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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. I get to work on networks of varying sizes. The smallest is an SBS 2003 box with 3 users, and the largest so far is a 250+ user network comprised with 35 physical servers running Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2008, VMware esx 4, and Terminal Services. These are definitely a step up from the TRS-80's I started on. I also work on CentOS 5 and VMware ESXi 4, and have done a fair amount of work with Exchange 2003. I've do very little SQL if I'm forced to...very 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.

Change the owner and company info in System Properties.

Change the text on the Internet Explorer title bar.

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

Increase the performance of XP. Coming soon.



Windows 7

How to add Copy To and Move To commands to Explorer context menu.

How to add "God Mode" to Windows 7.

How to add Linux commands to the Windows 7 command prompt.



Networking

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

How to setup and configure a NAS server with FreeNAS. Coming Soon.



iPhone

Basic steps to secure your iPhone.

Patch the iPhone without losing Jailbreaking capabilities. Coming Soon.

How to change the root password of your iPhone. 

How to install .deb files on the iPhone. 

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, host name 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.

True Crypt: TrueCrypt is open source disk encryption software for Linux, Windows, 7/Vista/XP, and Mac OS X. It allows you to encrypt the entire hard drive or removable drive, create a virtual encrypted partition, create a hidden volume  and/or a hidden operating system, and create plausible deniability all with AES-256 encryption algorithm. If you have data to protect, and who doesn't, this is a must tool to use.

Links

Petri IT Knowledge base - 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 great free tool used to clean out malware.

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.

Vista Feature Guide - A list of Vista features and their explanations.

HowtoForge - A site full of step-by-step tutorials for Linux.