD/DVD let’s spend it!

The most expensive new option on laptops is the one I recommend the most. More than CPU speed, 64 bits or even memory I encourage folks to choose a Solid State Drive(SSD). I’m sure I’ll get some arguments and hopefully the future will bring better prices I put a high value on my data now. The cost of data restoration for a normal hard drive will be more than the cost of your laptop.

The next time you’re on a plane look up at the overheard compartments and check out how much vibration there is even on the smoothest flight. A SSD is more expensive but has no moving parts. It may hold less data but if you’re on a home network you really want to store much of your data on a single networked machine that performs regular backups.

Prices via www.lenovo.com 9/12/2010

Do you really need 500 GB on a laptop? Two years ago I could only get a 64 GB SSD on my ThinkPad X61. Even with 10 GB used for restoration data I still have 14 GB free. That’s amazing considering I have all my development tools(Visual Studios 2010), photo tools(including Photoshop), video tools and Microsoft Office Ultimate all installed on this system.

While I do store a number of photos and music on my laptop, most of my photos are saved on a network drive which can also be shared by other family members.

If you have other ideas on saving cash on a new laptop let me know.

Results from Unemployment Give Away

2010-08-28T20:09:00.001-04:00

Over the years I’ve offered special discounts or have used the proceeds from WinPatrol to help when I could. One common benefactor of our support have been veterans. My favorite special event was Veterans Day in 2008. BillP Studios donated over $2000 to our local Honor Flight Network helping to cover the costs for WII veterans a chance to visit their memorial in Washington DC.

This month I decided to give away WinPatrol PLUS to unemployed job seekers hoping they could spent more time seeking and less time trying to resolve computer problems. Click here for more details.

I knew this give away would be different but I have been overwhelmed by the reactions. The mail I’ve received from current WinPatrol fans has been very positive and it makes me proud. The comments included in the requests from unemployed job seeker however caught me by surprise. While everyone is grateful and happy receiving free software reading between the lines I can tell how truly desperate and beat down many people feel.

I can tell from our comments that many are in serious desperate situations.

“Thanks so much for providing this !! I have been unemployed for over a year now and the job market just doesn't seem to be getting any better “

From Jeff

“Right now I must worry more about keeping the lights on..... but mark my words: I won't forget this kindness and will pay you in full when I am able to do so.

It just makes a person feel better knowing that someone out there cares about others.”

Bless you !!!”

I am pleased that folks were proud enough to participate and accept our free offer. Most everyone was able to produce some proof of the frustration they’ve experienced trying to find work.

Sorry I wasn’t able to provide a free code to everyone who havesuffered financial problems but this special was aimed at unemployed job seekers. I’m sure we’ll come up with other specials in the future for those in real need.

This offer is still good but only during the month of August so if you haven’t, act now to take advantage of this free give-away.

Free Security for People Looking for Work

2010-08-20T11:16:00.001-04:00

(Scotia, NY) WinPatrol Supports Unemployed Job Seekers
It’s no secret that the unemployment numbers around the world are at an amazing high. At least once a week I receive a plea from someone who is unemployed asking for a discounted upgrade to WinPatrol PLUS.

For someone looking for a new job, a computer is a must have tool. Unfortunately, they’re also the targets of scam artists who take advantage of folks who need help the most.

In response to the need to protect and help the unemployed I’m giving away our $29.95 single user license with all the benefits of our standard WinPatrol PLUS upgrade. As a computer professional I’ve been blessed never to be without work but these days unemployment can happen to anyone. Visiting new web sites is a time when WinPatrol PLUS is needed the most. I’d much rather have someone using their time to find that perfect job instead of fixing computer problems.

All that’s required is to scan in or provide a screen capture proof you have recently received unemployment benefits or other reasonable proof of unemployment. Sorry, but you can’t just Email support@winpatrol.com and say “I’m unemployed, give me a code”. Some evidence is required but our give away is even available to our friends outside the U.S. Requests will be will be processed within 24-48 hours.

Here’s an example of what New York State provides to those receiving benefits and the kind of proof acceptable.

I’ve blurred out the name on this example but when you send proof you should just blur out your social security number or other private information I wouldn’t need. Send your proof to support@winpatrol.com or mail to
BillP Studios
32 Sunnyside Rd.
Scotia, NY 12302
Include your name and Email address printed clearly in your request. Your information will of course be considered confidential.

For now, this is a limited offer available until the end of August 2010. If you know someone who is unemployed but could use WinPatrol PLUS send them here to http://bitsfrombill.com. I challenge other software companies to do the same.

* A screen capture using Windows is possible by pressing the Alt key + the PrtSc key. A image of the current window will be stored in the Windows clipboard. You can then open your favorite paint or photo program and “paste” into a new document. Edit out your SS# if it’s visible and attach the file to an Email to support@WinPatrol.com

What My Wife Loves About Windows 7

2010-08-15T23:30:00.001-04:00

My wife Cindi is a typical computer user who knows how to do what she needs and no more. She has no interest in how it all works but she expects her computer to work in a consistent manner. She enjoys learning new features but only if it’s related to her daily activities and/or makes life easier.

When her new ThinkPad came earlier this year I worried that she wouldn’t welcome the changes. I don’t know about other geek husbands out there but “anything” that doesn’t work right on Cindi’s computer is my fault. :)

So I was nervous when I upgraded Cindi from her Windows XP machine to a brand new Windows 7 interface. To my surprise and delight the conversion was successful and Cindi has been very happy with Windows 7.

Network Discovery
The first new treat she discovered using Windows 7 was the quick detection of our wireless network. In the past, Cindi’s laptop would boot up and while it appeared to be ready it was my fault when she couldn’t get online. The engineers at Microsoft made this feature a priority and they nailed it. Cindi can now check for new baby photos on Facebook before her first sip of coffee.

System Tray Management
While we’re looking at the Windows 7 system tray I can tell you about another new feature that makes her happy. Note the little up arrow that now contains all the icons that used to mess up the system tray. This keeps the Windows system tray much neater and more manageable. Considering all the great new features in Windows 7 it seems silly to just talk about system tray issues. Truth is task bar icons have always been a major annoyance to PC users.

Show Desktop
There’s one feature that I use all the time and only writing this article did Cindi finally understand one of the mysteries of Windows 7. In the very bottom right hand corner is a small box doesn’t appear to have a purpose. Under the Windows 7 interface this plain little box is the “Show Desktop” feature. This is a great feature and while it was available under Windows XP, it wasn’t widely used. The implementation as a little square has confused many but once they find out how it works everyone loves it. So, if you’re one of those people who wonder why sometimes all your windows disappear, it’s because your mouse hovered over this little box.

File Search Filter
One of single most important tasks that non-computer experts have dealt with is “Where the heck did I put that file”? Teaching users how to locate and open a file is the difference between a computer user and someone who uses a computer.

Windows has a standard Open File dialog available to developers and it is used by most applications including Windows Explorer and Word. This provides a fairly consistent interface. Windows 7 Open dialog now includes great enhancements aimed and making finding that file easier.

In my example below Cindi was looking for a document she needed for her work with Scotia Rotary. Typing in the word “Rotary” instantly displayed a number of recent documents related to Rotary. In addition, one of the other new Win7 features displays text thumbnails helping her find the exact document she wanted.

Home Group
What’s even nicer about Windows 7 is that Cindi doesn’t need to know which folder her file is located in. Using Windows Home Groups her computer combines her old “My Documents” folder with other folders that have been assigned to her using the Windows 7 Home Groups. Some of her folders are located on our home network.

Many years ago I listened to Bill Gates discuss how the future of Windows would be a “Document Concentric” system instead of focusing on loading programs. I argued the point strongly but there is the possibility I may have been wrong. :)

Speed
One of the features that makes Cindi happiest is the performance of her new Windows 7 laptop. While having a newer machine doesn’t hurt, her Lenovo ThinkPad is “Windows 7 aware” and takes advantage of its new architecture. I’ve written before how Windows 7 has improved handling of multicore processors. I’m also an advocate of the more expensive solid state hard drives and Windows 7 knows how to make the most utilizing her primary drive which is small but has no moving parts

Power Management
One of the welcome benefits of her new laptop is enhanced battery life. Windows 7 allowed me to configure her laptop for outstanding usage when not plugged. The power management not only saves on batter life Cindi no longer complains that her laptop is burning her legs.

I’ve left out so many other great new Windows features but my point was to show how Windows 7 provides instant improvements to non-computer experts. My biggest surprise is that all these new features are being utilized with a minimal learning curve. I still occasionally get blamed when some applications misbehave but Windows 7 has been a joy.

So obviously, I no longer recommend you order new computers with Windows XP. I also recommend if you’ve been using Vista stop now and order Windows 7 as soon as possible. Your time is important and Windows 7 is a worthwhile investment.

My Pick
Windows 7 Ultimate Upgrade

National ID System Replaced by Facebook

2010-07-27T23:33:00.001-04:00

I’m always writing about privacy and my recommendations on protecting your personal information. The success of social networks like Facebook has proven that most people really don’t care about privacy. The same people who may have signed a petition against a National ID number now share their info willingly with applications on Facebook.

On July 26th, 2006, the American Civil Liberties Union released a brilliant video on how our sensitive information may be used in the future. I’m certain I laughed my ass off the first time I saw it. Little did I know how close to reality it might be in just a few years. It seemed like a joke at the time but watching it now I have a completely different opinion. Instead of fearing a government, we should watch out for the companies who have partnered with Facebook.

Click to View National ID Video

The purpose of this video was to help the ALCU in their fight against a National ID system. While it was designed to be a warning, this video can now be used as an example for creating a great social application interface.

I’m as guilty as many sharing my information although I do have my limits. Unless there’s a good reason I won’t be broadcasting my location especially when we’re on vacation. I won’t accept invitations that allow unknown companies free access to information I think I’m sharing with just my friends. As the owner of WinPatrol, so much of my information is public that it’s hardly worth worrying about. Ironically, having multiple sources know my information can even be useful.

How about you? Have your thoughts changed since you first viewed this video years ago? Does it create fear or does it inspire you to create a new product that might utilize a users available information?

Why Rob Cheng Hates His Apple iPod

2010-07-16T12:52:00.001-04:00

Twice a month I write an article for the folks at PC Pitstop. Their bi-monthly newsletter includes tips and wisdom from other tech experts that makes it a must read. Click here to subscribe.

In this weeks newsletter, PC Pitstop’s president Rob Cheng opened up a hornets net when he gave his five reasons why he hates his iPod. You can read his comments at http://techtalk.pcpitstop.com/2010/07/02/5-reasons-i-hate-my-ipod/? but I’ll share my favorite.

“Although we like to believe that Apple invented the MP3 player, it is simply not true. When I began working at Gateway in 1991, our #1 graphics card was made by a company called Diamond Graphics. I quickly became friends with the CEO and Director of Marketing. We had some good times together. Later, they introduced in the late 90's, the industries first MP3 player, the Diamond Rio. Even way back then, it was a run away success.”

Rob continues to describe how the Recording Industry Association of America sued Diamond and how Diamond went out of business. The rest is history and eventually the “iPod” became a term synonymous with a portable digital music player.

As an early adopter I had one and still have it. It doesn’t hold many songs and I have to use scotch tape to hold the battery door closed but it works! So here’s what the father of the iPod looks like.

Remove Your Anti-Virus Security Software

2010-07-13T10:37:00.001-04:00

What happens when you have four different security programs installed on a computer? It’s a lot like watching a slow turtle crossing the street. You sit, you wait, you stare and most of the time there’s a crash before it’s over.

I frequently have friends drop off their laptops along with the comment and the question, “It runs REALLY slow, do I have a virus?”.

Case Study: Bob’s Laptop
This week’s computer maintenance task was typical. There was no malware, trojan horse, key logger, virus or even rootkit on Bob’s laptop. So why did it take 10 minutes to boot and run so slow? Turns out there were four, yes four different security suites installed.

One of them was McAfee which had expired last year but was still running five different services. I suspect it came pre-installed when he purchased the computer two years ago. Even after running the uninstaller, I still had to manually remove more McAfee programs including a reminder service just in case Bob changed his mind in the future.

Next I started to remove the Anti-Virus packages which also hadn’t been updated in the last six months. First I removed Window Defender from Microsoft. I’ll elaborate more below but the newer Microsoft Security Essentials from Microsoft does what Defender did and much more.

When I removed CA Internet Security I immediately noticed a different in computer performance. I don’t mean to imply CA was the problem but at least we were down to a single Anti-Virus Suite. It still wasn’t as fast as I’d like but it was a vast improvement to be down to a single suite hooked into the Window kernel.

The last suite to remove was Symantec’s Norton 360. I’m not a big fan of Norton but there are some folks at Symantec who I respect for their support. They’ve become legendary in the industry but this creates a level of trust that makes some users blind to using their software properly. Well known security packages like Norton and McAfee create a false sense of security. Users bypass learning how to properly use the product and they fail to configure the software. They often miss out on updated signature files designed to catch new threats.

I had a personal experience of this over confidence from the mayor of my home town Village of Scotia. Once a week his computer sends me an Email with an link that I obviously shouldn’t click on. When I reported this, his response was “I’m sure my Norton will take care of it”. The mass mailer bot using his address book continues even as I was preparing this article.

Clicking on the link will take users to a page that appears to be an advertisement for Canadian drugs. Unfortunately,clicking the wrong click to escape and the ad will make an attempt to infect the next person helping to spread the malware.

I finally removed all the security programs from Bob’s computer and it ran fast enough for me to provide some regular maintenance steps needed to speed things up like deleting temp files, defrag his disk, and I used WinPatrol to remove all the crap that didn’t need to be auto starting every time he rebooted.

So What’s the Answer?
First (no surprise) I installed WinPatrol which works and plays well with others but shouldn’t be used alone. WinPatrol works differently than Anti-Virus scanners and so it doesn’t compete for the internal Windows kernel interface commonly used by security suites

I also configured Bob’s Window Updates so files would be downloaded automatically but installed at Bob’s discretion. Keeping your system updated is critical. Unless there’s a special threat I do continue to recommend installing Windows updates 5-10 days following their release.

So what was my choice for Bob’s main security program? (Drum roll please)
The answer this week is the free Microsoft Security Essentials. It may be actually be unpopular to praise products by Microsoft but the Redmond based company has devoted serious resources towards making your security a priority. On July 15th, the Microsoft Antimalware Team will release a new generation of their antimalware engine.

You can click the icon above and check out Microsoft Security Essentials but first go to the Remove programs applet in the Windows Control Panel and get rid of the multiple security packages that you no longer use. Even if you don’t use them, they’re using you.

For additional help removing old useless security suites you’ll find a list at the Security Garden, AntiVirus Product Removal Tools. Thanks to Corrine for her comment.

Legal Software More Annoying than Most Viruses

2010-06-28T09:39:00.001-04:00

Do you remember programs from Gator, MyWaySearch, Net.Net or 180Solutions? Are there still programs running on your computer that you really don’t want?

You’re not alone! Most annoying programs now come from legitimate companies who know they’re not really adding value but do it to make share holders happy. There’s always been competition by companies to get their programs installed on the greatest number of computers. When you notice your computer keeps getting slower you can blame it on these programs. At least when AOL shipped out millions of CD’s you had the choice of installing it or not

I created my WinPatrol program to alert me if new programs are being added to the Windows startup procedure. Originally this popular feature was designed to prevent spyware from infecting your system. Now, the biggest problem doesn’t come from spyware or viruses, it comes from well known companies like Apple, Adobe, Google and even Microsoft. These programs have limited value but provide increased visibility and profit for software companies. Totally unrelated companies are encouraged(paid) to install these programs and receive a cash bounty if they can get you to install them. Sometimes it’s done without your knowledge, sometimes it because you don’t carefully read the purpose of every check box during setup.

In the past it was common for WinPatrol fans to report programs which were malicious, designed to steal data, monitor key strokes or create pop up ads. Sadly, the most common complaints I see now are for programs from legitimate companies.

Google continues to top the list of companies wanting to make sure you have their toolbar and updates of anything else they feel you need, like it or not. A large number of companies are paid to install the Google Toolbar via programs like Adobe Flash, Cyberlink PowerDVD, IrfanView, PC Tools Spyware Doctor, Threatfire, RealPlayer, ZoneAlarm and more. The fact WinPatrol users are requesting Info on GoogleUpdater implies they have no clue how it was installed on their system.

Google Updater isn’t the only program that our users don’t understand why they have it. Continued below is a current, “Where the hell did I get this from, and how can I get rid of it” list. I’ve made the top ten hot links so you can click and see an example of some of the extra value provided by WinPatrol PLUS.

	Program Request	Company Name
1	GOOGLEUPDATER.EXE	GOOGLE INC.
2	ADOBEARM.EXE	ADOBE SYSTEMS
3	JUSCHED.EXE	SUN MICROSYSTEMS, INC.
4	READER_SL.EXE	ADOBE SYSTEMS
5	MDNSRESPONDER.EXE	APPLE INC.
6	WMPNSCFG.EXE	MICROSOFT CORPORATION
7	ITUNESHELPER.EXE	APPLE INC.
8	REALSCHED.EXE	REALNETWORKS, INC.
9	QTTASK.EXE	APPLE INC.
10	APPLEMOBILEDEVICESERVICE.EXE	APPLE INC.
11	CTFMON.EXE	MICROSOFT CORPORATION
12	IGFXTRAY.EXE	INTEL CORPORATION
13	IGFXPERS.EXE	INTEL CORPORATION
14	NVCPL.DLL	NVIDIA CORPORATION
15	MSFEEDSSYNC.EXE	MICROSOFT CORPORATION
16	SMSS.EXE	MICROSOFT CORPORATION
17	CLISTART.EXE	ADVANCED MICRO DEVICES
18	NWIZ.EXE	NVIDIA CORPORATION
19	ISUSPM.EXE	MACROVISION CORPORATION
20	MSASCUI.EXE	MICROSOFT CORPORATION
21	HKCMD.EXE	INTEL CORPORATION
22	HIDSERV.DLL	MICROSOFT CORPORATION
23	SIDEBAR.EXE	MICROSOFT CORPORATION
24	DUMPREP 0 -K	MICROSOFT CORPORATION
25	MSNMSGR.EXE	MICROSOFT CORPORATION

Not long ago our top requests were programs that served up spyware or adware like those below. Some free sample links below may not contain updated PLUS Info. Have you been around enough to remember these annoying infiltrations?

Common Name	Program Detected by WinPatrol
MyWebSearch.com Hijacker	MYBAR/MYWAY.DLL, MWSSRCAS.DLL, MWSOEMON.DLL
New.net	NEWDOTNET.DLL
WinTools	WTOOLSA.EXE, WTOOLSB.DLL, WTOOLSS.DLL
XUpiterSpyware - OrbitExplorer	toolbar.dll
eXact Advertising	NVMS.DLL, MSCB.DLL, MSBE.DLL
Internet Optimizer	nem21*.dll - nem220.dll
Gator / Claria	CMESYS.exe, GMT.exe, GAIN_Tickler*.exe
PowerREGISTER	POWERREG SCHEDULER.EXE
Uploader-R	TSM2.EXE
WinAd by TwistedHumor	Winad.exe, WinAdTools.exe Winclt.exe, WinTaskAd.exe
Intercosmos Media Group	SEARCHRELEVANCY.DLL
Addictive Technologies	ATPARTNERS.DLL
WhenU.com	VVSN.exe / Save.exe
180Solutions	MSBB.EXE
LocalNRD - Trandponder - Mindset Interactive	LOCALNRD.DLL
Neo Toolbar - Traffic Syndicate	TBPS.EXE, btein.dll, stoolsbar.dll
Bridge Search Page Hijacker	BRIDGE.DLL
W32 Supernova Worm	SYSUPD.EXE
eUniverse / Keen Value	WUpdater.exe, INCFINDFBO.DLL, PERFECTNAVBHO.DLL
CommonName Toolbar	CNBABE.exe, CNBABE.DLL

If you’d like to learn more check out the Calendar of Updates “Installers Hall of Shame” at

http://www.calendarofupdates.com/updates/index.php?showtopic=16109. You’ll be amazed at how common this business practice as become. This topic already has almost 300 comments to there’s a lot to read.

Meanwhile, download WinPatrol and easily clean up your startup programs. Upgrade a specially priced WinPatrol PLUS now for recent information on these annoying programs. WinPatrol works well along side any of the popular AV and security programs on the market.

Would you Spot this Malware?

2010-06-13T11:00:00.003-04:00

I recently wrote about how social engineering and human nature is used to trick us into downloading files which infiltrate our computers. When I signed on to Facebook today the first thing I noticed was an obviously malware post. I’d like to think all of you would know immediately not to click the this link. I deleted the post so others wouldn't click on it and phoned our young friend who posted it. Not surprisingly she had no idea how it was posted and as I suggested she signed on to change her Facebook password.

Would you have detected this as an obvious scam?

Even I know that Justin Bieber is too young for Miley Cyrus.

As a researcher I clicked on this link to see where it went. So in case you’re curious, here’s what happens. In this case, the Bit.ly service was smart enough to know this link was suspicious. Bit.ly is a service which allows you to create a shortcut of a long url. This is useful if you need to include a web address in a short message like those required on Twitter. Unfortunately, these short addresses don't let you see where a link takes you.

If I was still silly enough to continue the real fun begins with an invitation to share this with all my friends.

If this was really shared by 95,071 friends it’s really scary. I often wonder if someday I won’t need to keep developing my WinPatrol program. I suspect it will be a while until I get to retire.

New and Improved WinPatrol 18

2010-06-02T21:35:00.001-04:00

While WinPatrol 18 sounds like a boring name there’s nothing boring about the new features included in the new, improved WinPatrol.

Since 1997 WinPatrol has taken a snapshot of critical system locations and alerted members if values are changed. Over the years Microsoft Windows has become more and more complex and the number of critical locations has exploded. WinPatrol has grown to meet those needs while remaining small and robust.

I frequently get recommendations from pros on new registry locations which should be monitored. In some cases, these locations are application specific or apply to particular versions of Windows. WinPatrol 18 users can add locations they feel are important and WinPatrol will protect them.

Registry monitoring is flexible. Instead of having a pop up message asking about a change WinPatrol can just lock down a value and prevent it from changing. In the list above, those registry values with an icon are set to be locked and protected from change. As online experts find new registry values being changed by malware, WinPatrol can protect you better than ever.

At first glance this feature may look like something for advanced users. The “Suggestions” button will offer tips and suggestions on registry values you may want to protect based on how you use your computer. We’ll also offer application specific update scripts that can be download and installed with a few clicks. Ultimately, it’s still my goal to save users from having to ever edit the register using programs like RegEdit.exe.

By far my favorite part of developing WinPatrol is the support I receive from our loyal fans. When WinPatrol was created I never expected it to become my primary project. I never developed a business plan to keep WinPatrol going so I really depend on word of mouth and support from all of you who have become PLUS members. As long as my health and this support continues you’ll see a WinPatrol 19, 20 and many more with new features based on your requests and suggestions.

Thank you again for your support and suggestions. Please enjoy the new WinPatrol 18. I hope Scotty takes good care of you and your critical computer information.

Can Facebook be Trusted?

2010-05-31T19:56:00.002-04:00

Last week Facebook rolled out another round of what they consider easy to use privacy settings. What they’re really doing is trying to appear as if they’re doing something to address major privacy concern from customers and privacy organizations. Even Harry McCracken at Technologizer, says “Bottom line: Managing your Facebook privacy is still a remarkably convoluted process which isn’t explained clearly enough.”

Many of my friends received new Facebook settings on the first night but not everyone. I received one change however that baffled me. It seems that any post I made on my wall was set to be seen by “Only Me”.

It seemed like Facebook was saying “Screw you privacy advocates” by changing the default settings for wall posts to “Only Me”. “There you go, want privacy? Now nobody can see what you post”. I can’t imagine why this would even be an option let alone the default.

If I clicked on the padlock I was able to change it so my posts could be seen by “Friends Only” which was my normal settings. Unfortunately, I had to change this setting for each post I made.

When I clicked on Customize I was able to tell Facebook I wanted to change my default but it took four times before it would stick. These changes or bug appeared before the new security settings were rolled out to my account.

Plenty of people are doing articles about the new Facebook settings but I’m really asking the fundamental question. Can you trust Facebook? Based on my observations the answer is no.

Facebook creator Mark Zuckenberg has a vision of the world in which we all share information. It’s no secret that this remains his basic philosophy and goal for Facebook. When announcing new privacy policies he wrote…

“Six years ago, we built Facebook around a few simple ideas. People want to share and stay connected with their friends and the people around them. If we give people control over what they share, they will want to share more. If people share more, the world will become more open and connected. And a world that’s more open and connected is a better world. These are still our core principles today.”

Even if Facebook were to change and make sharing an opt-in service, my experience says we still can’t trust Facebook.

I have some info I want to share like my bird photos or other favorite photos. I have other images that are private for my family that I wouldn’t want available to everyone. I can easily imagine a day when all my photos are exposed and Facebook responding with “Oops, sorry it’s a bug we’re working on”.

I’m also very concerned about information which is shared with Facebook partners. These are companies who have no physical address and no known privacy policy.

I reluctantly continue to use Facebook to keep my eye on them and write about it. If they do something good, I’ll write about that as well. I have a Fans of WinPatrol page which I once promoted on WinPatrol.com. I no longer encourage users to join Facebook and removed the link. I welcome current Facebook users to be Fans of WinPatrol but I don’t feel its safe to promote Facebook as a service to new users.

What do you think?

Why Dancing with the Stars is #1

2010-05-23T13:04:00.002-04:00

Are you wondering why the heck I’m talking about TV Shows? Well, it’s still a little all about tech and some of my past experiences. In the 90’s I worked with what was, at the time, “Capital Cities ABC”. ABC was one of the first networks to start posting some of their content online. My first project was a program which helped automate the process.

I was still connected with ABC when the Disney Corp came in and took over. I was part of a small group that launched something called “ABC Enhanced TV” integrating live broadcasts with Internet games and content.

I admit I really don’t know much about the actual production of TV shows but I know what networks like ABC can do. I witnessed the organization of the production staff as they moved small cities from one race tack to another, from one football stadium to another. I always said if FEMA had just hired the folks at ABC and NBC to handle Katrina the residents of New Orleans would have been better off.

This week is the season finale of the show “Dancing with the Stars”. I’m sure most of you have never seen this show but if you want to see an example of one of the finest production on the air take a peek on Monday night. DWTS isn’t the number one show because people like ball room dancing.

First let me give kudos to host Tom Bergeron. You might only know Tom from Hollywood Squares or America’s Funniest Video but his talent and timing for adlibbing is 1st class. I also respect Tom for acknowledging that Disney uses every chance they can to promote other properties, it’s comical.

DWTS is a live show which by itself is a huge production nightmare. Yet, every week the cameras are where they’re supposed to be, the taped segments are well placed and entertaining and surprises(like people fainting) are handled as if they were planned.

If you haven’t already, pay special attention to the lighting during an episode of Dancing with the Stars. The lighting changes with each dance to match the theme and is coordinated as if they had a month to prepare instead of a week.

I’m not always a fan of the singers or song selections but the band is great. Having to coordinate the music for each new show certainly isn’t a breeze.

Have I mentioned it’s a live show? Even Saturday Night Live gets to do a test show the night before to see what works. So again, even if you don’t give a hoot about dancing Monday may be your last chance to see TV production at its best.

Windows Home Server Saved my Butt

2010-05-19T17:33:00.002-04:00

Last November I posted the article below after someone recommended a Windows Home Server to me. I’m happy to say after having a system failure this week I was able to try the “Restore PC” CD that came with my HP Mediasmart Home Server and it saved my butt. I now have a completely restored system in working order.

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November 30, 2009
Do you have more than one PC or Laptop in your home? Would you like a better way to make sure your computer data is backed up? If you answered yes then like me you want a Windows Home Server for your home network.

Last month, I finally decided that a Home Server system would be a good choice for me. After some serious research, I went ahead and purchased a HP EX490 1TB Mediasmart Home Server . At the time it was $500 but can now be had for $469 USD. I also added some drive space with an extra Western Digital 1.5 TB Caviar Green SATA Hard Drive for only $90.

HP Mediasmart Home Server

I can’t believe I waited so long before picking up this essential device for any home network. Designed as a single device to stream your music, videos and photos the Mediasmart Home Server has a variety of cool functions. For me the single feature which backs up all my computers was well worth the cost. When I first set up the Windows Home Server I had it back up all my home computers which took the better part of the day. Now, it backs up every system in 5-10 minutes and only stores what has changed. Everything is done without any intervention and alerts me only if an error occurs.

If I sound excited it’s because I am. I’m sure, I’m not the only one with 2+ computers at home and this is a must have addition to any home network. For more information on the power and features of the Windows Home Servers check out Microsoft’s Windows Home Server page.

I recommend highly that you add a Windows Home Server to your holiday wish list. This month keep your eyes out for special savings. Today on Twitter I read that Amazon has a HP LX195 MediaSmart Home Server with a 640 GB hard drive on sale for $199 USD. This smaller unit doesn't have room for more internal storage but includes 4 USB ports to easily add more space. If you’ve ever had a hard drive failure and/or looked at the costs of disk recovery you’ll want to order one today.

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My 4 year old desktop had 829 GB’s of data which I have collected over the years. It included 12 years of digital photos, full copy of TV shows which I had recorded, 10 years of Email stored in Microsoft Outlook, many programs which I doubt I could ever find again and more.

I have never found a backup system I was happy with until now. It took almost a full day to restore all the data but it worked as advertised. I doubt this is the last time you’ll hear be sing the praises of the Windows Home Server. If you have a household with multiple computers treat yourself and make the investment today.

Security Software Doesn’t Fix Human Nature

2010-05-18T10:48:00.003-04:00

If you’re interested in PC Security, you’ll want to check a look at research recently compiled by the folks at PC Pitstop. Even I was surprised at how much people mistakenly rely on their security software. The research shows that even with some of the most popular and/or highest quality protection computers are still at risk.

http://techtalk.pcpitstop.com/2010/05/13/the-state-of-pc-security/

It’s not uncommon for a system to be infected and users won’t even know it. Even more common is folks have no clue how an infiltration could have possibility happened. Nine times out ten it will result from a social engineered attack on our human nature. No matter how often people claim they don’t download strange software, they will. They just won’t immediately know it’s a bad file to download or bad link to click on.

Historic Social Engineered Infiltrations

In the early days, the bad guys used simple methods which aren’t much different than the creative attacks used today. Imagine you're a secretary at a company and you get a phone call like…

“This is Mr. Hunt from IBM. It seems someone did something wrong on your computer which have been damaged your accounts payable system. Could you please give me your user name and password so I can correct this error.? We don’t have to report any mistakes to your boss”.

You can bet this kind of breach wasn’t rare and still happens today with a different script. One well known hacker tells the story how he’d just leave a copy of infected floppy disks labeled “Salary Figures” laying around inside a company.

More Recent Infiltrations

Some of you may remember a spyware attack that was spread via an Email claiming to have naked photos of Tennis star Anna Kournikova. Some of you may feel users deserved to get infected falling for this one but it makes for a good example of taking advantage of human nature to spread badware. I’m sure most of you are careful when receiving a greeting card from friends or family. If you’re like me, you’ll contact the person and thank them but let them know you don’t read anything suspicious especially if it’s a online greeting card. Even if a message comes directly from a friend there’s no way to know if that friend hasn’t had their Email or Facebook account compromised. Social engineered attacks have fooled plenty of intelligent people.

Latest Infiltrations

Social engineered attacks are getting really good. Ironically, some of the trickiest scheme are given away by poor grammar and bad spelling. Today I received noticed that UPS was trying to deliver an important package but it was signed by DHL Customer Support. Many of the schemes use scare tactics to throw someone off track. Would your family and friends fall for any of the following?

“You have won a new laptop via Amazon’s best customer contest". Click here to download acceptance form.”

“Thank you for the purchase of your new Dell computer. Your PayPal account will be billed $929.95. Click here to cancel this order”.

“There is an Amber Alert for your local area Click here for more information. You can verify this is true on Snopes.com by clicking here”.

Yes, people are falling for these tricks and others. There may be one coming that will fool you so always be skeptical. If you think your family and friends need help maybe you should encourage them to read BitsFromBill.com.

Please feel free to leave a comment with a tricky scheme that didn’t fool you, or even one that did. Our best defense is for all of us to share this information.

Where Can I Find an Alternate PDF Viewer?

2010-04-27T15:28:00.001-04:00

Apparently Adobe isn’t making enough profits by selling Photoshop for $699. The basic Acrobat program needed to create PDF files is sold for $99 but that’s not enough either. The program to view and print PDF files appears to be free but if you’re not careful it comes with some unwanted baggage.

Adobe makes extra money every time someone downloads and installs the Google Toolbar. I usually know better but even I didn’t see the check box in my haste to download most recent Acrobat reader. Given the number of vulnerabilities that keep occurring with the Acrobat reader I always recommend folks check to to be sure they have newest version.

I’ve never been a fan of companies which keep trying to add programs to my autorun list. Adobe Download Manager installs a number of components that run in the background and regularly connect to see if I need my software updated. These includes the Adobe Speed Launcher ( read_sl.exe ), Adobe Reader and Acrobat Manager ( adobearm.exe ), AcroIEHelper Library ( AcroIEHelper.dll ) and Adobe PDF Helper ( Acroiehelpershim.dll ) and Adobe Services like GetPlus_Helper.DLL

Given all the vulnerabilities and extra software, I decided I’ve had enough with Adobe. The PDF format has gotten so popular I would still need a program to view and print PDF’s.

Classic Bad Behavior
When discussing this issue on Twitter quite a few people recommended I switch to a PDF reader called FoxIt. This program looked promising especially after I read “NO BLOAT”. They lied.

The download process was clean and simple as long as I remembered to uncheck the options to make Ask.com my new search provider and home page.

Why would they think I want to change my home page or default search? I thought it was bad enough these options were pre-checked but I never even had a choice if I wanted the Ask.com Toolbar. It was installed automatically. Sorry, but I consider this bloatware. What I wanted was a PDF viewer that’s all.

Luckily, I was greeted with a friendly warning from my favorite Windows Watchdog which immediately removed the unwanted toolbar.

That wasn’t the end of the story. FoxIt is a classic example of the bad habit of software including crap you never wanted. Before the install was complete I was encouraged to install an eBay shortcut on my Desktop!

After some more recommendations from Twitter friends, I’m currently using a program called Sumatra which is free and open source. You can download Sumatra at http://blog.kowalczyk.info/software/sumatrapdf/ The only negative thing I can say so far is I don’t really like the color yellow they use.

Do I sound bitter?
What really makes me sad is this trend has become so widespread that everyone expects and accepts it. Folks silently continue to download bloated software until their machine eventually becomes unmanageable and/or full of bugs. I’ve also been approached by Ask.com and I always reject their offer. If I had accepted their offer to include a toolbar with the free WinPatrol I could have retired this year. Apparently, most people really don’t care.

Auto Update Kills Computers Again

2010-04-21T20:37:00.001-04:00

Everyone who reads Bits From Bill knows that I’m not a big fan of automatically updating software. There are just so many different configurations it’s nearly impossible to accurately test new software.

My previous posts include

* Auto Updates are Evil
* Update causes OLMAPI32.dll error
* Auto Update Programs Running all the time
* Microsoft Security Update Problems

For those who have asked, I’ll never have a system to automatically updating my WinPatrol program. I prefer to roll out new versions so that our big fans are the first to have new versions. If a serious problem does occur they’re also most likely to have the knowledge to follow instructions on how to fix any problems.

McAfee Fail
McAfee and others might consider this approach in the future. Today, McAfee updated users with a new signature file which left thousands of computers useless. A false positive in the virus definition file caused a required Windows system file to be deleted. Unfortunately, this isn’t the first time a problem like this has occurred.

For details, check out Ed Bott’s coverage for ZDNet
Defective McAfee update causes worldwide meltdown of XP PCs

WinPatrol Beta Test
While WinPatrol doesn’t have any many users as McAfee I wouldn’t want this to happen to a single user. So before the release of the next version of WinPatrol I will have a beta period restricted to qualified users.

If you’re interested in participating I would so much appreciate the help. If you don’t know how to follow instructions and just want the new version early don’t bother. To test the next version of WinPatrol send an Email on Saturday, April 24th to support@WinPatrol. Include 1) what version of Windows you use, 2) your default browser and 3) how/where you first heard of WinPatrol. I won’t be responding immediately but if you’re selected you’ll receive instructions by the end of the month. You’ll be asked to follow some steps for specific tests so again, don’t apply unless you are willing to provide some time towards testing.