Navigation

Service Packs

Here is a list of operating systems and programs and their current service packs.

  Program                    SP

Windows 2000             4
Windows XP                 3
Windows Vista              2
MS Server 2003           2
MS SBS 2003               2
MS Office XP                 3
MS Office 2003             3
MS Office 2007             1
MS Exchange 2000       3
MS Exchange 2003       3
MS Exchange 2007       2
MS SQL Server 2005     3

Security Links

XP Eye Candy

Here is a list of free tools/programs to change the look of Windows XP.

Madotate

Object Dock

Microsoft's Power Toys

Yod'm 3D

  

Computing

    I love computers. I love almost everything about them. I first got into computers in 1980. After doing my work in Algebra class, my teacher would let me go into the computer labs. After "Hello World", it was all over. That was on the old TRS-80 series.

    Today I am a network administrator for a company called Kappa Computer Systems. Here I get to work with small and medium business networks. Most of the systems are a bit newer than the TRS-80's I started on, although one client just recently migrated from an old NT 4.0 server, so maybe not. I mainly work on Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2008, and VMware ESX/ESXi. Also do a fair amount of work with Exchange 2003, and a little SQL if I'm forced to...very little. 

    I love all aspects of computing, but my favorite part of computing is speed and tweaking the OS. I am always tweaking my computers to try and get as much speed out of them as possible. I also like modifying the OS to make the computer a very custom computer. This includes modifying the look and feel, from changing the text on the start button, to changing the system clock. As long as the stability isn't effected, I'll try it.

Tutorials

XP Workstations
How to add multiple desktops to your XP machine. Coming soon.

How to add the 3D Cube effect in XP. Coming Soon.

Change the text on the XP Start button. Coming soon.

Change the text on the Internet Explorer title bar. Coming soon.

Change the clock in the system tray to display whatever text you want.

Increase the performance of XP. Coming soon.


Networking

How to sync an iPhone 3G to an Exchange 2003 Server. Coming Soon.

How to block external access to an intranet running on IIS. Coming Soon.


Applications

Configuration settings for Firefox. Coming Soon.

Configuration settings for Open Office. Coming Soon.

Tools

  To work on computers and networks, you really need to use software tools. Although not a requirement, they make your job much easier and efficient. There are a lot of very good tools for IT professionals. And to make it even better, there are a lot of very good free tools available as well. As I find out about new tools, I try them out. I also try them on version changes as a few tools I have used didn't work as well after they were upgraded.

    I have comprised a CD and USB key of some tools that I find very useful. These are tools that I use for maintenance and/or troubleshooting. Here are the tools I use on a regular basis. As I find new ones, I will add them.

Malwarebytes: This software scans your computer for malware. It gives you the option of a quick scan or a full scan. In all instances that I have used Malwarebytes, only once did I have to run the full scan after the quick scan. It is very thorough and does not identify safe files as malware. This program is free, and has the option to pay for more features.

Ccleaner: This is one of the best Windows cleaners I have used, period. It does a great job of scrubbing your computer of junk and temp files. It also has a registry cleaner and does a good job of cleaning your registry without causing damage.

Angry IP Scanner: This is a small and very fast network scanner. It will scan the 192.168.0.0/24 network in about 45 seconds. When you select all columns to be shown, it gives you the IP address, mac address, hostname and other information for each host it finds. This is a great tool to help you find a WAP or router on your network.

Nmap: Nmap is the defacto standard for port scanners. It is used for network scanning and security audits. With it's powerful scanning engine, and many options, it can do many different things. But the one thing it does better than any other is scan networks of any size.

Eraser: Eraser is a security tool to permanently remove data from a Windows Hard Drive. We all know that simply deleting a file doesn't delete it, and free downloadable forensic tools can retrieve the data. If you have sensitive data that you need to safely get rid of, then Eraser is the best bet, short of removing the hard drive and breaking the platters with a hammer.

Links

Petri IT Knowledgebase - A wonderful site for all computer/network help.

GRC - Everything there is to know about computers & networking safety.  
Major Geeks - A huge site full of downloads; if you need it, they have it.

The Elder Geek - A great site for help with Windows XP.

Free AVG - Free antivirus software that does a really good job.

Malwarebytes - A free tool used to clean out malware from Windows systems.

Systernals - A great collection of tools for computers and networking.

Event ID - A great site for help with deciphering event log errors.

Doug Knox - A great site with registry fixes for broken file associations.