Microsoft Vista Service Pack 2

Windows Vista Service Pack 2 is now available for download, and you should start to notice it appearing in your ‘Automatic Updates’ very soon, if not already.

What is the purpose of SP2?

• Program compatibility fixes (including all previous Vista updates, and some specific compatibility fixes for certain programs)
• Hardware support (additional support for Bluetooth wireless technology and improved performance for Wi-Fi connections after the computer resumes from ’sleep mode’.  You can also record data to Blu-ray disc media.
• Operating system updates (including Windows Search 4.0, plus improvements for TV recording using Media Player)
• Hotfixes (a number of hotfixes to improve Vista, and repair bugs)

Important points to note, before you install SP2:

• It takes at least an hour, so if you are using a laptop, ensure you have it plugged into the mains
• Your PC will restart a couple of times, so ensure you have all other applications closed prior to installation
• You must already have Vista SP1 installed before you can install SP2
• There have been some problems with certain sound drivers and other hardware, but this is not a big issue, you simply need to update these drivers after you have completed the SP2 installation.
• If you had previously installed the ‘pre-release’ version of SP2, then this will have to be uninstalled before you install the full SP2 release.  The ‘pre-release’ version has a limited ’shelf life’ anyway.

For further information regarding Vista SP2, and installation problem information, visit Microsofts website HERE.

Most family homes now have a PC with connection to the internet, and it is a constant source of worry for most parents when they think of what their child could be accessing or seeing online.

There are numerous pieces of software commercially available which allow some measure of protection, but we have found that most problems can be avoided using a free piece of software, such as Bluecoat K9 Web Protection.

K9 is not software for anti-virus, anti-spam, etc.  Instead it deals directly with ‘Web Content’ and browsing, filtering the content available to your child.  When you have it turned on, it prevents the computer user from viewing Web sites that contain unwanted content. It can block more than 55 different categories of content, including pornography, hate speech and sites that promote violence or permit gambling.

To get K9, simply go into your Internet Browser (Internet Explorer, Firefox, etc) and go to the site www.getk9.com.  This is a website designed primarily for parents, and will provide a wealth of information.  Read the information there, then click on ‘Get K9 Now’ to download and install.

The main features of K9 are:

• Blocks up to 60 content categories (eg porn, gambling, etc)
• Set time restrictions on when your child can access the internet
• Block specific websites not covered in the software automatically
• Audible feature (a barking noise) to alert parents that their child is trying to access or has stumbled across something inappropriate
• Block sites with specific words in their url (website address)
• View reports of all internet activity and administrative actions
• Very simple to use interface

At present K9 does not provide controls for Instant Messaging or Peer-Peer, but these are planned for its upcoming new release.  You do have to register with the site to get a license key for the software, but it is a little price to pay for this level of protection from a piece of free software.

Whilst we ask that parents consider the use of something like K9, we also strongly advise home users to have adequate Anti-Virus and Anti-Spyware protection enabled.  There is no need to purchase a product for home use, as AVG have a free version (AVG Free 8.5) which will cover your needs.  It updates and scans automatically, and has no renewal date like the commercial versions.

And now for the scary part, the following are some of the statistics (taken from BlueCoat’s site) regarding youths and the internet:

• 1 in 4 youths have unwanted exposure to inappropriate pictures each year
• 9 out of 10 kids, aged 8-16, have viewed pornography on the internet
• 1 in 5 children, aged 10-17, have received a sexual solicitation over the internet
• 74% of commercial pornography sites display free porn images on their home page

Protect your child today, for free, and give yourself peace of mind.

This screensaver is something we have shown to a few of our customers, and had great feedback on, so we have decided to share it with the rest of the world.  We cannot take credit for creating it, it has to go to Laconic Software, who offer this plus much more on their website.

The basic idea is, you install the software, and it adds a funky new screensaver to your PC, which depicts your desktop going on fire (as shown in the screenshot below).  It also has sound effects, making this an excellent effect for anyone’s desktop environment.

The above screenshot shows a ‘Stonehenge’ desktop background in Windows XP, with a small IE7 window opened, with the ‘Fire Screensaver’ activated.  The screenshot might give you an idea of the cool effect, but it is nothing compared to the full screensaver.

• Download: Free Fire Screensaver
• Publisher: Laconic Software
• License Details: Free
• Version: 1.26
• Operating Systems: Windows 2000, XP or Vista

Not only will this screensaver set your desktop ‘ablaze’, but you can amend the settings to play your own choice of music too (or choose one of the two tracks accompanying the software).

Cool eh?

Asonda Computers, run by Jamie Starbuck of Cornwall, has taken over the Comspec Dropshipping site as from the 1st of March 2009.  The site itself has been moved to a new domain at www.Asonda-Dropshipping.co.uk and will be further developed from there.Jamie and Mark (from Comspec) have worked together in the past, and know each other very well.  Since Comspec has been expanding at an alarming rate locally in Northern Ireland, it was thought that the time just was not available to develop the PC Dropshipping service in the way first envisaged.  The initial plans for increasing the range available and providing further functionality to the new site were being delayed because of local work commitments, and this was holding back the service that would have been on offer to all the Dropshipping Resellers.

So, when an agreement was reached, Asonda rebadged the site on their own domain, and immediately started the task of further developing the service.  We at Comspec took our time on deciding who would be best for the service, and Asonda were top of the list.  Their site development skills, coupled with a similar outlook regarding quality and service, made them the obvious choice.  We have complete faith in the ability of Asonda with regards to specifying and building top quality PC’s, and we felt completely sure that they would offer an increased range of top-notch computers for all the Dropshipping resellers.

We’d like to wish all of our resellers and Jamie (of Asonda) prosperity and luck for the future, and we are very comfortable that Asonda will continue the devlopment of the PC Dropshipping business model in the way we envisaged.

Any existing resellers, your account has been moved to Asonda automatically, and any prospective resellers, please refer to the registration details on www.Asonda-Dropshipping.co.uk for further information.

Future developments which Asonda are currently working on include:

• A much wider and more populated range of products
• CSV File exports
• Further development of forum & technical support functionality
• More ‘top range’ PC’s and Gamer Systems, which have been in demand for some time

Good luck all, and we are sure that Asonda PC Dropshipping will provide you with an excellent service now and into the future.

OK, this utility is difficult to find, and is written for the Epson Stylus Photo R290, but works just as well for the Epson Stylus Photo R285.

Most people will simply want this to Reset the Waste Ink Counter on the printer.

Steps to take:

• Download the Compressed RAR file and extract it to a folder
• Change your system date to 01-04-2008
• Run the batch file called LIMPIAR
• Confirm date as 01-04-2008
• When the utility starts, choose ‘Personal Adjustment’
• From here, choose the option you require (usually Waste Ink Counter) and reset
• Reset system date to correct date

For those of you unable to extract the RAR file, download a free utility such as 7zip to do so.

Comspec have recently completed another ecommerce store for one of our clients www.JSWorkwear.co.uk

This is a Joomla 1.5 site, with a Virtuemart ecommerce store added.

JS Workwear wanted a simple, easily navigated site, which was Search Engine friendly, and could be easily updated themselves.

Comspec provided such a site, with a couple of noteable addons:

• Customised forms for ‘quotation requests’, which allowed users to upload their artwork for embroidery or printing.
• A gallery, showing some samples of work at various stages of embroidery.

We used our sister site www.DesignerExpress.co.uk (currently under construction) to have a banner designed for the top of this new site - using a modified version of the JS Workwear logo.

JS Workwear provide a range of the following goods:

• Workwear (hi visibility, boots, safety wear, etc)
• Corporate Wear (suits, blouses, shirts, etc)
• Sportswear (football kits, tracksuits, bags, shirts, etc)
• Accessories (Caps, Bags, etc)
• Catering Wear (Chef’s jackets, trousers, aprons, etc)

They also wanted a site which showed their quality embroidery and printing services.

This site will be an ongoing project over the coming months, with more and more content added as pictures are taken and jobs completed.

We would like to wish JS Workwear every success in their venture into the World Wide Web with their already well-established range of products and services.

We managed to get our new, updated version of www.Comspec-Dropshipping.co.uk launched this week.

The site has been running for a full year, and we have revamped the whole thing.

This site is designed to provide a ‘dropshipping’ service to our approved resellers, full details of which can be found on the site.

New features include:

• A technical/sales support forum
• A wider product reange (to include components, etc)
• Further product details, with some specification/product data sheets
• Carriage now done by weight, and each product has a weight displayed
• Cleaner, more secure site
• Zip files of product pics available on the forum

We are working on even greater functionality of the site over the coming months, to include:

• CSV Exporting of product details
• Additional product ranges
• Custom PC Builder

Please contact us through the site if you have any queries.

Most of us have heard of Broadband internet, but how many of us have actually sat down and thought what was best for our job, rather than just

A report in today’s BBC News Online suggests that we will all be getting a download for our operating systems to try to head off a major internet security breach, discovered by accident.

The breach would allow criminals to redirect internet users to fake websites, in an attempt to prise private information from them. The research into a ‘fix’ has been going on in private for about 6 months, since the flaw was discovered in the DNS (Domain Name system).

Continue reading “Internet security breach is tackled”

Well, today was the day that Mozilla decided to release Firefox 3, the eagerly awaited free web browser, with an ever-increasing following.

Continue reading “Firefox 3 is finally here !”